STARTED & FINISHED:

Abadzis, Nick. (2007). Laika. New York: First Second.

[Graphic novel about the first little dog in space. I read it because it's being voted on in our ACL group to see if it is outstanding enough to be on the year-end Distinguished list. The woman who gave it to me to read was, literally, crying just thinking about how Laika dies in the end. I thought it was really good and a compelling read. The Russian names get a bit confusing to follow, but, otherwise, it's much recommended reading.]



Wolf, Allan. (2007). Zane's trace. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

[Read for ACL review. Will post review when I get done with it. Done:

An epileptic teenager with a family history of mental illness, Zane Guesswind abandons the walls of the bedroom on which he has scrawled the thoughts that haunt him with a Sharpie and steals his brother’s car for a final road trip. While on the road to his mother’s gravesite where, upon arrival, he intends to shoot himself, Zane surreally deals with elements of his past such as his father’s abandonment of the family, his mother’s suicide, and the history of the gun that his mother used in her deed – a Revolutionary War pistol that has been passed down through his family line. Along the way, Zane picks up a hitchhiker named Libba who may be more familiar to him than he realizes, and has dreamlike conversations with his ancestors who appear to him as drive-thru fast-food workers and motel desk clerks. Despite the (often) unsettling details of Zane’s life, the underlying message here of confronting and dealing with family demons in an effort to pave a new future for oneself is a vital one that will ring true for many teenage readers. Told in brisk, narrative prose poetry, this disturbing road trip novel is nihilistic at times, likely a bit too much so for most tastes, but is worth the ride. Included is an extensive author’s note detailing the authenticity of the locations described along the way in the novel, as well as biographical references, internet sites for further information, and a number of suicide prevention resources.]



STARTED:
Michaels, Rune. (2007). Genesis Alpha. New York: Ginee Seo/Atheneum.

[Reviewing for ACL.]

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