Young Adult Fiction: The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

We close out this year's YA Fest with The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He. This look at a possible future for humanity and an Earth that is suffering explores the relationship between sisters, and what it means to be human.

The Situation: For over three years, Cee has been living alone on an island, with only an android for company. She has no memory of her life before the island, and no idea how she got there. What she does know is that she has a sister, somewhere out there, and she needs to get back to her. Though progress has been slow, she is doing her best to build a boat to carry her across the unpredictable waters, and hopefully back to civilization. Meanwhile, 16 year-old Kasey is a known science prodigy living in one of the planet's eco-cities, designed to be a refuge against the quickly failing and contaminated environment. Kasey may be incapable of normal, social interaction, but she understands that something is not right about the way society is currently operating, and the way the environmental crisis is being handled. While her detached and distant father busies himself with saving as many as possible, Kasey once again embraces science for a different kind of solution.

The Problem: Natural disasters are occurring at a higher rate, and at a greater magnitude. Due to a mistake in her past, Kasey does not have the access, or the trust of the people, to put a plan in place of saving humanity, at least not without help. But as she gets closer to a solution, she also learns more about her own history, and what happened right before her eyes years ago. It is obvious that humanity has helped to destroy the planet. Should it be trusted in the effort to save it? On the island, Cee is having her own battle between memory and history. She sleepwalks ever night, every morning waking up closer to the water, and eventually in it. She knows there must be something beyond this island - she has dreamed about it - but getting to it presents an ever-present problem. With food running low, and the island lacking in general resources, much less in ways to leave, Cee is running out of time, and options.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel set in an undetermined future. Earth is still sustaining human life, though barely. Colossal natural disasters are increasing in frequency, and it is becoming more and more urgent for world leaders and top scientists to come up with a solution. In alternating chapters, Cee is stranded on an island, desperate to find a way off of it, while Kasey must go back to the science she used to love, as well the memory of her sister, if she wants to help save humanity. Currently, the eco-cities that provide safety and security from a dangerous environment are only available to the deserving: those whose families did not contribute to the world's current problems. But like any system invented by human beings, it is incredibly flawed, and as Kasey learns, prone to loopholes and cover-ups. The book contains an obvious environmental message, as well as a look at memory, history, and the bond between sisters.

My Verdict: At the start, this book felt like it was going to be a story of two sisters hoping to find a way back to each other, set against a backdrop of an deteriorating world. Then the story takes a fascinating turn, introducing elements of mystery, intrigue, and suspense, while exploring privilege and classism. And then, that turn leads to more turns, and the story goes from fascinating, to merely interesting, and then eventually, to tedious, and at times, boring. It could be that the story went on for about 50 pages longer than it should have. Or maybe there is simply too much going on. I felt like the point had been more than made at the half-way mark, so by the three-fourths point, it felt like the conclusion should have happened already, but there was still about 90 pages left. The choppy world-building did not help much, adding confusion to a plot in which I was becoming slowly disinterested. 

Favorite Moment: As brilliant as she is, there were many moments when Kasey had to admit she had missed something that was right in front of her.

Favorite Character: By the end, it was difficult for me to like any of the characters, so I will choose U-me, which feels like cheating since U-me is an android with limited communication capabilities, but there we go.

Recommended Reading: Parts of this reminded me of the Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez would also be a great follow-up. 

 

Young Adult Fiction: Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon

For week #3 of the 2021 edition of YA Fest, I have chosen Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon. In 2017, I read Yoon's The Sun Is Also a Star and was introduced to her romantic style and complicated characters. She is a writer who believes in joy and happy endings, both of which we could all use more of.

The Situation: Yvette 'Evie' Thomas is actually a little bit embarrassed by how much she used to love romance novels. Since her mom and dad have gotten divorced, she is not sure she believes in love anymore, and has decided that all of her old romantic books must go. But two things happen when she rides her bike out to a local Little Free Library: 1. She is suddenly given the power to see visions of a couple's relationship - the beginning, middle, and end - when she witnesses them kissing, and 2. she ends up with a copy of the book Instructions for Dancing, which leads her to the La Brea Dance studio. At the studio, she meets the striking and powerful dance instructor/receptionist Fifi, as well as X, the grandson of the studio's owners. It was enough dealing with her feelings about her dad, and the seemingly lack of feelings from her mom and sister. Evie had no idea that the final semester of her senior year would also include unwanted visions of the couples around her, as well as dance lessons with this new, and somewhat annoying, though very attractive friend.

The Problem: To hear Fifi tell it, Evie has no reason to believe she and X have even the slightest chance of winning the upcoming dance competition, and the struggling studio needs a trophy to add to its display, and the publicity that will come along with it. It does help that X is funny, and charming, and cute, and free in a way Evie wishes she could be, but the situation with her dad has not helped her in the whole "opening up to new people and experiences" department. And with the visions showing her how people's relationships will end, including some close to her, Evie is ready to push the possibilities away before they have a chance to hurt her. But she cannot deny her attraction to X, and she cannot deny she enjoys dancing with him. She even has a hard time denying she misses having her father in her life. Evie will have to decide for herself if love is worth the risk, or if playing it safe is a reasonable way to live.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult novel set in modern-day Los Angeles. Because of her parent's divorce, and the true cause of it, Evie can no longer stomach the romance novels she used to love, and no longer sees the point of sharing her heart with someone if heartbreak is the only guaranteed ending. Her little sister Danica seems unfazed by everything, even after the two of them move out of their house and into an apartment with their mom, and Ms. Thomas has decided to busy herself with baking. While X is still recovering from his own tragedy, his approach is the opposite of Evie's. He says yes to everything, and does his best to drag Evie along, as she will struggle with the fine line between protecting herself, and being willing to take a chance. Evie essentially finds herself in the middle of one of the romance plots she used to to devour. But instead of ending up in one of her three (former) favorite romance genres (enemies to lovers, love triangle, and second chance), what Evie becomes involved in is more of an opposites attract situation. 

My Verdict: Possibly what I appreciate most about this book is its ability to make fun of itself and the romance genre, while also taking itself seriously. Throwing Evie into a dance studio and competition with a hot rock 'n roller may cause a few readers to roll their eyes, but the sharp-tongued dance instructor will also make them laugh, and the lovely older couple that owns the place can only make us mile. Many can relate to Evie's pain of dealing with her parents' divorce, and while the visions may seem like a strange detail, they do bring up the question of if it is better to know how things end, or to simply take a chance and enjoy the ride? It is a complicated question that is placed in the setting of the last semester of high school, and Evie is a great guide as the options are explored. Lovers of YA romance should rejoice, and this book is a perfect addition to almost any summer reading list.

Favorite Moment: When Evie and her mother are able to discuss, honestly, the divorce and the aftermath.

Favorite Character: If they had appeared more in the book, I would have selected Maggie and Archibald, the sweet owners of La Brea Dance. But instead I will pick Evie's mom, a woman who has done what a lot of women have to do, and that is hold it together, seemingly alone, while working and raising kids. 

Favorite Quote: "Sometimes the only thing to say about a period of time is that it's passing and that you're surviving it."

Recommended Reading: The Sun Is Also a Star is also a YA romance, but a very different kind of story. 

Young Adult Fiction: Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

It is the second week of YA Fest, and I am excited to talk about Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley. This book is a YA thriller that follows a recent high school graduate as she tries to uncover the truth behind a string of deaths in her community, while also attempting to protect those she loves. I was happy to have the opportunity to hear from Boulley at this year's San Antonio Book Festival, as she shed more light on the experiences that led to her writing her debut novel.

The Situation: Eighteen year-old Daunis Fontaine is excited to be starting college in the fall. Sure, she is not following her original plan of going away to college, instead opting to stay close to her mother following the tragic death of her uncle, and now her grandmother has had a stroke and remains in elder care. But Daunis is happy that she will be attending with her best friend Lily, and it means remaining close to her community, though growing up, she always had a hard time fitting in. With a white mother and an Ojibwe father, her Native American heritage was always judged on one side, and because of her light skin, she is often looked down on and teased by the community on the reservation. And given the complicated events that occurred before her birth, it feels like someone is always whispering about her and her family, finding some reason that she should not be included. One saving grace and focus has been hockey, something she is incredibly good at. But even here, being a female has caused many to believe that she has no place on the ice with the boys.

The Problem: It is hockey season, and although Daunis no longer plays, she should be enjoying the festivities with everyone else. But when she witnesses a murder, she is instead pulled into the role of a confidential informant. It seems that someone has been providing young people in her community with methamphetamine, and the losses keep coming. More young people are showing up dead, and though Daunis knows it will be difficult, she decides that helping the authorities is worth the risk if it means exposing the truth and keeping her friends and family safe. However, if she thought navigating her identity was difficult before, it becomes even more complicated when she now must begin keeping secrets from her family, especially her fragile mother, her headstrong aunt, and her star hockey-playing brother, Levi. Good thing Daunis is smart, strong, determined, and more than a little stubborn. Even so, uncovering a meth operation is no small task, and sometimes Daunis feels like she is betraying her people instead of protecting them.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult mystery/thriller set in the early 2000s, and in Minnesota, close to the Canadian border. The protagonist and narrator, Daunis, is both white and Ojibwe Native American, and her experience has very much been shaped by this dual identity. It is extremely rare to have a Native American narrator in a book, especially so in a book for teens, something that Boulley acknowledges in her author's note. The author wanted to write a contemporary story told by a Native American, and that is what Firekeeper's Daughter is. Daunis' world is filled with school, hockey, both sides of her family, and the Ojibwe traditions, ceremonies, and language. But then there are also the tragedies and dangers, especially when it comes to drugs, not to mention the prejudice that some endure within their own community. Boulley provided today's readers with a mystery from a point of view that is rarely offered.

My Verdict: Both critics and readers alike were excited to get their hands on this book, and now I can certainly see why. As someone outside of the Native American community, this book is informative and enlightening, as well as fun and gripping and an all-around joy to read. Daunis is smart, and strong, and determined to do what it takes, but she is also 18 and prone to make mistakes, as well as jump into terrible situations without much thought. Her struggle with her identity and her place in her world is something many (if not most) people can identify with on some level, especially at that age, and I am sure many appreciate her honest look at and evaluation of how the people around her have treated her. And the plot has everything: identity struggles, murder, an underground meth operation, love, obligation to family...nothing is left out, and everything is confronted, which is why I think it works so well.

Favorite Moment: As the book progresses, Daunis will remember more details around the murder she witnesses, and each new piece reveals something significant about the overall story.

Favorite Character: Daunis' Aunt Teddy is a vision of the fierce and strong woman that Daunis will grow up to be. She does not hesitate to call her niece out on her nonsense, which is only done because she wants her to be safe and smart.

Recommended Reading: I recommend Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, which is another thriller novel for younger readers. 

Young Adult Fiction: The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold

Welcome to the Door Stop Novels YA Fest, 2021 edition! It will be all young adult novels for the entire month of June, and I am excited to kick things off with The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold. My first experience with Arnold's work was back in 2015 with Mosquitoland, where a young girl embarks on an ambitious journey to find her mother. In The Electric Kingdom, a different adventure must be taken, as humanity fights for survival in a not-so-distant future.

The Situation: Eighteen year-old Nico and her father live in an old farmhouse, surviving on chili mac 'n cheese, old stories, and memories. The world is a much different place from what it was just after Nico was born, as a deadly breed of flies has wiped out much of the human population. If the swarm does not eat you alive, often lifting their prey high up into the sky as they devour it, then what they leave behind may lead to a different death. The Fly Flu has left the world as a shell of its former self, and Nico fears her father has already contracted it. In another town, Kit and his mother have made a home in a small movie theater, along with his two friends Monty and Lakie. Each has their own separate skill that aids in their collective survival, but the swarms still present an incredible danger as they can show up suddenly, and with little warning. And of course, there is still the flu to fear, as well as just how long this way of life can keep them going.

The Problem: When Nico's father urges her to make an eight-day journey to Manchester (not the one in England), she knows the voyage will be dangerous, if not impossible. Plus, she fears the task he wants her to complete is more myth than reality - nothing more than an old story - the deadly Fly Flu playing a terrible trick on his memory. And when terrible events cause Nico to cross paths with Kit, the two bond almost instantly. Kit may only be 12 years-old, but he has spent his short life reading as much as he could from the library of the middle school close to the movie theater. This has given him a wide range of knowledge of various subjects. And life events have allowed him to have the kind of courage that even most adults lack. Their motley crew of travelers decide to stick together, at least for a little while, and both Nico and Kit have the strangest feeling that this has all happened before.

Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult science fiction novel set mostly in the year 2043. About 18 years before, an experiment gone wrong unleashes a deadly breed of flies that slowly ravages humanity across the globe. The children that the reader follow in the book have no memory of what the world was like before, with small (and sometimes big) revelations of how life used to be coming through Kit's thoughts (there used to be a whole room in each house that was devoted to doing laundry; their used to be people whose main job it was to pick up trash). Nico and Kit share most of the narration, but there is also the mysterious Deliverer, a helmeted figure who delivers food to the farmhouse where Nico and her father stayed. This Deliverer seems to know about major events before they happen, and continually references journal-like books with extensive notes on what has happened, what needs to happen, and what cannot be stopped from happening. The overall story reads like a puzzle that is slowly being put together, and the final picture is not visible until the very last page.

My Verdict: Post-apocalyptic novels can be tough. It can be difficult to reconcile the world we know with an author's representation of how the world can end up. And the author has the task of bringing their vision to life and making it plausible, as well as interesting. Arnold is smart to look into a future that is far enough away that readers can believe that a drastic change could happen, but close enough that we do not feel completely disconnected from the characters and their daily existence. With Arnold's descriptions, I could fully appreciate the empty town that Kit grew up in, with his bedroom in an old projection room of a small movie theater. And the journey the kids take through the New England area, passing hollowed out towns and abandoned properties, is filled with both anticipation and wonder, even though I am fully familiar with the things they have only heard stories about. There is so much going on here, and somehow, he makes it work. 

Favorite Moment: Of course, due to the story taking place in a world where a swarm of flies can swoop down at any minute and kill someone, there are some lives lost throughout the journey. Without giving too much away, my favorite moment is when one of the characters makes a sudden reappearance, and the timing could not be more perfect.

Favorite Character: Nico is the perfect balance between prepared, grounded, and resolved.

Recommended Reading: My favorite of Arnold's book is still probably Mosquitoland, though The Electric Kingdom may now be a close second.