Tap Out by Eric Devine YP FIC DEVINE

Tone knows the rules.  Keep quiet. Keep hidden.  Try to survive.  That means ignoring the cries of his mom’s latest boyfriend beating her, the drug dealing biker gang next door, and all the pain and horror that he sees on a daily basis.  But his one and only friend has found something that seems to actually make him happy.  MMA.  And when Tone gets pulled into the world of sport fighting he starts finding things in himself he thought were long dead.  Things like pride, respect, and even hope.  But those things can get you killed in Tone’s neighborhood.  Now Tone has to make a choice between hope and survival, and he’s not sure that he has a choice at all.

This book is a dark, bleak, gritty, and hard.  It felt like a punch to the gut, or maybe repeated hooks to the head and knees to the face.  Something very painful and violent anyways. That being said, I think it’s a great read.  The characters are sort of straightforward and the language is simple and direct, but all that works for the world this book describes. The action scenes are clear, direct, and brutal.  They will leave you pumped for the MMA style fighting and feeling beat and disgusted at the street violence.  The contrast between the two was a clever way to show the difference between violent sport and violence at home. The action scenes are wisely spaced far apart and the book focuses on the day to day drudgery of Tone’s life. This may not make you feel sunshiney and bright, but it is a real slice of what all too many teens have to face in the real world. Now, that’s an entire subgenre of realistic fiction and I can understand wanting to take the occasional break from the dreariest corners of the world and read about vampires and whatnot too.  However, if you want a hard knock book that will keep you hooked then this is a really solid title.

You can check our catalog for Tap Out here.

Green Lantern Green Arrow Volume 2 by Dennis O’Neil Art by Neil Adams YP FIC ONEIL

In 1970 and 1971 Dennis O’Neil and Neil Adams turned traditional super hero comics on their head. They used superheroes to examine major social issues in America. They wanted comics to be ‘relevant’. So instead of just fighting super villains, Green Arrow (a guy who used a bow and arrow really well) and Green Lantern (yes, the guy from the new movie) traveled America fighting super social ills. They fight racism, drug addiction, religious intolerance, pollution, and other evils that plague modern society.

Okay, admittedly the idea of superheroes addressing complex social problems seems like it may be a bad idea. And it probably is, but it is also really super fun. While the plot is occasionally cheesy and the comics tend to simplify the problems they address it makes for very fun and out there comics. I mean, Green Arrow finds out that his former sidekick Speedy is a heroin junky! You just can’t beat comics like that. More importantly, Neal Adams is like a god of comic art and the book has excellent art throughout. If you like superheroes and want great art, out there stories, and something very different then give this one a read.

Hold Still by Nina LaCour YP FIC LACOUR

Hold Still covers a year in the life of Caitlin a high school girl that just lost her best friend to suicide. Things get even worse for Caitlin when she finds her friend’s journal in her room. Burdened by the weight of guilt and the feeling that she never knew her own best friend Caitlin tries to struggle through her Junior year along the way meeting new friends and even finding a possible romance, but will her guilt ruin everything she is trying to build?

 

This is without a doubt one of the best novels I have ever read about grief. Caitlin is a very realistic and likeable young girl that never seems inauthentic. This book deals with issues of depression, sex, suicide, grief, self mutilation, and many other issues teens face in a honest manner that never seems preachy. This book would be excellent for any reader that has dealt with grief or just wants a great story with strong characters. Best of all, even though the issues the book addresses are dark the book itself is very hopeful and uplifting.  It's astounding that this is a first novel and if it is a sign of things to come then readers have a LOT to look forward to from LaCour. 

Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco YP FIC FRANCO

Metamorphosis: Junior Year by Betsy Franco tells the story of young teen named Ovid and how he uses art to describe and survive the perils of high school. Ovid is named after the famous Roman poet Ovid that wrote Metamorphoses.

A metamorphosis is a complete change from one form of life to another. Which is what high school is pretty much all about. Ovid is inspired by his namesake to envision himself and his friends as creatures of myth going through fantastical changes through poems and drawings. The art is by the author’s son Tom Franco and is truly unique and very cool. Ovid writes biting and quirky poems that describe his friends and their hidden pains until he finally can bring himself to confront his own troubles. Metamorphosis is a very clever work that looks at how art can help us come to terms with the world around us. Ovid’s blend of ancient myths and modern pop culture is fresh and authentic. A good read for anyone that is or has dealt with the Epic Struggle that is growing up.

If the myths and creatures in Metamorphosis: Junior Year grab you then you should definitely read Metamorphoses by Ovid (the real one) call number 873.01 OVID.

Saint Iggy / by K.L. Goings

.
High-minded claims of a disadvantaged youth would be hard-pressed to top Iggy Corso. Had by a crack-addict mother, his prospects were dim even prior his birth; having only depreciated with age as the destructive lifestyles of his derelict parents have kept him underfunded, undernourished and undereducated; not to mention under constant harassment from landlords, thieves and drug-dealers (his parents absent or indisposed most of the time). Life away from home is just as bad. Held back twice, suspended eight times and currently failing for a third consecutive term, Iggy's impending interview with the school superintendent is his last chance before he's kicked out for good.

Realizing his only chance for "any" future is to stay in school, Iggy resolves to make the most of things, seeking out his only reliable friend, Mo, for support. A drug user by profession, Mo is anything but Iggy's social equal; hailing from a wealthy upper-class background, his situation is one of choice obstinacy rather than misfortune. A law school dropout, his "minimalist" lifestyle--not unsimilar to Iggy's--would workout well were it not for his drug habit landing him in financial straits (debts to dealers); a problem now forcing him into the undesirable task of asking his mother for money. An entirely new dilemna now emerges for Iggy as, having accompanied Mo across town to his mom's grandiose apartment, he's made the buffer between a resentful Mo and his fearful but forgiving mother.