lit*chick

Review: Undercover by Beth Kephart

  Undercover by Beth Kephart, 288 pages. Available in paperback from HarperTeen.

I first discovered author Beth Kephart through the writings of her neighbor Andree Seu, who happens to be my favorite essayist. They would exchange their writing with one another via packages on their respective front porches. And Andree calls Beth her writing teacher so I figured it would be best to check out a beloved writer of a beloved writer. Beth Kephart may be best known for her book A Slant of Sun: One Child's Courage, a memoir about raising her son who was on the spectrum before there was a spectrum. Her non-fiction is beautiful and eloquent - rare attributes in the memoir genre. I was vaguely aware she was writing ya fiction and began stumbling upon reviews for Undercover.

This review is a long time coming. I read this book early in 2009 and started writing the review last October. Much like Evie's scrapbook, which remains empty, I am afraid I cannot do it justice. Admittedly daunted by trying to express my thoughts on this one..so here goes.

Undercover is everything young adult literature should be - bittersweet normalcy. Elisa is a word girl, she has a gift. How is she using it?  By writing verse for boys not in love with her - a modern day Cyrano.  She lives in her head, her home life is less than idyllic (but  refreshingly normal), and she yearns to be seen  while at the same time treasuring her time alone skating in the woods. There is no angst, no shocking revelation, no melodrama, no smoldering glance - just pure truth and insight into the mind of a teenage girl with all that particular season of life includes. The achingly lovely prose caused me to read much of the book with a well of tears in my eyes. I practically grieved over Elisa's tender heart, knowing and remembering the universal baggage that comes with that age, particularly for quiet girls.

This is a genre most recently pandering to the Twilighters (don't get me wrong, I got sucked in too), but Beth Kephart's writing raises the bar - it's smart and hopeful. And there is no better feeling than book anticipation - I am currently savoring the stack of her other ya titles on my shelf. I may review them or simply enjoy them without the pressure of forming my thoughts into words. So consider this your call to action. Her latest book Dangerous Neighbors should be on my doorstep tomorrow.

For those of you saying, "wow, this gushfest is odd and unintentionally creepy. she has lost all subjectivity." I say yes, yes I have. Although there is no need to be afraid. I am not alone in my adoration of Beth Kephart. She is a friend to many book bloggers, here are their reviews of Undercover:

Bermudaonion

Presenting Lenore

Devourer of Books

My Friend Amy

And then of course, there's Beth Kephart's Blog. Which if you aren't reading already you really should be.

The End.

Colleen's Review: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau-Banks by E. Lockhart, 352 pages. Available in paperback.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks is intelligent, thought-provoking, sensitive, and best of all, funny. It's a story of a young girl coming to realize how her life has forced her into a position of powerlessness. Frankie's overprotective mother calls her by the demeaning nickname "Bunny Rabbit." Her father clearly wishes she was a boy. Her older sister is condescending. In her second year of boarding school, Frankie falls in love, and when she realizes that her boyfriend is part of an all-boy secret society, she infiltrates the Loyal Order of the Basset Hound and uses its patriarchal dynamics and a stolen 'alpha' identity to become its unknown, unacknowledged leader, only to have the whole thing blow up in her face when her secret is exposed.

This book was well thought out, inspirational, and hysterical. Lockhart did a great job developing characters and keeping this reader interested and entertained. However, the author tended to ramble on about certain topics having no real plot significance which contributed to the occasional slow point. This book was such an interesting read. The Disreputable History uncovers the reality of being a true feminist in a teenage relationship, but also manages to include hilarious pranks and typical teenage awkwardness. I will say that I didn’t completely agree with how Frankie deals with the issues presented throughout the plot, but what I did like was her spunk and desire to break down the wall of a secret organization, then be part of it. I think the central point of a girl not taking no for an answer, might get lost in all the wordy and lengthy writing, but it’s absolutely worth reading. I would suggest it to anyone looking for a confident heroine with a mix of pranks, love, feminism, and laughter. If you’re looking for further reading with a similar vibe I would certainly recommend the Gallagher Girl Series by Ally Carter, beginning with I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You.

also checkout author E. Lockhart's blog: The Boyfriend List

Book Reviews in Bulk

Like Costco, but cuter. :)

None of these warrant a full review, so here's a quick recap:

The Plague of Doves by Louise Erdrich - didn't hold up under the 50 page rule. ugh.

Puppy Chow is Better Than Prozac by Bruce Goldstein - memoir of a manic depressive who gets a dog to help quiet his soul. He doesn't get the dog until halfway through and he uses the pronoun I far too much. Cute dog, though.

Farewell, My Subaru by Doug Fine - another in a long line of "hey, look at me " memoirs. He takes a superior tone regarding his epiphany of green living that grated my nerves. But it did make me want a pet goat. :)

We'll Always Have Paris & Provence by Walter and Patricia Wells - memoir of how two NYT journalists came to live in France during the late 70s and stayed. He as the editor of the Int'l Herald Tribune, while she makes a name for herself as a food writer and expert on French cuisine. The first half was interesting, the second half reminded me of Under the Tuscan Sun, or "oh the struggles of owning a dilapidated farmhouse in Provence (Tuscany)". Spare me.

Comfort Food by Kate Jacobs - loved the storyline being centered around food and food tv shows, but couldn't stand the main character. Bummer.

Bronte's Book Club by Kristiana Gregory - cute ya about a new girl in a coastal town who starts a bookclub. They read Island of the Blue Dolphins and get to know one another. I really liked it, there's just not much else to say.

After by Francine Prose - ya lit about the effects of a school shooting in the surrounding districts - a mix of 1984 and The Wall (Pink Floyd).  Zoinks.

I Am Scout by Charles Shields - a ya bio of Harper Lee, if you are curious about her this fills in the blanks without being TMI.  Respectful and fascinating.

Nation of Wimps - Everytime I read one of these, I think "Why didn't they just put it in a long essay?" Not to mention, that the people who most need to read it won't. But it still sheds some light on why kids are growing up to be helpless.

And there are full reviews to be found on the feed...and more on the way.

Did you read anything good this weekend?

The End.