Confessions of a Serial Kisser, by Wendelin Van Draanen: Book Review

What happens to a perfectly sensible girl when her dad cheats on her mom and they split up, and when this aforementioned sensible girl discovers a stash of romance novels beneath her mother’s bed? Why, she becomes a serial kisser, of course!  

A page-turning, laugh-out-loud comedy of errors, Wendelin Van Draanen’s Confessions of a Serial Kisser (Knopf, out May 13th, $15.99, 304 pages, ages 12 & up) is a perfect fit for anyone who enjoyed my novel What I Meant… (Random House, 2007). In Van Draanen’s book, after reading a romance where the heroine enjoys an earth-shattering “crimson kiss”, high school junior Evangeline decides to take control of her out-of-control life by hunting for her own perfect “crimson kiss.” As you can imagine, things get decidedly more out of control as a result. You never know who Evangeline will grab and kiss next, and what the results will be. Plenty of surprises, plenty of laughs, and plenty of complications. This is all held together with a really touching story about dealing with a beloved parent’s betrayal. I believe this is the sequel to her novel, “Flipped,” which I haven’t read. 

This novel definitely stands on its own, and I highly recommend it.

“My Most Excellent Year” by Steve Kluger: Book Review

Know what it feels like to fall in love? That painful, anxious, joyous feeling? The very first moment that you dare to express it and it flounders? Do you dare to express it again?  Well, “My Most Excellent Year” by Steve Kluger (Dial Books, March 2008, ages 14 up, 398 pages) will take you there with pleasure.

 This novel follows the story of three guys who are on the edge, then over the edge, of falling in love. A widowed father, who is attempting to court a guidance counselor (his son’s, by the way), his son T.C., who is awkwardly trying to reel in the seemingly aloof Alejandra, and his son’s best friend (therefore adopted son) Augie, who is startled to find himself in love with the very wonderful Andy Wexler. The nice thing about this last love story is that everyone knows Augie is gay, except Augie. Even his parents. And they all support him as he figures it out. So his coming out is more of a “no, duh” sigh of relief for all involved. It’s a gentle view of what for many in this world is a difficult time.

In fact, the whole book has a fuzzy feel-good vibe going, which really captivated me.  There’s an “It’s a Wonderful Life” magic to the families and the characters. So, really, I was the one falling in love with them all. Especially T.C. Tell me you wouldn’t want to meet a guy like him and fall head over heels in love. I dare you! The book teeters on the edge of too sweet, but thankfully doesn’t tip over (though cynical readers might be turned off by the lack of really intense conflict that is the norm in so many YA’s). The characters and the originality of the voice, combined with it being completely told in letters and IMs and passed notes and journal entries, keeps it grounded. The only crit I have of this book is that it goes on a bit too long. Not that it gets boring, because I was glad to hang in with these people for a long haul (I was falling in love, right?), but it could have been tightened as a plot a bit. 

Length aside, I found this book magical. T.C.’s mom, who passed away when T.C. was only six, had filled him with magical wonder that only a six-year-old could believe. Like convincing him that a star could really be named for him because they said so, or that a lost balloon would return to his house if they just gave it time and believed (the mom then got an identical balloon…an unusual one she had to drive out of state to get…and stashed it in T.C.’s room). T.C. becomes an ambassador of this magical optimism and this touches everyone’s lives, inspiring them. Okay, so maybe it’s hard to believe that a few teens can accomplish what this cast does (read the book to find out the several remarkable things they do pull off), but it’s not impossible. Let’s face it, if one person puts their mind to accomplish something, they really can.  So pick up “My Most Excellent Year” when it comes out in March, and prepare to be inspired too.

Review of “Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls” by Meg Cabot

So begins the reviews of books being read over at the Lamba house. We’ve been spoiled with a huge stack of ARC’s (Advanced Reader Copies) we snagged from the American Librarian Association’s midwinter conference in Philly this month.  I’ve already ripped through many of these, and sadly not all were worth my time. Some had big name authors but terrible writing. Some had hideous covers and the characters acted more like third graders than kids in high school. One I was particularly disappointed with had a really catchy cover and a clever idea, but the book was amazingly dull. But I don’t want to spend my time writing about these. Instead I am telling you what I see as the most promising, and definitely worth your time.

My review of “Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day” by Meg Cabot (March 2008, ages 8-12, 240 pages, $15.99):

Okay, Meg Cabot doesn’t exactly need any help from me, what with all her success from her Princess Diaries dynasty, but I have to say I really enjoyed this book, even though it isn’t a YA but a middle reader novel. In a way it’s a typical tale: little girl has to move, doesn’t want to, tries to ambush things, ends up happy after all. BUT Meg creates such a great character in Allie, that you forget the familiar plot and get lost in the fun and the honesty of this age group. Who wouldn’t love a kid that schemes to rescue the turtle from the decorative pond at Lung Chung Chinese Restaurant before someone orders the turtle soup?

This is really funny and endearing stuff, and I have to admit it reminds me of the prickly, funky little kid I used to be. So I recommend this for any of the 7-11 year olds in your life. A quick, funny and satisfying read.

New Beginnings

It’s 2008, and I’ve sort of recovered from my extremely crazy booksigning/appearance schedule of the past few months.

I don’t know about you, but for some reason, this year I’m more ready than ever for fresh starts. I’ve seriously cleaned out my office, trashing old files, and even windexing my desktop. I’ve filed away the old, and pulled out the new, namely two new novels to move ahead on.  So this seems like the perfect time to start a brand new blog!

For my older postings, you can go to my myspace page Marielamba, and click on my blog. There isn’t a ton there, but it does chronicle some of my experiences with marketing my first young adult novel, WHAT I MEANT… (Random House YA). 

Here, I’m hoping to relate more of the writing experience. 2008 should prove interesting. For one thing, my second YA novel, which I call OVER MY HEAD, is just starting to make the rounds to publishers via my wonderful agent. How quickly will anything happen? What responses will we get from publishers? Will I chew all my fingernails and toenails off while I wait? These and other burning questions may or may not be answered over the next few weeks or months. Suffice it to say that I’ve done all I can with the writing of the manuscript, and now it’s on to the part I hate: the it’s all out of my hands part. I really really really like to be in control of my own destiny. Too bad I never am!

And while this manuscript is out trying to find its perfect match, I’ve got to somehow put it out of my mind while I escape into the world of my next book, which I call DRAWN.  I’m actually really looking forward to writing DRAWN. It’s about a teen artist who moves to England with her father in hopes of finally fitting in and seeming normal. But when she gets there, she discovers she’s unwillingly carrying on her family’s freaky psychic tradition.

Among the fun things I’m looking forward to in this book are exploring the artist’s mindset, exploring the castles and countryside of England, and exploring what it would be like to be in love with a really fantastically sexy ghost.  Good times for me!  

I’ve always been an artist, sketching, doing linoleum prints, pen and ink drawings, photography, ATTEMPTING to oil paint. But when I had kids, I kind of put my art supplies aside, devoting myself to raising my daughters and to writing. There simply wasn’t time for art, too. Can you tell I really miss it? I’m hoping that by traveling along with my character Michelle De Freccio as she sees the world through her artist’s eyes, that I will start to see things that way again too. 

As for England, when I was a senior in college, I spent a semester living in the Cotswolds with a British family. So writing about Michelle as a student there will be just like traveling there without having to pay the expensive airfare.

And as for getting involved with a sexy ghost? Sigh. What can I say? I never have. I envy Michelle’s future adventure, except for the whole her boyfriend is already dead part. Hey, no relationship is perfect, right?  

I’ll keep checking in with updates on DRAWN, and on OVER MY HEAD for you guys here, along with any news about my first novel WHAT I MEANT… 

Also keep your eyes peeled for a series of book reviews on this blog. I have about 30 advanced reader copies of new YA books that will be coming out in 2008 spring and summer. As I read through them, if I like them I’ll post a review. If I don’t like it, I’ll keep my mouth shut.  I’ll leave the negative crud to others. Suffice to say, if I write about a book, it’s because I really think it shines. 

Later!