Cecelia Ahern has just released her debut YA novel, Flawed. It is a tense, action-packed, edge-of-your-seat read and I absolutely loved it! You can read my review of Flawed here on the blog.
Thanks to the lovely people at HarperCollins NZ I have a copy of Flawed to give away. All you have to do to get in the draw is email bestfriendsrbooks@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Flawed,’ along with your name and address.
Thanks to everyone who entered. The winner is Jeanna.
Em Bailey is an award-winning Australian author. Her previous book, Shift was the winner of the 2012 Gold Inky Award for best Australian YA novel and was selected as a notable book by the Children’s Book Council of Australia. Em’s new YA novel, The Special Ones is an incredibly exciting, twisty, nail-biting read. You can read my review of The Special Ones here on the blog.
The Special Ones is one of those books that I can’t get out of my head. I had a few questions that I was dying to ask Em and she has very kindly answered them for me. Read on to find out her inspiration for the book, what it was like to go inside the head of a psychopath and what draws her to writing for teens.
I’ve always been interested in the psychology of cults: what sort of person becomes a cult leader, the people who are drawn to them, what happens when someone attempts to leave. I knew I wanted to write something about this theme and I started thinking about how modern technology might affect the way a traditional commune-style cult operated. I began imagining a situation where someone was able to control and manipulate a group, in the way that cult leaders traditionally always have, but without needing to be physically present.
‘Him’? No, not really! I don’t think I’m very much like any of the girls, although I guess certain aspects of Esther’s personality are like mine but she is much tougher and far more determined than I am. I like to write about characters who make mistakes and do dumb things – sometimes even really bad things – because I think it’s still completely possible to have empathy for them. A number of people have told me that they really dislike Lucille in The Special Ones, but I must admit to having a soft spot for her. She’s put through a very traumatic series of events after all, and a lot of her complaints about Esther seem justified to me.
The farmhouse isn’t based on a particular building, it’s more a composite of many. I started planning The Special Ones while driving through South Australia with my family. I spent a lot of time looking out the window at the dry landscape and noticing the abandoned, ramshackle old stone farmhouses here and there. It’s that kind of environment that I picture for The Special Ones and I imagined the girls being imprisoned in one of those solid old buildings.
It was difficult, and exhausting, to be in ‘his’ head. I would be working on a passage and realise that I was writing it from a normal person’s perspective, with typical, human reactions to things. I would then have to stop myself and think ‘but how would a psychopath view this situation?’ I read Jon Ronson’s book The Psychopath Test book as part of my research and I had a list of psychopathic characteristics stuck up beside my desk which I used to refer to as a way of keeping myself on track. It wasn’t very pleasant. I would often find myself frowning or clenching my teeth as I was writing from his viewpoint. It was always such a relief to flip back into ‘Esther-mode’.
I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary books and movies (yes, it’s ironic I know) so I’m probably not the best person to answer this. I did however read a lot of non-fiction accounts of cults while preparing for this book and it was amazing to notice the similarity between the various cult leaders. They share such an unswerving belief in their own greatness and a complete disregard for the rights of anyone else. Because they lack the ability to feel empathy the suffering they inflict on others has no effect on them whatsoever. It’s chilling to read about people like this because it’s clear they genuinely don’t realise they’re doing anything wrong.
Nutting out the plot was a very long process. I knew basically how I wanted to resolve things, but it took a lot of work to get the details right. I think I re-wrote the entire second half at least four times. It was painful at the time, but ultimately it was necessary for getting the storyline to follow a course that felt right to me.
Writing for teens is great because there’s so much scope. The YA genre is so broad now that you can really go in any direction you want and explore a wide variety of themes. I’m drawn to writing plot-dense stories and this works well with teen literature. I think of my books as being escapist but hopefully also reasonably substantial, theme-wise. Teens read a lot more widely and with a greater level of sophistication than they did in my day, so there is also the challenge of writing something which will meet with their approval.
Often a blurb hooks me in and the story is exactly what the blurb promises. Very rarely though the story can be so much more than what the blurb promises. The Special Ones by Em Bailey is one of these rare books. It took me by surprise and was so much more than what I expected.
He keeps us here because we’re Special.
Esther is one of the Special Ones – four people who live under his protection in a remote farmhouse. The Special Ones are not allowed to leave, but why would they want to? Here, they are safe from toxic modern life, safe from a meaningless existence, safe in their endless work. He watches them every moment of every day, ready to punish them if they forget who they are – all while broadcasting their lives to eager followers on the outside.
Esther knows he will renew her if she stops being Special, and that renewal almost certainly means death. Yet she also knows she’s a fake. She has no ancient wisdom, no genuine advice to offer her followers. But like an actor caught up in an endless play, she must keep up the performance–if she wants to survive long enough to escape.
The Special Ones completely blew me away! This is one incredibly exciting, twisty, nail-biting read. It’s one of those books that, just when you think you know where the story is going, it takes a sharp turn and you have to take a moment for it to sink in. You don’t want to put the book down because you have to know what happens next, but there are times that you just have to close it for a moment to breath. There are so many twists that I had no idea how the book was going to end!
I don’t want to say too much about the story for fear of spoiling the story, but here goes. It’s told from Esther’s point of view. Esther, Harry, Felicity and Lucille are The Special Ones. They have been ‘chosen’ by him to live in a cottage on a farm, living a simple life, but regularly communicating with their followers on the outside via the Internet. They must live the life that he has laid out for them, and if they act in the wrong way they will be punished or even ‘renewed.’ Esther has lived like this for two years, but the life she has come to know changes dramatically when Lucille is renewed.
Em Bailey’s writing is very slick. She keeps the tension throughout the story, building it towards the nerve-wracking finale. Em makes you feel for the characters and the scary situation that they are in. The story is told in the first person from Esther’s point of view so we know everything that she’s thinking and feeling.
The Special Ones is an addictive YA thriller and one of my favourite books of 2016.
Flawed is the debut YA novel from bestselling author, Cecilia Ahern. I’ve read and enjoyed some of Cecilia’s adult fiction so I’m very curious to see how well she writes for teens. The blurb and book trailer sound really interesting so I can’t wait to read this one.
Flawed is out in April from HarperCollins.
Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule. And now faces life-changing repercussions.
She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.
Demon Road: Desolation by Derek Landy
Reeling from their bloody encounter in New York City at the end of Demon Road, Amber and Milo flee north. On their trail are the Hounds of Hell – five demonic bikers who will stop at nothing to drag their quarries back to their unholy master.Amber and Milo’s only hope lies within Desolation Hill – a small town with a big secret; a town with a darkness to it, where evil seeps through the very floorboards. Until, on one night every year, it spills over onto the streets and all hell breaks loose. And that night is coming.
Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.
Micah and Janie, Janie and Micah. That’s how it’s been ever since elementary school, when Janie Vivian moved in next door to Micah. Janie says Micah is everything she is not. Where Micah is shy, Janie is outgoing. Where Micah loves music, Janie loves art. The way Janie sees it, Micah and Janie share a soul. They’ll be best friends forever – as long as no one at school knows about it.
Janie and Micah are secret friends. They spend their free time together at the quarry, a pile of rocks Janie dubs the ‘Metaphor for Our Lives.’ At school, Janie pretends she and Micah are only neighbors and barely acquaintances. But when Janie is date raped by the most popular guy in school – the boy she has had a crush on for years – she finds herself ostracised by all the people she called her friends. Now only Micah seems to believe she’s telling the truth. But when even Micah expresses doubts about Janie’s honesty, it leads to disastrous consequences, and Janie Vivian goes missing.
It started with an appearance, not a disappearance.
Gloria is tired of her ordinary life. She barely recognises the free-spirited girl she used to be in the unadventurous teenager she has become. So when a mysterious boy bent on breaking the rules strolls into her classroom, Gloria is ready to fall under his spell. Uman is funny, confident and smart. He does whatever he likes and doesn’t care what anyone thinks of him. The only people for him are the mad ones, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing but burn, burn, burn. He is everything Gloria wishes to be. He can whisk her away from the life she loathes and show her a more daring, more exciting one, in which the only limits are the boundaries of her own boldness. But Uman in not all he seems and by the time she learns the truth about him, she is a long way from home and everyone wants to know, where’s Gloria?
The Haters by Jesse Andrews
Wes and Corey are convinced nothing cool can come of their lame summer at jazz camp, when along comes Ash – all blonde hair and brash words – and cracks their world wide open. Finally, something they can’t seem to hate. When Ash convinces them that a great musician is made on the road, the three friends flee camp and begin an epic, hilarious road trip: The Haters 2016 Summer of Hate Tour.
Amid sneaking into seedy bars, evading their parents and the police, and spending every minute together in a makeshift tour bus, romance blossoms and bursts, and hygiene takes a back seat. Wes begins to realise the limitations of hating everything: it keeps you at a convenient distance from something, or someone, you just might love.
When you can find something to hate about every band, how do you make a sound you love?
Let’s Play by Herve Tullet
Hi there, do you want to play?
Join the yellow dot on an adventure of colour and movement, surprise and imagination.
A fantastic companion to Press Here and Mix it Up!
Dave’s Cave by Frann Preston-Gannon
Dave loves his cave. Inside is decorated EXACTLY the way he likes it. Outside there is a lovely spot for a fire and the grass is always lovely and green. But, Dave is unhappy. What if there might be an even better cave out there? And off he sets in search of a new home. But it turns out that good caves are hard to find. They’re either too small, or too big, or too full of bats, until he finds one that looks MUCH more promising. Outside has the perfect space for a fire and the grass is greener than any he’s ever seen… But why does it look so familiar?
Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend by Alan Cumyn
Sheils is very happy with her perfectly controlled life. She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and has a doting boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for? But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him – something primal – that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around.
When Pyke’s band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his music sends the whole school into a literal frenzy. The next day no one can even remember what happened at the dance, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done … something that she shouldn’t have. Who is this winged boy, with incredible pecs and rock star talent that has swooped in on her carefully constructed life?
The Special Ones by Em Bailey
When Wolf finds a fact-filled book in the library, he thinks he will at last outsmart his clever friend, Dog.
The two friends spar as they learn all about mummies and skeletons; robots, knights, and pirates; dinosaurs and dragons; rockets and the moon. As always with Wolf and Dog, there is just as much to learn about getting along together; about friends and enemies, food and fleas.
Kaeli Baker is the author of Sylvie the Second, a story of identity, family, friendships both good and bad, and choices that can affect the rest of your life. It is a stand-out debut YA novel from a wonderful new local author. You can read my review here on the blog.
Today I’m joined by Kaeli as part of her blog tour for Sylive the Second. Sisters play an important part in Sylvie the Second so I asked Kaeli if she could write a post about her Top 5 sisters in fiction. Read on to find out who they are.
The relationship between sisters, or even siblings in general, has always been a source of huge fascination for me. I’m an only child and the idea of growing up with someone close to my age, who shares DNA and bits and pieces of my parents – the same unruly hair, or the same crooked teeth – who sleeps in the room next door and argues over whose job it is to do the dishes, is so foreign to me.
It shouldn’t come as any surprise then, that I’ve always loved reading about sisters in fiction. Here are five of my favourites…
Kristy Thomas & Karen Brewer
The Babysitters Club Little Sister series, by Ann M. Martin
Kristy and Karen are stepsisters with a close and reliable bond. I had always wanted a big sister, and it interested me that two people could become sisters without blood ties. Karen admires Kristy and wants to be just like her. Kristy is the pinnacle of big sisterhood, providing help and advice to Karen when she needs it.
Pat & Isabel O’Sullivan
The St Clare’s Series, by Enid Blyton
Identical twins at a boarding school in England! My kid brain went wild over Pat and Isabel and the antics at St Clare’s. Their adventures kept me endlessly entertained – everything from midnight feasts to sneaking out, to pretending to be each other and tricking the teachers, which is obviously the biggest benefit of having an identical twin.
Kate & Anna Fitzgerald
My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
The complexity in this relationship is what I love most. The dilemma of being Anna – the girl born to save her sister, and Anna – a teenage girl with rights. The confusing tangle of love, duty and freedom. As you get further into the story it becomes clear that both girls are capable of selflessness, and care for each other deeply even when it’s messy.
Bellatrix LeStrange & Narcissa Malfoy
The Harry Potter Series, by J.K. Rowling
Two sisters heavily involved in the world of dark arts. One evil to the core, one…maybe not so much. The relationship between Bellatrix and Narcissa is strong – they even call each other Bella and Cissy. United in the web of a complicated family with fierce loyalties, eventually they find that their devotions take them in different directions.
Judy Woolcot and her whole entire family
The Seven Little Australians series, by Ethel Turner
Judy Woolcot is my favourite sister of all time. I was obsessed with these books. I wanted Judy to be my sister.
‘She had a small, eager, freckled face, with very bright dark eyes, a small, determined mouth, and a mane of untidy, curly dark hair that was the trial of her life.
Without doubt she was the worst of the seven, probably because she was the cleverest.’
Mischievous Judy is close to all of her siblings. In the end it becomes clear just how much she is willing to give up for them.
That sums up my top five! Thanks so much to Zac for letting me share his space on the interweb, and I hope you enjoy Sylvie the Second.
Kaeli
Make sure you visit msblairrecommends.blogspot.co.nz tomorrow for the last stop on the Sylvie the Second Blog Tour.
Win a copy of Sylvie the Second!Thanks to Makaro Press I have a copy of Sylvie the Second to give away.
To get in the draw for a copy of Sylvie the Second by Kaeli Baker simply email bestfriendsrbooks@gmail.com with the subject line ‘Sylvie the Second,’ along with your name and address.
Competition closes Wednesday 23 March (NZ only).
With some of the larger publishers moving offshore there have been some wonderful independent publishers set up, one of these being Mākaro Press. They have a commitment to publishing books for children and young adults and are helping to ensure local authors can still get their stories published. Their most recent publication for young adults is Sylvie the Second by debut author Kaeli Baker.
It’s another hospital trip in the witching hours for Sylvie, as part of the support crew for her crazy sister, Calamity Cate. An overdose, this time. As usual, it seems like the family is so caught up in all of Cate’s drama that Sylvie goes unnoticed.
Invisible. Always coming in second.
Not anymore.
After a makeover, a friendship breakdown, and a whole lot of pizza, Sylvie starts to get noticed, but by the wrong people. That’s when things unravel with painful consequences. Visibility, Sylvie discovers, is not about how other people see you, but how you see yourself.
Sylvie the Second tells the story of Sylvie’s journey of discovery. It is a story of identity, family, friendships both good and bad, and choices that can affect the rest of your life. The story is told in the first person, so we go on this journey with Sylvie and know everything that she is thinking and feeling. There were times that I wanted to yell at Sylvie in frustration and moments that I wanted to hug her. She has a strong voice that teen readers will be able to relate to.
Sylvie feels invisible. Her parents don’t pay her any attention because they’re always wrapped up in what is happening with her crazy sister Calamity Cate. Cate has tried to commit suicide several times, without success, and so she is in and out of psychiatric care. Sylvie’s parents are rarely home, and when they are they don’t seem interested in Sylvie and what is happening in her life. Sylvie becomes so sick of going unnoticed that she changes her clothes and her look to stand out more. This certainly seems to get the attention she desires, particularly from Chris, the hot guy at school. However, things take an unexpected turn at a party and Sylvie’s world is turned upside down. When she needs support the most Sylvie discovers who her real friends are and that she stands out more than she thought.
My favourite character is Belle (or Bookish Belle as Sylvie calls her). She is the voice of reason in the story and helps to pick Sylvie up. She’s an incredible friend (nothing like Sylvie’s so-called friends at the start of the book) and if it wasn’t for Belle I don’t know what might have happened to Sylvie. I also really like Adam but I wanted to know more about him.
I loved the way that the story is wrapped up. Kaeli leaves you with a sense of hope, while also realising that Sylvie’s life will be tough and still have its challenges.
Sylvie the Second is a stand-out debut novel from a wonderful new local author.
I’m very excited to be part of the blog tour to promote Sylvie the Second. Make sure you check out the blog on Friday 18 March to read Kaeli’s post about her Top 5 Sisters in Fiction and enter the competition to win a copy of Sylvie the Second.
There are some books that leave you feeling drained. Those books that grab your heart and throw it all about and mess with your mind. You get so emotionally invested in the characters’ lives that you feel their heartache, their turmoil and get completely blown away by the actions of the other characters. Justine Larbalestier’s new YA book, My Sister Rosa is one of these books. I can’t stop thinking about this incredible book.
‘I promise,’ said Rosa. ‘I won’t kill and I won’t make anyone else kill.’
I can’t see the loophole. Since the guinea pig there’s been nothing. Months now without Rosa killing as much as a mosquito.
As far as I know.
Che Taylor has four items on his list: 1. He wants to spar, not just train in the boxing gym. 2. He wants a girlfriend. 3. He wants to go home. 4. He wants to keep Rosa under control.
Che’s little sister Rosa is smart, talented, pretty, and so good at deception that Che’s convinced she must be a psychopath. She hasn’t hurt anyone yet, but he’s certain it’s just a matter of time. And when their parents move them to New York City, Che longs to return to Sydney and his three best friends. But his first duty is to his sister Rosa, who is playing increasingly complex and disturbing games. Can he protect Rosa from the world – and the world from Rosa?
This is one word for this book – WOW! It is the most tense YA book I’ve ever read with possibly the creepiest 10 year old girl you’ll ever find in a book. I didn’t want to put this book down because I was afraid that something huge would happen when I wasn’t looking.
There are times when I’ve finished a book that I wish I could wipe my memory of reading it, just so I could read it again and feel exactly what I felt that first time. My Sister Rosa made me feel exactly like this. It is such a full-on read, with so many twists, and I don’t think it would feel the same reading it a second time. The suspense I felt and the way that my heart broke for Che is something that I rarely find in a book. It just shows what an amazing job Justine has done of making her characters real and relatable.
The story is told from Che’s point of view. He has known what his sister is like for years and he has tried to keep her in check. She seems cute and sweet on the outside but inside she’s nasty and poisonous. She works out how she should behave from watching and listening to other people. She promises Che that she will be good but she knows how to stretch the boundaries. While Che is keeping all eyes on his sister, he is also trying to adjust to life in another new city, working on his boxing, making new friends and trying to get a girlfriend. All of these things collide to make one hell of a book!
Reading this book is like watching a train wreck. You know that something really horrible is going to happen but you can’t look away. You’re glued to the pages and flicking them so fast because you need to know what is going to happen.
Rosa is both a horrifying yet fascinating character. You know she is psychopathic but you want to know more about her and the things that she does. As a parent she certainly makes you thankful that your own children aren’t like her, and it makes you wonder what life would be like if she was your child. I kept thinking that the way her parents reacted to her actions were unbelievable, but it also makes you think how you would react too.
I’ve read so many great books so far this year but My Sister Rosa is by far my favourite. Put My Sister Rosa on the top of your to-be-read pile. You won’t regret it.
The Road to Ratenburg by Joy Cowley, illustrated by Gavin Bishop
A family of rats is forced to leave their home, so sets out to find the fabled city of Ratenburg. Along the way they outwit vicious dogs, tricky rat traps, and sharp-beaked hawks, and make some very dangerous crossings. The rat family’s adventures test their character and grow bonds between sisters and brothers, father and uncle, mum and dad.
Narrating the tale is Spinnaker Rat, a classic Edwardian father, full of wisdom about the ways of the world, who finds himself learning more than he expected.
Mango and Bambang: Tapir All At Sea
Book Two in this charming and beautifully illustrated series about the unlikely friendship between Mango, a little girl, and Bambang, a tapir.
Mango and Bambang s adventures continue in the second book of this charming illustrated series about a little girl and a tapir, written by Polly Faber and illustrated by Clara Vulliamy. Mango Allsorts is a girl good at all sorts of things, especially helping a tapir feel at home in a busy city. Bambang is that tapir and he s getting braver every day. Join then for their daring escapades, involving dogs, dancing, diamond rings and a dangerous old enemy.
Magrit by Lee Battersby
Magrit lives in an abandoned cemetery with her friend and advisor, Master Puppet, whom she built from bones and bits of graveyard junk. She is as forgotten as the tiny graveyard world that surrounds her. One night as Magrit and Master Puppet sit atop of their crumbling chapel, a passing stork drops a baby into the graveyard. Defying Master Puppet s demands that the baby be disposed of, and taking no heed of his dire warnings, Magrit decides to raise the baby herself. She gives him a name: Bugrat. Magrit loves Bugrat like a brother, friend and son all rolled into one. But Master Puppet and the newly discovered skeleton girl know all too well what will happen when Bugrat grows up – that the truth about them all will be revealed. Something Magrit refuses to face.
Little Blue Truck by Alice Shertle, illustrated by Jill McElmurry
Blue is happily driving along when he’s overtaken by a big important dumper truck – but the dumper’s speedy ways means he skids off the road and gets stuck in the mud! Blue tries his best to help, but soon he gets stuck too! What a mess! Luckily, Blue has picked up lots of farmyard friends on his drive, and they all muck in to get their friend back on the road.
The Way We Roll by Scot Gardner
Will went to private school, and Julian went to juvie. Will is running from a family secret, and Julian is running from the goat next door. The boys meet pushing trolleys, and they find a common enemy in the Westie hoons who terrorise the carpark.
After a few close calls, Will has to nut up and confront his past. But on the way, he learns a few things about what it means to be a friend – and what it means to be family.
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Dustwalk is Amani’s home. The desert sand is in her bones. But she wants to escape. More than a want. A need. Then a foreigner with no name turns up to save her life, and with him the chance to run. But to where? The desert plains are full of danger. Sand and blood are swirling, and the Sultan’s enemies are on the rise.
The Many Worlds of Albie Bright by Christopher Edge
When Albie’s mum dies, it’s natural he should wonder where she’s gone. His parents are both scientists and they usually have all the answers. Dad mutters something about Albie’s mum being alive and with them in a parallel universe. So Albie finds a box, his mum’s computer and a rotting banana, and sends himself through time and space to find her.
Death or Ice Cream? by Gareth P. Jones
An extraordinary mystery in Larkin Mills is beginning to take shape. First we meet the apparently healthy Albert Dance, although he’s always been called a sickly child, and he’s been booked into Larkin Mills’ Hospital for Specially Ill Children. Then there’s his neighbour Ivor, who observes strange goings-on, and begins his own investigations into why his uncle disappeared all those years ago. Next we meet Young Olive, who is given a battered accordion by her father, and unwittingly strikes a dreadful deal with an instrument repair man.
Make sure you keep an eye on Mr Morricone, the town ice-cream seller, who has queues snaking around the block for his legendary ice cream flavours Summer Fruits Suicide and The Christmas Massacre. And Mr Milkwell, the undertaker, who has some very dodgy secrets locked up in his hearse. Because if you can piece together what all these strange folks have to do with one another well, you’ll have begun to unlock the dark secrets that keep the little world of Larkin Mills spinnin.
Moth Girls by Anne Cassidy
They called them the Moth Girls because they were attracted to the house. They were drawn to it. Or at least that is what is written in the newspapers that Mandy reads on the anniversary of when her two best friends went missing. Five years have passed since Petra and Tina were determined to explore the dilapidated house on Princess Street. But what started off as a dare ended with the two girls vanishing. As Mandy’s memories of the disappearance of her two friends are ignited once again, disturbing details will resurface in her mind.
Some authors have the gift of being able to create incredible worlds that you get lost in. Other authors bring characters alive that are so real they could almost jump off the page. Glenda Millard’s characters become your life-long friends and they haunt you long after you have finished their story. When you read Glenda Millard’s new book, The Stars at Oktober Bend, you won’t want to say goodbye to Alice Nightingale.
Alice is fifteen, with hair as red as fire and skin as pale as bone, but something inside her is broken. She has acquired brain injury, the result of an assault, and her words come out slow and slurred. But when she writes, heartwords fly from her pen. She writes poems to express the words she can’t say and leaves them in unexpected places around the town. Manny was once a child soldier. He is sixteen and has lost all his family. He appears to be adapting to his new life in this country, where there is comfort and safety, but at night he runs, barefoot, to escape the memory of his past. When he first sees Alice, she is sitting on the rusty roof of her river-house, looking like a carving on an old-fashioned ship sailing through the stars.
The Stars at Oktober Bend is an absolutely amazing story with unforgettable characters. Glenda Millard’s writing is beautiful and I fell in love with her characters. It took me a few chapters to get used to Alice’s unique voice but I had to know about her life and how she got to be the ‘damaged’ person that she is at the beginning. Alice tells her story both through prose and verse. Alice and Joey’s father is dead, their mother has left them and their grandfather is in jail. As the story progresses you learn what happened to Alice and her family to get them to where they are.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters. Alice and Manny took up residence in my head, going everywhere with me. They are both damaged my their past – Alice by the trauma that she has suffered and Manny by war in Sierra Leonne. Alice and Manny get to have their own voices in the story so we see the world from their unique points of view. I loved the development of Alice throughout the story, especially how those around her helped her to grow. Although I loved Alice and Manny, my favourite character was Alice’s brother Joey. Joey is the sort of brother that any sister would be lucky to have. He is always there for her, to help her make sense of the world. He is trying to keep what is left of his family together, while trying to be his own person.
Glenda shows both the best and the worst of humanity in her story. The people who killed Manny’s family in Sierra Leonne and the guys who damaged Alice show us the worst of humanity, but Joey and Manny’s adopted parents, Louisa and Bull James, show us the best of humanity in their kindness and love.
There are so many parts of Glenda’s amazing story that I love. I stopped reading many times just to marvel at what I had just read and the beauty of Glenda’s words. This is a tender morsel of text from the story and it’s a quote that I feel sums up the mystery of the story.
most days joey told me
at least one interesting face
to make up for school cut short
because of what happened
one starry, starry night,
and the fear
that sometimes still
squeezed my lungs
froze my limbs and tongue and talk,
as though he thought
interesting facts would
somehow subtract all that
and the disgrace that followed
our family.
The Stars at Oktober Bend is a must-read book for teens and adults. Add a little bit of beauty to your world and grab a copy now.
My Best Friends Are Books 