GUEST REVIEW Swim the Fly by Don Calame (Review by Royal Reads)

Reviews Of Young Adult Literature, better known as Royal Reads, is a book blogging site run by Melanie (MssJos). With well-written reviews, fun contests, and wonderful profiles/interviews (if I do say so, myself), her site is one of the best out there. The organization of the site is particularly spectacular. Don't forget the check out Royal Reads here.


Young Adult Fiction
2009
345 pgs
Candlewick Press


Matt Gratton and his two best friends Sean and Coop always have a summer goal--this year is no exception. This summer the boys decide it’s time for them to see a live nude girl in the flesh--no more magazines or internet sites for these fellas. When Matt develops a serious crush on Kelly West, the new girl on the swim team, the summer gets a whole lot more complicated. Before he knows it, Matt finds himself volunteering to swim the 100-yard butterfly for his swim team's championship relay, something that’s nearly as impossible at his other summer goal. With a little help from his friends, Kelly's best friend Valerie, his Grandpa Arlo, and a hard-core swim coach named Ulf, Matt's summer soon becomes one he'll never forget.

What impresses me the most about this novel is the originality of the predicaments Matt finds himself in--more specifically, the creatively disasterous ways he manages to get himself out of these situations. To have covered an entire summer, this novel is a surprisingly fast-paced read that even reluctant readers will have a hard time putting down. Any author who can successfully tie together laxatives, cross-dressing, splitting speedos, and romance in one story has forever secured my readership.

Don Calame's debut novel brilliantly establishes his unique voice and impeccable ability to capture the essence of the wild creature that is the adolescent male. Calame's perfectly constructed dialogue between his characters is laugh-til-your-side-hurts hilarious and so authentic even adult readers will feel 15 all over again. Like any good book, Swim the Fly plays out like a movie in the mind, not surprising since the author is an accomplished screenwriter!
If you liked John Green's An Abundance of Katherine's, David Lubar's Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, the movies Stand by Me and The Sandlot, you'll love Swim the Fly.

Rec: Grades 9-12

Grade: A

Melanie "MssJos"
ROYAL

Profiled By Royal Reads! (And Other News)

I'm pleased to announce that I have been profiled and named "Blogger of the Month" by Royal Reads! Melanie, who runs everything over there, is an amazing reviewer. In fact, a guest review from her will be posted over here tomorrow!

I am so honored to have been offered an opportunity like this.

So, without further ado, here is a direct link to my Blogger Profile. Also take note of something mentioned at the end of the profile:
"Comment on [the blogger profile] and/or become a follower of NSCG and get an extra entry in my Book of the Month giveaway for May! "


How cool is that? Let me know what you think of the profile.

Contest List

How to Buy a Love of Reading (Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf)
How to Buy a Love of Reading (Books by Their Cover)
How to Buy a Love of Reading (Bookluver Carol)
Generation Dead/Kiss of Life (Bookluver Carol)
Graceling (Bookluver Carol)
Fairy Rebels (Bookluver Carol)
Lament/iron key (Bookluver Carol)
Any E Scott (Bookluver Carol)
Love You Hate You Miss You (Bookluver Carol)
A Seer Book ('' '' '')
How to Hook a Hottie (" " ")
I Know It's Over (" " ")
You Had Me At Halo (" " ")
Kiss of Life (Perla)

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner (Review by Liesel)

Bones of Faerie by Janni Lee Simner is an intriguing novel that puts quite a twist on the traditional fairytale. Here, the humans and Faerie people were previously at war, and items now exist that are categorized as either from Before or After. Why they began fighting remains unclear, but the remnants of this magic still affect the people in unforeseeable ways.

Liza is one of the many children impacted by magic. Her mother runs away, and when her younger sister was just a baby who happened to possess magical powers, she was immediately abandoned, and the sight of this haunts Liza to this day. Her father is highly protective and does not want any associations with magic. When she begins having visions and realizes that she too has magic within her, she feels that she must run away into the dark wood with a few companions by her side and solve the mystery surrounding her world.

Simner does an excellent job of keeping the novel interesting, though many questions remain unanswered and the descriptions are vague at best. The setting seems to be over dramatized; while the language flows smoothly, it is hard to understand the point of it, and at times it seems almost superfluous. Because of this, the details of the War and the after-effects are unclear. But for a debut novel, this is certainly a great start, and it will be interesting to see whether this story will become a series.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick read in a promising new type of book in the fantasy genre.

xoxo, Liesel


Bones of Faerie can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Bones-Faerie-Janni-Lee-Simner/dp/0375845631/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241444912&sr=1-1

Lisa Mantchev hosts a contest...

...prizes are either the incredible Eyes Like Stars or a Prize Package.

And, as always, her contest is original and fun.

This one involves wrecking cake fairy-style. Do NOT miss it!