The Weight of Heaven by Thrity Umrigar

Apart from loving Umrigar’s writing (I’ve read everything she has put out), I find books about India fascinating – maybe because part of me wants to go there but finds it “safer” via books. The basic story is told in the cover blurb – Frank and Ellie who were the perfect couple – in love and with a gorgeous boy – who find that the loss of a child can either make or break a couple.

We are taken into the hearts and minds of these two people to see how they have coped with the situation. Ellie decides to move on with life, while Frank can’t until he finds a “replacement” for their son. Moving to India to work for a company which could be seen as an exploiter of the indigenous people, doesn’t help their situation.

My only concern is the structure – would be interested to know what others think. Why not do a straight chronological narrative? Why cut the narrative to go back in time to catch up to the present, considering that we knew most of it already.

Get ready for lots of twists, turns and surprises.

Leaving Fishers by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Dorry (makes me think of the mad fish in “Finding Nemo”) is new in town and loves the attention from Angela and her friends. But while the Fishers of Men group makes her feel wanted and liked, she has some reservations about them.

Interesting to see the reaction of Dorry’s parents. I would have thought they would know more about what she was doing and where she was.

Has ALA Best Book for Young Adults Award (American) though I am sure that there would be similar situations in Australia where young people have moved into extremist groups because they are lonely.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Matt lives with his two sisters and their single mother. She is seriously mentally unstable so their life is one of walking on eggshells. What state will Mum come home in? Will she be nice to them or tease and hurt them.

The novel moves at a fast pace with the reader wondering who will break first – the mother, the children or the various people that Matt hopes will help them survive. Nancy won several awards for this and other books. You can find out all about her at http://www.nancywerlin.com/

Finding Freia Lockhart by Aimee Said

I really enjoyed this book because Freia is 16 and is struggling to keep up with her best friend Kate who has started hanging out with the ‘populars’. My favorite character was Freia. I liked how she thought her family was bonkers. It’s funny and it deals with some of the dilemmas teenagers go through.

Georgia Year 7

Bad Monkeys by Mat Ruff

The New York Times calls it “A science fiction Catcher in the Rye” and it certainly has elements of a rebellious teenager and a bond (though not as close here) with a younger sibling. Otherwise, it is pretty weird, though certainly entertaining. Bad Monkeys are evil doers, crooks – and Jane Charlotte spends quite a bit of her life in a strange organisation which tries to defeat these people. The novel is basically an interview between Jane and a psychiatrist who is questioning her after she was arrested for murder. You will laugh, be confused, wonder what is happening – lots of actions and twists. For mature readers only.

Twenty boy summer by Sarah Ockler

It’s hard to say too much about this book without giving parts away. Let’s just say it’s about love at its best and at its worst. How different teens handle the ups and downs of their lives. The title gives an obvious hint that there will be romance involved as the girls set out to meet twenty boys (each) on their holiday.

A small free kiss in the dark by Glenda Millard

Skip has gone from foster home to foster home and never fitted in so he wanders the streets, finally finding a sort of friendship with an old man called Billy. When a war begins, survival gets harder, especially when three extra people get added to the group. There is no certainty that any of them will survive.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

If you lived in the world of this novel and was a troublesome teenager, you could be “unwound” – sent to be used for spare body parts. Or you could be the tenth child – the one who was to be sacrificed for the “good of society” for “unwinding”. Either way, it wouldn’t be a good end to your young life. Three such teenagers decide to revolt against this sytem and their desperate fight to stay out of the hands of the authorities makes for some exciting reading.

When the war began by John Marsden

This is the first in a series about a group of teenagers who are camping in a very isolated bush area when Australia is invaded. There are many in the series. Imagine if you and your friends were the only ones around to help save your country from invaders. Exciting, scary stuff.

This is a trailer for the movie which is to be released later in 2010.

When you are engulfed in flames by David Sedaris

These are a collection of essays written by the American journalist David Sedaris. The title comes from the last essay that tells us about the time he decided to stop smoking by going to live in Tokyo for three months! Anyone who has followed the way that smokers have been affected by new laws against smoking.

Other essays range from a few pages to longer ones – with a great deal of humour and wit. He writes about his family, his home, his youth and much more about events in his life. I particularly liked the one called “The Understudy ” – the babysitter from hell who lives with them for a week while their parents are on holidays. You wouldn’t want this woman to babysit you or anyone in your family.