TTT: And the Nominees continue…

We’re back with more Teens’ Top Ten Nominees with numbers 16-20 on the list of 25 nominees.

I am Number Four by Pittacus Lore

Unless you’ve been living under a rock — or you’re brand-new to the YA book world — chances are, you’ve heard all about I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (the pseudonym for co-authors Jobie Hughes and James Frey). Besides lots of hype ahead of the book’s release this past summer, a movie adaptation of I Am Number Four was already in production and is now set for release in February (featuring hottie Alex Pettyfer as Number Four).

I am a strong advocate for reading a book before seeing the movie, for a number of reasons — the most paramount being that the book is almost always better than the movie.

But with I Am Number Four, I have a feeling the movie may actually be better.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The book is not bad — but it certainly reads with a cinematic scope and feel, and there are moments where the prose almost feels like snippets taken from a screenplay, with sentences and descriptions that are almost too simple. It sounds more like stage directions or production notes in a script, than descriptive prose. At times I even wondered which came first — the novel or the screenplay?

The strongest thing going for I Am Number Four is the story itself — which is what makes it such a good contender for the big screen. This is classic science fiction at its very best. Is it the most original story ever? No. But it’s told well — with lots of action and a touch of humanity to the main character that progresses throughout the novel.

I Am Number Four tells the story of an alien — the titular Number Four — who is running from an enemy race of aliens trying to kill him. He is one of nine aliens from his home planet sent to Earth in hopes of rebuilding their society, growing strong and defeating the enemy race. But the enemies found them first and began hunting them. However, in the midst of his attempts to survive, Number Four falls in love. With a human. And he makes a friend — his first ever. He has found a life he loves and hopes to preserve.

And that’s what makes the story so compelling — watching Number Four come into his alien powers, all while discovering a humanity that makes him want to establish a life on planet Earth; to make it his home.

I Am Number Four is the first in a series — and I’m interested to see where the story goes from here. Even more, I can’t wait to check out the movie adaptation next year and see how the story transitions to the big screen. (I’m anticipating good things — not just because the trailer is bad ass, but because there are some incredible action scenes in the book that I can’t wait to see translated visually.) – Sara Gundell, Novel Novice

Red Moon Rising by Peter Moore

Vamps, humans, and then wulves: that’s the popularity food chain in high-school freshman Dant. Dann. Gray’s world. He’s half-vamp and half-wulf, and has undergone genetic treatments to mitigate the wulf in him, but his body appears to be betraying him. The full moon is only weeks away, an. changin. could be not just socially but physically fatal. Moore has contemporized a basic story about class and discrimination by tapping into the craze for vampires and werewolves. Danny’s world is an alternate version of our own, with government compounds where undesirables are isolated to protect the general (privileged) population, and activists make speeches and are gunned down for their efforts at reform. The details are imaginative and believable, as are the social interactions at school and in Danny’s home. This is a nifty book to pair with discussions about race and class, and a few direct references to Nazis also make it potentially useful for history connections.–Welch, Cind. June 01, 2011. Copyright 2010 Booklist

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Lennie has always been the companion pony to her sister Bailey’s race horse. When Bailey dies suddenly while rehearsing the lead in Romeo and Juliet, Lennie is thrust into the spotlight. A normally reserved band geek who readsWutheringHeights like a manifesto, Lennie is not prepared to deal with her grief. Nor is she equipped to confront the affection she feels for her dead sister’s fiancé. Adding to her emotional roller coaster is the gorgeous, musically gifted new boy in town who is clearly in love with her. Lennie is sympathetic, believable, and complex. Readers will identify with her and root for her to finally make the first steps toward healing. Nelson incorporates poems, written by Lennie and left for the wind to carry away, that help readers delve deeper into her heart. Bonus: teens unfamiliar withWutheringHeights will likely want to find out what all the fuss is about. A story of love, loss, and healing that will resonate with readers long after they have finished reading.–ShaunaYusko, January 01, 2010. Copyright 2010 Booklist

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Synopsis:

What if you only had one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?

Samantha Kingston has it all: the world’s most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High—from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.

Instead, it turns out to be her last. Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death—and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing. (Taken from www.laurenoliverbooks.com.)

Review:

I’ve been agonizing over this review because I’m still not sure what I think about Before I Fall. I’ve watched it creep up the best sellers list and I’ve read rave reviews about what a life-changing book it is, but I’m hesitant to go that far. And yet …

This is one of those books that will mean something different to everyone who reads it because we all come from different backgrounds, regions and social status. We all have or had our “place” in high school: popular girl, geek, goth, stoner, etc., and depending on where you are (or were) you will have a different reaction to the story and narrator, Samantha Kingston.

Personally, I found her to be a horrible, horrible brat, as well as her friends, and most readers won’t feel bad at all when she dies (the first time). Her world is so far from my high school experience (small Midwestern town) that I could hardly relate. Every page I found myself wondering, Do schools like this really exist? Is this what high school is like now? For me, it made the book very unrealistic, though I imagine readers from more affluent areas may disagree.

Before I Fall is undoubtedly “edgy” YA – it deals with almost every edgy topic you can conceive of: drug use, alcoholism and underage drinking, promiscuous sex, rape, abuse, divorce, abandonment, stealing, eating disorders, depression and suicide. (Did I forget anything?!)

By the end, I could see that Sam had grown, but I’m still not sure why. We never understand why Sam has all these chances or how she figures out what she’s “supposed” to do. We watch her flounder around for a few go-arounds, and it’s in these flubs that the book is most interesting. One day in particular, Sam throws caution to the wind and does all the bad-girl things she’s always wanted to try. She experiments with the “butterfly effect” in which minor changes cause large changes in outcome.

A number of these changes surround a character named Kent, who is the real star — and real loser– of the book. I won’t spoil it, but this guy really gets shafted and I hope somewhere in Fictionland, he gets his due.

Finally, I know the cliché goes that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference, and that’s the saving grace of Before I Fall. Lauren Oliver managed to make me hate Sam and her circle, so clearly her writing is powerful enough to evoke strong emotions. I also loved Kent. Unfortunately, I was pretty indifferent about the rest of the large (and somewhat redundant) cast of characters. And I still don’t think I can decide how I fell about the book overall. –Stephanie Lawton, Novel Novice

The False Princess by Ellis O’Neal

Young readers who have ever wondered if they are in the right family might heed O’Neal’s fantasy as a cautionary tale. Princess Nalia was switched at birth, when the king and queen of Thorvaldor hid their infant daughter to avoid a deadly curse due before her sixteenth birthday. A stand-in princess was arranged and then cruelly torn from the palace when the danger had passed. Now called Sinda, the forme. princes. lives a hardscrabble existence as scribe to a minor wizard. Bright and plucky, Sinda does not meekly slip away. She comes to realize she holds magic powers that need taming, and she also uncovers a good deal of palace intrigue connected to master wizard Melaina, and even a second birth switch that has ensconced the latter’s daughter in the palace in place of the true princess. Who will believe Sinda? Brave and clever Kiernan, a good friend from her palace days, helps her plot and triumph. This novel crackles with adventure and suspense and will delight fans with its blend of wizardry and court life.– Ann O’Malley, June 01, 2011. Copyright 2010 Booklist