Tag Archives: bedtime stories
Bedtime Stories: The Rest of Us Just Live Here
Post by Mark T. Locker.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness.
So many young adult books these days are about reluctant heroes, boys and girls finding themselves battling monsters and unspeakable evil. This book is not about those people. This is about the kids in the background. The “normal” kids. It’s a really interesting twist on this classic trope of YA fiction.
Something weird is happening in this small nameless town somewhere in western Washington. Kids are going missing, strange blue light is bursting into the sky. But this isn’t what Mikey is worried about. He’s a teenager gearing up for the end of his school year. He’s in love with his best friend. His sister has an eating disorder. He has OCD. They really don’t have time for monsters, inter-dimensional portals, or any of that stuff. That stuff is for the Chosen Ones; known in this book as the indie kids. They have names like Satchel and Finn. All we know about the fight against otherworldly evil is explained in the titles of the chapters. For once they are the background characters.
I love this unusual twist on YA fantasy fiction. I’ve read many books about chosen kids, balancing school and relationships with a fight against evil. What about the other kids? The ones who just want to get through finals, go to prom, find love? The Rest of Us Just Live tells their story. And it’s a really good story. It’s all about the angst of absentee parents, of leaving high school and the friends who have kept you going. It’s about love and jealousy and family. The mysterious blue light infecting the people and animals of town certainly doesn’t help. But Finn and Satchel and Finn and Finn will take care of that. Mikey and his friends are too busy cramming for final.
A fun and thoughtful book for teens who enjoy the monsters and zombies but want a little more.
Bedtime Stories: Cheeky Mystery for Adults
Post by Mark T. Locker.
Mister Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham.
First, Rob Thomas brought us Veronica Mars, the clever, driven high school detective. It was clever, intriguing, thought-provoking and funny. We were all sad when it ended too soon.
Then, a million die-hard fans heeded the call of Rob Thomas and funded what would be the biggest Kickstarter to date: Veronica Mars: the movie.
Finally, just for kicks, Rob Thomas collaborated with Jennifer Graham to write Veronica Mars novels. The second of these books, Mister Kiss and Tell, was published last year. If you have ever watched the show, it’s worth the time to pick up the books. The first one is even read by Ms. Mars herself, Kristen Bell. It’s practically like another episode of the show!
A young woman is attacked at The Neptune Grand, the finest hotel in Neptune, California. Veronica is hired to clear the hotel of wrongdoing. But the more she digs, she becomes invested in helping the victim even if she loses money in the process.
Mr. Kiss and Tell is gritty and dark. Peppered with the characteristic Veronica Mars wit, it is like an episode of the show but darker and with “adult” language. The story is not for the faint of heart. The author pulls no punches in reminding us of the darker side of humanity. Happily, the lighter side shines through as well. Lots of witty dialogue and a cute puppy help to balance out the tone of the story. Side plots involving a corrupt sheriff’s office and another about Veronica’s boyfriend Logan don’t add a lot to the story but they do keep the story from being monotonous. If you liked the show, you should definitely read the books; it’s basically bonus episodes of the show!
Bedtime Stories: Chaos Walking
Post by Mark T. Locker.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness.
The first installment in the Chaos Walking trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go is a unique, heartbreaking, brutal and captivating story for teens.
Todd Hewitt is on the run from Prentisstown, the only place he’s ever known. Alone with his talking dog Manchee, he’s been sent out into the swamps with nothing but a book from his mother and a big knife. He’s only a few weeks from becoming a man, the last child to grow into a man in Prentisstown.
This is not a normal place. Everyone who moved here became infected with the Noise. You can hear everyone’s thoughts and everyone can hear yours. You can hear the crocs saying, “Food. Food” as they approach. It’s a sickness that destroyed the women and left the men isolated at the edge of a huge swamp. Or so Todd has always been told. So when the two men who raised him tell him he has to leave, and leave now to save his own life, he has no idea what is going on. And when he learns that the holy man, Aaron, is hunting him, he knows he needs to learn the truth behind Prentisstown. Maybe the only one who can help him is the book from his mother and a mysterious girl he encounters in the swamps. He’s never met a girl before but immediately he notices she has no Noise. Who is she and where did she come from?
Full of twists and turns, lovely and brutal, violent but sweet, The Knife of Never Letting Go is not for the faint of heart but it tells a great story. If you want to read this one in bed, I recommend a few funny comics afterward to ease your dreams.
Bedtime Stories: The Dark is Rising
Post by Mark T. Locker.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper.
On Midwinter’s Day, on his eleventh birthday, Will Stanton, seventh son of a seventh son, will awaken. His true calling will be made known to him, as the last of the Old Ones, those destined to fight the forces of the Dark, to keep the balance intact.
What a fantastical mystical premise for a series! The Dark is Rising is technically the second book in a series of five, but you can really skip the first one, Over Sea and Under Stone and not lose the thread of the story. The real story picks up as Will Stanton approaches his eleventh birthday. Until then, he was just another boy, the youngest of seven children in a happy home in England. But on the morn of his eleventh birthday, he awakes to find himself out of time in a place that is his village and yet not his village. Here he meets Merriman, one of the Old Ones, whose task is to guide Will, the newly awakened and last of the Old Ones, on his quest to collect the six signs, circles quartered with a cross, each of a different element: iron; bronze; wood; fire; water; stone.
Will must learn how to be an Old One, with all the knowledge and power that has been unlocked within him, and still be a young boy. How do you celebrate Christmas when time may stop at any moment, when danger may come in any form? How do you stand up to evil in front of your parents, who think the terrible Rider is a friendly colleague? It’s not easy being a kid. And it’s not easy being an Old One.
This series of books is a wonderful adventure and magical quest as Will and his allies strive to defeat the Dark once and for all. Great for kids, especially disturbingly mature eleven-year-olds.
Bedtime Stories: I am the Messenger
Post by Mark T. Locker.
I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak.
Sometimes, the book you are after is unavailable so you grab whatever would be next to it on the shelf, just because. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning novel that was also made into a movie. I don’t know what it’s about because it was not available. What was available, however, was a novel he wrote a few years earlier called I am the Messenger. It was a Printz Honor book which means it should probably not be terrible. I borrowed it.
I am the Messenger is an unusual story of a young Australian named Ed Kennedy, an 19-year-old who drives a cab and in his free time hangs out with his friends playing cards and drinking beer, or drinking coffee with his dog named The Doorman. But all that changes after Ed accidentally foils a bank robbery. For a little while he is hailed as a hero. After things quiet down, he anonymously receives a playing card in the mail, the Ace of Diamonds. On the back are a list of addresses and times. Ed realizes that he is being placed in the middle of peoples’ lives as a messenger. Each time he fulfills the tasks, which he must figure out on his own, he receives another card in the mail.
There is a woman who is abused by her husband. There is an old woman who is lonely. There is a young girl who is strong but lacks confidence.
In the process of fulfilling these tasks, Ed finds new meaning for his own life. Instead of muddling through the days, he discovers that he can affect other peoples’ lives in positive ways. Something as little as buying an ice cream for somebody can have a powerful effect.
What makes the book work is the narrator, Ed. He’s cheeky and funny but also has a secret poetic side and can be disarmingly insightful at times. A truly interesting read for teens and adults about how sometimes you need a kick in the pants to move you in the right direction.
