THE FALL by James Preller

Review ARC courtesy of Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends Publishing
Release date: September 2015

It was 2:55 am as I finally gave up on the notion of sleep.  Having started reading THE FALL by James Preller earlier in the day, I knew sleep would not come until I had finished Sam's story.  Now, having turned the last page, it still haunts me and will for quite some time.

Sam Proctor has decided to record his thoughts about the events leading up to the suicide of classmate Morgan Mallen.  Morgan jumped to her death from the town's water tower, and Sam must come to terms with whether or not he may have played a part in her decision to end her life.

Why Now and Not Then?

When a writer reaches a certain level of renown, and then suddenly a book touted as his "previously unpublished first novel," is finally published, you have to wonder, what happened? Is this first novel actually no good, but now that we know the writer is good, we'll read it anyway? Or is it simply that the publishing industry was too lame, greedy, or snotty to recognize decent work when they saw it the first time?

Greg Keyes' Footsteps in the Sky is one of those works, a suddenly-first-time-in-print-first-novel. Having now read it, my curiosity is further piqued. While the writing is at times disjointed, indicative of a first attempt, the story holds its own and the book is well worth reading.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Adam Silvera pulls off a pretty impressive trick with his compelling and surprising novel More Happy Than Not. First, he gives readers Bronx native Aaron Soto who is crazy about his girlfriend Genevieve, enjoys hanging out with his childhood friends in the neighborhood, has a new pal named Thomas who he likes talking about movies, hopes and dreams with and, finally, he just might be coping with his father's recent suicide. For chapter after chapter in fact, Aaron's life plays out as typical, albeit a bit more emotional, teenage angst. But then, the wheels start to go off his life a bit and he starts to like Thomas more and more which makes him wonder if he might not be as crazy about Genevieve as he thinks he is.

Yep, Aaron might be gay but—and here's the big twist—that is not entirely what this book is all about.

This is tough because I don't want to ruin the plot. I don't want you to lost that opportunity for "WHOA" that I had in the middle of the book. So you're just going to have to trust me that there is a hell of a lot more to More Happy Than Not than a coming out story (not that those stories aren't great). One twist I can tell you about (as it's on the back cover) is that Aaron's confusion over his sexuality makes him consider taking the memory-relief procedure offered by the Leteo Institute. That slight bit of sci-fi in the narrative brings all sorts of philosophical questions into the story as Aaron wrestles with its risks and possibilities. It's really the only hint that the book is taking place in the future and thus makes this an extremely relateable title, whether you like science fiction or not.

Otherwise, there is a lot about growing up in the same neighborhood, about how joking around with your buddies might not be the same as a teenager as it was when you were a kid. It's about grinding poverty and making good and bad choices (as in drugs and crime) and about wanting something more than what you have but not even really knowing what that more can be. And, More Happy Than Not is about a kid who thought he was figuring everything out and then suddenly realizes that he might not know anything at all. These are all questions that will be familiar to teen readers because we all have them. Aaron just has a tantalizing way of solving them, by forgetting.

What would you do if life got too complicated? If the question intrigues you then read More Happy Than Not. It's a thought provoking, funny, smart read with a great (diverse!) cast that will leave you thinking long after the last page is turned.

Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles

A boy with a broken finger who quietly suffers under the weight of his father's cruel words. A girl desperate to fit in. The teenage boy who dates a girl in public and a boy in private. A young man who is counting the days until he's 21. A teacher struggling to get her students' respect.

Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles tells all these stories and more. The book contains ten short stories total, with each character's tale roughly 40 pages long. The storylines overlap and connect, woven together by setting - all of the stories take place in the same town, on the same day - as strangers, neighbors, relatives, co-workers and classmates interact, ignore, confront, and combust.

Set aside some time for this book, because once you've finished reading it, you may feel compelled to read it again! If you read this book a second time, you will pick up on even more of the connections, causes, and consequences, just like when you read a mystery for the second time, you pick up on more of the clues because you already know the identity (and intentions) of the murderer.

The author said that this book was inspired by a stranger who flipped off her family while driving down the road. That symbol of disrespect is in each of the stories, which may make some parents or teachers hesitate, but don't be worried - overall, the book is fairly PG.

Read Between the Lines is both frank and considerate, honest in its depiction of emotional abuse, intolerance, secrets, and hierarchies within families, classrooms, and communities. Though they have different backgrounds and different interests, each character is trying to find a place for herself or himself in the world, and there's something universal in that search for identity and belonging. The point of the book is to pause, to think, to consider, to look, to look again: we don't always know what's happened to others to make them act or react the way they do; we can't read their minds, we don't know what their day has been like or what their home situation is, but if we take a moment to consider other people's feelings, to respect their space and hear their side of the story, we might be find we are more alike and more connected that we think.

The Infects by Sean Beaudoin

As if it isn't bad enough that Nick is being carted off to Inward Trek, a short term detention/reform excursion experience in lieu of doing time in juvie, but it just HAS to be the Zombie apocalypse as well. Nick has been stepping up lately working the night shift at the chicken processing plant in order to keep his family in their home, fed and his sister in her Asperger's meds. Dad - The Dude used to work R&D for the same chicken chicken company but that didn't really work out.
As a reader, you start to pick up on the fact that things might not be quite right, especially the really strange way people are acting as all of the kids are being transported to the excursion site to start their "rehabilitation." Once the zombies start to attack though, it's time to find out who can lead, who follows, and who gets eaten.
A fun zombie story with a little twist.

I, Funny by James Patterson and Chris Grabenstein

Jamie Grimm has a plan: to become the world’s greatest standup comedian: 

Do zombies eat doughnuts with their fingers? 

No, they usually eat their fingers separately. 

Jaime’s funny, and it’s not a bad plan, except he has a huge case of stage fright. Like on stage, he forgets everything he wants to say. Every. Single. Thing. 

Offstage, Jaime’s life is full of jokes, his own and ones from the famous comics he’s read all about. But not everything about his life is funny. He’s living in a new town, trapped living with his aunt, uncle and cousin Stevie, who just happens to be the school bully. The same bully who is out to make Jamie’s life miserable.

There’s a lot more that Jamie has to navigate in this book packed with jokes, including The Planet’s Funniest Kid Comic contest, a girl he likes that might just like him back, a yo-yo champion uncle who runs a diner in his new Long Island town, and his three best friends.

What’s really fascinating about “I Funny” is that one of the main characters is disabled. And yet, that’s not what the book is about. And at the same time, it kind of is. Because we really get to know this character as a character, beyond their wheelchair. And that’s a great thing. 

Also, Jamie learns that there are different kinds of comedy, and there’s price to pay for jokes at someone else’s expense.

But the best moment is how the book ends - it really grabbed me, and for a story that was all about the yucks, it had a surprising emotional depth. Maybe that’s why the two famous actor masks are of comedy and tragedy, because they’re two sides of the human condition. Likewise, they’re two sides of "I Funny." But in this book, the comedy side wins (and so do readers!)

This review comes to Guys Lit Wire from our friend Lee Wind. Read more of his reviews at his website.

Infinity (Chronicles of Nick #1) by Sherrilyn Kenyon

You're a 14-year-old boy with a cruel felon for an absentee father and an overly protective stripper for a mother. You live in a one-room home and feel badly outclassed and ostracized at the prestigious school you only get to attend because of an academic scholarship. You're bullied at school, henpecked at home, and even your friends turn out to just be using you until they can betray you.

Nick Gauthier just can't win. That is, until the demons and shapeshifters and vampires and zombies come to town...

Gandhi: My Life is My Message by Jason Quinn

Mahatma Gandhi died more than sixty years ago but his life story is still relevant today. This simple man's story resonates even more today because many of the ills against which he fought are still with us and also because violence is now prevalent worldwide both by the oppressor and the oppressed. I read this graphic biography and was pleased to learn many things about Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (his birth name). Mahatma was a name that his followers proffered on him (the word means "great soul") but he was not fond of it and was very embarrassed when he heard it used). 

Tinder by Sally Gardner

The cover says it all: A snarling, snow-white werewolf with razor sharp teeth leaps over the frosty rooftops of a medieval town. This sums up the novel in my opinion - startling, dark and intense.

I'll start by saying that the artwork by David Roberts, which is sprinkled throughout Tinder, is very effective. Every drawing seems to emerge from the mist. They sneak up on you and before you realise what is happening, they've got their bony fingers around your throat.

The story begins with 18 year-old Otto Hundebiss, he's a deserter of the Thirty Years War (1618 - 1648). His decision to flee comes after seeing a vision of Death cross his path. Lost in a dense forest, wounded and wrestling with a series of fever-dreams, Otto is rescued and nursed back to health by a mysterious shaman.

Before releasing him, the shaman gives Otto a set of dice. As you'd assume, the dice aren't for the occasional game of Yahtzee, they are magic, and Otto relies on them to guide him through the entire novel.

Traveling through Mitteleuropa, he stumbles upon Safire, a beautiful redhead who's also on the run from a group of dastardly soldiers. They meet and fall in love, but, as good stories go, Safire is taken away and Otto finds himself on a quest of madness and self-destruction in order to get her back.

500 Great Books for Teens

There are a lot of good guy books here.

Checking the index, I see six entries for author Walter Dean Myers and three for Gary Paulsen. The one listed for Daniel Pinkwater is the anthology Five Novels, so I'll cut editor Anita Silvey a break for that. She actually doesn't limit herself to 500 books -- many more are listed in the section "Beyond the 500: Additional Titles of Interest." Many of the recommendations are books aimed at a more general readership, not just teens. That pleases me -- I think it's too limiting to say a book is for this age group, not that one. And "guy books?" Well, I see she recommends Toni Morrison's Beloved.