Spring 2017 Diverse Reads

• March (disability – club foot) – Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell
• April (mental health – depression) – More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
• June (sexuality and gender identity – transboy) When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell

Thirteen-year-old Princess Matilda, whose lame foot brings fear of the evil eye, has never given much thought to dragons, attending instead to her endless duties and wishing herself free of a princess’s responsibilities.

When a greedy cousin steals Tilda’s lands, the young princess goes on the run with two would-be dragon slayers. Before long she is facing down the Wild Hunt, befriending magical horses, and battling flame-spouting dragons. On the adventure of a lifetime, and caught between dreams of freedom and the people who need her, Tilda learns more about dragons—and herself—than she ever imagined.

 

• First book I read by Merrie Haskell, though I have already read another!
• This book received a positive own voices review at Disability in Kid Lit, which led me to select it for the March topic. Aimee Louw writes far more eloquently about Tilda’s club foot than I could, so be sure to check out her post. I especially agree with her observation that the “dichotomy between the desire to improve or better oneself and the perceived need to overcompensate for the lower expectations placed on oneself because of disability was portrayed exceptionally well.”
• One aspect of the book I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did was the setting. Handbook for Dragonslayers takes place in a more realistic medieval setting than I’ve encountered in most children’s literature. The presence of religion plays a significant role in that. I love that Tilda wanted to join a cloister so she could copy books. The concept of sin influences Tilda’s actions; she celebrates Christmas Day. Other details that added realism for me included Tilda’s duties as a princess and the design of the castle.
• I found it a little heartbreaking that part of the reason Tilda wants to become a grand writer is to disprove the cruel things people believe about her. I don’t have the direct quote, but there was a line about how Tilda wanted to be free of people who thought they knew her (pg. 52). That’s a feeling I think many readers have experienced at one time or the other. It gives able-bodied readers like myself a better insight into what Tilda experiences.
• Although not much else about the plot or characters stands out for me now, fans of the genre will likely enjoy Handbook for Dragon Slayers  (as long as they don’t expect too much of the dragons!).

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

In the months after his father’s suicide, it’s been tough for 16-year-old Aaron Soto to find happiness again–but he’s still gunning for it. With the support of his girlfriend Genevieve and his overworked mom, he’s slowly remembering what that might feel like. But grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist prevent him from forgetting completely.

When Genevieve leaves for a couple of weeks, Aaron spends all his time hanging out with this new guy, Thomas. Aaron’s crew notices, and they’re not exactly thrilled. But Aaron can’t deny the happiness Thomas brings or how Thomas makes him feel safe from himself, despite the tensions their friendship is stirring with his girlfriend and friends. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound feelings for him, he considers turning to the Leteo Institute’s revolutionary memory-alteration procedure to straighten himself out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is.

 

• Finally read a book by Adam Silvera! He’s a popular author in my Twittersphere. If it weren’t for this challenge, I wouldn’t have read any of his books as I’m generally not a fan of the genre (contemporary) or the type of stories (mostly dark, romance-centric) he writes. That’s the main reason for my low rating. More Happy Than Not just isn’t the my thing.
• That being said, I thought the story picked up when the Leteo Institute started to play a role, and I enjoyed the later part of the novel far more than the earlier part.
• A lot of things about the book didn’t suite my tastes; that doesn’t mean they were poorly written or objectively bad. Own voices reviewers have highlighted how important the story is to them and how realistic it is (1 | 2 | 3 ; thanks to Taryn for bringing some of these to my attention). However, I found Aaron’s stubborn opinion on Thomas’ sexuality frustrating and wish it could have been identified as problematic within the story. And I’m not even talking about bierasure – I was thinking about making assumptions about other people and taking that as truth with no truth from the person themself.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore

To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Sam are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel’s wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Sam is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees, and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. But as odd as everyone considers Miel and Sam, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. Now they want the roses that grow from Miel’s skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they’re willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up.

 

• Thanks to Monika @ The Lovely Bookshelf, from whom I won a copy of this book in a giveaway! You can read her review here.
• Ooh, what to say about this one? When the Moon Was Ours exemplifies why I love magical realism (it can make me fall in love with a YA novel!). All those wonderful things you’ve heard about it are true.
• McLemore’s prose elevates this book to a high rating for me. In crafting a magical realism tale, she takes the opportunity to describe wonderous sights and miraculous happenings. Her descriptions of the colour of pumpkins and roses, the relationship between the Bonner girls, and the glows of Sam’s moons are just a few examples that come to mind.
• McLemore’s prose creates not only beautiful imagery; she also builds her characters through evocative descriptions. One example that stood out to me: “Because together they had so much shared gravity they pulled toward that navy blue houses anything they wanted. Because they were four brilliant red lynxes, and she could not run” (pg. 44).
• I was totally into the romantic relationship. Gasp, a romance I can get behind?! I liked that Sam and Miel already had a strong relationship at the start of the novel and were essentially ready to proceed to a romantic relationship. There are some steamy scenes in this book, which I credit entirely to McLemore’s evocative and creative writing. She addresses physical interaction without being too explicit – i.e. it’s still beautiful prose without turning to clunky descriptions of physical movement, yet it is also specific enough to clearly portray the interactions (and the complexity of those interactions) between Miel and Sam.
• Even the afterword I found touching. It sounds like McLemore drew a lot of inspiration from her and her husband (who is trans)’s relationship in writing this novel.
• Highly recommended. Will likely be in my top ten reads of the year.

These last three books are pretty diverse in their genres, let alone their characters. Have you read any of them? Which one would you be most interested in reading?