I can’t believe I missed reading Shadows (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2013) by Robin McKinley. I love how the book opens:
“THE STORY STARTS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A fairy tale. I hated my stepfather.
It’s usually stepmothers in fairy tales. Well, equal time for step-fathers.”
Teenage Maggie lives in Newworld, where they “don’t have magicians, evil or otherwise.” She lives with her mom, stepdad Val, little brother Ran, and her dog Mongo. She can’t tell anyone about why she dislikes Val., whose from Oldworld Afterall, Newworld is about science and one shouldn’t be afraid of shadows even if they do have extra legs.
I enjoyed the teen speak of Maggie and her friends, the origami folding, and was made nervous by the shadows and other things I’ll let you discover for yourself. It would be one spooky movie! This is my newest favorite book by Robin McKinley.
You can see her other books at her website. My other favorites are Deerskin and Sunshine. 
You can also read Robin’s blog, Days in the Life*,
* with footnotes
here.
Tag: YA novel
A Time to Dance
A Time to Dance (Nancy Paulsen Books Penguin Random House, 2014) by Padma Venkatraman is a novel in verse that takes one directly to life in India. Veda has a passion for dance, Bharatanatyam dance specifically. Not that her mother approves. And now that she’s won the competition her career can really start off. But a tragic accident takes the teen’s right leg below the knee. How can she still dance with only one leg?
The story is inspirational as we accompany Veda on her journey of recovery. What Veda says sums it up, “…dance isn’t about who you are on the outside. It’s about how you feel inside.”
I love what Padma says on her blog about books being more than mirrors or windows–read it here. You can hear Padma herself on her website in the Q&A section, plus there are TV interviews here.
I already recommended Padma’s book Island’s End here. Her first novel, Climbing the Stairs, is set during WWII.
Island’s End
Island’s End (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2011) by Padma Venkatraman is modern day fiction that almost feels historical. But that’s because it is inspired by people who live as their ancestors did on the Andaman Islands near India. It’s a great story that you won’t want to miss.
Here’s a brief intro:
Living on an isolated island, Uido is woken by a dream that tells her to go to the beach where she and her little brother witness strangers arriving by boat. The siblings chase them off, but the strangers keep coming back and tempt the tribe with things not available on their island. Meanwhile Uido is chosen to be trained as the next oko-jumu (spiritual leader). When her brother is struck with a disease brought by the strangers and is dying, Uido must decide what to do for her brother and her tribe.
This is the second book by Padma. Read more about her here.
Now after reading about her award winning first book, I need to get a hold of it, too! Check out the website for Climbing the Stairs.
After
After (Viking Juvenile, 2009) by Amy Efaw is an unforgettable powerful story. At times it feels unbelievable, yet you know it’s all possible. The author obviously did research for this novel. (There’s extra info about Safe Haven in the book and on her site.)
Here’s a brief introduction to After: 15-year-old Devon Davenport is arrested for killing her newborn baby, but she doesn’t remember anything about it. And, it can’t be true, since she was never pregnant.
I’d recommend this eye-opening story to anyone who has trouble understanding, or sympathizing, with someone who has done something wrong. It is now available in paperback as well as hardcover.
On her website Author Amy Efaw has background info for this novel. That includes newspaper articles she created for the story. You’ll also see that she has other works, which I need to check out!
Tell Me a Secret
Tell Me a Secret (Harper Teen, 2010) by Holly Cupala is a memorable story about choices. Rand (Miranda) doesn’t know exactly how her bad-girl sister died 5 years ago. Mom disappeared into “drama and the prayer chain” and “Dad into his construction business.” But, of course, when she gets in trouble, her mother thinks she should have learned something “after all we went through with Xanda.” Like Rand knows what happened then.
This was author Holly Cupala’s first book, which has now been turned into an audio book, too.
Her second book, Don’t Breathe a Word, came out this month and is getting great reviews. You’ll want to check out the secrets behind the stories on Holly’s site.
Holly has also been a Readergirlz Diva. (This is a great site for teen girl readers.)