#37--Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Bibliographic Information

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride. Henry Holt & Co. (2010).

Price: $16.99 for hardback; $9.99 for paperback

Pages: 343 for hardback

Plot Summary

Picture this: one day you are flipping burgers, the next you find out you are a necromancer and you never found out about that little secret because—surprise!—your mother bound your powers when you were a baby! Now you have a creepy, powerful necromancer after you and you have to figure out a way to defeat him or you, and all your friends and family, are dead meat. So goes the story of Sam, burger flipper one day, necromancer the next. As if that little revelation isn’t shocking enough try having your friend’s reanimated head delivered to your doorstep to prove that the creepy guy you just met isn’t fooling around. After the head incident, Sam agrees to meet with Douglas, a powerful necromancer who seems to control most of the magical folk within the Seattle area while creating undead versions of pandas in his spare time. Given a week before Sam must decide whether to join Douglas or die, he needs some quick answers. Reluctantly his mother admits that that not only does she know about Sam’s necromancer abilities as she bound his powers when he was a baby but she is also part of the magical community as she is a witch. It turns out there are lots of magical people all around Sam—witches, werewolves, satyrs, dragons, shape shifters, among others. Too bad he didn’t know that before he received Douglas’ ultimatum. Now he must find a way to unbind his powers and use them in order to defeat Douglas (who, by the way, long-time necromancers are frightened of) and save his family and friends.

Critical Evaluation

There seems to be a general consensus among reviewers that this novel is funny, funny, funny! It does, admittedly, have some humorous parts, especially when one listens to the audio version, but I think much of the humor falls flat. It is almost as if the author is trying too hard to make her characters hip as Sam and all his friends, save one, are snarky and sassy. Even Brid, the other main character in the novel, is the sort of stock character one is used to seeing in paranormal books—tough, confident, and not afraid to fight. While the plotline is amusing and well woven, it most revolves around action and great revelations. With the possible exception of Sam, there is little to no character development. Perhaps this is because McBride is using Hold Me Closer, Necromancer to set up her world which she will revisit in multiple sequels but the lack of character development is disappointing. Overall, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is a fun book to read but lacks complex characters and themes. However, maybe this is exactly what the author intended when she wrote the book. After all, how serious can a book be that includes multiple garden gnomes, a sarcastic ghost, and a sassy werewolf?

Reader’s Annotation

Sam’s ordinary life is interrupted when a creepy man reveals that Sam is a necromancer and that he must join him or die. 

About the Author

It is no surprise that Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is set in the Seattle area as author Lish McBride grew up in the Pacific Northwest. When she is not writing she enjoys reading and hanging out with her pet Chihuahua. Her most recent novel is Necromancing the Stone, the sequel to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer.

Learn more about Lish McBride and her books here.

Genre

Adventure, Fantasy, Paranormal fiction, Paranormal romance,

Readalikes

Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride

·         The sequel to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer

Beastly by Alex Flinn

·         A paranormal book with a first person male narrator

Mort by Terry Pratchett

·         Also humorous, a story about the apprentice to Death

Tags

Cats, College dropout, Divorce, Dragons, Fast food restaurants, Friendship, Half sisters, Mystery, Necromancers, Shape shifters, Supernatural fiction, Werewolves, Witches

Awards Won/Lists On

2011—ALA’s Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

2011—Bank Street—Best Children’s Book of the Year

2011—Washington State Book Award

2011—William C. Morris YA Debut Award Nominee

2011—YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults

Professional Reviews

Booklist
 Bookpage

Justine Magazine

Kirkus Reviews

·         It’s interesting to note that Kirkus has this book down as a book for 19-20 year olds.

Los Angeles Times
Publishers' Weekly
School Library Journal

The Oregonian

Booktalk Ideas

Synopsis

·         Picture this: one day you are flipping burgers, the next you find out you are a necromancer and you never found out about that little secret because—surprise!—your mother bound your powers when you were a baby! Now you have a creepy, powerful necromancer after you and you have to figure out a way to defeat him or you, and all your friends and family, are dead meat.

Alternative World

·         Fey --> Pub owner (79)

·         Fury --> Ariana (81)

·         Necromancers --> Sam, Nick (chap. 12)

·         Satyrs --> Pello (83)

·         Vampires --> Kell (82)

·         Werewolves

·         Witches --> Sam’s mom

·         All sit on a council together

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used to discuss identity and how to make a difference in the world.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 4^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder at:

http://www.arbookfind.com/bookdetail.aspx?q=140692&l=EN&slid=356538654

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements

·         Black magic

·         Divorce

·         Forced drawing of blood

·         Graphic murder

·         Human sacrifice

·         Mention of condoms

·         Nakedness

·         Necromancy

·         Reanimated corpses

·         Stealing from work

·         Summoning spirits

·         Swearing

·         Taking the Lord’s name in vain

·         Talking, severed head

·         Vandalism

·         Violence

·         Werewolves

·          

Librarians can point out that while this book may contain many mystical elements they are meant to be something of a joke. They do not represent actual Wiccan practices. Additionally, this book is more of a coming-of-age story than anything else.

Why Was This Included?

I decided to include this book because I was doing a project on ghosts and necromancy. I was specifically recommended this book by my group partner who said it was funny.

#38--Tricks

Bibliographic Information

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins. Margaret K. McElderry Books (2011).

Price: $10.99 for paperback

Pages: 656 for paperback

Note: This book was originally published in 2009.

Plot Summary

Tricks follows the story of five teenagers all of whose lives intertwine once they reach Las Vegas, Nevada. Of course, none of the teens imagine they will end up in Sin City initially. Sixteen-year old Eden Streit lives in Utah with her pastor father and strict mother. She does her best to live by their rules but unfortunately falls in love with Andrew, a boy who does not belong to their church. She knows that she cannot hide their relationship from her parents forever but has no idea how terrible her life will become once they discover her secret.

Seth Parnell lives with his father in Indiana. His mother died from cancer when Seth was younger leaving him and his father to do the best that they can. Seth has always known from a young age that he was different from other boys but it is not until he is a teenager that he realizes that he is gay. This, of course, poses problems for him as he lives in a conservative town. Eventually, he starts living a double life—dutiful son at home, sophisticated boyfriend in another town. Seth does not like living a lie but does not know how to tell his father that he is gay. Seth, of course, cannot imagine that finally revealing this fact to his Dad will cause him to be kicked out of the house with nowhere to go.

Fifteen-year old Whitney Lang lives in Santa Cruz, California with her preoccupied mother and workaholic father. She rarely sees her father, whom she loves, as he lives up in San Francisco during the week so he can avoid commuting home. As for her mother, they have always had an icy relationship as her mother prefers Whitney’s older, college-aged sister. Lonely, Whitney first becomes involved with wild Lucas and later Bryn who treats her like a queen. When Bryn asks her to follow him to Las Vegas she easily agrees to go as he treats her better than her own family does. But when Bryn begins to distance himself from her in Vegas whom will she turn to?

Sixteen-year old Ginger Cordell lives with her caring grandmother, abusive mother, and five siblings. Ginger has a hard life as her mother is constantly bringing home scary men as she makes her living as a prostitute. Her mother even encourages these men to pay her so they can rape Ginger, something that has happened repeatedly over the years. Ginger’s only solace, besides her capable grandmother, is in Alex, her friend at school. When Alex suggests they run away together to avoid being constantly raped by the men in their lives Ginger readily agrees.

Cody Bennett lives in Las Vegas with his brother, mother, and stepfather. He lives on the wild side, abusing drugs, supplying others with weed and sleeping with his girlfriend. His life radically changes when his stepfather is diagnosed with stomach cancer and dies leaving him, his brother, and his mother with a mounting pile of bills and no way to pay them. Cody must suddenly make some difficult decisions on how to best provide for his family.

Critical Evaluation

*Spoilers Ahead*

Tricks is a difficult novel to read as each of the main characters undergoes multiple counts of verbal, physical, and/or sexual abuse. However, it is a valuable novel to read as Hopkins goes beyond simply relating a story to challenging readers about their innermost assumptions and biases. For example, I had been interested in reading Tricks for years because I have always been curious as to how teenagers fall into prostitution. I had assumed that most were drug addicted individuals that needed money for their next fix. Part of the reason this novel is so disturbing is that it upset my assumptions. Hopkins confronts assumptions such as mine by pointing out that any teenager is vulnerable to prostitution. Eden used her body to try to escape the abusive camp her parents sent her to in order to reform her. Seth became a kept man because he had no other place to go while Whitney was fooled by a man whom she thought loved her. Ginger, while never actually sleeping with anyone, strips because she, like Seth, has no other way to make a living while Cody needs a way to pay the bills. It is easy to think that prostitution is something that only happens to a certain type of individual but Hopkins’ Tricks clearly points out that this assumption is erroneous.

Hopkins’ also challenges readers’ definitions of prostitution. It, in fact, takes a number of forms and is more than someone simply paying for sex in a cheap hotel room. For example, Eden agrees to sleep with her jailer to gain her freedom, Seth exchanges sex for security, Whitney becomes a prostitute for drugs, Ginger’s girlfriend and  Cody both do so for money. Hopkins’ also does not give readers a happy ending which is appropriate as happy endings within the world of prostitution are all too few. While Eden finds a safe haven through a church it is unclear how she will return home without being sent back to the despicable Tears of Zion camp. Seth leaves his abusive lover only to fall in with a different lover and remain a kept man. Whitney’s drug overdose saves her from a life of prostitution but it is unclear whether or not she will be able to mend her relationship with her parents. Ginger goes home to her grandmother knowing that she will be safe from her mother as her mother has developed an advanced case of HIV. However, it is unclear how Ginger will heal from her horrific past. Cody’s ending is the most open-ended as he hovers between life and death not sure whether he should return as there is still no clear way to pay the bills he needs to without continuing in prostitution.

Overall, Tricks is an important novel as it educates readers on how and why prostitution occurs and what they can do to help prevent it.

Reader’s Annotation

Five teens learn about how warped “love” can truly be.

About the Author

Author of novels for both adults and young adults, Ellen Hopkins is best known for her tomes of poetry. When she isn’t writing she enjoys gardening and cooking. She spends roughly 100 days on the road visiting schools and libraries.

To learn more about Ellen Hopkins and her books please visit her website here & here.

Genre

Poetry, Realistic fiction, Verse novel

Readalikes

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

·         Also about teenagers who suffer from sexual abuse

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

·         Also about a teenager who has been sexually abused

What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones

·         A novel told in verse, outcast Robin is upset that his once popular girlfriend has chosen him over popularity. 

Tags

15 year old, 16 year old, Boyfriends, Brothers, Countryside, Gay, Homosexuality, Indiana, Innocence, Las Vegas, NV, Pastors, Santa Cruz, Sisters, CA Single father, Utah,

Awards Won/Lists On

2009—#1 on the New York Times Bestseller List

2009—Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fiction

2009—VOYA’s Poetry Picks

2010—ALA Rainbow List for Fiction

Professional Reviews

 Booklist
Kirkus Reviews

·         Interestingly, Kirkus writes that this book is appropriate for 19-20 year olds

 Publishers' Weekly

Booktalk Ideas

What is prostitution?

·         Is it giving away your body in order to gain freedom? (Eden)

·         Is it exchanging sex for a comfortable, luxurious lifestyle? (Seth)

·         Is it having sex in exchange for drugs? (Whitney)

·         Is it stripping for money to get by? (Ginger)

·         Is it giving away your body in order to pay the bills for your family? (Cody)

Circumstances (aka Not All Prostitutes are Addicted to Drugs)

·         Sure, lots of people assume that prostitutes are those who do it to have money for drugs but have you ever considered that they might be…

·         Teens who have escaped from a horribly abuse home life who have nowhere else to go and no other way to survive (Eden & Ginger)

·         Teens who have been kicked out of their homes because of their sexual orientation (Seth)

·         Teens who have been taken advantage of in a vulnerable moment, become convinced that a guy loves them only to have the guy turn on them and start selling them for money (Whitney)

·         Teens who have no other way to make enough money to pay their family’s bills (Cody)

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This is an excellent book to use to help prostitutes recover from the traumas they have suffered. It can also be used to bring awareness to teen prostitution—how it is caused and how to prevent it.

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 4^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

No doubt I have left some things out but this book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Blow jobs

·         Child rape

·         Coercion

·         Crack usage

·         Drug addicted parent

·         Masturbation

·         Parent who sells their child for money

·         Physically abuse parent

·         Premarital sex (consensual)

·         Pot smoking

·         Sex

·         Sexually abusive authority figure

·         Sexually abusive parent

·         Strippers

·         Talk of sexual practices

·         Teen rape

·         Three-somes

·         Underage cigarette smoking

Librarians can point out that while this is certainly a difficult book to read it brings awareness to how and why teenage prostitution occurs. Teens who read this book are better equipped to look for the signs of it in their friends’ lives and help them out of their bad situations.

Why Was This Included?

I included this book for several reasons. Firstly, it was required reading for the course, and secondly, because while I have never wanted to read Hopkins’ books because of their gravity, I have been interested in Tricks for some time. For years now, I’ve wanted to better understand how teenagers end up in prostitution and what the best ways to help them out of it are.

#39--Sabriel

Bibliographic Information

Sabriel by Garth Nix. HarperTeen (1997).

Price: $7.99 for mass market; $9.99 for paperback; $17.45 for hardback

Pages: 496 for mass market; 336 for paperback; 491 for hardback

All page numbers referenced in this review are from the mass market edition.

Note: Sabriel was originally published in 1995. It is the first in a four book series.

Plot Summary

Sabriel suspects that something is terribly wrong when her necromancer father does not visit her in spirit form at her boarding school. Until that day he had never missed a meeting. Her suspicions are confirmed when an undead creature delivers her father’s prized possessions of sword and bells, both tools of the necromancer trade. Determined to rescue her father and bring him back from the land of the dead she decides to forgo college and return to the Old Kingdom where magic is strong and the undead roam the land. The Old Kingdom, Sabriel knows, was not always such. In fact, it used to resemble the prosperous kingdom of Ancelstierre where Sabriel spent her school years. The Old Kingdom, however, fell into ruin when the charter stones began to be broken by a great evil and the bloodlines of the protectors began to dwindle. Now Sabriel must return to the land of her early childhood where nothing is certain and everything is dangerous.

When Sabriel arrives in the Old Kingdom danger quickly follows in the form of a mordicant, one of the powerful servants of either a great necromancer or a greater undead creature. She finds temporary safety in the house of her father where she finds a peculiar ally in Mogget the cat who is clearly something more than just a cat. Together they must evade the mordicant while trying to save her father as he is the only necromancer who lays the undead to rest instead of raising them.

Critical Evaluation

It is easy to see why some consider why some consider the Abhorsen books to be modern classics. Sabriel is a wonderfully written book filled with phrases, characters, and settings that harken back to an older time. For example, while guns are used Sabriel’s weapon of choice is a sword. She also belongs to a long line of necromancers who were all responsible for keeping the Charter (a magical agreement) and protecting the Old Kingdom. Nix’s novel frequently reminds readers of Tolkien’s Middle Earth as both worlds are set in their twilight years. Previous history is hinted at but never fully explained, characters visit sites of once great renown that are now almost nothing more than ruins, and bloodlines are hinted at but rarely elaborated on. Nix’s land of the dead is just as fascinating as the Old Kingdom. Slowly readers learn the geography of the nine realms of the land of the dead, all of which have a great river flowing through them bearing souls past the ninth and final gate and onto the afterlife. Some, however, do not want to die and instead become something not unlike a zombie searching for a way back into life. Nix’s creations of the undead is varied and complex. Some seem to be able to exist as benevolent ghosts within the land of the dead while others become zombie-like, some humanoid, some not. It is certainly enough to give one nightmares!

Nix’s characters are equally fascinating. Sabriel is a refreshing protagonist as she does not deny her feminity nor is her sole driving factor to prove that she is just as capable as a man, a trend that is distressingly familiar within fantasy novels. Touchstone is also intriguing as he is evasive about his past. All the readers know is that a terrible crime was committed partly due to his carelessness. Interestingly, Mogget the cat knows him at once as soon as Touchstone is free from the magic imprisoning him in a ship’s figurehead. Mogget is also something of an enigma as he cannot talk about his past or true nature because of the bindings place on his collar. Sabriel is a truly wonderful start to what is no doubt a terrific series. With a world steeped in history and a cast of complex characters Sabriel is a novel that is sure to please.

Side Notes

If possible, try to listen to the audio version of this novel as it is narrated by Tim Curry who is an excellent actor and narrator. His interpretation of Mogget is pure genius!

Reader’s Annotation

Sabriel must travel to the mysterious and magical Old Kingdom in order to free her necromancer father from the Land of the Dead.

About the Author

There is no doubt that Garth Nix has made a significant contribution to young adult and children’s literature as he is the author of twenty-six wonderful novels with more on the way. Surprisingly, he only became a full-time author in 2001. Before then he worked in the book world as a literary agent, editor, publicist and bookseller. He currently lives in Sydney with his wife and two children where he is working on a fourth Old Kingdom book entitled Clariel: The Lost Abhorsen.

Learn more about the author here.

Genre

Coming of Age, Fantasy, Paranormal fiction

Readalikes

Lirael by Garth Nix

·         The sequel to Sabriel

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley

·         Also about a strong heroine who must discover her true destiny

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

·         Similar scope in world building

Tags

Boarding school; Cats; Death; Epic fantasy; Magic; Necromancy; Paternal relationship; Quest; Single father; Spirits; Undead; Zombies

Awards Won/Lists On

1995—Aurealis Award for Fantasy Novel and Young Adult Novel

1996—Ditmar Award Nominee for Short Fiction

1997—ALA Notable Children’s Book for Older Readers

2005—Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee

Professional Reviews

1997—Horn Book Magazine

1997—Book Report

1997—Publishers' Weekly

2002—Horn Book Magazine (for the audio version)

2002—School Library Journal (for the audio version)

2002—The Guardian

Booktalk Ideas

Introduce the Bells—smallest to largest (80-82)

·         Ranna the Sleeper

o   Causes sleep in living, willingness to return to death for undead

·         Mosrael the Waker

o   Ringer goes toward death, the listener towards life

·         Kibeth the Walker

o   Can causes dead to wake or return to death depending

·         Dyrim

o   Gives the undead a voice

·         Belgaer the Thinker

o   Restores or takes away memory & movement

·         Saraneth the Strong

o   Binds the undead

·         Astarael the Sorrowful

o   Banish all who hear it including the ringer to death

Explanation of Main Characters

·         Begin with the basic premise of the novel

·         To help her with her journey is:

·         Mysterious Mogget

o   Appears as a cat but it something more

o   Imprisoned by Abhorsens for centuries

o   Possibly as old as the wall itself

·         Silent Touchstone

o   Imprisoned in a wooden figurehead

o   His past is somehow intertwined with the old royal family

o   Mogget knows his story but won’t tell Sabriel

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness

This book could be used as a launching off point to discuss the afterlife. It also may be beneficial for those who are struggling to find their place and purpose in the world.  

Reading Level/Interest Level

Reading Level: 7^th grade

Interest Level: 9^th-12^th grade

These levels are according to AR Bookfinder

Challenge Issues

This book includes the following potentially controversial elements:

·         Child slavery

·         Corrupt government

·         Graphic violence

·         Grotesque undead

·         Human sacrifice

·         Magic

·         Necromancy

·         Reference to penis

·         References to sex

·         Undead possession

Librarians can point out that while the novel possesses some graphic elements it accurately portrays the horrors of war. Soldiers are not the only ones to die but innocent civilians as well. It’s an excellent novel to use in discussions of justice and personal responsibility.

Why Was This Included?

I’ve owned Sabriel for years but felt conflicted reading a book about necromancers so it has remained on the shelf. I really enjoyed Nix’s Keys to the Kingdom series so I’m excited to finally read Sabriel!