Summerlost

Summerlost
Ally Condie

My rating: ★★★★½

ISBN: 978-0399187193
Publisher: Dutton Books
Date of publication: March 29, 2016
Age: Grades 5 - 8
Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: grieving, death, lost, Shakespeare, theater, friendship, love

It's the first real summer since the accident that killed Cedar's father and younger brother, Ben. Cedar and what’s left of her family are returning to the town of Iron Creek for the summer. They’re just settling into their new house when a boy named Leo, dressed in costume, rides by on his bike. Intrigued, Cedar follows him to the renowned Summerlost theatre festival. Soon, she not only has a new friend in Leo and a job working concessions at the festival, she finds herself surrounded by mystery. The mystery of the tragic, too-short life of the Hollywood actress who haunts the halls of Summerlost. And the mystery of the strange gifts that keep appearing for Cedar.

You may be surprised at my rating given my usual response to tragic MG fiction. But you know when a book just gets you right in the feels? Heartfelt, emotional, real...gahhhh, this was a good one. A good sad. I will say first, however, a lot of my emotional attachment is due to my personal attachment. Having grown up in Salt Lake City and traveled down to Cedar City many a summer to attend the Utah Shakespeare Festival (which is, in large part, what the book is based on) made this whole book sentimental for me. So I had to like it, at least initially.

It was Condie's fantastic writing and an amazing story that took my love even further. The prose is simple, chapters are short, the text is almost poetic—big contributors to the emotions behind the story (maybe too lyrical in places, for the target audience anyway). The characters themselves were realistic, each having a particular scene or statement that just felt like truth (e.g. Cedar's mom in Act II, Chapter 33—the feels!). The little subplots that contribute to the greater story in subtle, appreciative ways—just added a nice touch. All of it. So wonderful.

So now this brings me to the recommendation. Not every middle-grader is going to like this. No. But the tender-hearted ones, perhaps. Maybe. And I still want people to read it. It just takes the right person, the right mood, Just be prepared for sad. Such good sad. Sigh...I'm still bummed it's over.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

Atlantia

I interrupt regularly scheduled programming for this: Happy Book Birthday! A special review for a recent release. (This post was meant to be published yesterday, but you get the point...)

Atlantia
Ally Condie

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 978-0525426448
Publisher:
Date of publication: October 28, 2014
Age: Grades 7 and up
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction

Themes: Dystopic society, corrupted government, underwater, family, relationships

Rio has dreamed of real air, real dirt, and sky. Instead, with the unexpected desertion of her twin sister, Bay, and the death of her parents, she is stuck. She is trapped in the underwater city of Atlantia, originally built to save humanity from the pollution and dangers Above. All alone, she hides the secret of her siren voice, and searches for a way to escape to the sunshine. In the process, she uncovers other secrets about her mother's death, her sister's decision, and the corrupted system of the Divide.

The story is captivating, albeit not completely unique (it vaguely reminded me of City of Ember). How it's written... Well, Condie's writing style can be very methodical. So, on the one hand, you get a good picture of the setting and characters. But on the other, it can be slow and redundant. It took some time to really get going. As for the characters? I especially admired True, the romantic interest in the story. He was selfless and hiding some fascinating secrets. Rio, as a character, was rather depressing and did not seem to evolve enough. She comes off selfish and woe-is-me. Overall, I do like it. It's up to you if you want to read it.

Find it at your library or on Atlantia