YA Historical Fiction Challenge Recap

Challenge:  YA Historical Fiction Challenge
Host:  YA Bliss
2012 Level:  Level I (5 books) - COMPLETED!
Thoughts:  I love YA Historical Fiction so 5 books was pretty easy.  Definitely going up a level next year.Books:1. The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson
2. Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl
3. Until Next Time by Amy Lignor
4. Back to Bataan by Jerome Charyn
5. Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

Back to Bataan

Back to Bataan
by Jerome Charyn
published by Tribute
2012
ISBN978-0-9857299-0-6
Why Read?: Review
Challenges: YA Historical Fiction, Standalone

Jerome Charyn is better known as an adult author, but his foray into the world of younger readers, Back to Bataan, is not to be missed.  Back to Bataan has all of the literary merits of Charyn's works for adults but is at a level that even middle graders can enjoy.

Eleven-year-old Jack Dalton has had a hard time dealing with his father's death while fighting in Bataan.  He dreams of going with General McArthur to claim not only his father's bodies but those of the other soldiers who died in that battle.  Luckily, he has his dear friend, Mauricette, to talk to and plenty of school compositions to write on the subject.  But when he loses Mauricette's attention, he does something unspeakable.  The only recourse he can think of is to run away and join the hobos in the park.  There, he learns some lessons just as important as those he learns at school.

Back to Bataan is simply told, but the story contains layers upon layers of depth.  Jack is an instantly sympathetic character, and despite some poor choices, Charyn makes it easy for the reader to keep empathizing with him.  Jack's intensity and strong beliefs make him more well-developed than many a middle grade character, and it is wonderful that Charyn does not shy away from this full characterization despite writing for younger readers than normal.

It is amazing how well Jerome Charyn is able to instantly transport readers to Jack's time.  Back to Bataan is a wonderful example of MG/YA historical fiction, giving a vivid glimse of what life was like in America during World War II.

Rating: 4/5

Until Next Time

Until Next Time

by Amy Lignor

published by Tribute

2012

ISBN 978-0-09837418-5-5

Why Read?: Review

Challenges:  YA Historical Fiction, Horror & Urban Fantasy, YA/MG Fantasy, Immortal, A to Z, Once Upon a Time, 100 Books in a Year

Amy Lignor puts an interesting spin on angels in The Angel Chronicles.  Part fantasy, part historical, the first volume of the series, Until Next Time tells the tale of two partnered heavenly beings and their first foray into the lives of humans.

Emily and Matt have spent their whole lives training with the Saints in Heaven to learn how to help souls on Earth.  Now it is time for their first mission, which will also be the first time these two soulmates have been separated as they will bear no memories of their lives in Heaven.  Emily, an Angel, is sent down into the body of Liz, an orphaned barkeep in early 19^th century Ireland.  Liz and her best friend Faith run the bar that used to be Liz’s parent’s house on their own, but have the full support of the town.  One of their great protectors is Daniel, a young man with some troubles of his own, which is why Matt, the Warrior, has been sent to his body.  Liz and Daniel have a close relationship, but when a tragedy occurs, Liz is forced to leave Daniel and travel with Jason and Charles, two mysterious travelers who capture the girls’ hearts.  But Liz cannot forget about Daniel, especially as her strange nightmares continue, always leaving her battered and bruised in the morning.

Until Next Time starts strong and fast but soon moves to a slower pace which fits fine with the historical fiction part but not so much with the urban fantasy.  The middle tends to drag with not enough action or revelations to keep the reader truly engaged.  The main problem is the precedent the prologue sets for the rest of the story.  From it, one gets the idea that Until Next Time is a first-person dark fantasy rather than a third-person historical with just a hint of fantasy. Plus, it seems like it would fit better with the next book in the series as it takes place after the events in Until Next Time —the reason is explained as Emily is reading about her mission—and gives just a tad too much away.

That said, Lignor creates realistic characters and really transports the reader back to Ireland in the early 1800s.  The trips home (aka Heaven), though, can throw the reader out of the story as they disrupt the flow.  However, without these, we would not get to know the Saints with their pithy quips that they hope catch on, which really add some humor to the narrative.

With some tightening up of the genre, Until Next Time could be a great religious historical fantasy.  Obviously, Lignor has more planned for Emily and Matt, and I look forward to seeing what that may be.

Rating: 2/5

Promise the Night

Title: Promise the Night

Author: Michaela MacColl
Publisher: Chronicle
ISBN: 
Why Read?: First Reads
Challenges:  YA Historical Fiction, Middle Grade March Madness, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: Beryl Markham was a famous aviator (actually, I never heard of her until I read this book) who flew across the Atlantic east to west. However, before she was Beryl Markham, she was Beryl Clutterbuck, the daughter of a racehorse breeder in Nairobi. MacColl chose this part of her life to fictionalized, and it did prove exciting as Beryl was not one to conform to the conventions of how a young lady should act. There were some sad moments, but overall, an uplifting story. 

Rating: 3 stars

The Priest and the Peaches

Title: The Priest and the Peaches

Author: Larry Peterson

Publisher: Tribute

ISBN: 978-0-9837418-4-8

Why Read?:  Review

Challenges:  E-Book, Debut Author, YA Historical, Standalone, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year

One thing you do not see much of nowadays is books written for young adults that can be described as “heart-warming”.  Right now, dark and intense are in style.  So it is refreshing to see an ultimately uplifting book such as Larry Peterson’s The Priest and the Peaches.

The five Peach children – Teddy, Joanie, Dancer, Beeker, and Joey – have been surviving for years without their mother.  Their father may not be the greatest, spending more time at the bar than at home, but his love is apparent.  However, those nights are the bars end up tearing the family apart in a way no one expect as alcohol consumption finally takes its toll on Yimey Peach.  At the innocent age of 18, Teddy now finds himself the guardian of his younger siblings and dealing with the adult responsibilities of taking care of his father’s funeral and paying the long-overdue bills.  Things look bleak, but with the help of their parish priest and Yimey’s philosophy of “love your neighbor”, the Peach kids just might make it through.

The Priest and the Peaches is the type of story that really touches the heart of whomever reads it, no matter their age.  While Peterson was trying to present a YA novel, this comes across a little more ageless.  It is written simple enough that middle schoolers could understand, yet some of the issues are more sophisticated.  The switching of point of views from the kids to the adults in their lives also makes it seem geared towards an older audience.  But the message is a good one for readers of any age.  While the Peaches are Catholic, the thought of loving your neighbor will resonate with those from all walks of life.  Catholic means “universal”, and Peterson’s moral in The Priest and the Peaches is truly that.

Anyone looking for a tender story with Catholic undertones will enjoy The Priest and the Peaches.  The more he writes, the more Larry Peterson could really make a name for himself in this niche genre.

Rating:  3/5

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

Challenge:  YA Historical Fiction Challenge
Host:  YA Bliss
2011 Level: Inquisitive (3 books) - COMPLETED!
2012 Level:  Level I (5 books) 

1. The Priest and the Peaches by Larry Peterson
2. Promise the Night by Michaela MacColl
3. Until Next Time by Amy Lignor
4. Back to Bataan by Jerome Charyn
5. Kissing Shakespeare by Pamela Mingle

YA Historical Fiction Challenge Recap

Another challenge that I really loved was the YA Historical Fiction Challenge. I love historical fiction and I love YA, so next year I am definitely going to go higher. This year I did the Inquisitive level (3 books):

1. Montooth and the Canfield Witch by Robert Jay

2. The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

3. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Prince of Mist

Title: The Prince of Mist
Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Publisher: Little, Brown
ISBN: 978-0-316-04480-6
Why Read?: For Fun
Challenges: YA Series, Gothic, YA Historical Fiction, Horror & Urban FantasyInternational, 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: This haunting tale starts as a eerie gothic, but by midway morphs into a terrifying horror. Warning: if you are scared of clowns, DO NOT READ! Zafon sure knows how to reel the reader in slowly and then sink the books teeth into them in some scenes of pure horror.
Rating: 4 stars

YA Historical Fiction Challenge

Too bad I read Vixen last month, because it would have fit in perfectly with the YA Historical Fiction Challenge from Books Are a Girl's Best Friend. I'm still sure I can make the lowest level of the challenge: Inquisitive (1-3 books).

1. Montooth and the Canfield Witch by Robert Jay

2. The Time-Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky

3. The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon