I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Title: I'll Give You The Sun

Author: Jandy Nelson

Release Date: 2nd April 2015

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Jude and her twin Noah were incredibly close - until a tragedy drove them apart, and now they are barely speaking. Then Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy as well as a captivating new mentor, both of whom may just need her as much as she needs them. What the twins don't realize is that each of them has only half the story and if they can just find their way back to one another, they have a chance to remake their world. 

In A Nutshell:

I absolutely adored I'll Give You The Sun! I just want to wrap my arms around it and curl up in a hammock by the beach and let Jude and Noah’s story swirl around my head while waves crash around me.

My Review:

Oh my gosh, this book! I just want to wrap my arms around it and curl up in a hammock by the beach and let Jude and Noah’s story swirl around my head while waves crash around me.

I’ll Give You The Sun is told from alternating perspectives – Noah, aged thirteen, and Jude, his twin sister, when they are sixteen. Thirteen-year-old Noah is quirky and artistic and lives in a world of his own. He doesn’t fit in with the kids at school who are interested in surfing and girls and he is constantly bullied. There is a ray of hope when Noah has the possibility of joining a prestigious art school and a potential new friend arrives in town for the summer who is just as ‘odd’ as Noah. At thirteen, Jude loves to surf and take risks and has plenty of friends. She’s more interested in clothes and makeup than trying out for the art school that she also has potential for and is always arguing with their mother. Jude wonders why her twin can’t just be ‘normal’ yet they still share a special connection and are there for each other.

Fast forward three years and the twins have essentially swapped personalities. Noah has friends and likes to party and take risks. Jude is withdrawn, shuts everyone out and spends most of her time speaking to the spirit of their dead grandmother. The once unbreakable bond between the twins has fizzled and they rarely say more than two words to each other. It is fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time, to see how three years can change a person.

I often find novels that swap between different times to be a bit confusing but I didn’t have that problem with I’ll Give You The Sun. As the year and the perspective alternatives, Jude and Noah’s stories are revealed. We see Noah’s side of the story from three years ago, and Jude’s in present day. There are breadcrumbs throughout and vital information is shared which correlates with what is revealed in the following chapter. This is done skilfully so that by the end of the novel, we have a complete picture of what has happened over the course of three years and why Jude and Noah have ended up as virtual strangers.

At thirteen, Noah begins to spread his wings only to be squashed. At sixteen, Jude starts to come out of her self-imposed shell. What happened in between?  Over the three years, both deal with multiple things that are hard enough to deal with one at a time, let alone all at once. As a reader you just want them to get through their pain and come out the other end, happy and reinvigorated with a passion for the things they love. I’ll Give You The Sun can be funny and uplifting, heartbreaking and hopeful as Noah and Jude battle the pain, guilt and secrets that have plagued them over the years and extinguished what once made them magical and unique in their own ways. As you uncover their story, you will fall in love with them.

I loved Nelson’s debut, The Sky is Everywhere. But I absolutely adored I’ll Give You The Sun. Jandy Nelson is an auto-buy author for me and I can’t wait to see what she gives us next.

Conspiracy Girl by Sarah Alderson

Title: Conspiracy Girl

Author: Sarah Alderson

Release Date: 12th February 2015

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Everybody knows about the Cooper Killings.

There was only one survivor – sixteen year-old Nic Preston.

Now eighteen, Nic is trying hard to rebuild her life. But then one night her high-security apartment is broken into. It seems the killers are back to finish the job.

Finn Carter – hacker, rule breaker, player – is the last person Nic ever wants to see again. He’s the reason her mother’s murderers walked free. But as the people hunting her close in, Nic has to accept that her best chance of staying alive is by staying close to Finn.

And the closer they get to the truth, and to each other, the greater the danger becomes.

In a Nutshell:

Conspiracy Girl is a thrilling mystery full of suspense that had me speed-reading from the first page.

My Review:

Conspiracy Girl is a thrilling mystery full of suspense that had me speed-reading from the first page. Once again, I made the mistake of starting chapter one just before I went to bed and wasn’t able to put it down until I finished the whole book in the early hours of the following day. 

Nic Preston is paranoid, but with good reason. After her mother and stepsister were murdered in a home invasion, the killers were never brought to justice. Nic has spent the last two years constantly looking over her shoulder, never feeling safe, even with the top security systems utilized and taking every precaution. She is strong and resilient but has built up a fortress around herself, not just literally but emotionally, to make sure she never feels powerless and vulnerable again. But when her security system is compromised and the FBI’s ability to protect her is questioned, it looks like the worst moment of Nic’s life is set to repeat itself. 

Enter Finn, gorgeous computer hacker and seeker of justice who is asked to ‘babysit’ Nic while the FBI look for the mole in their organisation. Finn has an interesting catalogue of skills and also a tragic past of his own, one, much to Nic’s annoyance, which has also crossed paths with her own. Battling her constant fear and survivors guilt, Nic has to learn to trust again if she and Finn have any chance of escaping the people on their tail, who somehow keep managing to find them as they go on the run, dodging bullets across country while searching for answers. 

I can tell you now, if I had assassins after me, I’d want Finn by my side! Don’t get me wrong, Nic isn’t useless at protecting herself, she’s just in way over her head! Finn is super protective of Nic and willing to do anything to keep her safe, and the more that’s revealed about him, the more you fall in love with him. There’s also some killer sexual tension thrown in to heat things up and complicate the situation! 

Conspiracy Girl was a total page-turner and I can’t wait to get my hands on another Sarah Alderson book! 

Talk Under Water by Kathryn Lomer

Title: Talk Under Water

Author: Kathryn Lomer

Release Date: 29th July 2015

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Will and Summer meet online and strike up a friendship based on coincidence. Summer lives in Will's old hometown, Kettering, a small Tasmanian coastal community. Summer isn't telling the whole truth about herself, but figures it doesn't matter if they never see each other in person, right? 

When Will returns to Kettering, the two finally meet and Summer can no longer hide her secret – she is deaf. Can Summer and Will find a way to be friends in person even though they speak a completely different language?

In a Nutshell:

Talk Under Water has lovely, refreshing characters was an absolute joy to read, putting a smile on my face and leaving me feeling content and hopeful for the future.

My Review:

After striking up a conversation via the Facebook fan page of teenage sailor Jessica Watson, Aussie teenagers Will and Summer begin emailing back and forth. It so happens that Summer lives in the small, coastal town of Kettering on the south-east of Tasmania (yep, it’s real), the place Will used to live before his dad decided they would sail up the Australian east-coast after his mum left them.

With a mutual love of sailing, fishing, animals and the outdoors, Will and Summer hit it off, exchanging photos and writing about their lives. At the same time, sick of moving around and missing his old life back in Kettering, Will sets about convincing his depressed dad that it’s time to go home. And then much to Summer’s surprise, Will turns up on her doorstep, but it doesn’t quite go as Will had envisioned.

Having omitted the fact she is Deaf, and also sending a picture of her older sister, Summer is mortified at actually meeting the boy she never expected to chat with beyond email. As she tries to explain, sometimes it's just easier to be someone else. However, Will is hurt by the deception and doesn’t understand how someone he thought was his friend could lie about such a significant fact.

The story is told from alternating perspectives and is also littered with the emails through which Summer and Will often communicate. Every now and then there is a mistake in Summer’s writing, serving as a good reminder that English is actually a second language for her, something I am embarrassed to say I never actually considered before reading Talk Under Water.

I adore the characters of Will and Summer. Summer is this awesome girl who is always up for giving something a go. Her dad died 8 years ago but she always holds on to the valuable life lessons he taught her in the short time they had together. She doesn't see her profound hearing loss as a disability, so why should anyone else? I love Summer’s excitement each time she accomplishes something new and things she thought she might never have the opportunity to try. She doesn’t have any resentment at not being able to hear and doesn’t see herself as disabled, yet she still sometimes battles will how society perceives her as different to the hearing public. I particularly love a scene when Summer is at a music concert and she’s enjoying herself just as much, if not more, than every one else. Will’s description as he watches her move and experience the musical vibrations is perfect.

“Mum says it’s ok to have butterflies anyway, but the trick is to get them flying in formation”

Will isn’t your typical swoony YA boy, but at the same time, he totally is. He’s the nice guy who’s thoughtful and open to new experiences. His upbringing means he’s down to earth and mature from the independence and responsibility he has gained from sailing with his father. His initial reaction to Summer’s hearing loss is to question how on earth they’ll communicate, but he soon realises that there is no reason for it to be a barrier to their friendship. When many people, especially teenage boys, would probably give up on a friendship because it’s ‘too hard’, Will takes it in his stride and secretly starts going to AUSLAN (Australian Sign Language) classes.

“Summer laughs. I haven’t heard her laugh before. It’s an interesting laugh, somewhere between a gurgle and a chortle. A churgle? A gortle?”

I also really enjoyed the underlying dynamic between Summer and her mum, and Will and his dad. All four characters are working through different forms of heartache and I think they all help each other to heal as they realise different things about themselves, and become more open to what new things life throws their way.

It is so wonderful to have a teenage girl with a hearing loss as the main character. One of my best friends grew up with a moderate hearing loss and when I told her about this book, she said she wished there had been a book like it when she was in her early teens. As someone who was always immersed in books, she remembers her surprise and delight when she discovered Gavin, a Deaf character in John Marsden’s Tomorrow Series. She had never found a hearing impaired character, let alone a teenager, in any of her books, despite being widely read. Now an audiologist, she’d appreciate any recommendations of other children’s and YA books featuring a character with a hearing impairment that she can pass on to her young clients. Leave a comment below if any come to mind (we’re already aware of Wonder and Five Flavours of Dumb).

To see a part of your life reflected in popular culture is one of the most precious gifts we can give young people. Many people immerse themselves in books when they feel alone and as a way of coping with the trials of adolescents. We read so we are not alone and for a young adult to be constantly reading stories where there is no hint of a reflection of themselves, it can make growing up that much harder. This is why the We Need Diverse Books campaign is so incredible important, so that the many diverse lives that exist are reflected in young adult literature.

I really, really enjoyed Talk Under Water and highly recommend it. I definitely think it should be available in all schools and libraries as it is such an important story and point of view to share considering 20 000 Aussie children and young adults are estimated to have some form of a hearing impairment (Source). I love that Will helps Summer realise what she is capable of and that she can grab the opportunities in the world with both hands. It has lovely, refreshing characters and was an absolute joy to read, putting a smile on my face and leaving me feeling content and hopeful for the future.

Thank you to the University of Queensland Press for this review copy.

Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Title: Simon Vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Author: Becky Albertalli

Release Date: 7th April 2015

My Rating: 5/5

Blurb:

Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

In a Nutshell:

The Tales Compendium wishes to apologise for the excessive use of the words ‘awesome’ ‘adorable’ and ‘loved’ in this review.

My Review:

Over the past few months I have seen countless people rave about how awesome Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is. I’m so pleased to now be able to join in on the love fest because Simon lived up to my highly set expectations and left me in desperate need of more.

My first thought upon finishing was, “Well that was freakin’ adorable!”. I pretty much had a smile on my face the entire length of the novel. I love Simon’s quirky but cool music taste, his absolute love of Harry Potter, and his devotion to Oreos (they really should be in a food group all of their own!).

“As a side note, don’t you think everyone should have to come out? Why is straight the default? Everyone should have to declare one way or another, and it should be this big awkward thing whether you’re straight, gay, bi, or whatever. I’m just saying.”

There is such a wonderful cast of characters throughout the novel: Nick, Leah and Abby, Simon’s family, the Theatre Club kids and Nick’s soccer mates. Each character has something that draws you to them and I think there is someone for everyone to identify with. Each character could potentially fit into a high school cliché group/label yet they are all friends and I love that each person is recognised for who they are rather than their perceived differences. Or perhaps I’m reading too much into it. Either way, they are all awesome :D Yay for supporting characters!

“It’s Saturday, we’re in an empty, dark school, and we’re a bunch of theatre kids wearing pyjamas and jacked up on donuts. We end up singing Disney songs in the stairwell. Abby weirdly knows every word to every song in Pocahontas, and everyone knows The Lion King and Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. Taylor can improvise harmonies, and I guess we’re all warmed up from singing the Oliver! songs, because it just sounds really amazing. And the acoustics in the stairwell are freaking awesome.”

And then of course there’s Blue, who I was so smitten with when his identity was finally revealed. And I love that I didn’t pick who it was beforehand but when we learn who he is, he’s just perfect.

“He talked about the ocean between people. And how the whole point of everything is to find a shore worth swimming to. I mean, I just had to know him.” 

While reading, two-thirds of which was on a flight to Melbourne, I had to stop myself from laughing out loud and I was constantly putting the book down to take note of quotes and scenes I loved.

Speaking of scenes, I loved when Simon’s family were all together, doing their random family traditions like watching and commentating on The Bachelorette each week, or playing Facebook Scavenger Hunt over Christmas break. It sounded pretty fun actually, where someone picks a category, like a breakup, and then each person logs onto their account and the first person to find someone on their feed who has broken up, then gets to pick the next category.

The long running family joke that the three siblings are the chipmunks since their parents named them Alice, Simon and Eleanor (for those of you too young to know them, the cartoon chipmunks are Alvin, Simon and Theodore) was pretty adorable too.

“It’s actually warm enough for hoodies and pyjama pants and leftover ice cream cake and Scattergories.” 

An evening in the Spier’s household sounds like a pretty perfect evening I think!

As I said before, I didn’t want Simon to end, I was just so happy being in Simon’s world. What would make me really happy though is a companion novel featuring either Alice or Nora, Simon’s sisters. They both appear to have interesting stories to tell and I really wanted to spend more time with them.

Anyway, go read this book if you haven’t already because if you haven’t figured it out yet, here’s a hint: It’s awesome. Becky Albertalli, I’ll read anything you write.

The Tales Compendium wishes to apologise for the excessive use of the words ‘awesome’ ‘adorable’ and ‘loved’ in this review.