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blue_ant124. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
A lot of people have compared The Adoration of Jenna Fox to Skinned by Robin Wasserman because the books have similar themes. Reviewers who read Jenna Fox first, basically said it was a better book and ... They're wrong. Not because it's not better, but because it's completely different -- save the idea that the main character has something horrible happen to her and wakes up in a body that's not quite her own. In Skinned, the main idea is detachment -- Lia remembers, she functions, but she's different in ways she doesn't understand finds she cannot belong. Jenna doesn't remember, she can't function -- but she finds a way to belong.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, like Skinned, is an exceptional novel. It's not as emotionally gripping and desolate as Skinned, but it doesn't need to be. The people in Jenna's life love her, they firmly believe what they've done is right (unlike in Lia's life, where her family secretly resents her). And the ending of The Adoration of Jenna Fox reflects that love and a hopeful future in a way that Skinned doesn't.
125. Hero by Perry Moore
I first added this to my TBR list a few months ago after reading a review (in PW or maybe Booklist), but I didn't remember what it was about when I picked it up. I just remembered that the premise sounded interesting. Hero turned out to be so much more that interesting. It's a fantasy tale (superheroes existing in our world kind of thing) that is really more than that. It's the story of Thom, a boy trying to find himself in a world where he doesn't fit in.
I've read a lot of criticism of the book, and I can see where people are coming from, but I don't agree. Hero is, first and foremost, a YA book. It's written clearly for a YA audience, but not in such a way that you feel (as an adult) like the story is being dumbed down for you. It's clear that Moore respects his YA readers, though if you start reading the expected it to be a thesis on gay young adults, you're reading the wrong book. Instead, it's the story of Thom, as I've said, trying to find himself. Of course, unlike most gay teens, Thom has an extra set of worries -- his father is a washed up superhero. Of course, like so many teens, Thom has a secret -- only in his case it's two. He thinks he might be a superhero, but even more importantly, he knows he's gay.
Perry Moore does covers a lot of topics in this book -- dealing with bigots (against both homosexuals and superheroes), with being a child in a single parent household (Thom's mother left Thom and his father), and with being seen as an outsider. Though the sometimes the plot was a bit too predictable (especially at the very end) I thought this did not take away from the storyline. It ended exactly the way I wanted, and that was more than good enough for me. There's something to be said for finding oneself, and Moore certainly has a way with words.
125 / 150 words. 83% done!
A lot of people have compared The Adoration of Jenna Fox to Skinned by Robin Wasserman because the books have similar themes. Reviewers who read Jenna Fox first, basically said it was a better book and ... They're wrong. Not because it's not better, but because it's completely different -- save the idea that the main character has something horrible happen to her and wakes up in a body that's not quite her own. In Skinned, the main idea is detachment -- Lia remembers, she functions, but she's different in ways she doesn't understand finds she cannot belong. Jenna doesn't remember, she can't function -- but she finds a way to belong.
The Adoration of Jenna Fox, like Skinned, is an exceptional novel. It's not as emotionally gripping and desolate as Skinned, but it doesn't need to be. The people in Jenna's life love her, they firmly believe what they've done is right (unlike in Lia's life, where her family secretly resents her). And the ending of The Adoration of Jenna Fox reflects that love and a hopeful future in a way that Skinned doesn't.
125. Hero by Perry Moore
I first added this to my TBR list a few months ago after reading a review (in PW or maybe Booklist), but I didn't remember what it was about when I picked it up. I just remembered that the premise sounded interesting. Hero turned out to be so much more that interesting. It's a fantasy tale (superheroes existing in our world kind of thing) that is really more than that. It's the story of Thom, a boy trying to find himself in a world where he doesn't fit in.
I've read a lot of criticism of the book, and I can see where people are coming from, but I don't agree. Hero is, first and foremost, a YA book. It's written clearly for a YA audience, but not in such a way that you feel (as an adult) like the story is being dumbed down for you. It's clear that Moore respects his YA readers, though if you start reading the expected it to be a thesis on gay young adults, you're reading the wrong book. Instead, it's the story of Thom, as I've said, trying to find himself. Of course, unlike most gay teens, Thom has an extra set of worries -- his father is a washed up superhero. Of course, like so many teens, Thom has a secret -- only in his case it's two. He thinks he might be a superhero, but even more importantly, he knows he's gay.
Perry Moore does covers a lot of topics in this book -- dealing with bigots (against both homosexuals and superheroes), with being a child in a single parent household (Thom's mother left Thom and his father), and with being seen as an outsider. Though the sometimes the plot was a bit too predictable (especially at the very end) I thought this did not take away from the storyline. It ended exactly the way I wanted, and that was more than good enough for me. There's something to be said for finding oneself, and Moore certainly has a way with words.
