If I Was Your Girl, by Meredith Russo

With school starting up next week (already? I know! I can't believe it either), I thought I'd post some reviews of books about people going back to school.

Meredith Russo's amazing book If I Was Your Girl casts the spotlight on a very real issue facing, not just teens, but people of all ages: Identity. 

After some trouble that left her physically and emotionally scarred, Amanda is getting ready to begin a new school in a new town. No one knows her here. No one knows what happened before. No one knows who Amanda used to be. And although Amanda is still apprehensive about trusting people, she sees this move as the perfect opportunity to leave her past behind and make a fresh start.

She didn't foresee Grant or that she would fall for him...or he her. For most other girls, the possibility of a new romance with a handsome jock wouldn't be an issue, but for Amanda it comes with a whole lot of potential problems. Because Amanda has a secret that would change everything:

Amanda used to be Andrew.

This is a secret Amanda would do anything to protect, because the bullying backlash of her coming out was so severe she was forced to leave not only her old school, but her old town. For the first time, she's happy in her new life, and she doesn't want history to repeat itself. But the closer she gets to Grant, the harder it is for her to keep her identity (and her past) a secret.

If I Was Your Girl was astonishingly good! It perfectly (I imagine) paints a stark and real portrait of what it's like to be a Transgender teen in a world that can still be pretty harsh and unaccepting of such a status (although, fortunately, things are much better today than they were when I was a teen in the 90s). Amanda is a character readers will want to root for and see her finally get her Happily Ever After...or at least find a happy place where she can 100% be herself. 

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for the courage to be themselves, whatever that might mean to you. --AJB 

Throwback Thursday: Legend (dvd)

When it comes to Old School Fantasy Movies, two films from my childhood stand out as no-fail go-to's. The first is The Princess Bride (I mean, obviously). The second is Legend. And while the former is awesome for more reasons than I can explain (or sum up), the later has its own unique charms. It is also quite a but darker. Darker, even, than The Machine and Pit of Despair combined.

Legend begins with a budding romance between a Princess Lily and Jack, a forest boy. In their naivety, they cause a gaggle of goblins to capture a unicorn, which, in turn, unleashes an eternal winter upon the world. Now Jack must team up with a rag-tag band of faeries and pixies to defeat the Lord of Darkness, free the unicorn, and rescue Princess Lily...who, in typical fairytale fashion, got herself kidnapped in the process. Naturally, our hero saves the day, wins the heart of the damsel, and vanquishes the bad guy (or does he?).

This movie is the perfect blend of fantasy with just a touch of creepiness. The costumes are gorgeous and the special effects are pretty fab for a time long before the introduction of CGI. Definitely worth watching! And you're in luck, because OPL just happens to own a copy of Legend!

Trivia: Did you know the director hated the theatrical version of the movie so much he eventually recut it for the DVD release...along with a whole new soundtrack? (BIG mistake here! The original was, and IS, infinitely better!). My advice: Track down the original cut.

Trivia 2: Did you know that this movie is rumored to have inspired the plot of The Legend of Zelda videogame?

Leonard (My Life as a Cat), by Carlie Sorosiak

Know this: Animal-narrated books are a weakness of mine. Especially when about cats. And while the star of Carlie Sorosiak's adorable new middle-grade novel, Leonard (My Life as a Cat), isn't really of the feline persuasion, the book was still exceptional!

When we first meet Leonard, he isn't really Leonard at all, but a member of an extremely advanced and immortal alien race sent to Planet Earth to study life...all in the name of science. But Leonard, it seems, is already kind of unique to his species' hive mind. He has been looking forward to this visit for 300 years and hopes to take on the guise of a Yellowstone Park Ranger. A human park ranger. Preferably one with an impressive moustache. But at the last minute Leonard gets distracted and miscalculates his trajectory. So not only does he wind up 2,000 miles from his intended destination, but he isn't even human. He's a cat! But the catch is this: Leonard has exactly one month to study Earth life before he is picked up. But the rendezvous point is in Yellowstone! And if Leonard isn't there when his hive arrives, he will be trapped on Earth forever. Or at least as long as his mortal cat body lives.  

But not all is lost. Shortly after his landing (up a tree during a hurricane), he is rescued and then adopted by Olive, a quirky and lonely tween, and her grandmother. Olive discovers Leonard's secret and agrees to help him get home. But first there is an aquarium to explore, poetry to write, cheese sandwiches to make... and, surprisingly, a family to find. And as Leonard learns more about life on Earth, he learns more about humanity than he ever expected.

Leonard (My Life as a Cat) was adorable! I read the whole thing in an afternoon. The story was fun, full of heart and humor and feels, but it was the characters that really made it stand out. It was exactly the right book I wanted right then, and I'm glad I discovered it. 

Definitely recommended!!

--AJB

The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Nguyen

Confession Time: I've been in somewhat of a reading rut since before the pandemic began. Sure, I'll find a book here and a book there I enjoy, but I don't read like I did before. Not even close. So when I discover a book that holds my interest cover to cover... well, that's worth noting! Even better, sometimes you stumble across the perfect book at the perfect time and reading it is exactly what you needed right then and there. This is what happened with Trung Le Nguyen's amazing graphic novel, The Magic Fish. 

The story centers on Tien, the first in his Vietnamese family to be born in America and grow up speaking mostly English. Tien and his mother read fairy tales each evening so she can practice her English and also so the two can have some parent-child bonding time. But as much as Mom's language skills improve, Tien still doesn't know how to tell his her his big secret. He's not sure there's even a translatable word for it.  But then Tien's greatest fear comes true: His secret is discovered by his strict teacher, who threatens to out him to his parents before he's ready. But maybe fairy tales can help bridge the gap when language cannot.

I loved pretty much everything about The Magic Fish! Nguyen did a fantastic job blending in the fairy tales and making them somewhat mirror what was happening in the main storyline (for example, the twist on the last story's ending). Tien's friends and family were awesome and I loved how accepting they were of him. Overall, a happily ever after (or at least happily) story I enjoyed reading. This book put me in a good mood and I would like to check out more by this author.

--AJB

Throwback Thursday: The Karate Kid

For today's Throwback Thursday, we're firing up the Flux Capacitor and revisiting the mid-80s, when you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing Madonna or Michael Jackson, when neon and BIG hair were the height of fashion, and when you could not go a day without hearing the phrase, "Wax-On/Wax-Off".

And speaking of Wax-On, Wax-Off...

Yep, I'm talking about The Karate Kid. Not the failed remake attempt, but the original. The one with Danielsan and Johnny and Ali-with-an-I, and, of course, the Great Mr. Miyagi. After binging all three seasons of Cobra Kai (twice!), I was inspired to revisit the movie (and its sequels) that was probably a bigger part of my childhood than Star Wars and The Goonies combined. And I've gotta say, having watched (and loved) Cobra Kai, I enjoyed the source material even more!

The story, of course, begins when Daniel, a scrawny teen with more pent-up angst than is probably considered healthy, moves across the country so his mom can start a new job. Daniel pretty much instantly angers Johnny, the ringleader of a karate-obsessed gang of bullies, when he moves in on Johnny's girlfriend, Ali. The two rivals go back and fourth, each trying to one-up the other, until the rivalry comes to a head the night of the Halloween dance. Fortunately for Daniel, a mysterious fighter comes to his rescue...and is later revealed to be Mr. Miyagi, the elderly handyman for his apartment complex. Following a confrontation at Cobra Kai, the karate dojo where Johnny and Co train under the diabolical Sensei Kreese, an arrangement is made: If Daniel somehow beats Cobra Kai's students in the upcoming tournament, he will be left in peace. If not... Well, it's Open Season on both him and Miyagi.

Karate Kid II picks up after the tournament and follows Daniel and Mr. Miyagi to Okinawa, where Miyagi pays respects to his dying father and must settle a decades-old score with an old friend-turned-enemy. Daniel's attitude gets him in trouble when he "dishonors" the nephew of Miyagi's nemesis. Of course, these fights are not refereed. And in these situations, it's life or death.

Karate Kid III brings back Kreese. After the tournament, he lost everything...and is now single-mindedly bent on getting revenge on Daniel and Miyagi, who he believes are responsible for ruining his life. This film introduces two new (and scary) villains, both of whom make Kreese seem not so bad (and that's saying something!). And now Daniel is forced back into the ring where he must defend his title, or else...

You can find all three Karate Kid movies in our DVD area. All are fun to watch and all contain characters and references that appear in the current Netflix series inspired by the films (Go on an Easter Egg hunt! It's fun!). 

--AJB

The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik, by David Arnold

Do you ever take stock of your life and wish it were... I don't know, different somehow? You can't pinpoint exactly how you want it to be different (if you could, you'd work on making it so). You just know that if you remain on your current trajectory, you're in for a dull ride. Or so you believe. David Arnold's novel The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik explores this...and how far one would go to change that.

High school junior Noah Oakman's boredom with life has reached a critical stage. From this point, he believes he can see exactly where his life is headed and, although the direction isn't terrible, Noah hates it. The only things he takes pleasure in is watching The Fading Girl on YouTube, daily sightings of the mysterious Old Man Goiter, and re-reading (and over-analyzing) an obscure book by a long-dead author. But everything changes when, after several too many wine coolers, he confesses all this to a classmate at a party. The classmate then hypnotizes Noah, promising he will feel differently when he wakes up.

And Noah DOES feel different. In fact EVERYTHING about Noah's world is different. Well... Almost everything. Noah's life has become a twisted mystery, but now all he wants is for things to go back to normal. And maybe the key to finding a way out of this new world is not looking at what's different, but what has stayed the same.

Strange Fascinations is one of the best books I've read so far in 2021. It's of those books that makes you think.  One of those books where you start out with all these random pieces that slowly come together, but you're not exactly sure of the direction until the Big Reveal knocks you over the head. And I do mean all that in the best possible way.

To say any more would give too much away. You'll just have to check it out for yourself.

--AJB

My Last Summer With Cass, by Mark Crilley

One of my favorite graphic novels of all time is This One Summer (Mariko Tamaki). So when My Last Summer With Cass, by Mark Crilley, popped up on my radar as a read-alike, of course I had to check it out! 

It's true that Last Summer deals with many of the same themes (friendship, growing up), it stands on its own as well. And although I didn't like it as much as One Summer, it was still a fantastic read, and I definitely recommend it. 

Shy, sheltered Megan and bold, outgoing Cass have been best friends since childhood. The girls spend each summer together and share everything, including a love of art. But then Cass's parents divorce and she and her mom move to New York City, putting an end to the traditional summer get-togethers. The next time Megan sees her, Cass is a different person...and she wants Megan to be different too. So she attempts to push Megan to do something she's not comfortable doing, and Megan pushes back... with disastrous consequences that nearly end the girls' friendship. 

My Last Summer With Cass can currently be found on our New Bookshelf. 

--AJB