EScott Book Week : Loss and Death in YA Fiction

It is Between Here and Forever Release Day! 

Find my review here.

While reading, I was reminded about so many great YA books that touch upon loss and death for teenagers. Below is my post about these books and why I feel they are timeless.

Be sure to post your reviews and discussions in the linky below to receive extra entries in The Secret Life of An Avid Reader's EScott Week Giveaway!!

I am not sure if you guys know this about me, but I am a sucker for emotional contemporary pieces. I do love a good cry, but on top of that I also love how in touch some authors are with how young adults deal with grief. I have never felt so connected to main characters as when they are so vulnerable. Grief/Loss/Death are all jump starters in contemporary novels and help the MC find themselves and their paths in life. Below are some of my favorites contemporary novels that deal with the above themes =D


Amy & Roger's Epic Detour
by Morgan Matson 

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew--just in time for Amy's senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she's always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy's mother's old friend. Amy hasn't seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she's surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she's coming to terms with her father's death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road -- diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards--this is the story of one girl's journey to find herself.

The Sky Is Everywhere 
by Jandy Nelson

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Fall for Anything 
by Courtney Summers

When Eddie Reeves’s father commits suicide her life is consumed by the nagging question of why? Why when he was a legendary photographer and a brilliant teacher? Why when he seemed to find inspiration in everything he saw? And, most important, why when he had a daughter who loved him more than anyone else in the world? When she meets Culler Evans, a former student of her father’s and a photographer himself, an instant and dangerous attraction begins. Culler seems to know more about her father than she does and could possibly hold the key to the mystery surrounding his death. But Eddie’s vulnerability has weakened her and Culler Evans is getting too close. Her need for the truth keeps her hanging on...but are some questions better left unanswered?

So what are some or you favorite emotional contemporary books? Comment below =D
Also, to see some of Jude's and my reviews for these books, click on the tags below.

Rules:

- US Only

- 13 + only
- Runs until May 25, 2011

- May only enter once (on this blog), we will count the extra entries manually

- Each blog is hosting their own giveaway for one set of the books, but here in TSLoaAR, you have a chance to win 1 of 3!

Review: Sky is Everywhere

Book: The Sky is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: March 9, 2010
Pages: 272
Source: Borrowed
Date Read: March 16, 2011

Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey's boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie's own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they're the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can't collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie's struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable.

Yani's Analysis:
I started this book and I really really liked it. It reminded me of Elizabeth Scott and Sarah Dessen books.However, as I continued to read something started to bother me. Like how everyone fell into the cliched description and how the characters used tree as a euphemisms for mind? But then I just kept reading and Jany's writing is just so lyrical. She has a MFA in poetry and you can tell. There where poems written by Lenny and they where just beautiful. The poems where my favorite part of the book.

Unlike most people, I wasn't in love with ( I can't even remember his name) instead I completely fell for Lennie's sisters boyfriend, which is completely wrong I know. But the pain, Oh the pain, these characters felt. It just breaks your heart.Lennie doesn't know how to deal with it. Who would? And because of that she doesn't allow herself to move on and instead suffocates herself in sadness and Toby's arms.She doesn't know who she is without her sister.

This book takes you on Lennie's journey. Journey to love, to finding herself, and to finding happiness again without her sister there.

Ratings:

Plot: 5/5
Writing Style: 5/5
Uniqueness: 4/5
Characters: 4/5

Similar Titles:

Other Memorable Quotes:

"Her face is more open than an open book, more like a wall of graffiti really."

"No way out but through."

"My sister will die over and over again for the rest of my life. Grief is forever."