Love Is the Higher Law

The lives of three teens—Claire, Jasper, and Peter—are altered forever on September 11, 2001. Claire, a high school junior, has to get to her younger brother in his classroom. Jasper, a college sophomore from Brooklyn, wakes to his parents’ frantic calls from Korea, wondering if he’s okay. Peter, a classmate of Claire’s, has to make his way back to school as everything happens around him.

Here are three teens whose intertwining lives are reshaped by this catastrophic event. As each gets to know the other, their moments become wound around each other’s in a way that leads to new understandings, new friendships, and new levels of awareness for the world around them and the people close by.
from amazon.com

Beth says 4.5 Stars...

This is still a touchy subject. I think that everyone can still remember exactly what they were doing when they heard the news of the attacks on 9/11. This is and isn't about what happened. Yes, there are the physical details about New York City, but again this is a book by David Levithan. The main focus is on the characters, of course. The plot isn't really that solid; there's no major action. Instead it's about how these people deal with what's happened in their lives. They all end up intersecting in interesting ways and coming together because of this tragedy that has impacted all of them.

As in the rest of his books, Levithan absolutely creates unforgettable characters. They all just meld so well together, but also have distinct issues and problems. I thought that it could have been crass and awful by using 9/11 as a plot device, but it didn't. It was a very organic reaction to what happened and wasn't contrived. I was really able to feel the pain and healing of the characters, and also the city itself. The setting was almost like another character as well. This was a lovely book which really gives everything to the reader. It's impossible to not feel the pain and beauty of this story.

Are We There Yet?

Sixteen-year-old Elijah is completely mellow and his 23-year-old brother Danny is completely not, so it’s no wonder they can barely tolerate one another. So what better way to repair their broken relationship than to trick them into taking a trip to Italy together? Soon, though, their parents’ perfect solution has become Danny and Elijah’s nightmare as they’re forced to spend countless hours together. But then Elijah meets Julia, and soon the brothers aren’t together nearly as much. And then Julia meets Danny and soon all three of them are in a mixed-up, turned-around, never-what-you-expect world of brothers, Italy, and love.

Are We There Yet? isn’t about a place on a map, it’s about a place in the heart. David Levithan has written a magical story of a journey definitely worth taking.

from daivdlevithan.com

Beth says 3.5 Stars...

I didn't love this book. It rather pains me to say it, because I've adored everything else I've read by Levithan. This means that I know good and well that he's a character writer and plot doesn't tend to matter. However, I felt like this one really could have used something. The characters were good, don't get me wrong, but I just wanted something more. The book centers around the trip that two very different brothers take to Italy together after they've been set up by their parents. The "plot" follows them through multiple cities and their daily lives. It is actually a psychological examination of their relationship and how they view one another and the world.

Danny,the older brother, is much more painfully self-aware and has no comprehension of his brother's life. It's interesting to see him develop an understanding and change his views of himself. Elijah is the opposite, someone who lives life freely and doesn't really feel awkwardness. The psychological study was interesting one you got into it, but it took a while. The first 5 or 6 chapters just did absolutely nothing for me. I think a problem was that I couldn't really relate to them. I'm on neither extreme personalities wise, and am also an only child. Even though the relationship between siblings is interesting to me, I don't have the experience to understand it.

Overall this book fell short. It would be more interesting for people with siblings, or that are really interested in psychological character profiles. If you want to try some David Levithan, I'd grab one of his other novels as your introduction.

Boy Meets Boy

This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he?s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul?s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.

from davidlevithan.com

Beth says 4.5 Stars...

I want to live in Paul's hometown. David Levithan is absolutely a master storyteller. He has the ability to create a vibrant and lively world that really jumps off of the page. It's reality, but then at the same time it isn't. The setting was so fun and unbelievable that it actually confused me for a bit. It took me a little while to realize that as a reader I was supposed to take everything that Paul said as the truth, and that this was really the way it was. Perhaps I'm just a little thick, but this town is very different than any that I've ever heard of. Besides the arresting setting there was the plot, well I think there was a bit of one. Honestly, the plot wasn't really important. Things happened and the book moved forward, but the focus of the book was the characters. They really took the story forward, and that was the important thing.

Speaking of the characters, I cannot sum them up in words, so here's all I can do: :). Everything just balanced beautifully. The Infinite Darlene was my favorite character because she just cracked me up the entire time. Paul was very layered and a good main character for a novel that didn't rely on plot and instead used the characters. All of the secondary characters were used just the right amount; not to much or too little. The characters were almost perfect.

This book was so much fun. It was so character driven and simply lovely. I can't wait to read the rest of David Levithan's books. Everything I have read has been fantastic and constantly proves that he has a remarkable talent for showing the truth in off kilter ways that make it easier to take. Overall, a delightful book which manages to send a message without ever feeling preachy. All I can say is that once you get into this book it just works.

Book from Library

Waiting on Wednesday

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes a confection from David Levithan that is sure to appeal to fans of Boy Meets Boy. Here are 18 stories, all about love, and about all kinds of love. From the aching for the one you pine for, to standing up and speaking up for the one you love, to pure joy and happiness, these love stories run the gamut of that emotion that at some point has turned every one of us inside out and upside down. What is love? With this original story collection David Levithan proves that love is a many splendored thing, a varied, complicated, addictive, wonderful thing.

from bn.com

Two words-David Levithan. One of the luminaries of quirky YA realistic fiction has a short story collection about love. That's so amazing. I'm incredibly excited for this one. Levithan is able to capture teenagers as they really are and not as some stereotype. I'm looking forward to how he will capture love in all its dimensions.

Geektastic+Notes

I'm back, and I'm writing my first blog post from my first dorm room from my first university from my...I think you get the point. There have been a lot of first recently, but fortunately I have the comfort of in BetweeN the pages to go back to, so thank you. Beth is moving-in officially tomorrow, so she may also be hectic for the next few days, but don't worry, I'll take care of you. So, without further ado, the important part.

Acclaimed authors Holly Black (Ironside)and Cecil Castellucci (Boy Proof) have united in geekdom to edit short stories from some of the best selling and most promising geeks in young adult literature: M.T. Anderson, Libba Bray, Cassandra Clare, Tracy Lynn, Cynthia and Greg Leitich Smith, David Levithan, Kelly Link, Barry Lyga, Wendy Mass, Garth Nix, Scott Westerfield, Lisa Yee, and Sara Zarr.

With illustrated interstitials from comic book artists Hope Larson and Bryan Lee O'Malley, Geektastic covers all things geeky, from Klingons and Jedi Knights to fan fiction, theater geeks, and cosplayers. Whether you're a former, current, or future geek, or if you just want to get in touch with your inner geek, Geektastic will help you get your geek on!

from bn.com

Nathan says 5 stars...
This collection of stories is absolutely amazing. When I originally heard about this anthology, I seriously yelled. The contributors to this list are among the elite of the YA world. The shiny glowing stars of our inky galaxy. I'm not going to review all of the stories individually, but I will hit on major points. Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci's opener is brilliant and hilarious. The wittiness is astounding. Garth Nix was not up to his normal standard. I still really loved the story, it just lacked the depth that makes Nix so wonderful. Libba Bray's contribution was lovely and captured the sense of friendship many nerds share. My favorite story though is by David Levithan; it's called "Quiz Bowl Antichrist." The sense of realism and the style of the story are super-fantastically-amazing. On that made-up note, I'm going to leave you with the advice to enter into our contest to win the book, or pick it up in a store...now.

Beth says 5 Stars...
What's not to love about a story collection with the title of Geektastic? I absolutely adored this book. The only problem was that it made me feel not geeky enough. To remedy the situation I decided to start watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and will be eternally grateful for that. There were so many stories that touched so many different areas of geekdom. One of my favorites involved a cheerleader and her interactions with the school geeks. I also loved David Levithan's story. It was so funny and different. Libba Bray's story was fantastic, but it got The Time Warp stuck in my head for the next two hours. That was really the only downside to that one. I of course loved the story by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. The premise was simply brilliant. There were a few stories that I didn't particularly enjoy, but they really were few and far between. I was dissappionted in Jonh Green's story; I thought that it would rock my white tube socks off and it didn't. Overall this is something that all geeks should read, and make their non-geek friends read so that they can truly appreciate geekdom.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

It all starts when Nick asks Norah to be his girlfriend for five minutes. He only needs five minutes to avoid his ex-girlfriend, who’s just walked in to his band’s show. With a new guy. And then, with one kiss, Nick and Norah are off on an adventure set against the backdrop of New York City—and smack in the middle of all the joy, anxiety, confusion, and excitement of a first date.
This he said/she said romance told by YA stars Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is a sexy, funny roller coaster of a story about one date over one very long night, with two teenagers, both recovering from broken hearts, who are just trying to figure out who they want to be—and where the next great band is playing.
Told in alternating chapters, teeming with music references, humor, angst, and endearing side characters, this is a love story you’ll wish were your very own. Working together for the first time, Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have combined forces to create a book that is sure to grab readers of all ages and never let them go.

ever from bn.com

Beth says 5 Stars...
I was skeptical of this book. Hmmm... this may become a theme: Beth is a skeptic! I'd read a few reviews, and it seemed that people either loved or hated the book. I put myself into the LOVED category! First of all, this book was cool. The kind of cool that we all wish we were, but aren't. The kind of cool that knows all of the right music and movies without even trying. This book is genius. It's extremely short and a quick read, but everything had some meaning. No words were wasted. A word of caution; there is quite a bit of swearing. However, even the swearing feels organic. The authors aren't writing swear words just to have them there; it honestly feels like that's what Nick or Norah would have said if they were real. What makes the book so phenomenal are the characters. Almost all of them are incredibly complex and layered. I feel like I'm gushing, but this book deserves it. From the wonderful two person narrative to the crazy plot and pop culture references, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a fun and fulfillinf ride that will leave you wanting more.


Nathan says 5 stars...
You know how some things just exude cool? Well, Nick and Norah goes one step further and is made of cool(I'm not kidding). This book is one of the greatest YA achievements of the last few decades. Rachel Cohn and David Levithan capture what being a teenager is in such depth that the reader is immediately sucked into the lives of Nick and Norah. The characters are phenomenally real. Something I love about the novel is that the authors were brave enough to write characters that were round and real, rather than the character sketches many teen novels have. The writing style is _____________(insert the most positive adjective in your vocabulary) and each sentence is a delight to read. The story is fast-paced, but still detailed which just adds to the frenzy of the couple's crazy night. As Beth said, pop culture abounds, and every little reference just adds to the depth and complexity of the novel. There is even a fantastic Heathers reference (note: everyone should see Heathers, dark comedy genius). There is some swearing in it, but it's not gratuitous and many of you will hear more swearing on a daily basis at school. There is only one major problem with this book...it's way too short.

P.S. - I beg all of you to not judge the book from the movie. The movie was an awful, awful skewing of such a fantastic novel. The book's 3-D characters were smushed into these flat zombie imitations of their written counterparts. The plot seems disregarded to a degree and some of the casting is off (though Kat Dennings could have been the perfect Norah). Read the book, skip the movie.