Category: Realistic Fiction
Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of Scholastic Canada.)
When Vince heads out to sunny L.A. to go to film school, he’s sure he’s left his family and their criminal dealings behind him.
But then Vince finds out the hard way that you can take the kid out of the mob, but you can’t take the mob out of the kid. Soon, his brother Tommy is shacking up in his dorm room, and a steady stream of “uncles” are showing up with his mother’s homemade rigatoni, and a whole lot of trouble, in hand.
Fans of Son of the Mob will enjoy reading more about Vince as he navigates his way through another hilarious adventure, while trying to keep his integrity—not to mention his life—intact.
Most sequels to originally stand alone novels are horrible, but Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle is definitely a great sequel to Son of the Mob. Gordon Korman fills every page with his usual over-the-top sense of humour that will literally make you laugh out loud in parts. But it does tackle some serious issues and not every part of the book is hilarious, which is partly why I love it. Gordon Korman is one of the few authors I know of that can tackle serious issues with a good sense of humour.
Vince Luca is a great protagonist and is very three dimensional. He is a good guy at heart, but he is definitely not perfect. With his newfound freedom, Vince gives in to the temptation to be lazy, but what college student doesn’t? Despite his faults, readers will cheer him on the whole way through the novel, especially during the climax.
Of course the plot of Hollywood Hustle zips right along in the usual Gordon Korman fashion. It goes along quite quickly, but the pace fits the story without being ridiculous. For young adults who are sick of all the doom and gloom that seems to be the trend in YA literature, this is the perfect book.
I give this book 4.5/5 stars.
*For some reason, Barnes and Noble does not have this book. The link will take you to their home page, so maybe you can find it and prove I’m blind.
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley
(Cover picture courtesy of Wester Library Blog.)
It’s hard not to notice Terra Cooper.
She’s tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably “flawed” face. Terra secretly plans to leave her small, stifling town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob’s path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?
North of Beautiful is a unique, thought-provoking novel that is definitely rare in the YA genre. It’s full of complex themes like the true meaning of beauty, the power of words and the importance of choice. Justina Chen Headley’s novel is a great one, but the one thing I did not like was the often confusing references to cartography. I understood most of it after reading the book a couple of times, but there were plenty of obscure references that I had to look up.
Terra is a very interesting character that is obviously affected by the birthmark on her cheek and her father’s constant verbal abuse. As the book goes on, we learn much more about her past and we realize just how much she’s changed by the end. Terra changes for the better throughout the novel, with readers cheering her on every step of the way.
Unlike a lot of YA novels, the growing romance between Terra and Jacob feels very authentic. They absolutely do not fall in love at first sight, but their affection grows throughout the novel, especially when Terra and her mom go with Jacob and his mom to China. Jacob was probably my favourite character in North of Beautiful because he was so different from the usual YA love interest.
I give this book 3.5/5 stars.
Run Like Jäger by Karen Bass
(Cover picture courtesy of Amazon.)
Kurt Schreiber has come to Germany for his final year of high school. He says it’s to improve his German. But he also hopes to learn what Opa—his grandfather—did during World War Two. Because Opa never talks about it.
At school, Kurt meets Marta, a girl who wants to be his friend, maybe more. And Peter, a tough guy who calls him a coward an wants to beat him up. Kurt escapes into something he does well—he’s an excellent runner. But running doesn’t solve his problems.
One evening, in a graveyard, Kurt meets Herr Brandt, Opa’s boyhood friend. Maybe he can tell Kurt what he wants to know.
But is Kurt ready to hear it?
There are many books in the YA genre that deal with World War II, but Run Like Jäger is by far one of the best. Unlike many books, it deals with WWII from a German perspective. Kurt, the protagonist, comes to Germany to learn what happened during the war that made his grandfather so reluctant to talk about it. He does eventually learn the truth and it challenges both him and readers to change their assumptions about WWII Germany.
Kurt is certainly a well-developed, sympathetic character who is spared no heartache by Karen Bass. In addition to his struggle to find out the truth, he is an outcast whose only friend is a girl named Marta, who may only be his friend because she feels sorry for him. His growing feelings for Marta are eventually reciprocated, but it is by no means an easy path for Kurt.
Filled with great plot twists, three dimensional characters and interesting historical details, Run Like Jäger is a book that everyone, young and old alike, will enjoy. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fresh perspective on WWII.
I give this book 5/5 stars.
Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman
(Cover picture courtesy of BookHound.)
Vince Luca is just like any other high-school guy…with one exception. His father happens to be the head of a powerful crime organization.
While Vince’s family connections can be handy—like when teachers are afraid to give him a bad grade—they put a serious crimp in his dating life. How is he supposed to explain to a girl what his father does for a living? And when Vince finally meets one who seems to be worth the trouble, her family turns out to be the biggest problem of all. Because her father is an FBI agent—the one who wants to put Vince’s father away for good.
Are you tired of angst-ridden, miserable YA books that revolve around magical creatures? Well, Son of the Mob is certainly the novel for you!
In his first novel aimed at teens, Gordon Korman stays true to his over-the-top, laugh-out-loud sense of humour. Vince Luca is the son of a mob boss and that puts a serious crimp in his dating life, especially when his date finds the unconscious body of Jimmy Rat (one of his father’s customers) in the trunk of Vince’s car.
The first chapter of this amazing novel certainly sets the tone well. Gordon Korman’s signature humour is present throughout the novel, yet he balances it perfectly in the climax when all seems lost for Vince. Readers will certainly enjoy the plot twists and turns as well as the three dimensional characters who are sometimes not all that they seem.
Son of the Mob tackles some heavy moral issues involved in organized crime as well as the issues of love and loyalty. Vince doesn’t like how his father makes his money, yet he knows that if the cops found out, his father would go to jail and his family would lose everything. He struggles with this moral dilemma throughout the novel, but finally comes to terms with it in the end.
I give this book 5/5 stars.