Beastly by Alex Flinn - This veritable page turner hooked me from the start.
It tells the story of Kyle Kingsbury's oh so superficial beauty and the cause for him to be changed into a beast by a being "as old as the ages and young as the dawn..."
Early on, Kyle has been cruel to the less beautiful..."Second grade, you told Terry Fisher that the reason her head was lopsided was because her mother had slamed it in the car door. She cried for an hour."
Enter Kendra, expelled to New York City for being impulsive too often - "turn someone into a frog first, ask questions later." Kyle's now 15 years old - he's matured into someone so "horrible and insensitive" that Kendra (the witch) takes action - "you've used beauty to be cruel to those less fortunate."
The story is interspersed with pages of a chatroom helpline in which Beast is a part; the members include a frog - One can't help but speculate if Kendra had a hand in this as well.
Beauty takes the form of a kindred spirit from a life that superficially looks
quite opposite of Kyle's yet we see as similar.
I'd recommend this story for all teenagers and beyond. It's very well told,
thought out, and adapted for modern times.
The Braid by Helen Frost - An interesting story told in poetic form of a poor Scottish family torn apart in 1850 when they are expelled from their home.
Braids of interwoven hairlocks are exchanged by two of the daughters - "She'd cut the braid close to our heads, tucked half into my hand - You/me/sisters/always."
What I liked best about the story was the poetic form. The words depict situations, bare plot. A lot is happening that's left to the imagination.
If you want a fast paced short book on the immigrant experience, Braid would be a consideration. I'd recommed it for older teens and adults.
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