Click

Have you ever started writing a story in class and passed the notebook to the person behind you for them to continue? This isn’t quite how Click came to be, but it can give you an idea. Ten popular young adult writers wrote one chapter each to make up a book that tells the story of the career and life of photojournalist George “Gee” Keane and a bit about the lives of some of the people he touched.

I am not sure how to categorize this book. Certainly it is a novel, but it is a mystery, a history, and a fantasy, sort of. The book starts shortly after the death of Grandpa Gee when his grandchildren receive the items he left for them in his will. Maggie receives a box with seven compartments, each with a letter on it and a shell inside. She is told to “throw them back.” Jason receives Grandpa Gee’s camera along with a box of old photographs each signed to Jason by the subjects. Some of the photographs are older than Jason.

The chapters switch viewpoints, continents and time. The authors who contributed to the novel are: Linda Sue Park, David Almond, Eoin Colfer, Deborah Ellis, Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, Tim Wynne-Jones, Ruth Ozeki, Margo Lanagan and Gregory Maguire. All proceeds from the novel go to Amnesty International.

The Name of the Wind – Patrick Rothfuss

The American Library Association gives the Alex Award to ten books published for adults that have special appeal for young adults ages 12 to 18. I unknowingly read this 2008 winner a few months ago and blogged about it on our “For your Consideration @ Duluth” blog.

Meet Kvothe, a seemingly benign tavern owner who says it will take him three days to tell the story of his life properly. The tale rapidly moves from his time being trained in magic on the road with his family’s group of traveling players, to his three rough years living on the streets of Tarbean. Once he drags himself out of despair, he needs both his vast intelligence and his street smarts to quickly move up the ranks in the magical University so he can have full access to the Archives. Kvothe is still a teenager in the University when the book ends, but the author has dropped tantalizing nuggets as to what will come.

There is magic and bullies, music and plays, and danger is coming. The Name of the Wind: Kingkiller chronicle, day 1 by Patrick Rothfuss is a thick book at 661 pages, so if you want to really get into a novel, pick up this one. I am waiting for day 2.