The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

Published by St. Martin's Griffin 

Today's feature is the paperback release of a YA novel titled The Tragic Age by author Stephen Metcalfe. The author brings to life a world where wealth and loss affect a family in a multitude of ways, and what it means to break free from the chains that bind you. It is a powerful message not only for teens, but for adults as well. Sometimes, we find, the difference between order and utter chaos is a messy line and is not as simple as it seems. One often thinks the solution to a chaotic world is to stay completely removed from it, but we all know that avoiding life is more complicated, especially when the life you have on the inside is more chaotic than life on the outside. Being a teenager is a challenge, it is, after all, "the tragic age." 

Synopsis 

This is the story of Billy Kinsey, heir to a lottery fortune, part genius, part philosopher and social critic, full time insomniac and closeted rock drummer. Billy has decided that the best way to deal with an absurd world is to stay away from it. Do not volunteer. Do not join in. Billy will be the first to tell you it doesn't always work- not when your twin sister, Dorie, has died, not when your unhappy parents are at war with one another, not when frazzled soccer moms in two ton SUVs are more dangerous than atom bombs, and not when your guidance counselor keeps asking why you haven't applied to college.
Billy's life changes when two people enter his life. Twom Twomey is a charismatic renegade who believes that truly living means going a little outlaw. Twom and Billy become one another's mutual benefactor and friend. At the same time, Billy is reintroduced to Gretchen Quinn, an old and adored friend of Dorie's. It is Gretchen who suggests to Billy that the world can be transformed by creative acts of the soul.
With Twom, Billy visits the dark side. And with Gretchen, Billy experiences possibilities.
Billy knows that one path is leading him toward disaster and the other toward happiness. The problem is-Billy doesn't trust happiness. It's the age he's at. The tragic age.

Stephen Metcalfe's brilliant, debut coming-of-age novel, The Tragic Age, will teach you to learn to love, trust and truly be alive in an absurd world.

About the Author

Stephen Metcalfe wrote the production drafts for Pretty Woman, Dangerous Minds and Mr. Holland's Opus, among others. His stage plays have been produced in New York and theaters around the U.S., Europe and Japan. He is an Associate Artist at the Globe Theater in San Diego, University of San Diego, and San Diego State University. 

Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE END OF THE WORLD: A Novel

By Jamie Kain

St. Martin’s Griffin

Publication Date: December 8, 2015

Hardcover: 9781250047861 / $18.99 USD

eBook: 9781250047854 / $9.99 USD

 In the past year I had somewhat drifted away from Young Adult books in my reading for pleasure. I had read many YA books, which is quite rare for me, between 2010 and 2014. After reading books such as The Fault in our Stars, The Hunger Games, and Divergent series, I was hooked on the genre. I was honestly blown away at the quality of the writing and the story lines from John Green, Veronica Roth and Suzanne Collins (among others) and the stories hooked me from the beginning. It is always tough to come down off a book that you LOVE, which is why I strayed from YA for a while.  I have jumped back into reading YA by picking up Instructions for the End of the World by Jamie Kain. This book is a contemporary YA that teens would enjoy. While it is not a "literary" read, it satisfies the teen with a story of survival, and attraction in a tale that combines wilderness survival (but it is much more than that), family angst and decisions that we must make under pressure. "What do you do when the apocalypse happens from the inside? When it is your family and not civilization that falls apart?"

Synopsis

"He prepared their family for every natural disaster known to man-except for the one that struck. When Nicole Reed's father forces her family to move to a remote area of the Sierra Foothills, one without any modern conveniences, it's too much too handle for her mother, who abandons them in the middle of the night. Heading out to track her down, Nicole's father leaves her in charge of taking care of the house and her younger sister, Izzy. For a while, Nicole is doing just fine running things on her own. But then the food begins to run out, the pipes crack, and forest fires start slowly inching their way closer every day. Wolf, a handsome boy from the neighboring community, offers to help her when she needs it most, but when she starts to develop feelings for him, feelings she knows she will never be allowed to act on once her father returns, she must make a decision. With her family falling apart, will she choose to continue preparing for tomorrow's disasters, or will she take a chance and really start living for today? Jamie Kain's Instructions for the End of the World is a gripping, young adult novel that explores family, friendship, and love in the midst of the most difficult and dangerous circumstances."

I found this quote while reading, and I loved it so much I felt compelled to share it with you here:

"I understand the balance nature seeks-the need for the hawk to eat the hare-but I have never felt at peace with its harshness.I don't begin to understand why life, so excruciatingly fragile, so breathtaking in its delicate beauty, can be destroyed with such ease. Mahesh would say that no life is truly destroyed, that it just returns to the Great Mother Earth to live again, but tell that to the hare trying to keep her babies alive."

My takeaway is that life is truly a delicate balance of nature. Sometimes loss is followed by something you gain and that pain and happiness are often intertwined in a delicate line. Lots of beautiful gems in this book. Well done, Jamie. 

While this book will not hold most adults' attention like the previous books mentioned, it is a worthy contender for great reads in modern YA fiction.

Thank you to Griffin Teen for a copy of Instructions for the End of the World, which was given to me in exchange for a fair, honest review.

Saturday Kid Reads featuring Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

Incredible novelist, and award-winner Rebecca Stead has returned with a new novel called Goodbye Stranger. This novel is geared toward an older audience (upper-grade/middle school), and the three girls in the novel share one rule-no fighting! But when you are in 7th grade, how long can a "no fighting" rule possibly last? When everything about your world seems to be evolving, you have to examine what love and friendship truly means.

Goodbye Stranger by Rebecca Stead

Synopsis
This brilliant novel by Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead explores multiple perspectives on the bonds and limits of friendship.
Bridge is an accident survivor who’s wondering why she’s still alive. Emily has new curves and an almost-boyfriend who wants a certain kind of picture. Tabitha sees through everybody’s games—or so she tells the world. The three girls are best friends with one rule: No fighting. Can it get them through seventh grade? 
This year everything is different for Sherm Russo as he gets to know Bridge Barsamian. What does it mean to fall for a girl—as a friend? 
On Valentine’s Day, an unnamed high school girl struggles with a betrayal. How long can she hide in plain sight?
Each memorable character navigates the challenges of love and change in this captivating novel.

Happy Reading!