Author: Cynthia Toney

Cynthia T. Toney has a passion for rescuing dogs from animal shelters and encourages others to save a life by adopting a shelter pet. In her spare time, when she’s not cooking Cajun or Italian food, Cynthia grows herbs and makes silk accent pillows. If you make her angry, she will throw one at you. A pillow, not an herb. Well, maybe both. She is the author of 8 Notes to a Nobody, 10 Steps to Girlfriend Status, and 6 Dates to Disaster. Find out more at www.cynthiattoney.com.
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Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys

 

The Importance of This Story

This novel brings to life the plight of millions of citizens of Poland, Lithuania, and Prussia (a country that no longer exists), who were victims of both Nazi and Russian brutality during World War II. Descriptions of the horrors these people endured or succumbed to were sometimes hard to read, yet I wanted to learn more about this lesser known part of the war’s history.

Characterization, the Feature I Value Most

The characters become acquainted with one another while trying to escape both the Communist Russians and the Nazis. Talk about being caught in the middle! The characters’ goal is to reach a ship on the Baltic Sea coast that will take them to safety. On the way, they demonstrate their tendencies toward self-sacrifice or self-absorption. I don’t recall profanity used as a crutch for characterization.

These fictional characters are so very human within a real historical event that I didn’t mind the story being told from many points of view. And I rarely enjoy a novel with more than one or two points of view, which I feel is usually all that is necessary.

Is it Young Adult, or … ?

I don’t consider this a YA novel, as it is promoted. Because of the maturity of the main characters and the more adult content, I’d label it New Adult. Only one of the main characters appears to be a teen. The rest are twentyish or at least older than the protagonist in most YA, and the two that carry the story (IMO) are the nurse and the mysterious soldier. Teens may be disappointed in it (or shocked) unless they love history and don’t mind the seriousness and brutality in the story. However, I recommend it to emotionally mature teens over the age of 14 who might be interested. This novel could be called a coming-of-age story in the most extreme sense of the term.

 

Pros:

  1. Provides lesson in lesser-known events of World War II
  2. Well written
  3. Acceptable for Christian teens over 14 years old who are not overly sensitive to violence

 

Cons:

  1. Labeled YA but more NA
  2. Graphic descriptions of horror and brutality
  3. Sad ending based on fact
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Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

 

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is an engaging contemporary Young Adult novel most suited to high school readers.  It addresses some of the concerns and problems  of overweight teens.

My favorite of the two Jennifer Niven books I’ve read

I’d like to see more contemporary realism like Holding Up the Universe that encourages teens to draw upon their personal power and offers them hope of happiness without being sugary-sweet. All the Bright Places by Niven did not live up to my expectations after the hype it received. Or maybe I’m growing tired of novels in which two teens fall in love and then one of them dies. Holding Up the Universe left me with a good feeling.

Pros:

  • This story places the reader inside the head of a girl who has been overweight since the death of her mother, so obese that she could not attend school for years. I was very moved by the main female character’s situation. The reader learns about emotional factors involved in extreme overeating and the importance of extending a hand of friendship and understanding to the overweight.
  • Told in alternating points of view, the story also provides a look into the mind of a boy who suffers from prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness. He cannot recognize faces, even those of family members, and must memorize clues about their appearance such as hairstyle, skin and hair colors, body size, and the way they walk.
  • Both the main characters, Libby and Jack, grow a lot in this story. Unmatched in looks and popularity, they become friends because of internal similarities and external circumstances.

Cons:

  • Libby has thoughts of engaging in casual sex.
  • Profanity is abundant in this secular novel compared to Christian YA novels.
  • A few story details may seem unbelievable.

Final Word

Holding Up the Universe has wonderful pacing, so its 391 pages flew by. I recommend this novel to both boys and girls mature enough to handle profanity and references to sex without being influenced by them. Teens who are overweight or suffer from social anxiety can benefit from reading this novel, as can teens who think it’s funny to make fun of the overweight.