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We Had To Be Brave: Escaping the Nazis on the Kindertransport by Deborah Hopkinson

With the same attention to detail and straightforward writing style readers have come to appreciate from her, Deborah Hopkinson looks at how the rescue operation of Jewish children from Nazi occupied Europe, known as the Kindertransport, was able to saved approximately 10,000 young people. In the first half of this fascinating history ,  Hopkinson details Hitler's rise to power and ties its impact into the lives of a number of Jewish families. Most people don't realize just how widespread anti-Semitic feelings were in 1930s Germany, but as Hitler became more popular, as his followers increased, many Jews who had believed themselves to be as German as their non-Jewish neighbors began to experience a definite change. For example, Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps for no reason, prohibitions were enacted so that Jews in civil service lost their jobs, Jews couldn't go to the movies or visit a park, Jewish children were no longer allowed to attend German s...
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The Secret

The Secret

Review: Fracture by Megan Miranda

Fracture by Megan Miranda
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Pub. Date: January 17th, 2012
Pages: 262
Age Level: 14+
Source: Won

Synopsis via Goodreads
Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death.

Review
Megan Miranda's debut YA novel, Fracture, was a chilling, dark, and somewhat disturbing story that hooked my attention completely, pulling me further and further down into the tale, like the freezing cold waters of the lake.

Fracture was full of characters that I really just wanted to whack upside the head. With a 2 x 4. This isn't necessarily to say that I didn't like them...well, okay...I didn't like a few of them. Really though, it was more that they just all frustrated me so much at times. Let's start with Delaney. She didn't exactly have the most stand out personality but there was something both unique and relatable about her. Her emotions and feelings were so palpable and keenly expressed and I loved that about her. She was strong as well, especially considering everything she went through and what she had in way of 'support'. I'd have probably gone insane and been found running up and down the road in my bra and panties, shouting about how purple tarantulas were invading the universe. That said, she could be a bit stubborn and oblivious when it came to situations regarding Decker, at which points I really just wanted to slap some bloody sense into her. The same goes for Decker. I liked his character pretty well to start with, but then when he wasn't there for Delaney when she needed him most, he kind of lost my affection. Though I must say, that wasn't entirely his fault either as she didn't always make it easy for him. As for Troy, he just gave me the willies and I found him to get creepier as the book progressed. Despite this, he was a pretty well-fleshed out supporting character and definitely contributed to the plot. There were also Delaney's parents, and I liked them okay but, for the most part, they just pissed me off for some reason. But hey, at least they were there and were an obvious part of Delaney's life.

There was something so enticing and alluring about the plot of Fracture and I can truly say it was unlike anything I've ever read before. There wasn't a great deal of serious action, but the pacing was still quick and suspenseful. For the most part, this story was unpredictable and constantly kept me guessing, which turned out to be a good and a bad thing. It was great because who doesn't love some good ole fashioned suspense and mystery? The bad is because there were elements that were never explained, questions that were never answered, and this bugged me a wee bit. True, for some things there just are no answers and at least, having read some reviews prior to delving into this one, I knew not to expect much in the way of answers. Another thing, the paranormal element is there but it isn't dominant and falls second to the more contemporary elements involving the complexities of Delaney's relationships with the people in her life. So if you are looking to get your 'things that go bump in the night' fix, this book probably won't get the job done for you.

The writing was beautiful and took on a dream-like quality in the way it wrapped itself around me, enveloping me completely in intoxicating prose. This is what really got me hooked when I first opened the book. While I didn't always like Delaney, I always loved reading from her perspective, and her voice and tone really helped make this book for me.

If you disregard my issue with unanswered questions, the ending was near perfect. It was shocking, intense, and concluded the story on a strong, yet resolved, note that left me relatively satisfied overall with how things were drawn to a close.  

All in all, while there were a few aspects that left me a little disappointed, Fracture was a fast-paced and imaginative read that I enjoyed rather well. I don't know that this book would be everyone's cup of tea and I really think this is one of those books more easily liked if you have a good idea of what you are getting into ahead of time. That said, it is a great book and I do recommend it. I look forward to seeing what else Miranda has to offer the YA literary world in the future.

Grade
Characters: C+
Writing: A-
Plot: B-
Ending: B+
Enjoyment/Likability: B-
Recommendable: C+

Overall: B-

Cover: A-

Buy Fracture:
Amazon / B&N / Kindle / Nook / Book Depository
 
 

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