Action Pick: The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch

The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch: At the Edge of Empire (book 1)
by Daniel Kraus
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
2015
656 pages
ISBN:9781481411394

Available: October 27, 2015

Review

“Fiction, like any art, can be divided between the living and the dead. THE DEATH AND LIFE OF ZEBULON FINCH is unequivocally and furiously among the former. A splendidly rendered, macabre picaresque, muscular and tender, imaginative and grotesque, cynical yet deeply moving. I was appalled one moment and laughing the next. Don't be fooled by the premise. This tale may be told by a dead man, but what's rendered here is life itself in all of life's absurd glory.” (Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave)

"Kraus' careful prose gifts Mr. Finch with a voice that retains a sheen of elegance even as it repulses readers with macabre imagery. And still, when his occasional efforts at reform fail, Mr. Finch becomes an oddly pitiable character." (Kirkus Reviews)

"Morbidly fascinating." (Publishers Weekly)

My review:

Gripping, disturbing, severe, and ever so gruesomely entertaining, The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch will grab readers by the throat, shake them up, and force them to listen to every squalid detail, every juicy tidbit, every strange nuance of  Zebulon's racy story of life and death in Chicago, during the 1890s through the turn of the century, into WWI trench warfare, to the glitter and glam of 1930s Hollywood. Gunned down and dead, Zebulon, rises from the icy waters of Lake Michigan seventeen minutes later to live "life" as a dead man and he's a rip-roaringly fantastic one! What could be better than a dead guy with an attitude? Deadpan humor--what a concept! Zebulon is everything anyone could want a protagonist to be: he is an evil man who can be loving, he is a hero who is tortured by his past,  he is compassionate at times, he is a sinner to be sure, but who is to judge a man who is destined to live for all eternity?

Pull up a chair, settle in and enjoy this epic tale told by a dead man who takes storytelling to great heights with a voice that evokes Dickensian characters of yore. Zebulon's fate--though terrible-- allows him to appreciate the true beauty of the macabre and grotesque. First "taken in" by a traveling snake oil barker, Zebulon spends all his time in a cage. Later, given a chance to discover what is keeping him "alive" and hoping to find a way to die, he makes his way East to find Dr. Leather, a man he met when performing in the traveling show. The doctor promises to help Zebulon. A series of gruesome exams and tactics ensue and if you're squeamish, it may be a bit much. But hold on to your hat, this tale is  just getting started.

Zebulon escapes and runs off to enlist and is shipped off to Europe to fight the enemy. It is in warfare we see Zebulon question life, death, friendship, valor, and war. At first terrified, Zebulon figures this is his chance to finally die and he embraces it. At war's end, our hero returns to America and cavorts his way to Hollywood where he's a pampered lapdog to a glamorous movie star who craves affection. Think film noir and Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard."

This is one whale of a book! Be ready for some late nights with no sleep--it's really that good. Whenever I begin a book this lengthy, I pray, hope, wonder, and the LOVE when it delivers. An engrossing read that just keeps giving. Zebulon Finch a character I will never forget. His name will be right up there with Atticus Finch, Scarlett O'Hara, and Ryan Dean West (Winger, Stand Off). 

This is by far the BEST YA book I've read in 2015. It is in a category all by itself. The writing is so sublime, so perfect that I often had to read a paragraph several times to revel in the sheer joy of the language.

Kudos to author Daniel Kraus! I sense a real winner here! You heard it here first: The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch WILL be on so many BEST lists and look for it soon to be a movie...Hollywood will love to get their hands on this one . Steven Spielberg, you're welcome.

So highly recommended that if you only read one book this year, make it this one!

Suitable grade 9-up. Mature content. Not suitable for middle school.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

Back to School Book Giveaway: Con Academy

I have FIVE free copies of Con Academy up for grabs! Score your free copy! To enter, post a comment on the blog. Include your first name, city, state and email contact. Deadline for posts is noon MST on September 10. Winners are chosen randomly by Randomizer. Winners will be notified on September 10. Please check you email on that date. Winners have 24 hours to respond to an email from me. Books will ship from New York. Good luck! Start posting!

 

School Library Journal says:

"This plot-driven narrative is entertaining and the characters are likable." ---School Library Journal

 

 

My review (from blog post on 7/27/15):


Once you pick up Con Academy, you won't put it down!  What a fun, conniving jaunt! This speedy read is all-out raucous, double and triple crosses abound, and readers will root for Will to come out on top.


Will Shea is a new transfer student at the  prestigious Connaughton Academy, a prep school that caters to America's ultra rich and fabulous. As a scholarship recipient, it is only natural that people want to know more about him, and Will has an extraordinary story to tell. His father and mother, missionaries on a small island in the Pacific, are  killed. After their death, Will's church collects money to send him to America to study.

Except that's not the real story. Will (Humbert) is the son of career cons. He's been a con artist since age eight. After his mother died, Will's father spirals out of control and Will runs away. In order to get into the Academy, Will fakes transcripts and breaks into computer files. His con seems to be working...until he meets Andrea. She recognizes a con when she sees one. That's because Andrea is a con herself.

....
I loved Con Academy. Teen readers will,  too! My one obstacle with this book is the cover. The stack of poker chips with devil horns and a tail does not do the book justice. This is one case that readers should NOT judge the book by its so-so cover.

Highly, highly recommended for anyone who loves a good con! Will is a loveable character with spunk and humor.  Fans of Ally Carter will love Will Shea.

Grade 7-up.

Action Pick: The Loop

The Loop
by Shandy Lawson
Hyperion
2013
208 pages

Wildly unique and highly riveting, The Loop will take readers on a thrill ride. Teens Ben And Maggie are stuck in a time loop. Each time they meet, they try to outrun bad guy Roy, a killer with a bad attitude. He will stop at nothing to catch the teens and kill them. He wants their gambling winnings that they used him to collect. As underage betters, the kids couldn't cash in their ticket at the race track; they needed an adult. And, boy, did they pick the worst adult.

The events of two days happens over and over, each time with Roy killing both Maggie and Ben. In one loop, Ben meets Steve, a guy who recognizes Ben and tells him about his loop. At first, Ben doesn't believe it, but he does have that deja vu feeling, and he realizes he has been repeating his own history over and over.

Ben and Maggie work at changing just one little thing to try to bend the loop. They figure if they can change enough little things, they may get to live and break the loop. Roy is hot on their trail, and they leave New Orleans and try to get as far from Shreveport as possible. Fate just keeps dealing them blows. They end up in a car accident and are airlifted to the hospital, where they will be sitting ducks for Roy to kill. Ben sneaks Maggie out of the hospital and they are on the run again.

Maggie and Ben are falling in love, but there's no time for romance. Trying to stay alive is a full time job. Maggie makes a couple of brilliant decisions, hoping to change their outcome.

The Loop is perfect for the reluctant reader; it is a quick read --only 208 pages.

Recommended grade 7-up. No language. A couple of sweet kisses, oh, and outrunning a killer.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the ARC of this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

This review has been posted in compliance with the FTC requirements set forth in the Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (available at ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005revisedendorsementguides.pdf)

High School Pick

Reality Check
by Peter Abrahams
Harper Teen, 2009.
330 pages

When his girlfriend goes missing, star quarterback Cody drives across the country to find out what happened to her. Clea disappears in the woods and her horse comes back without her. A renowned equestrian, Clea would not just fall off her horse, and Cody knows that Bud would never leave her in the woods alone. The whole town searches for the missing girl for days until weather forces the search called off. Cody accepts a job at the stables where Clea boarded her horse and noses around for clues. He meets an ornery stable manager, Clea's new "boyfriend" Townes Dewitt, and a nosy cop, Sgt. Orton. The more Cody digs, the more secrets are uncovered and an illegal gambling syndicate emerges. Cody doesn't realize how much danger he is in. If he doesn't save Clea, who can?



Part mystery, part YA thriller, part football story, Reality Check is a sure page-turner.

Recommended for high school collections, grades 9-12.
Some sex, some language, some violence.

FTC Required Disclosure: Originally I purchased this book for my middle school library, but after reading it, I sent it over to the high school library due to sex, language, and violence. I believe it better suited for grades 9-12. My review was in no way influenced by this fact.