The Luxe (The Luxe Trilogy #1) by Anna Godbersen

Godbersen, Anna. The Luxe. HarperCollins , 2007. 448 pages. ISBN-10: 0061345679. ISBN-13: 978-0061345678.

Plot:

The year is 1899 and 18-year-old Elizabeth Holland has returned from Europe to take her place as the darling of the Manhattan elite. Her younger sister Diana has grown in her absence and is becoming more daring and less interested in fitting in with society than Elizabeth is. Her supposed best friend Penelope Hayes, a nouveau riche social climber, isn’t entirely thrilled to see Elizabeth back, but she is involved with her own relationship with Henry Schoonmaker. However, Henry’s father insists that he and Elizabeth become engaged, much to Penelope’s outrage. As Henry is courting Elizabeth, he falls for Diana, complicating things even further. As for Elizabeth, she is secretly in love with her poor coachman, Will. Elizabeth’s maid, Lina, is also in love with him. As Elizabeth’s and Henry’s wedding nears, the group of teens must figure out how to sort out their scandalous relationships without the rest of the polite society finding out.

Critical Evaluation:

The Luxe is delightfully snarky and scandalous. This is a book that will appeal to readers raised on Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and The Clique or any reader who enjoys stories full of secrets, backstabbing, and intrigue. It’s not just romantic fluff, though. Godberson’s research into the Gilded Age is evident in the historical aspects of the novel, even if her descriptions of the time period are primarily limited to the upper class. Unlike many historical fiction novels, the history is more a frame for the story than vice versa. Placing the events in that particular time period allows Godberson the ability to make actions that would be innocent today seem wildly scandalous. Though the characters behave in ways that might not be completely realistic and they suffer from very few consequences, that’s not really the point of the novel.

Godberson’s choice of alternating viewpoints rounds out the story as the reader is able to see the motivations behind each character’s actions. Starting her novel with the death of Elizabeth thrusts the reader into the thick of the story and adds an air of mystery. Perhaps her best stylistic choice is the inclusion of newspaper snippets and letters. This helps further the framework of the Gilded Age, as well as giving an outside perspective on the characters’ lives. Godberson has created a glamorous and entertaining start to her trilogy.

Reader's Annotation:

In Gilded Age Manhattan, four very different young women try to pursue happiness with often scandalous results.

Author Information:

Anna Godbersen was born in 1980 in Berkeley, California. She attended public school in Berkeley before going to Barnard College in Manhattan. She now lives in Brooklyn, New York. Before beginning her career as a novelist, she worked as an editorial assistant for Esquire and worked as a ghost writer of young adult novels. Despite having read very little young adults novels or historical fiction prior to writing her series, she jumped into writing both with much zeal.

Though she classifies her writing as historical fiction, it has often been compared to chick lit. With their glamorous and scandalous characters, her novels would appeal to readers of chick lit, but her writing is well-researched and gives a glimpse into the past that makes her stories much more well-rounded.

Genre:

Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

History: Late 19th Century

Booktalking Ideas:

• Compare the choices young women had for love then to what they do now
• Discuss the personality differences between Diana, Elizabeth, and Penelope
• Describe Manhattan at the end of the 19th century

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 or older

Challenge Issues:

Minor sexual references

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This is an historical novel that can appeal to teenage readers who love books like Gossip Girl, but it has more literary merit.

The Maze Runner (The Maze Runner Trilogy #1) by James Dashner

Dashner, James.. The Maze Runner. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2009. 384 pages. ISBN-10: 0385907028. ISBN-13: 978-0385907026.

Plot:

Thomas first wakes up in a dark elevator below The Glade with no memory other than his name. He is pulled out by a group of boys around his age who all arrived in The Glade in the same manner. Every thirty days for the last 2 years a new boy has arrived. They learn to live together, surviving by farming the land and using the supplies that periodically arrive from the same mysterious elevator. Surrounding The Glade is a large and dangerous maze that several of the boys spend each day exploring. These “runners,” as they’re called, are attempting to find a way out. They must return each night before the doors close or risk being caught out in The Maze at night with its deadly nocturnal inhabitants. Thomas decides that he needs to become a runner and, partly through a heroic act, manages to maneuver himself into that position.

Quickly following Thomas’s arrival, a girl, Theresa, appears in the elevator. She is the first girl ever and bears a message saying that she will be the last person sent and that things are about to change. Thomas immediately feels a connection with this girl and soon learns that they can communicate telepathically. Her arrival triggers a change in The Maze. The doors no longer close and those living in The Glade are now victim to the creatures that live in The Maze. They soon decide that they will make a run for it and try to escape The Maze as a group. Though they know it will be a dangerous mission and they aren’t sure that what awaits them outside The Maze is any better than being in it, the boys and Theresa decide they will risk it to escape their imprisonment in The Glade.

Critical Evaluation:

Dashner’s characters and setting descriptions are adequate, but the unfolding of the mystery is where his talent truly lies. From the opening paragraph the reader is hooked. He is able to slowly reveal answers to the many questions the story brings about, but each answer introduces a whole new set of questions. There is very little extraneous detail, so the story moves at a quick pace that fits the urgency of the characters’ situation, especially towards the end of the book. He also manages a tight and suspenseful feeling that keeps the reader engaged until the very end. The ending is abrupt, but in a way that leaves the reader immediately hungry for the next book in the series.

Thomas is the only character that is truly well-developed, but the other characters aren't completely flat. His relationship with Theresa and where the two of them came from is one of the more interesting aspects of the book. He’s a relatable character, especially in that despite making numerous mistakes and hiding many secrets, he’s sincere and good. It will certainly be exciting to see where he will go from here.

Reader's Annotation:

Trapped, with no memory, and surrounded by a maze designed to kill them, Thomas and the boys who arrived in the Glade before him are desperate to find a way out and back home. When a girl arrives - the first ever - she brings a message that changes everything.

Author Information:

James Dashner was born in Georgia in 1972. He attended Brigham Young University and now lives in Utah with his wife and children. In 2003, he published his first book, A Door in the Woods. This, as well as the rest of the his Jimmy Fincher series, were done with a small publishing company out of Utah. His dream has always been to be a full time author, which he was able to accomplish in 2008 with the publication of his second series of books.

His inspiration comes from many places, including his own childhood. He based part of the relationship between Tick and his parents in The 13th Reality series on his own relationship with his parents. He also names many of his characters after people in his own life or people he admires, whether real or fictional.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Logic: Solving of Problems and Puzzles
English: Plot Development

Booktalking Ideas:

• Read the first page and talk about waking up with no memory of where you came from or how you got there.
• Present it as one of the runners returning for the day.
• Describe The Glade, The Maze, and The Grievers.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Violence

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

I read a profile of the author that mentioned the trilogy. I was interested in reading the books after seeing a teaser for the plot.