Author
(Last name first): Kotecki, Nathan
Title of
the Book: The Suburban Strange
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Date of Publication:
2012
ISBN# 978-0-547-72996-1
Price: $16.99 Grade
Level: J/S Number of Pages: 349
VOYA
Rating: 4Q 4P
Highly Recommended
Celia
Balaustine transferred to Suburban High at the start of her 10th
grade year. She wants to reinvent
herself and not be the same person she was at her old school. Celia is a highly talented artist, who
catches the attention of a girl named Regine.
Regine introduces Celia to her tight knit group of friends who call
themselves The Rosary. Celia become part
of this group and for the first time in her life, has a place to belong. The
Rosary wants everyone in the group to do their homework, study, have an after
school job, look sophisticate and expand their artistic horizons. They hang out at a club on weekends to listen
to music and dance. Then weird things
start to happen at school. The story
takes on a paranormal twist and every 16 year old girl is at risk of getting
hurt at Suburban High. The Rosary may
have the answers to this school curse.
One of
the first things to catch the readers’ attention in this series are the
character names. They are definitely
unique. The cover gives off a dark, eerie,
gothic vibe and the reader can expect the same from the writing. I think readers will be introduced to new
music and artists that inspired parts of the writing. The characters were really into discovering
new music (being the perfect outlet for the author to share the music he
likes). I would like to know the
reaction of today’s high school students to the music references. Most of it seemed to be 80s-90s dark
alternative music. I enjoyed it because
I was familiar with most of it…but I am not sure about the average 16 year
old. I love that some of the setting
takes place in a used bookstore and the conversations about visual arts. Unusual for a YA book. I think this book can be classified as an
urban fantasy. There are elements of
romance, mystery, intrigue and the paranormal.
I like how the story did not end with a huge cliffhanger, but hints at
the future. I am looking forward to the second book.
I think
this book is appropriate for a school library.
It will appeal to the visual arts/music students and those interested in
the gothic or indie scene. I would
promote this book to both boys and girls. I don’t see it fitting into the
curriculum directly, but it’s definitely a good pick for fun reading. I think it’s the perfect book during a school
break (I’ll put it on my Spring Break
books display). It would make for a
good book club pick. The book made me want to go listen to the author’s
playlist. Overall, it was a unique and intriguing
story. I’m rather surprised that I was
not able to find professional reviews of this book.