In her book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, Anne Lamott says, “For some of us, books are as important as almost anything else on earth. What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you, comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.”


My hope is that this is what books become to you—as important as almost anything else on earth. This blog is about helping you find the miracle in these small, flat, rigid squares of paper while you are in middle school and beyond. Once you read alongside me, you are forever a member of my tribe of readers. No matter how you old you are, when you need to be reminded of the power of a good story, you will find me here, waiting to place one in your hands.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

SHIVER by Maggie Stiefvater


copyright date: August 2009
primarily marketed for: young adults (13 and up)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater is not new to the world, but it is new to me.  I have had it on my shelf for years and just didn’t get around to reading it until a friend convinced me it was well worth it. 

She is a good friend.  With impeccable taste in literature.

Within the first few pages I was enchanted.  Shiver is not just an enchanting story, but the way it is written is beautiful as well.  Lines like this make me want to stop and marvel at Stievfater’s way of crafting words to trigger the readers’ emotions: “Behind the counter, I slouched on my stool in the sun and sucked in the summer as if I could hold ever drop of it inside me.”

Shiver alternates between the voice of Grace and the voice of Sam throughout the story.  Grace was attacked by wolves as a young girl and saved by a single wolf out of the pack.  Since then she has spent her winters watching for her wolf in the woods behind her house. 

Sam has been watching Grace for years.  Ever since he first met her the winter of the attack. 

Their lives finally meet when a student at Grace’s high school is dragged away by wolves. 

Although it is clear from the blurb on the back of the book that this is a werewolf story, it is so much more than that.  I thought I would never be able to get into a werewolf story.  I thought werewolf stories were so overdone by now.  None of these thoughts apply to Shiver.  It is an original, gracefully told story that I didn’t want to end. 

Luckily, it is not over for me yet.  This is the first book in a trilogy.  The world Stiefvater has created in Shiver is a world I look forward to returning to in Linger and Forever.    

Reading Threads:
Linger and Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder
Incarnate by Jodi Meadows
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1 comment:

  1. I'm listening to Linger right now-very good! I loved The Scorpio Races too.

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