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Mark Delaney

Autor(a) de Pepperland

7 Works 136 Membros 5 Reviews

About the Author

Mark Delaney is the author of the highly acclaimed young adult mystery series, Misfits, Inc. Born in Long Beach, California, Delaney earned a master's degree in comparative literature from the University of California at Irvine. He currently lives outside Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches high mostrar mais school English mostrar menos

Séries

Obras de Mark Delaney

Etiquetado

Conhecimento Comum

Sexo
male

Membros

Resenhas

In one of my college creative writing workshops, my instructor (a pretty well-known poet) told the class that he didn't think that it was ever possible for a writer to convincingly write from the other gender. I scoffed at that then--Jennifer Roberson's wonderful narrator Tiger from the Sword-dancer series immediately came to mind--but since then I've realized that the number of writers who even undertake such a challenge, not to mention the number who succeed (I'm looking at you, rel="nofollow" target="_top">John C. Wright), is fairly low.Mark Delaney is one of those few male writers who manages to not only tackle a female voice, but successfully tackle an adolescent female voice, to boot. Though I was initially drawn to Pepperland because of the Beatles-connection, I quickly realized that the presence of song titles and Beatles' trivia was just window dressing for a really involving character study. Star is so strongly and believably written that I checked the cover several times to make sure that Delaney was not, in fact, female. Her story is at times angsty and ego-centric, but very convincingly so. Delaney never seems to look down on Star for her emotional outbursts but also manages not to dismiss them as "typical." The best word for his portrayal of her would be "compassionate."What's more, Delaney seems to know high school, and the strangely small, self-contained universe of adolescence, really well. The novel takes place in California in the early nineteen eighties, but the details are universal--in my mind, it could have easily been set in my own high school in New Jersey at the turn of the millennium. Though there are a couple stray details that mark this as a period piece, the archetypal quality of the characters should help it to feel relevant to modern teenagers.Finally, the supporting characters are equally well-rendered, particularly the supporting female characters. There's a strong feminist undercurrent here--Star's greatest success is in securing an apprenticeship to a tough-as-nails guitar repair woman, and through their friendship (rather than, say, through her romantic relationship) she's able to resolve some of her lingering grief over the recent death of her equally self-sufficient mother. Delaney's never preachy about this, which is probably for the best. Star doesn't question her own independence or abilities, which is part of what makes her character--and this book--so remarkable.… (mais)
 
Marcado
PhoebeReading | outras 3 resenhas | Nov 24, 2010 |
A group of misfits form a sleuthing partnership when the grandfather of one of them is accused of stealing a microchip.

First book of a series. Really for younger readers. Not bad, but not all that compelling.
 
Marcado
Kaybowes | Apr 24, 2010 |
This was a wonderful book about Star trying to reach her mother through music and building a long relationship with Dooley along the way.It was fantastic the way they incorporated music into the book. I love music!
 
Marcado
bookworm103 | outras 3 resenhas | Nov 9, 2009 |
Reviewed by Michaela Pallante aka "Mickey" for TeensReadToo.com

Pamela Jean Cochran, or Star as she would rather be called, lives for her music. After her beloved mother dies, music seems to be the only thing that gets her through the day -- specifically Beatles music. Star's mother loved the Beatles and now their music is all Star has left to remember her by.

When she hears that John Lennon is coming to town, she gives herself a mission. Her mission is to get backstage, meet John Lennon, and give him her mother's fan letter.

Thinking about this mission gets her through the long days of school and therapy. That, and spending time with her best friend, Dooley. Dooley is an amazing artist and Star ends up helping him through some pretty rough times.

This book was really, really good, and I made a personal connection with it. PEPPERLAND may cause you to reach for a few tissues and by the end of it you'll walk away with a "wow, life isn't so bad after all" attitude.
… (mais)
 
Marcado
GeniusJen | outras 3 resenhas | Oct 12, 2009 |

Prêmios

Estatísticas

Obras
7
Membros
136
Popularidade
#149,926
Avaliação
½ 3.7
Resenhas
5
ISBNs
29

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