In My Mail Box is a feature hosted by The Story Siren where you can share what books you received during the week. 

Be sure to keep an eye out for these upcoming reviews:

Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt

(Coming March 26th, 2013)

“When Mallory discovers that her boyfriend, Jeremy, is cheating on her with an online girlfriend, she swears off boys. She also swears off modern technology. Inspired by a list of goals her grandmother made in 1962, Mallory decides to “go vintage” and return to a simpler time (when boyfriends couldn’t cheat on you online). She sets out to complete grandma’s list: run for pep club secretary, host a dinner party, sew a homecoming dress, find a steady, do something dangerous. But the list is trickier than it looks. And obviously finding a steady is out . . . no matter how good Oliver (Jeremy’s cousin) smells. But with the help of her sister, she’ll get it done. Somehow. Lindsey Leavitt perfectly pairs heartfelt family moments, laugh-out-loud humor, and a little bit of romance in this delightful contemporary novel.”

My Thoughts

This book is lots of fun and absolutely fabulous, just like its cover! Definitely a winner for me, I can’t wait to review it!

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

“Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan’s life. Having missed her flight, she’s stuck at JFK airport and late to her father’s second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley’s never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport’s cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he’s British, and he’s sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver’s story will make you believe that true love finds you when you’re least expecting it.“

My Thoughts

I got this book from the library, but I love it so much I’ll be on the lookout for a book sale so I can buy it. Definitely looking forward to Jennifer’s next book, This is What Happy Looks Like!

Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

“Meant to be or not meant to be . . . that is the question. 

It’s one thing to fall head over heels into a puddle of hazelnut coffee, and quite another to fall for the—gasp—wrong guy. Straight-A junior Julia may be accident prone, but she’s queen of following rules and being prepared. That’s why she keeps a pencil sharpener in her purse and a pocket Shakespeare in her, well, pocket. And that’s also why she’s chosen Mark Bixford, her childhood crush, as her MTB (“meant to be”).

But this spring break, Julia’s rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she’s partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love.

Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.“

My Thoughts

I’m so glad that I won this book, I’ve been hearing so many good things about it!

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

My Thoughts

The character exploration and wittiness in this book were spot-on and made it stand out to me. You can read my full review here.

“My name is Danielle. I’m eighteen. I’ve been stealing things for as long as I can remember.

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best–her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends–a real life.

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She’s making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the “real” Dani–because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they’ve targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she’s always known–or the one she’s always wanted.“

What books did you get this week?

“My name is Danielle. I’m eighteen. I’ve been stealing things for as long as I can remember.

Dani has been trained as a thief by the best–her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends–a real life.

In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She’s making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the “real” Dani–because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they’ve targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she’s always known–or the one she’s always wanted.”

 Title: Stealing Heaven

Author: Elizabeth Scott

Publisher: Harper Teen

ISBN: 0061122807

 A thief’s life is the only life Dani’s ever known. Her first memory involves robbing a house, she’s never had anything that’s really hers (including a home), and has gone by many different names. So when Dani and her mother set their sights on a quaint beach town called Heaven, Dani takes on the name Sydney and figures that this job will be like any other one. But she couldn’t be more wrong; because on this job, the unknowing mark is eager to become Dani’s friend and the guy who wants to be more than friends ends up being a cop. What’s a thief to do?

 I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while, and I’m glad that I finally did read it! My favorite part of this book has to be the first few chapters, I loved hearing about Dani’s first memory involving robbing a house and then seeing how everything played out when her and her mother returned to the scene of the crime years later. I really enjoyed Elizabeth Scott’s writing style and how we got to see different parts of Dani’s character come out, like how an old worn out sofa makes Dani wonder what it’s like to “call something yours and know it really is.” Or how, when she sneaks into a house with dogs, she ends up waving goodbye to the dog she’s made friends with and wishing she had a dog. I thought the character exploration and the wittiness in this book were spot-on and really made it stand out.

 Cynical Cindy Says:

While reading the first half of this book, I was fully prepared to give this book a 4 teacup rating. However, I ended up being disappointed with the ending; I personally thought it all fell a little flat compared to the first part of the book. I can see why the author had things end up the way they did, but I wish there was a happier ending with Dani’s mother and for the friendship between Allison and Dani.

Alice’s Favorite Quote

“What she really wanted was to stand next to something she’d passed by a long time ago, to know she was somewhere she’d been before and could easily come again.”

 Cindy’s Favorite Quote

“I can’t figure out what kind of game she’s playing and then, as she’s pointing out the shoes some girl is wearing and asking what I think of them, I realize this is probably how normal people talk. How maybe people who could be friends talk. Weird. And kind of nice, too. But still weird.”

3 out of 5 teacups

 All in all, I’m glad I decided to pick up this book! Have you read Stealing Heaven or any of Elizabeth Scott’s other books? If so, what did you think?

All the spots were taken at the students’ four tables except for two. Because I was late for lunch I had to take one of the two spots facing the priests’ table, which was also the closest to them. Being late for lunch meant all that was left for me was a cup of steamed rice, half of deep fried galunggong and a cup of sinigang broth – a type of soup made sour with tamarind and tomatoes. Some remnants of milkfish and a few fish bones floated in my soup cup that also suggested there were vegetables before I got there. Normally, that was what late comers to lunch and dinner ended up having. I had myself to blame for snooping on Father Edgardo’s personal belongings. The four seminarians who were packing with me were almost finished with their lunch. One of them said, they’d hang out at the recreation hall for about fifteen minutes before they return packing. I didn’t mind. I just started eating, by the time I was done, I’m sure they’d be ready to resume the task.

Father Michael and Father Jason were at the priests’ table with nine others.  Father Michael must have noticed that there was barely food left for me. He motioned that I come over to their table. He offered me to take a pot of sinigang from their table and a small bowl of steamed rice. When priests offered us food from their table we never refused. We took it like manna in the desert.

“Hey, thanks for all your help packing Father Eddie’s stuff,” Father Michael told me. Father Eddie? He never referred to him by that nickname.

“It was nothing Father,” I said shyly, wondering if he suspected I was late for lunch because I was snooping. A guilty soul could easily be caught by strange  manifestations of the subsconscious.

“Father Jason wants to leave at least at half past one, would you and the other guys be able to pack everything before that?” he asked.

“We’ll resume packing right after lunch,” I assured him. It was half past noon.

Father Jason thanked me as well and I wanted to tell him I found another letter similar to what I handed to him earlier, but I thought I’d let him discover it. He had instructed me to simply pack those letters if I find more. Or was he telling me to leave them where I found them? Was it his polite way of asking to stop snooping? As I returned to our table I was left wondering if he knew about Lisa and Eddie. If he knew that Eddie is playing Peter to Lisa’s Heloise.

It was none of my business. But in reality it was. Priests who vowed to be celibate for the rest of their lives couldn’t teach their students about such state of life if they were not able to live up to their sacred promise. I remembered my dad’s worry about me not being able to live celibately.

Between stuffing my face with spoonfuls of rice soaked in sinigang broth and the tiny fried fish, I couldn’t shake the image of the woman I saw in one of the pictures in Father Edgardo’s collection. The name Lisa had come up in our conversations a few times, but I never put two and two together.

“Lisa, my friend, is a very sophisticated writer like your friend,” Father Edgardo had mentioned to me once when he called me after he read one of Danica’s letters. Letters belonging to freshmen were still read by the prefect. That was how Father Edgardo learned about Danica, who had tempered her tirades about seminary life and its rules.

“Lisa really enjoyed …” Father Edgardo would say when he was talking about a new book, a new film. Lisa this, Lisa that, but I never suspected what the connection was.

I felt a certain rage burning in my chest. I felt cheated. Father Edgardo poised himself as this well-rounded priest who could live in the world and still honour his vow, his vow to remain celibate. I thought it was a gift, one that I wanted to receive as well. I knew he had female friends, but as I understood his relationship with them was platonic. He loved them all in a celibate, non-sexual way, he said. And I believed him. Why wouldn’t I? Everyone had friends. Jesus had friends, and not all of them were men.

The more I thought about it, the more I became interested to know who this Lisa was. What was special about her? Why couldn’t she live away from Father Eddie? Why would she write such a letter? Why would Father Eddie not destroy the letter immediately? Was Father Eddie with Lisa now? The questions spiralled in my mind and stole my appetite.

The priests had left the table. I was the only one at the refectory still eating. A group of guys were in the adjoining dishwashing area. Brenda and another kitchen staff were clearing the priests’ table, saving left over food for them to share. I brought my plate, spoon, fork and cups to the kitchen. One of the guys assigned to wash dishes gladly took them from me. I returned to Father Edgardo’s room, where my confreres had resumed packing a few remaining items. One of them carried the box of photographs. It was heavy. He dropped it on the wood floor making a loud whacking sound, tearing the box apart, spilling images of Father Edgardo, his families, friends and Lisa all over. Five of us soon launched a massive recovery effort picking up the scattered evidence of what we thought was Father Edgardo’s happy life. One seminarian gave me an intrigued look when he picked up a photograph of a woman in her bathing suite by the beach. I ignored it. But it didn’t last. I couldn’t help but ask one of the guys if he knew the woman in the picture.  He said he didn’t know her and had never before seen the woman, flashing a beautiful smile in the photo.

We scrambled to find a sturdier box for the photographs. We did find one. The new arrivals had boxes that were going to the garbage pile or burned at the back of the compound. It was almost two o’clock when we finished packing and loading all of Father Edgardo’s stuff. Father Jason was getting antsy to leave. He had a three o’clock appointment and had to drive for about an hour to get there, he said. After thanking us, who packed everything, his vehicle pulled into the driveway and out of the gated seminary. Father Michael headed back to his office and I went back to the registrar’s office to resume the typing job.

Ms. Ramirez told me I could continue typing up the documents on Monday and take the rest of the day for myself.

I was about to turn around, head to my room where I had my own stuff to unpack, when Ms. Ramirez asked me to stay for a bit. She closed the door to the office, after checking if there was anyone in the hallway. The registrar shush me to be quiet and then asked, “So, did you find out?”

“Why Father Edgardo is not here?” I asked back.

“Yeah, did Father Michael or Father Jason tell you?”

“No. But we packed all of Father Edgardo’s stuff. Father Michael hauled them off.”

We stopped our secret chat when we heard somebody was approaching the office. It was the librarian. She came in and realized we were having a private conversation. She was going to leave, but Ms. Ramirez told her, she could stay. The librarian obviously knew as well what was going on.

I haven’t made up my mind about the disturbing clues I found at Father Edgardo’s room. I didn’t know how to react to the registrar and the librarian fishing for information from me. But I also thought, they knew, they just wanted to verify if there was any veracity to whatever allegations they had heard.

I told the inquiring women, I really didn’t know anything other than Father Edgardo wasn’t coming back to teach. I didn’t think they believed me, but they didn’t probe me any further. It was tempting to share my internal agony, but I didn’t think they were the right persons.

I hung out for a few more minutes chatting with them about what I did over the past summer and off I went to my room with a Betamax tape of Stealing Heaven I pilfered from Father Edgardo’s collection inserted between the garter of my shorts and my back, covered by my shirt.

2 out of 5 stars

Intro:

I have read a lot of YA with unbelievable plots, from finding out you are heir to a throne (Meg Cabot’s Princess Diaries) to becoming the next cover on a tabloid magazine (Robin Benway’s Audrey, Wait!) , but this one was super weird. All of her life Dani had to steal to survive, together with her mother, since her father has been out of the picture. She and her mother go from town to town robbing people blind and making a living. There is no time for relationship or friends, it just Dani and her mom. However, that all changes when they arrive at a beach town called Heaven. It is there that Dani truly begins to question her lifestyle and how she can change.  She meets new friends, starts to fall in love, but Dani is a thief. Can she still have the life she wants knowing what she is?

Review:

As you may, or may not know, I am very big on supporting characters and how they are treated. This book did not do anything to the supporting characters. It is one thing that side characters help the main protagonist grow throughout the book, but it is no fun when they aren’t given a much deeper role into the story. Sure, the ever-so patient cop, Greg, became the love interest, and we had a bubbly good-girl as the friend, but that was it for them. There was no other point for them to be in the story.

As for Dani herself, I could not connect with her. There wasn’t much development on her end, like we knew that she wanted a stable life, but her actions did not match her wants.  There was no emotion to her story or life.  Dani was completely devoted to her mother, and that was the biggest plot in the whole story. Basically, it is was Dani trying to leave her mother’s life style to one that she wanted for herself, or what she thought was better.

And for some reason, her mother annoyed me even more.  I could not tell if she even cared for her daughter or was just using her to make herself feel better.  In some YAs we have really bad mothers, but this one takes the cake. Throughout the whole book, she tries to make Dani “have fun” wherever they go.  If your own daughter knows that what you doing isn’t right, then maybe you shouldn’t try to make her do the same. Parenting, you’re doing it wrong.  It was the one scene that really turned me off in this book, *SPOILER* who sleeps with the same man your daughter slept with? That is just not right. It was a disgusting part to read.

The ending to this story was one of the final things that I didn’t like. I felt that it was too rushed compared to the pace the book was going.  The ending left many questions unanswered, and didn’t do justice to all the supporting characters in the story.  None of the characters felt like they popped out of the story and become memorable.

“Stealing Heaven” was a big disappointment to me. It had a lot of potential to be great, and the premise was unique enough to be interesting, but Scott did not follow through in terms of characters. The ending was also too anti-climatic and nothing really changed to Dani’s character development. But, my dear readers, I’ll let you be the judge of that. 

How did I get the book?

Genre: Contemporary

First Impression: Everybody keeps talking about Elizabeth Scott, this looks like a good book to start with.

Synopsis: My name is Danielle. I’m eighteen. I’ve been stealing things for as long as I can remember.
Dani has been trained as a thief by the best—her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends—a real life.
In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She’s making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani—because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they’ve targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she’s always known—or the one she’s always wanted.

200 words (or less) review: After I finished Stealing Heaven I ordered two more books by Elizabeth Scott as well as adding all the others to my wish-list.

The writing is alive, I can’t think of a better way to describe it. I was right there with Dani and so engrossed in her story I didn’t question anything – it was just reality.

Dani knows what her and her mother do is wrong, Dani doesn’t like it but it’s all she’s ever known. So when they arrive in Heaven Dani is all set for the next job. Only this time she makes friends, and that’s where it starts to unravel.

Despite (or because) of her upbringing Dani has a strong moral compass and watching her struggle with her decisions is heart wrenching. I really liked Allison and thought Greg was well written and sweet, maybe a little too sweet but he bought a nice balance to Dani’s outlook on the world.

When I started the book I wasn’t sure if I’d care that much about ‘a thief’ but it only took a few pages for me to wish Dani could have it all. Of course she can’t but I’m still happy with the ending.

Recommend it?

Absolutely

Stealing Heaven is a very interesting book. If you have recently read Ally Carter’s Heist Society, this book is very like that, but more family based. 

Danielle, a 18 year-old teenager who has been stealing for as long as she can remember, has been trained by her mom to know who to target. And she’s recently found her best catch; the beach town Heaven. Filled with huge mansions and rich families on holiday for the summer, nothing could look better to Danielle andher mom. But everything changes when she meets actual friends and a guy, and find out that her friend lives in the target house. And that her guy is a cop. 

Rate: 8/10

Written by Elizabeth Scott

Reviewed by Sarah Wagner

Listen to booktalk.

             “The story of my life can be told in silver; in chocolate mill, serving spoons, and service for twelve. The story of my life has nothing to do with me. The story of my life is things. Things that aren’t mine, that won’t ever be mine. It’s all I’ve ever known. I wish it wasn’t.” Danielle has only known one way of life since she was born. She was trained as a thief by her mother, one of the best professional burglars around besides her father. Together, they move from town to town, preying on the wealthy and their vast collections of antique silver.  But changes are about to come, changes that will turn their world upside down. Stealing Heaven is the story of a mother-daughter tag team pretending to be traditional when secretly living a not-so-traditional lifestyle.

            Since Danielle and her mother are always on the run, she has never made any real connections, real friends, or even a real life.  When her mother decides it’s time for the two to move to the beach town of Heaven, Dani figures it will be just like always: fake names and identities, small talk with the community, in and out in a month or two. But things begin to change once she finds out that her new friend’s house is the one being targeted and the guy she can’t seem to get away from is a cop. Dani also notices something different about her mother, something she can’t figure out because her mother keeps brushing it off. Now Dani is faced with deciding where her loyalties lie: the life she’s always lead or the life she’s always wanted.

            Stealing Heaven is an exciting young adult novel that will capture the interests of teenagers. Geared more towards teenage girls, the character of Danielle is relatable in the fact that she doesn’t know who she really is and she’s just experiencing normal relationships. Teenagers are all going through a stage of life where relationships become difficult and insecurities are high. This book is the perfect way to show them that everyone goes through some similar experience as they do. It is also an enticing read which will have readers captivated and on the edge of their seats. This book lives up to its title as one of the 2009 YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and delivers an insightful message as well as a good read.

Interview with Elizabeth Scott about Stealing Heaven:

 http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2008/08/author-interview-elizabeth-scott-on.html

Stealing Heaven cover:

  The author Elizabeth Scott:

German alternative cover:

Released: May 27, 2008
Publisher: HarperTeen
Rated: YA
Amazon

My name is Danielle. I’m eighteen. I’ve been stealing things for as long as I can remember. Dani has been trained as a thief by the best—her mother. Together, they move from town to town, targeting wealthy homes and making a living by stealing antique silver. They never stay in one place long enough to make real connections, real friends—a real life. In the beach town of Heaven, though, everything changes. For the first time, Dani starts to feel at home. She’s making friends and has even met a guy. But these people can never know the real Dani—because of who she is. When it turns out that her new friend lives in the house they’ve targeted for their next job and the cute guy is a cop, Dani must question where her loyalties lie: with the life she’s always known—or the one she’s always wanted.

What I thought

Elizabeth Scott books are a lot like potato chips. You can’t stop with just one! I had a marathon weekend of her books and the more I read, the more I needed to get my hands on more. Stealing Heaven was another hit, one I couldn’t put down until I had read every last word.

I really liked the premise of this one. It made for such a fantastic read that keeps the reader on their toes. Sydney, aka Danielle, was such a great character. I instantly fell for her. She had such hopes of a normal life, one where she didn’t have to steal from people she made friends with and to skip town after each job. Danielle’s mom was something else. I was fascinated and at the same time, sad for her daughter. The things she did!

The romance was brilliant! The obstacles that were in their way! It made for such a great read that kept me on my toes on how things would play out. Since Danielle had to hide everything from this guy she was growing more and more fond of. And her growing interest is hampered a bit by the guy being a cop. Really, it made the story fun and adventurous.

My Rating

My Thoughts:

Danielle’s life has been spent stealing things with her mom. They run from town to town taking advantage of people and move on before they can even begin to settle down. Dani is now eighteen and has never really had any sort of friend or a real life. When they get to the town of Heaven, things are a little different. Dani meets some great people–Allison and James, who just happen to be the family her mom wants to go after in this town. She also meets Greg, a local policeman who just won’t leave her alone. Dani shouldn’t be getting close to these people considering what she’s going to do and that she’ll be leaving soon after. But she keeps staying around them. When her mom finds out and she has to choose, what choice will she make?

This story had a lot going on. It really makes you think of how it would be to be in Danielle’s shoes. You’ve spent your whole life stealing to survive. Your MOM showed you how. Your mom is all you have. And then you actually get to know some people outside of family and like them. You know that what you’re doing is wrong, yet you still do it for your mom and yourself. For someone like me who’s never stolen anything, it’s just hard to picture life like that. But I can understand the moral dilemma. If you’re not taught right, you do what you’re taught.

Something I really enjoyed was the banter between Greg and Dani. It was so cute and hilarious. Watching Danielle face her future and the hard decisions she needs to make when a serious situation arises is remarkable. I love stories when the main character has to deal with life changing situations. It gives you that feeling of growing up again.

Even though this isn’t completely like other Elizabeth Scott novels I’ve read, I still enjoyed it just the same. It does have a good lesson and gives perspective into a life most of us don’t live. I recommend it to those who want to read about a different life.

Pretty Good… Stay up until your bedtime.

~Jessica

Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott

Danielle has been stealing things for as long as she can remember.

At eighteen years of age, Danielle isn’t your average young adult. After her father got put in jail for theft, she and her mother have led a nomad life style. They go from place to place, stealing to make their way. Thieves don’t always look like you think they should.

Danielle is tired, though. Tired of living a life where nothing is hers, where she is constantly on the move. Tired of lying about her name, her background, tired of pretending to be someone she isn’t.

She longs for what every other young adult takes for granted: a home to call her own. Her own room. Her own possessions. She longs for a life that doesn’t include thieving, making money off of someone else’s misfortune. Danielle wonders if her life is ever going to change.

That change comes when she and her mother make a stop in the small tourist town called Heaven.

There, Danielle begins to get a glimpse of what it would be like to have a normal life, to be a normal girl. And when she meets Greg, her life changes in a big way. Greg is one of Heaven’s cops. And Danielle can feel herself falling in love with him.

Falling for a cop is dangerous but Danielle can’t seem to stop herself. And when disaster strikes, when something terrible happens, Danielle finds herself having to choose between the life that she’s always known or getting the life she’s always wanted…

Shanyn initially started Chick Loves Lit to review her favorite chick lit novels; but quickly moved on to exclusively reviewing YA literature. But anything involving books is A-Okay with Shanyn, as she states “I love reading, looking at books, visiting libraries, buying books for friends, going to book sales, organizing my books, finding used book shops… you name it!” Visit Chick Loves Lit for more reviews from Shanyn; but for now steal a glance at Stealing Heaven.

“When it comes to Elizabeth Scott books, I know that I don’t need to read the plot summary to be interested in the book – the author is enough. Because of this, I was completely caught off guard by ‘Stealing Heaven’.

Overall: 49/50″

Thank you to Shanyn from Chick Loves Lit for talking to us about Stealing Heaven.

Over to you…have you read Stealing Heaven? If so, what did you think of it? If not, will you be picking this book up during your next trip to the bookstore and/or library?

Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Erika (aka inkpoperika)

Danielle and her mom — a charismatic beauty with a penchant for getting what she wants, when she wants it — are thieves. Each new place provides an opportunity for reinvention and getting to know the neighbors . . . all while looking for the next house to hit. With her father in jail and her mom becoming more and more obsessed with stealing, Danielle is becoming disenchanted with their lifestyle — but couldn’t abandon her mom.

Things change when they arrive in Heaven, a beach town filled with wealthy residents. It’s there that she meets Allison, a sweet girl who befriends her, and Greg, a handsome and funny cop who finds himself drawn to Danielle and her evasive ways. Alone with just her mother for most of her life, Danielle longs for human connections. But it’s only through forging those bonds that she begins to understand what they could cost her.

Elizabeth Scott’s Stealing Heaven is a lukewarm novel about a young woman’s struggle to let go of the complicated, dangerous life her thoughtless mother has created for her. From the beginning, I pretty much wanted to punch Dani’s mom — often called “Miranda,” if she uses any name at all — in the face. Who in the world decides this is a great way to raise her daughter? With no education, no plan, no future . . . just a flat-out life of deception and thievery? This the second book I’ve read recently where the parents had no business being parents, and it enraged me.

Putting that aside, Dani was a likable — if not totally interesting — main character. What she longs for most in the world is family, freedom, love — things any 18-year-old would hope to have. A practiced and talented thief, Dani isn’t accustomed to anyone paying much attention to her. That’s the name of their game: invisibility. But Greg takes notice of her immediately and won’t let her slip away.

Sadly, for me, Dani was a bit of a Bella Swan. Nondescript; simple; quiet; uninteresting. Guys might say “mysterious,” but I think that’s a stretch. Basically, Dani’s way of life has been shaped by the fact that she must, at all times, protect her identity . . . but she finds herself opening up to Greg in a way she never has with anyone. That’s all fine and good, but what I didn’t get was why Greg was interested in her. He makes frequent mention of the fact that she answers his every question with a question, and I’ll tell you now: that would annoy the tar out of me. I guess she’s pretty . . . that might explain part of it. But beyond that, I just didn’t get much personality from her.

Still, I finished this book quickly and never thought about abandoning it. As Dani’s web became more and more tangled and the stakes grew ever higher, I had to know what was going to happen to she and her mom — and how they were going to get out of this one. And despite his bad habit of falling for boring chicks, Greg was pretty swoonworthy.

I might have gone with a 3.5-star rating for this one, but I have to deduct points for the weak ending. I wasn’t at all happy with the resolution, and I think so much of the story relies heavily on pure coincidence — always something that annoys me. Still, a pleasant enough read for teens. Just be aware of some sexual content (and it made my skin crawl) and language. The story is darker than the colorful, lighthearted cover might suggest.

3 out of 5!

ISBN: 0061122823 ♥ Goodreads ♥ LibraryThing ♥ Amazon ♥ Author Website
Personal copy received as a Secret Santa gift from Andi (in 2009!). Thank you!

Living Dead Girl

BookPeople: What book(s) of yours have been banned or challenged and what were the reasons given?
Elizabeth Scott: My novel Living Dead Girl has been both challenged and banned. The most common reason given for its removal from shelves/in challenges is that the subject matter is “inappropriate,” although I do know of one challenge that asked for the book to be removed for the subject matter and for the “unsatisfactory ending.”

BP: What was your reaction when you first heard your book(s) were being challenged?
ES: I wasn’t surprised, actually. Living Dead Girl is about a girl who was kidnapped, and has spent the past five years living with her kidnapper – she’s clearly abused and yet no one – none of her neighbors, no one she sees when she’s out with her kidnapper – ever does anything to help her. And that – the idea that we, as a society, tend to look away from things that we know, deep down, feel wrong, somehow – I knew that would be upsetting for some people.

BP: How do you feel knowing there are people out there who don’t want young readers to have access to your books?
ES: I don’t agree with censorship, but I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you don’t believe in reading a certain book, then by all means, don’t read it. But just because you don’t want to read something doesn’t give you–or me–or anyone-the right to say, “No one should read this.”

BP: Has having your work banned or challenged changed the way you write?
ES: Nope. I tell stories–sometimes they are sweet and funny. Sometimes they aren’t. I wouldn’t change that for anything. Or anyone.

BP: Sexuality, magic, expletives, race, and LGBT themes (among other topics) are often the reasons people challenge books. Why do you write about these topics, and why do you think it’s important that they are included in young people’s literature?
ES: I write about them because they are part of life. I write about them because pretending sex/drugs/cursing/etc. doesn’t exist – or worse, claiming that it’s “bad” – won’t do anything. We’re all hoping to read something that makes us think, “Yes, this is exactly how I feel.” Why would you want to take that away from anyone?

BP: Has your status as the author of banned books affected your career as a writer?
ES: Not that I know of!

BP: What do the terms “censorship” and “intellectual freedom” mean to you?
ES: Censorship, to me, is what happens when one person or a group of people decide that they know what everyone should/must read/think/do. I think that’s dangerous. No one should have the right to tell you what to think or do or say or write. I don’t have that right. You don’t have that right. None of us do.As far as intellectual freedom–I’ll be honest. It makes me think of professors, and how the tenure system came to be–as a way for those who spoke and taught and wrote things that made others uncomfortable/upset a way to know that their beliefs wouldn’t endanger their jobs or their work.

BP: What are your favorite banned books, and why?
ES: I’m quite fond of the ttyl series of books by Lauren Myracle, which I think capture being a teenage girl exquisitely.  And, of course, how can I not mention Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which meant so much to me when I was ten years old and showed me that yes, there were girls out there who wanted their period and thought about boys and were sometimes confused about what they believed in.

BP: If you could say anything to Judy Blume, a literary legend and other of many banned books, what would you say?
ES: Judy Blume, thank you. Thank you for not being afraid to go where other authors didn’t. Thank you for writing the books you did. Thank you for making me see that I wasn’t alone.

BP: What advice would you give a student (or parent, or concerned citizen) whose school or library is facing a book challenge?
ES: Stand up for what you believe in. Don’t be afraid to use your voice. You deserve to be heard as much as anyone else. You matter.

BP: Since burning books is tragic, but bonfires can be fun, what should we burn instead?
ES: I vote we make s’mores and talk about the books we love.

Thanks so much to Elizabeth Scott!  Living Dead Girl just came out in paperback, so come on in and grab your copy!

Eighteen-year-old Danielle (Dani) wants more than anything to have a normal life. All she has ever known is moving from town to town with her professional thief mother. Her mother uses Dani to help steal silver from wealthy families. They never stay in one place long and Dani never makes any real friends. However, all of that starts to change when they move to a coastal town called Heaven. Dani makes her first real friend on a visit to the beach. Unforunately she discovers that her new friend, Allison Donaldson, is the daughter of her mother’s next target. If that’s not bad enough, she also develops a crush on a police officer named Greg that she meets at a grocery store.

Dani starts to imagine herself settling into this quaint beach town and wonders how she could ever steal from her new friend. This story places a new twist on teen rebellion. Dani’s rebellion from her mother would mean that she does the right thing and puts an end to her life of crime. Even though the ending of the story was somewhat predictable, I enjoyed Stealing Heaven. The book, written in first person, is filled with Dani’s wit and the characters are well developed and believable.

–Renee

Both protagonists in Bloom and Stealing Heaven feel like their lives are not theirs to control. Danielle in Stealing Heaven only knows a life of stealing with her mother. When she meets people she tells them lies about herself because she is a thief and does not want to reveal her true identity. She creates an identity for the purposes of getting information that she needs to help her mother burglarize a prominent household in the town which they are staying. Lauren in Bloom is living a life trying NOT to be her mother. She tries to be the ideal daughter for her father, the ideal friend for her best friend and the ideal girlfriend for her boyfriend. All these ideals are not really who she is and she starts to do what she really wants covertly. Lauren cheats on both her best friend and boyfriend-she has another best friend and love interest on the side. She thinks she can conceal this but the reality is she is more transparent than she thinks. Eventually the concealment and lies that these characters build up comes crumbling down in a relieving denouement. To step into the shoes of a dislikeable likeable protagonist read Bloom and Stealing Heaven by Elizabeth Scott.

For the most part I thought Bloom and Stealing Heaven were well written and compelling however, one of the problems that I had with these books was the lack of character development. Danielle seems to have dropped out of the sky and even when there are allusions to her past, they are unbelievable and topical. Moreover her past does not flesh out her character. Instead of creating a believable multi-faceted protagonist we get a semblance of a character who is written for the purpose of moving a story forward. Don’t get me wrong, I like that the characters are flawed, but in that same regard I would like to understand why they are flawed. Is their flaw only because they are unable to think and act on their own, or does it run deeper?

Anyway for more takes on these books and some insight from Elizabeth Scott check out her blog http://www.elizabethwrites.com/. More reviews and commentary about Bloom are available at the following blogs: bildungsroman, bookshelves of doom, and teenreads.com. There’s even an interview with Elizabeth at bildungsroman.

One last note, Stealing Heaven hits the shelves May 27, 2008.

I loved Elizabeth Scott‘s other two books, bloom and Stealing Heaven, but Perfect You just might be my favorite! It’s a close call as to which is the best, but Perfect You is in no way disappointing, and in many ways awesome. Kate is an awesome main character, but I loved all of the characters, and the complicated relationships they had with each other. Perfect You is a fresh, funny, and honest story that is everything readers will expect from this talented writer, and more! Honestly, I can’t recommend highly enough this fantastic story about family, romance, friendship, love, life, and growing up.