Teenage Lexicon

Above anything else that I am, I am a storyteller. I am prone to devoting myself to the worlds in my head, as most storytellers are. Like all writers, I tend to commit my stories to words—language is my primary medium. But it isn’t my only. This is why I am enthralled by architecture: I see buildings as another medium for storytelling. But, unlike books or paintings, buildings don’t stop becoming something once they’ve been built. Once started, they continue to tell themselves.  They are a vehicle for my stories—they often help propel them in new directions I wouldn’t have otherwise deemed possible. My buildings are as much a part of The Knowers as my books.  Skylar's House - Final Enter Me, sophomore year. The Knowers is going through major overhaul. The Eminence isn’t born yet. I think I want to be a marine biologist, I have no idea how to draw, I have to take Scripture studies for my Catholic school’s religious curriculum.  Yes, the Bible can be ...

I had the wonderful opportunity and honor to interview McCaid Paul, author of the Summersville series, for Teenage Lexicon! A teen author from Northwest Florida, McCaid has already published two mystery/thriller novels at just fifteen. I asked him about writing, inspiration, and other interests:  What got you interested in writing? Was there a special person in your life who encouraged you, or did you read a book so compelling that you decided to write your own? I first became interested in writing during the first-grade, after my teacher gave our class a writing prompt every day for the rest of the school year. I enjoyed writing in my journal as much as I could, especially after my dad began writing short stories to motivate and inspire me to “keep going.” My mom was also a source of encouragement since she was a teacher. She played a huge part in keeping me on track, and helping me to develop a love for reading and writing at an early age. The teachers and staff of my...

Every Bright and Broken Thing by Brian McBride is one of those books that stays with you. I’ve read this book twice now, and both times, I was left staring at the last page in complete awe of what I’d just encountered. It’s the kind of book that grips you by the heartstrings the second you open it and doesn’t let you go until long after you’ve closed it.  Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! Perhaps my favorite thing about this book are the characters. Ezra and Liam are so dynamic and realistic that I felt for them consistently throughout the book. Whenever they hurt, I hurt in response. I found myself internally yelling at McBride a lot to give these poor boys a break. (Of course, I subsequently internally thanked him for giving me a story in which I could become so heavily engrossed.) Both characters were defined by how they dealt with their trauma, not by the sheer fact that they were broken, which is something I often find in books of this nature. The things that Ezra and ...

I’m a sucker for ragtag groups of outcasts, dynamic fantasy creatures, strong narrative voices, and eclectic origin stories. Prison of Outcasts, the first book of Kyra Johnson’s Mizlie Series, checks each of these boxes, and it does so marvelously. It had been so long since I’d read a fantasy book I’d enjoyed, let alone one that I couldn’t put down until well past midnight. Here is a book that intrigues, surprises, and has you laughing and crying simultaneously from the first word to the last.  Warning: Mild spoilers ahead! Nathan/Ning’s origin story is by far one of my favorite origin stories of all time. It’s memorable, humorous, and so out there that you can’t help but find it absolutely brilliant. What an incredible way to set up an incredible book. Ning is a deceivingly dynamic character. At first, he seems to be the only dull character in the vibrant cast. But he isn’t dull. He just doesn’t know who he is. A reader meets Ning right alongside Ning himself. I so ...

Today's Snapchat memory A year ago today, I published The Knowers . Simultaneously, it feels like it's been much longer since I sent it into the world, but also as if it were yesterday. In honor of The Knowers 's first birthday, here is why I decided to publish it. (Yes, it was my college essay!) My blood runs cold when a teacher asks for something in pen. Nothing I write ever seems solidified enough to condemn to permanence, as I’m not one for that level of commitment. There’s no going back with pen--every line you make is forever yours. A simple fix to this commitment issue: I always use pencil when left to my own devices. Add two numbers incorrectly? Erase it. Write down the wrong date? Erase it. Pencil is one of the few things in life for which you have a reset button. You can do away with any evidence that you can’t do math or don’t know how to use a calendar. So why does everyone always want everything in pen? Is it out of desire for us to be able to ...

I haven’t read something as deeply raw and emotional as Set Me Free in a very long time. This was a story told by the only person who could really tell it. Warning: spoilers ahead! I’m always a sucker for books with interesting perspectives, and Laura Freeman—who spends the majority of the book dead—fulfilled this perfectly. Even if she weren’t unique in the fact that she narrates the absence of her life rather than the presence of it, her moxie, sensitivity, and tenacity would differentiate her from other YA characters anyway. Too often, in books with similar situations as Set Me Free, I see protagonists who are whiny, annoying, or just plain boring. Laura is absolutely none of these things. She’s deep. She shows emotion like a normal person. The relationships she has with people are messy and strong and wonderful all at once, like real relationships are.  Right now, in the time and place we are in, the story that Set Me Free tells is one that so desperately needs ...

The Eminence , without a doubt, is my favorite thing I’ve ever written. I think it’s my best work to date technically, and its plot is probably the most solidified. I have a better grasp of my characters, and I have better and less trite vocabulary. But it isn’t just that. The Eminence was extracted straight out of my soul. The Knowers —maybe because it was my first piece of fiction I knew people would read—is kind of a watered-down Nina. But The Eminence isn’t. I don’t sugarcoat anything. I try not to shy away from awkwardness. I had a story and I told it and I tried not to put anything between me and my words. After reading some of it, my dad pointed out that The Eminence was a kind of therapy for me. Because the majority of it was written during my junior year and the summer following, a lot of the stuff I was dealing with comes out over the course of the book. I was in AP Chemistry, so you’ll see a lot of chemistry references. I was starting to love architecture, so yo...

Honey Butter is one of those rare books that is pure magic. I don’t think any words I write can accurately capture the essence of this story, but I can certainly try to find some. Warning: (mild) spoilers ahead! The premise of the book—a somewhat overlooked child finding solace in paint chips—is endearing. Jamie is such a beautiful, well-written character. Like any seven-year-old, she is naïve, slightly aloof, and has a wondrous imagination. She makes mistakes, but she has such a good heart. The reader knows Jamie within a few pages. It is impossible to meet Jamie and not smile at least once a chapter. Laren is also a wonderful, detailed character. She remains remarkably positive, regardless of the troubles she’s endured. Jamie is entranced by her, and the sister-like relationship that emerges goes beyond heartwarming.  The setting—and the language describing it—can only be described by “ebullient ”, as Laren would say. The summertime vibes are so strong—I wanted...

Love and the Sea and Everything in Between by Brian McBride is not for the faint of heart. It deals with very difficult subjects, but it does so wonderfully. WARNING: Spoilers ahead! And mentions of suicide, depression, and assault.  Let’s start with characters, whom I loved. Adam and Liz weren’t perfect. They made mistakes, and they hurt each other because they were hurting themselves. The reader really feels as if they know Adam and Liz. I do wish we could have had a bit more exploration of Jeremiah and Oliver, though. Though the letter that Jeremiah gives to Adam towards the end does give a lot more insight into his character, we may have been able to understand his and Adam’s fallout better and sooner in the story, which may have made his confrontation with Liz a bit more emotional. (Though that scene was very emotional; it was one of my favorite scenes.) The setting was also extremely vibrant. Although I’ll admit that I’ve never been to San Francisco, it’s o...

Why Not YA is all about bringing attention to an inarguably underrated genre. Because YA (young adult) fiction is geared towards somewhat younger readers, a stigma surrounds it: can what YA has to say really be of any value?  The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan dares you to change your mind and will infallibly succeed.  Warning: This book deals with some heavy topics like suicide and depression, and this review may mention those topics. Second warning: SPOILERS AHEAD! Leigh has just lost her mother to suicide. This book follows her as she travels across the world to meet her maternal grandparents, whom she has never met before. While in Taiwan, she pieces together her family’s history from fragments of memories she can’t quite remember. She doesn’t know anything except that her mother has turned into a bird. This book pushes the boundaries of metaphor, and it does so wonderfully. Leigh feels in colors; Pan illustrates these colors with vivi...