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| The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik by David Arnold |
If you read or listen to only one YA fiction book this year, make it this winner of AudioFile Magazine's Earphones Award, The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik .
You can read my complete review on the AudioFile site. Without giving too much away, I can safely say that this one is definitely mind-blowing. Loveable, quirky Noah Oakman has a relatively good life with his parents, his little sister Penny, and his twin best friends, Val and Alan—until the night when everything (except his strange fascinations) changes. This first-person narrative will take you deep into the suddenly changed world of the kind and introspective Noah Oakman. Even strings of text messages between Noah, Val, and Alan crackle with emotion or humor. Every one of the lesser characters is a star in his own right. Stellar writing, stellar narration! I could listen to it again!
As a side note, many will appreciate Alan, not because he is a gay character, but because he is a fully-developed and integral member of the cast of characters who just happens to be gay, the perfect foil to his dry, iconoclastic sister Val.
Fans of Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by A.S. King will likely love Noah Hypnotik.
Paramount Pictures is developing a movie version of The Strange Fascinations of Noah Hypnotik (details here). You simply must read it first! I don't think a movie will do it justice (but I'd definitely go to see it).
