So, summer is in full swing - so far, I'm surviving. My kids have been doing lots of swimming and lots of reading. Our library's summer reading program started on May 27, and my 6-year-old daughter raced through the program, reading 36 books in a week! I was laughing at her in the library the other day - she insisted on checking out 12 American Girl books, plus a couple of picture books. She struggled with her stack all the way to the check out kiosk, where I finally took pity on her. It reminded me so much of me when I was a kid. I remember walking down to the town library, gathering a tower of books and lugging them home. As I trudged up the hills to my house, I would vow to check out fewer next time, but it never happened. Anyway, I'm glad my kids have the same enthusiasm for summer reading that I did.

Hi Allyson. Welcome to Bloggin' 'Bout Books!

Me: How did you start writing? (What is your background in writing? Did you always love to write? Etc.)

ABC: I always wanted to be a writer, but due to a severe lack of early talent (most of my stories involved pregnant unicorns for some reason, which sounds vaguely obscene as I type this), I decided it would be better to be an English teacher instead. Then I could read books and talk about them and not have to go to all the work of writing them! I ended up teaching high school English and found out that there is still a lot of work involved. Tons of it, in fact. But I loved teaching and didn't think much about writing during that time.After teaching English for several years, I took a break to be home with my new baby (I am still on that break five years and two additional kids later). In the evenings, my husband would work on his PhD dissertation, and I no longer had papers to grade, so I thought, "Maybe I should write something after all." I knew that I didn't want to do dishes or clean the house. :) So, I started writing Yearbook, my first book.I have no "formal" background in writing. I've never taken a creative writing class (which I regret). But I did write for my high school newspaper. Does that count?

Me: It definitely counts. I wrote (and edited) my school newspaper, too :) Which authors do you love to read and why?

ABC: My favorite author of all time is probably Anne Tyler. I remember reading her novel Saint Maybe in high school and feeling like, "This changed my life. I don't know how, but I know that it did." I also love Shannon Hale, Linda Sue Park, Agatha Christie, Karen Cushman, Gary Schmidt...the list could go on and on. I read a lot of YA fiction and there is so much out there right now that is exciting.

Me: Why did you choose to write books for LDS audiences?

ABC: It just sort of happened. I never intended to write LDS fiction. Yearbook was a national market book to begin with, but after being rejected multiple times, I decided to revise it a little and try Deseret Book. They rejected it, too--but the acquisitions editor, Lisa Mangum, wrote a very nice letter and said she would look at it again if I cut out half the characters. Three revisions later, it was accepted for publication. Lisa is still my editor and I trust her very much. Looking back, all the changes she recommended for Yearbook were absolutely what I needed. She mentored me through that first book. Since then, I've enjoyed writing LDS fiction for a lot of reasons. It's fun to use experiences from growing up LDS (having to wait until the age of 16 to date, missions, etc.). I like being able to mention the gospel without having to explain or defend beliefs constantly. The readers and fans who like the books are supportive and great. I also love working with a publisher who understands when you say, "I'm sorry, I'm going to miss this deadline, but as you know my real/full-time job is being a mom, and this week no one napped. Ever. So I didn't get to write much."

Me: So many LDS books are populated by characters who never struggle with their testimonies, never fight with their parents, and never fall under peer pressure. How do you make your characters believable?

ABC: This is a hard balance for me--trying to write realistically but not dragging things down. Sometimes, what I think is realistic doesn't make the cut because of other concerns that the publisher has. For example, I had to cut some "excessive kissing" and also some steady dating from Yearbook at my publisher's request. That was frustrating, but I understand and respect where they are coming from. I do feel that showing the flaws in characters--in their testimonies, personalities, relationships--is important and essential.

Me: Tell me about your new book, Freshman for President. Where did you get the idea for the novel?

ABC: I was talking with a friend about the upcoming election year. He mentioned that he might be writing an election-based novel, and I jokingly said, "Well, too bad I can't, because that wouldn't make sense for a young adult book." Later that night, I thought, "Wait a minute. I could write an election novel. What if a freshman in high school ran for president or something crazy like that?" I started writing just to see what happened and it felt like it was working. It was fun to try something different.

Me: Freshman for President is not an LDS novel - how does writing for an LDS audience and writing for a general audience differ? What made you decide to break out of the LDS market?

ABC: As I mentioned earlier, it was always my dream to write for the national market. So, I wrote Freshman, knowing it was not in my usual genre, and hoped that Shadow Mountain would want it (they publish nationally). I was thrilled when they accepted it for publication. Writing it was not much different than writing any of my other books as far as the process goes-- I felt a little more free, I guess, in some ways. I'm excited to see what happens when it is released in June. The publisher has been very supportive of the book and they have some fun things planned for promotion.

Me: Thanks so much, Allyson.

ABC: Thanks for doing this!

A lot of book reviewers talk about "sequelitis," and while I don't know its exact definition (I tried looking it up on dictionary.com - no dice), I think First Day by Allyson Braithwaite Condie suffers from it. If "sequelitis" means that a second or third or fourth or whatever book fails to live up to its predecessor(s), then the term fits here. I've mentioned that I don't generally enjoy LDS fiction, but I thought Yearbook was "a very decent effort" (you can see my full review here). Its sequel, First Day? Not so much.

Like Yearbook, this one is told from several different points of view, including those of Andrea and Ethan Beckett. Many of the characters from Condie's first novel don't have voices in this one, although they exist peripherally. The other narrators are actually Andrea's Seminary students and a co-teacher. As in the first book, all the characters have different issues with which they are dealing - from trying to decide which college to attend, to choosing between different grad school programs, to learning how to deal with challenging callings, to figuring out how to catch the eye (and heart) of a dream girl, they all have things weighing on their minds.

Andrea Beckett narrates most of the book, which makes me happy since I think hers is the most authentic character out of all those in Yearbook. The Andrea we meet in First Day lacks the razor edges she had in high school, but she still struggles to connect with others. An upperclassman at Cornell, she misses home (especially a certain RM), making life in New York just a bit lonely. When she's assigned to teach early morning Seminary with nice guy Joel Hammond, things perk up a little. Well, maybe more than a little. Andrea's been burned by love before, so she steels herself against getting to close to Joel. Teaching Seminary has her stomach in enough knots - the last thing she needs is another complication in her life. In the meantime, she's reconsidering her educational and career paths. Then, there's Joel, a Utah boy who's a little lost in New York. Meeting Andrea changes everything for him. The only question is - how in the world is he going to crack the Ice Queen's rock-hard facade? While the college students deal with their problems, the high schoolers have their own troubles - Caterina Giovanni can't decide whether to attend BYU-Idaho or a local school. She's also dealing with the infuriating Steve Ward who would rather sleep through class than pull his weight as co-president. Ethan Beckett also makes a few cameos. A missionary in Brazil, he's struggling to learn Portugese, put up with difficult companions, and keep thoughts of Mikey Choi on the backburner. In the course of the novel, all characters will have to face their problems - with a little help from their friends, families and the Lord, of course. It will take faith, prayer and tenacity to handle the many beginnings and endings that punctuate the characters' lives.

There's plenty of material here, but First Day just fell flat for me. I think all of the narrators are likeable, but not that interesting. Most lacked personality and originality. I kept thinking of that old Writing 101 test - if all of the characters are talking at the same time, can you pick out the individuals without identifying tags? In this case, the answer is no - they all sound the same. Even Andrea, who I found so realistic in Yearbook, loses some of her oomph in this book. It's a terrible thing to say, but I think the more righteous Andrea is, the less impactful she becomes. The other big problem with First Day is that it lacks plot - the stories just kind of meander without any real direction. I think this is why I picked the book up and put it down a couple of times - it's just sort of ... boring. It's a nice story, don't get me wrong, I just didn't find it very exciting.

I did like that Condie narrowed down the number of narrators in First Day - it made the story more intimate for me. I also thought she kept things realistic (if ultimately predictable) - prayers don't get answered without some work, the inactive student remains reluctant, Andrea doesn't impress everyone, and Ethan finds that he's not the stellar missionary he thought he was. The book also sends nice, uplifting messages that will resound with anyone who's struggling to make decisions about their future. Finally, I have to say I love the cover on this one - it's simple and a little mysterious.

Overall, First Day makes for a nice, predictable read. It's positive, uplifting and not overly saccharine. I just wanted something more - deeper character development, more originality and a few twists and turns to keep the story interesting. Let's hope the "sequelitis" runs its course before Reunion, the last book in the series, hits the shelves.

Grade: C

(Book image from Amazon)