Dangerous Neighbors

As the general plot of DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS has been nicely summarized by several reviewers already, I won't include another recap here. Rather, I would just like to comment on the fact that I don't believe there's another YA author out there today who's writing books with the deft emotional touch that Ms. Kephart possesses. One of the things I love about Ms. Kephart's books is that the main character is not the most colorful person in the room, nor the most boisterous. In other words - it's not the person one might expect. Her main characters may be shy, frightened or even damaged in some way, but that's where the storytelling begins. As Ms. Kephart reveals her characters through her lush and, at times, emotionally raw style, the reader is taken on an intimate and highly satisfying journey into the workings of an individual that, no matter the circumstances, illuminates aspects of human nature that resonate with all of us. DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS provides the ideal counterpoint to many of the more trendy books at the opposite end of the YA spectrum by skillfully examining the timeless, emotional bonds that link us all through both pain and love.

Although Dangerous Neighbors is an historical novel in which 1876 Philadelphia and the Centennial are vivid characters, this story about twin sisters and love and loss feels very present and alive. Kephart writes the way few people do--attentive to the nuances of language and thematic possibilities. Highly recommended.

Dangerous Neighbors drew me into late 19th century, and placed me at the Philadelphia Centennial Fair of 1876, where I was immediately caught up in the story of 17 year old twin sisters Anna and Katherine. While the main action swirls around Katherine's "last day" at the Centennial Fair, Katherine's thoughts wend back and forth, allowing the reader to learn about her relationship with her sister while rushing toward the inexorable conclusion of Anna's death. Beth's Kephart's writing is so exquisitely beautiful that I always find myself lingering over passages and descriptions, even reading them aloud occasionally to feel them roll off my tongue and set them free into the air. This novel is no exception, but with Dangerous Neighbors, I felt the need to read quickly, to find out exactly what happened to Anna and whether Katherine would make good on her plans to end her own life. The detailed descriptions of the Centennial Fairgrounds on that fateful day created a kaliedoscopic effect, the sights and sounds whirling around in my head, while Katherine's memories filled in the background of the family story. A multitude of themes are packed into this short novel - grief, sibling rivalry and responsibility, parent/child relationships, young love, and teen suicide - themes we're accustomed to reading about in modern literature settings, but not quite as often in historical novels. Kephart creates the perfect emotional portrait of her characters, and invites her readers to study it to discover all their delicate nuances. Dangerous Neighbors speaks to readers of all ages in its look at some very universal human emotions and situations.

First off, I'd like to say that I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book. The color is just absolutely beautiful. I love finding bird eggs on the ground or in a nest because of the wonderful colors that they are and it's lovely to see it replicated on the cover of this book. The cover gives way to the story inside which is just as beautiful and fragile as the egg portrays. Katherine and Anna are twins and best friends. They have always been there for each other from the beginning. Then Anna begins to grow apart from Katherine who is not quite ready to let her sister go. The story starts with Anna's tragic accident already happening and the reader must work their way backwards to find out what actually happen. It's a very moving story as you read about Katherine's feeling throughout the book and how much her sister meant to her because as twins, they always have and will be a part of each other. I really loved the historical aspect of the novel. I have always found world's fairs to be wonderful places to set stories especially after I studied more about them in my graduate classes. Kephart makes the Philadelphia's fair come to live and I could picture myself there, hearing the crowds and seeing all the spectacles. It must have been a grand time to live in an age where technology was so new and exciting. The only small qualm I had with the book is that I felt it ended rather abruptly. The book is rather short, at less than 200 pages. By the time I got to the end I felt that I was now finally beginning to understand Katherine, and then the book ends. I would have liked more with her and also to find out more about Bennett and William. Both of the boys seemed like they had more to their stories but we barely get a glimpse of them before the book is finished. However even with the shortness of the book, Kephart still packs a mighty heavy punch with this book. It is deeply engrossing and very emotional. There needs to be more YA like this and I really do like YA historical fiction. Here's to another beautiful read from Beth Kephart and I'm looking forward to more from her.

Beth Kephart's DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS is a slip of a novel that packs an emotional punch, and I don't think I was ready for the raw glimpse into what it really means to be "my sister's keeper." At less than 200 pages, the novel feels like a Polaroid snapshot -- and focuses exclusively on what has brought Katherine to a rooftop with no intention of returning to the ground the same way she came up. From the start, Kephart's lyrical language had me completely entangled in the twins' story. As readers, we know Anna is gone from the very beginning -- but the circumstances remain a mystery. I liked that the facts were revealed slowly, like the unfolding of paper, and that we're introduced to each character in their own, sweet time. I've yet to encounter another novel that so perfectly captures the painful, heartache-inducing way in which sisters must grapple with one another moving forward in their lives -- and, in the process, pulling away from one another. With a sister three years my junior, I felt every word of what Kephart expressed about Katherine's perception of Bennett as a threat to the safe, secure and happy private life she had with Anna. DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS is a novel of change; of growing up; of grief. It's Katherine's story of attempting to emerge from the darkest part of her life, but it's Anna's story, too -- Anna's vitality; her joy; but her cruelty, too. It's a glimpse at life in Philadelphia just a little more than a decade after the end of the American Civil War, and a look at what it means to try and protect those we hold dear. Can we really be our sisters' keepers, the ones on whom they rely? Is it fair to even ask that of a sibling -- that we care more for someone else as much as, if not more, than we care for ourselves? After finishing the book, I closed it and sat back for a beat or two. I really liked it, yes, and found myself tearing through it at break-neck speed -- especially when I thought I was getting close to learning what really happened to Anna. But after it was all over, I couldn't help but feel vaguely unsatisfied . . . mostly because I wanted to learn more about William, a sort of 1876-version of an "animal whisperer," and the burgeoning feelings Katherine had for him. I wanted to see Katherine happy, particularly after everything she'd been through, but I received only a hint of the resolution I sought. Still, that didn't cloud my enjoyment of the novel as a whole. Though certainly not an upbeat, wild ride, DANGEROUS NEIGHBORS is a deeply introspective, thought-provoking story filled with memorable details and dimensional characters. It's also my first read from Kephart, a popular young adult author, and I definitely don't intend for it to be my last. Fans of historical fiction will find a philosophical story with excellent atmosphere and historical details that had me Googling the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition on my lunch break. Though the book is focused on two teenage girls, I hope that won't dissuade r