The Crossover

Alexander, Kwame. (2014). Crossover. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Josh and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the basketball court. This novel is told in verse and through the point of view of Josh and his love for basketball. Their father was a professional basketball player and taught them the game and he has health issues that he does not address until it’s too late. Josh is beginning to feel jealousy of his brother because of his new girlfriend and his attention away from basketball which causes them to grow apart. When their father dies, it brings them together with a mutual respect for each other. This is an excellent introduction to reading novels in verse for young readers. This novel has themes of family relationships and loss in this book. 

I'll Give you the Sun

Nelson, Jandy. (2015). I’ll give you the sun. Speak.

Noah and Jude are fraternal twins who grow up in a stable home until they turn 13 when things change. Noah is an artist and gay and meets a model Oscar. He also meets a new kid that he has a crush on named Brian.  Jude is interesting in the popular crowd, makeup and clothes.  Noah and Jude learn their mother is having an affair and plans on leaving their father only to die off a cliff as she was preparing to take him divorce papers. Things change for the twins at 16 when Jude is accepted into an art school and Noah attends public school. Jude mentors with a sculptor who turns out to be the man her mom had an affair with.  He also mentors another student Oscar and he is dealing with the loss of his mother. Noah has been diving off cliffs thinking his mother is guiding him down safely and is saved by Oscar. The family reconnects and decides to live on a houseboat. Noah also openly acknowledges he is gay and his father accepts his son. Everything comes together in the story which seemed complex in the beginning. 

The Silver Six

Lieberman, A. & Rawlings, D. (2013). The Slversix. NY: Scholastic.

Phoebe Hemingway’s parents died in a crash and once she is found she is taken to an orphanage where she finds five other kids whose parents died in the same mysterious crash and left them moon registration forms.  They team up to escape the orphanage to find out the conspiracy behind their parents death. Once on the moon, Phoebe has to make the tough choice of sacrificing a friend. They helped to uncover a plot and the end result was the creation of a new fuel source from the orphan moon. 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

Andrews, Jesse. (2012). Me and Earl and the dying girl. NY: Amulet Books.

Greg Gaines is a senior and has a friend who he considers as his coworker and they make films together. He doesn’t like the films they have been making but he enjoys the process and his goal is to improve his technique. Greg’s mom convinced him to befriend an old friend Rachel who has leukemia. They begin to spend time together as Rachel is about to begin chemotherapy and also meets Earl. Greg is not sure about his college plans and Rachel suggests film school. He makes a film about Rachel and it was played for the whole school. In his horror, he stopped going to school and scratched all the DVD’s of his films. He considered the University of Pittsburgh instead of pursuing film school. Greg wrote the book to tell the story that you should not try and be something you are not. He later applied to film school.  I enjoyed the characters in the book. Greg was a funny guy, Earl had a tricky past and Rachel was very calming and a good friend.

Everything I Never Told You

Ng, Celeste. (2014). Everything I never told you. NY: Penguin Press.

There is a mystery of what led to the death of Lydia Lee, a 16 year old girl whose family had a lot of hopes and dreams for her and ended ignoring their other children. She is found dead in a lake drowned by either suicide or murder. Her family tries to find out what happened to her but it also uncovers the secrets Lydia had with trying to fit in and how lonely she was after her mom and dad pushed her to be popular. This family struggled to understand each other. This is a story of love, lies, secrets, race and identity.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Crutcher, Chris. (2003). Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes. NY: Harper Teens.

Moby has a friend named Sarah Byrnes who is in the hospital and she was the friend who was there when he was an outcast at school because of his weight. She was also a target of bullying because of burns on her face. She refuses to speak and it is a plot to try and give herself time to think because her father has been abusing her and fears it’s going to get worse. Moby has to befriend his bully Dale to help Sarah. He also has to betray his friends trust and tell his teacher Ms. Lemry about trying to find Sarah’s mother so she can testify against the father Virgil Byrnes. Moby is hurt by Virgil because of his interference but this gave the police reason to arrest him and send him to prison for 20 years. Sarah has a second chance at happiness when she is adopted by Ms. Lemry. I think it is a good book because it covers important family issues. It also lets students know that sometimes you have to betray a friends trust especially if it saves their life.  It is suited for high school students. According Havigburst’s adolescents undergo changing relationships with parent. Sarah goes through a lot of changes with both parents. 

The Iron Trial

Black, H. & Clare, C. (2014). The Iron Trial. NY: Scholastic Press.

Callum Hunt wants to fail the Iron Trial so he cannot be admitted into the Magisterium. He has been warned by his father to stay away from magic. They try and scheme a plan but is unsuccessful. He is admitted to the Magisterium and learning magic. Callum is an interesting character to learn about since he doesn’t know a lot about himself or the world he has fallen into because his father kept him in the dark. The characters in the story are well developed and gives you a good sense of where they are coming from especially if you continue reading the other series of books. 

Everybody Sees the Ants

King, A.S. (2012). Everybody sees the ants. NY: Little Brown & Co.

Lucky is 15 year old teenager who has to deal with physical and emotional torment from a bully. He is not close to his parents and he is able to escape his life through dreams of helping his grandfather escape the jungles in Vietnam. Through a 3 week stay in Arizona, his Uncle Dave helps him to lift weight and gives advice on handling bullies. Lucky and his parents become stronger and he is able to stand up to his bully. His Vietnam dream ends with his grandfather giving him a ring and burying his grandfather. I thought this story was unique because it brought the damaging events of the Vietnam War and how they made an impact on his family’s relationship with each other. 

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Angleberger, Tom (2010). The strange case of origami yoda. NY: Amulet Books.

Dwight uses a finger puppet to talk to his classmates. Dwight is not very bright but the puppet is wise and is able to tell things that are happening like the date of a pop quiz and who stole the Shakespeare bust and helps some kids from being humiliated. A case file was created by a classmate Tommy with contributions from other puzzled classmates as to how Yoda is so smart. This book would appeal to middle school age boys and it has a lot of humor. And for some kids that is important.

The Fault in our Stars

Green, John.(2012). The fault in out stars. NY: Penguin.

Hazel Grace has cancer and meets Augustus in a support group. They form a friendship and share everything with each other. They travel to Amsterdam to meet the author who wrote a book they have obsessed about and has questions about it. He turns out to be a mean drunk who doesn’t answer any of Hazel’s questions. The trip does not turn out ruined where they share some romantic moments with each other. Augustus’ cancer returns and asks Hazel and another close friend Isaac to write eulogies because his health is failing. He dies and Hazel delivers a eulogy that helps his parent cope with the loss.  This was a beautiful first love story that would grab the attention of the reader. 

First Light

Stead, Rebecca.(2007). First Light. NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

First Light is told through the eyes of two narrators: Peter and Thea. Peter travels to Greenland with his parents who are scientists. Thea lives in a community hidden under Greenland’s ice. They both have mysteries to solve but cannot be solved without each other. This story mixes with science and fantasy. It can also be used to link discussions about glaciers, arctic climate and global warming.  

Brown Girl Dreaming

Woodson, J. (2014). Brown Girl Dreaming. NY: Nancy Paulsen Books.

Brown Girl Dreaming is the memoir of the author Jacqueline Woodson and how she grew up in the 1960’s. Jackie tells her story as she deals with a lot of issues like her parents splitting up, having a new brother who is sick, going back and forth from New York to Greenville, the death of her grandfather and her uncle going to jail. These were in the times of segregation and also the Black Panther movement towards the end. Jackie is excited her teacher Ms. Vivo sees her as a writer. I liked this story because it tells of a young girl’s early years and her perception of how she sees the world and what’s happening to her. This book is suited for fifth grade and up. 

Persepolis

Sartrapi, Marjane.(2004). Persepolis. NY: Pantheon.

Persepolis is a graphic novel that shares the author’s life from age 6 – 14 in Iran. She witnesses a lot of devastation during the Islamic revolution. Because of her families involvement in social activism, she wants to fix social inequalities as well. Marjane goes to a boarding school in Vienna run by nuns. She ends up in a variety of living situations and eventually returns home where she is treated like an equal. This book gives you a look into the public and private lives of Marxists. Students need to be introduced to biographies and autobiographies to help broaden their views. 

Gabi: A Girl in Pieces

Quintero, Isabel. (2014). Gabi: A girl in pieces. TX: Cinco Puntos.

Gabriella chronicles her senior year in a journal. These journal entries help her to process her feelings as she deals with her issues as well as her friends and family issues. She’s haunted with trying to be a “good girl” in her mom’s eyes since her mom got pregnant early. Gabi becomes a confidant for her friends as she learns about a pregnancy and finding out her friend was raped. She has a lot of thoughts about sex, rape, consent and boys attitudes toward girls’ bodies. Gabi also deals with the drug addiction of her father and her aspirations for college. She is also learning about love and the story ends with plans for college. This story describes the pains of adolescence. The author showed the feelings and emotions of a teenage girl guiding her way through. 

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, Patrick. (2008). The Knife of Never Letting Go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

Todd Hewitt lives in a town called Prentisstown and this Noise germ makes everyone’s thought heard by all. Todd runs into Viola who doesn’t have the Noise and they eventually run away from the town because his thoughts are heard about a diary his mother left him and it explains the history of the town.  The people of Prentisstown try to silence him. They have encounters from an insane preacher and a Spackle which turns out not to be an enemy. Todd and Viola are on their way to a safe place named Haven. Aaron always manages to find them and they also run into Prentiss Jr. the mayors son. Tragedy happens when Viola kills Aaron and Prentiss Jr. shoots Viola in the stomach. Todd manages to carry Viola to Haven where they meet Mayor Prentiss who welcomes them to his New World Order.

Monster

Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper.

Steve Harmon is a 16 year old on trial for murder. He is accused of being a lookout for a robbery and. He begins to tell his story through journal and in a screen play format. He is found not guilty but still wonders if he is still a monster and is haunted by the action of his attorney. Your actions have consequences and it makes you think about the decisions you make. This book falls in line with Havighurst's theory of development tasks that individuals should develop morals and values.

It's Perfectly Normal

This book teaches children about sexual, emotional health and relationships. It also discusses puberty, pregnancy and sexual orientation. It introduces these using colorful illustrations and would be a good teaching tool for sharing information with children 10 and up.  

George

Gino, Alex. (2015). George. NY: Scholastic.

George was born a boy but identifies himself as a girl. George wants to play Charlotte in the school play Charlotte’s Web not just because he loves the book but wants this to be his way of letting everyone know. George eventually talks to his mom and his best friend Kelly plans a trip to the zoo so George can finally be who he wants to be as Melissa. I noticed the author chose to use the pronouns (she, her, herself) when describing George which doesn’t let you forget that George is a girl trapped in a boy’s body. 

Annie on my mind

Garden, Nancy. (1982). Annie on my mind. NY: FSG.

Liz meets a girl that she has fallen for a girl named Annie. Liz lives in community that homosexuality is not accepted. Liz agrees to look after her two teachers’ cats and they are exposed when they are caught in the house together by a religious teacher. This book illustrates the development of their relationship. I think young adults that may feel confusion with a newly discovered sexuality would be able to relate to this book. As students grow they need to read books that also affect their social development. 

El Deafo

Bell, Cecilia. (2014). El Deafo. NY: Abrams.

CeCe is a girl who had meningitis and loses her hearing. She realizes she is different when her friend gets on a bus going to a different school and she attends a school with only deaf students. She has to use a powerful hearing aid and realizes she can hear more than what she expected. CeCe imagines herself as a superhero named El Deafo. As El Deafo, she attempts to triumph over her issues/situations she has had to deal with and become a listener for all. She really just want to be accepted and find a friend. Eventually she finds a friend Martha who doesn’t treat her differently. This book can be used to teach others about the challenges of being deaf. 

Speak

Anderson, Laurie H. (1999). Speak. NY: Penguin.

Melinda Sordino is tormented at school because of a secret she won’t share and is only seen as the girl who called the police and broke up a party. She has one friend named that Heather that talks to her. She is holding in a secret about a boy named Andy Evans who raped her and it is affecting her grades and her only friendship. The only peace she seems to find is in her art she creates. Melinda finds her voice when she sees a girl that may be in the same predicament she was in. I was inspired by this book and the character because it speaks on a serious issue and I hope people read it to learn that it’s okay to stand up for yourself. It inspires you to face your fears. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

Alexie, Sherman. The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown.

Junior is an Indian living on a reservation who decides to leave and go to a high school where whites attend. He has a tough time because he is alienated from both communities; the reservation and his new school. Junior makes the varsity team as a freshman and has to play against his ex-best friend Rowdy. Junior struggles with the death of his sister and the fact that alcoholism is plaguing his reservation. Junior finds a better life for himself outside the reservation.  I think the author did a good job in using humor to soften the difficult parts of the story. For example Junior describing the cerebral spinal fluid inside his skull when he was born.