Wintergirls

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Publisher: New York: Viking 2009
ISBN-978-0670011100
pages: 278
Author's website

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Issues
Topics: Eating disorders
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 9-Adult


Reader's annotation: Lia doesn’t eat, she knows it is a problem but that doesn’t change anything. Now Cassie is dead, will Lia follow her lead?

Summary: Lia struggles everyday just to keep going. Her life revolves around not eating. The book opens with the news that her best friend Cassie had died from the eating disorder alone in a motel room. Any progress that Lia had been making, though it is difficult for us to know what that progress was, doesn’t seem to be working anymore. She goes through the next days at school and the funeral of her friend continuing with the self-destructive behavior she lives by, cutting, and not eating - convinced that this is making her stronger. Cassie is often in Lia's thoughts and so are the hallucinations haunting her. She is so isolated yet we see that it is all a front to keep everyone else thinking that she is fine, normal, and doing all the things she should be doing. No one has any idea what is going on in her head. But she can’t go on much longer like this. Something needs to change.

Evaluation: Powerful and raw, this is a difficult topic to read about but Anderson’s ability to show us this side of human nature and the possibilities of how far the human mind can take things is important. This book should instigate many worthwhile discussions among teens.

Slam

Author: Nick Hornby

Publisher: New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons 2007
ISBN-978-0399250484
pages: 370
Author's blog

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary Life
Topics: teen pregnancy, skateboarding
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 9-Adult

Reader's annotation: Sam is a happy teen, skateboarding through life until he finds out his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his child. He turns to Tony Hawk, his idol, for advice.

Summary: Sam is 16, skateboarding is his life and Tony Hawk is his idol; he has read Hawk's biography 40 or 50 times. Now he finds out he is soon to be a father. At 16, this was not something that was in the plan. He seems to be reliving his parents life. His mother was pregnant at 16 and his father left soon after and the last thing he wants to do is repeat that. He goes to Tony Hawk for answers, talking to the poster of him on his bedroom wall and listening to the answers he hears back. Sometimes Tony Hawk also takes Sam into the future to “see” what is in store for him. These events are often quite funny. We do see Sam come to terms with his life and move forward towards adulthood.

Evaluation: A cautionary tale for older boys, especially those considering sexual relations with a girlfriend. Nick Hornby approaches the topic of teen pregnancy from the boys side of things in this funny sometimes serious insight into the male psyche.

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl

Author: Barry Lyga

Publisher: Boston: Houghton Mifflin 2006
ISBN-9780618723928
pages: 320
Author's website

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary life
Topics: graphic novels, bullying, individuality
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 9-Adult

Reader's annotation: Hoping to remain invisible so as not to get bullied in school, our storyteller lives for his graphic novel that he is drawing and writing. Then he meets Kyra aka Goth Girl who not only wants to talk to him but gives him the support he needs to stand up for himself.

Summary: Written in first person, our narrator spends much of his time at school trying to be inconspicuous so as to keep from getting bullied. At the same time he is a straight A student in all of the top level classes. While trying to ignore the jock who is punching him in the shoulder over and over, he attracts the attention of Kyra (aka Goth Girl) who gives him the nickname of Fanboy. This is his first real friend since he moved to this town 6 years ago. His only other friend is Cal who can’t be seen with him in public for fear of alienating his jock friends, but they share a love of comics and graphic novels. Fanboy is working on his own graphic novel, Schemata. He is anxiously awaiting the convention where he will show twenty of his best pages to his favorite writer/artist Bendis. He and Cal have been planning this for months, that is until Cal’s lacrosse team wins and gets to go to the playoffs. He still has Kyra, that is until he has a fight with her too. It will all be worth it when Bendis sees his work.

Evaluation: A good choice for those interested in graphic novels or comics and for anyone who has been bullied or feels alone and invisible at school. Lyga touches on issues of suicide, family dysfunction and violent fantasies. He captures the “voice” of teens in both of the main characters.

About a Boy

Author - book: Nick Hornby
Screenplay: Peter Hodges
Directors: Chris & Paul Weitz

Publisher: Universal City CA: Universal 2002
ISBN-978-0783268644
Rating: PG-13

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Realistic fiction
Media Type: Movie

Grade level: 7-Adult

Reader's annotation: Self-absorbed, cool, playboy bachelor Will lives his life on his own terms. Then Marcus is there, trying to include himself into Will’s life whether he likes it or not. Every man is an island, or is he?

Summary: Independently wealthy Will Lightman lives his self-centered life in units of time. One unit for a haircut, another for dinner, two units for a movie. There is no future plan but to go on this way, no real responsibilities to anyone but himself. He likes the companionship of a girlfriend but as soon as the girl thinks there is some kind of future, he bails out. Then he dates a single mom who breaks it off first! Will now realizes this is his gold mine - single moms who don’t want to commit. But how can he find them? He attends a single parent support group but then realizes they expect him to be a single parent, so he makes up a child. That gets him a date with her friend’s son Marcus in tow. But the date ends with the discovery of Marcus’s mom’s attempted suicide. Marcus liked Will and decided that he better have more people in his life than just his mom, just in case she wasn’t there anymore. Marcus’s tenacity and determination coupled with his charm and openness about the bullying that is going on in school hook Will into caring, even though he tries not to. As the story develops more people come into their circle and before he knows it Will feels responsible.

Evaluation: This is one of my favorite feel good movies. It is funny and heartwarming without being sappy and kids relate to the difficulties Marcus has with his mother and with school. They laugh at his geekiness and enjoy Will's attempts staying independent and failing. The movie has a great soundtrack as well as a very good cast.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Author: Sherman Alexie

Publisher: Prince Frederick MD: Recorded Books 2008
ISBN- 9781428182974
length: 5 CDs
Author's website

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Media Type: Audiobook, read by Sherman Alexie

Grade level: 7-Adult

Reader's annotation: How does a geeky teenage Spokane Indian get off the reservation? He goes to the all-white school where he finds his place among the outsiders.

Summary: “I was born with water on the brain.” These are the opening words of the book. We then hear about all the other quirks and anomalies Junior (Arnold) had growing up on the Spokane Indian reservation. The Indians were poor and there wasn’t much to do, so fun often involved getting into trouble. When one of Arnold’s teachers encourages him to transfer to the better high school off the reservation, he decides it may be his only way to escape the cycle of poverty and does it immediately before he can change his mind. Being the only Indian in an all-white school makes him a curiosity at first but he eventually finds a place and makes some friends. He definitely has two lives, school and “the res” that do not intersect at all. They become difficult to juggle when the alcoholic, self-destructive behavior of some family members result in some deaths. But it doesn’t bring him down and he is stronger for living through the difficulties. Listening to the tape meant missing the cartoons that are in the book but hearing the author tell the story makes up for it.

Evaluation: Alexie reads his story with a mix of seriousness and sarcasm that had us laughing at some of the most difficult moments. Wonderful coming of age story that impresses one on the author’s ability to keep his own life priorities in place while strong surrounding influences could bring him down.

Whirligig

Author: Paul Fleischman

Publisher: New York: H. Holt 1999
ISBN-978-0805055825
pages: 133
Author's website

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Issues
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 7+

Reader's annotation: After causing the death of a young woman in a car accident, Brent travels to the four corners of the United States at the request of her mother, building memorial Whirligigs for her, and finds forgiveness and direction.

Summary: Arrogant, wealthy and privileged Brent leaves a party drunk after feeling humiliated when the girl of his choice turns him down. Completely self absorbed he thinks ending it all is the best solution. He only succeeds in ending it all for an innocent young women when he lets his car go out of control. As retribution, the woman’s mother asks Brent to go to each of the four corners of the US and build a whirligig as a memorial to her daughter. Brent, anxious to get away from Chicago and his parents, agrees to go. Starting outside of Seattle, armed with some materials and a how-to book, Brent’s journey is one of self-discovery, humbleness, and growth. His self imposed isolation gives him time to think about what is really important in his life. When he does choose to interact with others he finds new meaning in his life. Interspersed throughout his story is the story of the people that are affected by the whirligigs he builds.

Evaluation: Excellent story showing the interconnectedness of the world and how the actions of one person can change lives. One message for readers is that even really bad mistakes can be redeemed.
Awards: BBYA,

King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography.

Author: Chris Crutcher

Publisher: Random House/Listening Library, p2004.
ISBN-9781400095001
length: 4hrs. 30mins.

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre:Biography
Media Type: audiobook
Read by: Chris Crutcher
Author's website

Grade level: 9+

Reader's annotation: Growing up in a small town in a remote area under the thumb of an older brother isn’t always easy. Being a very non-athletic person in a school that worships its athletes is even more difficult.

Summary: This is the autobiography of Chris Crutcher, mostly his experiences from his childhood and high school years. He keeps us entertained with stories about his sports experiences as he is not really a very good athlete, and being bullied and/or controlled by his older brother, whatever you want to call it. He referred to himself as a bawl baby, and shamelessly told us about all the times he got tricked into doing something he didn’t want to do and ended up crying his way out. There were several touching, and heart-wrenching, in some ways, events that gave the reader insight into how similar his novels are to his real life. At the end he does talk a little bit about his life as an adult.

Evaluation: It is almost hard to remember that this is not one of his novels, especially when you hear a story that sounds familiar. This gives great insight into why Chris writes the kinds of books he does and where his stories come from.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime

Author: Mark Haddon

Publisher: New York: Doubleday 2003
ISBN- 978-0385509459
pages: 226
Author's website

Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary life
Topics: mystery, autism, divorce
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 9+

Reader's annotation: Even though the gifted but autistic Christopher is afraid to interact with others, he is motivated to push himself out of his comfort level to find out who murdered the next door neighbors dog. When he discovers information about his mother his world really takes a turn.

Summary: Christopher lives with his dad and goes to a special school for autistic children where he gets special math lessons because he is beyond all the other students. There are lots of quirky things we learn about his life such as how the color of the cars he sees from the bus will affect what kind of day her will have. Then there is the murder of the neighbors dog and Chris just has to find out what happened. It takes a lot of effort on his part to convince himself he should actually approach another person and ask some questions. Then he discovers some things about his supposedly dead mother and he needs his courage even more now.

Evaluation: Excellent story and insight into the world of an autistic person. Told in first person by someone with autism you understand why someone might act the way they do. The self-discovery aspect of the story is appropriate for teens and and the learning aspect is valuable for tolerance and understanding.

Whitbread Award

My Sister's Keeper

Author: Jodi Picoult

Publisher: NewYork: Atria 2004
ISBN- 978-0743454520
pages: 432
Author's website

Classification: Adult Fiction
Genre: Contemporary life
Topics: issues, siblings, coming of age, emancipation
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 8-adult

Reader's annotation: Conceived to become a bone marrow donor for her leukemia-stricken sister Anna decides that she has had enough and it is time for her to take a stand and take control of her own life.

Summary: The story takes place when Anna is a teenager, but through flashbacks and memories from all the characters involved in this dilemma we get a complete picture of all the issues and a bigger story about family, loyalty, love and responsibility - to ourselves and to others. Anna was conceived to help her sister Kate, who was diagnosed with leukemia when quite young, it seems certain she will die without this drastic measure taken. It was just supposed to be for the use of some stem cells and then when that didn’t work the doctors started on more aggressive measures. By the time Anna is thirteen, she is ready to hire her own lawyer to take control of her life. Kate seems to understand but her mother is devastated with this turn of events and does whatever she can to stop her. Their brother is no help and he has problems of his own and the father tries to stay calm and supportive of everyone. A riveting story that includes several surprise twists.

Evaluation: Picoult writes books about ethical dilemmas and this one is full of them. Told from several viewpoints this book makes the reader think about right and wrong and what is morally correct. Good book to start a discussion about a variety of issues including loyalty and responsibility versus free will and personal needs.

The Book Thief

Author: Markus Zusak

Publisher: New York: Knopf 2006
ISBN-9780375831003
pages: 560

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Historical fiction
Topics: holocaust, coming of age
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 10-Adult

Reader's annotation: As Liesel, her family, friends and Death live through World War II they find distractions in the stories that Liesel reads from the books she has stolen.

Summary: Narrated by Death, this is the story of a foster girl and her anti-Nazi family living in a small town in Germany as Hitler gains control and war erupts in Europe. Liesel’s first stolen book happens almost by accident after the funeral of her little brother. Although her foster parents are disappointed when her mother arrives with only one child, a girl not a boy as promised, they take her in and grow to love her. Struggling to make ends meet doing whatever they can, life in the working class neighborhood is hard-bitten and caustic. The opportunities for more stolen books keep presenting themselves to Liesel and her collection grows. She makes life bearable for herself and those around her including Max, the Jew they are hiding, with the diversion of the books and their stories. There are many “asides” from Death, some that clarify things and others that confuse, which may make it difficult for less strong readers to follow. is heart-wrenching and spell-binding.

Evaluation: This book can be very intense, with the backdrop of the Nazi’s growing control and WWII. The poetic style of Death’s narration is beautiful and thought provoking. Definitely a must-read and make sure you have your box of tissues.

Whale Talk

Author: Chris Crutcher

Publisher: New York: Greenwillow Books 2001
ISBN- 978-0688180195
pages: 224
Author's website

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Topics: bullying, sports, abuse
Media Type: Book

Grade level: 8-adult


Reader's annotation: How does an multiracial adopted boy who refuses to play by the system rules become such a leader in his small town school? He stands up for the down-trodden and becomes the advocates for all those who can’t do it themselves.

Summary: T.J. Jones is an anomaly at his school. Multiracial, adopted, and one of the top students, he stands out from the others. Although everyone knows he is a great athlete he refuses to go out for football, something many of the conservative community members can’t understand. He works hard to keep his temper in check when he sees bullies messing with other students but he doesn’t hesitate to come to the victim's assistance. Then one of his teachers asks him to put together a swim team for the school so that he can be the coach and T.J. pulls together a group of misfits that can finally find something they might be good at. Outside of school T.J. helps out with his therapist when she needs another person in dealing with abuse cases and his family ends of taking in a little girl who has been abused by her step-father, one of the town bullies. What starts out as an act of generosity has grave consequences to everyone in T.J.’s life.

Evaluation: An excellent book about what it means to fit in and how we function together each with our own demons to deal with. Gives perspective to the term “bad things happen”. Anyone who has had to deal with bullying, misperceptions, and prejudice will relate to some part of this book.

Silent to the Bone

Author: E.L. Konigsburg

Publisher: New: York Atheneum Books for Young Readers 2000
ISBN-978-0689836015
pages: 261

Classification: Young Adult Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Topics: abuse, trauma, family, divorce, mystery
Media Type: Book

Interest Level:
Grade level: 5-Adult

Reader's annotation: When Branwell’s baby sister has trouble breathing due to mistreatment he loses his ability to speak. While being held in a juvenile detention center, his best friend has to figure out a way to communicate and find out what really happened.

Summary: The story opens with the 911 call when Branwell’s baby sister clearly is seriously injured and he can’t speak. We know pretty quickly that Branwell is being wrongly accused and suspect that something he knew or saw is what is keeping him mute. It is now up to his best friend Connor to find out through a bit of detective work what actually happened that is keeping his friend from speaking. This involves renewing his relationship with his older half sister and throughout the process Connor too benefits from the experience. This is a story about families and relationships as well as loyalties and growing up.

Evaluation: The way the story slowly unfolds and the sense of mystery that the author captures in her writing style keeps the reader’s attention right to the end. Issues of divorce and remarriage, sexual attraction and shame will attract the teen reader.