Young Adult Literature Synopses—Organized by Themes
FITTING IN
Geeks
by Jon Katz
This is the true story of how "two lost boys rode
the Internet out of Idaho." I don't review nonfiction
books here very often, but I fell in love with this
'Net-savvy writer's story of two real teens who
accept their "geekiness" and use it to get the hell
out of a dead-end town. This is a story of aching
alienation, of how high school can suck the life out
of smart, "unusual" kids. It's also a story about the
courage it takes to embrace our quirks fiercely
enough in order to create/find futures that truly
sustain us. Jesse and Eric were restless, 19-year-old
geeks in Caldwell, Idaho, when they read a piece
that Katz wrote about "geeks" for Hotwired. The
piece resonated so strongly that Jesse wrote to the
author, and an unusual relationship developed
between Katz and the boys. Tender. Riveting (I
devoured the book in a morning, without coffee... I
couldn't tear myself away from the story long
enough to fire up the kettle). I love how Katz
wrestles with his journalistic integrity as his
friendship with the boys grows. He sees long
misunderstood parts of himself in Jesse -- a grit, a
defiance, a vulnerability, a passion for justice, a
boundless curiousity -- and invites us all into his
private transformation as he recounts Jesse's
tremendously troubled (yet hopeful!)
coming-of-age.
Lizard
by Dennis Covington
Ever feel like a freak? Well, then you'll probably be
able to relate to Lucius Sims. He sort of looks like a
reptile, and everyone calls him "Lizard" and treats
him like an alien because he's different. In fact, they
put him in a home for retarded boys even though
no one's ever proven he has a handicap. Lucius has
it down, though, and you better hang on tight when
he heads out on a madcap adventure in search of
freedom. Covington, a tremendous writer, won the
1991 Delacorte Prize for this book -- a prize given to
outstanding first ventures in Young Adult fiction.
Slot Machine
by Chris Lynch
Poor Elvin... it's tough being a fat guy at summer
camp, especially when this camp is a sports boot
camp in disguise. At St. Paul's Seminary Retreat
Center, every boy has a slot for the summer:
basketball, golf, wrestling, baseball, football. Elvin,
unfortunately, doesn't fit into any slot. He knows
this in advance and tells the camp directors that he
is "unslottable." Even more unfortunately, the camp
directors scoff at him. "Of course, there's a slot for
you! We just have to find it," they say. And that's
where the fun begins. Elvin is a cranky,
wise-cracking square peg with a heart of gold in a
sea of round holes. Who says novels about not
fitting in need to be sad and full of angst? Elvin is a
riot! I dare you to read Slot Machine without
laughing out loud at least once!
The Planet of Junior Brown
by Virginia Hamilton
Although this one was published in 1971, its classic
theme still packs a wallop. It's about a 300-pound
musical prodigy with his head in the clouds and the
homeless kid he befriends. It's about the worlds
they create together in a secret cellar beneath the
school, and it's about what happens when reality
crashes in.
MIXED-UP FAMILIES
Nobody's Family is Going to Change
by Louise Fitzhugh
Emma and Willie both have dreams. Willie wants to
be a dancer, and Emma is determined to become a
lawyer. Their parents, however, mock them and
refuse to take these dreams seriously. What can
they do? Are their parents just brain-dead? ...or is
there something wrong with their dreams?
Gypsy Davey
by Chris Lynch
How come, if Davey is as slow-witted as his
mixed-up family thinks he is, he's the only one in
touch with his heart? He also is the only one who
understands the power of family bonds, caring, and
love. Davey's mother is beautiful but confused. His
father is lost, rootless, absent. Davey's care falls on
his sister's young shoulders, but she has problems
and unfulfilled needs, too. In this atmosphere of
extreme neglect, we watch Davey grow up and
adapt to the world. We hear is slow-moving
thoughts. We feel the yearnings in his heart. We
celebrate the freedom and peace he discovers when
he finally learns how to escape the confines of his
sad, dysfunctional family. What a complicated
character... What a moving (and disturbing) story...
This author's range astounds me. Gypsy Davey's
darkness, its loneliness, is so different from the
charming, smart-alec voice found in Slot Machine.
Heaven
by Angela Johnson
Marley's on the verge of learning a new truth about
herself and her family, but what if that truth turns
Momma and Pops into liars? And who will Marley
be if everything she's ever believed in turns out to
be untrue? This little slip of a novel, without a
single wasted word, packs a powerful wallop, and it
won the 1998 Coretta Scott King award.
Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!
by M. E. Kerr
In order to get attention, a fat girl announces in
Day-Glo graffiti that she shoots smack, but her
do-good mother is too busy rehabilitating addicts
to notice. M. E. Kerr has been turning out great
novels for decades. This one, though over 25 years
old, is still sharp enough to scratch underneath
your skin and remind you of how much you hated
yourself. There are no simple twists here, and Kerr
avoids moralizing about drugs or weight or
anything.
Send Me Down a Miracle
by Han Nolan
Fourteen-year-old Charity has always been the
perfect preacher's daughter. However, the whole
town will be in for a shock when she finally stands
up against her domineering father. This novel
brilliantly captures the moment when we first realize
that sometimes... just sometimes... our parents can
be wrong.
JOURNEYS
The Saskiad
by Brian Hall
Although published for an adult audience, I believe
that mature teens will devour this tale because it is
subtle, heart-breakingly honest, and travels more
deeply than most YA titles dare. Saskia is the
protagonist here -- an imaginative yet lonely girl
who is trapped on a farm outside of Ithaca, New
York. To kill time and keep herself sane, Saskia
reads Homer and dreams of adventures. She also
yearns for her father, who abandoned Saskia and
her mother when Saskia was very young. Her
dreams for adventure begin to take root in reality
when she receives a postcard from her mysterious
father, requesting that she join him on an important
journey. Truly, this is a mythical, magical, epic
coming-of-age tale. Author Brian Hall does an
exquisite job of capturing an intelligent teen in
mid-bloom.
Chasing Redbird
by Sharon Creech
When Zinnia discovers a hidden, overgrown path
near her house, she decides to follow where it
leads. Little does she know that she is beginning a
journey that will take her through the brambles of
her family's past. Creech's tale is vibrant and
bursting with fresh language. She hooked me on
the first page.
AWAKENINGS
Tangerine
by Edward Bloor
Zing! Pow! Zowee! As the title suggests, this new
novel is a delicious burst, full of flavor and entirely
refreshing. Paul Fisher is legally blind, but -- the
truth is -- he can see better than everyone around
him. He's even starting to see through the lies that
his family tells him about how he hurt his eyes.
Things start to come into focus more when Paul's
family moves to Tangerine -- a crazy, wacky town in
Florida where giant sinkholes eat up entire schools,
where underground fires burn for years. In a weird
town like Tangerine, even a bug-eyed geek like Paul
might become popular. In Tangerine, Paul Fisher
begins to believe the things he sees, and he begins
to see himself anew. Sparkling! Please, please,
please READ THIS BOOK! ...and then write and tell
me what you thought of it!
The Blue Skin of the Sea
by Graham Salisbury
There are plenty of good angst books with female
protagonists. Here's a rare, sensitive one about a
young man coming of age in a Hawaiian fishing
village. What do you do if your biggest fear
surrounds you? . . . indeed, what if that which you
fear brings life (and death) to those you love? For
Sonny Mendoza, it's the sea itself which fills him
with fear, and its his wrestling with its powerful
force that brings him to adulthood.
The Island
by David Borofka
Maybe you know how fourteen-year-old Fish
Becker feels? He dreads the coming summer
because his parents have decided to ship him to
Oregon to stay with old family friends. His parents
need space and privacy to work on their troubled
marriage, they say. Fish thinks that's hogwash, and
-- if they would just let him stay at home -- he'd be
able to help his folks patch things up. However, as
soon as he lands in Oregon, he's mesmerized by the
Lambert family's eccentricities, passions and
excesses. It's not long before he's tangled up in the
family's odd relationships and discovers a
mysterious feeling of belonging that he never felt in
his own home. This is a breathtaking, richly
textured story of a boy's awakening. Though
published for an adult audience, mature teens will
love what Publishers Weekly calls "Borofka's vivid,
humble word pictures." In my mind, I think of this
book as a boy's version of Brian Hall's The
Saskiad. It's very different, but Borofka indulges us
with sensuous descriptions of angst, longing,
adolescent thinking (both the naive and the
piercing sorts).
CREATIVITY
The Man in the Ceiling
by Jules Feiffer
Feiffer's hilarious and pointed cartoon strip runs
weekly in many papers, and this was his first book
for young people (though he illustrated The
Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster). Here, the
story is about Jimmy, a boy cartoonist, who just
wants to be recognized for doing something he
loves. I dig this book because it explores the angst
that kids feel when their creativity is ignored or
misunderstood. This is a book about what it feels
like to finally grow into your skin.
Teeth
by Hugh Gallagher
Gore Vidal says of this: "Finally, the dental
masterpiece we've all been waiting for." There is
hazard in being too cool too soon.
Post-postmodern Neil penned his way to fame in a
hip zine called Dusted. Now, he's out of school, on
the run, and in need of extensive dental work.
Where does reality fit in when one is trying to lead
a charmed, creative life? When does "cool" become
tiring? Find out in this fast-paced, quirky, mature
novel about what happens to a "chosen", smart kid
as he tries to find his way in the real world after
having been cool in the safe ones.
I Was a Teenage Fairy
by Francesca Lia Block
The deeper and darker Francesca Lia Block goes,
the better she gets, I think. Here is a complex story
about the healing power of the Muse. Barbie's
mother is turning her life into a living hell -- or at
least turning Barbie into a zombie as she shuttles
the teen to one modeling assignment after another.
It's obvious early on in this book that Barbie's
mother still wants to play with dolls, except now
she uses her real daughter (named appropriately, in
fact). Even when Barbie is molested by a
photographer, her mother does nothing to protect
or support her. She is single-mindedly driven to
turn Barbie into the star she always wanted to be.
What does Barbie think about all of this? She sits
on her rage like an unhatched egg, wishing she
could smother it. Then the Muse arrives... in the
form of an impatient, needy, self-involved (but
wise) little fairy named Mab. Mab challenges Barbie
-- awakens her, disturbs her, supports her. The
friendship that forms between them is difficult yet
playful, and it transforms them both. This sparkling
story will inspire readers to believe in and befriend
the small, creative voice inside themselves.
Girl Goddess #9
by Francesca Lia Block
If you're a fan of Block's lyric Weetzie Bat novels,
treat yourself to this collection of stories by the
author. It's as if Block blossoms before our very
eyes as each story unfolds and we meet new
characters from her inner world. Few young adult
authors talk as frankly about love and sensual
yearnings as Block does; however, here the
underlying theme uniting all of these stories is the
power of self-love and self-respect. Who is the real
goddess in Francesca Lia Block's world? Any girl
brave enough to honor the depths in her heart, face
her longings with compassion, and sing her truth
proudly. Is that you? Read Girl Goddess #9 and
reclaim the goddess inside of you.
PRESSURE
Squashed
by Joan Bauer
I love this one! Fortunately, other folks feel the
same because it won the 1992 Delacorte Prize.
Sassy, strong-willed Ellie Morgan grows
prize-winning pumpkins (we're talking 500 pounders
here.) Never a dull moment in this book!
Shark Bait
by Graham Salisbury
Mokes is torn. His parents tell him he must be home
when the Navy ships come to port off the coast of
the sleepy Hawaiian fishing village his family calls
home. Danger fills the air when the sailors crowd
the town's streets, looking for booze and fun.
Mokes should know. His father is the chief of
police, in charge of keeping order on such
disorderly nights. What will Mokes do then, when
his friend Booley asks him to sneak out into the
streets, into the middle of the danger, to help
Booley settle a score? Should Mokes obey family
orders? Or, should he honor his friend? This
heart-racing novel takes us right into the middle of
danger and deep into this thoughtful boy's mind.
Thankfully, Salisbury avoids moralizing here.
Readers will be surprised at the conclusions Mokes
comes to on his own about what is right and wrong.
The Bell Jar
by Sylvia Plath
Why put this classic here, under "Pressure"? It's a
good question. I read this novel (many people
believe it is a semi-autobiographical account of
Plath's own early years as a creative person in New
York City) just recently, at 34, and I'm grateful I
waited until now to read it. Esther is a brilliant writer
at college, enough so that she wins an internship at
a major magazine in NYC. In the big city, Esther
comes to realize that perhaps some of her strengths
as a writer and editor are more naive and
undeveloped than she thought they were. She
descends into a hell of self-doubt, and insanity
begins to build.... I'm happy I waited until now to
read Plath's amazing novel because I think I might
have been offended by Esther's rather quick spiral
away from the security of who she thought she was
into the center of hell inside her own mind.
However, after three of my own years in NYC, I
have to say that Esther was modest in describing
the pressures she was under.
TROUBLE
Bad
by Jean Ferris
Sixteen-year-old Dallas loves being bad so much
that she can't stop. She and her friends call it
"skating" -- a little petty left, wild joyrides in the
night. Unfortunately, when she and her friends
decide to rob a convenience store at gunpoint, they
make sure Dallas is the one holding the gun so that
they can split if things get hairy. They do get hairy,
and Dallas can't believe she's standing there with a
gun in her hand. When did she become bad? Dallas
has plenty of time to ponder that question because
the judge sentences her to six months in a girls'
rehabilitation center. There, she discovers other
people who love the thrill and exhilaration of being
"bad." In fact, not all of the girls there even want to
be rehabilitated. Does Dallas? Author Jean Ferris
avoids simplifying the dynamics at play in Dallas's
life. Readers will appreciate the honest, realistic way
Dallas's story unfolds, and they will be charmed by
the sparks and sassiness in Dallas's spirit.
Monster
by Walter Dean Myers
Wow. Wow. Wow. This is an amazing novel: gritty,
real, surprising, challenging. It's the story of Steve
Harmon, a sixteen-year-old amateur filmmaker who
stumbles into a terrible situation that may change
his life forever. He's on trial for felony murder
because the owner of a Harlem drugstore was shot
and killed during a robbery at the store. Did Steve
serve as lookout during that robbery? Or are his
"friends" trying to frame him? Frankly, reality
begins to blur for Steve as the trial starts and his
future hangs on the line. To cope, he blocks out the
swirl of dialogue and courtroom proceedings as if
he were making a film of his life. How will it end?
He's on the edge of his seat, along with us, waiting
to find out. Myers describes prison scenes with
care, but he doesn't hide the grim realities Steve
Harmon finds there. This is a mature book.
HEALING
The Hanged Man
by Francesca Lia Block
Incest, drug use, sex... in a YA novel?! Block is one
of the most innovative and lyric novelists to come
on the scene in years. You might have read Weetzie
Bat and been amused by the cool ways she paints
with slang. This book, however, takes us to a whole
new level of darkness and hope. True angst here . . .
written with enough honesty to send you reeling.
So Much to Tell You
by John Marsden
A very unsettling but riveting read about a young
woman disfigured in a violent accident, this one will
leave you hungering for more when the book draws
to a close. You know, it's not about sexual abuse,
but I think it would be a helpful book for survivors
of abuse to read. It's a perfect study in Post
Traumatic Shock Syndrome. Marina's brave journey
back to health will speak to many people who have
survived difficult childhoods.
She's Come Undone
by Wally Lamb
Where do our cravings come from? From the
gnawing, empty wounds left inside us? What
makes us hungry? Sorrow? Our empty hearts?
Delores Price is a wise-cracking, tough-talking,
13-year-old cynic when we first meet her, and she's
stuffing her face like there's no tomorrow. Food, she
hopes, will fill the void that she tries to hide with
sarcasm. As her teenage years come to a close,
she's ballooned to 257 pounds, and the junk food
hasn't made her any wiser or any more whole.
Instead of giving up on life itself, Delores gives
herself one more chance to figure out how the
world works and what will truly -- once and for all -fill her hunger. Leaving the television and oreos
behind, Delores embarks on a tender, painful
journey of reckoning. Oprah loved it and made it
one of "her books." Frankly, I am convinced that I
loved this story even more than Oprah. (!) I wish I
would have read this book when I was 17 and
starving for a way to navigate the void inside of me.
Not the End of the World
by Rebecca Stowe
Twelve-years-old and precocious, Maggie Pittsfield
is rolling like a freight train down into the darkest
tunnels of depression. A secret scandal in her past
is ripping her apart, splintering her soul. Sometimes
she doesn't know who she is... or what exactly
happened to her. Hang tight! This is an absorbing,
honest exploration of how we can come to face the
truth.
When She Hollers
by Cynthia Voigt
This novel takes place during a single day -- the
day that Tish decides that her stepfather will never
touch her again. Voigt brings us right inside Tish's
mind as she threatens her stepfather with a knife
and then goes to school -- with her secret exploding
beneath the surface of her skin. A very brave and
challenging story.
CHALLENGE
Jungle Dogs
by Graham Salisbury
Sixth-grader "Boy" Regis may be afraid of the wild
dogs that lurk along his paper route, but he's no
sissy. How can he prove that to his brother, who
uses his fists to settle scores? By facing one of his
greatest fears on his own terms, Boy learns that
courage comes in many different shapes.
Tightly-written, fast-paced, thought-provoking...
this story will appeal to a broad range of readers
but may be a special treat for the more reluctant.
Boy's challenge to himself will resonate deeply,
with boys especially.
Cowboy Ghost
by Robert Newton Peck
Wow. This one may surprise those of you who
thought Peck dallied a bit in his Amishly-slow A
Day No Pigs Would Die and A Sheltering Sky (both
of which I thought were exquisit and rich because
of Peck's command of language, but I know that
many people thought they were too slow...). His
latest is a rip-roaring, action-packed cattle drive into
the dangerous Florida wilderness and into the heart
of a boy's coming of age. Before sixteen-year-old
Tee MacRobertson can prove to his domineering
father and the rest of the cowhands at the Spur Box
cattle ranch that he's ready to take on adult
responsibilities, Tee has to convince himself that
he's ready. Is that mysterious cowboy ghost he
meets in the barn haunting him or guiding him?
Brilliant, moving, intense, breath-taking. I hope this
one wins an award or two.
Wrestling Sturbridge
by Rich Wallace
Ben has to win the state wrestling championship...
even if it means going against his best friend to do
it. Ben has to get out of Sturbridge, PA. There is no
way in hell he is willing to spend the rest of his life
there. He needs a college scholarship. The pressure
is on... if he doesn't win, he just might explode.
Robert Cormier describes the nuances here much
better than I can: "In a beautifully understated first
novel, Rich Wallace brings the town and the
teenager achingly alive as Ben wrestles not only his
high school opponents but with the big issues of
life and love and the choices a teenager must
make." Reluctant readers, take note: you won't be
able to stop turning the pages of this one!
Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World
by Jennifer Armstrong
Know anyone who yawns whenever the history
lesson begins? You, perhaps? Well, prepare to be
blasted out of your boredom! Here is one chapter
from history with more adventure and bravery than
a Steven Spielberg flick. This is the TRUE story of
Ernest Shackleton and crew's ill-fated journey to
Antarctica in 1914. They were to be the first
explorers ever to cross the Antarctic continent.
Unfortunately, just 100 miles from the Antarctic
shores, their ship was trapped and crushed by the
frozen sea. And that's not all... The team suffered
numerous other challenges, too, but guess what?...
every single crew-member -- from the banjo-playing
meteorologist to the dare-devil photographer to the
young stow-away -- survived the ordeal. Thanks to
Shackleton's brave leadership, for sure. I know that
I don't review nonfiction books here, but this one is
so captivating, so well-written that I think teens
everywhere will devour it. Great photographs, too!
Reluctant readers, especially, need to set their eyes
on this one.
Roughnecks
by Thomas Cochran
If you pay attention on the field, football can teach
you a lot about life. At least, that's what Travis
Cody thinks. Lined up against his opponent, ready
to smash in and block... it all seems to be about
survival, about finding out who the winners are and
who the losers are. One single moment on the field
could determine the rest of his life... or could it? On
the eve of the most important game of his life,
Travis Cody is about to discover a whole new layer
in the puzzle of life.
OUT OF BOUNDS
Virtual War
by Gloria Skurzynski
Eerie, frightening, inspiring! Imagine that the whole
planet depends on the outcome of your
performance on a video game... Corgan has been
genetically engineered to fight in a war to be waged
virtually against the world's superpowers. Corgan's
also been trained to be absolutely obedient to the
Council -- the mysterious people who rule his
world. As the war is about to begin, though,
Corgan decides to disobey his rulers. He's not sure
if they know what's best for the planet ... or for him.
This one is guaranteed to captivate game-freaks
and any teen who's ever visited virtual worlds on
the 'Net.