TEEN PROBLEMS
Abelove, Joan. Saying it out Loud. DRP 43. JH Not recommended. Too bleak. Mindy’s other
is dying of a brain tumor, and isn’t herself. Her father is remote. She does have good
friends who foster and comfort her. The story ends on an almost positive note, after 136
pages of bleakness.
Almond, David. Heaven Eyes. MJH This odd book hangs between realistic fiction and fantasy.
Orphans Erin and her friend January escape from Whitegates, the home where adult
Maureen pesters them about their memories and calls them “damaged children.” They
float on their makeshift raft to the Black Middens, mucky mud flats revealed when the
river is at low tide. There they meet the mysterious “Heaven Eyes,”an odd and
vulnerable girl who sees good wherever she looks, and her “grandfather,” an old
caretaker of the abandoned factories where they live who has lost much of his short term
memory and reeks of violence. Positive, but this novel will not appeal to all readers. It
takes a very willing suspension of insistence on clarity, since the reader only slowly
infers setting, situation and genre. Touches of supernatural and death add quality to the
narrative
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Catalyst. H This novel centers around a girl who is obsessed with
getting into MIT, which ultimately rejects her. During the novel she gains some
perspective on this conflict when she is forced to room with a girl who struggles with
much more meaningful conflicts: incest, survival, death. The author cleverly, maybe too
cleverly, titles each short chapter with a chemical term and definition that apply
metaphorically to the action in the chapter. The ending is somewhat positive after a book
full of really negative attitude. Religion gets a really bad rap in the novel, though the
protagonist’s pastor father is shown to be a fairly good guy, especially at the end. I think
most of our students would have a hard time identifying with the protagonist being totally
devastated, her life ruined, almost mentally ill because she didn’t get into the prestigious
college she expected to be able to attend.
Speak. DRP 50. JH Superbly written with wry humor, this novel treats a VERY
controversial subject--rape--and treats it sensitively and with delicacy. A girl between 8th
and 9th grades is flattered when a popular senior pays attention to her at a party.
However, when his attentions turn into physical confrontation and rape, her life is
changed forever. She is ostracized because her friends (and the reader) don’t know what
happened--only that she called the police to break up a “harmless” party. The action
begins months later, and the girl’s story comes out through hints and allusions at first, no
one realizing what happened, until the girl must confront what happened--to prevent it
from happening to a former friend. Positive, but touchy--for more mature readers. The
wry sarcasm and humor of the narrator and her observations about the (young) high
school scene make the book charming and engaging as it is serious in its basic intent.
Positive. One caveat--the attitude towards teenage drinking at the party is rather casual,
except for presenting it as a very real contributing factor to the assault.
Avi. Nothing But the Truth DRP 47 JH This novel is a “documentary novel,” a novel told in
a series of “documents,” including a school announcements, letters from the main
characters, various memos and reports, as well as “dialogues” or “discussions” (in play
dialogue form) which really do not fit the “documentary” form. The story is not positive
nor attractive, though it does raise questions that are worth discussing. Philip Malloy
wants to run track. He does NOT want to work to pass his English class. After earning a
D in the class, which means he cannot run track, he decides he’s getting out of the class,
by whatever means he has to use. His method is to provoke an incident with the teacher
that gets him thrown out of class “because she has it in for me,” as he explains to
everyone who will listen. Unfortunately, the incident involves the teacher’s objection to
his singing the “Star Spangled Banner,” and it’s school board election year. The boy
loses control of what is going on once media finds out about the incident. The book
shows differing points of view about the incident and how “nothing but the truth” can be
twisted to mean anything but the truth. The boy’s casual, selfish evil prevails at the end
of the book—sort of. A Newberry Honor book, the novel has nothing objectionable
except the protagonist and the outcome of his selfish quest.
Barnholdt, Lauren. Two-Way Street. H In this teen novel, a girl and her ex boyfriend are forced
to endure each other during a two day trip to the university they will be attending. Their
hostility hides other agendas, which the reader finds out as the book goes on. There are
good elements to the book--the main issue of how kids deal with their parents' really bad
decisions and how those thoughtless, selfish decisions impact the kids, but unfortunately
the casual acceptance of premarital sex (semi explicit), the language, and some crudity
get in the way of the narrative. I have a hard time with the basic premise: no teen girl I
know would go on such a trip with a guy who had hurt her so badly. She'd die first.
Bauer, Joan. Backwater. DRP 51 JH Ivy Breedlove, sixteen, struggles to find a place in her
family of lawyers. She isn’t interested in law, but in history--family history. In her
studies she finds out she is not alone in rebelling against family expectations. Her aunt,
who she didn’t even know existed, lives on her own, inaccessible forest/mountain land.
Ivy sets out on a perilous journey to meet and interview this unorthodox lady. This novel
begins rather slowly, but has what a teen reader would like: romance, adventure, humor,
and a dynamic protagonist. Definitely positive.
Hope Was Here. DRP 52 JH Positive but realistic: Hope moves with her aunt, who is
her only family, from New York to a small Wisconsin town where her aunt will cook in a
diner and she will go to school and work as a waitress. The owner of the diner, who has
leukemia, runs for mayor against an entrenched and corrupt politician.
Thwonk. DRP 54. MJH A light, comic romance with a wise theme, if the girls this
novel will appeal to will take the time to think about theme. Allison, a senior with talent
in photography, but not in choosing guys, suddenly acquires the aid of a real, live cupid,
who offers her the fulfillment of her fondest dream--the adoration of Peter Teris, popular
hunk going with beautiful popular girl Julia. Moral of the story: be careful of what you
want. You might get it. Alternate moral: adoration from a popular hunk is not all as it is
imagined. Well told, light, and positive.
Bloor, Edward. Crusader. H Roberta Ritter’s mother was murdered. She works in her father’s
arcade in a failing mall in a deteriorating section of town. Hate crimes against an Arabic
shop owner in the mall escalate and involve people Roberta knows, and threaten her own
picture of the world. This novel includes actions and language that may offend teen
readers. More objectionable, in the interest of political correctness, the Arab owner gives
a version of history that isn’t entirely accurate, twisting events and presenting half truths
as the whole story to indict the US as racist throughout its time as a nation. Not
recommended.
Tangerine. DRP 49 MJ Soccer playing younger son (7th grader) suffers from eye
trouble. His parents explain he looked at the sun too long when he was younger. Their
attention and lives revolve around (senior in high school) their older son, a talented
kicker on the football team, who they expect to get scholarships to a “good” football
university and then go to the NFL. The protagonist is afraid of his brother and the
henchman he is always around. Though he lives in an exclusive area with WASP
schools, the protagonist ends up going to a more plebian junior high and playing on their
soccer team with hispanic kids who accept him somewhat when he interests himself in
the tangerine groves that concern many. Climaxing in soccer action, a homicide,
robberies, and resolution of conflict between son and parents, this book is high interest
and well written. Some questionable language. Positive.
Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. DRP 52 H This should have been an
excellent book to recommend to girls. There’s a big HOWEVER. The book deals with
four fifteen-year-old girls who have been inseparable since infancy who send a “magical”
pair of jeans back and forth during a summer in which they are separated. During the
summer each girl learns and grows through conflicts that stem from her particular
character and circumstances. She immediately recognizes that she “wasn’t ready” for
what she did. The sex itself is offstage, after the rather explicit leadup, and immature
readers might not catch exactly what happened, but it’s fairly clear. There is not even a
hint of a moral issue, just a “readiness” issue with the incident. The book also includes
several relatively harmless references to female anatomy as the girls tease each other.
The book brings up typical teenage issues in a usually positive way, but should be
recommended only cautiously because of the sexual issue, itself a good way to emphasize
that it is not always the boy who is the aggressor and that girls need to take responsibility,
too.
The Second Summer of the Traveling Pants. JH The second in this series
examines mother/daughter relationships in the group of four girls who trade the pants.
Sexual issues, with premarital sex accepted as the norm, still come into the story, with
one girl’s mother beginning a new relationship and another girl finding herself involved
in a romance, but the stories stress responsibility (without any regard for religious mores
or morality), and are handled well enough not to offend most readers, (but religious
readers do need to know that the stance of this author is not necessarily one they should
accept). The book is essentially positive, showing skillfully all the ambiguity and
love/hate of various kinds of relationships between mothers and daughters trying to grow
together.
Brooks, Bruce. The Moves Make the Man. DRP 55 JH Newbery Honor The DRP on this
seems high. It does descend into a little bit of dialect at times, because the narrator is
African American, but the dialect is accessible, and not much of it. The novel tells the
story of the relationship of Jerome Foxworthy and his white friend Bix, a natural athlete
whom Jerome secretly teaches to play basketball. Bix struggles with his troubled family
situation (stepfather who is judgmental and hard, mentally ill mother) and his own
insistence on truth with no deception--practically to the point of obsession. Jerome has
his own problems: he’s one of the first black students to enroll at Bix’s large
Wilmington, North Carolina high school. The book portrays the problems faced by the
first African Americans to integrate southern schools well, but the historical is not the
major focus of the book. The book is mostly positive, though the ending is not trouble
free. Good sports sequences, both basketball and baseball will attract readers.
Brooks, Kevin. Martyn Pig. JH This fifteen year old faces a miserable life: his mother deserted
the family because his father is a violent, miserable alcoholic living on the dole. His only
other relative is a dictatorial, judgmental aunt. He is forced to keep house and cook for
his father and take his father’s emotional and physical abuse. Then when his father
attacks him in a jealous rage, Martyn shoves him in self defense, resulting in his father’s
death. The story deals with the consequences of not reporting what happens. The story
moves well and includes suspense and drama enough, but the fatalistic attitude of
“everything is already determined by coincidence and a malignant fate, so just go with
the flow” and “ nothing is objectively right or wrong,” makes the book not one I would
really recommend wholeheartedly. The cover says it is “grossly funny,” but the humor is
hard to see, though the grossness is definitely present. The story ends on a relatively
negative note after a twist at the end. The protagonist is barely better off, with very little
hope for the future.
Brown, Jennifer. Hate List. JH Better and safer as a young adult novel than Nineteen Minutes,
this novel also deals with a Columbine like school shooting, taking the point of view of
the girlfriend of the sole shooter, who may or may not be the cause/a participant in the
tragedy. With chapters alternating between what she faces when she goes back to school
and the actual day and events of the shooting, the novel reveals backgrounds, families,
motivations of the participants. The novel shows how the tragedy changes--and fails to
change--the students and social structures that produced the shooting in the first place.
Positive, clean, with some language, this book is well worth reading and discussing.
Bunting, Eve Face at the Edge of the World. JH The kids call the cliff overlooking the sea
“The Edge of the World.” What Charlie saw there haunted him to the point that he
committed suicide. Jed, his best friend, feels compelled to find out why this promising
young man killed himself. I’m not sure the book is worth recommending to a student. It
does say something positive about taking responsibility and loyalty to friends, but it treats
sexual activity casually, taking it for granted, and is pretty stereotypical about interracial
dating and bad-guy aristocratic parents who do not accept that kind of pairing up, poor
drug addicts who are victims of their environments, etc.
Burgess, Melvin. Smack. DRP 47. H OK, if you want a kid on drugs to see consequences, this
book stands next to Go Ask Alice, though it’s not a true story. It is British, with the rough
frankness and assumed amorality of much of British YA fiction. It deals with two young
runaways who escape their abusive families to embroil themselves into the world of
heroin addiction and homelessness. Their struggle to survive that world, then to extricate
themselves from its clutches is unpleasant at best. The novel includes most every kind of
yuckiness, portraying the drug and sex filled world without judging it, showing the
people who try to help fairly truthfully. It’s a bleak book, but it would serve as a good
warning. It’s quite negative and rough and condones much behavior that is destructive.
The book is really an adult novel, with adult bleakness. OK only for very mature kids
who already are on the way to living this negative reality.
Cappo, Nan Willard. Cheating Lessons. H Not what you think—it’s not the kids who are
cheating. Bernadette goes to Wickham High--and she has a smashing English teacher
who encourages her and other top students to compete in a statewide quiz bowl. The kids
do unexpectedly well in the written test, so well, in fact, that they will compete with their
rival “rich kids” school for the state championship. However--did they come by their
scores honestly, or did the favorite teacher “cheat”? Positive, though a little simplistic in
places.
Carter, Alden R. Crescent Moon. MJH Set in the early part of the 20th Century, this novel
evokes an era of change in Wisconsin, when the forests have been cut and the mills are
closing, taking with them a way of life. The protagonist, 13 year old son of a merchant
and grandson of a woodcarver, faces those changes optimistically. The changes threaten
the Chippewa who live around their town and the protagonist’s friends, children of an
alcoholic who works in the mill. The novel is positive, but slow, though it speeds up in
the middle. It does paint an accurate picture of the personal cost of progress.
Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does my Shirts. MJ This delightful novel, aimed at middle
school readers, tells the story of Moose Flanagan. His family moves away from his
comfortable life to Alcatraz island so that his father can work there as a guard while his
sister goes to a special school in San Francisco. The novel, set in 1935, casually presents
challenges of life in the Depression, both the challenge of employment and the challenge
of living with mental illness and the time’s attitudes toward it. The central conflict is a
good one: a family so wrapped up in a mentally ill child they neglect the needs of a
healthy child. Delightfully light, despite the serious themes, the book is a good one for
discussion. Positive and fun.
Connelly, Neil. St. Michael’s Scales. H It’s too bad modern authors, like modern directors,
have to throw in a few gratuitous sexual references. This novel would be great to give
reluctant readers who like wrestling. The plot: a boy who feels guilt about his twin’s
death at birth and his mother’s subsequent mental illness has hallucinations during which
his twin directs him. He feels he must expiate his guilt by committing suicide. He is
inveigled into joining the wrestling team. Through wrestling and through association
with other kids, he comes to terms with his problems and changes for the better and
decides who he is. However, a graphic suicide scene (a one armed boy jumps out of a
window), a worry about penis size during his physical, and 1/4 page of dialogue about
watching a pornographic movie spoil the book for most of our readers.
Cooney, Caroline B. The Face on the Milk Carton. DRP 52. JH Almost 16-year-old Janie is
eating lunch with friends, casually reading the “Have you seen this girl....” entry on her
friend’s milk carton when she realizes that in the picture accompanying the entry the girl
is wearing her dress! Then she begins to have flashbacks of memory fragments which
makes her think maybe she was the girl that had been kidnapped--twelve years before!
Who are these people, these good people, who raised her? Who is she? This novel has a
well detailed plot with a real dilemma that delves into the identity search of most
teenagers. A caution: though there are no “sex scenes,” the attitudes are “mature.” The
novel concerns itself with her boyfriend’s sexual yearnings and her own budding sexual
feelings with a very casual attitude towards casual sex. Though nothing actually
happens, the novel very much communicates that it would be ok if it did.
The Terrorist. DRP 54. JH When her 11 year old brother is blown up in a terrorist
bombing in the London tube, Laura’s focus changes from empty headed concern over
clothes and boys to avowals of revenge and terror she will be the next target.
Unfortunately, the year her family is spending in London, with her attendance at an
international school filled with students from varied countries and cultures, becomes a
disaster rather than the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity it was meant to be. The
denouement is a little unbelievable, but Laura finally learns that her own credulousness
almost ends in a second disaster for her and her family. This plot could have been so
much better if the emphasis could have been on positive change in Laura. There isn’t
much. She really doesn’t learn much from the experience, except that Americans are too
trusting when they think everyone is basically good underneath. Inoffensive, but
disappointing.
Twins. DRP 49. H Mary Lee and Madrigal are identical twins who seem two halves of
one whole. They seem exactly alike in every way. So when their parents decide to
separate them forcibly by sending Mary Lee away to go to a private school, she is
devastated, feeling bereft without the twin with whom she has almost telepathic
communication, and rejected: her parents must not want her around. She refuses to
make a place for herself in the new school, determined to force her parents to let her
return home. Then her twin comes to visit, and captivates her dorm and schoolmates
with her sparkling, social personality. And then Mary Lee has the chance to take her
sister’s place, to lead the friend filled, glamorous life her sister has carved for herself.
But she finds that her sister wasn’t necessarily just like her, nor did she always lead the
life Mary Lee imagined. The book is ultimately positive, but the sadism and hints at
sexuality in the book make it one to give only to mature readers.
Whatever Happened to Janie? DRP 52 JH Sequel to The Face on the Milk Carton.
Now Janie, having found her birth family from which she was kidnapped at age four,
must go to live with them. What happens doesn’t live up to their expectations or hers.
Identity crises, family relationships, what constitutes parenting, all these are topics the
book treats. Be careful. The same cautions about attitudes towards sex apply to this
novel: nothing explicit, lots of hinting around, approval of casual premarital sex, (even
parental approval).
Cormier, Robert. Tunes for Bears to Dance To. DRP 55 MJH Excellent and mature book,
though very short (101 pages). Henry’s brother is killed by a hit and run driver,
destroying his father, who wallows in depression, and almost ruining the family. The
family moves to a new town, where Henry meets two fateful people: old Mr. Levine, a
survivor of the Holocaust who obsessively carves a miniature of his childhood village,
destroyed by the Nazis, and Mr. Hairston, Henry’s irascible boss. The theme of the book
deals with moral choices and the deliberate corrupting of the innocent by evil. Though
evil seems to win a bit, good finally comes out on top at the end. Positive.
Crutcher, Chris. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. DRP 52 H This book reinforces my objections
to Chris Crutcher’s novels, since it had the same problems I saw in his earlier books. The
plot concerns a fat boy who takes up swimming and his friend, whose face was badly
burned in an accident when she was very young. The “villains” in the book are a
stereotyped unjust and sadistic vice principal and a fundamentalist Christian swimming
competitor who proves to be particularly hypocritical. My objections: spates of bad
language, and the “politically correct” attitudes--all fundamentalist Christians are
hypocritical morons who justify physical abuse of a child as a parent’s “right,” while
good guys are priests who accept all standards and sexual orientations, teachers who
entertain discussions of moral questions--as long as students are willing to accept
immorality and abortion as justified, and parents who accept any kind of behavior as a
child’s choice, with little real input. I’m sure that many people will think the book is ok,
and Crutcher is a good storyteller who creates engaging characters and situations. I
wouldn’t have the book in my classroom, because I’m not sure that kids could see
through the propagandistic aims of this kind of novel.
Dessen, Sarah. Dreamland. DRP 54 H Caitlin’s idealized older sister, on whom her parents
have always doted, has run away from a promising life complete with Ivy League college
admission to work on an expose TV program and be with a questionable boyfriend.
Because Caitlin struggles with her parents’ withdrawal and her own feelings of guilt over
her sister, she is particularly vulnerable to new boyfriend Rogerson Biscoe. As he
becomes progressively more violent, she hangs on to the relationship because she seems
to have nothing else to hang onto. Ultimately positive, though she doesn’t break away.
The novel offers a good portrayal of such abusive dating relationships.
Just Listen. Sarah Dessen takes on typical teen issues and deals with them frankly and
maturely, with ultimately positive endings. These novels, as this one, ARE mature and
handle sexual issues and include language. This one tells the story of a girl deserted by
friends to become an social pariah who must learn from the experience, and with the hope
of a “bad” boy, move on. Positive.
This Lullaby. I really like reading Sarah Dessen, though I wish she'd clean up her
dialogue language. This one includes a bit of profanity along with the F word,
unfortunately. Her characterization, plots and positive themes make her writing worth
reading, despite the offensive language (which is only occasional). This novel concerns a
girl with a mother who drifts from husband to husband trying to find love, while the girl,
in reaction, shuts herself out of allowing herself to be vulnerable. She also goes from
relationship to relationship, even sexual, but only until she begins to get involved--then
SHE shuts the relationship off. Ultimately positive, the novel would be a good one for
mothers to read and discuss with daughters on the brink of dating and relationships and
the reality of love and sex.of a “bad” boy, move on. Positive.
The Truth about Forever. JH At last, a teen love story that deals with real issues, so it’s
not just froth, but isn’t dirty! Sarah Dessen proves her mettle as a writer when she deals
with the effects of grief on a family which has tragically lost its center, their
husband/father. The protagonist, 16 year old Macy, is dealing with her grief by trying to
be perfect for her mother, a rising real estate developer, and her boyfriend, who is already
perfect, especially in his own eyes. Then into her structured, “safe” world comes a
catering crew that teaches her that chaos, diversity, and challenge can stretch her and
assuage her grief with friendship, understanding, and a different kind of love.
DiCamillo, Kate. The Tiger Rising. DRP 46 MJH Source: Scholastic. Deals with a common
problem: a boy who is new, his mother newly dead of cancer. He meets the challenge of
persecution by the others, along with a girl whose parents are newly divorced who also
faces persecution by the “natives.” He finds a tiger, which changes him. Both main
characters change for the better during the story. Level is ambiguous, since age/ level of
school isn’t identified as middle, junior high or high school. Positive, but not resolved at
the end.
Dokey, Cameron. How not to Spend Your Senior Year. JH Jo and her father have
moved from place to place, to the point that Jo doesn’t even unpack her suitcases. Now
they have moved into a real house. Jo has a best friend who lives next door, and the
student body president shows signs of wanting to be her boyfriend. But her dad tells her
they have to move again…NOW. A faked death and an improbable “exchange” of
journalism students between two high schools make the plot really hard to swallow, but
characterization and dialogue make the book fun to read. Positive and harmless.
Donnelly, Jennifer. Revolution. H This novel is a dual treat: a treatment of a girl who is trying
to escape/survive a horrible family tragedy for which she feels responsible, along with
one of the best depictions of how it would be to live through the horror of the French
Revolution, with focus on what happened to the tragic young Louis XVII. It's a gripping
narrative with a touch of fantasy interwoven with all of the well researched historical
details. It begins bleakly, with the girl trying to escape her own guilt through very strong
sedatives, then contemplating suicide, but the book, despite some offensive language and
a bit of sensuality and acceptance of casual sex, is very positive and well worth reading
for mature teen readers. I would have liked more detail in an appendix about which of
her characters and details are wholly fictional and which are based on actual historical
personages.
Efaw, Amy. Battle Dress. H I was disappointed that this story wasn't really true. Based on the
author's real experiences, it tells the story of a girl champion runner with a horrible
mother joins the military to escape. The story tells her experiences at West Point in the
weeks of intense training and psychological testing before the actual plebe year begins.
Good characterization, but the girl's continual rising above the hazing and prejudice of
her superiors and peers should have been TRUE to have the impact the author intended.
The novel makes for pleasurable reading, because the reader roots for her to overcome
the obstacles, but I would have been happier with the author's REAL story (probably not
as dramatic and politically correct?).
Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Loses Control. DRP 49 M A sequel to Joey Pigza Swallowed the
Key. A boy with ADHD must deal with his father who is convinced Joey can control
himself without the medication he so sorely needs and takes the medication away. Joey
narrates, allowing him to express what it feels like to be ADHD and unmedicated, the
trouble that he really doesn’t mean to cause and the outcome, when he loses a ballgame
(as pitcher) his father pressured him to win because he is unmedicated. He then TAKES
control, finding his mother and the welcome medication. The book subtly suggests the
history of his ADHD: his self medicating, obviously ADHD dad and his grandmother,
dying of lung disease, but unable NOT to smoke. Joey doesn’t identify his age (5th
grade?), but the book would be appropriate for any ADHD sufferer. Aimed at late
elementary. Too young for high school. Positive.
Giles, Gail. What Happened to Cass McBride? JH Kyle Kirby plots a cruel revenge on
the most popular, and most heartless, girl in the school because he blames her for the
death of his brother. He digs a hole, kidnaps her, and puts her in a coffin shaped box—
underground. This positive novel examines the question of responsibility for the
consequences of our actions in a gripping tale. Because of alternating points of view,
reflected in the differing fonts, the novel is hard to follow at first. Readers should hold
on. The novel is worth the effort and discomfort. Positive, with lots for readers to talk
about.
Gordon, Amy. When JFK Was my Father. DRP 48 MJ Protagonist, a young girl who has been
living with her parents in Brazil. When they split, she returns to the US with her mother,
who immediately puts her into a boarding school. She dreams of a real family, with
parents who are concerned with her and loving, but since she doesn’t have that, she
imagines JFK to be her father and talks to him in her mind. After his assassination, she
meets a boy she knew in Brazil who tries to talk her into running away from the school.
She realizes there are people who care about her. Positive, but a little too outside kids’
experience to be high interest. Young--aimed at junior high.
Grant, Cynthia D. The Cannibals. JH What an awful book! Told by a head cheerleader who is
going out with the best looking guy in school, the story draws on the worst of stereotypes,
has no real plot that is not so predictable that it is sickening, and is just plain a cheap
excuse for trying to exploit the teen market. It’s supposed to be funny, but is merely
shallow. I wouldn’t recommend this one to anyone, no matter how desperate.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Takeoffs and Landings. JH A little young, but OK for all levels.
Lori and Chuck are brother and sister, but not much else. Lori’s hostility toward her
brother and her mother wells up from a deep anger. Chuck’s isolation is haunting. Their
mother is too busy and distant to deal with their problems because she makes her living
as a motivational speaker, flying all over the country, gone from them most of the time.
None of them mention or want to deal with the hole in their lives: the children’s father’s
death in a horrific accident 8 years before. Now their mother is taking Chuck and Lori
with her on one of her trips—and the flood gates of the past open first a crack, then a gap
in the walls that separate the three. Told 3rd person, but from alternating points of view
of the three main characters. Very positive. Excellent narrative that reveals details little
by little as the three are transformed by the trip they share. The symbolism of taking off
and landing is well integrated into the story.
Hautzig, Deborah. Second Star to the Right. JH This novel is really a barely fictionalized
autobiographical account of the author’s struggle with anorexia. It records the thought
patterns, behavior, addiction that not eating becomes in a girl’s struggle to gain control
over her life in the light of a demanding mother, an absent father, and internal conflicts
which tear the girl apart. The only drawback is the open ending, with only the author’s
note at the end to shed light on what happened after the “novel” ends. The ending is
mostly positive, since the girl is in treatment and making progress. It is realistic, since it
does not offer false hope or paint a rosy picture with false recoveries.
Head, Ann. Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones. DRP 50 H This book was written in the 60’s, but
retains its timeliness. Set in the 50’s, the book tells the story of teens (16 and 17 years
old) caught in the eternal trap--the girl is pregnant, and they “have to” get married. The
consequences of their actions reverberate through their families, which are totally
dissimilar, and totally change their lives and aspirations. Their very human reactions to
all of the problems involved make the novel very real for most readers. Positive. Well
worth reading for most girls and some guys.
Henkes, Kevin. Olive’s Ocean. MJ This novel is deservedly a Newbery Honor Book.
However, though the protagonist is 12 or 13, be warned that there are glancing sexual
references that might make careful parents balk, but do not detract from the value of this
book for most teen girls. The 13 (?) year old protagonist must consider issues of life,
death, relationships in families as she lives this growing up summer at her grandmother’s
home on the New England sea coast. The central image comes from her concern with a
shy peer who died suddenly whose secret ambition was to see the ocean. One of the
central incidents concerns the humiliating experience of being used by an older boy. The
story is skillful, positive and well written.
Hesser, Terry Spencer. Kissing Doorknobs. DRP 49. MJH This novel allows readers to
experience the thought patterns and life of a teenager suffering from obsessive
compulsive disorder. The novel traces the development of the disorder through her
childhood through flashbacks, but focuses on her suffering as an 8th-9th grader, however
the narrative is gripping enough and honest enough to appeal to high school students, as
well. Positive.
Hite, Sid. A Hole in the World. DRP 53 JH Source: Scholastic.
Maturity story. Narrator changes as he is moved from familiar urban environment to
country and farm life. He learns how one good person can influence many and leave “a
hole in the world” when he dies. Good on dynamic, changing characterization. I want to
know if kids like it. It hints at being a ghost story, but isn’t, so feels a little anticlimactic.
Kids who read it thought the same I did. We kept looking for the ghost, which never
materialized. Positive.
Holt, Kimberly Willis. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. DRP 48. Aimed at M, but ok for
J H. This novel is aimed at the elementary, junior high audience, with its 13 year old
protagonist. However, the plot and subject matter make it appropriate for more mature
readers. In the summer of 1971, Zachary Beaver, billed as “the fattest boy in the world,”
is parked in a trailer next to the bowling alley in Toby’ small, spare, bleak Texas town.
The protagonist, Toby, slowly learns to appreciate and accept Zachary, along with others
who are “different” from Toby in one way or another, and to come to terms with the
qualities in himself that are less than honorable. Dealing with budding interest in sex,
with war and death, and with betrayal are mature enough issues that this novel is suitable
to older readers. It carries the sweetness of a memoir of a simpler time past. A tiny bit of
little boy crudity and just a hint of sexual interest would move the book to a PG 13 rating,
but it is generally positive, with many issues to talk about.
Hopkins, Cathy. Teen Queens and Has-Beens. MJH? This rather predictable novel is easy to
read and has a positive message about a very common junior high experience—maybe
even a common high school experience. Lia, the tall and beautiful daughter of an aging
rock star, has transferred to a new school and is trying to adjust to new groups of friends.
However, she offends one of the more “popular” girls when her estranged boyfriend goes
after Lia (really to meet her father). The “popular” girl and her friends begin a pointed
and vindictive campaign to ostracize and persecute Lia, who withdraws. The resolution
of this conflict and what Lia learns about people and friendships redeem the book. The
book is part of a British series and is a little liberal about some teen views and speech
(PG, maybe), but pretty inoffensive and ultimately positive.
Horvath, Polly. Everything on a Waffle. DRP 54 M 11 year old Primrose’s parents were lost at
sea during a storm. She insists on believing, against all evidence, that they are alive. She
interacts with guidance counsellors and townspeople who try to get her to face the fact of
their deaths. She is nurtured by a developer uncle and the owner of a restaurant that
serves EVERYTHING on waffles (who teaches her cooking--recipes included in the
novel). Positive, harmless, though many characters are caricatures. Light. Aimed at
middle school or below.
Howe, James (of Bunnicula fame) The Misfits. M Five friends, all 7th graders, organize a “No
Name” Party for the school elections to underline the fact that kids shouldn’t call each
other names or otherwise persecute each other, no matter how different those students
may be from the mainstream. The book is positive and shows growth in the characters,
HOWEVER one of the main points of the book is the one of the five who “comes out”
and admits he is gay and is “in love” with the boy the protagonist’s best friend has her
eye on. Too politically correct for words, presenting homosexuality as natural and
perfectly acceptable.
Jenkins, A.M. Breaking Boxes. H Charlie insulates himself from emotional involvement, in
fact, from any kind of involvement, understandably, since his father deserted the family
when he was very young, his mother drank herself to death, and the brother who supports
him is gay (which the reader doesn’t find out until late in the book). The novel begins
when he warns his brother he will have to fight one of the rich jocks in school because
they’ve pushed him too far. His subsequent involvement with and gradual friendship
with one of them and the consequences to Charlie, his brother, and the jock are what the
story is about. Unfortunately, though the voice is strong and the protagonist appealing,
the story is laced with profanity, vulgarities, and myriads of sexual references. (For
instance, the protagonist has been sexually involved with a girl who likes him, but he
cannot connect with her emotionally and jettisons her.) This novel is an R rated imitation
of The Outsiders with the worthy, politically correct theme of breaking stereotypes and
the barriers they erect, both social, as in The Outsiders, and also those involving
homosexuality.
Damage. H Senior football star, Austin Reid, has everything: he’s intelligent, talented,
likable, attractive to girls, and has a good family. So why does he feel like life isn’t
worth living? This novel explores clinical depression leading to suicide and would have
been excellent--except the author HAD to add relatively yucky sexual scenes and vulgar
sexual references. The sexual scenes try to make a point about Reid’s girlfriend, who is
emotionally crippled and sexually twisted because her father committed suicide--and she
found the body. Unnecessarily explicit, these scenes and references ruin an otherwise
noteworthy and positive book.
Kantor, Melissa. If I Have a Wicked Stepmother, Where’s My Prince? (2005) MJH Lucy
Norton really does have a wicked stepmother and two evil stepsisters, at least that’s how
she sees it when her father remarries after her mother’s death and moves her from their
San Francisco home to Long Island. Then she finds her high school’s modern Prince
Charming—or is he? Positive.
Kessler, Jackie Morse. Hunger. H I really liked the premise of this novel: a 17 year old is
appointed "Famine," one of the 4 horsemen (horsepersons?) of the Apocalypse, an
appropriate task, since she is severely anorexic/bulimic. The story gallops on from there
with lots of fantasy adventures, evil villains, and eventually, real struggles against her self
starvation. The book treats the anorexic/bulimia realistically with VERY graphic
depictions of her reasoning, her despair, her regurgitating, her exercising and lack of
eating. However, the author toys with sexuality on about the same explicitness level as
Meyer, maybe a bit more. Junior high readers wouldn't "get it," but older teens certainly
will. And there is a lot of profanity that will offend sensitive souls. The book is well
worth reading because of its plot and situation, and it communicates the anti-anorecticget-help-before-you-kill-yourself message very vividly. Ultimately positive
Klass, David. You don’t know me. MJ With a strong, captivating voice, this novel tells the story
of John, a typical kind of geeky middle schooler who struggles with algebra, friends, and
getting into trouble. But John has a special problem: his mother’s boyfriend, with
whom they live and who she intends to marry, beats him regularly and sneakily, while
pretending to “love” John. The novel is well told, and middle readers will relate to a lot
of what John is facing with peers, girls with crushes on him, etc, but the novel IS a strong
look at violent abuse, fortunately with a positive ending.
Kimmel, Elizabeth Cody. Lily B. on the brink of Cool. MJ I really didn’t like 11or12 year old
Lily, whose fictional journal makes up the novel, for the first half of the book. She is
arrogant and insensitive to her friends and parents, whose middle class, good family
normality she looks upon with contempt. However, the novel turns as this character
learns the true nature of the relatives she thinks are roll models of “cool.” Well written
with a definitely dynamic character with whom young girls will identify.
Konigsburg, E.L. The View from Saturday. DRP 53 MJ In the frame of a four-person 6th grade
team competing in regional Academic Bowl, this multiple narrator novel examines
conflicts and problems of four preteens rejected by their class society, but slowly
developing a positive group, and their newly paraplegic teacher. Well written. Aimed at
middle school, though some problems are mature in places.
Koss, Amy Goldman. The Girls. DRP 49 MJH Probably written for junior high, but not
identified as such. Traces the ups and downs of relationships among five girls,
alternating narrators. One is manipulating, the one who leads the girls to reject one of the
other girls. Very realistic look at girl groups. This book would go along well with Odd
Girl Out, the study of aggression among junior high girls. Short and very easy reading.
My reluctant readers, both girls and boys, like this book a lot. They say high school
doesn’t change things much and see the same relationships in their peers as in the book.
Positive.
Lenhard, Elizabeth. Chicks with Sticks. MJH (youngish for high school) This novel is one of
those cute, fun, Meg Cabot kinds of young adult chick books—with a couple of serious
issues thrown in to make the book meaningful. Scottie, a 10th grader, feels overlooked by
her prominent artist mother, and now her BFF isn’t: she’s moving away from Scottie into
the “popular” group. Then, by accident, Scottie discovers a local yarn store, a new
pastime in knitting, and a friendship group that helps her deal with the uncertainties that
come with adolescence. Serious issues include dealing with learning disabilities when
they clash with parental expectations, dealing with different kinds of parents, social
disadvantages of long term “home schooling” and, of course, identity vs boyfriends.
Positive and really fun to read, the novel comes with some knitting patterns, and is the
beginning novel in an engaging series.
Lester, Julius. When Dad Killed Mom. H Although the protagonists are young, 12 and 14, the
book is not suitable to younger readers, since it deals graphically with near incest and
shows a daughter subconsciously seducing her father. The novel switches from son to
daughter over and over as it tells the story of siblings struggling to make sense of their
dad’s shooting of their mother, then putting together various incidents recalled, journal
entries, testimony from friends to find out what happened, really, and why. The story is
well told, but it does deal with adult issues and there is much profanity and obscenity in
the daughter’s voice. Ultimately positive, but lots of R rated language and a touch of R
rated sexuality/incest.
lockhart, e. the boy book. The boyfriend list. JH The strong voice and “realistic” teen dialogue
in this set of novels didn’t make them any more acceptable. I just don’t like them. They
seem to me to be the writing of someone out to sell to kids, and sell they do, assuming
casual attitudes toward teen sexuality that are too prevalent today, focusing on not-veryadmirable, self absorbed characters. The author stoops to recreating the crude dialogue
of some teens and what she thinks should be happening (again, crude) to these same kids
so that she can be considered “realistic” and edgy. Not recommended.
Fly on the wall. JH The premise of this novel is promising: what happens when a girl
(who happens to be studying “Metamorphosis”) becomes a housefly and flies into the
boys’ gym locker room? She learns that confident boys aren’t so confident, that boys
come in all varieties, that some are deeper, and some more shallow, than she ever
thought. The crudeness and stereotypical thinking of her other novels continue in this
lockhart creation. The overall theme, a girl growing less self absorbed, more accepting,
and more able to relate to guys, is a good one; however, the novel has too much that is
edgy and is just plain not very well written. Not recommended.
Lockwood, Cara. Wuthering High. Bard Academy #1. JH, but not really recommended. This
series should be good, based on a really wild premise that includes lots of author-ofclassics lore (Emily Bronte is the main villain, while VirginiaWoolf and Ernest
Hemingway figure widely). However, the unbelievable fantasy is tempered by the kinds
of concerns and conversations that uninformed authors think teens actually have. The
characterization is stereotypical, and the plots go too far. Avoid the clever titles; the
novels just aren't. PG13 rated, with talk about and skirting around sexuality, but nothing
explicit.
The Scarlet Letterman. #2. More of the same. The mystery involved is, as my students
would say, lame. I truly wish the writer had taken more time to plot these better and
really make the characterization of the various authors more true and the teens more
plausible.
Lowry, Lois. A Summer to Die DRP 54 M Thirteen year old Meg isn’t thrilled when her
parents move the family to a small country home so that dad can be isolated enough to
write his long awaited book. She has to share her room with her sister, Molly. Meg
resents Molly’s beauty and easy popularity. Then Molly changes. Meg is forced to
confront her feelings about her sister and about herself because of her sister’s serious
illness and ultimate death. Positive, and well done, though sensitive. Though the subject
is a more mature one, the girl’s denial and delay at figuring out what is happening, and
her parents’ hiding the problem from her will make older readers impatient.
Lynch, Chris. Freewill. (Printz Award for YA Lit) DRP 46 H Short, very odd narrative,
mostly in 2nd person, about a young man in a school for troubled teens whose parents’
deaths (maybe suicide?) and subsequent suicides of teens in his school are tied
mysteriously to figures he carves in woodshop. Positive, but lots of R rated language
makes this a troublesome book to recommend.
Mass, Wendy. A Mango-Shaped Space. MJ Schneider Family Book Award winner. Mia has a
secret she keeps from everyone, a secret that determines her life: sounds, numbers, and
letters have color and shape for her. Because of a grade school encounter, she thinks
everyone will see her as a freak if she reveals that secret. The secret keeps her from
meaningful relationships with others—including her family and closest friends, until….
The book is a positive novel of synaesthesia that shows a protagonist coming to terms
with her different-ness and learning to accept and turn outward toward others.
Mazer, Norma Fox. Girlhearts. DRP 47 MJH 13 year old Sarabeth never knew her father, who
died in a freak accident when she was a baby. Her mother, her
friend/support/disciplinarian, doesn’t come home one night. She dies of a heart attack,
leaving Sarabeth an orphan. The book deals with her problems facing the death, the
aloneness, then coping with finding a new place to live and connecting with long lost
relatives who rejected her mother when she married her father because he was Jewish.
Only drawback: she ends up with her mothers ex boyfriend who is living with another
girlfriend. They do get married to be able to take her in at the end. Aimed at Junior High
School, but good for struggling high school readers. Positive.
When She Was Good. DRP 48 H This story is told little by little from the point of view
of the protagonist, a victim of terrible abuse: mother a victim of the abusive, drinking
father, abusive sister who takes over from the father, death of the mother, leaving the
narrator defenseless to the abusive sister. Fairly positive, since the girl learns to live
independently and heal in small steps from the horrible existence she’s had up until her
sister’s death. Bad language and really vile physical and emotional abuse told explicitly
make this a dark book to give to adolescents.
McCormick, Patricia. Cut. DRP 48 JH Source: Scholastic. Narrator who cuts herself to
escape psychological pain of a troubled family. Most of the action concerns her progress
in a treatment center along with anorexics, drug-troubled girls, etc. Very good on
dynamic, changing character. Good, fairly realistic treatment of mental maladies and
treatment. Positive.
McDonald, Joyce. Shades of Simon Gray. H The play on words in the title refer to the
protagonist’s name, his “shade” that travels and interacts with another shade (spirit of a
young man hanged unfairly in the late 1790’s) while the 17 year old protagonist is in a
coma, and also the “shades of gray” of his character, as he does things he knows to be
unethical and downright wrong because he is infatuated, though he is a sensible, honest,
caring person. Good story that moves well and explores tough moral choices and
repentance (though the novel doesn’t call it that). Positive.
McEwan, Ian. Atonement. H Wonderfully written, with multiple points of view and superb
characterization, this novel deals with the reverberations of what happens when a selfdramatizing, self conscious, pretentious and precocious 13 year old views and
misunderstands her sister’s burgeoning “romance” with their servant’s brilliant son.
Shattered lives result from the girl’s misunderstanding, her impulse toward drama
because she is a “writer,” and the resulting self deceptive and self serving lie. However,
the novel includes sensual, rather explicit sexuality that makes it hard to recommend to
students. The theme is essentially negative, since it shows how even well meaning
deception can ruin multiple lives, and that there really can never be true “atonement” that
will heal what cannot be undone.
Moriarty, Jaclyn. Feeling Sorry for Celia. DRP 54. JH Mature. This epistolary novel tells
fifteen year old Elizabeth Clarry’s story of growing up. He best friend Celia keeps
disappearing, her father, who has another family in Canada, has reappeared in her home,
Sidney, and she is being forced to write to a girl in another “regular” school (she goes to
a private school). Mostly positive, but her new “best friend” struggles with “going all the
way” with her boyfriend: the novel demonstrates total acceptance of premarital teenage
sex, with the only caveat--her friend isn’t really ready for that kind of relationship, so
there’s awkwardness between the two afterward.
Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen. H Mature. Superb sports novel—for girls,
HOWEVER….there’s that one objectionable part—the protagonist’s best friend turns out
to be in love with the protagonist (lesbian), which isn’t revealed until 2/3 through the
novel. The protagonist is horrified—because she is heterosexual. That said, the novel is
good because it’s well written and unique. DJ Schwenk has to give up her beloved
sports, basketball and track, to run the family dairy farm when her father’s health
threatens the family’s home and livelihood. Then a family friend, coach of a rival town’s
football team, sends his quarterback over to “help out” for a day, to teach the out of shape
rich kid—and DJ—a life changing lesson.
Myers, Walter Dean. The Beast. H Myers does such a good job of capturing the clash of values
between ghetto dwellers and those who live in the middle/upper class world of educationcareer-success. Seventeen year old Anthony Witherspoon straddles those worlds. A
child of the ghetto, his warm family has taught him to want something more. He pursues
his dreams by attending a mostly white prep school in New England, where he struggles
to work and keep up on his studies. It is when he returns home to the ghetto that he
realizes the distance between his two worlds: his best friends have dropped out of school
and the girlfriend he loves has become a wasted drug addict in the face of overwhelming
challenges of her home life. Although many probably think “the beast” of the title is
drug addiction, readers will recognize that it is more than just drug addiction: it is the
core values, or lack of them, that push ghetto youth to a life of drifting, hopelessness and
crime. Caution: some language and an assumption that teen sexual relations are
desireable, with some frankness about the boy’s arousal around his girlfriend and girl
friend (PG 13). The book is positive, despite the almost overwhelming odds against
these kids.
Crystal. JH 16-year-old Crystal has already begun on a modeling career that thrills her
and excites her mother, though her father is more hesitant about her success. However,
little by little, she is forced to choose between modeling and her friends, her schooling,
her standards. She begins to question whether what she is gaining is worth what she is
losing. Positive. The novel includes some mature situations where she is challenged to
model in the nude and trade sexual favors for success, but her choices end up to be good
ones and the situations are subtly and sensitively handled. (Some parents might object,
however.)
Fallen Angels. DRP 47 H This novel presents a young soldier’s experiences from basic
training to his return from Viet Nam because he has been badly wounded. It presents
every horrible experience you’ve ever heard of happening to kid soldiers in Viet Nam
short of capture and torture and prison, and I think that’s probably the biggest problem in
the novel. I haven’t checked with anyone who actually fought on the ground, but I think
he’s telescoped a bit too much--the portrait is too extreme for ALL of that to have
happened to one kid. It does give a VERY realistic picture of the worst of that war--and
the worst is pretty bad. The language and some sex talk make the novel one you would
only give to your most mature students. It is “politically correct”--America’s pretty much
the bad guy here, though Viet Cong excesses and nastiness is portrayed frankly, too.
Characterization is very good: well rounded, realistic, with good and bad officers and
soldiers, but mostly mixed good and bad. The black experience in the Viet Nam war is a
good one for our kids to read, since it gives a perspective they rarely get. The book is
well worth reading despite language and vulgarisms, but only for the mature: the action
and violence is explicit and gory. You may want to read it yourself before you give it
out. This book is especially good for US Studies classes studying America at war.
Hoops. DRP 49 H This novel combines minority inner city African American culture
with basketball to make a superior YA novel. The protagonist starts out selfish, hostile,
closed to others and arrogant. An ex NBA player, one who made a mistake which
brought drastic consequences, organizes a basketball team with the protagonist and his
friends. The protagonist and other members on the team struggle with issues of racism,
identity within black culture, stealing, gambling, cheating, dealing with racketeers,
violence, sex, etc. Through the struggles and the relationship with the coach, this young
man matures and opens himself up to others--friends, girlfriend--and begins to take
responsibility for his actions. The challenge of this novel comes with the black culture-mild language, casual attitude towards stealing, casual attitude toward extramarital sex,
and other cultural attitudes which definitely violate (Nebo) community standards. The
novel is well written, with basketball action sequences and adventure that will engage the
most unwilling reader. The voice is very strong (the protagonist tells the story), and very
unlikable at first. Myers’ skill is that the novel allows the reader to see through this
narrator and recognize that the reasons for his arrogance and emotional inaccessibility,
even before he grows, matures and changes, make him sympathetic.
Monster. JH Told in screenplay form, so no DRP Provocative story told by an aspiring
young black cinematographer, in jail awaiting trial on the charge of accessory to murder.
Participants and gang member acquaintances accuse him of going into a pharmacy to
check to see that it was clear for the gang friends to go to rob. In the course of the
robbery, the kids kill the owner. The book is the boy’s “script” for what happens before
and during the trial. Readers never find out if the boy actually participated, though he
declares to his family, lawyer, and the court that he had nothing to do with the
robbery/murder. Good, realistically bleak, conflicts of race, living in a ghetto area,
gangs, etc presented well. Positive. Some language.
The Outside Shot. DRP 49 H In this sequel to Hoops, the protagonist goes to a
prestigious Indiana college on basketball scholarship. His growth continues as he
confronts conflicts with teammates, a challenging academic schedule he cannot handle,
real effort to make the team and get along with the coach enough to play, and a moral
conflict when an outside business owner tries to get him involved in the businessman’s
group betting on point spreads in the games. The only questionable parts in the novel
come with the protagonist’s girlfriend, who teaches him about independent women,
scorning his assumptions that she is his for the taking. The novel skillfully skirts
questions of physical relationships with or without love and respect. The novel is
positive, with positive choices and consequences and hope for the protagonist at the end.
Scorpions. DRP 45 JH It is easy to see why this novel, from all of Myers’ novels, won
Newbery Honor status. Although it deals with the same kinds of conflicts and challenges
treated in many of his other novels, it is more sophisticated and less hopeful, leaving an
open ended ending that hints of problems still to come in the life of the young Harlem
African American protagonist. The 12 year old protagonist could be drawn from typical
gang member profiles: weak in academic skills, he is picked on at school by a stronger,
older buddy. His older brother was head of the Scorpions gang, making money as
couriers for a drug ring until an armed robbery resulted in his going to prison. His father,
irresponsible and abusive, only shows up at home occasionally, and his mother must
work long hours to support the boy and his sister. His brother’s buddies try to draw the
protagonist into the gang, giving him a gun, which gets him into major trouble. He
manages to get out of trouble by the end of the book, but loses his best friend in the
process. The novel portrays the gang/drug life realistically and would serve as a good
source of meaningful writing and discussion about gangs, drugs, responsibility, poverty.
Slam. DRP 48 JH Much less PG13 than Hoops The 17-year-old protagonist of this
novel is aware he’s good at basketball, but is going to go to an arts magnet school
because of his art skills. The problem: he’s not doing so well at his academic studies.
Then there’s the basketball team, who haven’t won too many games. Then there=s the
coach, who is alienated by his overly confident attitude. Add to the mix his best friend
from the ‘hood, a superb basketball player who’s making money without having any
visible job, and a girlfriend who is particularly sensitive. The novel moves fast, includes
lots of good basketball action, and considers issues of friendship and values that are
handled well. Incidents when the protagonist necks casually with a girl his friend
introduces and his thoughtful consideration of when he’ll be ready to have sex with his
girlfriend shows Myers’ casual attitude towards premarital sex and may make this novel
more mature than some readers can handle. The language is acceptable, which is
amazing considering the language the protagonist and his friends would be using in real
life. Positive values. Conflicts of drugs, ghetto living, family conflicts and African
American pride presented well.
145th Street. DRP 50. H Short Stories. This book includes short stories that span the
Harlem African American experience. Some show the despair and bleakness, but most
celebrate people sacrificing and defending each other. Example: “Monkeyman” actually
comes from Myers’ own experiences reading books up a tree and defending a weaker
person from a gang attack and becoming the target of that gang: the protagonist is beaten
by the gang, but decides NOT to resist, and to make gang members beat him in front of
his grandfather and others of the community. He is beaten, but refuses to hide and run,
and is never defeated. In “A Christmas Story” a policeman who has escaped the ghetto
is forced into spending Christmas with Mother Fletcher, an aged icon in Harlem. There
is an exuberance of spirit despite the poverty, drugs and violence of the Harlem setting
that permeates such stories as “Big Joe’s Funeral” (after attending a friend’s funeral, Big
Joe decides he should have a funeral while he can still enjoy it, so he throws his own
funeral!) I wouldn’t just give these stories to a student to read unless he/she had an
interest in multicultural/African American experience, but I would definitely recommend
them to use single stories in the classroom. In general they are heartwarming, somewhat
sentimental and definitely positive, on the whole, despite the background of drugs and
violence.
Napoli, Donna Jo. Three Days. EM Ten year old Jackie‘s trip to Italy with her father seems
more than fun, until the worst happens: her father collapses and dies at the wheel of their
rental car in the middle of the Italian countryside. Finally two Italian men stop and pick
her up, but they seem in no hurry to return her to Rome where she can locate people to
help her. Unable to communicate with these men who only speak Italian, Jackie finds
herself trapped in their home. Her ordeal is told well in first person. The main focus of
the novel resolves itself, but the motivations and the consequences of the action of the
novel are left open, allowing for some interesting discussion. Easy reading aimed at
upper elementary readers. Positive.
Noel, Alyson. Art geeks and prom queens. H Rio, named for her mom’s favorite Duran
Duran hit, has moved from New York to a fancy private school in Southern California.
Almost immediately she has to choose between the “jet set” popular kids and the “art
geeks” she meets in AP art class. Though the novel is positive, it includes short
references assuming casual acceptance of recreational marijuana use, drinking (with
negative consequences), and a relatively graphic near rape.
Nolan, Han. Born Blue. This story of the child of a heroin addict includes it all--orphanage,
revolving foster homes, physical abuse, stealing, teen sex, drug abuse, running away,
homelessness, teen pregnancy. The story traces the search of Janie/Leshaya for a life that
will allow her to pour out all emotion in singing, the only thing that means much to her.
Although the ending is fairly positive, the language and explicitness of the book make it
hard to recommend to any young person. This girl lies, steals and has sex with no feeling
whatsoever, much less remorse. The negative consequences of such behavior do come
through, and at the end she has some feeling for her baby and makes a difficult decision.
Oates, Joyce Carol. (Yes, that Joyce Carol Oates) Big Mouth and Ugly Girl. H A boy says
things in jest that are interpreted as (after Columbine) threats to the school. He is
interrogated, and pilloried by rumor and innuendo; his “friends” desert him. He goes
from being a class officer and popular writer to a misfit outcast. Meanwhile, the girl who
keeps him from arrest is a girl “jock” outcast. What happens between the two and how
both they and their families learn from their experiences make this novel a good story
well told. A few incidents with profanity (including the F word) keep this book from
being totally innocent, but the story and theme are good. It’s a little long (266 pages) for
reluctant readers, but it moves well and includes enough conflict to keep them involved
Positive. The book would make a good contemporary companion to The Crucible..
Olmstead, Robert. Coal Black Horse. H, if anyone. OK, many people rave about this novel.
The style and use of language is masterful. BUT the novel itself is BLEAK. The novel
tells the “mesmerizing descent into the hypnotic and violent hell of war” of a fourteen
year old who must journey (much of the time on the titled horse, which is much wiser and
more experienced than he) through the worst of the Civil War, including a graphic rape,
brutal scavengers’ depredations, horrific war scenes, and every variety of violent death,
to find his dying father. Though the story is symbolic, I can’t think of a reason to
recommend it to anyone. The picture of “life” is one of the most tenuous survival, but
only at the cost of one’s belief and soul.
Oneal, Zibby. The Language of Goldfish. DRP 49. JH Fifteen year old Carrie Stokes is smart
and artistically gifted, with a loving family and a beautiful home. However, since her
family moved she has not been able to adjust to the changes going on in her life, with
new school, new “friends,” her sister’s growing up, and pressured on her to leave
childhood security behind. So she escapes--into mental illness. Positive.
Peck, Richard. Are You in the House Alone? H Winner of Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Award and
an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. DRP 51 This isn’t really a mystery. The narrator
is living a rather mundane life, with steady boyfriend, until she finds a series of obscene
notes in her locker. The threats escalate until her best friend’s steady boyfriend, son of
the most prestigious folks in town, stalks her and ultimately rapes her and beats her
brutally. No one in town will acknowledge this young man’s horrific behavior because
there is no proof, and her father loses his job. There is pressure for the family to move
away to hush up the incident. Instead, the girl goes back to high school, but is shunned,
even when another is similarly attacked and left to die at the side of the road. The most
objectionable part of this book is the ending: the obviously mentally unbalanced young
man sees what he does as not being wrong at all. Isn’t he entitled to anything he wants?
At the end, after the second attack, he is whisked away to a private boarding school. He
pays no consequences. The girl pays all: she loses her boyfriend, her best friend, all
popularity and acceptance at school. Her dad loses his job. Her mother loses self respect
and her friends. I’m sure Peck thought he was portraying a bitter reality, but I hope he is
wrong. I definitely DO NOT want kids thinking this is what “justice” is like.
Peck, Robert Newton. Extra Innings. JH This novel’s cover and title are somewhat deceiving,
since the teenage protagonist never plays ball during the novel, and 2/3 of the novel is
told from the point of adults. The novel is primarily a novel of character, told from three
points of view. Sixteen year old Tate Stonemason’s parents, paternal grandparents, and
adored sister are killed in a plane crash that mangles his leg, ending hopes of future
baseball greatness. His great aunt (adopted African American) Vidalia encourages him
by telling the story of her upbringing by two African American ball players, members of
a traveling black team during the late 20’s and early 30’s. The novel is sweet, but I’m not
sure it would appeal to teen readers. Positive with themes concerning facing death,
courage in grieving and facing tragedy.
Pennebaker, Ruth. Don’t Think Twice. DRP 47 H 17 year old Anne should be celebrating her
senior year in high school. Instead, she’s spending most of first semester far from her
Texas hometown in a home for unwed mothers, contemplating the mess she’s made of
her life. This novel frankly examines girls and the reasons they have sex. It is frank, but
not explicit. The novel is somewhat positive, since the protagonist grows and learns from
her experience. Setting the novel in the 60’s allows the author to treat abortion as an
option only tangentially, so the novel won’t force contemporary teens to face the
problems brought on by teen sex as directly as such a novel should. The picture on the
paperback cover alone makes the novel one that will make Nebo parents nervous. The
frankness about sex is appropriate only for more mature high school readers.
Picoult, Jodi. House Rules. H This Picoult is a little different, since it centers around a mystery
whodunit. It also is a good novel to read to find out about Asperger's Syndrome, from the
inside out. The protagonist, Jacob Hunt, who suffers from the condition, is arrested for
the murder of his social behavior tutor, whom he really loved. Told in the voices of
Jacob, the arresting officer, Jacob's mother and brother, and his lawyer, the book presents
much factual material about this autism spectrum in a natural way through the narrative.
It is, however, the first of her novels of which I figured out the ending about half way
through the book. The book contains adult language, quite a bit from the brother, and the
expected sensuality scene (not R, more PG13). Picoult’s novels are often adult, with
some sex, but usually positive, dealing with realistic, important problems teens and adults
must face.
Second Glance. H A departure for Picoult, this novel is a ghost story (along with a
mystery/love story, as well). Well plotted, with engaging characters, including the ghost,
the story will draw the reader along, though not impelling the reader. Typical of Picoult,
the story is told through the eyes of contrasting points of view and skips around in time,
as well, allowing the reader to see the ghost's challenges and tragedies through her own
eyes, as well as telling the contemporary story through the eyes of varying people whose
lives the ghost impacts, including a remarkable teen with a challenging chronic disease.
This story is more feel good than the usual Picoult (in fact, I wonder if she didn't change
the ending from her original intent?) However, I have to add the same old caution: the
novel includes two brief scenes with graphic sexual content plus a few more glancing
graphic references, though the sexual encounters are brief and told in a matter of fact
manner, not titillatingly.
Plum-Ucci, Carol. The Night my Sister Went Missing. H This mystery is really more social
criticism than mystery. The novel traces the mystery of what happened to the narrator’s
sister one fateful night at a “typical” beach party for upper class teens, a party complete
with smoking, drinking, and nasty jealousies and resentments. The novel is more or less
positive, with the narrator learning, but sadly, the true nature of his and his sister’s so
called friends.
Plummer, Louise. A Dance for Three. DRP 48 H This novel, centered around a teen’s
pregnancy, its psychological causes and resulting struggle with mental illness, would be
excellent since it deals realistically with many good issues. Unfortunately, Ms. Plummer
felt she had to add a REALLY EXPLICIT sex scene to make the point that the guy
involved was so insensitive and unloving and uncaring he had to “score” when the Jazz
“scored.” Not only is the scene unnecessarily explicit, it’s in really bad taste, as it was
meant to be. It totally ruins what would/should/could have been a valuable addition to
classroom libraries. Other teachers have pointed out an additional problem: since the
girl proves to be mentally ill after she becomes pregnant, her disability allows girls
reading the novel to continue with their “it won’t happen to me that way” mentality
instead of facing the issue of teen pregnancy and sexual activity realistically. Her mental
illness lets girls excuse what happens to her as the exception rather than the rule,
ignoring the very realistic costs and consequences of the character’s sexual activity.
The Romantic Obsessions and Humiliations of Annie Sehlmeier. DRP 48 H Annie, an
immigrant from the Netherlands, comes to Utah with her family and quickly blends in to
the high school scene. She really likes Jack, but she has a wild crush on gorgeous
Wooley, a secret obsession that leads to humiliation and rejection. The novel is frank,
bordering on explicit, in developing its theme concerning the difference between fantasy
and reality/wild obsessive passions and real love. Positive, but not for more conservative
readers.
The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman. DRP 52 JH Kate has a big time crush on her
long ago neighbor and brother’s best friend Richard. Unfortunately, her beautiful and
sophisticated best friend wants him as soon as she meets him when he comes to stay for
Christmas at Kate’s house--with his even more beautiful and sophisticated girlfriend.
The book is structured as Kate’s narrative love story, with suggested revisions along the
way. It’s fairly realistic, complete with fairly explicit kissing scenes and typical teenage
concerns bordering on vulgarity. It charmingly explores first romance, friends who “use”
others, insecurities, newlyweds and longlasting, successful loving couples. Positive and
charming.
Randle, Kristen. Breaking Rank. DRP 51 H This novel deals with tough choices: a boy
brought up by his older brother in a gang-like clan of young men who don’t “do” school
allows himself to be put in an AP track because of his high test scores. His tutor is a
“nice” girl who comes from an upper middle class home and conventional family. Little
by little she gets through his defenses. However, the “jocks” don’t allow him to enjoy
life, beating up on him and harassing him. The climax comes in a violent confrontation
between clan and jocks. Language and violence make this a mature novel. The issues
make it positive and appealing.
The local writer/Mormon concerns are there, but mostly subtle.
The Only Alien on the Planet. DRP 48 JH Ginny Christianson feels displaced. Her
close older brother has left for college and her parents have uprooted her to live in the
Intermountain West (Utah--local author). She immediately makes friends with Hally
(popular, positive and nice) and Caulder, a neighbor with whom she can talk about
anything. She is fascinated by Smitty Tibbs, a brilliant boy who does not talk or interact
with others for whom Caulder is protector and mentor. Ginny’s journey to free Smitty
from the trauma that imprisons him and her confrontation with her own fears makes this
an excellent, positive novel that deals with emotional, verbal, and physical abuse within
families.
Slumming. JH, but mature. Alicia, Nikki and Sam, really good friends, decide on a
challenge--find someone at the edge of their Utah high school culture, make friends, and
inveigle them to take them (or go with them) to the Prom. Each story brings that teen in
contact with people he/she has prejudged. The novel deals with prejudice, cliques and
social groups in high school, and with dealing with evil. LDS, but subtly so. Caution:
Sam must deal with the sexual exploitation of the girl he has chosen by her stepfather,
handled very carefully and tastefully (in fact, you could be puzzled about what the girl
was suffering). Positive, with good plot and important themes.
Ritter, John H. Over the Wall. DRP 47 MJH Caution for middle readers: a little bit of
questionable stuff (see below) This novel of facing faults and baseball features a thirteen
year old protagonist, but the story is gripping enough and the narrative voice strong
enough to appeal to older readers. Tyler’s family has been practically destroyed when his
father runs over and kills his adored baby sister. Tyler goes to live with his cousins in
New York City to play baseball all summer, with dreams of a future in the major leagues.
However, he cannot control his explosive temper, which breaks out too often and gets
him thrown off the team. Through the summer he learns from his attractive cousin, from
his Vietnam war vet coach, from his “enemy” opponent, and succeeds in learning self
control. Be careful with this novel. He accidentally sees his cousin nude and fantasizes
about liking her, an addition to the story I find unfortunate and unnecessary, unless it
underscores his naivete and neediness emotionally? The incident is handled
inoffensively, but it is there, along with his wondering if he’s in love with her. She
scotches that thoroughly.
Rottman, S.L. Hero. DRP 46. JH Fifteen year old Sean hates the world because of his abusive,
uncaring parents. After repeated fighting and other violations, he is suspended from
school and given the chance to earn his way back in by doing community service on Mr.
Hassler’s farm. He determines he’ll serve his time, then move on, but animals, life and
death, kindness, and a no nonsense approach change him. The novel is realistic and
positive, with the change in the protagonist reluctant and realistically gradual, an
essentially sweet story. Some profanity and violence may offend.
Shadow of a Doubt. MJH 15 year old Shadow Thompson’s life has never been the same
since his older brother Daniel ran away from home with Shadow’s piggy bank seven
years ago. Now he’s entering high school, toying with joining the debate club and, for
the first time in a long time, reaching out to a girl who intrigues him and a guy who
shares his interest in debate. Then Daniel returns—a stranger accused of murder.
Positive with a semi-open ending --good for discussion.
Salisbury, Graham. Lord of the Deep. DRP 49 MJH 13-year-old Mikey idolizes his stepfather,
Bill. He wants to be just like him, owning and operating his own deep sea fishing boat.
However Bill smashes the idealistic picture Mikey has of him when he is challenged by
customers Cal and Ernie, whose selfish arrogance force Bill to go against his own ethics
and the law. The ending is realistic, but not idealistic, and may cause kids to challenge
their own ideas of integrity. The issue, however, is real, and the dilemma is one students
should talk about. The boy does stand up for his own ideals, even though his stepfather
does not.
Shusterman, Neal. Full Tilt. MJH Though he experienced a horrible trauma in his past, 16 year
old Blake is responsible, a good student, a good friend. His younger brother, Quinn,
isn’t. So Blake feels special responsibility for Quinn, especially when Blake is given a
special ticket to a mysterious carnival in an isolated, abandoned, rock quarry. When
Quinn uses the ticket, Black and his two friends chase him. The chase ends at the bizarre,
supernatural carnival. They learn that in able to escape the carnival, they must each
complete seven rides before dawn, each ride tailored to make the individual rider face
his/her greatest fears. Positive, good adventure excellent for discussion because the rides
are based in metaphor.
Red Rider’s Hood. H From the Dark Fusion series: Schusterman fuses fairy tales with
horror/fantasy with modern young adult themes for gripping reading. This novel makes
Red Riding Hood a somewhat rebellious teen caught between the big bad wolf (a gang of
werewolves) and Dracula (a gang of female vampires). This novel revolves around a
teen’s having to choose between loyalty and friendship versus freedom, adventure and
unlimited power. Positive, but not for the faint of heart.
Skrypuch, Marsh Forchuk. The Hunger. Toronto, Dundurn, 1999. JH Paula’s parents don’t
notice when she turns anorexic/bulimic because dad is too busy being proud at her
running and mom is too busy with her own life. Trying to complete a history project, she
begins to delve into her grandmother’s past. The past becomes all too real when Paula’s
body shuts down because of self starvation and she is sucked into reliving her great
grandmother’s history as an Armenian orphan struggling to survive in the midst of the
Armenian Turkish massacres of the early twentieth century. Though the protagonist is
only fifteen, this book is suitable to high school readers. It is positive, but there is
graphic detail of her bulimia and also graphic violence.
Smith, Roland. Zach’s Lie. M Seventh grader “Zach” has to get used to a new home, a new
town, a life without his father, and a new name. He and his family are in a witness
protection program because his father has been accused of smuggling drugs for a
dangerous cartel. This novel traces Zach’s struggle for identity and normality, and his
struggle to survive the danger the family is in, as he deals with loss and uncertainty.
Positive with some tension.
Sones, Sonya. Stop Pretending. MJH Told as a free verse novel, this book tells the story of an
8th or 9th grader dealing with her older sister’s mental illness. It is frank and engaging
and fast reading. Though the first person protagonist is obviously junior high or even
middle school age, the dilemmas she faces in dealing with her parents and her sister, with
her feelings about her sister, and with the social fallout from having a mentally ill sister
will engage even high school readers, especially reluctant ones. Positive.
What My Mother Doesn’t Know. Told as a free verse journal of a 9th grader’s crushes,
conflicts with her mother, and complications of being Jewish, this novel would be really
good and high interest except that it includes references to menstruation, breasts and
understated sexual fantasies. Nothing more than kissing happens between the girl and her
boyfriends, but there are some fairly explicit references.
Soto, Gary. Taking Sides. Lincoln Mendoza has moved from the hard, Hispanic barrio where
he grew up to a white suburb, and now goes to a mostly white school. Though he plays
basketball for his new school, he still feels tied to his old barrio friends. So what does he
do when the two school play each other? Positive.
Sparks, Beatrice PhD. Almost Lost. Nonfiction. H. This is the story of 15-year-old Sam who
got into drugs, left home and survived on the street with the aid of his gang family. Told
by his therapist from recorded tapes of his therapy, the story traces his growing trust of
her and growing control of his own depression and self destructiveness. Positive, with
reservations—it’s pretty explicit in language and lifestyle. I would like to get a reaction
of a teen reader. The therapist is pretty preachy throughout with moralizing and advice
and very affectionate compliments and loving remarks towards this boy throughout the
narrative.
It happened to Nancy. DRP 53. JH Nonfiction. The true story of a 14 year old (within
weeks of being 15) thrown into “love” with a college boy who deceives her into
vulnerability, rapes her, then promptly leaves her--with HIV, which quickly proceeds into
AIDS. Her growth emotionally as she faces her disease and tries to have a “normal” life
comes through her diary, allowing teen readers to identify with her in the two+ years this
book chronicles to her death. The book is positive, but there ARE sexual references,
obviously. Teachers need to read this before giving it out. I would rate it PG13 only for
the sexual questions she has to ask herself, after the rape in regards to her “good”
boyfriend, and in consequences of the rape. The editor has treated all of the sexual
material quite sensitively, but still it requires a fairly mature reader.
Spinelli, Jerry. Stargirl. DRP 49 JH Source: Scholastic. Contemporary novel of a freespirited, unconventional girl moving into a very conventional and violently socially rigid
town, told by a boy who is attracted to the girl, but not strong enough to stand up for her
or tolerate the other teens’ disapproval and persecution of her differences. Positive.
Strasser, Todd. How I Spent my Last Night on Earth. DRP 54 H There is something about this
book that I like, though I probably wouldn’t, normally. Its premise is interesting: on the
internet comes a story that a comet is about to slam into the earth, ending life as we know
it. Everyone begins to panic. The book is about the reactions of Allegra Hanover, class
brain with SAT perfect scores to prove it, to her potentially “last night on earth.” Her
boyfriend has pushed her for intimacy: she likes him, but is not attracted to him. She is
attracted to the “bad boy” on a motorcycle, Andros Bliss. So how do you guess she
decides to spend her last night on earth? What complications push her from her
conventional “brainy good girl” track? Her uninhibited best friend sleeps with her
“boyfriend.” The novel doesn’t go into much more explicit detail than to describe some
heavy kissing, and Allegra says she spends the night with Andros in a tent on the beach,
but they didn’t sleep together. The book skirts at the edge of being R rated, but stays PG
13, with a little objectionable language along with the assumption of the acceptance of
immorality. The story is engaging, and the characters, though really little more than
types, are charming in their foibles and witty dialogue. The story’s fun to read and would
engage most teen readers, but I’m not sure it has much value or that I’d want immature
kids reading it, even in fun. The voice and the unique situation, which would be a really
fun basis for writing about values, may give it redeeming value??
Stolarz, Laurie Faria. Blue is for Nightmares. H Stacey is a junior at an exclusive boarding
school with a crush on her roommate’s sometimes boyfriend and a deep, dark secret--she
has threatening nightmares that always end with her wetting the bed. The nightmares
concern the possible death of that very roommate! And she has another dark secret--the
last nightmares she had about someone’s death came true! The story’s not bad, but a bit
concerned with folk white witchcraft for some people’s comfort (some might see it as
bordering Satanic). For my taste, I think the real emphasis on her bedwetting is
unnecessarily crude. Some of the language and borderline sexuality and attitudes
towards casual sex are too consciously modern to be comfortable.
Stork, Francisco. Marcelo in the Real World. H I DO wish writers would weigh their choices
before adding crude references and language to their plots. I know it's part of the "real
world" and very politically advantageous, even part of some formulae publishers insist
upon. However, I like being able to recommend reading as fine as this book to my
innocent or conservative younger grandchildren, students and friends. This book centers
around Marcelo, a young man in conflict. His Asbperger's syndrome makes him
"different," so he has always attended special schools, where he fits in very comfortably.
Now his lawyer father wants to prove he is "normal," and so insists Marcelo confront the
"real world" by working in his law office for the summer. He confronts both social
problems, including a real crush and a jerk colleague, and moral problems in his new job.
Solving them makes him grow up and experience very normal adult emotions.
HOWEVER, the crude references and attitudes of the jerk colleague, and the extremely
crude references of the love interest's Alzheimer sufferer dad make the book hard for me
to recommend.
Thesman, Jean. Calling the Swan. JH Skylar’s mother is overprotective--she doesn’t want
Skylar to step foot out of the house. Her sister seconds her mother’s judgment, though
Skylar only talks with her in her room, but she sees her walking by everywhere she turns.
Her grandmother is supportive. Though she feels scared, Skylar attends summer school
in a school distant from her home (she has to transfer buses to get home). Little by little,
one step forward and two back, Skylar makes friends, risks, begins to face her fears, and
her family’s biggest challenge, only revealed near the end of the book--her sister’s
disappearance (assumed kidnapped and dead, with parents suspected for awhile) and her
mother’s consequent descent into breakdown. Very positive. Generally innocent with
some profanity. This story deals with a girl coming to terms with tragedy in life and
God’s role in allowing that tragedy.
Thomas, Rob. Rats Saw God. H Not recommended for Nebo, which is a shame, because the
theme is ultimately positive. Unfortunate, the book contains everything designed to
alienate Nebo readers: explicit sex, drug use, language, mocking of religion. The
protagonist of this novel is dealing with split parents, with a father he thinks is concerned
only with his own public image, a girlfriend who ultimately rejects him, and all kinds of
issues with school, social groups, conformity, etc. How he survives and learns is the
focus of the book. Unfortunately, the ultimately positive growth the protagonist makes
isn’t worth the stuff a reader has to suffer with this novel.
Tomey, Ingrid. Nobody Else Has to Know. DRP 40 JH The premise is a good one: Webber,
15, talks his grandpa into letting him drive down an empty country road. The next thing
Webber knows, is waking up in a hospital, his shattered leg only more painful than his
ruined future as a runner and his blank memory of what happened, even the fact that he
was driving. He finds that his grandfather has hit a little girl, now in a coma, and that the
car rolled over, hurting him. After much time, Webber remembers--he was the driver.
He is responsible. Now what does he do? However, the character is not as truly drawn
as he should be. The story seems slow. The ending is OK, but a little too predictable.
The other characters seem shallow. I’d like the reaction of a teen reader, but to me this
book seems too pedestrian for kids.
Trueman, Terry. Stuck in Neutral. DRP 53 JH Michael L. Printz Honor Book Shawn
McDaniel suffers from cerebral palsy to the extent that he cannot communicate at all; he
cannot even control his eyelids enough to blink out a response in code. But even with
this severe handicap, Shawn is happy. He is brilliant. He remembers everything he sees
and hears and feels. He has imagination. But his father, who left the family soon after he
was born because he couldn’t take the pain of having such a needy son, is rationalizing
euthanizing such people, and Shawn is convinced his father will kill him--out of love.
The ending is a cop out. The book is fairly frank with Shawn’s PG 13 fantasies about a
beautiful aide and his sister’s pretty friend and contains some profanity/swearing.
Positive and worth reading because of its attempt to capture what it would be like to be
totally captive in your body, and what would make life living in such a situation.
Van Draanen, Wendelin. Flipped. DRP 50 MJ, but well written enough for high school readers
to enjoy. This unique novel spans 2nd-8th grade in the life of two character/narrators, a boy
and girl, who see and tell the tale of their rocky
relationship with two different voices and
two very different sets of values. Both
change (and flip attitudes, hence the title) and grow
as characters the reader will enjoy. Conflicts of girl vs boy, who loves whom and teens
standing up to peers enliven this delightful novel. Girls will probably appreciate the novel
better than
boys. Readers who appreciated Stargirl should like this novel as well
Volponi, Paul. Black and White. JH Marcus and Eddie are inseparable friends, a
team in both football and basketball for their school. What makes them remarkable is
that Marcus is African American and Eddie is white, thus their
nickname “Black and
White.” They also share values—or lack of them. They decide to use Eddie’s
grandfather’s gun to commit holdups so that they can get enough money to pay for
senior dues (for senior trips and graduation celebrations) and the newest athletic shoes by
Nike. The robberies prove so easy they decide to continue, but their third robbery goes
wrong—the gun goes off, grazing the head of the black man they were robbing. And that’s
when the boys take separate paths. The man identifies Marcus, but doesn’t know Eddie. Now
Eddie will “get
off” and play sports for a college in town, while Marcus goes to prison for
the
next two years (confusion here—18 months?). The novel is easy reading with lots
of basketball action along with insights into inner city youth reality and the
troubling consequences of racism. However, the slightly ambiguous ending
seems
troubling, (though probably realistic), when Marcus decided he wants to continue friends with
Eddie (even though Eddie makes it clear he values his
staying out of prison and going to
college more than his integrity or friendship with Marcus). Though Marcus shows some
remorse about the robberies (since he
got caught and let down his team and his mother
and sister), no one brings up the
fact that robbing another person is just plain WRONG. The
book would be good for discussion. The dual point of view is also handled well.
Walker, Melissa. Violet on the Runway. JH Violet Greenfield looks upon herself as
deservedly not popular because she just isn’t pretty. At least that is how she looks upon
herself until a modeling agent talks her into going to New York City to try out to take her
place among top models there. The basic premise will attract any girl. The picture of
what modeling is really like seems true to life. The theme is positive: true friendship
isn’t based on popularity. Though this novel won’t make classic lists, it is harmless and
fairly well done.
Watson, Jude. Premonitions. JH Grace must go to live with her aunt and cousin after her
mom is killed. When her “best friend” disappears, she must deal with the gift
that plagues
her: second sight/premonitions. Through the novel, her despair and
black outlook on her
“family” and on her gifts change as she learns to act
responsibly. The novel is positive,
though the plot is farfetched. The novel
provides a light read, harmless and somewhat
positive.
Warner, Sally. How to be a Real Person (in just one day). DRP 49 M Though the cover
illustration makes her look older, this is the story of a 6th grader, so most secondary
readers wouldn’t really consider it. The girl’s parents are split by the dad’s employment
several hundred miles away. The mother is mentally ill, and the girl must deal with the
illness, as well as her own attempts to have friends, and survive. I didn’t read the middle
of this, but it seemed safe. Positive ending.
Weeks, Sarah. My Guy. M This novel deals with amusing but challenging parent/child
relationships when divorced parents of mortal enemies decide to marry. The mortal
enemies decide to cooperate--to convince their parents the marriage will never work.
Positive. Young--middle school/junior high.
Werlin, Nancy. Double Helix. H Very interesting novel, but beware. Though the book would
only merit a PG rating, but the implication of the narrative is that, of course, the narrator
will be sleeping with his girlfriend. Though there is no explicit sex, sometimes the
“taken for granted” sexuality is more damaging. The story is predictable, but engaging:
the high school student narrator struggles to engage with life: his mother is an asylum, a
victim of the genetic disease Huntington’s. He gets a job with a biotech company that
works with genetics through its charismatic founder. When his father finds out, he is
extremely upset: he HATES the man, but will not tell the boy why; the reason is rooted
in his—and the narrator’s mother’s—history. Positive, very current.
White, Ruth. Memories of Summer. DRP 51 JH This book is set in the Depression and gives a
good picture of mountain people forced to move to the city to eke out a bare living.
However, the main theme/conflict revolves around the 13 year old protagonist’s sister,
Summer, who is gradually manifesting severe schizophrenia. The protagonist must deal
with the horrifying changes in her beloved and idealized sister and at the same time try to
contribute to the family and make a life for herself as a “normal” teenager. Positive.
Moves a little slowly. Aimed at junior high, but themes are mature. Not really historical
fiction.
Williams, Carol Lynch. My Angelica. MJ Two narrator: best friend 15 year old sophomores
really are romantically linked to each other, though they don’t admit it (and kiss) until the
end of the book. Problem: the girl thinks she can write torrid love stories like her
mother’s best sellers, when she really writes horrible melodrama. This novel is aimed at
high school readers, though it could be given to junior high kids. (However, no teenager I
know would act as these two.) Positive.
A Mother to Embarrass Me. M This novel, with a 12 year old narrator, is obviously
aimed at middle school readers or late elementary readers, since it deals with the
preoccupations of that age group; however, teachers should approach it with care because
it does treat a pre-teen’s horror at her the thought of her parents having sex. (The issue is
dealt with tastefully in connection with Laura’s mother’s pregnancy. It is a realistic
concern, and treated with affection, even humor--but preteens and teens wouldn’t see the
humor!) Laura Stephan’s parents are particularly embarrassing to her because they are
so different. Her mother is a beautiful, ex-model sculptor who is a bohemian airhead.
Everyone loves her, but Laura sees her as vaguely awful, until she announces she is
expecting a baby. Laura’s unhappiness with her mother changes to downright horror. Of
course, in time, Laura comes to terms with her parents’ difference from the norm and
realizes how much she loves her mother. Positive.
The True Colors of Caitlynne Jackson. DRP 45 MJ This novel handles a touchy
subject--physical and emotional abuse by a parent--in an engaging novel for mid level
readers. Caitlynne, twelve, and her younger sister, Cara, manage together, staying out of
their mother’s way most of the time. When they’re not successful at avoiding her, the
blows and abusive remarks hurt them. When their mother stocks up a few supplies and
leaves them for the summer, or longer, the girls have to survive on their own. Positive,
but a little young for high school kids.
Wolff, Virginia Euwer. True Believer. JH (One of the Make Lemonade trilogy) Told in free
verse. This novel is excellent, but problematic. It shows what life is like for city ghetto
African Americans who try to work hard to go to college and lift themselves from that
life. The core values and triumphs of this novel are good, as the 15-year-old protagonist,
LaVaughn, struggles with biology and advanced grammar, but also with her identity.
Problems: references to sex education, teen pregnancy and condoms at first (reference to
sex ed class, and her mom’s warning her that pregnancy might be what would threaten
her dreams of college); the real blow to her confidence and world view comes when she
walks in on the boy of her dreams kissing another boy.
Woodruff, Elvira.The Ravenmaster’s Secret. MJ Forrest Harper, 11, lives at the tower of
London where he helps his caretaker father tend the ravens and guard the prisoners. He
must face the taunts of the other children because he is so small. Then his father tells
him that he will need to help guard a Scottish rebel/traitor. He sees this task as an
opportunity to prove his courage and fierceness—until the prisoner turns out to be a
young Scottish princess! The book gives a good sense of life and work at the tower
in 1735, as well as presenting the irreconcilable conflict between the Stuarts and their
British rulers. Positive, with themes concerning prejudice and acceptance and making
difficult and dangerous moral choices treated well.
Woods, Ron. The Hero. MJH. I'm just sorry this book has not been picked up by English
teachers. It should be a real classic for junior high discussion. The story develops the
relationship of the protagonist, a farm teen during the Depression, and his town friend
treat the sadly deprived son of a real stinker who lives on the next farm. THough the
protagonist's wise and kind father encourages the protagonist to include the deprived,
oppressed boy in his activities with his friend, the two join school friends in ridiculing the
boy. Then one day they allow the boy to ride their homemade raft on a very wild Idaho
river. The consequences, a well told adventure and its aftermath, not only confront
questions of including others, judging others, and peer pressure, but also the theme
question--when is it right to lie?
Woodson, Jacqueline. Hush. MJ 12 year old Toswiah Green’s world ends when her dad
decides to testify against fellow police officers in a murder case—and causes the whole
family to have to go into witness protection and take on a new identity in a new town.
Toswiah and her sister struggle for acceptance and identity under horribly difficult
circumstances. Positive, but not unrealistic
Yolen, Jane and Bruce Coville. Armageddon Summer. DRP 52 JH Marina’s mother searches
for meaning, and finds it in a strange cult preaching the end of the world, fostered by the
cult’s charismatic leader. Jed’s father seeks healing in the same cult, healing from the
shock of having his wife abandon him to run off with her lover. That’s how Marina and
Jed end up together with the 142 “Believers” at a mountain retreat, waiting for the
prophesied end of the world. The adventure they share ends in conflagration and death.
Thought the protagonists are only 14 and 15, the ending may be a little strong for some
young middle readers. The subject matter and strong narrative should carry older
readers. During most of the novel, extreme fundamentalist beliefs that make a religion a
cult are not distinguished from more mainstream belief. I expected to novel to be mostly
a subtle indictment of all belief, but the last quarter develops the possibility of positive
religious belief, though the positive view of belief is not nearly as strong as the negatively
portrayed extremes. Positive ending. Good action.
Zailckas, Koren. Smashed. H Nonfiction, but belongs in this area because of its value for
teens who struggle. Anyone who has even the inclination to drink socially—
READ THIS
BOOK. The autobiographical story of a girl who begins drinking at
fourteen, this book
traces the paths her drinking takes her: teen adventure,
university and sorority partying
(complete with probable date rape), young adult
decisions to stop after years of blackouts and
messups. The book includes everything teens should avoid in real life: bad language, sexual
content, and lots
and lots of drug and alcohol use. The author candidly evaluates her
reasons for
drinking—and stopping. Positive, but definitely PG13 rated.
Zevin, Gabrielle. elsewhere. JH Probably the attraction of this book lies in its premise: an
afterlife where people age down instead of up, this time from the time of their deaths
backwards. The book centers on 15 year old Elizabeth Marie Hall, who dies, then has to
come to terms with death and change and loss and letting go and living a new life with
love and dogs and mature choices. Positive. The book briefly deals with the question of
“intimacy” tastefully.
Memoirs of a teenage amnesiac. H This novel is far more “normal” than elsewhere.
When Naomi dove off the school steps to save a camera, she had no idea her fall would
lead to amnesia which wipes out her memories of four years of her life—including
memories of her parents’ painful divorce, her best friend and co yearbook editor Will,
four years of school including 7-10th grade, and her boyfriend. The most notable effect of
the fall—Naomi isn’t herself anymore, or is she, and who is she, anyway? This novel
about teenage angst and identity is candid and very real. Canadian, it contains mature
matter, including references that show that teen drinking, soft drug use and premarital sex
are a part of life largely accepted and taken for granted—and none of these become main
issues in the book (except not drinking and not having sex with her boyfriend).
Ultimately positive, though only recommended for mature teens with strong values, this
novel might be a useful one in helping clarify their own values. The characterization is
excellent and story engaging, and the adults come out as positive!