The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press. This futuristic novel is set on New World, which is 64 years from the Old World. A germ is released and all the women died and all the men can now hear each other's thoughts. When exploring the swamp with his dog, Todd discovers a place without noise. He returns home to tell his adoptive parents and they quickly tell him he must leave. He soon discovers to source of no noise is a mute girl. We follow Todd as he is on the run from others and how he discovers more to the New World that he thought was there. This is the first in the series so the novel ends in Todd returning home so Viola can get the help needed to survive. I would recommend the next books The Ask and the Answer along with Monsters of Men to any student that enjoyed this first book. The setting plays an important role in this book because it is what makes the book unique. We read all the time about teens with struggles at home and they run away to seek help or answers. The New World, another planet, is unique because we see what the possibility of a new planet might look like through the eyes of the author. Is it different than what we have? 

Monster

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper. Steve is a "monster" or so says the prosecuter in his murder trial. Steve is on trial for a murder he didn't commit and wasn't even in the same room when the murder occurred. The author used a unique writing style when he wrote it in the form of a movie screenplay. The novel moves back and forth between the present, the murder trial, and the past events leading up to the murder. Readers will enjoy the unique way this novel is written. High school students will relate to trying to look tough, but then finding yourself in a position where that toughness might land you in prison for 25 years. Sitting in that jail cell knocks the toughness right out of you. I found myself reliving the end of the trial just as Steve does. Why did his attorney not hug him? What does she see? Lying is the common theme during this novel. Some lie to save themselves. Some lie to save someone they know. Some even lie just to hurt someone else. Lying is what got Steve into this situation. Hopefully the truth will get him out though. 

The Surrender Tree

Engle, M. (2008). The surrender tree. NY: Holt. Set in 1896, we read about Cuba's struggles after three wars. The author puts this story together using poetry in a very moving way. The narratives change throughout the story and are written through the eyes of many that were involved in these wars. Rosa is the main character. She is a nurse that refuses to treat in the reconcentration camps and instead chooses to set up her own "hospitals" in caves. Even though the story is about Cuba, it is hard to not think of the plight of African Americans during the times of slavery in the Unites States. This novel would be good to use in a comparison between the two times. The sentence that stood out to me the most was "Hatred must be a hard thing to learn." We must always remember that we are taught to hate. We are not born natural haters. This book is a mix of historical fiction and poetry. The stories are fiction but the premise behind the wonderful prose is part of history. The author does a fabulous job of re-creating what Cuba was like during this difficult time. It is so important for our young adults to read about the travesties of the past, even if they are mixed together with fictional characters. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown. Junior was born with many anomalies and the kids at school make fun of him incessantly. His family, along with many on "the rez" are poor. His life comes to a crossroad when he realizes their poor reservation is affecting his education and, therefore, his life. His teacher, Mr. P., convinces Junior he must leave the reservation and attend a better school. While the storyline, and many events inside, are sad there is lots of humor, happiness and friendship that makes this a memorable book. The cartoons added a humorous touch to the novel and make you smile at just the right moments. Young adults in high school will enjoy reading this novel. They will sympathize with Junior and the way he is bullied. The main theme in this book is hope. Junior hopes to be a cartoonist. Junior hopes going to a new school will change his life. Junior hopes life on the reservation will get better. Despite all the hardships his family faces, and the terrible things that happen to them, Junior still hopes for better. When finishing this book you are also hoping for something better for Junior, his friends, and his family. 

The Waters and the Wild

Block, F. (2009). The waters & the wild. New York: HarperTeen. Thirteen year old Bee does not belong, or so she believes. She feels more at home in the garden than with other teens at school. She doesn’t have friends until she befriends two other outsiders and they begin helping her discover why she is seeing someone that looks just like her. This is a short book which makes for a quick read.  Honestly, I was glad it was a short book because it was a little odd to me. Feeling one with the earth and wanting to eat dirt are just traits I don't understand. I don't believe boys will enjoy this book at all. I think it's perfect for 14-18 year old girls. The novel has some fantasy traits also. Changelings are not usually discussed in contemporary realistic fiction. Even though the novel is a little different, the theme is very relatable. Have you ever felt like you didn't belong? I think we've all felt it at one time.

The Crazy Horse Electric Game

Crutcher, C. (1987). The Crazy Horse Electric game. New York: Greenwillow Books. High School baseball star Willie single handily secured his teams win against the team sponsored by Crazy Horse Electric. He is a star until a freak water skiing accident robs him of his athletic ability. When his relationships with his friends and family fall apart, he packs his bags and leaves. This story is about his survival on the streets of Oakland. This is a great book about perseverance that would appeal to any young adults ages 12-18, but would be especially popular among males because of the baseball cover. Readers will soon realize it isn't about baseball at all. It is about overcoming even the worst of obstacles and coming out on top. Willie is an inspiration to anyone that reads it. The conflict in this novel is that Willie is not the star baseball player his life revolved around. He is now an ordinary kid with baseball to define his life. He runs away from all he knows to deal with these changes in his life. Unfortunately, when he is ready to come home he realizes life didn't stop without him and his friends and family didn't sit around waiting for him to return. 

Specials

Westerfeld, S. (2006). Specials. New York: Simon Pulse.

This is the third book in the popular Uglies series featuring Tally Youngblood. Tally has become part of a group of surgically enhanced super humans called the “Cutters”. She has been programmed to fight the Uglies and the Pretties, but a small part of her remembers something different. She has the inner struggle between what she thinks she should do now and what he brain is telling her to do. I wish I had started with the first book in this series. Specials is a stand alone book, but reading the two previous books would have been helpful in character development. This book will be especially popular with 14-18 year old girls. This would be great for an after school book study program. The author has a list of discussion questions on his website that can facilitate the discussions. This is science fiction at its best. It is very far removed from the real world as the main character has been turned into a super human and has been programmed to fight. At the same time we see some real world traits as Tally struggles with right and wrong. 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Riggs, R. (2013). Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: The graphic novel. New York, NY: Yen Press. New York Times Bestseller. Jacob has listened to stories from his grandfather for years. His grandfather shared many photos of his time at Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. After his grandfather’s death he begins a journey to find the setting of all his grandfather’s stories and pictures. The mix of real pictures and a fantasy story is very impressive to me. Without reading the story, one could believe it is a non-fiction story by just looking at the photographs. This add such a different touch to the story. This is a great story to share with young adults, ages 14-18. It mixes a little creepiness with fantasy as to not make it scary at all.  The author does a fantastic job of making us take a step back from reality and really believe what we are reading. If you can forget that time travel is not possible, then the book is fabulous. The characters were created in a way that they became very real and believable.

The Strange Case of the Origami Yoda

Angleberger, T., & Rosenstock, J. (2010). The strange case of Origami Yoda. New York: Amulet Books.

“Weirdo” Dwight says and does odd things until he creates an origami version of the Star Wars character, Yoda. “Yoda” starts predicting things. He also makes some wise statements, which is not like Dwight at all. The focus is on Origami Yoda and Dwight, but Tommy tells the story. He struggles with the question of whether Origami Yoda is real or not. There are lots of small drawings that enhance the book. This book will be especially popular among 12-18 year old boys because of the connection to Star Wars. In reality, the novel isn't connected to Star Wars at all. The rotation of first person dialogue enhanced the book and made the other characters just as memorable as Dwight. The characters in this book are very stereotypical of nerdy high school boys, but it totally works. The vocabulary used was right on target for this. He used words like "fart-face, bejeezus, crap, idiot, and jerk" which is exactly how teenagers talk.  Writing like a teenager makes the book and characters more meaningful to the reader, especially the teenage reader. 

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen

Knisley, L. (2013). Relish: My life in the kitchen. New York: First Second. Great Graphic Novels for Teens. This non-fiction novel pays homage to the foods that impacted the authors life growing up. She is the daughter of a chef and a gourmet and food played an important part of her life. We get some of her favorite recipes along with favorite food memories. This is a blend between an autobiography, graphic novel and cookbook. The colorful artwork plays an integral part of the story. Usually a graphic novel carries the book, but in this case the story tells as much of the story as the pictures. It was an artful way to present an autobiography. This is not your typical autobiography because the author is an unknown person. This is a great novel for an aspiring cook. The graphics pull the reader in and we experience her love of food and cooking through her memories. This book also falls into the informational book genre because it presents a comprehensive look at cooking through the eyes of someone that cooks. 

Shiver

Stiefvater, M., & Stengel, C. (2009). Shiver. New York: Scholastic Press.

Shiver is the first book in a series about Sam and Grace. Grace was eleven when wolves attacked her. One wolf saved her and this book follows their journey of love. This shows the struggle of human and non human forms and how they struggle to coexist. After reading the Twilight series, I am a little picky when it comes to these types of fantasy novels. I think girls from 14-18 will enjoy this book because the fantasy genre is so popular right now. They will also enjoy the love story. I also believe that since it's part of a series it makes it a more desirable book to read. It is always nice to continue a story and the attachment to the characters in the continuing novels. Thanks to Harry Potter, Twilight and Hunger Games, fantasy novels are more popular than ever. We need a "willing suspension of disbelief" in order to enjoy this book and the author does create a good storyline that allows us to do this. The characters are believable to the reader.

Son of the Mob

Korman, G. (2004). Son of the mob: Hollywood hustle. New York: Hyperion. Vince Luca travels cross country with his girlfriend and best friend to attend college in LA, as far away from his family as possible. His Dad is the head of the mob. For Vince this is a big problem since his girlfriend’s father is an FBI and his roommates' father is a congressman. We read about Vince’s struggles to distance himself as far from his family as possible and his father continuously tries to keep an eye out for his well being. Young adult males, ages 14-16, will enjoy reading this book because it is filled with the mob and the FBI. I didn’t enjoy reading this book as much as many of the others on the list. The short snippets of a movie scene were more of a distraction that an addition to the book. I found myself wanting to skip over them. I did appreciate the humor in the book since many of the books read have a more serious tone. Vince is trying to distance himself from his mobster father, therefore undergoing a changing relationship with his father, but also trying to develop morals and values. It has to be difficult to make the right choices when the morals and values of your father are weighing you down.