Liar

Liar by Justine Larbalestier
Published by Bloomsbury USA Children's Books in 2009
384 pages
Warning: This novel contains sexual content, language, murder, and an unreliable narrator. Also, some scary images and narration which may scare younger readers (But I would not recommend this to students 14 and younger)
Genre: Friends and Society, Family, Mystery, Suspense

Micah is a compulsive liar; she openly declares her compulsion, and from the first page, we as readers do not know if we should trust her. Despite her continuous oath to tell the truth and not tell a lie, we find out she does. At school, her friend Zach has been murdered. The police are questioning Micah because of her habits, and believe (along with friends at school) she is a suspect. Fighting the accusations, Micah begins to reveal what we think is her true character.

This book will throw the reader for a spin! It is difficult to become engrossed in the novel when we are seeing things from the eyes of an unreliable narrator. Despite this, we become enthralled with the world that is Micah! Her lies press us to keep reading deeper into her world of deception. Form the first sentence to the last sentence, we don't know if we can believe anything Micah has told us. A definite, must read. I simply suggest allowing several hours to finish it in one sitting (and a good supply of CHEEZ-ITS); it's that good.

Impossible

Impossible by Nancy Werlin
Published in 2009 by Speak
364 Pages
Warning: dialogue about sex, language, moments that may scare some young readers, rape, teen pregnancy
Genre: Magical Realism, Family, Romance

Lucy has grown up in a foster home, unaware of the curse on the women in her family for the past several generations. Uneasy about recent visits from her insane mother, Lucy begins to worry why her mother is the way she is. When Lucy is raped at her prom, pieces begin to fall together. She discovers her mothers diary with details about the family curse that once fell upon her mother and have now fallen upon Lucy with her pregnancy. Unsure of what to think, Lucy involves her foster parents about the next course of action to take. Lucy decides, with the hep of her family, she will complete three impossible tasks to break the family curse. From this moment, readers will not be able to put the novel down.

I love this novel. It is addicting from the first page. Nancy Werlin merges magic with reality seamlessly and creates a strange and surprising universe full of twists and turns. The magical details Werlin presents are easy to believe, and the reader wonders when they get up from reading if they will suddenly be required to sew a seamless shirt. I love the message this novel sends to readers about family. Werlin presents the idea that no matter what task must be completed by an individual, family can stand by that individual through each moment of the task; thus, a person must never shoulder a burden or task completely alone. Family will always be there to help lighten the load and make whatever sacrifices are necessary.

I would suggest this book be read by a teen who believes that they can only count on their own power to accomplish something. This novel teaches the importance of teen work and even believing that help can come from beyond the grave, loved ones, a higher power, whatever. This novel simply teaches the benefits on relying on more then oneself.

The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry
Published in 1993 by Delacorte Press
179 pages
Warning: This novel contains some language and brief dialogue about sex. Also, the ideas of Utopia and Euthanasia are presented.
Genre: Utopian society, Coming of Age, Family, Friends and Society

Lois Lowry presents a futuristic society living in a Utopia; each year when children turn one year older, they receive an item that marks their growth up until the age of eleven. At age twelve, the twelves receive their assignment they will fulfill for the rest of their life. This assignment will be what allows them to contribute and be a productive member of society. Jonas is given an assignment that, when spoken, a hush falls upon the community. It will be painful, but the young boy has little choice but to accept the assignment willingly. Or does he?

This book is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed the insightful perspective regarding how fragile life is. Lowry provides, in this novel, a space where ethics and agency are closely scrutinized and examined. As Jonas discovers the truth of pain and pleasure of life, the reader also discovers the importance of self-guided choices and agency. As the family robotic-ally shares "feelings" by law, they create false feelings simply because they must say something. The people are numb to real feelings, and readers recognize feelings cannot simply be made up. I enjoyed this novel because it causes any reader to question the importance of free choice; we see in this novel that we really don't appreciate it until we have lost it.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Published in 2007 by Little, Brown and Company

230 pages

Warning: This novel contains sexual references, language and violence.

Genre: Self and Body Image, Friends and Society, Death, Family

Alexie tells the story of Junior, a young man growing up on a distressed Indian reservation. Junior attends a run down school and is determined to make something better of himself. Despite mocking and ridicule from fellow tribe members, Junior leaves the reservation to attend a white school. There he finds trouble, but soon finds a place on the basketball team. Yet, his friends from the reservation will not let him forget the choice he has made.

This is a good book; it is not my favorite of the books I have read, but I did enjoy it. The main character is witty and friendly; I felt invited to read the book because of him. What makes this book even more entertaining are the sporadic cartoons, drawings from Junior, who is a budding cartoon artist. I enjoyed the novel also because Junior experiences loss that people of any race will and do feel, and we see how this unites him with his white school mates, and barriers this breaks down.

My favorite line of the novel is the very last line, but I can't give it away! Without that short five word line, the novel would not be the same. It speaks volumes.

Bound

Bound by Donna Jo Napoli

Published in 2004 by Simon Pulse publishing

186 pages

Warning: This novel contains abuse towards children, language, mild violence, mention of sex and mild sensuality.

Genre: Multicultural, Donna Jo Napoli, Family, Body Image, Death

Bound is the retelling of the Cinderella story with a twist; it takes place in China during the Ming Dynasty (mid to late 1600's). Xing Xing is bound to her late father's second wife. She is the servant for her stepmother and stepsister. She takes care of her stepsister who is amidst binding her feet, in hopes of finding a suitor. In the meantime, Xing Xing spends time working with calligraphy and poetry; it is something she loves and is very good at. The time finally comes for the event which every Cinderella story centers on. The great ball! Will Xing Xing go? Or will Wei Ping, her evil stepsister, take her spot at the ball.

This is a beautiful novel. What a fascinating insight to the Chinese culture! I was exposed to ideas of reincarnation, poetry, foot binding and importance of marriage to the Chinese people. Napoli wrote very matter of fact, which made this novel easy and simple for me to understand; when learning about a foreign culture, I appreciate this style of writing from an author. Napoli exposed the myth that foot binding was to me; I never realized how real it was until I read this novel. I know understand the Chinese culture more and the lengths they are willing to go to to find a suitor. It makes me think about our culture and what we do; I can't help but think of the hundreds of ridiculous fad diets which exist that entice people to be skinny and beautiful. It's interesting because in the end of the novel, we see who "wins." In our society, we often feel like those who win shouldn't, when it comes to the skinny girl getting the job or the boy, but in this novel it feels like the winner should win. After reading the novel, I was unsettled about the Chinese culture and certain aspects; but the ending made up for all of it. Great book.

Following is my favorite excerpt I hope will lure you in. It illustrates the extremes of foot-binding:

Wei Ping knelt with one knee on each stool and took a loud, deep breath. Then she threw her weight on one knee and moved the other stool forward with her hands. She threw her weight on the other knee and moved the second stool forward with her hands. In this manner, she worked her way over to the kang, never putting weight on her feet. The kang was the most-used piece of furniture in their home-- where one could eat and talk and sew and even nap. It was adjacent to the stove, with a fire passage inside its stone slabs. Heat from the cooking fire passed under it, then out through the chimney in the roof of the cave. As Wei Ping passed Xing Xing, she spat on her toes. "No one will find you a husband." (page 6)

The Friends

The Friends by Rosa Guy
Published in 1973 by Bantam Books
Warning: This novel does contain sensual material, alcohol use, shoplifting, and language.
Genre: Family, Friends and Society, Multicultural, Death

This novel is the story about Phyllisia Cathy, a young girl growing up in deteriorating Harlem in the 1960s. Phyllisia and her family have moved to New York from the West Indies. Phyllisia faces various obstacles as she attempts to overcome being beat up at school, her mothers death and her fathers abusive temper. Phyllisia develops an unlikely friendship with a poor girl Edith, and the two teach each other valuable lessons. Edith is raising her siblings with little help after the death of her mother. Alice Walker from the New York Times has explained the learning process which these girls go through as, "the grim struggle for self-knowledge."

This book is powerful and has a strong message for teens about where to find friends. I also enjoyed this book because of the multicultural element. The teens in this book experience different struggles I (growing up LDS and White in a very conservative are) have never encountered. I learned a lot about culture and how family is universally important to so many different people of various cultures.

MAUS: A Survivor's Tale

MAUS: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman
Published by Pantheon Books in 1986
159 pages
Warning: MAUS contains graphic images, gruesome language, graphic language, nudity, violence and suicide.
Genre: Holocaust, War, Family


MAUS: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman has been reviewed as "a remarkable work, awesome in its conception and execution...at one and the same time a novel, a documentary, a memoir, and a comic book. Brilliant, just brilliant." -Jules Feiffer

I picked up this book to read it with great expectations. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. The book, a graphic novel, did not deliver like I had hoped. The plot involves a man hearing his father's survival story through the Holocaust. While the illustrations are chilling and some details are gruesome and hard to forget, I was not able to emotionally connect with the characters or the text of the novel. While there is fascinating symbolism and interesting cultural elements, I simply was unable to connect with the characters.

What I did enjoy is the symbolism as the different groups of people were represented by different animals. For instance, the Nazi's were cats, the Jews were mice and the Polish were pigs. A person may read into this symbolism how ever they choose.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Published by Henry Holt and Company in 2008
265 pages
Warning: This novel contains violence, mild gory images, language and drinking involving teens.
Genre: Family, Science Fiction

This is a fascinating novel which deals which challenging and thought provoking issues. The novel begins with a teenage girl, Jenna, who has just woken up from a comma. She has no memory of what has happened to her and she has been in a coma for a year. Her parents tell her she was in an accident. To help jog her memory, they tell her to watch video after video from her ballet recitals, beach trips and birthday parties as a child. Jenna begins to notice that her body now is different then her body from the videos. Curious, she looks for the truth behind what happened when she realizes her parents, and others, are lying to her.

Readers, throughout this novel, can expect to question what is the essence of a person that makes them a distinguishable human. After reading this novel, we begin to look at others differently and we question what is the essence of ourselves.

It is also interesting to look at the different covers which have been printed for this novel. Both provide readers with a different insight into this ground breaking novel.

Watch the following video for an enticing introduction.

Girl Coming in for a Landing

Girl Coming in for a Landing written by April Halprin Wayland
This novel was published in 2004 by Yearling.
128 pages
Warning: This book contains mild sensual content and language, as well as one nude photo of a woman from the waist up.
Genre: Poetry, Friends and Society, Family, Body Image

This is a novel told in poems. This book of poems is narrated by a budding teen girl during her freshman year of high school. She talks about love, kissing games, dating, her period and even having her own poetry published.

My favorite poem is the final poem of the book:

COMING IN FOR A LANDING

My heart

is coming in

for a landing

Carrying a suitcase

packed with hope.

I stuffed it,

sat on it to snap the clasps.

And as my heart dips from the cloud high

and slowly descends,

finally taxiing to the gate,

someone will unload my suitcase.

I am holding its tag tightly.

I have come to reclaim it.

Taking care...

taking it

home.

It is easy to assume the poetry is written from the perspective of a young 14-15 year old girl discovering the world. Wayland captures the spirit and mood of teenage frustration and triumph in day to day life. I also enjoyed the illustrations accompanying the poems. They were captivating and relative to the subjects of the poetry.

Silent to the Bone

Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg
published by Speak publishing in 2004
260 pages
Warning: This novel does contain mild sexual references, mild description of nudity, some language, and traumatizing events causing injury to a baby.
Genre: Mystery, Family

Branwell's little sister, Nikki, lies in the hospital in a comma. Branwell knows why; he was there when it happened. But he's not speaking about the event. Branwell sits in the juvenile detention center, not breaking his silence to anyone. Branwell's friend Connor has figured out a way to communicate with Branwell, through note cards and blinking. Feeling responsible to find out what happened, Connor visits Branwell every day until he speaks. Eventually, Branwell opens his mouth to tell the truth about what happened, but not without sending Connor on a hunt first.

This novel is fun to read because of the ingenious communication method Connor comes up with to talk to Branwell. Connor writes words on note cards which are related to his family and the crime under investigation. Connor points to a note card, and Branwell makes some type of physical reaction or movement indicating to Connor if he should or should not further investigate the subject of that note card relating to the crime. In the end, Connor is able to help solve what happened and break the silence of Branwell.

Branwell is an interesting character throughout the novel, and I loved reading and learning more about him. A young boy, he has witnessed something that shocks him and I loved reading about how he copes.

Looking For Alaska

Looking for Alaska, by John Green
Published by Speak Publishing
256 pages
Warning: This book is extremely explicit. I would not recommend it to readers any younger then 18. It contains very mature sexual content as well as drinking and drug use.

Looking for Alaska is by far the edgiest book I have read in my 20 years of life. Edgy, yet fabulous. Provocative, yet with important lessons to teach. This novel will expose readers to young adult difficulties and issues which some readers may never be exposed to otherwise.

The book revolves around the happenings of Miles, aka Pudge, and his new friends at a boarding school for high school students. Every conflict which enters the lives of young adults is in this book. Sex, drugs, smoking, drinking, love, friendship, pranks and death. I don't want to say too much, because one must simply experience the power of this book, not knowing what to expect. The format of the book is also interesting, as each "chapter" heads with "156 days before." Then, an event happens, and the rest of the novel "chapters" begin, "6 days after" and so on. It is a fascinating read, and these characters are real.

Because this book is so explicit, it brought up the issue of censorship for me. After reading this book, I have found that it is appropriate for me to say that a book is personally not appropriate for me. But, to say that a book is inappropriate for anyone to read is wrong; and for me, as a future teacher, to keep any students from reading this book simply because it went to far for me is wrong. The same thing applies to parents; parents can say that a book is too edgy for their child. But, to say that a book is too edgy for any child or for anyone, that is crossing the line with censorship and I believe that is wrong. But I think that a person censoring what they read personally is perfectly acceptable, especially when it comes to books like this one.

I think that John Green addresses this same issues in the following video. It is important for all students, parents and teachers to watch.

The Tent

The Tent, by Gary Paulsen
Published by Harcourt Brace & Company in 1995
86 pages
Warning: This novel contains Christian religious content, crime and some language
Genre: Religious, Adventure, Family

This is the story of a poor father and son desperate for money. The two decide to become scheming "preachers." With a tent purchased at a thrift shop which is battered and beaten, the two set out across the country traveling to small towns. They begin preaching and passing around a collection plate, taking the donations for themselves. Not owning a Bible, the two use a Bible stolen from a local hotel. After success, the two become even more greedy for more money. Then encounter a man who suggests they use actors to stage being physically healed to increase their profits. The father and son team pursue this suggestion and substantially increase their profits to buy a used Cadillac.

This story is interesting, as the two discover their ethics and what is considered to be ethical by those surrounding them. How far will the two go for money? Do they ever admit to their scheme? I like the open ending of the novel and that readers are left questioning because this requires readers to think more about the ethics presented in the novel and what exactly is right and wrong.

Green Angel

Green Angel by Alice Hoffman
Published by Scholastic Press in 2003
116 pages
Warning: This novel deals with death, sadness, grief and it is gloomy. There is some mild language and some disturbing disastrous events.
Genre: Death, Family

This novel, at times, reminded me of Overboard by Elizabeth Fama. Both books involve young girls learning survival skills, and falling prey to the selfish tendencies that may come with the survival mode situations.

After the sudden and tragic death of her family, Green hopes for their return. Unfortunately, they do not return. Green quickly transforms into Ash. She must learn to fight off looters, search for food and learn to help others. Looking past old biases and preconceived notions of various people from her past, Ash learns to help others beside herself survive. The grieving process is well documented. Ash, like all of us, copes with the death of her family in her own unique way. Will she remain Ash for the rest of her life, buried in the ash and wreckage of disaster, or return to the Green girl who once cared and protected her garden?

This book is wonderful! I have never experienced the pain of a loved one dying, so I was enlightened to the grieving process and how people grieve about death differently. This book is also interesting, because it can be interpreted as the grieving process of a young girl after the September 11th terrorist attacks in NYC in 2001. While the book does not say this explicitly, it could be interpreted this way.

Overboard

Overboard, by Elizabeth Fama
Published by Dell Laurel-Leaf in 2002
158 pages
Warning: This book is mildly thematic and contains scenes which may be scary to some younger readers because of intense, survival situations.
Genre: Suspense, Adventure, Survival, Family

This book is about a family living in Sumatra with her parents, who work at a clinic in this country. Annoyed with her life and the stress of the hospital, she runs away from home, in Sumatra, without telling her parents. On the ferry to another island where she plans to meet her uncle, Emily meets another American couple. They talk and form a quick friendship. Unfortunately, the ferry capsizes. Emily, age 14, is suddenly placed in survival mode as she tries to survive the night in the ocean. Throughout the night, Emily encounters sharks, desperate people, and a young boy who needs her help to survive.

This book is wonderful. I love the following quote;

"Emily looked around in desperation. If only the rescue boats were here, if only someone could make them all calm, save them before they hurt themselves, make them do the right thing.

But what was the right thing? Emily didn't know.

She was crying now, heaving, hot sobs that made her choke on her own mucus" (39).

There is power, as Emily transforms from trying to protect herself, and think of her own survival, to the survival of others. This book is also empowering because at a young age of 14, Emily is able to help more then herself. For me, this book turned my eye away from myself and to others, and I know it can do the same thing for young adults. I also find that for young adults who are often obsessed with their own lives, this novel would also turn their eyes and focus towards others.