#1
Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary
of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown, and Company.
Junior lives on a reservation, where he is made
fun of for having hydrocephalus, glasses (one eye bigger and one eye smaller).
His best friend is Rowdy, who protects him. Junior is fair at basketball
and very smart. After getting suspended
for hitting his teacher in the face with book, which was mostly an accident, he
takes the teacher’s advice and transfers to Reardon, a mostly all white high
school off the reservation. He takes a
lot of crap from the other Native Americans for leaving and from the white kids
for being Indian. His grandma dies. His
sister dies. He loses a lot. He
becomes amazing at basketball and is loved by his school peers. He even manages to get a girlfriend at
Reardon. He draws attention to the
alcoholism of his father and other characters (his dad’s best friend dies in a
drunken fight with his friend, his sister dies because she was drunk and passed
out so her house burned down with her in it). For all of the sorrow, this
novel is funny. It includes some of
“Junior’s” drawings. There is an interview
with the author in the back about how Rowdy was based on a real friend/ has
elements from his actual life.
This novel is a work of realistic fiction. It won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. It creates empathy for the reader for the plight
of Native Americans and the cycle of poverty and alcoholism many can’t escape
from. This novel also addresses the
stereotypes that both the “whites” and the Native Americans have of each other. This novel also helps readers to understand
and have a window into the world of a Native American teenager and his struggle
to break out of the cycle. Thus, this
novel is an excellent way to keep diversity alive in the classroom by
introducing these characters and these topics.
This novel also is a perfect example of YA literature. The protagonist, Junior, goes through many
changes- changing schools, losing his best friend, losing multiple family
members- and watches as he learns to deal with loss and change. The plot follows him on a journey of self-
discovery, yet leaves him still working on figuring it all out. This novel
focuses on the developmental and physical changes going on with young adult
readers. Junior is dealing with his own
physical differences as he goes through his normal development, but it is also
worse for him because of his hydrocephalus and goofy eyes. Maslows’ hierarchy of needs show that Junior
is struggling with the levels of safety and belonging due the bullying and
name-calling he endures at school. I would recommend this book to students as
well as to teachers looking for something to read with the class.
#2
Crutcher, C. (1993). Staying fat for Sarah
Byrnes. New York, NY. Greenwillow Books.
Eric Calhoune is the narrator in this work of
realistic fiction. He used to be the
super-duper-whale-sized fat kid, so he made friends with Sarah Byrnes, the
burned-up-face kid. They were besties in junior high and went through all
kinds of pain and suffering and revenge together, but Eric now has swim and
friends besides her. With that said, the title is actually true because when
Eric makes the swim team and starts losing weight, he starts cramming his face
with twinkies and such to try to stay fat so he won’t lose Sarah; she is that
important to him
During the course of the novel, Sarah ends up in
a mental hospital where she is not speaking.
Eric has to figure out if she is really sick or if she is trying to stay
away from her father- who the reader is learning about and we are learning that
he is very abusive. Eric turns out to be
the truest kind of friend imaginable and risks his life to protect Sarah.
This novel is a very compelling work of
realistic fiction (which may be turning historical since it was written in the
90s- oh my!). It came out while I was in
high school, and I wish that there had been a librarian who would have shared this
with me. This novel has a gripping plot and
I would have gobbled it up and read everything else by Crutcher. This book is amazing
and profound. It definitely serves as a window to see into someone else’s
world of suffering, or on the flip side, as a mirror into your own suffering so
that you can see somebody work their way out of the pain and into safety. It shines a light on domestic violence,
abuse, bullying, fitting in, and standing up for yourself. The dedication
reads: “For all those who finally stand
up for themselves.” This book is
haunting and follows you for days after you read it. The fear, pain, suffering, etc. that people
all around you live with that you don’t see is profound. The characters are
real, funny, smart, and loveable. You want to protect these kids and make
everyone see how amazing they are.
Sarah’s burned face shows the internal scars and wounds that so many
people have on the inside. It is
symbolic and makes you think. And
grieve. And hope. Some other books that
will be of interest to readers of this novel- aside from Crutcher’s other
works- would be What she left behind by
Tracy Bilen or, for one set back in the 1980s, Revenge of a not-so-pretty girl by Carolita Blythe. I would recommend this book to everyone. All students will benefit from seeing into
the world of Sarah and Chris. It will
teach empathy as well as a fabulous plot with life-threatening danger. One way to introduce it would be to show this fan-made trailer:
#3
Satrapi, M. (2003). Persopolis the story of a
childhood. Paris, France: L’Association.
This book says it is a “Story of a Childhood,”
so I start reading it believing that it is to show that Iranian children and
life are just the same as us and how we are all the same and such. But it isn’t… it is the story of a girl- the
author- growing up during changing regimes and revolution and war in Iran.
Marjane is independent and fierce, which is amazing since she sees people-
both relatives and friends- die for voicing opinions that are different from
the current political/religious views of the leaders. One of the sweetest
parts of the novel is her uncle who loves her above all others and when he
comes to visit, he brings her gifts.
When he is imprisoned, he asks for her to be his only visitor. And then he dies. Marjane is brave in the face of adversity and
is raised by parents who teach her how to become who she wants to be and keep
life secret from the authorities. This novel is filled with bombs dropping all
around the community, police questioning her, and eventually being sent away by
her parents to safety in Paris and not knowing if she will see her parents ever
again. It ends with hope for Marjane,
but fear for her family.
This is a beautiful memoir set in the format of
a graphic novel, with simple black and white illustrations. This novel creates
a window for the American YA reader to see how different life is growing up in
another world. Kohlberg’s stages of Moral development fit in to this
novel. Satrapi writes about breaking the
laws in secret and continuing to do what she and her family believe is the
right thing to do. Her family is in the
conventional stage because they try to hide the illegal things that they do, and
Marjane struggles to know when to speak out and when to stay quiet and appear
to be a law-abiding citizen. It is touching
to see what Marjane lives through and how she grows up to be educated and
liberated even in such a repressive and terrifying time. The book captured my attention and held it in
so much that as soon as I finished, I had to look up Satrapi’s biography so
that I could find out if she ever made it back to her parents (she did-
whew!). In order to find out what happens
next, read Satrapi’s Persopolis 2: The
story of a return, or get the whole story at once with The complete Persopolis (1-4).
There is also an interview here https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/mar/29/biography
or the movie Persopolis (2007). A link to the movie book trailer is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZ22VyjJ6n8. I
would recommend this book to students and teachers alike. This novel teaches
tolerance, diversity, feminism, social structure, and freedom.
#4
Stead, R. (2012). Liar & spy. New
York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
Georges and his family have to move to an
apartment because they lost their house when his dad lost his job. Dad is
trying to build his own business, so money is tight. Mom is a nurse at
the hospital and is working extended shifts to make money- so we think. Of course, Georges has had to give up
everything he ever loved- his fireman bedroom, house, neighborhood- and is
struggling. The day they are moving into the apartments, Georges’ dad sees a
sign for a “spy club” and signs Georges up. Georges ends up making
friends with a home school kid and they go on adventures and spy
shenanigans. The boys fixate on the “man
in black” and have a whole story about how he is a murderer. Throughout the story, Georges misses his mom,
and communicates with her via Scrabble notes they pass back and forth on his
desk. The novel has some routines, like
Georges and his dad going out to the same pizza restaurant and Georges and
Safer meeting up. As the climax arrives,
Georges and Safer have a huge fight because Georges thought the game was real
and blames Safer for lying to him.
However, we also find out that Georges mom is actually IN the hospital
as a patient because she had a bad fall and is very sick. Georges finally forgives Safer and their
friendship is saved. Georges also finally
goes to see his mom at the hospital. As the novel ends, it seems that Georges
will be able to adapt to his new life after all and live in reality.
This work of realistic fiction is set during the
recession that took place in America between 2007-2009 and is aimed at our
younger YA readers. This novel is about
a serious topic, but is handled by the author carefully and with a good dose of
humor. This novel would be helpful to our students
who struggle with loss due to finances- which I teach a lot of- to use as a
mirror into the struggles they face and the grace (or lack thereof) with which
the protagonist learns to accept his new situation. This novel also covers Maslow’s Hierarchy
because the loss of financial stability has left Georges feeling vulnerable and
insecure. He must work out a way to feel
secure with his family situation in order to be able to move forward and adapt
to his new life. This novel is an excellent example of YA literature because
Georges is nowhere near the end of his growing and changing as a human being,
but he makes so much progress toward that goal during the novel that the reader
believes he will continue on. Other books
by Rebecca Stead are When you reach me and
Bob.
The author’s website is suited for young people at http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com/index2.html
I would recommend these books to my late elementary and middle school 6th
and possibly 7th graders. The
topic of the novel are about friendship, fitting in, changing family
situations, and other topics appropriate for this age group.
#5
Alexander, K. (2014) Crossover. New
York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.
The story focuses on Josh Bell, often called
Filthy McNasty, and his twin brother, Jordan. Their dad is Chuck “Da Man”
Bell, and he was an NBA player in Europe that never made the big leagues in the
states because he wouldn’t have the surgery for a knee injury. The boys
are training to be amazing ball players like their dad and are in 7th grade
kicking butt. Mom is the vice principal
of the school they attend, and she is always making them follow the rules and
get things done. Dad acts like he is
perfectly fine, but he is really sick and Josh keeps seeing signs of this, but
dad won’t go to the doctor because when grandpa went to the hospital, he died.
So Josh knows dad is sick. His brother gets a girlfriend and he feels
left out and alone. Afraid for his dad. These feelings grab ahold of him and he
throws a ball in brother’s face injuring him and so his parents ground him from
basketball. He gets to reinstated to play
in time for the playoffs. But in the meantime, his dad has a heart attack and
is in the hospital so his brother won’t play in the final game. Josh plays in the playoff game as his dad is
dying. It is so sad, so beautiful, and so heartbreaking. The poems about
playing baseball are amazing.
This realistic fiction work is the winner of the 2015 Newberry Award as well as the Coretta Scott King Award Honor. It is told in verse. This
work is a perfect example of what realistic fiction should be. The novel uses the slang and expressions that
teenagers currently use. The novel also
has themes that emerge naturally as the novel progresses- “be kind” and “love
people while you have them” to name a few.
Finally, this novel deals with real life issues like jealousy, sibling
rivalry, consequences, and most profoundly, how to deal with the death of a
parent. Alexander uses literary devices
and elements well. The language is
artfully done, and the onomatopoeia and imagery is off the chain. This work
also is an excellent example of what Poetry should be for a YA reader. It is about a familiar topic (lots about
basketball) and uses literary devices that make it easy to comprehend for young
readers. This is a book I can take out and read a section of to my 8th
graders and they will ask for more. The
rhythm and the sounds make this appealing to our young readers. Havighurst’s
research applies to Josh’s acting out against his parents and his brother as he
is being forced to watch his brother move on to the dating stage without him. I
loved this book for the sheer aesthetic experience of reading something so
beautiful- and it is even better when read aloud. The beauty of the language almost makes up
for the death of Check “Da Man” Bell, but not quite.
#6
King, A.S. (2010). Please ignore Vera
Dietz. New York, NY: Alfred K. Knopf.
This Printz Honor book sucked me right in.
I wanted to sit and read it all in one sitting because I just had to know
what happened. The story is told by Vera (and occasionally Charlie, her
dad, and the pagoda that overlooks her town) several months after the death of
her best friend (Charlie who narrates sometimes). The story switches
between what is happening now- ‘NEW YEARS DAY- AFTER WORK” and the past
“HISTORY- AGE FOURTEEN” and switches narrators occasionally, but it is mostly
Vera. The story is heart-wrenching as she has become an alcoholic (senior
year in high school) because her best friend has died and she sees “thousands
of Charlies” wanting her to find the evidence and clear his name (he has been
declared a suicide and pet store arsonist). We aren’t sure of the
details- which is the purpose of the novel.
As we watch Vera struggle to make it through each day and deal with her
impending adulthood, her relationship with her dad, her mom having been a
stripper and then moving away and abandoning the family going to Vegas- she is
processing and trying to find the strength to forgive Charlie enough to clear
his name and bring the truth to light. As Vera opens up more to what
Charlie is trying to tell her she starts to see what really happened and is
able to move forward with discovering and revealing the truth. It seems that Charlie left clues that only
she would be able to follow when he realized that he was going to die (because
he was involved with a crazy person).. Vera
is able to clear Charlie’s name, survive attempted murder, and face her father
when he discovers her alcoholism. It
ends with hope as Vera and her dad drive on an impromptu vacation trip and both
let go of their fears (which they have written on index cards and taped to
their backs… then the cards blow off out the window- yes, symbolically).
I guess this novel is an example of fantasy because
there are many elements of fantasy- narration by Charlie, a dead boy, and further
narration by the pagoda, an inanimate object.
The narration of Charlie adds vital information, while the pagoda is
mostly comic relief. I want to call this
realistic fiction because it is about real, serious issues that our young
people must deal with. This novel broke
my heart. It covers so many heavy teen
topics- teen pregnancy, alcoholism, drug use, sex, trying to figure out who in
the hell you are, domestic violence, parent-child relationships, and love. For most of the characters, life is a hard,
hard place with no happy ending in sight. This novel teaches us about letting
go of fear, bravery, standing up for yourself and others, and moving forward.
King uses great literary devices in this novel- irony, humor (like a
recurring reference to Charlie being a pickle in Vera’s big Mac), sarcasm and
narration ( point of view) by a pagoda. I
think this novel simultaneously arouses the reader’s imagination (what would I
do if my best friend died? What if my
dead --- were trying to reach me- what would they do? Am I missing signs) at the same time as
arousing empathy for those we know who are undergoing stressful situations or
suffering from alcohol or drug abuse. This novel would be great to read using
Peck’s questions about mood (color) and others such as “what one thing in here
has happened to me?” because so much happens in here. I would recommend this novel to older YA readers
because of the issues it covers and the heavy weight it leaves in your heart
after reading it. The humor is not
enough to make the sorrow and pain lighthearted.
#7
Block, F. L. (2009). The waters & the
wild. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.
Bee is a teenager who feels like she doesn’t
belong. Then, one night, she discovers her doppleganger- and realizes
that she, Bee, is a changeling- she has a strong sense of connection to the
earth and growing things. Bee is pale and puny and only working in the
garden brings her joy. After realizing
that she doesn’t really belong to this world, she feels like she has a purpose
before she can leave- to get Sarah and Haze together. There is one night when the three of them go
to a party and there is a moment where they hold hands and actually leave the
ground. Then she gets really sick and ends up in the hospital. Eventually, she flies off to go back where
she is supposed to be- under the earth with her fairy parents. The real Bee goes back and takes her
place. Throughout the story, Bee, the
real Bee, wants to come back to the real world with her real mother and real
people. She is fighting to take her place back. Once the girls have
switched places, Sarah and Haze see the “Real” Bee at school as she is walking
over to sit with the popular kids, and they know that their Bee is truly
gone. The novel touches on the mother,
and how she could probably tell her daughter was wrong and was probably really
happy when the real Bee showed up.
This novel is low fantasy because it takes place
in the real world, but it has elements that are fantastical (a changeling and
the magical events like bodies floating off the earth). The universal themes
contained in the novel include the feeling of not belonging, and the most
important universal lesson is the not fitting in and not wanting to be seen,
but then realizing that you were beautiful all along. The book has beautiful imagery of the earth
and growing things, which appeals to the reader’s developing sense of reading
for the aesthetic experience. Why read
this novel with children? This novel is
fun! It tells a beautiful story and
allows the reader to wonder “what if?”.
What if “insert name of friend here” were actually not a human? If I weren’t a human, what would I be? This is fun! There are some other magical
books by this author which include Love
in the time of global warming and The
elementals would be of interest to a reader that enjoys this book. If you like magic melding with reality, this
is the book to read! This novel showed
me what an excellent example of fantasy looks like. Block does an amazing job of connecting her
magical elements in to the real world that I found myself already believing the
story before realizing that it wasn’t realistic fiction, which shows that she
is masterful at supporting her readers’ suspension of disbelief. It also introduced me to a prolific author
that many YA readers will be able to enjoy.
I would recommend this book to my fantasy loving students, and even to
those who think they might like fantasy because it is mild in its fantastical
elements and would be a good starting point for the genre.
Green, J. (2006). An abundance of Katherines.
New York, NY: Penguin.
Colin is a teenage prodigy who only dates girls
named Katherine- 19 of them to be exact
This Printz Honor book a work of realistic fiction. John Green is a very popular author right now
with the success of The fault in our stars
and Looking for Alaska. The characters in this novel are
brilliantly done. Green uses believable plot elements and is amazing at
using irony, sarcasm, and humor throughout the plotline while maintaining the
action of the plot. He is able to
seamlessly weave in the entire backstory through flashbacks and his other creative
elements. Colin anagrams- which I don’t
get- but it is pretty cool. There are surprises (like the anagram of the
name of the grandfather to get tourists to come visit). The footnotes are
hilarious. Not only does Green use these
literary devices successfully, he also teaches several universal themes
throughout the novel. At the end, two
beautiful themes stand out: “And Colin
thought: …Even if it’s a dumb story, telling it changes other people just
the slightest little bit, just as living the story changes me. An
infinitesimal change. And that infinitesimal change ripples outward- ever
smaller but everlasting. I will get
forgotten, but the stories will last. And so we all matter- maybe less
than a lot, but always more than none…” and the reader has this sense of being able to believe that they
matter. No matter how smart, funny, or
insignificant they seem, they matter at least a tiny bit. And there is also the lesson that “’...but
there’s a place in the brain for knowing what cannot be remembered.” (213)
which is poignant and memorable. While
some of the content of this novel (sexual activity and references, racial
slurs) could be seen as objectionable, these are issues that our young people
encounter, and many of our students would enjoy the humor and sarcasm in this
book. There are students I can think of
right now that I would recommend John Green’s books to because they will be
drawn in by his use of language and his characters. I feel that this book does a good job of
teaching our children to appreciate where they come from. One of the side plots of the novel is Ms.
Wells working to keep her town alive and recording the stories of all of the
people who are part of it. Green does an
amazing job with layers of plot and theme, and this novel has shown me that
there is room in literature for many voices.
Green has a very unique tone and I will always be able to pick out his
work because he has such a strong voice.
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