Kissing Kate

Myracle, Lauren.  Kissing Kate.  New York: Penguin Group, 2003.  Print.

Awards

2004 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Annotation

One night at a party, best friends Kate and Lissa kissed.  Now Kate is ignoring Lissa, who’s left on her own to figure what and more importantly, who she really wants.

Booktalk

““Isn’t it amazing the stuff we can convince ourselves of?  And not just in our dreams, but in our normal lives, too.  You know?””  I wondered what she was thinking of, what lies she’d convinced herself were truths.  But I didn’t ask.”

I’ve had a lot of practice lately with these lies disguised as truths.  Ever since Kate and I, best friends since seventh grade, kissed everything has been screwed up.  It was in the summer, at the last party before school started.  Kate was drunk, but I wasn’t.  And even though Kate’s acting like being drunk was an excuse, I know she feels the same way about me.  She just won’t admit it.

I’ve tried to talk to her about it since, to tell her how much I like her, but she wants to forget it ever happened.  Kate is beautiful, popular and dating gorgeous Ben; she doesn’t want to be a lesbian.  She doesn’t want to be “abnormal”.  To me, though, it feels completely normal and I’m not sure that I can convince myself I’m really straight.  I’m not even sure I want to…

Image credit:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/kissing-kate/oclc/50315484&referer=brief_results

My Invented Life

Bjorkman, Lauren.  My Invented Life.  New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009.  Print.

Awards

Annotation

Roz is convinced her sister Eva is a lesbian.  To prove she’s right Roz decides to come out as a lesbian first, until her invented life gets totally out of control.

Booktalk

Then:  I used to be known as “Roz: sister and best friend”.  Recently, though, Eva’s taken that folder off her computer desktop and moved it into the trash.  In fact, she’s trashed our whole relationship.  If there was a replacement folder on her desktop it would be labeled: Roz: person to be ignored.

Now:  Currently, Eva barely speaks to me.  PD (post deletion) means we no longer share clothes, secrets or even mundane details about our lives.  We don’t even talk about the school play, even though we’re both in it together.

Then:  I used to know everything about Eva.  I would pine for (and sometimes go out with) her (ex) boyfriends.  She always talked to me about things and I thought she was perfect.

Now:  Eva has a new group of friends, the cheerleaders.  She’s still pretty much perfect, except I only know this from afar since she barely acknowledges me, let alone confides in me.  And…Eva’s a lesbian.  I think.

After finding a lesbian novel in Eva’s bedroom leant to her by Eyeliner Andie (a rumored lesbian herself), I started having suspicions about my sister.  PD, unfortunately, meant they would remain unconfirmed because Eva would never ever tell me.  I had a plan though.  I decided to come out as a lesbian and tell everyone at school about my “girlfriend”.  Once Eva saw how accepting and tolerant everyone was, she would feel safe enough to come out too.  Except…

That’s not exactly what happened.  I did come out at school, but then I starting having feelings for Eyeliner Andie in addition to my years-long crush on my sister’s current boyfriend, Bryan.  Will I able to figure out who I’m supposed to be with, get my invented life under control and gain my sister’s trust back, all before opening night?

Image credit:  http://laurenbjorkman.com/

The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne.  The Hunger Games.  New York: Scholastic Press, 2008.  Print.

Awards

2008 New York Times Notable Children’s Book

2008 New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice

2008 Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller

2008 Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2008: Children’s Fiction

2008 Cybil Award for Fantasy & Science Fiction

2008 Kirkus Best Book

2008 School Library Journal Best Books

2008 Booklist Editors’ Choice

2008 LA Times Favorite Children’s Books

2008-2009 (Winter) #1 Children’s Indie Next List

2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book

2009 ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults

2009 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List

2009 Indies Choice for Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book Honor

2009 Children’s Choice Book Award

2009 ALA YALSA Teens’ Top Ten

2009 New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age

2009 CCBC Choices

2010 USA Today Bestseller

Teen Choice Book of the Year Finalist

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

Annotation

Selected to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss knows that in order to win she has to survive the harsh environment of the arena and kill off all of the other players, regardless of whether they're friends or enemies.

Booktalk

It’s not enough that Katniss has to fight for her life everyday, risking death in order to sneak out of town so she can hunt and gather in the woods.  Now she’s in the biggest fight of her life: the Hunger Games.  Televised throughout the districts, Katniss knows everyone will be watching her and she also knows SHE HAS TO WIN.  Winning means ensuring her future and her family’s survival as well as helping out her town.  But winning also comes with a price: Katniss is pitted against someone else from her district, a boy named Peeta who once snuck her a loaf of bread when she had nothing to eat.

In order to win the Games and save her own life, will Katniss be able to kill the boy who may be in love with her…the boy who may be her only true ally…the boy who once saved her and her family from starvation?  Even if Katniss lives through the Games, can she live with her guilt?

“May the odds ever be in [her] favor!”

*This book was recommended to me by Nicole (19 years old) because it's "the best book in the series...there's more adventure and depth" in the first one compared to the others.  For her, the novel revolves around Katniss's decision, essentially "sacrificing everything for [her sister] Prim and then having the added burden of not letting her or the town down on top of simply trying to stay alive".*

Image credit:  http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/works.htm

almost perfect

Katcher, Brian.  almost perfect.  New York: Delacorte Press, 2009.  Print. 

Awards

2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

2010 Capitol Choice Noteworthy Book

2011 ALA Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award

Annotation

Still upset over his last break-up, Logan avoids dating until a new girl shows up at school with a big secret.

Booktalk

Logan’s life is far from perfect: 

• Just a few months ago his girlfriend Brenda broke up with him…after she cheated on him with another guy.  Hopeful they would get back together, Logan has been waiting around for her (literally: waiting for her to get off the bus every morning).  He's starting to realize now that it’s over. 
• Logan’s sister moved out to go to college.  While they used to be really close he doesn’t get to see her that much anymore. 
• His mom is gone most of the time because she has to work so many shifts at the diner just to make ends meet. 
• And he’s still living in the trailer he grew up in, the same one they lived in after Logan’s dad left.

All Logan really has to look forward to is his upcoming graduation and hanging out with his friends.  But when a new girl, Sage, transfers to his high school at the start of senior year Logan’s life starts to look a little better.  After all, it’s small town Boyer, no one new ever shows up and on top of that Sage is funny, smart, quirky…almost perfect.  Except Sage has a secret she can’t risk anyone finding out about.  And once Logan discovers what it is, he doesn’t want anyone to find out either.

Image credit:  http://www.randomhouse.com/book/89991/almost-perfect-by-brian-katcher/

Keeping You A Secret

Peters, Julie Anne.  Keeping You A Secret.  New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2003.  Print.

Awards

2003 Lambda Literary Award Finalist

2004 ALA Stonewall Honor Book

2004 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List of Recommended Feminist Books for Youth

2006 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults   

New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age

Alphabet Award (First recipient)

Annotation

Holland Jaeger has just realized she’s a lesbian and she’s in love with a girl from her school, Cece Goddard.  Both Cece and Holland decide to keep their relationship a secret, until the truth becomes impossible to hide.

Booktalk

These are the rules:

1.)   “They got it wrong when they called it “the closet”.  [It’s] a prison”.

2.)   “You can’t always trust your friends”.

3.)   “You don’t have to do anything to be hated for being gay”.

4.)   You think telling people your gay is “about identity.  Love…asking for acceptance”.  Others, including your friends and family, think you’re “asking for trouble”.

These are just some of the rules Holland Jaeger has to live by now that she’s admitted she’s a lesbian.  Holland works hard at school, has a job and is on the swim team.  She loves her sister Hannah and is trying to get along with her other sister, Faith.  It shouldn’t matter that she’s in love with Cece Goddard.  Cece, though, knows that’s not the case.  Having transferred from another school in the area, Cece knows how hurtful people can be when they find out you’re gay.  She begs Holland to keep the secret.  And while Holland does break up with her boyfriend, she doesn’t tell him why and she doesn’t tell her two closest friends either.

Keeping the secret seems like such a good idea at first, but will staying quiet turn out to be a mistake?  What if everyone at school finds out (it wouldn’t be too hard, Cece’s not exactly in the closet).  What if Faith tells their parents just to spite Holland?  Most importantly, what if everyone Holland loves finds out the truth from someone other than her?   

*Christine (19 years old) suggested I read this book.  She told me that she enjoyed it because "it talks about current themes, themes teenagers can relate to".  "It's emotional because Holland's friends and family have a hard time accepting her, but once Holland is at peace with herself, there's also a message of hope [and] that's important" she added.*


Image credit:  http://www.julieannepeters.com/files/ExcerptKYAS.htm

will grayson, will grayson

Green, John and David Levithan.  will grayson, will grayson.  New York: Dutton Books, 2010.  Print.

Awards

2010 Indie Lit Award Runner-up

2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Honors Award

2011 Rainbow Bibliography

2011 Rainbow List

Annotation

Will Grayson and Will Grayson may have the same name, but they don’t know each other…yet.  After they meet with the help of fate, though, their lives are changed dramatically.

Booktallk

There’s Will Grayson and then there’s o.w.g. – the Other Will Grayson.

Will Grayson is excited.  He’s about to meet Isaac, the boy he’s been talking to online for weeks.  Even though they only live a train ride away, they’ve never seen each other in person.  Will Grayson can’t wait to meet Isaac, he already knows he’s in love.  The only problem is, will Isaac like him back?  And what will he tell Maura, his girlfriend?

The Other Will Grayson is apathetic.  He’s not interested in school and while he is interested in Jane, he is deliberately pretending that he couldn’t care less.  Will is afraid to get hurt, but he’s also afraid that he is all of the things his best friend Tiny Cooper accuses him of: essentially, being a whiny sidekick, too scared to take a stand and go after what (or who) he wants.

Will Grayson and Will Grayson “might as well live on different planets”, but they’re about to meet in a weird twist of fate that’s going to change both their lives dramatically.  And it will be Tiny Cooper, the original Will Grayson’s best friend, who unknowingly helps to bring them together and keeps them together as they each begin “respective romantic turns-of-heart”.

*Phil (16 years old) told me about this book; he originally read it because one of his friends suggested it to him and "loved it"!  He thought the novel was "funny and a lot of fun...definitely different that what you'd expect".  He also mentioned that the two-person narration added a "cool twist" to the story because it allows readers to get the "perspectives from both of them".*

Image credit:  http://johngreenbooks.com/will-grayson/

David Inside Out

Bantle, Lee.  David Inside Out.  New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009.  Print.

Awards

2009 Rainbow List

Annotation

David likes his best friend and fellow track teammate and even though Sean likes him too, he doesn’t want anyone else to know about it.  Will David decide to stand up to Sean, follow his heart and be honest about his feelings?

Booktalk

What would you do if you were in love with your best friend?  What would you do if you didn’t want to be in love with your best friend?  If you were trying to hide this love by dating someone else, but all you really wanted to do was tell the truth?

This is exactly how David feels.  He’s dating a girl at his school, Kick, but it’s Sean, a member of his track team that he really wants.  Sean wants him too – but he doesn’t want anyone else to know about it.  What will David do?  Will he stand up to Sean and tell him he wants to be honest about his feelings?  Will he finally be able to come out to his friends and family?  Will he lose his friendship with his once-girlfriend, Kick?  What about the relationships with his track teammates?

Image credit:  http://leebantle.com/

Rapunzel's Revenge

Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale.  Rapunzel’s Revenge.  Illus. Nathan Hale.  New York: Bloomsbury U.S.A Children’s Books, 2008.  Print.

Awards

2009 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens

2009 ALA Notable Children's Books

2009 ALA Popular Paperback

2009 Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work

2010 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project Bibliography List

2011 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award

Utah Book Award for Children’s Literature

Cybil Award

Annotation

Rapunzel, along with her sidekick Jack, wants to free her mother and the townspeople of Gothel’s Reach from being under the control of evil Mother Gothel.

Booktalk

Rapunzel grows up inside Mother Gothel’s villa where there’s always food to eat and the garden is always green.  Curious about the outside world, though, Rapunzel decides to climb over the wall that guards her home and is shocked by what she sees.  Being on the outside reveals to Rapunzel Gothel’s evil ways: how she is starving the townspeople by drying up all their land and how she stole Rapunzel from her real mother years ago as punishment for a crime committed by her father.  In a race against time Rapunzel and a friend she meets along the way, Jack, are now on a mission to destroy Gothel and free everyone from the clutches of her evil magic. 

Gothel is powerful though and she has growth magic on her side.  Will Rapunzel and Jack be able to fight off her and her henchmen?  Will they be able to get to Gothel’s villa in time before she hurts Rapunzel’s mother?  And most importantly, will they be able to survive the journey to the villa, first having to fight off “a rampaging boar…a pack of outlaw kidnappers…a horde of blood-hungry coyotes…a sea serpent…[and] Tina’s Terrible Trio”?

If Rapunzel and Jack can’t solve the mystery and figure out where Gothel is getting all of her extraordinary power from, everyone’s lives will be in extreme danger…

Image credit:  http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_rap.html

The House on Mango Street

Cisneros, Sandra.  The House on Mango Street.  New York: Vintage Books, 1984.  Print.

Awards

1985 Before Columbus American Book Award

Annotation

Esperanza describes growing up in a Latino section of Chicago and living in a run-down house on Mango Street, while hoping and working hard to have a better life.

Booktalk

What would you do if you felt you were trapped by the place where you living?  If you wanted a real house, but got a temporary one instead?  If you felt like you were “a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor”?  Esperanza feels like Mango Street is holding her back.  She doesn’t have a best friend, she only has her sister Nenny but she’s annoying most of the time.  She doesn’t have a real house, the kind her family always dreamed of buying with a staircase on the inside.  Instead, she has the small red one on Mango Street where the bricks are crumbling and the front door sticks.  She wants new shoes; she wants a new name; and later, she wants a new job.  Despite all of this, Esperanza knows that the street is teaching her valuable lessons and it is in this house that she transforms from a little girl into a woman. 

Different from other novels, Esperanza tells her growing-up tale in The House on Mango Street in short chapters, or vignettes, each one their own complete story.  Take the journey along with her and find out if she ever leaves that little, red, falling-apart house behind, trading it in for a dream home: “quiet as snow, a space for [her]self to go, clean as paper before the poem”.

Image credit:  http://www.sandracisneros.com/major_works.php?work=house

The Vast Fields of Ordinary

Burd, Nick.  The Vast Fields of Ordinary.  New York: Dial Books, 2009.  Print.

Awards

2009 New York Times Notable Book of 2009

2010 ALA Stonewall Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature

2010 ALA Rainbow Books

Annotation

Dade is spending his last summer before college doing ordinary things in his small town of Cedarville until he meets Alex, someone who is different from anyone else he knows and who will spark changes in his life that can’t be undone. 

Booktalk

“I practiced saying I was gay to inanimate objects around the house.  I told the soap dish in my bathroom, the ceiling fan above my bed, the blue drinking glass I favored above all the others simply because over the years its entire family had perished one by one during various interactions with hard surfaces around the kitchen and I’d convinced myself our solitude was linked. 

“I’m gay,” I told these things.”

Dade Hamilton has just graduated from high school and can’t wait to get out of Cedarville and go to Fairmont in the fall.  In fact, only a few days ago he was at his senior prom, drawing the initials DH + PS in a heart on the wall of the boy’s bathroom.  PS stands for Pablo Soto, his sometimes boyfriend.  Now Dade is spending his last summer at home, working at FoodWorld and going to parties hosted by Judy Lockhart, also known as Pablo’ girlfriend.  Dade loves Pablo, but Pablo isn’t ready to admit yet that he’s gay.  While trying to figure out how to deal with this, Dade meets Alex at a party and soon their friendship grows into something more. 

From this chance encounter on, Dade’s summer will start to unfold in ways he never expected from his parents’ marital troubles to the disappearance of a local autistic girl.  As Dade struggles to keep up he realizes that it’s not college he’s longing for, but the truth.  Will Dade be able to be honest with others?  Will those around him reveal their own truths?  Will the end of the summer finally bring with it some answers or just more questions?

Image credit:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/vast-fields-of-ordinary/oclc/275150000?referer=brief_results

Along for the Ride

Dessen, Sarah.  Along for the Ride.  New York: Viking, 2009.  Print.

Awards

2010 ALA Teens’ Top Ten

#1 New York Times Bestseller

Annotation

Auden decides to spend the summer before her freshman year of college at her dad’s beach house with her step mom and the new baby.  She expects to use the time to prepare for the upcoming semester, but instead starts to learn the value of having fun, having friends and having a boyfriend.

Booktalk

Auden is serious about school, she’s serious about pleasing her parents and she’s serious about using the summer to prepare for her freshman year at college.  That’s why Auden surprises everyone by agreeing to spend the summer at her father’s beach house with her step mom and their new baby.  She plans on spending most of her time studying for the upcoming semester, but once in Colby Auden finds herself getting pulled into new experiences. 

Having missed out on social events while in high school and also having been afraid to disappoint her mother who’s a professor, Auden finally starts to learn over the course of the summer how important it is to have friends…and to fail sometimes, just as long as you get back on the bike.  She also finds herself on a quest to make up for her lost childhood and begins doing all the fun things she never had time for before – bowling, having a paper route, starting food fights and, of course, riding a bike.  It’s Eli, a champion bike rider, who is teaching her all of these new skills and it’s only when spending time with him that Auden begins to understand how important it is to enjoy life and to go along for the ride.

*Elle (16 years old) inspired me to read this book; she is an avid fan of the author and thinks "Sarah Dessen's books are great".  She also loves that Auden spends the summer at the beach "having fun and learning new things...even when she's scared", including how to ride a bicycle.  "Everyone loves the beach" she adds, pointing out how almost everyone can relate to Auden's experience.*

Image credit:  http://sarahdessen.com/book/along-for-the-ride/

Upstate

Buckhanon, Kalisha.  Upstate.  New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2005.  Press.

Awards

2006 American Library Association ALEX Award

Annotation

Seventeen-year-old Antonio is accused of stabbing his father to death and is sent upstate to serve a ten-year sentence.  While locked up, he exchanges letters with his girlfriend, Natasha.

Booktalk

What would you do if you were locked up at seventeen?  If you were locked up for a crime you committed trying to protect your family?  If you had to leave your friends and family behind for ten years?  If you could never see your boyfriend or girlfriend again?  If you couldn’t go to prom?  If you couldn’t graduate from high school?

This is the situation Antonio is facing at seventeen years old.  He is arrested for stabbing his father in an attempt to stop him from beating his mother.  His lawyer insists he has a good chance of being acquitted at first, but as the trail drags on things get complicated and Antonio agrees to serve a ten-year sentence as part of a plea deal.  Unable to see his family and friends, except on visitation days, he misses out on the end of high school, going to college, getting a job and watching his brothers grow up.  The one thing Antonio doesn’t want to miss out on, though, is a chance to keep his relationship with his girlfriend, Natasha, alive.  Struggling to reach her Antonio begins writing Natasha letters, and is forced to ask her “ baby, the first thing I need to know from you is do you believe I killed my father?”

Image credit:  http://us.macmillan.com/Book.aspx?isbn=9780312332686

The Silver Kiss

Klause, Annette Curtis.  The Silver Kiss.  New York: Delacorte Press, 1990.  Print.

Awards

1990 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

1990 Booklist Editor’s Choice

1991 Thumbs Up! Award

1991 ALA YALSA Best Book for Young Adults

1991 ALA YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

1992 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award

1993 California Young Reader Metal Award

1993 Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award

1993 South Carolina Children's Book Award

1999, 2009 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

2001 ALA YALSA Best of the Best Revisited: 100 Best Books for Teens

Annotation

Zoe is trying to come to terms with her mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis when she meets a beautiful boy named Simon.  Simon, a vampire, has been on a mission for three hundred years and he needs Zoe’s help to finish it, just as much as she needs his.

Booktalk

Zoe wants to be in the hospital with her mother.  She hates that her parents are shutting her out; she doesn’t want to be in the house by herself all the time, waiting for the phone to ring, waiting for the news to come that the cancer has finally killed her mother.  She’s also scared to be alone at night because there’s a killer loose in her town, one who lures women into dark places and slashes their throats. 

When Zoe meets Simon she learns that he knows more about this killer than anyone else…and he has a plan to stop him.  The only problem is, Simon is a vampire and he’s been hunting this killer for hundreds of years.  In order to finally catch him, Simon needs Zoe’s help.  Will Zoe and Simon be able to catch the murderer before he kills more innocent women?  Will Simon be able to save Zoe’s mother from cancer?  Will Zoe herself turn into a vampire if she lets Simon get too close, if they exchange a silver kiss?

Image credit:  http://www.librarything.com/work/16249/covers/ 

Evermore (The Immortals #1)

Noel, Alyson.  Evermore.  New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009.  Print.

Awards

2009 #1 New York Times Bestseller

2009 International Bestseller

2009 USA Today List of Top 100 Best-Selling Books of 2009

2009 Publishers Weekly Bestseller

2009 New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age 2010

2009 TeensReadToo Star Gold Award

Flamingnet Reviews Top Choice Award

Justine Page Turner Pick

Annotation

After a car crash kills her entire family, Ever is left with physic abilities and no way to control them until she meets Damen Auguste.  Ever thinks Damen might be able to help her deal with this unwanted “gift”, but she soon finds out he’s got secrets and mysterious powers of his own.

Booktalk

It was a mistake.  An accident.  Something that wasn’t supposed to happen.  Ever didn’t mean to linger; she desperately wanted to follow her family after the car crash as they crossed over from this life into the afterlife.  If only she hadn’t gotten distracted in that beautiful field with the pulsating trees and shimmering grass.  It’s too late now though because while her entire family has moved on, Ever is still stuck in this world, living with her aunt and trying to adjust at Bay View High.  She’s also stuck with something else – the ability to see people’s auras and hear their thoughts.

Ever is just starting to give up on the idea that she can get her old life back – until gorgeous Damen Auguste transfers from New Mexico.  Damen’s the only one who can silence the noise and turn off the random energy around her.  Damen’s the only one whose entire life story she can’t see just by accidentally brushing up against him in the hallway.  Except, how can she “explain that ever since the accident, the only people whose thoughts [she] can’t hear, whose lives [she] can’t know, and whose auras [she] can’t see, are already dead?” 

*This book was recommended to me by Chloe (15 years old).  She enjoys this series because "it's not like other fantasy books" she's read.  Also, the novel explores the ability to "see people's auras and thoughts, things that could be real to some people", if one chooses to believe it.*

Image credit:  http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/evermore.php 

Out of the Pocket

Konigsberg, Bill.  Out of the Pocket.  New York: Dutton Books, 2008.  Print.

Awards

2009 Lambda Literary Award for Best YA Novel

2009 Rainbow List for Young Adult Fiction

Annotation

Bobby Framingham, the star quarterback at Durango High School, is gay, but he didn’t want anyone to know.  Now that his secret’s out and been picked up by the national media, Bobby’s starting to wonder if he’s about to lose his chance at making it in the NFL.

Booktalk

“Maybe it does matter.  I keep waiting for people to just accept that I’m gay, like gay and straight are equal.  But they aren’t equal.  Otherwise, would we be having this conversation?  Would we have voted on whether I could stay on the team?”

Bobby Framingham is gay, but hardly anybody knows except a few close friends.  He’s keeping it a secret because not only is he one of the most popular kids at school, but he’s also the star quarterback of his high school football team.  Bobby knows that in order to be picked up by an outstanding college he needs to keep his mouth shut, at least for now.  After all, professional athletes involved in team sports don’t come out until after retirement.  Before Bobby can decide when – and how – he’ll come out, though, the choice is taken from him by a friend who spots a good story and splashes it all over the front pages of the school newspaper.  Now Bobby’s secret is a national story.  How will his family react?  His teammates?  Coach?  Will Bobby be kicked off the team in the middle of his senior year?  And what will happen to his chance to play college ball and then make it as a pro in the NFL?

Bobby’s scrambling fast to make a play now that he’s been forced out of the pocket…but can he recover from this?

Image credit:  http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780525479963,00.html?Out_of_the_Pocket_Bill_Konigsberg#

The First Part Last

Johnson, Angela.  The First Part Last.  New York: Simon Pulse, 2003.  Print.

Awards

Teen People Pick

2004 Coretta Scott King Award (Writing Category)

2004 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature

Annotation

Bobby celebrates his 16^th birthday by learning that his girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant.  Now the couple have to decide if they are going to keep the baby or choose adoption.

Booktalk

Bobby feels as if he’s caught between two worlds: his life Then and his life Now.

Then:  I turned sixteen by skipping school and going to a movie with my buddies.  I had my favorite meal, cheese fries and ribs, for dinner and headed home early to get some cake my mom baked.  “I never had any cake though ‘cause my girlfriend Nia was waiting on our stoop for me with a red balloon” and something she had to tell me.

Now:  It doesn’t matter to my daughter Feather that I just turned sixteen.  She’s counting on me to make the right choices for her.  I just wish I knew what they were.

Then:  Nia and I sat in the office of the adoption agency with our parents.  I thought about how if we gave up this baby we could go to college and get on with our lives.  Everyone was telling us we should be happy and relieved; we were doing the right thing…

Now:  My buddy, K-Boy, asks me: “So.  You going to keep her or what?”

This is Bobby’s life Then and his life Now.  Then, Bobby was only thinking about himself, his girlfriend and going to college after graduation…until Nia got pregnant.  Now what is Bobby going to do?

Image credit:  http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780689849237-0

The God Box

Sanchez, Alex.  The God Box.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007.  Print.

Awards

Annotation

Paul finds himself struggling to come to terms with both his sexuality and his relationship with God after he starts to have feelings for the new student, Manuel.

Booktalk

Paul is a normal teenager.  He has a girlfriend, Angie, and a small group of friends at school.  He likes singing in his church choir and even finds time to attend Bible Club meetings.  Even though Paul’s mom passed away a few years ago, he loves his dad and looks forward to his Abuelita (grandmom) visiting from Mexico.  Paul also has a good relationship with God.  He reads the Bible, attends Mass on Sundays and prays daily.  To help him with his prayers, his dad got him a God Box engraved with the Serenity Prayer.  Paul knows that when he’s anxious or struggling with something, he can write it down and put it in the Box.  Most of the stuff he’s prayed about has turned out ok… 

“But there remained one thing [Paul had] prayed about in a million different ways, giving it up to the Lord over and over again.  Yet no matter how many times [he] entered it into the God Box, the thing still hadn’t gone away”.  Paul may be a normal teenager and a faithful Christian, but Paul also thinks he might be gay and in love with the new kid, Manuel.  Will the God Box help him or will he have to learn to “trust a God bigger than any box” and accept himself for who he is?

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A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive

Pelzer, Dave.  A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, 1995.  Print.

Awards

#1 New York Times Bestseller (for over 6 years)

#1 International Bestseller

Annotation

Dave Pelzer chronicles his childhood years, ages 4 to 12, spent enduring his mother’s abuse and living in fear.  He also recounts how he was eventually taken out of his home as a result of the reports and observations made by those working at his school.

Review

This autobiographical book details the abuse one boy undergoes as well as his journey from being a member of the family to “it”.  Pelzer recounts the degradation he suffered at the hands of his alcoholic mother and the betrayal he felt when he father refused to protect him.  Isolated from his family and forced to obey his mother’s horrific commands, Dave struggles to survive his seemingly impossible childhood.  Written purposefully from a child’s perspective, this work serves to illuminate the cycle of abuse for young adult readers.  While at times heartwrenching and difficult to read, this text does strive to instill a message of hope as witnessed through Dave’s determination to live.

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Go Ask Alice

Anonymous.  Go Ask Alice.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 1971.  Print.

Awards

2003 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

Annotation

A teenage girl records her struggles to overcome her drug addiction and establish an identity.

Review

The diarist feels pressure to fit in at school and so accidentally tries drugs for the first time at a party.  From this point on, the girl struggles with her addiction – at times giving in and embracing it, while at others working hard to break free from the cycle.  She chronicles her journey of self-discovery and speaks to the process of growing into her own in this coming of age piece.

Her insightful and poignant entries call out to and draw readers in, reminding them that the unnamed diarist could be anyone.  Essentially, Go Ask Alice is the story of a girl grappling with life and the consequences of her decisions until her death three weeks after ending her diary.  It is at times frightening, overwhelming and sad, yet it also showcases the diarist’s courage and determination.

Image credit: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46799.Go_Ask_Alice

A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials

Rinaldi, Ann.  A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials. San

Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1992.  Print.

Awards

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Hungry Mind Review Book of Distinction

New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

Annotation

Susanna English remembers how the actions of a group of girls brought about the Salem witch trials, which almost tore apart her community in 1692.  She also relates how many, including herself, stepped forward to put an end to the epidemic.

Review

Rinaldi, well-respected for her work in historical fiction for juveniles and young adults, has masterfully woven accurate fact with literary embellishment in this novel.  The author makes use of alternating chronologies in telling the tale by describing Susanna’s struggle as an adult to forgive those who caused such a tragedy in her town.  Faced with this seemingly impossible decision, Susanna remembers how the trials began as well as her role in them.

A book based on thorough and thoughtful research, Rinaldi details the fear that ran rampant in Salem in the later 1600’s and also offers the reader an intimate look into why the girls might have “cried out” on their neighbors and family members.  Susanna’s own inner struggle about her part in the madness is one any young adult can relate to and she provides a model of speaking out even in the face of adversity.  The novel works to dispel stereotypes about both the Puritans and the trials themselves, as well as to bring to light those who bravely joined the resistance movement.  Susanna’s story will capture the attention of teen readers and will also encourage them to draw parallels between our current world and the Puritan era.

Image credit: http://www.librarything.com/work/61159/covers/