tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54874093578197144302024-02-18T19:01:12.909-08:00YA Book BuzzJessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-58186516462757655982012-10-21T16:08:00.000-07:002012-10-21T16:09:58.303-07:00Shine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Shine</i>. Lauren Myracle. 2011.
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<b>Annotation</b><br />
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Cat's best friend is dying in the hospital following a traumatic beating and it's up to her to find those who participated in the hate crime. Even if those same attackers turn out to be people she knows just as well as Patrick.
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<b>Booktalk</b><br />
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Cat's best friend, Patrick, is in the hospital following an almost deadly beating. It's not a surprise because Patrick has been getting harassed by classmates for awhile now, but Cat's been choosing to turn a blind eye. Unable to ignore the hate running rampant in her small Southern town any longer and convinced the police aren't doing enough to find his attackers, Cat sets out to bring them to justice. Along the way, though, she realizes those attackers may be closer to herself and Patrick than originally thought.
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<b>Thoughts:</b> Excellent<br />
I read this book when it was first released and I still remember how I felt after reading it. Thought-provoking and heart-wrenching, Cat's struggle serves to remind us all that prejudice is still alive and well and needs to be stopped immediately. Myracle writes a book that is so realistic you can't help but stop and think. I recommend this novel all the time - one of the best releases of 2011.<br />
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Image credit: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shine-Lauren-Myracle/dp/0810984172/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350859763&sr=1-1&keywords=shine+by+myracle" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Shine-Lauren-Myracle/dp/0810984172/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350859763&sr=1-1&keywords=shine+by+myracle</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Shine-Lauren-Myracle/dp/0810984172/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350859763&sr=1-1&keywords=shine+by+myracle"></a>
Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-77034477484906695842012-10-21T15:45:00.000-07:002012-10-21T15:45:55.993-07:00death and the girl next door<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>death and the girl next door</i>. Darynda Jones. 2012<br />
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<b>Annotation</b><br />
Lorelei McAlister has been trying to find out why her parents mysteriously disappeared years ago. When a new boy shows up at school, she realizes Jared might finally be able to reveal the truth...if only she's ready to hear it.<br />
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<b>Booktalk</b><br />
Lorelei McAlister is struggling through yet another anniversary of the disappearance of her parents. It's been years, but there's still no new leads to report or information coming forward.
Until a new boy at school shows up.
Jared Kovach seems to know more about Lorelei than anyone else and it seems he knows a lot about her fellow classmate, the quiet and brooding Cameron Lusk, as well. In fact, the longer he stays the more he appears to be mysteriously connected to other people in Riley's Switch. Determined to figure out all of her town's secrets, Lorelei and her friends start digging into the new boy's true identity. Who is Jared exactly and more importantly, will he finally be able to answer the questions surrounding the disappearance of Lorelei's parents?<br />
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<b>Thoughts:</b> Average<br />
Forbidden love. Lots of flirting. Gorgeous men vying to protect Lorelei at every turn. All typical YA book backbone. What wasn't typical were the supernatural beings being represented. This book was definitely not what I expected.<br />
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<b>Pros:</b>
The writing itself was well-done. The dialogue was funny and didn't weigh the novel down. I also thought the plot was well-paced and kept your attention by moving you along. The element of suspense stayed with you as well. Just when you thought you had the next move figured out, the author surprised you.<br />
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<b>Cons:</b>
The plot was difficult for me to follow. I often felt like I missing crucial information that was necessary to understand a scene or conversation. Also, it seemed like the characters had more knowledge about what was going on than I did and, being out of the loop, I couldn't always keep up. Who knew what and how much they knew was hard to ascertain as well - especially towards the end.<br />
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<i>The search for Lorelei's parents continues in March 2013 with death, doom and detention.</i><br />
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Image credit: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Girl-Next-Darynda-Jones/dp/0312625200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350858889&sr=8-1&keywords=death+and+the+girl+next+door" target="_blank">http://www.amazon.com/Death-Girl-Next-Darynda-Jones/dp/0312625200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350858889&sr=8-1&keywords=death+and+the+girl+next+door</a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Girl-Next-Darynda-Jones/dp/0312625200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350858889&sr=8-1&keywords=death+and+the+girl+next+door"></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Girl-Next-Darynda-Jones/dp/0312625200/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350858889&sr=8-1&keywords=death+and+the+girl+next+door"></a>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-30318026146542077712011-11-21T08:42:00.000-08:002011-12-04T11:57:22.560-08:00Kissing Kate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uJtcBF0KRgvz4UjKLWo8F5Vvoh19JEbyXD8U-UNN7Yfyp1WRCSwNfYmwquXBC2rLVlM9uOmamjMRewq9Ls1teloKve_OF_wRCaIEJNFA-Uy6yFHEgwHy6oGNEZKMiKn_6WAJXUvW11k/s1600/%252B-%252B93906850_140.jpg.gif.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6uJtcBF0KRgvz4UjKLWo8F5Vvoh19JEbyXD8U-UNN7Yfyp1WRCSwNfYmwquXBC2rLVlM9uOmamjMRewq9Ls1teloKve_OF_wRCaIEJNFA-Uy6yFHEgwHy6oGNEZKMiKn_6WAJXUvW11k/s320/%252B-%252B93906850_140.jpg.gif.jpeg" width="212" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Myracle, Lauren. <i>Kissing Kate</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Penguin Group, 2003. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2004 ALA Best Books for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">““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.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/kissing-kate/oclc/50315484&referer=brief_results" target="_blank">http://www.worldcat.org/title/kissing-kate/oclc/50315484&referer=brief_results</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-34770639840048439052011-11-19T12:40:00.000-08:002011-11-28T08:22:45.090-08:00My Invented Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOSQWvmfVFO1FIctxxz9M35IyHAfIV3buv0o_t4XwO2U2vkxDiWkgPLFD6twBbAiHvjtAZY6FHtB2EVNI97aGiVIqT8tNyE2PIb2gPsHm0GtqpBtzSawRihDgmxsZjAhuz_9NKskN4pw/s1600/MIL_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOSQWvmfVFO1FIctxxz9M35IyHAfIV3buv0o_t4XwO2U2vkxDiWkgPLFD6twBbAiHvjtAZY6FHtB2EVNI97aGiVIqT8tNyE2PIb2gPsHm0GtqpBtzSawRihDgmxsZjAhuz_9NKskN4pw/s320/MIL_cover.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Bjorkman, Lauren. <i>My Invented Life</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Then:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Now:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Then:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Now:</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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 <i>my invented life</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> under control and gain my sister’s trust back, all before opening night?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://laurenbjorkman.com/" target="_blank">http://laurenbjorkman.com/</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-5186326248177799372011-11-17T17:09:00.000-08:002011-11-30T12:05:15.463-08:00The Hunger Games<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyKbZjJ7YAQXcB3FXZ6lICDEbaMBo1YfKnn2LX70jC0tNT5NuiFtWScTZ844QkOR2aqbz9jF6uNoyH77y7LlRL0yG57JmGcZmGggVbW8JSP86EpEAZT1UNU4ImVqE2e3uKojpFGX4Le4/s1600/Hg--jacket-210.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJyKbZjJ7YAQXcB3FXZ6lICDEbaMBo1YfKnn2LX70jC0tNT5NuiFtWScTZ844QkOR2aqbz9jF6uNoyH77y7LlRL0yG57JmGcZmGggVbW8JSP86EpEAZT1UNU4ImVqE2e3uKojpFGX4Le4/s1600/Hg--jacket-210.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Collins, Suzanne. <i>The Hunger Games</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>New York Times</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Notable Children’s Book</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>New York Times</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Book Review Editors’ Choice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>Publisher’s Weekly</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Bestseller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>Publisher’s Weekly</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Best Books of 2008: Children’s Fiction</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 Cybil Award for Fantasy & Science Fiction</div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 Kirkus Best Book</div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>School Library Journal</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Best Books</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>Booklist</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Editors’ Choice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008 <i>LA Times</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Favorite Children’s Books</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2008-2009 (Winter) #1 Children’s Indie Next List</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 ALA Notable Children’s Book</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 Indies Choice for Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book Honor</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 Children’s Choice Book Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 ALA YALSA Teens’ Top Ten</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 CCBC Choices</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 <i>USA Today</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Bestseller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Teen Choice Book of the Year Finalist</div><div class="MsoNormal">#1 <i>New York Times</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Bestseller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Wall Street Journal</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Bestseller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation <o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“May the odds ever be in [her] favor!”<br />
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<i>*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".*</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/works.htm" target="_blank">http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/works.htm</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-76413759111919357782011-11-16T12:29:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:01:57.167-08:00almost perfect<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4ChpovQ30aIMZCWdW8cDEvIwvXq_sAb5wp8A54nAdHCIfJ84QKyMrBS1oRvZWlMx-skXTb5kreqnbASShkG1ADouwT8oqNousVDlnxtP1ZEQlYP8SgIjyQxy-ZAf8RFm0tFGFqJnr_8/s1600/cover.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4ChpovQ30aIMZCWdW8cDEvIwvXq_sAb5wp8A54nAdHCIfJ84QKyMrBS1oRvZWlMx-skXTb5kreqnbASShkG1ADouwT8oqNousVDlnxtP1ZEQlYP8SgIjyQxy-ZAf8RFm0tFGFqJnr_8/s320/cover.jpeg" width="208" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Katcher, Brian. <i>almost perfect</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 ALA Best Books for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 Capitol Choice Noteworthy Book</div><div class="MsoNormal">2011 ALA Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Still upset over his last break-up, Logan avoids dating until a new girl shows up at school with a big secret.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Logan’s life is far from perfect: </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<ul><li>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. </li>
<li>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. </li>
<li>His mom is gone most of the time because she has to work so many shifts at the diner just to make ends meet. </li>
<li>And he’s still living in the trailer he grew up in, the same one they lived in after Logan’s dad left.</li>
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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…<i>almost perfect</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/book/89991/almost-perfect-by-brian-katcher/" target="_blank">http://www.randomhouse.com/book/89991/almost-perfect-by-brian-katcher/</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-72031175014887416622011-11-15T12:01:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:06:01.238-08:00Keeping You A Secret<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaPjzbstM8CWmc98LHgt_9z3ke3_iuNHPVP3cRfI9yuCtpS5FYbloXm9-PxEEkrBzcy8LWAzMRaL2DPAIgdcN5zoq-F7OSzkeBMsZmyBI8WOeWYenYsvXpgwzYJlGjnS9YpAzht6km7I/s1600/image003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTaPjzbstM8CWmc98LHgt_9z3ke3_iuNHPVP3cRfI9yuCtpS5FYbloXm9-PxEEkrBzcy8LWAzMRaL2DPAIgdcN5zoq-F7OSzkeBMsZmyBI8WOeWYenYsvXpgwzYJlGjnS9YpAzht6km7I/s320/image003.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Peters, Julie Anne. <i>Keeping You A Secret</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2003. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2003 Lambda Literary Award Finalist</div><div class="MsoNormal">2004 ALA Stonewall Honor Book</div><div class="MsoNormal">2004 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List of Recommended Feminist Books for Youth</div><div class="MsoNormal">2006 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults </div><div class="MsoNormal">New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen Age</div><div class="MsoNormal">Alphabet Award (First recipient)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">These are the rules:</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 37.0pt; text-indent: -19.0pt;">1.)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>“They got it wrong when they called it “the closet”. [It’s] a prison”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 37.0pt; text-indent: -19.0pt;">2.)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>“You can’t always trust your friends”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 37.0pt; text-indent: -19.0pt;">3.)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>“You don’t have to <i>do</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> anything to be hated for being gay”.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 37.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list 37.0pt; text-indent: -19.0pt;">4.)<span style="font: normal normal normal 7pt/normal 'Times New Roman';"> </span>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”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>*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.*</i><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.julieannepeters.com/files/ExcerptKYAS.htm" target="_blank">http://www.julieannepeters.com/files/ExcerptKYAS.htm</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-1464907116627466912011-11-11T17:12:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:08:19.080-08:00will grayson, will grayson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNX-9-hgykBLxyC0OaG-_VHNeHcWqv1ZqvO1OdCCksomrLif1CQkrnQQMqO2rbfdLhymRldSEJS9XpCBL3-mKCHe2Q_PqBKuOUj-ucvo7EnfiWgD_loqrhN9JFOGpcp8BKm2dt_wOZtk/s1600/wgwg2-198x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNX-9-hgykBLxyC0OaG-_VHNeHcWqv1ZqvO1OdCCksomrLif1CQkrnQQMqO2rbfdLhymRldSEJS9XpCBL3-mKCHe2Q_PqBKuOUj-ucvo7EnfiWgD_loqrhN9JFOGpcp8BKm2dt_wOZtk/s1600/wgwg2-198x300.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Green, John and David Levithan. <i>will grayson, will grayson</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Dutton Books, 2010. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 Indie Lit Award Runner-up</div><div class="MsoNormal">2011 Stonewall Children’s and Young Adult Literature Honors Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">2011 Rainbow Bibliography</div><div class="MsoNormal">2011 Rainbow List</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktallk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There’s Will Grayson and then there’s o.w.g. – the Other Will Grayson.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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”.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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<i>*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".*</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://johngreenbooks.com/will-grayson/" target="_blank">http://johngreenbooks.com/will-grayson/</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-7347301973760578602011-11-11T16:10:00.000-08:002011-12-04T12:10:04.479-08:00David Inside Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSacg1VtLYG7-wA4S0bmzbOdsoLde9sT-5CdlvUnppZQ8rimUdpWiPBs2XlHqsT5nGHVV3Pe6IfiZSBgPX7DXVid3mJ99EpYbZm8bMWBMAIszpB38JM_YnwSdidSSZNP44SShdIedfpE/s1600/david_cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtSacg1VtLYG7-wA4S0bmzbOdsoLde9sT-5CdlvUnppZQ8rimUdpWiPBs2XlHqsT5nGHVV3Pe6IfiZSBgPX7DXVid3mJ99EpYbZm8bMWBMAIszpB38JM_YnwSdidSSZNP44SShdIedfpE/s320/david_cover.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Bantle, Lee. <i>David Inside Out</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 Rainbow List</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What would you do if you were in love with your best friend? What would you do if you didn’t <i>want</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> 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?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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?<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://leebantle.com/" target="_blank">http://leebantle.com/</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-604187597315384462011-11-10T18:34:00.000-08:002011-11-11T16:05:29.859-08:00Rapunzel's Revenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH7tuySJEZIDGNNuYNGoZrbgYlcAT9Na3BXpIbK7mHVDGemOEsPBtv4smkFFyJj3A2W5dGi9JduJ-e_qTzt_sfz_vZQnY3IpdKvLfNrvY1OEAL6IR96FmxmJ37em8vBjPGQFl9a2_mOg/s1600/rap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIH7tuySJEZIDGNNuYNGoZrbgYlcAT9Na3BXpIbK7mHVDGemOEsPBtv4smkFFyJj3A2W5dGi9JduJ-e_qTzt_sfz_vZQnY3IpdKvLfNrvY1OEAL6IR96FmxmJ37em8vBjPGQFl9a2_mOg/s320/rap.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Hale, Shannon and Dean Hale. <i>Rapunzel’s Revenge</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. Illus. Nathan Hale. New York: Bloomsbury U.S.A Children’s Books, 2008. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 ALA Notable Children's Books</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 ALA Popular Paperback</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 Leah Adezio Award for Best Kid-Friendly Work</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 ALA Amelia Bloomer Project Bibliography List</div><div class="MsoNormal">2011 Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Readers Choice Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">Utah Book Award for Children’s Literature</div><div class="MsoNormal">Cybil Award</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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”? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_rap.html" target="_blank">http://www.squeetus.com/stage/books_rap.html</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-45006031552222499702011-11-10T18:29:00.000-08:002011-11-29T19:52:56.265-08:00The House on Mango Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ0vpLp0m6321uZuDDKsw7FqDimTYem8eWLibn1qwrFTwibNMItB0cwcP_4TwbYOxjnAcn3QhKDZH1fSQ8EbuOlsuUm54inzvutlrThubJlcwAW561vzIHW49lDmK6MMab5BlmE4Sbjo/s1600/house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNZ0vpLp0m6321uZuDDKsw7FqDimTYem8eWLibn1qwrFTwibNMItB0cwcP_4TwbYOxjnAcn3QhKDZH1fSQ8EbuOlsuUm54inzvutlrThubJlcwAW561vzIHW49lDmK6MMab5BlmE4Sbjo/s320/house.jpg" width="218" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Cisneros, Sandra. <i>The House on Mango Street</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Vintage Books, 1984. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1985 Before Columbus American Book Award</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Different from other novels, Esperanza tells her growing-up tale in <i>The House on Mango Street</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> 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”.</span><br />
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</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.sandracisneros.com/major_works.php?work=house" target="_blank">http://www.sandracisneros.com/major_works.php?work=house</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-91249556670610772142011-11-05T19:41:00.000-07:002011-11-28T08:20:28.205-08:00The Vast Fields of Ordinary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSssoVg9_AVXROftW1Mk9OYPkl1DvkNMmwHByMVbznZgPpGjaAsmlBECQRxGoWudabSIUZI4gELnSqVPWCY1EyMO8Onifi3YRcXJw_R3V0PdIZ-Y2x4ldMxa1mfLFgcyLdQkQvHHXbjsc/s1600/%252B-%252B555506027_140.jpg.gif.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSssoVg9_AVXROftW1Mk9OYPkl1DvkNMmwHByMVbznZgPpGjaAsmlBECQRxGoWudabSIUZI4gELnSqVPWCY1EyMO8Onifi3YRcXJw_R3V0PdIZ-Y2x4ldMxa1mfLFgcyLdQkQvHHXbjsc/s320/%252B-%252B555506027_140.jpg.gif.jpeg" width="211" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Burd, Nick. <i>The Vast Fields of Ordinary</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Dial Books, 2009. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 <i>New York Times</i> Notable Book of 2009<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 ALA Stonewall Book Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 ALA Rainbow Books<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“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. <o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">“I’m gay,” I told these things.”<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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 <i>DH + PS</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> in a heart on the wall of the boy’s bathroom. </span><i>PS</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> stands for Pablo Soto, his sometimes boyfriend. </span>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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.worldcat.org/title/vast-fields-of-ordinary/oclc/275150000?referer=brief_results" target="_blank">http://www.worldcat.org/title/vast-fields-of-ordinary/oclc/275150000?referer=brief_results</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-17770734508586298572011-11-05T19:04:00.000-07:002011-11-30T12:17:44.618-08:00Along for the Ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-NlBbJ7YWrROq7DGcc2j27uFQk-iRY1US22CVTJx2gcNAvax2aBhMq9Mm3iDSGhFbpJORn52WcjNVvMk6fDYSDREIsF8ErSFGn6YoG4KpzBSfYQbmzzCfdRyi9EEJnhyphenhyphen1pk2moHCCLI/s1600/Along4theRide-paperback-cover-220x337.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9-NlBbJ7YWrROq7DGcc2j27uFQk-iRY1US22CVTJx2gcNAvax2aBhMq9Mm3iDSGhFbpJORn52WcjNVvMk6fDYSDREIsF8ErSFGn6YoG4KpzBSfYQbmzzCfdRyi9EEJnhyphenhyphen1pk2moHCCLI/s320/Along4theRide-paperback-cover-220x337.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Dessen, Sarah. <i>Along for the Ride</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Viking, 2009. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2010 ALA Teens’ Top Ten<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>#1 New York Times Bestseller<o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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 <i>along for the ride</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.</span><br />
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<i>*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.*</i> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://sarahdessen.com/book/along-for-the-ride/" target="_blank">http://sarahdessen.com/book/along-for-the-ride/</a></span></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-57437488243982041802011-11-05T19:00:00.000-07:002011-11-05T19:00:45.629-07:00Upstate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrZnOuh-udqbCP3I8_y4921VhUapVv80upLQfyotyQA35dcNsNqkFDeDw4poHkThakkWsyucSzhfyAeV_1XeNxOhT-ehTsejNsjyTn0MGDaDKWEqmiEAylYqp2OO5q7PpEjq2ea2qhg4/s1600/9780312332686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrZnOuh-udqbCP3I8_y4921VhUapVv80upLQfyotyQA35dcNsNqkFDeDw4poHkThakkWsyucSzhfyAeV_1XeNxOhT-ehTsejNsjyTn0MGDaDKWEqmiEAylYqp2OO5q7PpEjq2ea2qhg4/s1600/9780312332686.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Buckhanon, Kalisha.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>Upstate</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Press.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2006 American Library Association ALEX Award<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Seventeen-year-old Antonio is accused of stabbing his father to death and is sent upstate to serve a ten-year sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While locked up, he exchanges letters with his girlfriend, Natasha. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What would you do if you were locked up at seventeen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you were locked up for a crime you committed trying to protect your family?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you had to leave your friends and family behind for ten years?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you could never see your boyfriend or girlfriend again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you couldn’t go to prom?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you couldn’t graduate from high school?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is the situation Antonio is facing at seventeen years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is arrested for stabbing his father in an attempt to stop him from beating his mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The one thing Antonio doesn’t want to miss out on, though, is a chance to keep his relationship with his girlfriend, Natasha, alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>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?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/Book.aspx?isbn=9780312332686" target="_blank">http://us.macmillan.com/Book.aspx?isbn=9780312332686</a></span></div><!--EndFragment-->Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-16846783379290332172011-11-01T10:06:00.000-07:002011-11-06T10:10:37.144-08:00The Silver Kiss<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-g7iSH48bdZhyDC-6Z29I3rb0yQlxj2R5g9QraIwi4nsu9GFsfI5fkoAlU7f71GSmwFVeROYUiW_VcUpV0U-LaVCXWdjyLxu1EXCLhnvECGBWOs_nhvCp8kV7Ya4I4oQrQB8oNdhypc/s1600/0375857826.01._SY190_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-g7iSH48bdZhyDC-6Z29I3rb0yQlxj2R5g9QraIwi4nsu9GFsfI5fkoAlU7f71GSmwFVeROYUiW_VcUpV0U-LaVCXWdjyLxu1EXCLhnvECGBWOs_nhvCp8kV7Ya4I4oQrQB8oNdhypc/s320/0375857826.01._SY190_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><br />
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Klause, Annette Curtis. <i>The Silver Kiss</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Delacorte Press, 1990. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">1990 <i>School Library Journal</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Best Book of the Year</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">1990<i> Booklist</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Editor’s Choice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">1991 Thumbs Up! Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">1991 ALA YALSA Best Book for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal">1991 ALA YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers</div><div class="MsoNormal">1992 Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">1993 California Young Reader Metal Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">1993 Oklahoma Sequoyah Young Adult Book Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">1993 South Carolina Children's Book Award</div><div class="MsoNormal">1999, 2009 ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal">2001 ALA YALSA Best of the Best Revisited: 100 Best Books for Teens</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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 <i>silver kiss</i><span style="font-style: normal;">?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: xx-small; font-style: normal;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/16249/covers/" target="_blank">http://www.librarything.com/work/16249/covers/ </a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-10823740754733634482011-10-26T19:48:00.000-07:002011-12-04T12:13:24.268-08:00Evermore (The Immortals #1)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbwkbAS_ona-OzLi6YYBGSQp21GKWsHR-lka9hip8SlHYcelj-KSAsldI0_7X1YwoAMANzcmlN4ELTmytnYRtfKgoZQ8yT4EU0pLCTIgPf5vG9nYEVt4YY8oTgSaWhdwVJWsa6LXyMxA/s1600/evermore_200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbwkbAS_ona-OzLi6YYBGSQp21GKWsHR-lka9hip8SlHYcelj-KSAsldI0_7X1YwoAMANzcmlN4ELTmytnYRtfKgoZQ8yT4EU0pLCTIgPf5vG9nYEVt4YY8oTgSaWhdwVJWsa6LXyMxA/s1600/evermore_200.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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Noel, Alyson. <i>Evermore</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2009. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 #1<i> New York Times Bestseller</i></div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 International Bestseller</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 <i>USA Today</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> List of Top 100 Best-Selling Books of 2009</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 <i>Publishers Weekly</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Bestseller</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age 2010</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 <i>TeensReadToo</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Star Gold Award</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Flamingnet Reviews</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Top Choice Award</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Justine</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Page Turner Pick</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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?” </div><br />
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<i>*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.*</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/evermore.php" target="_blank">http://www.alysonnoel.com/immortals/evermore.php </a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-38537199724492622242011-10-25T11:55:00.000-07:002011-12-04T12:12:53.892-08:00Out of the Pocket<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXOwHYOWiMGSlzfTJPp2N2YB8jWsUT3oCdrssftIR1l9suiDJubdIfqBC9TqUe2TKoqu8trVFLNxlnkpcamEAP6pgHXqowz9tEQUNUtDgcZjSvf3ofvc6vpFcJu6y-NPvun-afK4ewjM/s1600/9780525479963L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXOwHYOWiMGSlzfTJPp2N2YB8jWsUT3oCdrssftIR1l9suiDJubdIfqBC9TqUe2TKoqu8trVFLNxlnkpcamEAP6pgHXqowz9tEQUNUtDgcZjSvf3ofvc6vpFcJu6y-NPvun-afK4ewjM/s320/9780525479963L.jpg" width="214" /></a></div><br />
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Konigsberg, Bill. <i>Out of the Pocket</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Dutton Books, 2008. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 Lambda Literary Award for Best YA Novel<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">2009 Rainbow List for Young Adult Fiction<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“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?”<i><o:p></o:p></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Bobby’s scrambling fast to make a play now that he’s been forced <i>out of the pocket</i><span style="font-style: normal;">…but can he recover from this?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780525479963,00.html?Out_of_the_Pocket_Bill_Konigsberg#" target="_blank">http://us.penguingroup.com/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780525479963,00.html?Out_of_the_Pocket_Bill_Konigsberg#</a></span></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-26970902623762910932011-10-21T16:36:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:07:22.990-07:00The First Part Last<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGxlPs9cisMrEnCPIsxTiMd7WfTJPHtTxWjCpB_YIxp-ysqK7sUPcnjaPbw_GJcUyv82ZCJhg2sel3sb3jHR67BaPYRPebP_eDFeM132_PXvnO9Gm7zoaye4cJkMbqUGGFeLf1_gWbZE/s1600/9780689849237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHGxlPs9cisMrEnCPIsxTiMd7WfTJPHtTxWjCpB_YIxp-ysqK7sUPcnjaPbw_GJcUyv82ZCJhg2sel3sb3jHR67BaPYRPebP_eDFeM132_PXvnO9Gm7zoaye4cJkMbqUGGFeLf1_gWbZE/s320/9780689849237.jpg" width="190" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Johnson, Angela. <i>The First Part Last</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Simon Pulse, 2003. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Teen People</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> Pick</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">2004 Coretta Scott King Award (Writing Category)</div><div class="MsoNormal">2004 Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation</b><o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bobby celebrates his 16<sup>th</sup> 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.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Bobby feels as if he’s caught between two worlds: his life <b>Then</b> and his life <b>Now</b>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Then</b>: 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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Now</b>: 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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Then</b>: 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…</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Now</b>: My buddy, K-Boy, asks me: “So. You going to keep her or what?”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is Bobby’s life <b>Then</b> and his life <b>Now</b>. <b>Then</b>, Bobby was only thinking about himself, his girlfriend and going to college after graduation…until Nia got pregnant. <b>Now</b> what is Bobby going to do?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780689849237-0" target="_blank">http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780689849237-0</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-47546223341036028962011-10-21T16:27:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:07:39.879-07:00The God Box<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDYkxDWmxa6Y0jLuCjI_FIJ9zZWBGJLNBsvfOGYYrjkQzTb6ziHb7oVqphlOEYmncws6dfYA7ym-2BGLaV6ftOgxaZWPbgoWESQ1XxYK9VfUMRoglxmZlTFvqhCspzZC6vITa1YPm-Ag/s1600/theGodBoxPB+11%2525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDYkxDWmxa6Y0jLuCjI_FIJ9zZWBGJLNBsvfOGYYrjkQzTb6ziHb7oVqphlOEYmncws6dfYA7ym-2BGLaV6ftOgxaZWPbgoWESQ1XxYK9VfUMRoglxmZlTFvqhCspzZC6vITa1YPm-Ag/s1600/theGodBoxPB+11%2525.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal">Sanchez, Alex. <i>The God Box</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Booktalk</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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… </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“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?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.alexsanchez.com/God_Box/The_God_Box_Home_Page.htm" target="_blank">http://www.alexsanchez.com/God_Box/The_God_Box_Home_Page.htm</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-38286142810546394722011-10-05T16:53:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:07:56.833-07:00A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10_BWZwl_zbb9Lcyx8sjfkLMVdiMYvkBgHWzvIj-pir_rcKGr7yXFqrZe3e9PaKVAtYOfiSxFePeLs4uQmR6n9I6_f8s98cXCJUAr8tMIzyLeJUfOZzNs6v4JOIhTUq8_KpJYvdMJUdo/s1600/book1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10_BWZwl_zbb9Lcyx8sjfkLMVdiMYvkBgHWzvIj-pir_rcKGr7yXFqrZe3e9PaKVAtYOfiSxFePeLs4uQmR6n9I6_f8s98cXCJUAr8tMIzyLeJUfOZzNs6v4JOIhTUq8_KpJYvdMJUdo/s320/book1.png" width="210" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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Pelzer, Dave. <i>A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, 1995. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">#1 <i>New York Times Bestseller</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (for over 6 years)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">#1 International Bestseller</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Review<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://cobutler.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/influential-book/" target="_blank">http://cobutler.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/influential-book/</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-55944005185076487992011-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:08:21.645-07:00Go Ask Alice<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGZT9NxXxgVByz_8QnbnzRoAErX0nRqjjhOCFAH8XQz3xWgkeCTy8IBZGJfz74L5HDUSBxLfdo6Y1YaYPqqi2OqzNv8LRwrxQNswRS5C0_RH4zvDCPkmWx9LCqDIrcOPz2vbmHVN0g9U/s1600/46799.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGZT9NxXxgVByz_8QnbnzRoAErX0nRqjjhOCFAH8XQz3xWgkeCTy8IBZGJfz74L5HDUSBxLfdo6Y1YaYPqqi2OqzNv8LRwrxQNswRS5C0_RH4zvDCPkmWx9LCqDIrcOPz2vbmHVN0g9U/s320/46799.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">Anonymous. <i>Go Ask Alice</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1971. Print.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Awards<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">2003 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Annotation<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">A teenage girl records her struggles to overcome her drug addiction and establish an identity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Review<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Her insightful and poignant entries call out to and draw readers in, reminding them that the unnamed diarist could be anyone. Essentially, <i>Go Ask Alice</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> 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.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46799.Go_Ask_Alice" target="_blank">http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46799.Go_Ask_Alice</a></span></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5487409357819714430.post-33767905512627881602011-09-28T12:47:00.000-07:002011-11-01T10:08:36.132-07:00A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><div class="MsoNormal">Rinaldi, Ann. <i>A Break with Charity: A Story about the Salem Witch Trials</i><span style="font-style: normal;">. San </span></div><div class="MsoNormal">Diego: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1992. Print.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">ALA Best Book for Young Adults</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Hungry Mind Review</i> Book of Distinction</div><div class="MsoNormal">New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">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. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">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.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/61159/covers/" target="_blank">http://www.librarything.com/work/61159/covers/</a></span></div>Jessicahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17885961190882483929noreply@blogger.com0