Extra Credit: The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things

(Image Source: http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/137420000/137427022.JPG)

Citation:

Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press, 2003. Print.

Annotation:

Virginia is stuck surrounded by family and classmates who all seem perfect and skinny while she sees herself as fat and ugly. Things change when her brother gets in trouble and she finds new strength.

Nomination Justification:

I thought this book was clever and brutally honest in how YA often see themselves when they start the comparing game. It can be so hard to feel you measure up and quite a freeing shock to finally see how no one else has got it all right either. Virginia has very common body issues that many other teens have no matter what they look like. This is such a big problem considering the saturation level of photoshopped “perfect” bodies splashed across every available surface. Virginia does come off as a depressing character but it’s done with such rich humor it’s bearable. I personally would like to believe that her mother, a child psychologist, would be more in tune to how harmful her comments were to her daughter but the force is strong in that one in regards to denial. I’m not sold on the need for the brother’s trouble as a catalyst for some book events though. I think there were enough family dynamics already in play without bringing that plot in to it. Still, I think YA can find solace in how Virginia finally did see she was in control of her body and self. The message of independence from family and old idea plays out well in this book and thus earns my nod.

Genre:

Printz, Humor, Coming of Age, Realisitic/Edgy

Extra Credit: The Fault of Our Stars

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Citation:

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Penguin Group, 2012.

Annotation:

Hazel is 16 years old and living off barrowed time after doctors found a miracle drug to keep her tumors at bay. At her mother’s urging, Hazel joins a teen cancer support group and meets gorgeous Augustus Waters. He turns out to be just the right kind of person to remind Hazel the stars, however misaligned, still hold wonders.

Justification for Rejection:

This book felt so close to a great story and yet missed the mark by just a little. The characters are fresh, honest and truly heartbreaking. The plot though veers them into not quite believable twists. Their trip to Amsterdam to meet Hazel’s idol, author Peter van Houten, didn’t seem possible in real life. There were a couple other events that missed the realistic mark too- egging the car and breaking of the trophies come to mind. The character of Hazel and Augustus seem too cliché even though I know cancer matures a kid like nothing else. Still, I do think their relationship was enduring- ironically so considering you know at least one of them will not make it out of the book alive.  What works best in the book is when the ill-fated lovers and their families talk about cancer, dying and the meaning to life... what does it all mean!? There’s something to be said to embracing our time on earth, knowing our days a numbered and realizing no one gets out of here alive. For YA, this can be hard to understand when a summer seems to last forever. Some of the lines were simply so beautiful as the teens and their families tried to muddle through the horror of cancer. I give this a soft no because the concept is great but there are parts that are too unrealistic.

Genre: Realistic, Coming of Age

Extra Credit: Blood and Chocolate

(Image Source: http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs46/f/2009/213/7/4/Blood_and_Chocolate_Poster_by_delusionzOFgrandeur.jpg)

Citation:

Curtis Klause, Annette. Blood and Chocolate. New York: Bantam Double Day Dell Books, 1997. Print.

Annotation:

Werewolf Vivian is 16 years old. She has come to a new town with her pack to get a fresh start. The pack had to blaze trails out of the old town. A human murder and retaliation killed the pack leader and a couple other members. Now the pack is in disarray with no leader and internal power struggles.

Nomination Justification:

There’s a lot going on in this book! I needed to write down character cheat sheets to keep everyone straight. The book keeps on a good pace and plot with the pages turning pretty fast. Vivian’s father was the pack leader. The pack above all else protects itself even against its own who might betray their secret. No human is to know they are shape changers. A young werewolf teen puts the pack at risk by killing a human girl and is put in jail. These events lead to the pack leader’s death and a couple other members. Vivian ends up in a new school and is reserved  and quiet after all that has happened. YA can easily relate to being in a new school and having to make friends or be a misfit. Things get complicated when against the rules of the pack, she falls in love with a human boy. The pack’s new leader takes love interest in her while her mother and another werewolf take interest in being his mate. Once again, YA will have an easy time seeing how her mother and her attitudes don’t exactly mesh. Vivian wrestles with coming out to her human love interest and it all goes badly. The point is she took a chance that it was better to be open and true than hide who she is. Even though it didn’t work out for her, YA can still connect to how it feels to have expectations fall short and then realize that who the friends really are. Throughout the book, loyalty, betrayal, love and honor are strong themes. The author creates a story that many YA will enjoy as they too explore what it means to belong and be part of a pack... or family and friends.

Genre: Supernatural, Romance, Coming of Age

Extra Credit: Fever, 1793

 

(Image Source: http://edu.glogster.com/blog-thumbs/15/20/92/40/20924011_2/fever-1793.jpg?u=b8fe96ffb1064303a97d9e7350aed206)

Citation:

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever, 1793. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2000. Print.

Annotation:

Mattie lives in Philadelphia in the late 1700’s. She works in her family’s coffee shop. Then down at the city’s dock, yellow fever starts to strike illness and fear in people. As the city clears out in panic over the epidemic, Mattie too must find a way to survive and help her family.  

Nomination Justification:

This book deals with a girl coming of age in a situation where she may not actually live. All around her, society is in upheaval due to a deadly outbreak of Yellow Fever. No one knows how or why everyone is getting sick. Like teens of any time period, she did not always get along or appreciate her mother. That changes when her mom gets sick. Mattie also has to deal with the death of people she cares about when her friend gets sick and dies. That is not the only person she loses in this story. The author does go into somewhat gruesome detail about some of the deaths. It’s not easy to read if you’re sensitive to that type of thing in literature. Because parents of other children have dies, Mattie decides to help a couple kids even though it might put her more at risk. There is also a love interest in the book. It might seem typical for a YA to have that but against the backdrop of the epidemic and historical place, the courtship can hold a YA reader’s attention. Also of note when it comes to it being a historical book, the author did a fair amount of research and kept the dialog old school 1700’s style. In keeping with the time, the author does not shy away from including African-Americans as part of the story and Mattie’s family. I think this book gives all readers a chance to glimpse life in 1793 and how things are different but family, friends and love always have power in a teen’s life. Mattie is a tough character who makes you cheer for her to live and thrive. Luckily the book ends on a high note.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Coming of Age, Death

Extra Credit: Rainbow Boys

(Image Source: http://i.ytimg.com/vi/UYvSSRAt058/0.jpg)

Citation:

Sanchez, Alex. Rainbow Boys. New York: Simon Pulse, 2001. Book.

Annotation:

High schoolers Kyle, Nelson and Jason all must deal with homophobia. Nelson is out and proud. Kyle goes with Nelson to a gay support group but isn’t out. Jason has a girlfriend even though something just doesn’t feel right about it. They become a force to be reckoned with when push comes to shove- literally.

Nomination Justification:

This is an edgy and refreshing book. All too often, same sex relationships do not appear in YA books. In Rainbow Boys, the boys all deal with common themes of coming of age. Nelson loves Kyle. Kyle is clueless about it. Kyle loves Jason. Jason is not even ready to admit to anyone or himself he is gay. Plus Jason really does love his girlfriend of two years, which is an eternity in high school! I found this to be tangled but realistic. It plays out this way all the time in high school but in this case, it involved gay guys. I also found the families the boys come from quite possible to find in real life. There are parents out there completely accepting of their child’s sexuality, some in the middle and others dead set against the idea of their child being gay. It might be canned the way Sanchez had each possibility presented but given how few YA books out there address this issue, I think he deserves some leeway. The tension between them is sweet as they work out their feelings towards each other and how to be respectful of their friendships too. It is sad how much this book does mirror real life struggles of gay teens as they deal with school bullies, lack of support from administration, shunning or teasing from friends, forming healthy dating practices and angry parents. This book offers hope that it can get better if resources and alliances are made. 

Genre:

Romance, GLBT, Censored, Coming of Age

Extra Credit: Chandra's Secrets

(Image Source: http://a.images.blip.tv/Bookshorts AfricaThenAndNowChandasSecretsAnnickPress273.jpg)

Citation:

Stratton, Allan. Chanda’s Secrets. Toronto: Annick Press, 2004. Print.

Annotation:

Living in sub-Saharan Africa means many things to Chandra but most important is getting an education. An education will lead to a better life where food and water scarcity are not constant worries. Chandra is bright, capable and highly motivated. School will be her ticket out of the grinding poverty. When her mother’s depression over the death of Chandra’s little sister starts to tear the family apart, Chandra chooses to drop out and try to hold her family together.

Nomination Thoughts:

This heartbreaking book follows Chandra as she first deals with the funeral home for her baby sister, Sara, who spent most of her whole short life sickly and crying. Everyone in the village can guess what would kill a baby but no one will say it. AIDS stalks the village. Shame, fear and false belief in alternative medicines keep AIDS spreading. People who may have it are shunned. Chandra has had a hard life and it only gets worse when she comes to accept her mom has AIDS. Instead of maintaining the status quo, Chandra stands up for her mother and best friend, also striken with AIDS, so they can maintain their dignity as they struggle with AIDS.

Nominate? Yes! The story has a good pace and lots of layers of meaning. There is the story of how AIDS caused social upheaval because of who and how it strikes. This  book takes on issues of sex, poverty, abuse, drug use and traditional beliefs in way that gives the YA much to ponder. Chandra’s strength only builds as the book moves on and she takes care of her sick mother and friend. The story may take place in a far away land but Chandra’s bravery will be recognized as universally a noble thing.

Genre:

Multicultural, Printz

Extra Credit: American Born Chinese

(Image source: http://blogs.america.gov/indepth1/2011/09/19/american-born-chinese-chinese-subtitled/)

Citation:

Yang, G. L. American Born Chinese. New York & London: First Second, 2006. Print.

Annotation:

Jin Wang finds himself trying to fit in at his middle school. It’s made all the harder because of his Chinese heritage. Three stories wrap around Jin Wang as discovers being American is not one size fits all.

Nomination Thoughts:

Three stories come together with bright pictures and lively dialog bubbles in this graphic book. The common theme is how each protagonist deals with expectations of their identity. One story is an ancient Chinese myth about a monkey who longs to be so much more than monkey. Another story is Danny, a white boy, dealing with his obnoxious Chinese cousin. Finally there is Jin Wang. He is lonely in middle school after moving away from China Town where all his old friends are. Things made sense there. His classmates now poke fun of him for being Asian since there are so few Asian children at the school. When he starts to notice a lovely girl, it get even harder to figure out how to present himself as cool.

What comes through in all these stories is how complicated American racial relations are. Since it can be difficult to talk about that topic, this book takes the approach of how one child must deal with stereotypes and racism in all its subtle and harsh realities. The potential for discussions of all kinds (race, history, bullying, dating) is great. The content is all done in a very engaging way that trusts the YA to relate to the common experiences of Jin Wang.

Nominate? Yes! The characters are entertaining and each story has a good plot. The themes of racial identity and place in America makes for compelling reading for YA who are solidifying their identities especially considering how many are multicultural. Being a graphic novel also ups the appeal for many readers who may not view themselves as readers. My one complaint is having to wait so long to see how all three stories fit together. They do but it takes a second read to see the pieces clearly. That point aside, this book is a strong choice for our mock Prints Award.

Genre:

Graphic novel, multicultural, coming of age

Speak (Extra Credit)

(Image Source: http://media.sundancechannel.com/UPLOADS/blog/wordpress/images/2010/11/speak_book_cover_crop_eyes.jpg)

Annotation:

Shortly before the start of her freshmen year, Melinda Sordino attends a party. She ends up calling the cops who bust up the event. With that, she becomes hated by almost everyone. If only they knew why, maybe Melinda would not be the outcast she is. But how can anyone understand what really happened when Melinda refuses to talk? Will she ever find her voice?

Nomination Thoughts:

The book has strong themes that many YA can relate to or otherwise have seen. Melinda called the cops to report a crime but can not follow through with the truth- she was raped. All the kids think she did it to break up the party. This leads to her shunning by just about everyone.  It is hard to read how cruel her classmates are. Even her parents are too busy to really take stock of what is at the root of their daughter’s depression and lack of talking. Within her silence, Melinda does find small ways to rebel and push past her limits.

She continues  her downward spiral barely passing her classes. The only bright spot is her art class. Melinda, pushed by her art teacher, pours her heart into a tree collage. As the year drones on, her ex-friend Rachel starts to date boy who raped her and Melinda must decide how to warn her. When she does tell her about the boy, Rachel does not believe her until he tries the same thing with her. Then events play out that let everyone know what happened and the pain Melinda endured.

The characters, mainly heard through Melinda’s thoughts, are realistic to the high school scene. Still, this is the part that makes it a soft yes for me- all of the narration and dialog is through one person- Melinda. It’s cleaver but can still get tedious coming from that one perspective. YA will find some humor in her nick names of people- IT, Principal Principle and Hairywoman. The story has a good pace. Melinda gets stronger as the book progresses and the ending, predictable since the boy does get his come-uppance, still satisfies. 

Nominate?

Yes, but a soft yes. The book as strong themes for YA- dating and relationships, bullying, isolation and sexual violence. It’s limit is its strength being told through one person.

Genre:

Coming of Age, Realistic/Edgy, Censored 

One Last interesting note: A movie version is available via Netflex. Kristen Stewart played Melinda. 

Holes

(Image Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3owpn4v8p1VEya85ke_m9pEnbYxVH_Wkwwgo5PpKwDnW7iSzbd66JK7279QW1snBlAyzYdekoMNBEq3Xyr-pmoNnyhkkT536HxR5NnB9YcJ9pUDEOwPxIlknvnyKfI4GTTEql8B2hdqk/s1600/holes.jpg)

Citation:

Sachar, Louis. Holes. New York: Scholastic, 1998. Print.

Annotation:

Stanley Yelnats lives daily with the curse that has been in his family from the time of his “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather”. It should come as no surprise when he is falsely accused of stealing and can either chose jail or Camp Green Lake, a juvenile corrections camp. You’d think camp would be preferable but not when it involves a mean warden and digging lots and lots of holes.

Nomination Thoughts:

I have not seen the movie and was curious to read the book. Stanley is 13 years old, chubby, has no friends and gets bullied in school. He feels everything bad that happens to him is because of family curse. The author brings together the story of Stanley’s time at the detention center and that of his “no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather”.  Stanley comes to realize that the warden may be saying she makes the boys dig holes to build character but in reality she is making them dig holes to find a treasure connected to Stanley’s family curse. Regardless what the odds are, it does make a good story. Stanley’s life does improve at the camp because he makes friends and stands up for them. Sachar tells the story with humor and deals with many issues that face YA- isolation, finding courage, justice and redemption. It’s got a saccharine sweet ending but that’s kind of the cheesy ending this humorous book is destined to deliver. 

Nominate:

No… but a soft no. My biggest problem with the book in terms of nominating it for our Printz book is its range. I feel the book’s appeal is too focused on young YA and might not appeal to girls enough.

Genre:

Humor, Coming of Age, Adventure

Going Bovine (Extra Credit)

(Image source: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4071/4464720152_b56c44c3ba.jpg)


Citation:
Bray, Libba. Going Bovine. New York: Random House, 2009. ebook.

Annotation:
Life is kind of one big joke to Cameron Smith. He takes nothing too serious- school, friends, family and any future goals. Everyone assumes he has hit the drugs a little too hard when he starts acting crazy complete with radical hallucinations and shaky muscles. When the doctors quickly discover it's actually mad cow disease, Cameron goes on an epic journey to save the world and maybe even himself. 


Nomination thoughts:
Duuuuuuude, this book is really a trip.  Cameron narrates his mission to save the world. It's an unbelievable task. Since there is no way to do it justice in my words, here's a quote from the book:


" Never once did I see myself standing under the window of a house belonging to some druggie named Carbine, waiting for his yard gnome to steal his stash so I could get a cab back to a cheap motel where my friend, a neurotic, death-obsessed dwarf, was waiting for me so we could get on the road to an undefined place and a mysterious Dr. X, who would cure me of mad cow disease and stop a band of dark energy from destroying the universe."

Along this incredible journey, the reader gets to see a true transformation take place in Cameron. He starts out as self-centered and kind of a jerk. His attitude will make sense to many YA as Cameron talks of his "perfect" sister and his mom and dad who are both teachers and not sure how their kid is "barely not failing high school". He is the odd man out in his family. This theme of finding one's identity and struggling to find your place comes across strongly. 

The biggest challenge, of course!, is how to come to terms with his fatal disease. So he takes flight in the only way he can- in his mind. As a reader, YA or otherwise, close attention to these shifts in mental state will help make sense of the story. Also key is knowing that reality and fantasy play off each other. The characters on his trip come from pieces of his life- people, hopes, dreams and a sudden urge to make sense of it all. The author does a surreal and amazing job weaving it all together. It might get a little long (crazy? psychedelic?) and harder to follow in the middle though.  In the end, Cameron becomes a person who learns how to embrace life on his own terms even if only in his head. It all has a way of prodding the reader to think about the deeper meaning to things, events and people in their own lives. Or even if there is a deeper meaning!

Nominate:
Yes! I do think the book has strong appeal to a YA audience. It's an emotional journey that will keep the pages turning. Cameron finds his answers without it necessarily being the answers for everyone. This let's each reader draw their own conclusions about what is and can be.

Genre:
Coming of age, Printz, Fantasy

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America

Image Source: http://library.bowdoin.edu/communityread/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/corner.jpg


Citation:
Enrenreich, Barbara.  Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America. New York: Holt Paperbacks, 2002. Print.


Annotation:

The American dream is alive and well. It basically states that if you work hard and treat people well, you should be able to make a living. So what happens when you wake up, hop a bus across town, clock in at a big box mart and try to make ends meet? Let’s just say reality has some cold hard truths to dish you up for dinner.

Nomination Thoughts:

Barbara Ehrenreich works first and foremost as a writer for various media outlets. As part of the genesis for her book, she became curious how hard it would be for a single woman to live off wages from an entry level type job. So she devised an undercover experiment that would take her across the country to see how she would fair. She sets about some basic rules that in some ways diminish what a low paid worker would have access to- mainly a car and food. Along the way she takes jobs as a waitress in Florida, house cleaner in Maine and Walmart worker in Minnesota. By the way, she sadly found Minnesota not quite up to its “Minnesota Nice” sterotype. She basically finds no feasible way to live off the wages from those jobs and just how expensive being poor is.

What I was most taken with is how surprised Ehrenreich was about the working conditions in which she found herself. She does an excellent job walking the reader through her eye opening experiences. Ehrenreich introduces co-workers who don’t have the luxury of knowing they can high tail to a comfortable life if they choose. Her writing spares nothings in saying how hard of life the people are living. I found myself crying when she wrote about a pregnant coworker who was sick and yet unable to afford adequate health care. It seems each of the people she comes across has a role to play. The managers work to keep the workers in line and happy not to have union protection at Walmart. Ehrenreich finds herself almost invisible to the people whose houses she cleans- something she finds uncomfortably intimate.

Through the course of the book Ehrenreich grows in her understanding of the struggle of low wage earners. Each place she works pits her against a machinery that only wants to take as much out of her as possible while paying her as little possible. I found myself caring about the people she wrote about and wanting to find some steel toed boots for some of the jerks she came across too. She had an engaging and thoughtful way of presenting her story that made me tear through the pages.

Nomination?
This is a worthy book for our mock Printz Award. I think this book can have great appeal for a YA reader interested in what it will take to make it in today's world. It's rough out there!

Genre: Alex Award

The Hunger Games

image source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunger-Games-Suzanne-Collins/dp/0439023483

Citation:

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

Annotation:

Children age 12-18 years gather in the middle of an old town square. Parents wait anxiously, roped off from them. They all hold their collective breath as an official from the government draws the name of a single boy and girl name. This is not a time you want to win the lottery. Katniss, already rebelling against the power structures, takes the place of her younger sister after her name is drawn.  Peeta, the baker’s son, stands as the boy from his district. They must prepare for the fight of their lives literally.

Nomination Thoughts:

Unless you live under a rock, you may be aware that The Hunger Games book was released as a movie earlier this year. I strongly encourage reading the book even if you saw or plan to see the movie for the biggest reason you can “hear” Katniss thinking. She lives in Panem, a post-revolution America taken over by tyrants bent on maintaining a status quo where only a few live comfortably. The rest of the people live in districts radiating from the new Capital in what was once the central area of America. Due to extreme inequalities, the folks from the outlaying districts produce the goods and services that make the Capital a gleaming wonder while they suffer with starvation and cruelty.

The powers-that-be wield any and all tools they can to maintain control. As part of that goal, every year one boy and one girl age 12-18 years from each of the 12 districts is “offered” up as tribute to fight to the death until only one stands. It is shown on live. It is mandated to watch. And it is brutal. Into this game of life and death, Katniss and Peeta struggle to maintain their humanity as they bond trying to stay alive. Unlike the movie, the book brings Katniss’s inner thoughts into complete view. She works as a complicated character. You can read her as a cold calculating person who has no trust in anyone or anything. That changes as the book progresses. Help for the duo comes from surprising places though their mentor, Haymitch. The supporting characters add to the complex dynamics of the book. It is easy to fall in love with Katniss and Peeta but sad to know for them to live, others must all die. In the end, the game dictates only one winner. Katniss and Peeta team up in a most brilliant way to show the people of Panem cracks in the power structure. All this is possible only once Katniss takes a leap of extreme faith.

Nominate?

Yes! The Hunger Games has crisp dialog and a fast pace. The main characters grow as the book progresses. Salient issues in a YA’s life such as friendship, loyalty, injustice and love are tackled with unflinching honesty. Due to the nature of the book (the whole fight to the death thing!), background information should be given to prepare both the student and parent if the this is to be read in class. There are great conversations and historical context that can be discussed. I recommend this book because of the issues it raises and how it has drawn so many reluctant readers to tear through a book.

Genre:

Challenged or Censored Title, Dystopian

Two Moons in August

image source: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Two-Moons-Martha-Brooks/dp/0747548412

Citation:

Brooks, Martha. Two Moons in August.  Onterio, Canada: Groundwood Books, 2008. Print.

Genre: Romance, Coming of Age

Annotation:

Two August moons mark a horrid month for Sidonie. A year later, her family is still reeling from the events of that month. Just when life seems most intolerable, a new boy moves to town. Maybe things will look up after all.

Nomination Thoughts:

Even though Sidonie’s mother has been sick her whole childhood, her death still comes as a surprise. To make the event more horrible, it was also Sidonie’s 15th birthday. The book’s events are narrated in first person almost one year from the mother’s death. Sidonie’s sister, Roberta, has come home from college to spend the summer at the family’s rural Canadian home. Her father, a doctor, spends all day away from the home. The cat is actually her best and about only friend. Books offer her the only escape from the crushing loneliness and grief.

Then in the middle of all this emotional baggage, a new boy, Kieran moves in across the street. They both have parents who are doctors and their fair share of family tragedies. Even though they got off to the wrong foot, they do form a friendship that keeps teetering to more than that. In 1959, when the story takes place, the best thing to do it hang out at the local lake. It is there they spend most of their time flirting and trying to stay cool... in more ways than one.

There are a number of things that work well in this book. The family dynamics are fascinating and intriguing. Each of them is dealing with the loss of the mother in their own isolating ways. It feels as if acknowledging their grief with each other would shatter them so they ignore it. Yet, it sits squarely in the middle of every conversation, dinner and fight. Sidonie’s flashbacks to her mother’s life and death add just the right amount of tear jerking without becoming sappy. As the story moves, there are watershed moments when finally the family (aunts and all!) come together. The bottled up grief is like a tangled ball of yarn that finally is fixed up to be neat and tidy- the loss remains but the reconnection with family members makes it more bearable.

As Sidonie is working her way through her family’s dysfunction, she does make a friend who becomes her boyfriend. I thought this part of the book was weaker. The love interest’s tension and sparks never seemed to hit the same crescendo of the grief aspect. Kieran and Sidonie do best when Kieran revels why his parents do not live together and how he struggles to not make the same mistakes. Those are the tender moments I wanted to see more. I think so much of the book’s emotional energy was focused on grief, loss and isolation that to truly tackle the budding romance adequately, the book needed to be longer than 160 pages.

The characters, setting and plot do come together in a perfectly fine story. This is another book I find to be more than compelling enough to include on the classroom YA bookshelf but not up to muster for our final Printz Award.

Nomination?

No.

Dovey Coe

 Image source: http://www.amazon.com/Dovey-Coe-F-Dowell/dp/0613554450
 

Citation:

O’Roark Dowell, Frances. Dovey Coe. New York: Athenaeum Books for Young Readers, 2000.

Genre: Mystery

Annotation:

Stuck up rich teen Parnell Caraway had it coming. When 12 year old Dovey Coe wakes up to Parnell’s mom screaming as she discovers Dovey next to her son’s dead body, everyone in town assumes Dovey killed him. But why would a girl so young take such action and was she really the one who did it?

Nomination Thoughts:

Dear Dovey grew on me as I raced through this book. She’s about as scrappy as they come. It took a couple pages to fall into the dialect of the setting, mid 20’s North Carolina. The way the characters speak adds authenticity though. The book would not have the same power without it. Dovey does not take crap from anyone which drives Parnell Caraway a little crazy. He has free reign over the town because his family is the richest in it. Whatever he wants, he gets… except when it comes to the Coe family. Most the other townspeople are poor and beholden to the Caraway family. The Coe family might not be rich but they are self sufficient. According to Dovey “The way I seen things, us Coes had everything we needed in this world” They are happy with their lives. Even her deaf brother gets along ok in life. Her older beautiful sister unfortunately becomes object of Parnell’s lust. Since she is the prettiest girl in town, Parnell thinks she should marry, take care of and have lots of babies for him. She flatly turns him down in favor of following her dream to go to college and become a teacher. Shortly thereafter, Parnell is found dead next to Dovey.

I would recommend this as a possible contender for our Printz Award. As mysteries go, I am sure there are stronger ones out there. What this book has going instead is the depth of the characters. You find yourself believing they could exist. They interact in real ways that reflect a wide range of behavior and expectations based on social economic backgrounds. This holds true right down to a justice system that is heavily weighted against the spunky Dovey as she goes on trial for murder  at the age of 12 years. YA can see people they know in the characters. The plot moves along at a good pace. Did I mention how much I enjoyed Dovey’s voice?! There is much suspense as the crime is picked apart. This book gives a YA audience plenty to chew on- lust denied, inequalities, disability concerns, justice system issues, family dynamics and taking a stand for what you believe in.

Nominate? Yes.

Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow

 

Citation:

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction, 2005. Print.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Annotation:

“I begin with the young. We older ones are used up…But my magnificent youngsters! Look at these men and boys! What material! With them, I can create a new world.” Adolf Hitler. So indeed does Hitler use the youth of his country to forward his vision of the world. Follow12 youth who were really there and see their paths as they live life in evil’s shadow.

Nomination Justification:

Bartoletti spent two years researching this book. The end result is a book that comes alive with authenticity. People often wonder how Hitler could brainwash so many people. A big answer to that question can be found in the Hitler Youth. This was an organization that a many German children belonged. They pledged their very lives to Hitler and his Germany. No longer did they belong to their parents, they were Hitler’s. You can see in this book how innocently they are indoctrinated to believe all Hitler tells. Underneath the fun of almost Boy Scout activities, a steady stream of propaganda is pushed on the Hitler Youth. Children are forming the foundation of their thinking and morality and with the right nudge, some can fall prey to fascism. Hitler Youth even could be trained to turn on their parents. As this book also shows, some refuse to go along with party line and do so at great cost. I believe this highlights one of my tenants in life- we have free-will and choice.

Bartoletti’s writing honestly and as exactly as possible conveys the words and thoughts of her subjects. The reading is almost more brutal because of the straight forward way she writes about the children’s lives. Here is a writer who respects that YA can handle some very ugly truths and grapple with them as they try to make sense of life. I personally don’t find her the most eloquent of writers but her methodical approach backed up with years of research more than make up for any loss of lyrical quality. There is a certain chill reading the book knowing how badly WWII ended and all the lives lost. This book provides many answers for how it could happen. YA will have an easy time following the chronological approach. This helps also to place events in context.  The horror of WWII slowly builds, ratchets up and ends in shear shock over how it all came to be. The pictures provide additional support for YA who may need extra help building the story in their head. There is a timeline of WWII, glossary, explanations of the photographs used in the book and epilogue to complete book. 

This book is engaging, well researched and offers valuable lessons for today... especially considering the convergence of politics, media and advertising in the lives of YA and us all. I’d like to throw this book in the nomination ring.

The Other Wes Moore

Source: http://chautauquabookstore.ciweb.org/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=881

 

Genre

Biography, Autobiography or Memoir

Citation

Moore, Wes. The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2010. Print.

Annotation

Two men share the same name and at one time, spent childhood years in the same neighborhood. Neither had a father growing up. Both end up in the newspaper for different reasons- one for becoming a Rhode Scholar and one for murdering a police officer. This coincident propels the author Wes Moore to ask what happened.

Nomination Thoughts

I think this book has the potential to be very thought provoking to a YA audience. The author Wes Moore and the Wes Moore in jail both had barriers in their lives that included grinding poverty, living in drug infested projects, missing fathers, trouble with the law, anger and struggling in school. The author Wes Moore says, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could have been his”. This book is all about why they turned out so different.

The author Wes Moore is not a professional writer and that does show in the eloquence of word flow. Some parts of the book don’t read smoothly. Where he makes up for that lack is in how honest he is in portraying both their lives. The reader is not shielded from the drugs and violence that both experienced. He walks the fine line of nature versus nurture. He does not go all Horatio Alger, and if you just pull harder on your battered boots you can make it. Nor does he claim your family and environment are the end all be all for your destiny. Instead he opens the door to show how they interact. Both of the Wes Moores made critical choices with consequences good and bad. They are smart, young black males who deal with clashing expectations placed on them by culture, family and themselves.

As the author Wes Moore chronicles their lives, YA will have many chances to see how the Wes Moores could have gone either way in terms of jail or Rhode Scholar and imagine the same in their lives. I like how the author is not preachy. He inspires hope and offers paths of redemption for YA who are at critical points in their lives.

This book is a worthy nomination based on how well it speaks to universal issues YA are facing as they grow into adulthood. It respects their ability to ponder worlds other their own and the power to choose the path even as they fight against power structures within society. It's a short quick read perfect for reluctant readers yet deep enough for more advanced readers.

Kissing Doorknobs

Source: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/056/8/4/84e9e0d200fef4416ab15de35fa8e357-d2o1t2z.jpg

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Citation: Hesser, Terry. Kissing Doorknobs. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1999. print

Annotation:

 

Author Terry Hesser presents the reader with the story of Tara. Since a very age, Tara has worried and more so than most children. Once at age 11 when she hears the rhyme “Step on a crack and break you mother’s back”, her obsessive compulsiveness kicks into high gears. The book follows Tara from that point to 14 years old. Along the way, we witness how family, friends and Tara herself are affected by her worsening condition.

Nomination thoughts:

I do not recommend this otherwise ok book for our final nomination. The book never went for the kill. By that I mean that the author has all the pieces in place for an outstanding book and yet ended up with an average book. The character development of Tara was strong enough and her family struggles with her poignant. The narrative structure was too simplistic to delve fully into the complexity of the family structure though. The dialog throughout the book was somewhat sparse. If there had been more, the reader could have better understood the complexity of Tara and other characters. The book also had too simplistic of sentence structure and flow. Parts had lyrical power but most read choppy. Due to that reason, it might appeal to younger teens or tweens who want a book that deals with a real life issue but has a lower lexile score. I still believe, even with the aforementioned issues, that the book takes an honest enough look at OCD to help teens relate to the issue as someone with it or someone who knows a person with it. The overall quality just does not rise high enough to justify a nomination from me.

A Wreath for Emmett Till

(source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/04/24/RVGCTC9H0N1.DTL)

Citation: 

Nelson, Marilyn. A Wreath for Emmett Till. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.

Annotation:

Marilyn Nelson approaches a historic event in “A Wreath for Emmett Till” by using poetry. Emmitt Till was a Chicagoan young teen visiting family in the heart of the segregated south in 1955. A group of white men beat him to death  for the supposed crime of whistling at a white woman. Nelson weaves that event, his mother’s sorrow and a nation’s shame together in a series of heroic sonnets. This form follows the basic structure of sonnets with the added twist of creating a group of 15 linked sonnets. The last line from the previous poem becomes the first line of the next poem. The final sonnet is the first line of each other preceding sonnets. The poems take on additional depth when they are overlaid vibrant artwork.

Nomination thoughts:

I found this to be a fresh examination of the Emmett Till killing. The beginning of the book offers an explanation of heroic poems and the end goes into more details about word choice, symbolism and art meaning. I would recommend this book as a nomination with a couple caveats. This book needs scaffolding, more so than other texts that may be read in class. The poet has to work within a very specific framework and thus students need to see how the sonnets are linked. This set of poems will keep a mind busy wondering what to make of the figurative language. Once again, the back of the book is critical for understanding the writer’s intent and helping the reader come to their own ideas about the book. Lastly I want to mention the gorgeous art work. I almost got as much emotion from it as with the poems themselves. Together they make a powerful statement about hate, hope and a mother’s grace. This book will take extra work to break down but is worth the effort. 

Please note: I originally bought it on Kindle and can not understate my disappointment in that version. The artwork and text has a totally different appearance on the Kindle- completely disjointed from each other. I actually went out and bought a paper book once I realized how negatively my reading experience was affected by the poor layout. 

The Book Thief

Citation:

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2006. Print.

Annotation:

In a sea of people, it can be hard to focus on one single person. Now imagine you are Death embodied coming to collect souls of the dead. The Book Thief takes place in Nazi Germany. Death also can not spend too much time dwelling any single soul as he collects the fallen in WWII. Yet, on one of Death’s many burdensome hauls, he comes across a girl, Liesel, as he gentle gathers her six year old brother’s soul. He lingers as they bury the body and sees her steal a book. So starts Death’s narration of the orphan nine year old Liesel as she adjusts to her foster family. Along the way, she learns how words and books have power to both destroy and create. Death shields nothing in his omniscience musing. The book is lyrical, complex and layered in multiple meaning.

Justification for Nomination:

First of all, this is not an easy book to read. The words are so rich that in parts the book reads like poetry. More than one storyline happens. Those strands can be hard to hold because there significance is unknown. Still, the story told by Death keeps the pages turning. The characters are like the people seen everyday and relatable. Liesel is just an average girl struggling to make sense of her world. Through Death’s eyes, not cold and hard like you’d think, the reader will come to care about the characters because they recognize them in the people around them. You have to trust that the final picture is a cohesive vision of  humanity- all that is good, wicked and those sacred pieces of ourselves we must never surrender.

Genre:

Printz Honoree Mention Book

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