THE BRAID

Frost, Helen. The Braid. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
ISBN: 0-374-30962-0; $16.00 US; Hardcover.

(Image Credit: http://www.sarahmillerbooks.blogspot.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year

Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice

NCTE Notable Children's Books in the Language Arts

Lion and the Unicorn Award for Excellence in North American Poetry Honor Book

ANNOTATION:

Through narrative poems, the story of separated sisters, who each carry a braid of their woven hair, is portrayed.

BOOKTALK:

Sarah and Jeannie face an insurmountable obstacle when their family must be separated. Sarah chooses to remain behind with grandmother in Scotland; Jeannie will travel to Canada with the rest of the family. How can two sisters, two girls who in spirit have become one, ever say goodbye?

"Then Sarah braided my hair with my own, close and tight, so our heads were touching...She must have stayed awake until I slept. She must have had her sewing scissors tucked into her pocket. She'd cut the braid close to our heads, tucked half into my hand-You/me/sisters/always."

A small braid of hair; yet, a token that forever binds Sarah and Jeannie as they grow up. Both experience sadness and first loves, but more importantly, develop the courage to stand up in life and demand more. Will Sarah and Jeannie ever see each other again? Find out what happens when love and hope is woven into The Braid.

THE SLAVE DANCER

Fox, Paula. The Slave Dancer. NY: Simon & Schuster, 1973.
ISBN: 1-4169-7139-4; $6.99 US; Paperback.
(Image Credit: http://www.underagereading.wordpress.com/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Newbery Medal, 1974
Starred Review, School Library Journal: "Spellbinding...will horrify as well as fascinate."
Starred Review, Booklist: "Movingly and realistically presents one of the most gruesome chapters of history."
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

ANNOTATION

13-year old Jessie Bollier finds him kidnapped and thrown aboard a slave ship where his job is to provide music for the slaves.


BOOKTALK

"At midnight...I heard a sound as though a thousand rats were scrambling up the hull of The moonlight. I heard the cold dead clang of metal striking wood. I heard one piercing scream. My teeth began to chatter."

Such are the sounds heard on a slaver; a ship destined to make profit by transporting slaves from Africa to Cuba, and eventually The United States of America. Jessie Bollier dreams of New Orleans at night; his mother and sister why by now must think he is dead. But dreams are rudely shattered when Jessie must stand on deck and watch the crew whip the slaves into movement when he begins playing his fife.

Is this really what slavery is? How Africans are brought to America? If so, Jessie Bollier wants nothing to do with it. In horror, Jessie Bollier will leave his innocence in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and question what it means to be an American.

Sadness marks the journey of The Moonlight. Yet, a spark of hope is ignited that not even the ship's captain and his crew can contain. To understand what makes us human and long for freedom, pick up The Slave Dancer and forever be changed.

THE BRONZE BOW

Speare, Elizabeth George. The Bronze Bow. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1961.

ISBN: 0-395-13719-5; $6.95 US; 45th Anniversary Paperback.

(Image Credit: http://www.randombuzzers.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Newbery Medal, 1962

Starred Review, School Library Journal: "A moving, vivid, and well-written picture of the spiritual vs. the material, vengeance vs. love."

Boston Herald: "The characters vividly real, the story gripping."

Booklist: "A dramatic, deeply felt narrative whose characters and message will long be remembered."

ANNOTATION:

David bar Jamin, a young Jewish rebel devoted to driving the Romans from Israel, finds his heart beginning to change when he meets Jesus of Nazareth.

BOOKTALK:


Burdened with the deaths of his parents at the hands of the Romans, and a sister who has gone insane with fright, David bar Jamin finds himself content living in the hills with a band of thieves. Food and money are plentiful if one has the guts to steal it. And don't forget to throw away your conscience while you are at it, because there is no room for thoughts of remorse when one is buildling an army to one day reclaim a lost country.

Yet, David's interest veers in another direction when he hears talk of a carpenter from Nazareth who gathers crowds of more than a hundred when he speaks. Could he be the one who is destined to save the Jewish people? But why is he preaching that one should love their neighbor? Only hate and blood can drive the Romans back to their country; not stupid feelings of respect and tolerance.

What was once a lust for vengeance becomes a tangled web of love and hope in David's heart that only he can unweave in order to save himself. Be prepared for another vital piece of history vividly portrayed by Elizabeth George Speare. Whether one is Jewish, Christian, or athiest, every reader will walk away with the desire to purge thoughts of hatred and revenge from their souls.

SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER

Greene, Bette. Summer of My German Soldier. NY: Bantam Books, 1973.

ISBN: 0-553-27247-0; $3.50 US; Paperback.

(Image Credit: http://www.marshall.edu/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

ALA Notable Book of the Year

New York Times Book Review: "An exceptionally fine novel!"

Publishers Weekly: "Courageous and compelling!"

ANNOTATION:

Patty Bergen defies her family and the town of Jenkinsville, Arkansas, when she refuses to give in to hate by helping a German prisoner escape.


BOOKTALK:

This isn't one of those happily ever after stories where the brave stand up against injustice and win. In fact, Summer of My German Soldier is considered controversial for its offensive topic of racism. Yet, Patty Bergen's story must be read in order to catch a glimpse of the emotions boiling under the surface of America during World War II. There was the obvious hatred of Germany, yet there also prejudice againsts African-Americans; many willing to enlist in the army and fight for the country that mocked them.

Many World War II books focus on the persecution of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis, yet Bette Green shows us the flip side of war by portraying a young Jewish girl befriending a German soldier. The moral of the story? Hate blinds us all, and the Germans suffered as well.

You will laugh, cry, and even pound your fist on the table, when reading Summer of My German Soldier. You will discover that Frederick Anton Reiker, a young German boy forced to fight for Hitler, is not the enemy.

THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE

Cushman, Karen. The Midwife's Apprentice. NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1995.
ISBN: 978-0-06-440630-7; $5.99 US; Paperback.
(Image Credit: http://www.libraryvoice.wordpress.com/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS


Newbery Medal, 1996
ALA Notable Children's Book
ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
New York Public Library List of Recommended Books
ALA Booklist Editors' Choice
School Library Journal Best Book

ANNOTATION:

A young girl, with no name or past, discovers herself as she becomes the apprentice to a midwife.

BOOKTALK:

"Tonight she settled for the warm rotting of a dung heap, where she dreamed of nothing, for she hoped for nothing, and expected nothing."

This is Brat's world. Or Beetle, as she is called by the villagers because she was found sleeping in a dung pile. With no real name, education, or remembrance of her parents, Beetle takes on the task of being a midwife's apprentice only because she will get fed and have a floor to sleep on. Yet, within the magical world of medicine where new life is brought into the world, Beetle begins to feel something stirring inside her. Could she possibly become a midwife herself?

Karen Cushman shows us how with a little determination and courage, one can change the course their life is set on. And Beetle decides to dream big. First step, change your name to Alyce. Second step, never look back.

Find out what happens when Alyce stands up to fate which would have kept her in the dung heap, in The Midwife's Apprentice.

A RIDE INTO MORNING

Rinaldi, Ann. A Ride into Morning: The Story of Tempe Wick. NY: Harcourt, 1991.

ISBN: 0-15-200573-0; $15.95 US; Hardback.

(Image Credit: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Booklist Reviews: "A suspenseful read with enough everyday detail to make it realistic and enough adventure to make it exciting."

"A suspenseful read, realistic and exciting."

Children's Literature Review: "This is an exciting, adventurous story...entertaining and historically accurate."

ANNOTATION:

Based on real historical events during the Revolutionary War, two young women are caught up in the throes of a mutiny while sheltering soldiers on their farm.

BOOKTALK:

Tempe Wick. The officers camped outside their front door just say her name and start to swoon. Yet, 14 year old Mary Cooper can't stand her older cousin, Tempe, who acts like she is too high and mighty to care about the war going on outside their front door. While Mary secretly takes food to her soldier friends in camp and learns about the heroic actions of General Washington, Tempe just spends her days complaining and riding her beautiful horse, Colonel, for hours. Why can't the officers see the mean side of Tempe that Mary sees everyday, instead of falling head over heels in love with her as soon as she looks at them?

Yet, the hushed whisper of the word, mutiny, is about to change everything; including the real feelings raging inside Tempe. Is Tempe going to allow the mutinous soldiers to borrow Colonel for one night, in order to make their demands in front of the generals? If so, how can Mary put a stop to it?

Ann Rinaldi has won numerous awards for her historical fiction, and once again shows readers that history can have excitement and intrigue. You will never look at the Revolutionary War with the same eyes as you saddle up for A Ride into Morning.

NOBODY'S PRINCESS

Friesner, Esther. Nobody's Princess. NY: Random House, 2007.
ISBN: 978-0-375-87528-I; $16.99 US; Hardback.
(Image Credit: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Starred Review, School Library Journal, July 2007:

"Fans of mythology or historical fiction will enjoy this lively tale."

Publishers Weekly: "Friesner's rendering of a vivacious and nervy Helen should easily win fans."

Booklist: "It's a rollicking good story all the way to the abrupt conclusion, which will leave readers crying out for a sequel."

ANNOTATION:

Helen of Sparta, the beautiful woman who caused the mythology Trojan War, is depicted as a young girl torn between her royal duty and wanting to be independent.

BOOKTALK:

Remember learning about the mythology Greek Gods: Zeus, Aphrodite, Apollo, and Artemis?
Or what about the daring kidnap of Helen of Sparta, which launched the Trojan War? Well, put aside those stale lectures from class, cuz this mythology story is anything but boring.

Helen of Sparta might have been the most beautiful woman in Greece at the time, but what was she like as a teenager? Did she always want to be a queen, confined to her rooms to spin cloth while the men got to hunt and practice with swords? Not in this story!

Friesner makes mythology fun and exciting as she shows what it was like being a young girl in early Greece, and how Helen asserted her independence by demanding to learn how to fight just like her brothers. Her parents might have scoffed at her demands, yet don't you think those fighting skills would help her as she grew up to be a queen?

Find out why Helen considers herself Nobody's Princess. And then pick up the sequel to read why Helen is Nobody's Prize!

THE WITCH OF BLACKBIRD POND

Speare, Elizabeth George. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1958.

ISBN: 0-395-913-67-5; $22.00 US; Illustrated American Classics Hardcover edition.

(Image Credit: http://www.angusrobertson.com.au/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Newbery Award, 1959

ALA Notable Children's Book

Booklist: "Strong plot, fully realized characters and convincing atmostphere distinguish this historical narrative."

The New York Times: "This book has a lively plot and excellent characterizations. The background has every dimension of reality."

ANNOTATION:

Kit Tyler, newly arrived from the island of Barbados, causes a stir in the Puritan town of Wethersfield when she befriends the "witch" of Blackbird Pond.

BOOKTALK:

Ever felt like everyone in the entire world was staring at you? As if you are walking down the hall to class in just your underwear! Well, Kit Tyler gets those stares everyday. And all she did was travel from an island in the Carribean to stay with her relatives in Conneticut. The problem is people aren't normal on those islands Why, the women alone wear fancy dresses, actually talk to black men, and heaven forbid, learn how to read.

Welcome to the Puritan town of Wethersfield, where everyone walks the same walk and talks the same talk. Kit tries her best to fit in and help her cousins with the daily housework, but she can't help it if she longs to escape to the beautiful meadow near Blackbird Pond and remember the taste of the Carribean sea on her lips. Yet, Kit finally brings down the wrath of the Puritans when she befriends the crazy widow, Hannah Tupper, who keeps to herself in a shack by Blackbird Pond.

Locked in jail, Kit Tyler wonders herself why she ever left Barbados. Did she do right by sticking to her beliefs and not giving into hate and prejudice? Or did she become The Witch of Blackbird Pond?

A WRINKLE IN TIME

L'Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle In Time. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1962.

ISBN: 0-374-38613-7; $17.00 US; Hardcover.

(Image Credit: http://www.mashadutoit.wordpresscom/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Newbery Medal Winner, 1963

Sequoyah Book Award, 1963

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, 1965

Hans Christian Andersen Award-Runner up

ALA Notable Children's Book

ANNOTATION:

Awkward Meg Murry, her kid brother Charles Wallace, and the most popular boy in school, Calvin O'Keefe, set out on a journey through time and space to save her father, and ultimately planet Earth, from the forces of evil.

BOOKTALK:

Meg Murry isn't a normal teenage girl. Despite being smart, she can't focus in school and might have to drop down to the bottom of her class. Her baby brother, Charles Wallace, appears to be an idiot to the rest of the world, yet to her he talks as if he is a hundred years old. And then there is the part about her father having disappeared a year ago after doing a top secret project for the government.

Now things are starting to get even more weird! Calvin O'Keefe, the most popular boy in school shows up outside their house and miraculously can understand what Charles Wallace is talking about. And then three strange women, Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which, magically appear at the Murry's house and speak one word that transforms the lives of the Murry's forever: tesseract.

With that one word, Meg's life is about to change forever. A dark shadow threatens not only the safety of her father, but the entire solar system as well, unless Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin can use their strengths and weaknesses to battle an unknown enemy. Be whisked off to other planets and follow an incredible journey through A Wrinkle in Time!

ANNE FRANK: THE DIARY OF A YOUNG GIRL

Frank, Anne. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. NY: Doubleday & Company, 1967.

ISBN: 0671617605; $5.99 US; Enriched Classics paperback edition with Reader's Supplement.

(Image Credit: http://www.factmonster.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Waterstones Book of the Century (1997, No. 26)

New York Times Bestseller (General, 1952)

New York Times Bestseller (Nonfiction, 1995)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1996)

ANNOTATION:

Anne Frank, a forteen-year-old girl, documents her life as a jew hiding in Amsterdam, Holland during World War II. Although the eight members of the "Secret Annexe" are eventually found by the Nazis, Anne, with her parents and older sister Margot, the Van Daan family, and Albert Dussel the dentist, embarks on a journey to womanhood that will forever impact her readers.

BOOKTALK:

Imagine being told you have to leave your friends without saying goodbye. You aren't sure where you are going, but you are only allowed a few belongings, the ones you consider the most important. You discover you and your family are in hiding, and overnight your entire world changes. You have to whisper and tiptoe during the day, block the window with curtains at night, never step outside to breathe in fresh air; all in an effort to not be discovered by people eager to turn you in to the authorities.

Anne Frank was a girl who lived such a life during World War II. In cramped quarters, Anne learned the true meaning of being hated because she was a Jew. There were days she wanted to scream, days where she dreamed of her friends in concentration camps in horror, days where she watched the moon through the slip of a curtain and imagined a better world where she could be an author.

Through her diary one is whisked away to a world of sadness, yet optimism, as Anne comes to learn who she is and who she wants to become. We can all relate to the emotions in Anne's diary as she recieves her first kiss, argues with her parents, becomes friends with her sister.



The Diary of Anne Frank is a classic novel depicting one of the most important periods in world history. We will forever be indebted to Anne for her courage and willingness to chronicle her life. Pick up The Diary of Anne Frank and let her words speak for themselves from the past: even in extreme conditions there is still hope.

KEESHA'S HOUSE

Frost, Helen. Keesha's House. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

ISBN: 0-374-34064-1; $16.00 US; Hardcover

(Image Credit: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Printz Honor Book, 2004

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Readers

Books for the Teen Age, New York Public Library

ANNOTATION:

The everyday struggles of seven teenagers are chronicled in poetic form.

BOOKTALK:

"I'm still trying to hold my own life together."

"Dad said if I didn't have enough respect for him to act normal, how could I expect him to keep supporting me?"

"It's not safe for me as long as he's there."

"Instead of sleepin' off the hours and days, I find some corner of my mind to keep alive."

"I need some money now, but somethin' tells me, run."

"I wish I could forget about this baby. But I can't forget the night it happened."

"My parents still think I'm their little girl."

These are the voices of seven teens struggling to stay afloat amid the hard knocks life keeps throwing at them. Whether it is because of violence, drugs, alcohol, or pregnancy, the teens find themselves living in cars, waiting time in a juvenile detention center, trying to run from their personal demons.

Frost portrays different backgrounds and family situations that help us relate to teens all around the world, and remind us that nobody is perfect; no teenager is immune to problems and adversity.


Keesha's house becomes a safe haven for these seven teens because Joe recognized their struggles; he knew he couldn't give them everything they needed, but he could give them space. And in that space would come the healing.


For any young adult who has felt alone, abandoned or lost in the sea of demands life is constantly placing, this is the book for you; for everyone will feel safe and comfortable in Keesha's House.

RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE

Hale, Shannon, Dean Hale, and Nathan Hale. Rapunzel's Revenge. NY: Bloomsbury, 2008.

ISBN-10: 1-59990-070-X; $18.99 US; Hardcover

(Image Credit: http://www.everead.blogspot.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

ALA Notable Children's Book-2009 (Middle Readers)

ALA Great Graphic Novels for Teens (Fiction, 2009)

Booklist's Top 10 Graphic Novels for Youth (2009)

Cybils Award (Graphic Novels-Elementary/Middle Grade, 2008)

Eisner Award nominee (Best Publication for Teens/Tweens, 2009)

ANNOTATION:

A modern telling of a classic fairy tale, set in the Wild West.


BOOKTALK:


All fairy tale princesses have loving parents, spend their days talking to animals (who actually talk back!), and eventually fall in love with a handsome rescuer. And hey, what do you know, he happens to be a prince too.


Well, not in this story. Rapunzel is in the clutches of her "mother" Gothel; that name alone gives one the creeps. In anger, Gothel shuts up Rapunzel in a tree, where quick as lightening Rapunzel's hair grows faster then it would take you to jump out of your seat. And boy does she discover what she can do with that hair.


Whether it is wild coyotes, monstrous boars, a gang of thieves, you name it, Punzie, as her friends call her, is stopping anything blocking her way. It's time to put an end to Gothel's reign, and find out where Rapunzel's real mother is.


Saddle up and join the ride! You will never look at fairy tales the same way again after reading Rapunzel's Revenge.

UPSTATE

Buckhanon, Kalisha. Upstate. NY: St. Martin's Press, 2005.

ISBN: 0-312-33268-8; $19.95 US; Hardcover.

(Image Credit: http://www.barnesnandnoble.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

2006 ALA Alex Award

AUDIE Award in Literary Fictin (audiobook)

Nominated for a 2006 Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Debut Fiction

ANNOTATION:

Seventeen-year-old Antonio exchanges letters with his girlfriend, Natasha, after going to prison; accused of killing his father.

BOOKTALK:

The written word. A letter from Natasha. There was a time those letters were the only thing keeping Antonio from going insane. Others in prison were fighting, committing suicide, willingly sitting in solitary confinement in order to shut out God and the world that labeled them criminals. Not Antonio. Those letters and that love "made me feel like a human being in my darkest hours."

Yet, why are those letters now ripped into shreds, a million pieces of paper floating down into the river? Why is Antonio cutting the cord that kept him human for five lonely years behind bars? Antonio says he is "finally letting go"; "its all about the present." His life as a teenager on the streets of Harlem is in the past and it's time to grow up. As if going to prison didn't make him grow up enough.

Read the letters exchanged between Antonio and Natasha that over ten years harbored a deep secret under the surface; a secret that if told would have written a different ending for two families.

Yet, readers you already know the ending; for nothing can be same after Antonio is shipped Upstate.

GOSSIP GIRL

Ziegesar, Cicily. Gossip Girl. NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2002.

ISBN: 0-316-91033-3, $9.99 US; Paperback.

(Image Credit: www.tweenscene.wordpress.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Publishers Weekly: "The book has the effect of gossip itself once you enter it's hard to extract yourself; teens will devour this whole."

School Library Journal: "High appeal for older teens...everything is at one's fingertips in Gossip Girl's world."

New York Magazine: "The books have a been-there-done-that honesty...Von Ziegesar takes seriously the inner lives of characters."

ANNOTATION:

Gossip reigns supreme in a world of sex, drugs, and alcohol as high school students in New York's Upper East Side live to have fun; even if it means betraying your best friend.

BOOKTALK:

Everything at the moment is going absolutely perfect for Blair Waldorf; her ultra-sexy boyfriend, Nate, can't keep his hands off her, and finally she has become the prettiest, smartest, hippest girl in the room at Constance Billard School. Yet, everything comes to a halt when Serena van derWoodsen, her childhood best friend, comes back into town.

Serena van derWoodsen. You can't even say her name without thinking of her perfect body and gorgeous hair; her ability to make everyone fall in love with her, including Nate. Why, Blair is in the middle of taking her clothes off for him, when the sound of Serena's voice sends him running out the room. Who does Serena think she is? The supreme goddess of New York City!?!

Well, not if Blair Waldorf has anything to do with it. Enter a world of jealousy and betrayal, where the "chosen ones" reign supreme: those who have "everything anyone could possibly wish for and who take it all completely for granted."

The Gossip Girl (whoever she may be) doesn't live by any rules. No one is telling her life is more than one big, drunk party. And you know you are dying to read why.

TWILIGHT

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2005.
ISBN: 978-0-316-01584-4; $10.99; Paperback.
(Image Credit: http://www.tonicgossip.com/)


AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

A New York Times Editor's Choice

Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year

ALA "Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults"

ALA "Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers"

New York Times Bestseller

ANNOTATION:

Isabella Swan, or Bella as she likes to be called, no longer finds the rain and loneliness of Forks, Washington. a burden when she meets Edward Cullen and his mysterious family.

BOOKTALK:

Twilight, that brief moment before the sun sets, is a vampire's favorite time of day. Night, their constant companion is approaching, yet the sun is still visible, allowing them to walk among humans without being noticed.

Yet, the Cullens and their perfection in every way, couldn't help but be noticed by Bella Swan. One look into Edward Cullen's dreamy eyes, one faint kiss on her neck, and she was doomed. Now, if only that kiss could become something more; if only those lips could leave a lasting impression on her neck that would stop time forever at seventeen.

But what about her father, Charlie, or her mother, Renee? What about living a full life like every normal person on earth that wasn't cursed with immortality?

Bella can't resist Edward Cullen; the question is can you? Read Stephenie Meyer's bestselling novel to find out what happens at twilight.

HARD LOVE

Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks, 1999.

ISBN: 068984154X; $8.00 US; Paperback

(Image Credit: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

School Library Journal Best Book of 1999

Booklist Editor's Choice, 1999
Lambda Literary Award, 2000
Printz Honor Book, 2000

YALSA Quick Pick for Young Adults, 2000

YALSA Best Book for Young Adults, 2000

ANNOTATION:

John is a teenage boy, full of frustrations and anxiety, growing up with divorced parents. He struggles finding his identity, socially and sexually, as he falls hard for his lesbian friend, Marisol.

BOOKTALK:

Meet John Galardi, Jr.- A high school student who doesn't care about fitting in or making friends. In fact, let's just drop the whole "junior" thing because that is just way too lame. John would much rather write down his thoughts and produce his own zine for the world of teens to read. Unless his mom interupts to give him the cold shoulder, or his father picks him up to eat dinner in silence. He's gotta make up for those lousy fathering skills somehow. Any of this sound familiar?

Teenage life can be complicated and frustrating as it is, but how could it get worse? Well, you could fall in love with the wrong person. And that's just what John does when he meets the author of his favorite teen zine; someone not afraid to write down her emotions and desires to escape from her parents' clutches. Marisol is spunky, honest, and not to mention beautiful. Yet, there is one tiny problem; she is a lesbian.

John falls hard for the one girl he can't have; his best friend. Yet, in that friendship John discovers his own elusive sexuality, not to mention the guts to stand up to his parents and demand to be shown respect and love.

John Galardi built a wall around himself when his parents divorced and has never let his feelings surface. Marisol breaks down those barriers by helping John recognize what it means to be loved and to love in return. It might be a hard love for John, yet that love brings light into his life, and awakens his identity that was just waiting in the wings to be found.

Ever been in love? Ever struggled to find out who you are? Read about John Galardi and his journey to discovery. You will gain the courage to make those first hesitant steps.

Come on...you can do it!

THE FIRST PART LAST

Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2003.

ISBN: 0689849222; $15.95 US; Hardcover

(Image credit: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

Coretta Scott King Award, 2004

Printz Award, 2004

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

ANNOTATION:

Bobby must learn to grow up the hard way when he discovers he is not only going to be a father, but also raise his daughter himself.

BOOKTALK:

Bobby has a pretty mature outlook on life for only being a teenager. He already can see that "if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last." That way they would alreadyknow the lessons to be learned; they could go back and be smart about everything before making decisions.

How did Bobby get so smart? Well, Bobby learned to grow up quickly when his girlfriend, Nia, announced unexpectedly she was pregnant. There was adoption to think about, Nia's parents to calm down, and the future to determine in nine quick months.

In one pivotal moment Bobby's world is turned upside down. And the only thing constant is the love Bobby feels when he looks into his daughter's eyes. Feather got her name because it was like someone brushed the air with a feather when she was put in Bobby's arms. When the air is filled with love it becomes so hard to remember the bad times; it becomes hard to remember that you are struggling to find babysitters or stay awake in class.

When Bobby looks into Feather's eyes he doesn't want to forget how he got to this place. Sure, it was a mistake; a painful mistake. But it's time to teach Feather about the good things in life. Bobby wants to tell Feather about the love that brought her into this world. Bobby doesn't know what will happen tomorrow, and he knows it is not going to be easy. Yet, right now feels like heaven.

For a story about love and its often painful consequences, enter Bobby's world. You will feel the air being brushed by a feather too when you turn these pages.

LIZZIE BRIGHT AND THE BUCKMINSTER BOY

Schmidt, Gary. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004.

ISBN: 0618439293; $15.00 US; Hardcover

(Image Credit: http://www.uky.edu/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

2005 Printz Honor Book

2005 Newbery Honor Book

2005 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

2005 ALA Notable Book for Children

Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award

School Library Journal Best Books of the Year-Children

ANNOTATION:

The world of a minister's son, Turner Ernest Buckminster III, is turned upside down when he meets Lizzie Bright, the granddaughter of the African-American preacher on nearby Malaga Island. Turner and Lizzie embark on a series of adventures that leave both of them changed forever.

BOOKTALK:

Life is different in Phippsburg, Maine. Every house is painted white with green shutters; people are always staring at you making sure you aren't misbehaving. Why, they don't even throw a darn baseball right! And there is all this hatred and fuss about a community of colored people that live on nearby Malaga Island.

What would you do if you were Turner Buckminster? What would you do if you hated being the son of a minister, hated being told what shirt to wear every day, and how to behave in public. I bet some of you would go crazy; crazy enough to rock the boat and befriend a colored girl named Lizzie.

Turner's world turns upside down when he meets Lizzie. He learns how to hit a Maine baseball, how to row a boat across the sea, and most importantly, break out of the mold he was in and discover who he really wants to be.

Turner stands up for what he believes in, and in doing so changes the lives of his family, and those of the town members of Phippsburg, Maine. Based on historical events, the author shows us what it means to stand up for your beliefs.

Turner "found" himself in Phippsburg, Maine. And in doing so he looked into the eye of a whale. What do you think will happen when you open this book?

WEETZIE-BAT

Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie-Bat. NY: HarperCollins, 1989.

ISBN: 0064470687; $3.95 US; Paperback.

(Image Credit: http://www.mobipocket.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults

ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Parents' Choice Gold Award

ANNOTATION:

Weetzie Bat, along with friends Duck, Dirk, and My Secret Agent Lover Man, lives a life full of fantasy, magic, and adventure in Los Angeles, California.

BOOKTALK:

Life can be hard sometimes, in fact, a lot of the time. Sometimes we don't feel like we belong in our families or our circle of friends. Sometimes like Weetzie we hate high school because no one understands.

Do you ever want to escape to another world? Where everything is fun and carefree? Join Weetzie Bat as she drives around in a T-bird, making Hollywood pictures, and meeting a genie in a lamp!

Block weaves a story of pivotal issues that occur in many teenagers' lives: pregnancy, divorce, disease, and sexual exploration. Yet, instead of dwelling on the negative, Block raises dramatic issues to new heights. Weetzie says we can "choose to plug into the love current instead." We can choose to see the bad in life, or we can latch on to the good things.

Pick up Weetzie Bat and be transported to another world; a happily ever after where some things are unorthodox and crazy, yet everything is perfect.

THE OUTSIDERS

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Penguin Group, 1967.
ISBN: 014240733X; $10.00 US; Platinum Paperback Edition.
(Image credit: http://www.randombuzzers.com/)

AWARDS/HONORS/REVIEWS

New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967

Chicago Tribue Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967

ALA Best Young Adult Books, 1975

Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 1979

Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975

ANNOTATION:

It's the Greasers against the Socs, in a coming-of-age story about two different classes of youth. Surrounded by violence, injustice, and the recent deaths of their parents, three brothers from the East Side try to stay true to themselves as the world paints them as outcasts. and the Socs try to beat them down.

BOOKTALK:

Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy; unique names for three unique boys fighting against the hard knocks of life. Darry, the oldest, is strong, hard, with "eyes that are like two pieces of pale blue-green ice." Sodapop is handsome, reckless; doesn't need to drink a lick of alcohol to have fun. And living under the shadow of his dominant brothers is Ponyboy; a dreamer who deep down inside wonders if there is a world beyond jumping at one's shadow. Is there more to life than being a Greaser and hating the West-side rich kids? Is there something beyond stealing, holding up gas stations, and being jumped when you aren't looking?

The Outsiders, written when the author was sixteen years old, paints a passionate picture of what it means to be an outsider. And who hasn't ever felt like an outsider? If you have ever felt different, alone, separated from other kids around you, this is the book to read.

Sodapop sadly witnesses the death of two friends, two pivotal members of the Greasers. Yet, through their deaths comes a new awakening and understanding that family and friends will always stand by you. You can rise above any situation life has landed you in. And happiness comes by "staying golden," finding the good in the world, and making yourself into what you want to be.