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.

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.

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.

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.

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.