Books 1-8
Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publishing Company.
Josh and Jordan
are twin brothers who are basketball stars at their school and have no problem
showing off their skills at school or at home.
Of course, this is probably because their dad used to be a professional
basketball player back in the day. Growing
up and being surrounded by supporting parents, the boys think they have everything
figured out – at least until Jordan starts dating. With the new addition to team, Josh doesn’t know
how he feels about Miss Sweet Tea as he struggles to come to terms that Jordan’s
attentions are being driven elsewhere.
And though they have their usual sibling ups and downs, it isn’t until tragedy
strikes that the boys realize that family will always come together and strive
together to move on.
Recommended for secondary readers, this coming of age novel is
meant for anyone, whether they are an athlete or not. Many readers may also relate to Josh, who struggles
to find his place and role within his family, as well as trying to define who
he is when he is away from his brother. The
struggles that Josh goes through and experiences are relatable and the reader
cannot help but empathize with him when his father passes away. Furthermore, the language being used within
is eye-catching and the sounds of the words will definitely keep the readers
listening since it is new and refreshing.
Many struggling and reluctant readers will find Josh’s style and word
choice interesting and intriguing as they rush to try out a few among one
another.
Websites of Interest:
Book Talks/Trailers:
Anderson, L.H. (2011). Speak [Nook version]. Retrieved from Barnes & Noble Nook App.
Melinda
Sordino is an incoming freshman at Merryweather High who is not looking forward
to her first day of school. Why? Because after she called the cops on a summer
party that she was at with her friends, many now believe her to be a prude and
a killjoy. If only that were the
case. The reality of what happened is
just so traumatic to Melinda that she doesn’t know how to act, and so she does
the only thing that she can do – she keeps what happened quiet and to
herself. However, it isn’t until she
hears that Rachel, her ex-best friend, is dating Andy Evans, the boy who raped
her at the summer party she went to, that she realizes that she can’t keep what
happened to herself anymore, and she rushes to tell her exactly what happened. With the truth finally out, Andy goes to
confront Melinda about what she said.
Thankfully though, instead of being scared into submission, Melinda is
given an opportunity to fight back against Andy, and it is then that she is
able to speak up for herself.
A coming of age novel, Speak
should definitely be for upper secondary levels. Many students at that level could relate to
Melinda as they might have also had to deal with being ostracized from their
peers, as well as being bullied and having to figure out how to find your voice
among your peers. The fact that this
book deals with sensitive issues, like rape, opens the eyes of the reader and makes
them realize the importance of being true and honest to yourself. It is because of this sensitive issue that Speak’s strength is that it’s told by Melinda’s point of view, which makes the reader
empathize for her and connect with her more.
And as traumatic as this story is, the struggles and pains that Melinda
goes through is actually what might make her relatable to her reader, and may
make her a hero in the eyes of the reader because of the strength she is able
to attain in the end.
Websites of Interest:
Book Talks/Trailers:
Aveyard, V.
(2016). Red queen. New York, NY:
HarperTeen.
Mare Barrow
has accepted her life for what it is and knows that no matter what she does,
she cannot change her fate. She is a Red
who is meant to serve the Silvers and even fight in their war when she comes of
age just like her older brothers. However,
after a chance meeting with a peculiar looking individual, she is given a
chance to save herself and her family.
At last, things start to finally look up for Mare – at least until it’s
revealed that she is more than what she appears to be. Knowing that she can now make a difference
and wanting to be a part of a better future, she immediately enlists in the
Scarlet Guard. Unfortunately, when she starts
to put her trust in the wrong people, she quickly realizes that she’ll have to
be more than just a pawn in this powerful game of chess where the victor will
rule and command all that she holds dear to heart.
This fantastical dystopian novel is perfect for upper secondary
readers who are interested in reading about societies uprising in an unjust
world. Granted, there is minor romance
involved, but Mare seems to be aware of what is truly important and puts her
duty first before her heart.
Websites of Interest:
Book Talks/Trailers:
Block, F.L. (2000).
The rose and the beast: Fairy
tales retold. New York, NY: Joanna
Cotler Books.
The fairy
tales within this book are not the same ones you’ve read and heard about in
your childhood where the princess gets her happily ever after and her prince
charming. Instead, these princesses are
having to face life in the real world where they must learn to overcome
hardships and traumatic events. For
example, Red Riding Hood finds the strength she needs within herself to fight
back against Wolf, who happens to be her lecherous stepfather, and Rev (Sleeping
Beauty) who is addicted to heroin.
Within these stories, the girls learn something about themselves and
realize that they are strong enough to save themselves.
This novel is definitely for young adult readers who are
ready to move on from their childhood fairy tales to a more young adult version. Within this version, the heroines learn that
they have a strength within them that cannot be doused, making them a prime
example for young female readers who are looking for ‘girl power’ books. However, a young reader could struggle with the
book if they are unaware of the fairy tales contained within, such as the story
about Thumbelina. So, unless the reader is
aware of these fairy tale characters and their stories, they will not enjoy
this book. Furthermore, the stories
within are told in an unstructured format, making the reading of this book
difficult for struggling and/or reluctant readers.
Myers, W.D.
(1999). Monster. New York, NY: Amistad.
Steven Harmon is a young boy who lives in Harlem and pays the
consequences for getting caught up in the wrong crowd. After being arrested and carted away from his
home, he is placed in prison where he awaits his trial for the murder of a
drugstore owner. However, instead of
letting time pass him by, he begins to document his time in prison by writing
down the events that happen in script format since he is an inspiring to be a
filmmaker because of a school project. And
though the trial favors Steven, he can’t help but feel that the way his lawyer
and his family perceive him now has changed.
This coming of age novel is perfect for secondary readers;
however, some may struggle with the format of the text because it is written in
script format. Struggling readers may
not be interested in this story and may have a tough time connecting with
Steven since he appears to be an unreliable narrator and a character that they cannot
relate to. And though the graphics
within the story may help the readers to connect more with what is happening, there
are too few graphics within to assist the struggling readers.
Websites of Interest:
Book Talks/Trailers:
Stead, R. (2012). Liar and spy. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
Georges has
a lot to deal with right now – he’s moving from a house that he loves to an
apartment that feels empty, he’s clearly not the popular kid at school, and the
only communication he has with his mother is through scrabble tiles. However, things seem to be looking up when he
meets Safer, a tenant at his new apartment who is in charge of the Spy Club. And though Georges believes the club to be a
bit ridiculous, he decides to join and ends up making a friend in Safer. As the days the pass by, Georges begins to
realize certain things happening within the apartment complex which makes him
start to question just how serious Safer is about being a spy. In the end, Georges finds out just how far
one should go to help a friend and that sometimes it’s necessary to face your
fears.
This is definitely a coming of age novel where a young boy learns
to find his own voice and realizes that it’s okay to sometimes take a stand
against a friend. The novel is a quick
read and easy to handle for reluctant readers, especially since it deals with
themes that young readers can relate to: family, friends, bullying, and
standing up for oneself. The storyline
escalates at a moderate pace and is subtle up until the climax, which makes the
readers have to use their own espionage skills to figure out what is going on
at Georges apartment complex.
Websites of Interest:
Book Talks/Trailers:
Telgemeier, R. (2012). Drama. New York, NY: Graphix.
Callie
first fell in love with drama when she was a little girl; unfortunately, she wasn’t
cut out to be up on stage due to her terrible singing voice. However, instead of letting that get her
down, she quickly bounces back and becomes a part of the stage crew. With a small budget and big dreams, Callie is
determined to make Moon over Mississippi a
huge success, even when it brings drama to not only the stage but her own
personal life, too. Thankfully with the help
of some really amazing friends, Callie is able to stay focused on what really
matters most, which is making sure the play a huge a success and helping her
friends be true to themselves.
This amazingly little graphic novel is perfect for young
secondary readers who are trying to find their way out of middle school. Telgemeier sets the stage in Drama when the opening scene pertains to
Callie and her long time crush, who ends up ditching her before they could even
have a romance. However, by being
ditched, Callie is able to show the reader how she’s not about to trip over her
own two feet for a boy that apparently doesn’t share her feelings – a definite
strong point. She then goes on to
befriend twin boys, Justin and Jesse, who are both apparently trying to come to
terms with who they are – and that is that they’re gay. Because this book has two characters that are
gay, it is a definite strong addition to any librarian’s GLBT collection.
Websites of Interest:
Book Talks/Trailers:
Telgemeier, R. & Roman, D. (2009).
X-men: Misfits. New York, NY: Ballantine Books.
Kitty Pryde
is trying to come to terms with being a mutant, especially when all she wants
to be is normal. However, it isn’t until
she starts attending Xavier’s School for Gifted Mutants that she finally has
her chance at being normal, at least now that she’s among other mutants. Unfortunately, she quickly realizes that her
new found popularity isn’t all that it’s cracked up to when she begins to see
that she is nothing more than just a pawn in a battle of wits between Pyro, her
current boyfriend, and Bobby.
Thankfully, she becomes more aware of how Pyro is when she is around him
and refuses to be pushed around by him anymore by taking a stand against him
and his cronies. In the end, she is
finally able to come into her own and earn something much more than popularity –
acknowledgment and respect.
This graphic novel is a must read of young adults who are
trying to come into their own and find their voice. Many young readers may be able to relate to
Kitty, whether they have mutant powers or not, because they might be trying to
find their way (as she wanted to). This
graphic novel will be an easy read for any reluctant reader, especially since
there are other underlying themes that even a struggling reader will be able to
comprehend. A strength of this book is
that its heroine finds her voice and makes it an appropriate read for ‘girl
power’ readers.
Websites of Interest:
Comments
Post a Comment