The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Alexie Sherman
Sherman, A. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part time Indian. New York: Little Brown.
ISBN: 142876450X

Plot

Arnold Spirit is a young person growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Life there is hard. People are poor, alcoholism is rampant and death often comes at too early an age. Arnold was born with a condition he calls "water on the brain" which makes him susceptible to head injuries. Arnold becomes disenchanted with the quality of education he is receiving on the rez. Encouraged by a white teacher, he makes a bold decision to attend high school in town. He is looked at as a traitor by his people. His best friend Rowdy won't talk to him. People shun him. At the white high school, he is treated as an outsider. He is between two worlds. Arnold makes a couple new friends and goes out for the basketball team. The big game is against his old high school from the rez with their star player, Rowdy. When Arnold beats Rowdy for a lay-up, Rowdy whacks him in the back of the head, where he is most vulnerable! There is more sadness for Arnold as his sister dies in a fire and his grandmother is killed by a drunk driver. Arnold struggles to come to terms with the contradictory nature of his life.

Critical Evaluation

For all it's sadness, this is a delightful coming of age story. The character of Arnold is funny and thoughtful. His feelings are conveyed through his drawings and his narrative. One of the ironic things about this book is that, in order to find and express his true self, Arnold must leave his tribal home. To remain on the rez, would be to capitulate before a dead-end future. This is an excellent story for tweens. The humor is typical of the age group, yet there is depth and sorrow in the choices Arnold must make to preserve himself. This book is based on the author's life. 

Readers Annotation

This is the wonderful story of a poor boy named Arnold growing up on an Indian Reservation who chooses to better his life. Death and danger surround him on the reservation, but what will happen when he ventures out into the white world to attend their high school? Arnold will find a new set of problems when he makes the bold decision to seek an education of the rez. Will his life improve or will this be the biggest mistake he has ever made?

About the Author

Born in 1966, Sherman Alexi grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. He was born hydrocephalic and had surgery on his brain at 3. He was an avid reader as a child. He attended Washington State University. His first book of poems was published when he was 23. He continued to write poetry and short stories throughout his 20's. He published his first novel, Reservation Blues, in 1995. He has branched out to screen writing, film making and stand up comedy. He has received numerous awards for his poetry, novels and films, including the 2007 National Book Award for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. He lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons.

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Humor

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Friendship, betrayal, making tough choices

Reading Level: Grade 6+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Violence, sex, language. The events portrayed in this story represent a realistic view of the experience of reservation Indians. Those who wish to challenge this book may find themselves also trying to defend the treatment of Native Americans. I would defend this book on that basis. It is also a National Book Award winner.

This book is included because it is a wonderfully told coming of age story.

The Pearl

The Pearl by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck, J. (1945, 1973). The pearl. New York: Penguin Books

ISBN: 014017737X

Plot

Kino is a young diver in La Paz. One day, his son is stung by a scorpion. The wealthy town doctor will not treat him, as Kino has no money. Kino dives and finds a great pearl and knows he is a wealthy man. Kino wants to use the pearl to buy an education for his son. The town’s people plot to take the pearl from Kino. Kino’s wife, Juana, has used her own remedy to heal her son, but the doctor (having heard about the pearl) convinces Kino that the child is still sick and will die without further treatment. He tricks Kino into revealing where he has buried the pearl. That night, someone tries to steal the pearl from them. Kino tries to sell the pearl in town, but all the merchants offer less than what it is worth. Juana fears the pearl is evil and tries to throw it back into the sea. But, Kino stops her and beats her. On their way back to their hut, Kino is attacked and kills a man in self defense. When they return to their hut, they find the floor ripped up by townsfolk looking for the pearl. Kino decides to sell the pearl in another town. But on the journey to sell the pearl, Kino realizes they are being followed and seeks to confront those pursuing him. Kino must make a terrible choice to protect his family. But his choices will have tragic consequences.

Critical Evaluation

The Pearl is a tale about the evils of greed and how humans are motivated by greed. It is a story about how this motivator informs human behavior. It is beautifully told by the master, Steinbeck. The setting is alive with descriptive language, the characters well drawn and the moral is presented in an ironic and tragic manner. This is a wonderfully told story by one of the great authors of the last century.

Readers Annotation

What if you were poor and needed money to pay for your baby’s medicine? This is the dilemma of Kino, a poor pearl diver from La Paz. One day, he finds a great pearl. He will try to sell it to pay for his son’s health and education, but the powers of the town are against him. Will he be able to sell the pearl to save his son or will the pearl destroy him?

About the Author

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He attended Stanford University. He is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in New York in 1968. Steinbeck is widely considered one of America’s great authors. Of his writing he said: “In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”   

Genre: Realistic Fictiton

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts
Booktalk Ideas: Materialism Vs. Morality
Reading Level: Grade 8+
Interest Level: Grade 8+
Challenge Issues: Violence. I would defend the violence in this book as it is integral to the theme of the depravity of greed.   

This book is included because it is a good introduction to the writings of John Steinbeck.

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Steinbeck, J. (1937, 1965). Of mice and men. New York: Viking Press

ISBN: 055327824X

Plot

George and Lenny are two migrant field workers in California during the Great Depression. George is intelligent, yet cynical. Lenny is a physically large man with limited mental capacities who hears voices in his head. They work on a ranch near Soledad. They decide to save their money to buy a farm together. Lenny wants to raise rabbits, as they are soft and he likes to pet rabbits. The dream becomes more real when an old farm hand named Candy decides to go in with them on the farm. Lenny asks George to repeat the dream of the farm to him on many occasions. In an unfortunate turn of events, Lenny accidentally murders the wife of the rancher’s son. George must make a horrible and heart breaking decision that will shatter their dream forever. 

Critical Evaluation

Even though the characters in this book are poor, some still have dreams. Loneliness is a theme in this book. Yet, many of the characters tend to isolate themselves. It is shown that loneliness is not only a naturally occurring condition, but that it is created by the inhumanity of one person to another and by the theft of dreams by poverty. The novel is filled with Stienbeck’s descriptive language concerning characters and setting. The conclusion is tragic and poignant, as George ends the life of his friend, rather than turning him over to the hands of a mob.  

Readers Annotation

John Steinbeck writes of poor, migrant workers in the desperate search for home and companionship in Of Mice and Men. This is a beautifully told story filled with the kind of realistic, gritty scenes presented artfully for which Steinbeck is famous. 

About the Author

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He attended Stanford University. He is the author of several works of fiction and nonfiction. He won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1940. In 1962 he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He died in New York in 1968. Steinbeck is widely considered one of America’s great authors. Of his writing he said: “In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. There are shorter means, many of them. There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other.”   

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Do we ever have the right to kill another person?

Reading Level: 8+
Interest Level: 8+
Challenge Issues: Violence, sexual situations. I would defend this book by pointing out that John Steinbeck is an American Master. There is not one word placed that is not intended to be there to support his theme.

This book is included because it is reading  level appropriate and a good introduction to a great American author.

Holes

Holes by Louis Sachar

Sachar, L. (1998). Holes. New York: Random House

ISBN: 0440414806

Plot

This is story of many characters unfolding over different time periods that are all intertwined. Stanley Yelnats is a middle schooler wrongly convicted of stealing tennis shoes. He blames his bad luck on the curse placed on his great, great grandfather years ago in the old country. Stanley is sent to Camp Green Lake as his punishment. Camp Green Lake is a dried up lake bed where the warden forces the boys to dig holes to build character. It is revealed that the warden is seeking treasure believed to be buried in the lake bed by the bandit Kissin' Kate Barlow generations ago. Kate was a school teacher in the town who resorted to a life of crime when her black lover, Sam, was murdered because of the bigotry and fear surrounding interacial relationships at the time. Stanley ends up running away to find his friend, Zero, who had disappeared from the camp earlier. Stanley and Zero cross the lake bed and climb the cliffs on the other side in search of water. Stanley ends up carrying Zero when he becomes too weak. The two boys figure out that an item they had dug out of the ground back at the camp most likely belonged to Kate Barlow. They decide to return to the camp to search the hole. They unearth a bag, but the warden tries to take it from them. Stanley's lawyer shows up. Stanley is being released from Camp Green Lake. The warden wants the bag, but Zero (whom Stanley has been teaching to read) points out that Stanley's name is on the bag. It seems his great, great grandfather was robbed by Kissin' Kate after moving here from the old country. It seems Stanley is connected to the bag, Kissin' Kate Barlow and Zero. These are the elements which help Stanley solve the mystery of the family curse.

Critical Evaluation

This multi-generational story is infinitely readable. It is well paced, suspenseful and mysterious. It is also a story filled with a wry sense of humor. The characters are well drawn and interesting. The interaction between the boys at the camp is believable. The depiction on incarceration is excellent. It is age appropriate for early tweens. There are no depictions of sex or violence. This book was the Newbery Winner for 1999.

Readers Annotation

When Stanley Yelnats is sentenced to a rehabilitation camp for wayward boys after wrongly being convicted of stealing, he is forced into hard labor digging holes in a dry lake bed. He soon learns that he and the other boys at the camp are being used by the warden to find something she thinks is buried there. What could be buried under a dried-up lake? And what does it have to do with the curse placed on Stanley's family years ago? Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this wonderful story.

About the Author

Louis Sachar was born in 1954 in New York. His family moved to California and he graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. He worked in an elementary school part time while in college. The experience inspired him to begin writing children's books. He lives in Austin with his wife and child.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Crime and punishment, Curses

Reading Level: Grade 4.5+
Interest Level: Grade 4+
Challenge Issues: None

This book is included because it's a great story, easy to read and a Newbery winner.

The Outsiders

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Hinton, S.E. (1967, 1995). The outsiders. New York: The Penguin Group
ISBN: 014038572X

Plot

Ponyboy lives with his brothers Soda and Darry. Darry is 20 and has been acting as the two teenager's parent since their parents died in a car accident. Ponyboy likes to draw and read and is sensitive. The boys live on the wrong side of the tracks and are part of a gang called the "Greasers." Their life is hard and they are tougher than they should have to be at a young age. They often fight the more affluent kids from town called the Socs (so-shes). The other members of their gang include Dally, a criminal from an early age, Two-Bit, Steve and Johnny. Johnny is shy and sensitive. He comes from an abusive background. When Johnny and Ponyboy are attacked by a group of Socs in the park, Ponyboy is almost drowned by a boy named Bob. Johnny stabs Bob to save Ponyboy. Bob is killed. The two Greasers run to Dally for help. He hides them out in an old church outside of town. While there, Pony recites the Robert Frost poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay," to Johnny about the beauty of youth and the loss of innocence. They tell Dally that they want to turn themselves in, but before they can do this, the church catches on fire with chilldren trapped inside. Johnny and Ponyboy rush in to save the children. Dally rushes in to save Johnny and Ponyboy. Before he can reach Johnny, a beam crashes onto him and breaks Johnny's back. The boys are written up in the newspaper as heroes. There is a rumble between the Greasers and the Socs. The Greasers win. Dally and Ponyboy go to the hospital to tell Johnny. Johnny is dying and is unimpressed with violence. He tells Ponyboy to "Stay gold," and dies. Dally goes crazy, robs a store and is gunned down by the police. Ponyboy is upset and rebels against Darry. Ponyboy must try to harness his frustration and grief before it destroys him and his family.

Critical Evaluation

This book is a classic coming-of-age story. The two warring gangs are separated by socio-economic factors. The author depicts several interactions between the rival gangs that indicate they have a love of music, literature and nature in common. Ponyboy's character  evolves over the course of the story so that he understands that youths from all classes must come to terms with the same issues of sorrow, fear, hatred and love. Finally he sees the same vulnerability in his brother, Darry, that he feels within himself. The book is exciting, action-packed and filled with intriguing characters. There is violence depicted, but it is age and reading level appropriate for tweens.

Readers Annotation

Ponyboy prefers art and reading to fighting. But when he is attacked by a member of a rival gang, his friend, Johnny, stabs and kills his assailant. The boys have to go into hiding. They finally decide to turn themselves in, but before they do, a tragedy occurs that will change the lives of all concerned forever.

About the Author

Susan Eloise Hinton is from Tulsa Oklahoma where she was born in 1950. She began writing The Outsiders while she was in high school. The book was published in 1967 while she was still a teenager. It has sold over 13 million copies. She uses her initials instead of her name on her books after a suggestion by her publisher that young males might overlook her work if they knew it was produced by a woman.  She is one of the best known and most popular of young adult fiction writers. She became the first recipient of the ALA's Young Adult Library Services Association's Margaret A. Edwards award in 1989. She has published several other Young Adult books. Many of her stories have been made into major motion pictures.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Doing the right thing, Gan

Reading Level: Grade 7+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Violence. The violence portrayed in The Outsiders represents the reality these young people live with everyday. It is not gratuitous. This book is becoming a classic. It would be easily defended from attack.

This book is included as it is a classic coming-of-age story that has achieved iconic stature while still remaining popular with young adult readers.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

Kinney, J. (2009). Diary of a wimpy kid the last straw (1st ed.). New York: Amulet Books.

ISBN: 9780810988927

Plot

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a funny series of books about the trials and tribulations of middle-schooler Greg Heffley. These books are arranged like a diary with hand-lettered entries and drawings. In this version, Greg is trying to outsmart his father who wants him to change his wimpy ways. Finally, his Dad threatens to send him to military school if he doesn’t shape up. Through a series of adventures and misadventures that befall most tweens trying to navigate everyday life, Greg tries to escape the awful fate of military school.

Critical Evaluation

This series by Jeff Kinney is truly funny. As an adult, I found myself laughing outloud at much of it. Diary of a Wimpy Kid takes a look at life from a middle-schooler's vantage point and finds humor in everyday situations. The format is particularly well suited to the reluctant reader. Tweens love these books.

Readers Annotation
The adventures of Greg Heffley, middle-schooler  extradonaire, are hilarious. All of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are funny.  Read them all and have a laugh bonanza!

About the Author
Jeff Kinney is the creator of Poptropica.com, and the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers the Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C. area, and moved to New England in 1995. He lives in southern Massachusetts with his wife, Julie, and their two sons, Will and Grant.

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Humor
Curriculum Ties: Language Arts
Booktalk Ideas: Funny situations, embarrassing situations
Reading Level: Grade 4+
Interest Level: Grade 4+
Challenge Issues: None

This book is included because tweens love it. It relates to their everyday life and is truly funny.

The Afterlife

The Afterlife by Gary Soto
Soto, G. (2003). The afterlife. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc.
ISBN: 0152047743

Plot

Chuy is only seventeen and on a date with a girl named Rachel at a nightclub. He is excited and happy. He makes an off hand comment to a man in the bathroom that he likes his yellow shoes. His life is suddenly and senselessly ended. He is stabbed to death by the man in the yellow shoes… a stranger.  Chuy floats up out of his body and wanders around Fresno.  The sensation of being out of his body is hard to get used to and navigate. He watches as his mother tries to get his cousin, Eddie, to take revenge on his unknown murderer. (Eddie is the lead character in Buried Onions, Soto’s prequel to this book.) As Rachel, and his best friend, Angel, mourn his death, Chuy's murderer, who he calls Yellow Shoes, shows no remorse at all as he tosses his knife into a dumpster. Chuy feels alone and misses Angel and Eddie, of whom he says: “I would crave his friendship until my body disappeared altogether.”  After awhile, Chuy meets Crystal, another ghost, and teaches her the ropes of getting around as a spirit. Crystal and Chuy fall in love. Chuy and Crystal, together, try to make sense of their condition and what happened to their lives.

Critical Evaluation

Once again Gary Soto does an excellent job portraying the hard life and senseless violence of the Fresno barrio. This book is a follow-up to Buried Onions. It is interesting to meet some of the same characters as seen through the eyes of the murdered Chuy. This book is an important part of any collection where the patrons deal with gang violence. It challenges tweens to consider the very real consequences this violence.

Readers Annotation

Chuy is excited about his date. But when he is in the bathroom, making himself attractive, he is murdered for no reason. Chuy then embarks on a journey through his life and the consequences his death has on those he loves.

About the Author

Gary Soto was born in Fresno in 1952 to working class Latino parents. Soto began as a poet with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Charles Simic and Pablo Neruda as early influences. Soto's first collection of poems, The Elements of San Joaquin, won the United States Award of the International Poetry Forum in 1976. Soto writes novels for young adults from the Latino perspective. Of his work, Soto states, “...as a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I’m not a cheerleader. I’m one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life."

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: What happens when you die? Is it ever okay to take a life?

Reading Level: Grade 5+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Violence. The violence in this book is easily defended as it is not prevalent and is initial murder is the trigger for the rest of the story.

This book is important for tweens dealing with the consequences of violence.

ttyl

ttyl by Lauren Myracle
Myracle, L. (2004). ttyl. New York: Amulet Books
ISBN: 0810987880

Plot

Maddie, Angela and Zoe have just started 10th Grade. Like most teens, they communicate with instant messages when they are apart. Maddie is madmaddie, Zoe is zoegirl and Angela is SnowAngel. The girls have been best friends since 7th grade. They IM each other with their day-to-day experiences, feelings and plans. Maddie is trying to hang with Jana, who is Queen Bee of the school. Zoe is growing closer to her teacher, Mr. H. Angela has a crush! There are a lot of interesting things that they share together. Maddie dances on a table top at frat party shirtless. Mr. H makes a move on Zoe in a hot tub. Jana circulates a photo of Maddie dancing at the frat party. Maddie gets mad at Zoe and Angela and refeuses to speak to them.

Critical Evaluation

This book is written in the langauge of IM's. Punctuation is an after thought. ttyl (talk to you later) is a slice of everyday life served up in the style of digital teen communication. The interaction  between the girls is realistic. They gossip, LOL, fight, kiss and make-up. There are accounts of underage drinking and inappropriate behavior by both grown-ups and teens. The IM's are peppered with occasional offensive language. This book will be off high interest to tween girls who want, more than anything, to be in high school.

Readers Annotation

Maddie, Zoe and Angela are BFF's entering the 10th grade. They are looking forward to a fun and exciting year. But, OMG! Who could've guessed that Zoe's teacher would start flirting with her or that Maddie would dance topless on top of a table and quit speaking to the other two? This book, written the language of instant messages, is LOL fun! (IMO)

About the Author

Lauren Myracle, author of Kissing Kate, holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. Born in North Carolina in 1969, she currently lives in Colorado with her husband and 2 sons.

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Humor

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk Ideas: Best friends

Reading Level: Grade 7+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Language, Sexual Situations. This book has the occasional offensive word. I would defend it by pointing out that teenagers really talk this way and that it is not prevalent. The sexual situations are also realistic. They are not explicit and are used as an object lesson for young girls.

This book is included because it is of high interest to tween girls.

Cut

Cut by Patricia McCormick
McCormick, P. (2000). Cut. New York: Scholastic
ISBN: 0439324599

Plot

Callie is placed in a facility called Sea Pines for troubled teens. She is there because she cuts herself. Others are there for drug addiction and eating disorders. Callie is in group therapy with some of these other girls. Callie does not want to speak in group. She allows others to tell their stories instead. Callie narrates her experience with group therapy, her stay in rehab and, through flashbacks, the circumstances that contributed to her becoming self abusive. She speaks directly to her therapist whom she refers to only as "you." She is not making progress in her therapy until a girl named Amanda shows up in group with the same affliction as her own. Amanda's presence is the catalyst for Callie to start facing her problem.

Critical Evaluation

This novel makes for compelling reading. It is powerfully written. The descriptions of the rehab facility bring Callie's situation into sharp focus. The other personalities of the story are seamlessly interwoven into Callie's narrative as are their addictions. The characters are believable. The portrayal of the therapist to whom Callie speaks directly is particularly realistic. There is excellent use of descriptive language. The first scene which describes Callie's experience of cutting herself is marvelous. McCormick is pitch perfect in her depiction of addiction and recovery. The book is paced beautifully.

Readers Annotation

Callie likes to run. She runs cross country at school. She runs home when no one is there. She finds a knife on the table. She cuts herself and feels release. Now her blood runs. But, this gives Callie comfort. Callie is running from herself. Will she be able to turn and face her problems? 

About the Author

Patricia McCormickis a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to several national publications. She has taught journalism at Columbia and N.Y.U. She spent 3 years researching her first novel, Cut. She is the mother of two and lives in New York City with her husband and son.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Understanding addiction

Reading Level: Grade 7+
Interest Level: 7+
Challenge Issues: Self mutilation. The depictions of emotional disorders in this novel are sensitively written.

This book is included because it is a riveting account of addiction and recovery.

Sold

Sold by Patricia McCormick

McCormick, P. (2006). Sold. Hyperion Books: New York

ISBN: 0786851724

Plot

Lakshmi is a 13 year old girl who lives in Nepal. Her family is poor, but she finds happiness in small things like caring for her cucumbers and sharing moments with her mother. Her step father is lazy and distant. One day he tells Lakshmi she must take a job to help support the family. Lakshmi is happy to help. She believes she is going to the city to be a maid. But, to her horror, discovers that she has been sold to a brothel in India. She resists as long as she can, but finally is drugged by Mumtaz, the woman who runs the brothel, and is raped. She puts up with unspeakable degradation and constant threats, but slowly makes friends and learns to survive. One day an American comes to the brothel. He hands her a card. It takes great courage to attempt escape, as beatings dispensed by Mumtaz are cruel and can disfigure one for life. Lakshmi finally gathers her courage and gives the card to a delivery boy who has been kind to her. One day an American comes to the door with the police. Though extremely fearful, Lakshmi comes forward to be rescued. "My name is Lakshmi," she says. "I am from Nepal. I am fourteen years old."

Critical Evaluation

This is one of the most heartbreaking books I have ever read. It is not just the horrifying subject matter, but the poignant manner in which it is told. The juxtaposition of Lakshmi's innocent country life with the harsh brutality of the brothel is breathtaking. The depiction of Lakshmi's cruel fate is told with delicacy, yet there can be no mistake about what has transpired. As usual, McCormick has done her research. Her interviews with women in Nepal and India make her characters believable. This is an important book exposing the human tragedy of the sexual slave trade. It is a remarkable achievement.

Readers Annotation

Lakshmi is a young girl living in poverty with her mother and family in Nepal. Her life may be poor, but it is filled with simple pleasures. One day her lazy stepfather tells her she must take a job to support the family. She is happy to help out. Lakshmi believes she is going to the city to work as a maid. But this is not where she is going. Lakshmi has been sold into sexual slavery. This is her story.

About the Author

Patricia McCormickis a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has worked as a journalist, contributing to several national publications. She has taught journalism atColumbia and N.Y.U. She spent 3 years researching her first novel, Cut. She is the mother of two and lives in New York City with her husband and son.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Global awareness

Reading Level: Grade 7+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Sexual slavery. This book could be easily challenged. Using the subject of children sold into sexual slavery as the basis for a YA novel is highly controversial. I would defend it on the grounds that it is incredibly sensitively written and social awareness.

This book is included because it is an important work dealing with horrible truth for the more than half a million children trafficked into the sex trade annually. It is sensitively written and appropriate for tweens.

Monster

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, W.D. (1999).  Monster. New York: Harper Collins

ISBN: 0064407314

Plot

Steve Harmon is an African American 16 year old who is on trial for murder. Was he part of the drug store robbery in which the proprietor was killed or was he just in the wrong place at the wrong time? It doesn’t seem to matter now. The district attorney is calling him a “Monster.” Is that what he is? Steve, a budding film maker, records his tense courtroom experiences and terror-filled jailhouse ones in screenplay format. Who is Steve really? Can anyone ever know what really happened?

Critical Evaluation

Monster is a riveting story which challenges readers to examine what they think about criminals, jails and the justice system. Steve is portrayed by the district attorney as a heartless fiend, a monster. After acquittal, his own lawyer wants to have nothing to do with him. Steve’s father wonders about a son who could associate with the people who got him in trouble. In the end, Steve does not even know who he is anymore. Is perception reality? Is he a monster? This story challenges the reader to examine preconceptions and come to their own conclusion.

Readers Annotation

This is a riveting courtroom drama told in screenplay format. This book will challenge your notions of justice and criminals. The protagonist, Steve Harmon, records his harrowing jail experience and trial as if he were in a movie, a mere spectator in the proceedings.

About the Author

Walter Dean Myers is a New York Times bestselling author and a five-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. He has received the Margaret A. Edwards Award for his contribution to young adult literature. He was born in 1937 in West Virginia, but grew up with foster parents in Harlem. He was introduced to writing by a teacher. He writes about youth in urban settings. Of his writing he says: "I'm not interested in building ideal families in my books. I'm more attracted to reading about poorer people, and I'm more attracted to writing about them as well."

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Social Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Are you tough? BAD? Tough enough to do the time for the crime? That’s what Steve Harmon thought until he was arrested for murder. This is his story from inside jail… and it’s not pretty.

Reading Level: 6+
Interest Level: 6+
Challenge Issues: Life inside jail. Steve feels threatened by other prisoners. I would defend this aspect of the book by pointing out that Steve's association with dangerous friends has placed him in this position and that this is an important lesson for young people.

This book is important for tweens put in the unfortunate position of having to share a play ground with drug dealers and gangs.

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Paterson, K. (1977). Bridge to terabithia. New York: Harper Collins

ISBN: 0690046359

Plot

A poor, country boy named Jesse dreams of being the fastest runner in the 5^th Grade and of his artwork. When he is beaten by a girl on the first day of school it is the beginning of an unusual friendship. Leslie is the new girl in school. She is considered weird by the other kids, but Jesse doesn’t care. They swing across a stream on a rope to a land they create in their imaginations called “Terabithia.” Hey are happy in their own fantasy world. Leslie is fearless and teaches Jesse to take chances, even though his family is destitute and life is hard. When Jess accepts an invitation to an art gallery from a teacher he has a crush on, there are tragic consequences. He will need to summon the courage Leslie has taught him to accept what has happened.

Critical Evaluation

The 1977 Newbery Winner is beautifully written with depth and poignancy. The juxtaposition of the rich outcast with the poor kid is a study in class distinctions. She can afford to dream. Jess's dreams in his art notebooks are fanciful. But his dreams for life are small and uncertain. Her family can afford whimsical notions such as painting a room gold to match the sunset. His family cannot afford paint. The disparity in their financial situation impacts the relationship each has with their parents. Beyond that, Bridge to Terabithia is a beautiful story of friendship. The two friends learn together about empathy and justice.

Readers Annotation

This is a beautiful story of friendship and imagination. Come along on the journey with Jess and Leslie as they create the wonderful land of Terabithia while dealing with the difficulties of their everyday lives.

About the Author:

Katherine Paterson was born in China in 1932, the daughter of Christian Missionaries. She wanted to write from an early age. She was an avid reader as her parents moved from place to place. She graduated from King College in Tennessee and before beginning work as a missionary worked in a school in Virginia for a year. This experience and the death of one of her son’s young friends inspired the story of Bridge to Terabithia. She also won the Newbery in 1981 for Jacob Have I Loved.

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Fantasy/Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts

Booktalk ideas: Jess when he is told Leslie is gone.

Reading Level: Grade 4+
Interest Level: Grade 4+

Challenge Issues: Child death. I would defend this book on the basis that it is a beautiful told story of friendship and loss. These are things all young people need to learn to deal with.

This is included because it is a Newbury Winner and one of my favorite books.

Buried Onions

Buried Onions by Gary Soto

Soto, G. (1997). Buried onions (1st pbk. ed.). New York: Harper Collins

ISBN: 0064407713

Plot

Eddie is a young man who lives under the hot summer sun of a Fresno barrio. His cousin (named Jesus), father, two uncles and best friend are all dead. He is surrounded by cholos and cholas, but Eddie is not in a gang. He is being pressured by Jesus’ mother and best friend, Angel, to avenge his cousin’s senseless murder. He is resisting the influence of those around him to take up a life of violence and crime. He attends school at the Community College and takes a job painting curbs in the suburb. This ends when Eddie’s boss’s truck is stolen while in his possession. He ends up fighting with Angel when he begins to suspect that Angel is the one who killed Jesus. Angel is now out to kill Eddie. Eddie must find a way to survive and make sense of his life.

Critical Evaluation

Soto’s writing is very evocative. You can feel the heat rising from the Fresno asphalt, smell the cows and onions of the fields and the stuffiness of the streets. The stifling stillness of the weather combines with the oppression of poverty to create a sense of hopelessness. "The sun was climbing over the trees of City College and soon the black asphalt would shimmer with vapors. I had a theory about those vapors, which were not released by the sun’s heat but by a huge onion buried under the city. The onion made us cry." Eddie’s struggle to stay out of trouble is touching and hard-scrabble all at once. This book is perfect for Tweens at a crossroads.

Readers Annotation

Eddie is a young man trying to get by in the Latino ghetto of Fresno. Eddie wants to stay out of trouble. But his father is dead. His two uncles are dead. His best friend is dead. Now his cousin, Jesus has been brutally murdered. Eddie’s aunt wants him to avenge the death. Jesus’ best friend wants him to avenge the death. Will Eddie be able to stay out of trouble, or will he take up the way of the gangs and avenge his cousin’s death?

About the Author

Gary Soto was born in Fresno in 1952 to working class Latino parents. Soto began as a poet with Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Charles Simic and Pablo Neruda as early influences. Soto's first collection of poems, The Elements of San Joaquin, won the United States Award of the International Poetry Forum in 1976. Soto writes novels for young adults from the Latino perspective. Of his work, Soto states, “...as a writer, my duty is not to make people perfect, particularly Mexican Americans. I’m not a cheerleader. I’m one who provides portraits of people in the rush of life."

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties: Language Arts, Current Events, Cultural Studies

Booktalk Ideas: Have you ever had to make a hard decision? What if that decision was about whether or not to kill your cousin’s murderer? That’s the choice that faces the boy we meet in this book.

Reading Level: Grade 6+
Interest Level: Grade 7+
Challenge Issues: Violence, Teen Pregnancy. The issues raised in this book are common to those living in poverty. I would defend this book as an important and realistic portrayal of life in a ghetto.

This is included because it is a work relevant to the lives of many students today.