Gabi: A Girl in PiecesQuintero, I. (2014). Gabi: A girl in pieces. TX: Cinco Puntos.
Gabi is a 17 year old Latina high school senior who is living a complicated life. While she excels academically, so many barriers stand in her way of going away to college. Her mother constantly berates her appearance and tells Gabi she is abandoning her family by wanting to leave for college, while Gabi's father is an unpredictable drug addict. Her inner circle of friend's struggle deeply as well with teen pregnancy and coming out to a homophobic family. Gabi's only sanctuary is her poetry. She is able to escape the chaos of her life by making sense of it in her writing. By the end of her senior year, Gabi has learned and lost so much but is ready to face her new world in college.
Gabi: A Girl in Pieces received multiple accolades and awards, such as William C. Morris Award for YA Debut Novel and 2015 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults. As a Latina, it was so refreshing to read a novel in my voice that dealt with issues that were so relatable to women in my culture. I also enjoyed reading this novel as a first-person journal. This made me feel as if I was really peering into the life of a teenage Latina. The author, Isabel Quintero, interwove Spanish and English and infused her writing with references to the Mexican culture. I felt this work of realistic fiction was incredible true to life and a must read for Latinas.
Publisher Cinco Puntos provided resources for teachers to correspond with this book at https://www.cincopuntos.com/teacher_resources.sstg.
To learn more about the author and see her other works, visit https://laisabelquintero.com,
Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. NY: Pantheon.
Persepolis is a graphic novel and autobiography of author, Marjane Satrapi. The novel starts with young Marji growing up in 1980's Iran after the Islamic revolution. Life begins to radically change for Marji and her family. She is forced to wear a veil and have gender segregated classes in school. Extreme Islamic principles were now militarily enforced everywhere. Marji is confused by all that is going on around her but uses this confusion to fuel her intellectual awakening. She reads everything she can about her countries past and refused to be a meek, obedient woman. Her outspokenness gets her kicked out of school and puts her in danger. With her parents fearing for her safety, now that their country is at war with Iraq, and their desire to not stifle her independent mind, they make the difficult decision to send her to school in Austria. The novel ends with Marji hugging her family goodbye and boarding an airplane to Vienna, not knowing what her future holds.
I had very little background knowledge on Iran and the issues they have faced over the last hundred years. This book was completely eye opening for me to the plight of the Iranian people, especially women. Marji was depicted so fiercely spirited and independent that you could feel how opposed she must have been in Iran. The illustrations complimented the novel perfectly as they were so raw and captivating. I felt her using only black and white in her illustration was symbolic of how constraining and uniform her society was. This nonfiction book in graphic novel form did an excellent job of making me feel the emotions and strife the author felt.
You can find a very comprehensive teaching guide at https://www.pps.net/cms/lib
To learn more about the author and see her other works, visit https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/43801/marjane-satrapi
Crutcher, C. (2003). Staying fat for Sarah Byrnes. New York, NY: HarperTempest.
Eric Calhoune and Sarah Byrnes have been best friends since childhood. They were both picked on and bullied, Eric for being overweight and Sarah for having burn scars on her hands and face. They formed a deep bond based on protecting each other and united as outcast together. Things change when Sarah becomes institutionalized when she stops talking and is catatonic. Eric wants to get to the bottom of what is going on with Sarah, and can't help but feel his recent weigh loss from joining the swim team is a contributing factor. He visits her everyday to try to get her to speak but nothing works. It isn't until talking to an old mutual classmate named Dale, Eric discovers the truth behind Sarah's burns and begins to piece together why Sarah may have institutionalized herself. Eric confronts Sarah and she admits that father purposely burned her and has been abusing her for as long as she could remember. Eric helps her escape the hospital and hide out with the help of his swim coach and teacher. Ultimately Sarah's abusive father, Virgil, assaults Eric while trying to get information on Sarah's whereabouts and is being searched for high and low now. Eric's mother's boyfriend is the one to finally determine his location and bring him to justice. Sarah is now safe with the help of Eric, his family, and their teacher, Ms. Lemry, who adopts Sarah and finally gives her the home she has always wanted.
Author Chris Crutcher created engrossing and compelling characters that will captivate this novel's young adult audience. Eric is really relatable as a teenage boy with insecurity and body issues. It was refreshing to see these issues from a male's point of view, as most books reflect them as a women's problem. Crutcher also dove into other serious issues like domestic violence, abortion and sex and depicted them in a thought provoking manner which young adults will appreciate. The reader will become riveted by the mystery behind Sarah's catatonic state, as well as enthralled by Eric's high school dramas.
Visit http://www.chriscrutcher.com to learn more about Chris Crutcher and his other works.
The author, Chris Crutcher, also created a study guide for this book, which you can find on his website at http://www.chriscrutcher.com/study_guides.pdf.
King, A. (2015). I crawl through it. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.
In this work of magical realism, we meet a group of troubled teens who all are weighed down with major issues. These four teens, Gustav, China, Stanzi, and Landsdale, all cope with their anxieties, stemming from standardized testing, constant bomb threats, active shooting drillls, sexual assault, family trauma and loneliness, by escaping into their own worlds while also relying on one another. They all attempt to be freed of their suffocating worlds by running away, only to return home to finally face the issues that consume their lives. The friends can now truly begin to heal.
This surrealist novel utterly fascinating and thought provoking. The reader will find themselves trying to dissect the symbolism in this novel but everyone will have their own interpretation behind it. While it can be a bit challenging to read, as it is not as straight forward as other young adult literature, A.S. King superbly interpreted the minds of modern day teenagers.
View the book trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_kzgcaNqio.
To learn more about A.S. King and her books, visit her website at https://www.as-king.com.
The publisher provided some discussion questions at http://littlebrownlibrary.com/BookClubHardTopics_7p.pdf.
100 Sideways Miles
Smith, A. (2014). 100 sideways miles. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Finn Easton is the survivor of freak accident in which a dead horse fell off a truck going over a bridge and killing his mother and causing him life-long injuries and scars. Finn's father is a renowned author, who depicts a character in his book about Finn. This causes Finn great self doubt and confusion. He doesn't like feeling his life is on display in the book. His father and stepmother are very protective of Finn due to his seizures and health issues. Finn feels suffocated by his parents but finds freedom in his raucous friend Cade. A new girl from Chicago, Julia Bishop, moves to town and Finn falls in love with her. When Julia moves back to Chicago, Finn is heartbroken over this and he takes a rode trip to visit a college in Oklahoma with Cade to try to cheer himself up. On the road trip, the boys rescue an old man and boy from a flooded river. This made them realize they are in control of their own destinies and Finn decided they should detour to Chicago to see Julia.
I found it interesting how uniquely Finn saw life, in distance rather than time. I feel that he used miles instead of minutes in order to feel more grounded and to try make the world make more sense to him. The crude, boy humor was very real to life and is relatable to young adult readers. Finn exhibited a wide range of emotions and feelings which is true to life for the average teenager. I found this book to be very realistic and relatable to it's young adult audience.
For a book preview from author Andrew Smith, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRG5cZIkQfk.
Visit http://www.authorandrewsmith.com to learn more about the author and his works.
Visit http://www.authorandrewsmith.com to learn more about the author and his works.
You can find discussion questions on the Simon & Schuster website at http://www.simonandschuster.com/books/100-Sideways-Miles.
The Crossover
Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
The Crossover is the story of Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan, who live and breath basketball. This love of the game comes from their father Chuck Bell, a former professional basketball player who is now retired. Chuck is a stay at home dad now and is a constant mentor to his sons in basketball and life. The boys struggle to keep up with all the expectations of their team, school and parents. Josh is the team's all star player and is an exceptional student as well, but he begins to act out when his brother Jordan gets a girlfriend and they drift apart. As health concerns begin to escalate in their father, it seems like everything around Josh is crumbling. Josh needs to channel his inner strength and remember the wisdom of his father to overcome his impending obstacles.
The Crossover was the winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor and quite deservingly so. I found this book to be very engrossing and unique. One of the unique aspects of this book is that it's told entirely through verse. It is rhythmic and almost musical in nature. The author didn't dumb down this story for his middle school audience and used unique vocabulary which added depth to the book. The tight family structure and strongly parental figures are central to this book. I also feel this book beautifully demonstrated the struggle of that awkward transition during middle school from childhood to adolescents. There are many different themes and lessons to be cultivated in this book and anyone reading it will definitely take something away from it.
The Crossover was the winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor and quite deservingly so. I found this book to be very engrossing and unique. One of the unique aspects of this book is that it's told entirely through verse. It is rhythmic and almost musical in nature. The author didn't dumb down this story for his middle school audience and used unique vocabulary which added depth to the book. The tight family structure and strongly parental figures are central to this book. I also feel this book beautifully demonstrated the struggle of that awkward transition during middle school from childhood to adolescents. There are many different themes and lessons to be cultivated in this book and anyone reading it will definitely take something away from it.
Kwame Alexander created a funny and touching book trailer that can be found at https://www.youtube.com.
You can learn more about the author and his books at his site, http://kwamealexander.com
Liar and Spy
Stead, R. (2012). Liar and spy. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.
Georges and his family just moved into an apartment building in New York City caused by his father being recently laid off and starting his own business. Georges feels like an outcast at school and is lonely. His mother works overtime to help compensate his dad's loss of income and his best friend abandoned him for a new, cooler group of friends. He finds a Spy Club flyer in his building and find Safer and his younger sister Candy at the meeting. Safer enlist Georges to help him spy on Mr. X, a mysterious man in the apartment complex who Safer believes is up to evil things. Ultimately, Georges discovers that Mr. X is a good person and Safer is his dog walker. Safer lied out of boredom and to become friends with Georges. It is also revealed that Georges' mom has in fact been hospitalized this whole time and Georges has been lying to himself out of fear of losing his mom. Thankfully Georges' mother recovers and he becomes more accepted at school due to a pact with other outcast.
This is a very interestingly structured book in that two main plot points, Mr. X being a nefarious figure and Georges' mother working overtime, were lies told to the reader and believed by Georges. The book centers around lies and how in the short term are used to protect yourself but ultimately must be uncovered in order to truly heal and grow as a person. What made this novel even more interesting is that these lies come from middle school students, a perspective that is not explored to often.
This is a very interestingly structured book in that two main plot points, Mr. X being a nefarious figure and Georges' mother working overtime, were lies told to the reader and believed by Georges. The book centers around lies and how in the short term are used to protect yourself but ultimately must be uncovered in order to truly heal and grow as a person. What made this novel even more interesting is that these lies come from middle school students, a perspective that is not explored to often.
Visit www.LiarandSpy_TeachersResource.pdf for an excellent Teacher Resource guide.
To learn more about Rebecca Stead and her works, visit http://www.rebeccasteadbooks.com.
Turtles All The Way Down
Green, J. (2017). Turtles all the way down. New York, NY: Dutton Penguin.
In John Green's latest novel, Aza Holmes is a teenage girl dealing with anxiety issues mostly stemming from unfounded health concerns. She finds refuge in her anxiety with her friends Daisy and Mychal. Daisy discovers that local billionaire Russell Pickett has gone missing and a his company is offering $100,000 reward for his whereabouts. Mr. Pickett also happens to be the father of Davis Pickett, an old camp friend of Aza. Daisy desperately wants to get the reward and ask Aza to help her. The two girls travel by canoe to the Pickett property only to be intercepted by security. They take the girls to Davis, who is happy to see Aza again. As Davis and Aza begin to get closer, Aza OCD and anxiety heighten, exacerbated by her being off her medications. Aza fears she will never be able to have a romantic relationship because every time Davis kisses her, she becomes disgusted at the thought of germs entering her body. David himself is struggling with the disappearance of his father and the unresolved issues they had. Eventually Daisy and Aza find the body of Mr. Pickett in a sewer. Davis takes his brother to Colorado in attempts to start over again and live a normal life. Aza comes to the realization that she deserves to be loved and she will never fully be in control of her compulsions but that shouldn't stop her from being happy.
This book brought mental illness during adolescents to the forefront. Aza's is almost paralyzed by her obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, and Green's writing captures her emotional roller coaster perfectly. This novel was at times painful to read as you can almost feel what she was feeling. Aza's notion of being unlovable was agonizing, yet a feeling most teenagers could relate to. The author John Green was able to demonstrate in this book what mental illness can feel like and I believe young readers can gain great empathy for those that deal with it.
In John Green's latest novel, Aza Holmes is a teenage girl dealing with anxiety issues mostly stemming from unfounded health concerns. She finds refuge in her anxiety with her friends Daisy and Mychal. Daisy discovers that local billionaire Russell Pickett has gone missing and a his company is offering $100,000 reward for his whereabouts. Mr. Pickett also happens to be the father of Davis Pickett, an old camp friend of Aza. Daisy desperately wants to get the reward and ask Aza to help her. The two girls travel by canoe to the Pickett property only to be intercepted by security. They take the girls to Davis, who is happy to see Aza again. As Davis and Aza begin to get closer, Aza OCD and anxiety heighten, exacerbated by her being off her medications. Aza fears she will never be able to have a romantic relationship because every time Davis kisses her, she becomes disgusted at the thought of germs entering her body. David himself is struggling with the disappearance of his father and the unresolved issues they had. Eventually Daisy and Aza find the body of Mr. Pickett in a sewer. Davis takes his brother to Colorado in attempts to start over again and live a normal life. Aza comes to the realization that she deserves to be loved and she will never fully be in control of her compulsions but that shouldn't stop her from being happy.
This book brought mental illness during adolescents to the forefront. Aza's is almost paralyzed by her obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, and Green's writing captures her emotional roller coaster perfectly. This novel was at times painful to read as you can almost feel what she was feeling. Aza's notion of being unlovable was agonizing, yet a feeling most teenagers could relate to. The author John Green was able to demonstrate in this book what mental illness can feel like and I believe young readers can gain great empathy for those that deal with it.
To learn more about John Green and his other works visit his site at http://www.johngreenbooks.com.
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