The First Part Last

The First Part Last

by Angela Johnson

Published by: Simon Pulse

Summary: At 16, Bobby is scared to be raising his baby, Feather, but he's totally devoted to caring for her, even as she keeps him up all night, and he knows that his college plans are on hold. In short chapters alternating between "now" and "then," he talks about the baby that now fills his life, and he remembers the pregnancy of his beloved girlfriend, Nia. Yes, the teens' parents were right. The couple should have used birth control; adoption could have meant freedom. But when Nia suffers irreversible postpartum brain damage, Bobby takes their newborn baby home. There's no romanticizing. The exhaustion is real, and Bobby gets in trouble with the police and nearly messes up everything. But from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world: what it's like to hold Feather on his stomach, smell her skin, touch her clenched fists, feel her shiver, and kiss the top of her curly head. Johnson makes poetry with the simplest words in short, spare sentences that teens will read again and again.

Personal Review: This was a fast read (took me about an hour) but it is so real. This is not a romantic view of teen parenthood. This is real life, and Bobby is dealing with it. It is an honest approach, and an interesting twist as the father is raising his infant baby. The twist at the end that explains why Nia is not present is tragic, and a little much for me, but the story is beautiful and well written.

Cautionary Note: There is some language in this book, but not much.

Dark Dude

Dark Dude
by Oscar Hijuelos
Simon and Schuster

Summary: Rico, a Cuban American teen growing up in Harlem in the late 1960s, is tired—of working extra jobs to help his family; of the chaos and tragedy at school, where students are so inured to violence that, when classes close after a shooting, they behave “like it was suddenly a holiday”; of being hassled for his light skin and hair. When his parents threaten to send him to a military school in Florida, he runs away. Together with his best friend, Jimmy, who has just kicked a heroin habit, Rico hitchhikes to Wisconsin, where Gilberto, an older-brother figure from Harlem, has bought a farm that he shares with several hippie college students. In an unwavering, utterly believable voice, Rico details his midwestern year, in which he adjusts to rural life, falls in love, and pursues his comic-book-writing aspirations. Most of all, though, he searches for a sense of self, ultimately realizing that “where you are doesn’t change who you are.”



Personal Review: This book is a great book about finding yourself, and dealing with prejudice, both usual and unusual kinds. I liked the story, though it took a few chapters to get into, and despite learning how to shoot up heroin and grow pot, I enjoyed the characters and the story line.

Cautionary Note: There is a lot of language in this book, and lots of drug use. Rico attends several parties where there is teen drinking, he tries drugs and his friends all do drugs, we learn how to shoot up heroin and how to grow pot. I would not use this in a classroom, but it would be a fun read for a teenager who is smart enough not to try something just because he reads about it.

Getting the Girl

Getting the Girl

by Markus Zusak

Published by: Push

Summary: Cameron Wolfe wants a girlfriend. He wants to separate himself from the shadow of his brothers. He wants to find himself and be something more than the underdog in the family. And he doesn't know how to go about getting what he wants. He is attracted to a girl who treats him horribly so he stands outside her house at night, hoping for glimpses of her. He likes his brother Ruben's girlfriend-and she treats him like a human being. When she and Ruben break up, she--Octavia--shows an interest in Cameron and even though his brother already has another girlfriend, he beats up Cameron and Octavia walks away. Ruben has some bigger problems, though, and violence is once again his method of solving them. However, this is Cameron's story, and he discovers that he is much more than he ever thought he could be. His sister is the first to recognize her brother's strengths and helps give him the courage to face himself and his demons. He finds his niche in writing, and words give him the power to become what he can be.

Personal Review: This book was well written about the life of the brother-in-the-shadow. Cameron is a character that many of us can relate to, and he finds his niche in writing! This book would be good for teenagers who feel like the just don't fit in, and who maybe find something they are good at that isn't "popular" and give them hope that they can find their own niche.

Cautionary Note: This book contains some language and references to boyish fantasies.

Speak

Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Peter Smith Pub Inc

Summary: Melinda Sordino has just started high school, but she is alone, friendless, and an outcast. A party that she attended was busted by the cops after she called them. Since then, her peers have ostracized her and her friends have abandoned her. Only and unfortunately for Melinda, no one asked her why she called the cops. After a few beers, she was led into the woods alone by a popular, well liked older boy and raped. Since then, her confidence has bottomed out, depression has hit, and she has told no one about it. It is near impossible for her to make new friends and she loathes to be close to people. Melinda's assault is a secret that she carries within herself, the only outside signs her anti-social behavior and the bloody lips she continuously chews at. Melinda cannot speak and she cannot tell anyone what happened to her. She has no friends to tell, after all, and no teachers who make her feel comfortable enough to confide in. Her art teacher is the only one she even likes, and she does well in his class only, much to her parents dismay. To make matters worse, she doesn't feel that she can talk to her parents about what happens. Left to deal with the rape and following traumas alone, she withdraws....until final she is able to Speak.

Like most victims, she just wants someone to LISTEN.

Personal Review: This was a fast read that addresses a serious issue in today's society. The boy in this novel feels he has done nothing wrong, and makes Melinda feel guilty as if it was her fault. This guilt is what keeps her from speaking sooner, and what causes her depression and inability to talk about it. I like that Andy final gets it in the end, and that Melinda finds her voice. It is a serious novel, but not unapproachable by teens, or too serious and detailed for the classroom. I think many teens could relate to this book.

Cautionary Note: This is a book about rape. The scene where Andy rapes her is talked about, but is not so explicit that teens could not read it.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Summary: Death himself narrates the World War II-era story of Liesel Meminger from the time she is taken, at age nine, to live in Molching, Germany, with a foster family in a working-class neighborhood of tough kids, acid-tongued mothers, and loving fathers who earn their living by the work of their hands. The child arrives having just stolen her first book–although she has not yet learned how to read–and her foster father uses it, The Gravediggers Handbook, to lull her to sleep when shes roused by regular nightmares about her younger brothers death. Across the ensuing years of the late 1930s and into the 1940s, Liesel collects more stolen books as well as a peculiar set of friends: the boy Rudy, the Jewish refugee Max, the mayors reclusive wife (who has a whole library from which she allows Liesel to steal), and especially her foster parents. Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward. Death is not a sentimental storyteller, but he does attend to an array of satisfying details, giving Liesels story all the nuances of chance, folly, and fulfilled expectation that it deserves. An extraordinary narrative.

Personal Review: This was an amazing book. From beginning to end I had a hard time putting it down. Its portrayal of characters, the nonconventional viewpoint of Death as the narrator, and the touching yet tragic story of Liesel, who has seen more death than any young girl ought to, really grabbed my attention. It is over 500 pages, but each page contains something worth discussing, or something that human beings can relate to. Zusak himself says that this book is about both the beautiful and the destructive things that human beings are capable of. Below is an interview with the author about his inspiration and motivation to write this book.

Cautionary Note: This book will make you cry. Okay, maybe not, but it is not a light hearted, "fluffy" book. There is also a lot of swearing in German (which he translates).

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

The Adoration of Jenna Fox,
by Mary E. Pearson
Published by: Square Fish

Summary: The ethics of bioengineering in the not-so-distant future drives this story. Jenna, 17, severely injured in a car crash, is saved by her heartbroken father, a scientist who illegally uses the latest medical technology to help her. Only 10 per cent of her original brain is saved, but Dad has programmed her by uploading the high-school curriculum. She could live two years, or 200. Is she a monster or a miracle? Why have her parents hidden her away? The science (including allusions to the dangerous overuse of antibiotics) and the science fiction are fascinating, but what will hold readers most are the moral issues of betrayal, loyalty, sacrifice, and survival. Jenna realizes it is her parents’ love that makes them break the law to save her at any cost. The teen’s first-person, present-tense narrative is fast and immediate as Jenna makes new friends and confronts the complicated choices she must make now.


Personal Review: This book was very interesting from the beginning. It presents an interesting moral dilema about the meaning of life, and how far is too far for science to go in order to save a life. It also addresses issues of friendship, love and trust. It would be a good book to read while discussing genetics or bio-engineering, or other current issues such as cloning or genetic engineering.


Cautionary Note: Some of Jenna's friends have a history of violence, and the book describes it, but it is not too serious.

The White Darkness

The White Darkness

by Geraldine McCaughrean
HarperTeen

Summary: Fourteen-year-old Symone's only friend is an imaginary incarnation of Captain Laurence "Titus" Oates, an explorer who accompanied Robert Scott on his failed expedition to the South Pole. Sym is passionate about the Antarctic and her infatuation is fed by Uncle Victor, an eccentric family friend who has cared for Sym and her mother since Sym's father's death. When Victor surprises Sym with a trip to "the Ice," she has some doubts, especially when she discovers that her mother can't come. But her excitement overshadows her initial misgivings--until realizes that Uncle Victor has an obsession of his own that runs deeper than the glaciers and threatens her life. It's not always clear whether Titus' voice is imagined or if it's meant to be shy, bookish Sym's only link to the outside world, but in the end she needs him more than ever to fix the mess her Uncle Victor has created.

Personal Review: I enjoyed the end of the book, meaning the last third or so. It took me a while to get into the story, but it may connect to many students. Antarctica is a subject that has never really drawn my attention, but the story is very interesting and the mystery is intriguing and the action is continual as the reader wonders what will happen to Sym and her friends. For the rest of you who may not be so familiar with Antarctica, here are some shots to help you get your visuals going while you read.

Cautionary Note: Uncle Victor is not a pervert, he is just overly obsessed with making a scientific discovery. No worries.

Does My Head Look Big In This?

Does My Head Look Big in This?

by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Scholastic

Other books by the Author:

Ten Things I Hate About Me

Summary: Australian 11th-grader Amal is smart, funny, outspoken, a good student, and a loyal friend. She is also a devout Muslim who decides to wear the hijab, or head covering, full-time. The story tells of her emotional and spiritual journey as she copes with a mad crush on a boy, is bullied by jerks at school, befriends an elderly Greek neighbor, and tries to help a friend who aspires to be a lawyer but whose well-intentioned mother is trying to force her to leave school and get married. Amal is also battling the misconceptions of non-Muslims about her religion and culture. While the novel deals with a number of serious issues, it is extremely funny and entertaining, and never preachy or forced. This book is wonderful at showing the diversity within Muslim communities and in explaining why so many women choose to wear the hijab. Amal is an appealing and believable character. She trades verbal jibes with another girl, is impetuous and even arrogant at times, and she makes some serious errors of judgment. By the end of the story, she and readers come to realize that "Putting on the hijab isn't the end of the journey. It's just the beginning of it." Here is a video tutorial about how to wear the hijab.

Personal Review: I thought this book was an insightful view of the Muslim culture, while not being too preachy. Amal is a character that most teenagers can relate with as she deals with bullies, crushes, and her parents. She also is a strong character who stands up for what she believes in even when it is difficult. Teenagers could learn a lot from this book about true friendship, standing up for what you believe in, and not judging someone based on how they look or what they wear.

Cautionary Notes: This book talks openly about sex before marriage, but does not describe anything in detail. It just discusses the pros and cons of abstinence.