YA LIT - Books 17 - 25

Shianna Nichols

LSSL 5385

YA Readers - Required Authors

Green, J. (2008). Paper towns. New York: SPEAK by the Penguin Group.

Quentin lives next door to Margo, who he has been in love with since they were children, and she’s been ignoring him every since high school started.  One night Margo shows up at Quentin’s window and the two sneak out going about doing pranks around the town.  Margo didn’t show up to school the next day and ends up disappearing.  Quentin thinks she might have committed suicide.  He follows the clues he thinks she left him.  But is he following a path to nowhere?  Does he really know who Margo was?
Paper Towns was written by John Green which was geared for ages 14 and up due to edgy material and sexual reference.  This book covers the required author list.  This is a coming of age book with language and mature content.  It also delves into very deep questions about identity and relationships.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan.

Acevedo, E. (2020). The Poet X. New York, USA: HarperCollins.

This story recounts how a young girl from Harlem connects with poetry.  She discovers that slam type of poetry helps her understand her mother on a new level.  Connecting with the text helps her to better understand her mother's religion and her personal connection to the world around her.  Like typical teenagers, Xiomara feels that her feeling go unheard, but poetry helps to connect the dots in a new way for this character. This book covers the required author list.

Lippincott, R. (2018). Five feet apart. NY: Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers.

Cystic Fibrosis is what kept Stella and Will five feet apart from each other.  They both have CF and on top of all that, Will has contracted B. Cepacia bacteria that isolates him even more.  Stella and Will have had extended stays in the hospital many times throughout their lives, but it wasn’t until they were 17 that they met each other on the same hallway.  Their teenage love for each other grows and the 5 foot tension between them is one they can’t cross, if they want to stay alive.  Stella is on the lung transplant list and can’t take any chances of contracting Will’s B. Cepacia.  

Five Feet Apart made the #1 New York Times bestselling list and is on the Indigo Staff pick of the month in 2019.  It’s rated for ages 14 and up and deals with first love and uncertainty of the characters futures due to an incurable disease the two teenagers were born with.  The book was written from a screenplay and has now been made into a major motion picture.  This book covers the NYT Bestseller List requirement.  

Woodson, J. (2018). Harbor me. New York, NY: Nancy Paulsen Books.

Ms. Laverne has decided to try something different with her last period class, a group of 6th grade students. She will have the six students sit in an abandoned Art room without adult supervision and allow them to talk, no particular topic, nothing is off limits. Haley knows only one person, her best friend Holly, and both are curious about the other 4 classmates. Haley brings a recorder to class and records their chats, and their stories as they begin to share.  As the weeks go by, the students are able to start talking about some of the issues that are bothering them and no longer worry that Ms. Laverne has set them up in some type of way.  They begin to trust each other and the time they have been awarded to be able to discuss things, hard things that they are dealing with in their lives.  Things like Esteban’s dad being detained by ICE, Amari not being able to play with toy guns anymore because he is black, to Haley living with her uncle while her dad is incarcerated and her mom deceased.  The group of six friends help each other understand grief, loss, identity, change, forgiveness, and even community.  
Horn Book Reviews, Nov/Dec 2018, “Woodson’s ... latest will speak to young people’s insecurities and fears while recognizing their courage in facing them, and her craft as a weaver of words and imagery is evident on every page. A timely tribute to the resilience of young people and to the power of human connection that often overrides our differences.” Publisher’s Weekly, May 2018, “Showing how America’s political and social issues affect children on a daily basis, this novel will leave an indelible mark on readers’ minds.” Kirkus reviews, June 2018, “Woodson delivers a powerful tale of community and mutual growth. The bond they develop is palpable. Haley’s recorder is both an important plot element and a metaphor for the power of voice and story. The characters ring true as they discuss issues both personal and global. This story, told with exquisite language and clarity of narrative, is both heartbreaking and hopeful.”

Book is part of the 6 free choice YA books for LSSL 5385, this title came from 2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults put together by YALSA.

McAnulty, S. (2018). The miscalculations of Lightning Girl. New York: Random House.

Lucy survived being struck by lightning at age 8, but not without any side effects.  The survival left her with a genius ability.  Now at age 12, she has been homeschooled by her grandmother all the way to high school level courses, even though she has the ability to start college; but her grandmother has decided to enroll her in junior high so that she has social interactions with other students her age.  Lucy may be smart enough to be able to hide or downplay her academic ability, but the OCD routines are a bit harder.  Lucy has to learn how to make friends and maintain her genius hidden, and navigate the nuances of junior high.  She finds a small group of classmates that really care and understand her. While working on a group project for class, she meets and falls in love with a dying dog.  Lucy learns much about herself and the things that she is capable of, now she must decide if she will remain in junior high, or move onto college courses.  Reviewed by KIRKUS Reviews, May 2018, “...Lucy quickly realizes no formula can calculate the perils and pitfalls of public school. The multidimensional, highly likable Lucy’s first-person narration is direct and unrestrained.” Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List 2019 2020 

Colby Sharp Book Talk video- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NQckATiFbI Educators guide shared by publisher- https://images.randomhouse.com/promo_image/9781524767570_5289.pdf Book is part of the 6 free choice YA books for LSSL 5385, this title came from 2019 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers put together by YALSA.

King, A. S. (2019). Dig. New York: Dutton Books, An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

 Five teens live in close proximity to one another, yet they don’t seem to know each other.  But their lives are destined to be intertwined due to past family ties that turned sour between their parents and grandparents.  They are all part of a mess of secrets and only one generation removed from being the potato farmers their grandparents once were.  The teens are known as The Shoveler, Malcolm, The Freak, Loretta, CanIHelpYou?  They refused to let the mistakes of their parents determine their future and end up discovering clues to figure out what a certain pair of brothers did to their cousin.  By reading this you must try to piece together what’s real and what’s imagined and how the characters will ultimately connect with one another.  
    Dig by A.S. King is directed for ages 14 and up that covers many topics such as, family, abuse, privilege, race, and death.  The story comes from the perspective of five different teens who are all connected in some way.  Their stories were all saturated with pain and heartbreak such as, death of a parent, terminal illness, poverty, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, racism, addiction, and white privelege were are topics covered.  First time readers of A.S. King might have a difficult time navigating the chaotic storyline of all five characters.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta.
Book is part of the 6 free choice YA books for LSSL 5385, this title came from Printz and/or Printz Honor books.

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY. Penguin Group.

Melinda has no friends and is an outcast freshman at her school because she called the cops on a summer party.  She was so distraught she became silent and self-removed to the point of isolating everything and everyone in her life.  But no one knows why she busted up the party until she decides to speak up for herself and tell a friend she was raped by an upperclassman.   Her art class was her only hope in understanding the healing process of the appalling episode she had encountered (her teacher ironically assigned her a tree study for the entire year).Just when things were looking up, she had another abusive encounter with her wrongdoer.  But this time Melinda fights back and refuses to be silent any longer.

Speak was as National Book Award finalist, won the Golden Kite Award in 2000 along with ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Printz Honor Book, and NYT Best Seller in 2001 and 2005.  The author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with honesty and raw emotion.  This psychological story is a lesson worth reading and worth analyzing where you reflect on your past actions of judgement.  Speak is directed for ages 14 and up.  This book covers the required reading for great graphic novel for teens.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, A Step From Heaven by An Na.

Larson, H. (2018) All Summer Long. New York : Farrar, Straus, & Giroux for Young Readers, an

imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group.

It’s the summer between 7th & 8th grade. Bina is really dreading this summer, as her best friend and neighbor will be gone for the majority of the time to soccer camp.  She did notice he was starting to act a bit weird before he left. Bina is left “friend-less”, which allows her to explore other activities that she may not have done with Austin, befriend other people, and even discovers a new music band.  It may have only been a month that Austin was gone, but Bina learn a lot about herself, making friends, rekindling and balancing friendships, even gaining the title of “Aunt” this summer.   When summer is over, she is more than ready to start 8th grade.  

This graphic novel is done with panels of varying sizes. The dialogue is done in a variety of formats such as text messages, phone conversations, and traditional text/thought bubbles and is believable/relatable for students Bina’s age.  The images drawn are those of realistic people, not fantasy style, with great close up of faces that show great emotion.  Most of the book is done in a soft yellow/peach color with black outlines and white highlights.  

Reviewed by Kirkus Reviews, May 2018- A coming-of-age story as tender and sweet as a

summer evening breeze.”
Other graphic novels by Hope Larson-Compass South: A Graphic Novel (Four Points, Book 1), Gray Horses, Chiggers, Who is AC?

Book is part of the 6 free choice YA books for LSSL 5385, this title came from 2019 Great Graphic Novels for Teens put together by YALSA.

Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York, NY: Balzer Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Starr is visiting with her childhood friend, Kahlil, while attending a party in her neighborhood of Garden Heights.

Soon a fight breaks out, and shots get fired. Kahlil and Starr leave the party together in his car and soon get pulled over. Starr witnesses her friend be fatally shot by the white cop that pulled them over, he did nothing wrong.  When she goes back to her fancy prep school in the suburbs, the event is all over the headlines.  No one knows exactly what happened during the event besides her. Her friend is called many things, thug, drug dealer, that he was armed.  She goes to school with people that don’t understand or know of her reality at home. She realizes that her anonymity is hard to keep when trying to stand up for her friend. Will she share the story with the world to expose what really happened that night?  What will happen if she does? What will happen to her community if she does speak up? Kirkus review, Dec. 2016, “With smooth but powerful prose delivered in Starr’s natural, emphatic voice, finely nuanced characters, and intricate and realistic relationship dynamics, this novel will have readers rooting for Starr and opening their hearts to her friends and family.  This story is necessary. This story is important.”

Publishers Weekly Review, Nov. 2016, “Though Thomas’s story is heartbreakingly topical, its greatest strength is in its authentic depiction of a teenage girl, her loving family, and her attempts to reconcile what she knows to be true about their lives with the way those lives are depicted—and completely undervalued—by society at large.”
This book is part of Young Adult Outstanding Books for the College Bound List for LSSL 5385.

YA LIT- Books 9-16

 

Sartrapi, M. (2014). Persepolis. NY: Pantheon.

Persepolis is a book about a world where all children are forced to grow up.  The author writes her child-like view she experienced growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.  Marji doesn’t understand what’s going on around her and her parents and teachers are talking about martyrs and how the Shah is divine.  Marji wants to become a prophet herself, but the Shah is overthrown and a new Islamic Regime takes over.  All the school become single gender and Marji is forced to wear a veil.  Marji’s family realizes that the new regime isn’t much better than the last and everyone who supported the revolution is now an enemy of the of the government.  Keep reading to find out the unbelievable events that happen next.  

Persepolis: This Story of a Childhood is a black and white graphic novel/memoir of Satrapi growing up in Iran in the Islamic Revolution.  A sweet, lovable, and rebellious girl from Iran figures out how to navigate all the changes happening in her country.  It has won New York Times Best Notable book, Time Magazine’s “Best Comix of the Year”, San Francisco and Los Angeles Times Best Sellers.  It’s geared for ages 14 and up and also covers the required novel list.  After the book is read, you may want to encourage the reader to watch the movie Persepolis.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, City of Glass: A Graphic Novel by Paul Karasik.

Thomas, A. (2017). The hate you give. NY: HarperCollins

Starr Carter is living a double life between the poor community she lives in and the rich prep school she attends.  Her world comes tumbling down as she witnesses her childhood best friend get shot by cops, all while being unarmed.  Starr was the only witness to see the entire altercation go down.  After being intimidated by the cops and the drug lord of her neighborhood, what will Starr say or not say in order to keep the peace?  Better yet...what will she do in order to keep her entire family safe from all this attention that fatal night brought into their lives?

The Hate U Give won the Coretta Scott King Award and Honors, Printz Honor, Odyssey Award, as well as ALA Best and Notable books.  It’s intended for ages 13 and up and covers the required novel list.  The topics of this book include police brutality of an unarmed black teen, race, interracial dating, grief, friendship, addiction, political activism, and the media’s portrayal of African Americans.  Parents are encouraged to discuss recent and past instances of police shootings and how they were dealt with.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.

Reynolds, J. (2020). Stamped. New York: Little, Brown

This book provides information about racism in America.  The approach that the authors take helps to reach multiple audiences.  The vision was to write information that would apply to all people - especially during young adult years.  The theme is set to where different groups of people develop an appreciation for the contents in their own specialized way.

Kwame, A. (2014). The crossover. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

JB (Josh) and Jordan Bell are twin brothers and are also sons of a former professional basketball player.  They are trying to make their way through middle school as best they can.  The girl crushes, the homework, the family tension, and basketball are all a predominant part of their lives.  As JB and Jordan near the end of the basketball championship playoffs, friction develops between them and trouble is just around the corner from their dad.  Life may be sweet on the court, but off the court is an entirely different ball game.  

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is created for ages 9 and up and covers the author list.  This book won the 2015 Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Honor.  Crossover is a novel in verse about basketball, family, and coming of age.  It’s also a great book that can inspire a healthy lifestyle due to the fact that the novel includes serious issues about a parent’s life threatening condition.  This book may also be useful when recommending a great book to reluctant male readers who enjoy the game of basketball and beats/rhyming.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Caminar by Skila Brown.

Crutcher, C. (2013). Period 8. New York: Greenwillow Books

Paulie Baum enjoys swimming and has a pretty normal high school life.  Everything is fine until Paulie decides to cheat on his girlfriend, Hannah.  They end up breaking up and Paulie doesn’t know what to do, so he goes to his Period 8 teacher, Mr. Logsdon, for advice.  Logsdon runs Period 8 which is a place for kids to go during lunch hour to sit and talk about their problems.  Paulie and Hannah’s situation end up being the topic of conversation in this “safe haven”, but then the topic of Mary Wells pops up and pushes the matter aside.  More mysteries keep developing around her disappearance, and the kids in Period 8 try to get to the bottom of them.  Mr. Logsdon’s only rule in Period 8 is you have to tell the truth, and someone isn’t following that rule.  Can you figure out the who’s not being truthful before the last page?

Chris Crutcher’s Period 8 will keep you on the edge of your seat with the fast-paced, suspenseful drama that unfolds within its pages.  Period 8 contains real world situations that may not be fun to think about kids dealing with, but it’s something they need to be aware of.  The point of view is in third person and a theme you can take away is to be careful who you tell your secrets to.  This book is geared for ages 14 and up, and also covers the author list requirements.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian.

Cormier, R. (2004). The chocolate war. New York: Knopf.

Jerry is a new student at a Catholic prep school.  The Vigils, a group of power-seeking students are determined to make sure he endures the hazing practices awaiting him.  A turn of events happens with Jerry's teacher, Brother Leon encourages students to sell chocolates for a fundraiser.  Jerry ultimately has a plan of his own.

King, A. S. (2019). Dig. New York: Dutton Books, An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.

Five teens live in close proximity to one another, yet they don’t seem to know each other.  But their lives are destined to be intertwined due to past family ties that turned sour between their parents and grandparents.  They are all part of a mess of secrets and only one generation removed from being the potato farmers their grandparents once were.  The teens are known as The Shoveler, Malcolm, The Freak, Loretta, CanIHelpYou?  They refused to let the mistakes of their parents determine their future and end up discovering clues to figure out what a certain pair of brothers did to their cousin.  By reading this you must try to piece together what’s real and what’s imagined and how the characters will ultimately connect with one another.  

Dig by A.S. King is directed for ages 14 and up that covers many topics such as, family, abuse, privilege, race, and death.  The book covers the author list.  The story comes from the perspective of five different teens who are all connected in some way.  Their stories were all saturated with pain and heartbreak such as, death of a parent, terminal illness, poverty, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, racism, addiction, and white privelege were are topics covered.  First time readers of A.S. King might have a difficult time navigating the chaotic storyline of all five characters.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, The Place on Dalhousie by Melina Marchetta.

Smith, A. (2012). Passenger. New York: Donnelly & Sons Company.

Jack, Connor, Griffin, and Ben break the Marbury Lens which catapults each of them into various versions of Marbury with different levels of chaos for them.  The problem is, they can’t get out and Jack didn’t “mind the gap” somehow changing the course of everyone’s future.  The boys have to find each other and figure out how to get home before it’s too late.  They need to fix the gap before the hunters find them...and kill them.

Passenger is the sequel to the Marbury Lens and is geared for ages 14 and up.  It is considered a young adult book about a strange artifact that allows Jack, Connor, Ben, and Griffin to shift from this world into the very terrifying world of Marbury.  The boys are constantly fighting for their lives and somehow Marbury keeps shifting.  Scenes within the book are violent and gruesome and reader discretion is advised if you are sensitive to graphic violence and gore.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, The Order of Odd-Fish by James Kennedy.  This book covers the author list.

YA LIT - BOOKS 1-8

Shianna Nichols

5385 Literature for Young Adults

Spring 2021

Required Reading Books 1 - 8

Alexie, Sherman, and Ellen Forney. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Little, Brown, 2007.

Arnold Spirit Jr is encouraged to make a bold move to leave the reservation school, the reservation in which he lives in is high in poverty but low in hope for those living there, and go to a neighboring non-reservation school by one of his teachers.  He leaves Rowdy, his best friend of 14 years, his sister who spends most of her time in the basement and her alcoholic parents behind.  Arnold, or Junior, as he is known in the reservation was born with hydrocephalus can has caused him to look differently than the rest of his family and friends.  His looks are a reason for which he gets beaten up at the reservation a lot.  On his daily commute to the school, which is an adventure of its own, he transforms from being a Native American who is too smart for the other Native Americans in his own reservation to a boy that fits in with the “white” kids of his new rural school.  Arnold learns that though he left his tribe at the reservation he belongs to other tribes at his new school.  This story has Arnold dealing with racism, unfairness, friendship, poverty, and pushing through the hard time to better oneself.

Reviewed by Kirkus Reviews (July 2007) “The reservation’s poverty and desolate alcoholism offer early mortality and broken dreams, but Junior’s knowledge that he must leave is rooted in love and respect for his family and the Spokane tribe.”

Other books by Author: Alexie, S., & Morales, Y. (2016). Thunder Boy Jr. New York: Little, Brown and.  The bond of a father and child are highlighted in this picture book.  Thunder Boy Jr, wants a name of his own, not one that he has to share with his dad. Will he ever find one he likes?

Book is part of the Young Adult Novels Required List for LSSL 5385.

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY. Penguin Group.

Melinda has no friends and is an outcast freshman at her school because she called the cops on a summer party.  She was so distraught she became silent and self-removed to the point of isolating everything and everyone in her life.  But no one knows why she busted up the party until she decides to speak up for herself and tell a friend she was raped by an upperclassman.   Her art class was her only hope in understanding the healing process of the appalling episode she had encountered (her teacher ironically assigned her a tree study for the entire year).Just when things were looking up, she had another abusive encounter with her wrongdoer.  But this time Melinda fights back and refuses to be silent any longer.

Speak was as National Book Award finalist, won the Golden Kite Award in 2000 along with ALA Best Books for Young Adults, Printz Honor Book, and NYT Best Seller in 2001 and 2005.  The author captures the pains and troubles of everyday high school life with honesty and raw emotion.  This psychological story is a lesson worth reading and worth analyzing where you reflect on your past actions of judgement.  Speak is directed for ages 14 and up.  This book covers the required reading list.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, A Step From Heaven by An Na.

Behar, R. (2017). Lucky broken girl. NY. Delacorte.

When Ruthie moves from Cuba to Queens, she is put into the “dumb” class at school because her English is not very good.  She becomes friends with a boy from India who’s in the similar situation as her as they both deal with the transition of moving away from their home country.  Eventually they both convince their teacher to move them to the “smart” class.  The day before Ruthie gets to attend her new class she gets into a horrible car accident with her family, causing her to spend almost an entire year in bed wrapped in a body cast.  The transition of her anger towards the boys who caused the accident, to her new perspective in the healing process as she meets new visitors is amazing to watch unfold.  After learning about her friend’s other gods and even though she is Jewish, she prayed to God, Shiva, and Frida Kahlo all the same time for a fast recovery.

Lucky Broken Girl won the Pura Belpré Award in 2018, The 2018 Américas Award, The ALSC Notable Children’s Book 2018, along with many other decorated library lists.   The author did a wonderful job of writing her autobiography that captures a diverse cast of characters and allows the reader to experience different religions and cultures.  It’s produced for ages 12 and up.  This novel covers the required reading list.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Stef Soto, Taco Queen by Jennifer Torres.

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. NY. Farrar Straus Giroux.

Liza is a seventeen year old girl who is involved in many school activities and is also the  Student Body President.  One of her favorite things to do is visiting museums in New York.  At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she meets a girl named Annie. Over time, their love for each other grows into a romantic relationship.  The two realize they cannot let anyone know about their daring relationship because of the pressures from family and peers.  Word gets out about their relationship and Liza ends up calling it quits due to some insensitive responses.  The girls go their separate ways to attend college, but they end up reuniting after Liza has time to reevaluate what she truly wanted in a relationship.

Garden won the Lifetime Achievement Award for Annie on My Mind in 2003.  The book also made the “Best of the Best Books for Young Adults” from the ALA in 1982.  This book was one of the first to pave the way for the 20th and 21st century in accepting the homosexual lifestyles.  It’s geared for ages 14 and up.  It’s not recommended to read if you are struggling with your sexual orientation due to some homophobic confrontations within the book.  This novel covers the required reading list.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Dare Truth or Promise by Paula Boock.

Klein, L., Leff, C., & Brennan, C. (2019). Celebrate your body. the ultimate puberty book for preteen and teen girls. Emeryville, CA: Rockridge Press.

The author of this book did a spectacular job of creating a text that caters to the liking of young girls. In this book, girls can feel like they've been give a pep talk by a big sister or close friend. Discussing the anatomy of the body and the changes that young girls experience is a topic that is bound to come up sooner or later. Through the author's delivery in this piece, readers feel open to learning about the exploration of their bodies. A deeper appreciation for the female body is developed through this read.

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper.

Steve Harmon is a sixteen year old boy who is on trial as the lookout man in a Harlem convenience store robbery that didn’t go as planned and ends up with a murder.  The manager ends up being killed with his own gun and, while on trial, Steve is being portrayed as a monster as many people testify against him in court.  Read along as you learn about Steve’s thoughts through journal form and the trial going on at the same time through movie script.  Can Kathy O’Brien, Steve’s attorney, prove him not guilty?

Monster by Walter Deans Myers is created for ages 13 and up.  This book covers the required novel list.  It also won the Printz award and was a National Book Award finalist.  The book is a dialogue written story about a teenager on trial for murder.  The suspense and drama throughout the book will keep even the most reluctant readers turning the pages.  Scenes that either happen or are briefly discussed within Monster are inmates getting beaten and talk of rape by the prison inmates.  It is a perfect mystery with enough realism and drama to intrigued even the most reluctant reader.  It’s important for parents to have a discussion about the fairness of the judicial system within this book.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, The First Part Last by Angela Johnson.

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Boston, MA: Candlewick Press.

Todd Hewitt is the last boy in a town of only men.  Ever since they settled in the new world, all the men contracted the Noise germ which makes everyone have the ability to hear everyone’s thoughts.  The germ also killed all the females.  Todd was out exploring one day and noticed a rip in the noise...a silence.  It was a girl.  A girl and her thoughts were silent.  Todd realizes his town is hiding something from him and is forced to flee with the girl and his dog in tow.  Todd’s history and everything he’s ever known is challenged as he is being chased by his own people fighting for his life and trying to figure out the truth.

Ness won the Booktrust Teenage Prize, The Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booklist Editors’ Choice: Book for Youth, the 2009 ALA Best Books for YA and the Booklist Core Collection: Dystopian Fiction for Youth for his first book in the Chaos Walking Series.  It’s made for ages 12 and up and leaves a massive cliffhanger, leaving you begging for more. Your curiosity can remedied by the second book called The New World.  You might also like, Lord of the Flies by William Golding.  This novel covers the required reading list.

Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi: A girl in pieces. TX: Cinco Puntos.

Read Gabi’s diary and learn how she is just trying to get through her last year of high school.  She’s a Mexican-American senior who doesn’t hold back and says what she thinks, when it comes to her life and her feelings.  She is in the midst of an exceptionally rough time in her life when it comes to family, friends, boys, her future, and more.  Her father is a drug addict, her best friend is pregnant, and her best guy friend just came out to his dad, which caused his life to spin out of control because he was kicked out of his house.  Then, in the center of everything, Gabi is really interested in finding the right boyfriend.  Read along with Gabi as she also struggles with being overweight but refuses to let that define her.

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces was named Best Books of 2014 for the Kirkus reviews and the School Library Journal.  It also covers the required novel list.  Topics covered in the book include abortion, drugs, sex, race, and grief.  Quintero’s novel is geared for ages 14 and up.  This is a very moving and to the point book that is portrayed in diary form by a seventeen year old girl just trying to get through the last year of high school.  If you enjoy this book you might also like, Girls Like Us by Gail Giles.