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.