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.