The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S. (2007).  The absolutely true diary of a part-time diary.  New York: Little, Brown.

Genre: Modern Realistic Fiction (humorous, sports)

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction - high school, self-perception, racism & prejudice, Indian reservations, Native Americans, social issues

Audience: ages 12 & up

Junior is a 14 year old Native American boy growing up on a reservation.  He faces adversity in the form of racism, poverty, alcoholism, and depression with humor and perseverance. He is skinny, encephalitic, has seizures, wears glasses, and gets beaten up pretty often.  The last straw was when he saw that his mother's name was written in the Algebra book at school.  Nothing had changed on the reservation in 30 years.  Junior throws the textbook at the teacher and is suspended.  The teacher encourages him to be more than a poor kid on a reservation and to go to another school.  Arnold enrolls at Rearden High School, 22 miles away.  His best friend Rowdy becomes his enemy, the people on the reservation see him as a traitor and he doesn't quite fit in at Rearden either as the only Native American besides the mascot.  Despite his struggles, he follows his desire to better himself and inspires others with his actions.  He makes friends with Gordy and Penelope and they accept him as Arnold.  Essentially he becomes a "part-time Indian" as Junior the outcast at the reservation and Arnold at Rearden High School.  He decides to play basketball and as the rivals of the reservation, he is booed, has things thrown at him, and is yelled at.  He is knocked unconscious by Rowdy.  The teams eventually rematch and Rearden wins. Junior faces alcohol related losses of his grandmother, his sister, and his dad's best friend which reinforces the idea that he needs to leave the reservation to have a better life for himself.  In the end, Rowdy and Junior become friends again with Rowdy understanding why Junior had to leave and being inspired to make changes for himself.  Alexie has created a humorous book which is based on his own experiences.  Junior's cartoon drawings illustrate his resilience and keep the story flowing.

Awards:
National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2007)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007)
Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production Honor (2009)
American Indian Library Association Award,
South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2010)
Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2008)

Florida Teens Read Nominee (2009)

American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book (2008)

Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2007)

The Inky Awards Nominee for Silver Inky (2009)

Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2011)

James Cook Book Award Nominee (2009)

Teaching Resources:
Author's Website
Interview with Author
Educator's Guide
Vocabulary words
Book Trailer

Speak

Anderson, L.H. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Genre: Dark Modern Realistic Fiction (rape, sexual abuse, bullying)

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction - high school, emotional problems, internal struggle, rape, sexual abuse, social issues, violence

Audience: ages 14 & up

Melinda is a high school student who is struggling to deal with a horrible thing that has happened to her.  She has lost her friends and is trying to be invisible. The students make fun of her, throw food at her, and say mean things to her.  Her grades are suffering and the only class she does well in is art where she works on a tree all year.  She is befriended by a girl named Heather but eventually Heather doesn't want to be around her because she is too depressed.  She finds a janitor's closet at school where she can be alone and not have to deal with the other students.  She refers to a senior boy as IT and she desperately tries to stay away from him.  IT is Andy Evans, a popular and handsome senior.  Eventually Melinda shares with the reader that at an end of the summer party, Andy rapes her after she'd been drinking.  She called the police but left before they arrived.  The other students at the party knew that she was the one that called the police to break up the party but they didn't know why she made the call.  Melinda finds out that her former best friend, Rachel is dating Andy and Melinda struggles with the choice of staying silent or telling Rachel what Andy did to her. Melinda writes on the bathroom wall about what kind of person Andy is and her writing is soon joined by stories from other girls.  Melinda makes the choice to tell Rachel about Andy, but Rachel doesn't listen.  Melinda discovers that only when she faces what has happened can she move forward with her life.  One day in the janitor's closet, Andy forces his way in and attacks Melinda.  She breaks the mirror and screams and she is heard by others and rescued.  Andy is caught and Melinda can finally tell her story.  Anderson has created a powerful novel that inspires teens to find their voice and create their future.

Awards:
Golden Kite Award for Fiction (1999)
Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2000)
Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2000)
South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2002)
Evergreen Teen Book Award (2002)
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2000)

Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2005)

National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (1999)

Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for YA (2002)

Teaching Resources:
Author's Webpage
Interview with Author
Educator's Guide to Laurie Halse Anderson
Vocabulary List for Speak
Book Trailer

Feed

Anderson, M. (2002). Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

Genre: Science Fiction (futuristic, dystopian society, futuristic technology)

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction - computers, brainwashing, adolescence, friendship, love & romance

Audience: ages 14 & up

Titus is a futuristic teenager who enjoys traveling to the moon with his friends. Humans have implants that allow them to connect to the Internet with their brains and keeps a scrolling interface running at all times that gives them news updates and allows them to shop at will.  During one of his trips to the moon, Titus and his friends' interfaces are hacked and they all end up in the hospital for several days.  Because they have always had the feed, they do not know how to think for themselves.  Violet his a shy, smart girl whose feed has also been hacked, and Titus and Violet begin dating.  Violet's feed still has issues and her family can't afford to fix it.  One night at a party, Violet's feed goes crazy and she begins shouting horrible accusations at Titus's friends.  She is quickly taken to the hospital where they learn that there is no way to fix her feed.  Titus takes her to a mountain cabin but instead of becoming closer to Violet, he breaks up with her.  After a couple of weeks, Titus visits Violet at her house where she is brain dead. He sits and talks with her about what's going on in the world, tells her stories about herself, and what he's been doing and he realized that he loves Violet.  Anderson has written a moving satire about the commercialism of the United States and the way that people rely on technology in our society.  He raises compelling issues about the overuse of technology that may encourage teens to think about its effect on society.

Awards:
Golden Duck Award for Hal Clement Award for Young Adult (2003)

Los Angeles Times Book Prize (2002)

National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (2002)
Teaching Resources:
Author's Website
Interview with Author
Lesson Plan
Vocabulary List
Book Trailer

My Friend Dahmer

Backderf, D. (2012). My friend Dahmer: A graphic novel. New York: Abrams.

Genre: Biography

Subjects: Young Adult narrative nonfiction -  Jeffrey Dahmer, serial murderers, high school, social issues, friendship, true crime, murder, mental illness, behavior disorders in adolescence

Audience: ages 14 & up

Derf Backderf grew up in Ohio in the 1970's.  Jeffrey Dahmer was one of his classmates.  When Dahmer was arrested in 1991, Backderf began to write his memories of the kid named Jeff and how he transformed over time into a serial killer.  Backderf met Dahmer in middle school where he was practically invisible.  He was a shy kid, but when he reached high school, he began to fake disabilities, seizures,  and slur his speech to be noticed.  He actually had a "fan club" of high school students that enjoyed his jokes but were not really his friends.  He had a rough home life and his parents eventually split, leaving Dahmer alone in his home.  Dahmer was struggling to keep his sanity, murdering small animals, and trying to come to terms with his sexuality.  He began drinking all day to try to control his tendencies.  After high school graduation in 1978, he killed his first victim, a hitchhiker he picked up on the road.  He would kill 16 more victims before he was caught in 1991.  Backderf tells the Dahmer's story in a graphic novel format reminiscent of the comic strips of the 1970's.  He shows the sad and tragic side of Dahmer's life but does not excuse the choices that Dahmer made.

Awards:
2013 ALA/YALSA Alex Award
2014 Revelation Award at Angoulême

Harvey Awards Nominee for Best Graphic Album - Original (2013)

Teaching Resources:
Author's Website
Interview with Author
Teacher's Guide
Book Trailer

Six of Crows

Bardugo, L. (2015) Six of crows. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.

Genre: High Fantasy (fictional world, magic)

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction - fantasy & magic, action & adventure, law & crime, revenge

In the world of Grishaverse, the leader of the Dregs gang is Kaz.  He seeks revenge against his rival, Pekka Rollins for the death of his brother.  He doesn't like to touch others so he wears black gloves, uses a cane due to an injury and has a reputation for being ruthless.  Inej is a former brothel slave who was rescued by Kaz.  He paid off her debts and trained her to be a spy for the Dregs.  She is known as Wraith due to her stealthiness, can pick locks and is skilled with knives.  Jesper is a sharpshooter and has a gambling problem but is well liked among the gang.  Nina is a Grisha known as a Heartrender (healer) who helped other Grisha to hide their powers.  She was captured by witch hunters but managed to escape.  Matthias is a Fjerdan soldier who had previously captured Nina.  They both escaped off of a sinking ship, but Nina turned him in as a slaver to save his live and he was put in prison.  Wylan van Eck is the son of Jan van Eck, one of Kaz's rivals.  He is part of the team because he is a demolitions expert and as a hostage if Kaz needs him.  These six teenage misfits are hired by the council led by Jan van Eck to break into the Ice Court - the most heavily armed fortress in the world and free the creator of a powerful drug that enhances the paranormal powers of the Grisha people.  As they get to the dock to begin their voyage, their ship is blown up and they discover that Pekka Rollins' gang is also after the creator.  Luckily, Kaz is always one step ahead and they have another ship ready.  The Dregs reach the Ice Court are taken hostage, allowing themselves to be taken into the prison where they promptly escape.  They find where the creator has been kept and go to free him but find that he has died but his son is there trying to recreate his father's drug. The Dregs take the boy and escape.  After multiple battles, the Dregs finally manage to make it back to Ketterdam to trade the boy for money.  Inej is taken hostage by van Eck who also takes the money.  Kaz begins to plan and vows to find Inej and get revenge.  Bardugo has created a High Fantasy that quickly enthralls readers with the richly detailed characters and the twists and turns of the unpredictable plot. Readers will eagerly await the sequel.

Awards:
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction 2015
YALSA's Best Books for Young Adults (2016)

Teaching Resources:
Author's Website
Author Interview
Book Trailer

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Black, H. (2013). The coldest girl on Coldtown.  New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.

Genre: Science Fiction (vampires, post-apocalyptic)

Subjects: Young Adult Fiction - paranormal, vampires, love & romance, family relationships, guilt, revenge

Audience: ages 14 & up

Tana wakes up at a party here everyone has been killed by vampires except her and her ex-boyfriend Aiden who has been bitten.  A vampire named Gavriel is also there and Tana sets out to save them all by going to Coldtown.  Coldtown is a walled city where vampires and their followers live to keep humans safe.  On the way, they pick up a set of twins, Midnight and Winter who want to be vampires and are recording their adventure in an internet blog. Upon arrival to Coldtown, Tana receives a pass to leave if she is not infected.  Gavriel leaves to exact his revenge on the head vampire Lucien and Midnight and Winter turn on Aiden and Tana.  Aiden turns into a vampire and kills one of Midnight's accomplices and Tana escapes.  With the help of two humans she meets, Tana is taken to Lucien's party to get back her pass that Aiden stole.  Midnight becomes a vampire, kills Winter, and attacks Tana, officially turning her cold.  If she drinks vampire blood, she will turn into a vampire.  Tana helps Gavriel to kill Lucien and begins to look for her little sister Pearl who has come to find her.  Aiden finds Pearl, gives her Tana's pass, and sends her home. Tana finds a place to wait out the infection so she will not turn and Gavriel stays with her.  Black has written a dark, post-apocalyptic thriller that leaves readers with hope for Tana and humanity.

Awards:
Locus Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy (2013)
Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2015)
Andre Norton Award Nominee for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy (2013)
Green Mountain Book Award Nominee (2015)
An Amazon Best Teen Book of the Year
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
YALSA Top Ten Amazing Audio Books
Kirkus Best YA Books
Texas’s Tayshas Reading List Top Ten
Teaching Resources:
Author's Website
Interview with Author
Book Trailer

Andre the Giant

Brown, B. (2014). Andre the giant: Life and Legend. New York: FirstSecond.

Genre: Biography

Subjects: Nonfiction Graphic Novel - Andre Roussimoff 1946-1993, wrestling

Audience: ages 16 & up

Andre Roussimoff was born in France in 1946.  He suffered from acromegaly, a rare syndrome where his body made too much growth hormone.  As a child, Andre was very large and ridiculed at school.  This gentle giant went on to became an actor and professional wrestler called Andre the Giant.  This biography follows his career from the beginning, through his parts in the movie The Princess Bride, and to his death in 1993. Despite his fame, Andre had a difficult life.  He was over 7 feet 4 inches tall and weighed over 500 pounds, was in constant pain, didn't feel accepted, was an alcoholic, and was involved in multiple conflicts.  The story is based on interviews with fellow wrestlers and movie co-stars. The simplistic illustrations in this graphic novel keep the story flowing and interesting. Due to the language and content, it is best for older teens.

Teaching Resources:
Author's Website
Interview with Author
Book Trailer