BONE GAP

Ruby, L. (2015). Bone Gap. New York, NY: Balzer + Bray.

Finn  (AKA Space Man, because he never looks anyone in the face) and Sean O’Sullivan are brothers who live Bone Gap, Illinois and have been left by their mother to fend for themselves. One day out of the blue a beat-up girl named Roza shows up on their property and after a while she and Sean fall in love.   Finn sees a man kidnap Roza while at a fair, but is unable to remember his face.  Finn begins to date Petey, a beekeeper’s daughter and together they learn that he has a condition called face blindness he does see that kidnapper and tries to tell the sheriff, to no avail, no one believes him anymore.  Feeling guilty that no one is out looking for Roza, he sets out to look for her.

This YA mystery is somewhat dark, includes fantasy, suspense, and romance and is appropriate for 9^th grade and up.  The theme of this YA novel is that you can find love even when in pain.  Finn and Sean’s mother left them and through their pain their family love pulled them together.  And it was Finn’s love towards her that made Petey realize that his love was true.   Then there’s the love he feels for Roza, caring for someone truly and deeply in a nonsexual way.

You can feel the pain of the characters in this novel.  When Roza finds herself hung upside down, her legs and everything exposed and her head feeling fuzzy with blood, what a horrible thing to do to a person.  Sean’s memories kept her mind busy 

 As far as being mistreated for being beautiful, like in the case of Roza or because you are supposedly ugly, like in the case of Petey, seriously!  It is true today though, the world treats people by the way they look, why they can’t see that beneath our imperfections exists a beautiful human being inside and out.  All we want is to be loved for who we are and not by what we look like.   People come and go through our paths, some we remember and some we don’t, it’s the ones that make a great impact that we hold dear to our hearts. Bone Gap has received the Printz Award Winner for Best Young Adult Book of the Year.

• Here’s a Bone Gap book trailer for you to enjoy.

• Click here for a list of Laura Ruby’s books.  She’s written books for kids, teens, and adults. 

Try this book review template by hubpages.com to help students get a feel for writing book reviews.  

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO

Ness. P. (2008). The Knife of Never Letting Go. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Todd Hewitt lives in a town called Prentisstown with his dog Manchee and about 100+ men and no women.  Todd wasn’t allowed to get an education, so he couldn’t read, but along with the other men can hear everyone’s thoughts which they call noise.  He’s been told that all the women were killed by the Spackle (aliens).

One day, his foster parents, Ben and Cillian, hear Todd’s noise about what he experiences earlier and urge him to leave town forever.   As Todd is trying to leave, he has to get through Aaron (a crazy preacher), will not stop following him to try to kill him.  He finally comes to an area where this weird, amazing thing happened, silence.  And what do you know, it’s a girl (Viola Eade)!  She was the only survivor left from a ship that was going to this New World. 

On the go again, now together they run to different towns trying to escape being killed by Aaron.  Wondering why Aaron will just not stop and will just not die!  He finally catches up to them and Viola takes Todd’s knife while they’re scuffling, killing him.  Turns out that in order to become a man in Prentisstown, the boy, Todd, had to kill. 

This is such a fascinating science fiction story, although I can’t believe the author would just leave the reader hanging like that.   I’m so very looking forward to reading the sequel to this dystopia world.  This YA novel will keep YA and adults engaged and on their toes.   

We can see some form of manipulation in this story, how people get others to do what they want.  For example the mayor getting Aaron to think that his purpose was to get killed.  Something that baffles me, how does someone get so powerful?

The journey that Viola and Todd took is relatable to a lot of readers, there’s hope, hope for a better world or a better life. They accepted themselves and relied on each other to be able to get through difficult situations.   We’ve all been there wanting a better life, we can’t just sit there and do nothing.  I love that Todd goes from being this weird kid, to feeling remorse about killing someone (alien), to actually caring for Viola.  He can’t hear Viola’s noise, but he knows what she is saying.  She too, is looking for hope.  This novel is on the list of required YA literature. 

• This is Patrick Ness’ website, it includes all of his books, his blog, interviews and more.

GRASSHOPPER JUNGLE

Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper Jungle. New York, NY: Dutton Books.

Sixteen year old Austin Szebra thinks of himself as a historian, he has a girlfriend named Shann Collins who is ready to have sex.  Austin’s best friend is Robby Brees and he finds himself being sexually attracted to him as well, it’s a complicated love triangle. 

That’s not the only problem though, there’s a swarm of giant bugs that is threatening to devour what’s left of their town, Ealing, Iowa, which means the end to Earth.  They receive a message that they must go to the silo to get refuge from the 412E plaque.

Turns out that there are giant bugs are six-foot-tall man-eating praying mantises or the Unstoppable Soldiers are so powerful that as bullets hit them they sound like “candy sprinkles on unstoppable frosted cupcakes”.  Another words “the bullets had no effect at all on the monstrous beasts with blade-spike arms.”   They are unsuccessful in the killing of such creatures and set to start a new life in a place called Eden.

This is a great YA coming of age and science fiction book, it focuses on what teenage boys think about most, sex, immature, uncomfortable conversations, food and pushing boundaries.  Its relatable characters are real teenagers with real drama and despite their man-eating bugs, they also focus on life issues, like sexuality, friendship and bullies.

There’s bullies everywhere, even in science fiction books like this one, Austin and Robbie are beaten up by the school bullies while they were smoking in an alley in Grasshopper Jungle near the mall. An incident involving his nose blood and a jar filled with glowing mass mysteriously transformed the bullies into giant size sex hungry, man eating unstoppable creatures.  Crazy!

History was important to Austin, he wanted to record it so that humans wouldn’t do the same mistakes over and over, but mistakes are inevitable, if we don’t make them, we don’t learn from them.  We should all record the history of our lives, whether we have oversized man-eating insects or drama with our significant others.  Writing things on a journal lets you let out your emotions, like some form of therapy, and a place to record and reflect.  This book is from the list of required authors that write YA literature.

• This is Grasshopper Jungle book trailer by Andrew Smith.

• Take a look at Author Andrew Smith’s website and learn more about him and his other books. 

THE SERPENT KING

Zentner, J. (2016).  The Serpent King. New York, NY: Crown.

Three teenager best friends who live in Forrestville, Nashville are seniors in high school and about to graduate, Travis dreams of writing fantasy novels, Lydia Blankenship runs a fashion blog and dreams of going to school in New York, and Dill Early Jr dreams of doing something with music.  Dill is the son of a Pentecostal snake handling minister who sees snakes as some form of salvation. The three teenagers are best friends and often find comfort within themselves.

 Dill’s father has been in jail for the last several years for having child pornography and the sad thing is that Dill is still being blamed by not only by the town, but by his actual mother till this day.  His father was an extreme faith beliefs and trouble with the law has been the reason for him being bullied at school.  Dill is secretly in love with Lydia and hates the fact that she’s leaving after graduation.

Travis Bohannon red hair and over 6 feet height makes him stand out.  You’d think he’s was as horrid as his dad, needless to say, they were complete opposites.    He and his mother are physically and mentally abused by his dad, yet he still puts up a front working in his fathers lumberyard.  He’s escape from reality is to immerse himself in fantasy books, something his father hates with a passion. 

Lydia doesn’t have money problems and her life seems pretty easy compared to Dill and Travis.  She has professional and loving parents, one might think she’d be too stuck up to hang with Dill and Travis, but she doesn’t see that and pushed Dill towards being better and to care about himself.

Unfortunately, we’ve seen parents that don’t care if their child finishes school as long as they help pay for house bills.  And then you have those that are more messed up themselves and think that they have the right to abuse their family.  What people don’t understand is that, sometimes without some type of guidance people will stay in abusive relationships until something drastic happens and they can’t turn back the time.  Like in the case of Travis and his mom, he’s run out of his home by his dad, led him to live in a car.   He then is shot and killed, which causes Dill to loose hope and fall into a deep depression.  After his death his mom leaves her husband. 

I really like this realistic coming of age novel.  Even with different backgrounds, upbringings, and religion impact the way you carry yourself, it’s the strong with a group of friends that helps you keep it together, learning to cope with everyday life.  Life is short, do what you want to do because at the end, you don’t take anything with you when you die.   This novel won the William C. Morris Award. 

• This is the Serpent King book trailer.

• Goodbye Days is also by Jeff Zenter. This book is about the heart-breaking and at times humorous look at one teen's life after the death of his best friends and how he navigates through the guilt and pain by celebrating their lives--and ultimately learns to forgive himself.

THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN

Alexie, Sherman. (2009). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Fourteen year old Arnold Spirit, Jr. is a teenage Indian and an aspiring artist, whose parents are alcoholics, his sister avoids people, and his best friend Rowdy is being abused by his father.  The problem is that he is often picked on and beaten for having a stutter problem and a lisp and to top it off he is also a hydrocephalic (born with water in his brain).  He leaves the reservation in Wellpinit to attend an all-white school in Reardan and is labeled a traitor, even Rowdy is upset.   He is caught between his home on the reservation and the white high school he attends and soon he starts to become like a part time Indian.

Illustration in the book
 that made me
 laugh out loud.

People of all ages can relate to this amazing coming of age novel, through so much pain, there is still humor.    Arnold starts a new school and one of the first things he does is get the courage to stand up for himself by punching a bully and getting his respect in return.  He finds a girl he likes (Penelope) and becomes friends with Gordy who teaches him the joys of not only reading a book, but of learning. 

 Teen males will see themselves in this story, school awkwardness, first loves, bulling, searching for their identity, and being persistent.  The theme of this book is that through so much pain, there is hope and joy.  Arnold’s grandmother is hit by a drunk driver, his dad’s best friend is shot in the face, his sister Mary dies in a fire; 

“grief – when you feel so helpless and stupid that you think nothing will ever be right again, and your macaroni and cheese tastes like sawdust, and you can’t even jerk off because it seems like too much trouble,” made me laugh out loud.

Yet, despite all this grief, this teen shows us that you have a choice on whether you let it get you down or no.  Arnold copes by making lists of people that give him joy, musicians, favorite foods, books and basketball players.  This novel helps teens from different backgrounds have hope that they too will get through their bad situations.  One of my favorite parts is when he makes up with his friend Rowdy and he calls Arnold, “Nomadic,”  a compliment, meaning that he’s  moved on to greener pastures or a better place, making him a true Indian.  This makes Arnold realize he did the right thing and is actually happy for himself.  This novel is from the YA required list.

• These are some Activities you can do while reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

• Check out this link to learn more about Sherman Alexie other books.

LILY AND DUNKIN

Gephart, D. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York, NY: Delacorte.

Norbert Dorfman  and his mom just moved to Florida from New Jersey with his grandmother because they are having hard times.  He also struggles with bi-polar disorder, refuses to see a psychiatrist, and sometimes forgets to take his medication on purpose.  He joins the basketball team even though he’s not good at it and to top it off knows those are the ones who bully Lily but his wanting to fit in keeps him from defending her.

Lili (Tim) Jo McGrother is a girl, living in a boy’s body.  She trying to find her true self, everyone supports her with the exception of some classmates at school, her grandmother and father.  At school she is being bullied, even though she hasn’t “come out” as a transgender.  Lily is afraid of the consequences.

Norbert meets Lily while she’s wearing a dress and then runs into Tim sitting on a tree, they are one in the same, and despite the many secrets between them, and their friendship begins. Norbert becomes Dunkin after going to Dunkin Donuts and mentioning to Lily that he doesn’t like his name either.

This is a great realistic fiction novel appropriate for middle school kids and up. The author writes this book in 1st person narrative and takes us into conversations of how mainly two teens deal with life. It’s hard for teens to find support when they are trying to find their way, I’m happy to see that Lily has the support of her mother and sister and eventually even her dad after learning some facts from the doctor about hormone therapy. These teens are no different than you and I, they worry about sports, fitting in, going to dances, protest to save trees, and go through different life issues.

As I read this incredible book, I picture Jazz Jennings, perhaps because I followed her story, regardless, it made me get chocked up and teary. I understand more of the challenges transgender and bipolar teens go through. More of us should support diverse books like Lily and Dunkin that promote literature reflecting the lives of many and give kids the courage to be themselves.
This book is on the list of required YA novels.

• Find out more about Donna Gephart, all her books, LGBTQ & mental health resources, plus how to get free reading activities for Lily and Dunkin.

• Defining: cisgender by Grace Manger

• What is Bipolar-Disorder?

• Discussion-guides free resources from Read Proud, Listen Proud. It includes resources for books such as Being JAZZ, Talking About LGBT People & Equality, Another Day, and others.

• Also by Donna Gephart,  How to Survive Middle School .  

PERIOD 8

Crutcher, C. (2013). Period 8. New York, NY: HarperCollins.  

Paul Baum, AKA Paulie Bomb, is a 17-year-old who attends Heller High School and is a distance swimmer that has confessed to his girlfriend Hannah that he cheated on her.  Hannah breaks up with Paulie and is being sought after by his supposed friend Arney Stack, who is a psychopath and somehow managed to manipulate Mary into sleeping with Paulie.   Making this story it into a teenage love triangle.    Lunch is Period 8 and students hang in Mr. Logsdon (Logs) classroom during that time where they are free to talk about personal feelings, and problems, eat or just listen, in return get advice from him.  The problem is that straight “A” Mary Wells goes missing right after Hannah and Paulie confront her about something.

Characters in this realistic fiction book are from all walks of life, although they discuss their problems with ease, many of us can relate.  The athletic side of this novel may appeal mostly to male YA readers.   It’s great to have that one adult teacher during your high school years that you can relate to. Maybe that’s why they were so open with their personal problems like when Mr. Logs is talking to Paulie and he says “There’s not a good reason to lie to anyone about the important things, particularly to people we love or care about. And we should honor our commitments.”

The language in the teenage dialogue is that of young adults trying to fit in and be cool, “your honey,” and “fuck.” The cheating in relationships and telling the truth is something all of us can learn from. I wish more guys and girls where like Paulie, when he’s asked why he chose to tell the truth, “‘most guys’ are exactly who I don’t want to be.”

They say there’s always three truths, your truth, the other person’s truth, and then the real truth, so which one do you believe? This book is from the required YA authors.

• Here Chris Crutcher talks about Period 8 book interview uploaded by Harperteen.

• This link contains review questions to discuss with students as they read Period 8.

• Other books from Chris Crutcher include, Athletic Shorts, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, Running Loose and Chinese Handcuffs. 

THE BOY IN THE BLACK SUIT

Reynolds, J. (2015). The Boy in the Black Suit. New York, NY: Simon and Schuste.

Seventeen year old Matt Miller lives in New York City, recently lost his mom to breast cancer, and his dad had a car accident driving drunk and is now in the hospital. Matt is alone and has to grow up fast, so when Mr. Ray offers him a job in his Brooklyn neighborhood funeral home he is quick to take it even though he will not touch a corps. He’s pay would be $15.00, enough to help pay for the bills, and the only requirement is to wear a black suit daily. The weird thing is that Matt copes with his mother’s death by sitting in the back of funeral services and watching other people grief. Love is a tough girl who has also lost the ­­grandmother that raised her. Matt and Love meet at the funeral home become friends, and fall in love. Love is able to help him deal with his pain and together they do good deeds for people and he finds hope.

This is such a heartwarming coming of age book. Everyone at some point in time has had someone close to them die, and we all deal with their death differently. Matt is a relatable character, he’s a teenager who deals with the loss of his mother, which is a life changing experience and he’s trying to keep it together. Matt’s one of the lucky ones, he’s basically on his own because he’s father is in the hospital, ends up working for Mr. Ray and he becomes a father figure. He’s able to share feelings and emotions with Mr. Rey more than with any of his friends. This is what a lot of teenagers need, advice and guidance from a good person. One of the themes in this realistic YA novel is learning how to move on after the loss of a loved one and having the right support system helps. This book is on the list for Best Fiction for YA.

• This is an Interview with author of the Boy in the Black Suit, Jason Reynolds by Kirkus TV. 

• Click here for ideas on some Activities that can be done while reading the book The Boy in the Black Suit. 

• Another great book to read by Jason Reynolds is As Brave as You, about an 11 year old and his brother are sent to spend a month with their estranged grandparents while their parents figure things out.

MONSTER

Myers, W. (1999). Monster. New York; NY: HarperCollins.

They say the best time to cry is at night, when the lights are out and someone else is being beat up and screaming for help because if they hear you sniffle, it’ll be your turn next.

Sixteen year old Steve Harmon is sitting in a jail cell accused of a robbery gone bad and is feeling scared. The thing is he is facing 25 years. He decided to write his jail experience as a screenplay on a notebook to deal with it and title it Monster, the Story of My Miserable Life. All Steve thinks about is appeals, the only way for him to deal with this reality is to think of it as a movie. His mother and father don’t understand what makes their child hang out with troublemakers. The trial verdict sends the males involved away to serve for their crime; James King is said to have struggled with store owner with a gun was sentenced for 25 years, fourteen year old Osvaldo Cruz, affiliated with the gang “Los Diablos” was sent to a reformatory, Richard Bobo Evans who stole the money from register and packs of cigarettes was already in jail for other crimes, and Steve was announced not guilty. But the face O’Brien, his lawyer, makes after hearing she won keeps him wondering even after months after the trial if he really is a monster. He films himself often, from different angles trying to find his true image.

This is such a great fiction book! I really enjoyed the different fonts the author uses the story shifts from Steve being in film class to him being in the courtroom, very relatable, probably that’s the way a teenager would feel if they were in the same situation. The pain and remorse the Steve is feeling makes you think of your own student’s. I’d hate to think that there’s people that still stereotype others just by the color of their skin, as we see O’Brien tell Steve that she needs to work harder to prove him innocent because “for a young black man on trial, it's more like guilty until proven innocent.” The theme of the story is pressure to fit in take you through regrettable decisions. As in the case with Steve, they made fun of him for not being tough, and makes the decision to be the “lookout” for some guys as they rob a store. Next thing he knows is that they’re taking him in for murder. Very hard situation to be in and that a lot of teenagers find themselves in, they have to live with reality. Perhaps what he went through was a wakeup call, to get his life straighten up and be a good role model for his little brother.  This novel is on the required list for YA reads.

• Check out the book by Walter Dean Myers, Monster - Trailer by Steppenwolf Theatre Company

•   Walter Dean Myers Interview about "Monster" here he talks about the book and the challenges kids face.  Where they choose the easy route, in order to fit in. 

• These "Monster" Activities can help your students make connections between life and literature through combined reading, writing, and discussions.

• Also by Walter Dean Myers is “Slam!” Seventeen-year-old Greg "Slam" Harris knows he can be one of the lucky ones that can do it in the basketball court. He is having trouble with his grades and doesn’t take it very well when his teachers bring up their concerns for his future.

ANNIE ON MY MIND

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on My Mind. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Lisa and Annie are 17-year-old seniors.  Lisa is school president in a private school and wants to be an architect, while Annie attends a public high school and wants to be an artist. 

Their friendship started in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lisa stopped doing her project to see Annie sing.  Even though they came from different backgrounds, they shared an interest in history. They started doing what friends do, hang out, go to movies, and meet the parents.   

Unsure of their feelings and afraid of what others would say, they pretend to be just friends, and hide what they really feel.  While housesitting for Ms. Stevenson and Ms. Widmer, the girls get caught in the act and Liza is forced to “come out.” Because Mrs. Pondexter . headmaster, is closed minded, Liza is expelled and her teachers, Ms. Stevenson and Ms. Widmer must hear from the school board for being gay themselves.  Which has nothing to do with the way they teach.

Things don’t get any easier, where Annie has had some feelings about women, Lisa is trying to explain to herself what she should do and if what she feels is real.  One side

Lisa is confused about her sexuality, not knowing if it was okay to accept herself that way or if she should push her feelings aside.  When people start judging her, she fights back, saying it’s not a disease and it won’t affect her school life.  Finally, Liza accepts herself for being gay, the love she has for Annie sets her free of that fear.  She becomes an adult and accepts the consequences shows the coming of age of the story.

This YA Lesbian fiction novel is realistic appropriate for grades 7th – 12th. A perfect book for teens to read where they can see themselves like the characters in the story.

One theme of the book is that friendships can change your life. The friendship Liza has with Annie changes her life, they start off as friends and end up falling in love. Love is powerful is another theme, Liza and Annie were ridiculed by family, teachers and friends, though hard, their love surpassed it all.

High school kids deal with so many issues as it is, their sexuality shouldn’t be one of them. I enjoyed reading this book, it has such a positive message, homosexuality is not wrong or perverted and love always wins. Annie on My Mind is a required YA novel.

Here’s a movie trailer for the book"Annie on My Mind" by mspadafora

Learn more about the author of Annie on My Mind Nancy Garden.

Read NYT Article on Nancy Garden, she passed away on June 23, 2017 at the age of 76 or article in the School Library Journal by Mahnaz Dar.