American Born Chinese - Gene Luen Yang

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 2006. $19.95. Hardcover. ISBN: 9781415688786.
Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

Do you enjoy graphic novels? Do you like funny stories with lots of action? Then American Born Chinese is for you!

This quick paced novel includes three separate tales. The first is the Chinese folklore of a monkey king who wishes to be powerful and in control of his destiny. The second is about a middle school Chinese boy who often finds himself the butt of his school mates' racial jokes. The third tale uses cultural stereotypes as one boy attempts to fit in at high school only to have his cousin from China come visit and embarrass him in front of his new friends. In the end these three stories are weaved together for a startling conclusion. A mixture of fantasy and realism, packed full of humor and action, American Born Chinese will not disappoint!


Awards/Honors
Young People's Literature National Book Award Finalist - 2006
Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album - 2007
Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year - 2007
ALA Michael L. Printz Award Winner - 2007
NPR Young Adult Fiction Finalist - 2012

Picture from The New York Times

Teen Talk with Rebekah

"I have read the Hunger Games. I like the adventure and the strategy. And the Danger." ~ Rebekah S., age 14

Rebekah is currently reading...

Cover art from indiebound.com

For the full interview with Rebekah and other teens visit the Teen Talk Page.

Upstate - Kalisha Buckhanon

Cover art from Goodreads.com

Buckhanon, Kalisha. Upstate. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2005. $19.95 Hardback (247p) ISBN:9780312332686.

Recommended for ages 14+.

Upstate is told through letters. The letters of seventeen-year-old Antonio from jail, the boy who has been accused of a violent crime that could potentially lead to a lifetime behind bars. And the letters of sixteen-year-old Natasha from her home in the Harlem hood, the girl who loves Antonio and promises to stick by him no matter what. The letters tell of the passionate relationship these two share and provide background into life in the hood.  Though the couple’s writing the reader is given an intimate view into the hopes and dreams of both Antonio and Natasha. These letters cover a span of nine years and detail the growth of each character. The result is a heartbreaking and utterly unforgettable tale.

Awards/Honors

ALA Alex Award Winner - 2006
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - 2006
Audie Award Winner Literary Fiction - 2006
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Hard Knock Life - 2010

Here is an excerpt from the audiobook:

Airhead - Meg Cabot

Cover art from megcabot.com

"I honestly don't think you have a right to complain. You went into my surgery a grievously injured girl and came out a supermodel! Millions of girls would die -- literally -- to be in your shoes right now!" (p.165)


Cabot, Meg. Airhead. New York: Point, 2008. $16.99 Hardback (340p) ISBN:9780545040525.
Recommended for ages 12-16.


Em Watts is a brainy, t-shirt and jeans wearing, video game-loving seventeen year old girl. She has little interest in the latest trends, preferring to spend her spare time gaming with her best friend, Christopher – the boy she secretly has a crush on. All this changes when a freak accident causes Em’s brain to wind up in supermodel Nikki Howard’s body. To all except her immediate family Em Watts is dead. Now instead of studying and gaming, Em is busy modeling for magazine covers and signing autographs as Nikki Howard. She has all the clothes, shoes, and accessories a girl could want but she no longer has Christopher in her life. She can’t disclose her secret so her only choice is to convince Christopher that Nikki Howard is not just another pretty Airhead.


Awards/Honors
YALSA Popular Paperback nominee - 2010

The rest of the Airhead series:

Watersmeet- Ellen Jensen Abbott

Cover art from indiebound.org

Abbott, Ellen Jensen. Watersmeet. Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish, 2009.  $8.99 Paperback (341p) ISBN:978076145997. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Her only hope of survival lies in Watersmeet but getting there will mean overcoming her own deeply engraved prejudices and trusting those whom she once despised.

With her dark hair and green eyes, Abisina has been an outcast since birth. Never allowed to talk or merely make eye contact with the blonde, blue-eyed, fair skinned villagers. Only her mother's (Sina) status as the village's sole healer has kept Abisina alive for this long, living in Vranille behind tall walls to keep out the beasts - the dwarfs, the centaurs. When the annual Ritual takes place this year not even Sina's status can keep her daughter safe within the village. With her mother's prized necklace Abisina sets off to find her father at Watersmeet. Getting there will require trusting those she previously had intolerance for. Getting there will mean confronting her deepest fears. Getting there will require Abisina to look deep into herself and discover her own power. In this dark world full of hatred and violence there lies a land full of love and acceptance. Will Abisina find it in time?


Awards/Honors
IRA Young Adult Award Notable Book
YALSA Teens' Top Ten Nominee
Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award - 2011

This is a trilogy. The next title is The Centaur's Daughter.

Cover art from indiebound.org

The last book is currently being called The Keeper and will be released fall 2013. 

Visit the author's blog for up-to-date information on this series.

Teen Talk with Wendy

"I love to read! It's like I go to another land and relax."              

~ Wendy L., age 16       

Wendy recommends The Golden Compass Trilogy by Philip Pullman.

"It's amazingly catchy and it's well written."

Cover art from goodreads.com

For the full interview with Wendy and other teens visit the Teen Talk Page.

The Frenzy - Francesca Lia Block

Cover art from Goodreads.com

“At some point in everyone’s life they ask the question, “Who am I?”

Four years ago when I turned thirteen I asked the question, “What am I?”

I had changed.

But I didn’t know how or why, or what I had become.” (p.1)

Block, Francesca Lia. The Frenzy. New York: HarperTeen, 2010.  $16.99 Hardback (258p) ISBN:9780061926662.

Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Liv is living in a small town where different is not accepted. It’s bad enough that she has to hide her interracial relationship with her boyfriend, Corey, and a secret for her best friend, Pace. Now she also must hide who she truly is. But who is she? Or maybe the question is what is she? This is the question she has been asking herself the last four years since the frenzy took hold. The frenzy occurs anytime Liv begins to lose her temper. In these times a great anger overtakes her and she becomes someone she cannot recognize. As Liv tries to keep her emotions under control, her father, the chief of police, is trying to solve a string of murders that have taken place behind her home. Are these events connected? As Liv draws closer to the truth, a mysterious woman is watching her from afar. What does this woman know? As Liv begins to unravel her true identity, both Pace and Corey seem to grow more distant. Can her relationship with Corey and her friendship with Pace survive The Frenzy? 


Awards/Honors
Margaret A. Edwards Award Winner - 2005

Hear Francesca Lia Block read the first chapter of this book.

Silver Kiss - Annette Curtis Klause

Cover art from indiebound.org

A figure detached from the shadows. Her mouth dried. Mother of two found dead, she thought. It moved toward her. Stepped into the moonlight on the side closest to her, and briefly she thought to run. Then she saw his face. (p.12)


Klause, Annette Curtis. The Silver Kiss. New York: Delacorte Press, 1990. $8.99 Paperback (198p) ISBN:9780385734226.
Recommended for ages 12+.

Dangerous vampires, forbidden love, and an unraveling mystery all allow for The Silver Kiss to be read at a breath-taking pace. Just be sure to leave all the lights on.

Zoe has never felt so isolated and unsure in her life. Her mother is dying. Her best friend is moving. Her dad is always either at the hospital with her mother or working. Women of the town are turning up dead with throats slashed, drained of blood. This is not a good time to be out alone after dark but that is exactly where Zoe finds herself. That is until she meets Simon. Who is this mysterious, gorgeous guy? And why is he so infatuated with Zoe? This pale, dark eyed boy with silver hair hides an ancient, deadly secret. Zoe senses that she should stay away from him but her heart won’t allow it. Besides, Simon desperately needs Zoe’s help. It’s just that helping him might also cost Zoe her life.

Awards/Honors
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults - 1991
Sequoyah Young Adult Award Winner - 1993
Young Hoosier Young Adult Book Award Nominee - 1993-1994
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for YA Changing Dimensions - 1999
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for YA Death and Dying - 2009

Almost Perfect - Brian Katcher

Cover art from indiebound.org

Katcher, Brian. Almost Perfect. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. $9.99 Paperback (368p) ISBN: 9780385736657.

Recommended for ages 14 & up.

Logan Witherspoon has just begun his senior year at high school. Life should be exciting and full of promise. But his cheating long-term girlfriend has dumped him, and his friends are tired of hearing about it. His sister is away at college and his mother is always working to make ends meet.  Logan is feeling depressed and alone. That is until a new girl enters his biology class. Sage Hendricks is everything Logan every wanted in a girl – funny, witty, and cute. The two awkwardly get to know one another and soon discover they have feelings for each other. Everything falls apart when Sage confides in Logan her deepest secret - that she is physically a boy. Logan is enraged and storms off. What will his friends and family think if Sage’s secret is made public? It doesn’t take long for confusion to set in as Logan realizes that he deeply misses Sage’s friendship. Yet in order for their friendship to succeed Logan must accept Sage for who she is and come to terms with Almost Perfect.

Awards/Honors
ALA Stonewall Children's and Young Adult Literature Award - 2011
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults - 2010
ALA Rainbow Book List -2010
YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults - 2013

Divergent - Veronica Roth

Cover art from indiebound.org

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011.  $17.99 Hardback (487p) ISBN:9780062024022

The most important day in sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior’s live has arrived. She will decide which fraction she will spend the rest of her life in. She can pick from the selfless Abnegations, the peaceful Amities, the honest Candors, the brave Dauntless, or the intelligent Erudite. In a world where fraction always comes before family this is the toughest decision Beatrice Prior will ever make. Remaining with her Abnegation family goes against her very nature but acceptance is not guaranteed in any of the other fractions. A wrong choice could leave her fractionless, the very worst fate of all. To complicate matters more, Beatrice has a big secret. A secret that if revealed could cost her life. And as Beatrice soon discovers, a secret that might just save the lives of all those she loves.

Awards/Honors
Goodreads Favorite Book of 2011
Goodreads Best YA Fantasy & Science Fiction - 2011
Named one of NPR's Top 5 YA Novel - 2011
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - 2012
NPR Young Adult Fiction Finalist - 2012


Veronica Roth talks about her book, Divergent, and the characters:

Next book in the trilogy:

Cover art from indiebound.org

Final book (still untitled) releasing Fall 2013:

"Cover" art from librarything.com

Movie tie-in:
Divergent is also being made into a movie, set to release in March 2014. Catch up on what's being said about this as well as see photos and more at Tumblr. 

To countdown the movie The Faction Four has 365 entertaining challenges, one for each day until the movie is released beginning on March 21, 2012. 

Website:
Serious Divergent fans will enjoy all the updates and extra on the Divergent Fans site. There is lots of behind-the-scenes info here as well.

Things Not Seen - Andrew Clements

Cover art from indiebound.org

Clements, Andrew. Things Not Seen. New York: Puffin Books, 2002. $6.99 Paperback (251p) ISBN: 9780142400760.

Recommended for ages 10-14.

Have you ever felt as if you were invisible? As the only child of two working parents fifteen-year-old Bobby Phillips has felt this way plenty of times. When he wakes up one morning truly invisible he realizes exactly what this word means. While his family attempts to figure out how this happened, Bobby is forced to keep his situation a secret and stay secluded. At first skipping school and being invisible is fun but the loneliness soon gets to him so Bobby sneaks out one day to the library. Here he finally finds someone he can talk to. Alicia is blind and to her Bobby seems perfectly normal. The pair become quick friends and Bobby ends up sharing his secret with her. Perhaps together they can discover how to make Bobby visible again. But they must hurry as time is running out. The police have shown up at Bobby’s home, questioning his absence from school and they are not buying his mom’s story. Will Bobby be able to reverse his condition before his parents are sent to jail? Or will he remain unseen for the rest of his life?

Awards/Honors
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults List - 2003
ALA Schneider Family Book Award for Teen - 2004
Young Hoosier Middle Grade Book Nominee - 2004-2005

Other titles in this series 

Cover art from indiebound.org

Cover art from indiebound.org

Listen to one teen's thoughts on this title:

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic - Alison Bechdel

Cover art from indiebound.org

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. $19.95 Hardback (232p) ISBN: 9780618477944.
Recommended for ages 16+.

In Fun Home Alison Bechdel examines her father’s untimely death and her relationship with him from her childhood up through her early college years. The fun home refers to the funeral home owned by her father’s family, where her father worked part-time as an undertaker and she spent many hours of her childhood. Both of Alison’s parents were English teachers and the literary references found throughout this tale seem to demonstrate the form of communication used within the home, as well as the influence of books on Alison’s life. As Alison visits her past she pokes fun at her family and their dysfunctional situation yet raw, painful emotion is a constant – a comedy with its twin tragedy nearby at all times. Alison’s story is not told in chronological order but rather jumps from an incident in childhood to a related occurrence later in life or one from her father’s younger years. This allows the reader to come to revelations in much the same manner Alison most likely did, connecting one event to another. Alison blames herself for her father’s death but in the end comes to terms with who he was as a man and what he meant to her as a father.

The graphic novel format of this book may appeal to young adults and allows Alison to capture much more detail and emotion than words could have done alone.  However, part of the charm of this title lies in the graphical pictures that draw childhood memories from adult readers.  Due to the graphic nature of several illustrations and the complex verbiage used throughout the title, this book is recommended for those 16 and older. This engaging, thoughtful memoir crosses into LGBTQ and graphic novel genres.

Awards/Honors
Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work - 2007
Publishing Triangle Judy Grahn Award - 2007
ALA Stonewall Book Award Israel Fishman Nonfiction Award - 2007
Lambda Literary Award Lesbian Memoir/Biography - 2007
National Book Critics Circle Nominee for Memoir/Autobiography  - 2006

NPR interview with Alison Bechdel: