Readings #1-8 (5385)

 King, A.S. (2016). Still Life with Tornado. Dutton Books for Young Reader. ISBN-10: 1101994886.

Author, A.S. King, takes readers on a journey through Still Life with Tornado. This compelling fictional novel is a spellbinding story about a struggling sixteen-year-old, Sarah. She is stuck between past, present, and future in this riveting and emotional whirlwind of a book. Protagonist, Sarah, skips school and wanders aimlessly through Philadelphia where she meets different versions of herself in efforts to internally resolve her traumas. Ten-year-old Sarah, vividly remembers her trip to Mexico, sixteen-year-old Sarah is dealing with her twisted feelings (stuck in the middle), twenty-three-year-old Sarah thinks 16-year-old Sarah is dumb, while forty-year-old Sarah is mature and carefree. At first, readers might assume this is about a teenager dealing with an existential crisis and her yearning for art, but as the story flows along, we can plunge into different perspectives and understand each character’s purpose. The author uncovers multiple layers throughout the abstract plot, giving each unique and complex character a deeper meaning. The author has a distinctive writing style that will lure audiences that are looking for a captivating young adult novel. The book does contain bad language and deals with the topic of abuse and emotional traumas. I Crawl Through It and Reality Boy by A.S. King are also good recommendations for young adult novels dealing with coming of age anxieties. 

Green. J. (2012). The Fault In our Stars. Dutton Books. ISBN-10: 9780525478812. 
Author, John Green, creates a beautiful, exceptional, and moving story about two young teens falling in love amidst terminal illnesses. This heart-wrenching realistic fiction is about teenager, Helen Grace, a cancer survivor who is clinically depressed. She carries an oxygen tank due to her weak lungs from constant medication and treatment of tumors and radiation for thyroid cancer. Helen is involved in a support group for the youth cancer survivors at church when she meets Augustus. Their instant connection is unique and through ups and downs their love evolves and grows as the story goes on. Through the Make-A-Wish foundation, they end up in Amsterdam and locate Helen’s favorite author to find out the ending of her favorite book. The author ends up being a total deception. They experience friendship, love, hope, and struggles through an illness that they both have in common. Unfortunately, Augustus dies but leaves Helen with the ending for her favorite book. He had secretly communicated with the author to add a eulogy he wrote for Helen in case she passed. The book conveys the yearnings, hardships, and reality that teenagers face when cancer takes over. Although Augustus dies in the end, they got to experience love at its fullest. The story contains bad language, sexual content, alcohol, and illness. Another similar recommendation is Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott.

Smith, A. (2015). Grasshopper Jungle. Speak. ISBN-10: 0142425001. 
This coming-of-age sci-fi novel written by Andrew Smith is a true original. The plot is set in a made-up small town of Ealing, Iowa. The story centers around sixteen-year-old teen Austin, girlfriend Shann, and gay best friend Robby. Their town is struck by a plague of giant six-foot-tall praying mantis that only care for two things: sex and food. Their appetites are unceasable and their strength is unstoppable. Austin and his friends have to fight against all odds to defend the human race and defeat the ruthless insects. The story is creepy, gross, humorous, sweet, and very entertaining. The author makes sure to include teenage drama, teenage boy sexuality, and family and friendship amidst the end of the world revolution. The author’s writing style is a metaphorically hilarious portrayal about teenage humans being faced with a world crisis and historical aspects in-between the lines. Grasshopper Jungle contains explicit language and sexual topics. Recommended is Exile from Eden: Or, After the Hole also by Andrew Smith, is the sequel to Grasshopper Jungle.

Thomas, A. (2017). The Hate U Give. Walker Books. ISBN-10: 1406372153. 
Angie Thomas gives readers a soul-wrenching, heart-felt, and realistic portrayal of a police encounter that ends in fatality. Main character, sixteen-year-old Starr Carter, lives between two worlds: a poor neighborhood, and a white dominated suburban prep school. She witnesses the death of her unarmed childhood friend, Khalil, at the hands of a police officer after fleeing a party. Being the only witness, Starr is faced with the greatest decisions of her life. Everything she says can directly affect her neighborhood and put her life in danger. Everyone is talking about the incident, the news, her school peers say he had it coming, her neighborhood is starting a revolution. Every word that comes out of her mouth can make a difference. She experiences, fear, anger, and frustration, all while she mourns the inexplicable death of her friend. Thomas gives us insight into what it is like to live in a neighborhood with a bad reputation, be part of a family with a reputation, and also be the only colored student in her classroom. This book is an eye-opener that will leave you questioning life. Another similar book is Dear Martin by Nic Stone.

Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi, A Girl in Pieces. Cinco Puntos Press. ISBN-10: 9781935955955. 
Isabel Quintero brings us a coming-of-age tale about Gabi Hernandez in this young adult fiction book, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces. Gabi is a senior in high school who keeps a diary/journal of her body struggles, experiences, friendships, family, and her traditional and religious Mexican upbringing. Gabi’s mother holds very strict and conservative views on sex before marriage and is worried Gabi’s is adapting too much into the “White” culture. Gabi’s father is a drug addict who comes in and out of Gabi’s life. One of her best friends is gay and the other is pregnant. Gabi is not Mexican enough for her family, and not white enough for California. Her diary helps her sort out her life’s experiences and her own views on embracing who she is as a bi-cultural Latina. The story deals with teenage struggles, addiction, rape, teen pregnancy, body image, sexuality, love and death all meddled in a diary of pure and raw honest feelings. Quintero’s writing style helps readers dive into her culture as she blends in Spanish and Spanglish phrases into the story. A similar recommendation is I’m Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez.

Ness, P. (2018). The Knife of Never Letting Go. Candlewick. ISBN-10: 1536200530.

Author, Patrick Ness, designs an unforgettable and unique sci-fi story about a young teen who lives in a world infected with a germ called noise. Todd Hewitt is the youngest of the men in his town Prentisstown, where women don’t exist and everyone can hear each other’s thoughts. Tedd’s foster parents Ben and Cillian have taken care of him since he was a baby after his parents were killed by the Spackle aliens in a great war. Todd soon discovers a hole in the Noise unlike he’s ever experienced. A young girl landed into the New World from a space ship and only she survived. Although they cannot communicate well enough, they end up teaming up in efforts to escape Aaron, the pastor, and the whole Prentisstown men who had deceived Todd his entire life. They journey through different lands in hopes of finding Haven, a safe place for both of them. After reoccurring misfortunes and setbacks, Aaron is killed and Viola ends up shot in the stomach. They reach Haven, only to their surprise, Mayor Prentiss is the only one there with them and welcomes them to the New World Order. The book contains unique text throughout the   chapters. The “Noise” is presented through multiple fonts that overlap each other. This book is a part of a trilogy including The Ask and the Answer and Monsters of Men all by Patrick Ness.

Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster. HarperCollins. ISBN-10: 0060280778.

Walter Dean Myers presents a realistic fiction portrayed by a sixteen-year-old colored teen named Steve Harmon. The story is told through Harmon’s personal, raw and honest, diary entries with intersections of a screen play of his life in the juvenile center and the courtroom. Main character, Steve Harmon was involved in a robbery that ended in murder. The witnesses are all from different backgrounds: Bobo, the thug, James King, the bad guy, Dorothy Moore, the cousin, Dr. James Moody, the medical examiner, and Steve. The reoccurring theme and question throughout the story is Steve’s internal struggle with the belief that he is a monster. At the end, the verdict proclaims Steve not guilty. He is left joyfully outstretched when his attorney turns away, leaving the burning question in his mind: Am I truly a Monster? Myers thought-provoking Monster, will give readers insight into the mind of a colored teen whose bad decisions have left him scared, alone, and desperate. Similar novel is Riot also by Walter Dean Myers.  

Anderson, L.H. (2018). Speak: The Graphic Novel. Farrar. ISBN-10: 0374300283.

Speak: The Graphic Novel is a remake graphic representation of the 1999 novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Anderson recreates the novel by giving readers a graphical portrayal of the text. The illustrations are black and white and make the story come to life. The plot centers on 13-year old main character, Melinda, who was raped at a summer party and is left depressed and vulnerable. She called the police that night and everyone turned against her. She is starting her freshman year as an outcast. She is bullied, threatened, and feels alone in her world. This book deals with heavy topics of sexual abuse, self-harm, depression, isolation, anxiety, and fear. Melinda is left speechless, but the more she secludes herself, the more her parents and teachers seem to pressure her. This coming-of-age graphic novel brings the story into a new existence, and reminds readers about the difficult topics that should never be ignored. Similar graphic novel is Monster: A Graphic Novel by Walter Dean Myers.