Tinti, Hannah (2008) The Good Thief. New York: Dial Press
Twelve-year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How he lost it is a mystery and how he came to be an orphan living in St. Anthony's Catholic Orphanage for boys in very Protestant New England in the 1800's. He longs for a family to call his own. When Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren's long-lost brother, the monks give Ren over to him. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through New England with Benjamin, Ren is introduced to an adventurous life filled with scam artists, grave robbers and petty thieves. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well.
Prose, Francine (2008) Goldengrove. New York: HarperCollins
When Nico's older sister, Margaret, suddenly dies from a heart condition while swimming in the family lake, her family consisting of Nico, her mother and father, as well as Margaret's boyfriend, Aaron, come to grips with the reality of her death in various ways -- some through drugs, some through denial, and with Nico and Aaron with some sexual tension. Nico is left on her own throughout this very traumatic time to figure out her grief.
Galante, Cecilia (2008) The patron saint of butterflies. New York: Bloomsbury
Agnes and Honey have always been different, but the older they get, the more they are growing apart. Agnes thinks life at the Mount Blessing religious commune is just perfect, and she longs to become a saint when she dies. Honey, on the other hand, hates the strict and oppressive environment at the commune and its controlling leader, Emmanuel. But when a terrible accident forces the girls to flee the commune with Agnes's grandmother, they test the bonds of their life-long friendship and try to understand what love, faith, and loyalty really mean.
Submitted by Bonnie LaForge, Fall 2008
Tharp, Tim. (2008). The Spectacular Now. New York: Knopf Books.
This is the story of and told by Sutter Keely. In the last few months before graduation the reader meets the “Sutterman”, as he likes to refer to himself. Keely is the good time guy. Sure, he drinks most of the day (his signature Seagram’s V.O. & 7up is with him at all times), idolizes Dean Martin, and is barely making good enough grades to graduate, but he’s the guy that will make you laugh. He’s the guy everyone wants at their party to break the ice and get things going. Even when not at a social gathering, he chooses to see the good side of the world. (And he’s smart enough to find a good side to every situation and every person.) After his beautiful and fat (his words!) girlfriend dumps him, he puts some time into saving the social misfit Aimee, who prefers Science Fiction and Fantasy books with horses in them to dressing in style. Sutter declares that he is going to help her fit in, meet the right people, and stand up for herself. But before he knows it, he finds out he’s dating her and she wants to be with him forever!
Will Wagler, Fall 2008
Contemporary Fiction 2008
Myers, W. D. (2008). Sunrise Over Fallujah. New York: Scholastic Press
Sunrise Over Fallujah is a book that follows the lives of American Soldiers in Iraq. They were told they are supposed to help the country that they have invaded but really they are trying to survive and attempting to understand a culture that they know nothing about. They are also dealing with being away from home in a hostile environment. Birdy goes into the war with high hopes and a misunderstanding of the realities of war. He comes out understanding why his Uncle Richie never talks about how Vietnam really was.
McBride, S. (2008). The Debs. New York: Delacorte Press.
The Debs follows the life of four Texas Debutants. They are rich teenage girls who are supposed to be proper ladies and act in socially acceptable ways. Yet, put them in a debutant ball and the claws come out. They figure out ways to step all over each other and act as unladylike ways as possible without getting themselves kicked out of the running. All while trying to get the other girls kicked out or even fighting to stay in. They learn many things about themselves and the life they were given during this year of becoming a debutant.
Sitomer. A. L. (2008). The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez. New York: Hyperion.
Sonia Rodriguez is the oldest daughter of an immigrant family. Her mother does not believe in birth control or taking care of her own kids. Sonia is left to take care of her younger siblings while her mother watches telenovelas. She is also forced to fend off her “drunkle’s” sexual advances. However, she is determined to free herself from the life she was given by being the first in her family to graduate from high school and go off to college.
Tashjian, Janet (2008). Larry and the Meaning of Life. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Larry is eighteen and desperately depressed. He is searching for the meaning in life and thinks that following in Henry David Thoreau’s footsteps and searching for his owl Walden Pond or going to the Pond will help. The only thing is he has to first learn to deal with what is in front of him instead of trying to make up his life as he goes along.
Godfrey, W. (Producer), & Hardwicke, C. (Director). (2008). Twilight [Motion picture]. Universal City, CA: Summit Entertainment.
Isabella (Bella) Swan relocates from living with her mom in sunny Phoenix, Arizona to living with her dad in the isolate, dreary-weather town of Forks, Washington. She’s not particularly happy with her new living situation, but she’s making the most of it. Things take a surprising turn when she meets the Cullen family, especially Edward Cullen. Despite his ‘mood swings giving her whiplash’, Bella finds herself drawn to Edward. Bella is often finding herself in a hot spot, and Edward, who ‘feels extremely protective’ of her becomes her constant savior. Things become more serious between the 2 teens, and Edward confides his families’ coveted secret: they’re vampires. Un-phased by this, Bella continues her relationship with Edward and his family – placing all their lives in danger. Adding to this, 3 rogue vampires have recently made Forks their new feeding ground, drawing a lot of unnecessary attention. A battle of good versus evil begins here, but will undoubtedly continue in the making of the future films. I can’t imagine YAs can relate to the vampirism aspect, but definitely some of the other issues. For instance, divorce, step-families, loneliness, high school, love, etc.
Desiree Lazo, December 9, 2008
Pearson, M. (2008). The adoration of Jenna Fox. New York: Henry Holt and Co.
Jenna Fox has just woken up from a year long coma. She is now 17 years old and has lost a year of her life - a life that she can’t remember. She must learn how to walk again, talk, and the meanings of words. When memories of her past slowly return to her, she begins to put the pieces of her life back together. Jenna soon learns that her parents are withholding information about her past. She begins to question her own humanity as she learns the truth about the accident that caused her coma. This novel questions the definition of humanity, what it means to be human, and bioethics.
Submitted by Travis Whitt on November 15, 2008
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Dowd, S. (2008). Bog child. Oxford: David Fickling Books.
Bog Child takes place in Ireland during the 1980s when inmates went on a hunger strike in protest of their treatment by the British government. Fergus McCann's brother is an inmate who decides to join the hunger strike. As this action causes strife within his family, he must also contend with the stress of making decisions about his future, in school and whether or not to stay in Ireland. His discovery of a girl's body in a bog located on the border between the north and south, which leads him to discover more about himself and the secrets of his family. Dowd presents an engrossing and transformative tale set against the backdrop of a turbulent time in Ireland's history.
Heather Neidenbach, November 2008
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Castellucci, C. (2008). Janes in love. New York: DC Comics.
This is the second book in the possible "Janes" series. It follows the book The Plain Janes which was listed as a Great Graphic Novel for Teens in 2008. This graphic novel is a mixture of typical teenage drama involving lbroken hearts, friendship and some community service . This second novel follows Jane and her "tribe" as they try to make the world more beautiful through art. Jane truly believes that if she can make other days beautiful it will take away the pain that is part of everyone's existence. This tale is told in graphic format with square boxes illustrating Jane's deep and emotional thoughts. You will breeze through this book and be wanting more!
Kimberly McNamara, November 2008
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Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic Press.
The United States no longer exists. It is now a country called Panem that is comprised of a capitol surrounded by 12 districts. To control the masses, the capitol puts on the hunger games. One boy and one girl from each district are selected through a lottery to be entered into the game. When Katniss’ little sister's is selected, she volunteers to take her place. While the entire country watches, contestants must fight each other to the death until one-survivor remains. Katniss has been the sole provider of food for her family since her father’s death in the coalmines. Their survival hinges on her ability to stay alive.
Submitted by Travis Whitt
Comments (2)
Leslie Liberman said
at 10:12 pm on Nov 29, 2008
Funke, Cordelia. Inkheart. Scholastic: New York, 2003.
Inkheart, by Cordelia Funke, pays homage to classic children’s literature both in structure, story elements, and in allusions. Meggie is a motherless figure who is further separated from her father and left to undertake an adventure to save him. Magical elements provide both help and hindrance in the course of her journey. Each chapter opens with a quotation from a classic work of literature, including authors such as Carroll, White, Dickens, Barrie, Shakespeare, Stevenson, Bradbury, Goldman, Grahame, Tolkien, Lewis, Twain, and Kipling. There is, Funke shows, a power in the literature that inspired us in our childhood, and that power has a force to be used for good or ill.
Dustfinger, a physically and emotionally scarred character who produces fire, sets the action in motion, appearing to Meggie and her father, Mo, with a warning of impending danger. The danger proves all too real. Funke bases her story on the idea that there are some who are gifted with the ability and responsibility to read characters in and out of the printed word. Dustfinger, for example, has fallen out of the fictional book Inkheart, while Teresa, Meggie’s mother, has been trapped in the story for many years. The villain, Capricorn, and his henchmen are seriously menacing, capable of great evil. For this reason, it is probably advisable that Funke’s novel seek an audience slightly older than the protagonist.
Submitted by Leslie Liberman
Leslie Liberman said
at 10:13 pm on Nov 29, 2008
Ruff, Matt. Bad Monkeys. Harper Perennial: New York, 2007.
A rollercoaster ride through philosophical and psychological questions of good and evil, Bad Monkeys with fast turns and twists throughout its convoluted, yet thoroughly engaging plot. The story tips its hat to much fine literature that precedes it. For example, the story begins with the protagonist, Jane Charlotte, telling her story to a psychiatrist in the tradition of Catcher in the Rye, though in this case it is to explain the murders she has committed. Her name has two references: first it alludes to the Bronte sisters and second may refer to author Philip Dick’s young sister, Jane Charlotte, who died in childhood.
According to Jane, she has been recruited by “The Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons” and for this secret organization she has murdered. But who is irredeemable and who gets to decide? As the plot twists and reveals identity shifts, as the characters become somewhat allegoric with names such as True, Wise, and Love, Jane’s hold on reality becomes questionable. A sonorous twist at the novel’s conclusion manipulates the reader’s assumption of reality, compelling a second reading of the novel.
Submitted by Leslie Liberman
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