Hard Love

Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. Simon & Schuster, New York: 1999.

Annotation: A teenager meets a fellow 'zine writer who he falls in love with and learns how hard love can really be.

Justification for Nomination: This novel packs a mean punch about dysfuctional families, lack of intimacy and finally being able to shed your thick protective skin in order to feel love. John, the main character in this story, is a bit of a loner, not really letting people into his life. Wittlinger does an excellent job developing this character and the reader has no trouble identifying with this young man whose parents have divorced and left him feeling lonely and without true affection. The relationship that he has with his parents is very realistic, and John's internal and external dialogue is nothing short of perfect. Having to deal with a father who left and a mother who hasn't physically touched him since the divorce, John is a character rich in turmoil, and Wittlinger exposes him to the reader like an open wound. The audiobook is read by an actor who's voice and inflections provide an excellent enhancement to the story itself.

All of the characters in this story are well-developed, none moreso than the edgy and dark Marisol, the self-proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian" with whom John becomes enamored. Whittlinger tells the story of how these two develop an unlikely friendship with heart and soul. The life-changing experience that John has at his prom involving Marisol is poignant, dramatic and perfectly evoked. This story succeeds in addressing the ever-present issue of the angst of teenage love. Emotional and true to life, Hard Love has all the right components to be an award winning novel.

Tackling the issue of homosexuality in the character of Marisol, Wittlinger opens the reader to a world that may not be comfortable, but is certainly enlightening, and will provide something for the reader who likes their stories edgy and emotionally impactful. Told through letters, zine articles and interviews, the story's format is also quite appealing. John's struggle to understand and accept something that he cannot change is an issue that will resonate with many young adult readers!

Genres: Printz Award Winner, Realistic/Edgy, Audio Books

Carrie

King, Stephen. Carrie. New York: Doubleday, 1974.

Annotation: A teenage high school girl uses her power of telekinesis to seek revenge on those who would taunt her and treat her as an outcast.

Justification for Rejection: Stephen King has created a classic tale of horror in the story of Carrie White, introducing the world to his supreme horror story-telling. However, although highly entertaining and suspenseful, I don't think this book would win any literary awards in the young adult genre. Many teens may be able to identify with the abuse and ridicule that Carrie suffers at the hands of her classmates and even her own mother, but I don't think the characters are as fully developed as they could be.

I did find interesting King's use of other forms of media in his book, including newspaper articles and even graffiti scratched onto desks. Carrie's use of her powers for revenge is also something that a teen might relate to; having a position of power to get back at those who have wronged them. The book even contains some reference to religion, but I'm not sure that the question of “who am I?” is really tackled sufficiently to make a teenager really think about it. I believe most of the attention is paid to the area of horror and scaring the pants off the reader as opposed to guiding a teenager into what it means to learn and mature after suffering the negative things that life has put in front on you.

The story is well told and the pace in the story is quick. I hardly wanted to put the book down, even though this was my second or third reading. I do think that this is a very interesting and entertaining horror novel, but I don't think it speaks to enough topics that are relevant in the life of a teenager. Even though I think there are a lot of elements of his book that may be recognizable to teenagers, the high school setting, dealing with peer pressure, and the ridicule by classmates, I don't believe that there is enough depth in the message to teens who are trying to identify and find themselves in the stories they are reading.

Carrie may be loved and enjoyed by all readers, young adults alike, but I think it misses the boat in educating and helping young adults to find the answer to the question “who am I?” I believe that King did a better job in his novella “The Body” where he certainly showed a knack for understanding the dynamics of childhood. I would certainly suggest that book before this one as it relates to a teen and the relevance that a book can provide.

Genres: Horror/Supernatural, Science Fiction

looking for alaska

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books. 2005.

Annotation: High school student Miles goes away to boarding school, looking for the “great perhaps” and finds so much more when he meets an eclectic group of friends, including Alaska, a girl who would change his high school experience forever.

Justification for Nomination: “Everything that comes together falls apart”. This important quote from John Green's highly engaging novel sets the stage for a well told, very poignant and powerful novel about love, loss and death and all it's mysteries. Told from the main character Mile's point of view, the dialog is completely realistic. Mile's voice is heard loud and clear and any teen would be able to relate to him. His love of last words is an interesting point which enhances the topic of endings and the finality of death. Though there is much smoking, mention of oral sex and a reference to drug abuse in this story, it is all important to the overall picture being presented. Many rites of passage that a teen experiences are explored in the novel, from the first kiss to the fear of school bullies. I believe that all young male and female readers would benefit from having heard Miles' story.

All of the characters in the story are well developed and believable; from staff to student. The plot is well-paced and the story portions are divided noting the days before and after the incident that changed young Miles' life. This book does an excellent job of exploring not only the teen coming of age question of “who am I”, but also the age old question that all teens eventually are stymied by, “what happens to us when we die”? Green's story addresses those topics beautifully. Miles and his interactions with his friends and family add to the realism of the story and provide lots of insight into his thoughts. You actually develop feelings for the characters as well. When Alaska, the title character whom Miles is smitten with, says “Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die”, you definitely raise your eyebrows and realize that the message being presented here is not frivolous.

I would certainly recommend this book to all teens because it is highly insightful, powerful and realistic and tells a story that we should all be familiar with.

Genres:
Coming of Age, Censored Challenged, or Banned Books, Printz Award Winner, Edgy Fiction

X Men:Origins

Carey, Mike, et al. X-Men: Origins. New York: Marvel Entertainment, LLC. 2009.
Annotation: A professor must gather a group of “mutants” with extraordinary powers to his school to teach them how to harness these powers for heroic purposes before the government captures them and uses them as weapons.

Justification for nomination: In the realm of science fiction graphic novels, X-Men Origins stands among the best. Not only will teens be able to relate to these characters as they struggle with the fact that they are different and to most people, frightening, the graphics will present an even more fascinating element. With graphics by Mike Mayhew depicting scientific experiments as well as the mutants’ struggle to control their potentially disastrous powers, young science fiction readers will be enthralled. Highly realistic and vivid illustrations enhance the overall appearance of this novel, making it one that will intrigue and stimulate the reader.

The characters are fully developed and each has his or her own story that allows the reader to be drawn into the individual worlds of each mutant as they embark on a quest to discover who they are and the significance of their power. With backstories that include the deaths of loved ones and the everyday challenges of fitting in, this book offers something that all teens can identify with. The story is true to the human condition, reflecting the emotional and ethical complexity that we all experience and which young adults are just beginning to understand and explore.

The pace of this novel, which is divided into portions dedicated to the story of each mutant’s origin, is very rapid, enhanced by the informative and yet perfectly realistic dialogue. The blood-thirsty Sabretooth is just as brilliantly profiled as is the unsure teenager, Jean Gray, who finally comes to realize that she, too, is a “perfectly healthy teenager”. The quest that she and the others begin in this book, like true science fiction and fantasy offerings, is facilitated by someone who will help them to achieve it. Charles Xavier is the professor who helps these lost souls to discover their true worth.

This book offers the sense of wonder that many young adults come to expect in their science fiction novels, and the empowerment that these main characters realize when they understand that they can become heroes is something that will attract and ultimately excite many young readers of science fiction.

Genres: Science-Fiction, Comic & Graphic Novels

All the Lovely Bad Ones

Hahn, Mary Downing. All the Lovely Bad Ones. New York: Clarion Books. 2008.

Annotation: Young pranksters Travis and his little sister Corey provoke long dead spirits who torment them and begin performing mischievous pranks in an attempt to have the two children assist in returning their souls to the place where they belong.

Justification for Rejection: Though this book was entertaining, I don't believe that Hahn has created anything that is outstanding in the way of young adult horror. She does not seem to embed her story with any of the core developmental themes that pervade a good work of horror or superstition for a young adult. At times eerie and atmospheric, there were occasions when I felt that the setting wasn't really conducive to a really scary story. Eventually, by the end of the story, however, the tension is racheted up a notch and things get a little creepier. Much like other young adult horror novels, the young protagonist and is sister are solely responsible for restoring the souls of the “lovely bad ones” and the other “shadow children” who died at a very young age to the place they rightfully belong, no longer haunting the inn that their grandmother owns.

Though the pacing of the story became somewhat fast, it seemed to take a while before any truly frightening action took place. The plot, surrounding a group of young children who had been placed on a “poor farm” and mistreated cruelly and ultimately killed by the mistress who runs the place, is true to the formula of some horror novels in that it stems from some past horrific incident. The inn is now haunted by the young children and the mistress who later went on to hang herself. The two young protagonists didn't seem to be alienated or rejected in any way, other than the fact that their grandmother didn't believe their story of ghostly spirits doing mischief on the property. They simply seemed to be pranksters, playing practical jokes that were unprovoked.

The thing that was most disturbing to me about the book was the fact that it was told in first person, from young Travis' point of view. Hahn's decision to use the first person left me feeling a sense of inauthenticity about the story. It seemed as if the way that the story was told would have come from someone much older and with a much more expanded vocabulary. The voice just didn't seem realistic from Travis' point of view. I believe that having placed the story in third person, Hahn would have created a more believable story.

I did not witness any transformation among the two protagonists towards the end of the book, indicating that they had been on a journey and that they had been curious to answer the question “what will happen to me when I die?” So, although an entertaining read for younger adults, I would not recommend this book as a finalist for the award.

Genres: Horror, Supernatural, Ghost Story

Flight

Alexie, Sherman. Flight. New York: Black Cat, an imprint of Grove/Atlantic Inc. 2007.

Annotation: Time-traveling, dramatic story of Native-American and Irish-born “Zits”, a young disturbed teenager who finally comes to realize that violence is not the answer.

Justification for Nomination: A Native American himself, Sherman Alexie has created the powerful and poignant story of a young orphaned boy, who hates his long-departed father and who desperately misses his deceased mother. Telling of Zits' transformation by having him flash into the lives of people past and present, Alexie's radical handling of the storytelling is simply amazing. Zits “Flight” takes him from place to place, traveling from an Indian reservation of the past to the body of his own father, slovenly and yearning for respect.

Though the story is about a young boy of multicultural background who doesn't consider himself a “legal” Indian because his father never claimed him, Alexie does not make the story solely about his heritage. In these “flights”, the reader does learn something about the differing culture, but there is no unnecessary stereotyping of Native Americans. He uses his references well and as a means to enhance Zits' final transformation. The subject of identity in the book is both heavy but not overdone. While speaking of one of his foster parents, Zits comments, “So who cares if Edgar was an Indian or not? His Indian identity was completely secondary to his primary identity as a plane-crashing asshole”.

Alexie's portrayal of Zits in the book is completely authentic. He captures the essence of this troubled teenager with his deeply passionate thoughts, rebellious actions and bitter dialog, bringing to mind Salinger's Holden Caulfield. The teen reader will relate to Zits' feelings of not belonging and rebelling against a world where he thinks he has no place. Each setting presented in the book is fully developed and very authentic, with dramatic events that take place throughout. The horrific act which Zits is about to pull off at the beginning of the book starts the tension that propels the reader to the next page.

This is a book that is probably intended for a more mature young adult as the language is frequently harsh, but I believe a young reader would certainly benefit from having met Zits, who finally opens up about what his true name is and perhaps begins to accept his true identity by the end of this magical flight.

Genre: Multicultural, Coming of Age, Problem Novels

Witch-Hunt:Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials

Aronson, Marc. Witch-Hunt Mysteries of the Salem Witch Trials. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. 2003

Annotation: Compelling historical look back at the people and events that led to the infamous Salem Witch trials and the myths and theories surrounding that disturbing period.

Justification for Nomination: Famous historian, Marc Aronsen has concocted a very well researched and in-depth story, giving as many concrete facts as he possibly can in an effort to reveal the incidents which led up to and beyond the Salem witch trials - and allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusion based on the information offered. With tons of references that teens are certain to understand, this book also contains other informational resources that offer an endless supply of historical facts and dates. A notes and comments section as well as a time line of the milestones in Puritan history prove that this non-fiction book is well-researched, containing much information that a reader will find useful in conclusion-making.

Beyond the outstanding reference material offered, Aronsen offers much background around this period and even cites and offers comparisons to previous stories and fairy tales that a young reader can easily relate to. Definitely always knowing who his reader is, Aronsen makes sure the content of the book is not only relevant to the story as a whole, but that it will be compelling to young readers. Relaying the differences between myths, misinterpretations and what is known to be true, the book contains the actual, as well as proposed, events. He introduces all of the players in this community of people and asks the reader to use his own experiences to make the final decision.

The style and tone of the book are very conversational and are perfectly attuned to young adult readership. It is not so simple as to make one feel immature, but neither is it a work that would intimidate a reader. The story is told in a very informative and yet compelling way, with accompanying illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, provided by Stephanie Anderson. These illustrations enhance the story, adding that all important visual element.

With a very intriguing subject matter, Witch-Hunt is a book that is outstanding because it presents the reader with the vivid story of the events of that period and informs the reader, while at the same time encourages him to come up with his own determination of what really happened in Salem.

Genres: Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Supernatural