Student Quote:

“A classic is a classic, everyone should be able to say they’ve read at LEAST one of the popular classics in today’s world! My Favorite is A Wrinkle in Time”

- S. Gallen, 16

Aya De Yopougon by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie

Abouet, Marguerite; Oubrerie, Clement. Aya De Yopougon. New York: Drawn and Quarterly, 2007. ISBN10: 1894937902. Hardback. USD $19.95.

Awards/Honors:

2006 Angoulême International Comics Festival Prize for First Comic Book

Annotation:

Aya is nothing like her friends. Africa is not always what it may seem.

Booktalk:

What were the 'turning points' for you as a young reader?

I have always treasured the stories that my maternal grandfather told me around the fire during the holidays in the village. All of those stories in our oral tradition were rich, imaginative accounts of mythology, wonderful tales. He taught me to pay attention to what occurred around me, to listen to the stories, and then become a storyteller. These stories of the Ivory Coast provided fertile ground for my imagination. Then when I arrived in Paris, I discovered the libraries and I started to devour all kinds of literature. - Marguerite Abouet

You’ll need to check out this graphic novel for the illustrations in itself. Aya is a 19-year-old girl that lives in Africa, and is striving to become a doctor. Author’s Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie capture the essence of the daily lives of Aya and her friends through bright images that complete the story in every way. Aya is very studious, while her friends enjoy the party life. Pick up this book and follow the lives of three young women as they show off the side of Africa that isn’t full of problems and poverty!

Krystle. (February, 2010). Friends of African Village Libraries. Marguerite Abouet and her 

graphic novel series "Aya." Retrieved November 18, 2012 from

http://www.favl.org/blog/archives/2010/02/ivorian-author-marguerite-abouet-and-her-graphic-novel-series-aya.html 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

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Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little, Brown, and Company, 2007. Print. ISBN: 978-0-316-01368-0. Hardcover, $16.99 USD. 

Awards/Honors:

-2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature
-2008 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry
-2009 Odyssey Award as the year's "best audiobook for children or young adults", read by Alexie (Frederick, MD: Recorded Books, LLC, 2008, ISBN 1-4361-2490-5).
-2010 California Young Reader Medal, Young Adult Book (eligible to win once during its first four years)
-"Best Books of 2007", School Library Journal
-2008 "Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults", Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
-"2009 Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults", YALSA

Annotation:

Junior wants to be Arnold. Arnold wants to respected and understood. Being respected and understood is hard work. 

Booktalk:

The absolute truth is exactly what 14-year-old Arnold Spirit, known as Junior, is going to give you. He let’s you know the truth about everything, the truth about racism, about alcoholism, about drugs, and mainly about himself, a teenager with a rough life. Have you ever wanted to get up and leave your normal routine behind? Junior is sick of being picked on; he was born with multiple problems and not looking like the “typical” kid is a problem in itself! On the Spokane Indian Reservation, Junior is the kid that does not fit in. He decides to attend school outside of the reservation and this is where he becomes Arnold, the only Indian in an all white school with a jump shot worth bragging about. Splitting his life in to two is yet another challenge that Junior faces, but it’s nothing that he can’t handle.

Sherman Alexie speaks about his book:

Teacher Tube booktalk

Follow Sherman on Twitter!

All American Girl by Meg Cabot

Cabot, Meg. All American Girl. New York: HarperCollins, 2008. ISBN-13: 9780061479892. Paperback. USD $8.99. 

Awards/Honors
-#1 New York Times Best Seller on its Children's Chapter Book List; 6-week run on list
-A Publishers Weekly Best Seller
-10-week run on the New York Times Children's Paperback Best Seller List
-A Publishers Weekly and a BookSense Best Seller (paperback)
-Selected for the Fall 2002 Children's BookSense 76 List
-Selected for the Texas Lone Star Reading List for the 2003-2004 school year
-Chosen by the New York Public Library as a 2003 "Book for the Teen Age"
-Chosen by the ALA as a 2006 Popular Paperback for Young Adults: Books That Don't Make You Blush: No Dirty Laundry Here
-Won Washington State's 2005 Evergreen Young Adult Book Award
-Nominated for the 2007 Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award
-Nominated for the 2007 Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award

Annotation:

Note to self: when you save the President, your life may never be the same. Samantha learns this the hard way.

Booktalk:

Samantha Madison’s Top 10 Predicaments:  

10- Middle child syndrome... enough said. 

9- Sam doesn’t understand why her older sister, Lucy, is THAT popular. 

8- Why did Sam’s parents have to give her younger sister, Rebecca, all of the brains in the family? 

7- Jack, Lucy’s boyfriend, is really more Sam’s type. When is he going to see that? 

8- Sam is forced to attend art classes as a type of punishment from her parents. This is their way of cleaning up her act after wrongfully selling her celebrity drawings to classmates. 

7- Skipping art class was a mistake. While doing this, the President of the United States is right in front of Sam’s eyes, walking right into a bakery that is next to her music store. The other guy that sees the President is not as shocked as Sam. He planned on seeing him then and there. He also planned on killing the President. 

6- Sam is now in the hospital after jumping on the attacker and knows that she just saved the President’s life. 

5- Sam is labeled a national hero. 

4- The President has made Sam the teen ambassador. 

3- The President’s son, who is in her art class, has a crush on her. 

2- Sam has a crush on the President’s son. 

1- But is still in love with Jack, her sister’s boyfriend.   


Quirky Booktalk:

Meg Cabot's Official Page

Follow Meg on Twitter!

Like Meg on Facebook!

Student Quote:

"I read every single day!"

E. Jones, 15, when asked how often she reads.

N. Krych- What do you like to read?

E. Jones- Mostly urban books, anything on African American culture. 

N. Krych- Have you read anything by Ni-Ni Simone yet? I just finished one of her novels for my class.

E. Jones- No, but I have been told her books are awesome! I'll have to check them out.
N. Krych- What do you think about classic books like The Catcher in the Rye or To Kill a Mockingbird
E. Jones- I don't read classic books but I would look at them to see if there's one I'd enjoy.
N. Krych- You should check out my blog.

Upgrade U by Ni-Ni Simone

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Simone, Ni-Ni. Upgrade U. New York: Kensington Publishing Corporation..  2011. ISBN-13: 9780758241917. Paperback. USD $9.95. 

Awards/Honors:

2012 Street Lit Book Award Medal Winner

Annotation:

Seven thinks she knows what love is, high school love that is. Nobody told Seven that when you get to college, everything changes.

Booktalk:

Goodbye high school, Hello College! Seven McKnight has finally arrived in New Orleans after leaving her home state of New Jersey behind. She hopes that everything will remain the same since her High School boyfriend, Josiah, and best friend, Shae, also attend the same college. Little does Seven know that once high school ends… relationships and feelings may end as well. When college starts, sophomore basketball star, Josiah, is immediately shady and the drama begins to unravel.

Making new friends, tackling the oh-so-hated emotion called jealousy, fighting for her place in Josiah’s heart, learning how to trust again, and making her own individual mark on campus as a freshman in College, Seven learns that things do change after high school, and that just may be okay! The new boys on campus aren’t so bad looking after all.

 Purchase the eBook of Upgrade U on iTunes or read a sample!

                 Ni-Ni Simone's Official Page
Follow Ni-Ni on Twitter!

Student Quote:

"I love to read. When you read, you learn more. I would choose reading a good book over going out with friends or shopping at the mall any day."- P. Joseph, 16, high school student by day, Northeast Regional Library employee by night.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1993. Print. ISBN 978-0-395-64566-6. Hardcover. $17.00 USD. 

Awards/Honors:
-1994 Newbery Medal
-1994 Regina Medal
-1996 William Allen White Award
-A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
-School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Annotation:

Jonas knows that he is different. Being different can be a good thing, or a bad thing. Either way, nothing could prepare Jonas for what the Giver has to offer.

Booktalk:

Can you imagine not knowing what pain felt like? Or not knowing what it felt like to hate or be scared of something? How about not seeing any color, a world filled with grays and blacks and whites. When you were a kid and your teachers asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, what did you tell them? This is the type of society that eleven-year-old Jonas lives in and it’s the only life he has ever known. He doesn’t have the feelings we do and his teachers never asked what he wanted to be when he grew up. In Jonas’ society, the children had no career choices; instead they were assigned their future on their twelfth birthday (The Ceremony of Twelve) and Jonas could not wait to find out what his future held for him.

Jonas knew he was different from the other children, he could see colors flash in front of him and he has other special powers that nobody else has. Due to these remarkable abilities, Jonas is assigned the Receiver of Memory and is to learn everything he needs to know from The Giver. The Giver is an elderly man who helps Jonas learn how to utilize his talents and receive information that may not be what Jonas was prepared to deal with. Will Jonas enjoy his future assignment? With the information the Giver has, will this push Jonas away or make him love his community even more? Overall, Jonas has to remain happy, considerate, and obedient because those who rebel are “released.” 

Interview with Lois Lowry on The Giver:

Kates Book Club- book review:

Lois Lowry's Official Page

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. ISBN: 9780316160193. Hardback. USD $19.99. 

Awards/Honors:
-Publishers Weekly's "Best Children's book of 2005
-School Library Journal's "Best Books of 2005"

Annotation:

Bella knows one thing and one thing only. She can not live without Edward and she will do anything to be with him.

Booktalk:

"It will be as if I’d never existed"

What would you do if the person you loved most up and left, without a trace? No phone call, no address, nothing left behind to be found. This is exactly what Edward wants…. to disappear.

In the second book of the Twilight series, Bella Swan’s world is shattered after Edward Cullen, her love, leaves her behind. Edward is a vampire and can’t bare the thought of Bella getting hurt by him and decides that the best thing to do is leave his home, his life, and his world behind to save his girlfriend from being harmed. To fulfill her loneliness and broken heart, Bella starts to hang out with her new friend, Jacob Black. Jacob, a new werewolf, also has feelings for Bella, leaving her head and her heart filled with mixed emotions. Bella begins to rebel and do things that are dangerous such as driving a motorcycle and cliff diving just to see images of Edward telling her to be safe and to be good. Edward’s sister, who can see the future, thinks that Bella is killed while participating in one of her thrilling acts and soon things turn for the worse. Edward wants to die to because without Bella he believes he is nothing. 

Will Edward succeed in finding an end to his life? How will he find out that Bella is alive? The emotions of love go deep and when it comes to first love, Bella now knows that life without Edward is no life at all.


Stephenie Meyer's Official Website


Twilight Movie Trailer:

Meet Stephenie Meyer:

Twilight Facebook Page!

Pink by Lili Wilkinson

Wilkinson, Lili. Pink. New York: Harper Teen, 2009. Print. ISBN978-0-06-192653-2. Hardcover. $16.99 USD.

Awards/Honors:

-Highly Commended, The Barbara Jefferis Award 2010
-Honor Book for the US 2012 Stonewall Book Award for children's and young adult books of exceptional merit relating to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender experience

Annotation:

Ava is not gay or straight. Ava likes to wear black, but also likes to wear pink. Her world is split in to two and she doesn't know where she fits in.

Booktalk:

“I hid backstage, taping down leads so the actors wouldn’t trip over them. I liked the satisfying feeling of pulling the black gaffer tape from the roll and ripping it off. I also liked the darkness. No one could see me here. I didn’t have to feel like I was the one being ripped apart between my two new identities.”  

Ava, a high school student that would love to fit in is on a roller coaster ride of a lifetime. This young character wants a change from it all, her all black wearing wardrobe, her title as a lesbian, her bold and beautiful girlfriend, and the school that isn’t taken seriously by its’ students. Sick of hiding her love of learning, Ava leaves it all behind to start at a new school, Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence. Here she will find out if she likes boys, can fit in to the popular crowd, and most of all, can wear pink. 

At first Ava divides her two worlds secretly and with minor lies and complications. The world with girlfriend Chloe and the world of Billy Hughes remain unknown to one another but soon things become complicated. Ava finds herself backtracking and fitting in with the “Screws” (the stage crew screw-up’s) rather than fitting in with the Pastels” (the pale clothed preppy kids). Now life has become even more complicated. Ava has to figure out if she’s a lesbian, straight, or bisexual. She also has to learn to stop trying to fit in and to be herself. It all seems very complicated but when is high school and being a teenager ever simple?  

Lili Wilkinson Official Page!

Lili Wilkinson's book review of her own book: 

Follow Lili on Twitter!

The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Whitney, Daisy. The Mockingbirds. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2010.  9780316090537. Hardcover. $16.99 US

Awards/Honors:
2010: 
-A Romantic Times Best Book, 
-A Best Book for Young Adults- ALA
- An NPR Best Book
- An Association of Booksellers for Children New Voices Pick
- Chicago Public Library Best of Best Books for Teens
- Northern California Independent Booksellers Association Book of the Year Award Honorable Mention
- An indie Next List Pick
- A GoodReads Mover and Shaker for November
2011:
- The Books-A-Million teen book club pick for January

Annotation:

Alex has no intentions on forgetting the nightmare of what happened to her. She will use her voice and speak out for what she believes in and seek revenge.

Booktalk:

“Some schools have honor codes. Others have handbooks. Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.”

The faculty of Themis Academy boarding school believes that their school is “la crème de la crème!”, aka “the best of the best!” and nothing bad ever happens to their students… or so they wish to believe. When Alex Patrick is date raped, she is afraid to turn to the authorities for advice, yet alone help because she is worried about what others will say. The school would never believe that this could happen to one of their students and Alex feels as if she can only turn to her friends, as well as a group called The Mockingbirds. The Mockingbirds is a secret society that is Alex’s backbone during this rough time in her life. Alex didn’t run and hide from her surroundings after her rape; instead she attempted to make life slowly progress back to normal.

This is a “fight for what you believe in” type of book. Alex is a strong willed character that girls will look up to. I can honestly say that this was my favorite YA book of the semester. This page-turner is captivating and full of emotion. One minute you are curious and questioning, the next you are angry or shocked. Rape is a touchy subject and this book touches the basis of the topic that will let readers know that sex without consent is wrong.

Daisy Whitney's official page


An interview with Author, Daisy Whitney:

The Mockingbirds Facebook Page!

Follow Daisy on Twitter!

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print. ISBN 978-0-618-47794-4. Hardback. $19.95 USD.

Awards/Honors:
2007: 
-GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book
-Stonewall Book Award for non-fiction
-Publishing Triangle-Judy Grahn Nonfiction Award
-Lambda Literary Award in the "Lesbian Memoir and Biography" category
-Eisner for Best Reality-Based Work

Annotation:

Alison's father has passed away. Along with his body, his secrets are buried as well, until Alison tries to dig them up.

Book Review:

“I wanted the muscles and tweed like my father wanted the velvet and pearls.”  

Alison Bechdel is a young woman re-telling the story of her life, which includes her father’s sudden death, his hidden secrets, and her coming out as a lesbian. Bechdel’s graphic novel displays detailed pictures of how and where she grew up and what surrounded her. She had a strange relationship with her father, who was detail oriented, had a meticulous house, perfect garden, expensive hair products, and worked as a funeral director and school teacher. Bechdel described her father as a closet homosexual and researched his life closely after his death to figure out if he really was a gay man, one who enjoyed picking out wallpaper, crown molding, and chandeliers. Most of the pictures of Bechdel’s father included him reading a book or sitting in his home library. The books, such as The Great Gatsby and pieces written by Camus and Fitzgerald, were an important part of the novel and they played a large role in her memory of him. Bechdel also breaks down her father’s death piece by piece to figure out if it was a suicide or an accident.

This non-fiction biography was a first for me. I have never read a graphic novel and it took me awhile to slowly read it while looking at the pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed it and believe that it should be in high school and public libraries. Since the book contains sexual pictures and a strong story line, I believe the age group should be 13 and up. Bechdel comes out as a lesbian and eventually figures out that her father was gay and the topic would be great for students who can relate to this situation and would like to read a coming out story. I think that the book is inappropriate for students younger than 13. I found myself smiling throughout the book as if I was a part of Bechdel’s family. She did a great job recreating her life through a graphic novel. 


View sketches and drawings while Bechdel explains how she created her book:

Watch Bechdel read an excerpt from her book:

Alison Bechdel's Facebook page!