The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown.

Summary:  Arnold “Junior” Spirit is a Spokane Indian living on an Indian reservation.  He was born with many health issues and growing up he is everyone’s punching bag except his best friend Rowdy.  As Junior enters high school he makes a bold decision to attend an all-white school in a nearby town and betray his people.   This story follows Junior through his freshman year and the trials he faces as a kid from the “rez”.  In the end Junior loses a lot but learns that he has a strength inside himself he never knew existed.  He learns to balance his part-time life on the “rez” and his part-time life in the white school.  There are several themes at play in this story one being isolation, not only is there a geographical isolation of the rez where Junior lives. Junior also has physical isolation due to his size.  Loss of friendship, life, and identity are reoccurring in this story as well.  Race and racism are ever present too. 

Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3QMxf4yySA

Speak

Anderson, L. H. (2006). Speak. New York: Penguin Group.

Summary:  Melinda is a high school freshman that had something really terrible happen to her the summer before high school. On the first day of school all her friends abandon her in lieu of the event that happened in the summer.  So Melinda finds herself friendless, alone, and not speaking to anyone.  Throughout her freshman year Melinda slowly allows the reader into her mind but still speaks to no one in her life.  When she finally has the courage to tell someone about what happened to her she begins to find her voice and at just the right time to save her life.  Due to the trauma Melinda endured it left her unable to speak with ease due to the depression she is experiencing.  Through her art and introspection Melinda learns she is no longer a victim but a survivor.  The character development through the story is amazing and makes the reader excited for her future. 

Book Trailer:

http://www.teachertube.com/video/speak-book-trailer-131463?utm_source=video-google&utm_medium=video-view&utm_term=video&utm_content=video-page&utm_campaign=video-view-page

El Deafo

Bell, C., & Lasky, D. (2014). El Deafo. Retrieved May 12, 2016, from https://southtexas.libraryreserve.com.

Summary: Cece is a rabbit who was born perfectly normal and at the age of three gets bacterial meningitis which leaves her deaf. Her family finally figures out that Cece cannot hear and get her to a doctor where she has to wear hearing aids.  The hearing aids have cords that attach to her ears to a box which helps her hear.  Her first year of school she attends a school that has other deaf students and learns to lip read, but then her family moves and she gets the Phonic Ear for her next school year. The Phonic Ear has a microphone that the teacher uses to help Cece hear her better than the just the hearing aids.  Through the Phonic Ear Cece learns that she has her own “super power” at school.  This “super power” becomes really cool in fifth grade when it helps her become El Deafo, one of the coolest kids at school. The book is semi-autobiographical so it only makes sense that the narrator is the main character. Since the book is written from the perspective of the main character the reader is allowed into Cece’s inner most thoughts and feelings. 

Video Cece Bell discussing El Deafo:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnj5STG0SZo

Annie on my mind

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Summary: Annie on My Mind, is a wonderful coming of age romance with two high school senior females, Liza and Annie. They go to vastly different schools in New York and meet by chance when Liza hears Annie singing at the museum. They quickly become friends and constantly make-believe they are parts of a story (knights, unicorns). The girls have each struggled to fit in at their own schools and hold tightly to their new friendship. When the friendship begins to blossom into something more, the girls are scared and hesitant but soon are completely in love. However, their relationship takes a turn for the worst when they are found out by the secretary of Liza’s strict private school and she is threatened with expulsion for being a lesbian. The novel starts in the third-person point of view and then continues from Liza's point of view as she tells the story of Annie and herself. It ends again in the third person. Interestingly the sections from the third person represent Liza as more vulnerable than she represents herself in the first person. While in the third person, which occurs in present time, she is at university and perhaps more comfortable with who she is, in the first person point of view, though she knows she is different, she is always trying to fit in.

George

Gino, A. (2015). George. New York: Scholastic Press.

Summary: George is about a boy who hates the fact that he is a boy.  He dislikes everything that comes with being a boy.  In her eyes she Melissa.  Melissa is sensitive, caring and screaming to come to life.  She feels her opportunity to show everyone what an amazing girl she is comes from playing the main character in the school play of Charlotte’s Web.  The problem is that Charlotte is a girl’s character and George is a boy.  Her best friend Kelly encourages her to try out for the part and when she does she is told that no matter how good she is the teacher won’t cast her in a girl part. This is a terrible blow for George but it gives her the courage to tell her best friend that she identifies with being a girl.  After a brief break Kelly comes around and accepts George just the way she is. In the end, the day at the zoo allows George (Melissa) to really be herself. This book is quite cutting edge with the societal issue at hand.  The conflict George has with himself is the heart and soul of the book.  The conflict also lies with how others, including his family will respond to his true self. 

Author Alex Gino’s website:

http://www.alexgino.com/george/

It's perfectly normal: A book about changing bodies, growing up, sex and sexual health

Harris, R. H., & Emberley, M. (2009). It's perfectly normal: A book about changing bodies, growing up, sex and sexual health. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Summary:  This nonfiction book deal exclusively with sexual development of young adults.  The book is written with cartoon pictures but terminology that young people can understand.  The book deals with the question of sex, the human body, puberty, families and babies, and staying healthy.  This book has diagrams labeling the anatomy of females and males as well as an index to reference. This book has all the elements that make it great informational literature for young adults.  The information is accurate and current, has no stereotypes, it is given balanced treatment considering the topic, and the qualifications of the author while not a doctor, give a through indication of sources used and consulted.

Monster

Myers, W. D., & Myers, C. (1999). Monster. New York, NY: HarperCollins.

Summary:  Steve Harmon is on trial for murder.  But he feels as if this couldn’t really be happening to him so Steve tells his story as though he is filming a movie, a movie of his life.  A murder occurred although it was not at the hands of Steve but he was involved but to what extent is what his lawyer is trying to prove.  In the end Steve is found not guilty but at what expense?  His mom is happy he is not in jail, his dad moved away and is no longer sure of who Steve is anymore, and even Steve himself isn’t sure who he is either. The characters seem to hardened to life by their environment.  These lack sensitivities appear to be the result of growing up in an indifferent environment with great socioeconomic disadvantages.  The main character’s inability to see himself as an integral part of the events that occurred is an example of the lack of sensitivity.

Book Trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2tKzK4B8-o