irises (288 pages)

Francisco X. Stork is also the author of Marcelo in the Real World, which won many starred reviews and The Last Summer of the Death Warriors which won the Best Fiction for Young Adult Readers list. And so I was pleased to see a new novel by him. Stork was born in Mexico, but spent his teen years in El Paso, Texas, where this book is set. It is a story of two sisters, Kate who is the older of the two and is a brilliant student aspiring to go to Stanford University and become a doctor. Her younger sister, Mary, is an incredible artist who is happiest when she is drawing. They live in a home controlled by a very strict father who is a minister in the local church. He controls what they do to the extent that they don't have cell phones, have never been to a shopping mall, wear clothes that are not in style, etc. We find out that their mother has been in an automobile accident in which her husband was driving. She has been deemed to be in a persistent vegetative state. Father insisted she be brought home, and for two years the girls have been caring for her with the help of a daily nurse and care giver. And then their father dies. Kate has to decide whether to stay with her boyfriend, or break up. Whether to stay in El Paso and go to college there, or go to Stanford where she has received a full scholarship. Meanwhile, Mary has met a young man from "the other side of the tracks" who is also quite artistic. And Kate has met a very attractive young minister who has come to temporarily cover her father's church. How the girls deal with what has happened to their safe, protected life and the difficult decisions they need to make, makes this a fascinating, quick read. Students need to ask themselves, what would I do in this sort of a situation?

City of Orphans (350 pages +2 pages Author's note)

Avi has written this historical fiction book about New York City's early immigrant children. He states in the author's note that he did a tremendous amount of research prior to writing this novel. So although the characters are conceived by him, the facts of the story are true. I think this is a perfect middle school read, but could also be a jumping off point for a creative writing assignment for any student. The story takes place at the close of the 1800's, and focuses on Macs, his family, and Willa, a young orphan who comes to live with Mac's family. Life in lower New York's tenements is harsh to the say the least, but when juxtaposed against the wealth of patrons of the new Waldorf Astoria, the reader is able to understand the gap between the haves and the have-nots!This is a mystery that readers will find pretty amazing. You might want them to read the author's note first so that they have an understanding of the amount of truth within these pages. Good read!

tales of the MADMAN underground (532 pages)

The back flap telling us about author John Barnes presents a fascinating read in itself. Barnes co-authored a book with astronaut Buzz Aldrin and has written science fiction, and over 100 nonfiction articles. He has taught college classes in English, math, theater, speech, and communications, designed stage scenery and lighting, drawn weather maps, etc. etc. etc. He is multi-talented, and if nothing else shows us that it is never necessary to stick with one line of work for life! AND, I did not include everything he has accomplished!This book was a Printz Honor book, and I started to read it at the onset of my husband's illness, couldn't concentrate, put it down, and just recently picked it up and began reading it from the beginning. It is an interesting book about family, love, friendships, and loyalty. The main character is Karl Shoemaker, a senior in high school, who along with a very tight group of friends,has been in a required therapy group since middle school. Every kid in the group has major problems at home. Many have endured awful experiences. Karl vacillates between wanting to be "normal" and out of the group and wanting to remain with his loyal buddies. His dad has died, his mother has become a drunk, Karl has to take care of her, as well as try to take care of the house, as well as hold down a ridiculous number of jobs. The language in the book can be a bit harsh at times, but I think many teens will relate to what these kids are going through. Much of the book is hysterically funny, some of it is maddening, but overall, it is a good read!

Jasper Jones (310 pages)

Craig Silvey is an Australian writer, and this is the first book of his I've read. It's definitely a High School read, and it won't be the last book of his I'll read! There were moments when I laughed out loud, and moments when I cried. Let me give you a couple of laughs. Charlie Bucktin's best friend is Jeffrey Lu. Jeffrey and his family are from Vietnam and live down the street from the Bucktins. The two boys are constantly teasing each other and one of their favorite things to do is to create a play on words. So Jeffrey will say, "Cheeses Christ, Charlie!" or Charlie will leave Jeffrey saying, " I bid you fond a Jew." There are several more of these that come out of nowhere and just make the reader giggle...if s/he picks up on them! In their town, there is a teen who is the town's "bad boy." His name is Jasper Jones, and one night he knocks on Charlie's window asking for help. Charlie knows Jasper only by reputation, but Jasper is very convincing, and Charlie leaves his room via his window and follows Jasper to a secret place near the edge of a river. There they come upon a young girl hanging from a large tree. Now, Jasper is definitely NOT a bad boy (even though he smokes and drinks every chance he gets), and the girl hanging from the tree was the love of his life. She was also the oldest daughter of the town's mayor. The mystery of how she was killed, what happened to her body, and how it all effects Charlie is a spine-tingling read. The language is a bit raw, but this is a great read and I think both boys and girls will enjoy it very much!