I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (178 Pages +12)

Nujood Ali wrote this book with the help of Delphine Minoui. Nujood is one gutsy young lady. The book is non fiction and tells the story of how Nujood's father arranged a marriage between her and a much older man. The book is a fast read, yet I believe it is an important read, especially for our protected kids who see life through rose colored glasses. At the end of the book there are about 5 pages explaining some of the words/ actions/things mentioned in the book. There is also a readers' guide of questions at the end. I think students might find it helpful responding to some of these in their reading response notebooks, or at the very least in classroom discussions. At the very end there is a note about the desperate need for help for girls like Nujood. It mentions The Girls World Communication Center (GWCC) and some of the international organizations backing GWCC.

Stay With Me ( 288 Pages)

Paul Griffin should be an author with whom you are familiar. He has written several award winning books, among them, Ten Mile River, and The Orange Houses. Stay With Me will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. It is a love story and a story about Cece is a straight A student, who works as a waitress in a successful restaurant. One day in walks Mack, an attractive, young man who is a high school dropout. Bam! the two are drawn to one another. Walking home one evening they are approached by a frightening scene of a dog being abused. Mack stops those responsible, and proceeds to bring the dog home to a rooftop hide-away where he is able to nurse the dog back to health. They name the dog Boo, and all is going well until....Mack goes crazy when he returns home late one night after seeing Cece to find Boo dead. He smells his water dish and the smell is anti freeze. He knows that his neighbor has poisoned Boo, and he goes after him in a moment of insane anger. Mack is accused of killing the man, and ends up in jail. There he will spend the rest of his life. However, an officer notices that Mack is able to calm the police dogs down so that they obey him. He gets a prison job training the dogs so that they obey. The plot continues and Mack becomes more and more capable of training dogs. Boys will really love this book, and girls will enjoy it too. It is a heart breaker, but also uplifting, and filled with hope.

You Against Me ( 413 Pages )

Jenny Downham ( author of Before I Die) has written another winner. In this novel she develops two characters from opposite sides of the tracks who meet and fall in love. Neither knows that they will eventually be against each other in a court of law! Mikey's sister has been abused. She has climbed into a shell and does not was to be touched physically, emotionally, or mentally. Ellie's brother has been jailed for sexual assault.However, he says he didn't do it. But Ellie's family has money, and they are able to get him out of jail...at least until the trial. When Mikey sets out with a friend to go to their house, they find the family has thrown a HUGE welcome home party for their son, the golden boy. Although Mikey does not realize it, he meets Ellie and does not discover that it is her brother who assaulted his sister. This is a story about loyalty, family,honor,and most of all, about love. It is a winner.

Bitterblue (539)

Billed as a sequel to Graceling and a companion to Fire, Kristin Cashore has written another wonderful novel that speaks to the reader about loyalty, family, leadership, and asks the reader to question, "What happens when a leader abuses power?" Remember, "absolute power corrupts absolutely!" (I don't know to whom I should credit that quote!) The same characters appear in this novel as in the other two, and because I had become so enthralled with many of them, this became one of those books where I found myself not wanting it to end. I wonder how many of our students could look at people around them and recognize their "grace"? Both boys and girls will enjoy reading this, and although it is not important for them to have read Graceling or Fire, they will want to read both when done with Bitterblue.