The Hate U Give (444 Pages)

This is Angie Thomas's first novel. She has given white readers a taste of what is all too familiar to black kids. She has also presented parents who are struggling to make their children have a better life than they ever dreamed of having. Starr is sixteen years old. Her mom is a nurse, her dad an ex-com. She has a confusing family, including an uncle who stood in for her dad while he was in jail, and two brothers- one older and one younger. Her mom is one strong woman, or as Starr calls her- the dictator! Starr's family lives in a poor neighborhood where her dad owns a grocery store. But Starr and her brothers are sent to a prep school in the suburbs. So Starr has to juggle between her black self from the slums and her slightly less black self at her prep school. Early in the book, the reader is introduced to her best friend from when she was little. His name is Kahlil. One night they are driving away from a party when they're pulled over by a policeman. Kahlil is shot in the back and killed. He dies in Starr's arms, and the book deals with her decision whether to keep silent or to speak out about what happened. it is a stunning story, gutsy, violent, yet filled with love. The language is rough, but then so is the message!

Scythe (435 Pages)

Neal Shusterman has written a book filled with horrible violence, and yet it is a book that has many redeeming features. Shusterman's world sounds as though it should be perfect. It is a world without hunger, wars, disease, and no misery. What could be wrong? Population! There is nothing in perfection to control population growth. Therefore, scythes were selected with the task of controlling this growth. This means they were given the job of selecting specific people to kill. There were moments when I wondered about promoting this, and yet I kept reading and was pulled in to rooting for the characters. I would really love to hear from anyone who reads this blog and get their thinking!

The Sun IS Also A Star (348 Pages)

I read Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, and loved it. So, when I saw this book by her, I grabbed it. In alternating chapters, the plot is told by Natasha and Daniel. Both of these teens are pressured by their parents with typical expectations. Both teens have brothers, Natasha's is younger, and she gets along with him. Daniel's is older, and he does not get along with him. Daniel is Asian, Natasha is a black Jamaican. They meet, accidentally, and Daniel is immediately smitten, convinced he's in love with her and that it is a love that was meant to be!  This story is interesting, and might be an idea for some students to imitate. The book takes place in the space of a single day! It is an amazing story to see these two develop their relationship.  Natasha is facing being deported because she is undocumented. The authorities found out about it, when her father was arrested for a DUI. Daniel's older brother can do nothing wrong, in his parents eyes. Until he flunks out of Harvard, that is. I really enjoyed the many themes of the book: family struggles, teen goals, young love. Daniel is a poet, Natasha is science minded. Your students will definitely enjoy this book!

March

Gwendalyn Brooks has written an interesting view of the Civil War as documented by Mr. March, father of Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth and Marmee's husband. Ms Brooks took some freedom in borrowing Alcott's Little Women characters, but the result is a novel that tells just how difficult war is, on the soldiers, on families, and how the ideology that seemed worth fighting for, may be less than ideal! To say that he is constructed to be quite the idealist, is putting it mildly. He "loaned" money to John Brown to invest in property that would bolster his campaign. Actually, he gave all of his money to Mr. Brown who was not honest about how it was being used. This resulted in the March family going from a comfortable life style to a difficult life style. They had to sell most of their furniture as well as their valuables. Meg and Jo had to find paying work, and Mr. March then went off to war as a chaplain in the union army. The book is told in his voice until he becomes very ill and a doctor calls Marmee and tells her she needs to come to Washington D.C. where he has been hospitalized. At this point, Marmee becomes the voice and continues until she is called home to care for Beth. Eventually, Mr. March arrives home. He is not the same man who left before the war. It's a boo worth reading. There are many points that would make it a great boo club read. 

All American Boys ( 310Pages)

It's been a long time since I've posted on this site, but I just finished reading a book of such importance, of such timeliness, of such  a need for discussion between students, that I need to get this information out.  This was not a beach book, or a relaxing, recreational read. It centers on a small group of black and white high school boys. Most of them are members of their school's basketball team. Rashad is friends with several of the boys, but not on the team. His father is a retired policeman who has "issues" with what he deems as necessary behavior for black boys. Quinn, is a white boy and his dad was killed in Iraq. Paul Galluzzo is a white boy whose younger brother has been Quinn's best friend for years. Paul is a member of the town's police force and has been a mentor to Quinn, acting as a surrogate father. One night Quinn is on his way to a Friday night party, but stops at the neighborhood store where kids are often able to get people to buy them beer. As he is about to round the corner, he sees Rashad thrown from the store's door and Paul follows, placing him in cuffs and throwing him to the ground. He then sees Paul pummel Rashad, beating him up beyond belief. SO, what does Quinn do? Rashad is in the hospital with broken ribs, a broken nose, and internal bleeding. BUT, he's alive. The news of this incident spreads like wildfire. This book is written by two authors, one black and one white. It poses the problem to all of us: what must we do about this problem that is so prevalent in our country today. One quote from the text is from Desmond Tutu and it sums up what we must face: IF YOU ARE NEUTRAL IN SITUATIONS OF INJUSTICE, YOU HAVE CHOSEN THE SIDE OF THE OPPRESSOR. Authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely have pushed the readers of this book into the necessity of deciding whether to remain neutral to injustice or take a stand on what they believe is the right thing to do.

The Way I Used To Be(367 Pages)

This is a novel about a freshman girl who gets raped by her brother's best friend. She doesn't tell anyone about it, but rather her behavior does a complete 180. I guess that it is not unusual for girls who are raped to blame themselves or at least to think that people will think of them as sluts. Author Amber Smith has written a novel about how a sexual assault can turn an innocent, "good" girl into a victim. And eventually how the victim can become a survivor capable of facing the truth and dealing with it. This is a honestly told journey and Smith gets it right. It is not an easy read, because acting out behavior can be ugly. But it is an important read for girls and boys to be aware of the fact that there is ALWAYS someone to talk to when confronting something horrible.

What We Saw (321 Pages)

Aaron Hartzler's first YA fiction book is an important read. It is a story of a young girl, Kate, and her boyfriend, Ben, who both attend a party where there is heavy drinking going on. It is a story about having the guts to say what is right, what is the truth, in spite of who that hurts. When Ben realizes that Kate is so drunk she can hardly stand up, he drives her home. Unfortunately, he goes back to the party. Several boys are raping a girl, Stacey, who is stretched out on a pool table. Someone is video taping the "event". Of course the boys are basketball players and this takes place just before an important game. One weekend morning, Kate walks in to her brother's room and sees him watching the video on his laptop. It has gone viral. Was Stacey "asking for it" by dressing provocatively? Does she know what's going on in her drunken state? And then Kate recognizes the boys in the video. What happens if she tells the truth? There is much to be discussed after reading this book, and there is much that needs to be discussed! It's and important read.