The Fault in Our Stars
Author: Green, John
Publisher: Dutton Books, 2012
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 9+
Plot Summary: Star-crossed lovers, Hazel and Augustus, are each waging a war with cancer. Hazel has an obsession with a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. She can't stand not knowing what happened to the characters in her beloved novel, as it just "ends." The quest to find out what happens to them changes the course of Augustus and Hazel's lives.
Personal Response: This is a heart-breaking novel. Though circumstances are very sad, there is little self-pity in the characters. John Green doesn't allow cancer to hijack these characters. They are more than their diagnoses. I appreciated that as a reader, as cancer tends to overwhelm everything about a person and their family. I loved that cancer didn't get to win in that way in this novel.
Literary Element: The title is a reference to Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Other references to Shakespeare are made throughout the novel, as the main characters are very interested in literature.
Review: Booklist starred (January 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 9))
Grades 9-12. At 16, Hazel Grace Lancaster, a three-year stage IV–cancer survivor, is clinically depressed. To help her deal with this, her doctor sends her to a weekly support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, and the two fall in love. Both kids are preternaturally intelligent, and Hazel is fascinated with a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. Most particularly, she longs to know what happened to its characters after an ambiguous ending. To find out, the enterprising Augustus makes it possible for them to travel to Amsterdam, where Imperial’s author, an expatriate American, lives. What happens when they meet him must be left to readers to discover. Suffice it to say, it is significant. Writing about kids with cancer is an invitation to sentimentality and pathos—or worse, in unskilled hands, bathos. Happily, Green is able to transcend such pitfalls in his best and most ambitious novel to date. Beautifully conceived and executed, this story artfully examines the largest possible considerations—life, love, and death—with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity. In the process, Green shows his readers what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But it is life that Green spiritedly celebrates here, even while acknowledging its pain. In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Green’s promotional genius is a force of nature. After announcing he would sign all 150,000 copies of this title’s first print run, it shot to the top of Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s best-seller lists six months before publication.
Review: Library Media Connection (August/September 2012)
This novel focuses on how two intelligent, mature teens grapple with very adult issues. Hazel and Gus meet at a support group for cancer victims and bond over Hazel's favorite book, in which the main character also has cancer. The book ends in the middle of a sentence, and Hazel and Gus become consumed with locating the author to find out what happened to the characters. Their search leads them to Amsterdam, where they discover a drunk, miserable man who refuses to answer their questions. Though they never find the resolution, Gus and Hazel learn much about themselves. The story contains some sexual content and coarse language, understandable given the context in which it appears. Intelligent vocabulary, generous references to literature, and witty cultural commentary make this a delight to read and a refreshing, sophisticated addition to the field of YA literature. Melanie Lewis, Coordinator of Learning Resources, Liberty High School, Madera, California. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Promotion: The film version of The Fault in Our Stars will be released in June, 2014. The connection of the film and the novel would be a good promotion in a library. A "read it before you see it" promotion comes to mind.
Author: Green, John
Publisher: Dutton Books, 2012
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 9+
Plot Summary: Star-crossed lovers, Hazel and Augustus, are each waging a war with cancer. Hazel has an obsession with a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. She can't stand not knowing what happened to the characters in her beloved novel, as it just "ends." The quest to find out what happens to them changes the course of Augustus and Hazel's lives.
Personal Response: This is a heart-breaking novel. Though circumstances are very sad, there is little self-pity in the characters. John Green doesn't allow cancer to hijack these characters. They are more than their diagnoses. I appreciated that as a reader, as cancer tends to overwhelm everything about a person and their family. I loved that cancer didn't get to win in that way in this novel.
Literary Element: The title is a reference to Shakespeare's play, Julius Caesar.
“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." Other references to Shakespeare are made throughout the novel, as the main characters are very interested in literature.
Review: Booklist starred (January 1, 2012 (Vol. 108, No. 9))
Grades 9-12. At 16, Hazel Grace Lancaster, a three-year stage IV–cancer survivor, is clinically depressed. To help her deal with this, her doctor sends her to a weekly support group where she meets Augustus Waters, a fellow cancer survivor, and the two fall in love. Both kids are preternaturally intelligent, and Hazel is fascinated with a novel about cancer called An Imperial Affliction. Most particularly, she longs to know what happened to its characters after an ambiguous ending. To find out, the enterprising Augustus makes it possible for them to travel to Amsterdam, where Imperial’s author, an expatriate American, lives. What happens when they meet him must be left to readers to discover. Suffice it to say, it is significant. Writing about kids with cancer is an invitation to sentimentality and pathos—or worse, in unskilled hands, bathos. Happily, Green is able to transcend such pitfalls in his best and most ambitious novel to date. Beautifully conceived and executed, this story artfully examines the largest possible considerations—life, love, and death—with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity. In the process, Green shows his readers what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But it is life that Green spiritedly celebrates here, even while acknowledging its pain. In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Green’s promotional genius is a force of nature. After announcing he would sign all 150,000 copies of this title’s first print run, it shot to the top of Amazon and Barnes & Noble’s best-seller lists six months before publication.
Review: Library Media Connection (August/September 2012)
This novel focuses on how two intelligent, mature teens grapple with very adult issues. Hazel and Gus meet at a support group for cancer victims and bond over Hazel's favorite book, in which the main character also has cancer. The book ends in the middle of a sentence, and Hazel and Gus become consumed with locating the author to find out what happened to the characters. Their search leads them to Amsterdam, where they discover a drunk, miserable man who refuses to answer their questions. Though they never find the resolution, Gus and Hazel learn much about themselves. The story contains some sexual content and coarse language, understandable given the context in which it appears. Intelligent vocabulary, generous references to literature, and witty cultural commentary make this a delight to read and a refreshing, sophisticated addition to the field of YA literature. Melanie Lewis, Coordinator of Learning Resources, Liberty High School, Madera, California. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Promotion: The film version of The Fault in Our Stars will be released in June, 2014. The connection of the film and the novel would be a good promotion in a library. A "read it before you see it" promotion comes to mind.
Charm & Strange, Winner of the 2014 William C. Morris Award for Young Adult Fiction
Author: Kuehn, Stephanie
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2013
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 9+
Plot Summary: Andrew Winston Winters is a New England boarding school student with a secret that's eating him up inside. The revelation of that secret is the heart of the novel. It would do a disservice to readers to uncover any more. It's a novel best read completely cold. Struggling with what the novel is about is part of the "charm" of it.
Personal Response: This novel was truly page-turning. I was unable to put it down. I was angry at the direction I believed it was taking, and left with even stronger feelings about the true nature of the novel. The subject matter was truly disturbing. I would NOT recommend students younger than high school read this novel, and even then I would be cautious.
Literary Element: The chapters alternate between present time and the back story which explains how Andrew/Win came to be in the state he's in. Small clues are left in each chapter. The chapters are alternatley titled "matter" (present day) and "antimatter" (the past).
Review: Booklist (June 1, 2013)
Grades 9-12. Debut author Kuehn comes out swinging with this confident, unnerving look at a damaged teen struggling with something violent inside of him. The book alternates two time frames. In the first, 16-year-old Win is a withdrawn boarding school student tortured by the “eviscerated,” “partly consumed” body of a townie in the woods just off-campus. The second story line follows Win as an anxious 10-year-old first dealing with the suffocating feral feelings that tell him he is harboring a beast. “My wolf is in me,” he says, and readers will turn each page warily, expecting a grisly transformation scene. But Kuehn is up to something far more ambitious here. Her prose butts up against important events time and again without granting us an unobstructed view. Until the end, that is, which is more shattering than most readers will be prepared for. Though there is some running in place due to the alternating time lines, Kuehn absolutely nails the voice and keeps us on constant edge regarding exactly what genre of book it is that we’re reading.
Review: Horn Book (November/December, 2013)
It’s clear early in this taut psychological tale that sixteen-year-old Andrew Winston Winters is not okay: he’s estranged from his family, withdrawn from his boarding-school classmates, and a little too curious about the ravaged body of a hiker just discovered in the nearby Vermont woods. In present-tense narration, Win eventually professes that he’s a werewolf, condemned to change at the full moon and endanger others—if he hasn’t already (did he kill the hiker?). Alternating past-tense chapters flash back to Win’s childhood as volatile Drew. Masterfully, each narrative telescopes down to the minute details of one brief but life-changing moment: a single night during an outdoor party for Win; a visit to his grandparents during his tenth summer for Drew. As the novel progresses, the carefully constructed boundaries between Win’s and Drew’s personas and memories begin to blur. Readers may guess at the terrible reality behind the unreliable narratives before Kuehn’s final reveal, but the truth Andrew has been hiding from his classmates, readers, and—most importantly—himself is shattering. In tackling brutal issues of sexual and psychological abuse (and consequent mental illness and suicide) head-on, Kuehn affirms that, while Andrew might believe he’s a werewolf, the real monster in his life is his abuser. This wrenching novel is as difficult to put down as it is to read. Katie Bircher
Promotion: Charm and Strange would be excellent to use in a high school writing class for teaching writing with voice.
Author: Kuehn, Stephanie
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2013
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 9+
Plot Summary: Andrew Winston Winters is a New England boarding school student with a secret that's eating him up inside. The revelation of that secret is the heart of the novel. It would do a disservice to readers to uncover any more. It's a novel best read completely cold. Struggling with what the novel is about is part of the "charm" of it.
Personal Response: This novel was truly page-turning. I was unable to put it down. I was angry at the direction I believed it was taking, and left with even stronger feelings about the true nature of the novel. The subject matter was truly disturbing. I would NOT recommend students younger than high school read this novel, and even then I would be cautious.
Literary Element: The chapters alternate between present time and the back story which explains how Andrew/Win came to be in the state he's in. Small clues are left in each chapter. The chapters are alternatley titled "matter" (present day) and "antimatter" (the past).
Review: Booklist (June 1, 2013)
Grades 9-12. Debut author Kuehn comes out swinging with this confident, unnerving look at a damaged teen struggling with something violent inside of him. The book alternates two time frames. In the first, 16-year-old Win is a withdrawn boarding school student tortured by the “eviscerated,” “partly consumed” body of a townie in the woods just off-campus. The second story line follows Win as an anxious 10-year-old first dealing with the suffocating feral feelings that tell him he is harboring a beast. “My wolf is in me,” he says, and readers will turn each page warily, expecting a grisly transformation scene. But Kuehn is up to something far more ambitious here. Her prose butts up against important events time and again without granting us an unobstructed view. Until the end, that is, which is more shattering than most readers will be prepared for. Though there is some running in place due to the alternating time lines, Kuehn absolutely nails the voice and keeps us on constant edge regarding exactly what genre of book it is that we’re reading.
Review: Horn Book (November/December, 2013)
It’s clear early in this taut psychological tale that sixteen-year-old Andrew Winston Winters is not okay: he’s estranged from his family, withdrawn from his boarding-school classmates, and a little too curious about the ravaged body of a hiker just discovered in the nearby Vermont woods. In present-tense narration, Win eventually professes that he’s a werewolf, condemned to change at the full moon and endanger others—if he hasn’t already (did he kill the hiker?). Alternating past-tense chapters flash back to Win’s childhood as volatile Drew. Masterfully, each narrative telescopes down to the minute details of one brief but life-changing moment: a single night during an outdoor party for Win; a visit to his grandparents during his tenth summer for Drew. As the novel progresses, the carefully constructed boundaries between Win’s and Drew’s personas and memories begin to blur. Readers may guess at the terrible reality behind the unreliable narratives before Kuehn’s final reveal, but the truth Andrew has been hiding from his classmates, readers, and—most importantly—himself is shattering. In tackling brutal issues of sexual and psychological abuse (and consequent mental illness and suicide) head-on, Kuehn affirms that, while Andrew might believe he’s a werewolf, the real monster in his life is his abuser. This wrenching novel is as difficult to put down as it is to read. Katie Bircher
Promotion: Charm and Strange would be excellent to use in a high school writing class for teaching writing with voice.
Wonder
Author: Palacio, R.J.
Publisher: Knopf, 2012
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: grades 5-12
Plot Summary: Auggie Pullman has been homeschooled his whole life due to the many surgeries required for his severe facial deformity. Wonder chronicles his first year at Beecher Prep School and the people whose lives he impacts.
Personal Response: I can't imagine that anyone could read this novel and come away unchanged. It is a masterpiece. Many books written about similar subjects tend towards being over-emotional or making the main character overly heroic. Wonder portrays Auggie, and the supporting characters as multi-faceted, flawed, and real.
Literary Element: The novel is told by alternating narrators, letting the readers get "inside the heads" of many different characters.
Review: Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2011)
After being homeschooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he's worried: How will he fit into middle-school life when he looks so different from everyone else? Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though "his features look like they've been melted, like the drippings on a candle" and he's used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he's an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He's smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending "a lamb to the slaughter." Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie's first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie's viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie's arrival at school doesn't test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too. A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. (Fiction. 8-14)
Review: School Library Journal (February 1, 2012)
Gr 4-7-Due to a rare genetic disorder, Auggie Pullman's head is malformed, his facial features are misshapen, and he has scars from corrective surgery. After much discussion and waffling, he and his parents decide it's time for him to go to a regular school for the fifth grade instead of being homeschooled. All his life Auggie has seen the shocked expressions and heard the whispers his appearance generates, and he has his coping strategies. He knows that except for how he looks, he's a normal kid. What he experiences is typical middle school-the good and the bad. Meanwhile, his beautiful sister is starting high school and having her own problems. She's finding that friendships change and, though it makes her feel guilty, she likes not being labeled as Auggie's sister. Multiple people tell this story, including Auggie, two of his new school friends, his sister, and his sister's former best friend. Palacio has an exceptional knack for writing realistic conversation and describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Everyone grows and develops as the story progresses, especially the middle school students. This is a fast read and would be a great discussion starter about love, support, and judging people on their appearance. A well-written, thought-provoking book.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC (c) Copyright 2012.
Promotion: This has been used in our school in sixth grade religion and literature classes. It's a wonderful novel for teaching differences, tolerance, and empathy. An added bonus is that it's really well written, so it lends itself to discussion in a literature class. The idea of point of view in writing and the precepts that are central to the book make for interesting discussion for writing instruction or novel studies.
Author: Palacio, R.J.
Publisher: Knopf, 2012
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: grades 5-12
Plot Summary: Auggie Pullman has been homeschooled his whole life due to the many surgeries required for his severe facial deformity. Wonder chronicles his first year at Beecher Prep School and the people whose lives he impacts.
Personal Response: I can't imagine that anyone could read this novel and come away unchanged. It is a masterpiece. Many books written about similar subjects tend towards being over-emotional or making the main character overly heroic. Wonder portrays Auggie, and the supporting characters as multi-faceted, flawed, and real.
Literary Element: The novel is told by alternating narrators, letting the readers get "inside the heads" of many different characters.
Review: Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2011)
After being homeschooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he's worried: How will he fit into middle-school life when he looks so different from everyone else? Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though "his features look like they've been melted, like the drippings on a candle" and he's used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he's an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He's smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending "a lamb to the slaughter." Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie's first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie's viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie's arrival at school doesn't test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too. A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. (Fiction. 8-14)
Review: School Library Journal (February 1, 2012)
Gr 4-7-Due to a rare genetic disorder, Auggie Pullman's head is malformed, his facial features are misshapen, and he has scars from corrective surgery. After much discussion and waffling, he and his parents decide it's time for him to go to a regular school for the fifth grade instead of being homeschooled. All his life Auggie has seen the shocked expressions and heard the whispers his appearance generates, and he has his coping strategies. He knows that except for how he looks, he's a normal kid. What he experiences is typical middle school-the good and the bad. Meanwhile, his beautiful sister is starting high school and having her own problems. She's finding that friendships change and, though it makes her feel guilty, she likes not being labeled as Auggie's sister. Multiple people tell this story, including Auggie, two of his new school friends, his sister, and his sister's former best friend. Palacio has an exceptional knack for writing realistic conversation and describing the thoughts and emotions of the characters. Everyone grows and develops as the story progresses, especially the middle school students. This is a fast read and would be a great discussion starter about love, support, and judging people on their appearance. A well-written, thought-provoking book.-Nancy P. Reeder, Heathwood Hall Episcopal School, Columbia, SC (c) Copyright 2012.
Promotion: This has been used in our school in sixth grade religion and literature classes. It's a wonderful novel for teaching differences, tolerance, and empathy. An added bonus is that it's really well written, so it lends itself to discussion in a literature class. The idea of point of view in writing and the precepts that are central to the book make for interesting discussion for writing instruction or novel studies.
Eleanor & Park, Michael L. Prinz Honor 2014
Author: Rowell, Rainbow
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 9-12
Plot Summary: Eleanor and Park, each misfits in their own way, are thrown together on the school bus on Eleanor's first day of school. They eventually fall deeply in love, but family differences and problems threaten to tear them apart.
Personal Response: At this time in my life, I have two responses to any book that I read for kids or teens. I have my personal response, and then my response as a librarian. Personally, I really enjoyed this book about first romance. The characters were richly drawn and I was surprised at some of the turns. As a middle school librarian, I would not want to put this book on the shelf. The language is horrible and the themes are very mature.
Literary Element: A clear allusion to Romeo and Juliet is seen throughout the novel. The characters are experiencing very intense first love, are star-crossed, and their families work to keep them apart. Though without a slew of dead bodies, the ending is not much less tragic.
Review: Booklist starred (January 1, 2013 (Vol. 109, No. 9))
Grades 9-12. Right from the start of this tender debut, readers can almost hear the clock winding down on Eleanor and Park. After a less than auspicious start, the pair quietly builds a relationship while riding the bus to school every day, wordlessly sharing comics and eventually music on the commute. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. Park’s family is idyllic: his Vietnam vet father and Korean immigrant mother are genuinely loving. Meanwhile, Eleanor and her younger siblings live in poverty under the constant threat of Richie, their abusive and controlling stepfather, while their mother inexplicably caters to his whims. The couple’s personal battles are also dark mirror images. Park struggles with the realities of falling for the school outcast; in one of the more subtle explorations of race and the other in recent YA fiction, he clashes with his father over the definition of manhood. Eleanor’s fight is much more external, learning to trust her feelings about Park and navigating the sexual threat in Richie’s watchful gaze. In rapidly alternating narrative voices, Eleanor and Park try to express their all-consuming love. You make me feel like a cannibal, Eleanor says. The pure, fear-laced, yet steadily maturing relationship they develop is urgent, moving, and, of course, heartbreaking, too.
Review: Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2012)
Awkward, prickly teens find deep first love in 1980s Omaha. Eleanor and Park don't meet cute; they meet vexed on the school bus, trapped into sitting together by a dearth of seats and their low social status. Park, the only half-Korean fan of punk and New Wave at their high school, is by no means popular, but he benefits from his family's deep roots in their lower-middle-class neighborhood. Meanwhile, Eleanor's wildly curly red mane and plus-sized frame would make her stand out even if she weren't a new student, having just returned to her family after a year of couch-surfing following being thrown out by her odious drunkard of a stepfather, Richie. Although both teens want only to fade into the background, both stand out physically and sartorially, arming themselves with band T-shirts (Park) and menswear from thrift stores (Eleanor). Despite Eleanor's resolve not to grow attached to anything, and despite their shared hatred for clichs, they fall, by degrees, in love. Through Eleanor and Park's alternating voices, readers glimpse the swoon-inducing, often hilarious aspects of first love, as well as the contrast between Eleanor's survival of grim, abuse-plagued poverty and Park's own imperfect but loving family life. Funny, hopeful, foulmouthed, sexy and tear-jerking, this winning romance will captivate teen and adult readers alike. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Promotion: Punk music is a theme throughout the book, as well as 80's culture. The book is an interesting vehicle for looking into either of those topics more fully. Eleanor & Park would also work well in an anti-bullying workshop.
Author: Rowell, Rainbow
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 9-12
Plot Summary: Eleanor and Park, each misfits in their own way, are thrown together on the school bus on Eleanor's first day of school. They eventually fall deeply in love, but family differences and problems threaten to tear them apart.
Personal Response: At this time in my life, I have two responses to any book that I read for kids or teens. I have my personal response, and then my response as a librarian. Personally, I really enjoyed this book about first romance. The characters were richly drawn and I was surprised at some of the turns. As a middle school librarian, I would not want to put this book on the shelf. The language is horrible and the themes are very mature.
Literary Element: A clear allusion to Romeo and Juliet is seen throughout the novel. The characters are experiencing very intense first love, are star-crossed, and their families work to keep them apart. Though without a slew of dead bodies, the ending is not much less tragic.
Review: Booklist starred (January 1, 2013 (Vol. 109, No. 9))
Grades 9-12. Right from the start of this tender debut, readers can almost hear the clock winding down on Eleanor and Park. After a less than auspicious start, the pair quietly builds a relationship while riding the bus to school every day, wordlessly sharing comics and eventually music on the commute. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. Park’s family is idyllic: his Vietnam vet father and Korean immigrant mother are genuinely loving. Meanwhile, Eleanor and her younger siblings live in poverty under the constant threat of Richie, their abusive and controlling stepfather, while their mother inexplicably caters to his whims. The couple’s personal battles are also dark mirror images. Park struggles with the realities of falling for the school outcast; in one of the more subtle explorations of race and the other in recent YA fiction, he clashes with his father over the definition of manhood. Eleanor’s fight is much more external, learning to trust her feelings about Park and navigating the sexual threat in Richie’s watchful gaze. In rapidly alternating narrative voices, Eleanor and Park try to express their all-consuming love. You make me feel like a cannibal, Eleanor says. The pure, fear-laced, yet steadily maturing relationship they develop is urgent, moving, and, of course, heartbreaking, too.
Review: Kirkus Reviews starred (December 15, 2012)
Awkward, prickly teens find deep first love in 1980s Omaha. Eleanor and Park don't meet cute; they meet vexed on the school bus, trapped into sitting together by a dearth of seats and their low social status. Park, the only half-Korean fan of punk and New Wave at their high school, is by no means popular, but he benefits from his family's deep roots in their lower-middle-class neighborhood. Meanwhile, Eleanor's wildly curly red mane and plus-sized frame would make her stand out even if she weren't a new student, having just returned to her family after a year of couch-surfing following being thrown out by her odious drunkard of a stepfather, Richie. Although both teens want only to fade into the background, both stand out physically and sartorially, arming themselves with band T-shirts (Park) and menswear from thrift stores (Eleanor). Despite Eleanor's resolve not to grow attached to anything, and despite their shared hatred for clichs, they fall, by degrees, in love. Through Eleanor and Park's alternating voices, readers glimpse the swoon-inducing, often hilarious aspects of first love, as well as the contrast between Eleanor's survival of grim, abuse-plagued poverty and Park's own imperfect but loving family life. Funny, hopeful, foulmouthed, sexy and tear-jerking, this winning romance will captivate teen and adult readers alike. (Fiction. 14 & up)
Promotion: Punk music is a theme throughout the book, as well as 80's culture. The book is an interesting vehicle for looking into either of those topics more fully. Eleanor & Park would also work well in an anti-bullying workshop.
Swear to Howdy
Author: Van Draanen, Wendelin
Publisher: Yearling, 2005
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 7-10
Plot Summary: Joey and Rusty become fast friends and keepers of each other's secrets. But things get out of control when they decide to scare drivers with a "ghost" that they made. The ghost causes a car accident and the death of Joey's sister. The boys don't really know how to handle the fact that this is a secret they've sworn not to tell, but keeping it is eating them up inside.
Personal Response: This book went in directions I did not expect. It starts out as a buddy book, but quickly gets very serious with themes of child abuse, the price of secrets, and dealing with death. It is a book that came highly recommended for a younger audience - 5th and 6th grade - but I'm not sure it's appropriate. There is a scene where Joey gets his naked "bathing suit" parts chomped on by a large fish. Also, the themes of child abuse and the ramifications of the death of Joey's sister are pretty tough in terms of subject matter. I think it's more appropriate for an older audience.
Literary Element: The dialogue makes an attempt to be true to life for 12 year old boys - with lots of slang and quite a bit of cussing. "You done that?" I asked him...."More 'n once."
Review: Booklist starred (October 1, 2003)
Gr. 5-7. The summer Rusty Cooper moves next door to Joey Banks is one of the best in his life. Joey is a fearless adventurer and a creative prankster, and Rusty is proud to be his friend even though being buddies with Joey means keeping secrets, especially after escapades backfire. Rusty gladly agrees to keep silent, nicking his finger to make a blood pact. But then Joey's sister dies as a result of a prank, and Rusty learns that friendship may mean breaking promises and getting help from adults. Van Draanen deftly hooks readers and keeps their attention with a series of hilarious stunts right up to the shocking climax. Van Draanen masterfully portrays the changing attitudes of 12-year-olds oblivious to the possible consequences of their actions, and without resorting to contrivances, she provides plenty of clues to Rusty and Joey's desperate actions. A deceptively simple narrative, funny at the outset but realistic in its consideration of some very serious issues. Give this to readers who liked Marion Dane Bauer's On My Honor (2001).
Review: Publishers Weekly (December 19, 2005)
"This trenchant tale introduces two best friends who are constantly making pacts," wrote PW. "The book's sympathetic protagonists, convincing colloquial dialogue and poignant conflicts will likely leave an impression on young readers. Ages 10-up. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Promotion: This would be an interesting novel to promote for use in a religion class or in school counseling. The dangers of keeping secrets, dysfunctional families, and the consequences of impulsive actions are themes of the novel.
Author: Van Draanen, Wendelin
Publisher: Yearling, 2005
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Recommended Audience: Grades 7-10
Plot Summary: Joey and Rusty become fast friends and keepers of each other's secrets. But things get out of control when they decide to scare drivers with a "ghost" that they made. The ghost causes a car accident and the death of Joey's sister. The boys don't really know how to handle the fact that this is a secret they've sworn not to tell, but keeping it is eating them up inside.
Personal Response: This book went in directions I did not expect. It starts out as a buddy book, but quickly gets very serious with themes of child abuse, the price of secrets, and dealing with death. It is a book that came highly recommended for a younger audience - 5th and 6th grade - but I'm not sure it's appropriate. There is a scene where Joey gets his naked "bathing suit" parts chomped on by a large fish. Also, the themes of child abuse and the ramifications of the death of Joey's sister are pretty tough in terms of subject matter. I think it's more appropriate for an older audience.
Literary Element: The dialogue makes an attempt to be true to life for 12 year old boys - with lots of slang and quite a bit of cussing. "You done that?" I asked him...."More 'n once."
Review: Booklist starred (October 1, 2003)
Gr. 5-7. The summer Rusty Cooper moves next door to Joey Banks is one of the best in his life. Joey is a fearless adventurer and a creative prankster, and Rusty is proud to be his friend even though being buddies with Joey means keeping secrets, especially after escapades backfire. Rusty gladly agrees to keep silent, nicking his finger to make a blood pact. But then Joey's sister dies as a result of a prank, and Rusty learns that friendship may mean breaking promises and getting help from adults. Van Draanen deftly hooks readers and keeps their attention with a series of hilarious stunts right up to the shocking climax. Van Draanen masterfully portrays the changing attitudes of 12-year-olds oblivious to the possible consequences of their actions, and without resorting to contrivances, she provides plenty of clues to Rusty and Joey's desperate actions. A deceptively simple narrative, funny at the outset but realistic in its consideration of some very serious issues. Give this to readers who liked Marion Dane Bauer's On My Honor (2001).
Review: Publishers Weekly (December 19, 2005)
"This trenchant tale introduces two best friends who are constantly making pacts," wrote PW. "The book's sympathetic protagonists, convincing colloquial dialogue and poignant conflicts will likely leave an impression on young readers. Ages 10-up. (Nov.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Promotion: This would be an interesting novel to promote for use in a religion class or in school counseling. The dangers of keeping secrets, dysfunctional families, and the consequences of impulsive actions are themes of the novel.