Monster

Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. NY: Harper. 

Monster tells the story of 16-year-old Steve Harmon who is on trial for murder in New York. Steve's creative outlet is in film, so his story is told through a mixture of scripts and 1st person diary entries. The book is set through the length of his trial, and events leading up to the trial are told in flash backs. Steve's involvement in the murder of a convenient store cleric is ambiguous the entire story. Steve ends up being found innocent, but when he turns to celebrate with his lawyer the look she gives him, makes him wonder what she saw and if she sees a monster within. 

I saw the creativity of presenting the story the way that Myers did, but while I liked the story, I personally did not like the format in which it was told. It would be a great book though to use with high schoolers when either exploring character and point of view or when learning about nontraditional ways to tell a story. I think that kids will like the ambiguity of the trial as well. It will allow them to fill in the blanks and look inwardly at themselves when they are interpreting the sides of the trial. 

Annie on my Mind

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. NY: FSG.

Annie On My Mind is the story of two New York girls whom after meeting become friends. Liza is from an affluent family and attends a private school. Annie is the daughter of Italian immigrants. She lives in a poor neighborhood and attends public school. Despite their differences, the girls' friendship grows into more of a relationship. The girls' relationship is discovered which in turn causes two lesbian teachers at Liza's school to be discovered and fired. Liza struggles with the guilt of her involvement in the two teachers being let go, which causes her and Annie to break up. In the end, Annie and Liza are able to reconcile and accept themselves and who they are.

I feel like the message of this book comes from Liza's teachers telling her that everything is OK. This book is about acceptance of yourself and others, not just in relation to sexual orientation. I feel like the message is that it is OK to be who you are. I read about the controversy surrounding this book, and I am happy that it has remained on library shelves. Teens struggling with feeling different need an outlet to explore and accept those feelings.

The Chocolate War

Cormier, R. (1974). The Chocolate War. NY: Delacorte.

This story is the telling of a twisted school community. The Chocolate War definitely looks at the dark side of the human psyche. Jerry is a freshman who attends a school with a sadistic head master, Brother Leon, and an equally sociopathic student gang. Jerry resists the pressure of conformity, by refusing to join in the school chocolate sale, but in the end he is not able to defend himself. The grimmest aspect of this story, is that there are few characters with redeeming qualities, and all other characters, even minor characters, in the story are basically evil and uncaring.

I have a hard time with stories like this. I don't like stories where not only is the underdog not able to triumph, but he is badly defeated. This story explores deeply, an uncomfortable topic and is unexpected in the way that evil prevails over good. Even though, stories like this are not my preference, the characters are deeply developed and the problem is a unique one for teens to think about and explore. It allows them to consider their own humanity and reactions to situations.

The Tequila Worm

Canales, V. (2005). The tequila worm. NY: Wendy Lamb Books/ Random House.

Sophia's story is a rare look into life in a Texas border town. Sophia's narration of the significant events in her life building up to her departure to boarding school are heart warming and humorous. Sophia learns that the life she has been trying to escape from is actually what has made her who she is and given her the strength to continue on. This story reminds me a lot of Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. It is about a minority teen, trying to find balance between the life they were raised in and the life they dream to have.

Books like this are perfect in Texas. While this is not the life I live, it would ring true to many of my coworkers, students and neighbors. It will help students to understand each other and the different back grounds they are coming from. The story telling is captivating, while teaching common themes of self discovery and acceptance in an uncommon setting amongst uncommon characters.

Janis Joplin Rise Up Singing

Angel, A. (2010). Janis Joplin: Rise up singing. NY: Amulet.


This book is an autobiography of the life and short yet dynamic career of Janis Joplin. While it has many typical features of a nonfiction book (table of contents, timeline, index), it is far from ordinary. From the bright pink end pages, to the bright and whimsical details found on each page, this book captures the feeling of 60's rocker. 

I really liked how this book went beyond the performer side of Joplin and dove into what shaped her into who she became as a young adult. This book is most appropriate for high school aged kids or adults. It could be used in a biography unit or it could be used to compare and contrast the lives of different types of artists or musicians from different eras. 

Speak

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. NY: Penguin


Speak is a hard hitting look at Melinda Soretino's freshman year. She spends the year as an outcast amongst her former friends, students, teachers and her family. She doesn't know how to interact with anyone, so she becomes very withdrawn. At first the reader does not know the details of what happened the night at the party, but once those details are shared, then it is like Melinda begins to find her strength and slowly come back to life. While Melinda is a victim in this tragedy, she is also a hero. She was able to find her voice, stand up for herself and others who were victims of sexual assault. 

This story was hard to read, but so powerfully written. It is a subject that most of us don't want to think about and dwell on, but if we're not willing to even think about it, then how are victims going to be willing to speak up about it? Melinda's character is not what we think of in a typical teen book, and I think that will appeal to readers. Because of the adult theme, it is probably most appropriate for high school aged kids. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. NY: Little Brown. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian is a story of courage and perseverance. The story is told from the point of view of the main character, Arnold Spirit, Jr., otherwise known as Junior. During a time that is difficult for all, the first year of high school, Arnold decides to leave his reservation to attend a more affluent, "white" school. This leaves Arnold caught in-between 2 worlds, not really fitting into either. Despite a year that has been challenging and riddled with loss, Arnold finds gradual acceptance both at home on the reservation and at his new school. 

This book was the first one I read off of the list. I was intrigued by the title and I loved the look into Native American life on the reservation. I think any teen that has ever struggled with acceptance will be able to relate to this book. I also think this book would be particularly good for freshmen. The transition from middle school to high school can be daunting and overwhelming, but I think that Alexie's humorous and also truthful take on it will resonate with teens.