The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Bibliographic Information: Alexie, S. (Author & Narrator). (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. [Audiobook]. Recorded Books. ASIN:B0016NBXZG

Plot Summary: Arnold Spirit Jr., or Junior, was born with “water on the brain”, a medical condition that left him with bad vision, a lisp, and an oversized head that earned him the nickname “Globe.” On the Spokane Indian reservation, or the “rez”, Junior has spent 14 years being bullied and living in poverty with his ex-alcoholic mother and alcoholic father. Luckily, his best friend, Rowdy, is tough and offers protection to Junior.

On his first day of high school, Junior notices that his textbook has his mother’s maiden name written in it, meaning the book was over 30 years old. Disappointed and enraged that his reservation couldn’t even afford new books for its school, Junior throws the book across the room, and it lands on his teachers face breaking his nose. During his suspension from school, Junior goes to apologize to his teacher, who warns him that he needs to get off of the rez, if he wants a real shot at his education and future. Much to his best friends dismay, and despite his parents being poor, Junior decides to transfer to Reardan High—the all-white school across town.

This decision sparks hostility from people on the rez, which climaxes during the moments of two basketball games he plays against his old team, and against Rowdy. But soon, Arnold is crushing on the beautiful Penelope, and befriending the smart be-speckled Gordy. Threatening his friendship with Rowdy and the acceptance from his tribe, Arnold struggles to find himself.

Critical Evaluation: This story offers hope in the form Junior, a Native American boy set on breaking an endless cycle of poverty and alcoholism that permeates his family’s lives and his reservation. Junior’s decision to attend the all-white school sparks an identity crisis in him that is only exacerbated by the response from his friends and family back on the rez.  On the one hand, he doesn’t want to sell-out to white people, but on the other hand, he doesn’t want to end up like his mother, father or sister—all brilliant people who didn’t get to fulfill their dreams. But through honesty and humor, author Sherman Alexie invokes a hopeful story of what it means to fight despite the circumstances you are given in life. The humorous tone, quirky doodles and conversational journal style of the writing offer a truly up-close look at family, poverty, race, and growing up that is sure to move readers on many levels. Sad and funny all at once, this book gives a realistic depiction of adolescent struggles and hopes.

Reader’s Annotation: Arnold Spirit Jr. has spent his entire 14 years on the Spokane Indian reservation, and finally decides to attend the white high-school in hopes of having a better shot at his education. He loses his best friend Rowdy in the process, and the rest of the people on the reservation shun him.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states, “Alexie is recognized for his examination of the Native American experience in contemporary American society. His writing frequently employs themes of identity and the Other. He began his literary career writing poetry and short stories, and his first published collection, The Business of Fancydancing (1992), earned him a New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year award. His first novel, Reservation Blues (1994), garnered significant critical acclaim as well and earned Alexie a number of prizes, including the Before Columbus Foundation's American Book Award, a Granta Best of Young American Novelists citation, and a Murray Morgan Prize. Alexie collaborated with Colville Indian and musician Jim Boyd on the album Reservation Blues, which contains songs from the book. Expanding his repertoire to another medium, Alexie wrote his first screenplay, Smoke Signals (1998), based on the story "This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona," from the collection The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1993). The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won two awards. Alexie made his directorial debut by adapting for film a screenplay loosely based on the stories and poems in The Business of Fancydancing, which also won several awards. Alexie continues to work in letters and in film and is widely acknowledged as an important voice of the Native American perspective.”

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Subjects: Native Americans, coming-of-age, friendship, alcoholism, family, basketball

Curriculum Ties: social issues, stereotypes, racism

Booktalking Ideas: Introduce Junior’s character as the usual nerdy type who gets bullied. Then elaborate on the more complex intricacies of identity that come with living on an Indian reservation and longing to leave it.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to profanity, portrayals of poverty and alcoholism, as well as mention of sexual arousal and masturbation, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: Hearing this great story from the man who experienced a lot of what happened, is the only natural way to hear it. Sherman's voice adds depth and humor to Junior's narration.

Paper Towns

Bibliographic Information: Green, J. (2008). Paper towns. New York: Dutton. ISBN: 978-0-525-47818-8

Plot Summary: Quentin “Q” Jacobsen has been in love with the unattainable Margo Spiegelman since they were kids. Though they hardly speak in high school, they share an experience from when they were nine: they discovered a dead man in a park. Since then, Q has been intrigued and infatuated with the Margo he thinks he knows. One night, she shows up at his bedroom window, dressed in all black and wearing black face paint. She asks him to be her partner-in-crime for the evening, and Q barely puts up a fight. Together they adventure through Margo’s revenge plot set against her ex-boyfriend and former friends. After numerous breaking-and-entering encounters, including one into SeaWorld, the couple find themselves bonding closer than ever before. But a mysterious aura surrounds Margo that evening, and Q can’t put his finger on it.

            Then Margo mysteriously vanishes without a trace, and Q feels like she has left him a series of clues to her location. Piece by piece, Q gathers evidence in an intellectual, literary, and musical scavenger hunt that leads to a summer road trip with his best pals after high school graduation. In his pursuit of understanding and finding Margo, Q journeys on a quest of his own, one that transforms him and sets the stage for his adult life.

Critical Evaluation: This is a high school romance story and mystery novel all in one. But most importantly, it’s a coming-of-age story about a boy who is searching for meaning in a “paper town” full of “paper people”. The story is littered with tangible characters: Q’s trio of best friends has a quirky and fun dynamic that reveals the familiar process of getting to know others through shared experiences. Though many people become involved with the search for Margo, it is Q who spearheads the search, thanks to his infatuation with this unattainable girl. Rather than being a story of love-that-could-have-been, Paper Towns is more about accepting the love-that-never-was-going-to-be. Not a lot of YA novels cover this kind of story, where the pursuit of a fantasy results in a pursuit for self-identity. All of the qualities that Q sees in Margo are qualities he admires in her: courage, impulse, adventure, freedom, and truth. They are qualities that he doesn’t see in himself, until Margo’s disappearance triggers his desire to solve the mystery of her. The trail of clues is at once, far-fetched, but also revealing of Q’s intellect and desire for growth. His constant analyzing of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, symbolizes his internal search for truth.

            The ending of the book reveals the danger of facades and assumptions. Q finds out that he has been gravely mistaken about Margo from the get-go. His idea of her was just part of the mark she left on her old life before she ran away. Margo’s strong will displays to teens what it takes to really grow up, and that growing up is also a very personal and unique experience.

Reader’s Annotation: Quentin is in love with the adventurous, spunky, and spontaneous Margo, who, after a night of revenge and suspense, disappears. Faced with the challenge of finding Margo, and himself, Quentin is intent on discovering the truth.

Author Information: Wikipedia states, “Green grew up in Orlando, Florida, before attending Indian Springs School, a boarding and day school outside of Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 with a double major in English and Religious Studies.

After leaving college, Green spent five months working as a student chaplain in a children's hospital, and was enrolled at the University of Chicago Divinity School at the time, although he never actually attended. His experiences of working with children with life-threatening illnesses inspired him to later write The Fault in Our Stars.

Green lived for several years in Chicago, where he worked for the book review journal Booklist as a publishing assistant and production editor while writing Looking for Alaska. While there, he reviewed hundreds of books, particularly literary fiction and books about Islam orconjoined twins. He has also critiqued books for The New York Times Book Review and written for National Public Radio's All Things Considered and WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Green lived in New York City for two years while his wife attended graduate school.”

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Mystery

Subjects: love, growing up, missing persons, road trip, run aways

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: Set up a scavenger hunt to find the book, and discuss the search for self.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+

Challenge Issues/Defense: N/A

Reason for Selection: John Green does an excellent job of getting into the mind young adult reasoning (when it comes to matters of the heart especially.) The characters were vivid and the mysterious plot is engaging.

Americus

Bibliographic Information: Reed, M.K. (2011). Americus. New York: First Second. ISBN: 978-1-59643-768-5

Plot Summary: When the latest installment of the widely popular fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde, is released, Neil and Danny can’t wait to get their hands on it at their small town Americus library. Danny gets it first, but when his conservative mother catches him reading it, she tears it up in front of the librarian and demands that such filth be removed from the library. Danny defends himself and decides to announce that he is gay, to which his enraged mother sends him to military school.

            Now faced with entering high school alone, Neil escapes through reading the Ravenchilde book, and gets a job as a library page. Though he’s a quiet boy who keeps to himself, he is the only one that the youth librarian, Charlotte, believes can help her defend the book series from the angry mob of conservative parents. Snippets from the story of Apathea are interwoven into Neil’s struggles with high school and censorship, and symbolize what he’s going through. As he makes connections with Apathea’s own struggles, Neil is able to help reveal the value of the book to young readers like him, and ultimately fights the good fight towards intellectual freedom.

Critical Evaluation: Overall, this story reaffirms the values of many avid readers, teachers, and librarians: everyone has the right to read what they want, and no one has the right to deny that a book be unavailable to somebody else. Unfortunately, to center a story on this kind of conflict, the author had to rely on one-dimensional stereotypes of conservative Christians, and even to some extent, the more liberal characters as well. The dichotomy of views is exaggerated, diminishing the depth of characters. However, I can’t say the author was completely focused on demonizing her antagonist: there are small and subtle clues to Danny’s mother’s frustrations. In one scene, she looks longingly at a family portrait and sighs. You can tell that her real anger is probably a product of her son being gay, which she has harnessed and used to fight something she might gain control over: a book a series. Not all of the right-wing characters are deemed as evil either; Danny’s father emits the strong silent type of resentment towards his wife, and Danny’s younger sister shows signs of open-mindedness.  

            One can’t help but admire the relationship Neil has with his own divorced mother, who is very smart, loving and accepting of anything Neil wants to read. The relationship between the librarian and Neil is great, too, showing that adults and teens can fight together for a greater good.

            The illustrations are very expressive and charged with passion in some scenes, and the cuts to the Ravenchilde book are fluid and effective in tying together the two narratives. While I feel adults may enjoy this book a bit more than teens, there is still an underlying coming-of-age story here, and Neil is a dynamic and interesting character to follow. I especially related to Neil’s discovery of punk rock music—an aspect many teens will love.

Reader’s Annotation: Neil, an avid reader, helps fight the conservatives in his small town who want to ban his favorite book series from the local library.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states, “M.K. Reed is a freelance writer, editor, and cartoonist, whose first graphic novel is Americus, illustrated by Jonathan Hill. "The book," explained Tim O'Shea on the Comic Book Resources Web site, "is about 'Neil Barton, a teenager growing up in Oklahoma, and his fight to keep his favorite fantasy series, The Chronicles of Apathea Ravenchilde, in his public library.'"

Critics praised Reed's accomplishment in Americus. "Not only does Reed have a knack for the teenage vernacular and an easygoing sense of humor, but more importantly, she gives an empowering message about freedom of speech, the importance of escapism and imagination," wrote Gavin Lees on the Graphic Eye Web site. "She practically grips them by the collar and says the words we could all have done with hearing at that age: You are not alone." "The heart of this tale is that stories have the power to illuminate lives," declared Barbara M. Moon in School Library Journal. "Reciprocally, stories are enriched by the reader's experiences."

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fiction

Subjects: censorship, libraries, reading, high school

Curriculum Ties: Bill of Rights, Intellectual freedom, censorship

Booktalking Ideas: Ask teens what their favorite books are. Tell them that the old book you are holding in your hands is their favorite book. Tear the book up in front of them. Open a discussion about censorship and describe how Americus, can help them explore this issue in a comical and upbeat way.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to strong negative stereotypes of Christians and conservatives, and discussions of censorship, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: As a librarian, this story of intellectual freedom hits close to home, and I think its important to teach teens about the topic early on. 

The Maze Runner

Bibliographic Information: Dashner, J. (2009). The maze runner. New York: Delacorte. ISBN: 978-0385737951

Plot Summary: Thomas wakes up on an elevator, in pitch darkness, ascending to an unknown place, memories wiped clean. All he knows is his first name. Disoriented and frightened, Thomas happens upon a diverse community of teenage boys who pull him out of the lift. He sees his new home, a large yard, bigger than several football fields and surrounded by concrete walls several hundred feet high. It’s called the Glade and its residents call themselves the Gladers—who are just as clueless about their purpose here as Thomas is. Every 30 days another boy appears in the lift. To sustain themselves in the enclosed environment, the Gladers grow crops, keep livestock, and organize labor tasks. There is only one goal: survival.

            When Thomas hears about some of the boys who have died, he learns about the dangers that lurk outside the Glade’s walls: an expansive shifting maze full of mechanical monsters called Grievers. For two years the boys have survived and tried to navigate the maze, but they are all growing weary. Trained maze runners enter the maze daily to map it out and search for any patterns or an exit. But one day—the day after Thomas shows up, a girl is delivered to them in the lift. She is unconscious, but Thomas feels a familiar connection to her, that will inevitably lead to their understanding of this hostile world.

Critical Evaluation: For yet another dystopian YA fiction series, The Maze Runner trilogy offers an action packed experience packed in a lengthy, but quick and easy read. The premise is interesting enough to keep readers holding on for answers, though the characters can become tiresome (Thomas keeps screaming out questions to boys who have no answers for him). Dashner’s writing relies heavily on rationing out explanations very slowly, pacing the action steadily in between, to keep readers immersed in the story. The minor characters are very well developed, each with their own accents and style of talking. The clever invention of a language used by the boys, particularly slang and made-up curse words, added depth to the world and lightened up their plight (I giggled every time they called each other “shuckface” or “slinthead”). Thomas is rather boring throughout the beginning of the book, since he is surrounded by so many more interesting characters, but his moment comes towards the end, when his courage and leadership skills surface. Reluctant readers will cling to the action and suspense of the engaging plot. Avid readers may be bored by the main characters.

Reader’s Annotation: Thomas wakes up with no memories and no idea why he arrives in this place called the Glade, surrounded by a shifting maze full of terrifying mechanical monsters.

Author Information: James Dashner’s official website, http://www.jamesdashner.com/about/, states, “James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn’t miss numbers. At all.)

In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he’s thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.”

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian, Post-Apocalyptic, Action, Adventure

Subjects: maze, labyrinth, survival, friendship

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: Game: maze, divide group into runners/monsters

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to violence an mild language, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: With a film in the making, and this book still on many best seller lists, its popularity will only grow over the next few years. It offers a unique premise and a ton of action. It would work as a tool to get reluctant readers interested in reading.

Resistance

Bibliographic Information: Jablonski, C. & Purvis, L. (Illustrator). (2010). Resistance. New York: First Second. ISBN: 978-1596432918

Plot Summary: Set in Vichy, France during the middle of World War II, the first in Jabonski’s trilogy is a fictional account about a French family’s experience with the French Resistance.  Paul and Marie Tessier’s father has taken prisoner by the German army, but when their friend Henri’s parents cannot be found and Henri subsequently goes into hiding, Paul and Marie decide something must be done and attempt to get recruited by the French Resistance—where they hope to find their friend’s parents as well their father.  To provide a bit of context to the historical events, Jabonski gives a brief introduction to the Nazi occupation of France as well as author’s notes providing information on WWII, anti-Semitism, and the Resistance.

Critical Evaluation: The most unique aspect of Resistance is the varying illustrations that are presented.  The protagonist is an artist, always within reach of his sketchbook and pen. The illustrations switch between the actual narrative and Paul’s drawings of the events he is witnessing and participating in. In his drawings we see horrific treatment of Jews by Germans. Though stories about the WWII are always difficult to read, telling it from an adolescent perspective is refreshing.

Reader’s Annotation: Paul and Marie want to keep their Jewish friendsafe in hiding, but tension is rising with German forces and though they believe in the French Resistance, they are scared for their own family’s lives.

Author Information: From the author’s website, http://www.carlajablonski.com/, it states, “Carla Jablonski is the author and editor of dozens of best-selling books for middle-grade and young adult readers. "I kind of do it all -- adaptations, branching books (Choose Your Own Adventure style), serious novels for teenagers, fantasy, and now, graphic novels."

Her most recent book, Resistance, the first of a graphic novel trilogy (illustrated by Leland Purvis) is A SYDNEY TAYLOR SILVER MEDAL winner. Book 2 in the series, Defiance, will be available in July. Two of her books for teens, Thicker than Water and Silent Echoes, were selected for the prestigious NYPL "Books for the Teen Age" list. She is the author of the six-book series, The Books of Magic, based on Neil Gaiman's comic classic of the same name.  

Her books are sold in many countries, and she always gets a kick seeing her titles in other languages. "My favorite is the Thai version of Books of Magic," she says. "The alphabet is so beautiful, and I find it funny that my own words are completely unrecognizable to me!" 

In addition to writing and editing books for YA readers, she is at work on several books for adults, and is also an actress, a playwright and a trapeze performer. These pursuits have allowed her to do a lot of traveling, particularly to Scotland, and she's met many wonderful and amazing people. "The trapeze thing is definitely what surprises most people -- even people who know me, and especially myself!"

Genre: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction

Subjects: WWII, Holocaust, Jews, French resistance, Nazis

Curriculum Ties: World War II, French Resistance

Booktalking Ideas: How far would you go to protect someone from something you believe is wrong?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to depictions of violence, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: This is a fantastic introduction to WWII themes for YA’s.

Little Brother

Bibliographic Information: Doctorow, C. (2008). Little brother. New York: Tor Teen. ISBN: 978-0765323118

Plot Summary: Marcus Yallow is just your average high-school kid, which makes him “one of the most surveilled people in the world.” This is because he attends a high school where gait-recognition cameras are installed, and students are required to use Schoolbooks—laptop computers that log every keystroke, detect suspicious keywords, and bombard students with advertisements. But it doesn’t take long for Marcus, aka “w1n5t0n”, to crack the Schoolbook’s firewall and install hidden software so that he can surf the net privately during school, often playing the-best-game-of-all-time: Harajuku Fun Madness. He’s even devised a way to fool the gait-recognition cameras by putting pebbles in his shoes, making him walk in random movements.

            Marcus’s interests in hacking are for pleasure, and privacy. He is a pro at outsmarting even the most advanced computer technology. Until one day, he and his friends go out on scavenger hunt (the latest quest on Harajuku Fun Madness) in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, and a terrorist attack occurs, destroying the Bay Bridge, and BART train system. Marcus and his friends are seized by the Department of Homeland Security in the onslaught of chaos, and subjected to torture and interrogation for looking suspicious. When they are falsely accused of being terrorists, and finally released, Marcus feels that his freedoms and privacy have been violated, and his safety has been compromised for life.

When he finds a chip installed in his laptop at home, he realizes he is in for a long ride of fighting for his freedoms. Under the new moniker of M1k3y, Marcus creates the Xnet—a network that unites other rebellious teens to organize the jamming of the DHS’s transportation tracking system, used to detect suspicious activity among San Francisco’s citizens. With help from his Xnet followers and parents, Marcus’s story is revealed to the public, but not without a few obstacles. Luckily, he is willing to fight for his freedoms and the Bill of Rights.

Critical Evaluation: Doctorow’s vision of a near dystopian future is backed up with intricate knowledge about the hacking world, instilling reader’s with a sense of autonomy and control, that may seem to be diminishing every day: airports now use face recognition cameras, passports contain RFID chips that can track where you travel, Facebook publishes your whereabouts and advertises things you may have just Googled. Our sense of privacy in the age of Information is dwindling, and this book explores some of the dangers that might surface. Told though the eyes of a rebellious and smart teen, and available for free in multiple formats thanks to a Creative Commons license, Little Brother is a fresh call-to-arms for the next generation, pleading that we all take American civil rights seriously, and won’t let technology work against us.

Reader’s Annotation: Marcus is mistakenly arrested as a terrorist who attacked the Bay Bridge in San Francisco. He and his friends must wage a war on the DHS to win back their freedom.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states that “Cory Doctorow writes science fiction and nonfiction about technology, both of which he was exposed to at an early age by his father, a math and computer science teacher. Doctorow noted on his Web site that he learned to use a keyboard before he learned cursive writing. He began selling his short fiction at seventeen and has had continued success with his stories.

Genre: Science Fiction

Subjects: Civil Rights, Computer hackers, Counterculture, Terrorism, Privacy

Curriculum Ties: Bill of Rights, Civil Rights, and Freedom

Booktalking Ideas: Make connections between the book and terrorist attacks on the United States, 9/11 and the recent Boston Bombings. Ask teens if they are willing to give up their freedoms for “safety”, and how this connects with the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Reading Level/Interest Age: 16+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to mild language, sexuality, and depictions of terrorism and revolution, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: Few science fiction novels feel so plausible and relavent as this. Tech-savvy teens will love all of the hacking references.

American Born Chinese

 Bibliographic Information: Yang, G.L. (2006). American born Chinese. New York: First Second. ISBN: 9781596433731

Plot Summary: Simultaneous stories revolve around three characters: the Monkey King, who masters Kung Fu in order to become a god; Jin Wang, a Chinese-American teen who struggles with his identity and acceptance of his heritage; and Danny, a blonde teen who faces the annual visits and embarrassment from his distant Chinese cousin, Chin-Kee. The central character, Jin, begins his story as his family is moving from an apartment in the city to a house in the suburbs. One day, a Chinese herbalist tells Jin he can be anything he wants to be, so long as he forfeits his soul. Unsure of what this exactly means, Jin attends his first day at his new school, where his teacher botches his name, and students ridicule him with Chinese stereotypes. Not even the Japanese girl, the only other Asian in his class, pays him any attention, and he is socially isolated until Wei-Chen arrives from Taiwan. Though Jin’s initial impulse is to beat him up, the boys become best friends when they learn of their mutual love for transformers toys. Jin falls in love with a Caucasian girl, gets a perm to impress her, and takes her on a date to the movies, but his romantic pursuit is thwarted by her friend who asks Jin not to date her anymore. Feeling frustrated, Jin acts out in aggression and kisses Wei-Chen’s girlfriend. Jin is left to mend not only his friendship, but his identity.

Critical Evaluation: Through these seemingly different characters comes a humorous tale about trying to fit in, accepting one’s heritage, and finding one’s identity. Transformation is the primary theme throughout this story, starting with the Monkey King trying to transform into a god, and Jin’s interest in transformer toys as a child. Chin-Kee is a character who embodies all of the negative stereotypes about Chinese people, and his presence, although difficult to read sometimes, is used to humorously address these issues, making readers aware of how ridiculous and false such stereotypes are. The fable of the Monkey King counterbalances Chin-Kee, by representing a genuine Chinese tradition. Like Yin and Yang, the stories don’t oppose each other, but complement each other, and come together to reveal that Danny is really Jin reflecting all of his own insecurities about being Chinese-American, and the Monkey King’s son is actually Wei-Chen, sent to Earth for his test of virtue. The friends reunite at the end, both transformed, but in different ways—showing that being Chinese-American isn’t a single identity, but multiple ones, just like that of any individual.

Reader’s Annotation: Jin Wang wants to fit in at his new school, the Monkey King wants to become a god, and Danny wants to avoid his embarrassing Chinese cousin. Each character wants to transform in some way, but little do they know just how interwoven their stories are.

Author Information:  Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states, “Gene Luen Yang is an educator and a graphic novelist. He teaches computer science classes at a Roman Catholic high school in Oakland, California. In a Booklist interview, Yang explained his initial interest in comics: ‘I bought my first comic in the fifth grade, and I started drawing them shortly thereafter with a friend. Then in seventh grade, we both got interested in girls, and comics became really uncool. So I stopped drawing them, and I also stopped reading them. In high school, I took a comics class, and I started getting really heavily into them again.’ 

Genre: Graphic Novel, Fiction

Subjects: Identity, heritage, immigration, stereotypes

Curriculum Ties: Immigration

Booktalking Ideas: Use the fable of the Monkey King to introduce the theme of identity and transformation, then tie it into the immigrant experience in the U.S. What does it mean to be Chinese-American vs. just American?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 12+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to racist caricatures of Chinese stereotypes, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: This is a Printz Award winning book that offers a glimpse that few YA novels offer: what its like to grow up as an Asian American.

The Hunger Games

Bibliographic Information: Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic. ISBN: 9780439023481

Plot Summary: Katniss Everdeen lives in a future dystopian United States that has transformed into the nation, Panem, and is divided by twelve districts that surround the Capitol. The Capitol and the districts were once at war, and now to remind the citizens of Panem of their treason, each district is forced to give up one teenage boy and one teenage girl to fight in an arena, on national television, to the death. Katniss’s little sister is chosen on the day of the reaping, as well as Peeta, a boy from her district who once saved her life by offering a loaf of bread. Out of bravery and love for her sister, Katniss steps in her place (this is allowed), and is sent off with Peeta to begin training for the Hunger Games.

            Katniss is primped and pampered to look perfect by her stylist, and meets her drunken mentor, Haymitch. Peeta and Katniss get a glimpse of what they are up against during training, and eventually the games begin. Through a combination of strategies, including hiding in trees and passively waiting for everyone to kill each other, Katniss and Peeta become the first ever couple to both win the games. But their defiance in refusing to kill one another sparks suspicion from the Capitol, so they maintain a false relationship that the media loves. However, their feigned love, just might blossom into something more.

Critical Evaluation: Even though the idea of forcing children to kill each other for entertainment seems farfetched and ridiculous, the whole premise does raise questions about contemporary media. With the rise of video games and movies that can depict violence to vividly and with such realistic detail, it feels as if society’s cravings for violence will never reach its limit. The Hunger Games forces us to ask questions about ourselves. Is it really in our human nature to enjoy watching people suffer? There have certainly been times though out history, like in ancient Rome, where gladiators fought to the death. So it is frightening to think that children could eventually be given such a task. Exploring such a carnal aspect of human darkness through a fictitious world, helps us answer some of these questions. Obviously, Katniss represents the “good fight” in her ability to avoid killing anyone, until she has to kill Cato out of pity for his suffering. Her and Peeta’s willingness to sacrifice themselves is a testament to the power of human will to do good, and the ultimate slap in the face to tyranny.

Reader’s Annotation: Katniss has just chosen to enter a fight-to-the-death in place of her sister. The fight will be aired on television.

Author Information: Gale’s Contemporary Authors Online states, “Suzanne Collins, who has worked as a writer on such television programs as Clarissa Explains It All, Little Bear, and Oswald, did not plan to write a novel for children. After a conversation with children's book author and illustrator Joe Proimos, however, she was convinced to give it a try. The resulting novel, Gregor the Overlander, became the first installment in Collins's "Underland Chronicles," a series of Alice in Wonderland-esque tales that find Gregor traversing an urban environment. Collins, who lived in New York City for sixteen years, wanted to gear her fantasy toward cosmopolitan young readers who are more familiar with city streets that sunlit meadows. As a contributor to the Scholastic Web site noted of Collins's inspiration, "in New York City, you're much more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole and, if you do, you're not going to find a tea party."

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian

Subjects: death, competition, dystopian, survival, romance, reality television

Curriculum Ties: Media and Culture

Booktalking Ideas: Ask teens to observe television advertisements and reality shows. Discuss what is depicted and how it might lead to the kind of entertainment represented in Panem.

How do you feel about violent videogames? Do they bring out violence in people? Or are they just harmless and vicarious ways to have fun?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 15+

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to depictions of violence, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: This series doesn’t appear to be declining in popularity, and it really set the stage for the current dystopian craze in YA literature. Though there are a lot of derivative versions of The Hunger Games out there, this series is still the best written, with the best character development. 

Twilight

Bibliographic Information: Meyer, S. (2005). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown.  ISBN: 9780316015844

Plot Summary: Isabella Swan decides to move from her mom’s place in Phoenix, Arizona to her dad’s in Forks, Washington—the rainiest place in the U.S. The constant cloud cover is a stark contrast to what Bella is used to, and she has trouble adjusting, even though she’s spent her summers here her whole life. But allowing her mom some freedom with her new husband seems like the right choice, so she accepts her life with an open heart.

            Before long, Bella meets her lab partner, Edward Cullen, who seems completely repelled by her and disappears for days. When he returns, she can’t help but notice his eyes have changed color, and he seems much friendlier. Then he saves her from being crushed by a van in the school parking lot—with nothing but his super human strength.

            When she learns of a local Native American legend about the rivalry between werewolves and vampires, she is convinced Edward is the latter. He eventually comes clean, confessing that he and his family only prey on animals, never humans. Bella’s scent was so enticing on that first day of school, that Edward really struggled to be near her. As if falling in love with a vampire isn’t dangerous enough, another vampire coven has enter the Cullen territory, threatening to kill Bella, and Edward saves her.

Critical Evaluation: Bella Swan is the wallflower type of character—a boring and pail looking brunette with no self-confidence, and so naturally, a gorgeous and immortal vampire falls in love with her (there’s just something about her scent!) Despite the cheesiness of this story, there is still something very romantic about it, and sappy bits are interspersed with enough action sequences to keep the story at a reasonable pace.

Reader’s Annotation: Bella falls in love with a vampire, which turns out to be pretty dangerous and romantic.

Author Information: From the author’s offical website, http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/bio.html: “Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a bachelor's degree in English. She lives with her husband and three young sons in Phoenix, Arizona. After the publication of her first novel, Twilight, booksellers chose Stephenie Meyer as one of the "most promising new authors of 2005" (Publishers Weekly).

Stephenie Meyer's life changed dramatically on June 2, 2003. The stay-at-home mother […] woke up from a dream featuring seemingly real characters that she could not get out of her head.

"Though I had a million things to do, I stayed in bed, thinking about the dream. Unwillingly, I eventually got up and did the immediate necessities, and then put everything that I possibly could on the back burner and sat down at the computer to write—something I hadn't done in so long that I wondered why I was bothering."

Meyer invented the plot during the day through swim lessons and potty training, and wrote it out late at night when the house was quiet. Three months later she finished her first novel, Twilight. With encouragement from her older sister (the only other person who knew she had written a book), Meyer submitted her manuscript to various literary agencies. Twilight was picked out of a slush pile at Writer's House and eventually made its way to the publishing company Little, Brown where everyone fell immediately in love with the gripping, star-crossed lovers.”

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Subjects: moving, high school, love, vampires

Curriculum Ties: N/A

Booktalking Ideas: Often, Edward tries to communicate to Bella the suffering that comes with being immortal. Would you want to live forever? Why or why not?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 13 +

Challenge Issues/Defense: Due to depictions of supernatural beings and violence, this book may be challenged. If so, refer to:

1.     The San Francisco Public Library Collection Development Policy, Selection Criteria, and Teen Collection documents.

2.     The California Department of Education District Selection Policies, Reading Lists, and Resources for Recommended Literature: Pre-K-12.

3.     A hard copy of the ALA’s Library Bill of Rights.

4.     Mixed book reviews from School Library Journal, Kirkus, and Publisher’s Weekly.

5.     Book selection rationale.

6.     If necessary, The San Francisco Public Library’s Request for Reconsideration of Library Materials Form.

Reason for Selection: Though this book is becoming a bit dated, it is still on several best YA lists, and appeals to the romantically inclined, which includes a lot of teenagers.