Ghostgirl- Tonya Hurley

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I do not usually comment on the “cover appeal” of a book, but as soon as I received this book in the mail I was instantly intrigued because of how cool the cover is.  The white background in the middle of the cover shown above is really clear plastic with a black silhouette on it. [...]

Kit’s Wilderness- David Almond

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Kit’s Wilderness is a novel that is very realistic but includes fantastical elements.  Kit is a 13 year old boy whose family has recently moved back to the town in which is grandfather grew up.  Part of the story revolves around Kit’s grandfather’s declining health and mental state.  I identified with this aspect [...]

A Step From Heaven- An Na

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This book reminded me of Kira Kira, as they both tell stories of Asian immigrants in America.  I found this book a little hard to get into, perhaps because it doesn’t focus on one time in her life but rather goes from Kindergarten through beginning college.  The story follows a Korean girl from [...]

American Born Chinese- Gene Luen Yang

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American Born Chinese might be my favorite book of 2009.  It was so much FUN to read.  I laughed out loud several times, from the dialogue and the illustrations.  Written in the format of a graphic novel it follows three story lines that come together at the end.  It took me a minute to [...]

How Ya Like Me Now- Brendan Halpin

 Eddie, is a sophomore in high school, who has to move out of the suburbs into Boston when his mom enters rehab.  He has to deal with not only his problems at home, but with entering a new school, and making friends.  His cousin, Alex, is also a central part of this book and provides [...]

Tangerine- Edward Bloor

  Tangerine kept me interested for the entire novel.  Paul, the seventh grade protagonist, is an engaging character with whom I was able to empathize.  One of the story lines that kept me the most intrigued throughout the book was the mystery of how Paul’s eye sight was harmed.  There is just enough mystery and intrigue in [...]

Bullyville- Francine Prose

  I picked this book up in the hopes that it would address the issues of bullying in a way that speaks to students.  In that regard it fell short.  While I found the novel interesting, it did not do enough to show the negative effects of bullying and what the best ways do deal with [...]

Romiette and Julio-Sharon Draper

I have liked every single one of Drapers books that I have read.  This book is great because it plays off of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet by having two teens of different races dating.  It has gangs, some violence, and deals with race issues in a very real way.  Draper catches readers’ (esp teens) attention [...]

Looking For Alaska- John Green

I really enjoyed this novel.  It takes place at a boarding school, and while it centers around a male protagonist there is also a strong female character.  I can see it being somewhat controversial due to some sex, drinking, and smoking.  I feel that the way the sexual elements are presented could lead to healthy [...]

Leaving Fischers- Margaret Haddix

This is a realistic fiction novel. The girl that this book centers around is the new kid in school and looking to fit in. It deals with the ideas of cult-like religions, and blind faith. This is another book that I would recommend perhaps for individual reading, but not as a whole class [...]