And We Stay

by Jenny Hubbard

Hubbard, J. (2014). And we stay. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.

Emily and Paul were in love.  Well at least Paul was; Emily wasn’t so sure.  However, after an impromptu sexual encounter at a party, Emily finds herself pregnant.  When Emily tells Paul that she wants to have an abortion and that she has no intention of spending the rest of her life with him, he takes it very hard.  In fact, he is so devastated that he steals his grandfather’s gun, takes it to school and commits suicide in front of her in the school library.  The book follows guilt-ridden Emily as she tries to make a fresh start in a new place, an all girl’s boarding school located in Massachusetts.  While rumors swirl as to why Emily has just suddenly appeared at the school in January of her junior year, no one truly knows her story, and Emily is not one to share the details.  While making friends, encountering mean girls, and writing poetry to work through and express her feelings, Emily deals with the demons of her past and tries to focus on the future.  This 2015 Printz Award Honor book, and ALA 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults selection is told in both verse and prose and pays homage to legendary poet Emily Dickinson.  Girls in grade 9 and up, as well as fans of Dickinson, may find this book an enjoyable read.

Reading Group Guide for And We Stay

El Deafo 

by Cece Bell

Bell, C. (2014). El Deafo. New York, NY: Abrams.

Cece was just like any young girl, riding bikes, singing, and playing with friends. Then one day when she was only four years old, Cece became really sick with meningitis.  As Cece recovers, she notices something unusual; she can't hear! In, El Deafo, author Cece Bell tells the story of the illness that caused her hearing loss and her struggles to adjust to her disability through a graphic novel format using anthropomorphized bunnies.  After discovering that she will be permanently deaf, Cece is fitted with a hearing device known as a phonic ear, that she must wear to school and everywhere she goes.  With this new device she can hear, but it’s not quite the same.  At first she attends a school where all the other students are just like her.  They learn the basics such as reading and writing, but also other important skills such as lip reading.  However at the end of the year, Cece’s family moves and she is forced to leave her special school behind and attend a regular school where there is no one else like her.  At first it’s lonely, and Cece is self-conscious about her phonic ear.  Many of the students think that they must yell for her to hear, which does not help Cece understand at all.  She struggles with making friends that like and accept her for who she is, and even has to deal with teachers who do not want to wear the device that will help her, or mistreat the device.  But once she discovers that she can hear her teacher from anywhere in the school, she realizes she has a super power and even gives herself a superhero name…El Deafo!  This 2015 Newberry Medal winner is written in a way that is appropriate and enjoyable for readers of all ages.

Teaching Guide for use with El Deafo

Book Trailer for El Deafo

Cece Bell Talks About El Deafo

Puppy Love: True Stories of Doggie Devotion

by Lisa M. Gerry

Gerry, L. (2015). Puppy love: True stories of doggy devotion. Washington DC: National Geographic.

This 2016 ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Readers features twenty-five stories of love, loyalty, heroism and overcoming the odds; proving the saying, “Dogs are man’s best friend,” came to be for a reason.  The book is divided into several chapters including Loyal, Wise, Caring, Strong and Inspiring, and each contains stories of dogs that exemplify that particular characteristic.  There’s Lucy, who sought help for her owner after being hit by a car, Hattie who helps to improve the quality of life for her deaf owner, and Hooch who enjoys both sky and scuba diving!  Scattered within each chapter are additional facts and information about what makes dogs special and why humans love them so much.  Dog lovers of all ages will “Awwww,” over the colorful illustrations, and find this book an informational and enjoyable read. 

The Dumbest Idea Ever!

by Jimmy Gownley

Gownley, J. (2014). The dumbest idea ever!. New York, NY: Graphix.

Jimmy loves comic books and drawing.  He also loves playing basketball for his Catholic middle school.  When Jimmy is given the assignment to discuss the value of comic books in education he takes it as an opportunity to change the views of his teacher who believes they are not appropriate for the classroom, unfortunately even though he does a fabulous presentation, it doesn’t work.  While lying on the couch battling first chicken pox, then pneumonia, he sees a tv show about comics and discovers there is a comic book store not too far away.  He is amazed by all the comics he sees.  Upon starting high school, where former middle school rivals have now come together as teammates, Jimmy’s attitude as well as grades begin to decline.  He decides to write his own comic, however it is not as well receipted as he hoped it would be. His best friend Tony suggest that he write about the two of them to which Jimmy responds that that is the dumbest idea he has ever heard.  After taking some time to think about things he decides to give it a try and with the help of his parents even gets a few copies published that he sales at school. He and his comic quickly become popular around school as well as the town and we see his ego start to grow bigger and bigger.  After having his heartbroken and the feelings of depression start to set back in, he returns to the comic book store that sparked it all, where he finds new inspiration.  This wonderfully written and illustrated memoir would be an enjoyable read for students in Grade 5 and up who enjoy a realistic and relatable graphic novel. 

Discussion Questions for The Dumbest Idea Ever!

Book Trailer for The Dumbest Idea Ever!

The 5th Wave

by Rick Yancey

Yancey, R. (2013). The 5^th wave. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

It begins with an alien ship hovering above the planet.  For ten days the people of Earth watch and wait to see what these visitors will do.  Little do they know the aliens are about to unleash waves of attack unlike anything they could have imagined.  First there’s an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out all of Earth’s electricity.  Then come the tsunamis, wiping out billions of people.  The 3^rd wave is the pestilence, or Red Death, infecting a majority of the humans that are left.  Then there’s the 4^th wave, where alien consciousness awakens in pre implanted human minds and these sleepers, AKA “Silencers,” are released to gun down remaining survivors.  Now the 5^th wave is upon them and we get to experience the happenings through the eyes of several characters.  16 year-old Cassie has already lost her mother to the plague and watched her father murdered by “the others.”  Now her only reason for staying alive is the promise she made to her little brother that she would come for him.  Ben, AKA “Zombie,” has lost his entire family and has found himself in some type of supposed safe haven, which is actually more of a military training/death camp.  Sammy, AKA “Nugget,” is Cassie’s little brother who was loaded onto a school bus under the premise of being taken to safety, and hauled off into the same camp as Ben.  Then there’s Evan Walker, who rescues Cassie and nurses her back to health, but evidently has some serious secrets he’s hiding.  The first in the series, this NYT Bestselling book definitely ends on a cliffhanger leaving the reader wanting more.  Young adult lovers of science fiction and apocalyptic novels will enjoy this read.

Discussion Guide for The 5th Wave

Book Trailer for The 5th Wave

Period 8

by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, C. (2013). Period 8.  New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Period 8, taught by Mr. Logson AKA “Logs,” is a class where the students can discuss anything they want honestly and openly and trust that everything they say stays in the class.  When high school swimmer Paulie cheats on his girlfriend resulting in a break up, it doesn’t take long for the details to come out in Period 8.  Paulie’s dad is a habitual cheater, and his mother is constantly kicking him out of the house and taking him back.  Paulie can’t stand it and doesn’t want to be anything like his father, yet it seems as if he might be heading down that same path.  When the girl that Paulie cheated with, Mary Wells AKA “The Virgin Mary,” disappears things begin to get really strange.  Mary’s dad is super strict and everyone in town is scared of him.  Everyone that is, except student body president Arney Stacks.  Paulie senses something is off about Arney; while he preaches that everyone should get along and support each other, he sure seems to have a habit of trash talking and lying behind people’s backs.  As Paulie and Logs aim to get to the bottom of the situation, they come to the realization that good boy Arney is at the center of it all, running a drug/sex ring along with several men from town and a corrupt cop.  And while Paulie and his teacher are determined to expose these criminals, Arnie and his crew are just as determined to see to it that their secrets stay that way.  Just as in life, readers will discover that people are not always as they seem.  This book is a suspenseful and emotional read, sure to be enjoyed by high schoolers who enjoy a good mystery.

Chris Crutcher discusses Period 8

Persepolis

by Marjane Satrapi

Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. NY: Pantheon. 

This memoir, told in graphic novel format, is Marjane Sartrapi’s story of growing up in revolutionary Iran during the late 1970's and early 1980's.  Although the subject matter of war can be quite intense, the simplistic black and white art work and almost childlike innocence reflected in the voice make the story completely manageable and relatable to teens.  Satrapi is torn between all the different information she hears from her school, her parents, the news; she doesn’t know what to believe.  Her parents are revolutionaries, and participate in demonstrations to show their contempt for what is happening in their country.  Satrapi as a child also begins to rebel in her own way.  She questions why she has to wear a veil, speaks her mind in school, wears clothes and reads books that are considered inappropriate and listens to Iron Maiden.  But we also get a sense of the fear that comes along with rebellion.  Satrapi and her family must live with the constant fear of imprisonment and death, watch her classmates attend their fathers’ funerals and witness people flee to Sweden, England and the U.S.  Eventually, even Marjane’s parents make the decision to send her away to France.  This coming of age novel is extremely powerful and would be a great choice for teaching the effects of war on children and families.  

Resources for Teaching Persepolis

Interview with Marjane Satrapi

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers

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

He was supposed to be the lookout.  He was only supposed to make sure the store was clear and give the signal, but now the store clerk is dead and 16-year-old Steve Harmon has found himself arrested and charged with murder.  When the prosecutor refers to him as a “monster” in her opening statement, Steve begins to question himself and the person he really is.  Told as though a script for a movie, including stage directions, camera angles and such, readers will feel as though they are watching the most tumultuous part of Steve’s life play out before their eyes.  From flashbacks showing how Steve was bullied by neighborhood gangsters into participating in the convenience store robbery, to Steve’s frightening days and nights spent in jail, to the courtroom trial, Steve keeps careful notes of it all, documenting his experience and the emotional roller coaster he’s on.  By then end of trial, Steve is found innocent, due to his lack of direct involvement in the murder.  Yet when he goes to hug his attorney in celebration, she quickly turns away avoiding him, making him wonder what she sees in him and question if there really is a monster inside him.  The writing style used by Mr. Myers in this book makes it a great suggestion for reluctant teen readers.

Book Trailer for Monster

Educator's Packet for Monster

Walter Dean Myers Discusses Monster

Evil Librarian

by Michelle Knudsen

Knudsen, M. Evil librarian. (2014). Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

Cynthia has a huge crush on Ryan and her best friend Annie simply loves to give her a hard time about it.  Cynthia can’t wait until she can return the teasing and thinks she’s finally getting a chance when a new librarian shows up on campus and Annie seems absolutely smitten.  Though as Annie begins spending more and more time in the library, Cynthia starts to notice changes in both her attitude and behavior.  In fact, lots of people are beginning to act pretty strange, kind of zoned out and almost zombie like.  When Cynthia confronts Annie and suggest that she thinks the new librarian, Mr. Gabriel, may be responsible, Annie insist that she is crazy.  However, when Cynthia and Ryan enter the library one afternoon to discover Mr. Gabriel has sprouted wings, horns and is covered in blood, they realize the newest member of the staff is something other than human.  Together they try to come up with a plan to destroy this demon and save the school.  This Best Fiction for Young Adults selection is a great read for teens who enjoy horror, humor and a touch of romance.

Interview with Author Michelle Knudsen

Book Trailer for Evil Librarian

Looking for Alaska
by John Green

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska. New York, NY: Dutton Books.

16-year-old Miles Halter doesn’t have many friends at home in Florida, so the opportunity to attend Culver Creek, the boarding school his father went to in Alabama, seems like a good chance for a fresh start as he decides to seek out a “great perhaps.”  Upon arriving at school, Miles is befriended by his roommate Chip, AKA The Colonel, and his ragtag group of pranksters.  It is through The Colonel that Miles, now nicknamed “Pudge,” meets the mesmerizing Alaska Young.  She is beautiful, funny, smart, and full of energy and adventure.  It’s no wonder many of the boys, including Pudge, fall for her.  Unfortunately, she is also prone to some infuriating mood swings and self-destructive behaviors.  As the year progresses, Pudge is introduced to smoking, drinking, pranking and even gets his first girlfriend.  But suddenly, just as his life finally seems to be taking off, Alaska is dead due to a drunken late night car crash.  Pudge and his friends are left guilt ridden and devastated and begin to question how and why this could have happened.  Was it really an accident or did Alaska commit suicide?  In their search for answers, the friends must deal with the loss of their friend and learn to process their feelings of grief.  This Printz Award winner by John Green, author of other popular YA novels such as The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, would be an enjoyable read for any high schooler.  

Educator's Guide to the Works of John Green

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

by Isabel Quintero

Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi, A girl in pieces. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Gabi, a high school senior, is a light complexioned Hispanic girl who is kind of overweight and a bit self-conscious about it.  Of course that is not going to stop her from eating some delicious tacos!  Told from a diary type perspective, this story gives the reader a close up and personal view of Gabi’s life.  We meet her best friend Sebastian, who happens to be homosexual and when he comes out to his parents gets kicked out of his house and ends up living with Gabi for a while; and her other best friend Cindy, who ends up pregnant, which we later find out is due to a date rape.  We also learn a lot about Gabi’s home life.  Her father is a drug addict who appears and disappears in and out of the family’s life and eventually succumbs to a drug overdose in the garage where Gabi finds him; and her mother, while struggling with her own pregnancy and issues with her husband, expects Gabi to be a “good Mexican daughter” and stay at home to help take care of the family.  Gabi however has dreams of going off to college and becoming her own person with her own life.  Through all of this Gabi is also looking for love and hoping to find someone who loves and accepts her for who she is.  The wonderful thing about this book is how honest and real it is.  I imagine most high school girls could easily relate themselves to Gabi and aspects of their own life to hers.  It also presents a myriad of current and relevant hot topics and issues that would lead to to deep and meaningful conversations in classroom discussions.

Educator's Guide to Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

Book Trailer for Gabi, A Girl in Pieces

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie

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

Junior, a high school freshman who enjoys drawing cartoons, is struggling with his decision to attend the ‘white’ school outside of town to better himself and open doors to a better future at the encouragement of a teacher from the reservation school.  However, to his community this is seen as a betrayal and the people on the reservations begin to resent him and treat him as a traitor.  Even his best friend, Rowdy, who has always taken care of Junior, turns against him.  After initially being given a rough time at his new school for being an Indian and then being completely ignored, he begins to make friends with his classmates, makes the basketball team and even gets a girlfriend.  He discovers that these students at his new school are decent people who just happened to have been born with more opportunities than those from the reservation, where alcoholism runs rampant and winning at high school basketball is as good as it will ever get.  While dealing with the drama of attending a new school and his community hassling him because of it, Junior has to cope with the loss of his grandmother when she is struck by a drunk driver.  She is such a beloved member of the community that her death has a profound impact on everyone.  Afterward the people on the reservation no longer give Junior a hard time and even Rowdy comes around to forgiving his friend for leaving.  This National Book Award Winner is an excellent read for any high school student.

Lesson Plans for Use With The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Book Trailer for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Princess Labelmaker to the Rescue:

An Oragami Yoda Book

by Tom Angleberger

Angleberger, T. (2014). Princess Labelmaker to the rescue: An oragami Yoda book. New York, NY: Amulet Books.

The perfect book to go along with the recent hot topic discussion about standardized testing and “teaching to the test”.  Forced to participate in ‘FunTime’, a test prep video series with “cool” (lame) songs such as Oppa Funtime Style, a take on Gangam Style with Professor FunTime and his talking calculator, Gizmo, the students at McQuarrie Middle School are fed up. They have had all their fun extracurriculars taken away as the district shells out thousands on this FunTime program that the students hate.  The Rebel alliance has decided that as a whole they will do poorly on the test, actually they will barely pass so as not to be retained, to bring down the scores of the school to protest this new program.  The students are in for a surprise when the principal, Mrs. Rabbski, receives the case files and while they fear they will be in trouble, she actually sides with the students and backs them against the school board refusing to utilize the program at the school any longer.  Using origami Star Wars characters and phrases straight out of the movie, this book is sure to be a big hit with middle grade Star Wars fans.  

Tom Angleberger's Oragami Yoda Website

Sisters by Raina Telgemeier

Telgemeier, R. (2014). Sisters. New York, NY: Graphix.

Raina wanted a sister.  She wished, begged and pleaded with her parents.  Once she finally got her wish, she discovered it was not exactly as she had imagined.  Babies are no fun, toddlers are unpredictable, and as they get older they just get more annoying.  Add to that new brother will and the room they share just got a lot more crowded.  The story follows Raina, her siblings and her mom as they travel a full week by van from California to Colorado for a family reunion.  Due to work, or so they are told, dad will be flying in to meet them in Colorado at the end of the week.  When they arrive at the reunion, Raina discovers that her older cousin she was looking forward to spending time with is all grown up and not interested in hanging out with her.  Throughout the story we get flashbacks of dad losing his job, Christmas where Raina receives her beloved Walkman, their bad luck with pets, and discover how a snake ended up in the van!  On the drive home from Colorado, mom reveals that the true reason dad is not traveling with them is because they agreed they needed to spend some time apart.  Raina and Amara wonder if it will lead to divorce.  After some car trouble and the reemergence of the snake, the family seems to have overcome their problems and are enjoying each other’s company on their trip home.  Named one of the Great Graphic Novels for Teens 2015-2016, this book is a big hit with girls in grades 4 and up, fans of graphic novels, and anyone who has experienced sibling rivalry.

Lesson Plans for Use With Sisters

Author Interview with Raina Telgemeier

White Cat
by Holly Black

Black, H. (2010). White cat. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

Born into a family of curse workers, Cassel feels like an outsider.  His grandfather is a death worker, his mother an emotion worker, his two brothers, memory and luck workers, and Cassel….is not a worker at all, with the exception of his booking endeavor where his classmates place bets on anything and everything including which teacher is hooking up with who and how will the mouse in the dorm be killed.  In a place where curse work is illegal and his family is regarded as criminals, Cassel tries his best to blend in with his fancy private school crowd.  However, when his dreams lead him to sleepwalk one night and he awakes to find himself on the roof of the school, he is forced to face the demons that have haunted him over the last few years, most notably the fact that he is a killer and his family has been covering for him.  With his father dead and his mother in jail, when Cassel is suspended for school he is sent to stay with his brother and sister in law and begins to notice some odd behavior by the members of his family.  Strangest of all is this white cat that seems to always be around and make its way into his dreams.  When Cassel discovers that everything he has been led to believe is a lie and not all of his family can be trusted, he makes the decision to right the wrongs and become his own person.  This suspenseful read by Holly Black would be a great recommendation for those reluctant, young adult, male readers. 

Holly Black describes the inspiration behind White Cat

What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

by Randall Munroe

 Munroe, R. (2014). What if? Serious scientific answers to absurd hypothetical questions. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

From what height would you need to drop a steak for it to be cooked when it hit the ground?  How many Lego bricks would it take to build a bridge capable of carrying traffic from London to New York?  Scientist, comic creator, and author Randall Munroe attempts to answer these and other absurd questions submitted to his website using mathematical and scientific properties.  Did you know that while swimming around in a nuclear fuel pool you would actually be exposed to less radiation than the normal background dose you get walking around?  Or that it is actually possible to build a jetpack using downward-firing machine guns?  Readers are treated to all kinds of unbelievable and surprising facts that will have them viewing the world around them just a little bit differently.  The table of contents lists the question topics with their corresponding page numbers, along with 4 special featured sections on Weird (and Worrying) Questions from the What If? Inbox.  A list of references for each question is included at the back of the book.  Listed as one of YALSA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, this humorous and informative book would be a wonderful addition to a high school math or science classroom, as well as a fantastic read for those students with inquisitive minds.

What If? Book Trailer