A Hip Collection of Young Adult Materials

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher [book]

Publisher: Razorbill; Reprint edition, 2011
Language: English
Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN: 159514188X

Plot Summary:
This story is an unveiling of the the thirteen reasons why Hannah killed herself in a series of tapes meant for the thirteen people involved to listen to. Clay is the main character in the novel and his thoughts are interposed into the story of Hannah and why she felt so depressed and ridiculed in school that she committed suicide. There is another set of tapes that someone holds in the story that will be leaked if all of the thirteen people in the story do not listen to the tapes that Hannah left. The majority of the reasons have to deal with rumors, lies, and inappropriate sexual advances leading up until the last one that lead to a cry for help to a counselor that did not believe that she would commit suicide. Clay actually turned out not to have done anything to Hannah but be nice and be wary of her because of all of the rumors at school. In the book Clay also happens to run into his old crush that seems withdrawn and very quiet and in the end, after hearing about the things that caused Hannah to kill herself he reaches out to her to make sure that nothing happens like that again.

Critical Evaluation:
I liked the idea that Hannah wanted the people that made her feel this way to literally walk in her shoes and follow her footsteps hearing her story. I think that it held goo themes for people that are in high school and lets them know that they have an affect on the people around them and that rumors hurt. I think that there is a good message to listen to people when they are asking for help and to make sure that you are noticing the people that are around you and reaching out to them. It is a hard hitting narrative on the way that people can be negatively affected and how not taking action can sometimes be just as bad when you see someone is struggling.

Reader's Annotation:
Hannah Baker committed suicide and Clay Jensen along with 12 other people are the reason; now all of the people that caused her death must listen to tapes detailing the reasons why they were contributors.

Websites to look Into:
http://www.13rwproject.com/#/reviews/194
http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/
http://jayasher.blogspot.com/

The Author:
Asher went to high school in San Luis Obispo and left Cal Poly in his senior year to take up writing seriously; he has only written 2 novels.
Awards:
#1 New York Times bestseller in the US, 2011
Georgia Peach Book Awards for Teen Readers, 2011
International Reading Association, Young Adults' Choice list, 2009
YALSA, Best Books for Young Adults, 2008
YALSA, Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2008
California Book Award winner, Young Adult, 2008

Similar Books:
"Hate List" by Jennifer Brown
"Willow" by Julia Hoban

Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing teen suicide and suicide prevention

Genre:
Mystery, Fiction

Interest Age:
16+

Challenge Issues:
Suicide
This book deals with a young adult committing suicide and it is very real and sad. I would combat this with the fact that it details the reason that the girl did it and shows the path of life that she walked in that lead her to do something so extreme. I think it brings light to a situation and also makes people more aware of it to read about it happening

Why this Book?
I chose this book a mystery and a book about teen suicide and the affect that young adults can have on each other.

Forgotten by Cat Patrick [book]

Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2011

Hardcover, US Edition, 304 pages

ISBN: 0316094609

Plot Summary:
In this book London is a sixteen year old girl that has a problem with her memory; she can't remember the past, she can only remember glimpses into the future. It seems that every night her brain is wiped clean and she is left with notes left to her from herself the day before. This is the only way that she can remember any of her past life. When London meets Luke she falls for him but is confused about why she does not see him in her future. She develops a romance with him, but her memory problem is not discussed until the end when she realizes that her younger brother was abducted when they were young and she experienced head trauma in the process. It turns out that he was sold and not dead like her parents originally thought (they divorced and her dad left because of the incident) and she finds out that he is still alive and sees him in a vision of the future. She also reconnects with her father in the end and slowly starts to regain her memory.
Critical Evaluation:
I thought that the book had an interesting plot that was intriguing and a good mystery in the book. I found it to be weird however that no one else in London's life seems to be aware that she has a memory disorder, and that she is so comfortable with reminding herself everyday of the past events in her life. Her relationship with Luke is sweet, but there is a lot of talk about how handsome he is all throughout the novel. I felt that the mystery was good in that you were wondering what was going on with her memory in the novel, but it did not really explain why she saw glimpses of the future in its fullest. I thought that it was very suspenseful and page turning and that young adult audiences could appreciate it.

Reader's Annotation:
London only remembers things from her future, and every night her memory is wiped clean as she sleeps making it very difficult to remember the new cute guy at school and understand her recurring dream that is starting to haunt her.

Websites to look Into:
http://www.catpatrick.com

Awards:
Summer 2011 Indie Next List

Similar Books:
"Revived" by Cat Patrick
"Entangled" by Cat Clarke

Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing the importance of real, honest relationships

Genre:
Fiction, Mystery

Interest Age:
13+

Challenge Issues:
I could not see any real challenge issues in this novel, I thought that the story moved smoothly and besides it being a psychological mystery nothing stuck out as being overly problematic.

Why this Book?
I thought that this would be a really good addition to the collection as a mystery book. It is captivating and it kept me guessing the entire time, I think that any teen would enjoy it.

Jump by Elisa Carbone [book]

Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Speak; Reprint edition, 2010
Language: English
ISBN: 0142419133

Plot Summary:
P.K.'s parents don't understand her, and she is not doing well in school or in their eyes; so they decide to send her to boarding school, but P.K. is not on board with this idea. Critter's parents also don't understand him and the different way that he views life; he escapes a mental ward and is in the right place at the right time when P.K. decides to make a plan and leave. They meet at the rock climbing gym and as virtual strangers decide to pool their money and leave in the middle of the night on an adventure that will lead them west to Yosemite on a rock climbing adventure. The hitchhike and takes buses to each stop and rock climb sometimes dangerous surfaces all the while forming an attraction. They meet interesting characters, face life threatening climbs and are on the run from the cops because of their break away trip. P.K. is very strong minded and willed and thinks that she knows better for herself in life; she wants adventure and she is in love with rock climbing. Critter is an interesting character in that he says he can see people's auras and is very in touch with living a free life to its fullest. The novel it is fast paced with adventure and romance as they run from the cops and fall for each other's similar viewpoints on climbing and living a fun life.

Critical Evaluation:
I think that this book was an easy read, and I enjoyed all of the rock climbing lingo that was interspersed all throughout the novel. I have rock climbed so I am aware of the feelings that they have about it, but I wonder if people from an outside perspective will be able to grasp the sport as much through this novel. It is a good parallel story of both P.K. and Critter escaping from their societies to run away and do something that they love. I thought that the plot line of runaway romance was fairly typical for a young adult novel but liked that it was punctuated with philosophy, rock climbing, and adventure.

Reader's Annotation:
When P.K. finds out that she is going to be sent to boarding school she decides to run away to Yosemite to climb, and she brings a guy from the climbing gym with her thinking the idea is great until the past catches up with them.

Websites to look Into:
www.elisacarbone.com/

The Author:
Carbone actually reenacts some of the plots in the books that she writes, she researches the area, and completes interviews with the surrounding people when writing her books.

Awards:
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults 2011
Cybils Award nominee 2010
Maryland Black Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee 2011-2012
Keystone State Reading Association Young Adult Book Award Nominee 2011
Georgia Peach Book Award 2012-2013
Richie's Picks Best of 2010
Starred review Publisher's Weekly

Similar Books:
"The Half-Life of Planets" by Emily Franklin
"Somebody Everybody Listens To" by Suzanne Supplee
Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing running away from home
Actually going climbing while discussing the book to understand it more

Genre:
Adventure, Fiction

Interest Age:
13+

Challenge Issues:
Running away from home
I think that this could very well be a challenge because many teens do run away from home and it is important to talk about it and make it known that it is not as glamorous as it may seem, and that it may not be the solution.

Why this Book?
This book is a fun action book, and I chose it because I love rock climbing and I thought that it was a book that would appeal to people that think running away from home will take away your problems- because it won't.

Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher [book]

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; 1 edition, 2009
Language: English
Hardcover: 368 pages
ISBN: 0385736649

Plot Summary:
Sage is a transgendered teen girl to parents that are ashamed of her and keep her home schooled until they legally cannot anymore and she goes to public school. She is quick witted, nice, and looks and acts like a girl Logan is a straight male senior at this Missouri high school and he falls for this slightly off new girl without knowing that she was a biological male. The story is told from Logan's perspective and is about him learning to cope with his feelings about Sage and about Sage as a person. When they do kiss, Sage tells Logan that she is transgendered and he rejects her with disgust in his mind. He battles with his desire for her, the fact that she's transgendered, and with what the world views it as. He continues the relationship on and off with her, breaking up and making up and even having a short physical relationship. After it ends Sage goes on a date with another boy and when he finds out her secret he beats her within an inch of her life. She goes to the hospital and it brings up past feelings of her suicides and the idea that she doesn't fit in in their society. The novel ends with them somewhat amicably when they both go off to college and Sage writes Logan a note forgiving him of the experience.

Critical Evaluation:
I thought that this book was very well crafted because it really made you feel for all of the characters involved in it. You root for them to be the people that you want them to be and that they want to be themselves. A major criticism that I do have for this book is that it was narrated from Logan's perspective and not from Sage's. It is a story about a transgender teen girl, but written from a perspective of a (at first narrow minded) straight male. I can imagine it being hard for transgendered people to read the portions about hate towards transgendered people and how others may view them. The story is not very upbeat either, but instead it is sad and heart wrenching when you just want one of the main characters to be accepted for who she is.

Reader's Annotation:
Logan is a high school senior in Missouri when a new girl comes to school; he is attracted to her and comes to find out that she was actually born a male and is becoming a female.

Websites to look Into:
http://briankatcher.com/site/

The Author:
Katcher has worked many odd jobs, lived on an Israeli military base, and is a school librarian.

Awards:

American Library Association as one of the Best Books for Young Adults in 2010.

A Capitol Choice Noteworthy Book for 2010

A Lambda Award nominee, 2010

A 2011 TAYSHASH (Texas) Reading List Book

Similar Books:
"Boy meets Boy" by David Levithan
"I am J" by Chris Beam
"Parrotfish" by Ellen Wittlinger

Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing gender identity in society and how it is perceived

Genre:
Gender Identity, Fiction

Interest Age:
16+

Challenge Issues:
Gender Identity
This book can be a challenge because it deals with a transsexual girl and a typical 18 year old boy and the attraction between them. To combat this I would say that it is important to talk about people and the many challenges that they have in life. There are many people that might be going through similar situations and for them this book would be helpful and comforting.

Why this Book?
I chose this book because it brings up a good subject and also lends another viewpoint to life other than what the majority of people know. I think having a subject that deals with gender identity in this format is essential when reaching out to young adults.

The The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh [audio book]

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh [audio book]

Random House Audio; New York, 2011
ISBN: 978037878939
Unabridged
9 sound discs (ca. 660 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.
Compact discs, duration: 11:00:00
Read by: Tara Sands

Plot Summary:
Victoria has just turned 18 and is now being turned out of a girl's home in San Francisco. She is rebellious and a loner that has not had good past relationships with people that she has encountered in life. She is reclusive and spends all of her time with flowers and with the language of flowers that was taught to her by a past guardian (the only woman that she was close to). The storyline switches back and forth between her life and the streets, eating off strangers plates and sleeping the wilderness, to her life with the guardian that she became close to. In her past she lived with Elizabeth whom she was difficult with at first and did everything she could to be kicked out, but with whom she finally bonds with and loves in her own way. Elizabeth lives on a farm and attends farmer's markets and lives her life for the plants that she grows; she instills a love for flowers and the meaning (or language) that every flower holds. But Victoria is a misguided young girl that, in the end, feels she will be left behind and on accident sets a fire that consumes almost all of Elizabeth's plants. After many missed connections and hurt feelings Victoria is taken away from Elizabeth and placed in the girl's home that she stays at until she is emancipated at 18.
In the current day story Victoria is hard from all of her disappointments in life and lives off of the street barely making it until she gets a job at a flower shop where she can use her talent and her love of flowers to make people happy and make business boom. She attends a flower market where she meets a boy that can communicate with her through the language because she knew him from her former life with Elizabeth. They end up having a tenuous relationship and eventually she gets pregnant and leaves him attempting to raise the baby alone. She is unsuccessful and leaves the baby with him, while she starts her own flower business and gets her life together. When she meets him again, he has left the child with Elizabeth, they all reconcile and work on trying to be the family that they always should have been.

Critical Evaluation:
Tara Sands did an excellent job reading this book. Her voice was hard at times when it needed to be for the character of Victoria and it was precise and knowing when she studied her language of flowers. The parallel stories in the book between Victoria's past and present life were wonderful to illustrate how she becomes the person that she is. Her character development and the past experiences enable the reader to understand how a young girl would prefer to be alone on the streets rather than doing something else with her life. The story is accented well with the language of flowers being how Victoria copes with talking to people and understanding the world around her. It shows that she had a connection with something that could not hurt her and in the end her dedication to it saves her. The book reads at a good pace and the Victorian language mixed with present day San Francisco give the novel a nostalgic tone.

Reader's Annotation:
When Victoria turned 18 she was put out of a girl's home and ended up on the streets of San Francisco; this book chronicles her love of flowers and how she got the life that she leads and where it will lead her if she wants it to.

Websites to look Into:
http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/features/vanessa_diffenbaugh/
https://camellianetwork.org/

http://www.facebook.com/vanessadiffenbaugh

The Author:
Vanessa Diffenbaugh is also the founder of the Camellia Network, and the mission of the Camellia Network is to create a nationwide movement to support youth transitioning from foster care.
Awards:
New York Times Bestseller
Alex Awards nominations, 2011 & 2012

Similar Books:
"Gone Girl" by Gillian Flynn
"Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed

Booktalking Ideas:
Discussing homelessness
Showing the actual book that describes the language of flowers that is used in the book.

Genre:
Adult Crossovers, Culture, Fiction, Realistic Fiction

Interest Age:
16+

Challenge Issues:
Homelessness
The main challenge of this book is that the main character is homeless and feels no need not to be for the most part. She faces situations that are dangerous to herself and also for a child. To combat this I would say that she makes her life better and attempts to improve herself over time, and in the end she succeeds. But it is also important to understand people that are homeless and that is present through her story that she tells.

Why this Audio Book?
I listened to this audio book on a road trip and I found the reader to be wonderful and the book so engaging and touching. It deals with homelessness and the pressures of family and society when you are on your own in the world. I think that it is a good book for young adults to read (or listen to) in order to get a different perspective on life.