Yolen, Jane and Robert J. Harris. Queen’s Own Fool. New York: Speak, 2000.
Awards:
A Junior Library Guild Selection
Capitol Choices – Noteworthy Books for Children 2000 list
A Wyoming Soaring Eagle nominee
A 2001 YALSA Best Book choice
Annotation:
Nicola is an unlikely person to be one of Mary Queen of Scots’ closest friends since she is an orphaned 12 year old from a family of peasants. However, she possesses more than the ability to create a friendship crossing all class barriers because she has what it takes to be the Queen’s Own fool.
Review:
If you are interested in or fascinated by the historical events of the European royal families, this will be an excellent read for you. The story focuses on Queen Mary of Scotland; however, she began her royal career as the Queen of France. This book is written in descriptive language that transcends the centuries separating the time of the actual events, and the present time. It has a fast paced plot with entertaining characters as well as almost unbelievable events.
Cisneros, Sandra. The House on Mango Street. New York: Vintage Books, 1984.
Awards:
The American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation (1985)
This book has been translated into many languages and has sold more than two million copies since its first publication date. It is considered a classic and taught in many middle and high school curriculums world wide.
Annotation:
The plot is about Esperanza Cordero and her struggles growing up on Mango Street in a poor Latino neighborhood in Chicago. The title refers to the house that Esperanza and her family move into at the beginning of the book.
Review:
This story is presented in a vignette style of writing. The story flows through 44 vignettes written in the first person narrative voice of a teenage girl. It is an inspiring tale readers may enjoy from cover to cover. It is also the kind of story one can pick up to read a single vignette and feel satisfied with food for thought for quite some time. The format is unusual but serves its purpose well.
Rabin, Staton. The Curse of the Romanovs. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007.
Annotation:
Alexi Romanov is heir to the Russian throne, a hemophiliac, and unbeknownst to him, a time traveler. This is the story of a boy’s devotion to his family, his country, and his destiny.
Review:
The true life events of the Romanov family during the Russian Revolution combined with a fictional story of time travel make this historical fiction novel an exceptional read. Alexi Romanov was the son of the Tsar of Russia. His family had ruled Russia for more than 300 years when the people revolted and gave power to the Bolsheviks. I recommend this book because it offers readers insight into the royal world in Russia in the early 1900s during a time of social unrest. It is fact blended with fiction at its finest, very, very good.
Godbersen, Anna. The Luxe. New York: Harper Collins, 2007.
Recognition:
Although this book has yet to win any literary awards, it has enjoyed huge popularity. You may discover more about The Luxe world and the author at Luxe Books.
Annotation:
Elizabeth Holland is the “it” girl of the social elite in New York City circa 1899. She is everything a well bred rich girl should be, and she can do no wrong. Until, her secret is exposed and New York’s high society is turned up side down.
Review:
The descriptions of New York City and it’s elite at the turn of the 20th century draw the reader into a world I can imagine much like today. Don’t be intimidated by the length of this novel because once you start reading it, you will not be able to put it down. The Luxe is the first book in a trilogy written by Anna Godbersen. All I can say is, I can’t wait to read the second and third installments of the dramatic cut throat world of high society teenagers living in New York City.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Delacorte Press, 1993.
Awards:
This book has received many awards and lots of recognition from the literary world. Listed below are some of the more notable awards The Giver has received.
The 1994 Newberry Medal
The 1996 William Allen White Award
American Library Association listings for: Best Book for Young Adults,
Notable Children’s Book, 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990 – 2000.
A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
Winner of the Regina Medal
Booklist Editor’s Choice
A School Library Journal Book of the Year
Annotation:
Sixes wear the back zip jackets to learn interdependence. Sevens have front button jackets to practice independence. Eights have pockets on their jackets to learn responsibility. Nines get to ride bicycles and do not have to wear hair ribbons. When you turn twelve you get your assignment. Adults live in family units or with the other childless adults. When it is time they go to the House of the Old. Ultimately one by one, everyone will be released. This is the world of The Giver, or is it?
Review:
If you have not read this book, make it the top title on your “What to read next” list. This story is sure to make you reconsider how you think about the world you live in, the relationships you have, and the choices you make. Lowry expresses a fascinating approach to living in a programmed society through the eyes of a young man named Jonas. Although the book focuses on issues such as euthanasia, isolation, love, and independent thought, it ultimately shares a hopeful message. The Giver is a must read.
Stine, R. L. Dangerous Girls. New York: Avon Books, 2003.
Annotation:
Twin sisters are trying to escape the reality that their Mom killed herself a year ago, by spending the summer at camp. They escape their reality only to find a world of darkness and hunger they do not want to be a part of. Can they make it out alive, or will they continue to live their lives as Dangerous Girls?
Review:
Horror is not my genre, but since it is so popular these days, I wanted to give it a try. This book is a quick, entertaining read. The story is fast paced and the characters are well developed. For a veteran horror reader, the plot may be a little light on the terror factor. I recommend this book for anyone easing into the horror genre that isn’t looking to be too scared to fall asleep alone at night.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000.
Annotation:
Mattie is 14, independent and ready to experience what the city of Philadelphia has to offer her. She works hard for her family’s business and spends her limited amount of free time exploring the city with her friends, until suddenly her world rapidly changes when people start getting sick in the Fever 1793.
Review:
I currently live in Philadelphia and that was initially what drew me to this story. I enjoyed reading descriptions of places in the late 1700s that I can walk by today. It may look totally different, but it was fun for me to make the connection between the historic city in this novel to the modern city I live in. Aside from the subject of historic Philadelphia, this novel touches upon issues that each of us face through the course of growing up.
Rinaldi, Ann. The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre. New York: Gulliver Books, 1993.
Annotation:
Rachel is a thoughtful teenage girl in colonized America who wants more from life than what her station of being a servant to John Adams’ family will allow. Orphaned with no other kin than an uncaring uncle, Rachel matures beyond her years in the tumultuous circumstances of British occupied Boston.
Review:
I really enjoyed this book because it relays the details of the Boston Massacre through an engaging personal story of an endearing fourteen year old girl. If you are a reader who is interested in learning about the history of Boston during the year or so before the revolution began through historically accurate details intertwined with a fictitious character’s emotional response to her situation, this book is for you.
Lowry, Lois. Number the Stars. New York: Laurel-Leaf Newberry, 1989.
Awards:
Newberry Medal winner 1990
Annotation:
Annemarie is not a Jew, therefore in her mind she has nothing to fear… until her best friend Ellen’s family is under inspection by the Nazi police occupying their neighborhood in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Review:
Would you put your life on the line to help a friend? Seriously? That’s what I loved about this story. It is the story of the holocaust through the eyes of a girl who is safe simply because she is not Jewish. This thought provoking novel asks each reader to really ponder what length one would be willing to go to in order to help those in need of it at the most desperate time. I also liked Number the Stars because it illustrates the strength and triumphant nature of humanity in the face of total despair.
Wyeth, Sharon Dennis. Orphea Proud. New York: Delacorte Press, 2004.
Awards:
TexasTAYSHASHigh School Reading List Winner 2005
Lambda Literary Award Nominee 2005
Annotation:
This is the story of a teenager who is a dramatic, expressive, loving, empathetic, dynamic, confidant, scared, daughter, orphan, sister, lesbian, niece, and loyal friend named Orphea Proud.
Review:
I loved this book because it is presented as a performance piece like one you would see and listen to in a theater. The story of Orphea’s life is told by her through a cast of characters, and often the reader is reminded that indeed they are simply part of the audience. The audience follows the main character through one trying situation and event after another. I won’t spoil the end for you, but I will say it is satisfying at the end of quite a dramatic ride.
Where is America? You can find America in a mall, in a dirty rat hole of an apartment, and on any number of dark city streets. America may be with a foster parent, a group of friends, or isolated in a strange place. America also exists in Central Park and in a rehabilitation center. But you must read this story in order to answer the question; who is America?
Review:
America is a blunt, in your face, on the edge of totally disturbing, read. I recommend it because you haven’t read anything quite like it until you read it. On the other hand, it isn’t pretty. It is however, well written. And, it is a story that transcends experience in order to speak to each reader with a personal voice.
Spinelli, Jerry. Milkweed. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2003.
Awards:
The Golden Kite Award winner
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A National Jewish Book Award Finalist
A Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth Selection
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A Cooperative Children's BookCenter Choice
A Book Links Lasting Connections Selection
Winner of the Carolyn W. Field Award
Annotation:
There is not much of a past to recall, and the future is uncertain. All certainty lies in finding food, staying warm, not getting caught by the Jackboots and above anything, the avoidance of being identified as a Jew.
Review:
The main character in this survival story set in Nazi occupied territory during World War II is a young boy. Is he an orphan? Is he a Gypsy? Is he a thief? Is he a Jew? Can he survive the unyielding torture brought to his land and people by the Nazis? Jerry Spinelli creates a vivid world where children and adolescents are faced with adult situations and responsibilities during one of the darkest times in the modern world. Where Anne Frank’s story is documented truth from the mind of a teenage girl, Milkweed provides a riveting vision of the same era from a fictitious character that I believe may have truly existed in reality through countless children and their war torn experiences.
Frank, Anne. The Diary of a Young Girl. New York: Bantam Books, 1993.
Recognition:
The original publication of Anne's diary was in Dutch and it took place in the Netherlands in 1947. The first English publication was produced in 1952. Since then there have been a number of films made based on the diary, both feature length and made for television, as well as a feature length play that won the Pulitzer Prize in 1955.Shelly Winters won an academy award for her portrayal of Petronella van Daan in the feature length film The Diary of Anne Frank in 1959.
Annotation:
This is Anne’s real diary which she created from June 1942 through August 1944. Anne and her family were Jews hiding from the Nazis in Holland during World War II.
Review:
If you haven’t read this book, go get a copy from your local library, your school library, or the bookstore near you. Ask a friend, a teacher, or a family member to borrow a copy. Whatever you do, don’t waste any more time without familiarizing yourself with Anne’s story. I guarantee reading this book will have a prolonged effect on your view of yourself, the people closest to you, and the world you live in.
Anonymous. Go Ask Alice. New York: Simon Pulse, 1971.
Awards:
Although this book never received any formal award recognition in the literary world, it has enjoyed widespread popularity and is considered to be a classic in young adult literature.
Annotation:
Go Ask Alice is the diary of a fourteen year old girl that covers two years of her exploration into a world of drugs, peer pressure, intimate relationships, and ultimately her family’s acceptance.
Review:
This is a quick and fascinating read regardless of whether you can buy into the idea that it is really a diary written by some anonymous teenage girl. Go Ask Alice is also the story of the harsh reality of drug addiction and the ugly side of running away from home. I recommend this book because it provides readers with a gritty view of teens, sex, drugs, parents, runaways, and the family dynamic of a “normal” middle class American family in the early 1970’s. Whether this book is a real diary or not, it grapples with real life issues that concern us all.
Hamilton, Virginia. M. C. Higgins, the Great. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1974.
Awards:
This is the only book to win all three of the following awards;
Newberry Award Winner 1975
National Book Award
Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
Annotation:
M. C. is a teenager in the hills of the rural south with some adult responsibilities. Through his family relationships, a friend, encounters with outsiders, and his greatest possession, we follow M. C. as he comes of age.
Review:
Although this book was first published in 1974, it is written with a timeless quality. The story remains just as applicable to life today, as it was in the mid ‘70s. Readers will gain a sense of themselves by getting to know M. C. and the issues he faces as a young adult. I was surprised by the depth of character development and the sober maturity M. C. relies on to face his reality. I highly recommend this book to any reader interested in a triumphant story of an isolated existence in the poverty stricken rural south.
