Sanderson, B. (2014). The Rithmatist. New York, New York: Tor Teen.

Popular Paperback

Joel is a gifted young man at an elite school known for its training of Rithmatists, but he isn’t one of these special young people.  What he wants more than anything is to study with Professor Finch, one of his school’s Rithmatic instructors.  The school’s principal assigns Joel to work as Professor Finch’s research assistant on a secret project to learn about the mysterious disappearances of Rithmatic students.  At the scenes where students disappeared there are mysterious chalk lines and a few drops of blood, but there is never any sign of a body being removed.  Solving the mystery of the new chalk lines, Joel becomes a target himself and is tracked down by the same creature stalking the Rithmatists.  At the end of the book, Joel and his Rithmatist friend, Melody, team up to fight against Scribbler and his wild chalklings and again in the Melee, winning the day and thwarting evil at the same time.

Good fantasy and science fiction require the reader to willingly suspend their disbelief to truly buy into the story, and Sanderson creates a world here that made me happy to follow along.  His characters are complex and full of surprises, and the action itself was detailed and specific, but never boring.  I loved the details about the chalk drawings as they came to life, and I think linear thinkers as well as artistic types would enjoy the descriptions and drawings of the forms that are used throughout.

Rowell, R. (2013). Fangirl. New York, New York: St. Martin’s Griffin.

Outstanding Books for the College Bound

Before starting college, identical twins Cather (Cath) and Wren wrote a wildly popular fan fiction over their favorite book characters, Baz and Simon Snow.  Wren no longer has time for their fan fic or her sister, so introverted Cath does all the writing now.  Cath is also enrolled in a fiction writing course, where she partners up with the handsome Nick for a project.  They are fantastic partners, but as the semester ends Nick takes their story and submits it as his own work.  Right after receiving this news, the girls’ dad ends up in the hospital.  Cath misses most of her semester finals, and she doesn’t complete her story for fiction writing.  Her professor generously extends the deadline, but Cath has no idea what to write.  It takes nearly losing her boyfriend Levi for Cath to break through this block, finish her fan fiction, and write the story “Left,” which incidentally goes on to win the underclassman prize in the school’s literary publication.

The characteristic flair I love in Rainbow Rowell’s writing is definitely present in this book, as well as a certain amount of pathos buried beneath the surface lives of her quirky, yet awesomely rounded out characters. Rowell writes contemporary realistic fiction incredibly well, and readers easily connect with her imperfect characters.  Teachers will find a connection between Fangirl and students who love popular fiction books like the Harry Potter or Percy Jackson series.  Students could even write their own fan fiction of the book and post their writing to a classroom blog where others could comment.

Ng, C. (2014). Everything I never told you. New York, New York: Penguin Group.

ALEX Award Lists

The first two sentences of this book read, “Lydia is dead.  But they don’t know this yet.”  With two sentences, Celeste Ng sets a somber mood for her readers that doesn’t let up until the very end.  Everything I Never Told You is the story of a mixed-race family in the 70s and the trials they face—some because of ethnicity, and some of their own dysfunctional creation.  The story is told mainly in flashback, going all the way back to the childhood of Marilyn and James Lee, the parents of this family, and moving forward to skillfully weave in the individual threads of their children’s tales.  The novel ends with the beginnings of healing and acceptance, even though the family will never know their Lydia wasn’t trying to kill herself.  It is beautifully told and painful to read, but this book is also incredibly difficult to set down.

I’ve read a few novels where Asian characters played important roles, but this mixed-race family searching for their identity struck a close chord for me and left me extremely grateful for the interracial couples who fought through racism and paved the way for future generations.   The book would pair well with non-fiction reading about the 1967 Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia which struck down laws banning interracial marriage.  Remembering that students often read about subjects in which they need to come to their own judgment, this definitely fits the area of reading for philosophical speculation.

Gulledge, L. (2013). Will & Whit. New York, New York: Amulet Books.

Great Graphic Novels for Teens

Wilhelmina Huckstep (Will) describes herself as a “passed-down sort of girl.”  She has a passed-down name, dog, guardian, and even the family store she runs with her aunt.  She is a hard-working seventeen-year-old with a talent for making lamps out of old items that give her the “creeps,” and Will is also afraid of the dark.  Hurricane Whitney blows through town, leaving a mess behind and knocking the power out.  With no power for possibly days, Will realizes she is going to have to begin to face her fear of the dark, and she does just that.  She takes control of her imagination instead of letting it run away with her, and she finds that the dark isn’t as bad as she thought.  Will even learns to harness shadows to create beautiful art.  In the end, Will is finally able to face all her fears, especially the first anniversary of her parents’ death.  She delivers flowers to her parents’ graves and leaves them with the promise that she will make them proud.

I loved the gentle feel of this graphic novel and the way Gulledge’s artwork says so much more than her text alone.  Will’s art installation at the end literally made me gasp out loud.  I want to see this in real life!  This book would make a terrific read-aloud, but have an ELMO ready to project the pages while reading.  There could be some terrific in-class discussion about even little things like the play of shadows throughout the story.

Stiefvater, M. (2011). The scorpio races. New York, New York: Scholastic Press.

Printz Honor

Sean Kendrick, a quiet young man who keeps his emotions close, is the best on the island at handling capaill uisce, the carnivorous horses that rise from the ocean every November, and he has won the dangerous annual race of these creatures four times.  Kate (Puck) Connolly, on the other hand, wears her emotions on her sleeve.  She is often angry, and can’t even pinpoint why.  The inevitably of losing her family home forces Puck to join this year’s race riding her land horse, Dove.  Not only is a female in the race breaking with tradition, riding a land horse has never been done, but Puck needs the money to support her family.  As part of their sweet, slow-growing love story, Sean and Kate decide they will win the race together; Sean will buy his beloved water horse Corr, and Kate will save her home.  Kate ends up winning alone as an enemy rider sabotages Sean, nearly killing him, and breaking Corr’s leg beyond repair.  The final heart-breaking scene of the book is Sean releasing Corr back into the ocean.

For me, this book is a terrific example of finding unconscious delight in reading.  I chose an audiobook as my format, and listened during my daily commute.  My drive melted away each day as I was completely swept away by the beauty and ugliness of the races.  The lyrical flow of Stiefvater’s words lent themselves perfectly to the audio format and reminded me constantly that there is no one perfect way to read a book.  This could also be a good reminder for teachers who are reluctant to let their students listen to a book instead of reading it traditionally.

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

Quick Picks

After surviving four waves of an alien invasion, Cassie Sullivan may be the last human on Earth.  The first wave, an EMP blast, left the world stunned, without electronics, and around a half million people dead.  The second wave consisted of earthquakes and tsunamis that killed billions living near coastlines.  The third wave, pestilence (or Pesky Ants, as Cassie’s five-year-old brother calls it), was a deadly disease carried by birds.  The fourth wave is even more insidious: humans are killed by aliens hosted within human bodies.  The fifth wave will be made up of Earth’s own, children gathered up during fourth wave incursions.  These children are trained to be ruthless killers and sent out believing they are killing alien Others.  Cassie and Evan, the alien Other who saves her life after trying to kill her, set out to rescue Cassie’s little brother Sammy from the Others.  In the midst of the rescue she meets up with her old high school crush, Ben Parish, and they work together to escape the clutches of the Others and the beginning of the fifth wave.

This book is trending right now at my school because it is coming out as a movie soon.  It is longer than what many of my students would typically choose to read, but they were up to the challenge after watching the movie trailer and hearing my book talk.  This is definitely an example of the importance of staying on top of trends, and showing book trailers is also a fun activity for teachers garnering interest for upcoming reading assignments.

Pearson, M. (2014). The kiss of deception. New York, New York: Henry Holt & Company.

Best Fiction for Young Adults

Lia is a headstrong, willful princess and First Daughter who is being married off to seal an alliance with the kingdom of Dalbreck.  Even though she knows her duty, Lia and her lady’s maid escape and take up new lives as barmaids in a quiet seaside town.  The girls took great precautions during their flight, but they are tracked down by the prince Lia was sworn to marry and an assassin from Venda, a neighboring, warlike kingdom.  Lia eventually attempts to return home to right things as best she can, but she is taken prisoner by the assassin and his team.  The prince follows them, and they meet back up at the outskirts of Venda.  Lia and the prince are both prisoners now, but they are holding proud, and they are also entirely aware of their feelings for each other.

Pearson does an amazing job building intrigue as she shifts points of view between the main characters without allowing readers a clue as to which man is from which kingdom.  The secret is masterfully kept from both Lia and the reading audience through nearly two-thirds of the book, and when it was finally revealed, I wasn’t disappointed.

Lia is a great example of Kohlberg’s theory of moral development.  She runs from her pending marriage to avoid what she sees as a punishment (preconventional).  Adjusting to her new station in life, Lia is conventional, but as her understanding of duty to her people grows, she decides to return home, risking her own life (postconventional).

Green, J. (2009). Paper towns. New York, New York: Speak.

Quentin Jacobsen has been fascinated with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman, since they were children.  “Q” watches her from a safe distance until three weeks before their high school graduation when Margo picks Quentin to take part in one of her adventures, a night to “right a lot of wrongs” and “wrong some rights.”  As Margo wreaks her style of vengeance, Quentin takes a terrified part, and keeps reminding her that he can’t get caught.  Their night comes to a close, and Margo tells him she will miss hanging out with him.  Quentin plans to see her the next day at school, but Margo doesn’t show up.  He realizes she is gone, and as the days pass, he discovers that Margo left a string of clues for him.  Quentin follows the clues, each bringing him an agonizingly closer step to not only finding Margo, but getting to know who she really is.  After an epic road trip with his best friends, they find Margo, but she isn’t happy about being found.  She and Quentin talk, and kiss, and talk some more, but in the end he realizes the real Margo can’t go back home again.

While reading this book I found myself marking thought passage after thought passage that would make terrific sharing during a book talk.  Green’s poetic writing seems made to share aloud, and his commentary on Walt Whitman’s poetry begs to be shared with English III (junior level) students studying American poets.

Stead, R. (2012). Liar & spy. New York, New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

Georges (the “s” is silent) and his parents move from their house to an apartment building.  As Georges and his father explore the building, they spot a sign for a spy club meeting.  At his father’s suggestion, Georges attends the meeting and is introduced to Candy and her brother Safer.  Safer tells him of their mission to stop the evil Mr. X, a suspicious tenant in their building, and begins training Georges as a spy.  Georges and Safer become good friends until Safer pushes Georges too far.  Georges realizes Safer has been playing a game, essentially lying to him, this entire time.  As he comes to this realization, Georges accepts that he needs to change other things in his life, like dealing with his bullies at school.  He also comes to terms with the fact that his mother is sick and in the hospital, not working extra hours like he has been pretending to himself.  In the end, Georges makes up with Safer, and he is able to help his new friend begin to face his own fears.

This entertaining book provides excellent examples of Kohlberg’s levels of moral development.  At first Georges follows along with Safer because he needs a friend (preconventional), but as Georges gains confidence, he begins to stand up for what is right, like not breaking into Mr. X’s apartment (conventional).  In the end, Georges and his friends band together, ignoring the bitter taste in their mouths to make a stand against their bully (postconventional).