Fangirl

Rowell, R. (2013). Fangirl. New York: St.Martins Griffin.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Realistic Fiction - college life, twins, sisters, teen life, mental illness

Cather and Wren are twin sisters that have grown up doing everything together. They have now graduated and are heading out to college. Dad is not handling it too smoothly because his girls are the ones that give him some sort of sanity, Cather is not easing into the transition either since Wren has decided she doesn't want to be her roommate. Cather decides to keep extremely to herself and in her fan fiction writing. It is not until her roommate decides she needs an intervention that she begins to come out of her shell. Cather's begins to fail the class that she thought she's excel at which was writing. Through her professor's second change,  love and heartbreak with Levi, Wren's alcohol poisoning and her dad's anxiety Cather begins to slowly let go of her child like ways and become the great writer she truly aspires to be.

Awards Won By this Title:
2014 - Best Fiction for Young Adults

The Fault in our Stars

Green, J. (2014). The fault in our stars. New York: Penguin Books.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Realistic Fiction - cancer, teen life, high school, love, friendship

Hazel Grace is a teenage girl who lives with cancer. Her mother finally convinces her to get out of her house and join a youth group of teens with cancer. In the first meeting she meets Augustus Waters who had cancer at a younger age but is cancer free now and there to support a friend. Augustus uses his charismatic charm to get closer to Hazel and the two fall deeply in love. Together they fight the fierce battle with cancer but unfortunately they don't both win. Although the main topic of this story is cancer Green still manages to make the story romantic and humorous all the way through.

Awards Won by This Title:
TODAY Book Club Pick
Time Magazine #1 Fiction Book of 2012

American Born Chinese

Yang, G. L. (2008). American born Chinese. Missouri: Square Books.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction - graphic novel, China, boys, San Francisco

This multi narrative story has three different narrators. The first starts in ancient times in China with the Monkey King. He crashes a party from the gods and goddesses that he was not invited to and he is thrown out but not without making a mess of the place. The second narrator is Jin Wang who lives in Chinatown in San Francisco. His family decides to move to the Bay area where he was a difficult time fitting in because he is the only Asian there. It is not until he meet a Taiwanese boy that he begins to have friends. The third narrator is Danny who has an Asian cousin named Wei Chen who he terribly embarrassed about since he thinks Wei is the embodiment of every Asian stereotype. The story dips into every story until they begin to intertwine and become one story at the end.

Awards Won by This Title:
Nominated for National Book Award
ALA Michael Printz Award
Eisner Award

The Schwa Was Here

Shusterman, N. (2006). The schwa was here. New York: Puffin.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction - friends, boys, family issues, Italian

This book is the first in its series that includes the Anthony Bonano (Antsy for short). Antsy befriends Charlie Schwa (Schwa for short) who is a boy that tends to fly under the radar. They call it the Schwa Effect and they decide to test it by doing dares for money.  All is going well up until they get caught in old man Crawley's apartment. As punishment the man makes them walk his dogs and befriend his blind granddaughter Lexie. Antsy and Schwa become rivals in battle for Lexie's love. Schwa takes it to heart when he reveals he doesn't want to be invisible anymore because he is afraid he will suddenly just disappear just like his mother did. Together they discover the reason to his mother's disappearance and Schwa leaves town to find her. It is a story of happy endings for all the characters involved.

Awards Won by This Title:
2005 - YALSA Best Book for Young Adults
2005 - Notable Children's Book

I Will Save You

De La Pena, M. (2011). I will save you. New York: Ember.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction - orphans, group home,

Kidd is a orphaned teen that is in a group home where his counselors try to talk him and figure out his troubled past. Time passes and he has fallen into bigger trouble. He tries to escape his past and start his life anew. He starts his new life working at a campsite with Mr.Red. His new life is going well until he sees a person from his past, Devon, and knows he's just there to start trouble. This upsets him because he feels like Devon being in the picture would drive the person who has changed for better to go away, Olivia. Kidd tries him best to rid Devon from Olivia but his efforts are in vain.

The story keeps the reader in suspense until the last page as the authors takes the reader through flashbacks and the contrast combination of the characters.

Awards Won by This Title:
ALA/YALSA Best Book for Young Readers
ALA/YALSA Quick Pick
Junior Library Guild Selection
2011 - Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award

Shiver

Steifvater, M. (2014). Shiver. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction/Fantasy - supernatural, wolves, love

Grace Brisbane was attacked by wolves when she was a child until another yellow-eyed wolf intervened and saved her from being mauled to death. Now 17 year Grace waits for what she refers to as "her wolf" to come back every winter. Grace then finds out that they're not just regular wolves but werewolves and she discovers this when one of her classmates is mauled to death. This incident drives the local townsmen to go on a hunt for these werewolves. Sensing danger and the thought that her wolf might get hurt she stalls the hunt. She then finds Sam, her wolf, in human form at her house and injured by a bullet. Grace takes him to safety at a hospital and realizes that Sam is her wolf. They become inseparable after that, especially since Grace's parents are rarely around or put any attention to her. As they enjoy their time together they are also aware that Sam's human form is only temporary. As their love grows stronger the search for a cure becomes stronger since time is running out. This story is filled with suspense but ends with a happy ending.

Awards Won by This Title:
ALA Best Books for Young Adults
ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2009

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Crutcher, C. (2003). Staying for Sarah Byrnes. New York: Greenwillow Books.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction - mental issues, high school, bullying, traumas

Moby is a high school senior with a best friend named Sarah Byrnes. They have been best friends since middle school because they seek refuge with each other from their bullies. Moby is overweight and Sarah Byrnes has scars made by her father who burned her when she was little. Moby goes to Sarah's aid after being hospitalized for refusing to talk and continue to hang out on a daily basis so much that they create a school newsletter. The newsletter is actually a target to one of the biggest bullies in school, Dale who Sarah later befriends. Moby doesn't take this friendship too well and decides to join the swim team. He later realizes he is beginning to lose weight and then stops because he feels that Sarah wouldn't be his friend anymore if was thinner. Sarah later relapses and ends up in the hospital again only for Moby to discover that Sarah's father is trying to badly hurt her again. Moby helps her escape her father abuse and Sarah finally lives the happy childhood she has always dreamed of.

Awards Won by This Title:
1993 - SLJ Best Book
1994 - ALA Best Book for Young Adults
1997 - California Young Reader Medal (Young Adult)

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Saenz, B. J. (2014). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. New York: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction - gay, teen life, boys, hate crime, Mexican-American

Aristotle (Ari) spends his summers at the local El Paso swimming pool even though he doesn't know how to swim. He later befriends another teen boy at the pool named Dante who teaches him how to swim and they end up becoming close friends although they are quite different. Dante is more open and expressive about his feelings while Ari is much more reserved. In an accident Ari saves Dante's life although Dante's doesn't walk away unscathed and suffers from broken legs. Afterwards there is a brief tension between the two since Ari doesn't know how to sort his feelings about the accident. Dante's father ends up getting a got in Chicago and Dante moves as well. The boys continue keeping contact although Dante is becoming much more open about his feelings and sexuality which makes Ari very uncomfortable. A year passes and summer comes along and Dante returns. The boys resume their friendship but not as close as before since Dante is fully embracing his new sexuality and Ari doesn't know how to deal with it until Dante is brutally beaten because of it. Ari blindly seeks revenge on those who hurt Dante and he realizes that maybe his strong feelings for Dante are more than just those of friendship. This is a great story about friendship and acceptance.

Awards Won by This Title:
2013 - Stonewall Book Award
2013 - Michael L. Printz Award
2013 - Pura Belpre Author Award

Code Name: Verity

Wein, E. (2012). Code name: Verity. New York: Hyperion.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Historical Fiction - war, friendship, Nazis, women, air pilots

The story follows the main character named Julie (Code name: Verity) and Maddie (Code name: Kittyhawk) as they are forced to work in related war efforts. Julie works as a translator turned special agent and Maddie works as mechanic turned pilot. After an attack on one of their planes Julie makes an escape by parachute but is captured Nazis. Maddie, on the other hand, manages to land the plane and is rescued by the French. Maddie later finds out that Julie is still alive but in big trouble due to her capture. A rescue plan has been advised but doesn't fall through like planned. Maddie discovers that Julie has been tortured this entire time so that she can reveal all the secrets of the war. Maddie tells Julie to shoot her instead so that she can no longer be tortured and so that she doesn't reveal any military secrets. Although this story is set in a war era it concentrates more on the friendship and brave loyalty of these two girls.

Awards Won by This Title:
2013 - Michael L Printz Honor Book
2013 - Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel
2013 - Golden Kite Honor

Freak Show

St.James, J. (2007). Freak show. New York: Dutton.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Modern Realistic Fiction - teen life, high school life, bullying, LGBTQ, social issues

Billy Bloom is a flamboyantly gay teen who has just moved to a very conservative private school in Florida. He decides to make quite the entrance at school by not being ashamed of his over the top outfits and personality. His classmates are just not having it and instead of Billy backing down he shows up even more flashy, fierce and fabulous as ever and ends up crushing on the ever so popular jock, Flip Kelly. The tolerance for his outfits, sexuality and personality is at a complete zero and he is beaten to the point where he lands in a coma. Flip feels bad about Billy's assault and he visits him often and they form a bond. Billy eventually returns to school and again tries to make his classmates accept him for who he is by running for Homecoming Queen. His flashy ways and sparkle show no stops as he begins to see a bit of progress in his efforts though not enough to let him win. This story is both humorous and a bit sad as you see that Billy strength to create acceptance for himself among others and his strong drive to continue even through hardships makes for a funny yet inspiring read.

Awards Won by This Title:
Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult Award
Lambda Literary Award for Gay Men's Debut Fiction

Grasshopper Jungle

Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper jungle. New York: Dutton.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Science Fiction - dystopia, apocalyptic, LGBQ, insects

Austin Szerba is a hormonal and sexually confused teen and self-proclaimed historian describing the end of the world. It begins with him and his gay friend Robby who are hanging out in the back alley of the mall called Grasshopper Jungle. They get beaten and their things get thrown up the roof by Grant and some other high school bullies. Robby is upset and decides to write "Grant Wallace Murdered Me" with blood from his injury. Austin and Robby decide to back to retrieve their things when they discover the roof top access door is open and the boys decide to go in to snoop into the office of Austin's boss from his part-time job. The boys stumble upon a lot of oddities, particular a glowing mass called "Contained Plague 412E". While they're snooping around Grant and the bullies return and Austin and Robby hide. Grant and his posse steal the glowing mass and end up accidentally dropping it onto Robby's blood from his earlier message. This incident creates the plague to come alive and create giant man-eating praying mantis whose only objective is to eat and have sex. Austin and Robby escape and seek refuge at Austin girlfriend's, Shann, house where they come across a machine that types out a message saying that they must seek refuge at a silo. All three and their parents escape to the silo where they learn more about the plague and how to stop it. Their efforts are strong but unsuccessful and they live out the rest of their lives in their shelter. This story has a lot of strong language and references to gore and sex which would me much more suited for older teens.

Awards Won by This Title:
2014 - Boston Globe - Horn Book Award
2015 - Michael L. Printz Honor

The Notorious Benedict Arnold

Sheinkin, S. (2010). The notorious Benedict Arnold. New York: Macmillan.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Nonfiction - biography, Benedict Arnold, Revolutionary War

Benedict Arnold is known in history as being a traitor but few know that he also one of the war biggest heroes. Sheinkin does an outstanding job of telling the story of the life, from reckless youth to death, of Benedict Arnold.  The story is read more like a novel rather than an average biography and recounts Arnold's actions in the war and ultimately his reasons for becoming a traitor in the war, The author also includes sources of quotes and materials referenced in the back of the book which make more research if the reader desires more information.

Awards Won by This Title:
2012 - YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction

Gabi, A girl in pieces

Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi, A girl in pieces. Texas: Cinco Puntos.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Modern Realistic Fiction - Mexican-American, high school life, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, gay, social issues

Gabi is a Mexican-American senior in high school who seeks solace in her diary from her family problems. She also get a little help from her pregnant friend Cindy and her gay friend Sebastian. All three friends face their own personal hardships together. Gabi deals with her troubles by eating which has caused her to be overweight. She tries to find other ways to deal and finds that writing poetry is helpful too. Cindy finally reveals that she was actually raped by the father of her baby which upsets Gabi to the point of beating him and getting suspended because of it. Quintero perfectly depicted the cultural experiences Mexican-American teens often face and as a Mexican-American myself there was so many references I completely related too. This book is now one of my new favorites.

Awards Won by This Title:
2014 - Booklist Best Books
2014 - SLJ Best Books
2014 - Kirkus Review Best Books
2015 - William C. Morris Award for Young Adult Debut Novel
2015 - Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award
2015 - Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children and Teens
2015 - YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
2015 - YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
2015 - Americas Award Commended Title

The Knife of Never Letting Go

Ness, P. (2008). The knife of never letting go. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Science Fiction - dystopia, social issues, telepathy

This book is the first in its series. It starts off in set in the future in a place only referred to as "the new world". Todd lives in a town named Prentisstown where he is the only boy. There are only men in this town. There are no women or girls. It is said that they were all killed off by an alien race named The Spackle. Everyone that lives in Prentisstown has a telepathic power called "The Noise". It's constantly heard by each other until one day Todd and his dog Manchee are wandering by the swamp for apples and they hear silence. Something they didn't even know existed. Todd rushes home to tell his adoptive parents about it and they quickly give him his mother's journal and a map. His parents cannot go into any more detail for fear that their "noise" might be heard by the others. Todd narrowly escapes from Prentiss and his army and discovers that the silence is coming from a girl named Viola. They both escape and use the map to reach another setttlement named FarBranch which is where he finds out a bit more about his old town of Prentisstown. They are caught in troubles again and escape to another settlement named Haven and during this journey Todd finds out about the men of Prentisstown starting off a war with The Spackle and how they killed off all their women in the town. Viola and Todd are about to reach Haven when Viola is shot and Todd surrenders to Prentiss in hopes of saving Viola.

Awards Won by This Title:
2008 - James Tiptree, Jr. Award
2008 - Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

Monster

Myers, W. (1999). Monster. New York: HarperCollins

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Modern Dark Realistic Fiction - African Americans, racism, court trials, prison

Steve Harmon is an African American teen that has dreams of being a film maker. His wrong choices and hanging with the wrong crowd leads to be accused of murder of a store clerk and robbery
. To keep his sanity during the court hearings and trial he writes about his experience as a first person journal and as a third person screenplay. In his writings the readers can see just how truly terrified of spending his life in prison and all the events that led him to his current situation. At the end he is found innocent and let go. Even after the trial Steve is still quite shook up about the tough experience he had to live through and feeling guilt even after being proven not guilty. The format the author used to write the story really allowed the reader to feel the struggle Myers had with his own thoughts.

Awards Won by This Title:
2000 - Michael L. Printz Award
2000 - Coretta Scott King Award Honor

Inexcusable

Lynch, C. (2005). Inexcusable. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Dark Modern Fiction - high school life, bullying, rape, drug and alcohol abuse

Keir, a high school teenager, is a good guy. He is a good guy that has always needed to prove to others that he is indeed a good guy. First he has to prove when he seriously injures a football player while playing in a football game. The player ends up dying from the severity of the injury. This incident has everyone in school nicknaming him "Killer". At first it is a nickname that he completely shies away from because of its obvious negative connotation but after a while he starts to embrace it a bit but gets defensive when others bring up the origin behind the nickname. He constantly has to convince himself and others that he is a good guy. Upset that his sisters didn't come to town to see him graduate he celebrates instead with his best friend Gigi who he now has to convince that what she thinks is rape is indeed not. Or is it? The story keeps you guessing the entire way what kind of person Keir really is.

Awards Won by This Title:
2005 - Booklist Editors Choice Books for Youth
2005 - National Book Awards Finalist for Young Peoples Literature
2005 - SLJ Best Books
2006 - YALSA Best Books for Young Adults

I Hunt Killers

Lyga, B. (2012). I hunt killers. New York: Little, Brown

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Dark Fiction - murders, crime, mystery, detectives

This book is the first in its series.
Jazz is a teen boy that lives with his mentally ill grandmother after his father has been imprisoned due to murder crimes. Jazz is always afraid of ending up just like his father so he tries to stay away from trouble at all cost. He begins to worry when a murderer surfaces in town that is trying to copy his father. Jazz decides to investigate these crimes in order to keep his name off as a suspect. Jazz and friends Howie and Connie help him find out who this killer is. This proves to not be an easy task at all and ends up putting everyone involved in danger. The killer ends up getting caught and the town is safe again until they find out that Jazz's father has escaped prison and murdering people again. It is filled with dark suspense the whole way through with little bursts of humor from the other characters in the story.

Awards Won by This Title:
Texas Tayshas Reading List
Georgia Peach Book Award Honor

We Were Liars

Lockhart, E. (2014). We were liars. New York: Delacorte.

Genre and Themes:Young Adult Dark Modern Realistic Fiction - greed, wealth, amnesia, love

Cadence Sinclair is a teenage girl from a wealthy family who spends her summers on the family island. On her 15 summer she suffered a bad accident that she does not recall of. The only thing she knows is that ever since then she has debilitating headaches and she has yet to see her cousin that she refers to as "liars" ever since then. Overall summer 15 was a bad one since it also included her parents divorce as well. On summer 16 she travels through Europe with her father and is glad to be able to see her "liars" once more on summer 17. She is determined to find out what led to her massive headaches since everyone in her family refuses to tell her. Slowly but surely she begins to remember what happened and what led to the incident in which she was the only survivor. Although this story is about greed and wealth in a dysfunctional family, it also has a strong message about love and finally letting go.

Awards Won by This Title:
2014 - Goodreads Choice Award for Best Young Adult Fiction
2015 - ALA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

Scowler

Kraus, D. (2013). Scowler. New York: Delacorte.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Horror Fiction - domestic abuse, mental illness

Eleven year old Ry struggles to keep his family afloat in their poor farm house. They're all survivors of his father's abuse but luckily he has been locked away in jail. After a meteorite crashes, his father is able to escape prison and returns to their farm. His father's escape catches Ry and his family completely off guard. His father begins to seek revenge because they sent him to prison. Ry fights to survive and keep his family safe with the help of his imaginary friends. The reader can tell just how traumatizing his father's abuse is that it is highly visible just how close Ry is of losing his sanity. The author uses a lot of gore and horror in this story so it would be most suitable for much older teens.

Awards Won by This Title:
2014 - Odyssey Award for Excellence

Glory O' Brien's History of the Future

King, A. (2014). Glory O' Brien's history of the future. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Science Fiction - suicide, friendship, family, dystopia, feminism

Glory O' Brien is a teenage girl who is finishing high school but has made no plans for her future. Her mother committed suicide when she was little but she never really grasped it and it seemed that neither did her father. Time passes and Glory begins reading some of her mother's diaries. At first they don't make any sense until one night she drinks a mix that contains a dead bat. This drink opens her mind up to being able to see her ancestry and her future. In both time periods she sees people suffering, particularly women. She then makes an effort to warn others about the forthcomings to prevent the disaster she saw and other tragedies like her mother's suicide.

Awards Won by This Title:

2015 NAIBA Book of the Year (Children's Literature and Young Adult)

2015 Andre Norton Award Nominee

2015 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award Winner

2015 Indie Choice Book Award Honor Book

Kirkus Best YA Book of 2014

Publishers Weekly Best Book of 2014

School Library Journal Best Book of 2014

2015 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book

Boston Globe Best YA Book of 2014

2014 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens

Invisible

Hautman, P. (2005). Invisible. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Genres and Themes: Young Adult Fiction - mental illness, friendships, mystery

Doug Hansen and Andy Morrow are best friends although they couldn't be any more different from each other. Doug is shy and awkward. Andy has a great social life in school and is involved in many clubs and sports. What ties both of them together is a grave incident that happened in the past that they refuse to talk about. Doug uses a model train set to distract himself but it ends up becoming his obsession. His parents then realize he is not taking his medication and he is sent to a psychiatrist so that he can talk about the incident that is making him lose his sanity: the Tuttle incident. He then confesses that he and Andy burned that house down and that a death occurred because of it. Living in denial for so long and finally revealing the truth drives him to set his model train set on fire and causes harm to himself as well. The ending leaves the reader in shock and suspense to figure out what really happened.

Awards Won by This Title:
2006 - Wisconsin Library Association Children's Book Award

Annie on my Mind

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my Mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux

Genre and Theme: Young Adult Realistic Fiction - gay, teen life, discrimination, love and romance, social issues

The story is about two girls from completely different upbringings who fall in love with each other. Liza and Annie casually create a friendship upon running into each other at a museum. Liza attends an all girls private school where she is the school president. After an encounter with ear piercing at school that she did not report she is abruptly suspended. Annie's life is completely different. During Liza's suspension she decides to hang out with Annie and she sees just how different their school lives are. During this time she also realizes that they both want their friendship to blossom into something more. It is not until Liza decides to help two of her teachers by caring for their cats at their home. At this point is where they decide to take their relationship to the next level. At this moment is also when they are outed by a friend from school as well as a very religious teacher. It also discovered that their teachers are also gay. They are all reprimanded which at first is disappointing for everyone involved but at the end it is a liberating experience now that the truth is known.

Due to the nature of the content in this book, it is often banned or challenged in school libraries.

Some Awards Won by This Title:

Margaret A. Edwards Award

The Chocolate War

Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war: A novel. New York: Delacorte

Genres and Themes: Young Adult Realistic Fiction - violence, high school, social issues, bullying

Every year Trinity High School hosts a chocolate sale fundraiser. The Vigils are a group that gives certain assignment to the other students on campus. There are other rival groups at the campus that do the same. Jerry Renault is a shy students at this school than keeps out of trouble all the time. He is apprehended by the Vigils leader Archie to instructs him not to take part in the chocolate sale. Jerry does as he is told which angers the other rival groups since their chocolate sale as a whole is not successful. Jerry gets bullied, assaulted and harassed. At the end the Vigils try to make up the money lost in the chocolate sale by hosting a fight match between Jerry and the biggest bully in school. Jerry is brutally beaten.

This book is often banned or challenged since the year it was published due to its themes of bullying and violence.

Awards Won by this Title:

ALA Best Books for Young Adults
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year
Kirkus Reviews Choice
New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year
Margaret A. Edwards Award

Andre the Giant

Brown, B. (2014). Andre the Giant. New York: FirstSecond

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fiction Graphic Novel - wrestling, Andre Roussimoff, biography

This biographical graphic novel describes the entire life of Andre Roussimoff. From childhood Andre suffered from a rare disorder that caused him to grow too much. Because of his size he was often ridiculed throughout all his childhood. Andre, as we all know, grew up to become an actor as well as a professional wrestler dubbed Andre the Giant. In some cases such as this one his size worked to his advantage but in others it was a cause of excruciating pain, both emotional and physical. This graphic novel covers all his life both personal and professional up until his death in 1993. This novel also includes commentary from other well-known professionals that worked him professionally.

The way this graphic novel was written can make for a great lesson for high school students to create a comic book version of a biography for a famous person in history of their choice.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

Black, H. (2013). The coldest girl in Coldtown. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fantasy - supernatural, vampires, teens, post-apocalypse

This story is full of vampires that actually coexist with regular people.  The main character, Tana, wakes up after a night of partying with having to escape a group of vampires trying to attack her. She manages to escape but realizes she was indeed bit and is now infected. Due to the infection she starts to evolve into a vampire or "cold". Because of this incident Tana decides that moving to Coldtown. Living here would prevent her from attacking other humans. On her way there she meets twins, Midnight and Winter who she thinks can become her friends but ultimately turn on her. Upon arriving to Coldtown she is told that she can leave if she is not infected. During this time she has to battle other vampires and at the end she is able to go home to wait out the infection.

Some Awards Won by This Title:

2013 - Andre Norton Award Nominees
2013 - NPRs Best Books of 2013: Science Fiction and Fantasy
2014 - Texas Tayshas Reading List

Six of Crows

Bardugo, L. (2015). Six of crows. New York: Henry Hold and Company.

Genre and Themes: Young Adult Fantasy - magic, adventure, drug use

Kaz Brekker is the leader of a powerful gang called the Dregs. The Dregs consists of Inej, Nina, Jesper, Matthias and Wylan. They are about to embark in a heist to get Bo Yul-Bayur and a powerful drug.  Their rival Pekka Rollins is also on the same mission and tries to sabotage The Dregs attempts. In a story that involves friends, enemies, betrayals and deaths, the lives of these six teenagers change constantly due to their magic and powers.

This book is just the first of an exciting and magical series from Bardugo.

Some awards won by this title:

2015 - Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Fiction
2016 - YALSAs Best Books for Young Adults

My Friend Dahmer

Backderf, D. (2012). My friend Dahmer: A graphic novel. New York: Abrams.

Genres & Themes: Young Adult - Narrative Nonfiction. Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killers, graphic novel, high school, mental illness

This graphic novel is a memoir of Backderf's high school life set in Ohio that included Jeffrey Dahmer. Backderf describes Dahmer's antics and attitude that when seen in hindsight would demonstrate all the red flags that eventually would worsen, build up and become of Dahmer crimes and murders. The author describes how Dahmer was self-destructive partly due to his very hard home life and a combination of his difficulty with coming to terms with his sexuality and falling through the cracks of the school system. Dahmer tried to cope with all his troubles but it only ended up in leading him to alcoholism.  Throughout the novel Backderf empathizes with Dahmer up until he commits his first crime. The author sees Dahmer as someone who would have had a much different life if he lived through different circumstances yet still does not excuses his crimes.

Some awards won by this title:

Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten for 2013
Alex Award
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers Top Ten

Feed

Anderson, M. (2002). Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press

Genre & Themes: Young Adult - computers, technology, brainwashing, teens, dystopia

Titus is a teenager from the future that enjoys trips to the moon with this friends. All these teens have implants in their brains that create a feed that essentially thinks and suggests everything they say or do. During one of their many trips to the moon their implants begin to malfunction. They are all hospitalized and forced to have their feeds down during this time. Since they were born into these feeds they are for once in their life being forced to think on their own.  With time they all seem to recover except for Violet, Titus' love interest. Her feed never fully recovers and her family cannot cover the costs of repairing it. All this becomes too much for Titus to handle so they end their relationship. Weeks pass and Titus finds out that that Violet is now brain dead. During this time he discovers he truly does love Violet.

Some Awards Won by This Title:

1995 - National Book Award Finalist
1999 - BCCB Blue Ribbon Book
2000 - SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Fiction
2000 - Horn Book Fanfare Best Book of the Year
2000 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
2000 - Printz Honor Book
2000 - Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
2000 - Fiction Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
2000 - Edgar Allan Poe Best Young Adult Award Finalist
2001 - New York Times Paperback Children's Best Seller
2005 - New York Times Paperback Children's Best Seller

Speak

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Genre & Themes: Young Adult Modern Realistic Fiction - high school, teen life, rape, sexual abuse
Melinda is a high school girl that has just endured a tragedy in what was supposed to be the time of her life. She was raped. This tragedy has caused her to fall into a deep depression and seclude herself from those around her. This seclusion includes finding solace in an old janitors room. She makes one friend named Heather but even she eventually backs away because she thinks Melinda is just too depressing to be around with. Melinda's anger and sadness worsens whenever she sees her rapist around school, especially because he's the popular guy that everyone loves. What makes matters worse is that IT (as Melinda refers to him) taunts her around school until one day he finds her hiding place and attempts to attack her again. This time Melinda fights back which leads to him getting caught. After this Melinda finally decides to tell her story. This book is about having the strength to overcome tragedies and finding your voice to allow the truth to set you free.


Some awards won by this title:

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

ALA Top 10 Best Book for Young Adults

ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist

IRA Young Adult Choice

Junior Library Guild Selection

Michael L. Printz Honor Book (ALA)

National Book Award Finalist

New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

New York Times Bestseller List

SCBWI Golden Kite Award

YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

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

Genre & Themes: Modern Realistic Fiction - Native American, Indian reservations, high school, teen life, racism

Age Range: 12-17 years

Junior lives in a Native American reservation in which he lives his normal teenage life. It isn't until he begins school that he becomes completely frustrated with the lack of positive change in his environment around him. This realization drives him to injure his own teacher with a book. The incident results into him getting suspended. After a deep talk with the teacher he struck Junior decides to switch to another school off the reservation. Initially he has a rough start there, especially with the mostly walking commute there. He also starts having major conflicts with the people in the reservation that assume that Junior has taken a holier-than-thou attitude due to the switch. The people in the reservation call him a traitor and his only friend in the reservation becomes his biggest enemy. With time his social life there blossoms while his personal life, in his eyes, begins to fall apart. At the end the people around him begin to see that his actions were made to move in a positive direction and to inspire those around him to do the same.

Some of the awards won by this title:
2007 - National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2008 - American Indian Youth Literature Awards - American Indian Library Association Best Young Adult Book
2008 - Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry