Choice/Printz Honor

The Body of Christopher Creed
By Carol Plum-Ucci
2001 Printz Honor Book

Christopher Creed may be the name in the title, but this book is truly about Victor (Torey) Adams. Chris Creed wasn't what you would call popular. He wasn't one of those kids that all too often fade into the crowd of high school either - when he was around you knew it. Call him socially awkward. He didn't really have any friends. In fact his personality annoyed many of the other students and had led to violence on a couple of occasions.

The story starts with Torey's senior year of high school. He's starting a new school this year, mostly because he just can't deal with facing everyone after the previous year. Some think he went crazy. Others think he killed Christopher Creed, or at the very least had a hand in it. No one understands his personal mission - to find some evidence that Creed is out there, alive.

When Creed disappears, leaving behind only an email, no one knows where he is. Thanks to one of Torey's friend's ability to hack into the schools computers, they have a copy of the letter. At first Creed's parents, who are also awkward and clearly don't know their son anymore than anyone else does. When Creed doesn't appear in the following weeks, the opportunity arises for Mrs. Creed to indicate that she believes one of the Boons (poor students from the boondocks) had killed her son. Prior to this Torey was already somewhat tormented by his hand in harassing Creed. Now his sense of justice inspires him to find Creed himself. This quest is formidable, and tests all of Torey's relationships. An experience at an Indian burial site doesn't take him any closer to finding Creed - but it might just be enough to push Torey over the edge as well.

In the end no one know where Chris is. Torey is still searching. He has a feeling that Creed is alive out there, and will be found when he wants to be.

I really enjoyed this book. I found the relationships and conversations to be "real" and I think that junior high and high school students will identify well with both Torey and Christopher Creed. I would recommend this for grades 8 and up. While there is no graphic violence or sexuality, there are some scary/intense sense and a number of references to promiscuous behavior. I think that this book would be appropriate for mature junior high readers as well as high school students. I believe that this is a book that both male and female readers will enjoy. Torey is your typical high school boy, but one that has a conscience and feels great empathy for others. There is a lot of action, which makes the book hard to put down. Though the ending is somewhat ambiguous, there is still a sense of resolution.

Book Talk Hook

What if one of your classmates disappeared?
Leaving behind no trace of where they went?

Would you wonder what happened?
Would you look for them?

How far would you go?

Edgy Title

Living Dead Girl
By Elizabeth Scott
A 2009 ALA Best Book for Young Adults
A 2008 VOYA Editor's Choice for Teens

This is a story about Alice. Only, her name wasn't always Alice. When she was almost 10 years old she went with her class on a field trip to the aquarium. Frustrated with her friends for not allowing her to sit in the window seat on the bus ride over, she refuses to share her lip gloss and her friends leaver her. She paid for her selfishness. At least, that's why Alice thinks Ray took her that day. No one noticed until it was too late.

Now Alice is 15 and is still with Ray, living in a shabby apartment. By now she is used to the routine and his preferences - she no longer fights back. Both she and Ray are in a battle to keep her in a childlike body - Ray because as a pedofile, that's what he likes. Alice because she's afraid of what will happen to her when she no longer looks like a child. After all, she's not the first Alice.

Soon it becomes clear that Alice's body is becoming that of a woman. Ray has decided, however, to do things differently this time. Instead of simply "replacing" Alice and training another girl, he has a new plan - Alice will find a replacement and train her. After all, who knows what Ray likes better than Alice?

Alice is allowed to go out to find the new addition to the "family." It seems obviously that this is her chance to escape, but Ray has promised her that if she does her family will be the ones to suffer. When Alice finds her "replacement" it leads them all down a path that no one could see coming.


Okay, so I guess I'm just one of those people who doesn't listen when warned. When I went to OELMA last fall I attended Candi Pierce Garry's Walking the Line where she shared books that were safe, edgy but still acceptable, and simply too much for a school library. This book was one of the latter. In fact to paraphrase Garry, this book will haunt you forever. Never again will the reader look at a missing child flier the same.

I completely agree with Candi that I would not put this book in my library. Maybe, maybe 11th or 12th graders who are extremely mature could handle the content. While the scenes where Ray molests Alice are not explicit, it is very clear what is going on and there are a number of them. Additionally, this is not a book where all ends well and the conflict is resolved. I personally was shocked by the ending and left with a sense of injustice. I know that this book recieved numerous awards and recommendations (more than what I listed above), but I'm going to have to stick with Candi on this one - I would consider the theme of this book to be too adult for most high school students.

Book Talk Hook

If I were to book talk this book I would start by asking:

Have you ever seen a missing child poster in a store?
Or gotten a card in the mail asking, "Have you seen this child?"
Have you ever thought about where those children are?
What they're going through, right now?

This is a book about Alice.

Once upon a time, I was a little girl who disappeared. Once upon a time, my name was not Alice. Once upon a time, I didn’t know how lucky I was.

Graphic Novel

Foiled
By Jane Yolen
Illustrated By Mike Cavallaro

Aliera Carstairs doesn't really belong in her high school. She doesn't fit in with any of the cliques - jocks, nerds, goths... She just blends into the background. The only place she does stand out is as fencing. There she's more than good - she's the best.

When Aliera's mom finds a new practice foil for her at a tag sale, Aliera accepts it without thought. Her mom is always buying used stuff and even though someone glued a jewel on the end, Aliera thinks it just might work for her. After all, fencing is an expensive sport. Who is she to turn down a $2 foil.

Aliera's time is devoted to school and fencing during the week and fending and her cousin Caroline on the weekends. Caroline has debilitating rheumatoid arthritis. Every Saturday Aliera and Caroline play a role-playing game where Caroline is the queen and Aliera is her defender. Aliera never misses their games unless she's sick or has a tournament....until her date with Avery.

Avery is beyond gorgeous. Certainly Aliera never thought he would be interested in her. Sure they had some laughs in Biology...and he always seems interested in what she has to say... Still, something about him is off. When he asked her on a date, however, she can't say no, even though it will mean missing some of fencing and her gaming date with Caroline.

When Avery is late, Aliera finds herself alone in Grand Central Station. Soon she finds herself in the middle of a battle between forces from another world - and finds out that Avery is far from perfect.

I found this book pretty entertaining. It wasn't on the best graphic novels list, but I was interested to read it when I saw that Jane Yolen was the author. This is her only graphic novel, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more, specifically additions to Foiled. The storyline was interesting and Aliera speech and behavior were spot on teenager. I also really liked all referenences to fencing. I knew a little about the sport before reading, but I learned a lot from the story itself. Each of the chapters is named after a fencing term and the entire book is set up to mirror a fencing match.

If I had any criticism it would be that I felt that the story was a little underdeveloped. I don't know if this is typical of graphic novels, as this is the first one I've read. There was a lot a allusion to both Caroline and Caroline's cat being connected to this other world and a lot of story elements, such as Aliera's distant relation to the person who previously owned the practice foil and Avery's debt her her, are unresolved at the end. This leads me to believe that Yolen intends to add to the story. The copyright of Foiled is 2010, so this seems likely. Overall I would definitly recommend this book. There is nothing scandalous except for some vague references to a part of a man's anatomy and some dark humor on the part of Avery. I would put this in any middle school library and would recommend it for grades 5 and up. I think some high schoolers would enjoy it (the characters are in high school), but it would be a very short read. I think it took me a grand total of 45 minutes to an hour to finish it. Still, I will be on the lookout for new additions to the story.

Book Talk Hook

Have you ever felt like you didn't fit in?
Like there was nowhere in this world that you truly belonged?

What if you didn't belong in this world?
What if you were meant to belong somewhere completely different?

Multi-Cultural & International Book

The First Part Last
By Angela Johnson

Winner of the 2004 Printz Award Winner of the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award

Bobby is pretty typical of the teenage boys in his urban neighborhood. He hangs with his friends, goes to school and spends time with his girlfriend, Nia. Bobby's parents have high expectations of him and have raised him with good morals and family values.

All this comes crashing down on his 16th birthday when Nia tells him she's pregnant. Now they must deal with the reality of becoming teen parents while also struggling to determine who knows best what they should do: their parents, the social worker who says they should give up the baby or themselves.

Told in alternating chapters of Now and Then Bobby narrates the story of the journey that led to him being a single father. He does his best to make his parents proud, maintain his friendships and grades and be a good father to he and Nia's baby, Feather.

This book is a great read. Though it can be tricky to get the hang of the alternating chapters, they are clearly marked and flow very well. The subject matter and length would both appeal to struggling high school readers. Bobby's narration would likely help it appeal to both boys and girls. Though the plot deals with teen pregnancy and thus (implied sex), I would say that this book would still be appropriate for readers as young as 7th or 8th grade, depending on the school. In an urban setting, I would definitely carry this in a middle school library. There are no "sex scenes" and Johnson portrays the consequences of premarital sex and teen parenthood in a frank and realistic manner. Bobby finds it difficult, but he must prevail - though his parents are willing to help out, they insist that he be the primary caregiver for his daughter. I really liked that emphasis on responsibility for ones actions.

The only part of the book that left me (and some students I've talked to) a little unsettled was Nia's fate. We know from the beginning that Bobby is raising Feather on his own. What we never find out is exactly what happened to Nia to lead to this end.

For those who want to know more about what happens to Bobby and Feather, there is a companion novel, Heaven, about Marley who finds that her reality is nothing like what she had thought.

Book Talk Hook:

I would start by asking students if they've ever done anything without thinking of what would happen after they did it.

I would tell them:

Everything you do, has a consequence. Good or bad.

Then I would read the following quote:

I've been thinking about. Everything. And when Feather opens her eyes and looks up at me, I already know there's a change. But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They'd be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end.

Poetry

Poems from Homeroom: A Writer's Place to Start
By Kathi Appelt
A Booklist Top Ten Youth Poetry Selection

This book is more than just a book of poems. It is a classroom resource and an outlet for its readers who aspire to write or to simply put down their thoughts and feelings on paper.

Appelt writes that we all yearn, or long for something. It may be success, romance, or even to disappear. Each of the 26 poems contained within the cover of Homeroom explores a different longing. In Part I are the poems. "What He Knew," about a boy loveing a girl from afar - loving her enough to erase the lude remarks on a bathroom wall. "The Fat Girl," that tells a tale of a girl who has felt invisible since the fifth grade and who only wishes to be seen.

Kathi Appelt delivers her poems in a variety of ways: Free verse, rhyme, acrostic, sestina... Each is as unique as the characters and experiences it details. Yet, they are all similar in that the readers see themselves in the poems. Anyone who reads this collection will find at least one character achingly familiar.

Perhaps the greatest part about this book is found in Part II. In this section Kathi explains where each individual poem stemmed from. One of the hardest parts about teaching poetry is to get students to grasp the meaning behind the abstract quality of the poem. Here we find that the source of every poem is explained. Each poem, with the exception of Homeroom is based on a person, real or imagined, that has had a presence in Applet's life. Additionally, each poem is accompanied by a couple of prompts to inspire writers. Students will enjoy the explanation behind the poetry and perhaps the opportunity for their own life to imitate art. Teachers will embrace a resource that aids them in drawing a connection between poetry and the lives of their students.

I thought this was a great book. I typically don't read much poetry (aside from Shel Silverstein, whom I adore). This collection was both entertaining and intriguing. I found myself reading the book in one sitting, and relishing the opportunity to take a peek into the author's mind. I would definitely recommend this for both pleasure reading and as a resource for teaching poetry.

I found this book in a junior high library. I would say that it would be appropriate for 8th grade as well as mature 7th graders. The characters in the story were clearly in high school, and some of the themes were most appropriate for that age as well. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it was inappropriate for middle school. It's just important to know your audience. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read.

Book Talk Hook:

I think for my book talk I would read a couple of lines from a few of the poems and ask my students if any recognized themselves or someone they know in what they had heard.

From "The Fat Girl"

She thinks someday she shed
this skin she wears in layers
and float away
down a river
on a cloud


From "The Driver's License"

'Cause the way her mother mad it sound,
if she didnt' have on clean underwear and had a wreck?
The ambulance driver might take a look and say,
"Sorry, her underwear's too dirty. Let's leaver her here in the ditch."


From "A Circle of Light: A Poem in Five Acts"

A large heat yearns larger
like the tide for the moon its mate
calls to her, moans in its longing,
reaches out in whispered dreams
and sleepless nights
howls into its pillow, sodden.

Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Lecture

I was extremely glad that I attended Susan's talk. I really enjoyed listening to her detail her methods for research. It was very impressive the way that she hunted information down, striving to gather as many first-person tales as she possibly could. In some informational texts, there is little passion behind the writing, almost as though the writer had gathered the information soley from other texts on the topic. This is not the case with Susan's books, and having heard her speak, I can understand why. She becomes totally involved in her writing. She sets out to tell the true tale of the lives of real people.

I think one of the things that impressed me most was the fact that she was clearly as moved by the stories of her interviewees as those of us who had only just recently read about them. I think that her passion speaks to her readers, which is why her books are so engaging. I was also impressed by the lengths she went to to gather her information. For her latest book "They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group" Susan ventured to the very edge, attending a Klan rally. I questioned whether I would be willing to go to that extent for the truth. Clearly, Susan is.

Biography/Non-fiction: I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust

I Have Lived a Thousand Years: Growing Up in the Holocaust
By Livia Bitton-Jackson

Winner of the Christopher Award
An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

This is the memoir of Livia Bitton-Jackson, born Elli L. Friedmann. The Friedmanns lived in Czechoslovakia. Elli stood helpless as all of the rights and priveledges of the Jewish community were taken away. First came the curfew. Then the yellow stars they were made to sew on any clothing worn outside. Soon Elli found herself and her family living in a ghetto. When Elli was 13 she and her family were sent to Auschwitz. She would never see her father or her frail Aunt Serena again.

Elli and her mother struggle together to beat all odds to survive the horrors of the camps. Even when her mother suffers a devastating injury that leaves her partially paralyzed, Elli manages to keep her alive. Eventually they are reunited with Bubi and the camps are liberated.

Bitton-Jackson has also written two additional books My Bridges of Hope: Searching for LIfe and Love After Auschwitz and Hello, America: A Refugee's Journey from Auschwitz to the New World.

I enjoyed the book. I felt that there were a lot of parallels between Elli and Anne Frank, at least in their personalities. Bitton-Jackson does an excellent job detailing her experiences in the camp while still capturing the innocence of her 13 year old self. Many of the inmates were unaware of what happened in other parts of the camps (the crematorium, etc.). Elli's discovery of those atrocities is conveyed with palpable horror. Though her story is tragic, it ends with hope. I think students, especially in middle grades, will appreciate that Elli and her mother survive and will look forward to reading the subsequent books about her journey to move past the camps. I would recommend this to middle school students. It isn't too graphic and Elli's age would make it appealing. I feel that girls would like if far more than boys, so I'm not sure I would use it in class. This is a great Holocaust memoir for middle school. I would save Anne Frank for high school students.

Book Talk Hook:

What would you do if everything was taking from you?

Your possessions.
Your friends.
Your family.
Your identity.

What would you do to survive?