Category Archives: Young Adult Literature
“Whirligig”
Whirligig by Paul Fleishman In trying to kill himself, Brent causes an accident that kills Lea Zamora, a high school senior whose life is very promising. Brent was drunk and had just been humiliated at a party by the girl … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Literary Read Alike, Read 180, Young Adult Literature
Tagged Read 180, The Odyssey
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“Monster”
Monster by Walter Dean Myers “Lie down with dogs; wake up with fleas.” I remembered reading this ‘aphorism’—a witty little statement by Benjamin Franklin—as I read the novel “Monster.” The main character of the novel, Steve Harmon, is in just … Continue reading
“When Zachary Beaver Came to Town”
When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt When I was studying literature in college, I remember being told a story about a Southern writer, Flannery O’Connor. Asked why Southern writers always have freaks in their novels, she … Continue reading
Posted in Controversial Issue/Debate, Fiction, Read 180, Young Adult Literature
Tagged obesity, Read 180
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“Make Lemonade”
Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff The blank verse form of this novel brings lyrical beauty to the story of two inner-city teen girls—fourteen-year-old LaVaughn and seventeen-year-old Jolly. Though LaVaughn lives in ‘the projects,’ she has a strong widowed mother … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Hi-Low/Quick Read, Multicultural, Read 180, Young Adult Literature
Tagged Read 180
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“The Distant Land of My Father”
The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell The story of Anna Schoene’s childhood in Shanghai, China in the 1930s and her late childhood and teen years in Pasadena is so thick with period detail, that both locales should … Continue reading
“Conception”
Conception by Kalisha Buckhanon I picked this new YA novel off our shelf because it won the Terry McMillan Young Author Award. I think of Terry McMillan as light reading. Although she does deal with the issues of Black women, … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature
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“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie “The Absolutely True Diary” is a fictional account of the life of a fourteen-year-old Spokane Indian, Arnold Spirit (Junior). He has a lot working against him—he was born with … Continue reading
Posted in "Banned Book", Fiction, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature
Tagged American Indian
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Bless Me, Ultima
“Bless Me, Ultima” by Rudolfo Anaya This review has been created by the Academic Decathlon class at COHS. It’s a team effort. “Bless Me, Ultima” is a novel set in Guadalupe, New Mexico. The narrator, Antonio Marez, is an adult looking … Continue reading
Posted in Fiction, Multicultural, Young Adult Literature
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School Library Lady 