Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip by Linda Oatman High
"Sister Slam" and her friend Twig decide to compete in a slam poetry competition after they graduate high school. After their first competition does not go so well, they decide to try the big city, but the problems just keep coming. That is, until they meet Jake and things start turning around for them!
"Satisfying as well as hilarious" -Publishers Weekly
Ages 13-up
High, Linda Oatman. Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip. New York: Bloomsbury, 2004. Print.
"Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip." (2004). Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58234-948-0. Accessed May 9, 2013.
"Satisfying as well as hilarious" -Publishers Weekly
Ages 13-up
High, Linda Oatman. Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip. New York: Bloomsbury, 2004. Print.
"Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip." (2004). Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-58234-948-0. Accessed May 9, 2013.
Split Image by Mel Glenn - added May 9th!!
In this very thought provoking book by Mel Glenn, the reader gets a glimpse into the life of teenager, Laura Li. Laura is not the same as she acts at school and at home, she is basically two different people or a "split image." Throughout Split Image, she struggles with who she wants to be and who people think she is.
Ages 13-up
Glenn, Mel. Split Image. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000. Print.
Ages 13-up
Glenn, Mel. Split Image. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2000. Print.
Witness by Karen Hesse - added April 30!!
Witness by Karen Hesse is written from several different points of view regarding events involving the Ku Klux Klan. We hear from several characters and how the were affected by the KKK moving into their state and towns. The audio version includes an interview with the author.
Ages 12-up
Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic Press, 2001. Print.
Ages 12-up
Hesse, Karen. Witness. New York: Scholastic Press, 2001. Print.
Exposed by Kimberly Marcus
Exposed tells the story of Liz, her best friend, Kate, and her brother, Mike. Through a series of poems, we experience the struggles Liz faces with her friends, boyfriend, and family when Kate accuses Mike of rape.
"Marcus presents a thought-provoking portrait of rape and its irreparable impact on victim and community." -Publishers Weekly
Ages 14-up
Marcus, Kimberly. Exposed. New York: Random House Books, 2011. Print.
"Exposed." (2011). Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-86693-7 Accessed April 8, 2013.
"Marcus presents a thought-provoking portrait of rape and its irreparable impact on victim and community." -Publishers Weekly
Ages 14-up
Marcus, Kimberly. Exposed. New York: Random House Books, 2011. Print.
"Exposed." (2011). Publishers Weekly. http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-86693-7 Accessed April 8, 2013.
October Mourning: A Song For Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman
In the fall of 1998, an unthinkable act of violence occurred in a small town in Wyoming. Matthew Shepard was attacked and killed by two men because he was gay. Lesléa Newman presents a series of poems based on the events surrounding Matthew Shepard's death and how he will forever be remembered.
Ages 14-up
Newman, Lesléa. October Mourning: A Song For Matthew Shepard. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2012. Print.
Ages 14-up
Newman, Lesléa. October Mourning: A Song For Matthew Shepard. Somerville: Candlewick Press, 2012. Print.
Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair by Steven Herrick
Jack, his family, and new girlfriend express their feelings about life, love, and the loss of Jack's mother through a series of poems.
Ages 14-up
Herrick, Steven. Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair. New York: Simon Pulse, 2004. Print.
Ages 14-up
Herrick, Steven. Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair. New York: Simon Pulse, 2004. Print.
The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
In The Realm of Possibility, twenty students attending the same school express issues with their families, self esteem issues, problems they face with intimacy and relationships, choices they make, and questioning who they really are.
Ages 12-up
Levithan, David. The Realm of Possibility. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
Ages 12-up
Levithan, David. The Realm of Possibility. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. Print.
The Geography of Girlhood by Kirsten Smith
In The Geography of Girlhood, Penny talks about growing up from 8th grade through high school in a small town after her mother leaves her and her sister alone with their dad.
"Penny’s transformation from shy little sister to mature teenager is gratifying, and readers will be enormously satisfied that Penny has grown from ditz to balanced young woman, ready to handle the challenges of adulthood." -Kirkus Reviews
Ages 14-up
Smith, Kirsten. The Geography of Girlhood. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. Print.
"The Geography of Girlhood." Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kirsten-smith/the-geography-of-girlhood/ Accessed April 6, 2013.
"Penny’s transformation from shy little sister to mature teenager is gratifying, and readers will be enormously satisfied that Penny has grown from ditz to balanced young woman, ready to handle the challenges of adulthood." -Kirkus Reviews
Ages 14-up
Smith, Kirsten. The Geography of Girlhood. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2006. Print.
"The Geography of Girlhood." Kirkus Reviews. https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/kirsten-smith/the-geography-of-girlhood/ Accessed April 6, 2013.
Amiri & Odette by Walter Dean Myers
In Amiri & Odette, Walter Dean Myers retells the story of Swan Lake in an urban setting.
Ages 12-up
Myers, Walter Dean. Amiri & Odette. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. Print.
Ages 12-up
Myers, Walter Dean. Amiri & Odette. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009. Print.
Frenchtown Summer by Robert Cormier
Eugene relives a summer during his childhood through a series of poems that explain his life at home, his relationships with many members of his family, and events, sometimes tragic, that happened during that summer.
Ages 12-up
Cormier, Robert. Frenchtown Summer. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1999. Print.
Ages 12-up
Cormier, Robert. Frenchtown Summer. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1999. Print.
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Follow Hà's life as she moves from Vietnam to the United States with her family during the Vietnam War. Learn how hard it is for Hà and her family to adjust to life in a different culture.
Listen to author Thanhha Lai read an excerpt from her book here.
Ages 9-up
Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out and Back Again. New York: Harper Collins, 2011. Print.
Listen to author Thanhha Lai read an excerpt from her book here.
Ages 9-up
Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out and Back Again. New York: Harper Collins, 2011. Print.
Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
Lonnie was orphaned when his parents died in a fire when he was only 7. Through a series of poems, Lonnie expresses his feeling about living with a foster mother, losing his parents, and being separated from his sister.
Ages 10-up
Woodson, Jacqueline. Locomotion. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 2003. Print.
Ages 10-up
Woodson, Jacqueline. Locomotion. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 2003. Print.
Kaleidoscope Eyes by Jen Bryant
In Kaleidoscope Eyes, Lyza, her sister and her father are trying to figure out their lives after their mother leaves them. Lyza keeps hoping her mom will come back and keeps looking through a kaleidoscope, one of the last things her mother gave her. When her grandpa dies, Lyza finds a map left to her from her grandpa and decides to see what it leads to.
"..a strong sense of setting and reflects the teenager's conflicting emotions about adulthood." -Publishers Weekly
Ages 9-up
Bryant, Jen. Kaleidoscope Eyes. New York: Borzoi Books, 2009. E-book.
"Kaleidoscope Eyes." 2009. Publishers Weekly. http://publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-84048-7 Accessed April 8, 2013.
"..a strong sense of setting and reflects the teenager's conflicting emotions about adulthood." -Publishers Weekly
Ages 9-up
Bryant, Jen. Kaleidoscope Eyes. New York: Borzoi Books, 2009. E-book.
"Kaleidoscope Eyes." 2009. Publishers Weekly. http://publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-84048-7 Accessed April 8, 2013.
T4 by Ann Clare LeZotte
Paula is living with a disability. She is deaf. As if her life isn't difficult already, she also learns that the German government has instituted Action T4, effectively condemning her to death.
"In her powerful debut novel, LeZotte, who is deaf, tells the story from the viewpoint of one young girl, who speaks in spare, lyrical, intense free verse that blends her personal experience with the historical facts" -BookList
Ages 12-up
LeZotte, Ann Clare. T4. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. Print.
Rochman, Hazel. "T4." Booklist. 105.6 (2008): 58. Print.
"In her powerful debut novel, LeZotte, who is deaf, tells the story from the viewpoint of one young girl, who speaks in spare, lyrical, intense free verse that blends her personal experience with the historical facts" -BookList
Ages 12-up
LeZotte, Ann Clare. T4. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. Print.
Rochman, Hazel. "T4." Booklist. 105.6 (2008): 58. Print.