Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy

Sones, Sonya, Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1999, 149 pgs.

Summary: Based on a real life experience, this novel in verse about what happened to the author when her sister was sent to a mental ward is raw and touches the hearts of anybody with a family secret. The simple text of verse is a veil for the hard material of having somebody you know go through a mental breakdown. The struggles that the main character goes through are at times so real the reader will want to reach through the pages and give her a hug. As the main character struggles to understand what a mental breakdown is and who her sister is now compared to who she use to be the reality of what is happening cannot be avoided. Why not hide from others what is not in view? Nobody needs to know her sister went crazy and as she visits less and less she begins to forget her big sister all together. Why are we all pretending anyways?

Evaluation: I felt this story was right up there with some of the classics and won’t be easily forgotten. Even if you don’t have a sister or haven’t seen someone go through a mental breakdown, the emotions will be those that most any young adult can connect with. How we all react to those things that can be hidden from view and others is a very difficult situation for anybody to deal with.

Annotation: My sister is crazy. I mean real crazy. Mental hospital and locked doors. And nobody knows.

Significance of Book: The use of verse to talk about such a difficult situation is a new way to help readers understand different issues they all encounter. It is always difficult to write about such topics as mental health and Sones does a very good job.

Genre/subject: fiction, mental health, family relationships, verse

Awards:

National:

• ALA Popular Paperbacks: 2002
• Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2000

State:

• New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age: 1999
• Tennessee: Volunteer State Book Award Nominees: 2004
• Texas: Lone Star Reading List: 2002
• Utah: Children's Book Award Nominees: 2002
• Washington: Evergreen Young Adult Book Award Nominees: 2002

Why I selected the book: I love verse books and this author. I was also really intrigued by the title.

Price: $8.99

The Missing Girl

Mazer, Norma Fox, The Missing Girl, HarperTeen, 2008, 284 pgs.

Summary: The five Herbert girls have no idea that somebody is watching them. Their lives are consumed by being too poor, too hungry, and too jealous of each other to notice the man who watches them every day. Until one day one of the sisters, Autumn, goes missing. At first Autumn thinks everything will be fine, until the man locks the door and doesn’t let her out. He claims the room has a view. The tiny window is so high on the wall that escape is almost impossible. Or is it? As the days pass Autumn becomes more and more comfortable being a prisoner. Will Autumn ever escape? Does she still want to escape?

Evaluation: This story of predator and prey, of a kidnapped girl trying to escape from this seemingly ordinary house will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you second guess every house in your neighborhood. Full of creepy passages and finally a thrilling escape towards freedom, this novel by Norma Fox Mazer will be hard to put down. I am not one for creepy novels, but I found this story to be so real and well written that before I could stop myself I was almost done. The details of this story make you feel as if you are a fly on the wall in the room watching Autumn counting the hours between meals and wondering if anybody really misses her.

Annotation: The man watched his pretty one trying to open the door. He would be her guest. She would staying in the room with the view.

Significance of Book: This is a truly creepy psychological thriller. Very well written that suggests things such rape and pedophile kidnapping. These are tough things to write about and Norma Fox Mazer does an expert job of it.

Genre/subject: fiction, mystery, kidnapping

Awards:

National:

• ALA Popular Paperbacks: 2011
• Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2009

State:

• Delaware: Diamond Award Nominees: 2010
• Texas: Tayshas Reading List: 2010

Why I selected the book: I have always felt that Norma Fox Mazer is a classic author and I wanted to give this book a try.

Price: $17.89

An Abundance of Katherines

Green, John, An Abundance of Katherines, Dutton Books, 2006, 227pg.

Summary: The plot in this funny novel centers on Colin Singleton and his mission to develop and prove the Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability. Colin Singleton is a prodigy, but not a genius. Colin Singleton has had 19 relationships. All of them have been with girls named Katherine. All of the relationships have ended with Colin getting dumped, except for one. After the last relationship comes to an end, Colin’s best friend Hassan decides that the cure for Colin’s broken heart is a road trip. The road trip ends abruptly in Gutshot, TN when a sign announcing the final burial spot of Archduke Franz Ferdinand is located there. This seemingly short pit stop to check out a local landmark quickly changes into Colin and Hassan spending the summer. The owner of the local textile factory (which makes strings for Tampons, a great example of Green’s humor) hires Colin and Hassan to record local history from all the local residence of Gutshot, TN. All along the way Colin continues to work on his Theorem and convinces himself that he doesn’t like the factory owners daughter because well her name isn’t Katherine. As the summer progresses Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey (the daughter of the owner of the textile factory) transform themselves and figure out what it means to “matter”.

Evaluation: Like many of Green’s novels, this is a funny one. The fact that Colin finds it so serious that he only gets dumped by girls named Katherine cannot be overlooked as comical. This was my first book to read by Green and I really enjoyed it. I often found myself flipping to the appendix and reading the footnotes to learn more about how to solve the theorem. Even though all the silliness that Green writes, there is still a serious undertone that Colin is struggling with some issues of coming of age and becoming an adult. I would recommend this to most any young adult, boys and girls, and I can see why it was a Printz Honor book.

Annotation: If I was Colin I would stay far away from anybody named Katherine because he will fall in love with her and she will dump him. It is just science.

Significance of Book: This book is unique in the way that it uses science throughout with the creation of the theorem. The use of footnotes and bell curves add a real special aspect to this funny novel about young love.

Genre/subject: fiction, humorous, relationships, science

Awards:

National:

• ALA Popular Paperbacks: 2009
• Best Fiction for Young Adults: 2007
• Booklist Editor's Choice: 2006
• Horn Book Fanfare: 2006
• Michael L. Printz Honor: 2007

State:

· Illinois: Lincoln Award Nominees: 2010

· Indiana: Eliot Rosewater Award Nominees: 2010

Why I selected the book: I chose this book based upon some recommendations by a couple of young adult librarians. From that point forward I decided to read all of Green’s works for class.

Price: $16.99

Hurricane Song

Volponi, Paul, Hurricane Song, Speak, 2009, 138 pgs.

Summary: The reality of what happened to the people of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina and the days after is still up to speculation. This novel through the eyes of a teenage boy brings to light the destruction that followed this terrible natural disaster. The novel follows a young teenage boy from the streets of New Orleans before the hurricane hit, to the Superdome after the destruction had occurred. The raw feelings and observations expressed in this novel will make your cringe, laugh, and cry as you learn of the way many citizens were treated, the gangs that ran the Superdome, and the faith that was had by so many of those affected. The events leading up to the hurricane paint a picture of a dysfunctional family and a young boy unsure of his place. As they enter the Superdome together it becomes clear that the only way they will survive is to join together and become a true family. No longer can they each fake emotion, they really have to care for each other or else all may be lost, even each other.

Evaluation: The uniqueness of using a teenage boy to tell the story is perfect. I found myself wanting to shelter him from the pain that was so obviously felt by so many. This novel is a great documentation of what so many went through during that time in our recent history. I often find it difficult to find books that are from the viewpoint of boys and are so emotional. I would caution which readers I recommend this to only because of some of the language.

Annotation: We were all together. We had nobody to trust, but ourselves and nothing but the clothes on our backs.

Significance of Book: This book is significant because of how recent Hurricane Katrina is and of how vivid the descriptions are of the living conditions within the Superdome during this event.

Genre/subject: fiction, natural disasters, family relationships

Awards:

National:

• ALA Popular Paperbacks: 2010,

State:

• Delaware: Diamond Award Nominees: 2010

Why I selected the book: I haven’t read much on hurricane Katrina and I found it interesting that this book was from the point of view of a teen in the super dome.

Price: $17.09

The Giver

Lowry, Lois, The Giver, Dell Laurel-Leaf, 2002, 179 pgs.

Summary: Jonas is nearing year 12, the year in which he will be awarded his assignment. The world that Jonas lives in is a world of sameness. Nothing is different and there is no questioning because there is no knowledge of anything different. No memories of what could be, only what is. Jonas is very nervous because it is not very clear to him what his job or assignment will be. As the day arrives when he will receive his assignment, he hopes that it will be something he likes, something that he will enjoy. He is number 19. His father is a nurturer who just brought home a baby boy because the boy is not doing well at the nurturing center. This is very uncommon, but Jonas’ father is very good at what he does. His mother is a lawyer. She always seems to be working. Number 18 is called and then number 20. His number was skipped. Jonas fears that he did something terribly wrong. At the end he is selected, not assigned, to be The Receiver, the keeper of the memories. Jonas begins his training with the current Receiver and begins to call him The Giver. Through The Giver transferring memories to Jonas, he learns about colors and choices and pain and loss and love. All things that do not exist in his current world. He begins to learn of the terrible things that happen in the current world that nobody talks about because they are not allowed to ask questions or question the way of their world. With The Giver, Jonas decides that he must be leave so that the memories he holds will be released upon the people. But the plan does not go as they thought. What will happen to Jonas? Will he be destined for a lifetime of holding the differences in the world?

Evaluation: The book was nothing that I expected. From the cover I assumed it would not be science fiction. This is a very well written novel that teaches everybody to question what is around you. I couldn’t help but see similar themes in this novel that I saw in The Hunger Games. The ending has left me wanting more and I do believe I will read more. A very well written masterpiece.

Annotation: What if you lived in a world where there was no color, music, and you had no choices. What would you do?

Significance of Book: This book is hugely significant because of the democratic uprising undertones. The suggestion that you should question all that is around you and not just accept is a topic that can be hard for some to imagine, but it is so necessary.

Genre/subject: science fiction, coming of age

Awards:

National:

• ALA Popular Paperbacks: 2010
• Newbery Medal: 1994

Why I selected the book: I have always seen this book as a classic, but the cover has always turned me off. After the class presentation on Lois Lowry, I knew I had to just give it a try.

Price: $17.51