The end of another year affords many of us the chance to reflect on the experiences and lessons that have passed. We can revisit favorite books and weigh those early favorites against more recent tantalizing reads to see how they stack up. This week is just the first half of our favorite chapter books or nonfiction titles for middle grade and teen readers. If you’ve missed some of these or want to take a second look at them, you’d better hurry. The 2015 titles are just around the corner.
Look for part two of our favorites Dec. 29.
Middle Grades
Acampora, Paul. (2014). I Kill the Mockingbird. New York, NY: Roaring Brook Press.
Harper Lee's classic To Kill a Mockingbird (J. B. Lippincott, 1960) is a mainstay of many middle grade classrooms since it is often on the dreaded required summer reading list or assigned during the regular academic year. Three best friends, Lucy, Elena, and Michael, hatch a plot to make the book popular with readers. They know from experience the kiss of a death for a book is be assigned, especially during the summer. Drawing inspiration from a former teacher who died unexpectedly—Fat Bob—the three print up flyers, concoct a website, and make it almost impossible to find copies of the book. Their small campaign takes off, eventually involving celebrities and readers across the nation. Ultimately, I Kill the Mockingbird is a paean to getting lost in a good book. Several references to other great books are sprinkled throughout, and this bookish trio has fond regards for bookstores and libraries. Naturally, things get out of their control, and the author deftly weaves in family interactions as well as a budding romance and a reminder that enjoying life to the fullest means taking some risks. In today's world, it seems important that teens and adults consider what risks are worth taking and which ones are not. This humorous and yet thoughtful book will surely prompt readers to take a second look at the book that inspired all this activism.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Angus, Sam. (2014). A Horse Called Hero. New York, NY: Feiwel & Friends.
As WWII comes closer to their London home, Wolfie and Dodo, the children of a decorated war hero, evacuate to the countryside. When the woman with whom they are placed doesn't trust them partly because of Wolfgang's German-sounding name, she turns them out. A local school teacher and her father, the town's vicar, take in the children and the foal Wolfie has raised. The mistrust of the townspeople and their classmates is described eloquently as their father is charged with treason, and the newspaper pages are filled with the scandal. The bond between Wolfie and Hero, his horse, is strong, strengthened by his careful attention to his father's written advice about how to care for a horse. Readers' hearts will break when Hero disappears, but Wolfie never gives up on somehow finding him. Many readers will be ignorant of some of the events described in this well-written book, including the evacuation of children from the cities to rural areas, the use of the Exmoor ponies or the massacre at Wormhout. Illustrating vividly the loyalty and the bond between humans and animals as well as the cruelty of some humans, the book depicts honestly how desperation leads to desperate actions.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Hill, Kirkpatrick. (2014). Bo at Iditarod Creek. Illus. by LeUyen Pham. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Following up on her delightful Bo at Ballard Creek (Henry Holt and Company, 2013), which won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, the author follows the adventures of a blended Alaskan Family. The previous book left off as Jack and Arvid, two strapping miners with hearts of gold, leave Ballard Creek after the mine plays out. They take Bo and Graf, their adopted children, with them, of course. The trip takes quite a long time, and they contend with mosquitoes and boredom as well as seeing what must have been the largest ghost town in Alaska. Once the family reaches Iditarod Creek, Bo finds very few children with whom to play, and the sounds of the dredge whose noise fills the air disturb their senses and make the family long for the tundra and quietness. Because gold lies beneath some of the houses, residents have grown accustomed to having their houses relocated. As in the first book, the author describes the quick friendships that spring up among the townsfolk as well as delicious meals and community celebrations. She also addresses some of the racism and prejudices of the times, but throughout the book, it's clear that Bo and Graf have landed with the right family. One of the most entertaining parts of the story involves the children's education through a mail order program that specifies exactly what the teacher should say and do, and includes the Dick and Jane readers from which so many learned to read. Needless to say, Bo is not impressed. This installment of the family’s daily adventures was every bit as satisfying as its predecessor, and as the family heads off to a new home in Mammoth Creek with another family member, readers will want to know what happens next.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Keplinger, Kody. (2014). The Swift Boys & Me. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.
The cover and title might lead readers to think its character will be caught up in a love triangle with her neighbor boys, but that isn’t the case at all. Eleven-year-old Nola Sutton usually spends her summers and free time with the Swift brothers who live next door. Her very best friend, Canaan, often intercedes when others tried to give her a hard time. But things change one summer after the boys' father leaves them without even saying goodbye. The family starts to fall apart as their mother becomes severely depressed and neglectful. Suddenly, all three boys change. Canaan especially seems impossible to recognize since he hangs out with the local bullies and ignores Nola. She concocts a plan to let Mr. Swift know how much the boys miss him, but even though her plan doesn't work out, she gets to know her own maternal grandmother a lot better. She also finds different friends in Teddy Ryan and Felicia. While things improve for Nola and her family as they prepare to move to a new home, the fate of the friendship between Canaan and Nola is uncertain. Readers may come to realize that some wounds are too painful to be forgiven or forgotten.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Young Adult, Grades 9-12
Dellaira, Ava. (2014). Love Letters to the Dead. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
In mourning for her older sister, May, Laurel starts the academic year in a new school where no one knows about what happened to May. Her English teacher assigns the class to write a letter to a dead person, and Laurel writes a letter to Kurt Cobain, one of her sister's favorite musicians. As she searches for her own identity, she continues to write throughout the year to Kurt and other musicians, poets, actors, even Amelia Earhart. Initially, the letters are filled with the same starry-eyed admiration for these celebrities she felt for her older sister. But as Laurel finds two good friends, falls in love, and comes to terms with her sister's imperfections and her own past, she sees their deaths differently, and the tone of the letters changes. It's impossible to resist Laurel's charms while also worrying about whether she will be able to survive as she tries desperately to emulate her sister in every way. This coming of age tale is filled with tender moments and secrets, revealed slowly and honestly, and it’s likely to be a beacon for other teens struggling to figure out who they are and where they fit in.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Han, Jenny. (2014). To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Once her older sister Margot’s departure for college in Scotland, junior Lara Jean Song works hard to keep the family together while dealing with various romantic complications. Things get quite messy after the letters she wrote to the five boys on whom she's had crushes over the years are removed from their storage place in a hatbox and mailed to them. Because Lara Jean is particularly worried about the reaction of Josh, her sister's longtime boyfriend, she enlists the help of classmate Peter Kavinsky, also a recipient of one of the letters. Since he and his on-again/off-again girlfriend Genevieve are on the outs, he agrees to pose as Lara's boyfriend to make her jealous. While readers will surely enjoy the romance, they will also appreciate how much the novel's protagonist grows over the course of the book. As the cautious teen starts taking some risks and trying new things, she still remains true to herself. At some points readers have more insight into Lara Jean and her two sisters than she does. The book tackles several important issues including how quickly gossip moves through the halls of high school and the double standard when it comes to sexually active males and females. Readers will wonder what complications are waiting for Lara Jean in the forthcoming sequel.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Hattemer, Kate. (2014). The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers.
Junior Ethan Andrezejczak isn't sure why the popular Luke Weston chose to hang around with him and his friends Elizabeth and Jackson, but together, the crew relishes observing high school society and making snarky remarks about the arts-based reality show being staged at Selwyn Academy. They plot to publish a lengthy poem describing all that is wrong with the show. But their tight bond is severed once Luke joins the dark side and becomes a participant on the show. While Ethan spends time with Jackson's gerbil Baconnaise and his other friends and has a few brief encounters with the object of his affections, dancer Maura Heldsman, the friends discover some unpleasant truths behind the reality show and their English teacher and principal. Readers may enjoy considering the distinction between art and an artist's beliefs and background against the dishonest depiction of life in the so-called reality show. In the show, for instance, Maura is portrayed as a slut, falling in love and hooking up with all the guys on the show when nothing could be further from the truth. Although Ethan lacks self-awareness through most of the book, he somehow finds the strength to do what he thinks is right in the end.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Howell, Simmone. (2014). Girl Defective. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
In this import from Australia, 15-year-old Skylark Martin is the daughter of a musical performance artist given to expressing herself in bizarre fashion—for instance, she dances around with 1,000 tampons hanging off her clothing—and a vinyl record shop owner. Sky's mother moved out several years ago, partly because she couldn't cope with her son Gully and his special needs. Gully's disability is never specified, but he clearly has trouble dealing with others and spends much of his time as a spy. As the Martins' world starts to come apart, Sky finds herself attracted to Luke, the brother of a girl who drowned in the nearby canal. She also tries to follow in the sophisticated footsteps of Nancy, a beautiful older friend who takes many of the risks Sky would like to take. And yet, there can be no risks without some danger, as Sky realizes. Could it be that Nancy is in far more danger than she realizes? It's up to Gully, Luke, and Sky to figure that out. Ultimately, the book reminds readers of the dangers of putting someone we admire on a pedestal, and the beauty of loving someone, imperfections and all.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
Magoon, Kekla. (2014). How It Went Down. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
Sixteen-year-old Tariq Johnson’s death on the streets of his Underhill neighborhood resembles some of the recent high-profile deaths of black youths. As in life, so it is in fiction, and the truth about how things actually went down is not easy to determine. Using multiple voices, including family members, friends, bystanders, gang members, a minister in search of publicity, and the owner of the neighborhood store from which Tariq emerged, the author presents conflicting perspectives of the story, which seems to get more complicated with every turn of the page. Even whether he was carrying a gun or not or was a member of the neighborhood gang are disputed matters. It's not even clear why Jack Franklin, the white man who shot him, behaved as he did. As the neighborhood rallies in support of Tariq and in furor at Franklin's being freed without facing any criminal charges, readers will be given glimpses into how hard it is to avoid the gang life and stick to the straight and narrow when even a casual walk through one's neighborhood means traveling through mean streets. Additionally, they will surely wonder at the difficulty in deriving the truth about what actually happened and how perspectives shape what we think we see. The book will surely rattle readers' certainty about what they know about race relations and how they assign guilt for certain actions. The author handles many characters and complicated matters and feelings deftly while keeping her readers guessing about how things will turn out.
—Barbara A. Ward, Washington State University Pullman
These reviews are submitted by members of the International Reading Association's Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest Group (CL/R SIG) and are published weekly on Reading Today Online.