Books for Teens

During 1935, Moose’s family moves to Alcatraz island after his father gets a job working at the jail.  His sister, Natalie, has mental deficiencies and his mother is trying to get her some help with her condition.  His father has to work constantly to keep up with the bills for Natalie’s tutors and special schooling.  When his mother is forced to take a job giving piano lessons to help cover the costs, it becomes Moose’s responsibility to take care of Natalie after school.  The other children on the island befriend Moose, but immediately he sees that Piper, the warden’s daughter, is in charge.  If he doesn’t keep her happy she immediately tells Moose she will tell her father about Natalie.  Moose hates to have anyone pick on his sister, so even though he hates to break the rules he goes along with Piper’s schemes.  Her first scheme is to make money from the mainland school kids by selling the opportunity to have their laundry done by prisoners such as Al Capone.  Everything seems to go fine until one of the parents finds out and complains to the warden.  Moose is punished even though his only role is that he knew about the plan and did nothing to stop it.  The warden tells him if he messes up again Moose’s family will be kicked off the island. 

Moose’s mom tries everything to get Natalie help.  Many people try to convince her to institutionalize Natalie.  When a special school will not accept Natalie, his mother arranges for Ms. Kelly to start tutoring her.  Natalie starts improving.  The more time she spends with Moose, doing everyday things such as playing and walking around the island, the more she improves.  Moose feel’s overwhelmed at times by her demanding nature.  Natalie has to have things done in a certain way.  Birds have to be counted, people have to walk single file.  Moose’s new friends on the island, Theresa, Anne, Jimmy and Piper, accept Natalie and treat her like a human being. When the Esther P. Marinoff school does accept Natalie in their special school, Moose goes to special tactics and enlists the help of Al Capone. He types out a letter asking Capone to help him, because Moose says if anyone can help Al Capone can. With the help of Piper he slips his letter in the inmates’ incoming mail. Before long Moose’s family receives a phone call stating that Natalie will be allowed to come to the new Marinoff school for older children. In the end, Moose goes to put on his shirt and sees a note attached to it with the single word “DONE” printed on it. I just loved this book. I had been curious about reading it because of the title. I am so glad I did. Getting insight into the life of a family with a disabled child is very interesting. Also Alcatraz has always captivated me. I especially enjoyed the historical notes at the end of the novel, they answered many questions for me.

Jade Leigh is a goth.  She is the minority at her school.  The teachers and other students pick on her because of her choices.  When her math teacher makes a reference about her being a vampire in front of the whole class, Jade erupts in anger.  Unable to control her reaction, she continues to push her teacher’s buttons until her expels her from his class.  When she arrives at Principal “Hammy’s” office the next day, her father and Mercedes Turner’s mom are talking to Principal Hamilton.  Jade and Mercedes are arch rivals.  Mercedes is Miss Popularity at school, but she also disregards the rules and stands up to authority figures.  The door opens to Hammy’s office and the girls are ushered inside and told their fate.  Their parents have decided to work with Principal Hamilton and allow her to perform an experiment on them.   They drive to a dilapidated building in a bad neighborhood.  Both girls are strapped to a table by medical professionals and injected with sedatives.  They are told they will be put into a virtual reality game to learn their lesson.  The next thing Jade knows she is in her own bed.   She wonders at first if it is all a bad dream.  But as soon as she goes downstairs she knows something is wrong.  When she arrives at school, Goths are everywhere and the Barbies are the minorities.  All her bestfriends are now the Barbies and won’t talk to her.  Jade is disgusted by the thought of everyone looking the same as she does.  She doesn’t want to hang out with Mercedes’ friends.  Working with Mercedes, they look everywhere for Principal Hamilton.  The longer they stay in the game, the more Jade starts to like Mercedes’ life.  How popular she is, how respected she is, how much the new boy in school likes her.  Suddenly she realizes, the things Mercedes likes are not so wrong.  In fact she likes them too when she is on the receiving end.  Jade starts to stand up for the Barbies.  She begins to fall for the new boy Clarik and she hopes he will still like her when the game is over.  Jade and Mercedes start trying everything for a way to escape.  Jade confides in Clarik and he tells her he is in the virtual reality game too.  He’s a very talented hacker and he promises to help Jade and Mercedes reverse the procedure and send them home.  After they find a way out of the game, Jade and Mercedes remain friends.  Clarik still cares for Jade.  At the conclusion, Mercedes and Jade see Principal Hammy confronting another student and telling him she will teach him a lesson.

Hope has had a rough life, but she doesn’t let it get her down. Her mother left her when she was born. She has no idea who her father is. Her aunt, whom she lives with, is constantly moving from place to place. Hope knows she can’t count on her mother to ever come back for her, but she is making the best with the hand she has been dealt. When her aunt’s boss steals the money, Hope and her aunt are forced to move across the country to a small town to take over a restaurant for an owner who has been diagnosed with cancer. The owner of the Welcome Stairways restaurant (GT Stoop) is a kind, caring man who is full of hope. He has decided to run for mayor in hopes of overthrowing the current corrupt mayor. Hope gets involved in the campaign. Along with other students in the community, they form a petition to add GT’s name to the ballot. The previous mayor is pulling every dirty trick possible to win the election. GT maintains an honest campaign and Hope is impressed by his moral character. Working closely with the assistant chef, Braverman, Hope starts to fall in love with him. As the polls heat up, they finally go on a date. GT also asks out Addie, Hope’s aunt. Everything is just peachy until the results of the vote are posted. GT loses by about 150 votes. Hope feels crushed, but she admires the way GT handles defeat with dignity. A few days after the election, Hope discovers that the re-elected mayor has committed fraud and tampered with the votes. After an investigation, GT gets the mayorship. He celebrates by asking Addie to marry him. Hope longs for a father like GT and as if in answer to this dream he asks if he can adopt her. This book isn’t all happy endings however. A few years after GT and Addie’s wedding, his cancer returns. GT dies. Hope is left with all the important lessons he has taught her. The book finishes with Hope and Braverman parting ways as they each head off the college. I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick fun read that made me feel better about the world when I was finished.

Bella is back in another great novel by Stephenie Meyer. The introductory pages begin with a quote from Romeo and Juliet. Ironically, I am currently reading Romeo and Juliet in my 8th grade literature classes. The story begins with Edward leaving Bella unexpectedly. He tells her he no longer wants her and that he is not good for her anyway. These two are prime examples star crossed lovers. Edward’s entire family disappears from town. Devastated, she rushes home to check her scrapbook for his picture and to listen to the CD he made for her. But alas, he has taken every reminder of himself with him. Bella falls into a deep depression and her father doesn’t know what to do about it. She doesn’t snap out of it for over a month, when she starts to spend time with Jacob Black. Wanting to punish herself, she starts looking for every destructive hobby she can find. She decides she wants to race motorcycles. Bella enlists Jacob’s help in repairing the motorcycles she finds. He has a crush on her and pretty soon she is spending everyday at his house. Her spirits begin to lift and she discovers that when she participates in dangerous activities Edward’s voice fills her mind trying to talk her out of it. Longing to hear more of him, she continually looks for more danger to trigger these illusions. Just as there friendship starts to bloom into something more, Jacob stops talking to her. She is hurt and shocked at his lack of attention. With a little investigation, she comes to the realization that Jacob is a werewolf. Jacob’s tribe is composed of werewolves whose prime responsibility is to protect the town from vampires. Unfortunately for Bella, Victoria (a vampire from the last novel), is desperately trying to attack her in response to Edward killing her mate James. When Alice sees in a vision that Bella will try to kill herself, she returns to town. Edward hears her thoughts and thinks Bella is dead. He goes to Italy to provoke the Volturi vampires into killing him. Bella and Alice rush to Italy to stop him. They arrive in time to stop Edward…but the Volturi family take Bella, Alica and Edward in custody. Surrounded by an extremely powerful family of vampires, Bella is told she knows too much. There options are: A. Bella dies; or B. Bella becomes a vampire. Alice and Bella agree to the latter, while Edward fumes. The Volturi tell Edward they will be watching and that Bella needs to be converted before too much time elapses. They return home and Edward is there to stay. Poor Jacob…he cannot be around Bella while she is with Edward. Victoria is still out there. Edward asks Bella to marry him and to wait a few years before he changes her into a vampire. The story ends with Bella having commitment issues… How can she be determined to become a vampire, but not sure if she wants to marry Edward? I have to know…I already have book three. I was even considering pre-ordering book four so it will be shipped right away in August.

Yann has a rough life. It seems as if he was born into the wrong family. He has six other brothers, all twins. His was born a mute dwarf. His father seems to resent him for his disability. His house is in shambles. His family is extremely poor. Despite all this, he loves reading and learning. When his teachers at school notice how bad his home life is, a social worker is sent to investigate. Yann’s parents rudely dismiss her concerns. Then Yann hears his father in a rage discussing the disposal of the nuisances at the house. Under the impression that he and his brothers are about to be killed, he wakes them in the night and they run away. They are pulled towards the hopeful lure of the ocean and starting over. When they arrive however, things are not as they expected them to be. This captivating story is told from many shifting perspectives. Readers won’t want to put it down until they know what happens to Yann and his brothers.

Steven Alpier is your average 8th grader. He wishes the most popular girl in school would notice him. His younger brother drives him crazy. One day he finds out that his baby brother has cancer and his world comes crashing down. Instead of telling anyone at school, he holds all his feelings inside. His grades plummet, his friends and teachers notice. His parents are totally focused on his brother Jeffrey. At first Steven is in denial, until he accompanies Jeffrey to hospital for treatment. When he sees how much Jeffrey needs him and how much his parents have to worry about, he starts to understand. When word gets around at school about his brother Steven becomes Mr. Popularity. Everyone wants to talk about it. Everyone wants to help. The question is…is Steven ready to open up about his problems? Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie is laugh out loud funny. Despite the seriousness of his brother’s illness, Steven is someone all of us can relate to.

Let me start by saying I love, love, love this book. It is a book that requires more than a simple read. It requires depth of thought. Often I enjoy teen books as a means to become lost in the the easy going nature of the story line or the thrill of young love or to get lost in fantastical lands. This book was so much more. The story takes place in Nazi Germany during the height of Hitler’s power. It is told by Death. He recounts how he first met the main character and follows her throughout her life. Hearing this story through the eyes of Death makes it seem so unique and interesting. Death gives you clues throughout the reading of things to come. However, still I found myself mesmerized longing to know exactly how and why things happen on Himmel Street. Leisel, the main character, is abandoned at the start of the story. Immediately we feel sorry for her as she is dropped off at a foster home. Her “mama” is always berating her. Later we find out that she only does this as a sign of affection. Perhaps she does not know how to show her affection in any other way. Her new family is poor, however despite this her foster father takes in a Jew to hide in their basement. Their family risks everything to hide and protect him. At first little has changed besides having to split their food rations in four instead of three. However, before long the war hits closer to home and Leisel’s family faces bombings in their city. This novel is about great suffering and the importance of hope in the face of adversity. Will their family be caught? Will the bombs hit their home? Who will survive and who has Death come to take? Leisel must face all these things, plus deal with first time love. I longed for Leisel and Rudy to have their first kiss. But will they get their chance before Death comes to visit their street. Be sure to check out this book to find out the answers.

Amari is a 15 year old girl from the Ashanti tribe in Africa. One morning her tribe is viciously attacked by slave traders. Her family is murdered and she is taken away to enter the world of slavery. She is bought by a wealthy land owner as a gift for his 16 year son’s birthday. Amari is assigned to Polly, an indentured white girl, for looking after. Gradually Amari learns to read and speak English. When the plantation owner’s wife gives birth to a black child, Amari and Polly do everything they can to try to cover it up for her. Her husband finds out and they are severely punished. Amari is to be sold to a brothel. On her way to be sold, she and Polly escape. They must travel a great distance to reach Fort Mose a safe haven for runaway slaves. A reward is posted for their capture. Against all odds they never lose hope. This touching story takes us into the reality of slavery and how hope and determination can help you overcome any obstacles.

Bethany’s life has always been over protected. No overnight slumber parties, no staying out with friends. One day her strict parents, put her in the car, pack up all her stuff and tell her they’re leaving. Shocked, she doesn’t know what to say. Her mother sobs in the fronts seat while her dad drives white knuckled through the night. When they finally get to their destination, Bethany is horrified to learn that she is being dropped off at some random relative’s house while her parents take off to do who knows what. How could they do this to me? She wonders constantly. While in this new town, people start acting strangely around her. Almost as if they recognize her…Apparently she looks suspiciously like another girl who lived in that town.

Eleventh grader Amal attends a snobby private school. Over the winter break she decides that she is ready to wear the hijab to school. Her parents, worried about how she will be treated, try to talk her out of it. This only persuades Amal to want to wear it even more. This funny book brings us into the life of a Muslim family. I felt enlightened as I learned how many things I have in common with her life. We all face peer pressure. Is it better to just fit in or stand up for what you believe in? It made me wonder, would I have been brave enough to have done something as bold as Amal. Her first day of school the principal tries to convince her that her decision was not a personal one, since it effects everyone around her at school. How can anyone be so closed minded as to say your religious beliefs and practices have to be approved of by the majority?