Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, Chris. (1991). Athletic Shorts: 6 Short Stories. NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 978-0688108168
Awards:ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1992)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (1992)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2000)
ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
Bibliotherapuetic Usefulness: Homosexuality, Racism, Belonging
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: These short stories all revolve around teenage boys, sports, and the trials that come with being a teenager. Added to the mix are issues such as homophobia, sexism, racism, and more.
Summary: Athletic Shorts contains six short stories revolving around teenage boys, sports, and the trials of teenagedom. While sports create a common thread, the stories all have a coming of age theme in which the main character learns a vital life lesson. There is Angus, the fat boy; Johnny the wrestler, whose father seems to hate him; poor Petey who must wrestle a girl, and more. Many of the stories include taboo topics such as homosexuality, racism, and sexism. All but the first story are about characters that have appeared in other Crutcher novels.
Evaluation:Crutcher has a talent for capturing the lives of teens, and these stories are no exception. He uses a clear and simple approach to some very difficult, but very real, subjects and gives his characters a chance to learn, or as the case may be, redeem themselves.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (Book 1) by Louise Rennison

Rennison, Louise. (2001). Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. NY: HarperTeen
ISBN: 978-0064472272
Awards: BBC's Big Read (Best loved novel, 2003)
Printz Honor (2001)
Branford Boase Shortlist (2000)
Nestlé Smarties Book Prize (Bronze Award, 1999)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2001)
Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 9-12, 2003)
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book (2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers - Top Ten (2001)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2005)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Growing up, Fitting in, Love, Friendship
Genre: Fiction, Chick Lit
Annotation: Presents the humorous journal of a year in the life of a fourteen-year-old British girl, Georgia, who tries to reduce the size of her nose, stop her mad cat from terrorizing the neighborhood animals, and win the love of handsome hunk Robbie.
Summary: This is the first of a ten book series in which 14 year old Georgia writes prolifically in her journal. Through her journal we learn about her parents, her little sister Libby, her best friends, enemies, life at a school, and of course, BOYS. Georgia has to deal with having a big nose, pimples that won't go away, parents who are dreadfully boring, a sister who pees the bed, and an obsession with boys. And we get to hear about it all.
Evaluation: Rennison manages to make the life of an average girl living in England ridiculously funny. At first I was fairly sure I wasn't going to enjoy the mundane and superficial qualities of a diary entry "Chick Lit" book, but was proven wrong. This is not about rich girls being mean to one another, but a real girl dealing with everyday boring life with creativity and humor.

Shattering Glass by Gail Giles

Giles, Gail (2003). Shattering Glass. NY: Simon Pulse.
ISBN: 978-0689858000
Awards: South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2004-2005)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2003)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2007)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullying, Rape, Murder, Peer Pressure, Cliques
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Rob and his cronies kill Simon Glass. We know this from the start because no one likes Simon Glass, not when he is a fat, bumbling nerd, and not after they turn him into being popular.
Summary: Simon Glass is overweight, a sniveler, and has the fashion sense of a four year old. When he catches the eye of Rob, the newest senior class top dog, Simon's life gets a makeover. Told from the perspective of one of Rob's cronies, readers get to follow along as Rob gets more and more intense and Simon raises in popularity. The players in Rob's game are vaguely aware that Rob is getting out of hand, but no one has the power to stop the progression. Added to this is that Simon isn't willing to stay under Rob's control. Building up to the final act of violence that readers know is coming, is a story of friends, power, and secret pasts.
Evaluation: I chose to read this book because it embraces the popularity power struggle of high school boys. We often see this in books for girls, but not so for boys. Overall, I think the characters are well written and the story moves along nicely. The narrator's voice is honest and his inner dialog emotionally balanced. However, I did have a hard time believing the actual murder scene. While Rob's character is complex, I do not see him capable of such an uncontrolled act.

Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers

Myers, Walter Dean. (1988). Fallen Angels. NY: Scholastic.
ISBN: 978-0590409438
Awards: Coretta Scott King Award (1989)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1988)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (1989)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (1998)
ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: History, Reality of War, Racism, Human Capacity for Love and Evil
Genre: Historical Fiction
Annotation: Richie joins the army with the belief that battle is heroic and that he is going to be a part of a rational effort that depends on skill. What he finds in Vietnam; however, is chaos, violence, fear, and death.
Summary: Richie Perry is a seventeen-year-old black kid from Harlem who travels to Vietnam to fight in the U.S. Army. He joins the army to earn money to provide for his younger brother, Kenny, but also to escape from his hard life in Harlem. All of Richie's beliefs about war are challenged, and then shattered as he makes his way through the chaos, violence, death, and fear that are the realities of war.
Evaluation: While hard to read at times, the self reflection and honest (if not terrible) emotions depict war with a necessarily harsh truthfulness. Richie's struggles to deal with racism and to comprehend the craziness of war will stay with readers for a long time.

Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Hopkins, Ellen. (2008). Identical. NY: Margaret K. McElderry.
ISBN: 978-1416950059
Awards: ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2009)
Amazing Audio books for Young Adults (2010)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Sexual Abuse, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, Eating Disorders, Abusive Parents
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Kaeleigh and Raeanne are 16 year old identical twins; their father is a court judge, and their mother a politician running for Congress. On the surface their lives seem perfect, but underneath are broken and full of terrible secrets.
Summary: Identical switches back and forth between the voices of twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne. Kaeleigh is the good girl to the world, but is being sexually abused by her alcoholic father and ignored by her mother. To fight this, she binges, cuts herself, and denies herself a boyfriend. Raeanne is her opposite. Raeanne hates that Kaeleigh gets all of daddy's attention and has her own way of rebelling. She forces herself to vomit, drinks, does drugs, and is promiscuous. As the girls tell their stories, readers slowly learn the truth about the past, and uncover terrible secrets.
Evaluation: I both loved and hated this book. I love it because it is fascinating and the characters are drawn up and developed incredibly well. It is full of self reflection, life lessons, and raw emotion. I hate it because it is so real. It is full of anguish, pain, and torment of the most human kind; and this is awful.

Annie on my Mind by Nancy Garden

Garden, Nancy. (1992). Annie on my Mind. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN: 978-0374404147
Awards: ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1982)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (1997)
ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Homosexuality, Lesbians, Love
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: It is the 1970's when high school students Annie and Liza fall in love. Along with the excitement and wonder comes the extra challenge of being gay in a world not ready. They must decide how their choices will affect their lives.
Summary: This is a story of a middle class white girl, Eliza, making her way through a private high school. She is smart, popular, and class president. So, she is confused when she finds herself falling in love with free-natured Annie, a girl she meets at the museum. When the girls discover the love is mutual, they must contend with the many obstacles they face in life.
Evaluation: I had to keep in mind that the book was written in a time when it was much more difficult to be a gay teen. Liza and Annie's trials are one of the reasons our society has moved away from such prejudice, and it makes me thankful that our culture is more and more accepting of different ways of living.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, Laurie Halse. (1999) Speak. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN: 978-0141310886
Awards: New York Times bestseller (Children's Paperback, 2001)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2004)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (1999)
Golden Kite Award (1999)
National Book Award finalist (Young People's Literature, 1999)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (1999)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2000)
Edgar Award Nominee (Young Adult, 2000)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2000)
Printz Honor (2000)
Iowa Teen Award Nominee (2001-2002)
TASL Volunteer State Book Children's Choice Award (2001-2002)
Garden State Book Award (Teen Fiction Grades 9-12, 2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2003)
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2000)
Sequoyah Children's Book Award (2002)
Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee (2005)
Bibliotheraputic Usefulness: Rape, Depression
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Melinda falls deeper and deeper into herself as she tries to avoid talking about the one thing she must speak about.
Summary: Melinda is a teen girl starting her year at high school, only this year is different because of one fateful summer party. At first, we are not sure what happened at this party that made Melinda call the police, but we soon learn that she had been raped by a senior boy. No one else knows what really happened, and she is afraid to tell, even though they all hate her for ruining the party. The story evolves as Melinda's grades drop, she isolates herself, and becomes silent.
Evaluation: I thought this was done very respectfully and without unnecessary graphic language. I also really liked the metaphors about growth, the evolution of her tree art project, and the school assignment on the suffragette's speaking up.

The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) by Jonathan Stroud

Stroud, Jonathan. (2004) The Amulet of Samarkand. NY: Hyperion.
ISBN: 978-0786852550
Awards: Texas Lone Star Book (2005-2006)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2004)
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award (Children's Literature, 2006)
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (2009, Ages 12↑)
ALA Notable Children's Book (2004)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Survival, Independence, Power & Trust
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation: In a world where magicians rule the government, Nathaniel was taken from his family and apprenticed to a cold and condescending master. At ten years old, Nathaniel is humiliated and then betrayed by his master. Vowing revenge, he summons a djinne much too powerful for him to control.
Summary: The Amulet of Samarkand, Book One in the Bartimaeus trilogy, is the story of Nathaniel, an eleven year old apprentice to a magician. When he is humiliated by power hungry Simon Lovelace, Nathaniel takes it upon himself to learn how to summon a djinni, a spell usually reserved for powerful wizards. The djinni Nathaniel summons is Bartimaeus, an old and very powerful djin. Unfortunately for Nathaniel, Bartimaeus is not pleased with the arrangement and does everything in his power to do away with his human master. With this in the mix, Nathaniel orders Bartimaeus to steal the rare and powerful Amulet of Samarkand from his secret nemesis, Lovelace. The theft, while successful, reveals a dark mystery filled with rebellion, murder, magic, and stolen power.
Evaluation: I read this on a recommendation and am very glad I did. Nathaniel's egotistical personality is strange to see in a main character, but adds to the plot in a necesary way. The relationship between Nathaniel and Bartimaeus develops authentically as they struggle for the upper hand and finally settle on a kind of friendship.

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

Crutcher, Chris. (2001). Whale Talk. NY: Greenwillow Books.
ISBN: 0-688-18019-1
Awards: South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Nominee (2003-2004)
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award (2002)
Washington State Book Award (2002)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2002)
TLA Tayshas List

Booksense 76 Pick
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2002)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2005)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2004)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Adoption, Child Abuse, Peer Pressure, Family, Discrimination, Tolerance, Humanity
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Racially diverse, adopted, and living in Idaho, T.J. rallies together a group of misfit boys to create a high school swim team. Amidst cruel jocks, a racist step dad, victimized women, and violent pasts, the team supports one another as they reach to attain the sought after letterman’s jackets.
Summary: T.J. Jones is part black, part Japanese, and dealing with the rage of being abandoned as a child by a drug addicted mother. Now a teen living with a loving adoptive family, T.J. looks to do right. When he witnesses football star Mike Barbour bullying brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother’s letter jacket, T.J. resolves to make sure Chris gets his own letter jacket. Tall and athletic, T.J. has always refused to join any of the all important high school sports, but now he assembles a swim team made up of the schools outsiders and misfits. Originally, T.J.’s plan is simply to get his group of misfits the sacred letter jackets, but the team turns into much more than just a sports team. The long bus rides create the perfect environment for the boys to find a place they belong and are supported. While the swim team gets better and better, the jocks get angrier and the step father of little half-black Heidi taken in by T.J.’s family grows more and more dangerous.
Evaluation: I wanted to read this book for a few reasons, but mainly because I had heard that Crutcher has the ability to write about the cruelties of life with clarity, but also hope. I found this to be very true. Despite the horrors and tragedies that have befallen the characters in this book, they try to make things right. The “bad guys” in the book are pretty one-dimensional, but the point is made that when faced with cruelty, one must still choose to be the better person.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

Cormier, Robert. (1974). The Chocolate War. NY: Laurel Leaf.
ISBN: 0-394-82805-4
Awards: School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (1974)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (1974)
New York Times Notable Book of the Year (1974)
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1974)
1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up (|2009, Ages 12↑)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bullying, Peer Pressure, Conformity
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: At prestigious Trinity High, the yearly chocolate sale brings in much needed funding. One boy, Jerry Renault, refuses to participate and suffers the wrath of The Vigils, a secret but teacher sanctioned group of bullies.
Summary: The Chocolate War is the story of Jerry Renault, a student at a boy’s Catholic school in the 70’s. Jerry’s refusal to participate in the school fundraiser of selling chocolates is enough to send Trinity High into turmoil. It all begins with an assignment given by The Vigils, a secret society of students that virtually runs the school. The assignment is for Jerry to refuse to participate in the sale until a certain amount of time has passed; however, when Jerry continues to refuse even after the assignment time is up, war breaks out. Jerry is shunned by his classmates, physically assaulted in football practice, and begins receiving strange phone calls at home. This all culminates in a staged fight in front of the whole school between Jerry and Emile, a particularly violent student.
Evaluation: I wanted to read this book because I have heard so many things about it receiving awards and being controversial. While at first it was difficult to suspend my disbelief about the whole chocolate sale being so inanely important, the story soon pulled me in. The chocolates aside, the gang of boys who are allowed to manipulate and bully other students (and teachers) create a frightening but realistic look into the psychological aspects of power struggles.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Green, J. and Levithan, D. (2010). Will Grayson, Will Grayson. NY: Dutton.
ISBN: 978-0525421580

Award: ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011)
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Homosexuality
Genre: Fiction
Under bizarre and unlikely circumstances, two boys, both named Will Grayson, lives become intertwined. Tiny Cooper, large and fabulously gay, plays a part in this story of personal growth and recognition.
Summary: The story begins with alternating chapters focusing on the two boys lives. One Will is straight, and tries to keep his mouth shut and not care so he won't get hurt (or have attention). The problem lies in that his best friend is Tiny Cooper, the biggest, loudest, and most fabulously gay teen in the school. The other will (in lower case) is gay, medication grade depressed, and hates just about everything and everyone. His best friend, Maura, who is equally negative, wants more from will, but can't seem to get to him.
The boys have an unlikely meeting under awkward circumstances and from that point on all the characters in the book take a turn for the better. Tiny Cooper's school musical forms the backbone and the clear voice for the teens growth, self awareness, and acceptance.
Evaluation: I chose this book because I find it fascinating that yet another group of under served, and often persecuted, group of people has a place to go to read stories they can relate to. The characters are believable with their awkward teen angst and irrational decision making. The plot developes well, right along with the characters, using both humor and genuine emotion.