Off-Color by Janet McDonald

McDonald, Janet. (2007). Off-Color. NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
ISBN: 978-0374371968
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Racism, Bi-Racial, Poverty, Friendship, Cultural Identity, Secrets
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Fifteen year old Cameron can't believe it when her mom has to change jobs and they have to move -- to the projects! How can a white girl like Cameron hope to make friends with the black girls there?
Summary: Cameron Storm and her mother are poor, but happy in their small Brooklyn home. Cameron's dad is out of the picture, but she has great friends and is close to her mom. Then one day her mom tells her that the nail salon where she works is closing and that they have to move. Cameron and her mom have to move to the projects where they will be close to the new job and the rent is cheaper. Cameron is afraid not only to leave her best friends behind, but also about finding a way to fit in with the black kids at her new school. After the move, Cameron stumbles upon a photo album that shows her father as being a black man. Slowly Cameron comes to reconcile the two parts of herself and feel comfortable being herself.
Evaluation: At times the book seems driven by the issues of race and bi-racial kids, but Cameron's genuine emotion, authentic language, and very real life situations pulled me along just fine. I chose this book to read because I haven't read, or even seen, very many YA books that deal with the issues surrounding bi-racial families.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Alexie, Sherman. (2007). The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 978-0316013680
Awards: American Indian Youth Literature Award (2008)
Cybils Finalist (Young Adult Fiction, 2007)
Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist (Young Adult Literature, 2007)
ALA Best Books for Young Adults (2008)
National Book Award (Young People's Literature, 2007
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book (2008)
A Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2007)
Boston Globe–Horn Book Award (Fiction and Poetry, 2008)
Michigan Library Association's Thumbs Up! Award (2008.1|Honor, 2008)
BCCB Blue Ribbon Book (2007)
ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2010.02|Hard Knock Life, 2010)
ALA Outstanding Books for the College Bound (2009.2|History & Cultures, 2009)
Odyssey Award (2009|Recorded Books, Narrated by Sherman Alexie)
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2007)
Peter Pan Award (2009.01|Winner, 2009)
Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award (2008)
Kansas City Star's Top 100 Books of the Year
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books Blue Ribbon Winner
Barnes & Noble 2007 Best for Teens
National Parenting Publication Gold Winner 2007
Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Poverty, Racism, Alcoholism, Family, Fitting In, Cultural Identity, Death, Loss, Grief, Violence
Genre: Fiction
Annotation: Arnold Spirit, angry at the poverty and cruelty around him is encouraged by a teacher to leave the reservation. However, at his new all white school, Arnold faces a whole new set of challenges.
Summary: Arnold Spirit, or Junior, lives on a poverty stricken reservation run rampant by alcoholism, ignorance, and lost hope. A single violent event puts in motion a new life for Arnold. In class one day Arnold notices that his textbook is so old that it still has his mother's name in it. In a rage, he throws the book across the room hitting and hurting the teacher. While Arnold is suspended for the act, the teacher comes to him later encouraging him to leave the reservation for a better education. Arnold is the only Indian in the sea of white faces at his new school, except of course for the school mascot. This move causes a whole new set of problems for Arnold. The people on the reservation are angry that he is trying to leave and the white kids at his new school treat him like an outcast. As time passes, Arnold falls for a white girl and joins the basketball team. Tensions reach an all time high when Arnold's new school is set to play basketball against his old school, and his ex-best friend Rowdy.
Evaluation: I had heard so many good things about this book and have waited a long time to finally read it! Now, I can't believe I waited so long. This story is full of honest moments and emotions; some extremely funny and others extremely sad, violent, and horrifying.