Being Henry David

Being Henry David by Cal Armistead. Albert Whitman and Co. NetGalley.

For survival stories/mysteries with a little bit of romance and amnesia, this book fits the bill. But how many bills request all those things. I felt this book had a bit of multiple personality disorder, wanting to cover all it's bases and I wonder if this would put some readers off who are expecting one genre and then getting another. That being said, the pace moves relatively quickly (more so in the beginning than the middle to end) and it has a male lead character and an amnesia mystery story line that will keep mystery seekers interested.

Because the story opens on a boy who doesn't know who he is or where he is, be takes on the identity of the first thing that comes to him, the author of the book that a homeless man has taken off him and begun to eat. He become Henry David and decides to travel to Walden Pond as he finds this to be the only clue of finding his true identity. Without money or identity, Hank takes up with two homeless kids and gets himself into trouble. This is how the book opens and it feels very fast-paced, action survival story. But Hank quickly escapes this scene and ends up at Walden Pond where he must still struggle to survive but is helped by a number of people and goaded to stay by his crush on a girl that he runs into. This is where the story drags a bit for me. With the intense survival opening, I wonder if most readers will still around for the quieter paced average high school plot line in the middle. The amnesia story line picks up at the end and it gets to be a bit melodramatic but at least the mystery is solved. While the connection to Henry David Thoreau frames the story, it also doesn't seem to have much of a connection to the larger themes of loss, guilt and grief.

Interest level: YA (grade 6+)

Question to the readers: Faced with Henry David's situation, what would you have done in the beginning of the book? Why do you think Henry David came down with amnesia?

Read-alikes: Hatchet, North

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green. Published 2006b by Speak.

I've already sung my praises for John Green and I'm sticking to it, but at a certain point with so much expectation, not everything can live up to such a high standard. That is a horrible way to start this review, as this book had nothing wrong with it and kept to the Green oeuvre, yet had I read it first or second I may have enjoyed it more than I did reading it third. The characters are quirky and realistic. They are flawed yet grow in just the right way over the course of the novel--not so much to be absurd. There is humor and footnotes of interesting information. All this and more, yet something didn't speak to me the way Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns did. Maybe it was the way the main character is slightly detached from reality, living in his own prodigy brain or maybe I just needed a break from this sort of teen, finding yourself novel, but it took me longer than usual to get through this one.

For plot summary: Colin Singleton is dumped by his 19th Katherine when his best friend Hassan convinces him that a road trip is the only thing that will cure him. They don't make it far when they decide to pull over and see Arch Duke Ferdinand's suppose burial place outside Gutshot, Tennessee. After meeting Lindsay, who doesn't match up with first impressions, they are asked to stay and work for her mother for $500 a week. The boys stay and Colin uses his extra time to come up with a theorem to predict future relationships based on the beginning and end of each relationship with a Katherine. If he succeeds, he will prove that he was not just a prodigy, but in fact, a genius.

Intended reading level: YA (HS)

Questions to the readers: Would you rather be the dumper or the dumpee? Why or why not? What does it mean to truly be yourself? Do you ever feel your in a situation where you are not acting like your genuine self? How do you know the difference?

Read-alikes: See other John Green titles. Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Requiem

Requiem by Lauren Oliver. Published 2013 by Harper Collins.

I was so excited to finally finish up this trilogy from Lauren Oliver. Her writing is head and shoulders above a lot of other YA authors in my opinion. There's a lyrical richness to it and the character's emotions pull you through even the most absurd situations. The premise of the whole trilogy is that love, or amor deliriosa, is a disease and must be eradicated through brain surgery when you turn 18. The trilogy follows a Romeo and Juliet style relationship in this world where love shouldn't happen with twists, turns and intrigue along the way. The last book picks up in the Wilds with Lena faced with confronting her first love triangle. I don't want to go into too much detail in case their are readers who haven't picked up the first two books yet.

This book switches point of view in every other chapter between Lena and Hana. I appreciated this choice because I was able to go back into the world we saw in the first novel. This is a device that Oliver employed throughout each book but has changed in some small way. In the first book we were given passages from the Book of Shhh and in the second the switches were between past and present from Lena's point of view. In any trilogy, the story shifts in the second book and pulls us away from what we loved about the first, losing some readers, but the third comes back in full force and brings us full circle to where we started.

Intended Reading Level: YA-Grade 7+ (I have sixth graders that have read it, but I think it would be better appreciated by older readers)
Third book in series

Question to Readers:
Do you think the surgery was effective on Hana? Do you think she may have a relapse like Lena's mother did? What do you think will become of Portland? What do you think will happen to the rest of the republic after the end of the book? Who would you have chosen if you were Lena?

Read-alikes:
Matched Series by Ally Condy, All These Things I've Done, The Giver series

Skim

Skim by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki. Published 2010 by Groundwood books.

This was a superb graphic novel. Having won the Best Illustrated Children's Book Award by the New York Times, its already proven its caliber. The artwork is so filled with fluid and delicate dark lines that it reminds me of calligraphy. The backgrounds are extremely detailed and the way panels will be placed above them in a smaller space makes it feel like poetry in images. There are a lot of close-ups and variety of angles used by the illustrator. These  aspect to aspect and moment to moment shots slow the action down and let us feel what the characters are feeling.
The story is about a girl, Kim, known by Skim to the girls at her school, and her friendships and budding love affair. Like all good teen stories, it is a novel about identity and finding our true selves and our true friendships as well as what love means and how it can so easily tear our heart apart.

While the below image might ruin part of the story, I just have to share it because I think it is so beautiful. It reminds me of two flowers blooming inside a patch of thorns, a briar rose, if you will:

Interest level: YA - because of smoking, drinking and adult concepts I would say Grades 8-12

Questions to Readers:

What choices did Ms. Archer make, bad or good? Would you have done anything differently? What changed between Lisa and Kim? Why do you think Lisa was so angry all the time? What different things do you think Katie was feeling over the course of the novel? Why was Kim able to sympathize? 

Read-alikes: Page by Paige, Friends with Boys

When We Wake

When We Wake by Karen Healey. ARC. Published March 2013 by Little, Brown and Company.

For all those into the dystopian, sci-fi future books, this is another one for your reading list. The book is framed by the main character, Tegan, telling her story. We don't know who she's telling this story to or how she is telling it, but the premise is that we, the readers, are the recipient of this message some time in the future. We also know that this is Tegan's second lifetime. She has already died once and been brought back to life by a secret military cyrogenics project. Being that Tegan is still in a 16 year old body with a 16 year old mind, we still follow her in her normal teen pursuits even thought its more than a hundred years into the future passed the time of her death. But it's not just the teen pursuits we follow along after. With political intrigue and human rights issues surrounding her resurrection, Tegan and her friends find a mystery they must uncover and bring to the light of day.

I liked the framing of the story and the connection it created between the main character and the reader. I felt that I was implicit in this plot somehow and wanted to know why she was in hiding and where she was broadcasting, or 'casting, from. I had questions about the reality of the science that brought her back to life without any brain damage, but I suspended my disbelief to go along with the action and drama of the story. Also, I liked the cover even though it was another with a pretty girl face on the front, but this one applies. While there is a romantic storyline, its stays relatively PG, so I don't mind sharing this one with middle schoolers. I think there will be a lot of great discussions to be had about human rights issues around the world as well as the climate change issue.

Intended reading level: YA -Grades 5-8 okay
First in series

Questions for the Readers:
Does the mean always justify the end? Do you believe sacrificing a few to save millions is worth it? Would you want to be frozen after your death to be revived in a different century? What were some of the hardships Tegan faced when she woke up? Can you think of more that the book didn't address? What issues surrounding climate change were in the book? How did the different factions handle their thoughts or opinions about these issues? What do you think the Australian government should do to address these issues?

Read-alikes: Delirium series by Lauren Oliver. Matched series by Ally Condy. I haven't read them yet, but this book almost seemed like it could be a prequel to the Across the Universe series only they're written by separate authors. I would encourage reading them in tandem.

Openly Straight

Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg. ARC. Publish date June 2013. Arthur A. Levine Books.

I grabbed this book at the ALA Mid-Winter conference through a flurry of other librarians all asking the same questions around the baby blue cover. We were all thinking the same thing. This can't actually be offensive, it must be a positive look at homosexuality, but what's with that title? The representative went through her spiel and reassured all of us to give it a try and see what it was about.

Rafe is openly gay in his Boulder community, but finds that he is fed up with being "the gay kid." To get away from labels, in an attempt to just be himself without anything else attached, he moves to Boston to go to an all-boys prep school. He knows that he doesn't want to lie about his sexuality, but he doesn't want to come out either. His family and friends back in Colorado are appalled once they know what he's done and he finds he must navigate who he is from both sides of his Boston identity and his Bolder identity. Things get complicated when he begins to make closer connections with boys at school.

In the beginning of the book, I was wary and kept noticing how many labels Rafe attached to others for someone who is so against labels. I was hoping this was a tactic on the part of the author and we'll just say he knew what he was doing. As an adult reader, I sometimes find this challenging to determine what the author wants you to know compared to what the character may not know yet. Overall, I think Konigsberg did a good job of letting Rafe explore identity crisis issues in his own way, even if that way may seem absurdly backwards at first. There is definitely growth and exploration of thought for the main character.

For issues exploring homosexuality, identity and first love, this is a great read.

Intended reading level: YA (HS level because of alcohol, some drug use and sexual situations-though they are very mild and only implied, not detailed)

Questions for the reader:

What do you think? Did Rafe come to understand his true identity? Was the experiment worth it or should he have stayed home?

Read-alikes: Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Songs of a Teenage Nomad

Cinder

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Published 2012.

Now this fairy tale twist I genuinely liked. I think I appreciated it because it put the tale of Cinderella in a whole new world, with a different telling and it kept close enough to the idea of the original story, but not so steadfastly that it stretched the plot to fit to the tale. What made it more fun than other twisted tellings is that its set in the distant future in a dystopian society where cyborgs and robots exist and the moon has been colonized and a whole new evolution of "humans" live on the moon. Mix this together with regular humans, a disease that is highly contagious and kills off anyone who gets it within a matter of weeks, and a cyborg who is being courted by the royal emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth and you have a tale that could stand alone without the fairy tale comparisons. Like Lionboy, this book doesn't have a clear cut ending as it's part of, what I believe is, a five part series, but unlike the other book, I was satisfied with the end and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
Here's the plot premise, some spoilers:
Cinder is a teen cyborg, half human/half robot, who works at a robot repair shop to earn money for her evil stepmother and her two stepsisters. When the step sis she actually likes catches the fatal letmosis (spelling???), Cinder is hauled in for testing by her stepmother. Thinking this is the end of her life, she battles against the testing only to find out that she is immune to the disease and could be the answer for its cure, or at least, that's what the doctor leads her to believe. She is determined to escape New Bejing even if that means missing attending the ball with the Prince.

Side note: While its still technically a photo of a female on the cover, I love the take on the glass slipper and seeing the cyborg part through her leg...fantastic cover. Plus super fun font.

Interest level: YA Reading level: YA
Genre: sci-fi, fairy tale, dystopian
First in series.

Comparable titles: Sisters Red, The Storyteller, Beastly

Book Connections: Contagious disease, futuristic societies, evolution, moon colonization, Cinderella

Sisters Red

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce. Published 2010.

Now this is the most action packed of the new fairy tales that I've read as well as the most suggestive. I would definitely reserve this for my older teens and keep it in the Twilight and Shiver categories. The writing is very cinematic and I could see the action scenes as if they were playing out in front of me. This was more powerful in the opening and seemed to wear thin by the end, but the action kept pace the whole time.
Basically, werewolves exist but they are known as Fenris. When the sisters, Rose and Scarlett are young, a wolf attacks them and kills their only guardian, their grandmother. After losing her eye in battle with her first Fenris and making her first kill, Scarlett makes it her life mission to protect all other vulnerable girls and hunt down each and every last werewolf. With the help of her sister and her best friend, Silas, she is determined to wipe them out. Only Rose and Silas aren't sure they want to spend their lives hunting down the wolves.
As I said, the book was action packed and it had a great twist on Little Red Riding Hood, but there were only so many smart ways to have them go to battle again and the plot became tedious. It was told in alternating voices of the sisters and that was meant to create a study on identity and life purpose, but it got a little old and sappy toward the middle.

Interest level: YA Reading level: YA
Genre: fairy tale, fantasy, romance

Comparable titles: Beastly, Twilight, Shiver

Book Connections: Little Red Riding Hood, werewolves

Briar Rose

Briar Rose by Jane Yolen. Published 1992.

Jane Yolen just came out with a new fairy tale twist on the Snow White series, which led me to this book she wrote about 20 years ago. I love the Sleeping Beauty story and the idea of twisting it to be a Holocaust tale really intrigued me. I'm not sure if what was selling in '92 was different than what is written for today's young adults, but I was not as happy with it as I had hoped I would be.
I really liked the aspect of mystery with the lead character tracing down her recently passed Grandmother's life story and I liked the tie in of the Sleeping Beauty tale and how it was a metaphor for the grandmother's life, but I kept expecting us to jump back in the past and see the comparisons and have a Holocaust story from start to finish and as that kept not happening and kept focusing on the granddaughter and her hunt for the truth, I became more and more disappointed.
When we do finally get the tale at the end, I was completely absorbed and I just wished there was a way to have extended that and only told that story as if it were the Sleeping Beauty tale.
Also the protagonist was in her late twenties and it felt like a very grown up adult story that doesn't seem like it would connect with teen readers.

Interest Level: YA Reading level: Grade 5
Genre: Historical Fiction

Comparable Titles: Milkweed, Number the Stars

Book Connections: Holocaust, Sleeping Beauty, Poland

Beastly

Beastly by Alex Flinn. Published 2007. 2011 California Young Reader Medal nominee.

I am doing a Dark Side of Fairy Tales class for my middle schoolers so I've been scooping up all the hot re-dos and twists on the classic fairy tales. I will say that what I'm finding so far is that people like to remake the Disney version of the fairy tales rather than the original source material. I think since that's the more innocent version in our heads, its easier to play with and make darker even though the original was dark itself.
Now for this one, it wasn't the darkest of the ones I've read. Its actually very mellow as far as grimness goes and not too much sexual tension or bad language used. It incorporates 21st century writing style with chat room transcripts that separate the different sections and it places it squarely in a Manhattan modern day setting. As you can guess from the title, it's a rift on Beauty and the Beast. I think the funnest part of this twist is the fact that its told entirely from the male, or Beast's, perspective which is actually what makes it fresh.
As for characterization, we do see his transformation and we're given enough teen angst to understand that he is a person just like the rest of us. For the plot, I understand that certain things needed to be stretched to allow this fairy tale premise to happen, but I wonder why his dad was a tv anchor and not just a movie star cause I really didn't believe that a tv anchor would have as much money as we are to believe he has (meaning, it seemed endless). I also thought Lindy's drug addict dad was a little over the top, but I get why it was thrown in there because the rest of the stuff wasn't going to happen if there wasn't that extreme.

Interest level: YA Reading level: YA
Genre: fairy tale, fantasy, teen romance

Comparable Titles: Twilight, Sisters Red

Book Connections: Beauty and the Beast, Roses, Mirrors, witches, a discussion on beauty and the privileges and disadvantages, what real beauty means?

Anya's Ghost

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol. Published 2011.

For whatever reason, I didn't have this book marked as YA in my library and its been circulating madly. I finally took an hour to read it and I can see why its been so popular. There's people making out, talking about boobs in shirts, smoking cigarettes, murder. Not what I first expected when I kept hearing about this book. Now that being said, I think the material is okay for the older grades from 5th to Middle. There's no sex or language too extreme (though there is some name calling and slight bad word use). Overall, its a book about finding yourself as many young adult books are and also standing up for yourself and fighting for what's right too.

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of a darker Hereville and a more teen obsessed Persepolis. Anya is Russian American and she desperately wants to fit in and date the cute boy in school. After she befriends a ghost, Emily, she finds that that Emily will help her cheat on tests, find out where Sean is and get invited to parties. She wants to help Emily find her "murderer" but soon she finds that what she thought she wanted isn't all its chalked up to be and who she thought she knew Emily was, isn't quite the truth.

Interest level and reading level: YA
Genre: Fantasy, Graphic Novel

Comparable Titles: Persepolis, Page by Paige

Book Connections: Russian-American culture, library research (this would be a great chapter to show students how to use micro-film or how research was done before Google), ghost stories

Beauty Queens

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. Published 2011.

This book was marketed as YA, but I'm curious what the author's intended audience was. The lastest trend in publishing is to market any book with teen protagonists as YA or for children when really that's not the audience that the book was intended for. I say this, not because the content was so horrendous that a teen couldn't read it, but more because I feel that the social commentary that is at the soul of the book is more appropriate for adults. I'm not sure if Teens have been removed enough from questions of identity to truly appreciate the satire.
I didn't dislike the book as I am an adult reading it. I got tired of the commercial breaks and the overhanded references that didn't really need footnotes because only a handful of the footnotes were funny, but I did like the writing and the story in the moments that were written in third person and actually had plot. I even loved this next section:

"I've been thinking about that book about boys who crash on the island," Mary Lou said to Adina one afternoon as they rested on their elbows taking bites from the same papaya.
"Lord of the Flies. What about it?" 
"You know how you said it wasn't a true measure of humanity because there were no girls and you wondered how it would be different if there had been girls?"
"Yeah."
Mary Lou wiped fruit juice from her mouth with the back of her hand. "Maybe girls need an island to find themselves. Maybe they need a place where no one's watching them so they can be who they really are."... 
There was something about the island that made the girls forget who they had been. All those rules and shalt nots. They were no longer waiting for some arbitrary grade. They were no longer performing. Waiting. Hoping.
They were becoming.
They were.

The book definitely made me think about stuff and want to discuss issues it brought up and tell people about it and argue with it, which is a sign of a good book. But I also didn't dive into reading it and put it down more often then I wanted to pick it up so it was a mixed bag, but here is the synopsis:

A plane of beauty queens are on an airplane together on their way to the Teen Dream pageant when it crashes on an island that they think is deserted. They must learn to survive for themselves but soon find in the process that their identity as beauty queen is unraveling and their idea of womanhood is opening up. Soon they find a plot that threatens their life and their dreams on the island and when a ship of cute male pirates crash lands on their shores, their new standards are put to the test. Now take all that, and put it through a lens of satire.

Intended reading level: YA (and on the high school level)
Genre: Survival, Satire, Adventure

Comparable Titles: Lord of the Flies

Book Connections: Women's Rights and Identity, Sexual objectification, Beauty Pageants, Survival skills, Media Studies

Wisdom's Kiss

Wisdom's Kiss by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. Publised 2011.

I had picked this one up because the reviews made it sound like it was tongue-in-cheek and a little satirical. I was intrigued by the full title which actually runs: Wisdom's Kiss: A thrilling and romantic adventure incorporating magic, villainy, and a cat. I thought perhaps it would have overtures of Princess Bride like qualities to it. In actuality, that was all a bit true, but also not quite there either. The book is what the title says and in a way takes itself quite seriously, but by using many different forms and narrators to tell the story, it creates a sort of parody-like nature. There is an over the top play format, letters the queen writes to her granddaughter and an acrobat writes to his school sweetheart, memoirs, biographies, and encyclopedic entries. The language in this is also highly inflected so younger readers would have a bit of trouble with it. There's a glossary in the back to help. It was a great read and I really enjoyed it, but I think it would be a specific reader who could really get into it and enjoy it for what it is.

I won't be able to sum up the story beyond the fact that its a thrilling and romantic adventure with magic, villainy and a cat, because there is too much going on and you will just have to read it to find out for yourself.

Interest and reading level: YA
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Comparable titles: Princess Bride, Princess Ben, The Goose Girl, Ella Enchanted

Book Connections: Primary sources such as letters, memoirs, clippings, etc. that detail a historical event

The Looking Glass Wars

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. Published 2006.

Alice is not Alice. She is Alyss. And she didn't fall into Wonderland, she fell out of it. Or at least, that's what this telling presupposes. Wonderland is a place of Imagination where anything can happen. Including the sister of the queen, Redd, heading a coup and taking off all the Royals' heads. Alyss must disappear into our world only to find her way back to Wonderland 13 years later to regain the thrown and find her true self.

This was an interesting take on the Wonderland tale but I had some issues with it. It was packed with violence so don't think that it would be good for younger kids just cause of the Alice in Wonderland reference. There is a lot of social commentary with Redd and her take over and there is a strange twisting of the past and the real history of Alice Liddell. Sometimes, I just felt like the formation of the story was off. You keep waiting for the story you know but it never comes and then its like the story that is written is trying to twist itself into what you would expect from what you do know. I see that there are a lot of people trying to pull off Maguire's Wicked but his ploy worked because he wrote his version for adults and could get a lot grittier and deal with adult issues.

But if you want action, a fast-pace, fantastical elements and a war, this book will keep some readers reading. I had one students who wasn't a fan and one student love it so 50/50.

Interest and Reading level: YA (the language could be accessible for younger but there is a lot of violent content)
Genre: Action, Fantasy
First book in a series of three, another series spin-off for the Mad Hatter as well

Comparable titles: Wicked, Peter and the Starcatchers, Artemis Fowl

Book Connections: Alice in Wonderland, the history of the British crown during the Victorian era, Street Urchins

Milkweed

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Published 2003.

I really enjoy Spinelli's work so I was not disappointed by this book at all. It was a very interesting read and a very interesting perspective on the Holocaust.

This is a story told by a young boy who has no idea who he is or where he comes from. He is a gypsy and we can assume he is about 6 years old at the beginning of the story to account for his view of the world, his lack of knowledge about his life and his narration style. Because of this we see the Holocaust through a child's innocent perspective which makes it in some ways less scary but also even more so because we worry for the narrator about the trouble he will get into because he doesn't take anything seriously and doesn't understand the implications of his actions or of the actions of those around him.

His friend Uri takes him under his wing and gives him the name Misha Pilsudski as the boy believes his name to be "Stopthief." Misha believes the stories Uri tells about him and makes his life into whatever name is given him. As he grows he becomes part of the Milgrom family and lives with them in the Jewish ghetto, turning from a gypsy street rat to a Jewish son. As he weaves in and out of Warsaw stealing food, he witnesses different things and begins to grow and see the world for what it is, but only too late.

Younger students would have no trouble reading the language of the book, but the content would be hard to grasp. Definitely more fit for grades 7 and 8.

Interest level: YA
Genre: Historical Fiction

Comparable titles: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, Noah Barleywater Runs Away, Number the Stars, One and Then

Book Connections: Holocaust history, Hannukah, Warsaw, World War II, Merry-go-rounds, Milkweed, baking bread, pickled herring and pickled eggs

Page by Paige

Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge. Published 2011.

This is a graphic novel that has been getting a lot of buzz lately. I think it deserves it. The metaphors in the  artwork are great and the detail in them is amazing. The story is one that adolescents easily identify with, with concerns of identity, moving, friendships, first love and your purpose in life.

Paige Turner moves to Brooklyn with her parents in the middle of her high school years. She meets a new group of friends that has her pushing her artistic boundaries, but she is constantly questioning herself and wondering if she is good enough. Not only does she discover that she is good enough, but her artistic endeavors actually out-pace that of her friends causing some disturbance in the group. Along the way, she discovers who she is and what she loves and even falls in love with one of the members of her group.

Definitely to be suggested to kids who are struggling with their own identity and purpose, but I would reserve it for older readers as there is talk about relationships in a more candid mature manner.

Interest level: YA Reading level: YA
Genre: Graphic Novel, friendship, realistic fiction

Comparable titles: Friends with Boys, Anya's Ghost, Persepolis, Smile

Book Connections: Art journals, Drawing Telephone, Agents of Whimsy art assignments

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Published 2006. Michael L. Printz Award winner.

This is a popular book in our school and the author will be at the public library this weekend, so I thought I should check it out. I really enjoyed it, which didn't surprise me as I'm a fan of graphic novels, but I wasn't expecting the way the author formed it so it went up a few notches in my assessment.

The story is told in three different formats, or as I thought of them, episodes, that interweave as if I were flipping through channels with my remote. First, there is the story of Jin Wang, a Chinese-American living in the suburbs of San Francisco and coming to terms with his identity in a mostly white neighborhood. Next, the story of the Monkey King who is dishonored at a party of the gods and through meditative kung-fu training tries to transform himself into The Great Sage Equal of Heaven, who must take the long way to learn his lesson and his identity. And then there is the "sitcom" story of Chin-kee, a Chinese cousin who comes to stay with a white family, played out in overt stereotypes and leading to the continued embarrassment of Cousin Danny. It seems these tales have nothing, potentially, to do with one another, but they are all connected by the search for acceptance, identity and the power to transform and what comes with that power, good or bad.

I was surprised by how all the stories connected in the end and they all became powerful, layered metaphors for one another. Awesome read.

Interest level: YA Reading level: Grade 5 (this is marketed as YA, but the content wasn't anything that Grades 5-8 couldn't handle)
Genre: Graphic novel, Coming-of-age

Comparable titles: Smile, Page by Paige

Book Connections: Chinatown in San Francisco, a study on stereotypes, Transformers, Kung-fu, Chinese mythology/deities

Persepolis

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi. Published 2003.

This graphic novel has been on everyone's radar for a long time and for a good reason. While the material is definitely for upper tweens (think 8th grade) and YA, it should be on everyone's must read list. The perspective of the narrator, Marji, as a child in Iran during the Islamic Revolution is at both times poignant and humorous. The black and white illustrations and the form of a graphic novel make it easy to read and easy to absorb the stark illustrations while leaving room for depth of feeling. We see her witness violence at demonstrations, the death of friends and family, threat of imprisonment, as well as some childish antics and rebellion.

I enjoyed this story mostly for its history. Having been born during this time period, I didn't know anything about the revolutions in Iran. I read a little on this topic as an adult but the frame of this story makes it easier to understand and have an idea of what it was like from a child's perspective.

Interest level: Grades 8-12 Intended reading level: YA
Genre: Non-fiction, Graphic Novel
First book of a series

Comparable titles: Maus, Maus II