The Maze Runner

Dashner, James. (2009). The Maze Runner. New York: Delacorte.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation:

An amnesiac teenager awakes in a box in the middle of a colony of boys.

Booktalk:

What is a Maze Runner?

maze runner. n. a fast shank who risks his shuck life everyday running through the ever-changing maze, escaping the grievers, in the hopes of finding an exit for all the gladers.

Thomas wakes up confused and without a memory of who he is or what happened to him. He knows that he is currently surrounded by a large crowd of boys of all ages and that they don't looked surprised to see him. Thomas soon learns he is in a place called the Glade, a large area surrounded on all sides by massive walls. Beyond the walls is a massive labyrinth maze that changes every night. Thomas is immediately determined to find a way out, and he soon discovers that the only way he will succeed is to become a Maze Runner.

Awards:

• Kentucky Bluegrass Award grades 9-12, 2011
• VOYA Best Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, 2009 
• YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 2011

Listen to a clip from the audio version courtesy of Random House Audio ©2011 .

The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Ryan, C. (2009). The Forest of Hands and Teeth. New York: Delacorte.

Image credit: Carrie Ryan

Annotation:

In a post-apocalyptic world of zombies a teenager must find courage to protect the ones she loves.

Booktalk:

What lies beyond the fences in the Forest of Hands and Teeth? Mary is like any other teenager; she falls in love, she is rebellious, and she has had a best friend since she was little. But Mary's world is post-apocalyptic and overrun with undead cannibals who threaten her existence. When the village fences succumb to the relentless undead, Mary is forced to flee with a small group of friends. And so begins a journey for truth, safety, and a world long forgotten. Will Mary find what she is looking for in the Forest of Hands and Teeth?

Quote:

I think about how fragile we are here—like fish in a glass bowl with darkness pressing in on every side.


Awards:

• ALA Best Books for Young Adults selection
• Borders Original Voices finalist
• Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
• Denver Public Library Best Teen Books, 2009
• Georgia Peach Book AwardNomination, 2010-2011
• IndieBound Kids' Indie Next List for Spring 2009, #4
• Junior Library Guild selection
• New York Public Library Stuff for the Teen Age List, 2010
• New York Times Best Seller
• North Carolina School Library Media Association Young Adult Book Award Nomination
• Texas Library Association TAYSHAS High School Reading list, 2010-2011

The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation: 

In order to prevent her sister from certain death, seventeen year-old Katniss must battle to the death at The Hunger Games, a life or death battle where winning means being the only one left alive.

Booktalk:

How far would you go for the ones you loved? Katniss Evergreen has just volunteered to take her little sister's place as one of District 12's tributes for the annual Hunger Games. In doing so she will spare her sister's life, but she will be putting hers on the line.

Accompany Katniss as she battles twenty-three other children in an arena that is an unpredictable killing field controlled by the Gamemakers. The only way to make it out alive is to be the last man standing. Who will survive and win this year's Hunger Games?

"Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun..."

Check out the new film adaptation of the book out March 23, 2012

Awards:

• ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List, 2009
• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
• Black-eyed Susan Award, 2010-2011
• Booklist Editors’ Choice, 2008
• CCBC Choices, 2009
• Children’s Choice Book Award, 2009
• Cybil Award for Fantasy & Science Fiction, 2008
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Indies Choice Best Indie Yung Adult Buzz Book Honor
• Isinglass Teen Read Award, 2009-2010
• Kirkus Best Book, 2008
• New York Times Bestseller
• New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
• New York Times Notable Children’s Book, 2008
• NYPL “Stuff for the Teen Age” List, 2009
• Publishers Weekly Bestseller
• Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Fiction Books, 2008
• School Library Journal Best Books, 2008
• Teen Choice Book of the Year Finalist
• USA Today Bestseller
• Wall Street Journal Bestseller
• YALSA'S Teens' Top Ten, 2009
• LA Times Favorite Children’s Book, 2008

The Adoration of Jenna Fox

Pearson, Mary. (2008). The Adoration of Jenna Fox. New York: Henry Holt.

Image credit: Tower.com

Annotation:

 A seventeen year-old girl awakes from a coma with no memory of who she is or what happened to her. Jenna Fox struggles to find her identity and realize her purpose in life.

Booktalk: 

 “Tell me who I am.” 

Who is Jenna Fox? Imagine waking up one day with no memory of who you were or how to do simple things like walk or talk. This is the reality of Jenna Fox's new life. She's constantly looking up words to understand their meanings and watching excessive, almost creepy childhood videos. She remembers things that she shouldn't- couldn't and there are also the crystal-clear voices that visit every night. 

“The dictionary says my identity should be all about being separate or distinct, and yet it feels like it is so wrapped up in others.” 

Jenna's mother is obsessive, controlling, and secretive. Her grandmother avoids her like the plague and always seems mad. Her father always masks his emotions with a smile and a sweetly spoken "It's alright, Angel." Yet it is these people who hold the keys to the closet of secrets that is Jenna's life. She must discover her past to understand who she has become.

Follow in the new Jenna's footsteps and surrender yourself to the mysterious Adoration of Jenna Fox.

Quote:

One small changed family doesn’t calculate into a world that has been spinning for a billion years. But one small change makes the world spin differently in a billion ways for one family.

Awards:     

• ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2009
• Andre Norton Award Finalist, 2009
• Arkansas Teen Book Award, 2010
• Booklist 2009 Amazing Audiobooks
• Califonia Young Reader Medal nominee, 2010-2011
• Capitol Choices for Teens, 2009
• Cynsational Books of 2008
• Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award nominee, 2010-2011
• Evergreen Young Adult Book Award 2011 Master list, 201!
• Garden State Teen Book Award Finalist, 2011
• German Youth Literature Award Finalist, Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, 2010
• Golden Kite Honor Award, 2008
• Heartland Award Honor Award for Excellence in Young Adult Fiction, 2010
• IndieBound "Top Ten" Summer 2008 Pick 
• International Reading Association Young Adult Choice Book, 2010
• Iowa High School Book Award master list, 2010-2011
• Isinglass Teen Reads Award Nominee, 2010-2011
• Kentucky Book Award Master List, 2010
• Kirkus Best Young Adult Books of 2008
• Librarians' Choices 2008
• Locus Magazine 2008 Recommended Read
• Maine Student Book Award Master List, 2010
• Missouri Truman Readers Award nominee, 2010-2011
• Never Jam Today Best of 2008
• Not Your Mother's Faves, 2008
• NYPL Best Books, 2009
• Oregon Reader's Choice nominee, 2010-2011
• Pennsylvania Young Readers Choice Award Master List, 2011
• Rhode Island Teen Book Award Master List, 2010
• School Library Journal Best Books, 2008
• Sequoyah Book Awards Master list, 2011
• South Carolina Young Adult Book Award Master List, 2009
• Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Master List, 2010
• Texas Lone Star Reading List, 2008
• Texas Tayshas High School Reading List, 2008
• VOYA Top Shelf Fiction, 2008
• Westchester Fiction Award, 2009
• Winner Distinguished Work of Fiction CLCSC, 2009
• YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2010

Saving Francesca

Marchetta, Melina. (2003). Saving Francesca. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Image Credit: Tower.com

Annotation:  

Seemingly all at once everything in Francesca's life changes from the school she attends to her family dynamics.

Booktalk:

Meet Francesca: a seventeen year-old sophomore at a all-boys high school that just recently became co-ed. But that's a joke according to Francesca, who suggests that the only thing about the school that's co-ed is the restrooms. One of about thirty girls at St. Sebastian's, Francesca feels lost in the crowd and uncertain about her group of friends. After Francesca's regularly perky and overbearing mother succumbs to a bout of depression, her family begins to fall apart. 

As things at home begin to fall apart, Francesca relies more and more on her friends and a new love interest. However, even things at school are not a perfect as they seem. Will Francesca be able to put the pieces of her life back together? Will Saving Francesca be possible, or will she fall victim to a life of depression like her mother?

Quote:

 The truth doesn’t set you free, you know. It makes you feel awkward and embarrassed and defense-less and red in the face and horrified and petrified and vulnerable. But free? I don’t feel free. I feel like shit.

Awards:

• Children's Book Council Book of the Year Award: Older Readers, 2004
• South Australia Premier's Awards, Children's Literature Award, 2004

The Coldest Winter Ever

Souljah, Sister. (1999). The Coldest Winter Ever. New York: Atria Books.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation:  

Seventeen year-old Winter's kush lifestyle changes dramatically after a series of bad events. Winter must do what she can to hustle and survive on the streets of Brooklyn.

Booktalk:

Do you remember New York's Coldest Winter Ever? Out of it a young urban princess, Winter, was born into a lavish lifestyle supported by her drug-dealing father, Ricky Santiaga, Santiaga took care of everything and everyone; he and his crew ran Brooklyn. Everything in Winter's life is perfect, her biggest concern being which outfit to floss or which diamond necklace to rock. Once her father is busted and her mom abandons her for a life of drugs Winter finds herself on her own for the first time ever. As Winter's life changes she finds new friends and new enemies, she learns who to trust and who will rat her out. Winter learns new shocking truths that shake her world as she thought she knew everything. 

But really we women don’t have to do anything to be beautiful. It’s a gift from God. The woman is. Somewhere along the line many of us as women are led to believe that being pretty is enough. And while we rely on that, we forget to strengthen our minds so that we can learn how to think, how to build. How to survive. We forget how to live our lives to protect our spirit, to be clean and decent. We forget that everything we do matters so much.

Winter proves true the old adage that whatever doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Her journey will change her and her life won't be what she expected. Will ever find someone who she can trust? Will her family ever be the same again? Will she survive another Coldest Winter Ever?

Awards:

•  YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, Hard Knock Life Category, 2010

The Giver

Lowry, Lois. (1993). The Giver. New York: Random House.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation:  

The implications of a young boy's twelfth birthday will change his life forever.

Booktalk:

What does it mean to be The Giver? In eleven year-old Jonas' utopic society everything in life is decided by the Elders; your name, your parents, your job, your life partner. The community naively enjoys the simplicity that a controlled lifestyle brings;  pain, suffering, and all things negative have been eliminated.

However, Jonas' perfect world begins to show cracks after the Ceremony of Twelves where he is selected to begin apprenticing under The Giver. Will his new assignment sustain his role in the community, or will it open his eyes to a world of possibilities? Join Jonas on his journey to understand what it means to be The Giver.

Awards: 

• A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book 
• ALA Best Book for Young Adults 
• ALA notable Book for Children 
• Booklist Editor's Choice 
• Newberry Medal, 1994 
• Regina Medal, 1994 
• School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year 
• William Allen White Children's Book Award, 1996

Annie on My Mind

Garden, Nancy. (1992). Annie on My Mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

Image Credit: MPPL.org

Annotation:  

Eliza Winthrop has her whole perfect life figured out. She is comes from a great family, she's class president, and she hopes to be accepted to MIT in the fall to study architecture. However, her plans are threatened when she beings a relationship with a new friend.

Booktalk:

What is on Eliza Winthrop's mind? Compared to most teenage girls who daydream about boys and obsess over fashion, popularity and Prom, Liza is different. She is a tomboy who aspires to be an architect and would rather hang out with boys than girls. In fact, she only has one girl friend until she meets Annie Kenyon. Annie is more original and unconventional than anyone in Liza's world. Annie is beautiful, talented, and completely understands Liza from the moment they meet.

As a friendship blossoms, Annie and Liza become inseparable, magnetically drawn to one another with great intensity. Are the girls simply friends, or is something more developing between them? One unexpected event will test their friendship and the girls in ways they never dreamed. The love and depth of their relationship will explain why Liza has Annie on Her Mind.

Awards: 

• ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 1982
• ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (Lesbian/Gay  Tales),  1997
• ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000, #48
• ALA 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-1999, #44
• Booklist Reviewer's Choice, 1982
• Robert B. Downs Intellectual Freedom Award, 2000.

Monster

Myers, Walter Dean. (1999). Monster. New York: Harpercollins.

Image Credit: Harpercollins

Annotation: 

A high school film geek finds himself on trial for felony murder. Through a journal Steve tells the story of his life and trial.

Booktalk:

Is Steve Harmon a Monster? Or just a kid who got caught at the wrong place, at the wrong time, with the wrong people? Growing up on the streets of Harlem is no easy task. But aspiring filmmaker Steve loves his neighborhood and the tragic beauty it contains. After a botched robbery ends in the horrendous death of a convenience store owner, Steve finds himself in jail and on trial for felony murder.

Steve documents his incarceration and trial in an attempt to grasp the reality of what truly happened that fateful December day. His journal, creatively written in the form of a screenplay details facts and feelings [open the book to any page to reveal the formatting]. Strategically placed pixelated photos convey key emotions and events in Steve's life. Will Steve spend his life in prison or will the truth set him free? Join Steve through the trial of his life and decide if Steve truly is a Monster.

"Monster by Walter Dean Myers" video by iancj97

Awards:     

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2000.
• ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, 2000.
• BCCB Blue Ribbon, 1999.
• Booklist Editors' Choice, 1999.
• Booksense 76 list, 2002.
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, 1999. 
• Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book, 2000.
• Edgar Allan Poe Award nominee, Best Young Adult, 2000.
• Isinglass Teen Read Award, 2002-2003
• Heartland Award for Excellence in YA Literature Finalist
• Horn Book Honor List, 1999.
• Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2001.
• L.A. Times Book Award nominee, 2000.
• Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award nominee in high school category, 2000-2001. 
• Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Literature for Young Adults, 2000.
• National Book Award Finalist, 1999.
• New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, 1999.
• New York Times Notable Book of the Year, 1999.
• Notable Children's Book, The New York Times, 1999.
• PW Best Books of the Year, 1999.
• Riverbank Review Children's Book of Distinction

Milkweed: A novel

Spinelli, Jerry. (2003). Milkweed: A novel. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Image Credit: Kidsreads.com

Annotation:  

An orphan child discovers friendship, racism, love, and his identity during the Holocaust.

Review:

“Stopthief” is nameless, homeless, and parent-less. But once he meets a respected street kid, Uri, he assumes a new identity and a new life as Misha Pilsudski. Just as Misha begins to get comfortable as his new self, the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust will once again alter his life course. In Milkweed, Newbery award-winning author Jerry Spinelli demonstrates his ability to interpret a horrible event in history and craft an inspiring historical fiction novel for young adults. The unique title sparks the imagination of the reader as they wonder when the significance will be revealed. The book jacket is hauntingly beautiful with a sepia-toned picture of the back of a stone angel statue, which is another symbol that is present throughout the story. The background and experiences of each of the main characters manage to evoke respect, sadness, laughter, and empathy. 

Spinelli masterfully integrates several themes into Milkweed such as identify, loss, friendship, and coming-of-age that are relevant and appropriate for the intended audience. The themes are flawlessly executed throughout the entire book which makes for a story that is strong, emotional, and inspiring at the same time. Some historical details are present but Spinelli relies more on storyline than facts, which keeps young adult readers interested without sounding like a textbook.This book is appropriate for children 11 and up as it is concise and uses short sentences with intermediate vocabulary. Milkweed reminds all readers that history can repeat itself if we do not learn from past events.

Awards:          

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2004 
• Booklist Top 10 Historical Fiction for Youth Selection
• Book Links Lasting Connections Selection
• Carolyn W. Field Award from the Pennsylvania Library Association, 2004
• Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choice, 2004 
• National Jewish Book Award Finalist, 2004 
• New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age 
• The Golden Kite Award Winner (Fiction), 2003