Anderson, Laurie Halse. (1999). Speak. New York: The Penguin Group.
Annotation: Melinda starts her freshman year of high school with a big secret, and everyone hates her. It’s all because they just don’t understand. Will she ever grow enough to have the courage to speak?
Justification for Nomination: This book was phenomenal. From page one I was sucked in. It could be because I could totally relate, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Anderson does an amazing job of getting inside an adolescent’s head. She knows what she’s talking about and can completely relate to a teen. Her descriptions and inner voice is so right on, you’d think this was a true story.
I also love the symbolism strung throughout the book. Melinda’s art project for the year is to creatively represent a tree. It can be in any form she would like; just “tree” is her assignment. As Melinda goes through the school year, she struggles and is frustrated by this project. This is a reflection of her inner self – one that is torn up, confused, and hurt. As she comes to a better place with it all, and eventually “wins” and everyone understands, her secret is no more. She gets her friends back, and is in a healthier place overall in life. Around this same time her tree comes to fruition. She turns it is, gets an A+ and is satisfied. All throughout the book you can see this transformation happening in her and in the tree.
This book was also fast paced, which will appeal to teen readers. It was an easy read, at just under 200 pages. Being sucked in at the first page, you don’t want to put it down and It just keeps going and going and you don’t want to stop.
The particular copy I had of this book was the “Platinum Edition.” I would definitely recommend this copy to others. There are some very interesting interview questions with the author at the end, and it really lets you see where she was coming from in writing this book. Very insightful.
Genre: Realistic/Edgy/Problem Novel
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Things I have to tell you: poems and writings by teenage girls
Franco, Betsy (Ed.). Things I have to tell you: poems and writings by teenage girls. Cambridge: Candlewick Press.
Annotation: Teenage girls are given a voice to say the things they’d like people to hear. These are raw and real words from a teenager’s heart.
Review: This book was a little too negative for my taste. I think that while it painted a raw picture of the hardships of adolescence, this can also be a time of great freedom and wonderful friendships and a positive outlook on life. Only one entry stands out to me as being positive and it is a letter to a great-grandmother expressing gratitude for everything she had done.
Most of the entries were quite dreary and negative. Adolescence is a tough and confusing time, and I’m sure that’s where the negativity came from.
I think this book could appeal to some teenage girls. I do not think it would be very popular, as my perspective is that most poetry books wouldn’t be. There are some that I think would really enjoy it and relate to it, and maybe it would inspire them to creatively express their emotions too.
This book could be good for someone working with adolescents, as it could help them understand the things going on inside a teenager’s world.
I do not nominate this book. I think it is too negative and does not appeal to a big enough audience.
Genre: Poetry or Verse Novel
Annotation: Teenage girls are given a voice to say the things they’d like people to hear. These are raw and real words from a teenager’s heart.
Review: This book was a little too negative for my taste. I think that while it painted a raw picture of the hardships of adolescence, this can also be a time of great freedom and wonderful friendships and a positive outlook on life. Only one entry stands out to me as being positive and it is a letter to a great-grandmother expressing gratitude for everything she had done.
Most of the entries were quite dreary and negative. Adolescence is a tough and confusing time, and I’m sure that’s where the negativity came from.
I think this book could appeal to some teenage girls. I do not think it would be very popular, as my perspective is that most poetry books wouldn’t be. There are some that I think would really enjoy it and relate to it, and maybe it would inspire them to creatively express their emotions too.
This book could be good for someone working with adolescents, as it could help them understand the things going on inside a teenager’s world.
I do not nominate this book. I think it is too negative and does not appeal to a big enough audience.
Genre: Poetry or Verse Novel
Sunday, May 18, 2008
The First Part Last
Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2003.
Annotation: Faced with news of his girlfriend's pregnancy on his sixteenth birthday, Bobby shares the emotional ups and downs of going through a teen pregnancy and now raising his daughter, Feather.
Justification for Nomination: This book is unique. There are plenty of books detailing the female side of the story of a teen pregnancy, but this book looks entirely at the male perspective. I enjoyed that this book painted a positive but realistic perspective on Bobby's position.
The relationship Bobby has with his daughter Feather is shown as positive, which I think it is. His daughter needs him, and he works so hard to take the best care of her he knows how.
Johnson also shows the realistic side of Bobby's struggles, though. He struggles to find child care, is torn between his daughter and his friends, and is scared about what his parents will think of him.
One thing I found odd was that you didn't hear anything about Nia in the beginning. In reality, I think Bobby would have been more torn up and upset about losing Nia, and that should have been a bigger part of the story. Maybe he was able to just focus on Feather, but he still would have been grieving.
I think this book was well written. The chapters jump from "then" and "now". The "then" is set during Nia's pregnancy, and the "now" is Bobby at home with Feather. It keeps you wanting to read, because you never have the full story until the end.
Genre: Printz
Annotation: Faced with news of his girlfriend's pregnancy on his sixteenth birthday, Bobby shares the emotional ups and downs of going through a teen pregnancy and now raising his daughter, Feather.
Justification for Nomination: This book is unique. There are plenty of books detailing the female side of the story of a teen pregnancy, but this book looks entirely at the male perspective. I enjoyed that this book painted a positive but realistic perspective on Bobby's position.
The relationship Bobby has with his daughter Feather is shown as positive, which I think it is. His daughter needs him, and he works so hard to take the best care of her he knows how.
Johnson also shows the realistic side of Bobby's struggles, though. He struggles to find child care, is torn between his daughter and his friends, and is scared about what his parents will think of him.
One thing I found odd was that you didn't hear anything about Nia in the beginning. In reality, I think Bobby would have been more torn up and upset about losing Nia, and that should have been a bigger part of the story. Maybe he was able to just focus on Feather, but he still would have been grieving.
I think this book was well written. The chapters jump from "then" and "now". The "then" is set during Nia's pregnancy, and the "now" is Bobby at home with Feather. It keeps you wanting to read, because you never have the full story until the end.
Genre: Printz
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