The First Part Last

 Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2003. Print. ISBN 9780689849220. Hardcover. $15.95 USD.

Available Formats: Paperback, hardcover, library binding hardcover, eBook, unabridged MP3, unabridged audio CD and  unabridged cassette. 

Annotation: Bobby's carefree sixteen year old life is turned upside-down when he finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. He soon learns the harsh realities of becoming a young parent. 

Book Talk: Wrap Back to the Title Technique
Bobby is your typical teenage boy living in New York. He loves exploring the city, eating junk food and hanging out with his best friends K-boy and J.L. However, this carefree adolescence comes to an abrupt halt when Bobby learns his girlfriend Nia is pregnant on his sixteenth birthday.

Told from Bobby's point of view, we follow a teenager forced to make tough choices at a young age. We learn about Bobby and Nia's struggle to make a decision about the pregnancy, and deal with the the opinions of parents, friends and social workers. At one point Bobby wonders if everything would be easier if people could live their life backwards. What if young people were wise in the beginning “...and innocent in the end”? What if we could “...do The First Part Last”? (Johnson 4).

Awards and Honors:
Coretta Scott Kind Award
Michael L. Prince Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
ALA Best Book for Young Adults
Abraham Lincoln Award Master List
ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Alabama Author's Award
Booklist Editor's Choice
Gryphon Award
IRA Young Adults' Choices 

(Image courtesy of BCLS)

Additional Author Information:

To learn about Angela Johnson, visit her official page here!

Pink

Wilkinson, Lili. Pink. New York: Harper Teen, 2009. Print. ISBN978-0-06-192653-2. Hardcover.$16.99 USD.

Available Formats: Paperback, hardcover and eBook.

Annotation: Ava Simpson is tired of her current life and decides to transfer to a new school for a fresh start. Ava takes this opportunity to change her image, meet new friends and figure out her sexual orientation. However, Ava finds herself in the middle of two very different social groups, and can't decide who her true friends are. She also struggles to keep her new identity a secret from her parents and girlfriend.

Book Talk: Open End Technique
“Should being yourself really be this tiring?” (Wilkinson 51)

This is the question Australian high school student Ava Simpson often asks herself. Ava is ready for a change. She is tired of being what her parents, and girlfriend Chloe, want her to be; a dark and deep intellectual, who doesn't care about her appearance or the confines of high school. Ava wants to be someone else. She wants to be an ultra-feminine girl, who wears pink, has a boyfriend, fits in and excels in academics. Ava decides she can achieve this if she transfers to a new school. She convinces her parents to let her enroll at the exclusive prep school Billy Hughes. Here she takes on a new identity and tries to live up to her expectations. However, this transition isn't everything she thought it would be...

Through a series of events, Ava is thrust into two different social clicks; the Pastels and the Screws. Torn between these two worlds, Ava wonders if she will be able to fit in with either group. All the while, Ava is hiding her new identity and friends from her parents and Chloe. Will the kids at Billy Hughes discover Ava has a girlfriend? Will Chloe and Ava's parents discover her new identity? Will Ava ever fit in and find her true self? 

Awards and Honors:
Stonewall Honor Book
Barbara  Jefferis Award
Rainbow Room Listee
Alemia Bloomer Listee

 (Image courtesy of BCLS)

To hear author LiLi Wilkinson discuss Pink, watch the video below!

Additional Author Information:

To visit the author's website click here!

Follow LiLi Wilkinson on Twitter @twitofalili.

 

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

Bechdel, Alison. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. Print. ISBN 978-0-618-47794-4. Hardback. $19.95 USD.

Available Formats: Paperback, hardcover, eBook. 

Annotation: Author Alison Bechdel details her unique childhood and young adult life using the graphic novel format. After coming out as a lesbian to her parents,  Alison learns of the dark secrets they kept from her for years.

Book Review:
To say Alison Bechdel has a less than conventional childhood would be an understatement. Her father, Bruce Bechdel, is an English teacher, historic preservationist and funeral home director. As a result of her father's multi-occupational life, Alison is expected to care for a home that she equates to a museum and undertake responsibilities in the funeral home; or the “fun” home as she coined it. Alison’s mother Helen, also an English teacher, is an aspiring actress who has little time for her children due to her acting schedule and impending Masters thesis. These circumstances are certainly unusual. Yet there are deeper, abstruse elements to the Bechdels. Though suspect to the mysteries in her family as an adolescent, Alison finally learns of these profound revelations after she tells her parents she is a lesbian. From the disclosure of her own secret comes a chain of shocking facts and events that turn Alison’s world upside-down.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic puts a spin on the classic autobiography. Utilizing comic book style text and images, Bechdel recounts her childhood; specifically memories of her father. This format enables the book to stand out from other autobiographies. Throughout the text, Bechdel draws parallels between events in her life and well-known literature. For instance, Alison likens her father to famous characters in The Great Gatsby and Ulysses. Although these are clever comparisons for avid readers of classic novels, they may be too complex for the young adult population. Moreover, Bechdel utilizes lengthy, intricate words throughout the book. This vocabulary may be too difficult for adolescents.  Nevertheless, the book has several admirable qualities. Foremost, Alison is true to herself. She realizes who she is from a young age and is unapologetic about her lifestyle. Additionally, there are humorous and quirky aspects to the book, even though the family secrets are dark. Therefore, I would recommend this read for teenagers ages 16 and up, based on the complexity of the story and vocabulary. This book would be best suited for a young adult, or adult, collection within a public library. 

Awards and Honors:
ALA Stonewall Book Award- Israel Fishman Non-Fiction
Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work
GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Comic Book
Publishing Triangle Awards  

(Image courtesy of BCLS)

Hear author Alison Bechdel read an excerpt from the book in the video below!

Additional Author Information:

To visit the author's website click here!

Follow Alison Bechdel on Twitter  @AlisonBechdel.

Between Shades of Gray

Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Penguin Group, 2011. Print. ISBN 978-0-14-242059-1. Paperback. $8.99 USD.

Available Formats: Paperback, hardcover, library binding hardcover, eBook, audio CD, unabridged MP3 and iTunes. 

Annotation: Under the orders of Joseph Stalin, Soviet NKVD officers rip fifteen year old Lina Vilkas and her family from their home in Lithuania during World War II. They are sent on a harrowing journey to Siberia, where they are forced to work hard labor. Between Shades of Gray is a story of hope, courage, strength and love in a time of despair.

Book Review:

On June 14, 1941 Lina Vilkas, an artistically gifted fifteen year old girl, is ripped from her home in Lithuania by Soviet NKVD officers. Lina and her family have committed no crime, but are considered to be anti-Soviets under the occupation of iron-fisted Joseph Stalin. Unbeknownst to Lina, she will be sent on a harrowing journey to Siberia where she will be sentenced to hard labor along with her mother and brother. In the midst of the sudden brutality inflicted on her life, Lina is determined to discover why these atrocities are being forced on her family. Even more, Lina is on a quest to find her father, Kostas, who never returned home from work one evening. Told through the first person perspective, Lina displays astounding bravery and hope in a time of despair. Throughout her journey, Lina is faced with decisions and situations that would be difficult for most adults to withstand. Will Lina find her father and reunite her family? Will she ever see Lithuania again? These answers are revealed in this historical, heartrending novel. 

Between Shades of Gray would be an excellent addition to a young adult collection in a high school or public library. Although a work of fiction, it is an important piece of literature. The book outlines a critical moment in history that is rarely discussed in textbooks and classrooms. Even though most teenagers will find it difficult to relate to Lina's dire situation, they can certainly learn from her story, courage and strength. Additionally, the novel is easy to follow. The book opens at a pivotal, intense moment and keeps a fluid pace throughout. Furthermore, the flashbacks intermixed with the first person point of view add depth to the story and make it a real page turner. Powerful and heavy, this novel is a highly recommended for teenagers ages 14 through 18.

Awards and Honors:

YALSA Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012
ALA Notable Children's Book, 2012
Booklist Top 10 First Novels for Youth, 2011
Booklist Editors Choice, Books for Youth, Fiction, Older Reader, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Books of 2011
Publisher's Weekly Best Teen Books of 2011
SLJ Best Books of 2011
New York Time's Notable Children's Books of 2011

(Image courtesy of BCLS)

Listen to Ruta Sepetys discuss her inspiration for the book in the video below!

 

Additional Author Information:

To learn more about the book, visit the author's website here!

Follow Ruta Sepetys on Twitter @RutaSepetys. 

 

Forever

Blume, Judy. Forever.New York: Simon Pulse, 2003. Print. ISBN 978-1-4169-3400-4. Paperback. $8.99.

 

Available Formats: Paperback, hardcover, library binding hardcover and eBook.

Annotation: Katherine and Michael are experiencing first love. Like most teenagers they are dealing with the emotions, decisions and challenges that come along with it. Although they think they have found true love, their relationship is put to the test when they are forced to spend the summer apart.

Book Review:
Katherine Danzinger and Michael Wagner's love story is like most other young adults. It is intense, passionate, confusing, exciting and new. Introduced at a friend's New Year's Eve party, the two suburban high school seniors quickly fall for each other. Once Katherine decides to be intimate with Michael, she has to make many challenging decisions that she never thought she would face. Although they believe they have found true love, their relationship is put to the test when they have to spend their first summer as a couple in different states. Katherine and Michael must decide whether their love will be forever, or if the distance will tear them apart.

Originally written over thirty years ago, Forever is a classic piece of fiction that is still relevant to teenagers today. Therefore, I would recommend this book for a young adult collection in a public library. The information in the novel is important for teens to have access to, since Blume candidly explores topics that many adolescents are dealing with. This includes sex, contraception, drugs, sexual orientation, college, suicide and depression. Additionally, Forever contains dialogue that teenagers can relate to. Told from the perspective of Katherine, the language is that of a seventeen year old girl. Consequently, the writing style provides a genuine feeling to the book. Additionally, the story is told chronologically. Therefore, readers can easily follow Michael and Katherine's relationship throughout the text. As for age level, I would recommend this book for readers aged 14 through 18, since the content would likely be more applicable to this demographic.

Awards and Honors:
ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults
NPR-Your Favorites: 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels

(Image courtesy of BCLS)

Click here to listen to author J. Courntey Sullivan's recommendation for Forever.

Additional Author Information:

To visit the author's website click here!

  

Follow Judy Blume on Twitter @judyblume.