Almond, David. Kit's Wilderness. 1999. Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385326653.

Kit's Wilderness centers on Christopher Watson who is thirteen years old and just moved to the mining town with his parents where his grandfather was recently widowed. Kit is close to his grandfather, listening to the stories he told about all the boys who worked down in the deep mine pits, and how many died down there. His grandfather shows him a monument downtown in honor of some of those children killed in a large cave in many years ago. Kit is disturbed to see his own name on the monument, a distant uncle killed long ago, along with another contemporary's name, John Askew. John is an artist in Kit's class at school and tells Kit again and again that they are more alike than Kit knows. Kit writes stories based on stories his grandfather has told, and John paints pictures that seem perfectly matched to the story. John plays a game with some of the other children called Death, where children ritualistically play like they die in a small underground hideout, with candles and carvings of the children in the walls. It is said that you must not awaken someone who “dies,” that they must return on their own or be one of the living dead. Kit is awakened by a teacher who finds the hideout, and he begins to see ghosts at the edge of his vision, and in his room at night. John runs away from his abusive father during the winter, and Kit goes to him, and brings him back with one of his stories. Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award among others , this story touches on friendship, death, love, art and meaning in history. Rich with tension and imbued with a powerful message of the cycles of living between many generations, the ending is both realistic with a touch of magic.

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. 1967. The Viking Press. ISBN 0440967694.

Ponyboy is an orphan and lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. Darry is twenty and working two jobs, his hopes for college gone with the deaths of their parents. Soda dropped out of school at sixteen to work at a gas station, but he wasn't very interested in school to begin with. Ponyboy is fourteen and gets good grades, but doesn't think his older brother loves him because Darry is always on his back about something. The brothers hang out with a few other boys and make up a gang. Dallas, a real tough guy who's been in and out of jail since he was twelve scares Ponyboy a little. Steve, who is a kleptomaniac and is Soda's best friend. Two-Bit can't help but make a funny remark at every opportunity and carries a black-handled switchblade which is his pride. And Johnny, who was beat on by his father as well as the Socs.

Johnny was beaten very badly by a group of four or five of the high society guys that like to fight with the Greasers. One of the guys that beat Johnny is named Bob and when he sees Johnny, Ponyboy and Two-Bit walking with his girlfriend Marcia and another Socs girl, he plans to get them. Bob and a few friends spot Johnny and Ponyboy in the park later that night and nearly drown Ponyboy in the park fountain. But Johnny stabs Bob with the knife he started carrying after his beating and kills Bob. The two boys must then deal with the aftermath.

The Outsiders is a compelling and swift-moving story that highlights classism, gangs, brotherhood and some harsh realities of the streets. The style is written as though Ponyboy wrote about what happened in a frank and gritty composition paper. Ponyboy grows as a character and comes to see the Socs as people as different from each other as the Greasers are within their group, but also people who share common thoughts and feelings with him. A coming-of-age story that still has relevance and resonance today.

Smith, Betty. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn . 1943. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0060139358.

Set in the early 1900's, pre-World War I, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of Mary Frances Nolan, otherwise known as Francie. But it is more than that, it is the story of her hard-working mother who was too proud to take charity, her alcoholic father, who was a marvelous singer and a very poor provider, her brother who was the best in the family at playing the piano and who took a newspaper route when he was twelve. This novel looks unflinchingly at the grime, games and gore of life in Brooklyn just after the turn of the century.

The hardships suffered by the family included frequent times of hunger, and their mother, Katie, would pretend they were on an expedition to the North Pole and had to ration their food until they got money again to get something to eat. They played this game many times, even after Francie became disillusioned with the game. The teachers at the public school were all old maids who hated the unwashed mass of poor children they had to teach, even to ignoring their need to go to the bathroom and making them wet themselves. An unmarried girl that lived on the same block had stones thrown at her by other women in the neighborhood for being so bold as to bring her fatherless child out for a carriage stroll.

The growth and change in Francie is presented in clear language that is unflinching and not overly sentimental. But there are many highly charged emotional parts of the book that cannot fail to touch the reader with sympathy or laughter or dread. This is a book that has lasted for sixty years for a good reason, and an excellent addition to any young adult or adult's list of “I've read that.”

Garden, Nancy. 1982. Annie on my Mind. Aerial Fiction. ISBN 0374404143.

Liza meets Annie one rainy November day in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Liza is a senior who wants to be an architect and attends a strict private school. Annie sings and gardens and attends a poor public school. They become friends quickly and slowly move into a romantic relationship, ultimately becoming lovers. Through the difficulties of discovering their sexuality and what it means to each of them, they become close. But discovery of their relationship by the head of Liza’s private school threatens not only their romance, but Liza’s hope of being accepted to MIT. Liza has to deal with now being suddenly “outed” affects her family, friends, teachers, Annie and herself.
Told in a series of flashbacks by Liza at MIT as the thinks about Annie now living in California, this young love story is a frank and tender look at a lesbian relationship. The emotional ups and downs are written realistically. After an argument, Liza and Annie are talking about the growing physical aspect of their relationship. Liza says, “It scares me, too, Annie, but not because I think it’s wrong or anything – at least I don’t think it’s that. It’s – it’s mostly because it’s so strong, the love and the friendship and every part of it.” After their relationship is discovered, Liza writes, “I read somewhere the other day that love is good as long as it’s honest and unselfish and hurts no one.” This causes internal conflict for Liza, as she feels that their relationship hurt other people.
Garden handles the adolescent love relationship very well, without excess romanticism, yet still manages to capture the intense feelings that surround first time love. The characters who vociferously oppose Liza’s and Annie’s homosexual relationship are eventually fired by the school board, which feels a little too ideal. But other characters who think their relationship is wrong do not have anything significant happen to them, so that provides some balance and a more realistic touch. The girls also have support in the form of two teachers and loving families.

Rennison, Louise. 1999. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. HarperTempest. ISBN 0064472272.

August 27th Thursday
2:30 pm
I can’t bear this. I’ve only taken about five hairs out and my eyes are swollen to twice their normal size.

4:00 pm
Cracked it. I’ll use Dad’s razor.

4:05 pm
Sharper than I thought. It’s taken off a lot of hair just on one stroke. I’ll have to even up the other one.

4:16 pm
Bugger it. It looks all right, I think, but I look very surprised in one eye. I’ll have to even up the other one now.

10:00 pm
Maybe they’ll grow back overnight. How long does it take for eyebrows to grow?

Georgia is fourteen years old and her parents don’t understand her. Her friends don’t understand her. Even she doesn’t understand her. She doesn’t like the way she looks and desperately wishes that she could attract the “SEX GOD,” Robbie. Her adventures, and misadventures, revolve around school, boys, friends and her rather wild cat named Angus.
Full of humor and spirit, Georgia’s diary style story will give the reader a number of good laughs. One can’t help but laugh as she tries to deal with the neighbor complaining about Angus stalking her guinea pigs, a head mistress who bans levitation, kissing lessons given for free by a seventeen year old boy and her attempt to dye her hair blonde. Reminiscent of Anne from the Anne of Green Gables books, only more modern and British. There is quite a bit of slang from across the water used, but “Georgia” very kindly provides a glossary at the back containing the meanings.
The authenticity of the adolescent voice is perfect. There are likable and unlikable aspects to the main character. Her interactions with other people are neither bland or cliché. Renniston has written a book that will amuse and delight young (and young at heart) readers and hopefully will do so for many years.

Cormier, Robert. 1974. The Chocolate War. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0394828054.

“Do I dare disturb the universe?” This quote from T.S. Eliot’s Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock is printed on a poster that hangs in Jerry Renault’s locker. This phrase is the theme in this story set in a Catholic boys high school. Run by a slightly sadistic Brother Leon in the normal principal’s absence, the annual chocolate sale begins with both the quotas and price doubled. Leon is desperate to get all the chocolate sold, as he overextended the school funds to buy it. Archie, leader of the school’s secret society, the Vigils, is enlisted by Leon to pressure the boys into meeting their quotas. But Archie is a master at manipulating people and assigns Jerry to refuse to sell chocolates for a certain number of days to irritate Leon. But Jerry continues to refuse the chocolate after the assignment is over. In defying both Brother Leon and the Vigil assignment, Jerry becomes the target of a campaign of ostracism, hazing and finally, a fight set up for the whole school to watch.
The Chocolate War is the fifth most frequently challenged book in the United States. This is not only due to language, sexual elements, violence and a negative view of the Catholic Church, but also because of the outcome of the climax fight. This book does not have a happy ending. It presents a practical and realistic outcome when someone does dare to disturb the universe.
The language and dialogue seems accurate for the time it was written. The descriptions of Jerry’s thoughts as he tries to call a girl he’s admired at his bust stop and his quiet desperation as he contemplates he father’s life are compelling. The language is simple and direct and while giving the reader a good sense of what is going on and where, it is not bogged own with description. This is a tough book dealing with difficult issues, but an excellent read.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. 1999. Speak. Farrar Straus Girroux. ISBN 0374371520.

Melinda Sordino isn’t talking much, certainly not about why she called the cops during an end-of-summer party. Or why she’s started skipping classes. “I am BunnyRabbit again, hiding in the open. I sit like I have an egg in my mouth. One move, one word, and the egg will shatter and blow up the world. I am getting seriously weird in the head.”
What Melinda can’t talk about, or even think about to herself, is that the night of the party she was raped by a senior boy. Melinda eventually learns that she needs to tell someone once her old best friend starts to date “The Beast” near the end of the school year. She warns Rachel, but she doesn’t believe Melinda. Not until the night of Prom when he gets too frisky with Rachel and she breaks up with him. Melinda still has told no one else about her ordeal until he traps her in the hidey hole she made for escape when she skipped classes. Finally able to break her silence as he tries to attack her again, she screams and fights back and he is caught red-handed.
Cynical, smart and funny, Melinda’s narrative voice makes the book hard to put down. Her depression and withdrawal after her assault is excellently written with many supporting details, like her chewing her lips bloody all the time and hiding her bedroom mirror in the closet facing the wall. She begins to glean new friends that help her gain her ability to speak: her art teacher, her lab partner in biology, an old friend who moves past the perceived betrayal at the party. Her slow unfolding into strength from the powerless person she was at the beginning of the book is beautifully and skillfully written. This is a Michael L. Printz Award Honor book, and it well deserves it.

Duncan, Lois. 1971. A Gift of Magic. Little, Brown & Company. ISBN 0671726498

Twelve year old Nancy knows things she shouldn’t. She knows who’s calling when the telephone rings. She can see what each of her family members are doing when she concentrates on them. She can tell what cards other people hold so easily that her sister, Kirby, and brother, Brendon, refuse to play card games with her. But it isn’t until her parents’ divorce and discovering that her maternal grandmother had the same gift that Nancy begins to try and strengthen and focus this ability.
With her new-found power, however, Nancy must develop new boundaries of how much she should interfere with other people’s lives now that she can. After humiliating a teacher who had accused Nancy of cheating when she had simply anticipated the quiz questions, Nancy feels powerful and a bit guilty. When her sister Kirby, who was going to dance at a recital with a chance of getting picked to attend a special dance school far from their home, falls down stairs when Nancy is looking at her and fiercely wanting her sister to stay, Nancy is wracked with guilt. She swears that she’ll never use the power again. This promise is impossible to keep when her brother gets himself into life-threatening danger, and Nancy comes to accept a good balance of knowing when to use her power.
Nancy is a well-developed character with realistic reactions to her parents’ divorce and the guilt she feels over Kirby’s accident. The book is not told exclusively from Nancy’s point of view, which provides good changes in voice and pacing. The other characters are believable in both internal dialogue and actions within the story. The pacing is relatively quick, with the plot ending very shortly after the climax. An interesting blend of the issues of divorce, settling in a new town, and ESP are all issues that would interest the young adult reader.

Crutcher, Chris. 1983. Running Loose. Greenwillow Books. ISBN 068802002X

Louie and Carter are best friends and play football in their small town’s high school. They trained hard all summer before their senior year. They win their first game and Louie starts dating the lovely and wise Becky. Things look like they are going to go Louie’s way until the second game of the season. Louie quits the team in disgust over Coach Lednecky’s blatant instruction to the team to injure a black member of a rival team. After some resulting problems with school and former teammates. Louie settles into his relationship with Becky and schoolwork. But a car accident takes her away from him and he has to deal with the aftermath, find something new to pour his energy into.
A man, Dakota, talks with Louie after Becky’s funeral. “Boy, if you come through this, you’ll be a man. There’s one thing that separates a man and a boy, the way I see it, and it ain’t age. It’s seein’ how life works, so you don’t get surprised all the time and kicked in the butt. It’s knowin’ the rules.” Louie protests that it seems like there are too many rules. Dakota shows by example that if the rules are too simple, then life isn’t interesting.
In simple, informal writing, this coming-of-age story contains powerful concepts. These are not presented in an overly preachy way. Difficult issues of racism, sexuality, and losing a love interest are handled with sensitivity and without excess or maudlin sentiment. All the situations and dialogue feel very authentic. While dealing with sports as an important part of the story, the sports don’t overpower the plot or character development. This novel should appeal to teen males, but is a strong enough story to appeal to even those relatively uninterested in sports.

Mikaelsen, Ben. 2003. Red Midnight. Rayo. ISBN 0380805618

In the little Guatemalan village of Dos Vias, twelve year old Santiago and his four year old sister Angelina live with their mother and Uncle Ramos. But in one night, their lives are overturned and a dangerous journey begins for Santiago and Angelina. “A dog barks. Another shot echoes, and the dog is quiet. Then there is shouting and killing. I remember my mom waking me that night. Fear makes makes her voice shakes as she pushes my little sister into my arms. ‘Santiago, wake up!’ she whispers loudly.’Run! Take Angelina with you. They have come to kill us. Run!’ And my mother is right. As I stumble barefoot toward the trees holding Angelina's hand, soldiers appear behind me. They carry torches that show their laughing faces as they run through our small village burning every home" Santiago takes the canoe that his Uncle Ramos taught them how to sail and his little sister and begin a journey north and to the United States. Their journey is full of dangers – dehydration, shark-infested waters, and storms. This is a survival and adventure story that will appeal.
Sometimes a little heavy-handed in its message regarding some anti-American and upper-class sentiments, the adventure story makes up for it. The pacing moves quickly, outside of the flashbacks, and the voice reads as authentic. The perils of the journey hold the reader’s interest and one is able to suspend disbelief, with a little work, that two children could make such an incredible trip. Also, the ending is somewhat unrealistic, that two unaccompanied children would be allowed to stay in the US with no family or anyone to take them in. But it makes for a happy ending to this engaging tale.