Bibliography:

Stone, N. (2017). Dear Martin. New York, NY. Crown Books for Young Readers. 

Plot Summary: 

Justyce McAllister is a seventeen year old African American who comes from humble beginnings and attends an expensive prep-school in Atlanta. He is a good student and friend, but everything changes when he is brutalized by a white police officer. He then struggles with racial profiling and police brutality against African American. He tries to cope with his struggles by writing to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his journal.  

Critical Analysis: 

This title is a contemporary realistic novel. It contains many characteristics of this genre. These characteristics include the setting and events or plot that could be real. The setting is in Atlanta, which is a state in the United States. The plot includes many issues that young black teenagers encounter in society. These issues include racial profiling, racism, police brutality, gangs and murder. In the novel Justyce is racially profiled when he tries to help his drunk girlfriend and is brutally arrested by Officer Castillo. The police brutality is depicted by the other cases that the novel refers to like Travarrus Jenkins and Shemar Carson. The gang issue narrative is depicted when Justyce goes to visit Quan in jail. Quan tried to convince Justyce that there was power in numbers. Violence is an overall topic in the entire novel. A teenager trying to do the right thing, but keeps getting thrown back into the cycle of violence. The novel also depicts young love and the struggles with interracial partnering.  

Strengths: The novel depicts the characters very well. The language dialect that the African American use was well depicted in the novel. The cultural status was also depicted in the novel. 

Weaknesses: The novel was well written and no weaknesses were found. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

Review by K.C. Boyd (10/2017)

https://www.booklistonline.com/Dear-Martin-Nic-Stone/pid=8925209

 

Bibliography: 

Forman, G. (2010). if i stay: What would you do if you had to choose?. New York, NY. Penguin Group (USA) LLC. 

Plot Summary: 

Mia is a seventeen year old girl that lives in the state of Oregon with her two parents and young brother (Teddy). She has a normal teenage life until a car accident takes the lives of both parents and her brother. She is critically injured, has an out-of-body experience and is watching everything and everyone around her and is contemplating whether she should die or live. 

Critical Analysis: 

This title is a contemporary realistic fiction novel. It has many characteristics of this genre. The plot can be considered to happen in real life, while the characters are fictitious. Although the reader is able to experience Mia’s journey through an out-of-body experience, this is possible because many people have told their out-of-body experience in the real world.  The setting and the scenery that is described in the novel is also believable because the state of Oregon is an actual State. This novel could be considered under the subtopic of love, loss and friendship. The love part happens when Mia goes through finding love with Adam. The reader gets an insight of what teenage courting looks like. The beginning of the courtship and through their love experiences (first kiss, first sexual encounter). The loss occurs when the car accident happened in the novel. Mia lost her entire family in the accident. The author is able to describe Mia’s feelings of loss while she is in the out-of-body experience. The author also is able to describe the loss by describing many of Mia’s flashbacks to her childhood. The friendship topic occurs when the author describes the friendship between Mia, Adam and Kim. 

Strengths: The novel has an excellent introduction to the characters. The plot is well described and the reader is able to visualize what the main character is feeling and going through. 

Weaknesses: The novel was well written and no weaknesses were found.

Connections: This novel reminds me of the title The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. There is also a sequel to If I stay. The sequel is Where She Went by Gayle Forman. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

Review by Lauren Adams (07/01/2009)

https://www.hbook.com/story/review-stay 

 

Bibliography:

Summers, C. (2018). Sadie. New York, NY. St. Martin’s Press. 

Plot Summary:

Sadie is a seventeen year old girl that lives in Cold Creek, Colorado. She lives with her drug addict mother and younger sister Mattie in a small trailer home. Her life was filled of sexual abuse by her mother’s boyfriend Keith and watching her mother spiral into a world of drugs and alcohol abuse. When her sister Mattie gets murdered, she sets out to find the killer and get vengeance. All while a news reporter, West McCray sets out to put the pieces of her disappearance together.  

Critical Analysis:

This title is definitely a contemporary realistic fiction novel. Some of the characteristics that the novel contains is that the setting takes place in a small town in Colorado, the plot or events could be real, but the characters are fictional and the societal issues that were portrait in the novel are child abuse, murder, child abduction, teenagers runaways and drug and alcohol abuse. Other teenage issues that this novel displayed are young love, friendship and dealing with the teasing of having a  speech impairment (stuttering). Although this novel is contemporary realist fiction, it falls into the category of mystery/thriller. The mystery element happens when Sadie leaves her town without telling anyone about her plans to find the killer. The mystery also intensifies when authorities find her car with all her belongings but are unable to locate her. The thriller elements arise when Sadie confronts many shady characters to obtain information about the killer. This novel contained parallel narratives, a story within a story. The story began with the character of West McCray the reporter and then the narrative of Sadie. This provided the reader with more insight on Sadie’s home life. 

Strengths: This novel has an excellent plot with many twists and turns. It keeps the reader wanting to read more to see if the character was found safe. 

Weakness: The Novel was well written and I found no weaknesses. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

Review and Podcast by Shelley Diaz (9/04/2018)

https://www.slj.com/story/1809-Courtney-Summers-on-Sadie#:~:text=SLJ's%20starred%20review%20says%2C%20%E2%80%9Cit's,inspired%20you%20to%20write%20Sadie%3F

Review excerpt (Booklist)

02/15/2019 by Terry Hong

https://www.booklistonline.com/Sadie/pid=9713756

 

Bibliography

Giles, L. et al. (2018). Fresh Ink: An anthology. New York, NY. Penguin Random House LLC.

Plot Summary

This anthology has twelve short stories that depict teenagers in different situations. Shay, Dante,Tamia, Hubie, Shirin, Yasi, Ramses, Rosie, Zakary, Jasmine, Tommy (Chloe), X and Syrita. These teenagers face many societal issues. These issues can stem from young romance, racism, overcoming obstacles, violence, sexual orientation (transgender), gang violence and police brutality. 

Critical Analysis

This novel is an anthology because it contains twelve short stories that were written by different authors. They collaborated together to compile the stories that depict teenager’s social issues. Some of the stories can be categorized as realistic fiction because they have events that can happen in real life. However, there are other stories like Super Human and A Stranger At The Bonchinche which might be considered fantasy or Science fiction because they have elements of superhuman strength and machines that make humans fly.  The short story titled Don’t Pass Me By is excellent at displaying bullying and racism against Native Americans. Even Though, these short stories depict many societal issues mentioned above, the theme ultimately is perseverance, love, hope and friendship. 

Strengths: The character development is excellent and the plot is easy to follow. 

Weaknesses: The ending of some of the short stories is not clear. They leave the reader hanging or wanting to read more about the characters. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

https://www.slj.com/review/fresh-ink-an-anthology

 Reviewed by Kaetlyn Phillips, Yorkton, Sask. , Jun 01, 2018

Review excerpt (Booklist)

https://www.booklistonline.com/Fresh-Ink-Ed-by-Lamar-Giles/pid=9709036

First published February 15, 2019 (Booklist). Becca Boland

 Bibliography

Nijkamp, M. et al. (2018). Unbroken: 13 Stories starring disabled teens. New York, NY. Farrar Straus Giroux. 

Plot Summary

The title gives a clue of the thirteen short stories. It starts with each main character having a physical or mental disability. Lihua and Nora are two young girls with physical diseases who look towards the future . Britt and Eloise, who are wheelchair bound, try to look beyond their handicaps and try to find love.  Alix and Richard are two cripples that want something better for themselves.  

Critical Analysis 

This anthology novel was written by thirteen authors. All of the stories have a different topic and the characters have some type of disability. All of the stories depict teenagers. The title fits well with the characters and plot. The plot can include teenage love, perseverance, hope and vengeance. Other issues that were found in the short stories were one family households, dealing with anxiety, bullying and sexual orientation. All these issues are being experienced by many teenagers nowadays. Other topics that were depicted in some of the short stories dealt with curses and magic. This would make these stories fantasies. 

Strengths: The short stories had strong character development and a strong plot. I was able to enjoy all the short stories and learn about the feelings and tribulations that disabled teens go through. There was also a lot of cultural diversity within some of the characters. 

Weaknesses: No weaknesses were found. All the stories were well written. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/review/unbroken-13-stories-starring-disabled-teens

VERDICT A great choice for all YA collections. by Marieke, ed Nijkamp

Review Excerpt (Booklist)

https://www.booklistonline.com/Unbroken-13-Stories-Starring-Disabled-Teens-Ed-by-Marieke-Nijkamp/pid=9703683

Sept. 2018. Donna Scanlon

 Bibliography

Shakur, T. (1999). The Rose That Grew From Concrete. New York, NY. Pocket Books: A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 

Plot Summary 

Tupac Shakur shared the first set of poems that addressed the struggles and hardships of his childhood. The other thirty-three poems addressed his romantic and love interests. The next thirteen poems addressed politics, racism and the dedication of his mom and all mothers. He also wrote about the struggle with drugs and perseverance.In the last nine poems he expressed the injustices, evil and hate that he witnessed during that time in his young age.  

Critical Analysis

Tupac Shakur was able to express his thoughts and feelings through this set of poems (The Rose That Grew From Concrete). In his first set of poems he was able to capture his feeling at the time he was writing. His language sets the mood and tone. The mood he expresses is sadness and frustration. The tone he expresses in these first poems is one of anger and despair. As I read these poems, I was able to visualize his pain and anger. 

In the next set of poems (Nothing can Come Between Us) he was able to express his romantic side. His mood changed for this set of poetry. The mood was more subtle and loving. Some of these poems were also devoted to finding love, but also losing it. His emotions and thoughts were clearly expressed in these poems. The Last set of poems were dedicated to freedom and justice. In these poems he was able to express his frustration with politics during his adulthood.He was able to help me visualize some events that happened during that time of his life (For Mrs. Hawking: In Memory of Yusef Hawkins). 

In the Last set of poems (Liberty Needs Glasses) he expressed his thoughts about the law and justice during this time of his life. He was expressing his frustration with the justice system. In the last poem (In the Event of My Demise) I feel he was predicting his death, but it was clear that he remained positive, even though his life was filled with hardships and sorrow. I was able to feel and visualize the humanity in Tupac Shakur by reading his poems.    

Strengths: All the poems seem to convey a message. The poems expressed different moods and tones. The reader is able to make a mental image of what was going on during the time he wrote the poems. 

Weakness: In his writing he used numbers  and the eye symbol to convey a word. It was a little hard to read. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

https://blogs.slj.com/adult4teen/2014/10/15/poetry-from-the-streets/

October 15, 2014 by Mark Flowers

LSSL 5385 Module 1 YA Literature Book Review

 

Whaley, J.C. (2011). Where Things Come Back. New York, NY. Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division.

Cullen Witter is a teenager that lives in Lily, Arkansas. He lives with his younger brother Gilbert Witter and his parents. Cullen Witter was surrounded by death at such a young age. First his cousin, Olso died. Then other high school classmates also died. However, death hit very close to home when his young brother went missing. Cullen often wondered what happened to his brother and had a very vivid, gruesome imagination that included zombies. Cullen had to endure the loss of his brother as well as his love interest. Not realizing that his actions with one of those love interests was the cause of losing his brother. 

This novel is realistic fiction and mystery fiction too. The novel includes many events that could actually take place in real life. The issues that some young adults face during their coming of age like, suicide, their sexuality, love interests and problems with their partners. Other real life events include death and issues that come with losing a loved one. Like Cullen's mother's mental health. The novel also contains mystery characteristics. This happens when everyone in town is looking for the elusive Lazarus Woodpecker and trying to find out what happened to Gilbert Witter. The strength of the novel is the vivid description of the settings, explanations of each character's part and the characters' connections that are connected at the end of the novel.  The weakness of the novel is how some characters have their own chapters. As I began to read the novel, I was a little confused as to why chapter 1 and chapter 2 had different characters. However, as I kept reading I figured that at the end all the characters had a relationship to one another. 

Review excerpt (SLJ)

https://www.slj.com/review/where-things-come-back

LSSL 5385 Module 1 YA Literature Book Review

 

Hinton, S.E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York, NY: Penguin Group. Ponyboy, Sodapop and Darrel (Darry) were three orphaned brothers that were part of the greasers. A name that was given to a group of boys that oiled their hair. Darry was the oldest of the brothers and took a paternal role. Sodapop was the middle brother and his character was always joyful and carefree. Ponyboy the main character is smart and brave.The other greasers were Steve, Two-Bit Mathews, Dallas (Dally) and Johnny. In the world of Ponyboy there were the greasers and the Socials (Socs). The socials were a group of rich boys that were always targeting the greasers. Until one day, everything went too far and Johnny murdered one of the Socs. As a result, Johnny and Ponyboy had to leave town and go to an abandoned church in Windrixville. However, everything changed when the church went up in flames with children inside. Ponyboy and Johnny decided to go into the burning church and save the kids. Because of this Johnny was badly burned and hurt. He later died in the hospital and Ponyboy was forced to return to his neighborhood. In the end the greasers and the Socs had a last rumble to settle the death of one of their own. After this, Ponyboy realized the importance of family and friends. 

This novel is considered a coming of age fiction story. The main characters are young teenagers that are part of society's problems like poverty, gangs, smoking and violence. This novel also shows a strong connection to friendship and the importance of family. This novel was later turned into a motion picture which featured many famous actors. 

The strengths of the novel include the plot and how it unravels at the end and the description and qualities given to each character. I really enjoyed reading this novel. I found no weakness because I was able to understand the characters roles that followed the plot. 

Review excerpt (Booklist)

https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Outsiders/pid=8612801

Review excerpt (SLJ)

https://www.slj.com/review/the-outsiders

LSSL 5385 Module 1 YA Literature Book Review

 

Boulley, A. (2021). Fire Keeper’s Daughter. Waterville, ME: Thorndike Press.

Daunis Fontaine is a young girl who struggles with her cultural identity because she is

half Native American. Even Though she struggles with her identity, she is a very strong, smart

and athletic girl. Her life seemed to be all planned out,until her best friend Lily was murdered by

her drug addicted ex boyfriend. It was this incident that threw Daunis into a world of drugs

and undercover work. Ultimately discovering that her half brother Levi was involved in the

distribution of methamphetamines. 

This novel contains elements of mystery and thriller. The mystery happens when Daunis,

Jamie and Ron try to figure out what happened to Daunis’ Uncle David and who was

distributing methamphetamine to the young people in her community. The novel has suspense

and thriller aspects. This happens when Daunis and Jamie were kidnapped and held in a tiny trailer.

The author also included many societal issues like: the use and distribution of drugs by teenagers,

sexual abuse (rape), sex and kidnapping. 

The novel reminded me of a legend titled The Legend of the Lady Slipper.The author of this legend also used Native American language and used the translations of the words.

This made it easier for the readers to understand the text. The author of the novel Fire Keeper's

Daughter also used many Native American words with translations. 

The strengths of this novel include the development of the character’s and it has many issues that people face everyday. The weakness of the novel was that the resolution of the plot was way too long. This happened when the author kept mentioning the little people and was trying to explain their place in the novel. 

Review excerpt (Horn book)

https://www.hbook.com/story/review-of-firekeepers-daughter