An adventure in the wilds of Alaska. A creepy old house that possesses its inhabitants. A high school senior facing unique challenges in her college search. I recently read three very different books: one thriller, one horror and one realistic fiction. But despite the differences in genre, they all plucked at my emotions and had me glued to the pages.
The North Line by Matt Riordan - After a foolish mistake costs Adam his college scholarship, he hopes to make quick tuition money by working the summer on fishing boats in Alaska. The job introduces him to the rough characters, grueling routines and physical risks that are part of the industry. When the captain of Adam’s boat decides to defy striking fishermen, the danger escalates. The author draws from his own work experiences to instill real grittiness, tension, and even humor. My only criticism is that the author sometimes grows philosophical about nature, evolution, and purpose, breaking up the action. In addition, halfway through the book, readers learn that it is set in the 1990s during the Gulf War. It’s never really clear why the author includes this historical element, and it’s not integrated throughout the story. Aside from those issues, the adventure may appeal to readers who liked Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Peak by Roland Smith or Adrift by Paul Griffin. The theme of shedding your past and forging a new identity also may resonate, although the coarse language and references to sex and drug use may make this book best for older teens. The ending is tense, thrilling, and unexpected. A Place for Vanishing by Ann Fraistat - After a failed suicide attempt, teenaged Libby and her family try to make a fresh start in a mysterious home that’s been abandoned for decades. But while the family struggles to cope with its trauma, it must also face the secrets of the house, which include a history of seances, rumored disappearances and creepy bugs - so many creepy bugs. The author deftly balances a story about a shattered family and mental illness with a thrilling tale of hauntings and the supernatural. Libby, her younger sister, their mom and a quirky boy next door are well developed and relatable. The supernatural elements will make readers’ skin crawl and the ending is fast-paced, tense and thrilling. The bugs may turn off some readers. The discussion of suicide may be too heavy for some, but the author focuses on the aftermath and recovery, not the act itself. While it may trigger some readers, who are warned in an author’s note at the front of the book, the discussion is handled honestly but carefully, showing how that level of desperation impacts everyone connected. Readers who like horror stories and don’t mind being creeped out will devour this book. Fans of Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury and White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson, other stories where the haunted house is almost another character, also may enjoy this. Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest - Effie is a high school senior who uses a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy, a condition that impacts her mobility and reflexes. She longs to go to college far from home and become a voice for people with disabilities. But she struggles with obstacles in her current school and fears leaving her support network of family and friends. Will her wheelchair keep her from following her dreams? Spoiler alert: of course it doesn’t. But watching Effie navigate the journey from a shy teen afraid to make waves to a confident advocate for herself and others is powerful. How she pursues her dreams and pushes past challenges sends a strong message to others. This book offers the rare perspective of someone with a chronic illness and a wheelchair user, and it’s eye opening. When Effie and her parents visit her dream school in New York City, readers see firsthand how hard it is for someone with limited mobility to catch the subway or cross a snowy campus. Readers learn how easy it is for colleges and businesses to make excuses for not being accessible, blaming the age of buildings or the cost of making upgrades for their failure to do so. The story brings to light sacrifices that people with disabilities are expected to make, such as forgoing the chance to have a roommate because the only dorm rooms that will fit a wheelchair are singles. When Effie tours a campus that has made strong efforts to improve accessibility, it is amazing what can be done, making the excuses offered by others even harder to accept. Readers with a disability or chronic illness will see themselves in the story, but so will any teen facing the decision about what to do after high school. Choosing a college or a career to pursue can be scary, confusing or, in some cases, ripe for comedy. Other books that cover this time period include Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertelli and When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon.
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Dystopian fiction deals with the end of the world - the collapse of civilization as we know it due to war, plague, alien invasion or some other calamity. Well-known examples are The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, a war-torn society where children must battle to the death for an audience's amusement, or The Road by Cormac McCarthy, a dismal journey of a father and son through a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Teen readers are drawn to these stories for the action and excitement, but also for the echoes of the real-world problems they have to navigate. A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher is a gentler kind of dystopian story. Instead of focusing on how society falls apart, it explores what the world is like for the survivors decades after. The story is told by Griz, a teen whose family is immune to the condition that caused the human race to lose the ability to reproduce and die out. The family survives on a series of remote islands where they farm, fish, and occasionally go "a-Viking," exploring abandoned places for anything useful they can find. It's not an easy life, but despite some hardship, the family is somewhat content. When a trader comes by and steals one of the family dogs, valued as much for its companionship as for its hunting, Griz jumps in his boat and gives chase. The pursuit takes him and his remaining dog to the mainland, where he tries to reconcile what he’s read in old books with the ruins he sees. It's a contemplative adventure as the reader sees the remains of our society through Griz's eyes. Recounting the story in a journal at the lowest point in his life, Griz draws us in with his tales of danger and wonder; we want to know how he got into trouble, if he'll find a way out, and whether he will ever find his dog. When Griz finally catches up with the trader, the story enters more familiar dystopian territory, exploring issues of morality and individual freedoms with a few reveals I never expected. Griz is a compelling narrator, full of curiosity and honest about his shortcomings. His relationship with his dogs will resonate with anyone who's ever loved a pet. While this may not have the edge-of-your-seat thrills of some dystopian novels, there is plenty to move the story along. In fact, when it ended, I was left wanting to know more about the characters, and longing to accompany them on further adventures. In the mood for a good supernatural thriller? Check out The Honeys by Ryan La Sala. The fast-paced, action-packed story pulled me in from the first page and kept me guessing til the last. Mars, a gender fluid teen, always felt less than his twin sister Caroline, who seemed to have everything going for her. The past few years, Caroline spent all her free time at a ritzy nature camp, one Mars stopped attending after a traumatic event. When his sister dies attacking him - an event his parents try to cover up and blame on a brain tumor - Mars wants to return to the camp to figure out what really happened. What changed for his sister there? Who were her beautiful and strangely influential friends, a group called the "Honeys" because they tended the camp's bees? While searching for answers, Mars finds something even more sinister than the elitism and sexism that pervade the camp. Is there anyone he can trust? Is the "hive mind" of the Honeys more than just a metaphor? Can he escape the fate that doomed his sister? In addition to an engaging story, the book offers an interesting look at class and gender. Mars is a dynamic main character who is easy to root for, and a unique hero in young adult literature. As for the villains, they're not always who you think they are, and the final reveals may take you by surprise. Realistic fiction stories provide readers with "windows and mirrors," a look into others' lives and a reflection of their own. In addition to providing engaging stories, these books validate readers who see themselves and help us build empathy for others. Some of the library's newest realistic titles tackle illness, family secrets, going viral, healing and finding your place in the world.
Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern - When a teen learns her cancer has returned, she sets out on a road trip with her boyfriend and best friend to investigate a possible new technology that could freeze her body until a cure is found. If you liked The Fault in Our Stars by John Green or Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon, check this one out. The Silence that Binds Us by Joanna Ho - May’s brother seems to have everything going for him. So when he commits suicide, her family is turned upside down. Their pain is made worse when a local businessman blames the Asian-American family for the death and several other suicides, saying the culture puts too much pressure on teens to achieve. May strikes back with her writing, but speaking up has consequences she doesn't expect. It also makes her realize that the racism she’s struggling with is nothing new to her Black best friends. This is a sad story with a hopeful, empowering ending as May and her friends work to ensure everyone has a voice, no matter their background or struggle. The Kids are Gonna Ask by Gretchen Anthony - When Thomas and Savannah’s mom dies, they are desperate to learn who their biological father is. They decide a podcast could help them track down mom's friends and help tell their story. Their efforts go viral, and as they draw more listeners, they also draw controversy. Everyone from feminists to men's rights advocates to First Amendment activists begin to weigh in. Is finding their dad worth all the mayhem that comes with it? And will the guy be worth finding? A story of siblings, family secrets, finding yourself and growing up in a world when everything is shared on social media. The Words in My Hands by Asphyxia - This is one of several books we have that see Deafness as something to celebrate, not to pity or fix. The author uses a combination of text, paint, collage and drawings to tell the story of Piper, who is so busy trying to survive that she doesn’t know what it’s like to live. When she meets Marley, Piper begins to see her Deafness isn't something to hide, and she's determined to use her voice to help others. The story veers into the dystopian genre because it’s based in a world with environmental collapse and political corruption. If you're interested in this topic, you can also try True Biz by Sara Novic, The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais and The Sign for Home by Blair Fell. An Appetite for Miracles by Laeken Zea Kemp - Danna struggles to reconnect with her ailing grandfather, hoping his favorite foods will ease his dementia and restore some of his memories. Raul has been lost since his mother went to jail for a wrongful conviction several years ago. When they meet at a nursing home, they feel an instant connection and team up on a journey to heal themselves and those they love. Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Reyes - Yamilet is one of the few Mexican-American students in her affluent religious school, but, she tells herself, at least no one knows she’s gay. She’s determined to keep it that way -- and protect her brother, make her mom proud and not fall in love. But it’s not so easy when the school’s only openly queer student catches her eye. A funny, honest story about growing up and finding yourself. Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman by Kristen Lee - When Savannah gets a full scholarship to an ivy league school, she expects to meet other students who have worked just as hard as she has. She's dismayed to discover the racism, hypocrisy and entitlement on campus. When the statue of the school's first Black president is vandalized, she's outraged. But speaking up could put her scholarship and future at risk. Recommended for readers interested in social justice or anyone who's been torn about speaking out. This is one of the best books I have read in a really long time. When I finished, I was genuinely sad because I didn't want it to end. It was a good story that also made me feel really good, a dose of needed serotonin in paper form, more comforting than the best bowl of mashed potatoes. It's the story of Linus Baker, a dull and dreary government worker whose only friend is a cantankerous cat. Linus is a social worker, but the children he works with are magical beings who are sent to orphanages to protect them - and the world - from powers they can't always control. When Linus is sent on a monthlong mission to examine the leader and residents of one mysterious - and possibly dangerous - school, his life is turned upside down. He meets Lucy, the 6-year-old son of Satan who struggles to be accepted as an average kid despite his dark heritage; Talia, a gnome who fiercely protects her garden and her friends; and Chauncey, an alien-like creature who dreams of becoming a hotel bellboy. These and other quirky characters teach Linus about accepting each others' differences, taking risks and finding love. This is a sweet, funny and exciting story that might remind readers of their favorite things about Harry Potter, the Umbrella Academy and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Its message about looking past our differences and accepting everyone for who they are is an important one.
Author Ruta Sepetys calls herself a "seeker of lost stories." Her award-winning novels shed light on people and events often overlooked in history. "Through character and story," she writes on her website, "historical statistics become human and suddenly we care for people we’ve never met, we can find their country on a map, and then—the history matters. Through historical fiction we can give voice those who will never have a chance to tell their story. "
Sepetys' passion comes through in well-researched, powerful stories suitable for both teens and adults. Whether set in one of Stalin's Siberian gulags, a New Orleans run by the mob, or a crumbling Cold War dictatorship, her books explore the depths of human cruelty and resilience. She often has multiple characters tell the story so you learn that history has many different perspectives and layers. If you like historical fiction, or even just thrilling stories of surival, check out her books. Between Shades of Gray follows 15-year-old Lina who is sent with her family to a Siberian gulag (prison) when the Soviets invade her native Lithuania. As she struggles in unimaginable conditions - including brutal treatment from guards, meager food rations and extreme weather - she vows to share the story with the world. Sepetys was inspired by the experiences of relatives who were among the millions of people who Stalin deemed enemies of the state and sent to Siberia during his regin of terror (1922-1953). Many never made it home. Salt to the Sea is a story of the largest maritime disaster in history, killing more people than the sinking of the Titanic or Lusitania. It was largely ignored by history, though, overshadowed by so many other stories of World War II. As the Nazi losses were mounting in 1945, thousands of German civilians fled the rampaging Russian army. They flooded two ports in hopes of evacuation, joining countless wounded German soldiers on overcrowded ships. When the Wilhelm Gustloff was hit by Russian torpedoes, it sank within an hour, taking about 9,000 people - mostly women and children -with it. Sepetys tells the story from four points of view, drawing a complex picture of the hatred among nations that led to, and resulted from, that awful war. Out of the Easy takes places in New Orleans in 1950s, where the mob rules and crime thrives along with the rich culture of the city. Josie, 17, dreams of life far from the brothels where her mother has carved out a desperate existence. But as Josie strives for a way out, she becomes tangled in a murder investigation that tests her loyalties. The story explores what makes a family, the burdens of poverty and the gray area between crime and survival. I Must Betray You is the most contemporary of Sepetys' stories, taking place in 1989. The Soviet Union is on the brink of collapse, along with communism throughout Europe. Romania is still within the grip of a brutal dictator when 17-year-old Cristian is forced to become a government informant. He must decide whether to cooperate and turn against his friends and family, or risk his life to fight for a better future. The Fountains of Silence follows Daniel, a wealthy 18-year-old tourist who visits Madrid in 1957, when Spain is ruled by a tyrannical general after a bloody Civil War. Madrid is a beautiful city in a country ruled by fear and repression, but the affluent Daniel is slow to realize how bad things are. When he meets Ana, a hotel maid whose father was killed and mother imprisoned in the resistance, he falls in love. He also is drawn into the dangerous world of secrets she inhabits. Since the COVID-19 pandemic has made life more challenging for all of us, Hanover High's summer reading has been changed this year to offer more choices for students and eliminate a required assignment. The recommended titles include a variety of genres, topics and lengths. This week, I'm going to review a few of the FICTION titles that I have read and really enjoyed.
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely - This engaging collaboration by two writers - one white and one African American - explores racism and police violence, issues that could've been pulled from the news today. When Quinn, a white teen, sees a white police officer brutalize a Black teen, his sense of justice is turned upside down. The fact that the police officer is a trusted family friend makes the situation even harder. But the book is not just told from Quinn's point of view; the Black teen, named Rashad, tells the story too. In this way, you get to explore the incident and its repercussions not just through one lens. It's a quick read that's hard to put down and the ending offers hope for healing that might help with issues we're facing in real life. Internment by Samira Ahmed - When a book or movie is called "dystopian," it usually invokes images of a post-apocalyptic society, where law and order have broken down in the wake of a terrible catastrophe like nuclear war. Books like 1984, The Hunger Games and The Road are considered dystopian. So is Internment. Unfortunately, the premise of this story feels a little too easy to imagine. It's the near future, and the U.S. government has imprisoned all Muslim-Americans in internment camps, including 17-year-old Layla and her family. Even though they are citizens, they are stripped of their rights and possessions and considered enemies of the state. This echoes what happened to Japanese-Americans during World War II, when the U.S. declared war against Japan and considered anyone with Japanese ancestry to be the enemy even if they hadn't been in Japan for generations. It also draws on the hate and fear directed at Muslims after the September 11th attacks committed by radicals in the name of their religion. This is a fast-paced, thrilling story of tolerance and reason triumphing over fear and hate. It also highlights the danger we face when we stay silent in the face of injustice. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay - When a Jewish girl and her family are rounded up in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, the girl locks her brother in a cabinet to keep him safe. She believes she'll be back soon to let him out and resume their lives. But she never returns to the apartment and is haunted by her decision forever. Her story is uncovered by a modern-day French woman who moves into the apartment and learns she was never taught in school about this terrible roundup. Her discovery that the French government helped kill thousands of its own citizens changes her life. A heart-breaking and powerful story. With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo - Emoni, the main character of this story, is an unwed teenaged mother trying to juggle the demands of parenting, work, school and her feisty grandmother. While you might think you can't relate to her experience, I would argue you'd be wrong. Hers is a story of falling short of expectations, pushing through disappointment to pursue your dreams and overcoming financial and social obstacles - things we can all relate to no matter our culture, gender or class. Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead - Part historical fiction, part fantasy, this story imagines that the famed network to freedom is a literal train running beneath the earth. I thought this idea would be hard to accept, but the author does an amazing job weaving the imaginary with the truth. The story follows Cora as she risks everything to flee from a life of brutal slavery, bringing to life the hardships of her captive life and the dangers she faced on the way to freedom. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson - During the Great Depression, when the country was sunk into desperate poverty, sometimes the only hope and diversion people could find came from books. But some rural towns were far from a library, so the government organized a group of women to deliver the library to them. These pack librarians rode horses and mules, miles each day, through rough terrain and bad weather, bringing hope via the printed word to the hopeless. In this fictionalized account, Cussy is a young woman considered an outcast in her Kentucky community because she suffers from a rare genetic disorder that turns her skin blue. She finds purpose and joy as a pack librarian., but also faces intolerance and physical danger from those suspicious of her color or the government program. Both the pack librarians and the Blue people of Kentucky are true stories. This book tells a story of tolerance and resilience in a new light. The commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks have passed, but as we held a moment of silence for those who died that day, I wondered how much do students really know about what happened. To adults my age, it’s not history; it’s something we lived through and will never forget. And being in the Boston area, where two of the planes originated, many of us have connections to someone who was directly impacted by that day. But if you’re a freshman, you likely weren’t even alive; if you’re a senior, you may have still been in diapers. In both cases, you may have little understanding of the events beyond what’s been covered in history class. That’s where media comes in, the countless documentaries, news specials, fictionalized reenactments and books hoping to shed some light on the story. Since I personally still have a hard time looking at pictures or video of the planes slamming into the World Trade Center, I naturally head toward books to help me not just understand, but to remember and, even after all this time, to grieve. Unfortunately, for years, I couldn’t find any good books about what happened (and this is a librarian talking!). There were children’s books, inspired by a fireboat that helped rescue survivors in New York or a general push toward kindness and tolerance. There were adult books, dense tomes trying to follow the paper trail toward the attackers and their financial backers. There were books that recorded survivors’ testimonials, chronicled the hero dogs that helped dig through wreckage for body parts, or recounted the devastating effects on soldiers who fought in Afghanistan and Iraq during the seemingly endless War on Terror. There is a great novel,Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safron Foer, about a boy trying to make sense of his father’s death in the attacks, but at 368 pages, it scares some students away. Then I found Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Set in the boroughs of New York City ten years later, the book follows 10-year-old Deja in her struggle to understand why her father went “crazy” after Sept. 11, why he can’t hold a job and the family must live in a cramped homeless shelter. In school, her classes memorialize the attacks, but don’t really understand the ramifications, the effects still rippling through people’s lives. With the help of her friend Ben, whose father served in the military, and Sabeen, who has been bullied for being Muslim, Deja uncovers her family’s long-held secret. She finally understands why her father is the way he is. Although this book is geared for middle schoolers (grades 4-7 if you read the reviews), I bought two copies for the HHS Library. Sure, the main characters are younger, but I think many of us can relate to their confusion over something that adults feel was life-changing but is mere ancient history to them. When I read about Pearl Harbor or Vietnam, I feel the same sense of detachment that young people may feel about 9/11. This novel can help students explore and process their feelings about the attacks, and the memorial services that come every September. It’s done without being overly graphic or unnecessarily somber, and I would recommend that every HHS student devote the few hours it would take to read this short novel. Just a quick glance at the cover and it’s clear that the memoir by Emily Lindin is not your typical autobiography. Song lyrics and diary entries, scrawled in the hand of her 11-year-old self, take up every inch of the front and back, and spill onto the spine. Phrases stand out — “purposely slice,” “hurt too much” and “watching myself cry hysterically” — that lead you to pick up the book and turn to the first page. There, the title jumps out at you: UnSlut: a Diary and a Memoir. Lindin is an adult now, but on a recent trip to her parents’ house, she found the diaries she meticulously kept during middle school. Reading the entries brought back memories she had long buried, recollections of being bullied as a “slut” after stories of her first experiences with a boyfriend were spread around school. At a time when she and her young classmates were adjusting to major physical, emotional and social changes, Lindin was basically harassed for growing up. In her childhood town, an unnamed wealthy suburb of Boston having a boyfriend was everything. Courting and dating were almost team sports, as squads of girls would ask out boys for their friends– when they weren’t competing with each other. Girls would use their newly developing bodies to get attention, and then be scorned as “sluts” for it. At the same time, boys confused by their raging hormones would use a girl’s reputation as an invitation: if a girl was considered a slut, they seemed to think, surely she’d put out or, at the very least, not care if he grabbed or groped her. Lindin didn’t do anything outrageous to be labeled this way, at least nothing that countless other young people hadn’t done. Yet once the rumors escalated and the label stuck, her self esteem plummeted. She felt every boy was only interested in how far he could get with her, and when uncomfortable situations or outright sexual abuse occurred, she blamed herself for somehow bringing it on. The way she dressed, the things she did, and even the things she was only rumored to have done were used to taunt and belittle her through three years of middle school. She grew so desperate for acceptance that she’d go farther with a boy than she wanted to because she was afraid of losing him, and eventually she began identifying herself by the cruel word that others used against her. She began cutting herself to numb the pain and considered suicide. Only when she went to high school, and began discovering in herself talents for writing and singing, did she stop identifying herself as a “slut.” Reading Lindin’s diaries may remind some readers of the mistakes they made as they stumbled through adolescence, although some may feel that Lindin’s experiences with boys started much younger than their own. But what makes the book so interesting are the comments that the adult Lindin adds in the margins of each page. With the wisdom brought by 10 years of life experiences, Lindin alternates between mocking her younger self for being flaky about boys (“he’s my soulmate.” “I hate him.”) to expressing disgust at the social structure in her school which promoted what she calls sexual bullying. She also offers advice to young people facing the same issues today and the book includes resources about suicide prevention, bullying, sexual health and self-injury. Lindin discovered that her experience is not unique. After she found the diaries, she published excerpts on a blog and received an overwhelming response from other young women who had experienced “slut shaming.” Those women described being harassed for their developing bodies, something over which they had no control; being made to feel dirty or inferior by cultures that believe a sexual woman is sinful; or feeling at fault as victims of sexual abuse. The response led Lindin to create the UnSlut project, a website devoting to sharing stories and resources for women. The project includes the book and a documentary film where women tell their stories. The goal, Lindin says, is to eliminate sexual bullying and “slut shaming,” and maybe someday remove the harmful label from our language. Reading the book may make you stop and think about how we pass judgement on each other, how the rumor mill gets out of control and how young women struggle with the changes that accompany growing up. The book may help you sort through your own experiences, whether as victim or perpetrator of bullying. At the very least, the book is a look into one girl’s resilience: as bad as middle school was for Lindin, she recovered to become a successful author and adult. For more information about the UnSlut project, visit www.unslutproject.org |
AuthorMrs. McHugh is a librarian and instructional technology specialist. She loves talking books and pop culture with her students at Hanover High School. Archives
February 2024
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