Extra Credit #4: American Born Chinese

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 2006.

Annotation: A graphic novel about teenage Chinese Americans trying to fit into American culture.

Justification for Nomination: American Born Chinese is an intelligent and challenging book that intertwines three stories about adolescent Chinese boys trying to fit in. There is the folk hero Monkey King who wants to be a god among his people, Jin Wang, a Chinese American adolescent who wants to fit in with his classmates, and Danny who is horrified by his cousin Chin-Kee, a stereotyped Chinese adolescent.

In alternating graphical story lines, Gene Luen Yang creates a complicated world where each character feels the need to fit in and shed their stereotypes. Although it is another novel about fitting in for adolescents, this one is unique because of it's inclusion of Chinese culture and how the Chinese feel about their white American classmates. It begins in a way that the reader may think it's a fantasy, but eventually turns into a meaningful look at the sacrifices made for trying to be included. I think teens will appreciate the extraordinary drawings done by the author, along with the authentic voice given to all of the characters. It's uniqueness and it's surprising message will make the reader glad they read it.

Genre: Printz award winner, coming of age, graphic novel

Extra Credit #3: Whirligig

Fleischman, Paul. Whirligig. New York: H. Holt, 1998.

Annotation: A gentle novel about the importance of finding oneself in a world that is busy and complicated.

Justification for Nomination:

Brent Bishop is new in town due to his dad’s job move. He’s so excited to be in Chicago because his dad’s promotion has afforded them the opportunity to send Brent to private school. The book opens with Brent preparing to go to a classmate’s party. He wasn’t invited, but his friend says it’s cool if he comes along and besides Brent’s love interest, Brianna, will be there. When the party turns disastrously bad for Brent in the first hour of being there, Brent downs a bunch of liquor and drives away in an attempt to kill himself. Instead he winds up killing another teenager, Lea.

In mediation, Lea’s mother asks just one thing of Brent, that he create 4 whirligigs and place them in the 4 corners of the United States. She gives him a 45 day Greyhound bus pass and Brent is off on the adventure.

From Seattle to San Diego, Florida to Maine, Brent travels all over meeting many interesting people and having the opportunity to spend hours thinking about what he did to Lea and how perhaps his life isn’t worth wasting. In all his travels Brent regains a hold on how much he loves his life, how precious the life of Lea was that he took away, and how much he has to look forward to.

I believe this would be a good book for teenagers who are dealing with fitting in issues, new schools, and the wanderlust that so many teenagers have. It's a calm, gentle book about the importance of life and of how much bigger the world is beyond your home.

Genre: coming of age

10. Flipped

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Flipped. New York: Knopf, 2001.

Annotation: In alternating perspectives, two young teenagers describe their lives living across the street from each other.

Justification for Nomination: Flipped is an excellent novel about the different perspectives two young teens can have regarding their neighborhood, friends, school, and each other. Juli Baker is a spunky girl who loves the sycamore tree down the block, her collection of chickens, and her neighbor across the street, Bryce Loski. Bryce, on the other hand, has only feelings of annoyance towards Juli and his biggest goal each day is to try and avoid her.

Beyond the relationship Juli and Bryce have with each other, there are several really meaningful relationships that are formed between Juli and her dad, Bryce and his grandpa, and Juli and Bryce's grandpa. It's a powerful novel about the importance of good relationships over "things". Juli is the one with the spunky attitude and the close-knit family with little money. Bryce comes from a family where they can put on a good face, but they hardly know who they really are. As Bryce's family comes undone, Bryce begins to see Juli in a new light and appreciate her for her complexity.

Flipped is an excellent novel for the pre-teen and younger teenage reader. It's entertaining, fast-paced, funny, and the story will stick in their minds for a long time. As uplifting as it is, it's also a good reminder of how important your family relationships are and how much your happiness depends on non-monetary things.

Genre: humor, coming of age

9. Eagle Blue

D'Orso, Michael. Eagle Blue. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006.

Annotation: Set near the Alaskan Arctic Circle, this book follows a season of the Fort Yukon high school basketball team all the way to the state tournament.

Justification for Nomination: The town of Fort Yukon is located 8 miles north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Although it is a pristine location, the town is full of troubles among its inhabitants, most of whom are Native. The average annual family income is less than $30,000/year and there is a major clash between the old and new ways. Hunting and trapping for food is still a major source of sustenance for the townspeople, but the new canned food is moving in and threatening their old way of doing things. Along with the culture clashes, drug addiction and alcoholism play a major role in the local families. And, of course, the weather is a major factor in this town. Temperatures range from the 60s in the summer to 70+ below in the winter, making it one of the harshest climates in the world.

Beyond the obstacles the citizens face, the town has a long history of high school basketball and D'Orso goes into great detail describing it. The history of the team is interesting, but what the author does so well is describing the citizens of the town. By the end of the book, you feel like if you went to visit, you'd know everyone there, and you probably would. The season of 2004-2005 looks promising and the townspeople are hopeful that they will go all the way. Fort Yukon is so remote that the team has to fly to every game, making their annual budget contentious.

Fans of high school basketball will find lots of things to love about this book, but there's plenty in it for everyone else as well. I found the anthropology parts to be fascinating and teen readers will definitely be able to relate to the teens in the book. Although it does get to be long, I think it's a good choice for a teen reader interested in basketball, Alaska, or Native Alaskans.

8. The Chocolate War

Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1974.

Annotation: Set within a boys prep school, the annual chocolate fundraiser takes a turn for the worse when Jerry Renault refuses to sell chocolates.

Reason for Rejection: Reminiscent of Lord of the Flies, the boys going against each other with little or no rules mentality, we've seen all of this before. Freshman Jerry Renault finds himself in a new school, among a new secret group of boys, and in the middle of their annual chocolate fundraiser. When the secret group of boys (the Vigils) requires him to refuse to sell chocolate for 10 days, Jerry agrees, but then goes further and refuses to sell it for the entire sale. The Vigils treat this defiant act as an attack against them, and the remainder of the chocolate fundraiser turns into a war against Jerry Renault, culminating in an all-out beating.

Although I see the value in the outsider vs. mob mentality, this book doesn't allow the reader to see that it's important to be an individual. The psychological war that happens in the first part of the book is mesmerizing. I believe Cormier does an excellent job portraying the relationships among the boys in the prep school, but where it starts to go wrong is towards the end when the senseless violence is added. The message that Cormier is portraying by this intense violence is that conformity is more important than individuality. Perhaps that was true back when this novel was written, but I believe times have changed and teens are making more of an effort to be individuals. Yes, they certainly want to fit in, but for those who don't fit in, beating them to a pulp is not the best way to convey your message.

Genre: challenged novel, edgy/realistic fiction

Extra Credit #2: Incantation

Hoffman, Alice. Incantation. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2006.

Annotation: Set within the Spanish Inquisition, 16 year old Estrella learns the hard truth about her family and the people she thought were her friends.

Justification for Nomination: I would venture to say this novel is a masterpiece. After sitting on it for a week, the effects of the book start to sink in and you want to share it with everyone you know. With a unique subject matter, Hoffman has managed to tell a story of two young girls that will have the reader weeping from an emotional rollercoaster. The girls, Estrella and Catalina live in Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. Catholicism is the only religion that is tolerated, and Jews are being burned and persecuted. Estrella and Catalina have been friends forever and know and trust each other fully. Eventually the Inquisition reaches their families and betrayal from Catalina forces the execution of Estrella's mother, brother, and grandpa, a family hiding their Jewish background.

This gripping, sparse, and powerful novel is not for the squeamish. The scenes of torture and burning are hard to read. The betrayal is heart wrenching and you wish you were present to do something about the injustices. Despite the incredibly difficult subjects covered, there were uplifting moments. Special bonds were created between Estrella and her grandma and grandpa. We also follow Estrella and her mother into the Moorish neighborhood where her mom brings wool to her dying friend. Teen readers will be quickly drawn into this novel which will surpass their expectations for an historical novel. This could easily begin the reader's search for more information about this period of time in Spain.

Genre: historical fiction

Extra Credit #1: Thirsty

Anderson, M.T. Thirsty. Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 1997.

Annotation: A thoroughly satisfying horror tale of a teenager becoming a vampire.

Justification for Nomination: In M.T. Anderson's horror book about a teenager turning into a vampire, readers will be blown away by the frank and earnest writing and it's stunning twists and turns. In Chris's world, vampires are present and the town is always on the lookout and the hunt for them. Chris is struggling with his parents and their constant arguing, his older brother who doesn't understand him, and his friends who appear to be drifting away from him. Through all of this, his adolescent hormones are going crazy and his appetite is out of control. When Chris is visited by Chet the celestial being, he is told he is turning into a vampire and in order to stop the curse he must travel to another world and deliver the Arm of Moriator. Chris reluctantly agrees to this because all he wants is to return to being a normal teenager.

Thirsty is a novel that will stick in your mind for many days after reading it. Although it doesn't have a storyline that is uplifting and it is quite depressing, it does have humorous passages and realistic relationships. In Anderson's biography in the back of the book he says he was writing about kids "struggling with the isolation of wanting to do the right thing when there was no right thing to do". This is a poignant point about teenagers and their needs that are sometimes not met by their environment. Anderson's brilliance is in his sparse and satisfying dialogue. He is able to keep the reader emotionally involved with Chris, keeping them hooked until the hopeless ending. Teens, especially teenage boys, will see themselves in Chris and his struggles. They will appreciate the language and the realistic situations and friendships. Although the ending is depressing, I think the reader will be able to get that it is now always about happy endings.

Genre: horror