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

7. When it Happens

Colasanti, Susane. When it Happens. New York: Penguin, 2006.

Annotation: High school senior Sara has boys on her mind, but finding the one who is her true love proves to be tricky.

Justification for Nomination: As far as teen romance novels go, Susane Colasati's is as good as it gets. Told in alternating viewpoints between Sara and Tobey, one of her love interests, readers will see themselves in many of the situations. Senior year is starting and popular Dave asks smart, but not popular, Sara out. Sara is thrilled to now be included among the popular crowd, yet she can't seem to keep her eyes off Tobey, a smart, yet lazy student whose biggest dream is to be in a band. When Dave turns out to be a jerk, the relationship between Sara and Tobey takes off and the dynamics between them are fiery.

Colasanti's writing is full of teen speak, but not in a "trying too hard" fashion. She nails the complicated romantic relationships that teens face, especially with balancing popularity, brains, sex, college choices, teachers, and parents. Her writing will appeal to many teens who are looking for an easy romantic read with substance. Many of the subjects will resonate with teens, like Sara and her friends' concerns over getting into college, their relationships with their parents, and even the relationship they have with each other. Often that relationship becomes strained when boys become involved and Colasanti does a good job showing how important friendships are among teenagers.

I believe this book will appeal to teen girls because of its ability to connect to them and keep their interest. The subject and writing style are timely and teens will be able to see themselves in the characters. Snappy writing style and humorous anecdotes will engage even the reluctant reader.

Genre: Romance

6. Paper Towns

Green, John. Paper Towns. New York: Penguin, 2008.

Annotation: When high school senior Quentin Jacobsen reunites with his childhood sweetheart for a rowdy night of mischief, it sets off a chain of events that results in an intense analysis of the purpose of life, friendships, and destiny.

Justification for Nomination: John Green has produced another winning teen novel. As in Looking for Alaska, there's the protagonist who is geeky and doesn't really fit into the in crowd at school, there's the strong and crazy female love interest who is off in her own world, and there are the protagonist's side-kick friends. Quentin Jacobsen's long time love interest, his neighbor Margo, shows up at his window one night and forces him to go out on an all night prank playing excursion. When Margo doesn't show up at school the next morning, just weeks before they graduate, Quentin becomes concerned and the rest of the novel is devoted to his search for her.

The mystery element is definitely in the book. When they were younger, Quentin and Margo discovered a dead body in the local park, and that event is somewhat weaved throughout the story. When Margo goes missing, Quentin realizes that he really needs to find her and figure out why she left. There are long parts of the book where Quentin analyzes his feelings towards Margo, every scrap of paper he finds, and when he goes and looks in pseudovisions for her and those parts can make the reader skip ahead. But, where the novel shines, is in the large amount of time he spends philosophizing Whitman's poetry and in the really excellent humor that Green adds. When four of them take off on a long road trip to track Margo down, there are some scenes that will have the reader in stitches.

This novel will definitely be a good read for the more sophisticated teen, as the parts about Whitman's poetry are fairly elaborate, and the mystery in itself is not that gripping. The relationships that are developed will resonate with the readers, and the adventure that they have on their road trip will entertain. It's a solid coming of age novel with a mystery thrown in for variety.

Genre: mystery, coming of age