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Can you be from a place you have never been? You can find the island stamped all over me, but what would the island find if I was there? Can you claim a home that does not know you, much less claim you as its own?

Elizabeth Acevedo, Clap When You Land

Verse Title

Camino has always lived in the Dominican Republic with her Tia. Her mother passed away due to a Dengue fever outbreak when she was younger. Camino and her father have an interesting relationship, he sends her and her Tia money to ensure protection, nice housing and even sends Camino to an international school on the island. However, he only visits for a couple months in the summer time and the rest of the year he is located in New York City running a business. Yahaira has grown up in Brooklyn with her mom and dad. She is neighbors with her best friend and girlfriend, Dre, and was a champion chess player until a major discovery about her father changed it all. Before Yahaira has time to fully process what she has unearthed, she finds herself silently listening to her father say goodbye to her for the summer as he heads off on his annual work trip to the Dominican Republic. Camino and Yahaira both lose their dad that morning in a tragic plane crash. This crash is based off of a true plane crash that happened in Queens when the author Elizabeth Acevedo was growing up and she talks about how deeply it impacted her entire community. We follow Camino and Yahaira vastly different journeys as they come to the realization that their dad wasn’t necessarily who they thought he was. We watch as they try to grieve the person they knew as their Dad. This story, written in verse, is absolutely amazing. 

I remember being obsessed with Out of the Dust when I was growing up. Beyond that, I didn’t ever seek out verse style texts.  I was a little intimidated about this one, but quickly fell in love with Elizabeth Acevedo’s storytelling style.  The words and the way they are used are breathtaking and to me it felt like the only way to tell this story. There are so many aspects about this story that stand out to me and I really appreciate how Acevedo gives context into life on the Dominican Republic and how it can be vastly different depending on your background. At one point in the story her best friend is giving birth. She and her Tia go to the house because it is too late to get to the hospital and she indicates it’s best not to go to the hospital if you are Haitian. Instead, Camino’s best friend gives birth in her home surrounded by family. The baby is born not breathing. Camino’s Tia, who is equally revered and feared for her magic, manages to negotiate with the spirits, while performing CPR. Just when it seems that hope is lost, Acevedo says, 

“& then the baby inhales     a deep gasp

                             just as the electricity returns to the barrio.”  

This beautifully written story is about grief, family, identity, and growth. I can’t wait to share this with as many people as possible. I can see this book being used as an amazing example of stories written in verse. I think it is approachable and will allows students to read a different type of story, while not losing the meaning behind the words. 

#Clapwhenyouland Versetitle

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The Only Road- Alexandra Diaz

Audiobook

The Only Road begins in Guatemala when we find out that Jaime’s best friend and cousin was murdered by members of the Alpha gang. Jaime and his cousin used to walk home from school together every day and always felt that the park was a safe place. They had been hounded by the Alphas, a local gang, for quite sometime but they were always able to avoid them together.  That day, Jaime stayed home from school sick and they jumped his cousin in the park.  Jaime and his other cousins Angela, who has also been targeted by the gang decide that the only choice is to leave. Together, they devise a plan to walk to the U.S. and try meet up with Jaime’s older brother who lives in New Mexico.  This gut wrenching story does not hold back on treacherous details of their journey through Guatemala, Mexico and ultimately the U.S. Angela and Jaime do form strong bonds with other people along the way, but it is difficult to know who to trust and the tension is always palpable. This was another story I could not put down and I would highly recommend.

Jaime and Angela’s story is one that needs to read. We live in a society that villainizes immigrants with zero sense of irony, considering with the exception of indigenous nations, everyone else immigrated to the U.S. as well. It is a huge topic of debate and is often discussed in terms of policies as opposed to acknowledging the human beings living through this situation.  This book will give people an opportunity to place themselves in a situation that might seem unfathomable. It provides the context and scenarios to open up thought provoking questions.  It is a stark reminder that while Jaime and Angela are fictional, there are thousands of young adults just like them going through similar terrorizing and dehumanizing ordeals propelled by hope of safety and a better life.  I can see this book being used in history classes around the country to support current events, allow opportunities for important conversations to take place and also as a practice in empathy. Far too often we are able to sensationalize scenarios that we are unfamiliar with and the context provided in this story will be eye opening for many. Lastly, I enjoyed listening to this in the audiobook version. I found the narrator to be captivating and I think many students would enjoy listening to this or even pairing it with their text while they read. 

#YAlit TheOnlyRoad audiobook

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Free Choice -Moxie-Jennifer Mathieu 

We join Viv, a high school girl growing up in a small Texas town. She lives with her mom and close to her grandparents.  Viv’s story is catapulted forward when a group of boys make yet another sexist comment during their English discussion. The school seems to have taken a boys will be boys approach and turn a blind eye and ear. At the time, Viv doesn’t say anything, but anger sears through her.  She finds herself thinking about what she wished she had said. She wishes that she was braver and remembers stories that her mom has shared about her past. She starts to dive into old pictures and discovers that her mom used to be a full on Riot Grrl. Viv finally grows sick of the status quo and starts writing and distributing a magazine, Moxie, in secret.  The majority of the girls at her school feel similar to Viv and soon they start a revolution against sexist school polices and ineffective disciplinary measures for the boys that do little to hold them accountable for sexual harassment. Every girl and woman reading this will be able to connect in some way, shape or form, and that is why this book is so important. 

Riot Girl- Feminism 

I have been looking forward to reading this book for a long time! It was actually written by a woman who grew up in my neighborhood. Her younger siblings were my swim coaches and her parents are best friends with my parents! A super exciting revelation is that Amy Poehler bought the rights to this book and is directing the movie version that will be on Netflix.  There are so many aspects that I enjoyed about this book. The first being the time period and the throw back to the Riot Grrls. This movement was slightly out of my age range to have been able to take part in, but I remember being in awe over these girls who dyed their hair, wore awesome outfits, and seemed to not care what anyone said. 

This book is an awesome addition to lessons on feminism, sexist policies in schools and in the workplace, and the power of protesting.  It will allow people to rethink their own biases, inspire women to become feminists, and even space for women reflect to their own privileges within the feminist movement. 

#Moxie Yalit

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The Silence Between Us

Disabilities Title

Maya’s family moves due to her younger brother’s cystic fibrosis and Maya is forced to start at a brand new school in a brand new state.  To make matters more complex, Maya lost her hearing when she was 13. Previously, she had been attending a school specifically for Deaf people. All of her friends and teachers spoke ASL and she felt comfortable and confident there. Starting at a new school is hard enough, but Maya has to navigate through with people who don’t understand how to communicate with her. She has a full time interpreter and we often see her peers defer to speaking with the interpreter instead of directly to Maya.  Classmates and teachers speak too quickly, causing Maya to have a hard time reading lips. Others take to yelling because for some reason they think Maya will be able to hear or understand them better. The worst is when people carry on a conversation about her without including her. None of these situations help Maya with her main goal, which is to blend in. Maya has a tough exterior and after following along to one day of school with her, we can see why. We follow Maya on her journey of independence, perseverance, friendship and love. This book was so well written. The author uses all capital letters to indicate dialogue is in ASL. She uses quotation marks when people are verbally speaking, but shows it from Maya’s perspective, which is often missing several words.  This story is wonderful, frustrating and true to the high school experience. 

I absolutely loved this story. Maya is a force to be reckoned with and I love that she doesn’t hold back her feelings in order to make other people comfortable.  The way the story is written gives a glimpse of insight for readers who are not deaf or hard of hearing of the communication barriers deaf people face on a daily basis.  Alison Gervais is a part of the Deaf community and used different methods to allow us to understand the dialogue. For example, all caps means ASL, quotation marks mean verbal language is being spoken, but since Maya is reading lips we are often left with a ... for words that were missed because someone was talking too fast or moved their head. She uses italics to indicate writing.  I also loved that even though this story does contain love and Beau is a very endearing character, Maya is not “saved” by this relationship. It would have been way too cliche for Beau to suddenly learn ASL and for Maya to run off into the sunset with him.  Alison Gervais created a bold, strong character who is not afraid to stand up for herself. Her friendships and the love story are an awesome addition to an already incredible story. While Maya does teach those around her a lot about Deaf culture, she doesn’t hold back in reminding them that with a quick google search, they could also learn by themselves. This is such an important take away for many situations students might find themselves in. It isn’t someone else’s job to educate them and make them feel comfortable about someone’s disability.  I can’t wait to share this book with my students. 

#YAlit thesilencebetweenus

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Fruit Basket Vol. 1 - Natsuki Takaya

First in a Manga Series

At the beginning of the book we are introduced to Tohru, who seems to be a high school student living in a tent. Later, we find out that she is an orphan, er dad passed away when she was young from an illness and her mother was in a tragic car accident. At first, she moves in with her grandfather, but things quickly go downhill and she is left to fend for herself.  One day when Tohru is strolling around the property, she spots a house.  This is how she ends up meeting the Sohma family. Some of the sons attend school with her, but no one knows much about them.  One of her friends feels that there is definetyl something mysterious about the family Later, after Yuki Sohma realizes that Tohru is an orphan, he offers to let her move in with them. A romance blossoms between Kyo and Tohru. Eventually Tohru learns that there is indeed something peculiar about the Sohma family.  They turn into zodiac animals.  Fans of this series will be thrilled to know that there are 23 volumes in this series. 

I have to admit, this was a tough book for me to get through. I was so impressed with the detailed graphics. I loved the concept of the story. I thought the characters were cute, but it was so challenging to read. First, I felt that the words were disjointed. Even knowing that I had to read it backwards, they still seemed to hop all over the page. Some of the boxes were thoughts and others were dialogue and it took me a long time to figure out which was which. The characters were not always clearly named. I felt like I went through half a book not fully knowing which character was which.  I loved Tohru’s friends and found their relationship to be one many high school students will be able to relate to. I could see why this series is so popular and I do look forward to re reading this to see if I can better understand it. 

This volume might not be the best introduction for someone new to manga, but veteran manga lovers will enjoy it. I could see this being used as an option for students to read fantasy or a love story in English class. This could also be an opportunity to engage reluctant readers and to work on reading comprehension. The graphics are incredible and tell so much of the story. 

#YAlit manga fruitbasket

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Wild and Crooked- Free Choice

One Kalyn Spence’s first day at her new high school, her mom tells her not to go by her real name.  At first, Kalyn decides not to listen, after all, isn’t that what Spence’s do? However, after being continuously tied to a murder committed by her father, Kalyn decides it might be time for a fresh start and becomes Rose. Everyone seems to be falling for her sweet act, except for Phil and Gus, two unique individuals and best friends. The only thing Gus Peake is known for, besides having cerebral palsy, is that his dad was murdered. Phil, who is quite possibly a sociopath and only speaks in Shakespeare quotes, is Gus’s only friend. When Phil falls in love with Kalyn from afar, he asks Gus to ask her to homecoming for him. At first, Kalyn and Gus don’t understand how their families are connected and become fast friends. Will these two be able to heal old town wounds and remain friends? Or will the murder of Gus’s father cause an unmendable rift in their friendship? Things are not always as they seem in this small town and many of the adult characters are keeping harmful secrets of their own. This book of friendship and a small town mystery will keep you guessing until the very end. 

The characters in this book are incredible! This story is told from multiple points of view. We are given excellent insight into the characters minds and are able to see different scenes played out from multiple perspectives. This story is representative of LGBTQ characters and spent a lot of time breaking down harmful views that can often be perpetuated in small towns.  It also highlighted different ways people with disabilities are perceived. Gus goes on to talk about how most people want to help him to feel good about themselves, but discusses how he is never the main character of a story. We see many people use Gus or offer to help Gus, but they don’t know anything about him and never include him in any regular high school conversations or activities. This story is ultimately a mystery and I loved seeing it unfold as this unlikely duo work together. 

This book contains inclusive characters and does an excellent job breaking down harmful stereotypes surrounding poverty, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and disabilities. It also tells an amazing tale about two families and a murder that has tied them together for a generation. I could see this book being used as a positive example of inclusive literature. Students could find books that use characters in harmful ways, i.e. making the character a disability as opposed to the well rounded person they are. Students could find other examples of positive characters in different books. They could create a character that is representative of themselves and discuss what people see on the outside or might assume about them versus who they are.   

#YAlit Wildandcrooked mystery

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State Book Award

One of us is lying is told from the perspective of four students who seemingly have very little in common, except for... a murder.  Bronwyn, the school valedictorian, Nate, a known drug dealer, Cooper, a sports star and Addy, one of the popular girls and Simon, who runs the school gossip site, all end up in detention on the same day.  Everyone seems confused by how burner phones were placed into their bags, which is the reason they were all sent to detention in the first place. While they are arguing and contemplating this situation, Simon starts to have difficulty breathing. Because of a series of clearly premeditated events, Simon doesn’t make it. Each one of these students has a secret they have been trying to hide. Now these four students are forced to come together to try and clear their names, knowing full well that one of them could be the murderer.  This riveting story will have you flipping pages as fast as you possibly can. McManus leaves clues throughout the story, but will you be able to spot them and solve the case? 

My favorite kind of book to read is a well thought out mystery and I absolutely loved One of Us is Lying. McManus wrote a high school thriller that felt like a combination of The Breakfast Club and Gossip Girl.  At first glance, the characters seems like cliched high school stereotypes, but as we read on, McManus offers insight that adds depth to each one. There are several moments when I felt that I had a clear understanding of who the murderer was, only to be greeted with a major plot twist.  I read that this book is being made into a TV show by Peacock. The entire time I read it, I kept thinking that this would make an excellent show. I can’t wait to watch it. 

This would be an awesome book to use to talk about stereotypes, how they start and why they are harmful. It would also be an awesome cross subject project for English and film.  Students could chose from a variety of books and work in groups to create TV trailers for it.  This could also be a book to put on display to show off local books. 

#mystery YAlit oneofusislying

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These murder club meetings are becoming a regular thing. We need a new name, though.

Karen M. McManus, One of Us Is Lying

#Oneofusislying #YAlit

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Multicultural Title 

 Rani Patel, or MC Sutra, is a high school girl growing up on the small island of Moloka’i.  The island is so small that her families cultural norms, like arranged marriage stick out and make it challenging for Rani to fully blend in.  At the beginning of the story we immediately realize that there is a major issue going on between Rani’s mother and father. Rani catches her dad having an affair with a woman around her own age.  However, we this situation soon escalates when Rani shaves her head, which a tradition for Indian widows. We realize that Rani’s father has been sexually and emotionally abusing Rani, as well. While Rani begins to work through this pain by creating raps as her alter ego MC Sutra, she falls into another dangerous relationship with a much older man named Mark.  This book is powerful and I found myself cheering for Rani as loudly as possible.  She deserves so much more and while she is dealt several incredibly hard blows, we watch her overcome harmful relationships, negative stereotypes and grow into a powerful, talented woman. 

Rani is a character that I found myself rooting for from the first page. Unfortunately, she is put through the worst and doesn’t have any adults with her best interests at heart looking out for her. She is forced to grow up quickly and is going through much of these scenarios alone. Because of this, Rani’s life gets much worse before it gets better. This book is so unique and is written in such a beautiful way. I love how Rani’s raps and poems flow in and out of the story.  They are powerful and give the reader more of a glimpse into Rani’s soul, rather than the hard exterior she tries to portray on the outside. This book covers a wide variety of challenging topics. It takes place in a beautifully, unique setting. I lived on Maui for five years and could see Moloka’i from my house. It is a beautiful, tiny island and everyone knows everyone. I love how the author wrote this book using Gujarati & Pidgin, which added so much to the novel. 

I could see this story being used for multiple purposes, one being poetry units. Rani’s raps are incredible and could be read as a poem, but are easily envisioned as a rap as well. Students could be encouraged to write a poem describing their culture or life. They can team up with other classmates to create art that represent their poem, whether it is by adding music, or even creating a painting. This would be a wonderful way to celebrate different cultures represented at the school. 

#ranipatelinfulleffect YAlit

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Women’s History Month is a great reminder to celebrate young women from the past and present and from the imagination of authors. Here are some excellent titles featuring remarkable young women.

Bessie Stringfield: Tales of the Talented Tenth, No. 2 by Joel Christian Gill

Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera

Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World Edited by Kelly Jensen

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina

I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition) by Malala Yousafzai, Patricia McCormick

Serpentine by Cindy Pon

The Ms Marvel series by G. Willow Wilson

Crazy Horse’s Girlfriend by Erika T. Wurth

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

No Matter the Wreckage by Sarah Kay

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman

The Killer of Enemies series by Joseph Bruchac

The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist by Margarita Engle

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The Alex Award Winner 

On the surface, Essie’s life might seem inviable and completely un relatable.  Growing up as the daughter of an evangelical pastor turned reality TV sensation, she is used to sharing her life on a screen.  However, looks can be deceiving and there is a darkness is Essie’s life that has yet to be shared with anyway.  Roarke is on track to becoming the high school valedictorian.  He is an all star baseball player, and while his family struggles financially, he too seems to have it all.  However, Roarke also has his secrets and has been forced to keep his true identity undercover. Because of this, Essie knows that he is the only person she can trust and teams up with him to take down her family, find her estranged sister, and take back her own narrative.  This story discusses sexual assault, incest, cults, conversion camps and violence in detail. It is incredibly well told and wil; have you applauding the characters’ bravery and determination.  I was hanging on every last word, watching Essie’s plan finally unfold.

I could not put this book down.  I am, embarrassingly, a reality TV fan.  I find that it always eases my anxiety to watch someone else’s life that I can not relate to in any way, shape or form.  This book will give avid reality TV fans a look behind the curtain. It shows insight into how staged everything is from dialogue, camera angles to the outfits. We watch Essie struggle to understand if her family ever genuinely cared about each other or if it has always been for the TV show.  The most incredible part of this story was the bravery behind Essie.  We see a young woman who has been raped, be gaslighted, blamed and essentially abandoned by her family.  Her mother never asks her how this happened, because her entire family already knows.  To watch Essie continue to persevere and follow through on an intricate, well thought out plan, knowing that she could lose it all was an act of selflessness, for her daughter, and bravery.  This book also tells the stories of two other people, Roarke and Liberty Bell.  The stories weave in and out of Essie’s and are equally as important to the story.  I would highly recommend this book, however it will not be a book for everyone and students should know that it touches on topics they might decide aren’t suitable for themselves. 

I could see this being a book that people who are fascinated with true crime would really enjoy.  It could be used as an example of a book that creates suspense and leaves the reader flipping through the pages to uncover more of the story.  This could also be used in a journalism class, to discuss ethics, motivation and debate if there is a story that could be too personal for a journalist to undertake.

“On the day I turn seventeen, there is a meeting to decide whether I should have the baby or if sneaking me to a clinic for an abortion is worth the PR risk. I am not invited…”

#YAlit Thebookofessie

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Randy Ribay - Patron Saints of Nothing Intro

Edgar Award Winner for Young Adults

Patron Saint of Nothing is an incredible depiction of what it is like to grow up as a first generation American. We follow Jay Reguero on a journey of discovery as he sets off to the Philippines, hoping to uncover the truth behind his cousin’s death. This book is able to put the trauma, love, and joy of feeling split between two places and never feeling quite enough of either one. Jay’s character navigates the challenges that come with trying to fit in as a first generation American. Throughout the story Jay realizes that he changes himself without realizing it so he can blend in. When he decides not to do that anymore, he realizes that some of his friendships are not as secure as he once thought.  He faces the similar challenges when he goes to the Philippines, being told time and time again, “you didn’t grow up here, you will never understand. You can’t come here and expect to fix it.”  While this story focuses on Jay’s growth, the biggest part of it is uncovering the truth behind his cousin Jun’s death.  He was told that Jun was shot by the police for selling drugs.  However, Jun was Jay’s best friend and he doesn’t believe that to be true.  During his visit we see Jay grapple with varying stages of grief and we see tension build between Jay and his uncle, who is a police officer and huge advocate for Duterte and his harsh anti drug policies.  

This is a book that I could not put down.  From the very start, I felt that so many of my students could relate this this story.  When I taught high school English, we did an entire unit on culture and what culture is or means in society and on a personal level.  One of the poems we read discussed the feeling of never quite being enough of something. This book is honest about this feeling, but also celebrates the journey of rediscovering your roots.  We see Jay become more at piece with who he is and he ultimately decides to defer his college acceptance to take a year and go back to the Philippines to reconnect with his family, learn the language and discover more about himself.  Patron Saints of Nothing could be used in many incredible ways. If this book had been written when we taught the unit on culture, I would have included in 100%.  I think this could inspire people to write about their own personal experiences with reconnecting with a country they might not have grown up in, but is such a part of who they are. Another important aspect of this story is how disconnected Americans tend to be from what is going on around the world. This story could be used as a resource in a world history class and could inspire students to research what is going on in other areas of the world. Randy Ribay goes into detail about Duterte’s rise to power and his rigid, militant drug laws. He provided characters that both supported the president, as well as those who were completely against his policies. This book could open up a excellent conversations regarding dictatorships, balance of power within a government, and drug policies around the world. 

#YAlit patronsaintsofnothing

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Young adult author Randy Ribay is Filipino American and says his latest book Patron Saints Of Nothing is dedicated to people like him: “The Hyphenated,” he calls them. And not just Filipino Americans, Ribay tells NPR’s Noel King, but also anyone else who would consider themselves more than one thing.

“The difficulty with a dual identity is just trying to figure out what does it mean to be more than one thing in a world where people want you to be one thing,” he says.

Check out the full conversation here.

– Petra

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Author Stories Podcast Episode 717 | Rex Ogle Interview

Non Fiction Title

Free Lunch is a true story depicting events in author Rex Ogle’s childhood.  This haunting story shares traumatic details of what it is like to grow up in an abusive household and in extreme poverty.  The way Rex writes about his anxiety, anger and perseverance is so honest and heartbreaking.  Every teacher and employee within school systems should have to read this story as a reminder that there is a lot we don’t see that our students are struggling through.

Rex Ogle writes about the heartbreaking abuse his faced as a child. It reminded me a little bit about a story I read growing up called a Child Called It. From the start, we can tell that Rex’s mom struggles deeply with personal mental health and time and time again I found myself hoping, along with a young Rex, that she would get the help she needed.  Instead, we watch a child try to raise himself while trying to keep his youngest brother safe and shield him from an incredibly abusive household environment.  There are blatant stereotypes Rex faces from adults in his life that should have been protecting him. The journey they went through was unimaginable and listening to him discuss this in the interview above is truly incredible. 

I would encourage teachers to use this story during nonfiction units. Students that might normally shy away from non fiction will find that this reads more like a fictional narrative. It is a topic I think most students will be interested in reading about and many will be able to make personal and real world connections. 

#rexogle freelunch YAlit

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Author Assignment Title

Auden is not looking forward to spending the summer with her distant father and surface step mother, especially when she has so much studying to do. However, that summer at the beach changes Auden in major ways as we see her come to terms with her childhood, develop female friendships, fall in love and grow into a person she never thought she’d be. 

I remember my younger sister loving Sarah Dessen novels and I never understood why. I began reading this story anticipating that I would be annoyed with the plot and the characters. However, I found myself really enjoying reminiscing about that time period in life. I love the way Sarah Dessen writes and develops her female characters. They were not surface level girls who vapidly fall in love. They were multi faceted and real and while this story was focused on Auden’s growth and to some extent falling in love, I really felt the real story was about the power of friendship.

Sarah Dessen’s books could be used as an example of creating a new world.  Almost all of her stories take place in a fictional town called Colby.  It has become so familiar to her avid readers that they are able to name the businesses and talk about the beach town as if they have visited it. She is known for having beloved characters from previous books revisit in minor ways in new novels. I think this concept is really unique considering the main characters and plots change. Of course, she is such an amazing example of how to write love stories. 

#sarahdessen alongfortheride YAlit

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Graphic Novel 

March as an incredible book that begins the story of John Lewis’ life and advocacy work.  It jumps back and forth between Barack Obama’s inauguration morning to the beginning of Lewis’ childhood in Alabama, which is then told in chronological order.  By telling the story this way, the reader is able to witness pivotal moments in history that led to this iconic moment. It is a book that encompasses that full circle moment.  The graphics and supporting words compliment each other and always add to the story. The story ends in a cliffhanger and leaves the reader eager to continue to the second story. 

I had been so eager to read this book and was thrilled that it was one of our choices. A part of the story that really resonated with me was when Lewis recalled driving to New York with his uncle.  He describes the tension that permeated from his uncle as they drove through Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky. I recently drove across country with my husband and our two dogs.  While these areas are breathtakingly beautiful, there were many places that gave off a very clear vibe and message. If we felt like that now, I can’t imagine what it was like then.  “It wasn’t until we got into Ohio that I could feel Uncle Otis relax--and so I relaxed, too.” I also thought his experience leaving Alabama and ending up in New York was portrayed in such an amazing combination of graphics and words.  By writing the story the way they did, the readers are truly able to appreciate the full circle moments that take place. However, it also exemplifies the amount of work there still is to do.  

One of the schools in FCPS decided to do a year long study of this book at their school.  There are endless lessons it could be used for. The most obvious could be social justice and advocacy work.  I think Lewis’s story is inspiring and will allow students to see that the path to advocacy is not a straight line.  There were many times where Lewis recalls being scared and uncertain.  The amount of work one person was capable of accomplishing in his lifetime is sure to motivate and encourage young advocates. 

#march johnlewis YAlit graphicnovels

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An amazing graphic novel that follows the life of John Lewis. 

Read more here: John Lewis’s “March” becomes nonfiction bestseller

#nonfiction graphicnovel socialjustice YAlit