I got so busy with the beginning of the school year, that I haven't had a chance to really share all the books that ended my summer reading and started my school year. Since it's a big list, I am just going to share a little bit about each one, but it'll hopefully be enough for you to maybe see if you might be interested in these titles.
The first is
Where All Light Tends to Go by David Joy, who's from right here in WNC. This is a novel for adults, not YA, but the protagonist is a young man from WNC, Jacob McNeely whose father runs a meth ring and has many people in the area involved in his business. Jacob dropped out of school and struggles with working for his dad or imagining something different for his life. He reconnects with an old girlfriend and considers his options. This book is rough. It's hard to read at times, but it's a gripping look into what happens when there doesn't seem like a way out. I don't recommend this book to all, but I do think that some kids would be interested to see what happens to Jacob and could identify with the feeling of being stuck and not knowing what choice to make. I want to read Joy's other two novels. This one was suspenseful, heartbreaking, and honest.
OMG. This book is now on my top 10 YA books of all time list. For real. I got it last semester and never got around to it, but brought it home for summer, and I am so glad I did. It takes place in a small town in Tennessee where three best friends are sort of outsiders in their school. Dill and his mother have nothing and struggle to make ends meet. They both work and do their best ever since Dill's father, a Pentecostal preacher, got arrested and put in jail for a crime. Dill's friends are still there for him, though, which is good. Lydia, his friend forever, lives in a much better home. Her mom is a dentist in town, and she runs a really popular fashion blog that is nation-wide famous. She posts about the best thrift shops and styles. She's hoping to go to college in New York. And then, there's Travis. Travis is a big ole boy who works after school at his father's lumber yard. His brother was killed in the military. Travis wears all black all the time and an amazing dragon necklace. He also carries a staff and is obsessed with his favorite fantasy series and its author. These three don't exactly make sense as BFFs, but they are perfect. As they start senior year, they all have to think about what their futures hold. Dill also had to decide if he wants to change his relationship with Lydia by letting her know how he truly feels about her. As Lydia applies to college and Dill doesn't, their friendship undergoes some strain, and all three of their stories develop throughout the novel as they try to be who they really are in a community that doesn't always understand them. I cried at the end of this book, but loved every. single. second. It's a must read.
Oh, goodness, you need to read this series if you like dystopian, sci-fi-ish, futuristic series. I won't tell too much about the second book, but I'll give you a set up of the series in general. I will say I have read both of these and loved them. I can't wait til the third book comes out in 2019.
Scythe takes place in our world in the future, but unlike so many dystopian series, this is actually a utopia! One day "the cloud" actually becomes a sentient being. Along with all the medical and technological advances, the cloud, now the Thunderhead, can take care of everyone, everywhere all the time. No more disease. Everyone gets a guaranteed income. If you do die, you just go to a revival center for a few days and they will get you back in shape as fast as they can. No hunger, no war, no problems. Once you age as far as you like, you can simply reset and be young again and do it all over again. Everything is perfect. The Thunderhead watches and takes care of everything. However, since there is no natural death, humankind had to come up with a way to control the population and manage death. Enter the Scythedom. Scythes take care of the business of death by "gleaning" people. They have a strict set of rules. Scythes are trained rigorously and apprentice under an experienced scythe. Citra and Rowan are both selected to train as Scythes, but what they learn is really hard. There are different factions of Scythes starting to emerge. Some scythes glean with honor, dignity, respect, and kindness, while others have very different ideas of what gleaning should be like. That's enough to get you started. I loved this series. It gave me lots to think about as I compared the future to our current world. It's new, intriguing, and action-packed. I highly recommend this series.
A wonderful book that all middle and high school students should read. The book follows three refugee children on their individual journeys to another land. Their stories are incredible, and all three stories come together in tear-jerking conclusion. Josef is escaping Nazi Germany. His father was in a concentration camp, but then they were all reunited a board a ship to seek asylum in Cuba. Isabel is a young girl from Cuba whose family boards a small boat to reach Miami. And Mahmoud is a young boy from Syria who, along with his family, wants to escape his war-torn country and just get somewhere safe, like Germany. As you read this book, you get specific, real details about the individual lives of these three children, but you also learn about the time period and the historical conflicts that cause these kids to need to leave their countries for safety, freedom, and opportunity. The book alternates chapters which helps kids stay tuned in. Each story builds chapter by chapter, and the conclusion is perfect. I think this is a good book for younger kids. It teaches so much about refugees and forces us to ask ourselves important questions about how our country chooses to help or not help those who need it. I think it's a good entry book for high school readers, too, because it ties the current refugee crisis to historical topics they might have studied already, so they have a little background. Pick it up, people. It's an important one.
Man, this book was really hard to read because of the subject matter. Inspired by the missing D. C. girls news stories, it's the story of Claudia whose friend Monday doesn't come back to school after summer break. When Claudia confronts Monday's family members, she's shut out and given no information or conflicted stories at best. She tells school officials but people just keep passing it off to someone else, and no one seems as concerned as Claudia. Claudia still goes to school and, sadly, struggles. Without her best friend, she's sad and lost. She continues her life, but feels hurt and doesn't understand why her friend won't contact her. She never gives up, though, on figuring out where Monday is, and she does find out by the end of the book. It's a crazy read. Claudia's struggles will make sense to many kids as she navigates high school, church, parties, friends, and love. But what really blows you away is the ending. It'll stick with you for a while. A rough topic, but a good read.
Another book inspired by current events,
Ghost Boys is about a young man named Jerome who is ready to start back to school. His neighborhood is pretty rough. His parents work hard, and his grandmother keeps the family together and teaches him to try to see the positive things in his world everyday. Near his home one afternoon, Jerome gets shot by a police officer and dies. His story becomes news. But for Jerome, what happens on earth, court proceedings, the charges, none of it matters. He's dead. He still wanders around as a ghost boy and meets another ghost boy also from Chicago who was killed many years ago, Emmett Till. Emmett helps Jerome navigate his new existence. Can people feel, sense, or see him? He has to figure out how long he will be this way and why he's still here with the other ghost boys. This book was hard to read, but really showed yet another perspective on the tragedy we see in this country of young black men dying at the hands of those in power more than others. We must end this violence on young people of color, and Rhodes' book is another important voice, along with Angie Thomas, Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely, Nic Stone, and others who give voice to the voiceless through their powerful and important novels. Another good entry book to the topic. It's shorter than
The Hate You Give and might be a quicker read for readers who might not want to or be able to dedicate as much time to that novel. Highly recommend to middle grade readers also, who might not be ready for a more YA take on the topic.
Well, we will end here on a much happier not with
To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. I didn't read her
Summer I Turned Pretty Series years ago, but picked this up when I heard all the rave reviews about the Netflix movie that just came out. Well, the book was GREAT! Like Stephanie Perkins and Becky Albertalli, Jenny Han takes me back to the days of crushes and kisses and parties and fun. Lara Jean writes goodbye letters to all the boys she's loved before and stores them in a hatbox her mother gave her years ago. They are really just for her, to help her get over her crushes, most of whom don't even know that she likes them at all. But it's good because she makes her peace with the crush and moves on. Until...her letters get sent out in the mail and received by the boys. Her sister Margot has left for college; her mom's been dead for years; and Lara Jean doesn't really know where it all stands as she, her dad, and little sister, Kitty, take on new roles in Margot's absence. I loved Lara Jean's voice and style. She reacted as I totally would have when she found out the letters went out, which is to say, she freaks completely. I haven't seen the movie yet, but can't wait, AND I will be ordering the other two books ASAP so I can follow the rest of Lara Jean's story. Keep in mind I've only read the first book, so right now I am totally #teampeterkavinsky. We'll see if it stays that way when I get my hands on book #2. A sweet, romantic, fun read and a wonderful Asian American main character who rocks it as she starts figuring out who she really is and wants to be.
Whew!! That was a lot! I am enjoying reading with my students and sharing great books with them. When kids say, "Wow! That was super good!" I just smile and jump around a little. There's so much amazing YA out there! I also read Captain Underpants #5 with my daughter and did a reread of Harry Potter 3. Right now, I think I am going to try to read all the rest of the
Throne of Glass series since the final book
Kingdom of Ash comes out next month. I will make time for
What If It's Us, though, also by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera. I'm sure I'll read that one in a just a day or two. So it's off to Rifthold for now for me. Hope maybe one of these books sounds good to you!
