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Na, An. A Step from Heaven. Asheville, NC: Front Street, 2001.
[Book cover credit: www.worldcat.org]
Genre: Multicultural
Annotation:
This is a story of a Korean family who left their homeland for a better life in America. Told from the point of view of the daughter, Young Ju, this novel exposes the difficulty of making and sustaining a new life in a different country.
Booktalk Review:
Surrender yourself to this powerful story of a Korean family who is trying to make a better life in America and you will feel like you are living it with them. They make sacrifices and find it increasingly harder to assimilate into the culture and all of this takes a toll on the family. The father strikes the mother and makes many sexist comments that attempt to hold the females back. Find out if this new life in America is really only A Step From Heaven.
Awards, Recognitions, Honors, etc.:
- The 2002 Michael L. Printz Award
- Nominated for a 2001 National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category
- 2002 Children's Book Award in YA Fiction - International Reading Association
- 2005 California Collections Selection
- 2005 Asian American Booklist, Grades 9 and Up, Read Across America, National Educational Association
- 2001 - 2003 Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, Text in Children and Young Adult Fiction – Asian/Pacific American Librarians Association
- 2004 Reading List – Women's Division Reading Program Committee, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church
- 2003 - 2004 Gateway Readers Award Nominee, Missouri Association of School Libraries
- 2003 - 2004 William Allen White Children's Book Award master list
- 2002 Notable Books for a Global Society – International Reading Association
- 2002 Notable Children's Book – American Library Association
- 2002 Best Book for Young Adults – American Library Association
- 2002 Children's Books of Distinction Award – Riverbank Review
- 2002 Fanfare Book – The Horn Book Honor List
- 2002 Bay Area Book Reviewers Association Award
- 2002 CCBC Choices
- 2002 Children's Literature Choice List
- 2002 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Master List
- 2002 Amelia Bloomer Project List
- 2002 White Ravens – International Youth Library of Munich
- 2002 Notable Books for the Language Arts – NCTE
- 2002 Notable Books for a Global Society, Children's Literature and Reading Special Interest group of the IRA
- 2001 Editor's Choice – Booklist
- 2001 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
- 2001 Best Books – School Library Journal
- 2001 Kiriyama Prize Notable Book Shortlist
- 2001 Best Children's Books – Publishers Weekly
- 2001 Best Book – teenreads.com
- 2001 Book LInks Lasting Connections
- 2001 Capitol Choices: Noteworthy Books for Children
- 2001 Top 10 Youth First Novels – Booklist
Author's Website:
http://www.anwriting.com/
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York, N.Y.: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers, 1994.
[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]
Genre: Fantasy
Annotation:
Everyone has a place and everything seems so right, but when Jonas is assigned his role in his community, he receives training that makes him question his world as he knows it.
Booktalk Review:
How wonderful would it be? To live in a world where everything is under control and there is no fear and no pain. When children turn twelve, they are each assigned a role in their community. Jonas' role is very special and his training is unlike anyone else's. Find out what's in store for Jonas as he receives his special training from The Giver.
Awards, Recognitions, Honors, etc.:
- The 1994 Newberry Medal
- The 1996 William Allen White Award
- American Library Association listings for "Best Book for Young Adults", "Notable Children's Book," and "100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000."
- A Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book
- Winner of the Regina Medal
- Booklist Editors' Choice
- A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Author's Website:
http://www.loislowry.com/
Klause, Annette Curtis. The Silver Kiss. New York: Delacorte Press, 2007.
[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]
Genre: Horror
Annotation:
Simon, a vampire, helps Zoe deal with her life as her mother loses her battle to a terminal illness.
Booktalk Review:
How do you handle your mother dying in a hospital and feeling ostracized from the family by your father? Zoe has a lot to deal with no one to understand how she feels, until she meets Simon. He is handsome, mysterious and kind of scary, which makes him all the more interesting. Simon totally gets Zoe and even helps her, but does he want anything in return?
Awards, Rocognitions, Honors, etc.:
- An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
- An ALA Quick Pick
- A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
- A Booklist Children’s Editors’ Choice
- Winner of the California Young Readers Medal
- A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
Check out this website for more information about the author:
http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/catalog/author.pperl?authorid=48104
Woodson, Jacqueline. The Dear One. Paw Prints, 2008.
[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]
Genre: GLBTQ
Annotation:
This is a story of a girl, Feni, who was forced to welcome her mother's friend's pregnant teenage daughter into her life, all while dealing with her mother's alcoholism. Feni grows and matures as she faces many obstacles.
Booktalk Review:
Could you imagine sharing your room with a rude, pregnant stranger who is nothing like you, and doesn't even like you? Feni is faced with many challenging issues such as classism, teen pregnancy, etc., that arise when she learns, with the help of her mother, to be more understanding and sensitive. Who really is The Dear One?
Author's Website:
http://www.jacquelinewoodson.com/
Frank, E. R. America: A Novel. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002.
[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]
Genre: Realistic/Issues
Annotation:
This is a story of a lost boy, America, who was abandoned by his birth mother and separated by his foster mother. He has been through the the system and on the streets, but through it all may learn to find himself.
Booktalk Review:
Lost
Nowhere
Nobody
No one cares
I don't care
Runaway in New York City
Finding a self and a place in the world
Awards, Recognitions, Honors, etc.:
- Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ)
- German Youth Literature Award Nominee
- Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
About the Author:
http://authors.simonandschuster.com/E-R-Frank
Frost, Helen. The Braid. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.
[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]
Genre: Historical Fiction
Annotation:
During the Highland Clearances families were forced to leave Scotland and consequently, families were torn apart. This collection of narrative poems alternating from one sister to the other illuminates the powerful love and bond between sisters/best friends.
Booktalk Review:
Could you imagine living without your best friend? In The Braid, two Scottish sisters are forced to separate during the Highland Clearances as one leaves with the rest of their immediate family for Canada and the other stays behind hiding with their grandmother. Even though it takes place in the 19th century, this story of the bond of sisterhood and friendship transcends time. Similar to the locks of each other's hair that wear braided in their own, they remain close to each other's hearts. How strong is the bond of The Braid?
Awards, Recognitions, Honors, etc.:
- YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2007
- 2007 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book
- 2007 Honor Book: "Lion and the Unicorn" Award for Excellence in North American Poetry
- School Library Journal "Best Books of the Year, 2006"
- Kirkus Reviews "Editor's Choice, 2006"
- NCSS-CBC Notable Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
- Notable Book in Historical Fiction, 2007, for the Children's Literature Assembly (CLA), an affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
- Bank Street College of Education Children's Book Committee "Best Children's Books of the Year, 2007"
- Cooperative Children's Book Center "CCBC Choices 2007"
- Special Recognition: 2007 Paterson Prize for Books for Young People
- 2008-2009 Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Awards Master List
Author's Website:
http://www.helenfrost.net/
Shakur, Tupac. The Rose That Grew from Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.
[Book cover credit: www.alibris.com]
Genre: Biography/Non-Fiction
Annotation:
Compiled after his death, The Rose That Grew From Concrete is a collection of Tupac's poetry that uncovers his deep insight into the world, his honest sensitivity and life experiences.
Booktalk Review:
The Rose That Grew Form Concrete is a collection of cool and witty poems written by one of the most enigmatic, influential, controversial and enduring rappers of the 2oth century. Tupac's real take on life is there for you to read, and you can even see each of his poems in his own handwriting. Learn more about Tupac and the struggles of The Rose That Grew From Concrete.
For more information about Tupac, check out this website:
http://www.2paclegacy.com/
