48 Shades of Brown by Nick Earls

Earls, N. (2004). 48 Shades of Brown. CA: Graphia. ISBN: 0618452958

Plot Summary

  Fifteen year old Dan Brancrof makes the decision to live with his aunt in Australia after his dad moves to Geneva. His aunt is only 22 and plays bass in a band and she lives with an attractive college student named Naomi. Almost immediately, Dan develops a crush on Naomi and tries to impress her by naming all the scientific names for birds and the different shades of brown. 

  

Critical Evaluation

  I remember this book when it first came out, and I just had to write about it. Dan is a comical character, who acts like any love sick teen. Dan has a comical outlook on life which is contagious to his readers. I remember reading this book because it reminded me of an up to date Catcher in the Rye. Although the story is a little slow, it makes sense, and it is a gentle read. I found myself comparing Dan to new characters like Scott Pilgrim and their fight for love. 

Readers Annotation

  What would you do for love?

Information about the Author

  Nick was born in Newtownards, Northern Ireland and he emigrated to Australia at the age of nine. He graduated with a medical degree from the University of Queensland and he worked as a general practitioner before becoming a writer

  This book won him the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of Year Award in 2000. Some of his adult books have been adapted into screenplays. 

Genre

  Fiction: Romance

Curriculum Ideas

  n/a

  

Booktalking Ideas

  - What have you done to impress a girl?

  - Do you think living with a 22 year old is ok for a teen?

   - Compare this book to Catcher in the Rye.

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

   I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  This is one of those books you always remember. I wanted to re read a book that I read when I was a young adult and compare it to the YA books now. 

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah

Beah, I. (2007). A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux. ISBN: 0374105235

Plot Summary

  Ishmael's life is destroyed when his village is attacked by the RUF. While trying to locate his family, he travels village to village, only to be made into a child solider in order to survive. Ishmael becomes a junior lieutenant for his skill of executing war prisoners. He is exposed to extreme violence and drug use. 

  He is rescued by UNICEF, rehabilitated, and eventually adopted by an uncle in the United States. 

Critical Evaluation

  No matter how many times you have read news stories about child soldiers, this book is a terrible and heart wrenching story about innocence lost. I cried at the life he had before being captured and I cried when he was saved. I know that there are people who claim that this story is false, if so, it is a darn good story about the real horrors that are still occurring. 

 Readers Annotation

  How can something as evil as war, turn into something good?

Information about the Author

  Ishmael Beah was born November 23, 1980 in Mattru Jong, Bonthe District, Sierra Leon. He was a child solider who underwent and engaged in extreme violence and drug use. He was rescued, rehabilitated, and is now a fighter for child abuse during war. 

  While at college, he pursues advocacy work against the abuse of children during war. He has spoken at the UN and has met with world leaders. He continues to speak at schools and special events. 

Genre

  Memoir

Curriculum Ties

  Can be used in history class.

Booktalking Ideas

  - Can child soldiers really be rehabilitated?

  - What can we do to help child soldiers?

  - Can you think of other instances of war when children were used in battle?

Reading Level/Interest Level

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Violence, drug use, abuse

   I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  I asked my friend for a non fiction recommendation for teens that has stuck out. 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Grahame-Smith, S. (2010). Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. New York: Grand Central Publishing. ISBN: 0446563080

Plot Summary

  This is another horror mash up and surprises readers with a whole new outlook on the 16th president of the United States. Abraham Lincoln learns from his father at the age of 11 that, not only are vampires real, but that his grandfather was killed by one. He is later shocked to find out that his mother also had the the "milk sickness". Lincoln vows to kill as many vampires as he can. 

Critical Evaluation

  What a great book! I love biographies, and horror, and this was a great union! I loved Grahame- Smith's previous mash ups and I was not disappointed. There are so many great historical facts, and it actually fits when vampires are added. The best was when the Civil War was started by Southern vampires in order to enslave and feed on the North, and that John Wilkes Boothe was a vampire. Hilarious, graphic, gruesome, and entertaining to the very end. 

Readers Annotation

  Everything you know about American History is wrong. 

Information about the Author

    Seth Grahame-Smith was born January 4, 1976 in Bethel, Connecticut. He received his degree from Emerson College and began writing at an early age. He then moved to Los Angeles where he wrote and produced several TV shows. 

  His first published book was about erotic art and was published in 2005, and he continued writing superhero and satirical books. The idea for this book came from his editor at Quirk Books, Jason Rekulak. The goal was to create the first literary mash ups. He has compared adding the zombie parts to microsurgery. He followed this book with, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Both books are being adopted for film. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. 

Genre

  Horror

Curriculum Ties

  In History classes, students can rewrite history. 

Booktalking Ideas

  - Can you think of another vampires can be explained in history?

  - What is 2010's obsession with creatures?

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Gore, vampires
   I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  I bought this book for my father and it is a great crossover from teens to adults, and vice versa. 

After School Nightmare v.1 by Setona Mizushiro

Mizushiro, S. (2004). After School Nightmare: Volume one. Japan: Akita Shoten. ISBN: 1933617160

Plot Summary

  After School Nightmare is a mix of typical teenage drama and confusion with a mix of science fiction and unbelievability. Mashiro Ichijo is popular with the ladies but he has a secret that no one knows, he is half man and half woman. If this isn't enough, he takes a class and in order to graduate he must venture into a fantasy world to retrieve a key, if he does, he will graduate and no one will ever remember him. 

Critical Evaluation

  Huh?!?! This manga made no sense whatsoever. The characters are bland, annoying and plain pathetic. The concept of the story has some awesomeness to it, but the execution of the writing is not. There was little to no character development. 

Readers Annotation

  You thought being a woman was hard, try being a man too. 

Information about the Author

  Setona Mizushiro was born October 23, 1971 in Japan. In 1985 she participated in a publication of a dojinshi and remained active in this until her debut in 1993 after writing a short story called, Fuyu ga Owarou Toshiteita. She is well known in Japan and China but not so much in America or Europe, this could be because her stories are not licensed there and distribution has only recently begun.

  Her popularity has grown due to her storytelling and her novels are known for their deep plots and exploration of the human psyche. Her works include shojo, josei, yaoi, and have been translated into many languages. 

Genre

  Manga

  

 Curriculum Ties

  n/a

Booktalking Ideas

  n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Sex, gender identity

   I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  I found this manga series on a list for top manga for teens. 

All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

Jarzab, A. (2010). All Unquiet Things. New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 038573858

Plot Summary

  All Unquiet Things allows readers to catch a glimpse of the dysfunction of families who seem to have it all. Carly was a simple and smart girl until her mother dies and she starts hanging out with a tough crowd, leaving her boyfriend and best friend and cousin behind. Both her ex boyfriend Neily and her cousin and best friend Audrey loved her but neither of them knew the right way to comfort her after her mother dies. Both are shocked when Carly is murdered and Audrey's dad is arrested for her murder. 

  A year later, Audrey returns, determined to clear her fathers name and to find the real killer. Neily helps, and together they fight against all odds to find out the truth even if it means losing everything, including their lives. 

Critical Evaluation

  This was one of the first YA novels that I have read, and I am so glad that it was this one. It took me from one extreme to the other, and it left me with a heat open and ready for more. Jarzab's writing style is poignant and truthful. Her characters are believable and the story, although a murder mystery, is not far fetched. You can feel the anger Neily and Audrey have one chapter, and the sorrow and deep pain they feel for their loss in another. I have re read this book many times, and it never gets old. 

Readers Annotation

  They know who killed Carly, but so does the killer. 

Information about the Author

  Anna grew up in the suburbs located outside of both Chicago and San Fransisco. She graduated from Santa Clara University and earned her Masters from the University of Chicago. This book is her first novel and she currently lives in New York. 

  Anna served three years on the Peer Medical Board and was the Frosh Escape Leader as well as the Fiction Editor and Assistant Editor of the Santa Clara Review. While at the University of Chicago, she finished All Unquiet Things, which was actually her thesis. She works in book marketing. 

Genre

  Mystery

  

Curriculum Ties

  n/a

Booktalking Ideas

  - What does the title represent?

  - Why do you think Carly fell in with the wrong crowd after her mother died?

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Underage sex, drug and alcohol use, violence
   I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  Random book left out on a table. 

Ash by Malinda Lo

Lo, M. (2010). Ash. New York: Little Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 031604010X

Plot Summary

  Ash is a retelling of the classic Cinderella fairy tale. Aisling, who is called Ash, has grown up in a world of faeries, magic, and strong connections to the natural world. When her mother dies, so does her connections to this magical world. Ash's father remarries and then mysteriously dies, leaving Ash in the care of her horrible stepmother. 

  Instead of being alone, Ash makes friends with a faerie and a Royal Huntress. Ash's world, like Cinderella's, if filled with surprise love and adventure. 

Critical Evaluation

  I usually love fairy tale retellings but this novel tended to drag and run circles in most areas. The lesbian love story seemed thrown in the story for shock value and literally came out of nowhere. Most of the characters had no backbone and were pretty pathetic. I would not recommend this book. 

Readers Annotation

  Cinderella got her Fairy Godmother, Ash has the whole faerie world. 

Information about the Author

  Malinda Lo was born in China and moved to Lafayette and Louisville Kentucky when she was three years old. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and has a Masters from Harvard and Stanford. 

  She was first published at the age of 12 after she published a poem about her cat for a cat magazine. She has worked in book publishing, as a reporter, and worked for AfterEllen.com. Her second novel is set to be released in April 2011. She is a huge supporter of the gay and lesbian community

Genre

  Fantasy

Curriculum Ties

  This can be used in English classes or writing workshops. Students can re-write classics. 

Booktalking Ideas

  - What is the significance of the name Ash?

  - If you had nowhere to go, what would you do?

   - Why didn't Ash just run away?

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  Lesbian love, occult, magic

  I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  Recommended by a librarian. 

Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini

Vizzini, N. (2005). Be More Chill. CA: Disney-Hyperion. ISBN: 0786809965

Plot Summary

  Jeremy Heere is a hopeless nerd who wants to date the beautiful and popular Christine Caniglia. He thinks she is way out of his league until he acquires a squib which guides him through a physical and mental transformation. By having the squib tell him how to act, he rises to popularity. 

Critical Evaluation

  This graphic novel is hilarious. It is sarcastic and thought provoking as it takes readers through so many different human emotions. It also shows how far someone may go in order to gain popularity. 

Readers Annotation

  How far would you go in order to be popular?

Information about the Author

  Edison Price "Ned" Vizzini was born April 4, 1981 and grew up in Park Slope in New York City. He attended Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, and graduated in 1999. He began working for the New York Press as a teenager. 

  After writing essays that were published by the New York Times Magazine, several of his essays were combined to form his first book, Teen Angst. Ned lives in Los Angeles and continues to write and speak about books. 

Genre

  Graphic Novel

Curriculum Ties

  n/a

Booktalking Ideas

  - How far would you go to become popular?

  - What does the squib symbolize in reality?

Reading Level/Interest Age

  9-12th grade/Young Adult

Challenge Issues

  I would offer my library's Collection Development Policy which highlights how challenges and reconsideration's are handled. I would ask the challenger and the professional reviewing it to familiarize themselves with the book.

Reason for Selection

  I grabbed this off of the return truck at the library where I work.