Biographies - Memoirs

Courtesy of YALSA listserv

Where the Flame Trees Bloom by Alma Flor Ada
Eleanor's Story by Eleanor Garner
The Life and Death of Adolf Hitler by James Cross Giblin
Geisha by Mineko Iwasaki
Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang
The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez
The Wilderness Family by Kobie Kruger
Jefferson's Children by Shannon Lanier
Destined to Witness by Hans Massaquoi
At Her Majesty's Request by Walter Dean Myers
My Life in Dog Years by Gary Paulsen
The Oasis by Petru Popescu
Black White and Jewish by Rebecca Walker
Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren

Holocaust Books For Preteens and Young Adults

Courtesy of YALSA Listserv

Cherie Bennett's Anne Frank and Me (Fic)
Clive Lawton's Auschwitz (Non Fic)
Milkweed by Jerry SpinelliFriedrich by Hans Peter Richter
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Thought of High Windows_ by Lynne Kositsky (yound adult)
The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen
Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine
Survivors: True Stories of Children in the Holocaust by Allan Zullo and Mara Bovsun
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Room in the Heart by Sonia Levitin
Malka by Mirjam Pressler
One Eye Laughing, the Other Weeping: the diary of Julie Weiss
Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs
Bodie Thoene's Zion Covenant and Vienna Prelude
The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss (NF)
Run, Boy, Run by Orlev
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene G. Opdyke & J. Armstrong
Sky by Hanneke Ippisch
Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli
Play to the Angel by Maurine Dahlberg
Dreaming in Black and White by Reinhardt Jung
Maus and Maus II (Graphic Novels by Art Spiegelman)
Daniel Half-Human and the Good Nazi by David Chotjewitz
Forgotten Fire by Adam Badasarian
Songbird : a novel / Walter Zacharius
Sisterland / Linda Newbery
Hana's suitcase / written by Karen Levine
The lost childhood : a World War II memoir / Yehuda Nir
Surviving Hitler : a boy in the Nazi death camps / by Andrea Warren
Lost hero : Raoul Wallenberg's by Danny Smith
The Seamstress : a memoir of survival / Sara Tuvel Bernstein ; with Louise Loots Thornton and Marlene Bernstein Samuels ; introduction by Edgar M. Bronfman
Torn Thread / Anne Isaacs
Final Journey by Gudrun Pausewang
Night by Elie Wiesel.
Flames of Tiger, by John Wilson
Behind the Bedroom Wall by Laura Williams
PARALLEL JOURNEYS by Ayer/Heck
REUNION by Fred Uhlmann
Daniel's Story by Carol Matas
I Have Lived a Thousand Years by Livia Bitton-Jackson
Alicia: My Story by Alicia Appleman-Jurman
The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel
If I Should Die Before I Wake by Han Nolan
Tunes for Bears to Dance To by Robert Cormier
Good Night, Maman by Norma Fox Mazer
Kinderlager by Milton J. Nieuwsma
SMOKE AND ASHES by Barbara Rogasky

Books About Bullying

This list was compiled by the YALSA listerv

General:
THE MISFITS by James Howe
PROJECT X by Jim Shepard
PLAYING IN TRAFFIC by Gail Giles
TOUCHING SPIRIT BEAR by Ben Mikaelsen
HOOT by Carl Hiaasen
FAT KID RULES THE WORLD by K.L. Going
INVENTING ELLIOT by Graham Gardner
THE CHOCOLATE WAR by Robert Cormier
ROMIETTE AND JULIO by Sharon Draper
BAD GIRLS by Cynthia Voigt
NAMES WILL NEVER HURT ME by James Adoff
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Burger Wuss by Matthew Anderson
Alt Ed by Catherine Atkins
Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco
Tangerine by Edward Bloor
Walking Naked by Alyssa Brugman
Quit It by Marcia Byalick
The Goats by Brock Cole
We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
On the Fringe by Don Gallo (ed.)
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
Stitches by Glen Huser
Alice, I Think by Susan Juby
The Brimstone Journals by Ron Koertge
Stoner & Spaz by Ron Koertge
Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja
The Girls Koss by Amy Goldman
The Losers' Club by John Lekich
One Fat Summer by Robert Lipsyte
Hidden Talents by David Lubar
Slot Machine by Chris Lynch
Who the Man by Chris Lynch
Liar by Winifred Morris
Shooter by Walter Dean Myers
Behaving Bradley by Perry Nodelman
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
A Long Way From Chicago by Richard Peck
Hangman's Curse by Frank Peretti
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
After by Francine Prose
The Kidnappers by Willo Davis Roberts
Odd Girl Speaks Out: Girls Write About Bullies, Cliques, Popularity
and Jealousy by Rachel Simmons (ed.)
Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser
The Shadow Place by Carol M. Tanzman

6th Grade
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg
Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg
The Misfits by James Howe
The Girls by Amy Goldman Koss
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
The River by Gary Paulsen
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen
Brian’s Return by Gary Paulsen
Brian’s Hunt by Gary Paulsen
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
Guts by Gary Paulsen

7th Grade
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Hope Was Here by Joan Bauer
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
On the Fringe by Donald R. Gallo

8th Grade
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Kit’s Wilderness by David Almond
Every Day and All the Time by Sis Deans

Cirque Du Freak Look Alikes Courtesy of YALSA Listserv

The Afterlife by Gary Soto

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Klause

The Boy Who Couldn’t Die by William Sleator

Calling all Monsters by Chris Westwood

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde

Dangerous Girls by R.L. Stine (and Taste of the Night – book 2)

The Darkangel by Meredith Ann Pierce (Plus the other books in the series)

Demon Witch (Ravenscliff 2) by Geoffrey Huntington

Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman

The Gathering by Isobelle Carmody

In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (also mentioned the other Vampire Chronicles books.)

Look for Me by Moonlight by Mary Downing Hahn

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Rats by Paul Zindel

Raven’s Point by Melinda Metz

Reef of Death by Paul Zindel

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

The She by Carol Plum-Ucci

The Silver Kiss by Annette Klause

Sorcerers of the Nightwing (Ravenscliff 1) by Geoffrey Huntington

A Stir of Bones by Nina Hoffman

Thirsty by M.T. Anderson

Vampire Kisses by Ellen Schreiber

Grounding The Giver

A recent article out of Kansas City discussed the outrage of parents in their school district when their middle schoolers were assigned to read The Giver. It is difficult to believe that this Newbery winner, and perhaps classic of our time, is being attacked for its violence and sexual content. The article can be viewed using the link below (you may need to sign up for access to the site) but it is worth reading to remind us that the world is made up of many different people and points of view. The Giver's message of thinking for yourself and not being afraid to be your own person is an important one for all ages and one that parents should not be afraid to teach their children.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/10575220.htm

Loser by Jerry Spinelli

After reading Maniac Magee and Stargirl, my daughter and I decided to read another Jerry Spinelli book, Loser. We enjoyed it, but it was very Spinelli. I guess that's what we wanted.

Donald Zinkoff is different, something that becomes more evident as he gets into middle school. Other students consider him invisible, a nothing, but he seems to be in his own world, insulated from their harsh comments by the unwavering love of his parents. Zinkoff, however, has something that other kids do not seem to have, compassion. It is this quality that others come to recognize in him and that begins to awaken his peers.

We found that the message in Loser is not as straight-forward and easily understood as in Maniac Magee. The ending was also a bit abrupt and probably has left many an 8 - 12 year old scratching their head or missing its true significance in the context of the story. The book overall is an easy read with a message for preteens, and we recommend it.

Proposed Flamingnet Content Rating System

The Flamingnet Content Rating (FCR)

Flamingnet feels that it is beneficial for readers, and those selecting and recommending books to preteens, teens and young adults, to have some idea about the sexual, drug and violent content of the books they are considering. Flamingnet Book Reviews, besides rating each book on a 1 – 10 scale depending on how our reviewer enjoyed a book, also rates each book on content. Our content rating helps people determine the appropriateness of a particular book for a particular reader or group of readers. Our content rating system does not deal with the reading level of the book, just the content of the book.

A smiley face stands for general readers, for any age. Book with this designation contain nothing that would be considered offensive. These books are generally absent of violence, sex, drugs, swearing, and crude comments.

A frowning smiley face rating means that we recommend adult guidance when considering this book. These books may contain some profanity, sexual comments, and can also deal with the issue of drugs and alcohol. Parents, teachers and librarians may want to read these books before recommending it to a student.

Books rated with a pirate smiley face rating are suggested for mature readers only, and contain material that is deemed unsuitable for children to young teens. These books can contain, sexual situations, extreme profanity, and extreme violence.

Understandably, our content rating is somewhat subjective, placed on books by our reviewers. We value your comments if you disagree with the rating of a particular book.

Comments????

Hi/Lo Books

As many parents, teachers, and librarians know, not all children are good readers or even care to read. Some even have learning disabilites and reading difficulties that have made it painful and a chore to read. Hi/Lo books are written with these children in mind and are books that are intended to stimulate a high interest but are written for a lower reading level. Vocabulary, text print and page layouts in these books are usually crafted to appeal to children and young adults who usually do not like to read for various reasons.

It has not been easy to find good lists of Hi/Lo books for young adults and teens on the Internet. Some of the best sites I found are:
http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/youth/booklists/highlow.html
http://www.waterborolibrary.org/bklisty.htm#yarr

I would be interested in learning of any other good Hi/Lo sites or lists on the Internet.

Stargirl

I just finished reading Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli to my daughter (12 1/2 years old). He has also written one of our favorites, Maniac Magee, as well as Milkweed, Wringer, Crash, and My Daddy and Me. Stargirl is very simiar to Maniac Magee, in a sense. This book is about a teenager who is quite different from her peers. She has a very carefree, natural, sincere and caring nature all her own. Her differences eventually lead to her being shunned by her classmates who have trouble understanding and accepting her. When she tries to be like them she is still ostracized and eventually returns to herself, only to finally win them over.
We liked Stargirl and it was amazing how many people in my daughter's class at school were similar to some of the characters in the book. This provided for interesting discussions about school friends and how they act. Even though the ending was somewhat predictable, Spinelli's Stargirl makes the reader think about differences in people and how we react to them. I think it is a book best read aloud to lower and middle school students so they will get the most out of the story. Older readers who read it alone will enjoy it as a quick, fun read with a message.

Tom Sawyer

Tonight I finished reading to my daughter The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. It was the original text. She is in seventh grade and had been assignd to read it by herself. A truly great book but given the writing style I felt it was best if we read it together. I also introduced her to Spark Notes. We enjoyed it but I feel she would have gotten more out of it if she had been assigned the Penguin Classic edition where the language and writing has been modified to make it easier to understand and read. The original text seems a real challenge even for advanced readers in her age group.