Looking for Alaska, By John Green

Title:Looking for Alaska
Author:John Greene
Publish Date:August 14, 2008
Publisher:Speak; Reissue edition
Pages:256 pages
ISBN:014241221X
Classification:
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $8.99

Annotation: Miles' first year at a boarding prep school in Alabama brings new and wonderful friends and great escapes of pranks and partying, but it is brought to a head by fatal car crash and the search for meaning of life and death.

Summary: Miles is 16 years old and until he attends Culver Creek boarding school doesn't lead that interesting a life.He chose to attend so he could try to ignite his life in the tradition of his father who also attended the school. He begins to come out of his shell and experience "the great perhaps" as he joins his new friends Alaska, Chip "The Colonel", and plays pranks, drinks, and crushes deeply on Alaska. But when Alaska and he finally kiss it is abrubtly curtailed with a shocking phone call for Alaska and a well-planned way to get Alaska in a car, on a mission but while intoxicated.

Evaluation: Again, I like a smart tale. And this does not disappoint. The best part for me was seeing smart kids behave the way no one thinks they should and to me that was relatable. It dealt with HUGE issues that everybody deals with in life and every character was human and quite frankly this is one of those books that adults and teens can enjoy equally. I am beginning to find that John Green can do that with a book.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Death, Dying, & Living; Intellectual and Philosophical Awareness; Dealing with living as much as dying

Reason this book was chosen: Primarily for its rave reviews. And it was VERY good. And it did deal with some pretty emotional issues. I think for parents or adults who read this, it really does show you how much depth experience your teen is capable of regardless of what you think everything should be.

Website: http://www.sparksflyup.com/

Perfect, by Natasha Friend

Title:Perfect
Author:Natasha Friend
Publish Date:September 16, 2004
Publisher: Milkweed Editions
Pages:232 pages
ISBN:1571316515
Classification:
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $7.95
Annotation: After a family tragedy Isabella is discovered purging her dinner and is sent to recover in a clinic. There she meets the most popular girl in school, and together they travel a destructive path...

Summary: With her family still coming to grips with the death of her father, Isabelle's little sister walks in on her throwing up her dinner. Though Isabelle Isabelle gets sent to a recovery group. When she goes to her new group she is floored to find Ashley, the most beautiful & popular girl in school (and also object of her crushes affection), is bulimic too. They become unlikely friends when Ashley takes her as a disciple and they begin a destructive path to perfection.

Evaluation: Whether you struggle with an eating disorder or not, every girl deals with the pressures of how they look. This book does a beautiful job of making you empathetic to her while at the same time educating you on eating disorders. It was good, especially when I was having a hard time finding complimentary titles to Wintergirls.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Eating Disorders, Toxic Friendships, Loss of a Parent

Reason this book was chosen: Anorexia is more widely covered then bulimia, but just as lethal and widespread.

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publish Date: February 23, 2010
Publisher: Speak
Pages: (Paperback) 288
ISBN: 014241557X
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult

Price: Paperback $9.99

Annotation: After the death of her best friend, Lia is forced to deal with her own struggle with an eating disorder, or else face a similar fate.

Summary: Lia and Cassie have been friends since childhood. They make a pact to be "the skinniest girls in school" but both have different yet equally dangerous ways of reaching that goal. After going separate ways as friends, Cassie passes away and Lia is forced to face the loss of her best friend, the reality of her sickness (anorexia and cutting), and the relationships she has with her broken family and people around her. With the ghost of Cassie following her around, will Lia be able to break the cycle of self-destruction and save herself from the only path that lays in front of her: death?

Evaluation: A triumph worthy of textbook status for people dealing with or knowing people with eating or cutting disorders.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Bulimia, Anorexia, Cutting, Broken Families

Reason this Book was Chosen: Though chalk full of "tips" it's supersedes being a manual for girls looking for a how to guide by shear worth and relatable content for girls who really need help and not wanting to feel alone. It gets inside the head of a girl stricken by a disease that is often misunderstood. It's beautifully emotional and a definite page turner!

Book Trailer: Official

Amazing Fan Made Trailers:

How Beautiful the Ordinary, by Michael Cart

Title: How Beautiful the Ordinary
Author: Michael Cart (Editor & Contributor)
Publish Date: 2009
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 368
ISBN: 0061154989
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Short Stories
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $16.99

Annotation: A compilation of Short Stories from many top young adult writers that deal with LBGTQ issues, love, and identity.

Summary: An anthology of beautiful stories told in many unique fashions geared for the unique and amazing world of first love, identity, and so on for LBGTQ teens. Here are authors such as Francesca Lia Block, David Leviathan, Julie Ann Peters, and many many more big names and accomplished YA authors. In Happily Ever After we have a graphic novel where love not magical genies fixes romance. And in other stories we have different perspectives. A boy mistaken for a girl refused to wear a dress, and a mother writes to a daughter she hasn't seen in over a decade. These stories are brought to you from a place of "now" while the travel in either the past or present or both to see the beautiful, distinct perspective of sexual identity for teens who

Evaluation: Michael Cart was formally an ALA president of YALSA and it's clear in this compilation that he is intimate with amazing authors and their work and what they have to offer. He is aware of the need for controversial topics to be honored and published, as well as the voice of the teen. I really enjoyed going through this book, getting to know authors I haven't read before (it's kinda like a buffet of authors), and seeing through brief windows of identity.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Indentity, Love, LGBTQ

Reason this book was chosen: Both for what it attempts to accomplish, as for the authors included. But, mostly I wanted to see what YALSA's Michael Cart edited and had a part in getting these important voices out into the world on these equally important issues!

Peak Inside: http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061154980

Publisher Website:

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061154980/How_Beautiful_the_Ordinary/index.aspx

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Title:Speak
Author:Laurie Halse Anderson
Publish Date:March 19, 2009
Publisher:Speak; 10 Anv edition
Pages:240 pages
ISBN:0142414735
Classification:
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $8.63

Annotation:

Summary: After being date-raped a party, Melinda Sordino suffers intensely through her first year at Merryweather High

in utter silence, that is, she has a secret and that secret is why everybody hates her. During the Summer Melinda is Date-raped, calls the police, and the party is broken up. Because nobody knows why she called the police they brand her. Melinda begins to get worse and worse as she folds within herself and becomes mute while loses enthusiasm for everything that should have been an amazing first year of high school. Abandoned by her friends, she wishes she could confide.

Evaluation: I loved the interactions between the teacher and the Melinda and the use of art as a catalyst for expression. It is stylishly written and it's tone with memorable. I love Melinda and feel deeply for her. Much of her school brings up memories of more then one of my teachers and experiences. Spot on amazing! There is a reason why Anderson is so beloved, in my opinion.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Expressing trauma, Art therapy, friendship, trust, depression, Communicating with your Parents

Reason this book was chosen: The use of art as therapy instead of the obvious choices like dealing with being raped and bullied.

Another Amazing Author Website: http://www.writerlady.com/

Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous

Title:Go Ask Alice
Author:Anonymous
Publish Date:December 27, 2005 (1st 1971)
Publisher:Simon Pulse
Pages:224 pages
ISBN:1416914633
Classification:
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price:$9.99

Annotation: After being unknowingly turned on to LSD, the anonymous main character falls into a hole of destruction via drugs.

Summary: Written by an Anonymous author in diary form, this tale follows an innocent girls descent into a world of the hippie revolution and ultimately utter despair. It is generally questioned whether the book is a "true" account of a drug addict like it touts itself, or just a scare tactic created for the sole purpose of enlightening young readers to the horrors and ultimate death from a drug overdose in the late 1960s.

Evaluation: To me it is questionable how a teen will take this. It's intended to be a scare tactic or warning I think, but also reads as a vicarious and/or manual for partying with drugs and doing whatever the hell you want. Sounds like every teens dream. Furthermore it lacks the sophistication of a real teen "voice" and mirrors more of a interpretation of what adults think teens are. At any rate, it is entertaining and a classic controversial title. Ultimately if you take it with a grain of salt, it's quite a good read and has potential in actual worth or being able to have some bibliotherapeutic usefulness.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Romanticizing Drugs and the consequences

Reason this book was chosen: Widely controversial for everything from sex to drugs during the hippie days, Go Ask Alice, is a reference to the Jefferson Airplane song "White Rabbit". Grace Slick made the song on what she (and many others) thought were drug references in the classic book Alice In Wonderland.

Best Part of the Book? Getting this stuck in your head:

Rebel Angels, by Libba Bray

• Title: Rebel Angels
• Author: Libba Bray
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
• Date: December 26, 2006
• ISBN-10: 0385733410
• • Reading level: Young Adult
    
  • Paperback: 592 pages
  • Classification: Fiction
  • Genre: Historical Fantasy

Series Title: Gemma Doyle Trilogy

Reader's Annotation: The second book in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, the adventure of Miss Doyle continue on. She continues her mission to search for and destroy Circe while at the same time facing more complex barriers and difficulties between both the magical worlds and the high society 19th Century London.

Summary: After initially breaking through to the "realms" and Gemma finds out her connection to magic, she and her friends continue to fight to bind the magic of the realms (as much as the resist). But as they do this they are seduced by London society and the temptation to be proper young ladies and all that entails. Meanwhile, Gemma continues to brake the "rules" of being a proper young lady by being more and more captivated by Kartik who is squatting with gypsies outside her proper boarding shcool and is a messenger of the Rakshana, an questionable organization that may be out to get her. This makes Kartik even more dangerous and alluring.

Evaluation: I found this book the be the best of the three. Beautifully woven pictures of London, the gypsie camp, and the artwork Rebel Angels, at the turn of the Century juxtaposed by the magical world the three girls of The Gemma Doyle Trilogy. Bray creates a world poetic by nature and conflicted by harsh reality.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: The relationship between Kartik and Gemma serves as a go way to look at racial and economic divides and/or when people don't approve of interracial relations. There is magical, anti-religious themes even if the don't tend to be-but if you look closer there are classic battles of good and evil, self-discipline, and friendship. Also, an interesting look at the role of women in the Victorian era which gives a lot of insight into the role women play today and how we got to this point in women's lib.

Reason this Book was Chosen: Again, I wanted some depth in my genre choices, and was impressed by the story telling and the racial undertones. I also wanted to look at the history of women in society in the past. relation

Notes:

WINNER 2006 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults

NOMINEE 2007 - Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award

Official Trilogy Website:

http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/gemmadoyle/home.php

Official Trailer Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/gemmadoyle/parlor/bktrailers.html

One of My Favorite Fan Trailers:

Rules of Survival, By Nancy Werlin

Title:The Rules of Survival

Author: Nancy Werlin

Publish Date: September 2006

Publisher: Penguin Group

Pages: 272pp

ISBN: 0803730012

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 12 and up

Price: $16.14

Annotation: Matthew is the eldest of three siblings (both sisters) and the son of a manic, out of control, abusive mother. The story unfolds of their story in a letter to his sister about their mother and their lives during that time.

Summary: Matthew, Callie and Emmy live with their crazy, manic (actually unbearable) mother Nikki. They grew up knowing that their mother could crack in rage at anytime, or take them on a manic rollercoaster of over the top fancies like theme parks and obsessive love interests. Tip-toeing around her was a way of life, just as was dealing with her in her insane moments. When Matt and Callie meet a man named Murdock, their mother sinks her fancy into him and for a while they live happily. When the house of cards comes crumbling down, so do the children's hopes of help from Murdock. Matt is foiled at the hopes of his savoir falling through. And seeing Murdock wash his hands of their mothers dashes him even further. Will Murdock be able to help them at all, what about their father? Can anybody help them escape the life that seems so grim and hopeless. And will their mother crack and explode beyond anything they ever dreamed of if they actually stand up to her?

Evaluation: This book is so intense, I don't even know how she wrote it without going crazy. Reading it was so hard I can't even find words to express the rage and sorrow I felt being in that world. Helpless and frustrated and screaming inside were common place while reading it. Werlin's writing allows you to really be in the moment and the cover art is the best metaphor for a scenario like this that I have ever seen.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Child Abuse, Children having to be the parents, Standing up to your abuser, Strength, Hope, Asking for help, Siblings Alliances

Reason this book was chosen: Because it was just exactly how it really it. Horrible. You can't not include something that powerful, even if it's horrible. If it wasn't horrible it wouldn't be honest, right?

Website: http://www.nancywerlin.com/

It's a Kind of Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini

Title: It's a Kind of Funny Story
Author: Ned Vizzini
Publish Date: April 3, 2007
Publisher:Disney-Hyperion
Pages: 448 pages
ISBN:0142401757
Classification: Fiction
Genre: Fiction
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $8.99

Annotation: After being accepted into a prestigious high school in Manhattan the pressure mounts and Craig becomes increasingly depressed. He checks himself into a facility after calling a suicide prevention line and he finally begins to understand himself and his talents.

Summary: Like many determined NYC teens, Craig sees being accepted into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the one way all exclusive ticket to the success he dreams of. Craig studies excessively to get in and that the beginning of his life spinning out of control. Once he is in he begins to feel the pressure and begins to see himself as average and maybe even not capable of being as successful as he see himself in his head. He get seriously depressed. He stops eating and sleeping and even ends up almost killing himself under the weight of the depression. The breakdown winds him up in an institution where he meets all sorts of people and begins the upward climb to rehabilitation and facing what's really crippling him.

Evaluation: I have a special place for this book. Something about the character's relatable sadness and they way he comes back from it was awesome. I heard this was being made into a movie and I can see why. You can tell it's authentic and comes from actual experience which makes it all the more endearing.

Also a realistic view of the increasing pressures of school and success in todays world.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Returning from the brink of suicide. There is a point to picking up that phone and calling for help. It's not pointless.

Reason this book was chosen: There are more teens then we think that go through recovery institutions for many things like depression, drugs, or suicide and I think its refreshing to read a story with humor and pathos and it gives hope to those with crippling depression. Sometimes a little spark is all it takes to keep fighting.

Freaks and Revelations

Title:Freaks And Revelations
Author:David Willis Hurlin
Publish Date:November 4, 2009
Publisher:Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages:240 pages
ISBN:0316049964
Classification:
Genre:
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $12.23

Annotation: The true and disturbing story of a violent clash between one homeless, gay 13 year old boy and another older, neo-nazi boy.

Summary: Based on a true story that was shared on both NPR and The Oprah Show, "Freaks and Revelations" follows two boys in alternate voices in order to get both perspectives. One boy is a 17 year old misfit, Doug, who has a mohawk and rebels and starts off somewhat cool. And Jason, who was cast out by his family. As the book goes on, and the boys cross paths, Doug prejudice takes over and the ugly violence that ensues ends in tears for the reader and blood for the young boy. And its a rude awakening for the rest of the world.

Evaluation: This book made me cry. Uncontrollably. Mostly because I have seen this crap happen and it's honest and sad. I really liked that it didn't try to make it prettier or easier for kids to takes. It is straightforward. Reality. And what's more, knowing it is based on a true story makes it all the more teary eyed for me. It's horrible.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Tolerance, Acceptance, Awareness

Reason this book was chosen: Because of the truth in the story. Because of this:

Gossip Girl #1 (Bk. 1 in Series), Cecily Von Ziegesar

Title:Gossip Girl
Author:Cecily Von Ziegesar
Publish Date:April 1, 2002
Publisher:Poppy; 1 edition
Pages:199 pages
ISBN:0316910333
Classification:
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range:Young Adult
Price: $7.91

Annotation: In a Manhattan upper crust Private High School being a teen takes on new meaning. Everybody has it all, plus an extra dose of dysfunction, jealously, sex, drugs, and all drama in between. And don't forget, Gossip Girl knows what you are doing. xoxo

Summary: In New York, jet-setter teens have it all, including a wealth of of problems. A narrator who spreads gossip remains unknown, while the problems keep on getting spilled. Follow super cool Serena, coming out of an expulsion and, Nate, sexy and stoned, and Blair, popular queen of their school and ex-best friend of Serena. The dish on everything is being gossiped to everyone. No secret is too precious as these spoiled and broken teens grapple with both the luxuries and the trauma of being the elite few that seems like a fairy tale on the outside.

Evaluation: This book was turned into a TV show that reigns as the most controversial teen show on TV. It's nasty (in the best way), sexual, drugs are everywhere, and the kids are so freaking spoiled it makes you feel guilty just watching it. This book (and the show for that matter) shows the downside to all the money and elite living. And it shows that even the rich have problems. The real value lies in realizing that a teen in this situation could really benefit from reading it before actually doing these things. And the bottom line is, reading it is a lot more fun then actually suffering through it!

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Gossip. Gossip. Gossip. Seem Harmless? Not so good actually...being careful what you spill is a valuable lesson.

Reason this book was chosen: The book has the effect of gossip itself once you enter it's hard to extract yourself; teens will devour this whole. The open-ended conclusion promises a follow-up. Also, it is hard to discern the book from the TV show anymore (as they are so intertwined). I liked the idea of touting a title that is just as good as the mega hit it inspired.

Website: http://www.gossipgirl.net/series/

Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

Title: Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Publish Date: September 14, 2008
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 384

Price: Hardcover $17.99
ISBN: 0439023483

Price: Hardcover

Classification: Fiction
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult

Annotation: As punishment for a long past rebellion, the citizens of the 12 districts are randomly selected to fight to the death on a televised show. In the famished 12th district, Peeta and Katniss are thrown together & chosen to represent their district and fight to be the single person left alive. The only way to win is to stay alive...and only one can win.

Summary: In the not to far off future, in the 12th District, in what was once the country of the United States of America, lives Katniss. Standing in for her younger sister who was chosen by lottery to participate in the "Hunger Games," Katniss is forced to fight to the death with & against Peeta (the male representative also chosen by lottery). In the Arena, they are forced to fight each other as well as Capitol created death traps all while being broadcast to the citizens daily. In the spirit of reality TV the Capitol uses the Hunger Games to teach the citizens a lesson that uprising is not an option and that the people are powerless. Peeta and Katniss create a surprising bond, but are also forced to try and kill each other. There is nothing left to do but fight to try and get out alive.

Evaluation: Suzanne Collins states that she got her idea while watching TV one night, and there being nothing to watch but reality TV and the iraq war. The apparent mix between Gladiator style fighting and todays culture of reality TV and entertainment style news coverings of Iraq turn this book not only into one of the funnest pieces of YA written but also into an important commentary on our society. It fun, you root for the characters, and feel empathy for society.

A wonderful, though violent tale.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Therapeutic topics include Reality Entertainment, War, Dissent, Love, Survival, Loss

Reason this Book was Chosen: Because this is by far one of the top choices of reads in YA lot today. However, it's use of violence makes it a prime target for disapproval. However, I feel that it's worth supersedes the controversy.