Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher

Title: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes
Author: Chris Crutcher
Publish Date: March 18, 2003
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Pages: 304

Price: Paperback $8.99
ISBN: 0060094893
Classification: Young Adult
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: Young Adult

Annotation: A disfigured girl and an overweight boy bear the intense and emotional scars of years bullying together. They share a biting view of the world around them until senior year surprisingly sends them into different courses.

Summary: Eric a.k.a. "Moby" and Sarah are comrades that share a common problem. Both are misfits. Eric is obese and Sarah has intense scarring from an accident that happened when she was young. After Moby joins the swimming team, he begins to loose weight his extra weight! But, he fears he might lose Sarah's friendship...
Will Sarah confront her horrific history and the emotions that go along with her abusive father?
And, will the friendship fail or grow in exhilarating and unanticipated ways?

Evaluation: A fictitious story that pulls at your heart for a place in the real world (or even your own world) as something that you can relate to. Both funny and tragic, it illustrates a friendship that will stay with you even after you leave the pages of the book. Chris Crutcher's writing is funny, straightforward and believable.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: A tool that can illustrate love, loyalty and courage during battle with obesity, bullying, disfigurement and an onslaught of other life problems

Reason this book was chosen: Though abusive parents are often dealt with in the pages of YA, not many books deal with obesity. To have Crutcher approach it, makes it a must read!

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/

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.

What Happened to Cass McBride?, By Gale Giles

Title: What Happened to Cass McBride

Author: Gail Giles

Publish Date: November 2006

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 224pp

ISBN: 0316166383

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Range: 14 and up

Price: $13.25

Annotation: After a brutal suicide, the brother will stop at nothing to get revenge. Even if this means burying alive the person her thinks is responsible: Cass McBride, the most beautiful girl in school.

Summary: Kyle Kirby's brother has committed suicide. And the day before Cass McBride- prom queen would-be - feels she may have hand an unknowing hand in it. In fact, could it be HER FAULT? Just the day before David kirby killed himself he decides to step out of his comfort zone and ask her one a date. She was nice to him when turning him down, but made fun of the incident in a classroom note to her friend. Unfortunately she never meant for David to find the note. When Kyle finds out he turns his sadness and grief into anger and revenge and kidnaps Cass and literally buries her alive. He tortures her and nearly kills her in what turns out to be days of searching to find her. Cass decides to use her manipulative talent to try and stay alive, while the police continue to search, and Kyle is left to face the way he deals with his abusive mother and the part she plays in the whole thing.

Evaluation: A psychological freak-out that turns drama into suspense that at times leaves you feeling somewhat claustrophobic. The way the chapters change perspective and the pace the story stays on make it entirely readable and easily enjoyable book. The end left me somewhat unfulfilled but its a testimate to the strength of the entire book because I still HIGHLY recommend it!

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Give an outside and painfully realistic view of how your behavior can affect others.

Reason this book was chosen: While waiting for Shattering Glass, I read this book to get a taste of the famous Gail Giles. This book opened my eyes up to the worth of realistic and controversial fiction. And I specifically chose this one because the premiss was out of this world. But, somehow Giles makes it totally plausible.

Orange, by Benjamin

By: Benjamin

Publisher: Tokyopop

Publish Date: February 10, 2009

ISBN: 1427814635

Page #: 144 pages

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Manga

Age Level: Older Teen

Series Titles: Orange (To date only one Volume has been released.)

Reader's Annotation: Orange stands at the edge of life contemplating suicide when a mysterious man talks her down. Unfortunately, her second chance is shattered just weeks later.

Summary: Don't be fooled by the vivid colors in Orange. It is the dark story of a nihilistic teen dealing with depression and angst and the urge to end it all. Contrastingly this dark story line the color reminds us of how bright things burn inside us, especially in teens. Yet, at the same time, when depressed, we tend to see the world, metaphorically speaking, in black and white. The use of color is breathtaking and the topic is of interest to many teens who struggle with depression and thoughts of suicide.

Evaluation: The story may fall short but the art makes up for it threefold. Personally, manga readers and non-manga readers alike will enjoy this visual feast. But, the subject is really intense, and artistically, Benjamin created a gorgeous triumph in the Chinese Manga.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Suicide, Self-Expression, Depression, Art as Therapy

Orange on Tokyopop Website: http://www.tokyopop.com/product/2685/Orange/1

Read Tokyopop Manga Online Here: http://www.tokyopop.com/manga/read_tokyopop_titles/browse