Printz Awards- Going Bovine

Bray, L. (2009). Going Bovine. New York, NY: Delacorte Books
  Cameron Smith just wants to sail through it all- school, work, even family.  He has never tried for much nor expected much. But when the hallucinations begin and he is told he is soon to die all those desires go out the window.  Cameron is diagnosed with mad-cow disease and soon hospitalized.  He then meets Dulcie, a pink-haired fairy with spray painted wings and 100% a vision brought on by hallucinations.  Dulcie tells Cameron of a cure and soon he finds himself traveling across America with a death and video games obsessed dwarf and a Norse god trapped in a gnome's body.  Cameron eventually earns his cure by defeating a wizard with a trumpet given to him by a jazz musician in New Orleans.  WHAT??  More than once reading this book I felt like I was the one with the hallucinations but I can't say it wasn't entertaining!  The characters in this book were wild and zany and total unexpected.  If presenting a "unique take on the more mundane stories" (Lesesne ch.5) then Going Bovine is a GREAT book.  I have yet to find a more unique twist on the mundane topic of overcoming an illness.  I could not have predicted any part of this novel and I'm sure the recommended readers of grades 8 and up won't be able to either.  Going Bovine was definitely worthy of its Printz Award in 2010 for literary merit.

Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. Seatle, WA: Bradbury Press.
   Brian Robeson is on the way to visit his father for the summer.  The child of divorced parents, his mother gives him a small hatchet just before he boards a very small plane bound for northern Canada.  When the pilot suffers a fatal heart attack Brian is forced to land in a lake in the middle of nowhere.  Stranded in the Canadian wilderness with only his hatchet Brian must learn to find food and shelter and survive animal attacks.  He must also deal with his feelings of his parent's divorce and the fact that he had caught his mother cheating with another man.  Brian is eventually able to activate the plane's transmitter and is rescued. We read as Brian experiences mental changes, going from concrete to more operational when he must go from a child whose parents provide everything to an adult who must learn how to provide for himself.  We see Brain go through emotional developments as he learns to cope and ultimately accept his parents' divorce and the circumstances that caused it.  An adolescent teen character dealing with divorce would in and of itself make Hatchet a novel young teens could connect to.  Enjoyed by readers for years, Hatchet would make an excellent class novel for grades 6 and up.

NY Times- Eleanor and Park

Rowell, R. (2013). Eleanor and Park. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press.
Eleanor and Park are both misfits in Omaha, Nebraska in 1984. When Park notices Eleanor reading over his shoulder one day on the bus he moves closer so she too can read tales of The X-Men.  The two soon begin a budding relationship but are faced with mocking and bullying from kids at school as well as at home.  Eleanor is even receiving anonymous hateful messages in her notebook.  When Eleanor discovers it is actually her stepfather who is writing the messages she runs away with the help of Park and his father.  Eleanor eventually moves in with an aunt and uncle in Minnesota.  Park writes her frequently but Eleanor doesn't write back for six months when she finally send Park a postcard with only three words written on it.  When I first began reading this novel I was taken aback by the language (there is some pretty foul words right off the bat).  I almost put it down.  I am so glad I didn't.  According to Ted Hipple (1991) a good book should reflect real life and show moral concern.  It doesn't get any realer than this in a fiction novel.  There were moments when I was scared with Eleanor and angry with Park.  I found myself genuinely worried for these characters the same as I have often worried for some of my students.  I begged for someone to call child protective services when the stepfather discovered and destroyed the comic books and make-up! I rejoiced when Park finally put Steve in his place. I would love to recommend this book for all readers but due to the language and issues of the book it is recommended for readers 14 and up.

NY Times- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Riggs, R. (2011). Miss Peregine's home for peculiar children. Philadelphia, PA: Quirk Books
  Jacob Portman has just discovered his grandfather murdered, apparently by some form of mythical monster.  When he and his father travel to Wales to learn more about his grandfather Jacob discovers that his grandfather lived in an orphanage for "peculiar children".  It is in the dilapidated remains of the orphanage that Jacob meets Emma, a beautiful girl who can control fire.  Emma allows Jacob to travel back in time to September 3, 1940- the day that every orphan lives at due to a "time loop".  Jacob meets other children with peculiar powers and Miss Peregine, the orphan director.  Soon Jacob discovers that he too has a power- he can see "hollows" or "hallowgasts".  These are the same monsters that killed his grandfather and ultimately kidnap Miss Peregrine.  Jacob and many of the other peculiar children row off in the sunset, looking for the time loop that will help them save Miss Peregine. 
  What began as a picture book, Miss Peregine's home for peculiar children wonderfully blends vintage photographs with a truly creative plot and characters that misfits everywhere will identify with.  The photographs range from the bizarre to the truly haunting but they set this book apart in a way words could not.  Despite the strange monsters and plot line, every adolescent can relate to feeling different or peculiar at some time or other and will feel a real connection to the orphans in this series. 

Please Ignore Vera Dietz

King, A.S. (2010). Please ignore Vera Dietz. New York, NY: Random House. 
  Vera Dietz's best friend Charlie Kahn is dead from mysterious circumstances. There is no escaping that.  Her mother abandoned her and her father when she was barely in puberty.  And all Vera wants to do is blend into the walls at school, avoid the mistakes of her father, and possibly kiss the good looking, older guy at work.  Instead she is plagued by visions of her dead friend begging her to clear his name.  But Charlie betrayed Vera long before now and she is not in any hurry to free him.  When she does finally let the truth of what happened that night it frees Vera to connect with those still living.  Please ignore Vera Dietz is mostly narrated by Vera herself and she is a witty and very blunt narrator.  This alone would make the novel enjoyable but as Ted Hipple stated dual narratives can make the difference between an OK book and a really good book.  Spaced intermittently between Vera's narration the reader is treated to thoughts from Vera's father, Charlie's spirit, and even the pagoda in town chimes in.  All of these narrators combined make for a touching, witty, and smart story.

Great Graphic Novels-

Bendis, B.M. (2012). All-new X-Men v.1: Yesterday's X-Men. New York, NY: Marvel Entertainment.
  Picking up where Avengers vs. X-Men left off, in this first volume we find Cyclops in prison for the murder of Charles Xavier he caused while under the influence of the Phoenix force.   Once he escapes he becomes a fugitive and joins with Magneto and other mutants to begin what they call the Mutant Revolution.  Meanwhile, the X-Men send Dr. Hank McCoy, better known as Beast, to the past to bring back the original X-Men to the present in an effort to stop Cyclopes and stop the Mutant Revolution from turning into full-scale war. These teen versions haven't yet reached their full potential and struggle to cope with encountering their future selves.  I am a huge X-Men fan and really enjoyed this novel.  There isn't a lot of action in this first installment but Bendis's dialogue is well written and Stuart Immonen's illustrations are detailed and stay true to the characters while putting his personal stamp on the franchise.  All-new X-Men v.1: Yesterday's X-Men was named a Great Graphic novel for teens in 2014.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Saenz, B. (2012). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.
  When 15 year old Aristotle meets Dante at the public pool he is an unsure adolescent who is often angry and ready for a fight.  Dante is the exact opposite who tries to see the beauty in the world.  Despite their differences the two become friends and over the next year begin to see things in a new view.  When Dante opens up about his homosexuality Ari is unsure what that might mean for their friendship until Dante's life is almost taken because of it.  At that moment Ari understands that Dante is more than just his best friend. When looking at Havighurst's Theory of Development adolescents undergo changing relationships with their parents.  The relationship between the two boys in this novel alter drastically from the beginning to the end.  Dante and his father are thick as thieves in the beginning yet grow apart as Dante struggles with his new proclaimed identity whereas Ari and his father have a strained and often silent relationship that grows into something more as his father attempts to help Ari find his way to the man he will become.