High School
When
Paulie (Paul) admits he was with another girl to his girlfriend, she is
finished. He knows what it is like to be lied to and so he always tells the
truth. He is a cheater and their relationship is OVER. But something is not right and someone is
lying in Period 8. This is a class where
the students meet to discuss their lives freely, and how they can deal with
teen problems. The one rule in the class
is to be honest. Now someone is breaking
the rule and some one is getting hurt, and where are they going? Is the cheating growing? Who is missing? Is that family abusive? Who
should you trust when you are not sure about your friends? What is going on inside that house at night
will be a huge question as you read this mysterious tale of troubled teenagers. Who will stand up and face the lies and who
will find the strength to help those locked away or lost?
Draper, S. (2012). Pinned. New York : Listening Library.
Pinned is a slice-of-life drama told in
the alternating voices of Autumn and Adonis. Autumn is strong willed,
out-going, and deeply in love with Adonis. In fact, when she isn’t focused on
wrestling, she spends her time trying to get closer to him although her best
friend Peaches tells her he isn’t worth it. Her passion is wrestling and she feels
the strongest, the surest of herself, when she’s on the mat. Although she is
the only girl wrestler on her team, and one of the few female wrestlers in the
state, she is determined to be the best and doesn’t hesitate to pin her
opponents at the majority of her matches. However, there is one problem she
can’t seem to tackle. Autumn is not a good reader. She struggles in her reading
class and finds it difficult to understand word problems in her math class. Her
parents try to help, but they are also poor readers. As her grades continue to
reflect her failures, Autumn’s reading disability threatens to destroy her
chances of doing the one thing she loves- wrestling.
Adonis is the exact opposite of Autumn. He has no legs, but he doesn’t
let being in a wheel chair keep him from standing out. He is intelligent and
loves reading. He is a leader and mentor, but does not have an interest in
opening up to people and forming real relationships. He despises Autumn, who he
sees as stupid and careless, and is often rude to her as he rejects her
advances. But much like Autumn, he has a secret. There is something that
threatens his image as a strong, unwavering leader. Before he went to the same
school as Autumn, he was nearly drowned by a group of students as Peaches (Autumn’s
best friend) watched. That was the only time he ever felt helpless and the
shame of the event has left him embittered.
Autumn declines academically to the point of being taken off of the
wrestling team, but she does not stop pursuing Adonis. Adonis hurts her
countless times, but her love never waivers. She struggles to accept help for
her learning disability from anyone, but eventually asks Adonis for help. When
he rejects her, she realizes that Adonis does not care
about her at all, and decides to leave him alone. She seeks help from a caring
teacher instead. Adonis, somewhat relieved that Autumn no longer bothers him,
begins to realize how alone he really is. He opens up to Autumn and shares his
one moment of shame with her for the very first time, and they begin to form a
secret relationship despite their differences.
Autumn and Adonis may seem like
they are complete opposites, but Pinned
shows us that the characters are alike in the fact that they both carry
secrets. Autumn is ashamed of her reading disability and Adonis is ashamed of
his potential helplessness caused by his handicap. Both of them have
disabilities that they must live with and both strive to succeed in spite of
them. Sharon G. Flake shows us that struggles can bring people together if they
are willing to open up to one another and receive the help that others have to
offer. ISBN-13: 978-0-385-36113-2
Kindl. P.(2013). Keeping the Castle. New York : Penguin Group.
Pride and
Prejudice revisited in this fiction romantic piece. You are in England waiting to dance with a
group in a line, as you fell further and further into this story. Main character Althea has to learn to keep
her thoughts and words to herself if she is to find a rich man to marry. But exclaiming how happy she is that her
fiancé is rich out loud probably isn’t the best way to do that. So she watched
him ride away, then she had hoped his hearing was not quite so good after
that. Her mission is to save her
father’s castle for her little brother, while dealing with her two
step-sisters. The problem was the castle was really old and falling apart and
there was no money. She worked and entertained and scraped and saved every
little bit she could to help in the castle. This author’s witty side was really
seen throughout the story. Althea got in
to more problems the longer she tried to resist Mr. Frederick’s charms. She intended to marry his friend, who was
much older and in her thoughts more rich that Mr. Frederick. She tried to set him up with neighbors and
sisters and anyone along the way, as he infuriated her, with his noisiness
about things being perfect in the old castle.
She had plans yet, somehow always ended up arguing with him. This story
is a great introduction into the old English style courting and relationships,
with some twist and bumps along the way. If you are quick you can even read it in a
complete English accent for fun. This
one will leave you smiling.
(Ebook downloaded on Nook app.)
Langan, P. (2013). Survivor.
The
secret Tarah is keeping can destroy her family, once she remembers she knows
why she was so sad as a child and what happened. But should she tell, and lose what she has with
her boyfriend. Or would it destroy her family? This story is part of the
Bluford High Series for High School students, and is set in Bluford with
several of the familiar characters involved.
Tarah’s memories are jarred when planning a family reunion, she is
looking through a photo album and someone comments on her sad face. This brings a flash of her uncle Rudy and
what really happened. Tarah struggles
with this decision and when she is presented with her Unlce at the reunion she
knows she can’t be alone with him again.
But now her cousin is alone with him?
She does not know what to do and if she can save her family from another
disaster. This topic of abuse is a tough
one for younger students but more mature students should be aware of this type of
problem and be ready to talk with an adult about it. Survivor will make you consider your choices
and how those choices can affect those you love. Paul Langan tells this one with straight talk
and easy to understand and relatable language that makes this one an easy read
for teens.
Smith, S.A (2013). This is what happy looks like. New York : Hatchett Book
Group.
when a typo sends an email to the wrong person a
friendship develops between a hidden girl and a teen
star, but if either knew who or what the other one was
really, they would never talk. So as the anonymity hides
their real world, the escape is building a wonderful
friendship of two unlikely people. Would you befriend
the chance of being in the news as the latest squeeze of
the pop hero? Even if you were hiding from a mess with the government, would you take the chance? This
book makes you look at what you really are inside and the things that make you happy may not matter if it
just across a wire or right beside you. Sooner or later you have to pick one. Chance the reporters or give
up the best thing you have ever met… and pray the cameras are off. Would you risk it for a chance of a
lifetime? Is being famous all you think it is?
Takoudes, G. (2013). When we wuz famous. New York : Henry Holt.
Getting out
doesn't mean you will stay out. You may be the smartest in your class, more
talented than most but you will never lose where you come from, so in the
action of When we wuz famous, the
main character, Francisco gets the chance to go to private prep school for
academics and basketball, and he takes it.
But will it change him? Will he
still hang with his friends? Will he
outgrow his girl friend? Is it for the
best or is it just the end of what he knew. After his first trip home he
notices changes, in how he feels about those around him. He knows he is doing the right thing going to
the better school, but he feels guilty for leaving his friends, a.k.a. ‘the
krew.’ Francisco was frustrated with all the stress of being the best, keeping
friends happy and taking on the law. He knows he lied to his girl friend for
money for his best friend to get out of jail?
That one lie changes his future and outlines disaster to come his way,
trying to get out or over the one lie. This book is rapidly filled with regret
and attempts at righting a wrong that should have never happened. What did Francisco learn and what did it cost
him? You will have to see when you read, When
we wuz famous? Do you owe your
friends or yourself a good life? If you
make a promise when you are five should you keep it all your life? Can you trust your friends? This story gets
mixed up with drugs, police, girls and what happens when you make the wrong
choices trying to please everyone around you.
Wein, E. (2013). Code name verity. New York . Hyperion Books.
This historical
fiction tale draws you into the world of World War II female fighter pilots and
what happens to one prisoner of war. If
John Green and this author ever get together, it would be such a distraught
tale that one may not be able to read anything they come up with. This story reminds me of the great
friendships you would read in a Green book, but with such a twist and
historical points made that it wraps you into a web as if you are there with
Maddie and Queenie because the final twist of this story just leaves readers in
shock, so unexpected.
‘Maddie’ has been
taken prisoner and is being questioned by Nazi soldier, Hauptsturmfuhrer Von
Liden for information about her country, and the British’s plans for war. She
writes out a twisted message of what she thinks will throw them off the path,
about the air strips and locations of her friends and allies. She is tortured and stripped for more
information and bargains for her clothes back piece by piece. She wonders where
the real Maddie actually is, and did she survive the plane crash? Was she captured and thinks if she will ever
see her friend again? Her friend Maddie joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force
for the British just to help out. She
learned how to fly as a young girl. But
never thought she would really be flying to help in this war. She was wondering
where did Queenie go and did she make it out alive too? But she knows one thing, Queenie switched
their identities before she jumped out of the plane. Would they know she is a spy? Will the British be able to get her out of
the country? Will she ever see her
friend again, and could you do the ultimate sacrifice for a friend? When does friendship end and does it if you
are a traitor to your country? Who will
survive? These questions will keep you
glued to this book. I would recommend
this book to students wanting to know more about real historic events and
friendship. I will own several copies of
this book for my students.
