Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garder

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my Mind (p. 234). Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Themes: Sexuality, School, Love

Characters: Liza, Annie, Sally and Mrs. Poindexter

Summary: 

Liza is at the museum admiring the architecture and hears someone singing. She finds the voice and meets Annie. They both are the same age but they attend different schools. Liza attends Fosters, a private school and is the school’s student council president. She finds Sally, a classmate, piecing students’ ears. Mrs. Poindexter finds out and calls Liza into her office. Mrs. Poindexter suspends Liza because she did not report the rule.

She and Annie set up a meeting at Cloisters and they agree Liza will attend public school with Annie. This is an eye opening experience, she see a boy with a chain around his neck.  Annie wrote Liza a letter expressing her feelings about her.

During Spring Break, Liza volunteers to house sit Ms. Widmer and Ms. Stevenson’s house.  Liza asks Annie to come over and they discover the teachers are gay. Sally and Ms. Baxter come by and catch Annie and Liza as well as the teachers’ living situation. The school fires the teachers and let Liza stay in school. In the end, Annie and Liza brake up but reconcile their relationship in college.

Staying with the theme of the book (homosexuality), another book to follow up can be Even Keeping you a Secret by Julie Anne Peters. 

The Fault in our Stars - New York Times Bestseller Young Adult

Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars (p. 313). New York: Dutton Books.

Characters: Hazel, Augustus, Isaac, Mrs. Lancaster (Hazel's Mom) and Mr. Van Houten

Themes: Death, Cancer, Love, Friendship

Summary:

Two ‘star-crossed’ teenagers fall in love; one has cancer and the other is in remission. Hazel and Augustus meet in support group and hit it off with their witty comments and book – An Imperial Affliction (AIA). Their friend Isaac has surgery to remove his eye – making him completely blind. To make matters worse, his girlfriend dumps him!

Augustus (Gus) surprises Hazel with his wish to go to Amsterdam to visit with the author of AIA, Mr. Peter Van Houten. Mr. Van Houten agrees to share the ending of his book with them. They fly to Amsterdam, along with Mrs. Lancaster. Hazel and Gus share a romantic dinner and watch the boats go by.  The following day they meet Mr. Van Houten who turns out to be a drunken jerk. His assistance quits and takes the teens to the Anne Frank Museum. There, Hazel and Gus share a romantic kiss then return to the hotel. After their sexual encounter, Gus drops a bomb – he’s cancer has returned.

Shortly after their trip, Gus’ health has deteriorated severely.  Before he dies, Gus asked Hazel to write a eulogy for him. After his death, Isaac tells Hazel Gus wrote something for her.  Hazel quickly started to look for it and realizes Gus sent it to Mr. Van Houten. It turns out Gus wrote a eulogy for Hazel.

Due to the genre of the book, I would recommend the age group would be 14-18 years old. The book is a love story and that hits home with many teens.  Obviously, the movie increased the popularity of the book and the author. 

The Chocolate War

 Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war: A novel (p. 267). New York: Pantheon Books.


Characters: Jerry, Archie, Goober, Obie, Brother Leon and Emile

Theme: Education, Bullying, Violence

Summary:

In the Trinity School, Brother Leon has ordered 20,000 boxes of chocolate. That means each student needs to sell 50 boxes.  Archie helps Brother Leon sell these chocolates. Archie is a member of the Vigils, the school's pranksters and they run the school. The Vigils force everyone to sell their allotted chocolate except Jerry.  He refuses to sell and the Vigils make him the enemy. He is harassed by random prank calls and his locker gets trashed. Goober, Jerry’s friend, is assigned a prank to remove all the screws in from the furniture in room 19.

Everyone is upset with Jerry because he refuses to sell the chocolate.  Archie comes up with a raffle – Jerry vs. Emile.  Each ticket sold has a boxing move written on it. Emile is much stronger than Jerry. Brother Jacques stops the fight as Brother Leon protects Archie from getting into trouble. Jerry is badly beaten and waiting for the ambulance.  Goober waits with him and Jerry tells him not to disturb the universe.

Teachers may incorporate this book into a lesson. They can start with a discussion about courage. Then brainstorm what Jerry meant by “Do I dare disturb the universe?”  The teacher can extend asking the students if they themselves have disturbed the universe or can name an event that has. 

Code Name Verity

 Wein, E. (2012). Code name Verity (p. 441). New York: Hyperion.

 Characters:

• Julie (AKA Verity, Queenie Scott)
• Maddie (AKA Kittyhawk)
• Fraulein Anna Engel
• Jamie Beaufort-Stuart
• Paul

Theme(s):

Spies, Friendship, World War, Fear, Nazi

Summary:

Julie is the main character.  She is a British spy and her best friend Maddie is a pilot.  Their plane crashes in Nazi occupied France. Julie (Verity) is captured by the Gestapo and is forced to confess the British mission or be killed. Maddie, on the other hand, is in France and is assisted by the "Resistance". The "Resistance" help Maddie find Julie. They are planning an ambush to release Julie.  The ambush goes wrong and Julie tells Maddie to kill her, so she is not tortured by the Nazis. 

The story is told in two parts - first part in the "confession" Julie.  Julie writes the friendship between her and Maddie. The second part is from Maddie's perceptive. At the end of the story, these letters are given to Maddie and they turn out to be false but they contain coded instructions to destroy the Ormaie Gestapo headquarters.

One of the major strengths of the book is female empowerment. Generally, the media (movies, books, TV shows. etc.) will have a strong male character. In this case, the author has two strong and courageous female characters. The books has Maddie would rides motorcycles and see an airplane and knows she can fly it. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian (p. 230). New York: Little, Brown.

Main Characters:

• ·         Arnold Spirit (Junior)
• ·         Rowdy (Arnold’s best friend)
• ·         Mom and Dad
• ·         Mary (Sister)
• ·         Grandma
• ·         Coach
• ·         Gordy
• ·         Penelope (Arnold’s girlfriend)
• ·         Roger

Themes: Poverty, Race, Friendship, Love and Identity

Summary:  Arnold Spirit is a boy that lives on the reservation (rez).  He was born with cerebral spinal fluid in his brain.  At school, he finds his mother’s name in a geometry textbook.  He gets to frustrated he throws the book at Mr. P’s face.  After school, Mr. P talks to Arnold and tells him he needs to leave the reservation to experience live and to never give up. The following day, Arnold transfer schools, Reardan which is a twenty-two mile drive. Rowdy and the other reservation Indians shun him for leaving.

Arnold does not receive a warm welcomed at Reardan, a primarily white school. Arnold feels like a part-time Indian since he lives two lives; one at the reservation and one at Reardan. Arnold tries out for the basketball team and makes varsity.  He has never been good at anything, so this is a major confidence boost. The first game of the season is against Wellpinit, his old school. They lose because Rowdy is such a good player. The team has another opportunity to play them again the in the finals. They win! During the summer, Arnold and Rowdy reconcile and play a game of basketball.  Here Rowdy says Arnold is a nomad Indian; meaning he leaves to different places to find food or water.

Lesson: The audience that the book is intended for is young adults because the book addresses issues teens are going through, such as awkwardness and the desire the leave. Due to the loss of his loved ones, Arnold has an epiphany of self acceptance. He realizes he is not only an Indian, he is many things. 

YA Lit: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska: A novel (p. 256). New York: Dutton Children's Books.

Main Characters:

• ·         Miles (Pudge)
• ·         Alaska
• ·         Chip (Colonel)
• ·         Takumi
• ·         Lara

Themes: Friendship, Love and Grief

Summary:  Miles goes to boarding school, Culver Creek, to seek the “Great Perhaps”. He meets his roommate Chip and he introduces him to Alaska. Alaska is an avid reader and asks Miles “What is the labyrinth” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. In religion class, Dr Hyde (Old Man) poses their final exam question – “What is the most important question human beings must answer?”

Alaska dies from a fatal car crash. Chip, Takumi and Miles try to find out why she would drive drunk in the middle of the night. In the end, Miles answers Alaska’s question. “We have to forgive to survive in the labyrinth.”

Lesson:  You cannot change the past, so you must put in behind you. The only person you control is yourself.  True friends will always support and love you.

YA Lit: Speak by Laurie H. Anderson

Anderson, L. (1999). Speak (p. 200). New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

Characters:

• Melinda – Main Character
• Rachel/Rachelle – Ex-BFF; Foreign-exchange friend
• Ivy – Ex-Friend, Art Class Companion
• Mr. Neck – History & ISS Teacher
• Mr. Freeman – Art Teacher
• David – Lab partner
• Heather – New friend, Ex-friend and “Martha”
• Brendan Keller (Basketball Pole) – Melinda helps him with foul shots
• Andy Evans (IT) – Rapist

Theme(s): Friendship, Rape, Pain, Suffering, Growth

Summary: Melinda is a freshman at Merryweather High School. She doesn't speak but has vivid thoughts and imagination. She doesn't have any friends because of a summer party.  Her old friends, Ivy, Nicole and Rachel/Rachelle have found new cliques.  Melinda does not mention what occurred at the party but that the cops were called.  Everyone hates her. Her only escape is her closet and Mr. Freeman’s art class. Melinda later reveals that she was raped by a senior, Andy Evans.  This is why everyone hates her because she called the cops for help.  This is why she does not speak, failing her classes and introverted. 

As she finds her niche, art class, she becomes more confident.  Melinda even gave a women suffrage speech. Melinda finds out her ex-friend Rachel/Rachelle is dating Andy.  She tells Rachel/Rachelle what Andy did.  Rachel thinks it’s jealously. Andy confronts her on the last day of school and tries to rape Melinda again in her closet.  This time she fights and gets a piece of glass to his throat. Thankfully, the lacrosse team hears them and bangs on the door.  At the end, she is vindicated and confides her story to Mr. Freeman.  

My Response: I think Speak is intended for young women; aging from 13-18 year old. One of the strengthens of the book is to empowering rape or abuse victims to speak about their experiences.  Once Melinda saw Rachel/Rachelle as a victim, she decided to share her experience.