Ms. Marvel
by G. Willow Wilson
Wilson, G. (2018). Ms. Marvel. New York: Grove.
Being a teenager is hard enough, but Kamala Khan can attest that growing up as a Muslim girl in America is even harder. The pressure her strict parents place on her shoulders can often feel like too much. One fateful night, Kamala sneaks out of the house without permission to blow off steam. Through an unexpected series of events, Kamala ends up with superpowers and incredible abilities. Now, she must learn to navigate through life as a Muslim teen superhero and control her newfound powers. When her brother suddenly goes missing, Kamala must put her powers to the test to save her brother and the world.
This graphic novel steps away and sets itself apart from traditional Marvel Comics but is sure to draw in readers, especially reluctant readers. It’s refreshing to see fresh, contemporary characters from cultures and races that aren’t traditionally featured in Marvel Comics. Overall, this is done really well, but, at times, it seems the novel plays a bit too much on stereotypes with certain characters. Regardless, Ms. Marvel is a wonderful piece of YA literature that can be used to teach characterization, plot development, and the art of writing fan fiction.
Ms. Marvel is a Great Graphic Novel for Teens Top 10.
Other selections by G. Willow Wilson:
Alif the Unseen
The Bird King
Cairo
Invisible Kingdom
Click here to view the book trailer.
Go: A Kids Guide to Graphic Design
by Chip Kidd
Kidd, C. (2014). Go: A Kidd’s guide to graphic design. New York: Workman
This Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults recipient is a well-written introduction to graphic design geared towards young adults. It begins with a brief history of graphic design and copyrights before going into detail on how graphic design has evolved over time. The author thoroughly explains various techniques in a way that young adult readers can comprehend and apply. He analyzes each technique and gives critiques on them. He explains how typography is used to capture attention and manipulate thinking. As expected, the book contains bold imagery and visuals that play to the reader’s senses and complement the text. The author includes examples of his own work, as well as the work of others. Although some of the terminology can be tricky for younger readers to fully grasp, the eye-catching visual examples support the text fully and do well at representing the text. This book would make a great addition to a library’s nonfiction section, and I highly recommend it. Some of the concepts are a bit tricky to grasp, but it would be useful for a student who is exploring graphic design as a career option. Though I feel it more appropriately fits in a high school library, it would be useful for upper middle school students as well.
Other Selections by Chip Kidd:
The Cheese Monkeys
The Learners
Click here to view the book trailer.
The Sun is Also a Star
by Nicola Yoon
Yoon, N. (2016). The sun is also a star. New York: Delacorte Press.
Seventeen-year-old Natasha Kingsley and her family are half a day away from being deported to her parents’ home country, Jamaica. Out of desperation to stay in a country and city she loves, Natasha goes out on a limb and takes matters into her own hands. She finds an immigration attorney for help with her family’s case and advocates for them to stay by visiting the immigration office. Daniel Bae is the son of Korean immigrants with immense pressure from his parents on his shoulders. His older brother flunked out of Harvard, and now it’s up to him to fulfill his parents’ dreams for him to become a doctor. Underneath the surface, he is a poet and a romantic but has never been in love himself. He is on his way to a college interview at Yale when fate intervenes and his path crosses with Natasha’s. Daniel, convinced it is love at first sight, convinces Natasha, who believes in science, not emotions, to spend the day with him. He assures her that she will love him too by the end of their time together, but will she?
Yoon’s book alternates between Natasha and Daniel’s narrations of the events that unfold during their time together. This unique approach allows the reader to get a glimpse inside the mind and hearts of both main characters as their love story unfolds. In doing so, it sets the book apart from others in the realistic fiction genre. It’s no wonder the book was on the New York Times Bestseller list for so long! Yoon’s novel tackles contemporary issues, such as immigration, racial bias, and cultural diversity. It’s a great springboard to foster discussion on these topics and offers the reader a chance to walk a mile in the shoes of someone who has dealt with these issues, which can build empathy. It’s a great mentor text for teaching voice and perspective.
Other selections by Nicola Yoon:
Click here to view the book trailer.
Where Things Come Back
by John C. Whaley
Whaley, J. C. (2011). Where things come back. New York: Atheneum Books for
Young Readers.
Seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter lives in Lily, Arkansas, a place which he claims is inescapably boring and dull. It’s the summer before his senior year in high school when his quiet little hometown is overtaken by Lazarus-mania after the Lazarus woodpecker, which was thought to be extinct, is rediscovered right there in Lily. It seems as if the whole town has lost its mind over a tiny little bird. One day, Cullen’s younger brother mysteriously disappears. Cullen’s family is distraught and in complete disarray at his disappearance. Cullen becomes obsessed with finding his lost brother. Will they find him before it’s too late?
I’m a bit at odds with how I feel about this book. On the one hand, the quirkiness of the heavy woodpecker obsession was interesting and the mystery of Gabriel’s disappearance was enough to hold my attention. On the other hand, the author’s writing style was quite stale and dry. Still, overall, this book would be a great addition to a middle or high school library. Students are likely to be captivated by the thriller/mystery aspect enough for the book to be popular. It does have a balanced mixture of comedy, humor, intensity, sadness, and quirkiness that make it a great addition. It tackles topics readers can identify with, such as mental illness, suicide, religion, and family issues. It would be a great mentor text to open up discussion on any of these topics, as well as teach characterization.
Where Things Come Back won the William C. Morris Award and Printz Award as well.
Other selections by John C. Whaley:
Click here to view the book trailer.
Sweet
by Emmy Laybourne
Laybourne, E. (2015). Sweet. New York: Fiewel and Friends Press.
Laurel is a normal teenager who struggles with her weight and body image but is confident in her own skin in spite of that. In a society where everyone is constantly trying to better themselves, Laurel’s parents desire for her to do the same and pursue a healthier lifestyle. So when Laurel’s friend, Viv, invites her on a weight loss cruise, she agrees to go even though she has her hesitations and her parents take some convincing. This “Cruise to Lose” is filled with celebrities and people from all backgrounds who hope to lose up to five percent of their body weight aboard thanks to a new diet sweetener called Solu that will be distributed on board. At first, Laurel is excited to see her celebrity crush, Tom Forelli, aboard, but loses some excitement after embarrassing herself in front of him. That, combined with her sea sickness, are enough to keep her from partaking in the experimental Solu sweetener. As time passes, the passengers’ behavior starts to change drastically the more they partake in solu, and the cruise becomes a crazy, blood-filled fight for survival.
This book will leave a sweet taste in your mouth (pun intended)! It starts out as your average young adult novel and turns into a crazy, wild ride with unexpected twists and turns. It will keep you on the edge of your seat in true Hunger Games fashion, but in this book the passengers are all tributes fighting to survive. It’s intense and maybe not for the weak-stomached, but upper middle school and high school readers will eat this book up (again, pun intended). The author does an excellent job at building suspense through the unique plot and storyline. Each chapter is told from a different character’s perspective, which really adds to the overall effect. It’s a great mentor text to teach plot development.
Sweet is a Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers.
Other selections by Emmy Laybourne:
Monument 14
Sky on Fire
Savage Drift
Beserker
Click here to view the book trailer.
El Deafo
by Cece Bell
Bell, C. (2014). El Deafo. New York: Abrams Books.
When four-year-old Cece contracts meningitis, she is in for a dangerous two-week battle in the hospital. Thankfully, she overcomes and can head home. However, Cece soon realizes all is not as it was before her illness. She has lost her hearing and is now deaf! El Deafo follows Cece as she navigates the newfound challenges of being deaf, as well as the everyday challenges of growing up. This graphic novel allows a glimpse into what life is like for Cece throughout her elementary school years, a time where she makes and loses friends, experiences moving to a new town and school, and even develops her first crush.
El Deafo is a heartwarming story of what growing up with a disability is like. Bell’s writing style is full of wit, humor, and heart. You find yourself cheering her on through all the challenges she faces. I think telling this story through a graphic novel format is brilliant. Many students shy away from biographical books because they think they’ll be boring, but this format is captivating, engaging, and approachable for students to read. Not only that, but the author’s use of Cece’s inner monologue seamlessly accompanies the interactions between the characters in the story. This allows the reader to truly understand Cece’s thoughts and emotions while simultaneously entertaining them with her sass and wit. El Deafo not only entertains, but it is an excellent book to teach students to have empathy and patience towards others who are different from them.
El Deafo is on the Best Fiction for YA Top 10 list.
If you like El Deafo, check out these books by Raina Telgemeier:
Click here to view the book trailer.
The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
Thomas, A. (2017). The hate u give. New York: HarperCollins
Starr Carter exists in two contradictory worlds-the elite, rich prep school she goes to school at and the poor, rundown neighborhood she grew up and lives in. One night, Starr attends a party in her neighborhood and ends up catching up with her childhood best friend, Khalil. On their drive home, a police officer pulls over their car. Through a series of unfortunate events, the police officer ends up callously, fatally shooting Khalil. The shooting becomes the center of a media circus where they portray Khalil as a drug dealer and miscreant, things he was not. Riots break out in the city, and people want the police officer to be held accountable for killing an innocent, unarmed teen. King, the head gang member in the area, wants her to keep her mouth shut and seeks revenge on her for opening her mouth in the first place. Starr is trying to maintain her two worlds as she always has, but it soon becomes impossible for her to keep them separate any longer. Since she is the only witness to Khalil’s murder, she must decide whether to speak up and tell the truth so justice will be served or tuck the truth deep down inside.
Angie Thomas has written a timely, culturally and socially relevant novel that will hit you right in the feels and cause you to look inside yourself. It addresses many contemporary issues, such as racism and economic disparity, and is great for starting important conversations surrounding these topics. The events in the book are reflective of real world occurrences of police killing innocent individuals. It allows a glimpse inside the mind and heart of someone grieving a loss from events like this and what it’s like to be in the eye of the storm. It’s a powerful story that should be included in any library collection geared towards upper middle school and beyond. This would be a good mentor text for teaching voice and perspective.
Other selections by Angie Thomas:
On the Come Up
Concrete Rose
Click here to view the book trailer.
Lucky Broken Girl
by Ruth Behar
Behar, R. (2017). Lucky broken girl. New York: Puffin Books.
Ruthie Mizrahi’s and her family are Cuban immigrants who moved to Queens, New York in the 1960s. Immigrants were often misunderstood during this period in history, so Ruthie ends up being placed in a remedial class due to the language barrier. Ruthie feels isolated and alone, disheartened that she is set apart from her peers. Over time and with muh practice with her friend, Ramu, however, she begins to master the English language to the point where she will soon be moved from her remedial class into a regular class. With an end to her isolation in sight, Ruthie is beyond excited for the transition. Unfortunately, right as her circumstances begin to change for the better, Ruthie and her father are in a horrible car accident that ends with Ruthie in a full-body cast and bedridden for months. Somehow, this prospect is a worse prison than the isolation of remedial classes, and Ruthie must find a way to overcome her circumstances and accept her new situation.
The story takes the reader through the entirety of Ruthie’s journey to a full recovery. It’s the perfect story for any student who feels like an outcast or has dealt with a significant injury, being an immigrant, or language/cultural barrier. The story’s themes center around finding joy in your circumstances, finding and accepting oneself, and overcoming obstacles. Most middle schoolers will be able to empathize with Ruthie’s story even if they are not an immigrant themself, as she struggles with the same things any young person does. Since it’s a memoir based on the author’s life experiences, it’s a great mentor text to introduce the genre to students and can be used to teach voice.
Other selections by Ruth Behar:
Click here to view the book trailer.
The Book Thief
by Marcus Zusak
Zusak, M. (2006). The book thief. New York: Knopf.
This is the story of Liesel, a girl growing up in Germany during the years of the Holocast and the Nazi Regime, narrated by Death. Liesel never knew her father and only knew her mother as the woman who dropped her off at a train station to send her away to her foster parents’ home. Her younger brother dies in transit, and so the grief which she has become accustomed to only intensifies. It’s here, at her brother’s grave, that Death first encounters Liesel and witnesses her stealing her first book. You see, Liesel was taught to read and finds solace in the pages of books. She uses them to escape the cruelty and sadness in her world. Throughout the story, Liesel continues to face tragedy and loss, and, in turn, steals more books to comfort herself while Death watches on. It is only at the end of her long life that Death confronts Liesel about the reason for her book-stealing before he takes her home.
This book is a powerful read for a variety of reasons. Not only does it tackle a tumultuous time in history in a creative way, but its pages are ripe with literary elements. The characterization, point of view, mood, tone, and theme are superb throughout, so it would make a great mentor text for teaching them. The author’s writing is both haunting and profound. While the content matter can be quite depressing and morbid, he addresses it with a subtle humor that lightens the intensity enough to make the story overall digestible. This poignant story is well-balanced and offers a glimpse into the tragedy of the Holocast for both Jews and ordinary Germans alike. Students who have faced tragedy and loss in their own lives will gravitate towards Liesel’s story. It’s more appropriate for high schoolers but could be read by mature upper middle schoolers as well.
The Book Thief won Outstanding Book for the College Bound.
Other selections by Marcus Zusak:
I am the Messenger
Bridge of Clay
Getting the Girl
Underdog
Click here to view the book trailer.
