Heartstopper by Alice Oseman. Grpahix, 2018, 263 Pages.

The Mistress of Mellyn by Victoria Holt, St. Martin's Griffin, 2008, 330 Pages.

Victoria: Portrait of a Queen by Catherine Reef. Clarion Books, 2017, 256 pages.

The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson. Viking Books for Young Readers. 2014. 391 pages.

PTSD in the family. Daughter and her very messed up Dad. Frightenly realistic.

Soundless by Richelle Mead. Razor Bill (Penguin), 2015. 266 Pages.

Hugely popular at Tattered Cover and PLA in Denver. YA distopian romance and adventure. What's not to love? Well written to boot.

Drama by Raina Telgemeier. Graphix/Scholastic, 2012, 231.

Not exactly so, but feels like a sequel to Smile, this graphic memoir-ish fiction has all the charm of Telegmeier's first. The story plays out over the course of one middle school play-- Drama -- as in the play and drama-- as in the lives of 7th and 8th graders-- who's gay, who thinks they are gay, bi or whatever, who falls in love with every nice guy she meets, who are the prima donnas-- on and off the stage, etc. Telegmeier's drawings are warm and familiar and the dialogue is spot on. Telegmeier remembers what it is like to be a middle school Drama-Geek. Loved it.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina. Candlewick Press, 2013., 260 pages.

Piddi Sanchez is in a new school when one day, in a hall crowded and noisy between classes, a girl she thinks is named Vanesa jumps in front of her and says "Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass". Then Vanesa disappears into the crowd before Piddi can even ask "Who is Yaqui Delgado?".
Piddi needs to learn how to navigate this-- as well as other life situations-- the best friend she left behind seems to be moving on; her mother works all the time and Piddi cannot talk to her anymore; Hair salon chisme leads to a terrible revelation about the father she never met-- and more. A quick read sprinkled with spanish slang terms that do not always work in english (caramel) I loved this coming of age story that stays real about bullying and the behavior of adults, the predicaments kids find themselves in and the limits and possibilities of school anti bullying and discipline policies. Loved it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Simon & Schuster, 2012. 357 pages

Teenagers, Ari, named after his Mexican grandfather and Dante, son of a literature professor, meet in the early 1980s. Seemingly very different but both outsiders they become friends. lots happens here- family dynamics and problems and growing pains and sexuality and secrets  but through it all, love prevails. So well written and compelling that even though i knew what where we were going , i did not know how we would get there. And,  unlike LIE, i genuinely liked the characters who were believable and lovingly portrayed. Recommended absolutely.

True Blue by Deborah Ellis.Pajama Press, 2011, 229 Pages.

Casey and Jess are high school seniors, outsiders and best friends for years. Casey is arrested and charged with murder in a high profile case that sets almost the entire town against her. Jess struggles to remain a good friend-- and the story of what happened at summer camp that led to the murder of a camper- is told through flashbacks as Jess struggles with her feelings about Casey. Does she believe Casey is innocent? A YA crime/noir/mystery that  we do not expect from Ellis, famous for social justice realistic fiction. It starts off very strong- i really loved it at first-- very Lois Duncan, ti thought. but it ends weakly-- i thought it was disappointing at the end when i really did not care about Jess or her struggles. Very strong start, good middle, weak and didactic end-- i hate to say so. i wanted to love it and did at first. i am curious to see what kids say about it.

Stupid Fast by Geoff Herbach. Sourcebooks Fire, 2011. 311 pages.

Stupid Fast was recommended by Victor, who saw it on a library display at school and picked it right up. I see the attractions. Told in the voice of 15 yrs old hot mess, Felton Stupid

 Fast is about  Small towns, mental illness, bullying, outcasts, jocks, highschool, family disfunction and lies. BUT-- in the tradition of Jack Gantos, funny and warm and filled with love and affection for all the weirdness and disfunction found in all families and all of us. What don't kill you will make you stronger! Recommend. watching for the sequel.

This one is from VOYA, a mag that serves kids’ librarians:

“In the tradition of great young adult protagonists like Holden Caulfield and Eric “Moby” Calhoune comes Felton Reinstein, soon to be sixteen… This novel is Herbach’s first for a teen audience, but you would not guess that from the authentic teen voice of his protagonist. The author manages to deftly balance humor with high-stakes, emotional storytelling and even includes some romance to boot. Surprises abound in this future youth classic, not the least of which is how Felton comes to terms with his newfound inner jock. While male reluctant readers with an interest in football or running will especially connect with this novel, it is difficult to imagine a reader who will not find Felton’s tale compelling and highly entertaining.” —VOYA, June 2011

Escape to Gold Mountain: A Graphic History of the Chinese in North America by David H.T. Wong. Arsenal Pulp Press, 2012, 233 pages.

Graphic history of the Chinese in North America. Not nonfiction exactly, as the history is told through the experience of one family-- but certainly a true story at its core--little is written of the shameful treatment of Chinese immigrants in the US and Canada. Wong's graphic reads like a history and feels very YA-- in every positive sense, but will no doubt appeal to adults too. I always say i love a graphic memoir-- but i love a well done graphic history too.  Read it.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. Vintage Contemporaries, 1991. 110 pages.

Originally published in 1984, The House on Mango Street, a YA coming of age classic, reads and feels as fresh as if it were written today. Cisneros reveals Esperanza's world through a series of short, vingettes that read like poetry-- sparse and powerful  with well chosen words. We experience life on Mango Street-- we see  and smell  and feel ---as if we lived there with Esperanza, and Marin and Nenny.  This book lives up to its well deserved reputation.

War Is Boring by David Axe and Matt Bors. New American Library, 2010, 125 pages

Graphic memoir of war correspondent, David Axe. Honest look at the War Machine -- UN Peacekeepers, US Military, Humanitarian Aide workers, local translators and guides, Arms manufacturers, Weapon conventions, journalism, Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, East Timor etc-- and of the many issues coming home, reestablishing relationships, living the civilian life. An honest glimpse of war life- at home and abroad. Axe is ambivient about his feelings about war and unable to explain why he does what he does. Works well in graphic form.

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going. G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York. 2003. 183 pages.

Troy is Fat Kid-- 17 year old high school senior, 6'1", 300 lbs. While seriously contemplating suicide in a NYC subway station, he meets Curt, a homeless high school dropout and punk rock musician, bone thin, dirty and sickly. And, a legend in Troy's high school. Drug Addict. Curt saves Troy from jumping and insists he become drummer in his nonexistant band. coming of age story, dead mother, damaged, grieving family, Fat Kid full of issues and insecurities, etc. Curt has problems too. Lots of promise in the book but it was just okay-- starts strong but after a few chapters, they all start to sound the same-- then Troy has an epiphany, saves Curt (in a sense), develops a good relationship with his dad and his brother -some very hokey and predictable dialog with the brother, but the poor writing was unusual for the book. even the other predictable parts were written well. I am not recommending it. Too many other books with the same themes that are better. A strong start with no finish.

The Scrapbook of Frankie Pratt: a novel in pictures by Caroline Preston. New York: Ecco/Haper Collins, 2011

A coming of age story. A decade in the life of Frankie Pratt told with pictures and ticket stubs and newpaper clippings and captions from her scrapbook. 1920s, Cornish NH, high school graduation, inappropriate relationship, looking for love, Vassar, love, NY, Paris, NH. Clever and tender and very readable-- and rereadable. so much to see on everypage and i love non linear reading and journal books. Adult book but great for teens-- Alex Award winner. Loved it. Buying it for YA.

Ain't Nothing But A Man: my quest to find the real John Henry by Scott Reynolds Nelson. Washington DC: National Geographic Society, 2008

The youth version of Nelson's highly acclaimed work Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry: the untold story of an american legend, Ain't Nothing BUT A MAN is fascinating, well written and very accessible to upper elementary and middle school students. Nelson follows clues in the John Henry folksongs to separate legend from history and uncover the real man. John Henry's story is the story of african american men in the mid nineteenth century--the civil war, reconstruction, railroads, and prison labor. Highly recommended for kids who love history and for those that think they don't. Includes Aronson's excellent overview of the research process, Nelson's appendices and suggestions for further research and multimedia sources. Summer Reading List, myths and legends, middleschool. Loved it.

Reckless by Cornelia Funke. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010.

Carmen: an urban adaptation of the opera by Walter Dean Myers. Egmont, NY, 2011. 140 pages

I love the opera Carmen and I love Walter Dean Myers and I wanted to love this but I could not. It is set up exactly as a play-- the settings, the stage instructions, the music. Set in El Barrio (Spanish Harlem) the characters are modern reincarnations of the original novela, pre-Bizet, infact-- modeled after West Side Story. Factory workers, cops instead of soldiers, a Hip Hop Star instead of a Toreador, but the story remains basically the same. I still love the idea, but i thought the dialog was stilted and unnatural ("We'll do the caper..."?) and many of the characters and settings were dangerously close to stereotyping. Please-- i still love Walter Dean Myers and he added an author's note explaining why he wanted to work with Carmen, he spoke about the very public music in the Harlem of his youth, about the stereotyping he had encountered in different versions of the novella-- in fact i enjoyed the author's note very much-- much more than the novela.
Unfortunately, I can see adults liking this a lot, but i do not see it speaking to kids-- only to an adult idea of what speaks to kids. Myers does not usually write about Latinos, and Carmen, unfortunately, is not what he does best. Sorry. it was very well reviewed but I was so disappointed.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Little, Brown and Company, 2007. 230 pages.

A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park. Clarion Books, 2010. 121 pages.