Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. HarperTeen (1997), Hardcover, 80 pages

In this slim novel, Fleischman presents a series of vignettes revolving around a vacant lot/community urban garden in a run down neighborhood in Cleveland—---different people, ages, ethnic groups, motivation, points of view. The connection between the people they represent seems tenuous at first, but like the garden that, once nourished, takes root and blooms, the bond grows and we are really sucked into the story, finding the connections as we continue along. As I said, the book is very slim; less than seventy pages, but Fleischman is a true poet and manages to speak volumes in a few well chosen words. And like every community garden it is filled with hope and promise and possibilities. Great for stimulating class discussions of community and racism and human nature, it would also work well in a unit on community empowerment with, for example, Karusa’s The Streets are Free , Disalvo-Ryan’s Granpa’s Corner Store or McGovern’s Lady in the Box. –for younger YAs, and children, 4th grade up

Witness by Karen Hesse. Scholastic Press (2001), Hardcover, 161 pages

It’s Vermont, 1924 and the Ku Klux Klan comes to a small town in Vermont and recruits. Written in verse and told in the voices of different people in the town, Witness tells the story of how the Klan affected a small Vermont town; an aimless 18 yr. old Melvin joins the KKK to feel he is a part of something bigger than himself; 12 yr. old Leonora Sutter, the only African American girl in town, watches as life slowly gets more frightening; Sara Chickering who cares for and loves 6 yr. old Ester Hirsch, a motherless Jewish girl, and has no use for the Klan at all. As the KKK begins to assert more power over the town, things begin to get dangerous for Esther and Leanora. After the Sutters are threatened and someone shoots at Mr. Hirsch, many people in the town come out against the Klan. This is a quiet story with a very positive message. I enjoyed it and found the telling of the tale from the points of view of different townsfolk to be very effective.

The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause. Laurel Leaf (1992), Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages

Depending on the edition, the book cover can be a BIG LOSER…but the story is very good… not great literature, but it reads well. The characters are well thought out and very believable; Thirteen year old Zoe looks like she is keeping it together but is overwhelmed by issues that no teen should have to deal with alone; her mother is dying of cancer; her father is distracted and distant and shutting her out; he is emotionally unable to comfort her. Her best (and only) friend is moving across the country when she meets a young, handsome and hip vampire who loves her (or is he putting her under a spell) and asks for help to kill his evil brother. As a vampire, Simon has powers, including the power to force people to act according to his will, and several times I wondered if he was really the evil one. Like Cut the story involves an emotionally arrested father who is distant and unable to help a daughter who feels alone and needs him. And like Cut, the story ends with signs that father and daughter will rebuild their relationship. Fast paced and well crafted this is a good and chilling read.

One Big Building: A Counting Book About Construction (Know Your Numbers) by Michael Dahl. Picture Window Books (2004), Library Binding, 24 pages

Follow the numbers 1 to 12 through a construction site--from one plan to "a building twelve stories high". Includes extras, such as fun facts about building construction, a glossary and additional information websites. Ouren's illustrations are bold, bright and especially appealing. For youngsters interested in the topic (and there are many!) this is one great counting picture book.

Good Boy, Fergus! by David Shannon. The Blue Sky Press (2006), Hardcover, 40 pages

We've all met dogs like Fergus--happy, puppy like dogs who know what they like and who do everything--chasing motorcycles, taking a walk, peeing on hydrants-- with enthusiasm. And like Fergus's unseen owner, who says "don't beg" and then gives him bits of food, we are all charmed. Shannon's illustrations -- bright and colorful and larger than life--add the the feeling of warmth and home, comfort and fun. Like Shannon's David Books, the text consists of simple commands and statements directed to Fergus by his owner, making it easy to connect with and fun to read. --great for storytime

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous. Simon Pulse (2005), Paperback, 224 pages

Presented as a real diary written by an unnamed 15 year old drug user, Go Ask Alice follows the life of a middle class suburban teenager for a year and a half as she begins to experiment with and later becomes addicted to drugs. The narrator eventually runs away from home only to end up living a drug addicted life on the streets; stealing and prostituting herself, preyed upon by men and other young addicts, alternately sick from grief and withdrawal, she eventually returns home and is faced with all the difficulties of getting and staying clean, as well as re-entering the cruel and unforgiving social world of her old high school. It all takes place against the backdrop of all the usual teenage life situations: popularity, body image, romance, fitting in, parent problems, school issues, etc. The story is presented in the first person through the diary entries that, presumably, we were never meant to read. Okay, it’s dated. (“The fuzz has clamped down until the town is mother dry”p.96-97).) But the story is still frighteningly believable and the dramatic ending, a notice that after the last, hope filled, diary entry the girl was found dead from a drug overdose, leaves open the question of whether “Alice’s” OD was intentional or not.

The Chocolate War (Readers Circle) by Robert Cormier. Knopf Books for Young Readers (2004), Paperback, 272 pages

Jerry Renault is a freshman at Trinity School, an all-boys Catholic jock school who bucks the system by refusing to sell chocolates; his life is unhappy now that his mother is dead and his father is depressed and emotionally distant and Jerry refuses to sell because he is inspired by a poster in his locker that asks “Do I dare disturb the universe?” Although Jerry initially refuses to sell because the Vigils, a group of bullies unofficially sanctioned by Brother Leon, the new interim director, tells him he must refuse, Jerry continues to refuse even after the Vigils tell him to accept. Leon uses the Vigils to isolate Jerry, by then becoming a local hero and overnight Jerry turns form local hero to pariah. No happy ending here, the Vigils continue to harass and isolate Jerry culminating in a public fight between Jerry and the school’s big physical bully, Emile, where students decide who hits whom with which punch. Jerry is badly beaten as Brother Leon watches and he learns, not only that you pay an enormous price for universe disturbing, but also that the adults around him are hypocrites; A dark and powerful book, The Chocolate War will appeal to many teens who often feel powerless and often seem to have an innate ability to sniff out hypocrisy, I loved this book and would recommend it to any middle or high school student individually or as a group. It would generate some interesting and honest discussion about issues important to teens that most of us forget as we become the adults and gains some semblance of control over our lives. This is the kind of book that would have spoken to me like a bible if I had read it when I was young.