Taken by David Massey

Scholastic, 2014

Rio can't believe her luck.  Her dream job became a reality when she was chosen to work with the unique crew on Freedom, a custom outfitted yacht.  Starting in South Africa, the crews’ goal is to sail around the world.  Before Rio boards the yacht, she is caught off-guard by a bizarre man, rattling a dirty leather bag with his gnarled and stained fingernails, staring at her with manic eyes….

The crew consists of five veterans of the war, each with their own personality and abilities.  Ash has two blades instead of legs, and still has the strength and dexterity to match a man with legs.  Marcus has to be careful around the sun because of his severe burns to his body that are starting to heal, stretching the scars tight across his face.  Charis has a biotic arm, the first of its kind she can manipulate with her muscles.  Izzy fell from a helicopter and shattered her leg while also coping with Type I diabetes.  Rio and Jennifer are there as support for the team, and everyone is ready to take off. 

Then disaster strikes.  They only wished it had been a monsoon, but it is something much deadlier.  A group of pirates have seized the ship and ransacked it, taking them as hostages and sinking the yacht.  No one knows where they are or what has happened to them.  Now the crew is on their way to most savage part of Africa, where Joseph Kony and his army of children, known as the Lord’s Resistance Army, awaits their arrival.

Surrounded by children with guns and blank faces and eyes, the group must be careful around these trigger-happy soldiers, who care nothing about killing a human.  Although Ash and most of the others are veterans, they face something much more difficult – being able to survive with their handicaps.  Mwemba, the leader, is asking for a huge ransom, but he is only part of the problem.  Rio keeps her eye on a girl she calls the Empty Child, a girl whom the others shy away from, even the Sangomo (witch doctor) and Mwemba.  Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer is the tactic of Rio and her mates live as they walk their way through desert and jungle hanging on to every shred of hope in order to survive.

This is unlike any other YA novel I’ve read because the storyline is so very unique.  David Massey does an EXCELLENT job at taking a serious world issue that has come to the forefront of many nations and building a fictional account of it specifically for young adults.  The characters become a cohesive part of the novel, showing both the hopeful and hopeless situation they are a part of, whether it's personal or not.  Within the larger story are smaller ones that deal with the relationships between the crew, especially Rio’s relationships.  Most interesting is that Massey incorporates the strength of individuals with handicaps, examples of true human endurance.  This is one begging to be read and excellently delivered.  Recommended upper JH/HS. 

Non-fiction pair: graphic novel, Army of God by David Axe.

Booktalk and More! New YA books compilation blended with technology

ESC III Victoria booktalk Summer 2014 from naomibates

Red Madness: How a Medical Mystery Changed What We Eat by Gail Jarrow

2014, Calkins Creek Books

 In 1902, something deadly was happening to Americans living in the South.  A strange malady began affecting them, causing a horrible rash on the face, chest, hands and feet.  For most, it was cyclical, beginning in the spring and going away in the summer but for others, it killed. This illness affected young and old, sick and healthy, rich and poor.  No one understood where it came from or how to get rid of it, but it had a name...pellagra...

Was it a disease or an infection?  No one knew and pellagra became a mystery illness that would kill thousands of Americans.  Of course, there were several theories.  Scientists and doctors blamed it on moldy corn, while other believed it was contagious. Medicines of all types were sold by quacks and doctors alike to no avail.  Soon, sanitariums across the South began to fill up with those diagnosed with pellagra.  

The symptoms were noticeable and recognizable.  Pellagra was defined as the  4-D Disease: dermatitis, diarrhea, dementia, death.  It affected those that had it physically and mentally, and if the dementia stage became apparent, death was not far along.  

It took a maverick who wouldn't give up to find a cure.  Starting in these sanitariums, Joseph Golderberger was able to identify the main cause of pellagra.  Those on the 3-M Diet (meal (cornmeal); meat (usually fatback) and molasses) were most prevalent of having pellagra.  In a time when money was tight, these three foods were cheap, easily available, and delicious. Golderberger began his research and ultimately found the cure that would change the face of food and nutrition that continues to impact us today.  

I always tell students that non-fiction books are the most interesting stories not told in a history textbook, and this is one of them.  For 200 years, no one understood or could explain how pellagra came to be.  This is a fascinating non-fiction book that will open the eyes of readers from caused pellagra to how it hasn't been seen since 1955.  Intriguing and fascinating, Jarrow seams together stories, facts and images to create a book that goes to the heart of the matter and leaves readers more informed and very aware of cause and effect in the history of the United States.  HIGHLY recommended for JH/HS.

Fiction book pair:
Streams of Babel and sequel Fire Will Fall by Carol Plum-Ucci: Six teens face a bioterrorist attack on American soil as four are infected with a mysterious disease affecting their small New Jersey neighborhood and two others, both brilliant computer hackers, assist the United States Intelligence Coalition in tracking the perpetrators.

Move Over Fiction! Non-fiction and Fiction Book Pairs for Tweens and Teens, TXLA 2014

For the Good of Mankind: The shameful history of human medical experimentation by Vicki Oranksy Wittenstein

Twenty First Century Books, 2014

We’ve all heard of guinea pig scientists…the brave ones who boldly experimented on themselves to further medicine.  We applaud people like Marie Curie and Daniel Carrion who took that risk and put themselves in harm’s way for the good of humankind.  But there is a dark side to everything….

Simeon Shaw was a child from Australia who was diagnosed with cancer.  He was flown to the United States, along with his mother, to receive experimental treatment for his condition.  He died not knowing he was part of an experiment on human radiation.  Simeon died…

That was in 1946, but human experimentation has been going on long before Simeon.  Slaves were used is many gruesome ways, but they weren’t the only hapless victims.  Children in orphanages, those who were mentally handicapped, and prisoners were all subjected to the same harsh, dangerous and painful experiments doctors used to for research. 

There have been cases where this type of medical butchery has surfaced and created a maelstrom of outrage and recompense.  The most infamous ones were those done during the Holocaust by the notorious and odious Josef Mengele.  Another occurred in the United States...the Tuskegee experiment, in 1932.  African American men thought they were going to free clinics, when the fact was they were experiments on a study for syphilis, which can kill.  The facts weren’t exposed until much later when most of the men had died from health complications.  Then there was Henrietta Lacks, who wasn’t so much experimented upon as were her cells, which were taken without authority and harvested for biomedical experimentation.  Today, scientists still use her cells, even though she never gave consent for this back in 1951…

We may think that this type of abuse can’t possibly go on in the modern world, but it still does.  Think about all of those commercials you see on television asking for people to be part of a new “study” for a new drug.  Although consent is now law, there are still many countries where it isn’t, and where there’s ignorance of law and need for medicine, many people will suffer through “studies” hoping to receive health care in places where none exists.

Wittenstein writes a powerful and in-depth look at the subject of human experimentation from the past to the present.  She leaves no doubt about the horrors and scars they have left behind and writes about real life accounts that are occurring now.  The bottom line may not always be about advancing science so much as advancing ego or from financial gain.  This non-fiction book is different from others I’ve read because it goes further with the reader by having a book study/lesson guide at the end to create conversation.  As a young adult novel, it’s these types of questions that will stir not only emotion, but also morality and make teens think.  Wittenstein blurs the line and creates that gray area that people, from intellectual to working class backgrounds, will finds themselves in, wondering what is right and true while taking either side of the issue.  It is definitely clear  that Wittenstein has done some quality research, and has skillfully condensed it into a short non-fiction book (less than 100 pages) with actual photographs of some of these incidences.  But those 100 pages will make you think about this topic long after you put the book down.  Highly recommended for JH/HS

Book pair:

Non-Fiction:  Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold Self-Experimenters in Science and Medicine by Mel Boring, Leslie Dendy, and C.B. Mordan  

2005, Henry Holt and Co

Fiction:  Dr. Frankenstein's Daughters by Suzanne Weyn 

                   2013, Scholastic Press

            The Madman's Daughter by Morgan Shepherd 

                   2013, Balzer + Bray

The Outcasts by Kathleen Kent

Little, Brown and Co, 2013

This is the first Western novel I've read in quite awhile because it doesn't seem like there are many novels in this genre, and Kathleen Kent delivers! Set in the state of Texas from Ft. Worth to Houston and continuing to the turn-of-the-century New Orleans, Louisiana, Kent weaves three tales in one.

Lucinda wants to leave the cathouse and create a new start with the love of her life. She knows the many pitfalls of her profession and Madame Landry is cunning, keeping a tight fist over her girls, making sure they have little opportunity to leave.  Lucinda takes the only chance she has by planning her getaway and stealing from Landry.  Her beau is willing marry her, but she needs to find a respectable job. The opportunity as a teacher comes up in the small community of Middle Bayou, near Houston and while Lucinda may not be a teacher, her life has led her to create a close relationship with numbers, especially geometry.  She uses this as a tactic to escape reality and help curb her ailment that has plagued her since childhood and one she is hellbent on hiding. It won't take long for every niche in Lucinda's life to come out....

Nate is a new lawman from Oklahoma who is working for the first time with two famed Rangers, Deerling and Dr. Tom, learning what justice and law truly is in the Old West while still trying to preserve his integrity. His passion is horses, and he landed the job because of his reputation training them. Nate leaves behind a wife and daughter, whom he loves dearly and fights against the perils of his position.  His conscience and his position fight and rebel against each other as he sees firsthand how the Rangers work, not quite defying the law, but not quite working within it. Is there room for patience and tolerance in the Texas Ranger brotherhood?  He fights against their handling of outlaws and Indians, and this battle between mindsets has caused friction between Nate and the Rangers. But one thing will draw them together.  For the Rangers, it's an end to personal injury; for Nate, it's a promise he keeps...

McGill is a psychopathic outlaw who won't let anyone, including women and children, get in the way of his sole pursuit - finding the easy life at whatever price. McGill knows his trail is hot in Texas, but when he finds out about the prospect of a fortune ready for the taking, he takes a chance and goes to find it with two of his henchmen in tow. McGill is not only a psychopath, but a master manipulator, able to charm strangers into overlooking who he truly is to create a chameleon-like personality.  His luck and prowess have kept him alive this long thus far....

One gold piece, one tall tale of Jean LaFitte, and the singular and personal drive of all of these characters to do what they set out for will put them on a collision course with fate. The Old West is unforgiving, and it's this emotional landscape that molds the people who lived it. Kathleen Kent writes a fast-paced novel rich with history and description of not only the setting, but the characters and themes as well. Separated into chapters, she knows when to switch voices, leaving the reader wanting to know more about the previous story while slowly beginning to see the threads that knit everything together. More than that, Kent creates drama and surprise not only for the characters but also the reader. She bookends this novel with a beautifully crafted foreword and afterword. This novel can definitely be added to both adult and young adult shelves.
Highly recommended for secondary collections

Non-fiction pair:

 Bad Girls by Jane Yolen
 Lone Star Lawmen: the second century of the Texas Rangers by Robert M. Utley

 Photo by Brady by Jennifer Armstrong

If you like this, then you'll like:
Stephen King's Dark Tower series
Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

Project Cain by Geoffrey Girard

2013, Simon and Schuster

Jeffrey Jacobson's world changed the day his father decided to disappear after he hands his son a folder. This file folder, which contains information about himself, would make Jeff question his existence, as well as answer the questions he has kept secret for so long...

Jeff grew up in a home with his father, a famous geneticist, who is now working on a secret project for DSTI, a private science/technology corporation.  Looking back, he could say he lived a fairly normal life - going to camp, taking trips to the museums with his father, hanging out at home...just normal stuff.  He remembers his dad taking him to work and showing him what he did, which included vats full of liquid with someone, or something, floating in them.  Little did he know that he was once in those vats too.

But now at 16, Jeff realizes the full potential of his father's work for DSTI.  Project Cain...a secret weapon the Department of Defense is secretly funding to create a new weapon, this time based on DNA and replication.  Jeff's  father has found XP-11, an anger gene found in a unique population of humans.  And the folder Jeff is holding contains information on a person  he was cloned from who carried that gene...Jeffrey Dahmer.

But the list didn't stop there. His father had taken genes from some other notorious killers to clone:
Henry Lee Lucas
Dennis Rader
Ted Bundy
David Berkowitz.

They are now teenagers, living at Massey Institute as guinea pigs, unbeknownst to what DSTI is doing. Their names?
Henry Roberts
Dennis Vliase
Ted Thompson
David Spanelli

On the outside they look normal, but on the inside, their genetic markers are taking control. Now, they've escaped and are looking for the others like them...

The experiment went way beyond genetics though.  All of the clones were raised in homes much like their original...being exposed to the same horrible childhoods their genetic "parent" experienced.  Jeff Jacobson was the one that got away.  His life wasn't anything like Jeff Dahmer's, but quite the opposite, even if his dad did creep him out at times.  Nature vs. Nurture...the ultimate experiment.

Now, Jeff  is with Shawn Castillo, an ex-military man contracted by the government to hunt down these killers.  They pave a road of death and destruction and it's only a matter of time when the escapees meet their pursuer, and the ultimate stand-off for power begins...

Girard writes a novel with a specific YA audience in mind. The book is filled with both fact and fiction not only about the original serial killers, but government conspiracy and science as well. Therein lies another aspect of this novel that will keep readers intrigued, and if they're like me, getting online to see if the author is telling fact or fiction.  Although the pace of the book can slow down at times, the driving question remains if the main character possesses the same murderous rage the other do.  Interestingly enough, Girard creates an adult parallel novel based on the viewpoint of Castillo, the mercenary extraordinaire, which plays into the questions and scenes veiled thoughout this YA novel.  I, for one, enjoyed this book and its concept. Recommended for mature teens.
Perfect pairing with Derf Backderf's non-fiction graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer.

Asylum by Madeleine Roux

Asylum by Madeleine Roux.  2013, HarperCollins
Dan is a geek, and he readily admits it.  His academic career is stellar and he's ready to go out and conquer the world.  His first step into post-high school?  A summer spent at the New Hampshire College Prep Program for gifted students.  And this summer, he'll be part of something more than the sum of its parts...

The college has a beautiful campus nestled into the background of the East Coast.  Quaint and picturesque, it's close enough to the small town of Camford but far enough away from the city to keep its own identity and anonymity.  The students that are accepted know they're attending this program to receive challenging coursework in a collegial environment.  While Dan and others venture into Camford, the residents there don't mix well with the students and keep their distance from campus.  They know the secret the buildings hold and even though the campus may be changing through renovation, the darkness never leaves and the townspeople still murmur among themselves about it's gruesome history.

Before it became part of the college, the Brookline Dorm that Dan and his friends, Abby and Jordan, will be living in was once part of a sanitarium for the criminally insane, where most of the patients endured probing experiments only to end up dying at the hands of a merciless doctor.  Dan has no idea about this until, unexpectedly, a door opens to a secret room and they dare to enter. But did they find the door, or did something....or someone...find them?
 
When they cross the theshold, they are in none other than the "good" doctor's office, complete with images of the patients and their records.  But there are more rooms to explore and the deeper Dan goes, the closer he comes to the danger that has eagerly waited for his arrival...The Sculptor has returned and he's ready to meet Dan.

Roux fills her book not only with a story of possession and revenge, she also adds images and notes throughout the book that coincide with the plot of the story.  The images also help solidify the story conjured up in the readers' minds.  At times, the writing and image pairing may be somewhat disjointed, but overall Roux does what she intended to do - create a horror read captured with more than words, which she most certainly does.  The characters in the book add to the appeal, with the central character creating a relationship with the reader through his emotional reactions to everything going on in his world. Roux also adds breadcrumbs the reader will pick up on that will lead them to the ending with satisfaction.  A great addition to your horror collection.  Recommended 7-12.  Fiction book pair:  Bliss by Lauren Myracle, Harry N. Abrams, 2008

Superman Versus The Ku Klux Klan: the true story of how the iconic superhero battled the men of hate

By Rick Bowers.  National Geographic, 2012

The 1930s was a time of change in America.  People were just beginning to rise out of the the Great Depression but they still had a long road ahead of them.  Most people with jobs were considered lucky, and Jerry Siegal's family was one of the lucky ones.  The Siegel's lived in a small, safe Jewish community outside of Cleveland Ohio. Jerry went to a typical high school, but wasn't the typical teen. Instead of hanging out after school or going out with friends, Jerry would go to his attic and spend hours reading science fiction magazines or watch swash-bucklers like Zorro on the silver screen. With the help of his friend Joe Shuster, they would create one of the most famous and recognizable superheroes in American history.  What started out as a simple comic book fantasy in 1932 would become bigger than anything they could have dreamed of.

The South didn't fare much better than the Midwest during the Great Depression, and Southerners felt the desperation as well. This was the catalyst that brought the Ku Klux Klan rearing its ugly head in American history once more. The KKK began their sordid reign after the Civil War, but lost some steam and by the 1930's there wasn't much left of the group. Because of the tensions of the times, leaders saw a chance to revive the Klan to target men who would band together and fight for their rights, regardless of disreputable actions.  It was also during their second rise that a new symbol emerged from the KKK which would send fear throughout the nation...the burning cross.

Then there was a boy named Stetson Kennedy.  Growing up in Florida, Stetson was raised in a family based on Southern values.  He was considered free-spirited and spent a lot of his time playing outside, which exposed young Stetson to the shanties where "colored folk" lived and the poor treatment they endured by the whites was noticeable. This left a bad taste in his mouth that later would parlay into a career in exposing the KKK through the mightiest weapon of all...the pen.

With World War II looming in the distance and the fanatical rantings of a lunatic Chancellor in Germany, the KKK began a huge resurgence in membership and power, able to create death and destruction without any repercussions for their actions.  Little did they know that someone else was gaining followers more followers...Superman.  And after the War, he would take on the KKK in a showdown of morality that had lasting impact on Americans everywhere...

Bowers takes two of the most intriguing symbols of good and bad in the annals of American history and writes a narrative of their beginnings, the processes each went through to gain momentum in society, and the power they wielded in American culture.  He also weaves biographies of the creators and leaders of these two entities as well as those closely involved in each.  Bowers compliments his book by filling it with images of the time as well as an interesting afterword on all the people he wrote about in the book. The biggest draw for YA readers to this book is not only the intrigue of the KKK and Superman as iconic images of polar opposites, but the writing that is easily digestible and doesn't come across as textbookish.  Recommended for JH/HS

BOOK PAIRS:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Guardian by Julius Lester
any Superman comic book

Darkwater by Catherine Fisher

Dial Books, 2012

Sarah lives in a squalid home in an equally squalid village.  She is her father's only hope and earns enough for the little they have by cleaning the one-room school, ruled by a tryannical mistress.  Over the village lays Darkwater Hall in all of its somber glory.  Once owned by the Trevelyan family, it now has a new owner, Lord Azrael. 

Sarah may be poor but she is proud.  A Trevelyan herself, she's heard stories of how the once powerful family lost everything, but that doesn't deter her from keeping her head up and her lineage alive.  But it kills her when she meets the new lord of Darkwater Hall for the first time.  He doesn't deserve it....it's not his.  When her situation goes into dire straits, she has nowhere else to turn to but the generous offer made by Lord Azrael to come work for him....

Fast forward over a hundred years ahead.  Tom knows his station in life but it still doesn't keep him from longing to be a part of the prestigious school that his mother works for as a maid.   His only friend is Simon, who isn't even real.  And one day, while coming home from the village, he meets a girl he's never seen before and a drifter who has a fascination for Tom. 

All Tom needs is a break...someone who'll offer him a chance.  When an accidental meeting takes place between Tom and the new chemistry teacher, the offer Tom has been waiting for happens.  All he needs to do is accept this gift from the new teacher, whose name is Azrael...

Catherine Fisher takes the long-told tale of Faust and recreates it into a unique spin that only she possesses.  Not only does Fisher write about parallel lives, but fashions into it magic, family secrets, and a world within a world contained in a precious glass vase.  Because of her signature storytelling, this is a book that will delight or confound the reader, but one that continues the tradition of Faust (1806) to The Devil and Daniel Webster(1937) to today.  The characters are descriptively protrayed and the darkness or naivete of a character's personality is highlighted by the scenery and words Fisher selects.  Even the font of the book denotes a certain antiquity that plays into the whole novel.  For those readers who enjoy magic, a touch of alchemical science, historical fiction, and a rich story fabric, this is one they'll enjoy. JH-HS. 



Paired fiction novels:

Young Adult Common Core Pairs

You know, I've been working on book pairs for a long time (probably since 2007) and now that it's coming to the forefront with Common Core, I thought I'd publish the ones I've paired.  Going over my book pairs, I noticed I not only paired non-fiction with fiction, but also classic with modern fiction.  I won't mention the latter, but here's the non-fiction/fiction list:
 

They Called Themselves the KKK by Susan Bartoletti Campbell

The Guardian by Julius Lester

 

Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes –Courter

Compromised by Heidi Ayarbe

 

Blizzard by Jim Murphy

Trapped by Michael Northrop

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson

Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Killer by Seth Graham-Smith

 

Close to Shore:  The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916 by Michael Capuzzo

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

 

Guinea Pig Scientists: Bold Self-Experimenters in Science and Medicine by Leslie Dandy and Mel Boring

The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen

 

Hitler Youth:  Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow by Susan Bartoletti Campbell

Daniel Half Human and the Good Nazi by David Chotjewitz

 

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin

Rikers High by Paul Volponi

 

Portrait of a Killer:  Jack the Ripper, Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell

The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson

 

Secret Subway by Martin Sandler

Ripper by Stefan Petrucha

 

Trapped:  How the World Rescued 33 Miners from 2000 feet Below the Chilean Desert by Marc Aronson

What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles

 

Yummy:  The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri

The Brothers Torres by Coert Vorhees

 

Witch Hunt by Marc Aronson

The Minister’s Daughter by Julie Hearn

 

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

The Boy From the Basement by Susan Shaw; or

 When Kambia Elaine Flew in From Neptune by Lori Aurelia Williams

 

Isaac’s Storm by Erik Larsen

Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi

 

Hidden Evidence:  40 True Crimes and How Forensic Science Helped Solve Them by David Owen

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

 

He’s Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt

Breaking up is hard to do : stories about falling out of love by four incredible authors

written by Niki Burnham ... [et al.].

 

Trial by Ice:  A Photobiography of Sir Ernest Shackleton

Surviving Antarctica:  Reality Television 2083 -  Andrea White

 

Katie.com by Katherine Tarbox

Exposed by Susan Vaught

 

I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree by Laura Hillman

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

 

Visit Sunny Cherynobyl by Ed Blackwell

They Came from Below by Blake Nelson

Book Pairs for High School

I've noticed a list going on, and thought I'd share mine on the blog. I've been working on this list for a couple of years now, and everytime I find a new book to read, I now automatically think, "what can I pair with this one?" So, here's what I got for NF/F:

America Through the Lens by Martin Sandler with Kissing Vanessa by Simon Cheshire

An American Plague by Jim Murphy and Fever, 1792 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Beautiful Cigar Girl by Daniel Stashower with An Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon with Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Close to Shore by Michael Capuzzo with Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

The Code Book by Simon Singh with The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Endurance by Caroline Alexander with Surviving Antarctic by Andrea White

Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser with My Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy with Worlds Afire by Paul Janeszcko

Guinea Pig Scientists by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring with Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt with A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl by Tanya Lee Stone

Hitler Youth by Susan Bartoletti with Daniel Half-Human and the Good Nazi by Daniel Chotjewitz

Isaac's Storm by Eric Larson with Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich with A Room on Lorelei Street by Mary Pearson

The Notebook Girls by Julia Baskin et al with Headlong by Kathe Koja

Portrait of a Killer by Patricia Cornwell with the Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodward with Pirates! by Celia Rees

Spook by Mary Roach with The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson

Stiff by Mary Roach with The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson

Witch Hunt by Marc Aronson with The Minister's Daughter by Julie Hearn

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin with Juvie Three by Gordon Korman

** So, that's all I have for now...am working on more that pairing, also looking at triplets. Hope this will help anyone out there!! : )
Buenos Noches!

Great YA pair! No Choirboy and Juvie Three

It's been one crazy six weeks, and I decided to devote some time READING and reviewing! It's been nice...and I picked up some really good reads!

I don't know if it's because subconsciously I was thinking of Korman's Juvie Three, but I picked up a book (non-fiction...yea!) and was intrigued by the topic, the voices and the lives of everyone involved.

No Choirboy by Susan Kuklin is a series of stories about men, who in their teens, were sent to death row for their crimes. They tell the story in their own voice through recordings with the author or through notes. Two are from Alabama, and one from Huntsville, Texas. These men re-visit their pasts to show the reader how hard prison affects a teen not sent to juvenile detention, especially when they are sitting on death row. Each one of those still alive that were interviewed all voiced the same opinion...if they had thought about their decisions and the people they were involved with...but it's too late for them now.

Although the law has changed since (no teenager can be sentenced to death for a crime) these men still have to live the rest of their lives not knowing their first true love, getting their driver's licenses, going to college, getting married, walking on carpet in their homes, or seeing the sunset from their hometowns. Lots of regret, but they take the responsibility for their actions as well.

What is so wonderful about this book is that not only does the reader get to know the criminal, but they also get to know the victim's family, the perpetrator's family, and the lawyer who fights daily for them, and how prison life has changed them. Think about it...these kids grew up in prison surrounded by men who could be an ally or a deadly foe. All sides are revealed...not just one.

This is definitely a book against the death penalty, and it makes you think...another amazing facet of this book. Teens will pick up this one and I can see this as an excellent read for reluctant readers, especially boys. It will give the reader insight into what could happen without it happening to them. And thus, a GREAT pair for Korman's fictional Juvie Three.

YA Book Pairs

I've been dabbling with this for awhile, and have a working list. It's an older list by book standards, but these books still pack a punch with teens. I tried to pair NF with fiction.
I have a current list and will post this soon. These will include titles within the last two years. Here is what I worked up awhile back. I thought about titles I'd add to what I've already done and they're in a different color:

ONE:
Homer. Translated by W.H.D. Rouse. (1999). The Odyssey New York: Signet Classics. Because he angered the gods, Odysseus must go on a journey and leave behind all that is familiar to him. He undergoes several trials, which includes Cyclops, Sirens, and Lotus-eaters, loses friends along the way, and understands himself as a person throughout his ordeal.
Deuker, Carl. (2003). High Heat. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
When Shane‚s life of privilege is turned around by the death of his father, he has to come to grips with his situation. But when he hurts another ball player intentionally, he has to come to terms with himself.
Tragic hero, tie-in through epic literary elements
Holly Black's books (Tithe and Ironsides)
TWO:
Draper, Sharon. (1999). Romiette and Julio. New York: Atheneum Books.
Julio, a Hispanic from Texas moves to the northern U.S. and through Internet chat, he meets and falls in love with Romiette, an African-American girl. This doesn‚t sit well with her other friends, who are against their inter-racial dating, and tragedy occurs in their relationship. A modern day young adult book mirroring the classic tale by William Shakespeare.
Shakespeare, William. Edited by Harold Bloom. (2000). Romeo and Juliet. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers.
The classic tale of love and tragedy and the hatred of two rival families.
YA meets Shakespeare
Enter Three Witches: A story of Macbeth by Caroline B. Cooney

THREE:
Larsen, Erick and Isaac Monroe Cline. (1999). Isaac‚s Storm: man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history. New York: Crown Publishers.
Real accounts of the deadliest storm in the United States history as told through excerpts of Isaac Cline, an early meteorologist, and the devastation that occurred in Galveston. Includes actual photographs as well as modern-day interpretation of the storm.
Murphy, Jim. (2000). Blizzard! : the storm that changed America. New York: Scholastic.
Historical documentation based on first-person accounts, newspaper articles, and photographs and lithographs of the time when an unexpected blizzard hit the eastern seaboard, esp. New York City, in 1888.
Murphy, Jim. (1995). Great Fire. New York: Scholastic.
First person accounts of several survivors as well as newspaper articles and photographs/maps of the Great Fire of Chicago are interspersed to give the reader a first-hand, factual account of how this great city was devastated, why, and how people coped and survived the aftermath.
Natural disasters and science
Susan Pfeffer Life as We Knew It and her sequel The Dead & the Gone

FOUR:
Murphy, Jim. (2003). An American Plague: the true and terrifying story of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. New York: Clarion Books.
Looks at the yellow fever plague in Philadelphia during the late 1700‚s and the people who tried to conquer this epidemic through coarse medical knowledge and goodwill. Includes doctor‚s accounts as well as the works of government and the Free African Society. Contains illustrations and clippings from newspapers of the times.
Anderson, Laurie Halse. (2000). Fever 1793. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Sixteen year old Matilda lives in Philadelphia and begins to understand the horror of plague when it hits her hometown of Philadelphia. She experiences the mass exodus of people from the city as well as her own mother‚s death. When Matilda contracts the fever and survives, she ensures her help to those who need help the most.

Epidemics in the United States


FIVE:
Murray, Jaye. (2003). Bottled Up. New York: Dial Books.
Pip, a stoner in high school, must attend counseling sessions if he wants to avoid his father becoming involved in his school life. He tries to hide the fact that his father is a raging alcoholic and his mother is a pill popper as well as juggling to protect his little brother from getting emotionally and physically hurt. Through his counseling, and with the help of a teacher, a girl who‚s a friend, and a cop, Pip makes it through the tough part of quitting drugs in order to create a more bearable world for himself and his brother.
Martinez, Victor. (1998). Parrot in the Oven: mi vida : a novel. New York: HarperTrophy.
Manny relates his coming of age experiences as a member of a poor Mexican American family in which the alcoholic father only adds to everyone's struggle. The reader also gets to see how his older brother and sister handle their life in this situation as well as the mother, who tries to keep her family together through poverty and abuse.
Two views on a popular research topic from different cultural viewpoints.

SIX:
Latifa, Hachemi Chekeba. (2001). My Forbidden Face. New York: Talk Miramax Books.
16 year old Latifa has grown up amidst the takeover of the Taliban in Kabul in 1997. Where once she envisioned herself as a journalist, she must now wear a burkha to cover her face and live a life of oppression for women. She and her family escape to Paris and her account of what she encountered during her four years on the run is written from a first-person narrative.

Lee, Nancy, Schlein, Lonnie and Mitchel Levitas. (2002). A Nation Challenged: A Visual History of 9/11 and its aftermath. New York: Scholastic.
A photographic look of the horror and devastation that occurred in New York City on September 11th. Includes accounts from the New York Times.
Feiler, Bruce S. (2002). Abraham: A Journey to the heart of three faiths. New York: W. Morrow.
What starts as a biography of Abraham, the Old Testament character who gave births to three extremely different religions, goes on to the implications and history behind Judaism, Islam, and Christianity to modern-day times and its implications on global events.

National/World current events National disasters Terrorism
Sunrise over Fallujah by Walter Dean Myers; Streams of Babel by Carol Plum-Ucci

SEVEN:
Eliot, Eve. (2001).Insatiable : the compelling story of four teens, food, and its power. Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications.
The reader meets four different girls whose lives are intertwined through friendship and their interaction with food. Diseases such as bulimia and anorexia are examined as well as overeating and self-esteem issues. Each girl faces her own misery and deals with her personal and family problems in different ways, with tragedy occurring.
Bennett, Cherie. (1998). Life in the Fat Lane. New York: Delacorte Press.
Laura has it all. She‚s homecoming queen, most popular girl in high school and is dating a good-looking boyfriend. Things begin to change when she mysteriously starts to gain weight. As her weight balloons, the way her friends and boyfriend treat her as well as society in general. Laura‚s family views also change when their daughter goes from beauty queen to an obese teenager due to a rare disease. Laura must deal with all of this as well as how to fight back in order to maintain and regain her self-esteem.
Two views on a popular research topic Popular subject for HS girls
My Big Fat Manifesto by Susan Vaught

EIGHT:
Capuzzo, Mike. (2003)Close to Shore: The Terrifying shark attacks of 1816. New York: Crown Publishers.
A historical account of a shark attack around the New Jersey shoreline for two weeks in July. Included is a history of early 20th century New Jersey as well as public reaction and reasons why this attack occurred. The attack spawned a national outrage against sharks that is still prevalent in this day and age.
Alten, Steve. (1997). Meg. New York: Doubleday.
Paleo-biologist Jonas Taylor comes face to face with a megalodon, the prehistoric species of modern-day great white shark, and tries to capture it before it faces extinction or causes more death or harm to the balance in nature. In the first book, the megalodon rises from the depths of the Mariana Trench pregnant with a brood of three babies. The sequel, The Trench, is focused on the meg‚s offspring and other prehistoric monsters that survived and adapted to life in the Mariana Trench. Jonas must face his demons from the past in order to save his future.

A look at scientific, biographical and fictional accounts of sharks and their predecessors Good study of biomes.
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

NINE:
Golden, Christopher. (1999).Body Bags. New York: Pocket Books.
Jenna Blake is beginning her first semester as Somerset University. She takes a job with the forensic laboratory in town and becomes involved in a series of unexpected and gruesome deaths, which takes her closer to the killer with every forensic clue that is solved.
Owen, David. (2000). Hidden Evidence: 40 true crimes and how forensic science helped solved them. Buffalo, NY: Firefly Books.
Profiles forty true crime cases and explains how their investigations were aided by the use of forensic science. These are mostly high-profile crime cases that include Czar Nicholas to Nicole Brown Simpson. Included with each case is a forensic look on clues left behind that could help solve these cases.
Physiology and anatomy/biology- good science topics
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

TEN: Melville, Herman. Adapted by Will Eisner. (1998). Moby Dick. New York: Nantier, Beall, Minoustchine.
The classic tale of Captain Ahab and his ventures across the sea to find and kill his nemesis, the white whale.
Naslund, Sena Jeter. (1999). Ahab’s Wife or the star gazer: a novel. New York: W. Morrow and Company.
Una Spenser has lived an interesting life. She grew up in a privileged household and later decided to board a ship as a cabin boy to experience life on the sea. She meets and falls in love with Captain Ahab and bears him a son. Through her life experiences, the reader sees life and current issues of the time (19th century New England) and a two-sided view of the Ahab‚s lives, from the mad captain on the sea to his loving wife at home waiting for his return. This novel is based on a singular instance of the classic in which Ahab mentions a wife in the book Moby Dick.

Literary elements of a classic retold

ELEVEN:
Hobbs, Will. (1999). Jason‚s Gold. New York: Morrow Junior Books.
Fifteen year old Jason leaves Seattle behind to find gold and his brothers in the Klondike. He encounters many trials by nature and on the way, befriends and nurtures a relationship with a Husky named King, who helps Jason survive the harsh northern environment.

Kostyal, K.M. (1999). Trial by Ice: A Photobiography of Sir Ernest Shackleton. New York: Scholastic. Sir Ernest Shackleton and her crew of the Endurance fight for their lives when they are shipwrecked by ice in the middle of the Antarctic. First-hand accounts as well as beautiful black and white photographs taken by a crew member are compiled into this book and shows how the ship‚s name bears itself in Sir Shackleton and the rest of the survivors.

Human endurance against the elements
Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White