For this week, our topic is Award Winners, and we need to list 3-5 YA books on this topic. I'm going to start with one book I've already read, that I HAVE to include on my list because it was one of the first YA books I'd ever read, and, well, it's amazing.
Halse Anderson, Laurie. Speak. New York: Macmillan, 1999.
Awards:
-1999 National Book Award finalist
-2000 ALA Best Books for Young Adults
-2000 Printz Honor Book
-2000 Edgar Allan Poe Best Young Adult Award finalist
-and more!
Plot:
Melinda is a pariah at her school because she called the cops at a party over the summer, and some kids got arrested. Melinda is mute and withdrawn for most of the book, although her artwork helps her find a way to express herself. Finally, Halse Anderson reveals that Melinda was raped. When the boy tries to attack her again, Melinda's best friend comes back to her and helps her come to terms with her trauma. Melinda finally speaks.
Where I found it and why it's highlighted here:
-I was introduced to Speak as part of the National Writing Project in 2008. I bought the book and have read it several times, although it's a tough read emotionally.
-I'm highlighting this book because it was the first Young Adult book that really touched me. The effects of Melinda's rape were stunning to me; at that point, I hadn't read many stories where there character was raped. It was required reading for entering ninth graders at a school district near us, and some parents weren't happy. But Melinda was precisely that age when everything happened to her, and we disrespect teens when we think they can't handle this sort of book when one in five women is sexually assaulted in her lifetime. Hopefully it speaks to boys as well as girls.
Next up--
Gantos, Jack. Joey Pigza Loses Control. New York: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2000.
Awards:
-Newbery Honor Book, 2001.
-a New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year
Plot:
Joey Pigza is off to have a summer visit with his dad; he hasn't seen him in years. His dad turns out to be a big version of Joey--ADD to the extreme. Joey gets involved in baseball, hangs out with his dad's girlfriend, and is generally doing okay until his dad forces him to stop using his medication. Joey spirals out of control and eventually goes back to the stability of life with his mother.
Where & Why
-I found it at the public library in the children's room. I checked it out to look at it, and ended up reading the whole thing. I retold it to my daughters in the car and I think the older one will probably read it next.
-I'm highlighting it because it was funny and serious at the same time. Joey's antics are funny (like when he pretends to be a mannequin at the store), but there's so much heart in Joey's growing self-awareness and in his relationship with his mother. Joey's ADD is reflected in Gantos's writing; the more 'wired' Joey is, the more the sentences run on and on and on.
And finally...
Stead, Rebecca. When You Reach Me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2009.
Awards:
-Newbery Medal winner, 2010
-Massachusetts Children's Book Award, 2012.
-a New York Times Notable Book, 2009
-and more!
Plot:
New York City girl Miranda is going through lots of changes. Her best friend, Sal (a boy), has dumped her. Her apartment is broken into. And to top it off, Miranda has gotten mysterious notes asking her to write a letter about something that's going to happen. When Sal almost gets run over by a car, Miranda realizes that this is the event in question. She pieces it together at last and realizes that a homeless man and her (sort of) friend Marcus are the same person, connected by time travel to save Sal.
Where & Why:
-Got this one at the library (was trolling for Newbery books, and remembered that my daughter liked this book). Like the other book, I read it cover to cover. I was sucked in. I needed to know what these notes are all about!
-I chose the book because there are so many layers here--not just the ones I picked for my plot summary. The book is a hybrid of realistic fiction, mystery, and science fiction. I liked that I couldn't predict the mystery's end.
*****
I'm going to stick with three this week, because I was really wordy and I'll be in Belgium 48 hours from now!
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