Weezie Bat

Block, F. L. (1989). Weezie Bat. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

Plot Description: Weezie and Dirk became best friends in high school and then Dirk told her he was gay.  They then set off looking for the perfect men whom they referred to as ducks, and also happiness.  They both meet the partners and they all live in the perfect house together.  Weezie has a child which completes her life and she learns that happiness is about friends, family, and doing what you love.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book would be appropriate for grades 8 and up.

Series Information: Goat Girls, Beautiful Boys& I was a Teenage Fairy all by Francesca Lia Block.

Personal Thought: The way this book is written is different but it depicts what many teenagers feel.

Subject/Themes: Movies, Happiness, Friendships

Character Description: Weezie is a girl in search of happiness.  She is granted three wishes by a jeanie.

Dirk is Weezie’s best friend.  They end up living together in his Grandma Fifi’s house.  He is gay.

Duck is Weezie’s boyfriend.  He also lives in the house with Weezie and Dirk.

Cherokee is the baby that Dirk, Duck, and Weezie made. 

Witch Baby is the baby that My Secret Agent Lover Man had with the Lanka Witch.  She terrorizes Cherokee.

My Secret Agent Lover Man is Weezie’s boyfriend.  He makes movies that star Weezie, Dirk, Duck, Cherokee and Witch Baby.

Annotation: All Weezie wants is a happily ever after…but what does it really mean to be happy?  Weezie comes to find out that happiness is about friends, relationships, love, and living your life to the fullest.  Read along to follow her on her journey as she discovers this and more in Los Angeles.

Return to Sender

Alvarez, J. (2009). Return to Sender. New York: Alfred A. Knopf

Plot Description: Tyler’s family has recently hired three migrant workers from Mexico to work on their farm in Vermont after his father was in a bad accident that left him unable to do the work on his own.  One of the workers has three daughters who also live in the trailer on their property.  Throughout the book Tyler and his family develop a strong relationship with the Mexican workers and their daughters and fight to save them from jail and deportation.  Eventually the family is sent back to Mexico but Tyler and his family keep in touch and both have come to accept that change is okay.    

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book is meant for grades 5-8.

Similar Books:  When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead & Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez.

Personal Thought: This book does a great job at explaining illegal immigration and our countries feelings about it.  It makes the reader think about other points of view and it is very eye-opening.

Subject/Themes: Mexicans, Farming, Immigration, Family

Awards: Pura Belpre Award

Character Description: Tyler is the youngest son in the Paquette family.  He develops a special relationship with Mari.

Mari is the oldest Cruz daughter.  She takes on the role of mother while her mother is gone for over a year.  She was the only child born in Mexico.

Grandma is Tyler’s Grandma.  She recently lost her husband and is very sad until she meets the three Marias.

Ofie is Mari’s middle sister.  She was born in America.

Luby is Mari’s youngest sister.  She is also born in America.

Annotation: Tyler isn’t sure what he thinks about the new Mexican workers his parents have hired but if it allows his family to keep the farm he decides he will give it a chance.  Read along to see how Tyler fights a constant battle between what is right and wrong and how a special relationship forms with he and Mari.

Letters to Juliet

Kaplan, C., Barkin, E., Canton, M., & Kapoor, S. (Producers), & Winick, G. (Director). (2109). Letters to Juliet [Motion Picture]. United States: Summit Entertainment

Plot Description: Sophie and her fiancé decide to take a pre-honeymoon to Italy.  While there Sophie finds a letter to Juliet and responds.  She ends up meeting Claire, who wrote the letter, and her grandson Charlie.  Sophie and Charlie take an instant disliking to each other, but in the meantime Sophie and Claire work on tracking down Claire’s lost love, Lorenzo.  They eventually find him, but then it is time for Sophie to go home.  Back in New York, Sophie and her fiancé end things and she returns to Italy for Claire’s wedding.  Charlie is there and they finally admit to each other that they are in love. 

Genre: Romance

Age Group: This would be appropriate for grades 5 and up.

Personal Thought: This is a fun loving film that tween girls will be sure to love.  It is funny and shows that love can happen anywhere.Similar Films: Dear John, The Last Song, When in Rome, and Eat Pray Love.

Character Description: Sophie is a fact finder in New York City who goes to Italy and meets the love of her life.Subject/Themes: Love, Romance, Italy, Shakespeare

Claire is an older lady who wrote a letter to Juliet many years ago.

Charlie is Claire’s grandson who falls in love with Sophie.

Annotation: Sophie never thought responding to a Letter to Juliet would take her on the adventure of a lifetime.  In the process of searching for Claire’s long lost love she meets Claire’s grandson Charlie and falls in love.

Miscellaneous Information: MPAA Rating: PG

Seventeen

Seventeen (2010).http://www.seventeen.com/

Overview: This website covers a wide range of topics such as fashion, beauty, health, love, college life, parties and prom, and celebrities.  There are articles, quizzes to take, and games to play.  There is also a section where you can post a question and expect to get a response.  This website also has a monthly magazine with similar information.  Visitors to the site can easily follow it on facebook, twitter, or signup for their newsletter through easily accessible buttons on the webpage. Linking the website to social networking sites is a great way to make it more appealable to tweens.

Age Group: This website is intended for teenagers age 15 and up but is used by those ages 11 and up.

Examples of Articles: The Best Gift Ideas for Your Boyfriend, Are you Always in a Relationship, and Style Tips from Seventeen’s Style Stars.

Personal Thought: This is a one stop shop for tween and teen girls looking for information on a wide variety of topics.  It is sure to have the latest gossip on the hottest celebrities but because this is meant for an older audience be sure to check in to make sure everything your tween is viewing is appropriate.

Subject/Themes: Advice, Relationships, Beauty, Health, Fitness, Celebrities.

Annotation:  Teens and Tweens looking for boyfriend advice or want to see what their favorite celebrity is doing will find all that and more at seventeen.com.  So take a minute and check it out!

Wintergirls

Anderson, L. H. (2009). Wintergirls. New York: Viking.

Plot Description: Lia’s best friend Cassie has just died alone in a hotel room and she can’t help but feel responsible.  The night Cassie died she had tried calling Lia thirty-three times. 

Anorexia has been a struggle Lia has faced for many years and she has been in and out of rehab.  The death of Cassie is her breaking point.  She goes to a place where no one, not even her little sister who she loves dearly, can reach her.  She stops eating and starts cutting.  It isn’t until she realizes that she wants to live and be a person that she is able to finally get help and start feeling better about herself.  This book follows the emotional journey that Lia takes in fighting her eating disorder and depression.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book is meant for grades 8 and up.

Series Information: Speak and Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson, and If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Reviews: Booklist Starred

Personal Thought: This book is very emotional and meant for a more mature reader.  Parents should be ready to discuss the book with their teen after they are finished.

Subject/Themes: Eating Disorders, Broken Families, Best Friends, Depression,

Character Description: Lia is an eighteen year old girl who is anorexic.

Cassie was Lia’s best friend.  She died alone in a hotel room after her esophagus ruptures.

Chloe is Lia’s overbearing mother.  She is a doctor and Lia feels like she never has time for her.

Emma is Lia’s nine year old step-sister.  She looks up to Lia.

Jennifer is Lia’s step-mother. 

Elijah is the boy who found Cassie.  He works at the hotel.

Annotation: MustNotEat, MustNotEat, MustNotEat, MustNotEat.  Lia is caught in a never-ending cycle and her weight is dropping fast.  Not eating and cutting herself makes her feel powerful and in control of her life.  If only her dead best friend Cassie would stop showing up everywhere and leave her alone.  She desperately wants Lia to cross over so that they can be together again.  Will Lia give in to her demons or choose life?

Feathers

Woodson, J. (2007). Feathers. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

Plot Description: This book takes place in the 1970s and starts when a new boy who is white walks in to an almost all black classroom.  Frannie is mesmerized by him and for some reason also feels sad for him.  Throughout the winter the book takes you through the feelings and experiences Frannie has while dealing with her brother’s deafness, her mom’s sorrow, her friend’s extreme holiness, and the new Jesus boy in class.  By the end of the winter Frannie has a new outlook on life and has learned a lot about hope.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book is meant for grades 6-9.

Similar Books:

Personal Thought: This book is very inspiring book about hope.

Subject/Themes: Race, Hope, Family, Deafness

Awards: Newbery Honor

Character Description: Frannie is an eleven year old girl.  She believes in helping others and becomes friends with the Jesus boy.

Samantha is Frannies closest friend.  She is very sophisticated and devoted to God and prayer.

Sean is Frannie’s older brother.  He is deaf.

Jesus Boy is the new boy in class.  He is white whereas the majority of the school is black and does not fit in.

Annotation: “Hope is the thing with feathers”.  Frannie likes the new poem she has learned in school but does not completely understand it until the winter when she goes through a multitude of experiences and has a new outlook on life.  Read Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson and I’m sure you’ll also get a new sense of hope.

Number the Stars

Lowry, L. (1989). Number the Stars. New York: Yearling

Plot Description: Annemarie and Ellen are only ten but they are old enough to understand that they are in the middle of a war and they are greatly afraid of the Nazi soldiers that have overtaken their country.  The Germans have decided that the Jews in Denmark must be moved and they will not stop until they are all gone.  Ellen moves in with Annemarie and pretends to be her sister, and then travels with them to her Uncle Henriks.  There, Ellen is reunited with her mother and father but their journey is not over.  They must make the dangerous trip to Sweden in order to be safe from the Germans.  They have almost made it when Annemarie realizes they have dropped the important package they need for the journey.  She bravely travels the path to the boat, has extreme courage in her interaction with four German soldiers and is able to deliver the package so that Ellen and the other Jews on Uncle Henrik’s boat can make it safely to Sweden.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Age Group: This book is meant for grades 5-9.

Similar Books: The Silent Boy and Autumn Street both by Lois Lowry.

Personal Thought: This book takes you through the war in the eyes of a ten year old in Denmark.  It has a lot of important history and is very emotional.

Subject/Themes: Family, War, Jews, Copenhagen

Awards: Newbery Medal, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, ALA Notable Book

Character Description: Annemarie is a ten year old girl who lives in Copenhagen.  Her best friend is Ellen.

Ellen is a ten year old Jewish girl who lives in the same apartment complex as Annemarie.

Peter is a part of the Resistance in Copenhagen.  He was engaged to Annemarie’s sister Lise prior to her death which was caused by the Germans.

Uncle Henrik is Annemarie’s uncle.  He is a fisherman and helps to bring Jews to Sweden so they can be free.

Annotation: Annemarie wants to do everything she can to help her Jewish friend Ellen escape Denmark but she isn’t sure if she is brave enough to risk her life because she is deathly afraid of the German soldiers.  Will she be able to face t hem and be brave enough to help save Ellen and her family?

My Side of the Mountain

George, J. C. (1988). My Side of the Mountain. New York: Puffin Books.

Plot Description: Sam Gribley is very unhappy living in his family’s small apartment in New York City.  Instead of continuing to live there he sets off to live off his Grandfather’s land in the Catskills.  While there he learns how to live off the land and is very comfortable.  He trains a falcon and can make his own clothes.  After a couple years of living this way Sam comes to realize that he misses human contact.  Just when he is starting to get really lonely his whole family surprises him by trekking up the mountain and coming to live with him.

Genre: Adventure

Age Group: This book would be appropriate for grades 5-8.

Series Information: On the Far Side of the Mountain & Frightful’s Mountain

Personal Thought: This would be a great book for any student interested in the outdoors.  It would be an especially good pick for boys interested in adventure type stories.

Subject/Themes: Running Away, Outdoors, Nature, Wildlife

Awards: Newberry Honor Book, ALA Notable Book

Character Description: Sam is a young boy who was sick of the cramped life he lived in New York City.  He left home for the Catskills and learned to live all the land.

Bando is a school teacher who got lost in the wilderness.  Sam befriends him and they become good friends.  Bando end ups spending holidays with Sam.

Frightful is the falcon that Sam has trained.  He kills a lot of the food they eat and is a good companion to Sam.

Annotation: Have you ever thought about running away from home?  Same Gribley had the same thought but he acted on it and left his home in New York City for the Catskills.  Read My Side of the Mountain to find out if he was able to make it on his own in the wilderness or was force to go back home.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Kinney, J. (2008). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules. New York: Amulet Books

Plot Description: Greg Heffley is now in his second year of middle school.  This book details his year at school and the many issues his brother Rodrick and himself have at home.  Rodrick is holding a secret about Greg over his head as blackmail and Greg desperately wants it to stay a hidden.  At the end of the book Rodrick finally tells the secret to the whole school, but the message gets mixed up through the many people it passes through and instead of being made fun of, Greg becomes a hero at school.

Genre: Humorous, Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book is meant for grades 3-7.

Series Information: This is the second book in a series of five.  The other books in the series are: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: A Novel in Cartoons, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth.

Personal Thought: This book is laid out in a journal format which makes it fun and interesting to read.

Subject/Themes: Adolescent Issues, Friendship, Brothers

Character Description: Greg Heffley is the main character in the book.  He is in seventh grade and does not get along well with his brother.  He also gets picked on at school

Rodrick is Greg’s older brother.  His is the drummer in a rock band and is always picking on Greg.

Rowley is Greg’s best friend. At times Greg has a turbulent relationship with him.

Annotation: If you have an older brother you know what it’s like to be bossed around and picked on.  Follow along with Greg’s journal to find out if he and Rodrick will remain enemies or be able to come to a truce.

Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow

Bartoletti, S. C. (2005). Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. New York: Scholastic Nonfiction.

Plot Description:  This book contains ten chapters that are about the children and teenagers that followed Hitler during the Third Reich.  The Hitler Youth group offered young adults fun, excitement and stability.  The book follows the thirteen years of the regime and how it affected both youth and their families.

Genre: Nonfiction

Age Group: This would be appropriate for grades 5-9.

Similar Books:  Black Potatoes: The Great Irish Famine, 1845 to 1850 & Growing Up in Coal Country both by Susan Campbell Bartoletti.

Personal Thought: This is a great nonfiction book for tweens.  It has both text and pictures and is written in a way that makes learning fun.  It will give any tween great insight into that time period.

Subject/Themes: Germany, Hitler, Nazi

Awards: Newberry Honor Book and Robert F Sibert Honor Book

Annotation:  Did you know that a large part of the reason that Hitler was elected in 1933 was due to the large youth following that he had?  If you are interested in hearing stories from their point of view then pick up a copy of Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow.

Eggs

Spinelli, J. (2007). Eggs. New York: Little, Brown and Company.

Plot Description:  When David’s mother died his world fell apart.  He and his father moved in with his grandmother but he had no interest in obeying her rules or making any friends.  That was until he met Primrose.  They both formed a tight but rocky friendship with each other and were constantly acting like they didn’t care about each other.  Their friendship started to fill a void that had been left from their broken families and they began to trust each other more.  Eventually the hard façade they both put up fell away and they learned to trust and appreciate each other more and moved past the issues that had been haunting them.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This would be appropriate for grades 4-8.

Similar Books: Maniac Magee, Who Put That Hair in My Toothbrush, and The Bathwater Gang all by Jerry Spinelli.

Personal Thought: I would recommend this book to any child dealing with the loss of a loved one.

Subject/Themes: Friendship, Loss, Grief

Character Description: David is a nine year old boy whose mother died when he was eight.  He lives with his Grandma but isn’t interested in listening to her or making new friends.

Primrose is a thirteen year old girl.  She lives in a van outside of her house because she is embarrassed of her mother who is a fortune teller.

David’s Grandma is trying to take care of David and help him through this hard time.  She is constantly discouraged because of the way that David treats her.

Refrigerator John is a man that lives near Primrose.  He has a junkyard in the front of his house and fixes all kinds of things.

Annotation: Losing a parent is one of the hardest things a child can go through, and that is what David is facing.  Follow him on his journey as he learns to work through his issues with his newfound friend Primrose.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

Wagner, L. S. (2010). Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. New Delhi, India: Campfire.

Plot Description:  Victor Frankenstein has a burning passion for learning and especially for science.  After his mothers passing he decides to leave the family in pursuit of his dreams of giving life to the nonliving.  He is able to use his knowledge to create a monstrous being which he later rejects.  The creature’s quest then becomes revenge and he kills all of those that Victor loves and eventually Victor dies from the pain of guilt and failure.

Genre: Sci-Fi

Age Group: This would be appropriate for grades 6-9.

Similar Books:  The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.  Both are graphic novels by Campfire.

Personal Thought: This book contains segments that may not be appropriate for younger readers.

Subject/Themes: Creation, Science, Revenge

Character Description:

Victor Frankenstein is the oldest sibling in the family.  His true passion is science and he creates the creature that ends up killing all of his loved ones.

The Creature is the being that Victor created.  It is rejected by mankind and in turn acts out and kills those around him.

Annotation:  Victor Frankenstein didn’t understand the complications that would follow from the being he created until it was too late.  Now he is faced with a decision that could change his life forever.  Will he save his family and possible ruin creation or will he stand up to the creature?

Beacon Street Girls

Beacon Street Girls (2009). http://www.beaconstreetgirls.com/  

Overview: This is a website aimed specifically at tween girls.  There are five Beacon Street Girls from various backgrounds.  The aim of the website is to provide positive role models and empowering messages while at the same time being a fun and entertaining website.  It provides articles on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, various informational life experience articles, and provides tween girls with a wide range of problem solving tools.  It also provides a wide assortment of games ranging from Decorate your Locker to Avery’s Soduku Game.

Age Group: This website would be appropriate for grades 4-9.

Examples of Articles:  Some of the articles available are Basic Yoga for You, Top 25 Green Tips, Create a Budget, & Friendship Scrapbook.

Personal Thought: This website has articles that will keep tween girls coming back for more but that also will be appropriate for their age group.

Subject/Themes: Cooking, Creative Writing, Fitness and Health, Global and Environmental, and Fashion and Beauty.

Annotation: Beacon Street Girls has a wide range of articles that every tween girl will be interested in.  Be sure to check out their website at  http://www.beaconstreetgirls.com/

Nature Girl

Kelley, J (2010). Nature Girl. New York: Random House.

Plot Description: Megan’s family has gone to Vermont for the summer where there no internet, no TV, and she isn’t allowed to use the cell phone.  It wouldn’t have been so bad if her best friend Lucy would have come with her like she promised.  Instead she is spending the summer in Massachusetts with her mother who has recently been diagnosed with cancer.  Megan is upset with Lucy and doesn’t understand why she can’t hang out with her.  As a punishment for acting up Megan’s parent make her go on a hike with her older sister but after she gets grossed out by Ginia and her boyfriend she wanders off and gets lost.  After crying for awhile Megan decides that she wants to make a change in herself.  She decides she is going to hike to Mt. Greymore in Massachusetts to see Lucy and to prove to herself that she can do something without giving up.  Throughout the hike she is without food, water, heat, and a place to sleep but she and her loyal dog Arp are able to overcome those obstacles and she finally reaches her goal and makes it to the top.

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Age Group: This book would be appropriate for grades 5-8.

Similar Books: The Birthday Ball by Lois Lowery and 11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass.

Personal Thought: This book shows that anything is possible and if you want something really bad you need to put in the hard work.

Subject/Themes: Cancer, Nature, Hiking, Friendship, Self Improvement

Character Description: Megan is eleven years old.  She would prefer to sit around and do nothing rather than going outside.

Lucy is Megan’s best friend but they haven’t been getting along the greatest since Lucy’s mom found out she had cancer.

Trail Blaze Betty is a hiker who has hiked the Appalachian Trail eight times.  She follows Megan closely during her trip so she can keep an eye on her.

Arp is Megan’s little white dog.  He is carried during most of the hike.

Ginia is Megan’s older sister and they constantly fight.  Ginia is off with her boyfriend Sam when Megan gets lost.

Annotation: Megan and her dog Arp have embarked on an adventure to hike the Appalachian Trail to Mount Grelock to see her friend Lucy and so that Megan can prove to herself that she isn’t a quitter.  Will they make it or will Megan take the easy way out and give up?