3. Extra Credit Post: The Boy in The Striped Pajamas

Boyne, John. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. New York: David Fickling Books, 2006.

Annotation:

Bruno is German and nine years old. He is mad that he and his family have moved to a new house in a place called Out-With. He doesn't like his new home because he has no friends and no where to explore. That all changes when he meets a nine year old Jew named Shmuel. To Bruno, the boy in the striped pajamas is his friend. What he doesn't realize is that in the eyes of society he and Shmuel are enemies.

Justification for Nomination:

'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' is a captivating story about what the war and the Holocaust were like through the eyes of a German child and a Jewish child. Boyne does an excellent job giving his characters life. I loved the characters Bruno and Shmuel. Bruno has a nieve childish mind that gives a side of mystery to the story. He makes fun of his sister and he mispronounces words like "Out-With" instead of Aushwitz. I think that Bruno's childish characteristics also gives readers an understanding of why it is important for children not to know about details about certain subjects that might hurt their young minds in some way. Shmuel however, is Bruno's complete opposite. He knows a lot about the war, the Nazis, and life in Aushwitz camp. Shmuel is more like an adult because he has had his childhood taken away and because of that, he has had to grow up a lot faster than Bruno. When combined, these characters give the story a realistic feel. The vocabulary and the sentence structure helps readers to understand who Bruno is emotionally and physically as well as what economic class he fits into. It also helps us to understand who Shmuel is and what life is like for him in Aushwitz. I though the ending was sad and heartbreaking, but at the same time I thought it was wonderfully unexpected. Bruno finds out at the end that "Out-With" isn't the miraculous place that he thought it was. Another thing that I thought about the end of the novel was that it was a really great idea to include an interview with the author. It is nice to know that an author can write about a realistic subject that he/she already knows about. I also think that it was a brilliant idea to put discussion questions in the novel. This way readers can talk about their opinions about 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,' the Holocaust and Aushwitz. It also gives readers a chance to learn more about the history of the Holocaust and Aushwitz. This is an excellent adventure with a heartbreaking story. This was my justification for nomination of 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.'
Genre Category: Fiction

2. Extra Credit- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

Beah, Ishmael. A Long Way Home: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. New York: Sarah Crichton Books, 2007.

Annotation:

Little boys shouldn't have to defend their country. They shouldn't be taking drugs or shooting off AK-47s or using RPGs, but that is whats happening. Twelve year old Ishmael Beah lives in Sierra Leon a country in which he and other children are soldiers defending their country from rebels. This is a real account of what happened to Ismael during the war that ravished his country.

Justification for Nomination:

I like that this book is based on a real person and real life events. It is important that young adults learn about the terrors that young adults their age face in other countries. It is important that they learn not from textbooks, but from a person who was their age and had been through war. It was nice that Ishmael mixed the negative memories of war with the positive memories of his family and friends. This made it a lot better for me to read because it wasn't just focused on the negative aspects of war. Beah's life as a child during the war in Sierra Leon is heart wrenching. I can't imagine children shooting guns and taking people from their villages against their will. This makes me think about how much influence war has on children. In Beah's mind, it was killed or be killed. Only an adult should have that thought in times of war and not children. The deepest part of Ishmael's story for me was his account of the violence that he saw and took a part in. He shot people and didn't care that he did it. He writes about how he only killed out of hate and anger for the rebels who killed his family and friends. Only later in the story does he show any kind of remorse for the things he did. Ishmael's words flow together like poetry. There is just so much emotion in this novel that I could literally feel it with Ishmael. He had anger for his enemies, sadness for the loss of his family, and happiness when he was around his friends. All I could feel was sadness because even though he felt all of these different kinds of feelings, I just felt sad for him and his country. It was hard to read this novel because of the negative impact on the children and the adults in Sierra Leon. No one could trust anyone in a country where villages used to trust each other. As I have mentioned I enjoyed this novel, but there was so much violence in it that I could picture it in my head and the thought of children shooting people in the head and babies being killed is enough to give me nightmares. I think that this is an important part of the story. This shows the reality of war and we need to be given all of the details in order to fully understand the war that the people of Sierra Leon are facing. I felt that the sentence structure was slow, but not boring. Ishmael's vocabulary brings a lot of emotions to its readers and although I felt just sadness, I think that other readers will find other emotions within themselves when they read this novel. I loved the happy ending. Any child, especially a child that was a soldier, who goes through war and escapes from it deserves nothing but happiness. Putting a timeline in the novel was brilliant. This way readers can fully understand the actual details and events of the war. 'A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier' is a beautifully told story of war. This novel teaches us to love our families and friends and to hold them close, it teaches us to stay strong in horrible situations, and most importantly it teaches readers to never forget that there are children out there that are going through the same thing that Ishmael Beah went through. This was my justification for the heart wrenching novel 'A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier.'

Category Genre: Alex Award Winner, Biography

1. Extra Credit Mock Printz Nomination: The Giver

Lois, Lowry. The Giver. New York: Dell Laurel-Leaf, 1993.

Annotation:

Being the next receiver is an important role in which 12 year old Jonas must learn. It is a huge responsibility to keep the memories of true pain and pleasure in a community where law breaking receives sever punishment, where families share their dreams after breakfast and their feelings after dinner, and where everything is structured and under complete control. Through Jonas's journey of coming of age in his community, he begins to see the world as it truly is.

Justification for Nomination

Lois Lowry is a wonderful author who has a creativity that no one can match. I remember how happy I was when I first read The Giver in junior high. The plot is amazing and entertaining. I like that the community has no conflict and little emotion, but then main character Jonas trains to be The Giver (the receiver) and the conflict in the plot comes to life. Although The Giver has themes that focus on science fiction and fantasy, Jonas and the current receiver have such realistic feelings and curiosity. It is wonderful that Lowry can create two characters who have to hold every single emotion and memory of everybody in the community, while the community continues to be unaware of how the world really is. Jonas and the current receiver are humans among robots. Lowry gives us a world in which free choice is taken away and people aren't allowed to truly live their lives, but in reality some countries are going through this same problem. The Giver teaches its readers that not everyone gets freedom and that freedom is a gift not to be taken for granted. Many people may say that some of the characters in The Giver lack emotion. While this is true, Lowry gives her characters emotion through descriptive words that don't quite say what the emotion is, but allows us to figure it out on our own. For example, in the beginning when the family is sharing feelings and Jonas's sister Lily makes a fist, she is showing anger. Another example is when their father talks about his job as nurturer, he talks about his feelings of sadness for a baby he works with that might get "released" because he isn't growing, but their father doesn't say "I'm sad." I think that would be to boring. Jonas's ignorance about how the world truly is adds a wonderful and exciting coming of age theme to The Giver. He doesn't know what released means which shows readers that he is as unknowing about how backwards his community is and what the world is like outside of his community as much as the other children, but then he is thrown into a role where he finds out that everything isn't as perfect as it seems. A great twist to the plot, is that many of the adults in the community don't know whats going on either. Lowry's take on the family unit is far beyond creative. Her mind created a world where a man and a women are chosen to be together and a family can only have one boy and one girl. Although love is taken out of the making of a family (their choosing of a husband or wife), they learn to love each other because that's the way it is. She really knows how to take reality and twist it around to make something totally different and surprising. Lowry is again being creative by separating the groups of twelves into roles that they will have in the community. Some friends will have different roles and won't be able to see each other, but they don't care. These children are immediately thrust into this adult world with their childhood completely taken away from them and their totally oblivious to it. Reading Lowry's words is like being in a totally different world. I liked how she used her words to describe objects that we would use in reality. For example, calling a stuffed animal a "comfort object," "stirrings" instead of hormones, or saying "released" instead of a more negative word such as killed or death. Lois Lowry has a brilliance and a very creative imagination that can only be shown by the magical world that she creates in her books. This was my justification for the remarkable novel The Giver.

Genre Category: Nomination, Science Fiction, Fantasy

9. Stardust

Gaiman, Neil. Stardust. New York: Harper, 1999.

Annotation:

Pirates with flying ships, evil witches, dark and conniving princes, and beautiful falling stars. Tristan Thorn doesn't know what adventures await him beyond The Wall.

Justification for Nomination:

Everyone has heard about Stardust the movie, but the idea of the movie had to come from somewhere. As I read I tried not to compare the novel to the movie, but I had to on some subjects. The movie was fantastic, but the novel pulled its own weight and was equally fantastic. The opening of the book is very informing and educational so that people who read Stardust could fully understand what the novel would be about. Readers learn about the characters, the town of Wall, and the magical land of Faerie which is beyond The Wall. Gaiman gives his readers a mesmerizing and adventerous plot with interesting and wonderful characters. Tristion Thorn is a fun and fresh character. He is like any young man in our reality who would do anything for the woman he loves. Triston is very passionate and smart with an adventorous nature. The Fallen Star (Yvaine) brings mystery, beauty, and humor to the plot.

When some directors do a movie based on a book every detail seems to be the same, but in this case the novel is a lot longer and has a lot more detail than the movie. For example, the beginning of the story in the novel starts out by having Triston's father Dunston attend the market in Faerie where he meets Triston's mother. In the movie there isn't a market. He jumps the wall that seperates Wall from Faerie without permission. There are little examples like this one that makes the novel a lot more interesting than the movie. I think that if the movie was to be the same as the novel, it would take away some of the imagination, creativity, and joy that the novel allows readers to feel. I loved how he used the point of view of all of his characters. Every chapter was a different point of view so that there wasn't just one main character. One chapter would be about Triston, the next about Triston and the Star and so on and so on. The plot was exciting, adventorous, romantic, and dark and I enjoyed every single moment of it. I think that Gaiman has a very creative and brilliant mind. He takes his readers on a magical and unforgettable journey. His vocabulary is both captivating and beautiful. Gaiman puts careful thought into his characters, plot, and words. I loved Stardust so much I am now reading Coraline (which also is a movie). Its wonderful that other people can recognize that Neil Gaiman's work is so fantastic that it is worth making movies about. This was my justification for nomination of the novel Stardust.

Genre Category: Alex Award Winner, Fiction, Fantasy

8. The Perks of Being A Wallflower

Chbosky, Stephen. The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: MTV Books/Pocket Books, 1999.

Annotation:

Coming of age is a hard process and no one understands you. This is exactly how Charlie feels. With his journals he shares with the world his most precious feelings about his family, dating, friends, and high school. No one understands him, but now they will.

Nomination for Rejection:

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was the tenth book challenged in 2007. I had high expectations because it was a challenged book. I thought that it would be one of those novels that I would want to read again, but I was wrong. For me, much of the novel was just a huge waste of well spent time that I could have been using to read something good. The main character's name is Charlie. His words are confusing and sometimes even meaningless. He would talk about a subject and then immediately switch to a subject that had nothing to do with what he was originally talking about. Its like he got distracted and forgot what he was talking about so he just switched to another subject. The only part of his words that weren't confusing was when he would repeat the words of the other characters in the novel. Chbosky's vocabulary usage is beautiful. He knows how to use very descriptive words to describe people and places. However, his sentence structure lacked a sort of control. It is almost like the sentences were running together. As I read I could actually picture Charlie talking really fast. I didn't enjoy this because when I read a book, I want to be able to take my time and enjoy the words and the characters. Even if The Perks of Being a Wallflower did slow down it still wouldn't change my opinion about the novel.

I think that Charlie has emotion, but he is stuck only on happy and sad. For example, when he sees Sam (the girl he likes) with another guy, he feels sad instead of anger. Chbosky gives his main character these conflicts, but he doesn't give his character the means to solve them. For example, Charlie wants to be with Sam, but he doesn't make an actual move to be with her. He kisses her, but even the kiss lacks any emotion or passion. Charlie is a total clueless and empty character who is more of a child than a teenager. He is a freshman in high school and yet lacks any knowledge of any subjects that explores the coming of age topic. In a novel where of the main focuses is coming of age, I think there should be some sort of excitement. In any other novel, the coming of age theme would be explored by the characters in an a very in-depth way. For me Chbosky failed to grip the meaning of coming of age. Its not all about sex, drugs, and crying. Charlie's true feelings came toward the end of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. He transitioned from being like a child to being a teenager. He didn't ask stupid questions and cry as much (which annoyed me from the beginning). I thought it was weird that Charlie kissed one of his male friends was his duty as a friend, but it was defiantly a step up from boring emotions, a boring plot, and flat characters that I thought The Perks of Being a Wallflower had at the beginning. I couldn't put the book down when it got close to the end. I'm not sure if it was because the beginning and the middle dragged on for what seemed like a life time and I wanted to be finished with the novel because it was very boring or if it was because the end was the only part of The Perks of Being a Wallflower that was really good. Truthfully I have to say that I did cry and I did laugh, but The Perks of Being a Wallflower still gets my nomination for rejection.

Genre Category: Banned/Challenged

7. The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic, 2008.

Annotation:

One boy and one girl are chosen from 12 districts in what used to be North America. Twenty-four teens fight to the death. Welcome to...the hunger games.

Justification for Nomination:

Suzaane Collins creates a beautiful yet deadly plot in The Hunger Games. In the beginning, Collins takes time to explain who Katniss the main character is and what her relationship and emotions are towards the other characters in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed Katniss and the strength, loyalty, and kindness that she showed the other characters throughout The Hunger Games. This may sound long and boring, but I think that it shows readers that the author pays close and careful detail to who her characters are physically, emotionally, and mentally. She was very creative when it came to her characters, plot, and vocabulary. I loved the author's storyline which told readers that one government (The Capitol) was in charge of everything and because of an up rising against them a long time ago, they invented the hunger games to control the people in the poor districts. Although in what used to be North America, the plot and characters take me to another world. One where it was kill or be killed. Amongst the fantasy and science fiction, there was also the reality of poverty. There were people in this world who were literally starving. Collins uses great detail to compare the rich government against the poor districts. The Hunger Games is pure action and adventure and it was like a cross between survivor and the ancient roman gladiator games. It was literally sadistic and horrific, but I loved every minute that I was reading it, every word, and every chapter. There were so many exciting and dangerous twists and turns that I never knew what would happen next. I was extremely ecstatic about the end which hinted that the story wasn't over. Collins deserves a nomination for giving readers such a creative and perfect fantasy in which no one will be disappointed. Genre Category: Science Fiction, survival, television programs, interpersonal relations, contests

6. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening

Smith, J. L. The Vampire Diaries: The Awakening (book #1) and The Struggle (book #2). New York: Harperteen, 1991.

Annotation:

Determination to get what she wants turns into true love when 17 year-old Elena Gilbert meets a mysterious and handsome tall, dark, and fanged stranger.

Justification for Nomination:

The Awakening is a cross between Romeo and Juliet and Interview with the Vampire. It is romantic and captivating. With so many YA books based on vampires, many people might think that "the forbidden vampire love" theme has been used to many times, but I think its interesting to read different vampire themed books to compare them to what other authors have done. Compared to other authors, Smith has used the vampire theme on a whole new level. She has made her human character Elena emotionally stronger than her vampire character Stefan. To make her work more realistic, Smith has given her vampire characters real human emotions (for example when they're sad they cry). She also uses realistic teenage situations (like going to the prom) to show the human part of the story. I really enjoyed the love triangle between the two vampire brothers (Stefan and Damon) and Elena. I especially love the danger that Damon, Stefan's older brother, brings to the plot. Damon's hate for his brother and his desire to have Elena to himself gives the plot a much more evil edge making The Awakening a cross between romance and horror.

Smith shows great talent in using beautifully detailed vocabulary. Her words helped me to visualize the places and the characters. She uses flashbacks to show Stefan's past life with his brother and his past love which I thought was very helpful because I could truly understand who he was and the pain that he was going through. This amazing use of flashbacks brings the characters and plot to life while keeping the book interesting and wildly exciting. Smith's ideas of using fantasy to coexist with reality is brilliant and magnificent. Lastly, I loved the idea of putting two books in one. This saves everyone money and when someone reads an exciting book they will want to run out and get the next book in the series, but with The Vampire Diaries you don't have to.

Genre Category: Vampire, Horror, Science Fiction, Fantasy

5. Secret Keeper

Perkins, Mitali. Secret Keeper. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009.

Annotation:
Asha is a teenage Indian girl from Bangladesh whose father leaves to find a good job and a better life for her and her family in America. She wants to play tennis, cricket, and basically be one of the boys. Follow her story through heartache and happiness as she goes against how she should act according to her family and culture.
Justification for Nomination:
Secret Keeper is a magnificent piece of realistic and multicultural literature. One reason that I enjoyed this novel was because the plot is based in India which is a beautiful country with very interesting and wonderful traditions. I also liked that the Mitali Perkins, as stated at the end of her novel, looked into her own past and used her life as a base for her characters and storyline. Perkins using her life to write this novel means that she can relate to her characters. Almost everyone in her novel was based on someone in her life. It is a tremendous accomplishment when an author can relate to her audience. Perkins can relate to real young Indian girls (and girls from other backgrounds) who may be going through the same situations as she herself has gone through as well as what her characters are going through. Before reading Secret Keeper I did know a little about Indian traditions and culture, but only from movies. I enjoyed reading and learning about Indian traditions through Secret Keeper. Another one of my favorite reasons for nominating Secret Keeper was because the author instead of having the plot be based in 2009 (which was when the book was published), she did something totally different and had the plot be based in the mid-1970s which was when she was a teenage girl living in India. I find it utterly amazing the way an author can write a novel that is based on her past life and some fiction, put it all together and then turn it into something brilliant. Not many fiction books are based on the Indian people and their culture, but I think that Secret Keeper was beautifully written and it very well deserves a nomination. It doesn't matter if you're reading this novel for pleasure or not, I think that many people will enjoy Secret Keeper.
Genre Category: Multicultural Fiction, Family Life (India), Individuality, India (history)

4. Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights

Keen, Lisa. Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights. Boston: Beacon Press, 2007.

Annotation:

Out with the old: "All men are created equal." In with the new: All LGBTS (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Straight) men and women are created equal.

Justification for Nomination:

" Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Everyone deserves all three and Keen's use of the Constitution to help explain the rights of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) youth was pure gold. Everyone knows that when it said "all men were created equal", it didn't mean all men. In Keen's book she emphasizes this statement with powerful experiences from real LGBT youth and through the Constitution she explains how laws didn't use to include the LGBT community and how much they are growing. The wonderful thing about Lisa Keen is that she doesn't tell LGBT youth about their rights, but it explains their rights in a text that they can understand. Out Law written like a textbook (glossary, notes, appendix, and index), but it doesn't disappoint readers and it is not boring. The chapters are spread out in a variety of topics that are well organized and well thought out. Keen knew which topics she was going to use and which subjects she was going to talk about which shows that not only is she well organized, but she is intelligent and educated about society and laws. This also means that the book is neither preachy nor does it blame anyone. Out Law is stalk full of useful information that LGBT (and straight) youth (and adults) should know. The fact that it is not used in schools as a textbook confuses me. I think that a book such as this one should be allowed in schools because ALL teens need to know about the negative experiences that LGBT youth go to. They need to know what the laws are that are protecting LGBTs and they need to know the degradation and outrageous hatred/prejudice that the LGBT community goes through. I knew there were laws protecting the LGBT community, but I never knew what they were. After reading Out Law I have learned of real court cases won after an LGBT youth's constitutional rights being violated and I have learned that society, although very slowly, is opening up to excepting the LGBT community. I enjoyed learning from this piece of brilliant nonfiction because of its facts, history, but most importantly because I believe that the LGBT community deserve the same rights as everyone else.

Genre Category: Non-fiction, Gay youth, legal status, laws

3. After Tupac & D Foster

Woodson, Jaqueline. After Tupac & D Foster. New York: The Penguin Group, 2008.

Annotation:
Three friends form a tight bond through their passion for the rapper Tupac Shakur and his music.

Justification for Nomination:
The love of Tupac Shakur's fans came alive in this novel. It really shows people that Tupac was not a thug and that he had people behind him no matter what the media was saying about him. This Newberry honor novel lured me in through marketing with its cover and title. Tupac was a huge artist and his music is legendary. I thought it was going to be somewhat of an autobiography (talking mostly about Tupac), but it wasn't and I was happy about that because I knew then that it wasn't going to be boring. I enjoyed Woodson's use of first person narration throughout the whole novel. Although you don't get to know the narrator's name, you get a sense of who she is through the character's detailed words of what she thinks of herself and the other characters in the novel. I believe that the sentence structure and vocabulary are very smooth. It is as if an African-American teenager would say the author's words in reality. In my head, I could see the actual conversations that the characters were having and it made the storyline and characters come to life. I thought it was brilliant the way the novel could relate to what many teenagers are going through. I also thought it was cool that I could relate to this novel as well. From the time I was four until I was eighteen, I was in foster homes. Like the character D in the novel, I knew what it was like growing up in foster homes while my friends had the love of one or both of their parents. I cried because of how much of myself I saw in D. I truly felt as if the author could relate to teens going through the same situations as all of her characters in the novel. I also feel like I know that Jaqueline Woodson defiantly deserved the Newberry honor award and for a novel that is so realistic and entertaining, there is no doubt in my mind why I chose her to be up for nomination.
Genre Category: Fiction, Coming of Age, 2009 Newberry Honor

2. Deogratias: A Tale Of Rwanda

Stassen, Jean-Philippe. Deogratias: A Tale of Rwanda. New York: First Second, 2006.

Annotation:

Deogratias and Benina are in love, but he is a Hutu and she is a Tutsi in Rwanda where genocide threatens the very existence of the Tutsi people.

Nomination for Rejection:

First off I want to start out by saying that although I may have had a prejudice against comic books (graphic novels) before reading this book, in no way did that affect my judgement or have anything to do with my nomination of rejection for this particular novel. I liked that Stassen started out with an introduction about the genocide that happened in Rwanda in 1994. Not many people knew the whole story so informing readers about what happened in Rwanda before they read the novel was brilliant. The second thing that I enjoyed about the novel, was the use of color and details in the illustrations. The author knew how to use light and contrast in order for the illustrations to look realistic. I also like that the author went back and fourth (past and present). Although I enjoyed the author's introduction and his illustrations, I did not enjoy the language. Sure it was clear and fit with the novel itself, but I didn't enjoy some of the derogatory words used. I think that you can write a novel about true events without using derogatory names and language (mostly geared towards women, which also upset me). What I also didn't like was that it didn't talk about the 1994 genocide in Rwanda until pretty much close to the end of the novel. I think that if an author is going to write about a certain topic, he/she needs to be consistent with that topic throughout the whole book. With the introduction at the beginning of the novel, I thought that there was going to be a set topic. The author doesn't need to talk about it on every page, but returning to the topic once in a while is always a good idea. I didn't think that this novel was completely horrible and a waist of time, but it still gets my nomination for rejection.

Genre Category: Graphic Novel

1. Stuck in Neutral

Trueman, Terry. Stuck in Neural. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books. 2000.

Annotation:

Fourteen year old Shawn McDaniel has cerebral palsy. He can't talk or move. His family thinks of him as a baby who doesn't understand anything (what they say or what they do). What his family doesn't know is that he understands everything they do and say and what he understands is that his father might be planning to kill him.

Justification for nomination:

Terry Trueman breathes reality into his main fiction character. Shawn McDaniel's cerebral palsy allows readers to truly understand what the character is going through. The reality of Shawn's situation also gives readers an idea of what is going on in his mind. Although he may be physically disabled, his mind still works really well. Readers can understand Shawn's story through his mind. By reading the words (Shawn's thoughts) in the novel we can understand how he is feeling and what he thinks about everything that is going on around him. Trueman's use of brilliant and descriptive words makes Shawn an intelligent character despite his physical disability. A positive lesson that this novel teaches its readers (which every novel that centers around a realistic problem should have) is that although someone's body may not physically work, it doesn't mean that their mind doesn't work either. The main character's isability and his belief that his father is planning to kill him shows me that Trueman knows how to use realistic emotions and situations to bring his characters and plot to life. Powerful and intriguing, this novel is unforgettable.

Genre Category: Realistic Fiction, 2001 Michael L. Printz Honor