Focus on Realistic Fiction: My Book of Life by Angel

McKenna W. likes to read realistic fiction because the books are "easier to relate to." Hopefully not many teens can relate to the exact hardships that Angel faces in this book but it may open their eyes to things in the world that they didn't know about.  

My Book of Life by Angel by Martine Leavitt

Leavitt, M. (2012). My book of life by Angel. New York: Margaret Ferguson Books.

ISBN: 978-0374351236

Hardback: $14.49

Annotation

Angel is 16 years old and falls for a guy who gives her anything she wants.  After getting addicted to drugs she ends up working the streets but finds hope in a young girl who is in her same position.

Booktalk

Angel is 16 and at the mall, life is normal.  She meets a boy named Call and everything is wonderful.  He gives her anything she wants.  But pretty soon things take a turn for the worse as he gets her addicted to drugs and makes her live with him and work as a prostitute.  She is lost and feels hopeless.  Soon Call brings home another girl and she is even younger than Angel.  As Angel tries to protect the young girl as best as she can, she works on a plan to get out and find her family.  

Other Info

Martine Leavitt is still working on her website but the publisher of My Book of Life by Angel has a great site with booktalks, review and a link to the author's Facebook page.  Check it out! http://us.macmillan.com/mybookoflifebyangel/MartineLeavitt

Altered

Altered by Jennifer Rush

Rush, J. (2013). Altered. New York: Little, Brown.

ISBN: 978-0316197083

Hardback: $13.28

Annotation

Anna escapes a house with four cute boys who are genetically altered and her world changes forever.

Booktalk

Anna lives a normal life, in a normal town, in a normal house with her dad...except that there are four hot guys who live in a locked up lab in the basement. Anna knows her father works for the "Branch" (a firm that works on various new technologies including genetic modification) and that the boys are somehow part of that, but exactly why they are in her basement she isn't so sure. She helps her father with various tasks and comes to know the boys and maybe even love one of them. As things start to unravel and the "Branch" becomes the enemy, Anna escapes with the boys in order to find out the truth about all of their lives. On a dangerous adventure, Anna must face the truth about everything.

Other Info

Jennifer Rush is a writer, blogger and photographer.  Visit her website to learn more about her life and her novels.  www.jennrush.com

Focus on Realistic Fiction: Anna and the French Kiss

Vivica C. likes realistic fiction because they contain "more details about someone's life and it makes you want to read the next one."  

After you read about Anna, you can read Lola and the Boy Next Door.  This book is also by Stephanie Perkins and Anna has a cameo appearance in the book.  

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Perkins, S. (2010). Anna and the French kiss. New York: Dutton Juvenile.

ISBN: 978-0525423270

Hardback: $12.68

Literary Awards

• NPR's Year's Best Teen Reads, 2010 
• NPR's 100 Best-Ever Teen Novels, #53 
• Cybils Award Finalist for Young Adult Fiction, 2011 
• YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012 list 
• YALSA's Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults: Forbidden Romance, 2012 
• TAYSHAS Reading List, 2012

Annotation

Anna is shipped off to boarding school in Paris and she doesn't want to go.  Although, she may meet the boy of her dreams while she is there.

Booktalk

Anna is a senior in high school and can't wait to start the new year with her friends.  And then suddenly she is being sent to a boarding school half a world away...Paris.  She is doesn't want to leave her friends and her maybe boyfriend back home but there is nothing she can do about it.  As she starts her new school year in a foreign place she begins to make new friends and meets the perfect boy with the perfect accent.  There is only one problem....he's taken.  Anna struggles to fit in at a new place, navigate new friendships, and maybe fall in love.  Will she get the boy? 

Other Info

Stephanie Perkins writes novels for teens and is a romantic at heart.  Check out her website for more information about her, her other books and her blog.  www.stephanieperkins.com

Focus on Realistic Fiction: Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

Paul T. says that sometimes you can "learn things about life" in realistic fiction books.  He says that you may learn about a perspective of someone's life that you didn't know about already and this can be informational.  

Check out the book below to see what it is like to be on the wrong side of a fight.  

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

Medina, M. (2013). Yaqui Delgado wants to kick your ass. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press.

ISBN: 978-0763658595

Hardback: $12.68

Literary Awards

• A Junior Library Guild 2013 Selection
• Starred review in Kirkus 
• Starred review in The Horn Book
• Starred review in The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books 

Annotation

Piddy Sanchez just wants to live her quiet life but girls in her class have other ideas for her.

Booktalk

Piddy is the new girl at school and is mostly concerned with just keeping her head above water.  She is taking honors courses and has a weekend job at a hair salon.  But everything changes one day when another girl tells her that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass.  Piddy doesn't even know who this person is but her life changes instantly as she is forced to come to terms with a fight that is bound to happen.  Evan as Yaqui's gang intimidates and scares Piddy, she doesn't tell anyone, especially her mother.  Will Yaqui Delgado kick her ass or will she survive the bullying?

Other Info

Meg Medina is a Latina author who writes books for kids and teens.  Check out her website, www.megmedina.com, for more information about her other books. She also has a link to her blog called Girls of Summer that focuses on books for strong girl readers.  

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Yang, G. L., & Pien, L. (2006). American born Chinese. New York: First Second.

ISBN: 978-0312384487

Paperback: $8.48

Literary Awards

• Finalist for 2006 National Book Awards
• 2007 Michael Printz Award Winner
• 2007 Eisner Award Winner
• Publisher's Weekly Best Comic of the Year
• San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
• 2006/2007 Best Book Award from the Chinese American Librarians Association
• Amazon Best Graphic Novel/Comic of the Year
• BookList Top Ten Graphic Novels for Youth
• NPR Holiday Pick
• Time Magazine Top Comic of the Year
• 2007 Harvey Award for Best Colorist

Annotation

Jin Wang is the new kid at school and he stands out because he is Chinese-American.  

Booktalk

In this graphic novel, Jin Wang starts at a new school where he is the only Chinese-American student. Hi tries his best to fit in with everyone else and even falls in love with an American girl. There are two other stories interspersed with Jin Wang's story. One about an American boy named Danny and his obnoxious Chinese cousin Chin-Kee who comes for an annual visit and has a tendency to ruin everything. The third story is about a Monkey King who longs to be immortal and doesn't let much get in his way. The three stories come together in the end with a satisfying plot twist.

Other Info

Gene Luen Wang has been creating comics for a long time.  And he has the website to prove it!  At www.geneyang.com you can find all sorts of information about his old and new comic books plus links to other websites he has worked on with information on comics and more.  

Focus On Realistic Fiction: My Life Next Door

Chelsea R. read My Life Next Door and really enjoyed it.  She said she could connect realistic fiction books to her life, she could be the character in the book falling in love! 

Maybe you can too.

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

Fitzpatrick, H. (2012). My life next door. New York: Dial Books.

ISBN: 978-0803736993

Hardback: $13.28

Annotation

Samantha lives with her mother who craves peace and perfection.  She falls in the love with the boy next door and his large, somewhat chaotic family.

Booktalk

Samantha is used to things being quiet.  It is just her and her mom living at the house and her mom wants everything to be perfect and manageable.  Samantha has watched the family next door from her bedroom window for most of her life.  One day she finally meets the boy next door and her heart is stolen.  She soon learns that being perfect and living a quiet life is not how everyone does it.  She even learns that her mother has a huge secret that affects both of their families and her love for the boy next door.  

Other Info

My Life Next Door is Huntley Fitzpatrick's first novel.  She has a website all about and even information on her new book coming out in 2014.  You can connect with her in a lot of ways.  Check it out!  www.huntleyfitzpatrick.com 

Chopsticks

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral

Anthony, J., & Corral, R. (2012). Chopsticks. New York: Razorbill.

ISBN: 978-1595144355

Paperback: $14.48

Annotation

Gloria is a piano prodigy and Francisco is the boy next door.  As they fall in love, their lives change and one night Gloria disappears.

Booktalk

This book is part graphic novel, part scrapbook and part photo essay. Gloria is a piano prodigy touring the world and playing sold out shows. Francisco is the boy next door who she falls in love with. They IM each other late into the night sending YouTube links back and fourth (the links are actual videos on YouTube). As life starts to catch up with her, Gloria becomes obsessed with playing "Chopsticks" and only that on the piano. She soon enters a facility to rest and one night disappears. Where has she gone and will she find Francisco?

Other Info

This is a unique book.  There are links to follow on YouTube and the book has an interactive app you can purchase to read the book in a different way.  Check it all out on the book's website.  www.chopsticksnovel.com