John Lennon: All I want is the Truth by Elizabeth Partridge

Partridge, E. (2005). John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth. New York, NY: Viking.

The photographic biography book “John Lennon: All I want is the Truth” by Elizabeth Partridge was written to inform the readers about the legendary life that John Lennon led. The author writes this book to provide a grand amount of factual information, real quotes, and interviews from John Lennon. The book begins with an introduction with John and Yoko (his wife) being huge activists which we later learn about in the book. The chapters from then on begin with John as a young boy, his rebellious years as a teen, John collaborating and making music, and how he was closer to his aunt and uncle than with his own mother. Elizabeth continues to write on how the group got together little at a time to become what is famously known as the “Beatles”, and their ups and downs as a band. In a part of the book the author give us details on how John was also another star who battled with drug usage. The biography ends with the death of John Lennon being assassinated by Mark Chapman and the legacy he leaves behind. The book includes source notes, bibliography, further reading list, Beatles books, an index, acknowledgments, and permissions Elizabeth was granted to include into the book. This book would be a great resource for students working on research projects, creating bibliographies on famous musicians, even for students who simply just love reading and learning about the lives of famous people just like John H. Ritter describes in “Making the Match”.

The Hanged Man by Frances Lia Block

Block, F. L. (1994). The Hanged Man. New York: HarperCollins. 

The book “The Hanged man” by Francesca Lia Block is about a young girl named “Laurel” who is trying to find herself while she is struggling to cope with fear of disease, lies, drugs, an eating disorder, secrets, and love. Laurel as a young girl has been sexually molested by her father and keeps it a secret from everyone even after his death. Not only does she struggle to hide that she was molested, but she also struggles with anorexia and will not eat much no matter who encourages her to eat. Her mother is lost as well after her father’s death and isn’t much of a character in the book, up until the end when Laurel finally opens up about her father’s actions. After Laurel lets go of her secret she can finally grow as a person, and be set free to live life without guilt. She also begins to have a positive outlook on the future. This book is recommended for the audience of ages 12 and up. Because of the content this book contains, I wouldn’t recommend it so much to middle school students. I could see high school teachers using this kind of book to show examples of imagery, mythology, and poetry. The book “Making the Match” explains that poetry is a great form of literature for teens which seems to be voted least favorite, but we can change that by using poetry more effectively with our students and identify topics that the reader is familiar or interested in.

A Step from Heaven By An Na

An, N. (2001). A step from heaven. Asheville, NC: Front Street.

A Step from Heaven is about an Asian family that migrates from Korea to San Diego, California in hopes for a better life. When Young Ju finds out that her family is moving to "Mi Gook" which to her means "heaven", she is thrilled and later realizes that "Mi Gook" is America. Throughout the story, Young Ju and her family struggle to learn English and have difficulties getting accustomed to their new location. Within time, "Apa" which is Young Ju's father, begins to show signs of aggression, excessive drinking, and also stops attending his jobs. Young Ju hides when she hears her father “scream” and later finds out that he abuses her mom as well. The drinking not only gets worse, but he also abuses Yung Ju when he finds out that she disobeyed his orders. Yung Ju builds the courage to dial 911, which is one of the best decisions that she will make to change their lives forever. He is taken away for a night, and deserts the family as he is released the very next day. Times continue to be difficult for them, and Young Ju's mother asks her if she'd like to move back to Korea. Young Ju declines the offer and is determined to survive in America. The family works together without Apa, they make ends meet, and learn to live peacefully in America. Other books that are similar to “A Step from Heaven” are Born Confused, Kira-Kira, and Girl in Translation. In reference to “Making the Match”, this book would definitely help support students who are new to our complex country and help them relate to Young Ju in this remarkable story "A Step from Heaven".     

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood

Sáenz, B. A. (2004). Sammy & Juliana in Hollywood. El Paso, TX: Cinco Puntos Press.

Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood is about Sammy Santos who lives in New Mexico, who lives in the 60's. The story begins with the infatuation he has for Juliana and the story later explains the experiences he has to go through. In the beginning of the story, Juliana is gone, but we later learn that she never really leaves his side. Some experiences he goes through are completely different than what teens go through now, but others are very much similar. Homosexuals were treated very badly, protesters were aggressive against the war, Sammy had to work very hard to save every dime for his college education, racism, and he unfortunately loses many of the people that were important in his life. When you think finally all the deaths have stopped, he gets a call while he is at work that his dad was in a horrible accident. His father survives and Sammy goes to college. Teens can relate to Sammy because he is a boy transitioning  into a man that has to be strong regardless of all the tragedies and sacrifices he has to make for his future and for his remaining family members. This is a touching, sad, but inspiring story that should be in every library collection. It is definitely an eye opening story that shows many sides to the Mexican culture. Other books similar to this culture would be “Oscar Hijuelos” and “Parrot in the Oven”.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska: A novel. New York: Dutton Children's Books.

Looking for Alaska is about a guy who is looking for the great “perhaps”. Miles Halter leaves his home town to move to a boarding school in Alabama called “Culver Creek”. Through his new roommate Chip also known as “Colonel”, he meets a girl by the name of “Alaska” in which he instantly falls in love with. They naturally all build a friendship by how much time they spend together by smoking cigarettes at the “smoking hole”, drinking together, and playing pranks on “The Weekend Warriors”. One night as they are preparing to do a prank on the Warriors, they get drunk and Alaska ends up confessing some real issues she has kept a secret. The boys then realize that is the reason she is unstable. No matter how unpredictable or unstable Alaska is, Miles is oblivious to any of her problems. The next night while they are drinking, Alaska receives a call and begins to cry hysterically. She then asks the guys to help her escape campus and they later find out that she died in a car accident. The two guys go through a journey trying to figure out if she committed suicide or if it was truly an accident. This book is intended for an audience in the 9th grade and above. I would recommend this title to students who have emotional issues dealing with guilt and the loss of a parent. This book could provide support for students who can identify themselves with characters from the story being around the same age, and may be going through some of the same obstacles.

The Abduction by Gordon Korman

Korman, G. (2006). The abduction. New York: Scholastic.

Aiden and Meg’s parents have been released from jail, and claim to have been framed for a crime they didn't commit. The town really does not believe that their parents are innocent and treat the family pretty unfair once they are out. The family is being harassed and the police do not seem to take action, and do the least they can to help make the family feel safe. One day while Meg and Aiden are walking home from torturous school, a van drives by slowly and Meg gets picked up by a Pest Control van. Aiden is the only one who is a witness and has certain information to track down where his sister is. Throughout the book, Meg and Aiden’s parents are worried sick and feel helpless so they advise the FBI on the situation, even though Aiden does not agree with that choice. Aiden struggles to find Meg, while Meg is being held captive. While she is in custody, the young kidnapper slips and accidentally tells her that they will not hurt her. As the story progresses, an FBI agent in disguise finally gets close to recovering Meg, but she only hurts her chances to finally being free (she hits the agent in the head, and gives him  a concussion). It ends where Meg is still wondering if she will ever be saved or free again. This book keeps you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what is going to happen next. The suspense and mystery in this book is what teens will get from reading this book! That’s what they want! They will have to read the second part to it, to find out.

The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

Westerfeld, S. (2004). The secret hour. New York: Eos.

 The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld is a fictional novel that is about five characters that have a super power and live in the city Bixby, Oklahoma. These five teens all have the privilege to have an extra hour to themselves to roam around the city while everyone else in town is frozen in time. Everything seems fine up until the new girl named “Jessica Day” moves in from Chicago. The night creatures called “Darklings” somehow feel threatened by her presence and now need to attack or get rid of her somehow. The four characters use their power and tools to battle these creatures and try to keep her power under wraps to protect her from being harmed. Even though they are trying to protect her, Jessica is trying to figure out her own power that could help complete the gang and save them from the creatures. I would recommend this book to Science Fiction book lovers that are in the grade range of 6-10th grade. This book would greatly be appreciated by teens who love Science Fiction novels just like Dr. Lesesne stated in “Making the Match”. Teens love the fictional characters, powers, creatures and a plot that is filled with action and suspense. This would be a great hit and recommendation, especially for a book talk.