The Reading Nook

For my Young Adult literature assignment, I read the book Friction by E.R. Frank. There are many of factors in this book that make it qualify to be “Young Adult”. The main character, Alex, is a teenage girl. She tells the story from her point of view and the problems she faces relate to some things that a teenager might face. Alex is sensitive enough to realize what is going on in the story, and she is also mature as well. The book is short, being 193 pages long. Alex realizes the main problem in the book, dealing with sexuality, and takes it into her own hands. She is in a situation where she believes that her teacher, Simon, is not dealing with her nicely (in a sexual manner), and she has to deal with a new student who constantly lies, although she does not know it at the time and she is currently uncomfortable around her. Teenage colloquialisms are sparsely used during the book, and the author did not use a wide range of slang throughout the book. Frank limited his use exclusively to two or three different words. Because of the situation Alex faces in the book, I felt more uncomfortable than I did happy during the time I read it. By the time the book ends, Alex has matured during the book by realizing what had happened to her the year before, and because of it she decides to transfer to a new school in the area. Alex matures in Friction and she faces many different young adult situations in the book.

I thought this book was very well written and I liked it a lot. I thought the book related to many situations that could be difficult for young adults. Alex was able to face and eventually solve these problems in a good way, and the epilogue includes her writing a very long apology/thank you/”I really learned something from the situation we faced” that officially shows her maturity. Out of five stars, I would give this book four stars. It wasn’t the greatest book that I have ever read, but it was a quick and easy read and it truly introduced me to Young Adult fiction. I would recommend this book to all young adults, especially those that face a sexual problem in life and they need to find a solution.

Recently I read the book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. This book definitely has many of the qualities that qualify it as a young adult book. The main character, for starters, is a teenager. The book deals with many adult themes that are too mature for younger readers. The book is told by the main teenagers point of view, but in an interesting graphic novel style that keeps the reader into the story. The main teenager is also very smart and mature. It was also a short book, only a couple hundred pages of the graphic novel style. There are MANY social and political issues in the book, something that would not be in a book aimed at younger audiences. The book also deals with death and political injustice. This is why Persepolis definitely qualifies as a book for young adults, and not quite a book for children, or adults. The themes and views are sophisticated for children but the graphic novel and child-like style is too silly for adults. That is why this book is a young adult book.
Let me just start by saying, I liked this book A LOT. I very much liked the way the book was presented, the characters were very likable, it was able to make the reader sad one moment and laughing the next, it was a great read. One of the main thing I liked, was how just like in The Boy With the Striped Pajamas, the book took a very adult issue into it and told it from the view of a child. I felt that this made it so the graphic novel style really fit. The plot was very good too, and it offered a lot of twists and turns that left me surprised. The language (like the book) felt like it really WAS written by someone that age. The writing was great, but the dialog of the main character was definitely that of a child. It was a great read, and I hope to find more books like it!

Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier is about an Indian girl named Dimple who lives in New Jersey and goes through multiple problems. I believe this book is a YA book because Dimple goes through common problems that most teenagers do such as not being as close with her best friend anymore. She also goes through uncommon problems like how her parents are trying to set her up with someone. While it is not written in a diary form, it is in first person and from Dimple’s point of view. Dimple also feels inferior to her best friend, to which many kids can relate. She also has relationship problems. Break ups, blind dates and matchmaking are all parts of the romance aspect of the book. Many teenagers go through breakups and do not get over it easily, like Dimple. Dimple also struggles with her family’s beliefs and traditions.  Dimple’s complicated problems are difficult to solve, but cannot tell her parents because they would not understand or would interfere. Dimple learns a lot by the end of the book and not only is her life different, but she has changed herself. This book has romance, friendship and maturing in it.
I liked this book for many reasons. One reason is because characters are relatable in it. Since Dimple is described as having many flaws and since the book is from her perspective you can connect with her. The characters also have different and interesting personalities. Also, some of the things Dimple thinks can be humorous, which also adds appeal to the book. One con, though, is that a lot of Indian language is included and often not described. While this is not a problem for me, others who read it may be a bit lost. While the author describes some of the important words she uses, she does not describe others. The plot is interesting, and starts off as one thing and turns into another. Overall, this was a good book and I would recommend it to others.

12/18/08

Boy Meets Boy, a novel by David Levithan, is a book that deals with relationships and life as a teenager. The narrator is Paul, a sophomore at a high school where being gay is normal, and being heterosexual is equally normal. In the beginning, the book introduces you to Paul and his friends, and almost immediately after flipping the first page, the reader is sucked in to a situation in which Paul finds another boy cute, which is a classic example of a situation you would have in a YA book. The narration contains a plethora of relatable “teenager terms” or as you might say, slang terms. One of the main reasons Boy Meets Boy falls so easily into the YA category is because it is most relatable to teenagers and tweens. The novel keeps you turning its pages, each new scene acting as a new juicy piece of gossip, something a young adult always loves. But Boy Meets Boy also handles serious YA concepts. Like many other YA books, Boy Meets Boy’s protagonist deals with the concept of coming out of his comfort zone. Paul overcame his fear of getting rejected by the boy he liked, and went on to pursue the boy despite his fear. Paul also needs to come out of his comfort zone when telling his ex-boyfriend Kyle that he doesn’t like him anymore. By stepping away from his comfort zone, Paul matures throughout Boy Meets Boy.

I loved this book for various reasons. Because of Paul’s situation and personality, this book is very humorous. I learned so much from this book, but the biggest idea and concept I learned from it was acceptance. This high school defied the mainstream way of life, which was heterosexuality, and was unique. Every person at that school accepted people for what they were, and I think everyone could use a little more acceptance and a little less judgments. Overall, I would recommend this book to any young adult because it deals with everyday concepts, it is humorous, and it has good morals.

~David Waltcher
Class of ‘14

P.S. to Ms. Feldman: I didn’t know how to underline the title of the book on this site, so I didn’t.

Jack Shaevitz

12/15

English A
In You Don’t Know Me by David Klass there are many elements that make it a young adult book. The book is written in first person which is one of the elements. The main character of this book is John who is a teenager that has many problems in his life. Many of his problems are typical problems of a teenager. For example, he likes a girl, but she does not like him back. Another problem some teenagers go through is abuse. John is abused by his father which is not most teenagers have to go through, but there are definitely some that are abused. John also becomes much more mature by the end of the book. At the beginning of the book he did not care about his academics. At the end of the book he tried much harder in school. Also in this book there are themes that make it qualify as a young adult. One theme is alienation. John throughout the book is a outcast and he does not fit in. The other theme in the book is abuse. John’s father abuses John. This is a major theme in this book. You Don’t Know Me has many themes and elements that make it a young adult book.

You don’t know Me by David Klass is a book that I would only rate as only being OK. The main character, John, was very hard for me to relate to because he seemed a little bit ‘weird.’ For example, he was very bad at playing his tuba and made up a tall tale involving a unhappy frog and a princess. He also has many different nicknames for his teachers. For Ms. Gabriel he calls her Ms. Garlic Breath or Ms. Moonface. He also calls his school the anti-school and his math class anti-math. This was one of the reasons why I did not like the book. Another reason was the themes in this book One theme was abuse. I could not relate to this at all which made me dislike this book. John also had a very uncaring mother who was not involved in his life. My mother on the other hand cares a lot about my life. The last reason I disliked the book is that John does not fit in at school. I fit in and have many friends unlike John. I could not relate to the main character and that is why I disliked this book.

I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have To Kill You, by Ally Carter, is both fictional and young adult. It is about a girl who goes to a school for spies, and is faced with a boy who can never know her secret. Cammie is a teenager and goes through multiple problems with having a relationship, which is in many young adult books. All of the events have to do with being a teenager, even though she goes to a very sophisticated school. Cammie also faces the problem of her dead father, and also finds out that her friend’s father might have been killed also. The main teenage character is very intelligent and thoughtful when she is faced with the many surprising twists of complications that are thrown at her when it comes to saving the school’s secretive identity. Also, the whole book is in the first-person, and really expresses her emotions with Cammie’s experiences. Cammie only talks about her occurrences with the boy with her friends, instead of telling an adult. Finally, at the end of the book, she matures and learns to let go of him instead of risking the academy.

Overall, I thought this was an interesting read. “Young adult” is painted right in front of you, but there are so many more genres mixed in. It is very suspenseful and has surprises hidden around every corner. The idea of a spy school is very unique, and when it is mixed with a boy who slowly begins to learn who she truly is, the book is fascinating. Also, it is very humorous so it is not slow and dull. I’d Tell You I Love You But Then I’d Have To Kill You is a little long for a young adult book, with 284 pages. It is perfectly paced, and very gripping. Overall, I honestly give it 5 stars and I am glad there is a sequel.

I read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Speak is about a girl (Melinda Sordino) who gets raped by someone she barely knew at a party, and she is so traumatized that she decides not to talk. After she was raped, she called the cops to break up the party, so the whole school (even her friends) makes her an outcast. Speak is a YA book because; it is told in first person, and the protagonist is a teenager. Melinda tries to take the matter in her own hands, because she thinks she is independent enough to be able to deal with it. By the end of the book, Melinda becomes more aware of her self, and she starts to make the right choices, like going to all of her classes and telling her class mates the real reason she called the cops. She also realizes that the fact she got raped can not be ignored, so instead of shunning the memory, she is able to say that it was in the past and nothing could have changed what happened.

I liked Speak because instead of having a lot of dialogue, you really got a sense of how Melinda thought, and how hard it was for her to cope. This book made me more aware of what some people have to go through, and how traumatizing rape could be. I found it kind of funny that the school mascot changed 5 times over the course of the year, because the school board found something bad about each one. Overall I thought that Speak was a great YA book, and it made me want to read more from this author.

I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. From the moment I opened the book, to the time I closed it, I knew I was a Young Adult book. It is about a 15-year-old autistic boy named Christopher who discovers a dog with a pitchfork in him. He wants to find out who did it. Also, Christopher lives with his dad since his mom died of a heart attack. For most of the book, Christopher is trying to solve the mystery of the dog because he wants to be like his favorite character, Sherlock Holmes. Being autistic for has its ups and downs for him. A down part is when anyone, except for his parents, touches him; he starts to have a temper tantrum. An up part is that he is very good at math. To calm himself down, he counts powers of 2. Also his record for powers of 2 was 2 to the 45th. The author wrote the book as if it was Christopher writing it. Christopher was talking towards the reader for most of the book. Instead of this 240-page Young Adult book just being written by Mark Haddon, it was also a murder mystery novel by Christopher. This novel’s chapters were unlike others because they were all prime numbers. It was like that because Christopher thinks that prime numbers are very logical, like life. In all, this book just book says Young Adult all over.

I really enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime because it has a very clever storyline and the reader gets to know the character. It feels like you know the characters since you were born. Also, the murder that happens makes the reader want to think who did it. In addition, I enjoyed the prime number chapters because it is unique. I read this book in two days. One reason why was because it had a great climax. The other reason was that the chapters don’t start on a new page, they start anywhere on the page. If I would have to rate this book in total, it would be 9 out of 10. I would definitely recommend this book to both boys and girls.

The Taker, by J.M. Steele, is a novel written in the first person. The protagonist, Carly Biels, is a teenager trying to be accepted into Princeton. But, she botches the SAT, causing her to have to retake it. The events in this story are very much similar to the events that we young adults face in the real world. The book made me worry about my future, but also made me content with the present. The dialogue is at times racy and uses swear words. I feel like this was a good thing, though, because it helped me understand that swear words, if used in the right context, can be proper. Carly is very smart, popular, mature, and independent. She is a model for a nice and caring young adult, but who still lives a life of luxury and fun. Although the novel is 350 pages, I still think it qualifies as young adult fiction. Carly is very independent and she resolves her own conflicts, sometimes with the help of others. Carly matured so much over the course of the book. In the beginning of the novel, she was a superficial popular girl who mainly cared about her boyfriend and personal gain. But, as the book progressed, she became a much more affable and nice protagonist. She really become much more responsible as the book went on, as she ignored her luxurious and wonderful life to study for the SAT, amongst other responsibilities she took. This story certainly made me uncomfortable because it really made me ponder my own past, current, and future problems. A lot of the themes in this book also related to popular young adult problems. Carly faced extreme challenges (passing the SAT). She is peer pressured by her friends to ditch her studying and to hang out with them. Her boyfriend pressures her to have sex with him, something she wants but cannot afford to do. At the end of the book, she really understands people better and treats them for who they are on the inside. Overall, this novel is an ideal young adult fiction book.

I really liked this book a lot because I could really relate to the characters and the problems they faced. The characters all had something about them that I could connect with. Every character is brought to life, and I felt like I was there, watching everything unfold. The fact that it was set in modern times was really helpful to me, because I understood what things were like and what was “cool” (or not cool). The plot was great because the climax didn’t take place until very near to the end of the book. I couldn’t put it down because I always saying to myself, “Oh, I’ll find this out in the next chapter,” and things like that. Of course, I was always wrong. The authors (J.M. Steele is a pseudonym for two people) are very good writers, and the words they chose brought the characters to life. Overall, this is a fantastic book and a good example of young adult fiction.

For my Young Adult assignment, I read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Twilight is a story about a teenage girl who meets the boy that she is intrigued by though she later finds out he is not complete human. This story falls under the category of Young Adult because most young adults can relate some how to the protagonist and can understand what she is going through. It deals with teenagers and the relationships that they go through. It deals with the self consciousness of adolescents and it shows the growth of the main character. Because the story is descriptive and lengthy, it makes the reader feel very uncomfortable and puts us in the shoes of the characters. The first person narration qualifies Twilight even more as a Young Adult novel. The themes of dealing with death and sexuality comes up a lot in Twilight. Throughout Twilight, Bella matures greatly. Twilight is without a doubt a Young Adult book.
I really liked Twilight because it was very exciting and had an abundant amount of surprises that I could have never predicted. Twilight got me to like books a lot more. It taught me how difficult setting priorities can really be and how easy it is to get distracted. But it also shows the other side of how easy setting priorities can be because if you want something bad enough, you will do anything to have it. I learned how hard it is to live a perfect life with so many complications which is what all young adults have. Twilight gave me an insight on what teenager life is like. Because Twilight was so descriptive, it gave me a good picture of what Stephenie Meyer is trying to tell. I really enjoyed Twilight because of its surprises and its reality. Twilight was my favorite young adult book that I have read throughout my lifetime.

I am so sorry but I thought I had posted this earlier, but then when I went to look at other peoples post I couldn’t find mine. I am so sorry again!

Arianna Mastro
Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List
by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List, written by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is most diffidently a YA book. The story is about the friendship between Naomi and Ely, and how quickly it collapsed based on one kiss. Ely, who is homosexual, kissed Bruce the Second, even though, Bruce is Naomi’s boyfriend. This makes Naomi very mad, because not only did Ely kiss her boyfriend, but Naomi realized that she loved Ely and could never have him. So they stop talking to each other and got in a very public fight, meanwhile Ely and Bruce’s relationship start to build. Because major themes in the story are friendship, homosexuality, different problems happening within families, and how quickly relationship can build and fall; I would classify the story as a YA book. Another interesting aspect of the book is that each chapter is told by a different main character’s point of view on what is happening, what they are doing to try to stop the madness, and their own problems. To me this story screams that it is a YA book, for it touches upon many subjects that a teenager may have to deal with.

David  Levithan is one of my favorite authors so it was no surprise for me to find that I loved Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List. I really loved Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List because it was funny, interesting, and pulled you in right away. From the very beginning I felt as though I was watching the friendship of the two slip away. Though at times having the perspective of the story change points of view got confusing In the end I really enjoyed reading it. Having it take place in New York also added to the story because I could picture where they were. In the end I really recommend this story to who ever likes YA books.

Anton Kliot
Young Adult Assignment
Karp English A
That Was Then and This is Now, by S.E. Hinton

I read That Was Then and This is Now, by S.E. Hinton. It is a young adult book, that is in the series of The Outsiders, although it is not a sequel. It is about Bryon, the main character, and his best friends who he considers his brother, Mark. When Mark was younger, his parents died so he went to go live with Bryon. Bryon has a mother, but no father. Their mother is sick for most of the book, so they are going through a rough financial period. Although the book does not center around this for most of the book, it ends up leading to the main conflict. The boys slowly are slowly drifting apart throughout the book, and it is the drug dealing that leads to their ultimate fallout. The boys take matters into their own hands, and get money to pay for rent and food. Bryon gets a job, and as you find out, Mark deals drugs. The fact that they take things into their own hands is one of the themes that defines it as a young adult book. This book has many of the elements and themes of a young adult book. It is told from the point of view of Bryon, a 16 year old living in Oklahoma. Many of the problems he and his friends Mark face would have been common problems among kids of their class during this time period. It is a very short novel, at 159 pages but in that short amount of time, S.E. Hinton says a lot about teens and their problems. Bryon and Mark, the main characters, are both smart individuals, and seem a bit separated from other kids, although they have many friends. Although they are not really outcast, the two of them seem much more involved with themselves and each other than with their other friends.
That Was the and This is Now was a very good book in my opinion. I really enjoyed reading it, so much, in fact, that I read the entire thing in one day. One of my favorite aspects of it, was that their was not one over-arching conflict for most of the book, so instead the book followed different sub-conflicts and just generally wandered through the lives of the two boys. The ending of this book is kind of frustrating, as the ending is not at all happy. After Bryon figures out that Mark has been dealing drugs, for various reasons he calls the police. Mark is arrested and brought to prison. The book ends at the prison, where Mark tells Bryon that the reason he wanted Bryon to visit was to make sure he hated Bryon. He says he does. This is the extent of the closure at the end of the book. It was frustrating, but at the same time the only fitting end to the book, which centered around their drifting apart. In response to a reader telling S.E. Hinton that they wanted to throw the book against the wall after reading it, S.E. Hinton replied, “Good, you got it. The Outsider made you feel. That Was Then and This is Now will make you think.” I loved this book, and would strongly recommend it to anyone, especially anyone who likes S.E. Hinton or young adult literature. For following young adult themes, I rate it 10 out of 10. For my preference, I rate it 9 out of 10.

My Heartbeat by Garret Freymann-Weyr qualifies as a fictional YA book which is based around the life of a fourteen year old girl named Ellen. The book is told from the young protagonist’s perspective, provoking a very realistic sense of her highly pubescent situation. She is put in a scenario where she has an epiphany of her older brother and his best friend, who she is in love with, being homosexual. Ellen is forced to deal with many of these awkward comprehensions, which definitely helps determine the book’s genre as being young adult. As a pariah in her New York City high school, the story explains most of her independent and intriguing thoughts in which she holds as an adolescent. The book is brief—154 pages—and enough to deliberate the significant points raised in sexual, psychological and humiliating circumstances. From the beginning to end, Ellen matures greatly as a young adult; she is more aware of others and their emotions, thus showing the increase of both her sensibility and perhaps even the reader’s.

I enjoyed reading this book very much. It was interesting to study about a young girl around my age having to deal with surprising sexual differences and uncomfortable family conflicts. Amid the difficult and serious affairs, I was glad to find My Heartbeat as both perceptively and humorously written. The plot line was excellent, and the characters were definitely relatable. I was excited about the New York City setting; however, I honestly felt as if the book was set in the countryside, rather than a big city. The author chose to write the book rather simply, without much perplexing vocabulary—although this made the book seem less sophisticated, it made the story more easily readable and comprehensible. The plot showed a great understanding of others’ personal societies and feelings, which definitely kept me captivated. I was delighted to find this book to be surprisingly realistic, especially on a high emotional level. My Heartbeat was well written, unique, and page-turning. I would certainly recommend this to book both boys and girls.

I read the book Black and White by Paul Volponi. The book is most completely a Young Adult book. Both of the main characters are teenagers. That is one of the biggest factors in a Young Adult book. The main characters, Eddie and Marcus are very different from one another. Eddie is white, he has a younger sibling and he has a father. Marcus is black and lives alone with his mother. But they have a few things in common. They are both getting scholarships to play college basketball and they both have loving guardians or guardian. Eddie’s parents care for him and so does Marcus’ mother. But when they want more spending money because they are basketball stars, they do the stupid thing. They don’t ask their parents, they rob people. Eddie takes his grandfathers gun for intimidation. Eddie doesn’t think it’s loaded but Marcus shoots it by accident and he hits a man in the ear. That fits a Young Adult book perfectly because of the violence. And then Marcus gets arrested for the robbing and the shooting and Eddie doesn’t. That shows stereotypes and racism which make a Young Adult book.

I liked this book a lot. The characters fit perfectly with the story, but what makes this book interesting for me is the basketball. The sports aspect of the book makes the book readable for sports addicts, people who love to read and people who read about racism. The dialogue in the book is mostly slang. The reason for that is that all the characters speak like, “Yo dog,” or some other made up words. This also makes the book recognizable to people who talk like that. But, in the end, the best part of the book is the plot. It makes sense, like it really could happen. The setting also helps out. It takes place in recent times in New York City. That helps me understand how desperate some people in this world, even the city where I live can be. Overall, I give this book a 9/10. The only problem with the book was the ending. It was very depressing how everyone was guilty but only the black person went to jail. It was very unfair, and very racist. But the sad thing is, it could happen and, it probably has.