Goth Girl Rising

Lyga, Barry. Goth Girl Rising. ISBN-10: 0547076645, ISBN-13: 9780547076649. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2009.

Summary
In this sequel to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, Kyra (also known as Goth Girl) has just been released from the Maryland Mental Health Unit after a 6-month stay. She comes out just as angry as she was when she went in and is now looking for the one person she knows understands her. When she finds Fanboy, she's devastated by the change in him. He's unrecognizable, and her fury for her dad overflows over to Fanboy. She's set on destroying his new found confidence and popularity, by exposing that Schemata (his comic book) is nothing that his classmates think it is. Goth Girl's ire is rising, but will revenge quench it?

Critical Evaluation
This time around, Barry Lyga focuses in on Goth Girl, and goes deeper into explaining who she is and what made her. Her stay in the Maryland Mental Hospital has done nothing for her attitude. She's still angry at the world. She's especially livid with her father for putting her in the hospital, and with Fanboy who has transformed from the quiet loner she left behind into someone she doesn't recognize. Fueled with her rage, she emotionally tortures her dad, and plots to ruin Fanboy's popularity and expose his comic book. Kyra remembers Fanboy's book as an homage to a senior Fanboy had a crush on, but hasn't seen how it's change to reflect a very different heroine.

Kyra is a hard character to like, but readers will be able to relate with her feelings of isolation. Her alienation and loneliness is particularly hard to face for her, as life has gone on while she was away. And other readers will find that Kyra's friends to be irritating with their unoriginal thoughts, their replication of her all-white style, and their constant need to hook-up. Readers will see that the poem that grows throughout the novel shows that Kyra's anger goes very deep, and Goth Girl is an antihero you hope finds her way.

Reader's Annotation
Goth Girl has been in the mental hospital because she took his bullet and the gun. Now that she's been released, Goth Girl is searching for Fanboy and realizes he's not the same boy she left behind… and she remembers it was HE who called her dad, making him as much to blame as her dad for putting her in the hospital. And she's looking for revenge.

About the Author
Barry Lyga is the popular author of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, as well as a collector and activist of comic books. After he graduated from Yale (with a degree in English) he went to work in the comic book world, and he was a major player in the development of Free Comic Book day*. He served as the spokesperson for industry and is well-quoted in numerous publications as well as penning a book on the topic on incorporating these graphic materials into schools and school libraries.

Lyga changed gears a bit when he jumped into the realm of young adult novels. He used his vast comic book knowledge to write the rave-reviewed young adult book The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl in 2006. Boy Toy followed in 2007, and it was garnered enthusiastic reviews. In 2008, Hero-Type was released, and then in 2009 Goth Girl Rising the sequel toThe Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl was published. He's also written books for middle school aged readers, short stories, a film and copious articles and essays. Lyga was named a "Flying Start" from Publisher's Weekly for his strong debut in 2006.

Genre
Girls/Women
Mental Illness
Death/Dying

Challenges
Sexual Content
Language
Parental Angst

Curriculum Ties
Psychology: teen depression and suicide

Booktalking Ideas
At what lengths would you go to extract revenge…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
After reading The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl I needed to know what happened to Kyra. And I'm adding Barry Lyga to my list of favorite authors.

Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don’t Float

Schmelling, Sarah. Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Who Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebok. ISBN-10: 0452295734, ISBN-13: 9780452295735. Plume Books. 2009.

Summary
It's taken them awhile, but now some of literature's favorite authors and characters have signed-on to the social network Facebook. Sarah Schmelling has taken classic novels and converted them to Facebook feeds to bring some of the most loved stories into the 21^st century. And hilarity ensues.

Critical Evaluation
Sarah Schmelling has taken classics to a new humorous levels by bringing together authors like William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf, and Jack Kerouac; literature (The Canterbury Tales to Lolita) and a wide range of classic charcters—Hester Pryne, Puck and Scarlett O'Hara to Facebook. Stories are retold on news feeds, groups are joined and heckling occurs through status updates. I think this is the just the beginning for Facebook-themed books. Anyone who is on Facebook and has a basic understanding of the classics will see the humor, but older, well-read teens will really enjoy the book.

Reader's Annotation
What will happen when all of the classic characters and authors sign-on to Facebook and talk about stories from Beowulf to Catcher in the Rye?

About the Author
Sarah Schmelling is a journalist that is known for her writing about pop culture and entertainment, and has been published in a variety of publications including The Washington Post, Real Simple, and The Huffington Post. It was in McSweeney's Internet Tendencies that "Hamlet (Facebook News Feed Edition)" was first published. The wife and mom lives in a Washington D.C. suburb, and this is her first book.

Genre
Non-fiction
Popular Culture

Curriculum Ties
English: to better understand the humor of the book, read the actual novels and plays

Booktalking Ideas
What do you think William Shakespeare would say if he were alive today and was on Facebook…

Awards
n/a

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 16+

Why I included this title...
As a holder of a degree in literature and a Facebook junkie—it was a no brainer!

Slam

Hornby, Nick. Slam. ISBN-10: 1594483450, ISBN-13: 9781594483455. Riverhead Books. 2008.

Summary
Sam is a skater—not on ice, but on a board—which could be why Sam turned to Tony Hawk for someone to talk to. He "talks" to his poster of Tony and references the skater's autobiography when his life falls apart. He had this amazing girlfriend, then they broke up and now she's telling him that she's pregnant with Sam's baby. Sam was raised by a single, teen mom and he doesn't want that for his baby. But he's not sure he's ready to be dad either. He knows that he's got to do something, though.

Critical Evaluation
Sam is a normal fifteen year old. He was in love with a girl, then they weren't doing anything but having sex, and then they broke up. He was over her and thought everything was going great. That was until his whole life was upset with the news that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his baby. Without anyone else to talk to about this predicament, Sam channels the wise words of his skateboarding mentor, Tony Hawk, through the skater's autobiography. Mix that with the odd visions into his future, Sam starts to make very adult decisions. Nick Hornby gives us an inside look into the heart of boys and men. Teen girls will love knowing some of the things that go through a guys mind, and guys will be thankful to know that they aren't alone in their thoughts of fear and insecurity. The backcover of the book says, "Nick Hornby has made a career writing about men who act like boys. Now he gives us a boy who acts like a man…" Sam is very likable, unlike some of his other characters.

About the Author
English author Nick Hornby is another author who began his working life as a teacher. The Cambridge educated Hornby taught, worked for Samsung, and was a freelance journalist before becoming a novelist. He is better known for his books for adults. He started his career with the memoir (Fever Pitch) of his "support" for the Arsenal football (soccer) team. It was made into two movies: a British version with Colin Firth and the American version with Jimmy Fallon as the fervent fan of the Boston Red Sox. High Fidelity and About a Boy subsequently followed, and they were also made into major motion pictures starring John Cusak and Hugh Grand, respectively. In the last decade, he has written three other adult books (How to Be Good, A Long Way Down and Juliet Naked); in addition to Slam, his first young adult effort. Also, in the decade Hornby has collaborated with other authors to contribute to two short story collections—Big Night Out (2002) and Click (2007), edited an anthology (Speaking with the Angel, 2000), wrote several non-fiction books, and penned the Oscar nominated screenplay for "An Education."

Genre
Dating/Sex
Boys/Men

Curriculum Ties
Health: safe sex
Sociology: studying the value and effects of "family" on today's society

Booktalking Ideas
How would you react to being a teen mother/father…
How do you think your life would change…
Awards
Young Adult Library Services Association's Best Book for Young Adults (2008)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
I was lucky to meet Nick Hornby while at a YALSA luncheon! As a fan, I was excited to read his young adult book, but it sat on my shelf unread for three years. I read his new book (Juliet, Naked) this summer and couldn't agree more with the quote "Nick Hornby has made a career writing about men who act like boys. Now he gives us a boy who acts like a man…" I plan to leave this book out in hopes that my boys will read it in a couple of years.

More information
Nick Hornby's Official Website: http://www.penguin.co.uk/static/cs/uk/0/minisites/nickhornby/

The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. ISBN-10: 0439023483, ISBN-13: 9780439023481. Scholastic Press. 2008.

Summary
In another time, the United States as we now know it has become Panem. It's divided into twelve districts with one Capitol, and Katniss lives with her mother and sister in the poorest part of the poorest district. Since her father died, she has been providing for and protecting her family. And she continues to shelter her sister when Primrose's name is called to be a gladiator-type "tribute" in the Capitol's annual Hunger Games. The games are a brutal, bloodthirsty battle to the death that are televised across Panem. As Katniss steps into the games for her sister and her district, she knows that she is facing death armed with little more than her strong street smarts.

Critical Evaluation
Suzanne Collins has created a terrifying look into the future of the United States. Twelve districts ruled by one harsh and cruel Capitol. It's the same Capitol that institutes the Hunger Games—a gladiator-esque battle, where there can only be one winner. Each of the twelve districts sends a boy and a girl (known as Tributes) to the Games, and the point is that the one winner outlives their 23 competitors. Katniss has volunteered to be a tribute in efforts to spare her little sister from a certain death. Katniss has been providing for her family with her illegal hunting and bartering on the black market for years, and she takes those skills with her to the Games. The one thing that she didn't think about was her companion Tribute—Peeta. They have history, and the authorities in the Games have made that distant friendship into a romance. Do her past feelings of indebtedness to Peeta blur her goal, or does the sensationalism help her to admit true feelings? Collins gives us a complex character set in a complicated situation. Readers who enjoy science fiction will love this series, and the readability will draw in reluctant sci-fi readers. Katniss is a wonderfully strong character, but so is Peeta. They each bring something different to the Games and to their relationship—and that question of romance will attract readers too.

Reader's Annotation
The Hunger Games is more than a story of kids killing each other. Suzanne Collins brings us to a chilling future society that pits teens against each other in a battle to the death, as well as telling us an adventurous tale of friendship, romance and survival.

About the Author
Suzanne Collins has been writing for children for the past two decades, although mostly for children's television programs. She worked with Nickelodeon on projects such as Clarissa Explains it All, Oswald and Little Bear, and Scholastic Entertainment for Clifford's Puppy Days. She was approached by another children's author who persuaded her to try her hand at writing children's books. Gregor the Overlander was published in 2003 and kicked off The Underland Chronicles series, which includes three other following books. Then in 2008, Collins released The Hunger Games and began that trilogy which contains Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Genre
Science Fiction
Girls/Women

Curriculum Ties
Government/History: the effects of war, violence, and poverty on societies

Booktalking Ideas
Would you put yourself in the danger of possible death to protect your sibling from certain death…
Do you think you could kill another person to save your own life…

Awards
Publisher's Weekly's Best Book of the Year (2008)
Golden Duck Award in Young Adult Fiction(2009)
Cybil Wonner for fantasy and science fiction (2008)

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 15+

Why I included this title...
Thankfully this was required reading. I said repeatedly: why would I want to read a book about kids killing each other!? Now I know why…

Sports Illustrated

Levine, Adam, editor. Sports Illustrated. Time Inc.: New York: 2010.

Summary
Sports Illustrated gives readers the information they want on almost all sports played in America and beyond. A typical issue will focus on the sports in season covering both the professional and collegiate realms. Most issues also offer information on the lives (and sometimes deaths) of athletes of interest. There are regular columns with well respected experts in the sports arena and factoid sections in each issue The cover photography alludes to an important upcoming game or event, while on page three is the complete "lineup" or table of contents. The photography in Sports Illustrated covers sports in a way that captures the spirit of the game or player. It's very artistic and dramatic.

Critical Evaluation
Sports Illustrated is a weekly magazine that reports on what's happening in the world of sports. The cover articles are always the longest, spanning two or three pages, while other articles are shorter than a page, or in the shape of a factoid box. This allows readers to be able to easily finish any article over their morning cereal. The factoids can be quickly scanned quick reading entertainment and good-to-know sports statistics/trivia. The section called "Faces in the Crowd" will appeal to young adults because it highlights the achievements of the country's best high school athletes. Both guys and girls who are interested in sports will enjoy the weekly Sports Illustrated. And with the different lengths of articles, readers with different the reading abilities will get something from the magazine.

Genre
Sports
Popular Culture

Challenges
Sexual Content— in advertisements and the annual Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue

Curriculum Ties
Physical Education: the power of sports on a body
Psychology: the power of sports on the mind
Booktalking Ideas
Does knowing about an athlete's personal life change how you view them as a professional…
Are professional athletes role models? Overpaid? Rock stars…

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 12+

Why I included this title...
This is a popular magazine with all ages, and I noticed that both of my tweens read it while eating breakfast.

Graphic from rant.sportslizard.com. Retrieved from http://rant.sportslizard.com/2007/08/18/my-new-favorite-custom-mcfarlane/ on December15, 2010.

New Super Mario Bros

New Super Mario Bros. Ninetendo: 2009. ASIN: B002BRZ9G0.

Summary & Evaluation
Mario and his brother, Luigi are back in this Wii game that is very reminiscent of the classic Mario games of the past. It's now a multiplayer game, and the players can choose their character from Mario, Luigi, or one of two Toads. The game steps up the challenge for players because of the many concealed rewards and secret places that offer a lot of replay value. Like the standard Mario games, the point is to make your way through all of the levels while avoiding hindrances and bad guys—and each level gets harder with more secrets and unknown things. To successfully get thru the levels, players need to be very aware of what's going on around them, be fast and anticipate many hazards in the shape of mushrooms and evil Bowzers.

It can be very stressful to play the game in multiplayer mode because one player can be very skilled, while the other is a novice. However, while multiplayer games can be tough, players can also work together to help each other. For example, players can pick each other up to save them from peril. Also, Wii has incorporated the motion abilities of the Wii-motes to tilt see-saws to reach high platforms, or tilt it away to foil their competition. Players who grew up playing Mario, won't be disappointed with this game, and new players will enjoy the challenge.

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages: 10+

Why I included this title...
Wii gaming is popular is many libraries, and I can see how using videos games would draw in teens who may not use the library for any other reason.

Graphic from InsaneBear.com. Retrieved from http://www.insanebear.com/986/e3-09-nintendo-announces-the-new-super-mario-bros-wii/ on December 14, 2010.

Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty

Neri, Greg, writer. Randy Duburke, illustrator. Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty. ISBN-10: 1584302674, ISBN-13: 9781584302674. Lew & Low Books. 2010.

Summary
"Yummy" is the nickname for an eleven year old boy, Robert Sandifer. In 1994, Yummy was responsible for the stray bullet that killed another kid, a 14-year old girl from the same Chicago Southside neighborhood. In the span of three days, we see Yummy running and hiding from the police and eventually his own gang. The narrator, Roger, gives a insight into who Yummy is and the system that, in the end, may have failed Yummy and many other children like him.

Critical Evaluation
In stark, black and white illustrations, Yummy is a graphic novel about the very short life of the real Robert Sandifer, aka Yummy. He was 11 years old when he shot and killed 14 year old Shavon Dean. The story is told through the eyes of a fictional classmate of Yummy's, Roger. And he is the voice that asks the questions about how Yummy turned out like he did: Was it the dangerous Roseland neighborhood? Was it the attraction of gang life to fill in where his family was absent? It's impossible to know what happened to Yummy, but readers can look at this graphic novel as a cautionary tale for their own futures.

Reader's Annotation
The Roseland neighborhood in Chicago's Southside is a dangerous place to grow up. Watch how a boy who loved sweets, dubbed Yummy, became an 11 year old murderer.

About the Author
Greg Neri is the author of several books for children and young adults, a producer of interactive media projects for clients like Reebok, Disney and Mercedes Benz, writer and director of three films and the winner of numerous awards. He currently lives in Florida, but graduated from University of California-Santa Cruz with a degree in theater arts which explains his wide range of projects. Yummy began as a movie project and after 12 years, it became a graphic novel.

Illustrator Randy Duburke was born in Georgia, lived in New York and now resides in Switzerland with his family. Over his 20 year career, he has worked on comic books, book cover art, children's picture books, and animation. Duburke was awarded the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe award for best new talent/illustration for his first children's book, Moon Ring, in 2003. Now he is committed to his time to work on illustrating children's books and graphics novels.

Genre
Graphic Novel
Biography
Violence
Boys/Men

Challenges
Violence

Curriculum Ties
Sociology: Chicago's Southside Roseland neighborhood
Sociology: Gangs as family
Current Events: Gang Violence

Booktalking Ideas
What were you thinking about when you were 11… shooting another kid to into a gang…

Awards
Publishers Weekly Best Books of 2010
Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2010
Booklist Best Books of 2010
School Library Journal's Fuse #8: 100 Magnificent Children's Books of 2010 List

Reading Level/Interest Age
Ages 13+

Why I included this title...
I read the review in Booklist.