24.) Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

“Without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.”

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (Candlewick, 2009)
(Chaos Walking, Book 1)

Genre: Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Romance


Honors: Guardian Children's Fiction Prize (2008), Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production Honor (2011), James Tiptree Jr. Award (2008), Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2010), YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults (2011) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: On a new planet, in a settlement colony, after a war with the native planet dwellers who released a disease that killed all the women and made all the men telepathic Todd is only months away from going through the coming of age ceremony that makes him a "man." Todd was too young to remember any of the war, but after his mother and father died he was raised by two men, and now they try and save his life by sending him away and allowing him to discover that his whole life everything he ever knew was a lie. 

Opinion: One of my favorite books that I read for this assignment. This book ripped my heart out of my chest and stuffed in back in again about four or five times throughout the story. This was one of the most mature teen books that I have ever read. The themes are very deep, I think that any adult would get intellectual satisfaction from reading this book as would any teen. I can't wait for the sequel.

Ideas: I would recommend this book to any teen who likes science fiction, or even post apocalyptic novels because even though it's set on another planet it has that feeling. Hunger Games fans might like this book. 

23.) Life of Pi by Yann Martel

“It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.”

Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Seal Books, 2001)

Genre: Adult Fiction with Teen Appeal


Honors: Man Booker Prize (2002), Exclusive Books Boeke Prize (2003), Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2005) Hugh MacLennan Prize (2001), CBC Canada Reads Nominee (2003) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Growing up with a father who owns a zoo in India made for an interesting childhood for Piscine Molitor Patel, aka Pi. But when his father decides to sell the zoo to move to Canada they travel on a boat with many of the animals who are on their way to new homes in North America. When the boat begins sinking Pi ends up on a life raft with the only other survivor from the boat who happens to be a full grown Bengal tiger. The novel is about the physical survival that Pi and Richard Parker (the tiger) endure, but also the spiritual survival that Pi has to face to survive on a life raft for so long.

Opinion: I surprisingly loved this book. I thought it was going to be very boring reading about a boy on a boat, but it was not boring at all. I thought it was actually quite thrilling. I was hesitant about reading it for the class assignment because it is not an actual Alex Award Winner, but Pi is a teenage boy so the story is centered around a teen. I also asked many people and many teachers are having students read this books in high school, so I felt much better about reading it for this assignment. 

Ideas: I found out that many teachers in high schools are teaching this book so it's might be a required reading to some. The book deals with a lot of religious and spiritual searching so teens who are interested in world religions might really enjoy this book. A movie was made of this book so anyone who has seen the movie might also like the book (but I have not seen the movie yet).

Movie Poster

22.) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

“But you can't get away from yourself. You can't decide not to see yourself anymore. You can't decide to turn off the noise in your head.” 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Razorbill, 2007)

Genre: Problem Novel, Realistic Fiction 


Honors: South Carolina Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2010), Florida Teens Read (2008), Georgia Peach Honor Book Award (2009), Kirkus Reviews Editor's Choice, California Book Award Abraham Lincoln Award (2013), Association of Booksellers for Children's "Best Books"[Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Hannah committed suicide. Weeks later a box of cassette tapes show up on Clay's doorstep recorded by Hannah before she killed herself. They explain the thirteen reasons why she took that final step. 

Opinion: I wasn't sure how this book would play out reading the synopsis, but it was much better written than I thought it would be. The two narrative and back and forth between the two voices made the book flow really well and move quickly.  Although I counted this as a problem novel, instead of a girl being in danger of suicide it is about a girl who has already committed suicide so that it a very interesting take on a novel.

Ideas: This book would be good for someone who likes problem novels, or novels pertaining to real teenage life. Probably teens who like John Green books would also like this novel. 

21.) The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

“Life takes us to unexpected places sometimes. The future is never set in stone, remember that.”

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Anchor Books, 2010)

Genre: Adult Fiction With Teen Appeal, Fantasy, Modern Fantasy, Romance


Honors: Locus Award for Best First Novel (2012), Mythopoeic Fantasy Award Nominee for Adult Literature (2012), ALA Alex Award (2012), Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2014), The Reading List Genre Awards for Fantasy (2012) September (2011), The Kitschies Nominee for Golden Tentacle (Debut) (2011) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: The circus shows up without warning. A magical, mysterious show that is beyond imagination. What the public doesn't see is the competition behind the show between the two young magicians who are constantly trying to out due one another by creating more spectacular attractions. 

Opinion: This is one of those books that is right on the border of adult and teen. There is a decent portion that takes place by younger individual.  I have wanted to read this book for a while and since I saw it was an Alex Award Winner I decided to give it a chance. I listened to the audiobook and I'm not sure if it was the audiobook version but it was really not as good as I was hoping since listening to all the hype behind it. 

Ideas: I would recommend this book to any teen looking for an original fantasy type adult book to pick up. If you made a display for adult books with teen appeal this would be a good fit.

20.) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

“Have you ever had so much to say that your mouth closed up tight struggling to harness the nuclear force coalescing within your words? Have you ever had so many thoughts churning inside you that you didn’t dare let them escape in case they blew you wide open?"

Crank by Ellen Hopkins (Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2004)
(Crank, Book 1)

Genre: Problem Novel, General Fiction, Series 

Honors: Abraham Lincoln Award (2009) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Kristina visits her dead-beat dad one summer. While visiting him she discovers Bree, and alter-ego that seems to emerge and does all the things that "good-girl" Kristina wouldn't. Flirting with dangerous boys and experimenting with substances. Soon Bree introduces Kristina to "the monster" aka meth. Bree/Kristina soon become addicted and even after she come home she begins to lead a very dangerous life-style that results in serious problems for such a young girl. 

Opinion: This book really effected me emotionally. It basically scared the hell out of me and I wanted to run into my daughter's room to hug her when I was reading it. It looks like a monster sized book but it reads very very quickly. I want to keep reading the rest of the series just to see what happens to this poor girl! The story doesn't get resolved at the end and the girl doesn't get better in this book which is unusual for a problem novel to be a series. 

Ideas: This is a good book for anyone who likes problem novels, or likes stories that center around drug addition and the negative effects of it. If someone likes Go Ask Alice they would probably also like this book and series. This would also make a good addition to a problem novel display. 

19.) Cut by Patricia McCormick

“Look. I have a strategy. Why expect anything? If you don’t expect anything, you don’t get disappointed.”

Cut by Patricia McCormick (Push, 2002)


Genre: Problem Novel, Realistic Fiction 

Honors: Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee (2005) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: After cuts were discovered across Callie's armsshe is taken to a young girl's treatment facility. Callie suffers through support groups with other girls who have eating disorereds, or drug problems, but no one that has a problem quite like Callie's until girl who is also a cutter shows up for treatment. Finally Callie decides to open herself up for help.

Opinion: Although this was one of the shortest books I read, it was also one of the most difficult to get through because I was very bored with the story. Although this is an important issue that is not faced hardly at all in other teen books I had trouble relating or even caring about the main character. But that doesn't mean that other teens wouldn't find it a good read, or that they might not relate to Callie. 

Ideas: This is a good problem novel, a good real life novel, so anyone who is looking for that kind of book would like this. Obviously a teen who is afflicted with this same problem or has a friend or family member who hurts or cuts themselves then this might help them develop an understanding for what that person goes through. This would also go good in a display for problems novels. Reluctant readers  might like it because it's a very short book.

18.) Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich

“What you don't necessarily realize when you start selling your time by the hour is that what you're really selling is your life.”
 
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich (Picador; 10 Anv edition, 2011)(Originally published in 2001)

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Honors: ALA Alex Award (2002) [Honors Information found at Goodreads.com]

Review: Just how hard is it to live off of minimum wage in America? Barbara Ehrenreich decided to find out first hand. She lived in Florida, Maine, and Minnosota living the most inexpensive lodgeing and working as a maid, a waitress, and even a Wal-Mart sales person. A very real look at the difficulty of getting by, or rather, not getting by in America. 

Opinion: I really like this book, it reads almost like a novel. I love Enhrenreich's attitude and how she describes the jobs she works. Having worked those kinds of jobs myself I know she speaks the complete truth.  Though the book is over ten years old now, and many things have changed, but most have not. The only thing that has changed is the wage amounts that she talks about.

Ideas: This is a good book for someone who is trying to break into the non-fiction genre, or for someone who likes non-fiction. If anyone who is doing any sort of economic research this is definitely a good book for them to read.