THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green
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Hazel does not particularly enjoy support group. It consists of sitting in a church with a bunch of other teenagers with cancer of various kinds at various stages, all in the process of dying–even those in remission. All humans are in the process of dying, after all. But it is at support group that she first meets Augustus Waters, an incredibly attractive guy with an unrelenting wit and an affinity for metaphorical cigarettes. Their friendship forms quickly around conversations about nuances of language, action movies, video games, and in particular a somewhat philosophical novel by a reclusive author. Peter Van Houten’s novel has had a profound influence on Hazel and her worldview, but there is one problem. It ends mid-sentence with the main character’s death. Not a very satisfying conclusion. As Hazel tries to balance her feelings for Augustus with her reluctance to begin a relationship that must inevitably soon end with her death, Augustus tries to track down Van Houten to find out how the novel ends.
The Fault in Our Stars is at once hilarious and heartbreaking. Through an exploration of love, family, hope, disappointment, and loss, John Green captures the infinite beauty, tragedy, and potential of finite human life. Hazel and Augustus are witty, intelligent, imperfect, and so utterly human that I could not help but fall in love with them. Although it is heart-wrenching, I would not call this book depressing. In fact, I would describe it as uplifting, a reminder that the transience of human life does not diminish its beauty or its meaningfulness. Thank you for this book, John Green. It is truly a masterpiece.
If you liked The Fault in Our Stars, you might like The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
N.E.R.D.S. by Michael Buckley
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Jackson didn’t used to be observant; he didn’t need to be. He was a star football player, and the most popular kid in school. He split his time mostly between sports and torturing the “nerd herd,” the allergic, asthmatic, geeky weirdos at the bottom rung of the social ladder. But then came the diagnosis that would doom his social life: Jackson needed braces. Not just braces. The most convoluted, horrific, uncool metal headgear imaginable. At first he hoped that his friends wouldn’t judge him based on the new braces, but alas, Jackson plummeted down to the bottom of the ladder almost immediately. That is when he became observant. No one talks to him, so he begins to notice things about people. And when he notices that the nerd herd has a strange habit of sneezing all at the same time and then disappearing from class, Jackson decides to figure out what they’re up to. His spying lands him in a secret laboratory where a strange computer takes him hostage and upgrades his braces with nanotechnology to turn them into some sort of robotic fighting machine and a secret agent named Brand invites him to join a super-secret espionage team. It turns out that this team is made up of none other than the nerd herd who are not particularly delighted to have their former tormentor on board. Still, they might need all the help they can get if they want to have any hope of stopping the evil Dr. Jigsaw from achieving world domination.
N.E.R.D.S. is a very silly, quirky, sci-fi adventure with a healthy blend of action, slapstick comedy, bathroom humor, and parodies of comic book cliches. It will likely appeal very much to upper elementary and middle grade readers. A sequel follows: NERDS 2: M is for Mama’s Boy.
If you like the N.E.R.D.S. series, you might like the Lunch Lady books by Jarrett Krosoczka.
1066 AND ALL THAT: A MEMORABLE HISTORY OF ENGLAND by W.C. Sellar and R.J. Yeatman
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1066 and All That: a Memorable History of England, comprising all the parts you can remember, including 103 Good Things, 5 Bad Kings and 2 Genuine Dates, is a humorous survey of British history from the Roman conquest through 1930, when the book was originally published. The short book is framed as a mock history textbook, complete with absurd essay questions, pointless footnotes, and a plethora of humorous errors. The authors blend actual history with Shakespeare plays, intentionally mix up people and events, combine quotes, alter timelines, etc., which results in a mixture of clever parody and just plain silliness. If you have a basic familiarity with British history and enjoy the sense of humor of Dave Barry, Monty Python, and/or The Simpsons, you will probably find this book as hilarious as I did.
Thanks for the recommendation, Sarah!
PHINEAS GAGE: A GRUESOME BUT TRUE STORY ABOUT BRAIN SCIENCE by John Fleischman
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In 1848, a railroad worker named Phineas Gage was in a horrible explosion that drove a 3.5 foot long, thirteen pound, spear-like iron rod through his skull and brain–and he survived! He never even lost consciousness. For eleven years after his accident, Phineas Gage was a marvel of human physiology and taught doctors an enormous amount about the brain. John Fleischman’s book tells the story of Phineas Gage’s accident in all of its gory detail and then traces the scientific explanations of his survival and the personality changes that happened after his accident, as well as how his case influenced the history of neuroscience. This book will be most interesting to middle and high-schoolers, especially those interested in science, but also has a strong “strange-but-true” and grossness factor. Even upper elementary-schoolers who enjoy the Guinness Book of World Records and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not books will enjoy the first chapter of this book (the story of the accident) and all of the cool photos and illustrations. This book is fascinating! I highly recommend it!
If you liked Phineas Gage, you might like Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland or Extreme Scientists.
THE HOUSE OF THE SCORPION by Nancy Farmer
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Matt spent his early life in a secluded cottage, raised by Celia, a maid for El Patron, the 140 year old drug lord who rules over the land of Opium. But when Matt’s attempt to communicate with three new children leads to a serious injury, he is suddenly whisked into the strange world beyond the cottage. There, he learns that he is a clone of El Patron, a sub-human creation that many people consider to be equivalent to livestock. El Patron decides to protect Matt and raise him with the education and lifestyle befitting of a drug lord’s son, but Matt senses something sinister about the old man and his complicated family business, although Celia and his new bodyguard Tam Lin will not explain it to him. Matt will have to come to grips with his identity as a clone, the reason he was created, and the truth about El Patron’s Opium empire–because his life may depend on it.
Another great Sci-Fi novel from Nancy Farmer! She builds a vivid and terrifying dystopian landscape that explores potential moral consequences of cloning, as well as providing a commentary on how humans treat other humans, particularly immigrants and the working class. The novel has a nice blend of action and philosophical musing and will certainly be relatable to anyone who has ever struggled to find their identity or place in society. I highly recommend it to lovers of dark Sci-Fi novels!
Older teens who liked The House of the Scorpion might like Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood–and of course Nancy Farmer’s earlier Sci-Fi classic, The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm.
Thanks for the suggestion, Grace!
THE ROCK AND THE RIVER by Kekla Magoon
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In some ways, Sam has led a sheltered life. He has experienced some of the racial prejudice that his father, a well-known Civil Rights activist, is fighting against, but living in his middle-class neighborhood, he has never quite understood the struggle in the same way that others seem to. His older brother, Stick, on the other hand, seems to be getting involved in things that are over his head. He has grown frustrated with his father’s methods of peaceful protest and joins the Black Panthers. Sam is stuck in the middle of the fight between his father and brother, trying to understand the implications for the struggle for Civil Rights and figure out on which side he should take his stand.
This wonderful historical novel weaves realistic family tensions into the political tensions of an important historical period. The story is gritty, realistic, action-packed, and thought-provoking. Not the feel-good book of the year, but a gripping read. The well-researched historical backdrop of the story along-side the intense, character-driven fictional story would also make this an enjoyable book to use in a high school classroom.
MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF by Jennifer Holm
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Ginny has a number of important items on her seventh grade “to do” list. Among them are getting a new dad, getting her older brother Henry to “chill out,” and getting the role of the Sugarplum Fairy in her ballet school’s Nutcracker. Unfortunately, her goals have unexpected challenges and complications. Having a step-dad is more difficult than she thought it would be, and her ballet rivalry with Mary Catherine Kelly may have ended their friendship for good. On top of all of that, Henry seems far from chilling out and may end up in a military academy. Thank goodness for Grampa Joe, Becky Soo, and yellow sweaters. But will they be enough to get Ginny through seventh grade?
This story is told in an interesting style–as a scrapbook with notes and documents from Ginny’s life. It may take a while to get settled into the pattern of reading the story, but in the end it captures the story of Ginny’s life very nicely. This book will likely appeal most to middle grade girls, and the creative storytelling style may appeal to reluctant readers as well!
If you liked Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf, you might like Dumped by Popular Demand, Dork Diaries, Babymouse, and Smile.
THE SUSPICIONS OF MR. WHICHER: A SHOCKING MURDER AND THE UNDOING OF A GREAT VICTORIAN DETECTIVE by Kate Summerscale
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In June 1860, three year old Saville Kent was brutally murdered during the night, taken from his bed in his family’s manor in Wiltshire and stabbed to death, his body finally being thrown into an outhouse. As the manor had been securely locked overnight, it was immediately apparent that someone inside the house must have killed the child. Thus began a true “manor house mystery” that would inspire mystery writers for years to come. The murder occurred at a time when detectives had just begun to appear in law enforcement, as well as in literature. Some viewed men like detective Jonathan Whicher as gods of genius, piecing together seemingly unconnected bits of a story to reach justice. Others saw detectives in a more sinister light: as voyeurs or spies who pried into people’s private lives and exposed their family secrets without discretion–a horrible thought for Victorians.
Summerscale explores these tensions in her account of the Saville Kent murder. She tells the story in the style of a murder mystery novel, following the detective and his investigation, and keeping readers in the dark until the truth is finally revealed in the final chapters. She also weaves the literary history of the detective into her narrative, as well as the origins of words we now take for granted–such as clue and sleuth. I had difficulty putting this book down, mostly because I wanted to find out who actually committed the crime, but also because I found it fascinating how the real history of detectives was interwoven with the development of the detective mystery genre, each influencing the other. (For example, Whicher was a personal friend of Charles Dickens.) I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, true crime, or Victorian Gothic literature.
If you like historical mysteries, you might like Tess Gerritsen’s novel The Bone Garden.
POWERLESS by Matthew Cody
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When Daniel and his family move to a new town to take care of his aging grandmother, Daniel immediately notices something odd about the kids of Noble’s Green. At first he excuses the strange things he sees as tricks of his mind. Mollie couldn’t possibly move as fast as he thought she did. Certainly the bully Clay couldn’t be strong enough to hurl him that far through the air. But when Eric rescues him from a would-be-fatal fall and flies him up to their secret hide-out, Daniel has to face the truth. The kids of Noble’s Green have superpowers. Most of them choose to use their powers only for good and to hide their abilities from the adults. But one thing is universally true: the powers disappear on your thirteenth birthday. Your old talents vanish, and with them your memories of your childhood adventures and even of your friendships. Some of the kids have accepted this change as destiny, and watched their older friends drift away from them, knowing it would one day be their turn. But Mollie suspects that something else might be going on. Unfortunately, any kid who tried to figure out the truth in the past lost their powers prematurely. But Daniel has no superpowers, and his talent at detective work makes him the perfect man for the job. It is all up to Daniel to discover who or what is stealing the superpowers of Noble’s Green, before the supers lose another friend.
I just picked this book up when I was browsing, and boy am I glad I did! This is a great adventure mystery, built on themes of growing up and changing relationships that we can all relate to. It will probably appeal most to upper elementary and middle schoolers. A truly fun, imaginative read–I highly recommend it!
If you liked Powerless, you might like Sidekicks by Jack D. Ferraiolo.
INKHEART by Cornelia Funke
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Meggie’s father, Mo, is a book doctor. He repairs old books with loving care and encourages Meggie in her own love of books and stories. But Mo never reads aloud. Meggie has never given this too much thought until a mysterious man called Dustfinger shows up at their house in the middle of the night, and Meggie’s world is turned upside down. She and her father are forced to flee from some sort of evil man by the name of Capricorn, and no one will explain to Meggie what is going on, who Capricorn and Dustfinger are, or what all of this has to do with a book called Inkheart. Meggie, Mo, and Dustfinger seek refuge at the home of their book-obsessed relative, Elinor. But it isn’t long before Mo’s past catches up with them. When a bunch of thugs steal Mo and Inkheart, Meggie learns of her father’s ability to read characters out of books, discovers the truth about her mother’s disappearance nine years earlier, and prepares to embark on a dangerous adventure to rescue her father from the clutches of Capricorn.
This fantasy adventure will greatly appeal to all readers who have ever imagined joining characters in the world of their story–or having those characters come to life in their own lives. It is a long book, but fast-paced with beautiful imagery and complex characters. I also recommend the audio book–although it is quite long (15 hrs!)–as Lynn Redgrave’s performance really brings the book to life.
Susan the Librarian 