Textbook Reflection 10-13

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Crutcher, C. (1993). Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes. NY: Greenwillow Books. Book Summary Eric and Sarah are two misfits trying to survive life.Eric is overweight and Sarah has these mysterious burn scars on her face. They both end up forming an inseparable friendship and on their free time they write newspaper articles about the school bully named Dale. Unbeknown, the only person that knows Sarah’s deep darkest secret is Dale.  Eric decides to join the swim team to keep himself occupied and starts to lose weight. Eric becomes part of the “in” crowd, but still worries about Sarah. Sarah has a mental breakdown and gets admitted into a mental hospital. Sarah’s story is a mystery to Eric until Dale reveals that her father abuses her at home. Eric will do anything it takes to rescue Sarah from abuse even if it means risking his own life. Book Review The author does a great job at integrating modern day issues teenagers go through on a daily basis from bullying to  domestic violence. The readers will connect with the major theme of friendship in this novel. Many readers will like how the main character doesn’t neglect his friend just because he is becoming popular. He instead worries about her and tries to save her. I also like the way the author transforms the “bully” into someone that actually cares. At the end of this book, readers will know the meaning of true friendship. Awards and Honors ALA Best Fiction for Young Adults ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults American Bookseller Pick of the Lists California Young Reader Medal School Library Journal Best Book Interview with the author https://youtu.be/81DF-DzRJwg All About the author http://www.chriscrutcher.com/biography.html More books by the author

Shiver

Stiefvater, M. (2009). Shiver. Scholastic. New York Book Summary Shiver is a story about two worlds the human race and the werewolf race. Grace was a young girl that got attacked by wolves, but Sam the brave werewolf with yellow eyes comes to her rescue. Ever since then she is obsessed with wolves and every winter she watches in search of finding her yellow eyed hero. After a boy is attacked in town, many people think that all of the wolves are dangerous and they want to kill them off.  One day, Grace finds her hero Sam laying in human form on her porch injured by a bullet. Grace immediately helps him and they begin this inseparable bond. As Sam spends more time with Grace, he exposes her to the truth about  how werewolves change into humans during the summer time and into wolves during the winter months. Sam thinks that this is his last year as a human, but Grace loves him so much and tries to find a cure for him. Will she find a way to keep him in her world forever? Book Review Shiver is the first book of this fantasy fiction trilogy. Most people would think that this book would be scary and dark because it is about werewolves. However, the author does a great job in normalizing the world of werewolves. This books is recommended for readers that like reading about abnormal love. Readers will connect with the multiple themes in this book including love, transformation, freedom, and forgiveness. More about the author https://www.maggiestiefvater.com/my-story/ If you like this book...you have to read the series!

Fangirl

Rowell, R. (2013). Fangirl. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press. Book Summary Fangirl is a book about  girl named Cath and her first year in college. Cath has a twin sister named Wren and they do everything together including writing Fan Fiction about their favorite book. Cath thinks that they are inseparable, until Wren proves her wrong. Wren decides room with someone else. Now Cath doesn’t know what to do she is battling with so much her freshman year in college. Cath is worried about a lot from her sister Wren who is partying and drinking her freshman year away to her dad back home that suffers from mental illness. Her only escape is writing fan fiction about her favorite book. Her roommate Reagan tries to help her meet new people like Levi her ex-boyfriend, but that goes south. Through heartbreak, failure, and anxiety Cath learns to find herself and survives her freshman year in college. Book Review This realistic fiction book will have adult readers flashback to their freshman year in college! Many young adult readers will relate to the main characters battles with overcoming change and being accepted by her peers. This is a recommended read for older teenagers or someone who likes to read realistic coming- of- age stories. This book will have readers reflect on the challenges of college life, mental illness, and social anxiety. More Books by the Author http://www.rainbowrowell.com/about/ Awards and Honors A New York Times Notable Book Indigo Books, Top 10 Books of the Year Indigo Books, Best Teen Book of the Year More books by the author!

I will Save You

Peña, M. D. (2011). I will save you. New York: Ember Book Summary I will Save You is a book about a troubled teenage boy named Kidd. Kidd had a horrible childhood witnessing his mother get physically abused everyday by his father.  Things take a turn for the worse when his mother gets fed up and commits suicide after killing Kidd’s father. Now, Kidd is all alone and depressed, so he is sent to a foster care facility to get therapy. Instead of getting the help he most desperately needs, Kidd decides to runaway. While in search for balance and peace, he meets this influential man named Mr. Red. Mr. Red takes Kidd under his wing and hires him on for a summer job at a beach. While working,  Kidd meets this beautiful girl named Olivia and they form a strong bond. Soon Kidd falls in love with her and he thinks his world is complete, but that soon changes when Devon comes to ruin things. Devon is another troubled boy that Kidd was warned about...he feeds off of negative energy. Kidd will do anything it takes to prevent Devon from taking away his peace and love even if it means killing him. After Kidd wakes up in  confinement, he soon comes to a realization on who Devon really is. Book Review Matt De La Pena’s creative writing style does a great job at making this realistic fiction story truly come to life. Readers will  be deeply touched by this story and will have empathy for people that are going through depression. This book is recommended for readers who likes a good suspenseful twist at the end. Readers will be able to connect with the main theme of this book which is finding and accepting yourself for better or worse. Awards & Honors ALA-YALSA Best Book for Young Adults and Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers Finalist for the 2011 Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award All about the Author http://mattdelapena.com/bio/ More books by the Author!

The bunk Diary

Brooks, K. (2015). The bunker diary. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Lab. Book Summary Linus Weems feels like he is stuck in a horror story! While trying to do a good deed one day, Linus gets abducted. He wakes up in a bunker with no windows or doors and no privacy. There are hidden monitor devices everywhere. Linus finds out he is not the only one that is in the bunker. He decides to write about their horrific experience in the bunker. Desperate to get out they devise a plan to find an escape only for it to backfire and their worst nightmare comes true. Through starvation, torture, and destruction who will survive at the end?   Book Review The Bunker Diary is a realistic fiction that has a combination of horror and suspense. Due to the graphic content this story is highly recommended for ages 15 and up.  This disturbing thriller will have readers sweating all the way until the end! Readers will connect with the main characters fears and anxiety as the author writes in 2nd person point of view. I love how the author leaves readers on a cliffhanger at the end having readers examine clues and coming up with their own theory of this mysterious abductor. This book really is reality for some people because they might know of a family member that has gone missing, This book will teach young and old readers that no one is safe and  you just have to be cautious at all times. Book Trailer https://youtu.be/uIwzCxvdCOg All about the Author https://literature.britishcouncil.org/writer/kevin-brooks More books by the Author

Bone Gap

Ruby, L. (2016). Bone Gap. New York, NY: Balzer   Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins. Book Summary This story is about two brothers named Finn and Sean. They young and living on their own in a small weird town called Bone Gap. The two brothers meet this new girl named Roza that has a hard time fitting in. They decide to accept her for who she is and form a friendship with her. As Sean begins to spend more time with Roza, he falls in love with her. One night,  on a group date at the fair, Finn witnesses his brother’s girlfriend Roza get abducted by a man. Unfortunately, Finn is unable to see the man’s face due to his disability. Finn and Sean are unable to get help in this strange town. No one is taking them seriously about Roza’s abduction. Finn decides to take matters in his own hands to rescue Roza from her dangerous abductor.     Book Review This fantasy fiction book has elements of  romance, mystery, magic, and horror all in one read! Readers will have a better understanding of each character because the author writes in multiple point of views. This book will remind readers of modern day issues that is still going on today including bullying, kidnapping, and mental illness. Awards & Honors Printz Award Winner National Book Award Finalist All about the Author http://www.lauraruby.com/laura.php Book Trailer https://youtu.be/yjzpaGBCq6c