Secret Life of the American Teenager

Secret Life of the American Teenager - Season One

Network:  ABC Family

Format: Television Show

Genre: Realistic/Fiction

This show is for Ages: 13 up

Subjects/Themes: Sex, Parenting Identity

Plot Summary:  Amy Juergens, a 15-year-old band member, is pregnant as a result of her first sexual encounter with an older boy, Ricky, at summer band camp.  Amy, her family and friends must come to terms with her pregnancy.  She is faced with the difficult decision of choosing adoption, abortion or raising the baby.   Her parents are separating because of her father’s infidelity.  Other high school characters in the show struggle with complicated issues including promiscuity, sexual abuse and abstinence.  The show deals candidly with these issues and offers advice for parents and teens to talk candidly to each other about sex and pregnancy.  

Review:   Unfortunately the physical changes, difficulties of childbirth and responsibilities of a new baby are not realistically portrayed.  During labor right before having the baby Amy eats a hamburger.  The show has a place as a vehicle to promote conversation between parents and children about difficult topics and is entertaining.  Some young viewers may accept the ease and glossiness of the way networks handle teen pregnancy and fail to understand the reality of such a difficult situation.  I recommend this show for show for older teens but every family is different and parents are encouraged to watch the show with their children and evaluate it based on their values. 

What Made the Wild West Wild

What Made the Wild West Wild

Author:  Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin

Publisher:  My Report Links.com Books       

Year:  2006

ISBN:  159845-016-6

Genre: Non Fiction American History

This book is for Ages: 8 up

Subjects/Themes: U.S. History

“Wild Bill” Hickok, “Calamity” Jane, Davy Crockett, and “Buffalo Bill” Cody these heroes of the old west and the dime novels and stories that made them great are examined and compared with reality.  This book includes a helpful website with links to information to use for creating book reports and biographical reports.  Covering the 19^th century U.S. history of Indians, pioneers, gold rush, cowboys outlaws and lawmen, What made the Wild West Wild is an engaging overview with photos, maps and illustrations that bring the wild west to life.  

If you like this book you may also like:  Pony Express Riders of the Wild West by Jeff Savage.

Penny Dreadful By Abigail Halpin

Penny Dreadful

Author:  Abigail Halpin

Publisher:  Random House    Year:  2010

ISBN:  978-0-375- 86199-4

Genre: Fiction/ Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8 up

AR Points:      8.0

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Rural Neighborhood, Friends

Plot Summary: Penny has never been to school.  She has always had private tutors.  She lives in a big house with someone to cook and clean.  Her Dad and Mom are almost never around.  One day, Dad comes home and announces that he has quit his job.  When the family can’t afford their big house anymore and mom inherits a house from her great –great aunt Elsbeth in East Tennessee the family packs up and starts a new life.  Penny has a lot to learn about making friends and living in a small town and what makes a person truly rich.  

Review:  Abigail Snyder’s book explores important questions the ideas of wealth in her wonderful book full of spunk and spirit Penny is anything but dreadful.  A fun story for today’s young people. 

If you like this book you may also like: The Penderwicks a summer tale of four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy by Jeanne Birdsall

No Castles Here by A.C.E. Bauer

No Castles Here

Author:  A.C.E. Bauer

Publisher:  Random House    Year:  2007

ISBN:  978-0-375-93921-1

Genre: Fiction/ Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8 up

AR Points:      7.0

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Neighborhood, School, Music

Augie is an 11-year-old boy living in a tough neighborhood.  The boys in his class sometimes are lookouts for the local gang.  With the help of his music teacher, a bookstore owner and a few others, Augie helps his community unite through music to revitalize his aging school and acknowledge the commitment of the students despite their difficult circumstances.  The characters in this story are believable; the situations are tough and yet somehow ring true.  A.C.E. Bauer writes a good story within a story.  Augie is a likeable although imperfect, as are most people in the real world. 

If you like this book you may also like:  Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrik

Rules by Cynthia Lord

 Rules

Author:  Cynthia Lord

Publisher:  Scholastic, Inc.    Year:  2006

ISBN:  978-0-439-44383-8

Genre: Fiction/ Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8 up

Awards: Skipping Stones Honor Award; Newbery Honor; Schneider Family Award; ALA Notable/Best Books;

AR Points:      4.0

Subjects/Themes: Friendship, Family Life Growing Up, Disabilities

Plot Summary:  12-year-old Catherine is frustrated with having am 8-year-old brother with autism.  She just wants to have normal friends and do normal things.  Her dad is always at work.  Her mom asks her to watch her brother a lot.  Catherine has rules to help David interact in the world.  When Katherine meets a new friend names Jason, she has to question her rules and her idea of normal. 

Review: Cynthia Lord’s book is about acceptance.  Still it was hard for me to accept that Catherine is as compassionate as she is written.  I liked Jason and David.  The Rules are great.  I especially liked the Davids escapades with the fish tank.  Good book, with a nice story.  

If you like this book you may also like:  Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin. 

The Edge of the Sword by Rebecca Tingle

The Edge of the Sword

Author:  Rebecca Tingle

Publisher:  Scholastic

Year:  2001

ISBN:  0-439-41796-1

Genre: Fiction

This book is for Ages: 12 up

AR Points:      11.0

Subjects/Themes: Family Life, Marriage

Plot Summary:  Flaed is the 15-year-old daughter of the King.  She will be soon married to Alderman Ethelred.  She will leave the safety of her home and family to start a new life, but Flaed wants her freedom.  She wants to leave the watchful eyes of Red, the guard Ethelred has sent to keep her safe until the wedding.  Flaed plans and manages her escape right into the hands of kidnappers.  What will she do now?

Review:  Rebecca Tingle writes a historical novel based on real life strong female main character.  Unfortunately the relationships in just story just didn’t draw me in the way they should have.  While it is a good book it is not fantastic as I would have hoped.  If you like history and love to read, pick it up.  This book is not for reluctant readers.

The Manny Files by Christian Burch

The Manny Files  

Author:  Christian Burch

Publisher:  Antheneum Books for Young Readers    

Year:  2006

ISBN:  978-1-4169-0039-9

Genre: Fiction/Realistic       

This book is for Ages: 8 and up

Awards: Josette Frank Children’s Book Award

AR Points:      9.0

Subjects/Themes: Self Confidence; Family Life;  Bullies, Humor

Plot Summary:  Keats is 8-years-old and has always had a nanny take care of him and his sisters.  One day his mom introduces him to Manny the family’s new male nanny.   Manny does things differently.  He sings songs by Alice Cooper, hangs piñatas over their beds and makes breakfast like Pablo Pancake-asso.  Keats thinks Manny is the greatest.   Lulu, Keats’ older sister, doesn’t like Manny, she records everything he does in “The Manny Files” a notebook she could use to get Manny fired just like she did to the other nanny.  What can Keats do to convince his parents to keep Manny.

Review:   This is a witty book filled with pop culture references.  While it is marketed to kids, older teens and even adults will enjoy the humor and love shared by the Keats’s and his family.  The Manny Files is about growing up and growing older.  This book has wonderful and wacky characters for everyone to enjoy.

If you like this book you may also like:  Hit the Road Manny also by Christian Burch.

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

Title:   Freak the Mighty

Author:  Rodman Philbrick

Publisher: Scholastic Inc.       

Year:  ©1993

ISBN:  978-0-439-28606-0

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 10 up

Awards:  Judy Lopez Memorial Award Honor Book

AR Points:      5.5

Subjects/Themes: Friendship, School, Family, Identity, Death

Plot Summary:  Max always thought he was a stupid, unlovable giant.  Everyone is afraid of him, even his Gram and Grim (Grandpa) who he lives with since his mother died and his father went away.  One day Max meets Freak, a very small and extremely smart boy.  Together they become Freak the Mighty, avoiding bullies, and performing quests.  Freak shares everything with Max, like the secrets of how to read and what words mean.  Freak is going to get bionic body from the research lab at the hospital.  

Review:    Despite his small size, Freak is a superhero.  He saves Max in this compelling and powerful story by Rodman Philbrick.  This book is full of adventure and on its face is a great story.  For older readers Freak the mighty challenges us to examine the way we look at children of all ages to see beyond the physical into the heart and spirit of the young people we encounter.

Everyting On A Waffle by Polly Horvath

Title:   Everything on a Waffle

Author:  Polly Horvath

Publisher: Scholastic Year: 2001

ISBN:  0439-44309-4

Genre: Fiction Realistic

This book is for Ages: 9-12

Awards: Newbery Honor Book

AR Points:      5.0

Subjects/Themes: Family Life/ Hope/Death/ Courage/Food/Foster Care

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Primrose lives on an island in British Columbia.  When a terrible storm strikes her mother goes searching for her father who is out on his fishing boat.  Both parents disappear and are presumed dead.  But Primrose refuses to believe that her parents are not coming back.  Primrose is sent to live with the neighbor who is around 104, until her uncle comes to take care of her.  Can Primrose and Uncle Jack stick together in the hope that her parents will return,  Even when no one else believes?

Review: Polly Horvath creates a great character with Primrose.  Despite her troubles Primrose keeps you laughing.  Her descriptions are unique.  “Uncle Jack looked like a pig, albeit a lean good-looking pig.  Miss Honeycut looked like a turtle.  It was hard to imagine a pig and a turtle together but it gave me something to do the rest of the meeting.”  Horvath includes recipes in the book including one for Carrots in Apricot Glaze which are the exact color of Primrose’s hair.

If you like this book you may also like:  Trolls, by Polly Horvath

Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Title:   Dairy of a Wimpy Kid

Author and Illustrator:  Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Amulet Books      Year: 2007

ISBN:  978-0-8109-9313-6

Genre: Fiction/Realistic/Humorous

This book is for Ages: 9-13

Awards:  Publisher’s Weekly Best Book, YALSA Top 10

AR Points: 3.0          

Subjects/Themes: Friends, School, Family

Plot Summary:  Greg Heffley is stuck in middle school, or the dumbest idea ever invented.  In his journal, not a diary, he records his thoughts on girls, Phys ed., taking care of his little brother, dealing with parents, video games, friends and all the stuff that can make the first year a middle school a bust.

Review:  Laugh out loud funny this book is fantastic.  I wish I had read this when my son was in middle school.  Jeff Kinney’s characters and situations involving Greg, Rowley, Rodrick, even Mom and Dad are brought to life by his lively illustrations. Greg is kind of a bully but in the end he proves that he is a true friend. 

If you like this book you may also like: the other books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series also by Jeff Kinney.

When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Title:   When You Reach Me

Author:  Rebecca Stead

Reader: Cynthia Holloway

Publisher: Listening Library  Year:  2009

ISBN:  978-0739380727

Media: Digital Download

Genre: Fiction/Science Fiction/Realistic Fiction

This book is for Ages: 10 – adult

Awards: Newbery Medal; SLJ Best Book, YALSA Top Ten

AR Points:     6.0

Subjects/Themes: Time Travel, Family Life, Friendship, Bullies.

Plot Summary:  6^th graders, Miranda and Sal have been best friends for a long time.  One day on the way home from school, Sal gets punched by a strange boy in a camouflage coat.  Sal doesn’t want to hang out with Miranda anymore. Miranda’s life is made even stranger when the spare key to her apartment is stolen, and she starts finding mysterious notes around her apartment, notes about someone coming to save her friend’s life.  Miranda is scared.  Which friend’s life need saving?  Who has been in her apartment?  How does the mysterious note writer know so much about her life?

Review:  Depicting the quiet growth of Miranda, this book is strongly related to Madeline L’Engle’s Wrinkle in Time.  Stead’s characters will remind you of friends from school.  The story is well paced and builds to reveal the mystery.  The real story is about the possibilities and travel we can take as we journey through life.  Stead has created a book with depth and heart that is worth reading more than once. 

If you like this book you may also like:  A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle.

Worth by A. LaFaye

Title:   Worth

Author:  A. La Faye

Publisher: Scholastic             Year:  2006 c2004

ISBN:  978-0439-91342-3

Genre: Historical Fiction

This book is for Ages: 9-12

Awards: Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction

 AR Points:     4.0

 Subjects/Themes: Family Life/Orphans/Frontier Life

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Nate is hurrying to help his father bring in the hay as a violent storm hits their farm.  A flash of lightning as bright as the sun changes Nate’s life forever.  Unable to help on the family farm Nate feels bad.  His Pa won’t even look at him.  When Pa adopts an orphan boy named John Worth, Nate feels unloved and useless.  What role can Nate have on the farm?  Worth is a city boy with no experience working a farm.  He is treated like a servant, and can’t seem to do anything right.  When the ranchers and farmers start feuding, tensions are high as sabotage damages the family farm.  Can the boys work together to save their farm and create a family where they both belong? 

Review:  Nate and his family have trouble accepting his replacement and new brother.  Worth is an interesting and exciting story about life on the frontier in the late 1800’s including: immigrants, and range feuds.  The book has an exciting climax.  That will leave you wanting more. 

If you like this book you may also like:  The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan.

The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson

Title:   The Great Gilly Hopkins

Author:  Katherine Paterson

Publisher: Scholastic             Year:  1995 c1978

ISBN:  0-590-61389-8

Genre: Realistic Fiction

This book is for Ages: 9-13

Awards: Newbery Honor Book

 AR Points:     5.0

 Subjects/Themes: Family Life/Orphans 

Plot Summary:  11-year-old Gilly Hopkins is on her way to her third foster home.  She knows the social worker must be telling her mother all kinds of lies to keep her mother from coming to get her.  Gilly is determined to contact her mother so she can escape from this ugly dirty foster home.  Her new foster mother Mamie Trotter is a huge hippopotamus woman and William Earnest is a freaky kid who is afraid of everything.  Gilly plans her escape but is slowly drawn into this strange family.  When rescue finally comes, it’s not quite what Gilly expected.  

Review:  Did you ever feel like life was unfair.  So does Gilly.  Sometimes she handles things well and sometimes not.  But she does her best to take care of herself.  This is a moving story about family, love, and the hardships of real life. 

If you like this book you may also like:  Holes, by Louis Sachar The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Egypt Game, By Zilpha Keatly Snyder

Title:   Egypt Game

Author:  Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers    Year: 2009, c 1967, 1995

ISBN:  978-1-4169-9051-2

Genre: Fiction/Realistic

This book is for Ages: 8-12

Awards:  Newbery Honor, ALA Notable Book

AR Points: 7.0          

Subjects/Themes: Egypt/Mystery/Make Believe

Plot Summary:  11-year-old April Hall has just moved from Hollywood to Northern California to live with her grandmother while her mother and singer Dorthea Dawn is on tour.  She meets Melanie and her younger brother, Marshall who live downstairs.  Together they start the Egypt Game, an intricate game with rituals to honor ancient Egyptian gods, in the back lot of the Professor’s A-Z Antique Shop.   Soon they are joined in the game by Elizabeth, Toby and Ken.  When a young girl is murderer from their neighborhood, April and the other children must be on guard.  Lots of people are wondering who the murderer is.  Could it be the Professor?  Soon strange things are happening in the game.  Will the police capture the murderer before another child is killed?

Review:  This book is especially good for sixth graders in California studying ancient Egypt.   April has a hard time trusting the new people in her life.  She desperately wants to believe that her mother is going to bring her back to Hollywood. But she is able to escape those concerns in the Egypt game.  The Egypt game reminds me that imagination, books, movies, television and games are all quick escapes for our daily worries.

If you like this book you may also like: Beyond the Grave by Jude Watson