by Benedict, HelenMadge has never felt like she fit in. She is the child of an unfit white English mother and Jamaican father; she lives in a rural town where she is the only black person. In fact she is the only black person in her own family since she has never known her father. Feeling lost and helpless after her convict mother has once again disappeared, Madge visits her cousin in New York City and meets a young boy named Timmy who changes her world forever. Timmy seems to be abandoned, always dirty and hungry with never a grown up in sight and Madge wants to help him in any way she can. So what happens if you take a seemingly abandoned child home with you? – reviewed by Courtney, South County Regional, Read more…

by Sheth, KashmiraLeela was married when she was nine years old. Now she waits for the day of her anu when she will go to live in the home of her husband. She will wear a bright sari with bangles of glass on her wrists, her hair will be oiled and perfumed and everyone will celebrate. But the day does not come. Her husband Ramanlal is killed and Leela is a widow at the age of twelve. Her head must be shaved; she can wear only a coarse cloth known as a chidri and is shunned by all. And for one whole year she must stay inside her home “keeping corner.” Around her the world changes but will Leela ever have a life beyond being a widow? – reviewed by Courtney, South County Regional, Read more…

by Li, MoyingIt’s hard to grasp the life that Moying Li reveals in her moving story of survival during the Cultural Revolution in China. Modern day, we have a hard time grasping the intense scrutiny Moying’s family and friends must endure in order to live. Piece by piece Moying reveals the loss of many freedoms we take for granted, such as owning books, going to school, and making friends with whomever we please. Amazingly, Moying remains optimistic throughout, holding firmly to the love and support she has received from family while growing up. This book is a quick read, not only because it is a short book but also because the reader will fall in love with Moying and her determination to remain true to herself and help others. – Read more…

by McCormick, PatriciaLakshmi spends her childhood in a remote village in Nepal, where she has never seen a city or a car. All of this changes when her father sells her to pay off his gambling debts. Suddenly whisked away on a journey through India, thirteen-year-old Lakshmi finds herself in a brothel called Happiness House in the red light district of Calcutta. Her mistress has told her she can leave once she has worked off her price of 10,000 rupees. Told in a series of free verse vignettes, this story is based on the author’s research on child prostitution, which thrives in India even today. The story is beautiful and sad, alerting us to the horrible but very real practice of human trafficking.- reviewed by Meri, University City Read more…

By Cara Chow The reader’s senses are assaulted at the very beginning of Bitter Melon, Cara Chow’s debut young adult novel, as Frances (Fei Ting) and her mother leave their one-bedroom apartment and trek through San Francisco’s Richmond district to get school supplies. You can practically hear the sound of her mother’s belching, see the jewelry-filled silk bags in a safe deposit box, feel the harsh removal of a bracelet, and smell a homeless man’s strong odor. All of these spot-on descriptions create an edginess that continues throughout story. As Frances’s mother continues to verbally and physically abuse her, the girl’s need to escape and create her own destiny become more Read more…

By Justina Chen Headley I really liked this story of Terra, a high school senior, who is blond and beautiful, except for a disfiguring birthmark on her cheek, which she tries to cover up with layers of makeup. She has a boyfriend who is definitely not her soul mate but she stays with him because she doesn’t think she could get anyone else and everyone tells her how lucky she is to have him. In addition to her own struggles, she is constantly trying to protect her mother from her father — who is not physically abusive but worse, verbally abusive. Her meeting with a boy – an attractive boy – would normally add the stress of insecurity to the equation…but on closer examination Jacob, the Goth Chinese boy she’s just met has a Read more…

Rachel a bi-racial Danish and Black, light skinned with blue eyes black girl is delivered to her black grandmother after her mother, brother and baby sister fall off the roof of their apartment building. Her new neighborhood is surrounded with mostly black children and as far from home as she could end up. Rachel struggles to fit in with her new family and piece together her shattered life. Her coming of age story is contrasted with stories from some of those impacted by the tragedy. Through Rachel’s memories and stories from her distant father, her mother, her mother’s employer, and a young boy who witnessed the tragedy, we slowly piece together what happened on the roof as well as more family secrets that contributed to it. We also Read more…

by Alexie, Sherman Arnold Junior Spirit refuses to give up hope. When he can no longer stand his dead-end life on the Spokane Indian Reservation, he leaves the familiarity of his tribe, family, and friends for a chance at a brighter future, courtesy of the all-white Reardan High. Diary’s short chapters and snappy sentences make it a quick read, and Ellen Forney’s vivid, hilarious drawings give the book an intimate feeling, like you’re paging through someone’s notebook doodles. But what really drives the novel is the narrator: Junior is irreverent and heartbreakingly honest. His humor, creativity, and enduring hope in the face of personal tragedy make him an engaging and sympathetic character. This is a great read for anyone who Read more…