This graphic novel is an excellent team effort, with Gruber’s technical vocabulary running through Newquist’s simplified rewording, without any loss of accuracy. Schreiber’s imagery of the four demographic groups of Americans most touched by and concerned about the new national Affordable Care Act enhance the detailed clarifications and explanations that Gruber, the MIT economist who helped to develop the nuts and bolts of the affordable health care plan, provides in this thorough but accessible work. By setting out the details of the book’s subtitle, the work as a whole not only addresses questions and concerns about this new act, but also gives readers new insight into how different offices of government actually do their Read more…

For teens working to become better speakers and writers, whether for debate team, forensics, mock trial, or any number of other activities, this book is an effective tool which also aims to entertain. Heinrichs’ book teaches students of rhetoric and English how to use onomatopoeia, alliteration, hyperbole, and just about every other trick. Filled with references from popular culture (think Glee’s Sue Sylvester, Yogi Berra, Good Night, Moon, Harry Potter, and Jon Stewart), the example-rich chapters are followed by exercises to help readers integrate the various techniques into their writing and speech making. One technique Heinrichs recommends is using the “Mad Libs” approach to writing – take a memorable sentence or Read more…

Philip Schultz was 58 when he learned he was dyslexic. It explained a lot about his life, and he now attributes his success at teaching poetry and writing to struggling with his disability. This beautifully written and compact memoir chronicles the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet’s journey through life as a dyslexic. Attending school at a time when learning disabilities were not as well understood as they are today caused Schultz to experience some extremely negative feelings about himself. Although he knew that he was different from other students, he did not really understand his difficulties learning to read and write until he received a report from a neuropsychologist diagnosing his son’s dyslexia. He then began to unravel Read more…

Teens who have read about the girl who was kidnapped at age 11 and held captive for 18 years will be anxious to read this book. Written, as Dugard says, “in my own words, in my own way, exactly how I remember it,” the book provides details of her experiences. While it might not be as explicit as teens hoped, they won’t be disappointed: what is and isn’t revealed is thought-provoking. She discusses her past of being forced to hide in public to protect her abusers and her current need to hide to protect her children from media attention. Photocopied journal entries and lists are included along with grainy photographs. Many of the lists are like any teen’s and would be boring except for the context. For example, #1 on Read more…

The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit (Ecco, 2007), the Cairo-born author’s stirring account of her Orthodox Jewish family’s decline following their forced exodus from Egypt, focused on her beloved bon vivant father. This time she tells her own story, interwoven with that of her strong, self-sacrificing mother, Edith. Lagnado, known as Loulou, focuses on their “arrogant years,” a time when young women felt confident and unstoppable. Unfortunately, forces of culture and nature kept both of them from experiencing these years to the fullest. Teens will be startled to learn that at the age of 20, Edith gave up a dream career as a teacher and librarian in order to marry her first suitor, a womanizer more than 20 years her Read more…

I am sure we are all familiar with Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction, which is very popular with teens and especially with girls. The Other Boleyn Girl (Touchstone, 2001) and sequels are still her most popular books in my library. The Women of the Cousins’ War is Gregory’s first nonfiction title. It all began when she realized that no biography of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford exists. As long as she was researching a novel based on Jacquetta’s life, why not publish her findings? Gregory explains it all herself on a video available on the Simon & Schuster Educator’s site. The entire introduction to The Women of the Cousins’ War is posted on the same webpage, and on the author’s website. I should point out Read more…

Nobel Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman led a busy life, not only as researcher, professor, civilian scientist at the birth of the atomic bomb, and lecturer, but also as a raconteur, husband, and interlocutor with other scientists. Well practiced and noted science comics writer Ottaviani offers s a first-person Feynman who is fully fleshed, humorous, and frustrated by turn, and clear about the roles of family and art in his life, as well as physics problems and solutions. Myrick’s beautifully colored images bounce with Feynman’s emblematic energy while showing clearly his attraction to women, his lack of concern for upscale creature comforts, and his methods of cracking safes as well as prioritizing image over number when Read more…

This brave memoir from a young first author is, in its own way, a coming of age story. Harrison was forced to come of age under the most painful of circumstances. Harrison was a normal college student at Brown University. Her parents were divorced, and she was much closer to her mother until they had a fight on New Year’s Eve that caused a rift. But Lindsay and her two older brothers were wildly unprepared for what happened in March, when their mother disappeared seemingly without a trace. The first half of this memoir deals with the unknowingness of “being missing;” the family knew something was wrong and continued to look constantly for Mom Michele, following every possible clue and not giving up hope. Then her body was Read more…

Given the recent News of the World phone hacking scandal, the timing could not be better for the release of famed hacker Kevin Mitnick’s memoir. At one point, Mitnick went so far as to eavesdrop on National Security Agency telephone calls. At times Ghost in the Wires reads like a thriller, not only for computer geeks but for those interested in his years on the run from the FBI, or in knowing how Mitnick was able to manipulate so many people into giving him the information he needed. He was a proficient con man by the age of 17. Obviously, there are many ethical questions raised here, and the author does not seem to entirely regret his past actions. Mitnick emphasizes that he has a “passion for technology” that led him down a Read more…

Fabio Geda presents the true story of Enaiatollah (Enaiat) Akbari’s early teen years as a novel in the tradition of Dave Eggers’ What is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng: A Novel (McSweeney’s, 2006). In the Sea There are Crocodiles is told in the voice of its subject. Enaiat, abandoned at age 10, survives through hard work (taking often dangerous or illegal jobs), the unexpected generosity of strangers, determination and optimism. Not only does he survive, he makes his way to Europe, where he can resume a more normal life, including attending school. This slim book was originally published in Italy, where it was a bestseller. It delivers a powerful story, one that Booklist agrees is “ideally suited for Read more…

Lucia Greenhouse’s memoir reveals how her family was torn apart by her father’s strict adherence to Christian Science tenets even while her mother was dying of cancer. The author’s blog continues the conversation. fathermothergod is an Oprah Book to Watch for August, and brings to my mind the amazing, Alex-Award winning memoir Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres (Counterpoint, 2006). For more on teens and religion take a look at this terrific post on YALSA’s literature blog, The Hub, titled Thou Shalt Not — Religion and Teen Books. It offers suggestions of how religion should and should not be portrayed in YA literature, and links to lists of religiously-themed books. One of the comments points to a 2007 PPYA Read more…

by Allenbaugh, KayThis book is a collection of several short stories about different events that many teens experience. Chocolate for a Teen’s Heart is a good way to learn from other people’s experiences without actually having to go through something extremely embarrassing. The book is divided into several sections called Love, Boys, Family etc. If you like funny stories or The Chicken Soup for the Soul collection you most likely will enjoy Chocolate for a Teen’s Heart. It has a generous section about teen relationships written by teens. Through this book, you are able to learn first hand from someone else’s experiences. It may help you in a situation of your own. This book is both entertaining and helpful. – reviewed by Read more…

by Bush, JennaThis is the story of Ana, a young girl who was born with HIV. Ana has had many hardships in her life, her mama and papa both died, she was abused while living with her abuela and she struggled to find a safe place to live. Ana seems to have found a place of acceptance at home for those living with HIV. It is there that Ana begins to feel safe and finally begins to deal with the events of her her young life. She also meets a young man, Berto, and they begin a relationship. When Ana discovers that she is pregnant, her life takes yet another dramatic turn. This is an honest look at the struggles that many young women in the world face. – reviewed by Angela, Cornelius Branch, Read more…

By Soraya Mire Female genital mutilation is an issue that many of us know little about, but this book brings home the extent of this cruel practice and the lifelong physical and mental consequences suffered by women who have undergone the procedure. A cultural norm throughout parts of Africa and beyond, FGM involves an extensive removal of genital tissue, often performed with no anesthetic while the young girl is pinned down, screaming in agony. The Girl With Three Legs is a riveting true account of Soraya Mire, who was a member of a wealthy and politically connected family in Mogadishu.  As a "gift" from her mother, the unsuspecting young Somalian girl was genitally mutilated in a horrifying procedure that is Read more…

by AnonymousThis book has captivated me in a way that I can’t explain. It will forever haunt my mind. Nancy is your typical fourteen-year-old loving life and trying to live it to the fullest. She takes you into her world, one that will be shattered forever. “I’ve got to face it…I’m not going to have a career or a husband or a family. My heart is bursting. I AM GOING TO DIE…” At an age when your only concern should be school, homework, friends, and boys Nancy must deal with AIDS contracted through date-rape. She must now be an adult facing death, making decisions and coming to terms with the unknown. This is her diary, a reality that no one should ever have to face.- reviewed by Vivian, Scaleybark Branch, Read more…

by Edited by SMITH MagazineCan you write your entire life in six words? SMITH Magazine challenged teens to do just that and put many of them in this book. “I can’t keep my own secrets” is just one of the many memoirs in this book. It is full of glimpses into so many lives and what got them where they are today. Many of the teens talk of troubled lives or lost family members. Some have more trivial lives, but most have some deep insight into how they got where they are and where they may be going. If you don’t like full out biographies (or even if you do), this book is for you. Wonder what I would put in mine? Maybe “crazy lady likes wearing colorful wigs.”- reviewed by Linda, North County Regional, Read more…

John Prendergast and Michael Mattocks relate their very different, but connected, experiences in this joint memoir. Prendergast wrote a Huffington Post article to explain his hopes for the book, including increased awareness of the issues around which he co-founded the Enough Project, which works to “end genocide and crimes against humanity” in Sudan, eastern Congo, northern Uganda, Somalia, Chad and Zimbabwe. The book trailer gives readers a chance to meet both authors and includes blurbs from Wes Moore, whose book The Other Wes Moore (now out in paperback) was reviewed here last year, and Dave Eggers. For a preview of the text itself, click over to Scribd. PRENDERGAST, John & Michael Mattocks. Unlikely Brothers: Our Read more…

Here on the AB4T blog, we provide timely reviews of new books. But I have also opened up the blog to the reviewers to write about a relevant topic or book outside those guidelines. Amy Cheney is a librarian at the Alameda County Library Juvenile Justice Center in California. She is particularly interested in marginalized books and authors that are relevant to her population. Recently, she asked if she could review a book that made a huge impact on her, but was published in 2009. I said, well, not officially. But why not write a blog post about it?  From Amy: There are books and authors that defy categorization. Jarid Manos is an ex-drug dealing gay black person of Moorish descent who is currently an environmental activist.  Or, as he Read more…

“On May 13, 1945, twenty-four officers and enlisted men and women stationed on what was then Dutch New Guinea boarded a transport plane for a sightseeing trip over “Shangri-La,” a beautiful and mysterious valley surrounded by steep, jagged mountain peaks deep within the island’s uncharted jungle.  But the pleasure tour became an unforgettable battle for survival when the plane crashed.” This excerpt from the publisher description provides a mere introduction to the fascinating nonfiction title being reviewed today. Michael Zuckoff’s adventure story has been garnering raves and tons of press, including a segment on NPR’s All Things Considered. The author’s website includes a Read more…

Perhaps posting a review of this book will be somewhat controversial, given the language and topics involve. However, if we’re talking teen appeal there are plenty of readers who will be fascinated by both the criminal and celebrity lifestyles depicted. Tracy Morrow’s path from thief to Grammy-winning rapper musician to television and movie actor is a unique one. The New York Times book review dubs Ice-T “the gangsta rapper even a parent could love.” Late last week the 2011 Street Lit Book Award Medal Winners (for 2010 publications) were announced. The winner is Decoded by Jay-Z. That same NY Times review of Ice compares the two books to say that while Decoded shares little about the artist himself, Ice is the Read more…

I am not going to pretend to know about urban street culture beyond what I observe simply living in New York City, but I can add to the review below by emphasizing that Street Knowledge is an incredibly handsome book. The cover is thick and multi-dimensional, the title a cutout. It is printed on quality paper — it is heavy. The many, many photographs are beautifully reproduced. And its global reach makes it unique. Teens will be drawn to the book by its cover. Once they open it, the photographs will hold their interest. It is likely different from any book they have encountered before. ADZ, King. Street Knowledge. 320p. Overlook. 2011. Tr $35. ISBN 978-1-59020477-1. LC number unavailable. Adult/High School–King Adz, a British Read more…

by Harrison, MichaelMichael Harrison has compiled a variety of poems especially for teens. Many of the poems are funny, lots of them will involve multiple readings, and all of them are short. Included in this book are poems by famous poets such as Ogden Nash and Ralph Waldo Emerson but there are also anonymous poets. Black and white illustrations by Sue Heap bring many of these poems to life and create even additional humor. This is a great book to read just for the “fun of it.” Enjoy this short treasury of poems today.- reviewed by Emily, South County Regional, Read more…

by Bucholz, DinahCalling all Muggles! Now you can sample some of Harry, Hermione and Ron's favorite foods. From festive meals served at Hogwarts to more homemade fare found at the Weasley's house to treats only found in Hogsmeade, this cookbook offers traditional, and maybe magical, cuisine for fans of J.K. Rowling's seven novels. This creative cookbook includes over 150 recipes, each with a reference to the corresponding Rowling volume, chapter and passage (a must for the serious Potter fan). Why not try your hand, or wand, at Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Treacle Tart, or Rock Cakes. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook is a feast of food and words, a must for every Muggle kitchen.- reviewed by Kim, University City Read more…

by Bucholz, DinahCalling all Muggles! Now you can sample some of Harry, Hermione and Ron's favorite foods. From festive meals served at Hogwarts to more homemade fare found at the Weasley's house to treats only found in Hogsmeade, this cookbook offers traditional, and maybe magical, cuisine for fans of J.K. Rowling's seven novels. This creative cookbook includes over 150 recipes, each with a reference to the corresponding Rowling volume, chapter and passage (a must for the serious Potter fan). Why not try your hand, or wand, at Cauldron Cakes, Pumpkin Pasties, Treacle Tart, or Rock Cakes. The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook is a feast of food and words, a must for every Muggle kitchen.- reviewed by Kim, University City Read more…

by Little, Melanie (editor)What did your father give you? Was he a stereotypical father like they show on TV? Did you get his eyes and ears? Has he taught you something very unique about life? Several authors explore what “gifts” their fathers left them with. Even those without a father learned something from the experience. Some of us will remember our fathers as an almost superhuman man who made our lives the best he could. Some will remember him as a tyrant. The father/daughter relationship is special in many ways and affects us all in some manner. Whether you love or hate your father, he is still part of who you are or will become. We all have a story to tell about our fathers. What is yours?- reviewed by Linda, North Read more…