If I grow up

Strasser, T. (2009). If I grow up. New York: NY. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Interest Level: Grade 7-10

Reading Level: 4+

DeShawn lives in the Frederick Douglass housing project in New York. This is a place where drugs, gang violence and teen pregnancy are commonplace and twelve year old DeShawn doesn't want any part of that. DeShawn is a good boy, a smart boy who wants to do the right thing. DeShawn's best friend Terrell sees it differently. He's looking forward to being accepted by a gang so he can start making some money to get all the things he can't afford. Unfortunately, no matter how hard DeShawn tries to resist, circumstances change and becomes involved with the Disciples. By fifteen life is about becoming daddy's, drugs and guns. And by the time the book ends DeShawn is no longer recognizable as the young boy determined to live a clean life.

This is an eye opening book for anyone not raised in the projects. The drugs, violence, teen pregnancy and poverty are overwhelming to an outsider, even in this book that seems to tone things down so that it's acceptable for the audience intended. You can't help but feel for all the players in this game, where gunshots and death are the norm and where the chance of escaping the drug and gang lifestyle are low. At times the novel sounds preachy, but in the end this book accomplishes what it intends to- opening the eyes of outsiders on to the gritty reality of the urban life. This book is especially appropriate for urban kids who sometime idealize "ghetto" life due to their exposure to rap music.

The Hunger Games

Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

Interest Level: Grades 7+

Reading Level: 5+

Katniss lives in District 12 of Panem, a nation that exists in North America in the future. District 12 is the farthest from the Capitol and therefore one of the poorest. Katniss' mother is a healer and her father is dead from a mining accident. In order to keep the family fed, Katniss illegally leaves District 12 on a regular basis to hunt, a crime that is overlooked because even the District's Mayor buys her meat. District 12, like all the Districts, is required to send two Tributes- one male and one female- to the Hunger Games and when Katniss' little sister Rue is chosen, she volunteers to go in her place.The Hunger Games are a brutal reality-TV show put on to entertain the residents of the Capitol and to control the residents of the Districts. Only one person can be a Victor each year, a position that earns them a house, food and money for the rest of their life. Katniss, like every other Tribute is determined to be that person. When the Capitol announces that if both Tributes from the same District are alive at the end that both will be proclaimed victors Katniss is determined to repay her debt to Peeta, the baker's boy who has saved her life numerous times. Will she succeed?

This is a brutal story, much like Shirley Jackson's The Lottery. Katniss is a strong and likeable character from the beginning, concerned about her family's safety and distrustful of those around her. She has spent far too long relying on herself to easily trust, but she must earn the admiration of others if she hopes to survive. Peeta, too, is a likeable character, but in a more understated way. Readers will feel for his unrequited love for Katniss and wonder how she can possibly think his proclamations are only for the sake of the camera. The fighting scenes will have readers on the edge of their seats, but eagerly turning the page to see what's next.  The stunning conclusion will have them running to the library for the next installment. (NOTE: The popularity of this novel has had readers as young as 3rd grade requesting it from their librarians. The violence and the basic premise of the book may be too much for readers that young.)

Nation

Prachett, T. (2008). Nation. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Interest Level: Grades 7+

Reading Level: 5+

Mau has just spent thirty days on Boys' Island, left there by his dad to survive. This is the practice of Mau's community and is integral to a boy becoming a man. On Boys' Island, boys must craft a canoe and sale back to the Nation on the thirtieth day where they will be welcomed into the village as a man, having left their boy spirit on Boy's Island. But as Mau cleans up the island in preparation for his return he notices something different in the air. He hastens his departure only to find himself in the midst of a tsunami.. Mau survives and makes his way back to his island, but the Nation did not and Mau is now stuck with no soul having left his boy one on Boys' Island and unable to receive his man soul. Simultaneously, a ship from England that had been heading to an island in the South Pacific and are also caught in the tsunami. The ship crashes into the shores of the Nation's island leaving only a teen girl named Daphne as a survivor. Inhabitants of other islands also make their way to the Nation, looking for help and Mau finds himself in the role of leader. Will they all survive?

Fans of Terry Prachett's Discworld series might be surprised to read Nation as it is vastly different from that series. However, Nation is a gripping novel of survival that will have most readers caught up in the story from the very beginning. The imagery is vivid and the characters are believable. In addition to the survival theme, this novel also focuses strongly on beliefs and how traumatic events can challenge those beliefs. Both Daphne and Mau must confront their upbringings and decide whether to honor the traditions they were raised with. This book has something for everyone.

Hatchet

Hatchet

By Gary Paulsen

195 p.

IL: 5-8 grade

RL: 5+

Thirteen year old Brian Robeson is on his way to Canada to visit his dad for the first time since his parent's divorce. When the pilot suddenly dies Brian finds himself alone and in the air with no experience flying a plane save for the few minutes the pilot let him use the controls. He tries communicating with control tower and is successful for only a few brief seconds. With no reception and no fuel Brian is forced to crash land the plain.

Alone in the wilderness with nothing but the clothes on his back (even his windbreaker is in shreds) and the hatchet his mother gave him as a going away gift Brian must figure out how to survive. He quickly learns what all inhabitants of the forest know- that existence is all about food and about shelter from predators.  Brian learns how to build fires, catch fish, hunt land animals and stay alive. With every potential mistake a fatal one, will he ever be rescued? 

Gary Paulsen is a master story teller and readers who crave adventure will dig right in to this classic. Be prepared to have plenty of other Paulsen books at the ready because when they finish with this one they will most certainly be asking for more. For readalikes see authors such as Will Hobbs or Ben Mikaelson.

Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers.