Realistic Fiction

Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Publication info: Dutton Books, 2008
Genre: realistic fiction
Awards: Edgar Award for Best Young Adult(2009), ALA's Teens Top Ten (2009), School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008).
Author Info: John Green is an award winning and New York Times best selling author. He is runs several successful Youtube channels including the Vlogbrothers. The Vlogborthers is a videoblog between him and his younger brother Hank Green that they started back in 2007. It has lead to the development of the Nerdfighters, a group that celebrates all things nerdy and try to decrease world suck through charitable donations and activism. John also has an educational youtube channel called Crash Course that produces short educational videos on history. John is married with a son and is an extremely interactive author with his fans. He communicates with them through Twitter, Youtube, and his tumbler account. John tours the world talking about his books and his various side projects. Before John's career took off as a write he worked for the magazine Booklist. It was there that he started working on his debut novel and became friends with Irene Cooper, who John credits for his writing success. John's debut novel won him a Printz Award and critical acclaim. Since then John has released 7 books, 2 of those were collaborations with other authors. His most recent book has named by many critics as the best novel of 2012.
Plot Summary: Quentin Jacobsen, is in love with his neighbor Margo, or course she has no idea. When the two were 9 years old they discovered a dead body in the park. Since then the two have grown apart. Then one night Margo comes in through Q's window asking that he help her with a revenge plot, of course Q agrees. He helps Margo seek revenge on her soon to be cheating ex-boyfriend and some of her soon to be former friends. The next morning Q finds out that Margo isn't at school and after a few days Margo is officially reported as missing. This isn't the first time Margo has run away but something is different about this time. Q stumbles across a highlight Walt Whitman poem which he believes are clues left behind from Margo about her whereabouts. So Q starts a quest to unlock the clues and find out where Margo has gone and why.
Critical Review: John Green has created another story that has the reader engaged and interested all the way until the end. Q is a somewhat social outcast who you can't help but relate with and Margo despite barely being in the book is developed through the clues that she leaves behind. The reader learns about Margo in small pieces through out the story. I also enjoyed the whole idea of a paper town, which are a real thing. They are these fake towns put on maps to help protect copyright. It's such an odd and unusual concept to bring into a book and yet it work so well in the story.
Reader's Annotation: When Quentin's neighbor Margo comes through his window late one night asking for his help to seek revenge he of course says yes. He is in love with Margo after all, and he hopes this is his chance to finally reconnect. But one day after their late night shenanigans Margo goes missing and leaves clues for Quentin behind. Where has Margo gone and why has she left?
Curriculum Ties: There is some interesting history with paper towns that could be tied into a history lesson, students could do some research on actual paper towns, see if there are any located in their state or near their own town.
Book Talk Ideas: The book talk could revolve around how Margo appeared to be one thing; popular, happy ect but in reality she was dealing with a lot of negative emotions just like the paper towns on a map appear to be real towns but when you get to the actual town there is nothing there.
Reading/Interest Level: high school
Challenge Issues: Margo runs away, there is some language, vandalism, and teen sex
Why Include this book? John Green writes honest books for teens that don't talk down to them, rather he writes books with wit and humor and an honesty that you can't find in all teen books.

Title: Along for the Ride
Author: Sarah Dessen
Publishing Info: Viking Juvenile 2009
Genre: Realistic Ficiton
Awards: ALA's Top Ten Teen (2010)
Author Info: Sarah Dessen grew up in North Carolina and graduate with a degree in creative writing. She is an award winning, best selling author of 10 teen novels. Before making it as a writer Sarah supported herself by waitressing. She credits her book loving parents for her love of reading and their support of her becoming a writer. She draws inspiration from her own life and friends growing up. Sarah now lives with her husband and daughter and two dogs and continues to write and tweet on Twitter.
Plot Summary: Auden's parents were always fighting in the middle of the night and even though her parents are now divorced and her dad is remarried Auden still has trouble sleeping at night. Before Auden starts college in the fall she decides to spend the summer with her father, her new stepmom and their new baby at their house on the beach. Auden hopes to spend the summer with her dad but finds that he is too busy working on new book and Auden finds herself spending her time helping out Heidi at her boutique. Auden, unable to sleep at night runs into fellow insomniac Eli. The two start to build a friendship as Auden tries to learn to let go and have fun for the first time in her life and Eli tries to get over the guilt of his friend's death. When Eli learns that Auden can't ride a bike Eli is determined to help her learn how.
Critical Review: The story deals with Auden's struggle to regain her lost childhood and Eli's loss of his friend. Both characters have been hurt and carry that pain with them and are unable to sleep. The relationship between Auden and Eli is what drives the story. Slowly, Auden starts to let her guard down and enjoy life and Eli learns to forgive himself and go back to the thing he loved, his bike.
Reader's Annotation: Auden is not your typical teen. She didn't partake in most of the typical childhood activities. In fact, Auden doesn't even know how to ride a bike. Auden is about to enter college and decides to spend the summer with her newly married father, his wife and their new baby. But what Auden finds is not the summer she anticipated. Instead, Auden finds Eli, a fellow insomniac who teaches Auden how to have fun and most importantly, how to ride a bike.
Book Talk Ideas: A lot of the story takes place late at night due to Auden's and Eli's insomnia, the book talk could focus on their late night interactions and relationship.
Reading Level/Interest Level: high school
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Challenge Issues: N/A
Why Include this book? Sarah Dessen's book have high appeal to high school girls due to it's female centered plots that deal with self-acceptance and characters finding themselves.

Title: Wintergirls
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Realistic Fictio
Publishing Info: Viking Juvenile 2009
ISBN: 067001110X
Author Info: Laurie Halse Anderson is a best selling author of both teen and children's books. Speak and Chains were both National Book Award Finalists. Laurie writes about difficult teen issues and historical fiction novels.  Her novel Speak was turned into a movie and was also a Printz Honor Book. Laurie says she started writing in second grade and worked as a freelance reporter and writer. She was often rejected as a writer and so she joined the Society of Children's Book Writer's and Illustrators and found the support she needed. Laurie now lives with her husband in New York and has four children.
Plot Summary: Lia and Cassie are best friends and eating disorder buddies. The two of them are trying to become the thinnest girls in their grade. But soon Lia is hospitalized for her eating disorder and when she comes home the two girls drift apart. The book starts with the Cassie being found dead in a hotel room. Soon Lia is haunted by Cassie and struggles to deal with her death. Lia also struggles with her own personal demons that cause her eating disorder. Can Lia find out what really happend to Cassie in the hotel room? Will Lia ever be able to defeat her demons are will she succumb to her eating disorder.
Critical Review: Wintergirls is a dark and haunting story of Lia and Cassie and their struggle to overcome their eating disorders. Lia goes to great lengths to hid her issue from her parents to she can get thinner and thinner. The book gives an insight into what is going through Lia's mind and she starves herself to death. It also shows her parents struggle with Lia and how they don't really know how to deal with their daughter's disease. The story can be difficult at times to read because it is so real and honest. You find yourself wanting to yell at Lia to eat and to stop her destructive behavior.
Reader's Annotation: Lia and Cassie are best friends and are both fading away as they starve and binge themselves to practically nothing. But when Cassie dies alone in a hotel room Lia struggles to deal with her death. Haunted by Cassie and her own personal demons, Lia slips even further into her eating disorder.
Book Talk Ideas: For a book talk I would focus on the difficult relationship between Cassie and Lia and their destructive path that their friendship leads them.
Reading Level/Interest Level: high school
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Challenge Issues: The book deals very graphically with eating disorders
Why Include this book? Laurie Halse Anderson writes honest stories about very difficult and often tragic teen issues. This book focuses on the destructiveness of eating disorders which is important for teen girls to be exposed since many teen girls struggle with eating disorders.

Title: Before I Die
Author: Jenny Downham
Publishing Info: David Fickling Books, 2007
ISBN: 0385613466
Genre: realistic fiction
Awards: AlA's Teen's Top Ten (2008), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults(2008)
Author Info: Jenny Downham is a British author and former author. Before I Die was her debut book and has been turned into a film called, Now is Good. She has written one other novel, You Against Me that came out in 2010.
Plot Summary:Tessa is dying from leukemia and is given only months to live. So Tessa decides to make a "Before I Die" list with the help of her friend Zoey. The list includes some risky behavior and the number one thing on Tessa's list is to have sex. Tessa's parents are not too thrilled with Tessa's new quest to engage is what they see has negative and risky behavior. Tessa starts a new romance with her neighbor Adam and seems to be living life before it ends. But as Tessa's health starts to deteriorate her list becomes harder to fulfill and the importance of it comes into question as other things become more important.
Critical Review: Jenny Downham gives an honest look at a teenager dying. Risk taking and many of the things on Tessa's list are considered rights of passage for many teens and the story shows how much Tessa wants to experience all these things despite the consequences. As Tessa's health really starts to fail you start to struggle with the idea that you will loose Tessa. It is an ending that has you crying and leaves you emotional after it is over.
Reader's Annotation: Tessa's battle with cancer is ending with the news that she only has months to live. Tessa decides that she must live life in the short amount of time she has left and she compiles a "Before I Die' list. Though, her list is full of risky behaviors and as her health fails will Tessa be able to finish her list or will somethings be left undone.
Book Talk Ideas: The book talk could center around Tessa's obsession with marking things off her bucket list despite some of those things not being the best thing for Tessa.
Reading Level/Interest Level: high school
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Challenge Issues: The book deals with Tessa engaging in risk taking behaviors including drinking, drugs and sex.
Why Include this book? The book deals with themes of death, family relationships, sickness and dealing with loss.