Coming of Age through the Centuries

Preus, Margi. Heart of a Samurai. 2010. Newbery Honor Book.

The Japan of 1841 had been isolated from the world for over 200 years. No one was allowed to land on the island, if fishermen from Japanese villages drifted too far from the island, they would not be allowed back to their homes for fear of being tainted by the ‘barbarians’. Fourteen-year-old Manjiro is the youngest person aboard a small fishing vessel that gets lost at sea, they are eventually rescued by ‘barbarians’. Manjiro only wants to go home but after seeing and learning so much from the captain and crew of the whaling vessel that rescues him and his comrades, he agrees to continue on with the captain to America and live as his son. His life in America is a wonderful learning experience but he longs for Japan. Read Heart of a Samurai to learn Manjiro’s fate.

Philbrick, Rodman. The mostly true adventures of Homer P. Figg. 2009. Newbery Honor Book.

Homer’s older brother has just been sold. He is now a Union soldier going to fight in the Civil War but he is only seventeen. And Homer is going to find him and bring him home, even though Homer’s parents have been dead for years and they have no real home. Homer’s adventures are amazing and thrilling and sometimes sad but he is true to his purpose and continues to search for his brother despite all kinds of setbacks. Read The mostly true adventures of Homer P. Figg for a rollicking good time adventure.

Speare, Elizabeth George. The sign of the Beaver. 1983. Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

In the late 18th century Maine was mostly wild. Matt and his father built a log cabin in this wilderness in anticipation of bringing the rest of the family to settle at the end of the summer. Matt’s father leaves him alone at the cabin for the 6-8 weeks he will be away fetching the rest of the family. Matt’s father does not return for many months. Matt survives and thrives thanks to Attean, an Indian boy about Matt’s age. Matt tries to teach him to read and Attean teaches Matt how to survive in the woods. But white men are coming to Attean’s land and what will the Indians do. Read The sign of the Beaver for a tale of friendship and understanding.

Reinhardt, Dana. A brief chapter in my impossible life. 2006.

At 16 years old, Simone has a good life, she has parents who love and support her, a younger brother she loves and likes and good friends and a good future. Her life seems to become impossible when her parents tell her that Rivka has called and would like to talk to her. Simone resists strongly but in the end she realizes she has an opportunity to talk to her birth mother. The call opens a whole new world to her and Simone realizes that having another person in her life who loves her is a good thing. Read A brief chapter in my impossible life to see how life is always changing.

Davis, Tanita S. Mare’s War. 2009. Coretta Scott King Honor.

Octavia and Tali are dreading their cross country trip with their grandmother, Mare. Mare is not a typical grandmother she isn’t warm and full of hugs and she thinks her granddaughters are spoiled. So how will they pass the time on the long drive? Mare tells them about the event that changed the course of her life and thus, she became a WAC during World War II. Read Mare’s War to read a tale of a woman’s experience in war.

Schmidt, Gary D. The Wednesday Wars. 2007.

Holling’s 7th grade teacher, Mrs. Baker, hates him, he just knows it. Every Wednesday afternoon half the class goes to temple and the other half of class goes to church. No else stays in class but Holling and now his teacher has to stay and find things for him to do. And does she. First its cleaning erasers and the rats’ cage. Then it’s Shakespeare. But the thing is, Shakespeare is great and Holling learns not only from Shakespeare but also from Mrs. Baker. Read The Wednesday Wars for a wonderful coming of age story.

Rapp Adam. Punkzilla. 2009. Michael I. Printz Award.

Jamie is Punkzilla but what Jamie is really is a 14-year-old boy who’s run away from military school and is now on a cross-country trip to see his dying brother. He travels by bus and car having adventures and meeting some very interesting people along the way. He writes all this down in letters to his brother, which he hopes to read to him if he can get to his brother before he dies. Read Punkzilla for an edgy coming of age story.

Summer Reading

Everyone needs a few good books to read over the summer. Here are a few of mine.

White, Andrea. Surviving Antarctica. Reality TV 2083. 2005.

Todays Survivor television show has nothing on reality TV in 2083. There contestants vie to survive the Alamo and the Civil War and some don’t survive. The difference between those shows and this newest reality TV show is that on this show five 14-year-olds are going to try to recreate Robert Scott’s doomed trek to the South Pole. And they are going alone, miniature cameras have been surgically implanted unbeknownst to them. Their survival depends on themselves and the ‘ghost’ of Birdy Bowers. Read Surviving Antarctica. Reality TV 2083 for a taut adventure story.

Farmer, Nancy. The house of the scorpion. 2002. National Book Award.

We meet Matt when he is six-years-old. He does not have a mother or father. Technically his biological mother and father were born almost 150 years ago. Matt is the clone of El Patron a 140+ year old drug lord in a country called Opium between the U.S. and Mexico. Matt is not considered to be anything but a beast without a soul. He was not born but harvested and he lives only to serve El Patron in any way he sees fit. Matt is hated by most but loved by a few and these few might be able to change the course of Matt’s life. Read The house of the scorpion for a story that takes today’s technology to tomorrow’s level.

Avi. Ragweed. 1999.

When Ragweed seeks adventure and what the world has to offer, he finds more than he bargained for. Not only does he go to the city and discover a new way of life, he makes friends, sings in a band, learns a whole new way of talking and even leads the mice to take a stand against the cats of F.E.A.R. Read Ragweed and its sequels and come along for the adventure.

Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson. The familiars. 2010.

In this story, it’s the three familiars of the three wizards and witches that do the rescuing. The only problem is that Aldwyn, the new familiar of young wizard Jack is, in fact, an alleycat. Now Aldwyn has to try and save Jack and two other wizards and make sure that he is not discovered as a fraud by the other familiars; Skylar and Jay. The familiars and its two sequels make the sidekicks the unlikely heroes/heroines and it’s a fun adventure.

The Way It Was

These stories tell the true tales of the way it was for many people in the past. Amazingly, some of this past is only 40 years old and the understanding of the struggles of these times is in danger of being lost. Read these stories to read about how life could have been for you back in the day.

Blumenthal, Karen. Let me play. The story of Title IX. 2005.

What good do politicians do? Some politicians are great. Before the early 1970s, girls were rarely allowed the opportunity to play sports in school or even take upper level math and science classes in high school or college. Girls were not smart enough or strong enough to do either. Read Let me play to discover the long struggle and bias towards women and how a group of dedicated politicians worked to change the lives of women forever.

Bausum, Ann. Freedom Riders. 2006.

Fifty years ago John Lewis and Jim Zwerg took a bus ride that changed history. Because of them and hundreds of others like them, riding a bus or going to the movies became something all people could do together. It was only fifty years ago whites and blacks could not sit together anywhere in the south, now it seems unthinkable that Americans could believe and behave as they did just fifty years ago. Read Freedom riders to start to understand the times and the danger to the Freedom Riders.

Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black Potatoes. 2001. Robert F. Sibert Medal.

The Great Irish Famine started suddenly in 1845 and lasted for five years. These were years of hunger, despair, disease and prejudice. Millions died and millions more immigrated and those who were left had to pick up the pieces and live on in a land with little hope and even less food. Read Black potatoes to appreciate what you have.

Finding Oneself

These stories tell tales from across time about the struggles everyone faces while becoming an adult. These struggles include death, lost opportunities and the everyday stuggles that have occurred throughout time.

De Angeli, Marguerite. The door in the wall. 1949. Newbery Medal.

Robin, son of a 13th century lord, is crippled just before he was to begin his service as a page in order to eventually become a knight. Robin believes that he has failed everyone; his king, his father and the lord he was to serve. What good is he when his legs don’t work? But Robin learns that even if he is not a knight he can be useful in other unexpected ways. Read The door in the wall to discover how Robin grows into a man.

Lenski, Lois. Indian captive. The story of Mary Jemison. 1941. Newbery Honor Book.

Mary Jemison is approximately 15 years old in 1758 when early one spring morning her world is destroyed when hostile Indians capture her family and a neighbor family and march them across the forests of Pennsylvania. She is taken ultimately to the Genesee Valley as an adopted daughter of the Seneca Nation. This book tells the fictionalized account of her first two years as an Indian captive. It is heart wrenching, poignant and inspiring. It tells the tale of a young girl desperately trying to get back home but ultimately realizing that her home is now with the Senecas and living as one of them for the rest of her life. Read Indian captive for a story about courage and survival and love.

Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, not Buddy. 1999. Newbery Medal. Coretta Scott King Award.

Bud is a lucky 10-year-old boy in some respects. He was loved his first six years by his mama, taught right from wrong and good manners. He is resourceful and hopeful that he will find his daddy someday. That day comes when he is forced to run away. His string of adventures leads him to places that he didn’t expect but he does come home in the end. Read Bud, not Buddy for a story of a long awaited homecoming.


Lenski, Lois. Strawberry girl. 1945. Newbery Medal.

Strawberry girl is 10-year-old Birdie. She and her family have a farm in the Florida backwoods where they try to make a living. It’s hard though, not only to they have to contend with nature and all she has to offer but Birdie’s family lives next door to Sam Slater and his family. And Sam Slater is always itching to start a feud with someone even if it hurts one of his own. Read Strawberry girl for a look at life in the Florida backwoods.

Byars, Betsy. The summer of the swans. 1970. Newbery Medal.

For 14 years Sara’s life, while having it ups and downs, was flowing smoothly. But that summer, her older sister was too beautiful, her aunt too bossy and her brother too needy. Everything was going wrong even her sneakers were now the wrong color. How did life get this way and how will she ever feel normal again. All her angst at growing up is forgotten one morning when her mentally handicapped brother is missing from bed in the morning. She is the one closest to him, can she find her way to him wherever he might be. Read The summer of the swans to see how Sara realizes that life will always have its ups and downs.

Creech, Sharon. The Wanderer. 2000. Newbery Honor Book.

The Wanderer is not a person but a sailboat that is taking thirteen-year-old Sophie, her three uncles and her two cousins across the ocean to visit her grandfather in England. The sea calls to Sophie and she learns sailing and looks forward to this adventure; but as the adventure unfolds, the sea also frightens her and she has dark dreams about the sea. Perhaps these dark dreams have something to do with her refusal to talk about her first parents. Read The Wanderer to learn about Sophie and her collection of interesting uncles and cousins.

Strange Worlds

These four books tell stories of strange worlds where life is not good or fair at least to some members of some of these worlds. The imagination needed to write one of these novels must be invigorating because Lois Lowry has written three books that deal with two societies that are extreme. One is idyllic while the other is cruel and suspicious. Both need help to change their world for the better. Jonas changes his world because of the unseen and unmentioned victims of his world. Kira and Matty work to change their harsh world with their inherent gifts. Read all three books for a look at two extreme worlds.

Haddix, Margaret. Among the hidden. 1998.
Luke would be a normal 12 year old like any other except that outside his family, no one knows he exists! It is illegal to have more than two children and Luke is the third child. His life is concealed until the land around his home is developed into a housing community. Now he lives in the attic. But staying hidden is difficult especially when he discovers a new neighbor child who has two older siblings. Staying hidden becomes more dangerous when the new neighbor tells him about other hidden children and their plans to change their lives. Read Among the hidden to discover how Luke deals with his lack of a life worth living.

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. 1993. Newbery Award.
Living in the perfect world where life is good and easy would be wonderful. Jonas would have been content in his world just like his family and friends but when he discovers his given vocation; the Receiver of Memories, his world is no longer good and easy. There are hidden, disturbing memories but also wonderful exhilarating, memories. Without the good and the bad times in life isn’t life just mundane? What Jonas decides to do with the memories from the Giver will change his world forever.

Lowry, Lois. Gathering blue. 2000.
Kira lives in another world but this world is not good and easy but hard and cruel especially for Kira who lives even though she is a cripple. For people who are damaged in any way are sent to away for the beasts to take them. Kira though is special and discovers many things about her world including the fact that there are no beasts. Can she, a cripple, change her hard world? Read Gathering blue to discover what Kira can do with the help of friends.

Lowry, Lois.  Messenger. 2004.
Matty is a friend of Kira's and now lives in the Village. He has grown and now takes messages to all parts of his world and discovers a special ability that will forever change not only him but his world. Which is good because some form of evil is changing the people of his good and generous village. Read Messenger to learn if the Village remains good and generous.

Something for everyone

I decided to combine different genres of books together so there is something for everyone here.

DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux. 2003. Newbery Award.

Despereaux is a mouse and not just any mouse but a very tiny mouse. But this tiny mouse is awash in imagination, music, hope and ultimately adventure. Through music he meets Princess Pea and thus he meets with the rat Roscuro who lives in the dark dungeon but longs for life in light. Their lives become intertwined with that of Miggery Sow whose father sold her for a red tablecloth. They all meet up with their destiny in the dark dungeon of the castle where they all live. Read The tale of Despereaux for a tiny tale of adventure.

Giff, Patricia Reilly. Pictures of Hollis Woods. 2002. Newbery Honor Book.

Where do you belong? Hollis Woods’ pictures show you where she would like to belong; with the Regans, her last foster family. But something happened there and now she lives with Josie, a retired art teacher. Hollis and Josie form a close bond but Hollis worries about Josie and her forgetfulness. Will she be forced to move to yet another foster family and have her hopes of a family dashed twice in a row? Read Pictures of Hollis Woods to learn what happened to her and both the foster families that love her.

Latham, Jeanlee. Carry on Mr. Bowditch. 1955. Newbery Award.

Nathaniel Bowditch a young man who yearned to go to the university but in the 18th century sailing town of Salem that was impossible for a young man in his position. Instead he was apprenticed and hones his talents in mathematics at night. After his indenture is complete he goes to sea and realizes that navigational information is incomplete and inaccurate. Nathaniel Bowditch complies a new book (the American Practical Navigator) of navigational information that is so accurate, it is still used today. Nathaniel Bowditch is a hero to the sailing community for his Sailor’s Bible, read Carry on Mr. Bowditch for an amazing story of a life well lived.

Bauer, Marion Dane. On my honor. 1986. Newbery Honor Book.

On his honor Joel promises his father he will be careful when he and his best friend Tony ride out to Starved Rock. But the boys don’t ride all the way to Starved Rock, instead Tony decides to go swimming in the river and Joel is angry at Tony’s lack of common sense. The river is dangerous and dirty so he dares Tony to a race. Joel arrives safely at the other side, Tony does not. Now Joel, a 12-year-old has to come to grips that his best friend is not only dead but he had a part in his death. Read On my honor to find out how Joel responds and deals with other people, including his father and the guilt that consumes him.

Lockhart, E. The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks. 2008.
National Book Award Finalist.

How do you describe Frankie at fourteen? She travels in her older sister’s shadow and has no real friends.How do you describe Frankie at fifteen, after she has grown up and out in all the right places? She’s pretty, sharp-tongued, has a popular boyfriend and realizes that she is smarter and more cunning than him or any of his friends.What does she do with her cunning, analytical mind? Since she is attending a prestigious boarding school with an all-boys secret society which her boyfriend is co-president, she takes over the all-boys secret society without their knowledge!Read how she does it and what mayhem ensues at the school in The disreputable history of Frankie Landau-Banks.

Curtis, C.P. Bucking the Sarge. 2004.

The Sarge is Luther’s slum load mother and Luther is her 15 year old son who manages one of her halfway houses, drives elderly residents around in a van with an illegal license and does other work for his hard as tacks mother. Luther, though, is concerned about winning first place in the science fair, thinking about the beautiful girl in class and leaving Flint, Michigan for college. But Luther realizes that unless he does something, he might end up cleaning toilets in his mother’s tenements for the rest of his life. What Luther does while Bucking the Sarge is inspired and shows that good guys do finish first.

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. 2005. Printz Award.

Alaska is beautiful, adventurous, self-destructive and every boy at the Birmingham, AL board school where she attends is in love with her. Miles also falls in love with her as soon as he meets her. His roommate, Chip, is her best friend and the three friends hang out together, drink together and plot pranks together. Except for the growing unhappiness of Alaska, life is good and interesting for Miles at last. Unfortunately, this is the “before” time, it is the “after” time that Miles learns about real friendship and that unless someone lets you in, you can’t really know someone.

Books to make you think

Here are four very different books but each has it's own thought-provoking premise.

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Chains. 2008. National Book Award Finalist; 2008.

The streets are abuzz in New York City during the American Revolution with talk of freedom. Unfortunately, it is only whites that will have freedom at the end of the war. For teenager Isabel, a slave, her concern is not about a country’s freedom but her own and her little sisters. Isabel has been sold to Loyalists in New York City and her sister has been sent away somewhere. To gain her freedom and to find her sister, Isabel will do anything for whichever side will help her find her freedom. Find out what she has to do and for whom to gain freedom when you read Chains.

Blundell, Judy. What I saw and how I lied. 2008. National Book Award; 2008.

Who would you lie for? Would you lie for your mother, your stepfather, the man you love, your family? Evie is just fifteen, in love with an older man who served with her stepfather in the war and slowly realizes that all the people around her are lying. These lies threaten her family and her happiness, Evie will have to lie in order to save some of the people in her life but who will Evie lie for? Read What I saw and how I lied to find out.

Cooney, Carolyn. Code orange. 2007.

Mitty Blake would like nothing better than to avoid studying and homework and concentrate on flirting with Olivia. But since he might fail he actually works on an infectious disease report. While doing research he discovers century old smallpox scabs, are they innocuous or fatal? Could Mitty actually contract smallpox from the scabs, would he die a horrible death or start an epidemic? Someone thinks he will and they decide to make it happen. Find out how Mitty’s smallpox research paper ends in Code orange.

Fox, Paula. The slave dancer. 1973. Newbery Medal; 1974.

Jessie Bollier is a thirteen-year-old boy living in New Orleans with his widowed mother and sister. He makes a little money playing his fife on the docks and doesn’t think much about the taverns, the ships or the slaves that surround his life. One evening two sailors kidnap him and take him to their ship; a slave ship. Why was he kidnapped? Because of his fife. He is to play his fife after they load the ship’s cargo of slaves when they reach port in Africa. Jessie will play while the slaves dance on deck for exercise. Jessie’s life aboard ship is cruel, brutal and full on contrasts. Read Jessie’s story to learn how he copes, survives and is forever changed by the life he is forced to live as The slave dancer.