Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings

Engle, M. (2015). Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Reader.

Margarita Engle's memoir about her childhood written in poetic form tells about her two families: one in Cuba and one in the United States. In her memoir, she discusses how she is two people, her Cuba self and American self.   Her mother is from Cuba and they would spend the summers in Cuba, enjoying family, freedom, and the rich, vibrant island life.  She spends time in her grandmother's garden, visiting the family farm, and learning to ride horses with her cousins. She feels like her heart is in Cuba, where she eats limes from her great-grandmother's  garden and sucks on sugarcane from her family's farm.  Her American self is a shy, book-loving girl that makes good grades, is lonely, and teased by classmates.  Then the Bay of Pigs invasion happens, and her two world hate one another. Her teachers discuss Cuba negatively as well. Her family is unable to visit Cuba and their family because of the travel band.  Her family is visited by the FBI and questioned.  Her mother is not allowed to travel outside of the US because of her passport. The family now spends their summer traveling in the United States.  Soon, they can start to receive mail from her grandma in Cuba.  Then one summer, her father wants to go to Europe to study art.  Their mother is granted special permission from the countries.  But, they are still unable to visit Cuba.  Engle hopes for a future where Cuba and the United States can be friendly once again and she can visit her magical island and family again.

Engle's memoir tells of her own personal love of Cuba and her family that lives there.  Her feelings about the United States and the Cuba's relationship shows her heartbreak that her two worlds can't get along.  The memoir is scattered with history of the Cold War between the two counties.  At the end of the story, she includes a timeline of the Cold War and then includes her author's notes.  In her notes, she tells of how later she finally gets to once again visit her family in Cuba.  YA readers can relate to Engle's American childhood of being teased and lonely for being different and smart.  Readers can also relate to spending summers with family and cousins. 

This book can be used in history class as a companion book to help teach the relationship between Cuba and the United States, the Bay of Pigs, and the Cuban Missal Crisis.  It includes facts, but also how history effected the families involved.  

 Enchanted Air was a 2016 Finalist of the Excellence in Nonfiction for YA.  It also received a Pura Belpre Award. 

Scythe

Shusterman, N. (2016). Scythe. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Scythe is set in a future world where there is no sickness, death, and you can turn the clock backwards and be young again.  Everyone in society can live forever, they will never be hungry, and the society is perfect under the watch of the Thunderhead, which keeps society perfect.  But there is one group of people, the scythe, that can glean, or kill others to keep the world population in check. They are not controlled by the Thunderhead and are self-governing.  Scythes choose who they will glean and must meet their quota each year.  Scythes can also grant immunity from death to anyone for a year if the person kisses their ring. They also have a set of commandments they must follow and have high moral standards.  Two sixteen year olds, Citra and Rowan meet Scythe Faraday by chance and are soon invited to be his apprentices.  Both of them accept and are trained in the art of being a scythe, complete with weapons training and scythe history.  Scythe Faraday trains them to be as merciful as possible. When they go with Scythe Faraday to their first scythe meeting, the Vernal Concave, Scythe Faraday is questioned as the why he has two apprentices.  It is decided that he can only choose one to become a scythe, and the other must be gleaned by the winner.  Citra and Rowan are shocked that one of them must kill the other at the end of training.  Soon after this, Scythe Faraday is said to have gleaned himself, and Citra and Rowan are now with new trainers.  Citra is now with Scythe Curie, who is much like Faraday in which she takes her job seriously and is as kind as possible.  Rowan is sent to train with Scythe Goddard, who gleans with mass killings and treats the job like a blood sport.  Soon, Citra is charged with murdering Scythe Faraday, and escapes with the help of Curie.  She is on a quest to find the true killer and is on a mission that sends her to South America.  She soon finds out that Faraday is alive.  Rowan, who has been well trained by Goddard, must do anything to escape this killer.  At one mass gleaning, Rowan sets the entire building on fire, with Goddard inside.  Rowan escapes by pretending to already be a scythe.  Through twists and turns in the story, at the end, Citra is presented with the scythe ring.  But she doesn't kill Rowan.  Instead, she helps him escape instead of having to face imprisonment for his actions. 

This book brings up the moral debate of immortality.  Should humans live forever?   Who should decide who lives and who dies?  Is it morally wrong to kill another human to keep the population in control? Furthermore, is life as rich and meaningful if you can turn back the clock to be younger, are never sick, and are always given everything you would ever need?  These are questions young adults face as they read Scythe.  As teen are growing and developing, they are forming their own morals and values.  This is a normal part of emotional growth.  This book helps teens decide what is right or wrong when faced with mortality. 

Scythe is on the 2017 list of Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults and also a 2017 Printz Honor Book. 

Watch the book trailer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBeqd-hpVyY

Alex & Eliza

Cruz, M. (2017). Alex & Eliza. New York ,NY: G.P. Putnum's Son.

This historical fiction love story between Alexander Hamilton (Alex) and Elizabeth Schuyler (Eliza) is set during the Revolutionary War.  Elizabeth comes from a prominent family who expect their daughters to marry well.  Alexander is an orphan from St. Croix who came to America at the age of seventeen.  He was sponsored by several wealthy families from New York to come to America to further his educated.  When the Revolutionary War began, he quit college to help with the war.  He soon became General George Washington's  aide-de-camp and a colonel. One evening, Alex visits the home of the Schuyler's to bring news to Eliza's father, General Schuyler that he is being court-martial.  Eliza overhears the entire conversation between her father and Colonel Hamilton.   This is the same evening that the Schuylers have a ball.  Eliza tells her two sisters and when they meet Alex, they are not very welcoming.  Though Alex is charming, Eliza is angry with him for bringing bad news to the family and is rude to him. At the military trial, her father is innocent.  Eliza and Alex do not see one another for two years, and upon meeting again while she is staying with her aunt, she begins to grow fond of him.  They begin to see more of each other at social events, and they become infatuated with one another.  However, the Schuyler family is having financial problems and Mrs. Schuyler wants Eliza and her sisters to marry into wealthy families.  Alex is not a proper suitor since he is poor.   Mrs. Schuyler arranges a marriage between  Eliza and the governor's son, Henry Livingston.   Henry is pompous and crude, and Eliza is devastated that she can't marry the man she loves.  The evening before Eliza is to marry Henry, he comes over drunk and tries to "have relations" with her.   Alex happens to catch this and punches Henry.  He knows he must do something to stop this marriage.  He travels to General Schuyler's house and tells him of what happened.  Her parents tell Eliza she no longer has to marry Henry and they give their blessing to her to marry Alex.  

This historical fiction story about a founding father, Alexander Hamilton and love interest, Elizabeth Schuyler, includes many historical places, people, and events. The story accurately depicts the times in dress, speech, and social interactions. This love story includes two young people that fall in love , but are told they can't marry because they are from two different social classes.  But in the end, the two marry anyway.  This is like so many love stories where love conquers all in end.  This YA book depicts a story of young love that endures despite what Eliza's parents want her to do.  Alex fights for their love no matter what.   There are some teens that may not be able to date certain people because of where they grew-up, their financial situation, religion, or their ethnicity.  This book helps them through that, and know that love can break through barriers.

Alex & Eliza is a New York Times Young Adult Hardcover Bestseller in May of 2017. 

This One Summer

Tamaki, M. (2014). This One Summer. New York, NY: First Second. 

In this graphic novel, Rose is going with her parents to their summer cottage at Awago Beach.  They have spent every summer there since she was a little girl.  Windy is her summer friend who is one year younger.  They have spent the summers together since she was five years old.   This summer Rose is on the cusp of adolescence.  Rose and Windy like swimming, buying candy, and watching horror movies together. But, they are also talking about boys, breasts, and sex.  At the corner store where they buy candy and rent horror movies, they are exposed to the dating drama of the teen clerk, Dud and his girlfriend. Dud and his friend call their girlfriends "sluts" and the pieces of conversations Rose and Windy hear indicate that Dud's girlfriend may be pregnant.  Furthermore, Rose's mom is depressed and withdrawn from the family.  She had a miscarriage last summer and can't seem to get over it.  Her mother just sits around the cottage and doesn't seem to want to do anything with Rose.  It puts a strain on her relationship with her mother.  Also, her parents seem to be fighting more and more.  As the summer progresses, Rose and Windy become more interested in Dud's relationship with his girlfriend and snoop around the store to find out pieces of information.  Towards the end of summer Rose and Windy's families have a bonfire on the beach.  The two girls walk to the corner store to get marshmallows and see a fight between Dud and his girlfriend.  Later that night at the beach, Rose sees a girl in the water drowning.  Rose's mom jumps into the water and saves her.  The girl is Dud's girlfriend.  At the end, Windy and Rose promise they will see one another next summer.

Rose is on the cusp of adolescence in This One Summer.  She still enjoys doing things from childhood, like riding her bike and playing at the beach with her friend, but she is also interested in the older teens and their relationship.  She is becoming more aware of her body changing and is interested in growing breasts.  She is a preteen:not a child, but not a teen yet.  It is a confusing time for adolescences as they are maturing and trying to understand what is happening to their bodies and their emotional changes too.  It is also about changing friendship.  Windy and Rose have been friends for a while, but Windy is younger than Rose, and Rose is beginning to see that Windy may not understand everything she is experiencing  emotionally.  Rose is maturing into a teen, while Windy is still in childhood.  This story also shows the strained relationship between mother and daughter.  Rose is having a hard time with her mother's depression and doesn't know how to handle it.  Her parent's fighting is also hard for her to understand and comprehend.  Young adult readers can relate to the difficulties of growing and crossing over from a child to a teen.  The illustrations in the graphic novel are dark indigo blue and white, which represents a somber tone.  The illustrations show many of the emotions and turmoil the characters face in this book.  

This One Summer won a 2015 Printz Honor Award,  2015 Caldecott Honor, and YALSA Great Graphic Novels for Teens. 

Roller Girl

Jamieson, V.(2015). Roller Girl. New York ,NY: Penguin Group.

After attending her first roller derby,  twelve year old Astrid can't wait to go to roller derby camp in the summer.  She thinks her best friend since first grade, Nicole, will sign-up as well.  She soon learns that Nicole has signed-up for dance class instead with a new friend, Rachel.  Astrid is devastated that Nicole is not joining her and decides to brave roller derby camp alone.  She  neglects to tell her mom that Nicole is not going and that Nicole's mom will not be driving her home from roller camp.  Astrid goes to her first day of camp and realizes how hard this is going to be. Throughout camp, she writes to her favorite roller derby player, Rainbow Brite, and asks for advice.  Rainbow Brite writes her notes back, offering words of encouragement.  One bright spot for  Astrid is making a new friend at camp, Zoey.  Astrid and Zoey begin a new friendship, and then one afternoon at Zoey's house, they dye Astrid's hair blue.   Astrid's mom is not pleased with some of the changes she is going through.  Astrid and Zoey find out that at the end of camp, they are going to have a roller derby bout.  They volunteer to handout flyers.  While in the amusement park, they run into Nicole and Rachel.  They overhear Rachel telling Nicole to ignore Astrid and to no longer be her friend.  Astrid looses her temper and tells Nicole she hates her now.  Along with that, Astrid's mom finds out that she's been walking home by herself from camp and is is furious. Little by little, Astrid improves her skating and roller derby skills.  She also tries to have a truce with Nicole and gives Nicole tickets to her roller derby bout.  At the derby, Astrid does her very best and Nicole comes to see her after all.  After the derby is over, she invites Astrid to dinner.  Astrid declines because she wants to stay with her team.  Astrid even gets an autograph from Rainbow Brite and she praises her for how hard she has worked.  Astrid learns that growing up is hard, but something everyone faces.

This graphic novel features growing up, changing, and learning new things are things all teens face.  Losing your best friend and facing fears is another challenge some teens face as well.  Astrid, the protagonist, learns that friends have their own interests and may grow apart.  This is something many teens face as they grow as well.  But Astrid also learns that each person finds a new group and friends that share common interests. 

 Roller Girl is a 2016 Great Graphic Novels for Teens Top Ten recipient.  It also won the Newbery Honor in 2016, as well as the 2017 Texas Bluebonnet Award.

The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love

Tash, S. (2016). The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Graham is a self-proclaimed geek who loves comics, school, gaming, and his best friend Roxy.  Graham and Roxy have been best friends since they were eight years old, but now at sixteen, he has fallen in love with her.  They both love the same comic series The Chronicles of Althena, write a comic series together  they named The Misfits of Mage High, and know everything about one another.  Robert Zinc, the writer of The Chronicles of Althena,  is making a rare appearance at the New York Comic Con, and Graham has decided to profess his love to Roxy at Comic Con.  He is determined to get the wristbands to see Robert Zinc and makes a plan to wait in line overnight with his friend Casey.  Graham and Casey do not get the wristbands however, and Graham needs to come up with another plan to confess his love to Roxy.  Graham, Roxy, Casey, and Roxy's friend Felicia go to day one of Comic Con and Felicia signs then up for a speed dating session.  While there, Roxy meets Devin, who is a tall, blue-eyed artist who is British.  Roxy is smitten with him. Devin hangs out with them the rest of the day and Graham watches Roxy and Devin flirt with one another, which infuriates Graham.  He decides he must do something to win her over and tries desperately to get wristbands for the Zinc panel.   Throughout the weekend, he tries desperately to find some special way to profess his love.  On Saturday night, Devin invites them to a karaoke bar that his cousin owns.  They go, and while there, drink beer for the first time.  After a few beers, Graham gets the nerve to sing a song to Roxy, and she now knows he is in love with her.  She is angry at this discovery because she thinks of him as a brother and doesn't want to ruin their friendship and their comic book series.  He is crushed at the news.   Towards the end of the story, Graham accepts that he and Roxy should just remain friends.  But, he also discovers that Amelia, a girl he met at the speed-dating session likes him and wants to date him.  He is shocked a girl likes him, but also flattered.  He learns just how crazy young love is.

This is a story about first crushes and determination to win at love.  It shows the crazy highs and lows of being in love for the first time and the heartache it can also cause. Teens can relate to Graham and the feelings he has to win his love interest. He doesn't win the heart of his crush, but realizes love is a messy roller coaster ride with twists and turns.   Young love is messy, heartbreaking, and unpredictable.  Teens are facing these new feelings, and this book can show them that life goes on. Fans of comics and pop culture will enjoy all the references the author includes in the story as well.

  The Geek's Guide to Unrequited Love made the 2017 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers by the American Library Association.

The Smell of Other People's Houses

Hitchcock, B. (2016). The Smell of Other People's Houses. New York, NY: Wendy Lamb Books.

The Smell of Other People’s Houses  tells about the lives of several teens in Alaska and how their lives become intertwined with one another.  Ruth is a girl whose life is turned upside down at the age of five when her father dies in a plane crash.  Her mother goes into early labor when she hears the news, has the baby, who she names Lily, but then has a nervous breakdown and can no longer take care of her children.  Ruth and Lily are sent to live with their grandmother in Fairbanks in a poor neighborhood named Birch Park.  Their grandmother is unloving and Ruth feels like she no longer has a home. Ruth becomes pregnant by her boyfriend at 16 years old,  and her grandmother sends her to a convent in Canada.   Dora is also 16 and lives in Birch Park as well with her alcoholic parents.  Her father is abusive and her mother just doesn’t care about her.  Her father is sent to jail for firing his gun in the local bar.   Her neighbors, who have two girls named Dumpling and Bunny, take her in.  Dora wins the Ice Classic, where she guesses when the ice will melt in the spring, and now has become something of a celebrity in Fairbanks, but Dumpling’s father protects her from reporters that want to interview her.  Alyce is a ballerina that wants nothing more than to dance in college, but she feels obligated to work the fishing boat with her father in Sitka, Alaska.  The dance tryout is in the summer, at the same time she will be out on the boat.  Summer is the only time she sees her father, so she is torn between dancing or spending time on the fishing boat with her father.  Hank, Sam, and Jack live in Sitka.  Their father has died in a boating accident and their mother's new boyfriend is awful.  Hank, the oldest brother, has decided it's better for him and his two younger brothers to run away then to stay at home.  They stowaway on a ferry heading south.  Sam falls overboard while looking for orcas one day and is rescued by Alyce, who saw him fall overboard from her father's boat.  Hank and Jack have no idea what happened to Sam, and aren't sure wither he is alive or dead.   Alyce and her dad allow Sam to stay on the fishing boat and teach him about life on a fishing boat.  Alyce soon discovers that she has feelings for Sam.  Sam knows he has to find his two brothers and Alyce's dad begins to ask other fisherman if they have heard of a missing boy from the ferry.  Eventually, they learn that Hank and Jack are in children's protective custody and are heading towards Fairbanks where a family has agreed to take in the two boys.  On the way, they stop at a store and Hank meets Ruth, who is also at the store.  He becomes interested in her.  In the meantime,  Sam learns where his brothers are heading and Alyce and him fly back to Fairbanks together.  Alyce is also going to get the chance to audition for a dance spot.  At the audition, Sam reunites with his brothers, Hank sees Ruth again, who has returned after having the baby and giving it up for adoption, and Dora gets to permanently live with Dumpling's loving family.  Ruth's grandmother and her also decide to start with a clean slate.  

  Hitchcock combines her knowledge of life in  Alaska along with it's native people and the struggle teens face growing up.  She writes about the struggles of teen pregnancy, lose of parents, abuse, and feeling like an outcast.  These teens all face some type of adversity, but learn to cope and survive, as well as come out stronger then they thought they would.  Not only can teen readers read vicariously through this book, but can also read for an aesthetic experience with the wonderful description in the book.  They can also learn how tough times can make you grow stronger as a person.  

The Smell of Other People's Houses is the debut novel of Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock and became a 2017 William C. Morris Award Finalist.