2008 Batcheldor Award

2008 Batcheldor Award

Brave Story

by Miyuki Miyabe

This anime novel is quite interesting, I really enjoyed reading this book about Wataru. Wataru is a young boy whose family is going through a huge crisis, his parents are thinking of divorcing each other. His reality is so full of dilemma, that Wataru decides to escape and enters a fantastical world, where he has endless possibilities of greatness. There is so much action in this book, that I didn't want to put it down. It was hard for me to find a place to stop without wondering what was going to happen next. I read this book in a matter of five hours and know that most people will do the same. This book is excellent for middle school and high school students.

Five 2008 Best Books for Young Adults

The Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian

by: Sherman Alexie

Arnold Spirit is a fourteen year old boy who lives on an Indian reservation in Wellpinit, WA. He considers himself to be dorky and usually only hangs out with his best friend, Rowdy. This book was really interesting and offered the point of view of a young boy living on a reservation. After he transfers to the local public school, he begins to socialize with white students. He begins to struggle with his identity and tries to understand how his culture fits into the rest of the world. This is a great story for students who have struggles of their own to read. It is a wonderful story, that has pictures that enable the reader to understand Arnold's world.

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier

by Ishmael Beah

This book gives the reader a first account narrative of the civil war in Sierra Leone during the 1990's. This biographical book written by Ishmael Beah, is very real. When Ishmael is only twelve years old he was swept up into this war torn world in Sierra Leone. He becomes consumed into this world of drugs and mass killing. He becomes obsessed with this lifestyle until he is taken to rehab center by Americans. There he is able to recover and snap out of this lifestyle. He later is able to immigrate to the United States, where he attends and graduates from college. This book was not an easy read for me. I couldn't believe the horror that this boy had to endure during such a young age. It is important for students to understand that they have a very good life here in the United States. Many students take their lives for granted, but I think reading this novel, would help them put things into perspective.

Before I die

by Jenny Downham

The minute I picked up this book, I wanted to cry. The main character, Tessa is a seventeen year old girl, who is dying of cancer. You begin to think how can a girl this young be dying, she hasn't even lived yet. Yet, that is what Tessa is set on doing before she dies. She creates a list of ten things she wants to do before the cancer takes her life away. You are able to see the angst of a father who must deal with the sickness of a daughter. He tries many things and hopes that things will change for the better, but unfortunately they do not. This hard hitting book is a great read, you really believe that a teenager wrote it. As I progressed to the end of the book I began to hope and pray that the inevitable wouldn't occur. This is a good book for students to read especially if they know someone with a fatal disease.

Boy Toy

By Barry Lyga

The story begins with Josh attending a party with three of his close friends. He states that there are "three kids and me". I didn't understand what he meant by this, but as the story progresses you find out his secret that he was sexually abused by a teacher, Eve. The reader is able to learn this through a series of flashbacks. This abuse occurred when he was only twelve years old. Now he is a senior in high school and still can not get over that experience. His friend Racheal tries to make a move on him, but he is not comfortable with this situation. I really liked this book and would recommend it for older students. You are able to understand his struggles with the situation.

The Restless Dead: Ten Original Stories of the Supernatural

by Deborah Noyes

This book reminds me of "Stories that Must Never Die", which I enjoyed immensely when I was young. This book has a variety of scary tales ranging from ghost, vampires and other creepy things that go bump in the night. I enjoyed reading these short stories, that would probably help get reluctant readers get interested in being a bit more literate. The stories are not incredibly long and are very interesting.