10 Y.A. Lit Reviews and Applications
N a v i g a t e
A Heart in a body in the world
A silent voice
Absolute true diary of a part time Indian
Challenger Deep
I am Malala
Internment
Looking For Alaska
Poet X
The beast player
The Hate U Give
back to home
Trigger Warnings (TW) listed as part of the synopsis.
A Heart in a Body in the World by Deb Caletti. Published by Simon Pulse, 2018.
Synopsis
Annabelle is working very hard to put 2,700 miles between her and an event that changed her life forever. Thing is, trauma doesn’t let go easily. Annabelle’s cross-country run from Seattle to Washington D.C. turns into a journey of self-discovery about the human heart, how it breaks, and what it takes to heal.
(TW: This novel deals with themes of toxic masculinity, gun violence, and detailed effects of trauma that should be discussed and handled with care.)
Review
Age group: 12+
Primarily female audience, average reading level for eighth graders. Readers may enjoy the perspective of someone affected by trauma. Readers in track or cross country will appreciate Annabelle’s endeavor.
Teaching Recommendations
This could be an option for a literature circle alongside other books that deal with trauma. Other themes the book includes are coming-of-age, family, toxic masculinity, violence, grief, and the healing process. Alternatively, instead of students being required to read the entire book, teachers may instead include excerpts as supplemental readings.
Synopsis
High school student Shoya Ishida seeks to amend his relationship with Shoko Nishimiya, a girl with impaired hearing that he bullied relentlessly in elementary school. The first volume of the Japanese manga series follows Ishida’s reflections and memories of his treatment of Nishimiya in elementary school and how the tides turned on him.
(TW: Scenes of attempted suicide.)
Review
Age Group: 15+
No primary gender audience, but from the perspective of a male protagonist. Readers may enjoy the different medium and different setting. Readers that enjoy manga and comics will enjoy their preferred kind of literature being welcomed into the classroom. There is also a movie version of this story.
Teaching Recommendations
I would recommend including this book as an option for a literature circle alongside other graphic novels. The first volume of the series showcased in the slideshow deals mainly with bullying and the affects it could have on the bully. The first volume touches on other themes such as depression, self-image, and disability. Other graphic novels that could be read or taught alongside A Silent Voice include:
- Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka
- How I Made it to Eighteen by Tracy Black
The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Published by Little, Brown and Company, 2009.
Synopsis
Artistically talented and a lover of basketball, Junior is a smart kid stuck between two worlds. On one hand, Native American tradition and life on the rez are a large part of his identity, but Junior knows he’s cut out for more than an alcohol addiction and a violent streak. Determined to create his own destiny, Junior decides to enroll in an all-white school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Review
Age group: 13+
Male protagonist, but not entirely focused on male-experience. Both genders can relate to Junior’s struggles to some degree. Students will enjoy the humor in the writing as well as the illustrations that accompany the story.
Teaching Recommendations
This book is an easy read and would be very beneficial to use as a whole class novel. Themes include friendship, death, Native American experience & racism, identity & belonging, poverty, and alcoholism.
Online resources:
- TEACHING GUIDE FROM SCHOLASTIC (link to webpage)
- TEACHING SUPPORT KIT (link to pdf)
Synopsis
Caden is a brilliant high school boy with very deep inner struggles and often gets lost in his own thoughts. Aboard an imagined ship headed for the deepest part of the Earth, Challenger Deep takes readers on a journey through what it means to live with mental illness, how it affects a person and the people around them, and how to care for people who are difficult to relate to and understand. This novel offers a unique and personal perspective most suitable for older readers.
Review
Age Group: 14+
Imaginative readers and readers interested in art will be interested in the illustrations included in the story. Readers who also struggle with mental health will be able to relate to Caden.
Teaching Recommendations
Challenger Deep is full of extended metaphors and symbolism. It is recommended that reading guides be provided for students to keep track of characters and storylines as well as symbols and metaphors.
Online Resources:
Synopsis
Malala Yousafzai tells her story about the state of Pakistan, her encounters with the Taliban, and her fight to end child illiteracy. Malala stands up for women and children and human rights in a country facing the struggles that come with political unrest and religious intolerance.
Review
Age Group: 12+
Readers will get to read a memoir of a girl who advocates for human rights and was successful in raising awareness for girls’ education and the social and political situation in Pakistan.
Teaching Recommendations
I Am Malala is a great way to talk about a number of different things including terrorism, women’s rights around the world, and the importance of equal education. This is a great book to use as a whole-class novel or as supplementary reading to talk about gender equality, education, and religious intolerance.
Online resources:
Internment by Samira Ahmed. Published by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2019.
Synopsis
Set in a dystopian US, Layla Amin and her family are forced into an internment camp for Muslim-Americans. Determined to get out, Layla works together with new friends and her boyfriend on the outside to lead a rebellion against the guards of the camp.
Review
Age group: 14+
Readers that enjoy dystopian novels may also enjoy this novel. Featuring a female Muslim American as the protagonist, readers will also be able to experience a story from a unique perspective and be able to have a way to address a modern issue.
Teaching Recommendations
Because Internment addresses themes such as racism, religious intolerance, coming-of-age, governmental control/fascism, and oppression, it may fare better as a literature circle option rather than a whole-class novel. Some novels that may go well with Internment thematically and within the same age range are:
- A Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Synopsis
Miles Halter, or “Pudge,” explores new horizons at his boarding school searching for his “Great Perhaps.” After the death of his friend, Miles spends the back half of the novel trying to make sense of death and the meaning of life and his purpose and place in the world. An iconic coming-of-age story, Looking for Alaska deals with the more reckless side of teenage life.
Review
Age Group: 14+
Readers that are fans of coming-of-age stories may enjoy this one as well. However, John Green fans that have read his later works will certainly notice the difference in tone. Readers that have been to a boarding school may be able to relate to Miles.
Teaching recommendations
Looking for Alaska deals with several abstract topics including death, independence, the meaning of life, and self-discovery. It also showcases some destructive behavior including drinking and smoking, and it includes an explicit scene between Miles and his girlfriend-for-a-day. Students should be warned beforehand so they know what to expect. This novel could be taught to a whole class or as a literature circle option alongside novels like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Outsiders, and/or The Catcher in the Rye.
Online Resources:
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Published by Quill Tree Books, 2018.
Synopsis
Xiomara is a girl growing up in Harlem, feeling unheard and judged but unable to hide. Her overbearing and very religious mother is difficult to connect with, and her distance from her brother makes her wish for better days. Through slam poetry, Xiomara discovers a way to understand her family, herself, and her place in the world.
Review
Age group: 12+
Readers may enjoy hearing from a diverse voice, as Xiomara and her family are Dominican. Readers that enjoy poetry will also enjoy this novel, and for readers that don’t, it is a good introduction to modern poetry.
teaching recommendations
This novel is a quick read, and could do well as a class novel or used for excerpts or examples for poetry and telling stories through poetry. As a class activity, students could choose a theme of the novel–religion, coming-of-age, self-esteem, sexuality, or family–and create their own slam poem about it.
Online resources:
- HOW TO TEACH THE POET X (link to webpage)
- THE POET X: GROWING UP & GROWING INTO UNDERSTANDING (link to webpage)
Synopsis
10-yeah-old Elin experiences deep sorrow after losing her mother. After being adopted by a well-meaning beekeeper, Elin becomes fascinated by Toda, giant beasts captured by the government and trained for the military. After discovering her special bond with one of the beasts, Elin finds herself caught in the middle of a civil war.
Review
Age Group: 12+
Readers who enjoy high fantasy will also enjoy this novel. The Beast Player is unique because instead of basing its magical world on Western legends and mythology, the book instead draws on Eastern culture. The book also stemmed a manga series and an anime TV series.
Teaching Recommendations
This novel in particular has no teaching resources online, mainly because the focus of the novel is the narrative journey as opposed to the messages woven into it. However, when encouraging students to read diverse books, it is important to include books that are based in non-American, non-western cultures. The Beast Player is a fantastical tale written by a Japanese author about a gifted girl trying to find her niche in the world. It was originally written in Japanese but was eventually translated into different languages.
Synopsis
Starr Carter feels like she has to support so many different identities. Living in “the ghetto” but attending a mostly white prep school, Starr does her best to balance between the two worlds. However, her whole life takes a drastic turn after she gets a front seat view of her childhood friend being fatally shot by a white cop. Facing pressure from everyone around her, Starr steps up and decides to fight for what’s right. Not everyone is open to her story, though.
Review
Age Group: 14+
Readers in 9th grade or older will be able to make connections from this novel to the world they live in or at least to the stories they see on the news. Authored by a black woman, readers will benefit from experiencing a perspective they may not have understood before.
teaching recommendations
The Hate U Give is suitable for both class novels, literature circles, or independent reading suggestions, though it is recommended that students tackle the content of this book with the guidance of a teacher. Themes in this novel include the relationship between race and identity, police brutality, weaponized stereotypes, poverty, the cycle of crime, community, and the power of language. Because The Hate U Give is directly connected to race issues in the US, it may be most beneficial to use it as a class novel so students may explore their questions, thoughts, and opinions through the text and teachers have the opportunity to inform their classes about how to handle tough social issues.
Online resources:
Research and Ramblings 