Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl is a classic that every generation should read. Although the Lexile level is a 1030, it is written in obviously a diary format which makes it easier to read. The content and the different cultural references and wording do however make it difficult to comprehend.

For those who do not know Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who hid in an attic with her family and another family and their son in Amsterdam during World War II. With the help of outside friends they survived for two years before someone reported them in 1944, and the Gestapo came, found them and took them to the camps. Anne’s diary was found after the raid. The diary shows how she felt about war and during the formidable period of her life despite her circumstances.

This book should be read by everyone at least once in his or her life. The copy my daughter is reading now has an introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt (which is so cool) and who calls it a remarkable book.

Lexile Level 1030
ISBN-10: 067182449X
258 pages

A Child Called It

A Child Called It: One Child’s Courage to Survive by David Pelzer has become a classic because of its compelling story. Unfortunately this is memoir of unspeakable child abuse. The child is innocent and the mother is an alcoholic crazy person. The father is apathetic and the brothers helpless to do anything but watch. It will turn your stomach, yet you can’t stop turning the pages. This book does have a sequel which is worth the read as well entitled The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family. Pelzer did somehow miraculously survive this revolting abuse by his strength of spirit. How the mother even came up with the ideas to do the things she did to a child are completely beyond a rational human being. This book is like watching a car accident, you can’t stop looking or reading. It is fascinating in its horrific detail.

Reluctant readers like to read this A Child Called It, as do kids who don’t especially appreciate their lives. After reading this however that does change making this a powerful read. There is some press out there saying that Pelzer made some of this stuff up, but I personally don’t see how he could have and the brothers do admit to abuse in the home. One teacher was vocal about her concerns luckily, which seems to be why Pelzer was able to write this book. The book is easy to read and is written in the child’s point of view while the abuse is unthinkable, and I think that is why this book appeals to readers who are difficult to appeal to. Readers grow sorrier and sorrier for Pelzer as they read, but realize what kind of admirable inner strength he must have had as a child, not only write this book but to live at all.

195 Pages
Lexile: 850L

Harry Potter Series

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
— J. K. Rowling



Of course I can't do a blog on great books for teenagers without mentioning Harry Potter, the entire series of course. Half of the world has already read this amazing series created by J.K. Rowling, so this is for the half that hasn’t! Start with the first book; it is according to the kids the worst book of the series. I believe this is because Rowling had to set up her alternate witchcraft and wizardry magical world for us and introduce us to the characters we will come to know intimately by the end of the series.
When this series first came out some people said it was against religion because of the witchcraft. If that is your belief then you are missing out on some wonderful FICTION! There are seven books in the series: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Every book features Harry Potter and is best friends Hermoine Granger and Ronald Weasley.
Although this is children’s literature, it is edgy as the main villain Lord Voldemort wants to kill Harry Potter in every book. Harry, Hermoine, and Ron all grow up before our eyes making this a bildungsroman series. Readers can relate to these human parts of the story, how these kids feel and react to each other and the word around them. That is what makes this series so popular even if we can’t relate to the magical parts of these stories although we may wish we could. Adults down to kids as young as seven and eight are reading these amazing books. Readers are transported into a world that Rowling writes so clearly we can imagine the characters and setting as we read without any effort at all.
If you are not one of the 400 million people who have read these books, pick them up today!
Lexile 880L - 980L

Song of Night by Chris Abani

Song of Night by Chris Abani is a spellbinding and horrific view into the life of an Igbo child soldier whose has the “elite” job of scouting for landmines before the army walks through the war torn countryside; they are called mine sweepers. The fifteen year old boy who is telling his story is ironically named My Luck. Readers learn about My Luck’s life as he tries to find his platoon that he has been separated from. My Luck was brutally muted at 12 for his job. The worst phrase is “I took out my prick and pissed on..” It however goes so well in the story that no one flinched as read it aloud. This books is masterful because readers learn about like as a child in a war, what a child soldier thinks and feels. The writing is incredibly descriptive and moving as we learn of My Luck’s life through his memories.

I not only recommend this book for teenagers but for all adults as well. Chris Abani is an incredible author from Nigeria. He was jailed in Nigeria as they tried to silence his voice from writing compelling and telling books such as this one he wrong in Los Angeles after leaving Nigeria. My students are learning a lot reading this book and thinking a lot about what a different life other kids their age in other places and other circumstances have compared to the easy street they live on here in the United States. This is an easy and quick novella to read. Once you read it, you will be changed! I promise you will learn, grow, and never unknow what you read in this beautifully written novella. The writing by this Nigerian author will blow you away!

**Upon re-reading there is a scene where the boy of 12 if forced to rape a woman at gunpoint. This is a disturbing scene (to say the least). It's not more than four sentences but does make teens "uncomfortable." I do reiterate that Abani was thrown in jail in Nigeria for writing the truth about what was going on in his country. This is not just the story of one child soldier, it is the story of many...

Double Helix by Nancy Werlin

Double Helix by Nancy Werlin will be enjoyed by “sciency” teens. Eli the protagonist in this story. He is 18 years old and gets a job in a genetic company with a Dr. Wyatt. His father is adamantly opposed to this job for reasons that will be revealed as one reads. This books explores the morals behind genetic engineering as Eli stumbles onto a mystery that must be solved. Of course there is a girlfriend involved. I think that kids who know about, or want to know about, the science behind DNA and genetics will enjoy this book. Although it is not politically correct to say, I think this book plays better to boys than to girls. Honestly and without malice, I do think Nancy Werlin’s Rules of Survival is heads above this good book.

ISBN: 0803726066
244 pages
690 Lexile

Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin is an amazing book for teens (grown ups too). This book is about three kids Matt the oldest who is 13, Callie the middle sister who is 11, and Emmy the little sister who is five and takes place in South Boston. The book is written by Matt when he is 17 as a letter to his little sister Emmy to tell her about what happened in a difficult part of their lives just in case Emmy doesn’t remember because she was so young at the time. The kids live in an abusive situation with their psychopathic mother. Even their father Ben is afraid of the mother and although he pays support, he doesn’t help the children. Werlin writes this so well, the reader feels the children’s anguish and roots for them as they read. There were one or two slow spots but they are worth reading to find out what happens next. My students loved this book; collectively they root for the kids and hate the mother. After the kids meet someone new they find hope, until that hope is crashed to the ground. The journey these children are on has many twists and turns that are often unexpected creating a desire in the reader to keep reading and find out what happens which these children that one gains so much empathy for. This is an edgy young adult novel because of the mother’s abuse and the violence and emotional abuse these kids experience. Matt tells the story of how he and Callie try to save themselves and their little sister in an engaging manner. A couple of times I did need to stop and ask, “Has anybody ever felt that way?” There are a myriad of themes to explore in this book including fear, abuse, survival instincts, right and wrong, why people who love us hurt us, the strength of self, etc. I highly recommend this book especially if you have someone else read it with you, so you can talk about it. Or a good read aloud book for a teen and a mom or dad, or students and a teacher. Nancy Werlin also wrote Double Helix which I will review later, and 10 other books I have not read yet. This book was head above Double Helix and is wonderful for reluctant readers.

272 pages
ISBN-10: 0803730012
660L

Night by Elie Wiesel

Night by Elie Wiesel is necessary read for all teenagers, especially as there are fewer and fewer Holocaust survivors living today to tell their stories. Night is Elie Wiesel’s personal narrative of what happened when the Nazis invaded his hometown in Romania, forced his family into and then out of the ghetto, and the concentration camps. It is told as he at fifteen experienced it. It is a low lexile level, so even younger readers understand the words, but the subject is so disturbing that it is best for eighth grade students and up. I start my students out with facts and images about the Holocaust, because each generation is getting farther away from the history. This short novella effectively allows readers to understand what happened during the Holocaust. Elie Wiesel’s main purpose is to bear witness, which is why he wrote this book. By bearing witness to the atrocities of the Holocaust, we hope that humanity never again lets these things happen. As my tenth grade students read and learned about the Holocaust, they were able to make impressive connections to what is going on in Darfur, Sudan at the current time and what happened in Rwanda. It is so important for our adolescents to know about the past because they will be in charge of the future, and as they see it, we aren’t doing such a good job. Nevertheless, it does bring some appreciation for living in America and that fact that they will never know hunger as described by Wiesel. Night and the Holocaust is vital reading for the leaders of the future. The newest translation by his wife is very clear. When someone stands to bear witness, we should all listen. Never again.

120 pages
ISBN-10: 0374500010
ISBN-13: 978-0374500016
Lexile level: 590L

L

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

This is Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. First as a parent or a teacher, we need to have a conversation about the use of the “N” word. Why it is included in this book, and why it is completely unacceptable to repeat. That should take care of the naysayers who feel this book should be banned. It is always good when literature gives you a chance to have an honest conversation about the word, and our role in it. As you know, this moving story is set in the 1830s and that is how people back then spoke. And Huck leaving his alcoholic father is a classic theme and one that is completely relatable in our current times. Huck’s journey down the river with former slave Jim is worth a re-read if you read it along time about. There is a great moral lesson in this book, as Huck sacrifices himself and his soul to save Jim. It teaches that all humans no matter how educated, or what color, are vital in our world. It shows too that children don’t see color, they are taught to see color just as they are taught kindness or hatred. Jim is stereotyped to the time in this book, but readers are still able to show his innate humanity. Despite the use of that word, this is definitely a book all American teenagers (and adults) should read.

Paperback: 270 pages
ISBN-10: 1456364391
ISBN-13: 978-1456364397
Lexile Level: 810
There is also a high/low edition available at a 600 Lexile

Fallen by Lauren Kate

Teenage girls like this book Fallen by Lauren Kate. The protagonist 17 year old Luce Price is in love with Daniel, good looking and mysterious, but he doesn’t want anything to do with her. The good boy Cam dark and sarcastic likes her but she can’t like him because she’s in love the one who doesn’t want her. Sound familiar? This book set in a reform school called Sword and Cross which is described in the novel as hell. This is an interesting book; readers are awaiting a sequel as it does leave the reader with some questions. I wouldn’t use it in class, but it may get some girls reading.

Young Adult
452 Pages
ISBN-10: 0385739133
ISBN-13: 978-0385739139
Lexile Level: 830L

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson is an amazing best book for reluctant readers and teenagers. The protagonist is a teenage boy named Tyler Miller, and the plot is his journey through the incredibly demanding maze we’ve all been through called high school and adolescence. I read it with my students and in this class of reluctant male and female readers, they amazingly asked if they could take the books with them and keep reading. Written in 2007, this book addresses modern concerns of teenagers. Although there is drinking, a teenage boy and girl relationship, internet misuse, and a gun, none of it is told in a way that would teach your adolescent a bad lesson, in fact it is the opposite. There are good lessons that this book will share with teenagers, and it will actually make teens want to read!

Young Adult
272 pages
ISBN-10: 0142411841
ISBN-13: 978-0142411841
Lexile Level: 680L
Ages 12 - 17