Multicultural Fiction (1) The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part_Time_Indian

Alexie, S. & Forney, E., Illustrator. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time indian. New York, NY:  Little, Brown, and Company.
ISBN-13:  9780316013697
Format:  Paperback
Cost:  $8.99

Annotation:  14-year-old Arnold Spirit Jr. (Junior) is a gifted artist growing up on an Indian reservation in Spokane, Washington. Determined to escape from the poor, alcoholic despondency of the reservation and become a famous cartoonist, he leaves his school to attend a public school far from the reservation and finds it difficult to balance the red Indian world and the white public school world.

Awards:  2007 National Book Awards for Young People's Literature
2007 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
2007 School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
2008 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book
2009 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audio book Production Honor
2010 American Indian Library Association Award

Booktalk:  This coming of age story is filled with drawings, cartoons, and art that wonderfully reflect the thoughts and feelings of Arnold Spirit, Jr. a.k.a. Junior, a quirky, unusual looking 14-year-old Indian trying to figure out his identity, and desperately wanting to escape the helplessly poor and self-destructive lifestyle that seems to prevail on the Indian reservation:

                                         Image © Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney, Illustrator

Rowdy is Junior's frenemy protector:

                                         Image © Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney, Illustrator

But when Junior decides to go to the white public school far away, the friendship is strained:

                                         Image © Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney, Illustrator

Junior is considered a traitor by the Indians and doesn't quite fit in at the public school. These two worlds are difficult to balance:

                                         Image © Sherman Alexie, Ellen Forney, Illustrator

And when tragedy strikes Junior close to home, he reflects on who he is and what he needs to do to become successful in life. Read this humorous, dark, tragic yet hopeful story of a boy just trying to survive in the middle of two very different worlds.

Available Formats:  Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover, Audible Audio Edition, Audio CD

Quote:  Taken from page 217:

"I wept and wept and wept because I knew that I was never going to drink and because I was never going to kill myself and because I was going to have a better life out in the white world. I realized that I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness. There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream. I realized that, sure, I was a Spokane Indian. I belonged to that tribe. But I also belonged to the tribe of American immigrants."

Multimedia:  In 2007, Mr. Alexie read a portion of his book and did a radio interview with NPR. You can listen to it here:  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14586575.

Extra! Extra!  Check out The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian on Tumblr here:  https://www.tumblr.com/search/the-absolutely-true-diary-of-a-part-time-indian.

Graphic Novel (1) AYA

https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/308424.Aya

Abouet, M. & Oubrerie, C. (2007). Aya. Montreal, Quebec, Canada:  Drawn & Quarterly.
ISBN-13:  9781894937900
Format:  Hardcover
Cost:  $19.95

Annotation:  This fictional graphic novel takes place in Yopougon, or Yop City, on the Ivory Coast of Africa, during the 1970's. Follow the ups and downs of life of 19-year-old Aya, her family, and friends as they work, go to school, enjoy the night-life, have domestic squabbles, and gossip about each other.

Awards:  2006 Best First album, Angoulê International Comics Festival

Booktalk:  The dynamic, warm colors of the drawings in this graphic fiction novel transport the reader to the lively and active Yop City on the Ivory Coast of Africa in the 1970's. An included preface helps the reader understand the culture and history of the story:

                                  Image © Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Illustrator)

And a glossary and useful information about the clothes and food of the culture is found at the back of the book:

                                   Image © Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Illustrator)

Aya, a smart and wise 19-year-old, introduces us to her family and friends, Adjoua and Bintou, and their families and friends:

                                     Image © Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Illustrator)

Life is busy in Yop City, with school and work, but Adjoua and others find time to dance at the disco:

                                  Image © Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Illustrator)

And hook-up in the market square under the stars at night:

                                  Image © Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Illustrator)

Unfortunately, secret connections have a way of becoming uncovered, and when Adjoua finds out she's pregnant with Moussa's baby, there are a lot of issues to be resolved. Moussa is the son of a prominent businessman and Bintou's boyfriend, and Adjoua's father is a working-class journalist:

                                   Image © Marguerite Abouet, Clément Oubrerie (Illustrator)

Will there be a wedding? Read the first book in this trilogy and find out!

Available Formats:  Hardcover

Quote:  Taken from page 84, Bintou confronts Aya about Adjoua:

Bintou:  "Did you know about Adjoua's wedding?"
Aya:  "All of Yopougon knows."
Bintou:  "How could she do this to me?"
Aya:  "Bintou, love is unpredictable. It was an accident, you know."

Multimedia:  Find out more about Marguerite Abouet, the author of Aya here:  http://thebrownbookshelf.com/2010/01/31/marguerite-abouet/.

Extra! Extra!  Did you know Clément Oubrerie, the illustrator for Aya, is Marguerite Abouet's husband? What a talented couple! Check out some pictures from Aya on the publisher's website as well as an excerpt from the book here:  https://www.drawnandquarterly.com/aya.

Science Fiction (7 of 9) Cinder

https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/11235712-cinder

Meyer, M. (2012). Cinder. New York, NY:  Feiwel and Friends.
ISBN-13:  9780312641894
Format:  Hardcover
Cost:  $17.99

Annotation:  This twist on the classic fairy tale, Cinderella, portrays a future New Beijing inhabited by humans and cyborgs, an evil Queen Levana who has special powers and is waiting for her chance to conquer the earth, an evil stepmother, a prince, a princess, a plague, and a ball. Will secrets be revealed and can one teenager save the earth?

Awards:  None

Booktalk:  Linh Cinder is a 16-year-old cyborg who runs a fix it shop in New Beijing. When Prince Kai drops off his android to be fixed, sparks fly and Cinder realizes there is something more going on with the broken android and herself. Meanwhile, Kai's father dies, Kai becomes the emperor, and Queen Levana, ruler of the moon, tries to use her powers to force Kai to marry her so she can conquer the earth. Additionally, there is a terrible plague infecting humans, and when Peony, Cinder's favorite sister, contracts the plague, Cinder's stepmother, out of anger, sends Cinder to become a lab rat for plague research. Dr. Erland discovers Cinder is immune to the plague, which could be a curse and a blessing at the same time. On page 98, Dr. Erland shares this news with Cinder:

"So...I don't have the plague?"
"That's correct, Miss Linh. You do not have the plague."
"And I'm not going to die."
"Correct."
"And I'm not contagious?"
"Yes, yes, yes. Lovely feeling, isn't it?"
"She leaned against the wall. Relief filled her, but it was followed by suspicion. They had given her the plague, but now she was healed? Without any antidote? It felt like a trap, but the orange light was nowhere to be seen. He was telling her the truth, no matter how unbelievable it seemed. "Has this happened before?"
"An impish grin spread across the doctor's weathered face. "You are the first. I have some theories about how it could be possible, but I'll need to run tests, of course."

What does this information reveal about Cinder? Who is she, really? Will she be able to stop Kai from marrying the evil queen and save her sister and many others from the plague? Will she marry Kai and live happily ever after? Read this exciting story and discover some answers!

Available Formats:  Paperback, Kindle, Hardcover, Audio CD, Audible Audio Edition.

Teen Quote:  15-year-old Isabel C. reads some science fiction, but prefers fantasy and paranormal stories. She is quite active in social media, and uses Facebook, Blogspot, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, but her favorite, by far, is Twitter.

Here is what she thought about the book, Cinder:

"A fun and interesting take on the Cinderella story. I absolutely loved it and can't wait for the final book in the series!"

Multimedia:  If you think you might be interested in reading this book, here is an excerpt from Cinder Lunar Chronicles, Book 1:

Extra! Extra! Did you know Cinder is just the first book in the Lunar Chronicles Series? Check out this fun Blogpost by Ms. Meyer, discussing the traits of the characters she has created here:
http://www.marissameyer.com/blogtype/a-guide-to-lunar-chronicles-character-traits/

On this same blogpost, Ms. Meyer links to her Pinterest board that she uses for inspiration for her series. You can check out her Pinterest board here:  https://www.pinterest.com/marissameyer22/the-lunar-chronicles/.

Street Fiction (1) Way Too Much Drama

https://www.goodreads.com/book/photo/15799942-way-too-much-drama

Sewell, E. (2013). Way too much drama. Toronto, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada:  Harlequin Kimani TRU
ISBN-13:  9780373534685
Format:  Paperback
Cost:  $9.99

Annotation:  Viviana is a fish out of water living with her cousin Maya's family since her father was killed in prison as a result of Maya's accusation of murder. Viviana seeks revenge by stealing Maya's boyfriend, becomes friends with an abused drug addict, and questions her choices when she finds herself running for her life from the drug addicts forcing her to rob a store.

Awards:  None

Booktalk:  Maya's world is turned upside down when her cousin, Viviana comes to live with her family. Viviana wants revenge because her father was killed in prison as a result of Maya telling the cops he murdered someone. Viviana steals Misalo, Maya's boyfriend, makes friends with LaShaunda, an abused drug addict, steals, and gets into fights. But Viviana is also smart and finds time to be on the school quiz team with Maya, Keysha (Maya's friend), and Misalo. When Viviana answers 10 correct questions in a row, the team wins their first competition. Viviana shares her thoughts on page 178:

"The moment caused me to reflect on my father. I know that he would have been just as proud of me. He would have hugged me or given me a high five. My father was so smart and wonderful that I know he would have helped me learn the material. Since my father wasn't around to celebrate my moment of achievement, the feeling of wanting to be acknowledged did not disappear. I wanted to commemorate the victory of winning with someone special."

Will Viviana show up for the final competition, or is the pull to run away with LaShaunda to strong?

Available Formats:  Paperback, Kindle

Quote:  Taken from page 206:

"The people inside looked at me and cast judgment upon me. Their eyes said that I was a degenerate, immoral and the scum of society. I didn't think I was any of those things, but their eyes told a different story."

Multimedia:  Here's an Excerpt from Way Too Much Drama by Earl Sewell:

Extra! Extra!  Did you know Way Too Much Drama is part of a series, and a Kimani TRU book created for young African-American and multi-cultural teens? You can find out more here:  https://kimanitruseries.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/keysha-and-indigo-the-kimani-tru-series/.

Kimani TRU also has a Facebook page which can be found here:  https://www.facebook.com/KimaniTRU.