LGBTQ Fiction (1) Pink

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8461405-pink

Wilkinson, L. (2009). Pink. HarperCollins Publisher. ISBN-13:  9780061926549
Format:  Paperback
Cost:  $9.99

Annotation:  Teenager Ava Simpson struggles with who she is and where she fits in as she tries to balance between her black and grey world and the perceived perfect pink world she thinks she desires. Ava's journey explores the universal topic of self-identity and the dilemmas she faces through the discovery process.

Awards:  2012 Stonewall Award Honor Book

Booktalk:  Ava Simpson, a teenager in public school, finds herself in a black, grey, charcoal world strongly influenced by her parents and her best friend Chloe, who she thinks she might be in love with.

Ava's not sure she fits into the life she lives because she likes pink which represents all things feminine. When she convinces her parents to send her to the perfect private school, she takes the opportunity to recreate herself while still juggling her old life. At the new school she makes friends with the cool kids and nerdy kids, dates Ethan the handsome jock, and really likes Sam, the lanky red-headed boy she met while working with the stage crew for the school musical. Ava's not sure that this world is perfect either, and when the two world's Ava created intersect, the delicate balance falls apart. All her friends are confused and hurt, and so is Ava! Can she figure out who she is and where she really fits in and mend all her friendships? Read this fiction journey of self-identity and find out if Ava can break the mold of stereotypical Pink.

Available Formats:  Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle  

Quote:  Found on page 257:

"You just have to figure out who you are, and learn to love that."
"If people don't love you for who you are, they're not worth it."

Multimedia:  Here's a video of my Booktalk:

Extra! Extra!  Did you know Lili Wilkinson, the author of Pink is from Australia? If you would like to find out more about Ms. Wilkinson and her books, here's her website:  http://liliwilkinson.com.au/books.

Realistic Fiction (1) The Fault In Our Stars

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fault_in_Our_Stars

Green, J. (2012). The fault in our stars. New York, NY:  Penguin Group.
ISBN-13:  9780525478812
Format:  Hardcover
Cost:  $17.99

Annotation:  Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters fall in love as they share their fears and concerns with each other. Can two teenager experience all life has to offer even when living with terminal cancer?

Awards:  2013 Children's Choice Book Award

Booktalk:  17-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster struggles with the concept of death, something we all must face, but some have to face it sooner than others when they are living with terminal cancer.

When Augustus Waters, who also lives with cancer, shows up at the cancer support group Hazel attends, she is so conflicted because he was hot, but what's the point of having a relationship and falling in love when no one is promised tomorrow? Despite her better judgment, Hazel and Augustus develop a tight bond as Augustus shares his fear of oblivion with Hazel, and Hazel shares her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, with Augustus. Hazel relates to the main character in the story, but the story stops in the middle of a sentence so together, they travel to Amsterdam to meet with the author. Will they find the answers they are desperately seeking? Read this touching realistic fiction love story with a box of tissues at hand, and find out if the pain, joys, and realities of life are worth it in spite of The Fault In Our Stars.

Available Formats:  Paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, Audible Audio Edition, Audio CD, Video (of the movie)

Quote:  This quote is taken from pages 111 and 112, and it is from a letter to Augustus by Peter Van Houten, the author of An Imperial Affliction:

"Everyone in this tale has a rock-solid hamartia: hers, that she is so sick, yours, that you are so well. Were she better or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it s the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves." Easy enough to say when you're a Roman nobleman (or Shakespeare!), but there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars."

Multimedia:  Here is a video of my Booktalk:

Extra! Extra!  Did you know a movie came out in 2014 based on the book, The Fault In Our Stars? You can watch the movie trailer here: