Requiem : Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko

Paul Janeczko is an award-winning author for youth and is best known for his lyricism and poetry, as well as his ability to tackle harsh topics with a simple hand.

Requiem takes on the lives of those who fought and suffered during the Nazi war era in Czechoslovakia. Verses based upon real incidents of cruelty, love, oppression, and innocence are told in a straightforward voice, and the various perspectives of war are gracefully acknowledged. Though this title may not have appeal to all readers, it's another important look at how the horrors of war affect all ages, abilities, religions, and sides.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

I Am an Emotional Creature : The Secret Life of Girls around the World by Eve Ensler

Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues, offers incredible words aimed at the hearts of teenage girls everywhere.  This collection is virtually an emotional appeal to young women to be content and happy with who and what they are, and to not listen to anyone who suggests that they be less than satisfied simply because they are girls.  This book can serve as a quick silent read from cover to cover, or as a selection of monologues and poetry women and girls can choose to voice aloud to an appreciative audience.  Either way, the words are true and beautiful.

*My only less-than-positive thought about this collection is the extraordinary lack of balance between heterosexual and homosexual love and relationships.  This is a celebration of girls, but doesn't necessarily acknowledge the beauty of difference, choice, acceptance found in lesbian and "traditional" relationships.

Recommended to all girl readers from all walks of life!

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

The title of this novel holds no secrets about its content.  Four individuals whose lives intersect tell their own stories of the difficulties immersed in striving for perfect, and the pain that underlies the desperate, unrelenting need for it.  Cara's parents expect the absolute best from their children, and one of those children has already attempted suicide as a result of the pressure mounting at home.  Cara's almost-loving relationship with Sean doesn't help to support her in her journey towards figuring out who she really is and what really makes her happy.  Sean doesn't think he can live without Cara, but he's convinced that it's really baseball and his ultimate athletic success that makes him who he is.  Kendra is in constant pursuit of the perfect body and the perfect face to allow her modeling career to soar, no matter the price.  And Andre has his heart set on a certain career and a certain girl, neither of which really fall into the plan that his parents' have created for him.

Ellen Hopkins never fails to deliver the real deal.  With powerful word selection and nothing short of stark honesty, Hopkins' characters are true depictions of the hopes, dreams, torment, and struggles that fill up lots of the nooks and crannies that make us all human.  Recommended to all high school readers.  (Release date for this title is September 13, 2011.)

Also discussed on this blog are Burned and Identical.  Her most known novel is Crank, the story of Kristina Gregory's journey with the "monster" of drugs and addiction that claimed control over most of her life (continued in two sequels), but all of Hopkins' novels in verse are powerful explorations of the mixture of light and dark found within individuals across the globe.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

family by Micol Ostow

Melinda Jensen left home at seventeen to make her way to San Francisco, the city of freedom and acceptance.  What she found was a bench on the street to sleep on, and that's where Henry finds her.  Henry is able to offer Mel the one thing she craves the most deeply.  She's never had a real family, only a mom who wasn't all that interested in being a mom, and her mom's boyfriend who molested and berated her most of her life.  Henry takes her in, brings her to his home, introduces her to her new "sisters," one of which becomes her confidant, her comfort, and her legs to stand on.  How would Mel survive without them?

But Henry has more grand powerful plans in this world than just being a father, brother, and lover to Mel and her sisters.  And when Mel is included in on a murderous plan, she becomes more and more confused about what it means to be part of a family. 

The language of family is gorgeous, and the book is based loosely on the Manson Family murders of 1969.  The story is told in episodic verse, tying in elements of poetry with pure emotion, and the characters are purely original.  The format and the topic are sure to draw in the interests of a broad variety of high school readers.

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

Teen Poetry Coffeehouse

The library celebrated poetry and the winners of the Teen Poetry Contest at a Poetry Coffeehouse and Open Mic Night!  Congrats to our four winners (two are pictured here: Andrew and Marica, first place and runner up winners) and thanks to all who participated!

 

Our poetry contest winners celebrating with their families.

 Marica reading her poem "How a Hippo is a Cookie" and Andrew reading his award-winning "Dandelions."

 Marica and Andrew with Teen Librarian, Kate.

 ACCT was selling bracelets and cookies to raise money for the Japan relief effort through "Save the Children."  Great job ACCT and thanks for coming to hang out for a while!

Teen Writers

You're a writer?

Check out this blog post from Class of 2K11.  There's a lot of great stuff out there to help you get going, and to help you keep going. 

You're a writer and you're looking for some things to DO this month?

Franklin Lakes Library is hosting a Teen Poetry Coffeehouse and Open Mic Night.  All teens are welcome to bring some favorite or original poetry to read aloud, or just bring your friends and family and hang out with a cup of tea and some snacks.  We'll be honoring the winners of the Teen Poetry Contest at that time, too! (Winners will be announced here on this blog tomorrow!)

Plus, there's a five-week Teen Writers Group on Thursday afternoons at the library beginning on April 28.  (You can register online or shoot me an email: kate_thelibrarian [at] yahoo [dot] com.)

Just contact me for more info, or find the programs listed on the library's Calendar of Events!

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

This poetic and powerful novel is an extraordinary piece of literature. Sixteen-year-old Pattyn begins the story with thoughts of suicide and readers follow her free verse narration through uncensored emotional ups-and-downs. Pattyn has been raised in a strict Mormon household, where women are taught to be subservient, and her alcoholic, physically abusive father maintains complete control. When Pattyn is found breaking religious and family rules, she is exiled to Aunt J’s house on a Nevada farm for the summer. There she falls in love with Ethan, who treats her with tenderness and respect. Supported by Aunt J and Ethan, she begins to regain trust in God and the goodness of life. But when she returns home, she realizes that home is dangerous and she decides to escape her father’s control. Tragedy follows and Pattyn swears revenge. There is a bittersweet and almost exaggerated realism found within the bleak negativity of this novel. Readers will become emotionally absorbed into Pattyn’s life and will undoubtedly be left broken-hearted.

Recommended to high school readers.

Call number: YA HOPKINS (Teen Room)

Free Stallion : Poems by Amber Tamblyn

Amber Tamblyn (actress "Joan of Arcadia," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," and "House") reflects on politics, sexuality, feminism, and nature in this collection of poems written during her adolescence. Tamblyn, who credits Jack Hirschman as her literary mentor, seems to have impressive knowledge and experience that goes beyond her years. While poetic tributes to Thelonious Monk and Woody Guthrie may or may not specifically resonate with teens, images of love, loss, and the search for self surely will. What Tamblyn’s poetry does best is to emphasize her own passion; unfortunately, not much else is clear. The meaning of the words become lost behind Tamblyn’s attempts at putting together a sophisticated poem. Fellow poets may appreciate her use of style and phrasing.

Call number: YA 811.6 TAMBLYN

Wicked Girls : A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill

Mercy Lewis. Mary Walcott. Ann Putnam Jr. Betty Parris. Abigail Williams. Elizabeth Hubbard. Susannah Sheldon.

Those are the real names of young girls (the oldest was 18, the youngest was only 8) who accused others of witchcraft in Massachusetts during the late 1600s. These accusations resulted in at least 23 deaths, and more than 144 people had legal action brought against them (according to the author's concluding notes). With poetic and creative license, this book tells a story of those responsible for the Salem Witch Trials.

What sets this novel apart from others based on the history of Salem, Massachusetts is the existence of a palpable atmosphere of innocence mixed with jealousy, terror, and infatuation. While the characters might not be wholly sympathetic, it is easy to follow the line of thinking that leads them through their actions, both in the situations where they are found socializing just within their small social circle, as well as those where they are standing up to men of a courthouse and entire communities of adults.

This novel in verse is recommended to all those with an interest in the historical and psychological stories of past and present-day witchcraft and/or teenage cliques, as well as the Salem Witch Trials.
Call number: YA HEMPHILL (Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian.

My Name is Jason. Mine too: Our Story. Our Way. by Jason Reynolds and Jason Griffin.

My Name is Jason. Mine Too. tells the genuine story of two men -- black/white, poet/artist -- struggling to get by and find some food and some happiness in a world of creativity. Drawings and words mingle together to lead the reader through a real life experience of what it's like to have a dream, but not necessarily a plan.

This is my favorite poem from the pages in this book; it reminds me of an artist friend of my own, and sometimes of myself, too:

It's so hard

To explain to people

The beauty in brokenness

The scarring in sweet salvation

The lovely lacerations

Of the unlimited

Unlaminated

Illuminated

Few

Who dare to do don'ts

Miss a few meals

But will to do won'ts

While well-to-dos

Whisper questions

Regarding

Who I think I am

And who they think I should be

I laugh and hope

They leave

Me alone

Because it's just

So hard

To explain to people

That my life

Is not unhard

But not unhappy

--[from My Name is Jason. Mine Too: Our Story. Our Way.]

Visit the authors online, too.

Compilation of Novels in Verse...

Here are brief reviews/synopses of just a handful of teen fiction written in poetry or verse. Novels in verse are so awesome because they read super quickly, and because they are designed to pack a lot of punch into just a few words.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder is a typical "I love him so much, I can't live without him!" teenage chick book, except the boy in this one is actually dead. Ava still loves Jackson but she doesn't know how to get him to rest in peace, and how to go one living the rest of her own life. Also, check out Far from You. (YA SCHROEDER in the Teen Room)

Because I Am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas is another heartbreaking novel of parental abuse. The twist on this one is that Anke can't figure out which is worse: the fact that her father beats on her older brother and sister, or the fact that he completely ignores her. Anke figures out how to take control when Dad crosses the line. (YA CHALTAS in the Teen Room)

Identical by Ellen Hopkins has so many twists and turns that you won't know what's real until the characters want you to know. All of Hopkins' novels in verse are emotionally wrought and sometimes heartbreaking, but they are worth every word. Tricks is coming out soon! But in the meantime, it's worth your while to seek out Crank (and its sequel Glass), Burned, and Impulse. (YA HOPKINS in the Teen Room)

Reviewed by kate the librarian