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High School

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

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The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed
Format: Audiobook
Who it’s for: Teens, Adults

“The Black Kids” by Christina Hammonds Reed is a beautifully written, heart wrenching coming-of-age story that covers so many heavy topics. Though it occurs in 1992, the topics and life lessons learned are just as relevant almost 30 years later. In “The Black Kids”, Reed explores the trauma of growing up Black and interacting in predominantly white circles. Reed tackles the concept of respectability politics surrounding the African American community.

The Black Kids, in my opinion, perfectly captures many aspects of high school life. Most of us have experienced the awkward transition from childhood to adulthood and how that transition affects our long-standing friendships. Teenagers put up with a lot more from people we’ve known a long time versus those we just met and that wears down on one’s existence. The growing pains that Ashley, her friends and family members experience throughout the book allows you to relate to at least one of the characters in this book. This was great read and kept me intrigued as to what will happen next.

Find it in the catalog.

From Twinkle, With Love

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Recommended Book
From Twinkle, With Love by  Sandhya Menon
Publication Date: May 22, 2018
Format: Book or ebook
Who it’s for: Teens

“In this delightful romantic comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of When Dimple Met Rishi, told through the letters Twinkle writes to her favorite female filmmakers, From Twinkle, with Love navigates big truths about friendship, family, and the unexpected places love can find you.

Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy-a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

When mystery man N begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?” – Publisher’s blurb

This took a bit for me to get into. It was soooooooo High School. The crush, the BFF drama, the awkwardness, the ‘Woe is me’ angst, etc. So very HS, so stereotypical; it made me cringe, laugh, and smh. I would have stopped reading it by like chapter two, if not for Books for the Beast (a YA reader’s advisory conference in Maryland) and the fact her first book got so much praise. I powered through.

It was very amusing with a couple of lil life lessons to boot. If this was a Disney Channel movie, I could have made it through without cringing so much or smh at the mistakes they made. I still would have lol at the awkward moments. Despite all those things it was a great read.

The Indian culture that was in the book was completely natural and did not feel forced. It was just a part of Twinkle’s life, her story. The gay friends felt forced, like an afterthought. I liked the text messages and emails. They made it feel epistolary. The supposed diary entries where Twinkle is writing to directors never really felt like letters. They did not really feel like a diary entries, either. Only at the beginning of the diary entry and when she closed the “letter” did it ever feel like she was writing a letter to somebody.  It felt more like just a first POV novel.

I was considering reading her debut novel but when I was talking about From Twinkle, With Love with a coworker, she said this plot sounds almost identical to When Dimple Met Rishi. Now if they made movies from her novels on Disney Channel, I would watch them all and enjoy. If I was in middle/high school and liked romance novels, I would read all her novels as well. Def geared for upper middle school and High School girls.

Read a High School Rom-Com starring a cute Indian Girl!

 

The Poet X

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The Poet X  By Elizabeth Acevedo
Format: Audio
Who it’s for:  Teens, Adults

Xiomara, a Dominican American teen living in Harlem, is struggling to define who she is.  Her twin brother, Xavier, is the smart one.  He skipped a grade and attends a different, “smart” high school.  Xiomara (See-oh-MAH-ruh) is lost in her journal, defending herself from the attention of boys, and running away from her mother’s religion.  Xiomara’s teacher introduces her to slam poetry and invites her to attend a poetry club.  But, it’s at the same time as her confirmation class so she doesn’t attend.    Xiomara continues to write her thoughts, frustrations and passions in her journal.

Xiomara meets a boy in Bio class, Aman, that she is definitely interested in.  She sneaks away to the park to spend time with him.  She reads him her poetry and she realizes that she is good at it.  But, Mami, still expects her to attend confirmation class and be a good, religious girl.  It all comes crashing down on her when her Mami finds out about her boyfriend and finds her journal.

This award winning novel is told in poetry.  It was an amazing audio experience.  To hear the words is very different than to read them.  And, if you do not speak Spanish it is much easier to listen so the words are pronounced correctly.

This book won the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature (2018) and the Michael L. Printz Award (2019).

 Find it in the catalog.

Tradition

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Tradition by Brendan Kiely
Format: Book & Audiobook
Who it’s for: Teens & Adults

Jules Devereux is starting her senior year at Fullbrook Academy, an elite boarding school in New England, and is already counting the days to graduation so she can leave behind her ex-boyfriend, her ex-best friends, and everything she thinks is wrong with Fullbrook.
Always an outspoken advocate, Jules finds herself strangely silenced when she becomes the victim of sexual assault at the annual fall drinking party. Finding an administration unwilling to act, she and her new found friends launch a plan to get everyone’s attention and challenge what is accepted just because it’s always been that way.

I heard the author, Brendan Kiely, speak at a conference and his genuine concern for responsible and respectful behavior made me want to read this book.  It’s thought provoking and made me see how we often let things stay the same for no better reason than that’s how it’s always been. Brendan Kiely also co-authored the 2016 One Maryland One Book: All American Boys.
Find it in the catalog