In the Forest of the Pygmies / Isabelle Allende

In this third and last installment of Isabelle Allende's trilogy about globe-trotting teens Alexander and Nadia, the travelers find themselves in Kenya on an elephant safari with Alexander's journalist grandmother, Kate.

Their trip starts out in a pretty ordinary way, but soon the group runs into a very persuasive missionary who convinces them to journey deep into the African jungle to help him search for two of his lost compatriots. They soon arrive in a remote jungle village where a trio of evil despots has run off the local queen and enslaved and terrorized the Pygmy and Bantu peoples who live there. Alexander and Nadia must draw on all their intelligence, skills and otherworldly companions to rescue the Pygmies and get themselves and the rest of the International Geographic crew back home with their lives.

This book includes high adventure, a taste of the diversity of the African people and landscapes, and a dash of magical realism. Although you don't have to read the series in order, the author does refer to events in the previous novels. If you want to start at the beginning, the first book is City of the Beasts, and the second is Kingdom of the Golden Dragon.

Whirligig / by Paul Flieschmann

Humiliated after being jilted by a girl at a party, 17-year-old Brent decides life's not worth living and promptly steers his car into oncoming traffic, little realizing that his life isn't the only one at stake. In fact the accident leaves Brent relatively unscathed, soon allowing him back into the realm of consciousness only to learn how his rash behavior's involuntarily killed another person. The fatal victim is a first generation American girl named Lea, who at 18, was a senior in high school already accepted to a prestigious four-year university on scholarship. She would have been the first in her family ever to attend college.

Sentenced to indefinite probation and countless hours of community service, to say nothing of the permanent anguish and guilt, Brent's still not prepared for what confronts him immediately after the hearing. Lea's mother meets with Brent to discuss a court-approved 'trip' she wants him to take to honor Lea's memory. Brent is to ride a greyhound bus to all four corners of the lower United States, spending enough time in each region--Miami, San Diego, Washington and Maine--to construct a whirligig (hand-crafted object spun by wind) solely with his own hands, tools and resources. The four whirligigs are to be given as a gift to someone special at each locale in remembrance of Lea.

The book's non-linear sequence of events really allows the reader inside Brent's character. Once a self-seeking teen only interested in upward-mobility, Brent's post-accident demeanor remains absent of everything he once was, his mindset now one of quiet repose and contemplation as he meets with the opportunity for at least some restitution. Intermittent descriptions of the four individuals destined to be the gift-bearers provide a good balance to Brent's narrative, each interpreted as someone able to understand the whirligig's brevity of meaning.

The Chocolate War / by Robert Cormier

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Despite being new student and freshman at an all-boys high school, Jerry Reinault knows better than to mess with the well-known—but unofficial—student power structure, The Vigils. Everyone’s aware that it’s this “organization”, headed by wise-guy Archie Costello, which begets hierarchy, maintains “order” and doles out responsibilities, essentially relegating underclassmen and outsiders to otherwise thankless tasks of school fundraisers. Now that the annual chocolate sale has essentially doubled its quota, everyone has to work just a little extra, everyone except the stubbornly obstinate Jerry that is. While Jerry’s stern refusal to participate is only uncomfortable at first, his sustained defiance in the face of increasingly hazardous circumstances soon culminates in an all-out war, one in which it seems Jerry has no other choice but to surrender his will to The Vigils' or suffer the brutal consequences.
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Cormier’s publication of Chocolate War in 1974 had an immediate and lasting impact, firmly setting him up as one of YA’s capstone authors. Though the premise of the novel may seem outdated or overblown, the focus of the story's not so much about what’s going on as it is about the internal motivations of the characters and the impending potential for disaster. Still mourning his mother's death from cancer, Jerry’s nonconformist resolution stems from a need to know his actions have meaning, that power and authority (to at least some degree) is possible by his own initiative. Conversely Archie, though driven by an obvious lust for power, also seeks fulfillment through personal enterprise, a manifestation of broader events sprung by his own influence of control. Those unfamiliar with how serious things can get at an all male school may be a little off put by the scenario, but readers won’t have a problem gravitating towards Cormier’s mastery of characterization and accurate depiction of mob-rule mentality.

Homecoming / by Cynthia Voight

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After being evicted from their home in Massachusetts, a single mom parks a car containing her four kids at a mall and disappears into the night. Now the four abandoned siblings--Dicey(13), James(10), Maybeth(9) and Sammy(5) Tillerman--are left to ponder what to do next with no money, no caretaker and no place to go. Knowing a confrontation with authorities will only lead to the family's being split up, Dicey resolves to set out for the family's only other relative's known whereabouts--their never-before-seen Grandmother's home in Maryland. With no available means of transportation other than a token bus ride only taking them 20 miles or so, the foursome largely encounters the journey on foot, Dicey doing everything she can to keep everyone together and out of harm's way. Meeting with trouble, hardship and more than a few prying eyes becomes pretty routine as the Tillermans tread through mostly off road territory routinely coping with illness, hunger and bickering as they make their way to an uncertain destination amid an indeterminate future.

This is Voight's first novel in her Tillerman saga about four kids striving to stay a family amidst thwarted odds. With the the situation seen primarily through Dicey's eyes, the reader can't help but be drawn into an already pitiable situation only compounded by neglectful and indifferent adults. Voight manages to keep things in-bounds though, not overdoing any sentimentality or sympathy aspects of what, on the surface, might look like another sappy tear-jerker. The Tillermans are kids, plain and simple. And while they're rigorously challenged by largely adverse circumstances, it's not hard to interpret each as a child with like problems and issues rather than some Huck Finn or Johnny Tremain type elevated above the status of normal vulnerabilities.

Chris Crutcher

Chris Crutcher has been on the YA radar since his first stories and novels came out in the late Seventies. Combining rigorous athletic scenarios with emotionally charged characters confronting real life issues, Crutcher's books are widely accessible to all readers even if a more immediate audience may be found among junior high and high schoolers. Any reader can't miss with these three sure-to-entertain books, some of his most vividly dramatic works.

Staying Fat for Sarah Barnes
A senior star on his high school's swim team, Eric Calhoune still carries around emotional scars from his days as the fat kid; 'morbidly obese' to be precise, which is why he's still called "Moby" by almost everyone. Even with all that's going for him now, the experiences of scorn and derision seem destined to abide within him, constantly reminding him of past abuse and perpetually taunting his still frail well-being. Eric's never had to bear it alone, though; his life-long friend Sarah Byrnes has her own scars, albeit of a more externalized nature. Burned in an accident years ago Sarah bears wounds that can never be hidden or removed, a condition making her and Eric virtual by-proxy soulmates from childhood on. Now with Sarah back in the hospital for what could be the last time, Eric is left to confront--alone--the issues within himself, his relationship with Sarah and the truth about the "accident" which stole their innocence so long ago.

Stotan!
Walker Dupree and three of his closest friends and teammates take up the challenge offered by their swim coach to undergo a week of extreme training in preparation for their upcoming season. By the end they're bodies, not to mention they're mental stamina, will have sustained the utmost in physical exertion, each worthy to assume the title of "Stotan"--cross between stoic and spartan. Candidly, Walker narrates not only the undeniably grueling workouts each day (full 24 hrs) entails, but the mutual camaraderie and loyalty achieved amidst the near-torture-level experience. More than just bodily limitations and a winning season are at stake, however, as the power of this friendship must endure not only a brutal training regimen, but the impending fate of one among them who's currently battling leukemia.

Chinese Handcuffs
Nearly a year after his brother Preston's suicide, eighteen-year-old Dillon still can't come to grips with the absence, not to mention the details surrounding the incident in question. To cope with his grief and outlet other frustrations, he trains year round for triathlons, periodically entering competitions held near his isolated home in the Pacific northwest. Sweat can only vanquish so much though, which is why its good that Dillon can rely on girlfriend Jennifer, herself a star on the basketball court, to stand beside him in spirit if not uphold him with attitude. Ultimately resolving to seek answers regarding his brother's death, Dillon must fight through the obstinacy of his parents and apathy of authorities in finding out the real reason for Preston's "suicide". Simultaneously, he must support Jennifer as she confronts her own repressed trauma in the form of her father's abuse.

Twilight / by Stephenie Meyer

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The only child of divorced parents, Isabella Swan knows about preoccupations. It's nothing to do with her so much as it is her mom wanting her own life more than to be a mother, her dad having his hands full as sheriff of a small town and the general disinclination of her peers towards any mutual interest. So it's strange that her new situation in tiny Forks, WA, attending a new school with new people engages as much attention as it does, especially from boys. Mostly it's the less-desirable kind; the nice but edge-less overeager types who ambitiously open doors and offer friendly advice on various nonsense. But then--contrary to all previous feedback--its the boy who suddenly singles out Bella, entangling her into not only a singular relationship, but an entirely new sphere of existence.

Edward Cullen's definitely not 'like all the others'. Likewise for his "family" as their reclusive habits (even by Forks standards) extend far beyond the bounds of normalcy. Appearing deathly pale with penetrating--if bloodshot--eyes and alarmingly acute senses, Edward and his four siblings don't quite 'fit' with the whole high school thing, a fact not unnoticed by Bella who gradually familiarizes herself to their reality. The Cullens prefer their own 'type' of vitality; a livelihood, as Bella soon discovers, which thrives on a far more 'sanguine' diet. It's not long before Edward and Bella are caught up in a swirl of conflicting emotions as amidst the intensifying romance, they're confronted with a decision which could alter their very lives . . . and beyond.

Currently maintaining its Harry Potter-esque reputation, Twilight was initially released to mixed reviews, often cited for its less than tight storyline and an overemphasis on supernatural elements fueling Edward and Bella's relationship. There's other problems too. Situations in the book often hint more towards contrived circumstances rather than happenstance or initiative; events unravel more because they have to happen rather than as if they could or would happen. While Bella would probably fall for Edward regardless, their relationship mightn't evolve so quickly (or dramatically) were it not for various 'conveniences'--every other student/classmate a generic dud, seated next to each other in class, Bella's accidents, Edward's "heroism", etc.--all seemingly input as abbreviated plot devices. The plodding nature of Meyer's extraneous details and segmented filler material doesn't help much either. Still there's sort of a Wuthering Heights thing going on giving the story its decidedly gothic ambience, a motif evidently reinforced in Meyer's accompanying sequels.

The Serious Kiss by Mary Hogan

This was Mary Hogan’s first book, and in the three years since then she has written others, including the Susannah series, one of which won the 2008 NAPPA gold award. Some critics called this book uneven, and I did find the heroine Libby’s voice a little too insistent at times, as she moans and bewails her horrible life. Libby is fourteen and has made a pledge with her best friend to experience a “serious kiss” before turning fifteen. Her horrible life includes a fat mom committed to fast food and a brother who steals cigarettes since he’s too young to buy them, and an alcoholic father. Libby’s dramatic take on life serves to insulate the reader from the very real dilemma of her father’s drinking, and how it has affected them all. It’s true that teenagers tend to criticize and find things to dislike in their home, so Libby’s intense commentary may actually be helping her stay functional. Not that she doesn’t break down at times. When her dad loses his job and the family moves from the Los Angeles area to a desert town, Libby hates the trailer park they live in and the school kids and the desert itself. But slowly things change. Her new-found grandmother (who has provided the trailer they live in) shares how being old makes her feel isolated too, and her reaching out helps Libby start to see the positive that’s around her. This book does start slowly and takes awhile to gain your interest, but by the ending you are charged up and energized along with Libby about her life!