# 10 Audio Book

ANNOTATION:

"The dream took place in the courtroom. I was trying to ask questions and nobody could hear me. I was shouting and shouting but everyone went about their business as if I wasn't there. I hope I didn't shout out in my sleep. That would look weak to everybody. It's not good to be weak in here." Chapter 3, pp. 63-64

Recommendation:

The novel Monster by Walter Dean Myers’ was very interesting and effective. The story is about 16 year old Steve Harmon who was caught up in bad circumstances because he had the wrong friends who almost cost him his youth.  The story is told in first person narration by Steve Harmon who awaits thorny trial which possibly could have convicted him of felony thus put in prison for 20 or more years because he had involvement with murder of a man who own convenient store in the neighborhood that Steve lived in. Steve gives vivid images of his life through his writing of monologue conversations and screen play style which gives more detail about life in jail and the people in his everyday life.  

Nomination: YES

#9 Alex Award-Adult Book YA

ANNOTATION:

The book Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a story about love, guilt, truth, and redemption. The story is about two boys growing up together in pre-Soviet Afghanistan until one betrays the other, after which he journeys through youth and adulthood, and war and peace, with guilt and shame. The review addresses the summary, theme, world view, and symbolism in the story.

 Recommendation:

Khaled Hosseini has produced a beautifully written story about the life of one Afghani boy's struggle from riches to rags and finding the truth about people in general. The story is about two boys growing up in pre- Soviet and Taliban Afghanistan. Amir is a Sunni or the privileged class; Hassan is Shi'a, which is the lowest minority. Even still the two boys grow up together as brothers. Until one horrible incident changes everything. The Kite Runner is a story about love, guilt, truth, and redemption. Amir grows up as the only son of a wealthy man in Kabul where life is rich and full of possibilities prior to the Soviet invasion. This is a wonderful book that would bring tears to your eyes. It is a book you cannot put down and I think that it is a great read for teens as well as an adult. 

#8 Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

ANNOTATION:
Anne writes about receiving her diary on her birthday, June 12^th. She thinks it is the nicest present of all. She goes to school with her friend Lies, and during recess she treats everyone to sweet biscuits. The Diary is most important for its record of the daily lives of real individuals who lived in constant fear because of the Nazis and their irrational persecutions. It puts names and faces on the kind of human disaster that is all too often described in terms of mere numbers. The movie does well in bringing out this aspect of the diary, making the characters come to life in settings that are interesting, detailed, and believable. The photography also makes good use of the settings and the details.

RECOMMONDENTION:

The Diary of Anne Frank's story has become symbolic of the scale of Nazi atrocities during the war, a stark example of Jewish persecution under Adolf Hitler, and a dire warning of the consequences of persecution. However, there have been many claims that Anne Frank's diary was fabricated^.  Holocaust deniers such as Robert Faurisson have claimed that the diary is a forgery, though critical and forensic studies of the text and the original manuscript have supported its authenticity Anne Frank's diary is among the most enduring documents of the 20th century. She documented her life in hiding from 12 June 1942 to 1 August 1944.

 Initially, she wrote it strictly for herself. Then, one day in 1944, Gerrit Bolkestein, a member of the Dutch government in exile, announced in a radio broadcast from London that after the war he hoped to collect eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under the German occupation, which could be made available to the public. As an example, he specifically mentioned letters and diaries. Anne Frank decided that when the war was over she would publish a book based on her diary. Because she did not survive the war, it fell instead to her father to see her diary published.

#7 What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

What My Mother Doesn't Know
Sonya Sones Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing (February 1, 2003)

ANNOTATION: This story is about Sophie. She sees herself as the too-tall "Mount Everest of teenage girls," who, along with her friends, often suffers from "lackonookie disease." She's dating smoky, sexy Dylan, covertly chatting online with "cyber soul"-mate Chaz, and secretly nursing a crush on sweet, geeky Murphy. Her two best friends are closer to her than sisters, and she "hates hating" her soap opera-addicted mom, wishing "she would show half as much interest in my life as she does in Luke and Laura's." In other words, Sophie is a typical teenage girl.

JUSTIFICATION FOR NOMINATION: This is a book that lot teenagers could relate to; the author Sonia Sones records all of Sophie's thoughts in a freewheeling verse that is such a naked expression of inner longing. Most readers will turn red in embarrassed recognition of their own remembered or current teenage desires. This will take you back to your teenager days and remind you of what you went through. Sones gently leads both the reader and Sophie towards an understanding of the difference between love and lust as Sophie slowly comes to realize that Dylan's outsides are no match for Murphy's insides. It is about learning lesson through experience and finding you own meanings in life.

#6 Vampire Loves

 Vampire Loves by Joann Sfarm Ferdinand is a friendly and likeable character who prefers just a taste instead of killing his victims. The people he loves don't love him and vice versa. It's a crazy world. Annotation: It is a great book to read but some not consider an award material. The author has created a complex and interesting world of monsters and ghouls. But, unfortunately the plot is difficult to follow because the world is presented in small snap shot or serials that are supposed explain the story. The art work is generally good, but feels a little lazy sometimes. Ferdinand does do some search for self that should connect to adolescents, but I'm not sure if he actually grows or learns anything new in the story. The escape portion of this fantasy world will also appeal to some readers. The characters are actually pretty complex and that makes the book more interesting. This a great book for someone who is into hard graphic novel or vampire books, it is a fun book to read if one gives chance.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street is very interesting book by Mexican-American author Sandra Cisneros. The book was published in 1984. This is a book that every person who experienced living in rough live or neighborhood can relate and can familiarize themselves with. Cisneros also provided and incorporated some aspect of Latino American culture in her story and the physical, emotional and mental growth of Esperanza who grows up in rough neighborhood in Latino community in Chicago, Illinois. The House on Mango Street is about young Latino girl named Esperanza which means hope in her Spanish. Esperanza tells her story of growing up in the Chicago Chicano rough neighborhood which most people would refer to it as “ghetto”. She is from large family where everyone sleeps in one bedroom house. She is determined young lady and wants better life then her neighborhood could provide for her. She wants to live and say bye to her poverty lifestyle and establish better life for herself. The story of Esperanza and neighborhood might sound very sad and one can get vivid imagery of impoverished neighborhood and people but I thought that this book had a lot more than that. It had sense of community, belonging and coming back to one’s community and serving even after life gets better for the person that left their community to perspire.  

            In Conclusion, the story of Esperanza was very intriguing and profoundly sad and happy story or vignettes. The character of Esperanza was full of hope and that what her name meant in Spanish. She was very smart girl who wanted better life then she saw on her neighborhood and how girls acted impractical in education and other social lives but Esperanza was different girl.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

The final book selection that I choose is called American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. This graphic novel has three stories and they all have interesting aspects to it because they touch different social issues. Some aspects of the stories deal with racism, stereotypical jokes about Chinese cultures and finding self identity.  American Born Chinese has three stories in one novel. The first story is about the legendary tale of The King Monkey which is folk tale story in China. This tale represented   honesty and being true to one’s self and others. The second tale is about the second generation immigrant boy from China, his name is Jin Wang. This tale deals with different aspect of human lives such as making friends, being new to a place and wanting to fit in the society that you live and also being in love for the first time. The last story is about white boy named Danny, who has a Chinese cousin named Chin-Kee who visits annually. Danny’s cousin fits into the ignorant stereotypical of Chinese people, the way she dresses, her accent and everything else about her depicts racial remarks and I thought that the author wanted to address such commentary.  In ending, American Born Chinese was deeply three interesting stories in one graphic novel told three pictures and words. I would recommend this book to all readers and do not let the graphic part of the book throw you off because it has great contents to it. The stories have common themes and they all come together towards the end of the book.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alex Sherman

 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a teenager named Junior who lives in Spokane Indian Reservation. The protagonist of the story is a serious cartoonist and that is how escapes from the harshness of society. He draws about everything that happens to him in school, friends, families and bullies. Junior is also conflicted between two societies, first he was going to all Indian school and then all white school. He was lost between cultures and neither of society made it easy for him because he was being teased in both places. But it was worst for him at his Reservation because no one can have different lifestyle or break away from home which leads to teasing and bullying of poor Junior. He is very smart kid who wants to experiment and see outside world. He wants different life then the Reservation can offer him and tries to break away from that life that was predestined for him. In definite, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alex Sherman is absolutely one of the funniest and best books with contents and concepts. I would recommend it for everyone to read because you will be laughing and crying until the end of the book. It will also motivate one and challenge others who are confined in their cultures to experience and experiment life outside of one’s norms. The book is about taking matters into one’s hands and to predestining your own future.