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Farmer, Nancy. The House of the Scorpion. 380 p. New York: Scholastic. 2002. In a dystopian world, sometime in the not-too-distant future, Matteo Alacran is the clone of El Patrón, the 146 year-old drug lord and ruler of the land of Opium. Opium is a small strip of land between the United States and Aztlán …

The Outsiders: Character in the face of discrimination and bullying

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. 168 p. New York: Viking Press/Dell Group. 1967. Ponyboy Curtis is an impoverished, greasy-haired orphan being raised by his older, high school dropout brothers. Ponyboy the Greaser is also intelligent, observant, and sensitive, with dreams of being a writer. His brothers, Darry and Soda Pop, are attractive, engaging young men, have …

I Am The Cheese: YA Novel of Suspense, Paranoia, and Faulty Memory

Cormier, Robert. I Am The Cheese. 233 p.. New York: Laurel-Leaf Books. 1977. Booksellers and reviewers find it hard to settle on a genre that best suits I Am The Cheese. It is most often referred to as being adventure, mystery, or suspense. I would label the novel a psychological thriller. I Am The Cheese …

Fahrenheit 451: The dystopian future that’s become our present

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. 165 p. New York: Ballantine Books. 1953. Guy Montag is a third-generation fireman in a world where firemen are fire starters. An alarm gets raised, and Guy races to the reported site and burns every book on the premises. Book ownership has been outlawed. Literature, with its challenging concepts and provocative …

The Catcher in the Rye: Adolescent alienation and an unheard cry for help

Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye. 285 p. New York: Little, Brown and Company, Inc. 1951. This book has frequently been banned, presumably for the marked cynicism and moral degeneration of its main character, Holden Caulfield. Know what I think lies beneath the challenges? Post-World War II America didn’t want to see what is …

Meet Danitra Brown: African American Poetry and Picture Book

Grimes, Nikki. Meet Danitra Brown. Illustrated by Cooper, Floyd. 32p. New York: Trumpet Club. 1996. Meet Danitra Brown by Nikki Grimes and illustrated by Floyd Cooper is a book of poetry for elementary students describing the life of the title character as seen through the eyes of her best friend, Zuri Jackson. Zuri is a …

Kira-Kira: Japanese American Girl Grows Up Facing Poverty and Loss

Kadohata, Cynthia. Kira-Kira. 244p. New York: Scholastic. 2004. On page one, readers learn that kira-kira means glittering in Japanese. Kira-Kira by Cynthia Kadohata sparkles with youthful optimism, telling the story of preteen Katie and her Japanese American family in the 1950s. Kadohata focuses on Katie’s relationship with her older sister, Lynn, as the main vehicle …

Matzah Ball: Multicultural Picture Book, Accepting Jewish Identity

Mindy A. Portnoy. Matzah Ball. Illustrated by Kahn, Katherine Janus. 32p. Rockville, MD: Kara-Ben Publishing. 1994. Aaron, a young Jewish boy, is invited to attend a Baltimore Orioles-Texas Rangers game at Camden Yards with a non-Jewish family. Because Aaron and his family are observing Passover, the lunch he brings to the ballpark must be kosher. …

Project Mulberry: A Korean American Finding Herself Without Losing Her Culture

Park, Linda Sue. Project Mulberry. 225p. New York: Yearling. 2005. Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park is the story of seventh grader Julia Song, who teams with her white friend, Patrick to win a ribbon at the state fair for their animal husbandry project. Through Patrick, Julia finds out about her own imperfections. She learns …

Nathaniel Talking: African American Picture Book of Poetry and Rhythm

Greenfield, Eloise. Nathaniel Talking. Illustrated by Gilchrist, Jan Spivey. 32p. New York: Black Butterfly Children’s Books. 1988. Nathaniel Talking by Eloise Greenfield and illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist is a book of poetry for elementary students describing the philosophy of Nathaniel B. Free, a nine year-old African American boy. Greenfield touches on themes of growing …