Teen Read Week Wrap-Up: Meet the NBA Finalists
Recently the National Book Award Finalists were announced, including five titles in the the Young People’s Literature category. Three biographies and two works of fiction make up the list, and we’ve combined review quotes and brief synopses to introduce you to each title. Which book do you think is the strongest, and what do you think teens would vote for?
Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Charles and Emma is about evolution, yes, but its central thread is the relationship between Charles Darwin and his religious, tolerant wife Emma. Heiligman highlights how the two learn from each other, and the impact Emma’s influence had on Darwin’s legacy.
“In today’s climate of division between religion and science, it’s instructive to read about a marriage in which the two cultures improved each for exposure to the other.” - Bruce Barcott, New York Times
Jumped is just one of the five Young People's Literature NBA finalists
Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia
Leticia, Dominique, and Trina are three very different girls whose lives become intertwined in one drama-filled day. Rita Williams-Garcia expertly weaves their stories together to give readers a realistic, moving glimpse into life at an urban high school.
“A tiny, terrifically written tome whose outcome is both disturbing and disturbingly real.” - ReadingRants.org
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose
Before Rosa Parks there was Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old high-school student in Montgomery, Alabama who was arrested for not giving up her seat on the bus to a white passenger. Colvin fought for her civil rights and played a crucial part in the Montgomery bus boycott, and Hoose tells her story using a mix of images, text boxes, and Colvin’s own words.
“This inspiring title shows the incredible difference that a single young person can make.” - Gillian Engberg, Booklist Online
Stitches by David Small
In Stitches, David Small uses the graphic novel and comic-strip form to tell a story that’s anything but funny. The book is a memoir of his painful childhood, in which he developed throat cancer and became practically mute amid an abusive household. The book’s subject matter has caused people to question its inclusion in the Young People’s Literature category, but, for mature readers, it’s a gripping experience.
“If this weren’t memoir, the only writers who might have conceived of such a story were Kafka and Poe and The Brothers Grimm.” - Rochelle Jewell Shapiro, California Literary Review
Lips Touch: Three Times by Laini Taylor
Lips Touch: Three Times tells three separate stories of teen girls with unique powers and secrets, all waiting for that first kiss. Author of the Dreamdark series, Laini Taylor is a fantasy expert that gets even non-fantasy fans hooked.
“Taylor’s three novellas form a triptych of beautiful fantasy writing reminiscent of Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman.” - Debbie Carton, Booklist Online
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