The Power of Books

Books have the amazing power to inform and to make us feel.  When faced with characters in a book who are different from us or who are going through experiences unlike our own,  books can sometimes help us understand a different world, culture, viewpoint.   And at the same time, these stories and characters may remind us of ourselves and help us understand our own lives better or make us realize we aren't alone.

The following books go into the minds and worlds of characters with differences - physical, mental, and emotional.

Marcelo in the Real World

by Francisco X. Stork

Marcelo, is a teenager with Asperger's syndrome who has long heard his own music,  when his father makes him take a job at his law firm so that Marcelo can experience the real world, Marcelo realizes that his way of thinking and interacting may be different, but it is every bit as real and valid in the real world.

Found at: Public Library.

Why chosen:  The unique qualities of Marcelo's personality help him to set a wrong to right; and he gets the girl in the end.

Anything but Typical

by Nora Raleigh Baskin

In this story, Jason finds the way he can be the most "normal" is when he is interacting with people online through his writing; in this way people can't see him, but what should he do when he has the chance to meet a girl with whom he has been sharing his stories.


Found at: Public Library.

Why chosen:  The story allows the reader to see through the eyes of an autistic boy and how that feels.

Wonder

by R.J. Palacio

Told from the perspective of many characters, Auggie Pullman, born with a severe facial deformity and home schooled most of his life, starts middle school where he is faced with a bully who seems to have turned the school against Auggie, but the power of kindness wins in the end.

Found at: Public Library.

Why chosen:  For its uplifting message that we all have the power within ourselves to make a difference by choosing to be kind.

All the Broken Pieces

by Ann E. Burg

This book, written in verse, is the story of a boy who is forced to leave his family behind during the Vietnam War to find a "better" life in a new family and country; his life feels broken as he tries to sort out the pieces and the sadness and the guilt he feels about leaving his family behind.

Found at: Public Library.

Why chosen:  This book provides another perspective on what it means to be different, to accept oneself, and to fit in.

Gaming, Virtual Reality, and Science Fiction

This is the trifecta of reading for those of you who are gamers or technology geeks – sure to appeal to most teenage boys.  The books below are futuristic tales centered around video games, virtual reality, and technology.  These stories might have you asking could the stories be closer to reality than you think.

The Eye of Minds

by James Dashner

Games have taken on a new level in the virtual reality game called Lifeblood which inserts sensors into your body so that you can feel everything in the game, yet still be protected from death; but what happens when one gamer goes too far and is actually able to kill his opponents?

Found at: Public Library

Why chosen: This is the ultimate in teenage gaming science fiction story, letting the reader imagine where virtual reality might take video games.

For the Win

by Cory Doctorow

The story is a complex world of multiplayer, role playing gaming where players try to amass online wealth by mining gold; a small group of gamers comes together virtually to fight the real sweatshops of third world operations where low paid workers play the game to collect the virtual gold which can be sold online for real money to more economically advantaged players.

Found at: Public Library

Why chosen: This science fiction takes on worldwide economic inequality by focusing on the gaming industry; the book is available online for free by the author.

Evil Genius

by Catherine Jinks


Cadell Piggott, computer hacker with genius status, is selected for the Axis Institute where he can study such things as World Domination, Basic Lying, Mutation; but Cadell has a change of heart when he meets Kay-Lee online, he questions the morality of his ways, and decides to use his hacking skills to stop evil.

Found at: Public Library

Why chosen: A different take on the ultra smart, computer geek character who uses his genius for evil and for good.

The Unidentified

by Rae Mariz

Set in a futuristic world where students go to schools run by corporations,  school curriculum is delivered through video games and the students' every move and online presence is tracked to determine market trends.

Found at: Public Library

Why chosen:  Readers will recognize elements of the present world in a futuristic society that has taken video games and social media to an extreme.

First Like, First Love

Is it love or like? A friendship? Something more? Books with teen relationships can be about friendships, exploration, and love. They can be romantic, realistic, tragic, heartwarming, and heart wrenching.  Sometimes these books are referred to as romance books, but really they can be about finding yourself just as much as they are about finding someone else.

As a reader, you need to decide the level of intensity you would like in a "romance" book - some will make you cry, some will make you feel good, some will help you understand another person or yourself better, some will make you laugh.

When looking for a book about friendship, love, or romance, you can use the following keywords to search for a book: friendship, love, romance, dating combined with middle grade or young adult or middle school or high school.

Here are a few examples of books about finding a "first love":

Shug

By Jenny Han

As she starts middle school, Annemarie, also known as Shug, realizes that things aren't quite the way they used to be particularly when it comes to old friends and her once best-friend Mark.

Found at: public library.

Why chosen: A middle grade story about taking a fresh look at old friends and longing for your first kiss.

Guitar Notes

by Mary Amato


Tripp, aka Mr. Odd, and Lyla, aka Ms. Even, think of themselves as being polar opposites, but become friends over time as they write notes, texts, and emails while sharing the same music practice room on alternating days; both end up providing each other the courage to make changes in their lives.

Found at: public library.

Why chosen:  First a friendship and then a romance that blooms over time between two people who think they don’t have much in common.

Stargirl

by Jerry Spinelli


Leo is faced with the conflicts of first love: does he pursue the girl of his dreams and risk being shunned by his whole school or does he try to change her; and why can't he just get her out of his mind?

Found at:  public library.

Why chosen: The main character faces conflicting feelings of being true to oneself and loving the one you want or following the crowd.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Aristotle and Dante start out as unlikely friends, and over time, both must make difficult decisions about what it means to be a friend and what it means to love someone.


Found at: public library.

Why chosen: A book about self discovery, friendship, and love between two teen boys.

The Smile

By Donna Jo Napoli


Set during the Italian Renaissance, Elisabetta is faced with honoring her family in an arranged marriage to someone she does not love or with honoring her own desire to marry the man she loves.

Found at: public library.

Why chosen: A bit of history, a bit of romance, the book gives a different perspective on being able to love the one you want.