Life Lists for Teens

Life Lists for Teens

Pamela Espeland

2003 * p. 244 * YA Nonfiction

Life Lists for Teens contains numerous lists, suggestions, tips, etc that help teens in 9 different areas: Health & Wellness, Getting Along, Staying Safe, School & Learning, Going Online, Planning Ahead, Saving the World, Focus on You, & Just for Fun.

The book can be read from cover to cover or by just perusing through it. That is the beauty of this book. Readers can pick and choose the topics that they need help with. I didn't spend much time on sections and lists about teen pregnancy and smoking, but I did spend time on perfectionism and procrastination.

The lists are also great because they address different areas of a problem. For example, there is a list of reasons why you shouldn't get a tattoo. But then following it is a list of what to be careful of if you can't be persuaded not to, etc. The book promotes healthy and moral decisions but doesn't preach.

-Reading level: ages 10 & up: teens can go to this book with many different issues and question.

-Appropriateness: it does talk about sex, drugs, tattoos, sexual harassment--but only in the manner of how to combat it, stand up for yourself, and seek help.

-Author talks well to the teen reader and relates with subtle humor.

Little Women

Little Women: Book One

Louisa May Alcott

1868 * p. 377 * YA Fiction, Pre-1920's

"Painful as it may be, a significant emotional event can be the catalyst for choosing a direction that serves us--and those around us--more effectively. Look for the learning."

--Louisa May Alcott.

Alcott's Little Women is considered a classic YA novel and has withstood the test of time. YA novels at the time usually served the purpose of being strictly moral books to teach children lessons and the proper way to behave. Alcott's book however employs these moral lessons in a situation of love, understanding and forgiveness.

Little Women is about the March sisters--beautiful Meg, boyish and outspoken Jo, timid and selfless Beth, and pompous but young Amy. Each have their virtues and vices. They live with their mother who they call Marmee and try to make ends meet while their father is away at the Civil War. The girls love to make plays and act and have wonderful imaginations that help them stay entertained. They befriend their neighbor's grandson, Laurie, who is the same age as Jo. Laurie is mischievious and a teaser and loves the March girls as his own sisters and has a good heart.

The moral lessons of the story are included as the Marmee challenges the girls to follow Christian's example in John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. A novel about a man's journey to heaven and all of the temptations he must overcome to release himself of his burden.

References to Pilgrim's Progress are made to continually.

Marmee says, "We never are too old for this, my dear, because it is a play we are playing all the time in one way or another. Our burdens are here, our road is before us, and the longing for goodness and happiness is the guide that leads us through many troubles and mistakes to the peace which is a true Celestial City. Now, my little pilgrims, suppose you begin again, not in play, but in earnest, and see how far on you can get before Father comes home" (17).

I love Little Women. It is just a pure book. It is about sisterly love and devotion, good deeds, overcoming personal trials, and growing up in a loving home where an understanding mother is present to build you up.

Book One is more about the girls growing up over one year and overcoming trials before all of the romantic escapades occur. (That is probably in Book Two.) Meg and John Brook's affection begins and the reader is given hints of Laurie's love for Jo.

The 1994 movie of Little Women is pretty true to Book One though a lot is not included. I would reccomend reading the books first, along with Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and then watching the movie.

-Reading level: age 13 & up.

-Appropriate for all ages.

-Themes of sisterly love, overcoming personal trials, selflessness, sacrifice.

-Lengthy book, with a few vocabulary words that may need to be explained.

-WONDERFUL!

Homeless Bird

Homeless Bird

Gloria Whelan

2000 * p. 212 * YA Multicultural Fiction

Homeless Bird is the story of 13 year old Koly who lives in India. Her family is poor, but loving. Koly is now at the age where she can be married, and soon her parents come into contact with another family who wish their son to be married to Koly. They live far away and Koly has never seen her husband-to-be, Hari. Hari's parents have told Koly and her parents that he is sixteen and will be a good match. However, after they are married and meet Koly and Hari meet face to face, they discover that Hari is deathy ill and the same age as Koly, maybe younger. But they are married, and worse than a deceitful marriage, is bringing shame to the family. So Koly stays with Hari and his parents.

On their wedding night, Koly sleeps next to her sister-in-law Chandra and is not allowed to even rarely speak to her husband:

"I slept very little that night, kept awake by my longing for my home and by Hari's coughing in the next room. As I lay there in the strange house, I felt like a newly caged animal that rushes about looking for the open door that isn't there. I thought I might be able to endure one day in my new home and perhaps two, but I did not see how I could live there for the rest of my life" (24).

Poor Koly's circumstances only get worse. I can't even imagine getting married at age 13 to a sickly boy, living with in-laws that I had never met, being treated unkindly, and never being able to go home for fear of shaming my family.

Hari's parents only had Hari marry Koly to get her dowry so they could take Hari to a holy city and be cured. But Hari is not cured, and dies. Koly is a widow at 13 and must wear the traditional white widow's sari. Now, Koly must live with her in-laws. Her sister-in-law leaves and is married, her father-in-law soon dies, and so Koly is left with her cruel mother-in-law--Sass. Koly is now 17. They are destitute.

Sass and Koly head for a new place to live with Sass's brother. But they stop at Vrindiavan, a holy city. Sass gives Koly some money to buy food for them. When Koly returns, Sass is gone. She has left without her and deserted her in the holy city. Koly is all alone, with little money, nowhere to stay, no friends or family.

Homeless Bird is a wonderful book, and though depressing, it still seems lighthearted. What really struck me is that this is a modern-day book. It is not written about a character that lived in India 100 years ago. It is a realistic, mulitcutluralistic account of life for a teenage widow. Since marriage is everything, to be widowed is to think your life is over. That is the real depressing aspect of the novel: to think that your life is over at 13 and that the rest of your life will be spent as a servant, unloved and poor.

Though I won't share the end, it does end happily. It is a wonderful insight into Indian culture and many terms are use throughout the book. (A glossary of terms is explained at the back of the book.) I loved it. The text is big and the pages are small making it a fast and interesting read.

-Reading level: age 11 & up

-Easy read.

-A reference to a bhang and drug use.

-Appropriate for all ages.

-Glimpse into the Indian culture.

-Themes of hope, endurance, respect and shame.

-National Book Award Winner.

Dealing with Dragons

Dealing with Dragons

Patricia C. Wrede


1990 * p. 212 * YA Fantasy


Dealing with Dragons follows the Princess Cimorene of Linderwall. Her six older sisters have all married a prince and lived happily ever after. Cimorene, however, is anything but a proper and typical princess. She does not want to marry prince. She wants to study economics, make cherries jubilee, learn magic, etc. But all of those things are not proper for a princess to do. Cimorene is fed up, and when her parents tell her they have betrothed her to a handsome but brainless prince, it's the last straw. After receiving advice from a talking frog, she heads out for more advice, and finds DRAGONS.

Cimorene is frightened at first, but then offers herself as a servant princess to the dragons. The dragons are taken aback by this request. Usually they have to steal a princess, but here Cimorene is offering herself freely and willingly. One dragon just wants to eat her. But Kazul, a respected female dragon, says she will take Cimorene.

Cimorene loves being Kazul's princess. She gets to cook all she wants, sort through treasure, and catalogue old and supernatural books. But not everything is perfect. Cimorene has to deal with sneaky wizards, traitor dragons, fire-coughing dragons, persnickety servant princesses, and annoying and persitent princes come to rescue her.

One day, a knight shouts into the cave where Kazul and Cimorene live. Cimorene goes out to tell him to go away and they have this conversation:

"'What can I do for you?' Cimorene asked after several moments had gone by and the knight still hadn't said anything.

"Well, um, if you are the Princess Cimorene, I've come to rescue you from the dragon,' the knight said.

Cimorene set the point of the broadsword on the ground and leaned on it as if it were a walking cane. 'I thought that might be it,' she said. 'But I'd rather not be rescued, thank you just the same.'

'Not be rescued?' The knight's puzzled look deepened. 'But princesses always--'

'No, they don't,' Cimorene said firmly, recognizing the beginning of a familiar argument. 'And even if I wanted to be rescued, you're going at it all wrong.'

'What?' said the knight, thoroughly taken aback.

'Shouting, 'Come out and fight,' the way you did. No self-respecting dragon is going to answer to a challenge like that. It sounds like a child's dare. Dragons are very conscious of their dignity, at least all the ones I've met so far are'" (25).

The conversation continues and its hilarious. Cimorene is outspoken but kind. She is strong and an individual. She knows who she is and what will make her happy in life.

Wrede's book is very humorous. She employs a lot of the classic fairy tale elements and lightly makes fun of them for their often ridiculous perfection. Some of them included are Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. Cimorene is delightful and fun. The whole theme of the book is being happy with who you are and not letting anything or anyone hold you back, being an individual, and that beauty does not always equal intelligence or compassion.





-Reading level: grade 7 & up


-Appropriate for all ages.


-It was a fun, easy read that girls will most likely appreciate.

Jacob Have I Loved

Jacob Have I Loved

Katherine Paterson

1980 * p. 215 * YA Historical Fiction

"Jacob Have I Loved" follows the life of Louise as she grows up in Chesapeake Bay in the 1940s. Louise is a tomboy. She loves to go out into the bay with her father and catch crab. She has rough, large hands, is too tan, strong and stocky, and is definitely not pretty. Caroline, Louise's twin sister, is. She is petite, blonde, has a beautiful voice and seems the capture the attention of everywhere.

Louise constantly compares herself to Caroline, and throws herself a pity party daily. In the following excerpt, Louise tells about being born a twin:

"I was the elder by a few minutes. I always treasured the thought of those minutes. They represented the only time in my life when I was the center of everyone's attention. From the moment Caroline was born, she snatched it all for herself.

When my mother and grandmother told the story of our births, it was mostly of how Caroline had refused to breathe. How the midwife smacked and prayed and cajoled the tiny chest to move. How the cry of joy went up at the first weak wail--'no louder than a kitten's mew.'

'But where was I?' I once asked. 'When everyone was working over Caroline, where was I?'

A cloud passed across my mother's eyes, and I knew that she could not remember. 'In the basket,' she said. 'Grandma bathed you and dressed you and put you in the basket.'

'Did you Grandma?'

'How should I know?' she snapped. 'It was a long time ago.'

I felt cold all over, as though I was the newborn infant a second time, cast aside and forgotten" (14-5).

But though she isn't the "favored" one, as a reader you don't feel entirely sorry for her. She complains and is also often rude and possessive of others that she wants all to herself. But she is a typical teenager that is going through the growing pains of living in a shadow, feeling inadequate and experiencing the first pangs of love. Can't we all relate to that? She means well.

A few twists and turns dot the storyline: her friendship with rolly-polly, boy scout Call, the mysterious old Captain, the shock of Pearl Harbor, a devastating flood, and more.

"Jacob Have I Loved" felt very nastolgic. The descriptions of the setting of the Chesapeake Bay and life there in the 1940s is really superb.

-Reading level: grade 8 & up

-Appropriate for all ages

-Some references to puberty and becoming sexually aware of the opposite sex

-Themes of feeling like an outcast, family relationships, self-worth and confidence, pride, becoming an adult