Musings of a Millennial Librarian

The Knife of Never Letting Go By Patrick Ness Ness, P. (2008).  The Knife of Never Letting Go . Boston, MA: Candlewick.             Todd Hewitt is a twelve year old boy who lives in Prentisstown, which is a town occupied only by men.   He is anxiously awaiting his thirteenth birthday when he will become a man in the eyes of his community.   Todd is the youngest boy in his town, and since the other boys have become men they no longer talk to him.   When they arrived in the New World the men were infected with a germ by the Spackle and can hear each other’s every thought, which they refer to as the “Noise.”   When he was young Todd’s parents were killed by the Spackle and he was left in the care of Ben and Cillian.               One day Todd is out in the swamp collecting apples for Ben when he and his dog, Manchee, discover a quie...

Monster By Walter Dean Myers Myers, W. D. (1999).  Monster . NY: Harpercollins.             Steven Harmon, a sixteen year old African American boy, has been accused  of being an accomplice in the murder of Mr. Nesbitt and is awaiting trial.   Steve has been implicated in the murder by James King, Richard “Bobo” Evans, and Osvaldo Cruz as being a lookout during the robbery.   He explains the proceedings of the trial and incident in screenplay form, and with diary notes each day of the trial.   Ms. O’Brien, his lawyer, is trying to prove his innocence and instructs Steve how to conduct himself within the court.   She points out to the jurors that the only way Bobo was able to receive a deal was by admitting that he was there at the crime scene.   O’Brien shows that Steve was acquainted with all three guys, but they were not actually friends.   She points out that Steve wasn’t w...

It’s Perfectly Normal By Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley Harris, R. H., & Emberley, M. (2014).  Its perfectly normal: changing bodies, growing up, sex, and sexual health . Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.             This is the 20 th Anniversary edition of the book and is updated with new and relevant scientific and medical information, and now includes information about gender identity.   This book is written for an adolescent audience and provided information about growing up, changing bodies, sex, puberty, and staying healthy.   The book is broken up into six parts and provides information in kid friendly language. Part One:   What is Sex? Explains the different meanings of the word sex, and broadens the scope to discuss sexual reproduction, sexual desire, and sexual intercourse.   How we identify is explained with the terms heterosexuality and homosexuality, and how pe...

Lily and Dunkin By Donna Gephart Gephart, D. (2016).  Lily and Dunkin . NY: Delacorte Press.             For all of his life Timothy McGrother has believed he was born in the wrong.   From a very young age he liked to wear dresses, play with dolls, and paint his nails.   He identifies as a girl and wishes to be called Lily.   His mom and older sister, Sarah, are very supportive of his transformation but his father has a toughen time coming to terms with it.   It’s nearing the end of summer break and he’s ready to start making outward changes.   He comes out in a dress to help his father unload groceries and sees a boy listening to music while walking down the street.   The boy looks so happy that he waves at him.   The boy is Norbert Dorfman who just moved from New Jersey with his mother to live with his bubbie.   Norbert is dealing with bipolar  disorder, which his...

Annie on My Mind By Nancy Garden Garden, N. (1982).  Annie on My Mind . New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.             Liza Winthrop is seventeen year old student at Foster Academy, who has always worked hard at school and plans to attend MIT.   She lives with her parents and younger brother, Chad, in a nice part of Brooklyn.   Liza is the student council president and with that job comes a lot of responsibility.   One day while visiting a museum to gain inspiration for an assignment she meets a girl named Annie.   She is immediately drawn to her, and they have a fun time together.   They exchange numbers, and Liza is unsure if Annie will reach out or if she’ll have the courage to do it first.   Annie is from a different background.   She attends public school and lives with her parents and grandmother in a tiny apartment.   Annie loves plants and is a phenomenal singer, ...

Lucky Broken Girl By Ruth Behar Behar, R. (2017).  Lucky Broken Girl . NY: Penguin.             Ruthie is a young Cuban-Jewish girl living with her family in New York.   She lives with her mother, father, and little brother Izzie.   Many of Ruthie’s extended family resides in her apartment building too, her mother’s parents, an aunt, uncle, and their twins.   Since English is not her first language, Ruthie is in what she calls the dumb class with her Indian best friend and neighbor Ramu.   Ruthie and Ramu believe they are ready for the smart class, and she informs their teacher.   The teacher agrees to test them and gives each of them a word to spell.   Ruthie spells hers correctly but Ramu is unable to spell his correctly.   Ruthie knows in her heart that Ramu is ready for the smart class, and asks the teacher to give him a second chance.   Ramu spell his second word co...

Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson Anderson, L. H. (1999).  Speak . NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.             The summer before Melinda starts high school she attends a party with her best friend Rachel.   When they arrive at the party, they get split up when Rachel leaves to dance with some friends and while they’re separate Melinda has a few drinks.   After a while a senior, Andy Evans, starts dancing with her, they start dancing, and he ends up leading her to a secluded area.   Andy rapes Melinda.   While in a state of shock Melinda grabs the phone to dial 911 for help but when an operator gets on the line she is unable to speak.   Someone grabs the phone from Melinda, listens and alerts the crowd that the cops are on the way.   Melinda takes off, walks home to an empty house, and doesn’t utter a word about happened.             ...