VVMBookBlog

The Juvie Three by Gordan Korman

Gecko, who is incarcerated for driving a stolen get-away car, is surprised when a stranger comes to visit him in the juvenile detention center. This stranger, Mr. Healy, has “a deal” for Gecko. Instead of being in the detention center, he would be in a half-way house. Half-way between jail and freedom. As he leaves with Mr. Healy he is joined by two other juvenile delinquents, Terence and Arjay. The three will live together and depend on each other to stay “on the outside.” This is difficult for all three, especially Terence. Their lives are confined to school, group therapy, and community service. A nosy neighbor and a social worker who follows the rules, maybe a bit too closely, make life difficult for the three. They are also faced with challenges such as school and staying out of trouble. Life soon gets more complicated.

This is a quick read and an engaging book from the beginning to the end. Readers will not be disappointed as they follow these three on their adventures as they try to stay out of trouble.

Black Box by Julie Schumacher

Elena’s sister, Dora, has been hospitalized for depression after swallowing a bottle of pills. As one would expect this is difficult for the family especially Elena. The attention is focused on Dora and her recovery and not on Elena. Often Elena, who is new to her school, feels as though no one is listening to her until she meets Jimmy. It seems as though the two have quite a bit in common. When Dora comes home from the hospital Elena tries to take care of her and help even though her parents don’t listen to her. This book has emotional ties to keep the reader involved. It is also full of twists and turns. Reluctant readers will especially like this book because it is a quick read and keeps the reader engaged.

As this story begins, DeShawn is 12 and living a large city housing project with his grandmother and older sister–his mother was killed earlier in the crossfire of neighborhood  gang warfare.  Even at 12, DeShawn has seen much evidence of gang violence and knows many friends and relatives who are now dead or in jail because of gang activities.  He’s smart enough to know that he wants and needs to stay away from gangs, and a couple of his teachers try to help him get enrolled in a special school that would improve his hopes for the future.  Unfortunately, life for him, his family and friends depends so much on the activities of the rival gangs in his neighborhood that trying to escape it is nearly impossible.

The book is divided into sections based on DeShawn’s age until he reaches 18, and his life becomes more and more complex and challenging.  I had to keep reading to see what would happen to DeShawn, all while feeling the hopelessness of his living situation, which was the author’s purpose in writing this book.  I think students who enjoy reading our “street lit” books will like this one, even though the dialogue and language didn’t seem very authentic–”school-safe” maybe but not authentic.

The author says we as a country need to do something soon about the problems of inner-city youth and families, and gives information and data to support his message. It’s a hard topic to read about and harder still to experience.

14-year-old Arnold “Junior” Spirit is a Spokane Indian who has lived on the “rez” all his life.  He has an older sister whom he admires very much and a mother and father who love him, even though his father is a chronic alcoholic. Arnold has several disabilities due to his hydrocephaly or water on the brain, and has some physical conditions that make him a target for bullying.  And he has a talent for cartooning.

Arnold has always attended the school on the reservation but a classroom incident in the first days of his 9th grade year prompts one of his teachers to recommend that he leave the rez school for a better school–the nearest public school 22 miles away.  Now branded as a traitor to his reservation family, Arnold faces the many challenges to being a reservation Indian in a very white school.  He doesn’t back down from any challenge and doors open for him in every situation.

In spite of some tough social and living conditions in Arnold’s life, this book is funny, fun to read and hopeful.  It’s definitely for more mature readers who can read beyond just the words to the amazingly courageous person that is Arnold.

November Blues by Sharon Draper

November Blues is the sequel to Battle of Jericho although I think the audience is different. Typically I stay away from saying the book is a “boy book” or a “girl book,” but since this book is about a teenage pregnant mother, I think the audience would be mature females.

The first page of November Blues starts with November throwing up in the bathroom stall at school. I find Sharon Draper to be a remarkable author, but I was concerned about the subject matter for middle schoolers. Although the subject is teenage pregnancy, the pregnancy wasn’t glorified. November and her friends have “real” school troubles… teachers, homework, friends, bullying, parents, etc. My suggestion would be to read Battle of Jericho first. Both books are for mature readers because of the topics, but both books are well written. Readers will relate to these characters.