Strange places, strrage stories: fiction for teens

Sometimes it's good to get away -- even if it's just to get lost in a book. Here are some great recent stories that will make the reader keep turning the pages with anticipation of what happens next! Find them here using the Amazon and World Catalog search boxes on BookBag.

Everwild, by Neal Shusterman (Simon & Schuster) Fantasy. Sometimes, children lose their way to the afterlife and end up--at least temporarily--in the bizarre in-between world of Everlost. In this second volume of the Skinjacker Trilogy (after Everlost), deceased teens Allie and Nick are waging a sort of war against Mary Hightower, who wants to keep all of the children of Everlost with her forever. Packed with twists and turns, startling revelations, and even some laughs and a bit of romance, Everwild is a mesmerizing story set in a uniquely creative imaginary world.


Hush, Hush, by Becca Fitzpatrick (Simon & Schuster) Paranormal Romance. Smart, responsible Nora Grey is irritated by mysterious transfer-student Patch when they first meet, but it isn't long before she finds herself irresistibly attracted to him (despite her persistent doubts about his character). After extremely frightening things begin happening to Nora, she decides to investigate Patch ... and discovers that he is one of the Nephilim, a fallen angel. And he wants very badly to be human. Hush, Hush is a haunting and tantalizingly sexy read that will have you on the edge of your seat--and hoping for a sequel.

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner (Delacorte Press) Science Fiction. Thomas wakes up in a metal box that's lurching upward, and the only thing he can remember about himself is his first name. Deposited in the central courtyard of an enormous maze, he meets the boys who were delivered there before him. They've developed a society based on two goals: survival--the maze is populated by deadly mechanical monsters--and escape. But soon after Thomas' arrival, things change, and the need to find a way out of the maze takes on new urgency. This suspenseful novel establishes a fascinating and enigmatic world that's suffused with a creeping sense of doom. Fans of dystopian stories will be riveted--and desperate to learn what happens next.


Goth Girl Rising, by Barry Lyga (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Fiction. Kyra, the girl from The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl, has spent the last six months in a mental institution, and Fanboy didn't visit or contact her once. Maybe he was too busy managing his sudden popularity -- the result of publishing his comic in the school's literary magazine while Kyra was away -- but whatever the reason, Kyra is angry, and she's going to get revenge. If you like believable characters and stories filled with raw emotion, don't miss Goth Girl Rising.

How to Say Goodbye in Robot, by Natalie Standiford (Scholastic) Fiction. Beatrice Szabo, forced to start her senior year in a new place because of her father's job, is the new girl at a Baltimore, Maryland private school where everyone else has known each other since kindergarten. She's so emotionally deadened that her mother declares her a robot ... but something tugs at her wiry heartstrings when she meets tortured, antisocial Jonah, aka Ghost Boy. Witty, emotionally intense, and at times startlingly funny, How to Say Goodbye in Robot is the perfect novel for proud misfits; fans of quirky, character-driven stories; and anyone looking for an unconventional love story.

We Were Here, by Matt de la Peña (Delacorte Press) Fiction. Miguel Casteñeda has been sentenced to a year in a group home for a crime that he won't talk about--and honestly, he figures it's better than living at home, where his mother won't even look him in the eye anymore. Then Miguel runs away from the group home with two other residents, Mong and Rondell, with a half-baked plan to go to Mexico. Still keeping the journal that he was required to start in juvie, Miguel relates the hardships, adventures, and epiphanies that the trio have along the way. Part survival tale and part friendship story, We Were Here is a gripping, suspenseful read.

Shaggy-dog stories, for the canine lover

Some folk are cat people, others are dog people. Which are you? Here are books about "man's best friend" -- they may be furry and all have tails, but they're not all cuddly! Look for these here on BookBag: find a copy at your local library by searching on the WorldCatalog box, or use the Amazon search box to buy a copy.

A Dog for Life, by L. S. Matthews (Delacorte Press) Fiction. Brothers Tom and John are so close that they sometimes dream the same dream at night, and they also share a telepathic connection with their dog, Mouse. When Tom becomes ill and the doctor forbids the family from having any pets, both brothers are horrified by the prospect of losing Mouse. John sets out on a wild and crazy journey, with Mouse in tow, in an attempt to find their dog a temporary home with a long-lost uncle. Full of rollicking adventures, this funny, exaggerated, and magical "tail" shows what lengths a couple of boys will go to in order to keep a beloved canine.

Wild Dogs: Past & Present, by Kelly Milner Halls (Darby Creek) Nonfiction. If you're only acquainted with Pekingese, poodles, or other pets, you've met merely a twig's worth on the family tree. Wild dogs of today and their ancestors, who have traversed the planet since right after the dinosaurs, are the subject of this book filled with pictures, fascinating facts, and even a bit of folklore. Taking a close look at the various sorts of dogs living in habitats all over the world--from wolves to dingoes to coyotes and more -- Wild Dogs will give you an appreciation for your pampered pooch's untamed relatives.

Waggit's Tale, by Peter Howe; illustrated by Omar Rayyan (HarperCollins) Fiction. After running frantically all day around the big city park where his owner abandoned him, a small white puppy is taken in by a pack of wild dogs who live there. Learning how to survive from pack-leader Tazar and the rest of the strays, Waggit also earns a name when he can't seem to stop wagging. It's a hard life in the park; food is scarce, and Tazar's crew competes with another pack for it. But as long as they steer clear of the park rangers who want to send them to the Great Unknown (the pound), Tazar and his hardscrabble pack are, at least, free. If you like tales of adventure and survival, this dog story is the one for you.

White Star: A Dog on the Titanic, by Marty Crisp (Holiday House) Fiction. Twelve-year-old Sam Harris is sailing on the Titanic to America, where he is to see his mother for the first time in six years and meet his new stepfather. He's understandably nervous about his new life--but luckily, there are dogs on board the ship, and Sam spends most of his time hanging around the kennels and wishing that one special Irish setter named White Star could be his. But then disaster strikes--and amid the watery chaos, Sam is determined not to leave White Star behind. With bits of little-known history woven into its story, White Star is a gripping tale of survival for dog lovers and adventure fans alike.


City of Dogs, by Livi Michael (G.P. Putnam's Sons) Animal Fantasy. When Sam gets a puppy from Auntie Dot on his birthday, he has no idea that his new companion has been charged with saving the universe. As it turns out, Jenny, the scared little dog that Sam's aunt nearly ran over with her car, had just been fleeing the end of the world in another dimension. Now the peril of Jenny's former world threatens this one, and she must recruit help--a raggedy bunch of neighborhood dogs--to prevent the ultimate destruction of all Nine Worlds. With many wonderful canine characters, a dizzyingly complex plot, and elements of Norse and Greek mythology woven into its story, this exciting book is a sure bet for dog-loving fantasy fans.

Hachiko Waits, by Lesléa Newman; illustrated by Machiyo Kodaira (Henry Holt) Fiction. Every day, Professor Elizaburo Ueno tells his dog Hachi the same thing: "Hachi, you are the best dog in all of Japan." And every day, Hachi follows Professor Ueno to the train station, returns home, and later shows up promptly at three o'clock to greet his master and walk home with him. After the professor dies suddenly at work one day, Hachi is at the train station at 3:00 pm as always. Although friends of Professor Ueno's try to take Hachi in, he is unswerving in his loyalty and his hope that his master will return--so much so that he waits at the station every day for ten years. This fictional version of a true story, while heartbreaking, is also a great tribute to one very noble and faithful dog.

The perils of parenting while plugged-in, from the NY Times

(photo by Michelle Litvin, the New York Times)

The lives of parents are not one-dimensional: often the needs of children and work and home often intersect, and when they do it can be difficult to find the proper balance. Here, written by Julie Scelfo, are excerpts from a New York Timesarticle that explores the risks parents face in this plugged-in world.

One of the important factors, experts find, is that reading to a child is more engaging, more involved, and shows more individual affection than other forms of parent-child interaction. You can find copies of any books mentioned here or anywhere on BookBag by using the WorldCatalog and Amazon search boxes.

WHILE waiting for an elevator at the Fair Oaks Mall near her home in Virginia recently, Janice Im, who works in early-childhood development, witnessed a troubling incident between a young boy and his mother.

The boy, who Ms. Im estimates was about 2 1/2 years old, made repeated attempts to talk to his mother, but she wouldn’t look up from her BlackBerry. “He’s like: ‘Mama? Mama? Mama?’ ” Ms. Im recalled. “And then he starts tapping her leg. And she goes: ‘Just wait a second. Just wait a second.’ ”

Finally, he was so frustrated, Ms. Im said, that “he goes, ‘Ahhh!’ and tries to bite her leg.”

Much of the concern about cellphones and instant messaging and Twitter has been focused on how children who incessantly use the technology are affected by it. But parents’ use of such technology — and its effect on their offspring — is now becoming an equal source of concern to some child-development researchers.

Sherry Turkle, director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Initiative on Technology and Self, has been studying how parental use of technology affects children and young adults. After five years and 300 interviews, she has found that feelings of hurt, jealousy and competition are widespread. Her findings will be published in “Alone Together” early next year by Basic Books.

In her studies, Dr. Turkle said, “Over and over, kids raised the same three examples of feeling hurt and not wanting to show it when their mom or dad would be on their devices instead of paying attention to them: at meals, during pickup after either school or an extracurricular activity, and during sports events.”

... “There’s something that’s so engrossing about the kind of interactions people do with screens that they wall out the world,” she said. “I’ve talked to children who try to get their parents to stop texting while driving and they get resistance, ‘Oh, just one, just one more quick one, honey.’ It’s like ‘one more drink.’ ”

Laura Scott Wade, the director of ethics for a national medical organization in Chicago, said that six months ago her son, Lincoln, then 3 1/2, got so tired of her promises to get off the computer in “just one more minute” that he resorted to the kind of tactic parents typically use.

“He makes me set the timer on the microwave,” Ms. Wade said. “And when it dings he’ll say, ‘Come on,’ and he’ll say, ‘Don’t bring your phone.’ ”

... “It sort of comes back to quality time, and distracted time is not high-quality time, whether parents are checking the newspaper or their BlackBerry,” said Frederick J. Zimmerman, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Public Health who has studied how television can distract parents. He also noted that smartphones and laptops may enable some parents to spend more time at home, which may, in turn, result in more, rather than less, quality time overall.

There is little research on how parents’ constant use of such technology affects children, but experts say there is no question that engaged parenting — talking and explaining things to children, and responding to their questions — remains the bedrock of early childhood learning.

Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley’s landmark 1995 book, “Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children,” shows that parents who supply a language-rich environment for their children help them develop a wide vocabulary, and that helps them learn to read.

The book connects language use at home with socioeconomic status. According to its findings, children in higher socioeconomic homes hear an average of 2,153 words an hour, whereas those in working-class households hear only about 1,251; children in the study whose parents were on welfare heard an average of 616 words an hour....

Part of the reason the children in affluent homes she studied developed larger vocabularies by the time they were 3 is that “parents are holding kids, the kids are on their lap while the parent is reading a book,” Dr. Hart said. “It is important for parents to know when they’re talking to kids, they’re transferring affection as well as words. When you talk to people, there’s always an implicit message, ‘I like you,’ or ‘I don’t like you.’ ”

Meredith Sinclair, a mother and blogger in Wilmette, Ill., said she had no idea how what she calls her “addiction to e-mail and social media Web sites” was bothering her children until she established an e-mail and Internet ban between 4 and 8 p.m., and her children responded with glee. “When I told them, my 12-year-old, Maxwell, was like, ‘Yes!’ ” Ms. Sinclair said.

Problems, problems: teen stories about coping with real life

Stepping into someone else's shoes can help you see your own life more clearly. The characters in the books below -- whether as a result of their own mistakes or due to circumstances totally beyond their control -- all find themselves in chaotic, seemingly unworkable situations. Look for copies of these books using the Amazon and WorldCatalog search boxes here at BookBag; their methods for coping with the chaos, getting a grip, and taking control of their lives make for some great stories.

Marcelo in the Real World, by Francisco X. Stork (Arthur A. Levine Books) Fiction. Marcelo Sandoval isn't interested in sticking even a big toe out of his comfort zone; he'd be happy forever just listening to the music in his head, obsessively reading books about religion, and caring for the ponies in his special school's stables. But his dad, a high-powered attorney, insists that Marcelo take a summer job in his law firm's mailroom to get a dose of "the real world." There, Marcelo has to let go of his familiar routines and face challenges: having to tell true friends from false ones, doing the right thing even if it's dangerous, and taking the risk of loving someone. Unpredictable, moving, and memorable, Marcelo in the Real World offers a unique view of life.

Hot Lunch, by Alex Bradley (Dutton Children's Books) Fiction. When blue-haired, smart-mouthed Molly is paired up with her nemesis--blonde, perky Cassie--for a class project, they clash. And clash again. Then they get lunch duty and end up in a food fight, causing the lunch lady to quit. At their private, hippie-run school, punishment fits the crime, so Cassie and Molly have to take over for the lunch lady--but besides not being able get along, neither of them can cook! The two of them find out whether they should spend time around sharp knives together. Hot Lunch is a fast-paced, funny read with some great recipes,


Island of the Lost: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World, by Joan Druett (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill) Adult Nonfiction. This slice of history shows how the way people react to a drastic situation can make a huge difference in its outcome. In 1864, two ships, the Grafton and the Invercauld, wrecked on opposite ends of the same remote South Pacific island. The Grafton's five-man crew, through determination and sheer force of will, overcame the harsh environment and eventually built a small ship to carry them to New Zealand -- but the crew of theInvercauld descended into anarchy. After a year and a half, only three of theInvercauld's original 25-man crew survived to be rescued by a passing ship. Fans of adventure and survival stories (or TV shows) will find this descriptive history
fascinating.

Keesha's House, by Helen Frost (Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus and Giroux) Novel in Verse. Keesha's father gets violent when he drinks (which is often), but she has finally found a safe place to live--a house owned by a man whose aunt took him in when he was young and in trouble. Keesha, in turn, invites other teens to take refuge and start fresh there: Stephie, who's pregnant and terrified; Harris, whose dad kicked him out after Harris revealed that he's gay; Katie, whose stepfather crossed a line but whose mother won't believe her; and several others. Heartbreaking yet hopeful and with painfully realistic characters, Keesha's House will mesmerize readers who like emotionally intense, brutally honest books like E.R. Frank's Life is Funny.

Nation, by Terry Pratchett (HarperCollins) Fiction. Mau is headed home in a canoe, ready to take part in the ritual that will make him a man, when a tsunami kills every member of his island nation but him. The deadly wave also wrecks an English ship on the island's shore, depositing a girl named Ermintrude there. Soon, refugees from nearby islands begin to arrive, and Mau and Ermintrude must take the lead in establishing a new nation if they hope to survive. But Mau isn't sure who he is without his people, Ermintrude no longer knows what to believe about the world, and great danger awaits them both. Part survival adventure, part fantasy, and full of marvelous characters and comic relief, Nation is a riveting and memorable read.