The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky (1999)

Goodreads

My rating:  10 out of 10
*language, sexual references, risky behavior

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!

Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick (2009)

"Can you feel that, Private?"

Eighteen-year old Matt Duffy, a private in the army, is stationed in Baghdad, Iraq.  Six hours ago he was brought into the hospital; he has TBI, Traumantic Brain Injury from a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG).  At first he can't remember anything that happened before the explosion, but he slowly begins to remember a few pieces of the memory.

"You don't remember?"

Matt shook his head.  Even that tiny gesture sent pain shooting through his skull.

"It was yesterday," Justin said.  "Remember yesterday?"

Matt tried to remember.  Nothing.

"You sure?"  Justin glanced over his shoulder, the way he did when he was scanning the rooftops for snipers.  "Nothing at all?"

"Why?  Did someone get hurt?"

Justin pinched his brow between his fingers.  "Only a couple hajis," he said.

As Matt tries to put the pieces of the memory together, he thinks of a young, homeless boy he befriended, Ali.  The last time he saw Ali was when they were patrolling the market near the al-Hikma Mosque.  Ali always stayed close to Matt, begging for anything he could sell.

"I keep seeing it in my head.  Or parts of it, anyhow."  He wiped his hands on his pant legs, not looking up.

"That's not unusual," she said.  "A lot of soldiers have flashbacks, disturbing memories, nightmares..."

"It doesn't make sense," he said, his voice cracking.  "I keep seeing him."

"Who?"

"This street kid," Matt said, toying with his plastic hospital wristband.

Purple Heart is a heart-wrenching story of Matt's experience in Baghdad.  This is a great book for teens who maybe don't know much about the war in Iraq, or maybe know someone who has been deployed there.

Rating:  9 out of 10 stars
*language, sexual reference

The Evolution of Mara Dyer, by Michelle Hodkin (2012)

I woke up on the morning of some day in some hospital to find a stranger sitting in my room.

Mara Dyer can't remember anything after seeing her ex-boyfriend, Jude, appear at the police station.  But she is sure she saw him.  She learns that she's in a hospital.

"It became an emergency situation, so under the Baker Act, your parents were able to consent for you."

I whispered so I wouldn't scream.  "What are you saying?"

"I'm sorry, but you've been involuntarily committed."

Mara knows that she isn't okay.  Her family and Noah are afraid for her safety, but while Noah believes her, her family thinks Mara just might be truly mentally ill.  The Evolution of Mara Dyer will make goosebumps rise on your arms as you feel Mara come unraveled.  If you liked The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, you'll love the second book!

Rating:  7 out of 10 stars
*language, sexual references, rape

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys (2011)

They took me in my nightgown.

Fifteen-year old Lina Vilkas was taken from her home as she was getting ready for bed by the NKVD, the Soviet Secret Police.  Her family was given 20 minutes to pack.  Her father is missing.

"Promise me that if anyone tries to help you, you will ignore them.  We will resolve this ourselves.  We must not pull family or friends into this confusion, do you understand?  Even if someone calls out to you, you must not respond."

Almost a year before, Lina's home country, Lithuania, was annexed into the USSR.  Others were rounded up and put into a truck with Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, Jonas.  Lina learns that her mother speaks perfect Russian.

Forty-six people are crammed into a cattle train car.  One of them is 17-year old Andrius Arvydas from a nearby town.  They travel for six weeks inside the crammed, filthy car.  Lina learns why they were deported.

"Stalin has a plan, my love.  The Kremlin will do anything to see it through.  You know that.  He wants Lithuania for the Soviet Union, so he's moving us out temporarily."

"But why us?" I asked.  "They already moved into Lithuania last year.  Isn't that enough?"

"It's not just us, dear.  I imagine he's doing the same to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland.  It's complicated," said other.

Lina witnesses hundreds of horrible things, things a human should never have to see or endure.

"How could they do this?" I asked aloud.  I looked around the train car.  No one spoke.  How could we stand up for ourselves if everyone cowered in fear and refused to speak?  

I had to speak.  I'd write everything down, draw it all.  I would help Papa find us.

Between Shades of Gray is the emotional story of Lina and her family as they're deported from their beloved home in Lithuania and eventually make it to the most desolate area of all in the Arctic region.  It was delicious and it broke my heart into a million pieces.

Rating:  10 out of 10 stars
*mild language, sexual inference

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!

Reached, by Ally Condie (2012)

Every morning, the sun comes up and turns the earth red, and I think:  This could be the day when everything changes.  Maybe today the Society will fall.  Then night comes again and we're all still waiting.  But I know the Pilot's real.

The third book in the Matched series, Reached concludes the story of Cassia, Ky and Xander.  Xander is an official, a physic.  Cassia is a sorter.  And Ky is a pilot for the Rising.  They wait for the Pilot's voice to start the Rising.

 

This is it.

 

The Rising said it would look like this.

Reached was a solid conclusion to the love triangle of Cassia, Xander, and Ky.  I loved the poetry, art, and descriptive language throughout the book, and even though the first half was a bit slow, I really enjoyed the second half.  I liked seeing how questions were answered and what happened to each character.

Rating:  8 out of 10 stars

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!

Stolen, by Lucy Christopher (2010)

You saw me before I saw you.  

Gemma was traveling with her parents from London to Vietnam.  On a layover in Bangkok, she went to a coffee stand in the airport.

"Let me buy it," you said.  Your voice was low and soft, like it was meant only for me, and your accent was strange.

Ty is in his mid-20s, too old to be hanging out with a 16-year old girl.

You must have thought of everything: a ticket, a new passport, our route through, how to get past security.  Was it the most carefully planned steal ever, or just luck?  

He steals her away to a desert in Australia.

"Why?"  I whispered.

"I had to take you."

Written as a letter to her captor, Gemma describes her experience.

So I wrote the only words I could think of:  imprisoned, confined, detained, constrained, incarcerated, locked up, interned, sent down, abducted, kidnapped, taken, forced, shoved, hurt, stolen...

Stolen is a beautiful, frightening story.

Rating:  8 out of 10 stars
*language, sexual inference, drug reference, prostitution

To check out this book at NOLS, click HERE!

Cracked, by K. M. Walton (2012)

I have wished that Bull Mastrick would die almost every single day.

For more than 10 years, Bull Mastrick has terrorized Victor Konig.  They're now 16 years old, finishing their sophomore year in high school.  Neither one has a happy home.

Bull lives with his grandfather, Pop, and his mom.  Pop's fists are big and strong, and he uses them on Bull.  A lot.  

My pop renamed me Bull when I was five - said he didn't want me getting any crazy ideas that I was special.  He said I wrecked everyone's life when I came along, like a bull in a china shop.  The name stuck.

His mom isn't any better.

She loves reminding me that I was never supposed to have been born.  That I stole her dreams...She pretty much blames me for just about every bad thing in her pathetic life.  Like never graduating high school.  

Victor's parents don't believe in physical violence or affection.  They remind him of robots; he's never seen them hug or kiss.

Like I said, my parents don't use physical violence; they don't need to.  They've mastered verbal violence.

His mom's term of endearment for him is "My Accident."

She gets such pleasure from telling me that I was never planned.  She never wanted kids.  Ever.  She had too much to do with her life, she said.  Like travel and shop and impress people.

The only being in his house that makes Victor feel important is his mom's teacup poodle, Jasmine.  

The only thing Victor's parents are concerned about are his grades and SAT scores.  His parents are disappointed with his scores.  Even though he received a perfect score on the math, his parents are upset.

"Victor, how could you let those other scores happen...to us?  It's embarrassing."

His parents decide that Victor doesn't deserve to go on their summer trip to Europe; instead he needs to stay home to study.

Victor and Bull find themselves in a hospital room, together.  

Cracked is an emotional read about bullying and serious family problems.  It's a good read for someone who likes an edgier read.

Rating:  7 out of 10
*language, sexual innuendo, child abuse and neglect

To check this book out at NOLS, click HERE!

Personal Effects, by E. M. Kokie (Sept 2012)

Of all the lame sh** on Pinscher's backpack, his War Is Not the Answer sticker pisses me off the most - even more than his Practice Nonviolence button, which makes me want to practice some violence on his face.

Seventeen-year old Matt Foster has a lot to deal with right now.  His older brother, T.J. was killed in Iraq six months ago.  Matt's trying to make some sense of his brother's death, but his father just wants to shut the memories away, pretend like it didn't happen.

On T.J.'s list visit home, he asked Matt if he was serious about enlisting in the army.  

"Do. Not. Enlist."  Each word bounced off my brain.  "Period."

Matt's father has removed all of the pictures of T. J. from the house.  He's also hidden the flag and the small bag of things T. J. was wearing when he was killed.  Matt wants to know more about his brother.  He wants to learn as much as he can about T. J.'s last moments.

All that's left of T. J. is in that bag.

No way Dad would just throw away the flag from T. J.'s coffin.  Wherever it is, the bag has to be there, too.

I'm not giving up.

Three footlockers filled with T. J.'s personal effects show up.  Matt is determined, but his father wants to keep them locked away.

Dad's honoring T. J. by pretending he isn't dead and ignoring every big of evidence that proves him wrong.  But me?  What am I doing?

There is something I can do. And I already know what.  

Personal Effects is a deeply emotional read.  I found it to be hard to put down.  

Rating:  10 out of 10 stars

*language, homosexuality, gay slurs