The Tyrant's Daughter, by J.C. Carleson

I don’t know why, but I’ve always been intrigued by novels about the Middle East. The Tyrant’s Daughter is about Laila and her family, recent refugees to the United States after her father’s death in their home nation. Their homeland is never defined, but her father was the leader (read: dictator) of the country. Killed in a coup, Laila and her family have no choice but to flee to safety, in America. 

Upon arrival, Laila is forced to confront the harsh reality of her father’s regime and her old way of life. All she knew of her father was that he was her dad, the man who loved her. But in America, she learned awful news of his many crimes against humanity and his brutal methods of enforcing his agenda. All of this is nearly too much for Laila to handle, especially when she meets a friend’s crippled, mutilated little sister, innocently injured while at school, at the hands of Laila’s father. Trying to assimilate into American culture is, obviously, extremely difficult, and one of the most striking scenes I recall from the novel is when Laila’s school has a bomb threat. The American students rejoice in the occasion, seeing it as a free day off, something that would never actually happen. For Laila though, the fear is all too real and familiar. 

After a while in the U.S., Laila discovers that her mother’s motives were not merely for survival - she’s working with the CIA to bring down the new ruler of her country, her uncle. Laila is sick of the betrayal and the lies, and vows to not let her parents rule her life any longer. 

I did love the novel and I particularly loved the contrast between life in Laila’s home country and life in the United States. I loved Laila’s commentary on how over-the-top things are in America. There was one scene in which she described how cereal in her home land was a luxury; in America, it’s something for everyone and there is an entire aisle devoted just to it at the grocery store. I would recommend this novel to girls, especially those interested in other cultures. Be warned, there was some bad language and mention of sex. 

Publication Date: February 11, 2014

Also Try: Under the Persimmon Tree, by Suzanne Fisher Staples; Sold, by Patricia McCormick; Saving Sky, by Diane Stanley

Poor Little Dead Girls, by Lizzie Friend

Secret societies, lacrosse, exclusive private boarding schools, and secrets are at the heart of Poor Little Dead Girls, by Lizzie Friend. Sadie Marlowe is essentially a "nobody" from Portland, Oregon, who's been extended a full scholarship to an upper-echelon, all girls boarding school called Keating. Her scholarship is for lacrosse, and Sadie is excited about the idea, but also nervous, knowing she won't fit in with the other girls, who have all led lives of privilege.

However, Sadie's worries are proven wrong, and she fits in all too well: she's pursued and inducted into a historic secret society called the Sullas - only the richest of the rich get into this society. From the get-go, Sadie feels mildly uneasy about participating in this society, but the members don't really give her a choice; not to mention the fact that the extravagances ($2000 ball gowns, anyone?) and lifestyle are hard to pass up. Before long, though, Sadie begins to see that the Sullas are not innocent - they're working on something deep and dark, something that may have caused the death of her mother - who also attended Keating - and another student named Anna. As Sadie uncovers the missing links and information, she's troubled with who she can actually trust and how she can bring the secrets of the Sullas to light without endangering herself or her friends.

I really loved this novel, and was drawn in from the start. The suspense that Friend built in was awesome, and the novel really kept you guessing. I do think, though, that it's a little too mature for my classroom - there's lots of bad language, drug/sex references, and some questionable topics. For instance, part of the Sulla's operation is that they harvest the eggs of their members in order to preserve an impeccable gene pool and create a perfect race. I think that this novel could spark some really interesting ethical discussion at the upper high school level, but it's not appropriate for my middle school students.

Also Try: "Pretty Little Liars" series, by Sara Shepard; The Disreputable History of Frankie of Frankie Landau-Banks, by E. Lockhart

Code Name Verity, by Elizabeth Wein

"It's like being in love, discovering your best friend."

At it's heart, that's what Code Name Verity is about: the bonds of friendship and the courage to do anything for your friends. 

The novel is set in England and France during World War II, and the two main characters - Julie and Maddie (who go by various different names, real and code throughout the novel) - are members of the WAAF, or Women's Auxiliary Air Force. They work mainly as wireless operators, until they are shot down over German-occupied France. Maddie is able to get away, but Julie, who goes by Queenie for much of her narrative, is captured and interrogated by the Nazis. 

Julie is told that she can redeem herself and buy time preventing her death by disclosing secrets about the British war effort. That is how much of the novel manifests itself - through her written confession to the SS officers while imprisoned. I found much of this part of the novel confusing, and sometimes had to re-read to get things straight. A little more than half of the way through the novel, though, the narrative switches to Maddie's point of view, and the reader realizes just how tricky Julie really was. 

The ending was a little abrupt and upsetting, but the bond between the two friends is really what compelled me to keep reading this novel. One of my favorite parts of the novel was when Julie and Maddie shared the ten things they're most afraid of in the world. As events unfolded and new things came to light, they both revised their "Top Ten" list, and I found this very interesting. One of my favorite lines in the story is when Maddie is revising her list, while imprisoned, writing her confession. She says:

"9)Not being able to finish my story.

10) Also of finishing it. 

I am no longer afraid of getting old. Indeed I can't believe I ever said anything so stupid. So childish. So offensive and arrogant. 

But mainly, so very. very stupid. I desperately want to grow old," (114). 

I think that this is the type of expertly crafted, heartbreaking novel that will grab readers until they finish it. 

Also Try: Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith; Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys; Rose Under Fire, by Elizabeth Wein

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet, by Nancy J. Cavanagh

To be totally honest, I picked this book up as a joke. I have a student who is mildly (er...severely) obsessed with saying the word "ratchet." If she doesn't like something, it's ratchet. When she does like something, it's ratchet. People can be ratchet. Pencils can be ratchet. I don't really get it. Anyway, one day I stumbled across this book, and I just had to buy it!

This Journal Belongs to Ratchet is about a girl named Rachel who's nicknamed "Ratchet" because she's always helping her dad with his work as a mechanic and is, as you would infer, very good with a ratchet. Ratchet is homeschooled by her father, who's extremely environmentally conscious and not at all concerned with what others think of him. His crazy appearance/rants and the fact that they move around a lot makes Ratchet a sort of outcast, and leads her to a couple missions for the current school year: to learn more about her mom (who died when she was very young), to make new friends, and to reinvent herself with a cooler, less 'that girl shops at Goodwill' image.

The story is told through her homeschool Language Arts journal and the various writings she must do in it. For example, descriptive poetry, list poetry, narrative essays, descriptive essays, persuasive essays, freewriting, etc. All come together to form the narrative of Ratchet's journey to understanding the loss of her mother, appreciation of her father, and reinventing herself.

I am really considering ways I could use this in the classroom - all of the different writing samples could serve as really powerful mentor texts to show students how you can write about the same event from so many different angles/genres.

Drama, Raina Telgemeier

I think that I would go so far as to say that this is my FAVORITE graphic novel I've ever read. Now, I haven't actually read that many graphic novels, but this one was awesome.

It's about a middle school drama club, and their production of Moon Over Mississippi . It follows one particular theater geek, Callie. She's the set designer for the play and is faced with tons of problems. First, she has decided that she just HAS to have a live cannon for the set. Her director tells her no pyrotechnics on stage, but she's determined to find a way. Then there's the fact that the lead female in the play is the girlfriend of the boy that Callie has a (not-so) secret crush on. All of this, compounded by the fact that two new boys, one of whom happens to be homosexual, have joined the production. This could be a touch controversial for some middle school readers, but the presentation of the issue is so casual and not a big deal, that I don't think it would be a problem for most.

I loved the way the author captured the true dynamics of a middle school group, and the inner workings/plottings of a middle school girl's mind.

A couple of things I loved, aside from the plot, were that the book, aside from being a graphic novel, maintained ideas reminiscent of an actual play. It was broken up into 'Acts', rather than chapters, and it had an "Intermission". Additionally, I loved the color scheme of the novel. It stuck to very bold, striking colors, that really added to the overall reading.

Like I said, I LOVED this book, and will now have to try the author's previous novel, Smile.