Almost indescribable, this collection of stories about complete oddballs will challenge you to try and figure out what a tattooed librarian, a homeless old lady named Aunt Helen and a little girl who’s dad is entirely too nice to strangers, have in common. This book defines the word “quirky.” A really original read that I haven’t been able to get out of my head, and I hope you will invite into yours.
145th Street by Walter Dean Myers
These ten stories are about what life is like in the Harlem neighborhood of 145th Street. You got quiet Monkeyman, who’s still waters run deep the day he decides he won’t be intimidated by gang warfare no more. There’s Kitty, who won’t let Mack give up on their love and Big Joe, who wants to enjoy his funeral NOW instead of after he’s dead. There’s drive-bys and beatings and unexpected death, but also tons of friendship, humor and laughter. An excellent introduction to Myers writing, if you haven’t read him before. And if you haven’t, shame on you! His novel Monster won the first ever 2000 Printz award, for outstanding YA lit!
Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance by Kathi Appelt
The best way to describe this book that revolves around the events of an eighth grade dance is “sweet” and “low.” There are some truly sweet moments, like when Peggy Lee REALLY kisses her best friend Tennessee for the first time, or when Russ remembers his first love, Annie P., who he will never be able to kiss again. But these are balanced by the hard-hitting lows of watching Becca Scott relive the horror of her recent date rape, and Mary Sarah hoping that the wearing of a forbidden red ribbon won’t earn her a beating. A good blend of hard and soft tales, despite the somewhat mushy and romantic-al book cover.
Places I Never Meant to Be: Original Stories by Censored Writers edited by Judy Blume
And now, the best for last! Judy Blume, a veteran YA author who’s taken many pot-shots for her ground-breaking novels, has assembled and edited some awesome shorts by other YA authors who have had to deal with censorship. The stories themselves aren’t ABOUT censorship, but showcase some really fine writing that perhaps censors wouldn’t let us read if they had their way. I don’t think there was a story here I didn’t love. Julius Lester writes about the son of a civil rights hero who falls for the only white girl in his African American lit. class. Paul Zindel writes about the revenge wrecked on an evil cheerleader by a lonely fat girl. Rachel Vail writes about a female basketball star who, after having sex for the first time, wonders what all the hoopla was about. And Walter Dean Myers delivers a lyrical, beautifully written story about how hard it is for his main character to reconcile his campus life at a small liberal arts college with his home life in Harlem, where his sister is slowly losing her battle with drugs. And each story comes with a personal note from the author about their thoughts on censorship. Really fantastic stuff. I envy you if you haven’t read it yet, ’cause you’re in for a delicious treat. I ate it all up in two days flat!
Ludie’s Life by Cynthia Rylant
Ludie lived during a different time, in a place called West Virginia, in a region known as Appalachia. A time when girls married in their teens, when families were dependant on what could be mined from the ground, one of the only forms of entertainment was gossiping with the neighbor over the back fence, and a woman was proud to be “famous for her biscuits.” Ludie sent most of her six children to college, even though she never went herself, believed that “doting on” any animal that didn’t provide a service was “a certain pass given to those of a certain class,” and buried a beloved husband who died from the coal dust he inhaled his whole life. Cynthia Rylant’s free verse character study of a person and a way of life that is seldom explored in teen literature is a warm, poignant homage to days gone by. Draw up a chair and sit with Ludie awhile. Listen to her stories. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
D.J.’s good at two things: milking cows and playing football. She’s been working on her family’s Wisconsin dairy farm since she could walk, and learned all the ins and outs of playing ball from her two older brothers, both school champions. So when a close family friend (the coach of her school’s rival team) asks her to help his quarterback train, D.J. reluctantly agrees, thinking no one will ever find out. How was she supposed to know that a) she’d end up falling for said hunky quarterback and b) she’d also end up loving the game so much she goes out for her own team, makes it, and plays the first game of the season against her crush?! This endearing first novel is sweet, funny and the polar opposite of Gossip Girls. If you prefer a tall glass of milk to a no-foam latte and don’t mind a little football in your chick lit., then Dairy Queen is the perfect read for you!
Alice’s Tulips by Sandra Dallas
Sassy 18 year old Alice doesn’t know if she can take being shut up with her dried up mother in law one second more. Her handsome new husband Charlie has gone off to fight in the Civil War on the side of the Union and left her in the care of his mother, a sour old lady who thinks Alice is too flighty and flirtatious. Alice’s story is told through a series of letters to her sister, where she complains about her mother in law, gossips about neighbors, worries about Charlie and shares quilt patterns. And Charlie isn’t the only one seeing action. In his absence, Alice contends with homeless vagrants, food shortages, and even accusations that she is being untrue to Charlie with a local man of ill repute. But through it all, Alice tries to stay hopeful that one day her solider boy will come walking home again. An earthy read with a little old fashioned scandal that will show you a side of the Civil War your textbook didn’t cover.
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
India Opal Buloni (sounds like the lunch meat) isn’t sure about her new hometown of Naomi, Florida. She hasn’t made any friends yet, because of the people her age in town, Amanda Wilkenson is “pinch-faced” and the Dewberry brothers are mean and due to their summer crew cuts, a pair of “bald headed babies” besides. But then she meets the best friend a girl could have–a big old dog she christens Winn-Dixie, since she found him smack in he middle of the produce section of the Winn-Dixie market. Through his tail-wagging antics, Winn-Dixie introduces India to a whole passel of people–Miss Franny Block, the venerable story-telling librarian of the Herman W. Block Memorial Library, Otis the guitar-playing pet store clerk, and Sweetie Pie Thomas, a knuckle-sucking five year old who loves Winn-Dixie almost as much as India. And maybe, just maybe, Winn-Dixie can help India make friends with that pinch-faced Amanda Wilkenson and those bald-headed Deweberry brothers, too. Homey and comforting, Because of Winn-Dixie goes down like hot chocolate on a cold December afternoon.
Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White
Everybody in Coal Station, Virginia thinks Woodrow Prater is a little kooky, including his cousin Gypsy. See, one night Woodrow’s mama Belle just up and disappeared and no one has seen hide nor hair of her since. Now, Woodrow is living next door to Gypsy with their grandparents and Gypsy can’t wait to find out if Woodrow knows how or why Belle Prater evaporated. Unfortunately, Gypsy doesn’t know how to go about asking very tactfully, and Woodrow is being pretty close-mouthed about the whole affair. There’ll be a whole lotta hurt feelings and broken hearts before the mystery of Belle Prater is finally solved. A fine, folky read that was chosen as a Newbery Honor book in 1996.
My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt
Most of us have been plum embarrassed by our parents at least once in our lives–usually between the ages of 12 and 17. But Tiger Ann Parker suffers from flaming cheeks more often than most teenagers because her parents are both a little on the “slow” side. The entire town of Saitter, Louisiana has seen Tiger’s mom start bawling right in the middle of the school gym when she thought she was lost, and everybody knows that her daddy can’t read. Sometimes Tiger Ann can’t wait to get away from both of them. But when the chance to escape presents itself, Tiger Ann discovers that turning her back on her parent’s simple love is a lot harder than she thought. This novel has more melodrama than a Willie Nelson song and is just as satisfying.
The Year of the Sawdust Man by A. LaFaye
Nissa Bergen knows that her free-spirited mother has left forever when she finds all the purple rose blossoms cut from the bushes. Nissa has always known that the small town of Harper, Louisiana was too small for her butterfly-chasin’, hibiscus-tea-drinkin’ mama but she hoped against hope that her mother would be able to rise above the town’s small minded-ness and stay for Nissa’s sake. But the day comes that Heirah Bergen skips town for good, taking the roses and leaving Nissa to deal with the vicious gossip and her father’s new girlfriend, Miss Lara Ross, the town spinster. Nissa comes to terms with a lot that year after her mother leaves, finally finding comfort with the fact that she will always be her mother’s daughter no matter where her mother is. As old fashioned and sweet as a stick of hoarhound candy.
Angels on the Roof by Martha Moore
Shelby has been dragged around the country so many times by her single mom that she’s lost count of all the places they’ve lived. Now her art-lovin’ mama has gotten it in her had that she wants to visit her roots and get closer to Georgia O’Keefe country, so she’s announced to Shelby that they’re moving to Texas. But Shelby is sick of moving and and is just about to absolutely refuse to move more than her little finger when she starts to find some clues about her absentee father’s identity. Her mom won’t hardly talk about him, but once Shelby finds some evidence of his existence, mostly creepy old photos with his face cut out, she smells a story and figures it might be worth it to keep tagging along with her mom until she discovers the truth. Only, once Shelby knows the whole story, it may sever the fragile bond between her and her mother forever. a tangy, Texas-twangy read.
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
Joey and his sister Mary Alice are forced to spend each summer of the years 1929-1935 in an Illinois hick town with their grandma. As you can imagine, they don’t find the prospect too appealing. In fact, since they are worldly Chicagoans, they are sure they will be bored out of their skulls. But nothing could be farther from the truth. At Grandma’s they end up being in the same room as a rising corpse, witness the town sheriff inebriated and dancing around in his underwear, and take a coveted airplane ride. And those are only a few of the crazy situations that Grandma gets them into. This book would be a great read-aloud to share with your younger brother or sister.
Little Jordan by Marly Youmans
Meg’s thirteenth summer is a doozy. Not only does she share her first kiss with until-that-summer-just-a-friend Fred Massey, but she also tackles more serious issues like dealing with her single mom’s loser boyfriend and the unexpected death of her neighbor’s child. This is a super-short, summery Southern read, best enjoyed with a tall glass of mint ice tea.
Backwater by Joan Bauer
Everyone in Ivy Breedlove’s family is a lawyer. Ivy doesn’t want to be a lawyer, she wants to be a genealogist (family historian to those of you who haven’t boned up on those SAT vocab words yet) This does not sit well with the other Breedloves. But Ivy doesn’t care since she has recently discovered another Breedlove who bucked the family profession and instead became a bird-loving mountain hermit. Ivy decides to find her Aunt Jo and ask her how she managed to escape the Breedlove career path. However, her simple journey to her aunt’s secluded home turns into a snowbound wilderness adventure in which Ivy has to turn to a crazy character named Mountain Mama for help. There’s also a little romance sprinkled in when Ivy hooks up with hunky wilderness ranger-in-training. You may not learn how to survive in the woods but you will laugh your snowshoes off at this funny, funny book about family expectations.