It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris

Harris, R. H. (1999). It's so amazing. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.

This is an informational book about sex, changing bodies, and growing up. At the beginning it discusses sexual reproduction and how to make babies by having sex. It also discusses what it means to be heterosexual and homosexual. As we grow up our body change physically in different ways, through puberty, depending on if you’re a girl or boy. Pictures help compare the different organs in males and females.  This book helps children understand what happens when normal hormonal changes occur and how to deal with them. Having babies is also normal and part four discusses how families are made up of different sorts of families. The path of the egg and sperm to create a baby is described in a way for students to understand. Sometimes people can’t have babies naturally, and the topic of adoption and IVF is explained. If babies are not in the future, prevention can take place by using birth control. There are many types and one would need to choose the best for them. If an accidental pregnancy happens, methods can be taken to abort it through abortions. However, certain laws need to be followed for this to occur. This nonfiction text provides a visual interpretation of the book’s message and is enhanced through the use of multiple humorous cartoon images the reader can relate to. A comical and appealing bird and bee have a dialogue about the various topics that are discussed. The book expresses a mature subject matter through friendly and easy to read descriptions on sexual health. It responds to younger readers who can relate to comical narrators and descriptive pictures rather than long drawn out scripts that the targeted audience might not comprehend or understand the language being presented. Having the reader see multiple ways the body is configured as it grows and develops during different ages, makes the reader more intrigued. The book makes them interested in how their body and feelings might be different in size, shape, color, sexual orientation than from those of their friends. I would recommend It’s So Amazing by Robie H. Harris.

Teen Spirit by Francesca Lia Block

Block, F. L. (2014). Teen spirit. New York: HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins.

Julie was very close to her grandma who passed away suddenly. After her grandma's passing, her mom lost her job and they moved to a lesser-end apartment, and adjusted to their new way of living. Julie met Clark at school, and they became fast friends. Julie discovered a Ouija board and decided to use it to reach her grandma's spirit, with Clark's help. Little did they know they unleashed, Grant, Clark's twin brother's spirit who died in a car accident. Grant and Clark had a competitive relationship. Grant would come through Clark's body to see Julie and stop at nothing to make sure his spirit stayed forever, including hurting Clark or Julie. Finally, after reaching out to people who knew about the spiritual world, Julie realized she didn't need a Oujia board to contact her grandma; she was with her all the time. At the anniversary of Grant’s death, his spirit never came back. Teen Spirit by Francesca Lia Block is broken up by parts and chapters. After each part, the reader is left with foreshadowing and wondering what is next to come. The foreshadowing hooks the reader in so they will continue to read further and see what is going to happen next. This soft science fiction text "unleashes" paranormal activity in a thrilling and on-the-edge-of-your-seat approach. Death-inevitable or tragedy, good verses evil, lost love, and quest for discovery are all themes that play a constant role in this book. I recommend Pieces by Me by Amber Kizer. It also includes paranormal activity and a tragic death.

Batman Science: The Real-World Science by Agnieszka Biskup and Tammy Enz

 Biskup, A., & Enz, T. (2014). Batman science: the real-world science behind Batman's gear. North Mankato, MN: Capstone Young Readers.

Batman Science is about Batman’s clothing, equipment, and comparison to real-life science and technology. Fictional character, Batman, was created in 1939. Other than intelligence and his daringness, he was a human with no superhuman abilities. His powers in combating evil came from the advanced technology of clothing and equipment. In 1939, Batman’s clothing, car, and other equipment were only fantasy. In today’s world these items are now a reality. This book takes Batman’s clothing and equipment and shows how it exists in real-life technology available today. The book provides examples that show the science and technology behind his body armor, utility belt, vehicles, and his wings. What was fiction in 1939 is a now reality today, due to adventures in science, technology, and engineering. Batman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Batman’s Gear, by Agnieszka Biskup and Tammy Enz, is a nonfiction text written for readers in the middle school grades, 6-8 grade. The book takes the mystery of Batman and shows how his equipment and other aspects of Batman are now used in today’s world. Many of the tools and equipment used by Batman have practical uses by police and military personnel today. The book incorporates illustrations and real pictures that demonstrate the connections between fiction and reality. Interesting facts are presented throughout the book that help explain the science behind Batman’s equipment. The book also includes a table of contents and index. Batman Science: The Real-World Science Behind Batman’s Gear was a 2015 top ten winner for Quick Picks for the Reluctant Reader. I would recommend the entire Batman Science series as a sequel to this book.

Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Angleberger, T. (2011). The strange case of Origami Yoda. London: Amulet Books.

Dwight, an awkward junior high student, carries around a paper Origami Yoda on his finger. He tells people Yoda gives helpful advice. Seeing that Yoda has helped people, Tommy becomes curious about Yoda and decides to open a case file. He asks classmates to tell their stories of their encounter with Yoda. Some students tell Tommy about their experience where Yoda helped them get through difficult situations or decisions. However, some weren't sure about Yoda and his advice because his advice wasn’t helpful. Harvey is a student that thinks Yoda is ludicrous and the other kids are ridiculous for believing his advice has helped them. Harvey creates his own Yoda just to prove Dwight's Yoda cannot predict the future. Dwight's Yoda tells Tommy that Sara likes him and Harvey's Yoda tells Tommy she doesn't. At the school dance, Tommy realizes Dwight's Yoda is right and he and Sara like each other and start dancing. Tom Angleberger brings humor in a delightful way to this soft science fiction book. The language of the characters makes the book best suited for tween and middle school students. The way each character's personality is portrayed, the reader can reflect back and envision themselves as one of the characters when they were in junior high. Each chapter in the book is organized as Tommy's "case files" to help play up the "investigation" theme. To help enhance this theme, the text is made to look like old-fashion case files by using typewriter text and student's handwriting. The text is broken up by pictures, illustrations of objects discussed in the text, and doodling. I would recommend the rest of the Origami Yoda series by Angleberger as follow up books.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York: Penguin Group.

Melinda Scardino, a high school freshman, starts school with much anxiety because she recently called the police to raid a summer high school party. Throughout her freshman year she is shunned, ridiculed, and isolated by the many “clans” in the school. Melinda was sexually assaulted at the party and the incident causes Melinda to isolate herself, earn poor grades, and refuse to communicate with those at school and her parents at home. Melinda kept silent about the assault because she was having extreme difficulty dealing with it emotionally and psychologically. Finally, she empowered herself to “fight back” and end her silence by telling her story and thus becoming stronger than others around her. This realistic fiction text illustrates contemporary issues, such as sexual assault, teens face and how tough it can be for a teenager to fit in to the social scene in high school. Toss in the fact that the teenager had been sexually assaulted at a summer party made the situation worse. Finding strength within is a theme depicted in the book. Melinda’s journey through the school year was tough for her, but finally she became strong enough to speak out for herself. The book is organized into school marking periods and different events in each marking period. The main character, Melinda, tells the story from her point of view. Her silence is shown by blank spaces when conversations are written. Here is a book trailer: https://youtu.be/fv3FelRmk3Y

How It Went Down by Kekla Magoon

Magoon, K. (2014). How it went down. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, LLC.

The community of Underhill is in turmoil after Tariq, a young black male, was shot by Jack, a young white male. Jack and others in the community believed Tariq was stealing from a store. Jack saw what he thought was Tariq arguing with the store owner brandishing a gun. Jack went to intervene, an argument ensued and Jack shot Tariq dead. Police interviewed community members that knew Jack and Tariq, and those that saw the shooting. They concluded that Jack was standing his ground and would not be charged. Many of the witnesses had conflicting stories as to whether Tariq was in a gang called, Kings, and if he was carrying a weapon. This stirred up controversy because Jack was white, and Tariq was a supposed unarmed black man. Many people who were upset with the police’s decision set out to march in the street hoping for justice for Tariq and his family. How It Went Down is a realistic fiction novel by Kekla Magoon who tackles the contemporary topic of racism which is very controversial in America today. Magoon skillfully portrayed a balanced dialogue of varying viewpoints between characters. Escaping from family and friend pressures and social constraints is a recurring theme throughout the book. An example is Jennica trying to escape Noddle’s abuse or Jennica, Kimberley, and Tyrell trying to escape their poverty-stricken town of Underhill.  How It Went Down was selected as one of the 2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults book. I would recommend this book to students who are concerned about racial injustice, the effects gangs have on societies, and consequences that come along with being involved in gangs.

Graphic Novels-Textbook Reflection

It is important to remember graphic novels are not a genre, but a format. They are where both art and text collide. Graphic novels can be composed of fantasy, history, nonfiction, and other sub genres. Graphic novels’ look and format are similar to those of comic books. They have a variety of elements such as panels, gutters, dialog and thought bubbles, captions, sound effects, frames, white spaces, and lines. Colors in graphic novels play an important role. They may symbolize something, help set the mood or tone, or help convey a message to the readers. There are four types of graphic novels. The first on is manga, which is a Japanese style comic book. These books are read from right to left. The second is super-hero, which is the most popular form. The third is personal narrative, which are autobiographical stories. The last is nonfiction, which are written from the author’s personal experience. These books not only promote literacy by motivating reluctant readers and benefiting students with special needs, but they are also great for all readers. Graphic novels also usually cover topics that are already familiar to students or are spin-offs from another book. Graphic novels are a fairly new format to me. I really only became aware of it recently when my students started checking them out. Honestly, I never jumped in and looked at one closely or even read one until I started taking library courses. After reading a few, I can see why kids love them. They are written in a different format than they typically see, they do not have an extensive amount of text, and pictures help tell the story. When evaluating graphic novels, I would like to make sure I have graphic novels that cover a wide variety of sub genres in my library. I can be sure my collection is diverse and meets the needs and interests of all students. As I evaluate graphic novels, I’ll be sure to refer back to the different types of graphic novels. This information will help me better organize my collection and help students find books faster. I am reflecting back to the graphic novels I’ve read and deciding which type of graphic novel they would fall under, and I will be sure to include this in my future annotated bibliographies.