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.