Death Coming Up the Hill by Chris Crowe

Ashe is a 17 year old boy who is finishing up high school during the Vietnam war. His hippie, anti-war mom and pro-war, old fashioned dad are at war with one another as the war abroad wages. He meets a hippie girl from California and they fall absolutely in love. When infidelity rips his parents apart, Ashe realizes he needs to grow up and face reality: He may not be able to avoid the draft after all.

This is one of the most stunning books I have ever read. At the end, my breath was taken away and I started crying. It is absolutely beautiful. Written entirely in Haiku, the book contains one syllable for every soldier who had died in the Vietnam war in 1968. There is a good balance between the different political views on the war. This is a book I would want to see in a high school classroom whilst learning about the Vietnam war. As a future teacher, I want to teach this book. Ashe's story is compelling and gives a different twist on what we commonly think about the Vietnam war. Death Coming Up a Hill is just one of those books that sticks with you after you finish. 

Age recommendation: 14 and up

Content warnings:

• Political themes
• Discussion of infidelity

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

In this coming of age novel, Charlie enters his freshmen year of high school. He is suggested to write letters to a "friend" who may listen to him by his therapist. His best friend had died the year prior by suicide. Now, he was friendless, in a new school, and no one really knew what to do with him. He is taken under the wing of two seniors named Patrick and Sam. Patrick is the sarcastic, openly gay friend. Sam, in Charlie's eyes, is the prettiest girl in the world inside and out. The two of them help Charlie on a road of self-discovery where he ends up learning the truth about his childhood. I absolutely loved this book. I laughed, cried, got angry, got happy again, and when the book ended, felt like the hours spent reading it were worth it. I don't remember the last time I was so emotionally moved by a novel like this. Stephen Chbosky makes it seem as if you are on the journey of discovery with Charlie and the epistolary format is perfect. I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm not sure the book would be as powerful if he hadn't of used the letters to tell the story. I highly recommend this book, but it is not for the faint of heart. Earliest age I would recommend is 15. Even then, make sure the reader could be mature enough to handle the themes and context. I do recommend it for everyone to read at some point in their life. Content Warnings: -Mild Language -Drugs/Alcohol use -Sex: Gratuitous rape scene, mild homosexuality (just a kiss), moderate teen sex scenes -Disturbing/Challenging: Child molestation, rape, mental illness, sexual awakening, drug use Age Recommendation: 16 and up. MINIMUM! This book deals with some very serious issues and the reader needs to be mature enough to handle these things.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Mia Thermopolis is an awkward nobody who's failing algebra even though her mom is dating her algebra teacher. Her father is in and out, only seen during the summers. She's teased by everyone and can't even find a date to the biggest dance of the semester. That is, until her dad drops a bombshell on her that she cannot even begin to believe to be true. Her father is the Crown Prince of Genovia, making her a princess.

I wish I'd read this book sooner. I was laughing through the entire thing. Meg Cabot does an excellent job making this seem like an actual diary, with to-do lists and class notes throughout the book. Mia is a lovable character and is so very 14 years old. Her biggest problems in life until the whole princess thing are that she has never been asked out and she is oh-so-unfairly flat chested. You can see her change throughout the span of the novel. All I know is as soon as I put this book down, I wanted to pick up the next one in the series. 

These are the books that the 2001 Anne Hathaway movie is based off of. The feel is very similar, but the story line does has many significant differences, like her father is still alive and her parents were never married in the book. I would recommend the book even more if you enjoyed the movies. These make Princess Mia even more lovable and somehow easy to relate to (even though I'm pretty sure my parents aren't going to tell me I'm a princess). 



Content Warnings:
-Mild sexual innuendos

Age Recommendation: 13 and up. 

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Image courtesy of amazon.com

Keir Sarafian is a football star, popular, and such a good guy. Gigi, whom he refers to as the love of his life is accusing him of something he is too good, too solid to possible ever do. This is the argument describing what happened and all the reasons he is innocent, but is he really? All his life he thought he was perfect, but maybe, just maybe, Keir has been in denial.

I loved this book. Chris Lynch uses the most effective flashbacks I've ever read in a novel to tell the story. Keir is a protagonist who you are meant to dislike. He is charming and is so full of himself, but is a realistic character. I feel like the author did a really good job at placing warnings about modern day teens and people in general using Keir. This situation is a common one, sadly, and I feel as if this book did an excellent job tastefully dealing with it. I especially love Gigi's character. She is not an innocent girl, but the way she handled Keir is how we should be teaching people to do so. While this is a more controversial novel, I strongly believe it is worth the read for anyone. Mind you, it will make you angry and disgusted, but it's supposed to.



Content Warnings:

• Rape
• Drug/Substance Use
• Mild language

Age Recommendation: 15 years old, minimum. 

The Lost Years of Merlin by T.A. Barron

Photo courtesy of tabarron.com Emrys is a young boy with no memory of his childhood. He lives with a woman who is not sure is even his mother,Branwen. After losing his sight in a horrific accident, he is determined to find out who he really is. He builds a raft and sets out to sea. After floating for several days, he washes up on the shores of a mystical land called Fincarya, a land he had only heard about in the stories Branwen has shared with him. Emrys may be the only hope to save this beautiful island from a horrible darkness trying to overpower it This book introduces you to the beginnings of the greatest wizard in all of literature. Barron does an excellent job painting the picture of a young man. I would recommend this book for an advanced young adult reader. It's harder to follow and understand, but is a great novel. It is also the beginning of a series. One that will lead you onto 5 more books in The Lost Years series, continued in Merlin's Dragons trilogy, and completed with The Great Tree of Avalon trilogy. A great introduction into the single most prominent warlock in all of literature. This book is a wonderful challenge and I highly recommend it to anyone seeking to learn more about Merlin. Content Warnings: Mild Violence Sorcery Age Recommendation: 12 yrs-15 yrs, advanced readers.