Extra Credit # 5 Love or Addiction?

Schaeffer, Brenda. Love or Addiction? Expert Publishing/Healthy Relationships. Minnesota 2006.

Annotation: This handbook is a powerful resource for teens and adults in understanding love and if they show signs of addiction. There are many steps and advice on what to do; as well as an audio CD that that has teens in their voices sharing their personal experiences.

Justification for Nomination: This book really I feel would be a useful guide for teens and those trying to understand their emotions when faced with love. Love is a touchy subject for some teens when they are already trying to understand why their bodies our changing. This book provides personal stories for each category. Both genders will find this as a powerful tool. There are stories that would be similar to "Chicken soup for the soul" type. Readers will want to have this book around the house when they are raising a teen, working with them or trying to relate from past experiences. the author currently works in Minneapolis, Minnesota for Healthy Relationships. This book is real, it doesn't give artificial hope it gives great advice for ages fifteenth to twenty-two on what to do in certain situations. Signs your in an abusive relationship, that your possessive, your love addicted etc. Plus there are quizzes to take on love and other romance areas. This book touches on key issues that affect teens emotionally. I read many similar type books that are suppose to be helpful but this one sure meets expectation!

Genre: Romance

Extra Credit # 4 Kissing Doorknobs

Hesser, Terry Spence. Kissing Doorknobs. New York Doubleday, 1998.

Annotation: Eleven-year-old Tara Sullivan has always been a worrier. Then one day, before leaving the house, she finds herself kissing the fingertips and touching the doorknob... She shows many signs that she struggles with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) and tons of anxiety.

Justification for nomination: This book isn't your typical story of normal behavior, however I think this story is something young adults and adults can relate too. I'm not OCD but I do worry a lot and that's probably why I never sleep literally. In America there is only a small percent reported who have this condition but think of the cases that aren't? This book brings light to symptoms of this case. This book's cover is illustrated beautifully and shows many symbols of the things that made her OCD. It is a disease that needs more awareness. I would recommend this book read in a middle school or high school health class. Know the signs and seek help. I think this book also opens up to other disease that people need need with. Like clepto's those who steal your favorite pen or shoplifters. I think Tara would have been able to have help if there was some sort of support system around her. Her friends weren't supportive and that's unfortunate. The downfall to this book was it was slow paced. This book also has a few common themes relate to this dealing with relationships and understand the body, sex and drugs and teen pregnancy. This book brings the reader to see what Tara goes through day by day. Uncomfortable at times and even stressful, the reader will feel some anxiety going through a lot of these rituals with Tara as if living through her. It makes you think what would you do if this was your daughter, your friend, your student? What would you do to help?

Genre: Coming of age, Realistic fiction, fiction

Extra Credit # 3 The Key to the Golden Firebird

Johnson, Maureen. The Key to the Golden Firebird. Harper Collins, 2004

Annotation: The gold girls May, Brooks and Palmer, lose their father and struggle with his absences while holding the keys to their dad's favorite car the golden firebird. Sisters that are all very different trying to deal in their own way and yet need something to bring them back together.

Justification for Nomination: I read the other cover version of this book. I really enjoyed it for simply that I could relate to the story of losing my birth father when I was their age. I think many young adults and adults could relate because it's always hard losing someone close to you that you love, especially a parent. No matter how close your relationship is it is a hard thing to deal with. While this book reminded me of the movie Grand Torino with Clint Eastwood, because it too had a beautiful classic car that everyone wanted hence the name. The owner of that car also passed away and passed the car on to someone he thought would truly appreciate it. This book really brings out the emotions that the three sister's are facing and the impact that it has on their development. You never know what it takes to bring a family back together and with the adventure of this car it helps them cope with their father's death in ways you may never have imagined. The book has you asking questions and also would help someone who is dealing with this same or similar situation. Just like their mother who worked nights to support the family, my step dad has always worked nights as long as I knew him and I always had to fend for myself. It maked me grow up faster then I wanted, I never really got to experience the teenage life that most have been able to. A lot of my friend and those around me say I take life too seriously. But when you are left to take care of your siblings it changes you. My mother worked all the time so I didn't see her enough either. This book engages the reader in ways I didn't think it would. I am glad I picked up this book.

Genre: Romance, coming of age, realistic

Extra credit # 2 Hard Love

Wittlinger, Ellen. Hard Love. New York: Simon Pulse, 2001.
Annotation:

Justification for Nomination: The most recent version of this book, since the previous edition was published in 1999. A book a fellow classmate nominated from the previous edition for the Mock Printz award. I personally could connect to this book because I too, have experienced growing up in a home where the idea of love wasn't present in my every day life. Most people can't relate to that and I felt this book was able to open up the idea that not all families are always loving. While my parents aren't divorced like the main character John, the situations and emotions are relate able. Growing up in this environment it is easy to turn to others for a boost of support and also important to seek a role model to inspire you. It's good to find something like a hobby that you enjoy so you can find meaning in your life. John finds something that appeals to him, a magazine writer Marisol someone else he can connect to and share his emotions with. This story also opens up to new ideas of attraction and how you never know who will capture your heart. The other thing I noticed which makes this book different from most romance novels is it speaks the truth in the sense that not all love always has the obviously magic that it is for some. Sometimes it takes a bit more to find it and sometimes someone needs to be hurt in order to find it. This story really hits the emotions I've dealt with when trying to find love.


Genre: Honor book, Coming of Age, Romance

Extra credit # 1 Story of a Girl

Zarr, Sara. Story of a Girl: New York, New York; Little, Brown and Company, 2007.

Annotation: The story of one girl, Deanna Lambert, who struggles with those around her peering at her through a microscope of how imperfect she really is. Shouldn't these imperfections make her more beautiful for just living her own life in her small town?

Justification for Nomination: I was glad that someone picked this book for the Mock Printz nomination, I remember reading it earlier in the semester and was once again torn between two edgy books that are realistic in many factors. I think this book is good for girls to read and for boy to understand how girls can be more sensitive with their emotions. This book is easy for teens to relate to because many teens feel they are always being looked at from under a microscope not as an individual. The author of this story captures a teen girl's emotions well, while still sending the message that teens are being treated unfairly just for being a teen. Teens grow at different rates and this book shows that at coming of age is crucial for growing and succeeding as an adult. That no one is perfect and everyone has a right to make mistake in order to learn from them. I think a lot of the problems faced with Deanna are things that teens are being faced all the time. The pressures to have sex, being able to stand your parents who seem they rather ruin your life then allow you to make mistakes. This book does a good job at telling the realities of things as well as the consequences that can happen. The book I feel is inspiring to anyone trying to find a way out of being a teen. This book examined my own past and how I could have handled situations better.

Genre: Coming of age, edgy-problem, realistic, honor book, fiction.