TO THIS DAY: For the Bullied and Beautiful by Shane Koyczan

Review ARC courtesy of NetGalley.com
Release date: September 2014


Maybe some of you readers have already witnessed this amazing piece of material.  Author and poet Shane Koyczan first performed TO THIS DAY as a spoken word poem on stage.  From there it became a hit on You Tube, first as a recording of his performance and later as a video highlighted by the work of visual artists.  Now TO THIS DAY can be found in book form complete with Koyczan's poem, art from select graphic artists, and a detailed background of the history of the piece and the message Koyczan hopes to convey to the world about bullying.


TO THIS DAY expresses the conflicting feelings of an individual growing up in a vicious, intolerant world.  Whether suffering emotional or physical attacks, the victim of bullying struggles with how to carry on as each day presents what feels like insurmountable challenges.  As Koyczan explains, "Sticks and stones may hurt your bones, but words can never hurt you," are words that offer empty comfort to a child facing torment from his peers.  The power of the bully is overwhelming for those under attack.


Koyczan hopes his poem will speak to victims, perpetrators, and bystanders alike.  The power of his words combined with eye-catching and emotional artwork should ensure that his message touches anyone who turns the pages of this brilliant piece.  Those who have suffered at the hands of a bully will no doubt be able to see themselves at some point in the poem, and hopefully, rejoice that Shane Koyczan has been able to present their feelings for the world to see.

ZOM-B CLANS by Darren Shan

What's next for B?  When readers left her last, she had just begun battling the Klanners whose goal wasn't just to attack the zombies, but mostly to eliminate anyone who didn't fit their racist views. 


It would seem that with the world overrun with zombies anyone still alive would ban together no matter their race or ethnic background.  B and her fellow Angels are shocked to realize that these Ku Klux Klan crazies are intent on destroying the living or the dead if they represent some minority.  B thought she left those prejudices behind when she escaped her racist father.


To complicate matters, Dan-Dan has returned.  The fat man dressed in the sailor costume is guilty of killing children, and all B wants to do is rip him to pieces, but instead she finds she must protect him if there is any chance that she can rescue her best friend Vinyl and other Angels being held captive by the Owl Man.


The action and excitement continue as B takes daring chances in her attempt to return control of the world to the living.  Fans of Darren Shan's ZOM-B series won't have to wait long for book #8, ZOM-B FAMILY, due for release in October.

DARIUS & TWIG by Walter Dean Myers

What a loss for the world of YA!  Walter Dean Myers's books offered the best in YA lit for the guys, especially the reluctant reader.  DARIUS & TWIG is one of his titles I hadn't read so when I saw it at the bookstore, I grabbed it for my classroom.


Set in Myers's infamous 145th Street neighborhood, the story tells of two friends hoping to escape the life of the inner city through college scholarships.  Darius is a writer being encouraged to edit a story he submitted for possible publication.  If he can tweak it as advised, it will be in print and potentially be his ticket to a better life.
Twig is a runner.  If he competes and performs at his peak, college scouts will be knocking at his door.


Both teens have the opportunity to live out their dreams, but family members and the hostile environment that surrounds them threaten to derail their plans.  Street violence, including robberies and shootings, create distractions that have Darius and Twig defending family and friends.  Within their families where support for their dreams would be expected, there is reluctance they find difficult to explain. 


In DARIUS & TWIG Myers is at his best.  Through the writing of Darius it is easy to imagine a young Myers fighting his own fight to improve his life and make a difference in the lives of so many others in the process.  If you somehow haven't discovered the amazing books by this awarding winning author, please jot down his name and head to your local library or bookstore today.

NEW BOY by Julian Houston

NEW BOY, set in the 1950's, is the story of a Southern high school student whose chance to attend a boarding school in Connecticut is an eye-opening experience.  Rob Garrett understands that the opportunity to enroll as the only black student at Draper has the potential to open doors for him that continuing to attend his local high school in Virginia will not.  He knows he should be grateful, but he is also incredibly nervous.


The administration at Draper makes Rob feel welcome, and classes are interesting and challenging.  Living in a dorm with all white students is a bit unsettling.  Rob treads lightly during the early days at the new school especially when he witnesses the blatant discrimination aimed at a fellow student unlucky enough to be an Italian with chronic acne.  Rob befriends the outcast, but as the challenge of his studies and maintaining a spot on the honor roll consumes his time, he finds it is difficult to be the attentive friend he knows he should be.


As Rob keeps in touch with friends in Virginia and visits home during holidays, he learns of the increasing fight to end segregation in the South.  Becoming used to the more free way of life for blacks in the North, he vows to help his Southern friends fight despite the risks and his parents' fears for his safety. 


Torn between life in two very different worlds, Rob's story gives a personal touch to the Civil Rights struggle of the 1950's.  NEW BOY by Julian Houston is an excellent novel for readers interests in seeing a different view of the fight to end segregation in America.

SURE SIGNS OF CRAZY by Karen Harrington

When people learn who Sarah Nelson's mother is, Sarah and her father have to move.  That means Sarah is used to being the new kid at school, making new friends, and living in rental houses.  Sarah understands the reason for the many moves, but it doesn't mean she has to like it.


She doesn't know the details of what happened very well because she was only two at the time.  What she does know is that her mother went crazy and tried to drown Sarah and her twin brother Simon.  Sarah survived, but Simon did not.  There was a trial, actually two trials Sarah will remind you.  One trial ended with a guilty verdict for her mother who was sent to a mental facility.  The other trial was for Sarah's father who was found not guilty on charges of endangering his children.  When news gets out about the family's identity, it is just easier to move than deal with the consequences.


There are only a few weeks left of Sarah's sixth grade year.  She has two worries about the approaching summer.  1) Like every other summer, she will be sent to stay with her grandparents because her father has to work and doesn't like to leave her home alone.  2) If she survives the summer with her grandparents, Sarah dreads the fact that she will be in seventh grade because she knows she will be required to complete the Family Tree Project assigned to all seventh graders in Garland, Texas.  How will she be able to hide the truth about her mother then?


One thing that gives Sarah some comfort is the challenge her teacher gives the class on the last day.  In an effort to keep the students writing over the summer, Mr. Wistler suggests that everyone write something, either a story, a book of poetry, or something.  Sarah begins writing letters to her favorite character in her favorite book - Atticus Finch.  She has read TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD multiple times and even highlighted the passages she loves.  She believes Atticus is the perfect father, and since her father drinks too much and doesn't even remember her birthday, she turns to Atticus when she needs to confide in someone.


As readers follow Sarah's summer adventures, they will enjoy her spunk, appreciate her dedication, and learn her family's secrets.  Author Karen Harrington words and images are sure to leave a lasting impression.

LOVE LETTERS FROM TO THE DEAD by Ava Dellaira

When Laurel's English teacher requires everyone to write a letter to a dead person, Laurel chooses Kurt Cobain.  He was her choice because her sister May was one of his biggest fans.  Both Kurt and May died young so Laurel is hoping to find some answers or at least comfort as she writes the letter.


What is interesting is that Laurel doesn't stop with her assigned letter to Kurt.  She continues writing her thoughts and feelings and addressing them to other dead people.  Judy Garland, Amelia Earhart, Janis Joplin, River Phoenix, and even Allen Lane, the voice of the famous talking horse Mr. Ed, are just a few of the dead people to whom Laurel pours out her feelings.


Laurel splits her time between living with her father and her aunt.  Her parents divorced shortly before her sister's death and her mother left soon after.  Laurel hoped that changing schools would soften the impact of missing her sister, but making friends proves to be challenging until she meets Natalie and Hannah and then the mysterious Sky.  Not the best influences, they may be leading her astray, but Laurel welcomes the distractions they offer since she doesn't seem able to face the truth about the painful secret she carries with her.  Sky has his own secrets and attempts to get Laurel to open up to him, but she isn't sure she is ready to trust anyone just yet.


LOVE LETTERS TO THE DEAD is the debut novel of author Ava Dellaira.  The use of letters provides a unique approach in the telling of Laurel's story.  Dellaira captures the essence of both past and present through Laurel's heartfelt words to people no longer of the earth.

FAT CHANCE by Leslea Newman

Although published in 1994, FAT CHANCE by Leslea Newman still rings true today, in fact, with the increased prevalence of eating disorders, its message may be even more important today.


As an eighth grader, Judi dreams of having a boyfriend and going on exciting dates, but she is convinced that can only happen if she loses weight.  Her mother insists she is a "growing girl" who needs to eat three nutritious meals a day.  Judi is sure that isn't the path to happiness.  It doesn't help that Judi's classmates are typical kids who tease and taunt about any perceived physical flaws with little regard for the feelings they hurt or the self-esteem they damage.


When Ms. Roth, the new English teacher, requires each student to keep a diary, Judi uses the assignment to pour out her feelings as she records her attempts at weight loss and relationship difficulties.  She learns tricks to avoid eating breakfast, consumes only diet Coke for lunch, and tries to get away with eating as little as possible of her mother's home-cooked dinners.  She is able to shed a few pounds, but is frustrated by the need to binge when she is feeling stressed.


The answer to all her problems seems to appear the day she stumbles across popular girl and future model, Nancy Pratt, vomiting in the restroom.  When Nancy explains that vomiting is her secret to weight control success, Judi is disgusted at first, but as she becomes more desperate to be thin, she gives it a try.  It is easier than she ever imagined.  Now she can eat enough to keep her mother from nagging and lose weight at the same time.


Keeping her secret is difficult, and when Nancy ends up in the hospital as a result of her bulimia, Judi begins to have second thoughts.  Losing weight has some positives, but the strain it has created in the relationships with her best friend and her mother involve more negatives than she may be willing to endure.


In FAT CHANCE author Leslea Newman captures the emotional turmoil created in those suffering from eating disorders.  Through Judi's obsession to lose what to some may seem an insignificant amount of weight, it becomes clear that the mind of a person with bulimia is far from normal and their body image issues produce increasingly irrational arguments most of us would never understand.  Newman's message that eating disorders require outside intervention and commitment on the part of the struggling individual makes this novel instructional as well as entertaining.  Unlike more recent books written about the same subject, FAT CHANCE does not dwell on the horror and debilitation of the eating disorders, however, it still provides an important view worth reading.