TEST by William Sleator

What if all learning was directed toward one test? What if your future was determined by that one test? Hmmmm.... With the current system believing in the theory of NCLB (No Child Left Behind), isn't that the direction being pushed on education today? When that ludicrous theory begins appearing in current YA fiction, it seems that perhaps the "experts" should take some notice.

William Sleator, popular YA fiction author, uses NCLB and AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) as the central theme of his new novel TEST. Thought by some critics to be simplistic and wrapped up with a too tidy conclusion, I found still found it close enough to the reality of classrooms today to raise my blood pressure a notch or two. It also gave a sense of real purpose to that Publisher's Note: " This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental." Any teacher in an Amercian classroom today will recognize a frightening numbers of parallels between this story and what they are actually living in their own classroom.

According to TEST, the country is made up of two worlds. There is a world of the powerful people. They have money and the ability to live an easy life with beautiful homes and unlimited material goods, including helicopters for transportation which allow them to avoid endless traffic problems and prolonged exposure to toxic pollution. While the other world must face limited money and supplies, long and unpleasant commutes to work and school, and dangerous living conditions. Success in the world of the "haves" is guaranteed, while success in the world of the "have nots" depends on the ability to pass the XCAS test which is the only path to college and a future with any sort of promise. Failure to pass the test results in expulsion from school and a direct path to whatever meaningless, low paying job that will hopefully be available.

Ann finds herself struggling with school which consists of endless preparation for the XCAS. She is a senior and her test results this year will determine the rest of her life. She is frustrated with boring classroom material and disgruntled teachers whose only motivation is creating good student test scores to secure their own jobs. Ann knows that her father works for the wealthy man responsible for publishing the hated test, and that that man has direct connections to the president who believes NCLB is the best way to educate the masses.

When Ann meets Lep, an immigrant from Thailand and a fellow student, she learns even more about the testing system and the corruptness of that system. With knowledge comes danger, and Ann soon feels her life is being threatened as a result of the powers behind the XCAS.

Readers of TEST are taken into both worlds - the powerful and the underprivileged. The similarities to today's current educational practices are startling. Hopefully, this is not the direction our educational system wants maintain. NCLB is a system in need of change. Books like TEST might bring that need to the attention of the right people.

IMPOSSIBLE by Nancy Werlin

Nancy Werlin's new book is an interesting combination of mystery, suspense, and the paranormal. She uses a variation of the song "Scarborough Fair" as the backdrop for an evil family curse.

Generations ago an angry elfin knight placed a curse on the young women of the Scarborough clan. Each girl became pregnant as a teen and upon giving birth to a daughter, each girl went insane. The only way to break the curse was to complete three tasks described in the lyrics of the song. Until now it seemed the curse would carry on forever.

Lucy Scarborough now seventeen has always known her birth mother was Miranda Scarborough, but luck brought her into the lives of Leo and Soledad Markowitz. They have raised her since birth and understand the complications of her life story. Through the years they have been plagued by visits from Miranda. Her insanity has been the cause of many embarrassing situations. Now as Lucy is approaching her last year in high school, she hopes that she can avoid anymore encounters with her crazy mother and get on with her life.

Early in the story Lucy is preparing for her prom and her date with Gray Spencer. Her adopted parents are nervous about the date since it is one of her first, and they haven't actually met Gray. As the couple is posing for pictures and is about to leave for the evening, the unthinkable happens. Miranda shows up in her baggy T-shirt and flowing shirt, pushing her rusty shopping cart full of bottles and cans. Everyone is shocked when she begins to attack, throwing glass bottles at everyone in the yard. She is finally hauled away by the police, but not before Gray makes a get-away in his new car leaving Lucy humiliated and dateless.

Just when Lucy is ready to give up on him and attend the prom with a long-time childhood friend, Gray returns, apologizes for running off, and begs her to still be his date. She happily accepts, but it proves to be the beginning of yet another horrible experience. As the two are leaving the prom later that evening, Gray takes Lucy aside and forces himself on her and rapes her. The experience is not only terrible, but also puzzling as Lucy tries to connect the gentle high school boy with the vicious act and the sinister voice she hears during that attack.
Weeks after the prom, Lucy discovers she has followed in the footsteps of the Scarborough women and become a pregnant teen. Will her fate be the same? Will she give birth to a daughter, and will she lose her mind?

Werlin creates an interesting mix of past and present. Lucy seems one moment to be a typical teen, and the next, the victim of an ancient evil. The turning of each page reveals another fact about the family curse. The lyrics of the song provide the clues necessary to break the curse, but those clues are not crystal clear and require creative solutions from Lucy and her helpful family and friends. Encouraged by hope and love, Lucy fights to change the direction of her life at the same time as she learns to accept the hand fate has dealt. Werlin fans will not be disappointed.

HURRICANE by Terry Trueman

La Rupa, Honduras is a small village with a handful of houses. The villagers all know each other like a tightly knit family, so when disaster hits it changes their world forever.

A powerful hurricane hits Central America. Young Jose watches his village disappear under an avalanche of mud. When the storm clears, he and his mother and younger siblings discover that their house is one of the only remaining structures still standing. Nearly half of their fellow villagers have been buried in the mudslide. To complicate matters, Jose's father, older brother, and older sister are missing.

Survival requires those left behind to put aside their grief to work hard finding food and water as they attempt to clear away the mud enough to recover needed possessions and bury the dead. Jose steps up to the challenge when he journeys to find help for his sick little brother. International U.N. volunteers depend on him as a translator and organizer. As he works nonstop and prays endlessly for the return of his missing family members, Jose matures and becomes the man of the family.

Terry Trueman captures the fear and devastation associated with a powerful hurricane. Readers will easily relate to the emotional trauma of losing family and friends while also trying to continue life in horrifying conditions. With recent hurricane threats, this story brings the frightening details to life.

IDENTICAL by Ellen Hopkins

Secrets. IDENTICAL is all about secrets.

Twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne are alike in many ways, but each have their own secrets. In fact they are part of a family that is full of secrets. Their father, a district-court judge, has his own unspeakable secret. Their mother, a soon-to-be elected Congresswoman, has her own hidden secret. Even their grandparents have decade-old secrets they are reluctant to reveal.

Although the twins are identical in appearance, their personalities take them in very different directions. Raeanne, the risk taker, involves herself in questionable sexual relationships and experimentation with illegal drugs. Her goal is to numb herself to the world around her. She feels unloved by her parents and powerless when it comes to protecting her more vulnerable sister. Kaeleigh is the compliant one. Her need to please and satisfy makes her the easy target of a father looking for the wrong kind of love in a very wrong place.

The hidden lives of all the characters are slowly revealed as Kaeleigh and Raeanne alternate as narrators describing their world. Each girl handles life as best she can, since each feels alone and unable to seek help or guidance from even those they come to call friends.

IDENTICAL is Ellen Hopkins at her best. Once again she uses her unique style to communicate the story. The verse is straightforward and honest. Although some say they find her directness too harsh, I appreciate that she doesn't sugar-coat the controversial issues she chooses to tackle. There isn't anything "nice" about what happens in IDENTICAL, and Hopkins doesn't try to cheapen it by softening the facts. Readers should brace themselves for a gritty story, but it's one that will have them appreciating the simple love and trust present in their own lives.

My 8th Graders Say ... Read These Books!

Here's list of books my 8th graders either read over the summer or since school started. They recommend them as "must read" titles.

TWILIGHT and NEW MOON by Stephenie Meyer
BLOOD BEAST and DEMON APOCALYPES by Darren Shan
THE CAR, HARRIS AND ME, and the TUCKET SERIES by Gary Paulsen
FAKE ID and CLUB DREAD by Walter Sorrells
BEST FOOT FORWARD by Joan Bauer
BEANBALL by Gene Fehler
RED IS FOR REMEMBRANCE by Laurie Faria Stolarz
ELDEST by Christopher Paolini
TEEN ANGST? NAAH.... by Ned Vizzini

LOCK AND KEY by Sarah Dessen

Seventeen year old Ruby has been living on her own for several months since her alcoholic mother suddenly packed up and left. Things haven't been all that great, but she figures she'll be eighteen soon and maybe life will turn around. Then there's a knock on her door. Thanks to the nosy landlords, Ruby finds herself first in the care of social services and then moving in with her sister Cora who she hasn't seen in years.

As far as Ruby knows, Cora left her years ago with their drunken mother and was never heard from again. Suddenly Cora and her husband Jamie are stepping in to rescue Ruby. They are providing a beautiful house in a wealthy gated community, a preppy private school, and the offer of credit card shopping sprees. It's completely overwhelming. Not used to the extravagant lifestyle, it takes a while for Ruby to trust her sister's motives.

Even though her past life was difficult at best, Ruby returns to her old house, her old school, and a few old friends as she tries to adjust to her new and sometimes confusing situation. As she begins to open up to Cora, Jamie, and Nate the boy next door, she learns that real family and friendship can provide support she never even imagined was possible.

Author Sarah Dessen continues her string of excellent YA novels with LOCK AND KEY. It's a story filled with real people dealing with real problems. Her well-developed characters are easy to relate to, pulling readers into the smoothly written plot. As with most of Dessen's books, I felt a part of their lives as I turned each page. LOCK AND KEY is a worthwhile addition to any collection.

DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Amal is Australian-Palestinian-Muslim. She was born in Australia, and it's all she knows. She went to a Catholic grade school and is now in eleventh grade in an Australian preparatory school with plans to attend college. She is surrounded by a mix of cultures and variety so she normally blends in with the crowd. However, things are about to change.

Religion is taken seriously in Amal's household. They observe Muslim traditions as they live their busy lives. Despite being raised by strict and concerned parents, Amal counts herself lucky that they believe in education and the freedom to follow her future dreams, unlike her friend Leila's mother who believes she must be married off to an acceptable man as quickly as possible. Even though religion plays an important role in Amal's life, it still comes as a complete surprise to her parents and friends when she declares that she wants to become what she calls a "full-timer." She has decided to wear the hijab, the head scarf worn by Muslim women.

Knowing she will likely risk ridicule and hear comments like "terrorist" and "towel-head", Amal is determined to adopt this visible sign of her faith. Her parents are surprised but supportive and attempt to prepare her for the worst. Her mother shops with her for attractive fabrics and gives her instruction in the proper wearing style. Her father insists that she meet with the principal of her school to seek approval for this controversy decision before she attempts to wear the hijab. But Amal doesn't want to wait; she wants wear the hijab on her first day back from school holiday. She believes she must jump right in and not give herself any reason to compromise her decision.

DOES MY HEAD LOOK BIG IN THIS? highlights not only Amal's life-changing decision to be different and wear an outspoken statement of her faith, but it also focuses on her friends who experience struggles of their own at school and at home. There is something for everyone in this book. Readers can relate to many of the pains of being a modern teenager. Even though the action is set in Australia, readers from cultures all over the world will relate to Amal and her friends as they live through typical teen experiences.