Florida Teens Read Finalist for 2014-2015

The Florida Association for Media in Education has finally released the titles for the next school year.

Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi
The Naturals by Jennifrer Lynn Barnes
Thin Space by Jody Casella
Pinned by Sharon Flake
Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West by Blaine Harden
Second Impact by David and Perri Klass
Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott
The Living by Matt de la Pena
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
In the Shadow of Blackbirds by Cat Winters
Beneath a Meth Moon: an Elegy by Jacqueline Woodson
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

This is an interesting mix of books and I can't wait to start reading.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In a society where abortion is totally illegal, parents have few options when dealing with an unplanned child. They can choose to "dump" the baby on a strangers doorstep after it's born (and that family would HAVE to raise the child), they can drop the kid off in a state home (StaHo) where the child basically has to compete for the right to live' or raise the child until they are 13 and then have them unwound.

Unwinding is only an option for children between the ages of 13 and 18 and when the Unwind orders are finalized, the child is taken to a special center where they await their bodies being harvested piece by piece while they are still awake.
For 3 kids, the Unwind orders are signed, sealed and they are being delivered to the harvest. Lev is the 10th child of 10 children and he is being offered as a tithe to God. Risa, who grew up in a StaHo is being Unwound to make room for the babies because she's not special enough to live whole. And Connor finds tickets for his parents and brother to go on a vacation and finds his unwind orders for the day before the vacation.
A chance meeting binds these three children together and their survival becomes interdependent on each other.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This book was what I like to call a mind-trip in a book. I will admit that reading this book angered me a bit and caused me to think about it for days. The thought of dismembering teenagers haunted my dreams for at least a week, but I think that's exactly what Neal Shusterman wanted. This book really did make me think about where I stand on certain issues and made me realize that maybe everything is a simple issue. . .

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

Fifteen year old Jane Arrowood's life changes drastically when she is attacked by a shark during a routine trip to the beach. When Jane wakes up from her 10 day coma, she finds the doctors had to remove her right arm from her elbow down. Now Jane has the task of getting on with her life and attempting to do what she was able to do before. Jane has to learn how to live without her dominate hand and learn to draw again.

Told through a series of poems in three parts, Jane chronicles her new school, new relationships and getting to know her new body.

******************

I really liked the way Kelly Bingham brought Jane to life. I was able to see her struggle with a normal everyday routine. I liked how Jane seemed to be very realistic. She struggled with losing her arm, struggled with learning how to wash dishes again adn struggled to not be defined by what she lost.

2009-2010 Florida Teens Read List

It's that time again for the new book lists to appear!
This year's Florida Teens Read books are : (drumroll, please)

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian by Sherman Alexie
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockheart
Generation Dead by Daniel Waters
Gym Candy by Carl Deuker
Homeboyz by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Last Exit to Normal by Michael B. Harmon
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
The Market by J.M. Steele
Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury
Suck it Up by Brian Meehl
Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson
Three Little Words by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Unwind by Neal Shusterman

I am so excited about this list. Some of them I've read and loved, others I am eagerly anticipating reading.

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen was an average teenage boy until he came home one day to find a shoebox on his doorstep. Inside that shoebox were 7 cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah Baker. The only problem was Hannah committed suicide 2 weeks earlier.

Suddenly Clay finds himself in the midst of a whirlwind of emotions, locations and secrets-- some of which are sweet others are very vile. According to Hannah, there are 13 sides to her story, 7 tapes with a story on 13 sides, 13 people who would receive her tapes and 13 reasons why she killed herself. There would be 13 people who would receive the tapes, each with their own role in her death-- Clay is on one of those tapes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jay Asher's first novel is an amazing testimony to the impact a single word, action or thought may have on someone. Mr. Asher took a really tough topic and brought a sense of dignity to being left behind.

As I was ready, I found myself completely sucked into the story and wanting to learn how Clay had a part in Hannah's death. This novel is a great book for people who have had a friend commit suicide-- it can be theraputic.