King, A. S. (2012). Ask the passengers: a novel. New York: Little, Brown.
Summary: Astrid Jones is similar to many teenagers. She's trying to figure out who she is, but after her parents decide to move to a closed minded, gossip filled town, it makes it even more difficult for Astrid to be honest with the people who are closest to her. She can't even confide in her best friend or her girl friend, so Astrid sends her loves the passengers in the sky aboard airplanes until she figures out how to utilize her love in her own life.
Strengths & Connections To The Textbook: When I read this book, I immediately thought about why we share young adult literature to students. Even though I couldn’t relate to the exact problems of Astrid, I could imagine another teen who might be going through the same hardships. Readers could relate what the main character is struggling what or simply be empathetic towards her struggle. This book also received a commended honor for Rainbow List: Top Ten GLBTQ Books for Children and Teens.
Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi, a girl in pieces. El Paso: Cinco Puntos Press.
Summary: It's Gabi's last year in high school, but she's still trying to put the pieces of her life together and figure things out. Life's already complicated between Sebastian being openly gay, and her best friend Cindy getting pregnant, but Gabi's dealing with her own issues of self-confidence, boys, an overly religious mother, and a drug addicted father. Told directly from Gabi's personal diary, this book will make you cry, laugh, and feel like a proud mother as Gabi finds her way.
Strengths & Connections To The Textbook: This book immediately made me think of how adolescents develop. Throughout the book, Gabi constantly mentions her mother’s views about her weight, her views and how she struggles with her weight. The author does brings the underlying issue to surface in a way that is relatable to the reader, but ties in with the theme seamlessly. It lets readers know that they may not be the only one struggling with their weight as a teen and how to handle it.
Connections:
Gephart, D. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. New York: Delacorte Press.
Summary: Lily and Dunkin both have secrets that they’re struggling with and in an odd way they both help each other through tough times. Lily helps Dunkin just by simply being a good thoughtful person even though Dunkin turns a blind eye to the neanderthals and Dunkin helps Lily by not caring about her which gender she identifies with. Lily and Dunkin aren’t their biological names, but it symbolizes who they want to be or yet who they really are.
Strengths & Connections To The Textbook: Changing relationships with parents in relation to how adolescents develop is the main strength that stood out to me in Lily and Dunkin. The tension between Lily and her dad is gut wrenching and hard to read a times as Lily begins to wear nail polish and girl clothes. The bravery that Lily displays going against her dad’s wishes to step into her true self is risky, but the way her dad responds at the end is beautiful and could really be an eye opener for parents experiencing the same situation or give hope to children that are in a battle with their parents about being transgender.
Connections:
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