Night by Elie Wiesel

In a way, this novel is about perseverance and the will to live under unique circumstances as in the case of Elie Wiesel, a victim of the Holocaust. After being thrown from their neighborhood and transferred to another, Elie’s family becomes subject to the torturous concentration camps run by the Nazis during World War II. One night, during a midnight march called by the Nazi officers, Elie’s neighbors and family go outside to meet their fate when the officers tell everyone that they would be moving into the adjacent commune for the next few days while one by one, each of these Jews would be taken from their homes and brought to a concentration camp to face death once and for all. When they reach the neighboring homes, the Wiesel family is chosen to be the last to leave for the camps. They find their new home just as the previous owners had left; pots on the stove, water running, and beds unmade. It’s as if they had just placed themselves inside someone else’s world as slowly their own world comes to a halting screech as that dreaded night approaches. The Wiesel family is called outside where a group of soldiers is waiting for them to be shipped to the concentration camp location. They spend some time at that camp before having to move to a different one. They are subjected to extreme torture under harsh conditions. When the rest of Elie’s family dies from the horrible treatment at their camp in Auschwitz, Elie must fight for his life as he loses his parents, his siblings, and his childhood innocence. The matter of survival and trust plays an important role in this pulsing novel of the Wiesel family’s living hell. In writing his autobiography, Elie uses imagery to put the readers in his shoes as he walks through his dark past of cruelty and harassment. “If in my lifetime I was to write only one book, this would be the one.” Wiesel pours his heart into this book and drags the reader along with him as he experiences pain and anguish with himself and with the Nazi’s in charge of his camp. While reading this book, one would ask, “Why him? Why Elie and his family?” Through his heartfelt writing and direct truthfulness, Wiesel explores his feelings as he takes his readers on a journey of answers to these questions. To this day, Wiesel holds strong convictions against the concentration camps and the mercilessness that they heaped upon him and his family. This book is truly inspiring, one of deep thought and consideration, one that deserves to be read. Night is a tale for all teens and adults interested in the Holocaust and its massive effects on the people of the world today. It should be read in remembrance of its victims, especially those who have lived and are brave enough to tell their story.

Likely Story 1 & 2 by David Van Etten

What would happen if your personal blog became a hit soap opera over night? Would you a.) scream and call all of your friends b.) cancel the whole thing and get on with your life or c.) hire your dramatic, ex soap star, high maintenance mom to play one of the leads. It the case of Mallory, at one point or another, chooses all three of these options. Likely Story is a story about Mallory, the teen aged producer of the hottest new soap to hit the screens. This book is written as if the words just came out of a teenage girl's mouth. Love triangles, television set romances, and best friend betrayal.... what could be more juicy? This average teenagers life is turned around as she goes from soap star's daughter, to soap star's boss. After backstabbing her best friend and breaking her boyfriend's heart, there's nothing left to do but call of the script. But, Miss Mallory doesn't give up that easily. Go along for the ride as she decides how the next scene of her life will play out. The only problem is, her ending credits aren't yet final ;) David Van Etten does an excellent job of putting you in the mindset of an overstressed daughter seeking freedom and a normal life. I recommend this book for all teenage girls, even boys if they're interested in this kind of drama. So, read Likely Story to see how Mallory's soap opera will end... or will it ever even start?

ALA's Top 10 Teen Books of 2008

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
5. Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports by James Patterson
6. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
7. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
8. Extras by Scott Westerfeld
9. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
10. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Amazon's Top 10 Teen Books of 2008

1. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing by MT Anderson
2. Paper Towns by John Green
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
4. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
5. Pretty Monsters by Kelly Link
6. The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
7. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
8. Blog Child by Siobhan Dowd
9. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
10. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

The Glass Castle by: Jeannette Walls

I recently read the book, The Glass Castle, a memoir written by Jeannette Walls. It was amazing, hands down inspirational. At the beginning, I found it unimaginable and hard to get into. So, being a highschooler with plenty of activities, I put it down for a while. After about a month of interrupted reading, I finally picked it up again and was hooked with just a single page of reading. Jeannette experienced so much pain and emotion and I felt as if I wanted to experience it along side of her. Throughout my life, I have always had things handed to me. I never knew what it was actually like to earn something for myself. Through my reading, I wanted to leap inside of her story and give her some money or a helping hand, just a little nudge to get her going. As I got deeper and deeper into her reading, I started catching on to her subtle foreshadows and nuances and reading became almost a guessing game as I predicted what would happen on the next page. I had a fascination with her pain and struggle. I guess everyone has their hardships in life, but the Walls’ journey seemed merciless and desolate as I read the progession of how the family went from poor to flat out homeless. In the end, this book was the most inspirational and uplifting piece of literature that I have ever laid my eyes on. The story line is relateable to everyone because at one point or another, every being feels as if they don’t deserve what they are going through. But, in the end, if you make the best out of situations, life will always get better and this is proven in this memoir. It brings hope to nonbelievers and strength to those who think that their lives can’t get any worse. Reading this is definitely worth your time and I recommend it to all ages.

Perfect by: Natasha Friend

"Perfect,” a story about a teen battling bulimia, is heart warming, tear jerking, and trulyinspiring. It shows how bulimia is caused by depression and feeling lonely and tired. A disease that used to be considered ‘disgusting’ or ‘repulsing’ now makes my feel sympathy for the victim of this vicious and enervating eating disorder. This book puts you into the mind of one battling bulimia. Emotions, feelings, cravings, yearnings. It’s all there from tears to laughter. I must admit that I did cry during the reading of this novel. I felt so bad for Isabella’s family, Isabella being the bulimic teen. The story goes that Isabella father died unexpectedly and ever since the day of the funeral, Bella, or ‘Belly’ as her younger sister calls her, has been making herself throw up to lose some weight. Imagine a life for of stuffing your face with food until to can’t move for hours on end, and then just a few minutes later you are watching all of that food go down the sink drain as you stick your finger down your throat to make yourself vomit. It’s sickening, and deleterious as well! You watch as Isabella’s perfect little corner of the world heads into a downward spiral as she becomes friendless, takes on the parental role as her mother battles severe depression, and must also manage making it to her therapist twice a week. This story just goes to show how sometimes, just by looking at a person, you don’t really know what’s going on with them in their lives. Whether it be bulimia, a deceased parent, or a cancer patient, you just never can tell as everyone walks around with a fake smile plastered across their faces. As Isabella realizes through her experiences in Eating Disorder and Body Image Therapy Group, even the most popular of people can be hiding in all of their troubles. I recommend this book to all teenage girls because of the lesson it teaches to young girls about how eating disorders not only affect themselves, but everyone around them as well. This book is short and to the point, but it really gets across the message that Natasha Friend was trying to send.