Kissing Kate

Myracle, L. (2003). Kissing Kate.

Kissing Kate tells the story of best friends Lissa and Kate, who on a drunken night at a party, passionately kiss, changing everything. Lissa confused by the interaction, wants to talk about the kiss, but Kate will have nothing of it. In order to understand what is happening to her, Lissa starts to explore her feelings by a new age dream therapy which includes some heavy metaphors that may go over they heads of some readers. This story chronicles Lissa journey as she comes to terms with her own sexuality and their friendship together. Although Myracle develops a believable and sympathetic character in Lissa, the authenticity of her friendship with Kate is questionable. From the start, the author emphasizes the complete differences between the two, but never really offers a reason as to why they have been friends for four years. Overall, a nice, light coming-out story. Not recommended for those wishing to read something with more substance, but entertaining nonetheless. Suitable for high schoolers.

101+ Great Ideas for Teen Library Web Sites

Doyle, M. (2007). 101+ Great Ideas for Teen Library Web Sites.

Doyle offers an excellent how-to for library professionals who are serious about recreating their teen webpages with teens in mind. In fact, this is Doyle's thesis for the book: teen library web sites are for the teens, so their input must be included in order to have a successful website. Doyle outlines the steps needed to create a website from scratch, focusing on analyzing the time and budget needed to create and maintain your website goals. She includes sections that outline getting the word out about your webpage, getting feedback, adding access to library services, and of course pages devoted explicitly for the teens. Throughout this concise manual, are visual and textual examples from real-life school and public library websites, both good and bad. Doyle emphasizes that these pages must informative, but just as important, they must be fun and interactive. The author also includes a section of current resources on building teen library websites in multiple forms. This is an essential resource for young adult librarians, and other librarians can benefit from Doyle's clear prose. Experienced and novice web designers.

Flipped

Van Draanen, Wendelin. (2001). Flipped.

Flipped tells the story of two kids who meet in the second grade and have very different opinions of that meeting. Julianna falls in love with Bryce the instant she sees his pretty blues eyes. Bryce, on the other hand, find Julianna extremely pushy and annoying. Throughout the years this remains the constant, until the 8th grade when Bryce starts to notice something different about Julianna. However, once he starts to develop feelings for her, Julianna's opinion of Bryce have taken a 180 degree turn. Though the tone of this novel is quirky and fun, it is touching coming-of-age story as both kids question their perceptions and start to look at life, love, and their own feelings. An excellent read for all teens or adults who like to reminisce.

You Remind Me of You

Corrigan, Eireann. (2002). You remind me of you: a poetry memoir.

Corrigan recounts her experiences in and out of treatment facilities for her eating disorder through honest, sometimes harshly so, poetry. The author's trials did not end at that. Her boyfriend attempted suicide by placing a shotgun between his eyes. Corrigan was dating another boy at the time, but raced to her damaged friend's side once she heard the news. In this retropsective, Corrigan details the struggles, schemes, and shocks of dealing with a distorted self-image and a suicidal ex-boyfriend. Although the poet's experiences are an extreme, she touches on the insecurities and problems that many teens face on a daily basis. This book would be best for teens aged 13 and up.

A Young People's History of the United States, vols. 1 & 2

Zinn, Howard. & Stefoff, R., ed. (2007). A Young People's History of the United States: Columbus to the Spanish-American War, vol. 1.

-and-

Ibid. (2007). A Young People's History of the United States: Class Struggle to the War On Terror, vol. 2.

This sweeping chronicle of our country's social and political history comes from the prolific mind of Howard Zinn. Adapted from his popular and groundbreaking "A People's History of the United States," this two-volume set is an abridged, illustrated, and updated version of the original. Zinn tells our history from the point of view of the underrepresented: minorities, women, slaves, immigrants, workers, and Native Americans. Volume 1 explores the first encounters of Europeans and Native Americans to the early nineteenth century with the Spanish-American war. Volume 2 explores the Industrial Revolution and the class struggles that followed all the way to the current issues with the Iraq conflict. Zinn states that young people deserve to hear the truth about history, and not just the information and viewpoints that our government approves of. This adaptation of Zinn's definitive work is specifically aimed to draw in younger readers without diminishing the quality of the literature. Appropriate for advanced middle school readers; ideal for high schoolers.