7. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Rowling, J.K. Scholastic, 1999. New York

Annotation: Harry Potter is a neglected boy who lives with this cruel aunt and uncle. He wishes to escape, and his wish is granted when he is swept off to Hogwarts, a school for wizards just like him. He then finds out the story behind the strange scar on his forehead and learns that he is capable of way more than he thought.

Justification for Rejection: Rowling does an amazing job illustrating every character and their own personalities down to a t. All characters can easily be pictured in the reader's mind, and they all have their own special quirks and differences. As a sidenote, when I saw the movie, it was exactly how I had pictured it in the book!. My one problem I had was getting through the first part of the book where the characters and backgrounds are set up. It goes a little slow, and It was hard to keep interest. Once the book got moving and Harry went to Hogwarts, I was hooked, and I thought this book would be great for an adolescent reader. It offers a lot of fantasy, but at the same time, the reader can identify with Harry and friends as they still share similar problems and issues that many young readers are also likely going though. There was some aspect of violence with the fighting, and it was full of suspence as the reader roots Harry on in his adventures and troubles.

Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Coming of Age

6. Tangerine

Tangerine.Bloor, Edward. 1997. Harcourt, Inc. Orlando, Florida

Annotation: Paul Fisher, his parents, and brother Erik move to the small town of Tangerine, Fl. With the move comes many relevations by Paul and how he became vision impaired and more relevations about Erik, who is favored by his parents as the football star. Although he is legally blind, he can see things that others are blind to.

Justification for Rejection: Although this novel was very intruiging and keeps the reader interested to keep going, I felt the first half was slow moving. The first half sets up a lot for the reader regarding Erik and his kniving ways that the parents don't see, Paul's soccer dream unfolding, and introducing many new characters. The book does become very gripping in the last half, but I felt it was a little too slow-moving. I thought Bloor did a great job describing the characters and situations. The book had many surprises that I did not predict, which kept me reading and wondering what would happen on the next page. This book fits well with its audience, and would be especially fitting for a teenage boy to read.

Genre: Supernatural/Horror. Coming of Age.

5. Cubanita

Triana, Gaby. Cubanita. 2005. Harper Collins: New York

Annotaion: Isa, 17 years old, is in the transitional summer between high school and college. She deals with many changes and issues, including struggling with her Cuban heritage, falling in and out of love, and becoming closer to her family.

Justification for Nomination: Triana writes this book in a way that the characters and the feelings in the book seem so real that they seem to jump out of the pages. The Cuban family and their norms backgrounds are very clearly portrayed and easily understood. The author kept me interested from the first page to the last, and I felt for the main character, Isa, as she learns very valuable life lessons.

Genre: Multicultural, Coming of Age, Humor

4. Confessions of a Not-So-Supermodel

Confessions of a Not-So-Supermodel. Lindsey, Brooklyn.2008.Grand Rapids, MI. Youth Specialties Products.

Annotation: Brooklyn Lindsey shares her real life experiences along with advice for adolescent girls on various topics, including boys, religion, friends, dreams, and our own unique gifts.

Justification for rejection: While this book offers some great advice for young teens about growing up and being confident in yourself, I wouldn't want to nominate it. Lindsey has a lot to share, but her background story didn't do enought to support the rest of her book. She relates many lessons in life to her own dream of becoming a supermodel, and sometimes I do not think the topics are related closely enough. Her audience is very small, focusing on teens who are very religious and I don't think all teen girls would relate.

Genre: Nonfiction