This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

Sarah Dessen takes the romance genre and builds a serious and contemplative novel that teenage girls can easily relate to.  Remy, a recent high school graduate, has had countless boyfriends but always ends the relationship before it gets serious.  Her mother, on the other hand, is working on marriage #5.  Remy is happy to have her last summer before college to hang out with her friends (and maybe a summer boyfriend) but has her plans changed when she meets Dexter, a musician that begins to break down Remy's harsh exterior.

Dessen juxtaposes Remy and Dexter's relationship with Remy's mother and her new husband, Don, that shows how Remy's defensive nature is to keep herself from being hurt like her mother.  The novel directly addresses several conventions of the romance novel: readers become emotionally attached to the characters, the novels empower women, that it provides an escape from reality, and that sex happens only within happy, monogamous relationships.  This Lullaby exemplifies most of these conventions, but also challenges the reader's notion of a romance novel.

Most importantly, Dessen captures an awkward and important developmental stage in her novel and addresses issuses accompanying it without judgment.  Remy has a past of sleeping around and is often drinking with her friends.  Dessen does not demonize these acts, but compares them with how Remy acts when she is in a satisfying relationship and when she isn't drunk.  This switch from having ever-changing realtionships to a single, serious relationship is not portrayed as an abandonment of independence, but as a stage in creating a firm identity and developing emotional stability. 

Luckily, the discussion of these serious topics occurs within realistic teenage dialogue and honest emotions.  This Lullaby allows readers to see themselves or people they know in the characters and learn from the plot how to deal with these traits.  While the story does have a sappily happy ending, both Remy and her mother are better off for the chances they have taken.  Establishing independence looks different for various people and relationshops, and This Lullaby lets readers know that this is OK.

Here in Harlem

Here in Harlem, written by Walter Dean Myers, is a collection of poems intended to reflect the many voices and life experiences of Harlem’s inhabitants. The collection is an excellent resource for YA readers because it can be used as a tool to enrich many aspects of their developmental needs. The poems are particularly inspiring for African-American and urban YAs, and yet they are relatable enough so that people of all ages, cultures and backgrounds can learn from and enjoy them.

Each poem in Here in Harlem is written in the voice of a different townsperson. The titles of the poems are simply the names, ages and occupational status of the speakers. The collection is interspersed with historical photographs of actual Harlem residents which help connect the poems’ fictionalized characters to real faces. Here in Harlem is a particularly valuable resource for aiding in the development of several areas of urban teens - the social self, emotional self, reflective self, creative self and cognitive self – as defined by Hughes-Hassell and Agosto in Everyday Life Information Seeking of Urban Teenagers.

Additionally, most of the characters in the collection provide healthy role models for YAs. Interestingly, at the end of the book there is a list of real people and places intended to spark further interest and inspiration.

Although my paper goes into further detail about the above mentioned themes, I wanted to use part of this post to share my favorite poem in the collection:

Reuben Mills, 34

Artist

Vien red, bruise purple

The pallet of my soul drips slowly

Onto the canvas of this life

Flashing amber, blinding white

Garish hues screaming through the night

Orange reflections on a switchblade knife

Undertaker gray, church organ-gold

Moonlight glimmer against mahogany

A moire pattern edged in strife

Moody midnight shadings of the blues

Pink raised welt on amber back

A rich tapestry of muted hues

All to create the pointillist color of black

The Name of the Game was Murder by Joan Lowery Nixon

In this novel, Nixon has done a great job creating a character that is modeled after teenage behavior while instilling values that will help her readers with their developmental needs.
Nixon's main character Samantha exhibits many classic teen characteristics, which makes her an easy person for teens to relate to. Her impulsive nature is referenced many times in the book, as she makes hasty decisions that are not always the best ones. In one instance, she makes a decision to visit her Aunt Thea when most adults would have seen reasoning against the idea. Her parents are constantly telling her "slow down and think this out," (Nixon, 10) but her impatience always wins out and Samantha realizes the possible error of her ways after she has acted upon her ideas. As quickly as she makes decisions, she is also rather easily bored. "People-watching was interesting for only so long," (Nixon 31) she thinks after having spent a minor amount of time observing a few of the other characters in the book.
Just like other teens, Samantha cares very deeply for her peer relationships. She is constantly thinking what parts of each situation she encounters she will share with her friend Darlene. When something exciting happens, her first thought is also of how much Darlene would love it.
Nixon also forwards the developmental needs of her readers through Samantha's decisions. She provides adult role models for support but also allows Samantha to see their flaws. In the beginning, Samantha idolizes Augustus because he is a famous writer. As she gets to know more about him, she finds he a hot-tempered man who has seen failure in the beginning of his career. These flaws allow Samantha to grow in her psychosocial development - her identity as a writer and feeling she has to learn that from another writer. Aunt Thea also provides a winning personality to appreciate, but has made her own mistakes. This realization that adults and parents are not perfect is an important method of development for Samantha and other teens according to the AACAP.
Nixon does well to provide examples of the Havighurst traits through Samantha during the course of the story. Samantha is very creative and participates in activities which emphasize this daily. Writing in her journal also shows her commitment to learning. Samantha furthers her learning and creativity with Darlene by creating and solving codes - all of which help cognitive development with hypothetical, abstract, and verbal problems (Piaget). This cognitive ability is able to help Samantha solve the mystery that poses as a problem concerning her aunt. As she works her way through this code to discover a hidden manuscript and a murderer, Samantha also faces the ethical dilemma of discovering a group of people's potentially harmful secrets versus knowing them to unveil the murderer. While most of the adults reach a consensus that no one shall read the manuscript to protect everyone of its harmful content, Samantha believes in her own value to uncover the murderer because it is the socially responsible thing to do. Once she has discovered the manuscript and the murderer - she agrees that while some of the evidence in the manuscript is not socially responsible, it benefits her personal values to destroy it and save the people she cares about from harm.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Klause

Annette Curtis Klause’s 1997 novel “Blood and Chocolate” is a tale of a teenage werewolf and her struggles to fit into suburban American society. From page one, the novel appeals to readers’ appetites for action, mystery, and romance in its depiction of the conflicted life of 17-year-old Vivian Gandillon, a high school student who is part of a secretive werewolf pack in suburban Maryland. Vivian’s world is convoluted by her burgeoning sexuality as well as the tug-of-war she experiences between the expectations of her family and those of her peers. The book’s frank discussion of Vivian’s sexual desires, as well as her experiences with grief, loss, and loyalty to family, have made it a popular if controversial title for young readers in the decade since its publication.

Though its sexual content has made it a divisive title (and its literary merit is of questionable quality), “Blood and Chocolate” is in many ways properly suited to the interests of young adult readers. The novel’s strength lies in its adherence to the issues young adult readers look for in fictional works. Teens traditionally look for books that help them better understand the world around them, and whose characters’ tribulations mirror teens’ own issues and problems. According to “Connecting Young Adults and Libraries,” issues related to four common themes appeal to teens of all backgrounds: independence, excitement, identity, and acceptance. “Blood and Chocolate” hits on all four of these themes throughout the book, though the underlying message of self-acceptance and identity seems to be the largest facet of the book.

Slot Machine by Chris Lynch

In Slot Machine, Chris Lynch looks at one month in the life of Elvin Bishop, a slightly overweight yet amusingly clever adolescent, as he attends a three-week “camp” designed to ease the transition into high school. Elvin quickly realizes, however, that this “camp” is really just a systematic method to find each incoming boy’s athletic “slot” for high school. While his two best friends, Mikie and Frankie, seem to thrive in the new environment, Elvin, with little athletic ability and a slightly cynical view of the entire situation, spends his time desperately trying to determine where he belongs. Jumping from “slot” to “slot,” Elvin ultimately ends up in the most absurd, unexpected place of them all – the art sector. While he is resistant at first, it is here where Elvin truly feels like himself and relates to those around him.

Lynch’s insightful treatment of prevalent teenage issues, especially those of body image and trying to “fit in,” set against his entertaining and intriguing storyline, ultimately encourages an adolescent reader to consider and begin formulating an answer to the age-old question of “Who am I?” As Elvin grows, learns, and emerges from camp just a little bit more mature than when he entered, readers alike are encouraged to stay true to who they are, to discover new aspects of themselves, and to embrace change and discovery. The writing is hysterically entertaining, the storyline is strong, and the message is clear; Lynch’s story is a worthwhile read.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Matilda Cook is the 14 year old daughter of a Coffee House proprietress and granddaughter of soldier in the War for Independence; her grandfather calls her a “Daughter of Liberty”. At the beginning of the book, it is August 1793 in Philadelphia, the US capitol, and there are reports of a fever near the docks. Mattie is a young adolescent with typical problems and concerns and with grand dreams for the future. She and her mother are frequently at odds, Mattie is growing rapidly, and her mother is looking for a husband for her, though Mattie has a boy friend, Nathaniel.

Her world is about to undergo a dramatic change. Yellow fever sweeps the city, attacking all classes from refugees to the upper. Her best friend, Polly, is one of the first to die and her Mother becomes ill. Mattie’s mother wants Mattie away from the danger. She orders Mattie and her grandfather to flee the city. They comply only to find that yellow fever has spread beyond the city limits. The city turns to chaos as yellow fever spreads, claiming many victims and many more evacuate the city. Many challenges face Mattie during these chaotic times and we watch her grow from the frustrated adolescent to a responsible young lady.

Though the novel is historical fiction about Yellow Fever in Philadelphia in 1793 and the consequences, Matilda is portrayed as a typical young adult going through the stages of adolescent development.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

In Westerfeld's novel Uglies, he follows protagonist Tally Youngblood as she approaches her sixteenth birthday. In this anti-Utopian society (in which a utopia is a sinister cover), on a teen's sixteenth birthday, he or she undergoes massive surgery to become a "Pretty." Before this surgery, everyone normal is considered to be hideously ugly. When Tally's friend Shay disappears the night before their birthday, Tally is told she cannot become pretty until she finds Shay. Finding Shay is more than a simple search and retrieve mission, however, and Tally quickly learns why the surgeries to make uglies pretty also causes personality shifts. This, coupled with Tally's realization that beauty is subjective, and in her society, controlled by a "pretty committee," helps Tally to break out of her self-deprecating mindset to realize that while beauty on the outside can be manufactured, no technology can create the strength and sense of community found amongst the smokies (the rebel community to which Shay had fled). This novel helps young adults realize that though we might consider outward appearance to be of the utmost importance in our society, we are simply responding to the outside influences, much as Tally had. This book offers the idea that there's more to success in life than being pretty, a message that young adults will embrace.