Jonas lives in a perfect society. There is no pain, poverty, divorce, crime, etc. At the Ceremony of 12, Jonas is shocked to learn that he has been chosen by the Elders for a most prestigious honor. His assignment will be that of Receiver of Memories, the keeper of memories from the past. He is to study with the �Giver,� the man who is currently the Receiver of Memories. After spending so much time with the Giver, Jonas comes to love the old man and speaks to him about change. Within time he learns the horrifying secrets of his community and has to make a decision that will test his courage, intelligence, and stamina. With the Givers blessing he leaves unexpectedly one night to save the life of a child and takes with him only the hope of finding a place where he and the child might be able to get a new start in life. A life that is not as conforming as the community he lived in.
Living in a society without worrying about what the weather will be like, where your next meal will come from or about locking the door during a typical day sounds perfect, too perfect. �Jonas reached the opposite side of the river, stopped briefly, and looked back�.The life where nothing was ever unexpected. Or inconvenient. Or unusual. The life without color, pain, or past.� In this utopian fantasy a perfect world is hypothesized. This is a story that has never happened but leaves you wondering, what if? The protagonist is a child, Jonas, a mere twelve years old given the tremendous responsibility of carrying his communities memories filled with anger, pain, sorrow, joy and the many emotions people face on a daily basis as well as all the feelings of the past. He is to be the Receiver of Memories so that his community may continue to live the ideal life with no imperfections to deal with. �Everyone had access to memories./ It was chaos, he said. /They really suffered for a while./ Finally it subsided as the memories were assimilated./ But it certainly make them aware of how they need a Receiver to contain all that pain./ And knowledge.� He is a hero. Anything or anyone not conforming to the �norm� was �released� to a better life or so Jonas thought until he discovered a terrible secret. �When the Speaker notified me that Rosemary had applied for release, they turned on the tape to show me the process./ There she was � my last glimpse of that beautiful child � waiting./ They brought in the syringe and asked her to roll up her sleeve�./And I listened as Rosemary told them that she would prefer to inject herself.� That is when he really became a hero to a special child, Gabriel. �Even I voted for Gabriel�s release�. /Jonas put down his fork and stared at his father, Release?.../It�s bye-bye to you, Gabe, in the morning�. /Jonas reached the opposite side of the river, stopped briefly, and looked back�.He thought of the rules he had broken so far�.. He had taken Gabriel.� This is definitely a fantasy novel worth sharing with children of all ages.
Bobby, 16, is an urban teenager from a middle-class family who is sensitive and intelligent. For his sixteenth birthday he cuts school with his two best friends to celebrate and gets some news from his girlfriend, Nia, that changes his life forever: He's going to be a father. Suddenly things like school, parties and fun with friends are replaced by visits to Nia's obstetrician and countless social workers who all say that the only way for them to lead a normal life is to put their baby up for adoption. Bobby and Nia had planned to give the baby up for adoption, but then tragedy strikes Nia, and everyone's future is changed. Flashbacks lead to the revelation in the final chapters that Nia is in an irreversible coma caused by eclampsia. Bobby is a loving father who adores his baby even though it seems impossible to take good care of her, go to school and prepare for college, and stay in touch with his good friends. The chapters alternate back to the story of Bobby's relationship with his girlfriend Nia and how parents and friends reacted to the news of her pregnancy and the present life he is living.
This contemporary realistic fiction story is about a young man faced with the responsibility of fatherhood and tells how it happened. The author writes a story that alternates between present (Now) and past (Then) and has romance and suspense at the same time. The natural conversational language is easy to read so that even young readers will understand the book and it is very believable. �It�s not going to happen, and my heart aches as I straighten out her hands and trace the delicate lines. / Then kiss them�../ Warm sweet-smelling baby hands./ And all I can do is kiss them and pull her closer so she won�t see my face and how scared I am.� It also contains occasional swearing-�Shit, I say�/ Hell, Why do I care?�- and some references to Bobby�s intimate experiences with Nia, the baby�s mother-I whisper, �Is it okay?/ I mean, will it hurt the baby if we do it?� While the novel contains occasional swearing and sexual reference, it is mild and doesn�t go into detail about the sexual act. In addition, the novel touches on the controversial issues of teen sex, premarital sex and unprotected sex, but it has good messages for adolescents dealing with the pressures of teenage relationships, and eye-opening realities about having and caring for babies. �The rules. / If she hollers, she is mine./ If she needs to be changed, she is always mine./ In the dictionary next to �sitter,� there is not a picture of Grandma./ It�s time to grow up./ Too late, you�re out of time. Be a grown-up.� While most teen pregnancy books are about what the girl goes through, this one is written from boy�s point of view. On the cover of this book is a photograph of a young black man with a tiny infant. This picture introduces the novel to the young adult reader, this is a story of a loving young father and his daughter.
Johnson has a way of getting to her readers' emotions with few words, creating characters we really care about. Her young people are thoughtful, conscientious, and loving�certainly with failings, but trying to do better.~Claire Rosser, KLIATT
Living with her single mother amid poverty and violence, LaVaughn, a fifteen year old teen, knows that the only way to make it is to escape to college. And to get there, she studies hard, listens to her mother's warnings, and tries to be strong. Several teachers recognize promise in LaVaughn, and she is placed in a more advanced science class, as well as an after-school program to improve her speech. She also gets a job at a children's hospital, which makes her think of becoming a nurse. Along the way, she experiences a life-altering change when a boy named Jody moves back into her neighborhood. He was once her childhood friend, but he is now suddenly beautiful and LaVaughn can�t stop thinking about him. They even go to a dance together and have a great time. One day he is sick and when she goes to his apartment to take him some cookies, she sees him standing by his fish tank and realizes that he is kissing another boy. She is so shocked that she drops the cookies and runs. Between her best friends joining a religious group and giving her the cold shoulder and the scene she witnessed, LaVaughn�s world comes tumbling down and she begins to have trouble in school as her grades start to suffer. She finally talks things over with her mother and starts working her way back up. In the end she accepts Jody for what he is and her friends accept her for who she is becoming.
This is another good example of contemporary realistic fiction that addresses the uncertainties teenagers face as they experience new feelings and pressures in their daily life. Wolff examines the tensions that grow out of LaVaughn's decision to improve herself while leaving others behind, �They changed my science class at school�.I�m supposed to be in a different room./ It�s true that class was too easy and way too loud, but Myrtle & Annie are in it, almost my last chance to be with them.� He also examines her choice to forgive Myrtle and Annie's intolerance, �Maybe it was the Nursing School Tour that made me do what I had to do with myrtle & Annie./ I couldn�t not do it./ I tell them I don�t think I�m too good for Jesus./ I tell them I didn�t mean to strut./ I tell them I�m so sorry I was rude.� In examining LaVaughn's life, Wolff uncovers the secret thoughts adolescents hold sacred and, in so doing, lets her readers know they are not alone. Concerns about sexuality and feelings of hopelessness threaten her college "life plan" and her mama cautions, "You need a long memory, LaVaughn. /You can't go forgetting the minute it gets too hard." True Believer explores issues relevant to today's teens in an honest and sensitive manner.
The book's free verse also reflects the language patterns of LaVaughn's neighborhood, and Wolff's powerful poetry balances the ugly truths LaVaughn faces in an environment where "... the pavement around here is filthy from side to side,/the alleys reek/and they are full of deadly events that could happen any minute." ~ Children�s Literature
In the fourth novel of the seven part tale of Harry Potter's training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry has been staying with his aunt Petunia and her family but finally gets away from the Dursleys and goes to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys after getting an invitation from Mrs. Weasley, Harry�s friend Ron�s mother. After summer vacation is over he enters his fourth year at Hogwarts Academy where he is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger. He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at the Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened in a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen year old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - and in his case, different can be deadly. The book starts with a riddle, proceeds with a series of trails that leads to the ultimate confrontation and ends with a death.
In this example of modern high fantasy Rowling uses magic to the fullest with the characters chanting spells to help them as they go through wizardry school. Magic is just the tip of the iceberg as she uses fantastic objects such as flying brooms and a large array of magical items throughout the novel. There is also the element of heroism as Harry Potter saves the school by killing Voldemort. Not to mention that the entire novel is about good versus evil. J.K. Rowling outdoes herself in using all the motifs of fantasy.
Jim Dale, who has narrated the previous Harry Potter, does a spectacular job of voicing an endless number of characters. Some of the characters are so well known to him that his performance of their voices are adept and flawless. Dale chants magical commands with such great authority that one would almost think he was a wizard himself.
Texas Women's University
A requirement for LS 5603
