The Fault In Our Stars

When I first got this book, I was at sleep away camp in the Adirondcks with NOTHING to read. I had read, re-read, and re-re-read all my books. Naturally, I was in a full-phased emergency here. A kid (a nerd) like me WITHOUT BOOKS FOR 5 MORE DAYS?! Unacceptable. So I wrote to my parents, explaining the situation as carefully as I could. (I didn't want to worry them). They sent me 5 books, one of them being The Fault In Our Stars. I read this one last, but I tell you that they could have sent me  that one book and I would've been fine. As the blurb on the cover states, "You laugh, you cry, then you come back for more." I agree: you start off smiling, then later put your hand over your forehead and lean on your elbow, crying, and then you feel as if you MUST read it again. You must be thinking, oh my GOD just tell us what the stinking book is about! Well here it is:

This is the story of 16-year-old Hazel Lancaster. But it's more than a story. Hazel has lung cancer.

    

First diagnosed when she was 13, she's hooked up to an oxygen tank that breathes for her. This is hard, as you can imagine, so her mom sends her to Support Group where she meets Isaac, who is about to be blind, and Augustus, a kinda-sorta cancer "survivor". This "survival" included a loss of his leg. The three become tight friends (Hazel and Augustus a little more than friends), when all of a sudden, Hazel and Augustus are driven on a wild adventure to Amsterdam to discover the secrets of their favorite book, An Imperial Affliction that leaves Augustus with a one-sided situation about life and death.

Ages: 13+

You'll like this if you like: I'm going to be honest here: there aren't really any books with a similar plot line to this one. But I guess the book See You At Harry's is slightly similar. SLIGHTLY.

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                                           The Fault In Our Stars

Theories of Everything

A collection of cartoons from my personal favorite cartoonist, Roz Chast. What makes her cartoons special is that each one seems to be personal. If you look a little closer into each one, you'll  notice that they're from everyday life. Stuff that you never thought was funny, she somehow transforms without transforming. Like in The Ungoogleable Man where she shows a guy that has, "No Myspace, no Facebook, no NOTHING!  And yet, HE WALKS AMONGST US." You'll see what I mean.

Before you buy this, or you don't, I just want to say that Roz Chast is my hero. I really want to be a Roz Chast type cartoonist when I'm older. Why do I worship her like I do? Well, as I said before, she makes things you never thought was funny and makes them a joke that has you bending over laughing. After you read this, your sense of humor will be slightly different. Not in a bad way. Just, you'll find yourself thinking, I bet Roz Chast could make a cartoon out of this. Trust me when I say she's one of the best cartoonists in the world.

Ages: 11 and up (some humor may be a little... old, if you know what I mean)
If you like this, you'll like: The Far Side Gallery
                                        Interested in this book? Click on the link below:
                                                        Theories of Everything

Wonder

August Pullman, a kid with a facial deformity, is used to being stared at, called names, made fun of,  and anything else you can think of along that line of thought. But nothing can prepare him for middle school. Bullies and backstabbing are some of the things he faces. Remember, it's hard being a new kid, but being a new kid with a facial deformity? Three times as hard. But, August has his family, his two best friends, Jack and Summer, and the principal to help him through it. This book is life-changing. Trust me, this book makes you wonder if there's anything you can do to make a person's life a little better. Or maybe if there's something you're already doing that makes a person feel good.

You'll like this if you liked: Out of My Mind
Ages: 9 and up
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                                                             Wonder

Maus

A story of a Holocaust survivor in graphic novel form. Dark and powerful, yet moving, you hear about the author's parents, Vladek and Anja Spiegelman's time on the streets and Auschwitz in World War II. In a nutshell, these two are desperately yet cleverly saving themselves from the Nazis. (That's the first book). However, they are captured and sent to Auschwitz, a terrible concentration camp, where death and pain are everyday happenings. (That's the second book). Parents, depending on age, I would read this before your child. This, obviously, is an intense book.

Awards:  Pultizer Prize
You should read this if you like: Persepolis 1 and Persepolis 2                             
 Ages: 12 and up
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                                                        Book 1
                                                        Book 2

One Crazy Summer

Three African-American sisters, Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern travel to California in1968 to meet their mama for the first time. Their mama had left the three of them with papa and "Big Ma" when they were very young so they expected, at the very least, a hug or an apology. When they meet her, they realize their expectations were very off track. Their mother, Cecile (or Nzila, her poet name) doesn't seem to care for them at all, so the three sisters have to fend for themselves. They encounter the Black Panthers, best friends, worst enemies, strange whispers, and Crazy Kelvin.

One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia

Age: 9-12
Awards: National Book Award Finalist, Scott O'Dell, Newberry, and a Gazillion More

You'll Like this If You Liked: Esperanza Rising, by Pam Munoz Ryan