#6 Jade Green: A Ghost Story

Naylor, Phyllis Reynolds. Jade Green: A Ghost Story. New York: Simon Pulse, 1999.

Annotation: Judith, a recently orphaned teen, goes to live with her last remaining relative: Uncle Geoffrey, under one circumstance: nothing green. But the last photo of her mother is in a green frame, which is something that she is unable to live without. Unable to live without it, she sneaks the green into the house and she learns the hard way why the color is not allowed in the house. Judith desperately tries to remove it, but it might be too late.

Justification for Nomination: Naylor makes it almost impossible to put this thriller/mystery book down. This book was set in the late 1800's, and the book stayed true to that era with the language, and descriptions of the dress and setting. There were many different themes running through this book as the plot progressed. The main character was in first person narrative, and she was growing as a person throughout the book, on her trek to find the truth. Along with finding the truth, she also stumbled across love with the neighbor boy. This thriller was about a girl that died in the house that Judith had moved into, but had "died at her own hand." Judith feels she starts to go crazy while she searches for the truth of why Jade Green took her own life, and begins to question if it was just the house that made her feel that way. Will she be able to find the reason for her death, all while balancing her household duties, her 40 year old cousin that seems to always be lurking in the shadows, her new job at the dress shop, and her new romantic interest.

I nominate this book, because it stayed true to it's time, and really embodies a young adult thriller, while including important themes throughout, such as romance, and self discovery. It also makes you think and guess what is going to happen around the next turn!

Genre Category: Mystery, thriller, coming of age, romance, edgy

#5 Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman?

Updale, Eleanor. Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? New York: Orchard Books, 2003.

Annotation: A near death experience changed his life, and gave him time in prison to devise a master plan for thievery. When Montmorency gets out, he has to become two people: a rich, high class man, and a dirty, stealing scoundrel. He must calculate every move he makes perfectly to prevent his capture by Scotland Yard. Everything he stole was familiar and recognizable items, would it be worth it, even though he can't turn a profit?

Justification for Nomination: This book was unlike any other book I have read. I found it distracting that the character had two personalities, one a rich man and the other a poor man, whom was a servant of his rich self. It was interesting, however, that the character was always in trouble, and running from the police, but was always able to get away with his schemes. It was suspenseful, and easily kept me turning the page in order to find what would happen to him next. I think this would be able to relate to young adult readers because it is suspenseful and enticing with the life of crime and the life of riches in the same book. I think it would also be interesting to them because of the split personality because a lot of people can see themselves as different people in one day. The life of crime is not something that interests me, but it was an enticing story, it was just hard for me to relate to sometimes. I was hoping that I would be able to envision myself back in the late 1800's, but this book lacked a little bit of sensory descriptors that I would have liked to have seen, maybe if these were included, I would be able to relate more to it.

I would not recommend this book because it lacked the detail that I was hoping, making it difficult for me to completely grasp it.
Genre Category: Historical Fiction

#4 John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth

Partridge, Elizabeth. John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2005.

Annotation: "I'm not the Beatles, I'm me." John Lennon, a star of the Beatles, was born the night of a air raid during World World II in Liverpool, England. All through his adolescent years he knew he was different, and he was; music found him and his life would never be the same. All I Want is the Truth, is Lennon's story from adolescence to adulthood, life of rock and roll, and learning who he is: "I want people to love me, I want to be loved."

Justification for Nomination: Partridge explores John Lennon on levels that have never been seen before. She shows his life throughout the text, but includes a lot of pictures of John and the other Beatles throughout their lives. The reason I nominate this book, is because it is truthful, and show Lennon as he actually was, a mischievous child that was looking for something to keep him busy, until he found rock and roll. Partridge tells how Lennon always knew he was different and a lot of young adults feel that way, but have a hard time finding an outlet for their difference.
It is interesting to see rock stars, and famous people as themselves, and the truth about their lives. As young adults, or even adults, we envision rock stars as God-like people, we see them up on a pedestal, as un-human. BIographies, especially this one of Lennon, shows that he was just a "regular" person that found a passion and followed it, and would refused to give up. Sometimes we forget that rock stars are normal people and some came from the same environments we did.

I recommend this book because it's truth and honest. It shows that John Lennon from the Beatles, was just like you and me.

Genre Category: Biography, Autobiography, Memoir

#3 Shooting Monarchs

Halliday, John. Shooting Monarchs. New York, NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2003.

Annotation: Macy committed crimes because prison was the only place that felt like his home. After a bad storm, a detour takes him through the quiet town of Shiloh, a place that has never seen someone like him. It doesn't take long for him to make a stir: one resident becomes a hero, while the visitor becomes a serial killer.

Justification for Nomination: John Halliday embodies literary excellence in his first novel Shooting Monarchs. The entire novel comes from a third person perspective, but the author describes the characters so well, that you feel that you know them on a personal level. Halliday makes it easy for you to feel what the characters are feeling, making the book a quick and easy read, because it keeps you hanging on in anticipation. This genre of writing has a darker side than what I was expecting. It shows that humans can be dark and edgy, but according to this book, there is a reason for this action, and if things were different, the outcomes would be different. Although it seems pessimistic, I think in the end the genre is optimistic, because it has a moral to the story to make a difference for someone else. Even the "bad guy" earns a soft spot from the reader; if only things were different for him, he wouldn't be this way and his life would be different in some way. The characters are relatable to young adults because they are young adults themselves. They are dealing with issues that are endured by every teen: falling in love, loving someone who doesn't love you back, getting a first job, prom, being teased, going to high school and most importantly becoming a hero.

I recommend this book because it shows there is good and bad in everyone, but it's important to have someone show you there is a different way. All teens need a little guidance, even when they don't accept it. This book has underlying morals that are important for all people to read and know.

Genre Category: Realistic Fiction, Coming of Age, Realistic/Edgy