Posts Tagged «family problems»
Wednesday, May 16th, 2012
by Jordan Sonnenblick, 260 pages, Grades 6-9
Jeff is a cancer survivor. When he was five he was diagnosed with Leukemia, but he has been cancer free for years now. Still, the has to deal with repercussions from the experience. He has a bit of a limp, but that just means he bikes instead of going out for track, and it doesn’t keep Lindsey from thinking he’s cute, so that’s not a big deal. He also finds math challenging because one of the cancer drugs messed with that part of his brain, but he is not too worried about that either until the state institute an exit exam for the eighth grade. Normally, this is something that his big brother Steven could have helped Jeff figure out, but he was off finding himself drumming his way through Africa. Jeff doesn’t want to worry his mom; he feels like she has worried enough about him. He also doesn’t want to upset his accountant dad who cannot understand why Jeff doesn’t get math the way he does, so he decides to keep them both in the dark. Luckily his best friend Tad, a cancer survivor himself with after effects of his own, agrees to tutor him in math. In exchange, Jeff promises that he will help Tad build the strength to walk across the stage at their graduation; Tad uses a wheelchair because his cancer treatment affected the strength in his legs. Naturally, nothing is as simple or straightforward as it seems, which anyone who has had to battle cancer at five should have realized.
After Ever After is a companion book to Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie. Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie is told from Jeff's brother's point of view when he is first diagnosed with cancer as a little kid.
If you enjoy books about overcoming adversity, and challenge you might also enjoy: Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen, or Waiting For Normal, by Leslie Connor.
Tags: cancer, death, diversity, family problems, friendship, survival, teens, Young Adult
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Wednesday, February 1st, 2012
by Kenneth Oppel, 375 pages, Grades 7-11
Ben had always hoped for a sibling, but he never expected that his parents would adopt a little brother like Zan. His father is a behavioral psychologist who has transplanted the family to Canada to study chimpanzees, so it wasn’t so unexpected that his parents would bring a chimp into their home. But, in 1973 on Ben’s thirteenth birthday they surprise him with “a little brother.” Zan is a chimpanzee that they expect Ben to treat like a sibling. It is all part of his father’s study, but it soon becomes difficult to distinguish experiment from genuine feelings, and the thing is what is cute when the chimp is a baby might be a real problem when Zan is stronger than everyone he lives with.
If you enjoy speculative fiction, you might also like Airborn, also by Kenneth Oppel, or Crunch by Leslie Connor, or A Dog For Life, by L.S. Matthews; these books have a realistic feel, but a fantasy twist.
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
Tags: family problems, fantasy
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Friday, January 6th, 2012
by Wendy Mass, 322 pages, Grades 5-9
Student Review
Three lives are about to be changed forever. Thousands of people gather on a tiny isolated campground to watch something unforgettable: a total eclipse of the sun.
Ally’s family has owned Moon Shadow Campground ever since she was born. She likes simple things like stargazing and comet hunting. And she refuses to imagine it any other way.
Bree is popular, gorgeous and is perfectly happy until her parents ruin everything. She can’t imaging herself camping or hiking. For Bree, fun means putting on makeup, checking out the latest fashions, modeling and being popular – the exact opposite of her parents. What is Bree trying to hide?
Jack is overweight, and a lost cause in school. He is used to sitting alone in his treehouse reading or drawing aliens. When his science teacher offers him a deal that gets him out of summer school, Jack finds himself in a place he would have never even dreamed of. MC
Click here to see if it’s available for check out.
If you enjoy books about groups of friends you might also like: The View From Saturday by E.L. Koningsburg, The Misfits, by James Howe, or The Mysterious Benedict Society, by Trenton Lee Stewart.
Tags: astronomy, family problems, friendship, moving, stargazing
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Friday, January 6th, 2012
by Leslie Connor, 290 pages, Grades 6-8
Addie’s life has a lot of “twists and turns” that she doesn’t expect. She used to live with her Mommers, Dwight and her two little sisters, but after what she calls her big mistake everything changes. Now, she and Mommers are moving into a trailer home and “the littles” (her sisters) are moving away with their dad, Dwight.
Addie is good at making the best of almost every situation; her mom calls the trailer a piece of junk in the middle of no where, but Addie calls it an adventure and sees her new loft-room as cozy, not cramped. Even when there is no food in the house, she can create a delicious meal, in fact, she has invented a repertoire of toast-dinner recipes.
Addie’s winning personality makes her a lot of friends, but her life is far from normal; she might need more than optimism to get her to out of danger in the end.
Other stories about challenging family situations are: Guitar Boy, by M.J. Auch, Grounded, by Kate Klise, and Ruby Holler, or Bloomability, by Sharon Creech.
Click here to see if it's available for check out.
Tags: coping with challenge, disfunctional families, diversity, families, family problems, girls, identity, realistic fiction
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Friday, June 3rd, 2011
by Maryrose Wood, 278 pages, Grades 7 and up.
Even Jesamine, who is the daughter of the apothecary and a skilled gardener, is not allowed beyond the locked gate of the poison garden. Jesamine lives with her father, who heals the sick in and around London, in a country house in the mid 1800s.
One day the man in charge of the local home for the insane delivers a mysterious young man he calls Weed to their doorstep. Jesamine’s father agrees to take him in even though he seems dangerous; he might be to blame for curing those in the asylum, and creating an epidemic of insanity in town.
The arrival of Weed reveals things to Jesamine that she has not realized about herself, about her father, and about the nature of poisons. Her life will never be the same.
Click here to see if it's available for check out.
If you like romance, mystery and fantasy you might also like Graceling, by Kristin Cashore, Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, or Matched by Allie Condie.
Tags: family problems, fantasy, historical fiction, love stories, mystery, teens
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Friday, May 13th, 2011
by M. J. Auch 260 pages Grades 6-9
Travis is out on the street. His father, at his wits end after his mother’s accident, lost his temper and kicked him out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back and his mom’s old guitar.
Not only does Travis have to worry about how to survive on the street, he is also worried about the rest of his family. His younger sister had to give up going to school to take care of their three younger siblings; the three little ones are missing their mom, and don’t really understand what has happened to her; his father is so distraught he has lost one job and cannot find another; his mother, rather than being helped to recover, has been housed in a convalescent home with a lot of people not expected to get any better.
Travis has his hands full, and his pockets empty. Guitar Boy is a different kind of survival story.
Click here to see if it's available for check out.
Other stories about difficult family situations are Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, and If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko.
Tags: Add new tag, brothers and sisters, coming of age, diversity, family problems, fathers and sons, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens
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Thursday, May 12th, 2011
by Kate Klise 196 pages Grades 6-7
Daralynn’s father, brother and baby sister died in a plane accident, and Daralynn is only alive because she was grounded that day and had been forced to remain behind.
After the tragedy, her mother becomes the hairdresser for the dead at the local mortuary to make ends meet, but it is not easy to recover from such a shattering loss. Daralynn’s mother is not only over-protective of her, but also seems to be angry about everything, and kind to no one.
Even Daralynn’s Aunt Josie, her father’s sister, is often the victim of Mother’s attacks. When Josie starts dating Daralynn’s mother’s competition, things really heat up. But, there is something suspicious about “Uncle Clem,” Josie’s new beaux, and Daralynn’s investigation might just prove to be the thing her family needs to pull them back together.
Click here to see if it's available for check out.
If you enjoyed Regarding the Fountain by Klise, you won't be disappointed by this sweet narration. Another great book about family perseverance in the face of tragedy is Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine
Tags: diversity, families, family problems, identity, mystery, realistic fiction, sad stories
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Monday, February 7th, 2011
By Susin Nielsen, 229 pages, Grades 6-8
Violet is having a hard year. She almost poisons her step-sisters (unintentionally, of course), she breaks a classmate’s nose (less than unintentionally), she crashes into a movie star’s car (honestly by mistake), only to name a few of the mishaps of her seventh grade year. Really, Violet is only tying to make it through middle school, survive visits with her dad and Jennica (her dad’s new wife, who is fake in more ways than one), and make sure her mom doesn’t fall for the wrong guy again, but somehow nothing seems to go as planned. If only she could get George Clooney to write her back, she is sure he will love her mom and make her real sister’s and her life much better.
If you enjoy realistic fiction with a bit of humor like Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison, or Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech, then Dear George Clooney… might be for you.
Tags: brothers and sisters, coming of age, diversity, divorce, families, family problems, friendship, Hollywood, humor, middle school, realistic fiction, step_siblings, teens
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Monday, November 29th, 2010
By Neil Shusterman, 335 pages. Grades 7-9
It is the future, and if you are between the ages of thirteen and eighteen you worry every day about becoming an “unwind.”
When no one won the terrible civil war between the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life groups there was a compromise. It was decided that all babies would be born, that children would be untouchable from birth to 13, and that between 13 and 18 any child could be unwound. Every single body part goes on living in another body, so it is not considered death. The unwound teen continues to live in different places.
In this version of the future there are no doctors, only surgeons. There is a transplanting process that works so well, people just replace parts that are damaged or diseased instead of trying to cure them. The technology is great for people who lose a limb, but you can also “correct” things like baldness with a transplanted scalp full of hair, or replace your crooked teeth with a brand new set.
Connor is trouble, and his parents have had enough. Risa has no parents, and the state homes need to make space for the new babies being “storked,” left on their doorstep. Lev is a “tithe;” he has been raised since birth to be unwound as a sacrifice to god. “Unwinds” are outcasts whom no one wants to help, so how can they escape their fate?
Connections: For other survival stories full of adventure try: The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, or Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. Another edgy science fiction adventure is Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.
Tags: coming of age, creepy, family problems, identity, science fiction, survival, suspense
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Friday, November 19th, 2010
by Mark Shulman p. 230 Grades 7 and up.
Tod Munn has a bad reputation; he has been known to steal the wimps’ lunch money, push his way into the front of the lunch line and shove people into the lockers when they least expect it. He is not someone you want to mess with if you don’t want to get hurt. Naturally Tod has landed himself in detention, and this time it is for something really bad, but he is not outside raking leaves with his “droogs,” instead he is spending time one-on-one with the school counselor, Mrs. Woodrow.
For detention he has to write in a journal every day after school. He spends weeks with the counselor in a hot school room writing and writing until it feels like his hand might fall off. Tod thinks the counselor is trying to “fix the bad guy,” and he doesn’t think it is going to work, either. Who do you think is right; is the bully really a bad guy, or is there more to the story than meets the eye?
Connections: If you like books about tough kids you might like Small Steps by Louis Sachar or if you enjoy books written in journal form you might also enjoy Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech.
Tags: coming of age, family life, family problems, friends, high schools, identity, misunderstanding, outsiders, realistic fiction, teens, Young Adult
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Thursday, November 4th, 2010
By Blue Balliett, 306 pages mystery for Grades 5-8
Zoomy is legally blind, but he can see things if he holds them close up. He loves to read and play games on the computer, and he also loves to investigate and collect things.
He arrived on his grandparents' front step when he was a newborn baby. They love him and take him in; they know their son, Zoomy's father, can't take care of a baby, because he is running wild; an alcoholic who is always in a lot of trouble with the law.
Zoomy's life is going along just fine until the summer his dad shows up in a stolen truck and dumps a stolen box in their garage. His father's mysterious appearance is the beginning of Zoomy's life spiraling out of control. First, his grandparents let him investigate the contents of the stolen box, then his dangerous dad threatens Zoomy while he is alone at the library, then his grandparents are visited by a mysterious stranger, and finally there is a big fire at his grandparents' shop that doesn't seem like an accident.
What will happen to Zoomy? Could it all come down to the contents of the stolen box?
If you enjoy this book you might also like: A Dog for Life, by L.S. Matthews, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, by Mark Haddon, or The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly.
Tags: adventure, coming of age, Darwin, diversity, endurance, families, family problems, fathers and sons, friendship, identity, mystery, visually impaired
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Thursday, November 4th, 2010
By Kathryn Erskine, 235 pages, Grade 6-8
Caitlin and her father are feeling broken after tragedy strikes their family a second time. Caitlin's mother died of cancer three years before and now her brother, Devon, is dead after a violent incident at school. On "the day their lives fell apart", as Caitlin calls it, Devon's door was slammed shut and Caitlin doesn't feel like she can open it. She misses her brother, and his room and all it holds especially a special place next to his bed where she used go for comfort. It was Devon who used to help her cope with the worlds of the town, the classroom and the playground. He always said Caitlin was brave; he even liked to call her Scout after the character in To Kill a Mockingbird. Now that Caitlin's dad spends a lot of time crying and Caitlin, who has Asperger's syndrome, has to be especially brave. She would like to help her family put the pieces back together, but she is not sure how to do that. After talking to the school counselor one day, she decides what they need is "closure" and she is on a mission to get it. But, first she has to find out what it is and how you get a hold of it.
For other stories about how families find closure try Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park, or The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon.
Tags: brothers and sisters, coping strategies, diversity, endurance, families, family problems, identity, middle school, outsiders, realistic fiction, resilience, sad stories, spectrum disorders, tragedy, Young Adult
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Monday, October 11th, 2010
by Leslie Connor, 330 pages – Grades 5-8
A sudden oil crisis leaves Dewey and his older sister to run the family’s bike shop and care for their younger siblings while their parents are stranded up north. The crunch has made the bike shop incredibly busy, and to make matters worse, a thief is stealing precious precious parts, but Dewey has a plan to identify the culprit.
Connections: Check out the author’s website. If you like mysteries with an environmental theme, try reading Gloria Shurzynski’s National Park series.
Tags: bicycles, brothers and sisters, coming of age, energy conservation, family problems, green team, oil crisis, self-reliance, speculative fiction, survival
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Thursday, June 17th, 2010
by Jordan Sonnenblick. p. 273 Grades 6-8
Most younger brothers can be a pain, but 8th grader Steven Alper's five-year-old brother Jeffrey really takes the cake or pie, that is. He borrows Steven's prized pair of drumsticks to stir his dangerous pie, a "zesty blend of coffee grounds, raw eggs and their smashed shells, Coke, uncooked bacon, and three Matchbox racing cars." When he's not trying to keep his mischievous brother from being a pest, Steven is pretty much preoccupied by his two passions–drums and beautiful 8th grader Renee–that is, until his little brother is diagnosed with leukemia. The diagnosis and subsequent hospitalization of Jeffrey turn Steven's life upside down. He's trying to keep his family's situation a secret from friends and adults at school but having a difficult time coping on his own–which he is because his mom's staying at the hospital and his dad is lost in his own world. Torn between resentment toward his parents for neglect and compassion for his little brother, Steven loses himself in his music, taking refuge in the basement with his drum set. He's feeling pretty hopeless until he takes the school counselor's suggestion and focuses on what he can change.
Although the story is sad in parts, Steven narrates it with sarcasm and humor and what comes through strongest are the love these brothers feel for each othe and their resilience. This is a story that will pull at your heart strings.
Connections: The sequel is After Ever After. If you enjoy Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie, you would probably also like Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar. The library also owns nonfiction on leukemia and coping with serious illnesses.
Tags: brothers, diversity, drums, families, family problems, fiction, humor, Leukemia, music, sad stories, school, teenagers
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Sunday, November 15th, 2009
by Catherine Gilbert Murdock. p. 274 Grades 7-8
What a summer! Fifteen-year-old D.J. Schwenk of Red Bend, Wisconsin, works dawn to dusk on her family’s dairy farm after her father has hip surgery. Life is pretty dismal until the coach from her high school’s rival team asks D.J to coach his budding quarterback, the gorgeous Brian Nelson. While training and doing farm chores, the two teenagers become friends, but things get complicated when D.J. tries out for her high school’s football team.
Connections: The sequel is Off Season. Running Loose by Chris Crutcher is another football romance.
Tags: family problems, farm life, farms, fathers and daughters, football, friendship, high schools, love stories, realistic fiction, romance, teenagers, Wisconsin
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Monday, June 15th, 2009
By Neal Shusterman, p. 247 – Grades 6-9.
If you enjoyed meeting Antsy (Anthony Bonano) in the Schwa Was Here, you’ll love encountering him again in this humorous teen novel in which he gives Gunnar Umlaut a month of his life. When classmate Gunnar tells Antsy that he only has six months to live, Antsy draws up a contract giving Gunnar a month of his life, which earns him the attention and a kiss from Gunnar’s gorgeous older sister. Soon other kids and even the principal want to donate months of their lives to Gunnar. Time passes, and Gunnar isn’t showing symptoms. What’s up?
Connection: Other humorous novels where schemes get out of hand are The Schwa Was Here by Neal Schusterman, The Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian, and Peeled by Joan Bauer.
Tags: coming of age, family problems, friends, friendship, high school, humor, Neal Shusterman, New York City, teens
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Sunday, May 31st, 2009
by Laurie Halse Anderson, p. 278 – Grades 8 & Up
This novel, for mature readers, tells the story of Lia who has just found out about the death of her once best friend, Cassie. While they were friends, both girls suffered from eating disorders: Lia- anorexia and Cassie- bulimia. On the night of Cassie’s death, Lia received 33 phone calls and messages from Cassie… all of which Lia had left unanswered. Lia’s family (too busy mother, distant father and clueless stepmother) are concerned that the news will send Lia over the edge again and back to New Seasons the rehabilitation center she has already visited twice.
Connection: For another story that shows a teen dealing with the death of another teen read Jay Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why.
Tags: anorexia nervosa, bulimia, death, divorce, family problems, friendship, Laurie Halse Anderson, sad stories, teens, Young Adult
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Saturday, April 25th, 2009
by Craig Moodie, p.201 – Grades 6-9
Sixteen-year-old Luke would rather stay home and fish than go on the annual trip with his family on their small, cramped sailboat. Luke decides he has no choice but to go when his mother walks out out on them. The two decide to explore the Gulf Stream rather than sticking to the islands off the coast of Massachussetts and run into trouble when an unexpected storm blows in.
Connection: This quick read is a good choice for fans of Gordon Korman’s Dive, Everest & Island series. –CRW
Tags: adventure, Craig Moodie, family problems, fathers and sons, sailing, shipwrecks, survival, teens
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