Monsters, Real and Imagined

All of these "scary" books were found at the Kenmore branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, in the “teen zone.”

Medina, Meg. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2013.

Piddy Sanchez moves to a new school where a gang, led by Yaqui Delgado, harasses her.

Medina’s book won both the Pupa Belpre Award and the Cybils Award. It explores bullying because of perceived differences, here because the main character isn’t considered Latina enough for the school she goes to, something many students will have experienced in some form. It also features a teen whose father is physically abusing the boy’s mother, something that hopefully students will not have experienced but need to be aware of. 

Coles, Jay. Tyler Johnson Was Here. Boston: Little Brown and Company, 2018.

After his brother is killed by the police, Marvin Johnson looks for justice.

Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this book will appeal to students who are interested in social justice issues surrounding police brutality and race relations. The book is also illustrative of how little decisions can have big consequences. Aspiring authors may be inspired by Coles who published this book at the age of 21.

Davila Cardinal, Ann. Five Midnights. New York: Tor Teen, 2019.

Vermonter Lupe Davila is in Puerto Rico, visiting her uncle, a local police chief, when people begin to get murdered; she works with Javier Utierre, whose friends are being killed, to solve the murders.

Davila Cardinal is herself both Puerto Rican and a Vermonter, so she brings her own experiences to this murder mystery. The book tackles not just the murders but also topics such as alcoholism. It is based on the folktale of El Cuco, a character similar to the bogeyman. This book explores juggling multiple heritages, with which many students in America can identify.

Burns, Laura J. and Melinda Metz. I Do Not Trust You. New York: Wednesday Books, 2018.

M and Ash work together (or do they?) to hunt for both a relic that may destroy the world and for M’s father, whom she believed was dead.

Who doesn’t love a world-traveling thriller full of family secrets, Egyptian mythology, cults, and a super smart and good-in-fights female lead?! This story honestly just looks like fun while still having a good amount of tension to keep readers on their toes.

Anderson, Natalie C. Let’s Go Swimming on Doomsday. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2019.

After being captured by the CIA because of a terrorist brother, Abdi agrees, in exchange for release, to work as a spy in his brother’s terrorist organization.

The topic of child soldiers and terrorism should strike fear into anyone’s heart. Terrorism has always part of current students’ lives, and seeing that reality and fear in a book should resonate with students. This book seems to portray the CIA as the bad guys, and it would be interesting to see how students respond to that. One review I read did say that the book doesn’t portray any of the Somalis, other than Abdi, in a positive light so this book may need to be read in full before purchasing in order to decide whether it would be offensive, especially if the school has a Somali population.

Magic and Spaceships

In putting together this list of recommended fantasy and sci-fi novels, it became clear to me that it is hard to summarize and feel truly comfortable suggesting the purchase of a book without having fully read it yourself. This is something I'll have to get more comfortable with as I progress with my career, but for this as a first exercise, I'll admit I struggled a little.

Romney, J.P. The Monster on the Road is Me. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016.

When crows start to invade narcoleptic Koda Okita’s town, he begins to fall asleep more frequently, leading to trances, where he learns that a mountain demon plans vengeance on his town.

Found at the Kenmore branch of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, in the “teen zone.” It was easily identifiable with a fantasy spine label.

The Monster on the Road is Me is funny, and I believe we need more humor in contemporary fantasy novels. The plot seems original with its incorporation of Japanese folklore, even though it’s set in the modern day. Rarely do we see someone with a disability as the hero, especially something as rare as narcolepsy. The author is not Japanese but did live in Japan for a number of years, so he brings local knowledge to the story. Since manga and anime continues to be popular among teens, this book might be a good choice for students interested in Japanese culture.

 

Russell, Romina. Zodiac. New York: Razorbill, 2014.

Rhoma Grace, a student from the House of Cancer who is chosen as the next Guardian of the planet, suspects that an exiled Guardian of Zodiac has returned for vengeance, so she sets off on a quest to warn the other Guardians.

Found at the Kenmore library, in the “teen zone.” It was easily identifiable with a sci-fi spine label.

Astrology is extremely popular these days, so buying a book that ties in with that trend would interest many readers. This book also appears to be geared towards girls, which is less common than in fantasy. Also, including a book in the library’s collection with a teen, female leader shows young women that they can be powerful, no matter the situation, whether it’s on Earth or in space. Zodiac was a bestseller when it was released, so if it hasn't been purchased for a high school library, it should be.

 

Tahir, Sabaa. An Ember in the Ashes. New York: Razorbill, 2015. 

An enslaved girl infiltrates a military academy with the aid of rebels in order to rescue her brother, who was arrested for treason.

Found at the Kenmore library, in the “teen zone.” It was easily identifiable with a fantasy spine label.

This book, which was nominated for many awards, will probably appeal to many fantasy fans because it involves the common plot of a tyrannical kingdom that must be brought down. The book involves both ancient Roman history and Middle Eastern folklore, appealing to history and mythology lovers, as well. It features a female protagonist and detailed maps to make the story clearer. The author is a woman of color, which will help the diversity of the library collection.