Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Year Published: 2008
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
ISBN:031606792x
Pages: 754
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Genre: Action,Romance,Adventure,Science Fiction,Fantasy
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Vampires, Werewolf, Marriage, Childbirth
Warning: Description on the birth process maybe too graphic for some minors

Reader's Annotation: Bella's desire to be a part of the Cullen family and join the immortals is finally fulfilled but her friendship with Jacob, the werewolf, even gets stronger.

Summary: This is the final book for the Twilight Saga. Bella and Edward gets married and Bella conceives a child. Edward turns Bella into a vampire to save her during childbirth. The baby grows up and becomes very close to Jacob. Meanwhile, the other vampire learns about the baby and puts the whole family in jeopardy from the Volturi. The Cullen family prepares themselves for a battle to save their family. The Cullen family brings in more vampires from all over the world. The vampires and the werewolves fight alongside against the Volturi. The novel ends happy with Edward and Bella together. Jacob imprinting on a vampire, and no one dies during the battle. The Cullen family remains in Forks, Washington.

Author website: www.stepheniemeyer.com

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Year Published: 2006
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
ISBN: 0316024961
Pages: 563
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Action, Adventure
Interest Level: 9-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Vampires, Werewolves, Interpersonal relationship, High school life
Reader's Annotation: The Cullen family leaves Forks, Washington hoping that Bella will be safer without them but later realizes that there are other extraordinary people and events that exist other than them and are willing to stay for Bella.

Summary: Bella celebrates her birthday at the Cullen’s house with Edward and his family. Bella gets accidentally cut in the arm and Jasper gets tempted to drink her blood. Edward finds it dangerous for Bella to have their family around Forks. The family decides to leave for the safety of Bella.

Bella got depressed after Edward and his family left but she befriends Jacob from La Push. Jacob influences Bella to do daring activities such as riding motorcycle and jumping off the cliff. Bella discovers the real identity of Jacob.

Edward gets mistaken that Bella died after her cliff diving so he decided to end his life as well by heading to Italy to see the Volturi clan. Bella saves Edward with the help of Alice and they return to Forks, Washington.

Awards: ALA Booklist, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Horn Book, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

Author Information: www.stepheniemeyer.com

Tears of a Tiger by Sharon Draper

Year Published: 1994
Publisher: Alladin
ISBN: 0-689-80698-1
Pages: 180p.
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level:9-12
Age Level: 5
Subjects: African American, Death, High School
Reader's Annotation: Andy Jackson faces the terrible loss of his friend, Rob Washington, while he was driving under the influence during an automobile accident.

Summary: Hazelwood High basketball celebrates their post game victory by drinking alcohol. The night ends with a fatal crash, killing Robert Washington. Andy Jackson, the driver, tries to deal with the terrible loss of Rob in his junior year. He goes through to a lot of remorse, guilt and depression that drives him to commit suicide. The book aims to teach lessons about teen issues such as peer pressure, drug and alcohol abuse, death, depression and suicide. It is a very loaded book. Adult guidance should be given to readers and facilitate discussions for a deeper appreciation of the literature. This is highly recommended book.

Author Information: Sharon M. Draper was born in Ohio August 21, 1948. She earned a B.A. from Pepperdine University and a M.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Ms. Draper taught junior high and high school students for more than thirty years. She is a public speaker who addresses educational and literary groups of all ages, both nationally and internationally.

Ms. Draper was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 1998 for Forged By Fire and in 2007 for Copper Sun. She received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor in 2004 for Battle Of Jericho and in 2008 for November Blues. The author and her husband reside in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Author: www.sharondraper.com

Darkness Before Dawn by Sharon Draper

Year Published: 2001
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN:0689851340
Pages: 276
Classification:Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 7-12
Reading Level: 4
Subjects: Rape, High Schools, African American

Reader's Annotation: Keisha Montgomery, the senior class president of Hazelwood High, is coping with her ex-boyfriend’s recent suicide and encounters an older, attractive and dangerous guy in her school.

Summary: This is the third book of trilogy. Keisha Montgomery has a lot of things going on in her senior year while coping with her ex-boyfriend’s death. She is the class president and a track athelete of Hazelwood High. She gets really close to the new tract coach, Jonathan. She develops a serious relationship with him even if he is older and the principal’s son. She soon discovers herself entrapped in this handsome man’s dark motives. This is a fast-paced romantic book that teens will enjoy reading and can also learn valuable lessons about date rape. An easy read book.

Awards: ALA Booklist, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, IRA Young Adults' Award, School Library Journal, Voice of Youth Advocates

Author Information:

Forge by Fire by Sharon Draper

Year Published: 1997
Publisher: Antheneum Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978069806995
Pages: 151
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 9-12
Age Level: 5
Subjects: Child abuse, stepfamilies, siblings, African Americans

Reader's Annotation: Gerald has to find courage in protecting himself and her half-sister, Angel, from their abusive father.

Summary: This is the second book of the trilogy opens on a terrifying scene of child’s physical abuse in a grocery store, which sets the mood and stage of book. Sixteen-year-old Gerald Nickelby learns that her younger half sister, Angel, is being sexually abused by his step-father, Jordan. He learns to fight through physical abuse and finds courage to save his sister and himself. This book takes you to an emotional experience but triumphant ending. This touches many different tough issues that teens deal with. Some of these issues include abuse, suicide, and drugs. This book can be a great tool to open some discussions for teen issues that they face today.

Awards: ALA Best Book For Young Adults, ALA Booklist, ALA/YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Coretta Scott King Award, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author Information: Sharon M. Draper was born in Ohio August 21, 1948. She earned a B.A. from Pepperdine University and a M.A. from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
Ms. Draper taught junior high and high school students for more than thirty years. She is a public speaker who addresses educational and literary groups of all ages, both nationally and internationally.
Ms. Draper was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award in 1998 for Forged By Fire and in 2007 for Copper Sun. She received the Coretta Scott King Author Honor in 2004 for Battle Of Jericho and in 2008 for November Blues.
The author and her husband reside in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Website: sharondraper.com

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Year Published: 2003
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 978037582275
Pages: 270
Classification: Fiction
Media Type: Book
Interest Level: 6-8
Reading Level: 5
Subjects: Messengers

Reader's Annotation: Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, 12-year-old teens, join forces in search for a solution to help their decaying city, Ember. The search reveals many secrets that have been kept from all the citizens of Ember but the two teens are determined to find the answer to what likes beyond the city.

Summary: Ember, a 241-year-old, ruined domed city surrounded by a dark unknown, was built to ensure that humans would continue to exist on Earth, and the instructions for getting out have been lost and forgotten. On Assignment Day, 12-year-olds leave school and receive their lifetime job assignments. Lina Mayfleet becomes a messenger, and her friend Doon Harrow ends up in the Pipeworks beneath the city, where the failing electric generator has been ineffectually patched together. Both Lina and Doon are convinced that their survival means finding a way out of the city, and after Lina discovers pieces of the instructions, she and Doon work together to interpret the fragmented document. Life in this postholocaust city is well limned--the frequent blackouts, the food shortage, the public panic, the search for answers, and the actions of the powerful, who are taking selfish advantage of the situation. Readers will relate to Lina and Doon’s resourcefulness and courage in the face of ominous odds.

Awards: ALA Booklist, ALA Notable Book For Children, Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews, Voice of Youth Advocates, Wilson's Children's Catalog, Wilson's Junior High Catalog

Author website: www.jeanneduprau.com