Dorothy Must Die, by Danielle Paige

Title: Dorothy Must Die
Author: Danielle Paige
Publisher: HarperCollins
Year: 2014
Pages: 452
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Power, Good vs. Evil
Age Range: 7th-12th Grade

Summary:
Amy Gumm, a trailer-park dwelling teenager from rural Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and finds herself in Oz. Sound familiar? Amy had read the books, seen the movie, but nothing prepared her for the Oz that she found. Good witches couldn't be trusted, and wicked witches were trying to save the world. From what, you ask? From Dorothy! That sweet little girl who landed on the Wicked Witch of the East and defeated the Wicked Witch of the West returned to Oz as a young woman bent on total domination of the land of munchkins and talking trees and flying monkeys. Addicted to the magic that powers the Land of Oz, she seized power from the rightful ruler of the land, Ozma, and enslaved the people in service to her never-ending desire for more and more magical energy. Oz, in short, was being sucked dry. Amy finds herself partnering with the formerly wicked witches to try and free Oz from the oppressive rule of the girl in the gingham dress-but to do that, she has to kill her.

Review:
If you prefer your fairy tales dark, this book might just be for you. There are plenty of things wrong in Oz, and the book examines oppression, slavery, redemption, and the evils of absolute power. I'm convinced that Paige modeled Dorothy's Oz on North Korea, it was that oppressive.

Amy herself is not just dealing with her Dorothy and her minions. She is also processing her feelings of self-doubt and helplessness in the face of her mother's addiction to pain killers, and the feelings of abandonment that came about as a result of her father deserting the family when she was in elementary school. There are also the regular cast of high-school bullies, girls who have convinced Amy that she needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut. But through the course of the book, Amy learns to own her power, both literally as she learns to fight and wield magic, and figuratively as she overcomes her lack of confidence and becomes a stronger person. In the topsy-turvey world that is the present-day Oz, she discovers a capacity for darkness within herself that has her constantly asking the question, "Am I am good witch, or a bad witch".

The rest of the series (The Wicked Will Rise, Yellow Brick War, and The End of Oz) follow similar themes, and are just as enjoyable as the first book. This is a great series to have as a part of a classroom library, and I could see it being used to compare with the original version, or as part of a study of classic tales updated for modern realities.

Putting Make-Up on the Fat Boy, by Bil Wright

Title: Putting Make-Up on the Fat Boy
Author: Bil Wright
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers
Year: 2011
Pages: 219
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Acceptance, LGBTQ+
Age Range: 7th-12th Grade

Summary: from Goodreads

Carlos Duarte knows that he's fabulous. He's got a better sense of style than half the fashionistas in New York City, and he can definitely apply makeup like nobody's business. He may only be in high school, but when he lands the job of his dreams--makeup artist at the FeatureFace counter in Macy's--he's sure that he's finally on his way to great things. 
But the makeup artist world is competitive and cutthroat, and for Carlos to reach his dreams, he'll have to believe in himself more than ever. 

Review:

I've read a lot of LGBTQ+ themed literature for youth, and I find that they sometimes go out of their way to show that not all gay men are flouncy, flamboyant, or feminine. And while this is certainly true, there are also gay men that proudly all of those things. I understand the desire to bust stereotypes, but where is a young, flamboyant gay youth who loves fashion and drama to go for a fictional character that looks like them?

Well, one place they can go is this entertaining exploration of one young gay man's journey through his first job and his first love. It would have been easy for Wright to create a caricature of a flamboyant young gay man, and Carlos does have many qualities that have become tropes when writing gay characters. He loves fashion and make-up, he eschews friendships with boys to hang out with girls and women, and he is not afraid to wear thigh-high women's boots if they make him look fierce. But Carlos is more than just a pretty, well-made up face. He also deals with bullying from his sister's boyfriend and her co-workers, he vies for his mother's acceptance, and he navigates the tough neighborhood where he lives with grace and humor. Living in poverty is not easy for anyone, and for a young man with big dreams and expensive tastes, it's even less so. While Carlos is conflicted about his relationships with his mother and sister, he loves and deeply cares for them to the point that he is willing to stand up to some scary situations to help them.

He's also navigating the world of high school, and dealing with his first major crush. But he demonstrates an almost single-minded dedication to getting himself launched in the world of make-up. When he gets a job at a high-end Macy's counter, he is beside himself with joy. And when he accidentally ends up with one of daytime television's biggest stars as a client, he can't believe his luck. But he soon learns that in the real world, especially in the competitive make-up game, there are just as many people wanting to tear you down as build you up.

While some of the events are fairly unrealistic, Carlos himself feels pretty real. He can be selfish and self-centered, his moods can change in an instant, and he feels awkward and lonely more often than not. I've known young gay men like Carlos. I've watched some of them grow into confident young men, and some have continued to flounder as they reach young adulthood. The ones that make it have a quality that Carlos has in spades-a fundamental belief in themselves, and an acknowledgement of their own self-worth. May we create a world where all of the young Carloses out there in the world can feel the same. 

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year: 2013
Pages: 328
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence
Age Range: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.

Review:
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.

Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.

This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.

Teacher Resources:
Macmillan Reading Group Questions
Book Rags Unit Plan

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year: 2013
Pages: 328
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence
Age Range: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.

Review:
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.

Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.

This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.

Teacher Resources:
Macmillan Reading Group Questions
Book Rags Unit Plan

Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Year: 2013
Pages: 328
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence
Age Range: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.

Review:
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.

Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.

This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.

Teacher Resources:
Macmillan Reading Group Questions
Book Rags Unit Plan