Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy

Schmidt, Gary D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. New York: Clarion Books, 2004.

Best friends Turner Buckminster and Lizzie Bright Griffin come from two different worlds, one white and one black. What will it lead to in the quickly changing world of 1912?

Turner Buckminster is moved to the small coastal town of Phippsburg, Maine, when his father is hired as the local preacher. Turner doesn’t fit in so well. His only friend is a girl named Lizzie, the descendant of slaves, who lives with her grandfather in a small community on Malaga Island just off the coast. Lizzie is smart and kind. She teaches Turner how to do things the way they’re done in Maine. They share an unbreakable bond and Turner learns to love Lizzie’s world and the folks who live on Malaga. Lizzie isn’t allowed to experience Turner’s world, except when she secretly visits cranky old Mrs. Cobb.

Their friendship is powerful, but challenges from the community prove to be overwhelming. The city leaders want to wipe out the Malaga community so they can move ahead with their development plans. Turner vows to fight the changes and to stand up for Lizzie and the residents of Malaga.

The challenges are monumental – especially when it seems like Turner’s own dad is against him. The events that unfold could not have been foreseen and life is never the same for Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy.

Awards: Michael L. Printz Honor, 2005; Newbery Honor Book, 2005; ALA Best Books for Young Adults, 2005; ALA Notable Book for Children, 2005; Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year – Children; Novelist Best.

Jacket illustration © 2004 by Stefano Vitale.
Scanned April 22, 2009.

Schmidt, G. D. Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy. 2004. New York: Clarion Books. 0-618-43929-3. $15.00. Hardcover.

The Rose That Grew From Concrete

Shakur, Tupac. The Rose That Grew from Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 1999.

When he was 19, Tupac Shakur joined a San Francisco writing group with his soon-to-be agent and friend Leila Steinberg. She kept the poems he wrote during this period and, working with Shakur’s mother Afeni, had the poetry published in 1999, three years after Shakur’s death.

Tupac Shakur was known for his powerful, often violent rap lyrics. Arguably one of the most talented and controversial artists to dominate the Gangsta Rap scene in the 1990’s, he lived the life often portrayed in his music, and was murdered in 1996 at the age of 26. The crime has never been solved.

What may be surprising to some is the gentleness and sensitivity Shakur allowed to shine in his poetry. Mostly written in a simple rhyming pattern, the poems portray themes such as love, loneliness, and spirituality. At the same time, he gives a soulful account of growing up poor and on the streets. This work will resonate with young adult readers.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the book is the inclusion of the poems in Shakur’s own handwriting. The shorthand he relied on – 4 (for), 2(to), u(you) – seems to flow naturally in his handwritten work.

Cover Design by Matt Galemmo. Scanned April 12, 2009.

Shakur, Tupac. The Rose That Grew from Concrete. New York: Pocket Books, 1999. 978-0-671-02845-9. $16.00. Paperback.

weetzie bat

Block, Francesca Lia. Weetzie Bat. New York: Harper & Row, 1989.

Weetzie Bat lives in a world at once magical and harshly real. This tale begins when Weetzie is fifteen, and follows her through the trials and adventures of becoming an adult. Reads like a fable.

weetzie bat is a small book about big topics – being gay, having a baby, witchcraft, AIDS. Written almost like a fable, the main character is a teen named Weetzie Bat. She uses three magic wishes to enrich the life of herself and her best friend Dirk, who is gay. One wish is that they both find true loves and live together happily ever after. Enter "Duck", Dirk's lover, and "My Secret Agent Lover Man," Weetzie's true love. They all live together in a beautiful cottage where they raise two children – Cherokee, the daughter Weetzie and one of the three men (We never learn which one.) and one adopted daughter named Witch Baby. They live in a fantasyland-like Los Angeles, which they affectionately nickname Shangri –L.A., and hold on to each the best they can as their fantasyland slips away.

Awards: ALA Best of the Best Books for Young Adults; ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers; ALA Best Book for Young Adults; Parents' Choice Gold Award.

Jacket design by Alicia Mikles. Jacket (c) 1999 by HarperCollins Publishers. Scanned April 5, 2009.

Block, F.L. weetzie bat. 1989. NY: HarperCollins. 0-06-020534-2. $14.95. Hardcover.

The Outsiders

<>Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Viking, 2007. (Originally published in 1967.)

The worlds of two very different groups of young men clash, often with grave results. Friendships and endurance help these the characters make it to each new day.

There aren't many adults in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. This book is about the closeness among young people in a world where adults are mostly absent or uncaring. Deep bonds of comradeship allow these characters – whose story is told by 14-year-old Ponyboy – to survive adversity and adventure. Although set in Oklahoma in the 1960's, The Outsiders tells a timeless tale of pals who stick together in their own world because they don't belong anywhere else. As Ponyboy explains it:

We're poorer than the Socs and the middle class. I reckon we're wilder, too. Not like the Socs, who jump greasers and wreck houses and throw beer blasts for kicks . . . Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while.

The main characters in this book – Ponyboy, his brothers Darry and Soda, their friends – aren't necessarily nice guys, but they have heart and they watch each other's backs. Written by Hinton when she was 16 years old,

Awards: New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List; Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book; Media and Methods Maxi Award; ALA Best Young Adult Books; Massachusetts Children’s Book Award.

Jacket design by Richard M. Powers, 2007. Scanned April 4, 2009.

Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders. 2007. NY: Penguin Group. 978-0-670-06251-5. $17.99. Hardcover. (Originally published in 1967.)