DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide

Can you tell the difference between The Green Lantern and The Green Arrow, or Mister Terrific and Mister Mxyzptlk?  You may be in need of DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide.  This handy volume is extremely popular at our Belmont site where teens and adults alike are eager to expand their DC comics lexicon.  Prefaced by the shortest of introductions and a table of contents, over 200 heroes and villains from “the DC Universe” are listed and then presented in alphabetical order, beginning with Adam Strange and ending with Zoom.  Each character or group receives its own page.  Layout consistently features the character’s name, a one to three sentence summary of the character, vital stats (real name, occupation, height, weight, base, allies and foes), and boxed text describing the character’s powers.  The best-loved element are the accompanying illustrations, although they are only credited in the back as part of a mass “artists credits,” which is, in fact, the only backmatter.  Perfect for comic book fans, developing readers, and developing schema, this book may also be of interest to educators looking for a hi-lo non-fiction text for an introductory lesson on features of informational text and the sub-genre of visually busy non-fiction that DK practically invented. --Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Snider, Brandon T.   DC Comics: The Ultimate Character Guide.  New York:  DK Publishing, 2011.  Print.

Bang by Norah McClintock

Quentin knows his best friend JD is bad news.  After all, JD just got back from a boot camp program he was sentenced to after beating up a kid who was talking about his sister, Leah.  But old habits die hard and Quentin has a thing for Leah, so he finds himself running around town and getting into minor trouble with JD until one day the trouble turns major.  A threat, a theft, a gunshot and now a man is dead and Quentin is the prime suspect.  This fast-paced HiLo offering is a compelling read touching on themes of betrayal and accountability.  While it wraps up far too neatly, and the pace of the story offers little room for substantial character growth, reluctant readers looking for action will be well-served. --Regan Schwartz

McClintock, Norah. Bang. Victoria, BC, Canada: Orca Book Publishers, 2007. Print.

Unchained by L.B. Tillit

TJ is already a bully and the neighborhood tough guy when he gets recruited by a gang at the age of thirteen. With drug-addicted and negligent parents at home, TJ has been taking care of himself for a long time; thus, the prospect of having a new “family” is enticing. But before he’s able to get too involved, tragedy strikes at home when his father dies. Against his wishes, he’s whisked away and sent to live in a foster home on the other side of town. Readers may need to pause here and suspend their disbelief because Miss Dixie’s home is one that probably isn’t too familiar to most, a foster home where everyone is kind to one another and all meals take place together around a table. In two years’ time, TJ turns his life around. Then, suddenly, his mother meets the requirements to get him back and he is forced to face the gang again.

While students may be able to relate to the feelings of helplessness that TJ experiences, the book loses momentum in the middle. Students will pick it up because of its strong cover, and it might be a hit with readers of Bluford High. --Anja Kennedy

Tillit, L. B. Unchained. Costa Mesa, CA: Saddleback Educational Publishing, 2012. Print.

2 Days by L. B. Tillit

Sixteen year old Neema tells her mother that her mom’s boyfriend is touching her and her mom kicks Neema out of their house.  Shocked and seeking safety, Neema goes to her boyfriend’s house and his family reluctantly takes her in.  Neema finds solace in her boyfriend’s arms, misses two days of birth control pills, and realizes several short chapters later that she is now pregnant.  How she handles this situation makes up the rest of the story.  A tightly paced hi-lo alternative for Bluford fans, reading specialists and ELA teachers will want to know about this title for teen girls ready for chapter books and looking to build their stamina.  An interesting compare and contrast on the theme of teen parenthood may be done with Williams-Garcia’s Like Sisters on the Homefront and Porter’s Imani All Mine, as well as Johnson’s The First Part Last.--Jessica Fenster-Sparber

Tillit, L. B.  2 Days.  Costa Mesa: Saddleback Publishing, 2012.

Evil Behind That Door by Barbara Fradkin

Cedric is helping his high school classmate, Barry Mitchell, get his parents decrepit, old farmhouse into shape.  Problem is, Barry’s a violent guy with a history - he was sent away at the age of five because of his fits of rage - and his parents have suddenly gone missing.  Cedric is walking on eggshells around him, trying to get the work done and not set him off.  When he discovers an old locked door in the basement, Cedric is intrigued by Barry’s fear and aversion to it.  Taking a serious risk, he returns alone and pries it open.  What he finds inside calls into question everything he thinks he knows about Barry and his family.  There was a monster in the Mitchell household, but it might not have been young Barry.

Evil behind That Door is a Rapid Reads publication, intended for adult reluctant readers.  The action begins in the first few pages and the quick pace carries through to the end.  While the rural setting may be unfamiliar to urban teen readers, the mystery is compelling and suspenseful and the narrative and language are straightforward.  Readers who are ready to move beyond Goosebumps, may find Evil Behind That Door is a good choice for a creepy independent read.  Reading specialists looking for interesting new material may want to check it out, as well. --Regan Schwartz

Fradkin, Barbara. Evil Behind That Door. Victoria, Canada: Raven Books, 2012. Print.

The Accuser by Anne Schraff

When the neighborhood bully gets murdered, all clues seem to point towards Donyell’s brother, Ricky. Donyell doesn’t want to believe it, but Ricky was out late that night, he came home in bloody clothes, his face looked like it had taken a few punches, and most incriminating of all, he tells Donyell to lie for him and he leaves town for a few days. In a mere 30 pages, Donyell tries to solve this murder mystery by speaking with all the potential suspects, only to discover that he was mistakenly jumping to a lot of conclusions.

This book is part of the Quickreads series, a collection of high interest, low reading level books from Saddleback, and written by one of the authors of the tremendously popular Bluford High series. While it might not have a lot of appeal for students who like to sink their teeth into a longer story, it could be a good match for students looking for something they can get through in one class period or one evening. Our Reading Specialist at Bronx Hope likes to use books in this series while working with her students; this title is one she says students like the most. --Anja Kennedy

Schraff, Anne. The Accuser. Costa Mesa, CA: Saddleback, 2010. Print.

Charmed by Carrie Mac

Things are tough for Izzy.  Her mom is working thousands of miles away; she is left at home with Rob the Slob, her mother’s rude, disgusting boyfriend; and her best friend refuses to grow up.  But things seem to be turning around when Cody Dillon, gorgeous high school drop-out, starts paying her serious attention.  Soon Izzy is tangled up in Cody’s non-stop party world, and unknowingly racking up debts she’s expected to repay.  

Charmed was recommended to me by a student who picked it up, pointed to the cover, and said, “This right here.  This is the book.”  Many students come looking for books about girls in prostitution, and Charmed fits the bill. This offering from Canadian publisher Orca Soundings is a high interest/low level reader with an enticing cover and accessible prose.  Facts of Canadian life might give urban American readers pause, but for patrons looking for an accessible and straightforward story on prostitution, Charmed is a perfect fit. --Regan Schwartz

The Barrio Kings by William Kowalski

Rosario thinks he’s got his life pretty straight: he's got a beautiful girlfriend, Connie; an apartment for the two of them and the baby they’re expecting; and a solid legal job while he wraps up his high school diploma. He’s put his past with the Barrio Kings behind him. Or so he thinks, until his homeboy, Juan, shows up, freshly released from prison and itching for revenge against the Barrio Kings’ arch rivals, the Vandals. What’s a reformed gangbanger to do? Flat characters are superceded by quick pacing, white space, larger font and a plot that some will find familiar and/or compelling. This reader is certainly interested in hearing from anyone else whose read titles from Orca Publishing’s “Rapid Read” series. Recommended for striving readers who are looking for realistic fiction to help them anticipate life after re-entry. Or just a quick read or a new series along the lines of the Bluford High Series.

Kowalski, William. The Barrio Kings. Victoria: Orca Book Publishers, 2010.

Lost & Found by Anne Schraff (Bluford High Series)

Darcy has a lot on her mind: a mother exhausted by the demands of her job, a beloved grandmother slipping away as the result of a stroke, an absentee father suddenly reappearing after five years, a sister caught up with the wrong crowd, a crush on a shy-guy classmate, and her own sense of loneliness. Schraff packs the novel’s brief 133 pages chock full of tension and challenges. But the high drama along with the urban setting and realistic situations are what keep our students turning the pages of Lost and Found and all of the Bluford series books. This high interest series is written between a third and fifth grade reading level, but features teenage characters dealing with real life issues such as family, friendship, school, depression, violence, loss, and romance. Students that are looking for a rapid-paced, realistic, accessible read that they can complete relatively quickly will become fast fans of the series. All titles would be ideal for independent reading time or a fiction study.--Anne Lotito Schuh

Schraff, Anne. Lost and Found. New York: Scholastic, 2002.