Daniel Half Human: and The Good Nazi.

Citation: Chotjewitz, D, & Orgel, D. (2004). Daniel Half Human: and The Good Nazi. Atheneum Richard Jackson Books.

Annotation: At the rise of Hitler’s regime, Daniel’s life and relationships are threatened by a sudden revelation and Daniel can’t trust even his best friends.

Nomination (Accept or reject): Accept

The horror and unimaginable prejudice inflicted upon the Jewish people is the backdrop for this unexpected journey through relationships, self-revelation and hardship.  The book attempts to answer many of the questions that go through teens’ (and others’) minds - are we defined by our religion? Our heritage? Our genetics? Our friendships? Our family? Our country? When the revelation that Daniel is half-Jewish comes to light, he suddenly devalues himself, as he sees his friends and countrymen devalue Jews throughout his homeland.  However, as he realizes that nothing has changed except his heritage, he soon learns that no one else can see past it.  Instead of being angry and resentful, as many teens would be, Daniel uses the revelation to discover that is better than his friends and the regime he so hoped to join.  His self-discovery and strength against an unimaginable change in circumstance is inspiring for any teen to read.  In addition, the path for friendship between Daniel and Armin echoes that of middle and high school friendships where allegiances change and new paths are forged.  The wonderful story is sandwiched into a historical setting that many teens don’t know enough about and are doomed to repeat it if they can’t understand it.  The pacing of the book changes dramatically, but the reader stays interested throughout the novel, anxious to learn about Daniel’s family’s fate.

Genre: Realistic experience, historical fiction, coming of age.

Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial.

Citation: Colman, P. (1997). Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR).

Annotation:  The comprehensive journey through death, dying and humans’ traditions surrounding the mysterious passing of life.

Nomination (Accept or reject): Reject

While Colman’s book does a great job of providing young adults with a thorough understanding of all things concerning death, the book simply does not resonate with all readers or address a significant development issue for young adults necessary to yield this award.  Though many people lose loved ones, thankfully, not many lose loved ones while they are still a young adult.  As such, this book’s focus on the rituals of death and dying will not resonate with all of the young adult readers.  This book would appeal to a small number of readers only. It is within the expectations for the non-fiction genre the title is placed into.

The organization of the book would benefit from further development – while it briefly talks about the impact of death in a family, it moves quickly into the “nitty-gritty” of body preparation, coffins and cremations, and then focuses back to burials and the implications of death.  The research and accuracy of the facts presented seem accurate, however, without further research on my part, it would be difficult to tell.  The information presented is very thorough and ranges from minutiae to very relevant.  The quantity of the information can be overwhelming for many younger readers, and even some older ones, as each page is laden with text, photos and graphics.  Unless the reader is extremely interested in the subject matter, the length of the book and the text heavy pages could discourage the reader from finishing the book.  The narrative quality of the book is high, the format and language used are appropriate for the audience.  The author does a fine job of connecting the awesome concept of death and dying to realistic examples and situations adolescents and young adults can grasp.

Genre: Nonfiction

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

4.         Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging

Citation: Rennison, L. (2001). Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson. HarperTeen.

Annotation

Georgia is on the verge of becoming a woman navigating her way through high school, the new world of dating and kissing, not to mention her crush, The Sex God.

Nomination (Accept or reject)

Reject

Rennison’s Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging is a beautifully written diary book for young girls experiencing their first crush and navigating the physical side of relationships.  Frankly discussing sex, kissing, petting and other sexual issues that many teens have questions about but are too scared to ask adults, the novel gives young adults a path to follow during this tumultuous time.  However, it’s lack of resonance with all young adults (10-11 year-olds, 16-18 year-olds, boys) and it’s limited character development of all other characters in the book leave the book a little lacking. This book is meant to be the first in a series, but more emphasis could have been made on the other aspects of Georgia’s life, including school, parents and other pertinent, though perhaps less relevant, issues for young adults.  The book is a wonderful, tongue in cheek “dessert” read for many young adults and teens, and while it is not award quality, it is definitely entertaining and great fun. Also, the self-confidence and healthy self-esteem Georgia maintains throughout the book is a great lesson for any teen facing their first crush or experiencing teen angst.

Genre: Realistic experience, humor, coming-of-age