American Born Chinese / Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese is a very interesting graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. The book works as three separate stories told alternately throughout the novel. All three stories come together in the last chapter when we find the characters are actually integrated with each other story. One story appears to be a Chinese legend of a monkey king who wanted to become a god, while the other two stories appear to be of a typical American teenager stories. The young adult stories are with male main characters and they include themes of racism among Asian children living in mainly white communities.

American Born Chinese is an intriguing book, because it weaves three stories that show parallels between Chinese legends and teenagers of today. All characters have a mix of desires, strengths, weaknesses and frailties which are shown in their relationships with friends, schoolmates, and the gods. American Born Chinese is interesting, because it seems to be directed toward male teens and it deals with some of their issues like dating, being bullied, anger, frustration and embarrassment. The illustrations are well done and paint extra food for young and old minds to digest while reading this excellent story.

Yang, G. L. (2006). American born Chinese. New York : First Second.

Ghost World / Daniel Clowes

Ghost World is a graphic novel by Daniel Clowes about the relationship between a couple of teenage girls. The two girls spend time at home and in their communities talking about their friends and their own lives. Enid and Rebecca spend time together complaining about their lives and the oddities of the friends and strangers who pass their paths. The girls create stories for people they see in restaurants and on the street and occasionally make prank calls. Much of their discussions are about their love lives or the lack of their conquests.


Ghost World is explicit about masturbation and sex and the girls find themselves wondering if the are lesbians or not. The language is graphic and the girls are cruel in their criticisms of friends and strangers alike. This book is probably a close parallel to the lives of some girls, but I find it very dark and depressing. This book has a place in a library if not to show that other girls have the same thoughts and concerns as the two characters in this book, but it also allows teens to look at themselves from the outside to lay a critical eye on their own thoughts and behaviours.


Glowes, D. (1997). Ghost World. Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books.

Zel / Donna Jo Napoli

Zel is a new version of the old fairy tale Rapunzel as it is imagined by Donna Jo Napoli. The tale is expanded and given more symbolic detail than the original tale. The story of Rapunzel is often modified to be more suitable for younger children, but Zel has more mature content and is suited to a young adult or adult audience.

It is not clear that Zel is the story of Rapunzel until one gets well into the book and the story gives life and imagination to the thoughts and desires of the three main characters. The themes in Zel include jealousy, deception, love, lust and desperation. The themes of this story I feel combine to produce a powerfully emotional and compelling story that I thing would be very meaningful to young adults of today.

Napoli, D. J. (1998). Zel. Toronto: Penguin Group

Hit Squad / James Heneghan

Hit Squad is another high /low book I?ve read about Mickey a tough teen who is having a tough time in his new school. Bullies have been running the roost at this school and Mickey is not the only target. Mickey gets involved with a vigilante group at school who decide to take the bullying issue into their own hands with tragic results.

Hit Squad certainly has a high level of interest and drama which would no doubt hold the attention of most teens. Bullying is a common issue for school children and if someone has been bullied then they have no doubt harbored thoughts of retribution. This story speaks to the issues of bullying and vengeance without trying to soften the issues. The story presents the main character with moral issues to deal with at every turn, which is something that teens will no doubt be able to relate.

Heneghan, J. (2003). Hit Squad. Victoria, BC : Orca Book Publishers

Refuge Cove / Lesley Choyce

Refuge Cove is the story of Greg a teenage boy who has just moved with his mother from Toronto to the small Newfoundland community of Deep Cove. Greg discovers some refugees one day while out sailing and he is drawn into the
drama of protecting them from what they believe are authorities that will send
them back to a dangerous homeland.

Refuge Cove is a short easy read that moves along quickly and has a high interest factor. The drama of the story keeps the interest level high while Greg's main role as a teenager makes this story appropriate and appealing for teens. The story also presents some ethical issues like; should one turn in refugees to the authorities, and how communities can pull together to help strangers. Even though this story was short and had a simple plot, it was not a simplistic book that speaks down to the reader.

Choyce, L. (2002). Refuge Cove. Victoria, BC : Orca Book Publishers

Kit's Wilderness / David Almond

Kit's Wilderness is the story of a group of children in the small town of Stoneygate. Kit's story has him involved with his friend John Askew in a mysterious game called death. Kit begins seeing mystical visions of past generations and doing rituals that draw the condemnation of his community. Kit sees visions of children who once worked and died in the pit mines of Stoneygate in the recent past and he dreams and writes a story of Lak, a boy from his distant past.

Kit's Wilderness was the 2001 YALSA Michael L. Printz Award winner. Kit's Wilderness is a mystical magical story that may prove to be controversial with some readers. Rituals, visions, abuse and run-a-ways, are main themes in this book, which may prove to be too intense for some readers. The various stories told in this book work together to weave a powerful story linking past and present, but may prove to be difficult for some readers to follow.

Almond, D. (2001). Kit's Wilderness. Toronto: Random House of Canada.

Anne of Green Gables / L. M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables is a classic tale of a young orphan girl who is adopted by a brother and sister who live in rural Prince Edward Island sometime in the late19th century. Anne is a precocious, troublesome, talkative and well-meaning 11 year old who does her best to be a “good girl,” but has a knack of saying and doing just the wrong thing. Anne matures throughout the course of the story as she plays with her friends, attends and succeeds at school and as she develops a close relationship with her new guardians, Matthew and Marila Cuthbert.

Even today I think Anne of Green Gables teaches lessons of imagination, enthusiasm, tolerance, and self discipline to readers. The enduring nature of this book certainly attests to the power of the story and the character of Anne and her fellow citizens of Avonlea. The book is beautifully written yet easy to read for those with lower reading skills. Young adults of today may have difficulty associating with the values espoused in this book, but they can associate with the friendships and relationships which are an important part of the whole story.

Montgomery, L. M. (2006) Anne of Green Gables. Toronto: Scholastic Canada, Limited.