Hitler Youth by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Lydia!

“‘I begin with the young,’ said Hitler. ‘We older ones are used up…But my magnificent youngsters! Are there finer ones anywhere in the world? Look at all these men and boys! What material! With them I can make a new world.’”

In 1926 Hitler founded the “Hitler Youth,” an organization that on the surface resembled the boy scouts, but which he would later use to manipulate the youth of Germany into carrying out the terrible crimes of the Nazi party. “Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow” tells the story of not only the organization itself, but of the German children and teenagers living in Germany under the Nazi party—both those who supported their Führer and those who stood against him and suffered the consequences.

Melita Maschmann had been forbidden by her parents to join the BDM, the girl’s branch of the Hitler Youth. However, convinced that Hitler was doing great things for Germany, she snuck out to attend the weekly meetings contrary to her parents’ wishes.

Helmuth Hübener was sixteen when he began illegally listening to foreign radio stations. When he realized the lies the German people were being fed by the Nazis, he, along with two of this friends, began printing anti-Nazi leaflets and passing on the foreign news, a crime punishable by death.

Stories of the Jewish and occupied experiences under the Nazi regime fill the pages young adult literature, from “The Diary of Anne Frank” to “Number the Stars.” But what about the German experience? What were the German youth doing during the Nazi Regime, and why didn’t they try and stop it? “Hitler Youth” recalls the true stories and events surrounding the youth of Germany and the opinions they formed.

--Lydia

P.S. from Melissa. If you're looking for fiction about the same subject, try The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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The Quillan Games by D.J MacHale

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Jeremy!

This book is non-stop action and suspense from start to finish. The seventh Pendragon book finds Bobby on Quillan, a territory addicted to games of all kinds, however each game comes with a twist. If a competitor wins they could receive things ranging from food to vehicles. But, if a competitor loses, it's very likely they'll end up working in the toxic waste infested power plants across the territory that will eventually lead to the loser's painful death. Bobby comes to this territory, as usual, chasing the elusive Saint Dane. After nearly being eaten by quig-spiders, and avoiding the robot police of Quillan, Bobby is eventually scooped up by Veego and LeBearg and forced to compete in these games. He eventually is picked up by a resistance force fighting against the territory wide company Blok. Through this book Bobby meets new friends and a whole set of new enemies.

This is easily my favorite Pendragon book to date, and I plan on reading the series to the end. I would recommend this series to anyone who is interested in fantasy and or science fiction novels.

--Jeremy

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Where North America once thrived now exists a country made up of twelve districts. Once a year, the government of this country sponsors an event called The Hunger Games. Two teens, one boy and one girl, are sent from each district to the capital city of Panem to participate. The Games pit all twenty-four teens in a battle to the death, with one survivor. The Games are broadcast on TV back to each of the districts. The winner must kill all of their opponents, even those who might be friends.

Katniss Everdeen has become the primary provider for her family since her father’s death, and has honed her skills at hunting with a bow and arrow, often outside the borders of District 12, which is one of the poorest of the districts. On the day teens are selected to participate in the Hunger Games, Katniss is shocked when her younger sister Prim’s name is drawn. Knowing that her fragile sister will never survive, Katniss volunteers to take her place in the competition. Katniss travels with Peeta, the boy selected from District 12, to the capital to prepare for the Games. Katniss and Peeta have known each other for years, but are far from friends. Each contestant is given advice on appearance, training, and manipulating not only the media surrounding the event, but the filming of the show itself. Katniss struggles with her media appearances, but trusts her own abilities to survive, at least for a while. She is shocked to find herself touted as a darling of the Games, and as a love interest for Peeta. She also finds herself at a disadvantage because she is from District 12. Some of the wealthier districts train their teens to be champions of the games, while those from poor districts must fend for themselves once their names are selected. Once the games begin, Katniss is on her own.

Suzanne Collins expertly blends a futuristic society with the primitive existence of some of the poorer districts. The influence of the government and the controllers of the Games is a strong underscore to the development of Katniss’ character.

This is quite possibly one of the best books I’ve ever read. Suzanne Collins, the author of the Gregor the Overlander Series, held me captive for hours. I simply couldn’t put this book down. The sequel, Catching Fire, will be released in September, and I can’t wait!

One Piece Vol. 1: Romance Dawn by Eiichiro Oda

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Can you remember a time when comic books were the coolest thing since sliced bread, to be cliché? Well, their time has come once again, but in a different form. The new craze sweeping the teen scene is manga, which is Japanese for whimsical pictures can be loosely translated to comics outside of Japan. Manga is different in its style as well as its format. Traditional books are read left to right, but manga comics are read right to left, beginning with what (in the American style) would be the back cover. If that doesn’t sound like your style, then you might just want to skip this review and move onto the next. That said, let’s move onto the book.

Romance Dawn opens the One Piece saga with a young Monkey D. Luffy, the protagonist. He is always seen trying to join his idol, Shanks’ pirate ship, but Shanks won’t let him. Thus, he hangs out with Shanks at the local tavern where he accidentally eats the Gum-Gum Fruit, which allows his body to stretch, much like a rubber band or piece of chewed gum. This presents a problem because Luffy is determined to find the One Piece, the greatest treasure in the world, and eating one of the Devil Fruits (there are many) deprives the eater of their ability to swim.

The book fast forwards to Luffy when he has grown and goes out to sea. He befriends a couple of rogue sea people, a bounty hunter turned pirate, and a thief who steals from pirates. Romance Dawn follows their adventures on the East Blue Ocean.

The first volume in the series, Romance Dawn establishes the wonderful writing and illustration style of Oda. Driving dialogue help propel and keep the reader interested in the several substories present underneath Luffy’s grand quest for the One Piece.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and all its subsequent volumes. It is well written and has appeal to many age groups, from youth to adult.


--Brandon

P.S. from Melissa--even if you don't think you'll like Manga, give one a try! You might really be surprised!

Burning City by Ariel Dorfman

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Burning City is the story of Heller Hyland, a delivery boy of bad news. No one knows why, but Heller is the best at delivering bad news for his company, Soft Tidings, whose motto is “news with a personal touch.” For some strange reason, Heller is the best at giving drastic news while empathizing with the recipients enough to inspire them to mellow reactions, rather than outrage, depression, etc...

Burning City follows Heller’s various work experiences, whilst he lives with his grandma and grandpa in New York City while his parents are away on business. The story focuses on Heller’s job, but also incorporates a side stories detailing Heller’s love interest, Silvia, and his friendship with a “interesting” street vendor, Salim. Heller met Silvia at the coffee shop where she works and Salim in a random encounter on the streets of New York.

Heller is a bit of a troublemaker, as he shuns his company-mandated use of Rollerblades, various traffic laws, and the local police force.

Burning City was a good book, but not one that I would read over and over. It was written well with a driving story and would be a good read for anybody with some spare time on their hands.

--Brandon

P.S. from Melissa--Isn't the cover awesome?

So, You Wanna Be a Comic Book Artist? by Amara D. Amara

A guest review by Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Like most kids, my choice of career path, (when i was younger), bounced around more than a small child hyped up on Pixy-Stix. At one time or another in my life I wanted to be a firefighter, a policeman, an actor, and of course, a comic book artist. Oftentimes, I’d bike on over to the local library to research my “dream job.” It was at one of these times that I discovered the book; So, You Wanna Be A Comic Book Artist? To an aspiring artist, it became a miniature bible.

So, You Wanna Be A Comic Book Artist? goes through several comprehensive chapters detailing the steps it would take to become a comic book artist. The book starts with the basics, such as creating a studio (or just a space to draw in), or tips for illustrations and character creation, then progresses to more intricate facets of writing and illustrating comic books. The later chapters of the book detail self-production of comics (known as zines), submitting your work to publishers, and information about where the industry of comic book artistry is headed.

Although I no longer aspire to become a comic book artist, I do recommend this book to any aspiring artist. It was easy to read with many inserted articles, such as artist profiles of amateurs as well as professionals, tips from the pros, and general fun facts about comic books and their authors.

--Brandon

Seek by Paul Fleischman

Rob Radkovitz has spent his whole life only knowing his radio announcer father through a cassette tape his father made for him right before leaving. Lenny, Rob’s father, wasn’t ready to be a parent. Rob was raised by his single mother, living with his maternal grandparents. In their house, he has been treated as an adult. His interests are encouraged and treated with respect, but he is dissatisfied, feeling the absence of his father greatly. As he grew up, Rob became increasingly obsessed with locating his father over the radio. Because his father was originally from Louisiana, he accumulates information about the state, even weather reports. He eventually owns more and more high-tech radio and broadcasting equipment, and develops great skills navigating the airwaves, gradually increasing the distance he is able to search. Eventually he and his friends broadcast their own independent station, only to have Rob’s father respond to a call-in they request from their listeners. Finally achieving the contact he thought he wanted, Rob must decide if he wants his dad in his life.

Written as an autobiography for a class assignment, and told in a multi-voice format, the book is record of memorable sounds for Rob Radkovitz. At first the multi-voice format was frustrating. It disrupted my ability to read smoothly, and forced me to go back several times so that I could be sure I had attributed something to the correct character. I think it would be a very good audiobook.

Eventually I got caught up in the story, and I really enjoyed the main character, Rob. He was written as such an interesting person, and I found myself wishing that he would locate his dad. When his father finally did phone him, I was so happy for him. Part of me was hoping for the Disney-style happy ending where he’d have this great relationship with his father, but part of me was hoping that he would be able to accept that this man didn’t need to be part of his life. (I'm not telling what actually happens--you have to read it yourself!) I also appreciated the addition of characters, like Rob's grandparents, who added necessary humor to a book that could have been quite sad.

I would absolutely recommend this book.

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Unwind by Neal Shusterman

A guest review from Teen Room staff Lydia!

One hundred years from now, the United States has undergone a second civil war called “The Heartland War,” to finally satisfy both Pro-life and Pro-choice supporters. The result is “The Bill of Life.” This bill protects all children, born and unborn, under the age of thirteen. As an alternative, parents may choose to abort a child between the ages thirteen and eighteen, as long as the child’s life does not technically end. Rather, each and every part of the child is kept alive, only in a separated form. Through the parts provided by “unwinds,” medical technology has become incredibly advanced, allowing such practices as limb and spinal cord transplants.

Connor, a rebellious 16-year-old, has found the unwind papers, signed by his parents and runs away in an effort to survive to eighteen. Risa, a ward of the state, is to be unwound to cut costs at the orphanage, but thanks to a bus accident, escapes. Lev, the youngest child of 10, is his parents tithe. He accepts his place as an offering to help others and is outraged when a mad unwind drags him from the family car and kidnaps him, mere miles from the harvest camp.

Will Connor and Risa survive to eighteen? Will Lev change his mind about the practice of unwinding? Unwind will keep readers on the edge of their seats following Connor, Risa and Lev as they learn whom they can trust in this world in which they’re fugitives.

--Lydia

Zombie Haiku by Ryan Mecum

A guest review from Teen Room staff Nick!

“The city is dead.
Streets are just filled with people
who aren't quite people.”

Zombie Haiku is a contemporary work about a present day zombie apocalypse written entirely in haiku form (5, 7, 5). The book begins with a survivor who faces life against the zombie horde. The book takes us through his struggle against them, until he is bitten and eventually joins the zombie menace. The haiku's continue from the perspective of the zombie for the rest of the book. It includes illustrations which help accentuate the brutality of zombies and the distress of the survivors.

I enjoyed the oddity that this book brought about. I thought the haiku story telling, although sometimes hard to follow gave the book something different. Although at a 140 pages it was a short read, it is definitely worth the laughs for a poetry or zombie lover.

--Nick

Freshman: A Novel by Michael Gerber

A guest review from Teen Room Staff Brandon!

Hart Fox does not have ridiculously wealthy parents. Nor are his parents alumni of the nearby Stutts University, a prestigious ivy league college. Hart is just a run-of-the-mill hard working student trying to achieve acceptance to his dream school. When the end of the year arrives, he finds out he got accepted….but his place in the incoming freshman class was basically bought by a classmate’s father who offered to fund a new chemistry building. Simply put, though, Trip (Hart’s classmate), is all brawn and no brains. He barely passed high school, so he would never survive at Stutts, but his dad, Burlington Darlington III, is running for governor and needs to keep his family, including his son, as a help, rather than a hinderance to his campaign. So he employs Hart to do Trip’s homework and take his classes for him. In return, Mr. Darlington will pay for Hart to attend Stutts. Finally Hart is introduced to the Stutts atmosphere, and he is nearly overwhelmed. In his first year he makes a clear enemy in Trip Darlington, makes friends with the local outcasts, the staff of the college humor paper, The Cuckoo, and even finds love (albeit with an undead vampire who has been attending Stutts for 150+ years). He survives his year at Stutts despite Trip’s attempts to get him expelled, Mr. Darlington’s attempts to cut his funds, and various fraternities attempts to kill him.

I enjoyed Freshman immensely, and highly recommend it, especially to those seniors who are going to be freshman next year. It provides a refreshing reminder that freshman year could always be much worse.

--Brandon