The Truth About Everything by Bridget Farr

Lark wants to go to school. She feels like she is missing out by living isolated on her family's farm. Her dad doesn't trust the government. He has kept his family off the grid and stockpiled materials preparing for the end of the country as we know it. 

Lark is homeschooled (although not in any formal sense). She only knows what her dad has taught her - distorted and incomplete views of historical events and people. She can barely read (something her parents do not realize). She has been taught how to fix mechanical devices, grow food, drive a truck and motorcycle. But it is not enough.

Alex is Lark's connection to the outside world. He attends public school and exposes her to what other teens are doing. With his encouragement, she plots a way to attend the nearby Christian school. She knows her dad will be furious if he finds out. Her mother...she is mostly absent even though she lives in the same house. 

For the first time, Lark begins to question her dad's beliefs. She has real friends, learns biology, and eats forbidden processed food. Lark was ignorant of so many things - - the functioning of her own body, the tragedy of 9/11, the geography of the world. Once the door is open to her, it cannot easily be closed again. 

Well, you know not everything goes smoothly for Lark. How long can she hide the fact that she is going to school from both her parents? It's a difficult decision, but Lark takes the risk. You will be rooting for Lark and questioning her parent's decisions. I hope you take a look at this book. It is worth your time. 

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site. 

A Shot at Normal by Marisa Reichardt

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is Juniper's nightmare. Her parents are very firmly in the 'not' category. They live a pseudo hippie life and believe vaccinations put chemicals and poisons in your body. Juniper never thought about it much until she gets the measles and ends up in quarantine in the hospital. And her brother and sister get it, too. But it was really a tragic consequence of her interactions with someone else that pushes her to think that maybe her parents are wrong. 

Juniper and her family live in an old Victorian house across the street from the local high school. Juniper is homeschooled and wants to go to school and experience normal teen things (like football games, dances, the cafeteria), but she is forced to have 'kitchen table' school with her younger siblings and her dad as the teacher. 

She doesn't mind the organic food grown in their yard or the lack of television or internet. But at 16, she wants to have a social life with friends and maybe even a boyfriend. Too bad her parents will not listen to her. Getting vaccinated is where she draws the line. She is determined to get her shots even if it means hiring a lawyer. 

Juniper knows it is time to start taking responsibility for her own medical decisions. Yes, things get dark for Juniper, but she has new spots of light to keep her going. It is an interesting and timely subject with no easy answers, but it is worth going through it with Juniper. 

For more info, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site. 
 

We Should Hang Out Sometime: Embarrassingly, a True Story by Josh Sundquist

Have you ever thought about tracking down all your exes to find out the real reasons you broke up? If you have, why stop there? Why not ask all the ones you dated one time or kissed a few times or held hands with once in 6th grade? Josh Lindquist wanted to know why by the age of 25 he had never had a girlfriend, so he decided to investigate and yes, this is a true story.

Before we delve into Josh's quest, it is important to know that Josh had his leg amputated at age nine due to cancer. As much as he tries to not draw attention to it being an amputee definitely affects his behavior and psyche.

Josh contacted each significant girl from his past and analyzed their reasons for not wanting to take their relationship further. We get the background of each 'relationship.' Sarah is the first. During a game of Truth or Dare on a school bus, Sarah said she didn't like Josh, but he found out later that she did. We learn how awkward Josh can be when trying to figure out if Sarah wants to be his girlfriend. Josh is clueless about girls which makes him a normal eighth grade boy. Of course when you are in the middle of your awkwardness, you don't realize that you are a normal teenager. You only know that you are embarrassed and feel completely stupid.

Josh follows up with a hypothesis on the reasons the relationships ended. He then recounts what happened when he met each girl (who are now women) again. He calls this part the 'investigation.' Charts and graphs are included (although they are not really based on data).

As a real life inspirational speaker, Josh tells his story with humor and purpose. I laughed out loud many times and sympathized with his difficulty trying to interact with girls. If you've ever been a teen interested in having a relationship, you will relate to something in this story.

For more info, check out Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

Every Day by David Levithan

Every so often, I come across a book that is nothing like I have ever read before. The plot is fairly straight forward, but the complications for the characters are many.

Every day, A. exists inside a different person. Never the same person twice. No matter the gender, race or situation of the person, A. becomes that person for the day. He/she wakes up never knowing what the life will be. I will leave you to discover some of the other conditions of living such a life (like age and geography) - some subtle, others very obvious as we follow A. through each new day.

For the most part, A. is content to exist this way seeing life in a big picture sort of way; knowing what it is like to be a drug addict or have loving parents or be obese or a bully. It is the continuity of personal relationships that is missing. But that all changes when he is Justin, a do nothing high schooler who happens to have Rhiannon for a girlfriend. For the first time ever, A. is in love - truly in love, not just experiencing the feelings of the person A. inhabits. It is questionable whether Justin really loves Rhiannon at all, but A. knows he does.

So how can A. be with Rhiannon when he changes bodies every day? One day he is a sheltered homeschooled guy and another a very attractive African American girl (Beyonce like). Will Rhiannon ever understand or even believe it is possible? For A., it has always been important to not mess up the life of the other person. But how can he hold to that and see Rhiannon at the same time. It is a slip up that causes one of the people to tell the world that he was possessed by the devil. Suddenly, A.'s secret life is not so anymore.

If you want to dig deeper, there is so much to say about this story. About identity (A.'s sexuality is in constant flux). About seeing the world from many perspectives, but losing out on personal relationships. About the use of the devil as a way to explain people's motives. About how we are perceived based on our outward appearance and how that affects who we are on the inside.

All that aside, it is a fascinating story with an unusual protagonist in a fantasy situation who grapples with basic human problems.

For more info about this book, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

The List by Siobhan Vivian

The list is an annual tradition at Mount Washington High. It is a vile exercise that lists the prettiest and the ugliest girls in each class and is then posted all over the school for everyone to see. The 'tradition' has gone on for as long as anyone can remember.

We follow the lives of all eight girls from the moment they find out they are on the list on Monday morning until the following Saturday at the homecoming dance. Their lives are all affected by their place on the list.

Without giving too much away...Candace is pretty and is put on the ugly list because of her personality; Danielle is athletic and is called manly; Lauren is a former home schooler and new to the school; Sarah is rebellious and has no interest and being a girly girl; Jennifer is a senior who has made the ugly list every year; Bridget has lost weight during the summer and has body image issues that lead to destructive behavior; Abby is pretty and not as scholarly as her older sister; Margo is the expected homecoming queen, but may lose her friends because of treating another girl badly.

The point of this story is not about the hunt and punishment of the list's creators. The list is the author's vehicle for discussing various issues facing girls. Bullying at all levels of society is a problem. These girls face school wide abuse - the 'pretty' ones as much as the 'ugly' ones. Each story is equally compelling and ultimately intertwined with the others. 

For more information on this book, check out the Indianapolis Public Library catalog and the author's site.

This Girl Is Different by J.J. Johnson

Evie is different. She is an intelligent, independent thinker who is not afraid to voice her opinion. She lives in an eco-friendly dome house constructed by her, her mother and uncle. She has learned from her somewhat radical mother to never shy away from a fight against 'the man.'

Evie has been home-schooled, and for the first time ever she decides to go to public school. She is a senior and knows it is her last chance to experience typical teenage life like she has seen in the movies. She enters school with trepidation but happy to have two new friends Jacinda and Rajas she met during the summer. She is hoping that Rajas likes her as much as she likes him.

She quickly learns that school is not a democracy (and not like the movies) and is fraught with potential disasters (like demonstrating to the class how smart you are). What starts out as prank to put a teacher in her place becomes much bigger than Evie expects. With her dream of going to Cornell on the line, Evie must find a way to make everything right.

I liked the idea of a home school student going to school for the first time. Gordon Korman wrote a book for younger readers a few years back called Schooled. In that book, the student did not want to go to public school and has a hard time adjusting. Evie has chosen to go and is more than qualified. It is her disagreements with the rules and authority figures that make her life difficult.

Click here for more info about this book from the Indianapolis Public Library catalog.