Wagner, Laura Rose. Hold Tight Don’t Let Go. New York: Abrams, 2015. 978-1-4197-1204-3. 263p. $17.95. Gr. 9 and up.

Although Magdalie and Nadine are cousins, they are often mistaken for sisters. They are close in age, look alike and are best friends, hardly ever separated, living together with Manman, Nadine’s mother and Magdalie’s aunt, when the January 2010 earthquake demolishes much of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, killing Manman and leaving the girls homeless. Traumatized, the girls are taken in by their uncle, Tonton Élie, and live in a squalid, not-so-temporary tent city where they wait in line for food, do each other’s nails to forestall boredom, and avoid using the shared, disgusting latrines. Magdalie’s life is again shaken when Nadine’s father, who lives in Miami, is able to arrange for Nadine to move to the U.S. to live with him. He cannot, however, help Magdalie. She continues to live with her uncle and in an attempt to earn money by selling clean bottled water to people on the streets of the city, Magdalie narrowly avoids being raped. Her daily life is a struggle, and she becomes so desperate she actually considers prostituting herself as so many women are forced to do. When her uncle, Tonton Élie, takes her to her mother’s remote village, Magdalie finally feels as if she belongs and is loved by her extended family. While her visit is only temporary, Magdalie discovers her inner strength, and when she returns to the capital she does so with renewed energy and a vision for her future. Wagner’s first person narrative transports the reader to Haiti and to Magdalie’s world with great clarity and empathy. Magdalie’s voice is often shockingly disturbing, and while the cover illustration conveys brightness and color, the world Magdalie navigates is quite the opposite – often dark and confusing, and we are moved, finally, by the resilience of a character who refuses to be beaten by the odds against her.

Realistic Fiction      Annette Sirio, Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International Studies

I did not expect the graphic descriptions of post-earthquake life in Haiti, and for this I blame the misleading cover illustration which appears to depict brightness and unity rather than the ongoing misery and alienation Magdalie faces throughout the story. Of course, this does not negate the value of the realistic story.

Benwell, Sarah. The Last Leaves Falling. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015. 978-1-4814-3065-4. 359p. $17.99. Gr. 7 and up.

This is the story of a 17-year-old boy facing the unlikely and heartbreakingly premature debilitation caused by ALS. Told in Sora’s voice and inner dialogue, the reader is brought into the boy’s physical and emotional world, experiencing first hand his frustration, fear, heartbreak, confusion, and even guilt for the pain and anxiety his illness causes his mother. It is painful to read as a teenager asks, “what is death like?” in an immediacy about his own situation that most healthy teenagers do not face. As Sora’s body fails him and he becomes wheelchair bound, homebound, and increasingly dependent on his mother to help him with daily tasks, he turns to Internet chat rooms in search of friendship, and after some reservations and awkwardness, Sora becomes close friends with Mai and Kaito who not only accept Sora’s disabilities but, in the end, assist him in fulfilling his final wish – to die with dignity on his own terms. Sora’s relationship with his grandfather and the inclusion of ancient Samurai poetry add poignant dimensions to Sora’s struggles, and the overall effect is a story of bravery that resonates after the final chapter.

Realistic Fiction   Annette Sirio, Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International Studies

This novel is packed with potential conversation starters for teenagers, teachers and families, about much more than a person’s right to die with dignity; it engenders conversation and discussion about relationships, about how one with an illness chooses to live, and about courage and reflection, too.

Rabb, Margo. Kissing in America. New York: Harper, 2015. 978-0-06-232237-1. 391p. $17.99. Gr. 9 and up.

With a title that will catch every teenager’s attention, Kissing in America follows the story of Eva, her pursuit of what she believes might be her first true love, her relationships with her mother and best friend, and her ongoing acceptance and recovery after her father’s death. Although the novel has a lot of teenage angst, it is balanced with a good deal of humor, cleverly witty dialogue and funny situations. Eva’s voice is so true to life the reader cannot help but root for her, feeling as if we know her. Eva and her mother have a strained relationship, due in part to her mother’s emotional shutdown after her husband’s death and due in part to Eva’s obsession with romance novels – the kind with bare-chested muscular heart throbs attending to buxom women in distress on the book cover – an affront to her mother’s feminism as a women’s studies professor. When Eva is asked to assist vastly popular, swim-team captain, Will, with his college essay, she tells herself, “Focus. Focus. Do not think of man-dew.” Although they are an unlikely pair, Eva and Will eventually become a couple but are separated when Will is forced to move to California. Clever Eva and her best friend Annie devise a way to travel cross-country to see Will, and it is during these travels that they meet extended family and explore the meaning of friendship. Eva’s painful experience of growing up when Will ends their relationship is offset by her mother’s realization that she’s been sleepwalking through Eva’s life for years. Entirely relatable, quirky and definitely a good read.

Realistic Fiction Annette Sirio, Pittsburgh Obama Academy of International Studies

As I wrote on my blog for students, “hate the title, loved the story.” Eva’s voice is wonderfully accurate, and she is a very appealing character for whom the reader cheers. This book is destined to be very popular with teen readers who like realistic fiction that is simultaneously serious and lighthearted.