 identity questions.
ASHER , Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why. Penguin/Razorbill. 2007. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781595141712; pap. $10.99. ISBN 9781595141880; ebk. $9.99. ISBN 9781101539927.
Gr 8 Up –Why did Clay’s crush, Hannah, kill herself? Clay receives a box of audio tapes and a letter asking that he listen to her reasons, and the teen wrestles with his response to Hannah’s claims about who is to blame. Multiple perspectives offer much to discuss concerning bullying, bystanders, and responsibility. Audio version available from Random House Audio.
HUBBARD , Jennifer R. Try Not to Breathe. Viking. 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978 0670013906; pap. $8.99. ISBN 978 0142423875; ebk. $10.99. ISBN 9781 101566909.
Gr 8-10–Sixteen-year-old Ryan’s suicide attempt was interrupted by his parents, who sought psychiatric help for him right away. Back at school, Ryan’s classmates offer awkward reconnections. Nicki, however, isn’t afraid to talk about what happened. She wants Ryan to open up so that she can understand her dad’s suicide. Ryan’s first-person account offers immediacy and insight.
PETERS, Julie Ann. By the Time You Read This, I’ll Be Dead. Hyperion/Disney. 2010. RTE $16.99. ISBN 9781423116189; pap. $8.99. ISBN 9781423130215.
Gr 8-10–Daelyn has attempted suicide twice, but this time the bullied teen is sure she’ll succeed with the help of a website for “completers.” When Santana, whose cancer has just come out of remission, befriends Daelyn, she is knocked off course by the irony of their respective situations. The ambiguous ending offers an unblinking look at the consequences of bullying.
THOMPSON , Holly. Orchards. Random. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9780385739771; lib. ed. $20.99. ISBN 9780385908061; pap. $9.99. ISBN 9780385739788; ebk. $9.99. ISBN 9780375898341.
Gr 7-9–Eighth-grader Kana doesn’t feel personally responsible for her classmate’s suicide, but it’s clear that things she and her friends said contributed to the death. In Japan for the summer to help relatives in their orchards, Kana considers her complicity in the bullying that spurred such tragic consequences. A sensitive first-person reflection written in free verse.
VAUGHT , Susan. Trigger. Bloomsbury. 2006. Tr $16.95. ISBN 9781582349206; pap. $8.95. ISBN 9781599902302; ebk. $6.99. ISBN 9781599907925.
Gr 8 Up–Seventeen-year-old Jersey is struggling with brain damage as the result of a gunshot wound to the head, though he can’t remember how or why he was injured. As Jersey pieces together what happened to him from the clues provided by his friends, he begins to understand the impact of his suicide attempt.
BECHARD, Margaret. Hanging On to Max. S & S/Pulse. 2003. ISBN 9780689862687.
Gr 8-10 –Seventeen-year-old Sam didn’t have much of a relationship with Brittany, and by the time she learns she’s pregnant, she wants nothing more from him but his signature on the adoption paperwork. Instead, Sam decides to raise Max himself with thought-provoking results. Sam’s voice is honest and poignant.
GRIMES, Nikki. A Girl Named Mister. Zondervan. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978 0310720782; pap. $7.99. ISBN 978 0310723134; ebk. $4.99. ISBN 9780 310399612.
Gr 8-10–In this free-verse narrative, 14-year-old Mary, nicknamed Mister, was brought up to attend church and do well in school. But Mister’s boyfriend’s attentions burn hot, and though they’re intimate only once, she becomes pregnant. Poems about the Virgin Mary reflect Mister’s situation and give her courage to absorb the shock of long-held family secrets.
KNOWLES, Jo. Jumping Off Swings. Candlewick. 2009. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780763639 495; pap. $7.99. ISBN 9780763652968; ebk. $7.99. ISBN 9780763651725.
Gr 8 Up–Everyone at school knows that Ellie’s easy, and faithful friend Corinne tries to find other ways for Ellie to feel better about herself. The girls, and friends Caleb and Josh, who may be the father of Ellie’s baby, narrate their responses to her pregnancy. Living with Jackie Chan (2013) finds Josh a year later living with his uncle in a new town.
NOLAN , Han. Pregnant Pause. Houghton Harcourt. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9780 152065706; pap $8.99. IS