It seems like every winter I am drawn to books about heroic teens. I don’t know if it’s the strength I feel from starting the New Year or the promise of overcoming weakness that comes from making resolutions and goals that compels me to search for Young Adult Novels with courageous characters. For whatever reason, January’s reviews contain characters that you’ll be sure to admire. While not all of them do things that change the entire world, they all find inner strength and courage that make each of them heroes in their own lives and the lives of those who love them. After all, that’s what a true hero is anyway; someone with courage enough to change their own world. Enjoy!
Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Featured in this month’s reviews is a fabulous read that I feel every reader should consider. Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah is a book that I am sure to read and re-read many times. As if attending an exclusive prep school isn’t hard enough, Amal Mohamed Nasrullah Abdel-Hakim, a Muslim, decides that she will take her personal faith to the next level and start wearing the hijab full-time. Amal’s parents are proud of her decision, but worried for her as she ventures out into a world where standards of faith and commitment are not always valued and often times ridiculed. They warn her about the prejudice she will surely face, which may come from many unlikely sources and could even impact her ability to get into college or get a good job later in life.
Still, Amal is committed to her deep rooted feelings for God and to following her religion and moves forward with her astonishing decision. She holds her head high as she ventures the first day as a modest, faithful Muslim who still has to make it through high school, crushes, friendships, and life.
This book is full of humor, teenage culture, and social conflicts that you can only find in the life of a 17-year-old. I was touched by the parallels that were so evident between Amal’s decision to wear the hijab and the struggles of modesty and upholding LDS standards that our teens face everyday. I left this book with a better understanding of the Muslim faith and hopefully, a better insight to how difficult it is for a teen to stand strong and be committed in a world where moral standards can change with the wind. Bravo Randa Abdel-Fattah! A well-written, thought provoking novel! I recommend and suggest this book for all readers. It does contain some mild language.
3 Willows: the Sisterhood Grows by Ann Brashares
For lovers of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants comes a second generation sisterhood book by Ann Brashares. Three childhood friends, Jo, Ama, and Polly meet up again after a few years of going their separate ways, just as each of them is embarking on a summer adventure to never forget. Jo will move to her family’s beach house, start a summer job, make new friends, including a cute love interest, and try not to deal with the changes going on at home. Ama will take off for a wilderness camp in Wyoming that will challenge her in ways that she has never been challenged before, especially since the outdoors is not her forte. Although Polly does not plan to leave the city, she has great plans for changing her life, saving up her money, and trying something bold and daring things that no one thinks she can do. All three girls will struggle to discover things deep inside of them that will turn them back to three willow trees, and friendships that can stand the test of time.
I thought this novel was sweet and fun to read. Brashares used basically the same setting for this book as her Traveling Pants books, but pulled out a new generation of stories and lives for readers to enjoy! I recommend this book to all readers, with a note that it does contain some mild language.
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima
Moving between realistic fiction and fantasy, The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima was a great read suggested by one of my friends, Anita, who is constantly on the look out for books to recommend for review. 17-year-old Jack is a normal high school teen just like many of his friends. He likes girls, especially newcomer Ellen Stephenson; he wants to make the soccer team, and tries hard to stay out of the clutches of his overly strict principal and not serve detention. The only thing that differentiates him from his other classmates is the scar he has over his heart and the dreadful daily pills he must take for his childhood heart condition. One day Jack forgets to take his medication and suddenly things change. He finds himself with powers and strengths that he didn’t know he had. He discovers that there is more than meets the eye to many people that he has known all of his life and that somehow he is the key player in a much bigger game than he ever imagined.
A fast-paced story with many twists and turns, The Warrior Heir is a book I recommend for all readers.
Mao’s Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
A moving true story of the life of a Chinese ballet dancer, Li Cunxin, is the final recommendation in January’s reviews. This story starts out as Cunxin takes readers to his hometown, Qingdao, where he describes the poverty and struggle that his family faced in the 1960’s, in a country that was ruled by Communist party founder Chairman Mao Zedong. He describes the hardship and daily battle for survival that was only softened by the balm of being a part of a loving, close family. While Cunxin had a poor childhood, he was happy. He knew that he would follow in his father’s footsteps and be a commune worker in the fields. He was satisfied knowing that peasant families breed peasant children and thus is the circle of life. Little did Cunxin know that when he was 11 years old, he would be chosen to travel to Beijing to become a dancer and dedicate his life to the greater good of China and Chairman Mao. His family viewed this appointment as the only opportunity for any member of their family to have a better life and considered it a great honor to send their son away to Beijing . While Cunxin was scared and didn’t know the first thing about dancing, he honored his parents and his country and left his family to start his training as a dancer. Then the real hardships, as he has never known in his humble upbringing, begin.
Mao’s Last Dancer was an inspiring read that I couldn’t put down. I am constantly amazed at the perseverance of the human soul when freedom and family are the core reasons for enduring and overcoming obstacles. This book so beautifully captures the heart and soul of Li Cunxin and his deep rooted love for his family and newfound quest for freedom. I recommend this book to all readers; especially lovers of history or dance.
