One more excellent YA book

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed reading a non-fiction book this semester! Yes, it's true, I know, I usually don't enjoy this genre as much. But An American Plague - The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 was actually a terrific read and some worthwhile information on this time in history. I read this story in tandem with Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793 which was a good adjunct. It tells the story of Philadelphia and the summer and fall of that year, when this fever (spread by mosquitoes, although not understood at that time) raged and ravaged the city, killing thousands and leaving many orphans and widows or widowers. I really liked hearing about the disparity in the doctor's thinking at that time, that they were radically opposed to eachother in how they felt the fever should be treated and how they tried to stop the spread. It was also interesting to see how it affected those more famous men we know about and their families, including George Washington and others. Congress was scheduled to meet in Philadelphia that winter, and Washington had to determine whether or not it was safe or whether they needed to postpone. Very real and a little graphic about the state of things, it's a good historical read for young adults and makes you feel so grateful for modern medicine and conveniences!

Another great YA read

Another book I've read recently that was simply FUN (besides being well-written and imaginative) is The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor. This is essentially a retelling of "Alice in Wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, although there are so many twists and turns you will wonder if it really is about the same story! Beddor is a very creative author, and he takes Carroll's story and makes something completely new out of it. We see all our old favorite characters, except they have taken on almost a brand new persona....Alice has become Princess Alyss Heart, King Nolan and Queen Genevieve's young daughter and heir to the throne. The Mad Hatter has become Hatter Madigan, an officer in the "Millinery", who is the Queen's personal bodyguard and is capable of flinging his top hat with deadly accuracy. The White Rabbit appears as Bibwit Harte, Alyss' albino tutor and ears "a bit too large for his head". It's all good fun, and especially for those of us who loved and read the Wonderland books. It's also an exciting read for teen boys who are looking for battles, weaponry and strategy. The exciting thing is that this is the first of a triology - the sequel, Seeing Redd, is due out soon.

Young Adult fiction I've read recently

This semester I'm taking a class in Young Adult fiction at BSU as part of my Master's program in Education/Reading. It's been a most enlightening class, as I have not read a lot of this genre in quite a while, and am probably a bit out of touch with what is popular and readable among teens.

One of my favorite books I've read during this class is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. It's a realistic fiction genre book about a 9th grade girl who is depressed and struggling following a rape over the summer at a party. Melinda's story is one of grief and despair, but becomes one of acceptance of herself and hope, as she evolves during the school year. It's a heartbreaking read, but very real and accesible, and it's a tremendous book for teens. I would recommend this to most teenage girls especially, for content, readability, and imaginative and inventive situations.