Dark Dude by Oscar HijuelosNew York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008. F Hij (Multi Cult)

New York City life is terrible—Rico struggles with bad schools, a mean mother, and a best friend’s heroin addiction. Bad grades may mean military school for him..  Will Rico find freedom in Wisconsin?  Or will he remain lost?  

YA Lit : Booktalk : Kromer : A.C. Reynolds High School

Punkzilla by Adam RappSomerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2009 F Rap (YA)

Okay--you’ve run away from crappy military school (more pushups?!), you’re hangin in Portland kind of sketchy, and you find out your brother is dying.  How much good’s in the world?  How much bad?  You’ll find out en route to Memphis...

Invisible by Pete HautmanNew York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2005. F Hau (YA)

Douglas Hanson considers himself normal.  After all, he thinks that around 38 percent of his high school peers are  “troubled.”  If he’s troubled, he’s not the only one.  However, it may be that not everybody is as troubled as Dougie.

Looking for Alaska by John GreenNew York: Dutton Books, 2005. F Gre (YA)

Sometimes best friends are the only thing that can keep you sane. And when something terrible happens to one of them, wouldn’t you want to know what happened? And why? Especially if you think that it is your fault?

Elsewhere by Gabrielle ZevinNew York: Square Fish, 2005. F Zev (YA)

Liz Hall has lots to look forward to--driver’s permit, going to the prom, growing up normal. After she’s killed and ends up in Elsewhere, she cannot look forward, only back…or does she have a future after her death?

The Dead & the Gone by Susan Beth PfefferNew York: Houghton, Mifflin, Harcourt, 2008. F Pfe (Sci Fi)

An asteroid smashes the moon into an altered orbit; disaster ensues. Tides wreak havoc, volcanoes blot out the sun. And what’s worse--some people are dead or gone. Armed with his wits and faith, can Alex Morales save his sisters?

all images from Microsoft Office 2003 clip art gallery

tunes

flicks

booksThe Book of Fred by Abby BardiNew York: Washington Square Press, 2001. F Bar (YA)— Removed from a religious commune, Mary Fred Anderson ends up with a foster family that is anything but religious.  She encounters new beliefs, but despite the changes that she experiences, she can’t quite get that sense of being home.  

An Abundance of Katherines by John GreenNew York: Dutton Books, 2006. F Gre (YA)—Colin Singleton loves girls named Katherine (19 of them!), but  they don’t feel the same way.  Dumped by number 19, he roadtrips to figure out his love life and create a theorem to predict how long his relationships will last.  

Tales of the Madman Underground by John BarnesNew York: Viking, 2009. F Bar (YA)— A group therapy veteran since the fourth grade, Kyle “Psycho” Shoemaker sets the goal of a normal senior year.  But with a houseful of cats and an alcoholic mother, can he make it through a year without going nuts?  

Born Blue by Han NolanOrlando, FL: Harcourt, 2001. F Nol (Multi Cult)—Born Janie, Leshaya has little in life except for her remarkable singing voice.  Abandoned by her mother, she uses her musical talents to gain opportunities, but like most other things in her life, those chances are a real mixed bag.  

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned VizziniNew York: Miramax Books, 2006. F Viz (YA)—Sometimes school can bring you down--Craig Gilner is so depressed he checks himself into a psychiatric hospital to save his life.  Now that he’s there, he must work to escape from the hospital and from his own head.  

The Mission. Dir. Roland Joffe. Perf. Robert De Niro and Jeremy Irons.Warner Bros., 1986. DVD. PG—In the 18th Century, Father Gabriel seeks salvation for indigenous South American tribes; former slave trader Mendoza seeks redemption for murdering his brother.  To reach their goals, they must resist Portuguese slave traders.  Choosing between faith or fighting proves difficult.  

Say Anything. Dir. Cameron Crowe. Perf. John Cusack and Ione Skye.Gracie Films, 1989. DVD. PG-13—More than anything, slacker Lloyd Dobler wants a date with beautiful, intelligent Diane Court.  Soon, his life’s goal becomes spending time with her even though she’s headed off to college. When you trust somebody, you can say anything, can’t you?  

Tom Waits. “Blind Love.” Rain Dogs. Island Records, 1985.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZGIK990m-A

From the man who said, “Oh, I don’t mind going to weddings, just as long as it’s not my own” comes this song—heartbreak in audio form.

The Kinks. “Apeman.” Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1. Reprise Records, 1970.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEep67akIn4

Getting tired of that traffic and the cell phone going off in your ear? Fed up with seeing those McMansions climbing farther and farther up the mountains? The Kinks are right there with you!

Ben Sollee. “It’s Not Impossible (Boys Don’t Cry).” Learning to Bend. Thirty Tigers, 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-8zAxyWJCs

Kentuckyian Ben Sollee will walk right on that stage toting his cello and fill your head full of awesome. Contrast this song’s tone with the Waits song—is heartache the same color in every heart? Video features the dance troupe Empujon. paintingsGustav Klimt. The Kiss. 1907-8. Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna.http://www.belvedere.at/jart/prj3/belvedere/main.jart?rel=en&reserve-mode=active&content-id=1169655781728&gid=1173178733677&imgid=1173178733681

Klimt’s timeless image resonates with viewers in part because it conveys a strong sense of longing—sometimes the most desired thing in the world is a kiss…

Andrew Wyeth. Christina’s World. 1948. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.http://www.moma.org/collection/object.php?object_id=78455

In Wyeth’s painting, the sense of yearning is just as strong as in Klimt’s photo, but the object of the subject’s desire is not nearly as clear. Does this girl long for some of the same things that you do?

Wanna check these links? Find the digital copy on Kromer’s staff page @ the ACRHS Web site!