Crank By Ellen Hopkins

http://bit.ly/1bmLSoj

     This book is written in verse. The words are creatively placed; sometimes written in two columns that can be read together as well as separately. The following is an excerpt:

Life was good
before I
met
                                                the monster
After,
life
                                              was great,
At
least
                                                         for a little while.

 

     This book is loosely based off of Ellen Hopkins' daughter's addiction to crystal meth. This frightenly realistic book is written in the perspective of 16 year old Kristina Snow. She lives in a priviledged home with her caring mother and step-father.
     During the summer she gets a court order to visit her biological father who is addicted to alcohol, cigarettes, and crystal meth. Kristina arrives thinking the time she has to spend with her father will be boring and tedious. But she soon meets a guy named Adam that she is immediately attracted to.
     It is Adam who introduces her to "the monster". During her time visiting her dad, Adam also makes her feel the urge to be somebody other than the obedient, straight-a recieving Kristina. Which gives way to her new, "cooler", and more relaxed persona: Bree.
     As her addiction grows, so does Bree's control over how she behaves, and thinks. When she returns to her home in Reno she can only think of one thing: getting her fix of "the monster".
     She starts dating two guys that both do crank, and as this progresses so does her alienation from the friends she had before she left Reno.
     Her life starts to fall apart; her grades in school start dropping, she disrespects her mother and tells her "F*** you", and due to a horrible date rape ends up being a teen mother.
     This chilling depiction of of Kristina's descent into addiction will leave you wondering what else happens to Kristina. Ellen Hopkin's doesn't disappoint with her equally, if not more frightening sequel: Glass.

Bi-Normal by M. G. Higgins

http://bit.ly/16UEbGH

     This book is a really quick read. It's only about 200 pages. It's not the greatest book I've ever read, and it's not exactly on my list of amazing books, but it is pretty good.
    The main character is Brett Miller. He is a fifteen year old boy. His school is the classic cliquey type. There's the jock's that torment the "losers", and Brett is one of them.
     Brett has an amazing girlfriend named Jillia; he imagines marrying her someday, he's totally in love. But then he meets Zach. He has art class with Zach and when he's around him he gets all fluttery and nervous. At first, he doesn't understand why he's feeling this way, but he eventually realizes that he's attracted to Zach.
    I don't want to go into it anymore than that because it gives a bit too much away after that, but it's about him coming to terms with who he is and accepting himself for who he is.

Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford

http://bit.ly/19TDJJj

     Now looking at this book you'd probably think that its very depressing and dreary. Well in some ways it is, but the main character being a sarcastic 15 year old boy makes it funny in some ways.

     Though, it's called Suicide Notes there is only one note actually read. But I won't say whose.
     The main character in this book is named Jeff. On New Year's Eve he tried to kill himself by slitting his wrists. He was saved by his parents, and got put into the psych ward of the hospital. That's where the story starts, he wakes up in the hospital disoriented. He doesn't know where he is at first, but when he finds out he starts to protest, and says that he doesn't belong there. He says that he's not crazy and he believes this for most of the book.
     He has to sit through an hour each day of group therapy and individual therapy with Dr. Katzrupus. He is reluctant to say much about why he tried to kill himself and answers Dr. Katzrupus's questions sarcastically or not at all.
     Excruciatingly slowly, he starts to open up, although it takes him a while to say what's actually wrong you don't really notice until he finally says whats wrong and you realize you're maybe 50 pages from the end. The rest of the book isn't boring because of this, in fact it's quite the contrary. There's so much going on that you don't pay attention to the fact that it takes so long for him to say what's wrong, but when he finally does he's just confirming what you'd probably have already guessed.
     This book is funny, and sad, also a little weird, but very good. There is a little bit of sexual content, nothing very graphic, but it's there. Just a warning for anyone who is uncomfortable with that.

The Program by Suzanne Young

     What happens when teenagers start to seem like they're depressed? Well in this frightening depiction of society gone wrong they are sent to The Program where they are given pills that make them forget who they are. There are no anti-depressants, there is only the wiping out of almost everything that makes them who they are.

     This book is a page turner like no other. The main characters in this book Sloane and her boyfriend James are struggling to stay out of The Program. The Program is the "cure" for an epidemic of suicides among people aged 13 to 18. 

     Sloane and James have lost Brady, Sloane's brother and James's best friend, due to suicide. That alone brings them closer to becoming flagged as suicidal. But then their best friend Miller commits suicide with a poison called QuikDeath. After Miller's death James is not himself, he shows signs of someone who is infected.

    He gets flagged and then sent into The Program. After this Sloane is also flagged and sent into The Program. The Program's idea of a "cure" is making their patients forget any heartbreak or painful memories. Basically, when they get out of The Program they don't remember who they were before or anyone that was a part of their lives other than their family.

     So when Sloane gets out she doesn't remember James, or Miller, or that her brother died of suicide. 

     This book made me so mad because she went into The Program knowing that they would take away her memories, but she took the pills they gave her willingly. She didn't seem suspicious at all. It's infuriating because as the reader I know what's going on so her reaction to the drugs doesn't make sense to me whatsoever.

     The ending also makes me mad because there is another girl in The Program and the same thing that happens to Sloane happens to her. I haven't given away most of what happens to her in The Program, but I'll tell you this: the guy on the cover holding her hand isn't James.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

     This book is about a teenage girls' downward spiral from what she thinks is love to physical and emotional abuse.
     The main character in this book, Alex, has never had a serious boyfriend before, so when the attractive, and charming new boy, Cole, at school starts to show interest in her she believes she's found her soul mate.
     But as their relationship progresses Cole becomes jealous of her close friends Zack and Bethany. He also insults her in subtle ways, threatens her, and physically harms her.
     As his violent actions and implications increase Alex begins to question their love. She wants to get help but she's afraid of losing him because after all he was her first love; he's her "soul mate". So she doesn't say anything. She stays with him until one fateful night when he loses his power over her.
     This book is an enlightening look into the development of the psychology one experiences during an abusive relationship. While scary and painful this book is also an insightful view of what it's like to be the abused in an abusive relationship. More often than not if we know of someone in an abusive relationship we'll ask ourselves why that person doesn't just break up with their abuser. this book reveals that it's not as easy as saying, "I want to break up." The abusive factor makes is something that holds them back from doing what they know they should for fear of being hurt.

Sources
https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&q=bitter+end+jennifer+brown%5C&spell=1&sa=X&ei=VmpVUu6_Iemz2QWr34GgBg&ved=0CE4QBSgA&dpr=1&biw=1040&bih=839#facrc=_&imgrc=cVv2dTHI3qtpTM%3A%3BCu5s-SIpk9fW6M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fd202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net%252Fbooks%252F1344267166l%252F9415958.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.goodreads.com%252Fbook%252Fshow%252F9415958-bitter-end%3B314%3B475

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

     The main character in this book is Will Grayson. He is a straight teenager who feels that he's friends with a boy named Tiny Cooper only because no one else wants to be his friend. You're probably wondering why I mentioned that he's straight. Well that's because there is another boy with the same name as him that is gay.
     They meet in a peculiar, and unexpected way that, along with bringing them together, brings Tiny Cooper and the gay Will Grayson together in a way that exceeds friendship.
     Throughout the book Tiny Cooper is creating a play originally about how he came to be friends with the straight Will Grayson, but it turns into a play about how met both Will Graysons.
     This book is more than a love story, it's also a story of friendship and appreciating the people in your life. This book takes a little while to get into but once you've gotten through the lead up it's actually quite good.

Scars by Cheryl Rainfield

https://www.google.ca/search?q=scars+cheryl+rainfield&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=LoZNUtrzFaiMyQHX5YGIAg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1040&bih=882&dpr=1#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=HJsjUYtj-cJMaM%3A%3BVYJiarN7X9jaSM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fcherylrainfield.com%252Fblog%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2010%252F01%252FScars-350.bmp%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fheatherlo.wordpress.com%252F2010%252F04%252F08%252Fscars-by-cheryl-rainfield%252F%3B360%3B556
     The cover of this book looks quite gruesome, and it definitely is. The scars on her arms are not a ploy for attention, but a way to keep her from the horrifying, and haunting memories that threaten to steal her sanity. This book's shocking ending will make those who joke about rape rethink and regret their disgusting humor.
     The main character in this book is a teenage girl named Kendra. This book is about her struggle of coping with the trauma of being sexually abused between the ages of 2 and 12. She cuts as well as uses her phenomenal artistic skills to fend off the fearful memories of her childhood. She keeps this secret from everyone; her parents, her teachers, and even her therapist. This changes when she befriends a girl named Meghan. She feels more comfortable around her than anyone else. As she shares certain secrets with Meghan, she also secretly falls in love with her. Kendra believes that Meghan is straight due to her promiscuity with boys, but little does she know that Meghan has feelings for her that she could never have for a boy.

     I think this book is very hard to read because of the pain and fear involved, but I think it;s definitely worth reading. It's one of the books I've read that have really stood out for me. I'll never forget reading this book.