What Can't Wait by Ashley Hope Perez

“There’s no magic here, just my own life.”

Seventeen-year-old Marisa comes from a family of Mexican immigrants and lives in Houston, Texas. She was raised to be an obedient and dutiful daughter. Like all members of her family, she is expected to work and contribute her wages to help with the household bills. In addition, she is responsible for taking care of her young niece and the preparation of all her family’s meals. Despite all that she does for her family, Marisa manages to get good grades in school. In fact, her math teacher is so impressed that she strongly encourages Marisa to apply to college. When she is accepted into the engineering program at a school in Austin, she finally begins to realize that she can aspire to do more with her life than what her family expects of her. For once, she begins to believe her dreams of leaving home, earning a college degree and getting a good job can come true. However, she faces a huge dilemma: should she follow her dreams or remain bound by family obligations? This realistic look into the life of a Mexican-American teenager will resonate with many.

The Upper Room by Mary Monroe

“Y’all don’t understand. Mo’reen ain’t no regular child. She a gift from the Lord. Her presence make the upper room so special.”


If you’re in the mood for a quick read with snappy dialog, vivid imagery and a little bit suspense, then this is the book for you. Mama Ruby, the seventh born daughter of a seventh born daughter, is believed to have special powers. In fact, her “healing hands” brought her best friend Othella’s still born daughter back to life. Since Mama Ruby had always longed to have her very own daughter, she took this as a sign that the baby was a gift from God. So, without a word to Othella, Mama Ruby steals off into the night with the baby she named Maureen and settles in a migrant community outside of Miami. While there she quicklyearns the reputation of someone not to be played with. She “chastises” those who dare to cross her and has her son Virgil help her hide the bodies. THE UPPER ROOM is filled with a cast of colorful characters and just enough drama and suspense to keep you turning the pages and craving for more. The prequel to this story, MAMA RUBY, is set to be released in July 2011.

You Don't Even Know Me by Sharon Flake

“I sit in your class, I play by your rules. I’m young, I’m fly, I’m Black. So, of course I think I’m cool…”



This companion to Who Am I Without Him: Short Stories About Girls and the Boys in Their Lives will challenge all who read it to consider if they really do know boys after all. Through short stories and poems, Flake introduces readers to a wide range of boys. One sixteen-year-old is set to married his pregnant girlfriend while another is desperate to find the person responsible for killing his beloved grandfather. There’s also a boy who is seduced by his neighbor and one who is scared to tell his uncle he’s HIV positive so he writes a touching letter instead. Flake also takes on other heavy topics such as suicide, obesity and gangs. Each story and poem is written the way teens speak, making it easily accessible to them without being too preachy. I really enjoyed this book and I think many teens will too.

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing by Ann Angel

“Forty years after her death, Janis Joplin still fascinates.”

Generally, biographies written for teens can be boring. They often contain a few black and white photographs with information presented in such a stale way that teens will only want to skim through them to attain information needed for school reports. Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing certainly breaks the mold of humdrum biography. First of all, each page border is beautifully decorated with colorful swirl patterns making it an attractive book to explore. Furthermore, author Angel writes in a conversational style that is sure to appeal to teens. Using quotes from various interviews by and about Joplin during her heyday, helps to make this an engrossing read. Angel tackles Joplin’s Texas childhood, college days and drug use as well as her various relationships, and concludes by discussing her untimely death caused by an accidental drug overdose. For those who want an honest look into 1960’s rock and roll, as well as intimate details on music icon, this is not a book to be missed.

A Boy Called Twister by Anne Schraff

“Finally, he had nothing to hide. He was just another kid in the class – a boy called Twister.”

Kevin Walker, the new kid at Tubman High School, is determined to remain a loner so that other students won’t ask him too many questions. He’s scared of how his classmates will react if they find out his family secrets. He doesn’t want to be judge or treated differently. To ease the burden he carries, he likes to run. It helps him to blow off steam. Once others notice how awesome a runner he is, he’s asked to join the track team. He immediately has a huge impact on the team, helping them to finally win track meets. Because Kevin is as fast as a tornado when he runs around the track, he earns the nickname “Twister.” However, being a successful member of the team draws a lot of unwanted attention Kevin’s way. Will he decide to open up to his new friends and reveal his secrets, or will he keep them bottled up inside?


As part of Saddleback Educational Publishing’s Urban Underground series, this book is designed specifically for reluctant teen readers. Coming in at just under 200 pages, it focuses on issues many teens deal with such as bullies, self-esteem, drugs, and dropouts, just to name a few. Although I believe the author hits you over the head one too many times with the message, I still enjoyed this book. It is a good, clean read that I would enthusiastically recommend to any teen or tween who wants to read realistic, urban fiction.



Maxine Banks is Getting Married by Lori Aurelia Williams

“So we really gonna do this? You’re sure?”

Seventeen-year-old Maxine Banks has her mind set on marrying her long-time boyfriend, Brian, after her best friend Tia gets married and moves away. Maxine thinks of marriage as a way of escaping her mother – a woman who neglects her while only paying attention to whichever man she happens to be involved with at the moment. After convincing Brian to become her husband, she fabricates a pregnancy to persuade her mom and Brian’s dad to give them their blessing. Married life for Maxine and Brian is short-lived after she finds out he was unfaithful. After kicking him out of the house, she is frightened at the prospect of having to move back in with her mother. A seemingly perfect solution comes about when Brian’s dad offers to let her stay in a house he owns and provide her with money if she agrees to look after his wayward thirteen-year-old niece, Demonee. Maxine has her hands full as she struggles to keep Demonee in check while trying to finish up her senior year of high school.

This book is full of drama and tackles a variety of issues affecting teens. If you seek a quick read with a unique storyline and well-developed characters, then this is the book for you. It is sure to generate a lot of discussion among those who give it a try.

Red Hats by Damon Wayans

“Alma opened the box and pulled out a beautiful, large brimmed, red-feathered hat accented with gorgeous strawberry-red brocade.”

Alma is a bitter, sharp-tongued woman who refers to her husband, Harold, as her “has been”. She has a hard time showing him any affection, even though she misses what they once had. One afternoon, angry at Harold for something trivial, Alma mutters under her breath that she wishes he would die. To her shock and disbelief, he succumbs that evening to a heart attack leaving Alma all alone and guilt -ridden. She is about to commit suicide when ladies from the Red Hat Society intervene and help her get back on her feet. She enjoys spending time with them, but becomes angry when they present her with her very own red hat and ask her to join them. She calls them a cult and shuts them out of her life. But, when tragedy strikes, Alma finally learns about the power of friendship, love and forgiveness. This touching tale is one that stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it. What impresses me even more is the author, comedian Damon Wayans of “In Living Color” fame. Who knew that such a raucously funny man could write such an intimately moving book?