Set in a world like our own in the not-far-off future, this book asks compelling questions: What makes a person a person? How far should we go to preserve a beloved life? I love Pearson's spare and poetic voice.
This award-winning work turned me on to graphic novels. The three interwoven stories about race and identity are engaging and often funny, and Yang speaks deeply to a fundamental human dignity through his words and art.
To be honest, I resisted the voice of the relentlessly hopeful Amber Appleton at first. But Quick won me over with this story, which is full of hope and despair, beauty and ugliness, all inextricably inter-twined--and perhaps interdependent.
Between this and his Marcelo in the Real World (2009), Stork is becoming one of my favorite writers. Here, complex and conflicted (and funny) teen boys deal with faith, doubt, anger, and friendship in the cultural and physical landscape of New Mexico.
I grew up with L'Engle's characters, came of age with them, and wrestled with identity alongside them. Most important to me as a young reader, these books (unlike my peers) made me feel like being smart was not only okay but also desirable.