VOYA Perfect Ten

What is a VOYA perfect ten?   A book that exhibits the prestigious Perfect Ten rating—a 5Q for literary quality and a 5P for teen appeal.

 

Brown, Jennifer. Hate List. Little, Brown & Company, 2009.

Ages: 13 – 18

Summary: It’s sixteen- year- old Valerie’s first day back at school after the shooting the previous Spring.  The shooter vas Valerie’s boyfriend and as she returns to school she must deal with the aftermath of his actions and her part in them.

Personal Reaction:  What a powerful book!  The reader is given a firsthand look at how tragedy affects everyone involved and even those on the outskirts.  No one goes away unscathed.  The reader can’t help but grow as they watch the adults and teens involved work through their feelings as they come to an acceptance of how the tragedy fits into their lives.

Evaluation:

·         appealing to both boys and girls

·         realistic fiction

·         protagonist is very courageous

·         gives the reader something to think about

·         gives the reader an idea about how their actions affect their parents

·         older readers will get the most from the book, but younger readers would also benefit

What's next?

Next assignment is to read:

• one Teen Top Ten winner
• one VOYA perfect 10
• an Alex Award winner
• a MAE (Margaret Edwards) winner.

John Connolly's The Book of Lost Things is my selection for the Alex Award.  I have chosen Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls for the Teen Top Ten winner,  Jacqueline Woodson's If You Come Softly is my MAE selection.  Francisco Storks  Marcelo in the Real World will be my read for VOYA perfect 10.

The assignment following this is to read a challenged book.  I am thinking about The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier.

After that I need to read two Margaret Edwards award winners and a realistic fiction book.  I would love to have recommendations for these.