We Were There, Too!

     Every day of the school year, teenagers sit through history classes, learning about adults who shaped history. Sure, they might throw in the story of a young person here and there, when the story fits the topic. They might mention a few teenaged soldiers or the girls who went on strike for better working conditions in factories. In America, they'll certainly mention Sacagawea, who met Lewis and Clark when she was only sixteen. But for the most part, the younger side of history is nonexistent. When I ask my  friends what they think about this, they respond, "Well, teenagers haven't done anythng important."
     We Were There, Too!: Young People in U.S. History, written by Phillip Hoose, proves them wrong. The book starts of with the story of Columbus' cabin boy and finishes with the young activists of the nineties. Every single story is true. Some of these youth, like Frederick Douglas and John Quincy Adams, became famous as adults. Some, such as Jennie Curtis, a young strike leader, vanished into history. Still others died as teenagers, like Samuel Maverick, a seventeen-year-old killed in the Boston Massacre.
     One of the reasons I like this book is because it talks about minorities. Hispanic-Americans, Africans-Americans, Asian-Americans, women, and, of course, young people are all written of. It honestly changed the way I saw the world. After reading it, I felt proud to be a teenager and wanted to go out and make an impact. I learned of most of the people in my Teenagers Who Changed the World series from this book. I encourage everybody, regardless of age, to read it.
    Note: I am not being paid to praise this book. I did not receive a free copy from the author or publisher. I got it from the library and read it several times. This is an honest review.

Two Blogs

     Every time I go to the library, I get frusturated. There don't seem to be many good books for teenagers. So I started another blod called goodteenreads.blogspot.com. Mostly I review the best books I've read so other teenagers can find something they'll enjoy reading, but sometimes I'll just talk about books in general. Check it out if you're interested.

My Top Three Teen Reads

GONE
By Micheal Grant
     Sam is sitting in history class when his teacher suddenly disappears. Poof. Gone. And he's not alone. Everybody fifteen years or older has mysteriously vanished. As Sam and his friends try to figure out the disappearances, their strange new powers, and which pedal makes the car go, the "problem students" from the school down the street are preparing to wage war against the kids from Sam's school. And time is running out. Sam's fifteenth birthday is approaching and he's scheduled to disappear as well. GONE is an exciting, insightful young adult novel.
The Declaration
By Gemma Malley
     In Anna's world, a special drug  called Longlevity allows people to live forever. To prevent overpopulation, childbirth is outlawed and all resulting "Surpluses", including Anna, are trained to become good little slaves for the adults. Anna strongly believes she has no right to exist and hates her parents for bringing her into the world. But that all changes when she meets Peter. Peter is a new Surplus who is part of an underground movement against Longlevity. He says he knows Anna's parents and a way to escape their cruel Training Center if only she would agree to go. The Declaration is a brilliant page-turner with a twist ending.

The Hunger Games Trilogy
By Suzanne Collins
     Life in the postapocalypse country Panem is tough for seventeen-year-old Katniss Everdeen. Not only is she forced to poach food to support her little sister and widowed mother, but every year a boy and girl from each of the twelve districts are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a televised fight to the death put on by Panem's government to remind it's citizens that it's no use trying to rebel. When Katniss's sister's name is drawn, she doesn't hesitate to volunteer in her place. But things get complicated when the boy chosen is Peeta, who saved Katniss's life. A fast-paced thriller that's really not as gory as it sounds, I recomend The Hunger Games to everyone.
Warning: If you plan to read The Hunger Games but are currently in the middle of another book, finish that book first. The Hunger Games isn't the kind of book you can stop in the middle of.

Young Adult Fiction Disappoints

     Many people wonder why teenagers don't read as much as younger or older people. Are they lazy? Stupid? Busy? Or is it because there isn't much out there worth reading?
     When I was in second grade, I discovered that the kids section of the library had chapter books in addition to picture books. After that I barely went a day without a book in my hand. I read in the car, on the bus, during lunchtime, while walking, and even during recess. When I did something wrong, I was grounded from reading. Sometimes I would read six books at once, picking up a new novel when one got boring. But now, at the age of fourteen, I don't read as much as I did in third grade.
     There are two reasons why: quantity and quality. The youth section of my local library is puny. It lines a wall and a half of the kids' area. The quality is even worse. When I was younger, I could run into the library ten minutes to closing time and find seven books I liked before then. Now I can take a half hour to scan the shelves and only find three novels I might enjoy. Many of the books in the teenagers' section were originally written for adults but were shoved down to younger readers because they weren't good enough. Also, lots of books written for children were shoved up because they were too inappropriate. I'd actually like to read something good and wholesome once in a while.
     In a few years, today's youth are going to be running the world. If we are to do a good job, we need stimulating books today.