In an unforgettable new novel from award-winning authors Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.
      A bag of chips. That’s all sixteen-year-old Rashad is looking for at the corner bodega. What he finds instead is a fist-happy cop, Paul Galluzzo, who mistakes Rashad for a shoplifter, mistakes Rashad’s pleadings that he’s stolen nothing for belligerence, mistakes Rashad’s resistance to leave the bodega as resisting arrest, mistakes Rashad’s every flinch at every punch the cop throws as further resistance and refusal to STAY STILL as ordered. But how can you stay still when someone is pounding your face into the concrete pavement?
      But there were witnesses: Quinn Collins—a varsity basketball player and Rashad’s classmate who has been raised by Paul since his own father died in Afghanistan—and a video camera. Soon the beating is all over the news and Paul is getting threatened with accusations of prejudice and racial brutality. Quinn refuses to believe that the man who has basically been his savior could possibly be guilty. But then Rashad is absent. And absent again. And again. And the basketball team—half of whom are Rashad’s best friends—start to take sides. As does the school. And the town. Simmering tensions threaten to explode as Rashad and Quinn are forced to face decisions and consequences they had never considered before.
      Written in tandem by two award-winning authors, this tour de force shares the alternating perspectives of Rashad and Quinn as the complications from that single violent moment, the type taken from the headlines, unfold and reverberate to highlight an unwelcome truth.

My thoughts:


I’m not sure my words will be able to adequately express the importance of this book and the urgency I feel to get it into hands of my urban teens specifically, and all teens generally. 


This is a book to start conversations, in our classrooms and with each other. It’s a book to make you take a step back and look at bias in your own life. 


The power in this book lies in the stripped down simplicity-two boys, two views, one incident, which, through the honesty and realness of the characters who are dealing with complex issues of race, community, perceptions, stereotypes, and assumptions, is able to address a timely issue in a way teens will be able to relate to without feeling lectured at. 


Reynolds and Kiely have written a story that stays true to the teen voice and the inner struggle of trying to understand things that don’t make sense, and wanting to change but not knowing how, wanting to fight for what’s right in the face of outside pressures, and how that all impacts relationships with family and friends. 


It’s a gut-wrenching book because of how easy it was for me to picture my own students’ faces and voices in place of Rashad’s & Quinn’s, and in how it made me think about privilege while keeping the focus on these characters and the many real people who have been affected by racial incidents of police brutality. I especially appreciated that the two characters were the forefront, but had friends, teachers, and family who all affected their actions and decisions in a true to life way. 


It’s honest, real, powerful, and oh so important. 


It’s a book people need to read. 

“All-American Boys is amazing. I’m literally at a loss of words to explain how I feel. It was so powerful.” (Larry)

“I think this book is really good. But there’s more than just good. There is a deeper meaning to the book.” (Harrison) 

“This book is so powerful. It has let everyone know about racism that has been going around lately.” (Madelyn) 

“[The authors] produced a thoughtful way to write about what is going on these days.”(Malik) 

“I feel this book had a goal to have you look at society different and it did…” (Alex) 

“I liked this book a lot! It is definitely a part of my Top 10. I think it is a different way to talk about police brutality. I am scared for my black family.” (Aalisiyah) 

“All-American Boys was a really powerful story. Altogether the story was amazing.” (anon) 

“This book gives the best inside look on black and white societies and perspectives of teenagers.” (Kimi) 

“All-American Boys really affected me. Why are black people portrayed as the bad guy? I think this book shows that this is wrong. People appear to be more racist than they think. It’s sad that not many people notice this.” (Carlos) 

“I think most people can relate to this book.” (Rosita) 

“These are things that are happening today, police brutality. It’s not just in the book, it’s in real life this stuff happens in real life. And it’s not fair.” (Roman)

From acclaimed author Katie McGarry comes an explosive new tale of a good girl with a reckless streak, a street-smart guy with nothing to lose, and a romance forged in the fast lane
        The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that’s who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers…and she’s just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can’t get him out of her mind.

        Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they’ll go to save each other.

First Thought:
I seriously adore all of Katie McGarry’s books! Once I start, I can’t stop reading them.

There’s something so addictive about Katie McGarry’s writing style…I’m drawn into these stories immediately and lose sleep staying up too late reading them. McGarry has a way of writing wounded characters who are finding their first love in such a real way that you are rooting for them to work through their issues and find happiness. Her books are mature in the themes that they deal with, and her characters’ home lives are nowhere near perfect, and the way in which they struggle with their issues, feelings, and relationships feels very real. The books deal with serious issues without being preachy. They have romance. They have friendships. They have major family issues. They have excitement (especially this one with the drag racing that occurs). Most of all, they have heart. That heart comes through more clearly because of the way McGarry writes the multiple perspectives of her characters. Once again, true to her style, we get the male voice and female voice in alternating chapters. And there are some chapters that are so deftly connected in the place one ends and the next begins that it led to gasp-worthy moments. Getting that first person voice of each main character as they delve into the relationship, and seeing how damaged they are, allows the reader to connect even more.

One of the really fun parts of reading CRASH INTO YOU, the third book in the series, is that the main characters from the first two books (PUSHING THE LIMITS and DARE YOU TO) are brought in as major secondary characters as Isaiah gets his turn to tell his story. And Isaiah is not what you may have thought from the parts of him we saw from other characters’ perspectives in the first two books. I loved that Isaiah was different than expected, and getting to know more about him made my heart break for him. He is so much more than I thought, and that’s a wonderful surprise. Then we get to meet Rachel, a girl with a dysfunctional family on the inside who tries to make all appearances on the outside seem perfect. These two, from different sides of town, as opposite as they may seem at first, connect in a way that is what both of them need. But things are never easy in situations such as this.

I hope we keep getting more stories in this world with these characters. I’m excited Rachel’s brother West gets to tell his story next (which means he’ll be finding someone special) in TAKE ME ON, but I really hope we get more from Logan sometime soon, too! Whatever it is, whoever the characters are, I know I’ll read whatever Katie McGarry writes next!

Final Thoughts: If you’ve read and enjoyed the first two books, you’ll definitely want to read this one when it comes out! And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?! If you like a good romance with layered characters who need to find the right one to support them, check out Katie McGarry’s books.

Title: THE WAITING SKY
Author: Lara Zielin
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Release Date: August 2, 2012
Number of Pages: 224
Source of Book: My Awesome Sister Classroom teacher, Brian Wyzlic, bought the hardcover at her signing event in MI for me!

One summer chasing tornadoes could finally change Jane’s life for the better.

Seventeen-year-old Jane McAllister can’t quite admit her mother’s alcoholism is spiraling dangerously out of control until she drives drunk, nearly killing them and Jane’s best friend.

Jane has only one place to turn: her older brother Ethan, who left the problems at home years ago for college. A summer with him and his tornado-chasing buddies may just provide the time and space Jane needs to figure out her life and whether it still includes her mother. But she struggles with her anger at Ethan for leaving home and feels guilty–is she also abandoning her mom just when she needs Jane most? The carefree trip turned journey of self-discovery quickly becomes more than Jane bargained for, especially when the devilishly handsome Max steps into the picture.

Holy wow. THE WAITING SKY is incredibly absorbing. Lara Zielin’s writing voice is so engaging. It was definitely a stayed up too late reading because I didn’t want to stop and woke up the next morning thinking about it anxiously wanting to know what was going to happen kind of book. The suspense Lara Zielin built throughout this story was undeniable. The way in which the characters handle the alcoholism seems very real and honest. I imagine any teens or students who are dealing with these issues in their own lives would really relate to what Jane is going through. I imagine any friends of those teens would really relate to Cat and Ethan trying to help Jane see clearly what’s happening and how she’s ruining her own life trying to save her mother’s.

THE WAITING SKY is an honest portrayal of a real girl who needs help, and those who are trying to help her see the light are the voice of reason. The juxtaposition of the tornado stories with Jane’s own family dynamics strengthens this shorter novel. The human emotion of this story within the family dynamics, interspersed with the anticipation and aftermath of the tornado chasing, adds a level of suspense that make it a page-turning read. It’s life or death with the tornados, and it’s life or death for Jane and her mother. There are high stakes in both areas, and whether or not Jane will make it out okay, is up in the air. It sounds like a heavy story, and I wasn’t sure if I was in the mood to read it, but once I started I realized that although it deals with some heavy topics, because of the way Jane is written in such a real way, I just wanted to root for her and keep going – it never felt overbearing.

I really loved the characters in this story and their interactions with each other. They’re all messed up in their own ways, but also all look out for each other. The older brother, Ethan, is a favorite for sure. And Max provides a balance to Jane that is desperately needed. There are all sorts of little moments within the context of these bigger issues that add sweet elements to the story and lighten up the heaviness of the topic, but still keep it real. THE WAITING SKY has an alcoholic mother and it has tornadoes, but it’s about Jane and her journey to understanding and acceptance and fighting for herself. It’s a coming-of-age book in the best sense of the phrase. Overall, it’s an intriguing, honest story that has a voice that makes me want to be friends with the characters, and read more of Lara Zielin’s books.