Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

TJ Jones' birth name is "The Tao," so it's no real surprise that he has serious anger management problems. Criminally neglected by a drug-addicted mom for two years, he finally found a home with his foster mother and father. But he lives in a place where being mixed-race (African-American, Japanese, and white) might pit you against the town's brutal jocks--who have a stranglehold on the school, the teachers, and the town itself.

To make things worse for him, natural-born athlete TJ has always refused to take part in any of school sports teams until his favorite teacher begs him to start a swim team. TJ agrees, only because he hatches a fun yet diabolical plan to get back at the jocks and the entire school.

Fueled by his dark humor and barely bottled-up rage, TJ is a winning and completely believable character, even if some of the situations might test anyone's ability to suspend disbelief.

Overall, this is a fast-paced read that's fueled by anger and pathos.

Bibliotherapeutic value: Crutcher takes a real look at racism and child abuse and how the affects can be crippling. TJ and another child he helps in therapy either direct their anger outward or twist it in, turning it into self-disgust.

Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk. Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins, 2009.

ISBN: 0061771317. $8.99.

Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess

Meredith sits on the curb outside her condo, waiting for her father to get home. This isn’t just any reunion -- her father has been in jail for three years for sexually molesting her. To make matters more twisted and painful, Meredith’s mother can’t wait for him to get there so that they can rekindle their marriage, even though, aside from molesting her daughter, he also molested several young boys on his middle school baseball team.

 

Though the premise is almost ridiculously unbelievable, it’s a testament to the fierce beauty of Laura Wiess’ writing – her impeccable attention to the smallest detail -- that she pulls off this tale, making this nightmare scenario feel downright terrifying. 

Meredith’s story is one of ultimate betrayal. Her father is completely unrepentant and ready to take up where he left off with his daughter. The mother is both sinister and clueless, and horrifying in her own right. This is a powerful book about fear, evil, and redemption.

Bibliotherapeutic value: Even though Meredith has some attentive adults around her, she finds that only she can help herself. A poignant story about moving out of victimhood.

  

Wiess, Laura Battyanyi. Such a Pretty Girl.  New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2007.

ISBN: 14165-21836. $7.99.

The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

What are the rules? How to survive living with Mom.

A story set up in the form of a letter, older brother Matthew writes to tell his baby sister, Emmy, what to do and what not to do to remain under the radar of their mother, Nikki, a bipolar and, at times, psychotic narcissist who terrorizes her three kids. One day, Matt meets Murdoch, a tough yet kindly protector of children who seems like the perfect savior.

Desperate to help his two sisters and himself, Matt obsesses over Murdoch as his family’s only salvation. But what if Murdoch is no match for Nikki, a mom who makes Mommie Dearest look downright nurturing?

Told with straightforward, real-feeling drama by Werlin, this is a fantastic story about the lengths someone might go to save himself and those he loves.

Teens at my school had discovered Werlin’s Impossible, when – at a loss of what to recommend for a rabid reader – I pulled this one off of the shelf. She came back the next day, held the book out, and said, “Oh, my God. Ms. Scribner. This book” -- high praise from a jaded bookworm.

Bibliotherepeutic value: While the situation is terrifying, Matt’s well-thought-out survival tactics are encouraging. A story about staying strong, being smart, and asking for help.

Werlin, Nancy. The Rules of Survival. New York: Speak, 2008.

ISBN: 0142410713. $7.99.