Identical by Ellen Hopkins

Under the surface, identical twins Kaeleigh and Raenne’s life in California’s sleepy wine country is a roiling nightmare. No amount of money, political power, or connections can help them. While their mother campaigns for a seat in Congress, the father is home to ignore Raenne but molest Kaeleigh regularly, which he has been doing for years. The house is a sumptuous hell inhabited by still-living ghosts, all of whom find extreme ways (alcohol and prescription drugs, to name just a couple) to block out the pain.    

The source of some of the trauma is a horrible accident, which happened years ago but still haunts them all. Kaeleigh deals with this and her father’s unsought attentions by being a “good girl” – working at a nursing home and fleeing from her incredibly patient teenage suitor’s embraces. Raenne is the proverbial “bad girl,” chasing street drugs and sex to numb the pain.

Although there are serious problems with this story’s plot, Hopkins’ writing is so hypnotic that it’s easy to withhold disbelief. Even though their situation is so brutally extreme, the girls’ voices – piercing and realistic in their fear of what is and hunger for something else– feel incredibly real.

All of Hopkins' books are extremely popular with struggling readers, especially  girls.

Bibliotherapeutic value: The book underscores the value of connecting with others and sharing secrets in order to heal. Though both girls are fully aware of what they’re doing and (usually) why, nothing can break them out of their cycle until they break their silence.

Hopkins, Ellen. Identical. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books - Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2008. 

ISBN: 978-1-4169-5005-9. $17.99.

Love Is the Higher Law by David Levithan

The story begins as Claire, at school, realizes that something is terribly wrong. She watches the reactions of the people on the street; she tries to calm the elementary school kids as things get more and more chaotic. The Twin Towers fall.

The tale of three teenagers in New York City at the time of 9/11, Love is the Higher Law is part historical novel -- with brutal, realistic details -- and part gay love story. Two of the characters, Peter and Jasper, had met at a party before the tragedy hit. They had made a date for that night.

Peter is as devastated in his way as Claire is, but Jasper literally and figuratively sleeps through the whole thing. Completely shut off from the rest of the world, Jasper has developed an armor of steel. Not even 9/11 can break through his narcissistic self-absorption.

Will Claire stop her nocturnal wanderings and come back to life? Will Jasper ever feel anything?

This is a deep, brutal, but ultimately hopeful meditation about three teens facing a national disaster and its aftermath.

Occasionally, the conversations are a little long-winded, but the emotional fumbling between Peter and Jasper feels very real; the details of people's reactions are heart-wrenching. A slim, powerful book.

Kris Vreeland, the children's book expert at Vroman's bookstore, brought this one up in a book talk in '09. Really wanted to see how Levithan framed this event to hook young readers.

Bibliotherapeutic value:  Because this story is set in New York City, Peter is a gay character who is generally accepted and angst-free about his sexuality. Jasper, however, is Korean, and his parents are far more traditional. The book shows how the outside world can pressure and discriminate against GLBTQ people in subtle and soul-crushing ways.


Levithan, David. Love Is the Higher Law. New York: Knopf/Borzoi, 2009. 




ISBN: 978-0-375-93468-1. $18.99.