The House of Tomorrow by Peter Bognanni

This is the story of the birth of a friendship and a teen punk rock band--The Rash. Friendless and isolated, Sebastian is an orphan who has been raised by his grandmother to save humanity in accordance with the philosophies of R. Buckminster Fuller. Jared is a profane, angry, cigarette-smoking punk rock fan recovering--sort of, from a heart transplant. They meet when Jared and his mother take a tour of the Pendergast's glass geodesic dome, during which Nana collapses and has to be rushed to the hospital.

Jared's mom wants Sebastian to visit her son, whose hostility alienates everyone around him. Sebastian is drawn to the Whitcombs because 1) his grandmother has become increasingly eccentric since her stroke, 2) he is alternately fascinated and repelled by Jared's personal insults and musical/cultural insights, and 3) Jared's sister Meredith is hot. Before meeting the Whitcombs, Sebastian had never tasted grilled cheese sandwiches or listened to anything but classical music. His first exposure to Jared's musical tastes, starting with the Misfits, goes as follows: "There was a brief moment of white noise; then it sounded as if someone were running a chain saw inside my head." Later, "What was that about maggots?" I asked. It was the only word I'd been able to parse."

The dialog between the teens is hugely entertaining. Sebastian speaks in the voice of someone who has only talked to his grandmother for years, so his expressions are at times archaic and stilted (she's in her eighties). Jared, on the other hand, is vulgar and witty--"Okay . . . I know I'm taking a giant * risk here. I'm going have to teach you everything [about being a bassist], and you're obviously going to do it all wrong. But I'm not looking for a Sid Vicious, you know. I just need somebody to do what I say. Not somebody with a real personality."

Despite their difference, Jared and Sebastian need each other. Together they scheme about ways to "borrow" a bass guitar from Jared's church and seek inspiration for their songs (the first one is "Stupid School"). Sebastian's crush on Meredith complicates things--Jared feels betrayed when he realizes what's happening. But the music, an upcoming gig and the challenges of their families and futures keep them going. Great read.

Tattoos on the Heart: the Power of Boundless Compassion

Gregory Boyle is a Jesuit priest who in 1985 became the pastor of Dolores Mission Church in the heart of Los Angeles gang territory. During the past 2+ decades, though his leadership and the commitment of his congregation, the church has become a center of acceptance, support, love and hope for gang members who want to change their lives. In Tattoos on the Heart, Father Boyle recounts stories of youths whom he has reached and who have in return taught him about love and the power to overcome almost overwhelming odds of childhoods spent in poverty, violence and rejection. Father Boyle writes with wit and sadness; it's hard to read this book without both laughing and crying. With a goal of helping former gang members find real jobs, Father Boyle established Homeboy Industries. Getting to know the young people that have passed through Homeboy Industries has provided moments of great joy for Boyle as well as unimaginable grief at the senseless murder of so many. Highly recommended.

Bitter End by Jennifer Brown

According to data posted on the website of the Washington State Attorney General, relationship violence is the number one cause of injury to women ages 15-44. Seventy percent of severe or fatal injuries occur when a woman seeks to end an abusive relationship. In a 2005 survey, one in five teenagers (ages 13-18) reported feeling threatened by violence when attempting to break up with an abusive partner. Thirteen percent of teenage girls reported being hit by their partner. (Survey: Love is Not Abuse) Various studies have shown that the frequency of domestic and relationship violence has increased during the recent economic downturn.

In the Bitter End, Alex tells her story of her life before Cole--losing her mother at an early age, being emotionally distant from her father, feeling like a loser at school. When sports star and overall great guy Cole Cozen transfers to Alex's high school, she becomes his English tutor to help him get caught up. Over time, their relationship deepens. Cole is romantic, thoughtful and cool, and he makes her feel special and understands her. Then the abuse starts--just a painful squeeze or a push at first, followed by remorse and loving attention. Then there is the increasing awareness that he is following her and making accusations about her relationship with her friends, Bethany and Zack. Part of Alex knows she's in trouble, but another part doesn't want to lose Cole when he is at his most affectionate.

Brown tells of Alex's struggles in a realistic and sympathetic way. Alex has friends, but cannot bring herself to tell what is happening, especially since she thinks it is her own fault. Fear, isolation, self-doubt are all part of an abuse victim's profile. (Only 33% of abused teens report on their abuse to a friend (ibid).) Alex's two friends try to help, but Alex snubs them. The tension mounts as Alex moves closer to making a choice and dealing with the consequences.

This is a moving and informative account of dealing with dating violence. Recommended.

The Kissing Game by Aidan Chambers

Entries in this collection range from brief, cleverly written exchanges of letters between student and administrator in "Expulsion" to a more expansive story of a teen tortured by paralyzing shyness in "The Kissing Game." Some of the teens confront mystifying events, such as the ancient tower that only Martin can see in "The Tower" and a naive young man's unexpected exposure to the sex trade in "Sanctuary." Chambers can sketch a character (or a lack of character) with a few lines of dialog in "Something to Tell You" and "up For It." Some of his stories show the humor in everyday exchanges and life's random events, while others leave the reader incredibly sad. Overall, this is a very satisfying read.

Compulsion by Heidi Ayare

This is one of those books that is almost impossible to put down, while at the same time almost impossible to keep reading. The story, told in the first person by teen soccer star Jake Martin, basically recounts the moment-by-moment struggle he undergoes to hold on to his self-control and appear "normal" to his friends. Jake suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder; in his case, he must constantly check clocks, his watch, and at times the number of words in a conversation, to make sure everything works out to prime numbers. If not, he freezes and fights nausea, pain and the sense of spiders attacking his brain. Whew.

Jake is also tied to daily routines which, if they're disrupted, threaten to make him totally nonfunctional. The tension that permeates this narrative comes from knowing that sooner or later (probably sooner) something is going to upset his routines. A series of events outside of his control threatens to turn the upcoming championship soccer match into a disaster. If only he can win that game and meet the expectations of his teammates and the whole school, Jake believes he will finally be free from his living nightmare.

Jake's family is dysfunctional--his mother rarely comes out of her room and is fragile both physically and mentally. His father is burdened with debt. Jake's younger sister, Kasey, is his closest friend, but even she is not aware of his illness. Although some of Jake's friends come across chiefly as stereotypes, author Ayarbe makes Jake a convincing and compelling character. Recommended.

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin

Park So-Nyo, the incredibly saintly (and elderly) matriarch of a Korean family of six, disappears after being separated from her husband at a Seoul subway station. The family struggles with disbelief, guilt and desperation as the search stretches from weeks into months. As told through the perspectives of the adult children (oldest son and daughter) and their parents, one realizes that the family never really knew Mother and never appreciated her sacrifices for them.

The author, herself from a rural background, writes vividly of the harshness of rural life and the stresses on families that are split between children who have moved to the cities and the parents who have stayed at home. There are generational as well as geographic differences. How selfish are Hyong-chol and Chi-hon? Did the demands of their careers and urban lives lead inevitably to the breakdown of communication with their parents? Is this typical of their generation?

Shin informs the reader of many aspects of Korean culture: the veneration of ancestors, the role and expectations of the eldest son, the removal of a daughter from her own to her husband's family, responsibilities of children to their parents and siblings to each other. She writes of the importance of education and the devastation when a child either fails in school or cannot go to school. So-Nyo sells her ring so that Chi-hon can stay in school and suffers shame from her own illiteracy. Her husband's younger brother dies tragically, his life seemingly doomed after he has to leave school to work on the farm.

Self-examination and regret permeate the story, but there are also moments of reconnection and affirmation in the family's struggle with its loss.

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel

In the 1970's, a new-born chimpanzee was forcibly torn from his mother's arms and given to a family in New York City as part of a scientific experiment on language capabilities in animals. The baby chimp was raised to think he was a human child. As told in journalist Elizabeth Hess' biography of the chimp, Nim Chimpsky: the Chimp Who Would be Human, the little chimp was loved, dressed as a toddler, and taught American Sign Language. Tragically but typically for animal studies at the time, once the funding for the experiment ended, Nim was unceremoniously removed from his home, stripped of his favorite toys, foods and human companions, and caged in a serious of research laboratories before finally arriving at a primate sanctuary.

The ethical issue of experimenting on a sensitive and intelligent animal in the name of progress forms a critical part of the Half Brother. In an interview, author Oppel credits original news stories of Herbert Terrance's research with inspiring him to write a fictionalized account of the LaFarge family and Nim. In Half Brother, the story centers on the relationship of Ben Tomlin, teenage son of a behavioral scientist, with his new baby "brother," Zan.

In the beginning of the project, Ben and his mom take seriously their responsibility to integrate Zan into the family--to share meals, play, and bond with him. At the same time, Ben becomes aware that his father thinks of Zan not as "a beloved little baby," but as a "specimen." Tension mounts as Ben's dad changes protocols to make Zan more productive--to learn more signs more quickly. Without better results, Dr. Tomlin can't find funding. Ben wants to stand up for Zan, but what can he do? What happens to Zan if the funding is cut off? What happens if Zan really hurts someone?

Woven into the personal nature of this particular experiment is the issue of animal rights and the humane treatment of animal subjects. Half Brother is fiction, but the science experiments in linguistics and behavioral psychology are based on real research. The relationship between Ben and his father is compelling. Ben wants to admire and respect his father, and wants his father's attention in return. Ben is initially proud to be a part of the study, but increasingly questions the impact of his father's research protocols and professional objectivity on the quality of care for Zan. Ultimately, Ben must decide where he stands and whether he can let his brother go.