Teen/Tween Tuesday

The Perfect Shot

by: Elaine Marie Alphin

Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 360 pages
Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (July 31, 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1575058626
ISBN-13: 978-1575058627
Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches

Product Description:

Brian Hammett's girlfriend has been murdered.

Amanda, her little brother, and her mother were shot in their garage while Brian was shooting hoops in his driveway. Now her father has been arrested for the murder. Could a father really murder his family? Or was the shooter someone else? Brian thinks he remembered seeing a stranger the day Amanda was shot, but he was in the zone straining to make the perfect shot. Anyway, his father told him it probably wasn't anything important and he shouldn't get involved.

Heartbroken over Amanda's death, Brian has tried to lose himself in playing basketball. His school may only play Class 4 ball because their Indiana school is too small to compete with the bigger schools, but his team is the best with him calling the shots and his best friend, Julius, as the star scorer. As the season nears the championship, however, Amanda's father's trial nears its verdict.

And Brian's friend Julius finds himself in trouble when he gets lost in the unfamiliar city driving home, and is arrested for the crime of "driving while black" in a white neighborhood. Badly treated by the police, he calls Brian for help - but Brian's father still doesn't want to get involved, so Brian turns to his history partner's older brother, who's a lawyer, to get Julius out of jail.

Were the police right to arrest Julius? Is the prosecutor right to try Amanda's father? Is the justice system working, or is it broken? When Brian decides to speak out about the stranger, he finds that no one wants to hear him. The only person listening is the real murderer - who is determined to silence Brian by whatever means necessary.

I lived in Indiana for 20 years, and my husband works as a forensic expert witness in firearms related cases, often murder conviction appeals. I saw first hand how the justice system operaties - and how often it falls short. It only works if people are willing to get involved, and speak out, and even then they must be willing to put themselves under scrutiny by law enforcement officers and the courts if they are speaking out on the side of the defendant. Standing up for what is right is risky and can be dangerous, but I believe that is the only way to get justice out of the judicial system in our country.

(Click here) to read an excerpt

I know this is an older title, but I have not heard of the book nor the author and they both sound fantastic, I think! So, hopefully, this will be something new for some readers!

******************************************************************

Running on Dreams

by: Herb Heiman

Reading level: Young Adult
Paperback: 293 pages
Publisher: Autism Asperger Publishing Company (January 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1931282285
ISBN-13: 978-1931282284
Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches

Product Description:

This is the story of Justin, a 15-year-old boy with autism who is starting his first semester in a mainstream school and Brad, the school track star, all-around cool guy, and Justin s assigned buddy. In Running on Dreams, these two middle-school boys are tossed together in a story of teenage angst, confusion, and friendship. For adolescents with autism and their neurotypical peers alike, the book is written from both Justin s and Brad s perspectives as they struggle to understand each other and themselves. Join Brad and Justin as they embark upon several teen benchmarks: the first date, rejection by peers, family pressure to succeed, fitting in with the right crowd, experiencing teenage sexuality, and dealing with the outsider kid who is perceived as not cool. This book captures many bittersweet and humorous events that bring new insight to a familiar world the world of heartbreak for two boys whose relationship starts out quite turbulent but evolves into a friendship of loyalty and trust.

(click here) to read an excerpt