High School Reads!

by Michael Barakiva Lexile:  820 Genre:  Realistic Fiction Alek Khederian is growing up Armenian in America and sometimes that causes a conflict for him. His parents are pretty strict about the Armenian ways which make it difficult for Alek and his brother Nik.  Alek knows they mean well, but his parents just don't understand what it is like to be a teenager in America.  His parents have just told him that he will be spending the summer repeating his coursework from his freshman year to see if he can get high enough grades to make the honor track. That means tennis camp and a family vacation have been cancelled.  Alek thinks his summer is ruined until he meets Ethan.  And suddenly, Alek's life takes a turn in a completely different direction.

by Susanna Kaysen Lexile:  760 Genre: Memoir Susanna is an 18 year old girl.  An 18 year old girl whose life has been interrupted.  She finds that she has agreed to be committed to McLean Hospital.  Her diagnosis is borderline personality disorder. And so begins her journey to get past this interruption in her life so that she can continue on.  While in treatment, she meets a variety of other patients and doctors and therapists who try to help her figure out what is going on in her mind.  There are set backs and there is progress, and then more setbacks. This is a story of one girl's road to recovery.