The First Part Last follows the story of Bobby, your typical teenaged boy in an urban city, and doesn't seem to have a care in the world. At least, until he learns on his sixteenth birthday that his girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant. This completely changes his world. Told in "then" and "now" sections, The First Part Last tells Bobby's story from learning that Nia is pregnant to what his life is like with a baby at 16. Suddenly, his life revolves around his daughter, and he finds that he no longer has time for the fun things that he used to do, like hanging out with friends and going to parties. The only way for Bobby and Nia to have a normal life is for them to put their baby up for adoption, but once the baby is born, Bobby is no longer sure that this is what he wants to do.

Overall, I think this book is generally a good look at teenage pregnancy, especially from the male perspective. Not many young adult books that are published about this topic take it on from the male point of view, the majority of them deal with what the girl is going through and how it will drastically change her life. I think a lot of people forget that having a baby also changes the life of the guy involved as well, especially if he wants to be involved in his baby's life. Overall, I thought the tone of the novel seemed very mellow, and didn't really seem to be building up to anything. However, I think this worked for the length of the novel, if it was any longer, it might have lost my attention. All in all, I definitely think this is a fairly truthful novel, and a good look into a life that many teenagers hear about, but they don't really know much about.

As for a classroom setting, I think this book would be good to keep n the shelf, but again, I don't really see how it would be taught in a classroom, though it could fit into a health class, when talking about the consequences of sex and the like. But it's also a good novel for teachers to keep on the shelf, for students that may be in the same situation that Bobby finds himself in.

Throughout the years, Regan has always been there to support her transgender brother, Liam, or Luna. But when she decides that she wants to make the transition to a female permanent, Regan isn't sure that she is able to handle the consequences. When her new chemistry lab partner takes an interest in her, Regan just wishes that her brother could be normal, that his conflict would just go away. But in order to do that, Liam/Luna needs to learn to free her true self, for only then can Regan truly be free.

In young adult literature, there aren't many novels about transgender youth, which makes this novel especially unique. Despite the fact that the number of LGBTQ novels in general has been rising, novels about transgender teens still have surprising low numbers. I think that was one of the main reasons that I liked this book. Even though the transgender teen wasn't the main character (if you're look for one of those, check out I am J by Cris Beam), Luna is a big step for the transgender community. Readers get a look into the lifestyle of a transgender person, and while it doesn't necessarily help them to see how transgender people think, it does show what their lives are like, the things they struggle with, and the kinds of things their family might go through. The main character, Regan, is also a relatable character because of how she goes through school, and interacts with her brother. Those who have siblings will be able to relate with how she feels about Liam/Luna sometimes, even though their own siblings may not be transgender. Overall, I think this is a beautifully written book that speaks volumes about the transgender lifestyle. I only hope that soon, more books like this, and maybe even books improving on this, can be published.

As for a classroom, this might be a tricky book just because it deals with transgenderism, and a lot of parents might not be comfortable with that topic. However, this is an important book to use in classrooms because of this fact. Not many people know a lot about transgender people, and Luna could definitely be used to show students that transgender people aren't all that different from them. This book could be used to promote acceptance, as with any LGBTQ book.

One night when Meggie was a young child, her father reads aloud from the book Inkheart, and brings the villain, Capricorn, to life, along with his minions and followers. Now, Meggie and her father, Mo, have to figure out how to harness the magic that brought Capricorn into their world in order to overcome him. They have to figure out how to change the story that changed their lives forever.

I remember reading other books by Cornelia Funke when I was in middle school and absolutely loving them. She writes in a style that creates really vivid pictures in the readers head, and has unique ideas that definitely appeal to young adults, as well as adults who love fantasy. I personally loved the idea of being able to read a book out loud and have the characters come to life. It's something that I would love to be able to do myself, and be able to have the chance to talk to the characters that I've loved all my life. Despite its length, Inkheart reads fairly quickly and is pretty fast paced. It's pretty easy to get sucked into the story, and you just want to read it until you find out what happens next. Funke definitely keeps you engaged the entire time, and sometimes that's hard to do with a novel that is over 500 pages. That being said, I think there were a lot of places where I thought the novel was going to stop, and something happened, and it kept going. While I was still interested in the story enough to keep going, I kind of wish it wasn't so up and down with the plot. Though this may be something that would appeal to younger readers, rather than older ones.

As far as a classroom goes, I think this one would be a good one to keep on the shelf, especially for kids that love fantasy. I don't really see how it could be taught in a classroom setting, but it's a book that students will definitely love, specifically students in middle school, because the main protagonist is 12 years old. However, students of all ages would definitely enjoy this book.

A Flight of Angels explores the diverse mythology that surrounds angels through a series of short stories, all connected through a group of mythological creatures (faeries and the like) who have stumbled upon a fallen angel. The group calls a tribunal to decide the angels fate, and they each have a different idea of what angels are supposed to be. And they each have a different idea about what they should do with the angel they have found. Should they kill him or let him live?

I think the main thing that I liked about this book was the images. I don't typically pick up graphic novels, but this one intrigued me both because of its artwork, and because of the reviews it has gotten online. The story line wasn't particularly interesting, but the authors did include a lot of interesting spins on original myths, like the Adam and Eve story about the fall of man. I also thought that the ending was a little abrupt, and didn't really seem to fit with the rest of the story, at least for me. However, looking passed the story line, the main reason people should pick up this book are for the gorgeous images. Rebecca Guay does a phenomenal job with the paintings and artwork for this book, and I think it would be worth a second read just to go through and look at the pictures.

As for a classroom setting, I don't really see anyway this particular book could be taught, because of the content and some of the images do include nudity. However, I think it would be a good book to keep around in a classroom library, at least at the upper high school lever. A student interested in faeries and angels, or a book series like The Mortal Instruments may be interested in something like this.