LAST NIGHT I SANG
TO THE MONSTER

by Benjamin Alire Saenz

 Zach spends his days at the rehab center running from the monster in his head.  He can't allow himself to think about the monster or to fight the monster because it would hurt too much.  Above all else, Zach is afraid of pain, and has become a drug addict and an alcoholic to help himself  ignore the pain of his life.  Zach doesn't remember why he's in the rehab center.  He doesn't know what happened to him before he came, and he doesn't know who's paying for his stay there. He just knows he needs to stay.  One of Zach's roommates is Rafael, a man old enough to be his father.  Rafael has been a depressed alcoholic for terrible reasons of his own for many years.  But now he's detemined to do the work necessary to heal his heart and life.  Along the way, he helps Zach by sharing his art and his journal and his quiet wisdom.  And Adam, one of Zach's therapists, has an amazing ability to ask just the right question at just the right time to push Zach along on his own journey of healing. 
       A beautiful piece of writing, in spite of the raw language, Last Night I Sang to the Monster is an intense story of love and redemption.  For me, the tears flowed!  On this year's Tayshas list.     ~reviewed by Mrs. Sams

            

Saint Iggy

by K.L. Going

Sixteen-year-old Iggy Corso is a projects kid who never caught a break in his whole life. Both parents are drug addicts who owe their souls to their dealer, Freddie, and hardly remember Iggy is alive.  In fact, Iggy's mom went "visiting" weeks ago and hasn't been seen since.  Iggy gets kicked out of school for doing something stupid, and it's basically his last chance.  Iggy never intends to do bad things, but he just seems to fall into situations no matter how hard he tries to stay out of trouble.  He has a hearing with the school superintendant in three days, and he decides he will figure out some way to contribute to society, so that he can convince the school authorities to let him back into school.  When he needs some help and comfort, he goes to his friend Mo's apartment, but Mo is not in a good place himself.  One thing leads to another and soon Iggy finds himself with Mo in Freddie, the drug dealer's apartment, the last place on earth Iggy wants to be.  Mo leaves the place with an assortment of drugs and a $2000 bill to Freddie that he has to pay within a few days.  No one knows better than Iggy that debts to Freddie never get paid, but he goes with Mo to his rich mother's place where Mo is sure he can get the money, and Iggy sees a life he never knew existed.  Mo's mom takes Iggy under her wing, but refuses to give Mo the money.  Iggy knows that Mo is in deep trouble, and he finally realizes what he has to do to contribute to society.  Iggy is a character that it's hard not to like, and who doesn't deserve all he gets.    Saint Iggy is an intense story of drug addiction and poverty, and how one boy chooses to deal with it.  ~reviewed by Dail Sams