Best of
Coming-Of-Age

1990

Absolutely Normal Chaos


Sharon Creech - 1990
    Boring! Then cousin Carl Ray comes to stay with her family, and what starts out as the dull dog days of summer quickly turns into the wildest roller coaster ride of all time. A wonderful story of contemporary teen life.

Trots and Bonnie


Shary Flenniken - 1990
    One of the greatest was Trots and Bonnie by Shary Flenniken, a comic strip that followed the adventures and mishaps of the guileless teenager Bonnie and her wisecracking dog, Trots.Bonnie stumbles through the mysteries of adulthood, as Flenniken—one of the few female contributors to National Lampoon—dissects the harsh realities of American life. Dating, sex, politics, and violence are all confronted with fearlessness and outrageous humor, rendered in Flenniken’s timeless, gorgeous artwork. After all these years, they have lost none of their power to shock and amuse.This collection, handpicked by Flenniken and with an introduction by the New Yorker cartoonist Emily Flake, is the first book of Trots and Bonnie ever published in America, a long-overdue introduction to some of the most stunning and provocative comics of the twentieth century.

A Home at the End of the World


Michael Cunningham - 1990
    In New York after college, Bobby moves in with Jonathan and his roommate, Clare, a veteran of the city's erotic wars. Bobby and Clare fall in love, scuttling the plans of Jonathan, who is gay, to father Clare's child. Then, when Clare and Bobby have a baby, the three move to a small house upstate to raise "their" child together and, with an odd friend, Alice, create a new kind of family. A Home at the End of the World masterfully depicts the charged, fragile relationships of urban life today.

Lens of the World


R.A. MacAvoy - 1990
    The first of a series chronicling the life of Nazhuret!

Hard City


Clark Howard - 1990
    In 1950s Chicago, twelve-year-old Richie, whose mother is a heroin addict, sets out to find his bootlegger, ex-con father -- a search that leads him into the boxing ring and uncovers the secret of his parents' past.

The Young Astronauts


Rick North - 1990
    

First Confession


Frank O'Connor - 1990
    Each book in the series has been designed with today's young reader in mind. As the words come to life, students will develop a lasting appreciation for great literature.The humor of Mark Twain...the suspense of Edgar Allan Poe...the danger of Jack London...the sensitivity of Katherine Mansfield. Creative Short Stories has it all and will prove to be a welcome addition to any library.

Thank You, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.!


Eleanora E. Tate - 1990
    Mary Eloise is disappointed that the part she gets in the school play is that of Black History narrator--but two storytellers visit her school and change how she views her heritage.

The Kids' Book of Chess and Chess Set


Harvey Kidder - 1990
    Everything a child needs to learn how to play chess, hone your skills, and become a grandmaster, including a custom-designed chess board and full set of 32 chess pieces! A 96-page book leads kids through the fundamentals of beginning, middle, and end game, and shows winning strategies for offense and defense. Full-color fantasy art captures the energy and excitement of chess's origins—the medieval battlefield. Over 1 million copies in print. For ages 8-12.