Mutiny - by John Boyne - A good read, the story got me to investigate further about the subject. It starts out with the reminiscences of of John Jacob Turnstile - Later we become aware of what he has made of his life - which brings you to the beginning of the story - I liked the way the author used that device.
One of a band of young thieves, John Jacob Turnstile has just been caught picking a watch from a gentleman, Matthieu Zela, who refuses to press charges.
The police are intent on sending the boy to prison anyway for this and previous misdeeds. Matthieu Zela intervenes to have the boy sent to sea - The arrangement is agreed upon by the judge. John Jacob Turnstile, nicknamed "Turnip" by a number of the crew, soon finds himself on the journey of a lifetime.
The ship is the Bounty, and this is the infamous story of the mutiny. According to review sources, Mutiny is the first novel to explore all the events relating to the Bounty’s voyage. Bligh and Christian are given more historically accurate looks which diverge from their portrayals in the classic, Mutiny on the Bounty by Nordhoff and Hall.

Ten Things I Hate About Me is the latest from Does my head look big in this? author Randa Abdel-Fattah. Lebonese Aussi Jamilah lives two lives - A trying-to-fit-in sophomore with bleached blond hair and blue contacts and the daughter of a
taxi driver in a single parent Muslim household as well as a darabuka drummer in an Arab band. Known as "Jamie" to her classmates, Jamilah doesn't let anyone know about her home/cultural life. Jamilah doesn't want negative comments made about her because of her ethnicity. Peter, a boy that likes her, constantly derides others not realizing that Jamie is a member of one such ethnicity. Thanks in part to two friends, Timothy and Amy, She comes to grips with being honest with herself and others by the story's end. I liked the development of the two friendships and the honesty that ensued. What a ride though. Jamilah is a warm humorous sensitive person at the core, and to see her realize that made for a wonderfully good read.

Alligator Bayou by Donna Jo Napoli - Fourteen-year-old newly immigrated Calogero Scalise and his Sicilian uncles and cousin live in Tallulah, Louisiana in 1898, when racist laws ruled. The story is loosely based on the Tallulah lynchings of 1899. It's a good piece of historical fiction that explores racial conflicts and relationships in a realistic way. It took a bit to get into unlike the author's Hush, an Irish Princess' Tale which totally hooked me from the start. Incidents leading to the lynchings; Mistaken motives; Hunting the animals in the swamp; Calo's love for Patricia and her responses made for an eventful interesting read.