tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2219141735994959092024-03-14T02:13:51.248-07:00Teen MaterialsA library science student writing teen books, movies, video games, magazines, and more.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-26650291547519244982010-05-11T20:40:00.000-07:002011-03-22T19:36:33.293-07:00Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mackids.squarespace.com/storage/ala-mw-contenders/Charles%20and%20Emma.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://mackids.squarespace.com/storage/ala-mw-contenders/Charles%20and%20Emma.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith, by Deborah Heiligman. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2009. ISBN-10: 0805087214; ISBN-13: 978-0805087215. 272 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
This biography of Charles Darwin focuses more on his relationship with his wife, Emma, than on his famous travels on the <i>HMS Beagle</i>. Charles faced constant doubts about religion, an afterlife, and God's role in creating the earth--heretical notions in Victorian England. Emma Darwin, though she also had her doubts about some tenets of organized religion, was devoutly Christian, and determined that she would be with her beloved family in heaven. This story tells of the adjustments both had to make as they built a life together. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Many biographies have been written about Charles Darwin, but most accounts of his life focus on his scientific discoveries, not his family. Heligman's approach is fresh and fascinating. Despite their religions differences, Heiligman makes it clear that Charles and Emma Darwin were well-matched and lived a happy life. The New York Times review says that "In today’s climate of division between religion and science, it’s instructive to read about a marriage in which the two cultures improved each for exposure to the other. Heiligman’s most revealing insight comes near the end of the book, as Darwin, having developed his ideas in private for 20-some years, spends a feverish 13 months writing them up in “The Origin of Species.” Without Emma, he might well have written a combative, antireligious treatise — “The God Delusion” of his day. Instead, his experience with his wife’s tolerant, reasonable brand of faith led him to temper his tone"(<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/10/books/review/Barcott-t.html">link</a>). This book was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award and a 2010 Printz Honor Book, as well as a recipient of YALSA's first-ever Excellence in Nonfiction Award.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Charles Darwin was a man of science, whose ideas on the origin of species were considered heretical by many religious people. His wife Emma was a religious woman of faith who believed strongly in God's creation of the earth and a heaven after death. How did two people who were so different build a happy life together?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.us.macmillan.com/authors/258H/6446109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://media.us.macmillan.com/authors/258H/6446109.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Deborah Heiligman was born and raised in Allentown, PA. She majored in religious studies at Brown University--she considered becoming a rabbi for about a week, but then had no idea what she wanted to do after graduation. She <a href="http://www.deborahheiligman.com/about.html">says</a>, " I wanted to be a writer, but I didn't think real people were writers. I thought writers were like movie stars and that regular people like me couldn't be writers. At Brown all the people who said they were going to be writers wore all black, smoked lots of cigarettes (something I never did: my father was a lung doctor!), drank endless cups of coffee, and used such big words I couldn't understand what they were saying (I don't think they knew what they were saying either). My bet is that most of those people are lawyers or stockbrokers or maybe ski bums. Anyway, I bet they're happy. And so am I."<br />
<br />
After college, Heiligman worked for a short time at <i>MOMENT</i> magazine, then got a job at the Scholastic News Explorer, writing articles for kids in grades 1 through 6. She says it was the best job she could have ever had, but doesn't regret quitting in 1985 to take care of her newborn son. She's published numerous articles in magazines such as <i>Parents</i> and <i>Ladies' Home Journal</i>, and has published over 25 children's books (<a href="http://www.deborahheiligman.com/about.html">source</a>). She is married to the author Jonathan Weiner, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for his book <i>The Beak of the Finch</i> (about evolutionary biology, specifically in the finches Charles Darwin studied in the Galapogos Islands) and now teaches science writing at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism (<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/charlesandemma">source</a>).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Nonfiction.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Science: Darwin's theory of evolution<br />
History: Victorian England<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-What do you know about Charles Darwin? Discuss his scientific legacy.<br />
-Share Darwin's famed list debating the merits of marrying vs. not marrying.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 8-12 (Booklist)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None, content wise. Some may wish to ban it because it discusses the theory of evolution, which is still a point of contention among some religious fundamentalists.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it received good reviews and seemed interesting.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-74460035504109553842010-05-11T18:30:00.000-07:002010-05-11T18:30:08.329-07:00The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://promo.simonandschuster.com/cms/ckfinder/userfiles/images/3150/Monstrumologist/9781416984481.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://promo.simonandschuster.com/cms/ckfinder/userfiles/images/3150/Monstrumologist/9781416984481.png" width="132" /></a></div>The Monstrumologist, by Rick Yancey. New York: Simon and Schuster BFYR, 2009. ISBN-10: 1416984488; ISBN-13: 978-1416984481. 454 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
"mon-strum-ology. n. 1: the study of life forms generally malevolent to humans and not recognized by science as actual organisms, specifically those considered products of myth and folklore. 2: the act of hunting such creatures."<br />
<br />
During the late 1800s, Will Henry is the orphaned assistant of Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, a man who has devoted his life to the study of monsters. Will, like his father before him, has seen plenty of gruesome scenes as he assists with necropsies in Dr. Lathrop's basement laboratory, but nothing can prepare him for the horrors that are about to come. The Anthropophagi--headless monsters with sharp teeth in their bellies, who impregnate and then feed on humans, have been discovered in North America. As they begin to prey on a New England town, can Will and Dr. Warthrop discover a way to defeat these monters and keep their town safe? <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Rick Yancey spends a lot of time setting the scene and presenting the history of human interaction with the monsters, but the tension he spends time building develops into a nail-biter of a climax. Yancey attempts to imitate the Victorian language of classic horror such as <i>Frankenstein</i> and <i>Dracula</i>. On the whole, he succeeds, although his excessive use of alliteration sometimes seems forced. Yancey's exploration, not only of the horror of monsters, but of the downsides of unfettered human ego and vanity, starts slow, but ends up being a great read.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Will Henry is the orphaned assistant to a scientist who studies monsters. When a group of violent, bloodthirsty monsters is discovered in New England and begins stalking the residents of a small town,Will discovers the horrors that human vanity and pride can cause.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fantasyliterature.com/images/Rick_Yancey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.fantasyliterature.com/images/Rick_Yancey.jpg" /></a></div>Rick Yancey knew he wanted to be a writer since he was a child in Florida. He earned an English degree from Roosevelt University in Chicago, and then returned to Florida, where he taught and did some theatre work. He then began working as a revenue officer for the IRS, and eventually worked there for 10 years. However, he kept writing, and was able to leave the IRS after the publication of his memoir, <i>Confessions of a Tax Collector</i>, in 2004. He has published six novels in addition to his memoir, including the Alfred Kropp trilogy for young adults and the Teddy Ruzak mystery series for adults. He lives in Florida with his wife and three sons (<a href="http://www.rickyancey.com/youth/about.html">source</a>). His website is <a href="http://www.rickyancey.com/">www.rickyancey.com</a>.<br />
<br />
Yancey realized he wanted to be a writer in middle school. <a href="http://hipwritermama.blogspot.com/2007/11/wbbt-interview-with-rick-yancey.html">He says</a>, "a teacher assigned a five-page narrative paper and I turned in 25 pages! I wrote a note to him, apologizing for the length, and he wrote back, “Never apologize for something you should be proud of.". <a href="http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=1227">He says</a> his wife is the greatest influence of his writing career. "[She] knew how much the dream of being a professional writer meant to me and dreamed for me when I lost all hope. She rescued manuscripts from the trash, gave me pep talks and bought books to encourage me. She's my biggest fan and toughest critic."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Gothic horror<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
English: A modern companion to be read with classic horror novels such as <i>Dracula </i>or <i>Frankenstein</i> to help teens learn to analyze the gothic horror genre.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Read the passage where a monster explodes out of a cemetery grave to kill its first victim. It's gruesome and bloody, and will immediately set the scene and grab the interest of teens who like such things.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12. While the protagonist is a 12 year old boy, I would hesitate to recommend it to younger teens because of the graphic, gruesome violence the monsters inflict on humans during the course of the story.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Gory, graphic violence, similar to that of Stephen King.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it was a <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/printzaward/Printz.cfm">2010 Printz Honor Book</a>, and it was also recommended on the blog <a href="http://yzocaet.blogspot.com/2010/03/monstrumologist.html">A Chair, a Fireplace, and a Tea Cozy</a>.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-407972299651927202010-05-11T13:53:00.000-07:002010-05-11T13:53:01.937-07:00The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pbs.org/parents/booklights/calpurnia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.pbs.org/parents/booklights/calpurnia.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2009. ISBN-10: 0805088415; ISBN-13: 978-0805088410. 340 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
The summer of 1899 is a hot one in Texas. Calpurnia Tate is the only daughter of even children, and to keep cool she spends a lot of time at the river with her grandfather. An avid naturalist, he helps Calpurnia develop a love of nature and the sciences of biology and botany. But Calpurnia, as a girl at the turn of the century, is expected to spend her time learning to cook doing needlework, and learning the other feminine skills she will need before she comes out as a debutante. Can Calpurnia balance her duties as the family's only daughter with her ambition and scientific temperament?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Calpurnia Tate is a delightful character. Kelly does an excellent job at evoking a specific time period, from the excitement surrounding the first telephone and automobile in town to the time-consuming nature of household chores like laundry and cooking. I loved this book, although I was a little disappointed that Calpurnia's questions about how to balance her desires with others' expectations wasn't really answered. Part of the appeal of this story, I think, is that it tries to answer her questions in a realistic way--just because she wants to be a botanist doesn't mean it will really be possible for her in 1899 society, but she's going to try her best to make it happen. Calpurnia's strong voice and determined interests make this story fly by.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
The summer of 1899 is hot in Texas, and Calpurnia Tate spends her time learning about biology and botany from her naturalist grandfather. But as a girl, can Calpurnia balance her scientific curiosity with the expectations of womanly behavior?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://media.us.macmillan.com/authors/258H/8372820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://media.us.macmillan.com/authors/258H/8372820.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Jacqueline Kelly was born in New Zealand but raised in Canada. She moved to Texas to attend college in El Paso, then went to Galveston to complete medical school. (It's obvious that her time in Texas intimately influenced the setting and details of <i>Calpurnia Tate</i>). She practiced medicine for many years, but then decided it was time for a career change and attended law school at the University of Texas. After practicing law for a few years, she decided to spend her time writing fiction instead (<a href="http://www.jacquelinekelly.com/author.html">source</a>). <i>The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate</i> is her debut novel, and was a Newbery Honor book.<br />
<br />
When asked about her writing process, Kelly shared the following: "This book was inspired by a summer sojourn in my big old 120-year-old farmhouse in Fentress, Texas. With the thermometer almost boiling over, I began to wonder how people stood the heat a hundred years ago with no air conditioning, especially since they had to wear all those clothes. Callie and her entire family sprang to life at that moment. The book was also inspired by the sight of a big yellow grasshopper and a small green grasshopper sunning themselves on one of the window screens. They looked so different that I wondered if they were different species or not. I spent a lot of time trying to figure this out but never could. Alas, the grasshoppers have refused an interview....I wrote a lot of this novel longhand, sitting on an old cushion on the front steps in Fentress, like Callie making her morning list of creatures" (<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/AuthorExtras.aspx?AuthorKey=8372820&m_type=5">source</a>). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Historical fiction<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
History: Early 1900s American life<br />
Science: History of scientific theories, the ways science was practiced 100 years ago<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
Describe the setting--first telephone, first car, first time Calpurnia makes her own apple pie. The setting is so different from today that it will interest booktalking listeners.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Amazon says that this book will really appeal to 9-12 year olds, but I think that the language may be a little difficult for younger readers to get through. I feel strongly that this book could appeal to the older teen reader--while Calpurnia is a younger protagonist, her concerns can still resonate strongly with today's teen girls.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it appeared on the <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bbya2010.cfm">ALA's 2010 Best Books for Young Adults</a> list. It also sounded really interesting in reviews I've read in various places on the Web.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-33941205053620578642010-05-11T12:52:00.000-07:002010-05-12T09:12:03.010-07:00A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sd68.k12.il.us/schools/orchard/lmc/great%20and%20terrible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.sd68.k12.il.us/schools/orchard/lmc/great%20and%20terrible.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray. New York: Delacorte Press, 2003. ISBN-10: 0385730284; ISBN-13: 978-0385730280. 403 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Gemma Doyle has been sent to the Spence Academy in London after her mother's mysterious death near their home in India. Gemma has a hard time getting to know the other girls at Spence, but she isn't completely along--she's been followed from India by a mysterious young man who warns her to close her mind to the visions she has seen since her 16th birthday. As she becomes more aware of her powers, she becomes entangled with both the popular girls at school and a shadowy group called the Order. Does her destiny with the Order's magical world?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
It's clear that Bray conducted fairly extensive research about life in Victorian England. Girls during this era were groomed to become rich men's wives, and their opinions generally weren't valued by society at large. Bray's large female cast reflects different attitudes and perspectives on Victorian female roles, and even if this were solely a historical novel it would be a great read. The fantasy element only improves the book by providing an avenue to explore gender roles in even more detail as well as advancing the story. The setting, characters, and background behind the novel make it very enjoyable.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Gemma Doyle was sent to the Spence Academy after the tragic death of her mother. As she makes her new home in Victorian England, she starts having visions of another world.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<a href="http://sandwichteenbookbites.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/libba-bray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://sandwichteenbookbites.files.wordpress.com/2009/11/libba-bray.jpg" width="200" /></a>Libba Bray grew up in Texas, the daughter of a Presbyterian minister. When she was 18, she was in a bad car accident and had 13 surgeries in 6 years to rebuild her face (she has an artificial left eye because of it). She says her three worst habits are "<span style="color: black;">overeating, self-doubt, and the frequent use of the "f" word" and she hates donuts. When she doesn't write, she says she feels depressed and cranky and itchy, so she writes so everyone around her is happy that she's stopped complaining (<a href="http://www.libbabray.com/LBAutobiography.html">source</a>). Her most recent book was <i>Going Bovine</i>, which won the 2010 Printz Award. A complete biography can be found on her website at <a href="http://www.libbabray.com/LBAutobiography.html">http://www.libbabray.com/LBAutobiography.html</a>. </span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br />
</span><br />
<span style="color: black;">While <i>A Great and Terrible Beauty</i> is sometimes categorized as chick lit, Bray says she hates the term because it's demeaning. "</span>By and large, the writing of men is not categorized and compartmentalized in this way beyond specific publishing genres, i.e., mystery, horror, science fiction. I have the same problem when movies are referred to as chick flicks. It's dismissive; it says that the themes that often show up in women's novels and films and the perspective of women artists are somehow less than....Now, that said, can we please, please move away from this recent spate of navel-gazing, whining, shopping-obsessed superficial novels in which guys are just accessories like the right shoes, and the deepest feelings encountered are a sort of self-absorbed sulkiness on the part of the heroine? Puh-leeeze" (<a href="http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=965">source</a>). Her strong feminism and individualism is apparent in her work.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Gothic fantasy, historical fiction<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
History: gender roles in Victorian England. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
Evoke the setting by using the passage and description of the time Gemma first sees Spence. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Occult/magic issues.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Invite the challenger to read the book before making a value judgement. <br />
<br />
I included this book because it was named a <a href="http://www.lita.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/2004bestbooks.cfm">2004 Best Book for Young Adults</a> by YALSA. I also saw it at Target as I was browsing and it looked interesting.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-81989986849117354952010-05-11T11:29:00.000-07:002011-02-12T09:51:09.852-08:00The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, by Michael Chabon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://christinamieko.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/kavalier-and-clay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://christinamieko.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/kavalier-and-clay.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>The Amazing Adventures of<span style="background-color: white;"> </span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kavalier</span><span style="background-color: white;"> and Clay, by Michael </span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Chabon</span><span style="background-color: white;">. New York: Picador, 2000. ISBN-10: 0312282990; ISBN-13: 978-03122829</span>98. 656 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
<div style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Joe <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kavalier</span>, a Jewish art and practitioner of Houdini-<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">esque</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>escape, has just managed to escape Nazi-occupied Prague and moved to New York City. His cousin Sammy Clay, a Brooklyn-based comic book writer, chooses <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(255, 255, 255);">Kavalier</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span>as his partner in the development and production of this new novelty art form. Together, they create such characters as The Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth (inspired by Rosa Saks, a woman who will influence both men throughout their lives). As they navigate life during World War II, they attain amazing professional success, but have more difficulty with their personal lives.</div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
From the first pages of this ambitious noel, it's clear the reader is in the hands of a master. CNN.com describes it as a "grand novel about dreamers selling dreams, reminding us that part of the thrill of dreaming is not the dream itself, but the realization that we <i>can</i> dream" (<a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2000/books/reviews/09/22/review.chabon/index.html">link</a>). New York magazine's review admits, "I'm not sure what the exact definition of a 'great American novel' is, but I'm pretty sure that Michael <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;">Chabon's</span></span> sprawling, idiosyncratic, and wrenching new book is one." At turns melancholy, joyful, and nostalgic for the Golden Age of comics, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Chabon's</span> Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a gem.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Jo <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Kavalier</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>and Sammy Clay are comic book artists living in 1940s New York. As they help build comic books as an art form, they grow up and deal with emotions of love, jealousy, and hatred as they work together.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span id="goog_1156069309"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.michaelchabon.com/Michael_Chabon/Photos_files/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.michaelchabon.com/Michael_Chabon/Photos_files/1.jpg" width="149" /></a></div>Michael <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Chabon</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in the suburbs of Columbia, Maryland. He deeply loved comic books as a boy--his grandfather had been a typographer at a plant where comic books were printed, and would bring home bags of free comics for <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Chabon's</span> father. His dad thought it was normal that his son should also grow up reading comic books (<a href="http://www.sugarbombs.com/kavalier/?page_id=4">source</a>). While working on a masters' program at <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">UC</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>Irvine, his thesis was the manuscript for <i>Mysteries of Pittsburgh</i>. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Chabon</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>didn't know it, but his thesis advisor submitted it to several publishing houses, and it was accepted for an advance of $155,000 (a colossal sum for a first novel by an unknown author). <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Chabon</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>is married to the author <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Ayelet</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Waldman</span>, and they and their four children live in Berkeley, CA.<br />
<br />
In an interview with Powell's Books, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Chabon</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>said, of <i><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Kavalier</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>and Clay</i>, that "I definitely had a desire to try something bigger, but I've had that desire for a while. I'd tried once before to do this kind of a book. After I wrote The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, I worked on a novel called <i>Fountain City</i> for more than five years. Like this book, it had multiple points of view and took place over a fairly long period of time; it changed locales from one continent to another, all those kinds of things. And I failed. I had to abandon it....I wanted to do something more ambitious. Jonathan Yardley's review of <i>Wonder Boys</i> in <i>The Washington Post</i> was very kind and generous - he liked the book - but he closed the review with a paragraph where he sort of clapped his hand on my shoulder and said, "You've done well, but you haven't really tried much. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Now's</span> the time to set your sights higher." I took that to heart. It chimed with my own thoughts. I had bigger ambitions" (<a href="http://www.powells.com/authors/chabon.html">source</a>). The critical reception of this novel, and the Pulitzer Prize he won, prove that his larger ambitions were brilliantly realized. <br />
<span id="goog_1156069310"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Historical fiction.<br />
Adult crossover.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
History: 1940s New York City. Comic book history.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% rgb(243, 243, 243);">Booktalking</span><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"> </span>Ideas</span><br />
-Connect popular comics/superheroes (Batman, Spider-man, Superman) to this era of comic development. A lot of real artists are interspersed with fictional characters in the book.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 10+<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Sexual situations, including homosexuality. Some language.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it's one of my favorites, and though it's an adult novel, I feel that many teens will also enjoy it. With the recent popularity of comic books (and especially movie adaptations of favorite comic characters), I feel that it will interest readers who like such movies.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-76218287062015934892010-05-10T21:54:00.000-07:002010-05-10T21:54:27.723-07:00Christine, by Stephen King<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thewordslinger.com/media/images/Christine_hardback.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.thewordslinger.com/media/images/Christine_hardback.JPG" width="131" /></a></div>Christine, by Stephen King. New York: Signet, 1983. ISBN-10: 0451160444; ISBN-13: 978-0451160447. 528 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Arnie is a loser. Every high school has at least two--a girl and a boy--and he's the boy at Libertyville High. He's too scrawny to fit in with the jocks, doesn't fit in with the intellectuals because he has no specialty, even though he's smart, and out with the girls because of terrible acne. But Artie is great with one thing--cars. When he sees an old junker, a 1958 Plymouth Fury, on the side of the road with a For Sale sign hanging in the window, it's love at first sight. But the car, Christine, isn't just a car. She's possessed--and out for blood.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Stephen King is often called the Master of Horror, and this book is a stellar example showcasing King's skills at creating setting and developing his characters. King's earlier works--including <i>Carrie</i>, <i>Cujo</i>, <i>The Shining</i>, <i>'Salem's Lot</i>, and <i>Christine</i>, are especially effective examples of the horror genre done well. A creeping sense of horror builds as King slowly sets the scene, and the buildup pays off at the tense, transfixing climax of Christine's reign of terror.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Arnie is a loser whose only real talent is working with mechanical things--especially cars. When he first sees Christine, a 1958 Plymouth Fury in terrible condition, it's love at first sight. Yet, as Artie restores Christine to mint condition, it becomes clear that Christine is more that just a car--she's a killing machine, and she's out for blood.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://owlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/king1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://owlibrary.files.wordpress.com/2008/04/king1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Stephen King is renowned for his skill at writing horror. Born in Portland, Maine, he graduated from the University of Maine at Orono, where he met his wife, Tabitha (they married in 1971). Although Stephen was qualified to teach English at the high school level, he was unable to find work as a teacher after graduation, so he worked at an industrial laundry while his wife worked at Dunkin' Donuts. He still found time to write, despite an exhausting job, and eventually was employed by a high school in Hampden, Maine. He sold his first novel, <i>Carrie</i>, and the paperback rights sold for a very nice price that enabled him to begin working full-time. Since the publication of <i>Carrie</i>, he has published nearly 80 books, mainly novels and short-story collections (A complete list of all his publications can be found at his <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/library/bibliography/">personal website</a>.). He and his wife have three children, and they live in Maine. More biographical details can be found at <a href="http://www.stephenking.com/the_author.html">StephenKing.com</a>. <br />
<br />
King has been vocal in his support of building bridges between popular and literary fiction. In an interview at Powell's.com, he explains that "there's a whole range of people who are doing really, really good work, that we call popular fiction. First of all, it's an artificial distinction between literary fiction and popular fiction. I sometimes think that literary fiction is a term that writers and critics give to a certain kind of well-written fiction that doesn't sell very much. That's the criteria, and a certain prejudice kicks in against you if you do sell a lot of books. The way the prejudice works, it's never scathing, outright, but it goes something like this: If three million people are reading X, I don't really need to read X to know that that is a bad writer's work. Because all I do is divide three million by the average IQ and come out with a minus number, and that's the IQ of people reading that book. That's bullshit, is all, it's just bullshit" (<a href="http://www.powells.com/authors/stephenking.html">link</a>). As a writer of popular fiction, he tries never to dismiss his readers because of what they like to read, and wishes that the media establishment would do the same. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Horror<br />
Adult crossover <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
None<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Read intro to Arnie as a character, especially the ways he doesn't fit in with any of the groups at his high school.<br />
-Read the hallucination Dennis (Arnie's best friend) has when he first sits in Christine. He hallucinates that the car is in mint condition, with Christine telling him to take a drive, and it freaks him out.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues </span><br />
Language, graphic violence, disrespect for parents/elders<br />
<br />
I included this book because King's early novels, many about the horrors of high school (especially <i>Carrie</i> and <i>Christine</i>) are appealing to teens who are ready to move past the sterile, short horror novels meant for high school students (such as books by authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike). I love Stephen King and I thought <i>Christine</i> was a perfect choice to recommend as a good adult crossover, specifically because its descriptions of high school as a horrible place for those who don't fit in. It's an appealing notion.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-53895863799166004272010-05-10T14:11:00.000-07:002010-05-12T09:11:48.075-07:00Whip It (film)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/whipit2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/whipit2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Whip It. Written by Shauna Cross; directed by Drew Barrymore; starring Ellen Page, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis. 20th Century Fox, 2009. 111 minutes. Image credit: <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/08/photos-from-drew-barrymores-whip-it/">Slashfilm.com</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Bliss Cavender lives in the podunk town of Bodine, Texas, and thought she's busy waiting tables at a diner and competing in the beauty pageants her mother loves, she dreams of getting out. When she sees her first roller derby match, she falls in love with the sport and tries out for a team--and she makes it. As she excels at roller derby, she must find a way to negotiate between her parents' wishes for her and her passion for roller derby.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Ellen Page's soft-spoken, sweet Bliss Cavender makes a believable transformation into the tough, no-nonsense Babe Ruthless (her stage name). <i>Whip It</i> avoids a trap that many teen movies fall into--making the heroine's journey all about getting the guy. Instead, Bliss seeks acceptance by her parents of something she loves, something she's really talented at that gives her power over her life. By not giving up on her dream, bliss becomes a role model for girls to emulate as they follow their passions. Roger Ebert <a href="http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090930/REVIEWS/909309992">reviewed </a>it positively: ""Whip It" is an unreasonably entertaining movie....Yes, the movie has cliches. Yes, it all leads up to a big game. Yes, there is a character's validating appearance near the end. Yes, and so what? The movie is miles more intelligent than most of the cream-of-wheat marketed to teenage girls. Funnier, more exciting, even liberating." <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Viewer’s Annotation</span><br />
Bliss Cavender fell in love with roller derby the first time she saw it, and now she's on a roller derby team. But when her parents find out about her new passion, will she still be able to play?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
Shauna Cross, the screenwriter for <i>Whip It</i>, has said that she's inspired by "all the "girl writers" working these days: "It's completely badass," she says. "I root for the girls. I'm a total girl's girl."" (<a href="http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987712.html?categoryid=3173&cs=1">Variety</a>). Shauna plays roller derby, just like Bliss Cavender, and wrote a YA novel--<i>Derby Girl</i>, on which <i>Whip It</i> is based--to dramatize the experiences she had while competing. While the story isn't strictly autobiographical, Shauna does have experience with both beauty pageants and roller derby, and she has said that "the juxtaposition of the beauty pageant world and the roller derby world was really fascinating to me because they both represent two extreme ideas of femininity. One is about perfectly coifed physical perfection, but when you look closer, it’s actually kind of brutal, I think. While the other is anarchy and bruises, and yet, it’s the most female-empowering thing I’ve ever experienced. It’s like plastic sexy versus real sexy" (<a href="http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/whip-it-screenwriter-dishes-up-the-dirt.php">Film School Rejects</a>). <i>Whip It </i>is her first major screenplay. <br />
<div id="TixyyLink" style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><br />
</div><div id="TixyyLink" style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">Drew Barrymore is a major Hollywood actress, known for movies like <i>Ever After</i>, <i>The Wedding Singer</i>, and<i> </i>the <i>Charlie's Angels</i> franchise. Despite a difficult childhood marked by drug and alcohol abuse, she successfully made the transition from child star to adult actress. She has said that she was drawn to the script for <i>Whip It </i>because she related to Bliss's journey, especially compared to her own life growing up in Hollywood: "the pageant-world was a metaphor for Hollywood, for me. I...hate cookie-cutter boxes. I hate when you’re supposed to be a certain way, or a certain kind of person. But, I didn’t want to necessarily sh*t on the world of pageants because it’s a total way of life for some people. It does open some doors. I see every film parodying pageants, like they’re the worst things on the planet, and I didn’t want to do that. I just don’t think it’s right for Ellen’s character in the movie. There are so many great things about Hollywood. I love filmmaking. I love the creative process, but there’s a lot of crap in there, too. I don’t think I’m the perfection-type. I think I’m more of a derby girl! These metaphors really meant something to me" (<a href="http://www.moviesonline.ca/movienews_17398.html">moviesonline.ca</a>). </div><div id="TixyyLink" style="background-color: transparent; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"></div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Film<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Sports: roller derby<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
N/A<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
PG-13 rating. Of interest to any viewer capable of handling PG-13 content.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Disrespect for parents. A complete listing of sexual content, violence, and language can be found at the website <a href="http://www.kids-in-mind.com/w/whipit.htm">Kids In Mind</a>--encourage parents to check this website out before viewing a movie if they are sensitive to content issues.<br />
<br />
I included this film because I love the actress Ellen Page, and I was interested to see what she would do after her breakthrough role in <i>Juno</i>.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-91933793678439942892010-05-10T11:32:00.000-07:002010-05-10T11:32:53.650-07:00Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahdessen.com/files/JustListen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.sarahdessen.com/files/JustListen.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen. New York: Speak, 2006. ISBN-10: 0670061050; ISBN-13: 978-0670061051. 384 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Annabel Greene has everything--at least, that's what you'd think if you only knew her from her modeling shoots. But her life is far from perfect. Her older sister has an eating disorder, and her relationship with her best friend Sophie ended suddenly last summer. She's ostracized at school and isolated at home, so she retreats into silence as a coping mechanism. When she meets Owen, his brutal honesty helps her learn to listen to herself and gain the courage to be honest with others. But will she be able to share what really happened the night that she and Sophie stopped being friends?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Sarah Dessen is excellent at characterization, and this book is no exception. The characters' motivations and backstories are clear, and they're easy people to care about. Norah Piehl at <a href="http://www.teenreads.com/reviews/0670061050.asp">Teenreads.com</a> says that "Sarah Dessen's novels have become extraordinarily popular, not only for her strongly drawn characters but also for the trust she places in her readers. She has faith that they will be smart enough to pick up the sophisticated symbols and themes with which her stories are infused, and the results are novels whose wisdom far exceeds most other fiction for young adults....Annabel and her family literally live in a glass house; appearances are important to them, from Whitney's self-damaging desire for physical perfection to Annabel's mother's desire to help advance her daughters' modeling careers. With Owen's help, Annabel eventually recognizes that the truth, even when it's ugly, is infinitely more important than the image she presents to the world. Her journey to this difficult realization is not an easy one, but her clear voice and her introspection will make readers eager to take that journey with her." <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Annabel looks like the girl who has everything. But in reality, she finds it hard to deal with her sister's eating disorder and the sudden end of her friendship with Sophie. Will her new relationship with Owen help her learn to communicate?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.freewebs.com/rosielittlebookworld/Sarah%20Dessen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.freewebs.com/rosielittlebookworld/Sarah%20Dessen.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Sarah Dessen grew up in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and graduated with honors in Creative Writing from UNC-Chapel Hill. She still lives in North Carolina with her husband, daughter, and two dogs. She likes gardening and shopping, and owns 11 pairs of black pants (<a href="http://www.sarahdessen.com/bio-press">source</a>). She blogs at <a href="http://writergrl.livejournal.com/">http://writergrl.livejournal.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
When asked if she always wanted to be a writer, Dessen says "As far back as I can remember, I’ve been writing. I’ve always had this wild imagination, and I love to embellish stories to make them more interesting. When I was a kid I had all these intricate histories for all my stuffed animals and dollhouse families, which I would type out on this old manual typewriter my parents set up for me in the corner of our TV room. I kept writing all through middle school, and in high school I got diverted a bit, but I picked it up again in college. I really didn’t think I’d actually be a writer until I graduated and found that I just couldn’t stop and go get a real job. Every time I finished something, another idea would follow right behind. So I went into waitressing and just wrote like crazy. At times it seemed really stupid, since I was totally broke and there was no kind of guarantee that I’d ever see anything come of it. Luckily, it did. But even if I hadn’t sold a book by now I’d still be writing. It becomes a part of you, just something you do"(<a href="http://www.sarahdessen.com/faq">link</a>). Her discipline and imagination have made her very successful as a writer of contemporary YA fiction. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Chick lit<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Psychology: eating disorders, communication problems<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
Describe Annabel's loneliness now that she's friendless at school.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9+ (School Library Journal)<br />
Grades 8-11 (Booklist)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
I included this book because my 16-year-old sister loves Sarah Dessen, and I thought I'd take her recommendation and check Dessen out. I'm glad I did!Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-24503942069241652832010-05-10T11:23:00.000-07:002010-05-12T10:18:21.393-07:00Body Bags, by Christopher Golden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.christophergolden.com/body.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.christophergolden.com/body.jpg" width="121" /></a></div>Body Bags, by Christopher Golden. New York: Pocket Books, 1999. ISBN-10: 0671034928; ISBN-13: 978-0671034924. 272 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
As Jenna Blake begins her first year of college, she worries about her future. She'd like to be a doctor, but she can't stand the sight of blood. Her father points her toward a job with the local medical examiner. When a congressional aide suddenly goes insane and commits a murderous rampage, the autopsy shows that his brain was diseased--and filled with insect larvae. Jenna is thrown into a world of rare disease, congressional politics, and mystery as she helps solve the puzzle of what--and who--has been killing those around her.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Golden is excellent at conveying the excitement of the first year of college. While Jenna's time as a pathology assistant is fascinating, it's nice to see her work life balanced with classes and a social life. At times, Jenna's character seems too perfect--she never misses her classes, still spends a lot of time with her professor father, and has no roommate trouble--but her curiosity and kindness still make her an appealing character.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
During her first year of college, Jenna Blake gets a job as a pathology assistant to the local medical examiner. When two victims are killed by a disease spread by insects laying eggs in their brains, Jenna uses her smarts to help solve the case.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.christophergolden.com/cg22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://www.christophergolden.com/cg22.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Christopher Golden published his first book in 1992--a non-fiction pop culture book called <i>Cut! Horror Writers on Horror Film</i>, which won the Bram Stoker Award--and has been a full time writer ever since. At the time of his first book sale, he was 25 years old and writing for <i>Billboard</i> magazine in New York, but moved back to Massachusetts with his wife once he started working as a writer. In an <a href="http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2008/10/author-interview-christopher-golden-on.html">interview </a>with Cynthia Leitich Smith, he shared that he loves writing YA books because "kids and teens are so much smarter and wiser than they're often given credit for, and writing for that audience is a way for me to both communicate with younger people and to let them know that <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> don't feel that way, that they have my respect."<br />
<br />
Golden has written in a number of different genres, including mystery, horror, thrillers, and fantasy, and has also published non-fiction pop-culture books, video games, comic books, an online animated series, and a movie script. Along with his YA books, he's also known for writing novelizations of popular works, including <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and the novelization of Peter Jackson's <i>King Kong</i>. He writes more about his love of pop culture in an interview at <a href="http://www.wondrousreads.com/2009/04/author-interview-christopher-golden.html">Wondrous Reads</a>.<br />
<br />
Golden can be found on the web at <a href="http://www.christophergolden.com/">http://www.christophergolden.com/</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Mystery<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Career exploration: pathology/medicine<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Excitement of the first year of college<br />
-How Jenna feels after her first autopsy--grossed out, but also intrigued by the idea that she can help people by examining their bodies for evidence.<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Gore, minimal violence.<br />
<br />
I included this book because I enjoyed the first <i>Body of Evidence</i> book I read, and thought it would be interesting to read another.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-78734383432323335792010-05-10T10:43:00.000-07:002010-05-12T10:19:04.517-07:00American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2c/GeneYang-AmericanBornChinese-cover.jpg/200px-GeneYang-AmericanBornChinese-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/2/2c/GeneYang-AmericanBornChinese-cover.jpg/200px-GeneYang-AmericanBornChinese-cover.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang. New York: Square Fish, 2008 (reprint), 2006 (first date of publication). ISBN-10: 0312384483; ISBN-13: 978-0312384487. 240 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
The monkey king of Flower-Fruit Mountain wants nothing but to join the gods and gain immortality, but finds that he isn't accepted into heaven because he's a monkey. Jin Wang is a child of immigrants who wants to fit in in his regular American classroom, but is hindered by his relationship with Wei-Chen, fresh off the boat from Taiwan. And Danny's Chinese cousin embarrasses him in school. This aware-winning graphic novel deftly weaves together three interrelated stories about the challenges young Chinese-American teens face as they participate in popular American culture. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
I was impressed by how neatly the three seemingly-unrelated threads fit together by the end. Publishers' Weekly praised <i>American Born Chinese</i> as a "fable for every kid born into a body and a life they wished they could escape", while School Library Journal said that this book "explores the impact of the American Dream on those outside the dominant culture in a finely wrought story" (starred review). This book won the Printz Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award--the first graphic novel to win the Printz and be nominated for the National Book Award--and both honors were well-deserved.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
<i>American Born Chinese</i> explores what it means to be on the outside through three interrelated stories about life as a young Chinese American. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.meexia.com/bookie/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/book-club_Gene-Luen-Yang.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="http://www.meexia.com/bookie/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/book-club_Gene-Luen-Yang.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>NPR reports that "as one of the few Chinese Americans in his predominantly white school in Northern California, Yang wrestled not just with all the usual questions of childhood, but also with often subtle forms of racism....Memories of shame played a big part in shaping the book, Yang says. He recalls a boy who joined his elementary school from Taiwan. Yang's teachers wanted him to befriend the new kid, who gamely talked to Yang in Mandarin for a week. Yang struggled to respond. "I was really dealing with something inside about me being ashamed of the culture of my parents," he says. " (<a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18328964">link</a>). Another great interview can be found at <a href="http://www.kartikareview.com/issue1/1gene.html">http://www.kartikareview.com/issue1/1gene.html</a>. <br />
<br />
Yang started publishing comics in 1996 under the name Humble Comics. He has published several other graphic novels, including <i>Gordon Yamamoto and the King of the Geeks</i>, <i>The Eternal Smile</i>, <i>Prime Baby</i>, and <i>Animal Crackers</i>. He lives with his family in the San Francisco Bay area and teaches computer science at Bishop O'Dowd High School, a private Catholic school. He blogs at <a href="http://humblecomics.com/blog/index.php">http://humblecomics.com/blog/index.php</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Memoir<br />
Graphic novel<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
History/sociology: Immigrant life<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-read Jin's account of his parents' life and how they met (working hard as graduate students in San Francisco)<br />
-share Jin's introduction to a new school in 3rd grade (no one could pronounce his name). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9+. Younger teens may enjoy it as well, but may find the story format a little challenging.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
I included this book because I heard such good reviews, and I saw it as I was browsing the shelves at the library.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-31559093945028228922010-05-10T10:27:00.000-07:002010-05-15T00:09:38.537-07:00Geektastic, ed. Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/geektastic3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/geektastic3.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>Geektastic, edited by Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci. New York: Little, Brown, 2009. ISBN-10: 0316008095; ISBN-13: 978-0316008099. 416 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
In this collection, 15 of the most popular YA authors of today share stories of what it means to be a geek. Holly Black and Cecil Castellucci share their take on the differences (and similarities) of Star Wars and Star Trek fans at a convention. David Levithan tells of jealousy and competition between members of a quiz bowl team. Tracy Lynn shares the story of a cheerleader who wants to become proficient in geek-speak to grow closer to her boyfriend. Other authors in the collection include Garth Nix, M.T. Anderson, Scott Westerfeld, Libba Bray, and more (a complete list of authors, as well as short summaries of each story, can be found <a href="http://www.bookreviewsandmore.ca/2010/01/geektastic-stories-from-nerd-herd-ed.html">here</a>).<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
As a former band and drama geek, it was a joy to read these stories of other geeks and their obsessions. From Dungeons and Dragons and LARPing to drama and music to Comic-Con and online personalities, each author who contributed to this collection has something unique to add. Teens (and adults!) who have an obsession will enjoy discovering the many types of geeks out there and relishing the different ways that people enjoy their passions. While every story may not appeal to the reader, any geek is sure to find a story in the collection that resonates with them.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
What does it mean to be a geek? This collection of stories from top YA authors, including David Levithan, Scott Westerfeld, and Libba Bray, offers different perspectives on the answer to this question.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Editor Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/holly-black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/holly-black.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Holly Black is an American writer best known for writing the <i>Spiderwick Chronicles</i> and <i>Modern Fairie</i> series. Born in New Jersey in 1971, "Black grew up in a decrepit Victorian house piled with novels and oddments and that her mother, a painter and doll-maker, fed her books on ghosts and fairies that formed much of her later views on the world. Today, Holly lives in West Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband of 10 years, working as a full-time writer and an avid collector of rare folklore volumes, spooky dolls and outrageous hats" (<a href="http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/culture/story.html?id=5486cf2f-6676-4419-b842-f179f5a29e06&k=35229">Canada.com</a> article). She graduated with an English degree from The College of New Jersey, and worked as a production editor of medical journals while studying at Rutgers University. She says her favorite thing in her house is her secret library (<a href="http://www.blackholly.com/faq.html">link</a>). She can be found online at her website <a href="http://www.blackholly.com/">(http://www.blackholly.com</a>) and on Livejournal (<a href="http://blackholly.livejournal.com/">http://blackholly.livejournal.com/</a>). <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://castellucci.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/2914_72762038188_558343188_1660802_2922079_n3.jpg?w=199&h=300" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://castellucci.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/2914_72762038188_558343188_1660802_2922079_n3.jpg?w=199&h=300" width="133" /></a></div>Cecil Castellucci has written several novels for young adults, including <i>Boy Proof</i>, <i>The Queen of Cool</i>, and the graphic novel <i>The Plain Janes</i>. Her <a href="http://castellucci.wordpress.com/about/">website </a>states that "her books have been on the American Library Association’s (ALA’s) BBYA, Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, Great Graphic Novels for Teens lists, as well as the NYPL Books for the Teen Age and the Amelia Bloomer list." She has also written the libretto for a modern opera as well as other performance pieces. A complete list of works can be found at <a href="http://castellucci.wordpress.com/about/arts-stuff/">http://castellucci.wordpress.com/about/arts-stuff/</a>. She blogs at <a href="http://castellucci.wordpress.com/">http://castellucci.wordpress.com/</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Short Stories<br />
Memoir<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
English: Short story format<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Read the passage from the cheerleader story (by Tracey Lynn) as she first interacts with her geek mentors. It's a great introduction to the tone and subject of the rest of the stories in the collection.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9+ (School Library Journal)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Language and sexuality, neither of which is overwhelming.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it appeared on YALSA's Teens Top Ten <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/2010_tttnoms.pdf">nomination list</a> from 2010. I also heard of it when looking up more books by Bryan Lee O'Malley (of <i>Scott Pilgrim </i>fame)--he contributed to the illustrations.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-39352595673729121322010-05-04T11:13:00.000-07:002010-05-04T19:48:14.794-07:00Head Games, by Christopher Golden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/4400000/4404534.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/4400000/4404534.gif" width="125" /></a></div>Head Games, by Christopher Golden. New York: Simon Pulse, 2000. ISBN-10: 0671775820; ISBN-13: 978-0671775827. 256 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
In this novel from Golden's "Body of Evidence" series, Jenna Blake, assistant to the local pathologist, has returned home from her first semester of college for the Christmas break. She is horrified when three high school friends brutally murder their entire families. The police are leaning toward the idea that these teens were influenced to kill by violent video games, but as she investigates, Jenna begins to believe that someone is playing sinister head games with her classmates. Can Jenna solve this mystery before disaster strikes again?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Golden is good at both writing the clinical details of an autopsy and creating believable relationships between Jenna and her friends. While the danger to Jenna never feels quite real in this volume, it's still interesting to follow the conclusions she comes to as she draws closer to solving the mystery. Perfect for fans of TV shows like <i>CSI</i> and <i>Bones</i>, as well as any teen who enjoys reading a good mystery.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Three of Jenna Blake's high school friends have brutally murdered their families. Can Jena find out who drove them to murder before another victim dies?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.greenmanreview.com/images/characters/christopher_golden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="http://www.greenmanreview.com/images/characters/christopher_golden.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Christopher Golden published his first book in 1992--a non-fiction pop culture book called <i>Cut! Horror Writers on Horror Film</i>, which won the Bram Stoker Award--and has been a full time writer ever since. At the time of his first book sale, he was 25 years old and writing for <i>Billboard</i> magazine in New York, but moved back to Massachusetts with his wife once he started working as a writer. In an <a href="http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2008/10/author-interview-christopher-golden-on.html">interview </a>with Cynthia Leitich Smith, he shared that he loves writing YA books because "kids and teens are so much smarter and wiser than they're often given credit for, and writing for that audience is a way for me to both communicate with younger people and to let them know that <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> don't feel that way, that they have my respect."<br />
<br />
Golden has written in a number of different genres, including mystery, horror, thrillers, and fantasy, and has also published non-fiction pop-culture books, video games, comic books, an online animated series, and a movie script. Along with his YA books, he's also known for writing novelizations of popular works, including <i>Buffy the Vampire Slayer</i> and the novelization of Peter Jackson's <i>King Kong</i>. He writes more about his love of pop culture in an interview at <a href="http://www.wondrousreads.com/2009/04/author-interview-christopher-golden.html">Wondrous Reads</a>.<br />
<br />
Golden can be found on the web at <a href="http://www.christophergolden.com/">http://www.christophergolden.com/</a>. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Mystery<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Medical fields: pathology<br />
Psychology: subliminal messaging<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
Read the passage where the first boy opens his Christmas presents and then kills his entire family--a great hook into the idea of the book.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Graphic gore<br />
Detailed descriptions of autopsy procedures<br />
<br />
I included this book because both Pam Cole (<i>Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century</i>) and Diana Tixier-Herald (<i>Teen Genreflecting</i>) recommend this series as a good set of examples of the mystery genre.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-50846960397096643212010-05-03T19:52:00.000-07:002010-05-12T09:14:35.392-07:00Acceleration, by Graham McNamee.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.clt.astate.edu/sparks/book%20images/Volume%203/Issue%203/Acceleration.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.clt.astate.edu/sparks/book%20images/Volume%203/Issue%203/Acceleration.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>Acceleration, by Graham McNamee. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, 2003. ISBN-10: 0385731191; ISBN-13: 978-0385731195. 210 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Duncan is spending his summer working in the Dungeon--the Lost and Found of the Toronto Transit Authority. It's a boring job, and he hates being stuck in the dark basement during the sunny summer. Most of the things in the lost and found are pretty basic: wallets, glasses, sports equipment. But one day, he finds a strange diary filled with accounts of animal abuse and arson, and angry rants against women and the daily schedules of three women he's been stalking. Has he already killed one of them? As Duncan learns more from the diary, he becomes determined to find the serial killer before he claims another victim. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
An inherent danger in mystery novels with teen protagonists is the believability of a teen solving a crime without the help of an adult, especially in a world where police and other authority figures blow off teenagers as immature and incapable. If a teen, like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, is able to solve crimes on his or her own with a minimum of problems, the reader's credibility can be strained. McNamee manages to dodge this bullet, and creates a believable scenario where Duncan can solve the mystery of the serial killer's identity on his own, with his only help coming from his two best friends. Although it would be nice if the story and characters could be fleshed out more than they are, Duncan is a relatable hero who must face his insecurities and fears if he is to succeed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
As he works in the Toronto Transit Authority's lost and found, Duncan finds the lost diary of a serial killer. Can Duncan solve the mystery of the killer's identity before anyone else gets hurt? <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.teenreads.com/art/authorphotos/120w/mcnamee-graham.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.teenreads.com/art/authorphotos/120w/mcnamee-graham.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
McNamee describes himself as "<span id="about">Male. Caucasian. 5'10". Brown hair. Brown eyes. Do not approach. Extremely shy. Author of: <i>Hate You</i>, <i>Nothing Wrong with a Three-Legged Dog</i>, <i>Sparks</i>, and <i>Acceleration</i>. <i>Hate You</i> was an ALA Best Book for young Adults and an ALA Quick Pick, won the Austrian Children's Book Award, and was nominated for the Governor General's Award. <i>Sparks </i>won the PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship" (from book jacket).</span><span id="about"> McNamee doesn't have much of a web presence, and it's difficult to find information about him. However, he does share a name with a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graham_McNamee">pioneering broadcaster</a>. </span><br />
<br />
When asked if writing this book made him feel differently about the subway, McNamee answered, "my buds and I used to hang out in the subway when we were young and bored. We’d do dumb stuff, like run from one platform across the tracks to the other side. We didn’t know about the third rail back then, the one that carries the electrical current and will fry you to ashes if you touch it. And we’d dare each other to run down the tunnel to the next station. (Don’t try this at home, unless you want to get flattened into an idiot pancake.) Years later, when I was working downtown, I had to ride the subway during rush hour. Packed so tight you couldn’t move, me and the rest of the workforce drones would wait on the platform for the next train. A lot of times I’d be standing at the front, my toes inches from the edge, and I’d think how easy it would be for someone to just give me a little shove, nothing conspicuous, and push me over the edge. Staring across at the platform on the other side, I tried to figure if I could squeeze in that little space under the edge. And every time, as the train rushed in, I’d feel a tiny tug of vertigo, like I was starting to fall. But I never did feel that hand on my back, pushing me over. And I never found out if I’d fit under the edge" (<a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440238362&view=auqa">source</a>). McNamee manages to make this concern a very real prospect in <i>Acceleration</i>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Mystery<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Psychology: serial killers and sociopaths<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Read the passage where Duncan first finds the diary and realizes what it is (p. 32).<br />
-"What would you do if you had to solve a crime on your own without the help of the police?"<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 7-12 (taken from the Booktalking Colorado <a href="http://booktalkingcolorado.ppld.org/SCRIPTS/SEARCH.ASP">website</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
-The glorification of criminal activities as they're used to help solve the mystery<br />
-Descriptions of the serial killer's actions and his sick mind<br />
<br />
I included this book because YALSA includes it on their <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/yabookshelf.cfm">Ultimate Teen Bookshelf</a> as a great mystery novel, a genre which is definitely underrepresented on this blog.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-37106279568532968002010-05-03T14:22:00.000-07:002010-05-03T19:34:36.474-07:00The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/49650000/49655231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/49650000/49655231.JPG" width="131" /></a></div>The Demon's Lexicon, by Sarah Rees Brennan. New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009. ISBN-10: 1416963790; ISBN-13: 978-1416963790. 336 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Demons are real--and 16-year-old Nick Ryves and his brother Alan have spent their lives on the run from them and the magicians who summon them. The demons are hunting the Ryves family to retrieve a charm their mother stole, one that keeps her alive. When a brother and sister come to them, asking for help to remove a demon's mark dooming one of them to death, Nick is reluctant to put his life in danger to help. Bug when Alan is also marked by a demon, Nick must kill one of the magicians who've been hunting them if he wants to save his brother.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Nick, our protagonist, is disconcertingly emotionless at the beginning of the book, and speaking as a reader, it was off-putting. I could not understand why the author made the choice to have such a cold, distant narrator. But as the book progressed, and Nick's history and motivations became clear, the relationships between all the characters clicked into place. This book was a fascinating, engrossing look at what it means to be human and how the relationships we create on this earth are what really matters.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Nick and Alan have spent their lives fleeing from the demons and magicians who are tracking them. When Alan is marked by a demon, they must kill a magician to keep themselves safe.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com/sarah3a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com/sarah3a.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Sarah Rees Brennan grew up in Ireland, where her teachers did their best to make her fluent in the Irish language. Mostly, she chose to read books under her desk instead. Some of her favorites included Jane Austen, Anthony Trollope, Robin McKinley, and Diana Wynne Jones, and she still loves these authors today.<br />
<br />
After college, she lived in New York for a while, but returned to the British Isles to work on a Creative Writing MA and work in a library in Surrey, England. She wrote <i>The Demon's Lexicon</i> while in Surrey, and has since made Ireland her permanent home base. Her website can be seen at <a href="http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com/">http://www.sarahreesbrennan.com</a>, and she blogs at <a href="http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/">http://sarahtales.livejournal.com/</a>. She has also guest posted for the author Justine Larbalestier (found <a href="http://justinelarbalestier.com/blog/2010/02/05/guest-post-sarah-rees-brennan-on-movies-sex/">here</a>), and several interviews are also available online (such as <a href="http://www.freneticreader.com/2009/06/sarah-rees-brennan-interview.html">here</a> and <a href="http://sfscope.com/2007/10/interview-with-sarah-rees-bren.html">here</a>)<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Fantasy<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
English: mythology and folk tales<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Share the scene where Nick and Alan learn that Jamie and Mae (the brother-sister pair who come to them for help) need help because Jamie has a demon's mark. It's a good scene to introduce the sense of suspense that permeates the rest of the book.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9+<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Magic and the occult. Any occult magic is as innocuous as in Harry Potter, but some parents still will have a problem with it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Defense</span><br />
Ask if the challenger has ever read the book. By the end of the book, there's an uplifting message about family and friends.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it was nominated for a <a href="http://dadtalk.typepad.com/">Cybil Award</a> in 2010, and it looked interesting.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-69915693717041491352010-05-03T13:38:00.000-07:002010-05-03T13:38:25.618-07:00Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, by Carrie Jones.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/15770000/15770077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/15770000/15770077.JPG" width="129" /></a></div>Tips on Having a Gay (ex) Boyfriend, by Carrie Jones. Woodbury, MN: Flux, 2007. ISBN-10: 0738710504; ISBN-13: 978-0738710501. 288 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Belle and Dylan have been dating for years, and their entire small town things they're destined to be together. So when Dylan tells Belle he's gay, she is shocked. Was their entire relationship a lie? Is it fair to be mad at your boyfriend for being true to himself? Belle journals her journey to acceptance and understanding. She finds that even though her heart really hurts, things will eventually be okay and she will find love again.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Jones is excellent at capturing the emotions a girl feels when her boyfriend comes out to her as gay--wondering if she'll always be the girl that guys date before they come out and wondering how long she's been lied to--but also reminds the reader that life moves on. Belle's voice is compelling and realistic. I did have one quibble with the book--it's set out as the journal of a seven day period after Dylan and Belle break up. I found the timeline to be a little compressed and unbelievable--would Belle really have a new boyfriend that quickly after a breakup with her boyfriend of two years? However, if you ignore the timeline and pretend it's happening more organically as far as time is concerned, it seems very realistic. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Belle and Dylan were always the perfect couple, and Belle thought they were always going to be together. When Dylan tells Belle he's gay, her world is rocket by the revelation.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.bangorbookfest.org/2008%20author%20images/cjones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.bangorbookfest.org/2008%20author%20images/cjones.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>Carrie Jones grew up in Bedford, New Hampshire, where she once had a seance with the comedian Sarah Silverman. She graduated from Vermont College's MFA program for writing, and has won literary awards in Maine, where she currently lives. After college, she edited newspapers and poetry journals before she published her first book (this one) in 2007. <br />
<br />
Carrie's website contains some very funny true confessions about her life. One example: "Carrie lives in Maine. She has a hard time with this in the winter. It is bleak in Maine in the winter. Imagine everything shades of gray and brown and no green anywhere except for in people’s noses. This is Maine in Winter. Maine in summer is the best place in the world, so it’s a trade-off. Feel free to invite Carrie to your house in the winter, but not if it’s in Greenland, Canada, or anywhere north of Florida." For FAQs, links to other writers, and information about her books, visit her website at <a href="http://www.carriejonesbooks.com/">http://www.carriejonesbooks.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Realistic fiction<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Sociology of homosexuality<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Read the passage where Dylan confesses that he's gay<br />
-Read the passage where Belle wonders if she's marked/destined by this to always be a "beard"<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9+<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
-Derogatory language toward gays by other high school students<br />
-Open homosexuality and sex among high school students<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Defense</span><br />
This issue is something I have personal experience with, and if I'd had this book to read a few years ago, I would have found it really helpful. I would share my own experiences.<br />
<br />
I included this book because I was browsing the teen area at my public library and the title practically jumped out at me as something I'd like to read.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-62596325038136783592010-04-07T11:16:00.000-07:002010-05-14T23:51:37.820-07:00Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, by Bryan Lee O'Malley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/10/pilgrim_poster200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/06/10/pilgrim_poster200.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life, by Bryan Lee O'Malley. Portland, Oregon: Oni Press, 2004. ISBN-10: 1932664084. ISBN-13: 978-1932664089. 168 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
The first of six volumes, <i>Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Life</i> introduces Scott Pilgrim, a 23-year-old slacker living in Toronto, Canada. He plays bass in a band called Sex Bob-Omb and is in love with Ramona Flowers. But before she will be his girlfriend, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends. He is challenged by the first boyfriend while playing a gig with his band, and must fight a video game-style duel to defeat him.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
I lack the skills to critically evaluate comic books and graphic novels, because I haven't read many of them, but I can say that really liked this one. Bryan Lee O'Malley excels at conveying his characters' complex emotions through fairly unsophisticated line drawings influenced by the Japanese manga movement. Influenced by indie rock, classic video games, and Toronto culture--all things I enjoy--I found nothing to complain about and everything to love in this slim volume.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Scott Pilgrim has a crush on Ramona Flowers, but before she will date him, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/wY8zsU0amrRc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/mp/wY8zsU0amrRc.jpg" /></a></div>Bryan Lee O'Malley is a Canadian cartoonist best known for his <i>Scott Pilgrim</i> series. He is an occasional songwriter and musician, under the alias Kupek. He lives with his wife, cartoonist <a href="http://hopelarson.com/">Hope Larson</a>. His website is <a href="http://www.radiomaru.com/">http://www.radiomaru.com</a>, and he blogs at <a href="http://destroyerzooey.livejournal.com/">http://destroyerzooey.livejournal.com/</a>. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://torontoist.com/2006/06/tall_poppy_inte_33.php">O'Malley says</a> <i>Scott Pilgrim</i>'s setting was definitely influenced by his time living in Toronto. 'Yeah, it’s based on the first two or three years that I lived here, consolidated into the Scott Pilgrim storyline. I had a gay roommate, I was dating an American girl, and I was in a band. I wasn’t in the band until a year later but I just compressed it. <a href="http://www.avclub.com/articles/bryan-lee-omalley,14171/">His love of music</a> also permeates the first volume, as well as the other four that have been published to date: "I feel like a lot of kids who maybe get the Nintendo references don't necessarily get all the music stuff. I guess I just wanted to put the rounded sides of my interest in there. When I was starting the book, I was listening to a lot of '70s music and country-rock, that Neil Young and Gram Parsons school of music. Now that influence is on the pace of the book, the laid-back feeling of it. Canadian indie-rock was behind the whole thing; the name comes from a Canadian indie-rock song from the '90s. But a lot of that stuff was influenced by '70s rock. I'd been listening to all that, tracing it back. It all goes into <i>Scott Pilgrim</i>. It's kind of my whole synthesis of everything I care about."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Graphic novel/Comic Book<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
None. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
Watch this trailer.<br />
<br />
<object height="340" width="520"><param name="movie" value="http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/20106"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.traileraddict.com/emd/20106" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" wmode="transparent" allowfullscreen="true" width="520" height="340"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<br />
If you loved the trailer, you'll probably love the graphic novels. If you hated it, you'll probably hate them.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
High school and adult. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
I read this book after I saw the movie trailer. It looks awesome, and the books are also really great.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-88565044103849303252010-04-07T10:51:00.000-07:002010-05-14T23:40:25.413-07:00Summer Boys, by Hailey Abbott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n43/n216002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n43/n216002.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>Summer Boys, by Hailey Abbott. New York: Scholastic, 2004. ISBN-10: 0439540208. ISBN-13: 978-0439540209. 224 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
The Tuttle family spends every summer at Pebble Beach. Ella is looking for her next romantic conquest, and finds him--but he's her sister's boyfriend. Jamie is excited to see Ethan--they hooked up last year, and write each other all year. But he doesn't seem excited to see her....Beth is falling for her best friend George, but worries about how this will affect their friendship. All three cousins learn a lot about themselves as they navigate their summer romances.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
This novel consists of three storylines that are connected only tangentially, through the fact that the three main protagonists are all cousins. While it could be argued that the novel's structure is a commentary on the sense of isolation we all may feel or have felt in relationships--the feeling that our situations are unique and no one else has ever felt the way we do--in this instance, it feels more like laziness on the part of the author, a sense that she didn't bother to properly flesh out all her characters. While I really enjoyed the Beth and George plotline, I felt that the other two were just caricatures of a teen vixen and a recent dumpee. I can see how this would appeal to teens, especially those looking for a fluffy beach read, but it left me cold.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Jamie, Ella, and Beth are cousins who visit Pebble Beach each summer. Can each of them deal with the happiness, jealousy, and sadness that come from their summer romances?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
Hailey Abbott grew up in Southern California, where she spent her time either writing or playing on the beach. She now lives in New York City.<br />
<br />
Some of Abbott's published books include<i> Getting Lost with Boys</i>, <i>The Secrets of Boys</i>, <i>The Perfect Boy</i>, <i>Waking Up to Boys</i>, <i>The Forbidden Boy</i>, and <i>The Other Boy</i> well as the Summer Boys books and <i>The Bridesmaid </i>(list from <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/authors/29610/Hailey_Abbott/index.aspx">Harper Collins Publishers</a>). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Chick lit.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Jamie's sense of confusion when Ethan blows her off.<br />
-Ella's physical attraction to Peter.<br />
-The scene when Beth first realizes she loves George.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
High school.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Some teen sexual situations, underage drinking. Mostly innocuous.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Be familiar with your teens before recommending this one. Suitable for struggling readers looking for a fun read.<b><br />
</b>Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-39817113744993761522010-04-07T10:35:00.000-07:002010-05-15T18:11:09.719-07:00Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://bookwormburrow.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/fever-1793.jpg?w=166&h=247" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://bookwormburrow.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/fever-1793.jpg?w=166&h=247" width="134" /></a></div>Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2002 (first published 2000). ISBN-10: 0689848919 ISBN-13: 978-0689848919. 272 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Mattie Cook lives above her family's coffee shop with her mother and grandfather. During the summer of 1793, yellow fever breaks out in Philadelphia. Instead of spending her days avoiding chores, thinking of her friend Nathaniel Benson, and planning ways to make the coffee shop the best in Philadelphia, Mattie must learn how to survive in a city where disease is everywhere.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
School Library Journal's starred review of <i>Fever 1793</i> declares that "readers will be drawn in by the characters and will emerge with a sharp and graphic picture of another world." Indeed, the story of Mattie's survival and maturation during one of the worst epidemics in American history is fascinating. Anderson succeeds in tying realistic descriptions of life in Colonial time with an interesting, well-written story. This book was selected as a Best Book for Young Adults by the ALA.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Mattie Cook lives above her mother's coffee house and dreams of her adult future. But when a yellow fever epidemic sweeps through Philadelphia, Mattie must grow up quickly as those close to her are affected. <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/2540/20090601141132/www.schoollibraryjournal.com/articles/images/SLJ/20090601/slj0906_Feat_Halse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://a330.g.akamai.net/7/330/2540/20090601141132/www.schoollibraryjournal.com/articles/images/SLJ/20090601/slj0906_Feat_Halse.jpg" width="135" /></a></div><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Laurie Halse Anderson came up with the idea for <i>Fever 1793</i> after she read an article in her local newspaper commemorating the Philadelphia epidemic 200 years ago. Anderson also wrote the novel <i>Speak</i>, which was a highly acclaimed finalist for the National Book Award and a Printz Honor book. Laurie lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two daughters. She can be found online at her website, <a href="http://www.writerlady.com/">www.writerlady.com</a>.<br />
<br />
Anderson <a href="http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/anderson/transcript#revulsions">has said</a>, "<i>Fever 1793</i> for me started in a newspaper article that was written in 1993. Get it? Two hundred years, right? The Philadelphia Inquirer because I was living outside Philly. A museum exhibit had been put together that examined this epidemic that nearly wiped out the city when the city was the capital of the United States. And I'm a big history geek. And I had never heard about this epidemic. So I was reading the article and I was struck, (a) by that fact, that it was a little known, really important thing in American history. And it was disgusting. Yellow Fever's not a nice disease. It's very gory and you'd puke up blood and it was like people dying all over in the streets. And I realized that between the disgusting factor and the history thing, I had the perfect book for children."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Historical fiction<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
History: Post-Revolutionary America; epidemics<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Maddie's crush on Nathaniel--how crushes are much the same today<br />
-The description of Maddie's sickness striking her.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 7-12.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
I chose this book because it is a common entry on lists of good historical fiction for young adults. Historical fiction seems to have fallen out of vogue for teens, so I wanted something written recently and this was a good pick.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-28663658379493189562010-04-01T23:54:00.000-07:002010-05-15T18:15:00.953-07:00Evermore, by Alyson Noel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://jenniferbanash.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/evermore1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://jenniferbanash.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/evermore1.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>Evermore, by Alyson Noel. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009. ISBN-10: 031253275X; ISBN-13: 978-0312532758. 320 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
After the car crash that killed her entire family and nearly killed her, Ever Bloom is able to read people's thoughts, see their auras, and know their whole life story just by touching them. She works hard to avoid other people and suppress her abilities, but when she meets Damen, everything changes. He has no aura, and his mind is a blank to her. As Ever grows closer to Damen, she finds she has more questions than answers about Damen's strange abilities. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Evermore seems highly derivative of the Twilight phenomenon. Damen, like the vampire Edward, affects Ever strongly, and his touch is like no one else's. Damen has lightning-fast reflexes and has to deal with an unnaturally prolonged life, and it seems unclear why Ever affects him so strongly. But Noel's book succeeds in developing strong relationships between Ever and the people in her life, and it's refreshing to read a paranormal romance where the love interest isn't the sole focus of the protagonist's life (although it is still what the book spends the majority of its time on, sadly). While it will never be mistaken for an intellectual novel, <i>Evermore </i>will appeal to readers who loved Twilight and can't get enough of paranormal romance. Additional reader reviews can be found at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3975774.Evermore">goodreads.com.</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Ever is a mind-reader who lost her family in a terrible accident. Although she isolates herself to suppress her powers, she can't hide herself enough to keep from falling in love with Damen. But Damen isn't a normal boy...he's an Immortal.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.yabookscentral.com/cfusion/_images/authors/alysonnoel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.yabookscentral.com/cfusion/_images/authors/alysonnoel.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>Alyson Noel was born and raised in Orange County, CA. After high school she wanted to get away from suburbia, so she moved to Mykonos, Greece, where she lived for several years. She wrote her debut novel while she was a flight attendant, during long layovers and weather delays that kept her from home. She and her husband live in Newport Beach, CA. More information about Alyson and her books can be found at <a href="http://www.alysonnoel.com/">http://www.alysonnoel.com/</a>. <br />
<br />
What gave Noel the idea for her <i>Immortals</i> series? <a href="http://yaedgebookclub.blogspot.com/2009/03/interview-with-alyson-noel-author-of.html">She says</a>, "Grief. Pure and simple. I’d lost three people I loved in five months, and shortly after that I nearly lost my husband to leukemia (he’s in full remission now!). Experiencing that sort of intense grief and fear got me thinking a lot about life and death, mortality and immortality, the bonds that tie us even after a loved one is gone, and how our youth loving culture sort of seeks physical immortality by trying to remain youthful looking for as long as we can—and yet, what would happen if we really could achieve it? What would it mean for us, our loved ones, society in general? And since I’ve been interested in all things paranormal since I was a kid, Ever and Damen’s story seemed like the perfect vehicle to explore all of those themes."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Fantasy; paranormal romance<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Compare it to Twilight<br />
-Ever's sadness at losing her family<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
High school.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Minimal. While Damen would like to have sex with Ever, she stops his advances before they go too far, and there are no other language or violence issues. <br />
<br />
I included this book because it was included on YALSA's list of <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/teenreading/teenstopten/ttt09.pdf">2009 Teens' Top Ten Nominations</a>. I wouldn't have picked it up otherwise. I can see why teens like it, but it definitely wasn't my cup of tea.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-82162206269408240092010-04-01T23:27:00.000-07:002010-05-14T23:55:29.432-07:00Napoleon Dynamite (film)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mymoviebanners.com/pics/napoleon/napoleon-dynamite-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://mymoviebanners.com/pics/napoleon/napoleon-dynamite-2.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>Napoleon Dynamite. Fox Searchlight, 2004. Directed by Jared Hess and written by Jared and Jerusha Hess. Rated PG, 94 minutes.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Napoleon is the king of the anti-heroes in this unconventional high school comedy. He spends his days drawing unicorns and other mythical beasts, fighting with his brother Kip, and avoiding his uncle Rico, a self-defined "football star." When two new friends, Deb and Pedro, enter his life, the three of them start campaigning for Pedro to become the class president. But how can Pedro win, running against the popular Summer?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
From the first shot of the opening credits--a plate of tater tots--it's clear this cult classic is an original. It definitely won't appeal to everyone, but this film hits on the reality of high schoolers' treatment of each other in a way that's so real it's sometimes excruciating to watch. Napoleon isn't a likable hero. Orson Scott Card describes the film as a near-documentary--the drab isolation of eastern Idaho from the perspective of people who live there, with everyone in town just getting by. He remarks that "if the person at the pinnacle of the social pyramid needs to work to have spending money, we know we're not in the usual high school comedy" (his review <a href="http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2004-09-12.shtml">here</a>). But this unconventionality is part of the film's appeal. Recommended.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Napoleon is a shy loner in Preston, Idaho. When he becomes friends with Deb and Pedro, their campaign to make Pedro the class president gives Napoleon new confidence. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/jared-jerusha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://blog.beliefnet.com/idolchatter/jared-jerusha.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Jared and Jerusha Hess are a husband-and-wife team best known for writing and directing the offbeat movies <i>Napoleon Dynamite</i> and <i>Nacho Libre</i>. Jared attended Preston High School in Idaho, where much of <i>Napoleon Dynamite </i>was filmed. Jared and Jerusha met while studying film at Brigham Young University. They have a son and daughter and live in Salt Lake City, Utah.<br />
<br />
Jared says that "The characters of <i>Napoleon Dynamite</i> are inspired largely from people I grew up with in Idaho and especially from my five younger brothers and friends at school. I basically set out to tell the story of the kind of young people who have never really had their stories told - people like that nerdy kid who sat next to you in math drawing mythical animals, the people you never talked to or really got to know" (<a href="http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/interview.php?id=159">source</a>). <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Film; high school. Cult classic.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Sociology: bullying, loners<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
N/A<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grade 7 and up.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
I included this film because it appears on YALSA's <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/fabfilms2010.cfm">2010 Fabulous Films for Young Adults</a> list.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-31166388788518823852010-04-01T11:38:00.000-07:002010-05-15T00:05:29.418-07:00Mean Girls (film)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://worldofjustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mean-girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://worldofjustin.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/mean-girls.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>Mean Girls. Paramount Pictures, 2004. Directed by Mark Waters; screenplay by Tina Fey. Rated PG-13, 96 minutes. Based on "Queen Bees and Wannabes", by Rosalind Wiseman. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Cady Heron grew up homeschooled in the African bush by her zoologist parents. She thinks she knows everything about survival of the fittest, but all her skills are tested when she enrolls in a public high school for the first time. As she tries to negotiate her place among the school's cliques--the cool Asians, art geeks, mathletes, and more--the Plastics, the coolest girls in school, decide to befriend her. But when Cady falls for the Queen Bee's ex-boyfriend, Regina schemes to destroy Cady's social future. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Tina Fey's satire of the female high-school experience hits all the right notes. It's over-the-top portrayal fo the cattiness of teen girls hits home, but also manages to be very funny. The second half of the movie, after the school riot and its aftermath, falls flatter than the first, but it's telling that a story about mean girls only becomes cloying and sentimental in the last 20 minutes as the film tries for a happy resolution. In reality, no endings are so perfect, but the backbiting throughout the rest of the film rings true.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Cady grew up homeschooled in Africa, but high school cliques seem wilder and meaner than anything she ever saw in Africa. Can she negotiate the world of high school girls without getting caught in the crossfire?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/improvised-blog/tina%20fey-thumb-492x371.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/improvised-blog/tina%20fey-thumb-492x371.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Tina Fey was born in Pennsylvania in 1970. She considered herself a "supernerd" in high school (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0275486/bio">IMDB</a>). After studying drama at the University of Virginia, she went to Chicago to audition for the Second City comedy group, where actors like Alan Arkin, John Belushi, Mike Myers, and Stephen Colbert got their start. She was the first female head writer in the history of Saturday Night Live, and was the co-anchor of SNL's Weekend Update with Jimmy Fallon. She currently stars in the show 30 Rock on NBC.<br />
<br />
<div class="ans">Tina <a href="http://www.blackfilm.com/20040423/features/tinafey.shtml">was asked</a> whether the character of Regina, the Queen Bee, came from people she knew in her own life. She said, "Regina is not. Regina is the most amalgamated. One of Regina's big moves in the movie is actually based on my mom. My mom has this habit that if she sees a lady in a really ugly hat or a glittery sweatshirt, she'll go "I love your shirt" and I'll say "Mom, that's really mean". And she'll say "clearly she wanted someone to notice that shirt. She picked it out. It has a huge Teddy Bear on it". That is actually the closest to a real inspiration for the movie." In interviews, she shared other ways that teen girls were mean to her and her friends when they were teenagers, and it's clear that she had a huge emotional stake in the success of the film.</div><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Film.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Sociology: bullying, teen girls<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
N/A. To build interest, show the scene where Regina (the Queen Bee) first invites Cady to sit with her.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
High school students and adults. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
The language teens use to describe each other ("so gay he can barely function", slut, whore, etc.). While it felt realistic to me, considering my experiences in high school, it may seem inappropriate to older adults who are not accustomed to modern teen behavior.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Find linguistic studies of high school language to help show how realistic the language in the film is (for most areas). Become familiar with the film before recommending it.<br />
<br />
I included this film because it was selected as a <a href="http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/yalsa/booklistsawards/fabfilms/fabfilms2010.cfm">2010 Fabulous Film for Young Adults</a>. I also really like Tina Fey's work in 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live, and was interested to see her foray into screenwriting for film instead of TV or sketch comedy.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-81138232397676791332010-03-25T22:02:00.000-07:002010-05-15T15:19:00.775-07:00The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Hg--jacket-330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Hg--jacket-330.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. New York: Scholastic, 2008. ISBN-10: 0439023483; ISBN-13: 978-0439023481. 384 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
In the country of Panem, a future version of North America, the rich city of Capitol is surrounded by 12 poor districts. As a punishment for a rebellion decades ago, each year, all the 12- to 18-year-olds in every district are entered as possible contestants in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death broadcast on live TV. Only two people are chosen from each district, and when Katniss's sister Prim is selected, Katniss volunteers to take her place. Being selected is usually a death sentence for those in District 12, but Katniss finds that she has the skills that may help her survive. But can she deal with the person she will become if she kills others to save herself?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Reminiscent of the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which Collins cites as a major influence, The Hunger Games succeeds at painting Panem as a cruel nation where the poor are marginalized and exploited for the benefit of the wealthy ruling class, while also creating a compulsively readable story.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Katniss Everdeen is chosen as a tribute in the Hunger Games, an annual fight to the death on live TV. Can she live with herself if she kills others in order to survive?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Suzannecollinsp-330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="130" src="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/images/Suzannecollinsp-330.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Suzanne Collins has been a writer for children's television since 1991, for shows including <i>Clarissa Explains It All</i>, <i>The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo</i>, and <i>Clifford's Puppy Days</i>. While she was working on a show for the Kids WB network, she met a children's author who convinced her to try writing children's books. She is currently writing the third book in the Hunger Games series. Suzanne lives with her family in Connecticut. Her website can be found at<a href="http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/"> http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
Suzanne came up with the idea for <i>The Hunger Games</i> while watching TV. <a href="http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-collins-suzanne.asp">She says</a>, "I was channel surfing between reality TV programming and actual war coverage when Katniss’s story came to me. One night I’m sitting there flipping around, and on one channel, there’s a group of young people competing for, I don’t know, money maybe? And on the next, there’s a group of young people fighting an actual war. And I was tired, and the lines began to blur in this very unsettling way, and I thought of this story." <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Dystopian science fiction.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
History: slave auctions, Coliseum gladiators.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Katniss's feelings when her sister's name is read as a tribute.<br />
-Peeta's first declaration of love for Katsa.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Violence.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Become familiar with reviews, which are mostly very positive.<br />
<br />
I included this book becauseAudreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-67417902614117667712010-03-25T21:35:00.000-07:002010-05-14T23:33:40.575-07:00Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n27/n138817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n27/n138817.jpg" width="142" /></a></div>Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. ISBN-10: 0689865384; ISBN-13: 978-0689865381. 448 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
In Tally's world, when teens turn 16 they undergo radical operations to make them look like supermodels. Most teens long for the day when they can be beautiful, but a few radicals, called Uglies, resist the operations and escape into the wilderness. When Tally's friend disappears with the rebels, Tally is forced to choose between her friendship or fitting in.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
Westerfeld looks at the issues inherent in radical cosmetic surgery and its possible effects on society. In a world where physical individuality is ruthlessly stamped out, and conformity becomes key to survival, Tally's participation in a rebellion against a society determined to change her will strikes a chord with teens struggling with their self-image. The inclusion of next-generation media devices may also resonate with female readers who usually avoid science fiction. Although the book's tone can be didactic at times, this book, and the others in the series, is extremely popular with teens and is a required inclusion in any teen collection.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
When Tally turns 16, she will be given an operation to become beautiful, just like the rest of the city's teens. But when her friend joins a a group of rebels who refuse the operation, Tally must choose between beauty and her best friend.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mrsnelsons.com/files/mrsnelsons/scott_westerfeld2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.mrsnelsons.com/files/mrsnelsons/scott_westerfeld2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Scott Westerfeld is the author of five science fiction novels for adults, as well as three young adult series: the Midnighters trilogy, the four books in the Uglies series, and three standalone novels set in New York. He was born in Texas and divides his time between New York City and Sydney, Australia. Scott is married to the YA author Justine Larbalestier, and blogs at <a href="http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/">http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/</a>.<br />
<br />
In an interview for <a href="http://scottwesterfeld.com/books/uglies.htm">Check Your Pulse</a>, Simon and Schuster's book newsletter for teens, Westerfeld shares how he came up with the idea for his futuristic society where everyone is made pretty: "We are definitely heading toward a world in which lots of people will get to decide how they look. That will change what we think of as beautiful, and what beauty means to us. So some people stay the way they look, because that's cool or radical. Some won't change because they're rich and powerful—like when famous directors go to some fancy Hollywood restaurant in an old T-shirt and baseball cap; it shows they can get away with it. Other people will try to outdo each other, and manipulate themselves in ways that we don't consider remotely pretty right now.<br />
<br />
So thinking these thoughts, I wanted to write a future in which these technologies were fairly common. And in my future, the local government forces you to have an acceptable face—that is, a certain kind of pretty face. Sort of like now, when adults try to control how teenagers dress, cut their hair, use make-up, and get tattoos or piercings. This is the stuff of rebellion." In the wake of recent tabloid gossip about TV stars getting multiple plastic surgeries at a young age, this idea is more relevant than ever.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Dystopian science fiction<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Sociology: constructions of beauty, integration of social networking on society.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Description of the difference in teen life between life before and after the operation.<br />
-Perspectives on beauty.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Teens challenging authority.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Become familiar with the book before recommending it to teens with more sensitive parents.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it's really popular with teens and I felt it was important to become familiar with it.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-58219754679163933862010-03-25T21:13:00.000-07:002010-05-15T17:43:40.132-07:00Graceling, by Kristin Cashore<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://shelfelf.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/graceling-cover-jpeg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://shelfelf.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/graceling-cover-jpeg.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>Graceling, by Kristin Cashore. Orlando, FL: Harcourt, Inc., 2008. ISBN-10: 015206396X; ISBN-13: 978-0152063962. 480 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
In a land where some are born with extreme talents, or Graces, Katsa is more feared--and exploited--than any other Graceling. Cursed with a Grace for killing, she lives her life under the thumb of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, with the expectation that she will torture or kill those who displease him. When she meets Prince Po, another Graced fighter, she never expects to learn terrible secrets that may destroy the seven kingdoms. Can she fight her destiny and save her homeland? <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
In her debut novel, Cashore excels and making Katsa a sympathetic protagonist, despite the terrible things she has done. She is a strong role model, especially as she is forced into adulthood before she is ready to handle the challenges to come. Teen readers will find it easy to identify with this tale of a girl who must face insurmountable odds to save those she cares about before they are destroyed.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Katsa is cursed with the Grace of killing. Once she meets the handsome prince Po, she discovers an evil plot that threatens her homeland. Can she use her gift to save the lifes and freedom of those she loves before it's too late?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thecrimson.com/media/photos/2009/11/24/200950_1219640_630x418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://www.thecrimson.com/media/photos/2009/11/24/200950_1219640_630x418.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Kristin Cashore grew up in a village in northeastern Pennsylvania, reading as much as she could and daydreaming when she couldn't. She graduated from Williams College and got a M.A. from the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College. She hasn't stopped writing since. Kristin currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and blogs at <a href="http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/">http://kristincashore.blogspot.com/</a>.<br />
<br />
When <a href="http://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm?author_number=1626">she was asked</a> about the origin of the idea of "Graces", Cashore says she can't really point to a specific point at which the idea started. She says, "It was with me from the beginning—from the very start, Katsa had an unusual power that alienated her terribly from others. As I fine-tuned the concept of Graces, it seemed right to me that every Grace should be an extreme version of skills that people in our world actually do have. So, for example, there are people in our world who can run really, really fast; the corresponding Grace would be the ability to run even faster — inhumanly fast. There are people in our world who rarely get sick, so why not a Graceling who’s incapable of getting sick? There are unusually perceptive people in our world; the corresponding Grace might be some form of mind reading. There are people with an unusually deep connection to the earth and nature; the corresponding Grace might be an ability to predict weather. And so on. I tried to avoid Graces that had too much of a sci-fi feel — for example, I don’t think teleportation would be a believable Grace in the world of <i>Graceling</i>. Maybe I’m wrong; basicallly, I try to avoid inconsistencies, and hope for the best!" <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Fantasy, Coming of Age.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
None.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-Read a passage from the first time Po and Katsa fight each other.<br />
-What would you do if you could kill someonee with a single blow? How would your life have to change?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 9-12. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
Violence.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Become familiar with book reviews, which rate this book highly.<br />
<br />
I included this book because I really enjoyed it when I read it last summer, and I wanted to read it again. It reminds me of <i>The Hunger Games</i>, which is a great thing.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-221914173599495909.post-54249717715750264182010-03-18T19:08:00.000-07:002010-05-15T18:17:49.194-07:00Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.navyreading.navy.mil/images/covers/EndersGame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.navyreading.navy.mil/images/covers/EndersGame.jpg" width="120" /></a></div>Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card. Location: Tor Science Fiction, 1994 (Eighth Printing Edition). Originally published 1985. ISBN-10: 0812550706; ISBN-13: 978-0812550702. 384 p.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Plot Summary</span><br />
Ender Wiggin is only 5 years old when he is sent to Battle School, a military training facility in space designed to train children to be officers in the war against the alien buggers. He is the best at all the military games that are offered at the school, and becomes a school army commander before he's 10 years old. He performs well under the pressure, but fames and training exercises are not the same as real war. How will Ender react under the pressure of commanding real men in real missions? Does he have what it takes?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Critical Evaluation</span><br />
This classic of young adult literature offers a poignant look at the psychology of commanders sending soldiers on missions that may kill them. Are children more suited to waging war than adults, or will they crack once the real consequences start to sink in? Card manages to deal with the ethical issues of war and the underage training of children to fill adult roles they aren't ready with while also creating a compelling, intense story. The pace never slackens and the novel engrosses the reader until the last page.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reader’s Annotation</span><br />
Ender Wiggin leads student armies in war games at Battle School. He excels at war games, but will he crack under pressure during the real thing?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Author Information</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.hatrack.com/images/orson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.hatrack.com/images/orson.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>Orson Scott Card was born in Washington and grew up in California, Arizona, and Utah. Along with his writing, he directs plays and serves as a professor of writing and literature at Southern Virginia University. Aside from his Ender Wiggin novels, Card writes contemporary fantasy, Biblical novels, poetry, plays and scripts, and the frontier fantasy series The Tales of Alvin Maker. Her lives with his wife and youngest daughter in Greensboro, North Carolina. Additional biographical information can be found at his website, <a href="http://www.hatrack.com/osc/about-more.shtml">Hatrack River</a>.<br />
<br />
In a recent interview, Card was asked how he felt about <i>Ender's Game</i> being used in the curriculum at some schools. <a href="http://www.fictionfactor.com/interviews/orsonscottcard.html">He says</a>, "I'm always a bit worried when students are forced to read a book of mine in order to get a grade. The danger is that the readers will be hostile to the book because of that, and no story can survive a hostile reading. But so far it seems to be doing little harm, and from what I hear, most students actually end up enjoying it....If teachers look at Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow as a road into discussing real-world ethical and moral issues, current events, history, and family life, I think they'll be well rewarded by the kinds of things their students discover and care about in the book."<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Genre</span><br />
Science fiction<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Curriculum Ties</span><br />
Military history/strategy, war ethics. Is commonly read in English classes.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Booktalking Ideas</span><br />
-child soldiers<br />
-adults who lie and manipulate to get kids to do what they want<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Reading Level/Interest Age</span><br />
Grades 6-12. My 6th grade brother and 11th grade sister both really enjoyed it, and I feel it has a little something for everyone.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Challenge Issues</span><br />
One short, brutally violent scene. Some language. Some thinly veiled racial metaphors, used to demonize racism.<br />
<br />
<b>Challenge Defense</b><br />
Be familiar with the story and especially the violent scene before recommending it.<br />
<br />
I included this book because it is a classic of the YA sci-fi genre. It also won the 1985 Nebula Award and 1986 Hugo Award, both for best novel.Audreyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01185015123864889283noreply@blogger.com0