Mod 6 Side by Side

Greenberg, Jan. Side by Side: New Poems Inspired by Art from Around the World. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2008. ISBN 9780810994713

Summary:

Side by Side is a collection of poems about art from around the world. Poetry inspired by art is also known as ekphrasis. Most of the poems were written especially for this book. Each poet was asked to write a poem in their native language about a piece of artwork in their native country. Poems written in other languages were translated into English. Thirty-three countries and six continents are represented through poetry, translation, and art.

Analysis:

Greenberg appeals to teen readers through a mixed media of art and universal themes in poetry such as nature and childhood memories. She also invites the reader to keep a notepad close by and write their own response to the art, therefore involving them in the book. Greenberg divides the poems into four categories: Stories, Voices, Expressions, and Impressions. In Stories, the poet looks at the art and imagines a story. In Voices, the poet becomes the subject of the artwork and speaks as the subject. In Expressions, the poet depicts the interaction between the artwork and the viewer. In Impressions, the poet describes the elements of the artwork, such as lines, symmetry, color, etc. VOYA says, “they perform an engaging duet of words and visuals on the page.”

Reviews:

School Library Journal 2008

"It creates cultural bridges and celebrates the genius of inspired translation."

Booklist 2008

"...the moving, often startling poems invite readers to savor the words and then look closely at each image."

Awards:

Booklist starred review

IRA Notable Book for a Global Society 2008

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://mowrites4kids.drury.edu/authors/greenberg/

For a virtual tour of an art gallery visit http://www.wga.hu/

For an interactive world map visit http://globalis.gvu.unu.edu/

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Revenge and forgiveness: an anthology of poems by Patrice Redd Vecchione

Poetry U.S.A. by Paul Malloy

Ego-Tripping and other poems for young people by Nikki Giovanni

Edgar Alan Poe by Edgar Allan Poe

Here in Harlem: poems in many voices by Walter Dean Myers

A wreath for Emmett Till by Marilyn Nelson

Picture:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780810994713&imId=28598063

Mod 6 Crank

Hopkins, Ellen. Crank. New York: Margaret K McElderry Books, 2004. ISBN 9780689865190

Summary:

Seventeen year-old Kristina Snow visits her deadbeat dad on a court ordered visit to Albuquerque. While there, she meets handsome Adam, the monster – Crank, and Bree, an imagined, bolder personality. Upon return to Reno and her mom, Kristina tries hard to maintain her normal life. Straight A’s, responsible, an all around good kid; but Bree has other plans. Spurred on by Bree’s outgoing, spontaneous risk-taking, Kristina/Bree finds herself in the clutches of the monster-crystal meth. She soon learns that “Crank is more than a drug. /It’s a way of life. /You can turn your back. /But you can never really walk away.”

Analysis:

Crank is a realistic free verse novel. Hopkins keeps the reader involved in the novel in several ways. The poems, according to School Library Journal are “masterpieces of word, shape, and pacing, compelling readers on to the next chapter in Kristina’s spiraling world.” Each page’s poem is different format from the page before, with shapes that accompany the topic, such as a question mark when Kristina is making an important decision as well as split columns that can be read as one or two separate poems. Kristina’s character is well developed in her decline into addiction. Details of escalating behavior from simple drug use to lying to her family, buying and selling the drug, and a total change in habits and friends explain her change in character. This gripping story of drug abuse will be remembered by readers of all ages. VOYA says, “Hopkins delivers a gritty, fast-paced read while effectively portraying the dangers of substance abuse without sounding pedantic or preachy.” The fact that the novel is loosely based on Hopkins’ own daughter’s fight with substance abuse only makes it more real.

Reviews:

Booklist 2004

"Readers won't soon forget smart, sardonic Kristina; her chilling descent into addiction; or the author's note, which references her own daughter's struggle with the monster."

Publisher's Weekly 2004

"...she creates a world nearly as consuming and disturbing as the titular drug."

School Library Journal 2004

" This is a topical page-turner and a stunning portrayal of a teen's loss of direction and realistically uncertain future."

Awards:

Quills Award nominee (Crank)
Book Sense Top 10 (Crank)
NYPL Recommended for Teens (Crank)
PSLA Top Ten for Teens (Crank)
Charlotte Award (Crank)
IRA Young Adult Choices Award (Crank)
Kentucky Bluegrass Award (Crank)
SSLI Honor Book Award (Crank)
Nevada Writers Hall of Fame Silver Pen Award
Gateway Readers Awards winner (Crank)

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://www.ellenhopkins.com/

For more information about narcotics anonymous visit http://www.na.org/

A teen site about dealing with addiction http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/problems/addictions.html

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Crashboomlove: A novel in verse by Juan Felipe Herrera

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks

The Truth about Forever by Sarah Dessen

Smack by Melvin Burgess

Candy by Kevin Brooks

Ttfn by Lauren Myracle

Picture:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780689865190&imId=45501609

Mod 6 What My Mother Doesn't Know

Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn't Know. New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001. ISBN 9780698841149

Summary:

Fourteen year-old Sophie has only two reliable people in her life- her best friends, Rachel and Grace. Her mother hides out in the basement eating chocolate and watching soaps. Her father is gone away on business trips, a lot. This is the story of her first true love. And her second. And her third. A rollercoaster of romances, cyber dating, family fights, and friendships.

Analysis:

In this realistic, teen-angst, free verse novel, Sones latches on to the emotions and speech of teen girls. Using poems that can stand alone, but flow together to make a story allows readers to read short periods of time and still progress through the story fairly quickly. “Each one strikes a chord that fluidly moves the reader on to the next episode,” says VOYA. The novel deals briefly with some difficult topics such as anti-Semitism and divorce, but not to any depth or resolution. The main focus is on friendship and acceptance, especially as Sophie’s latest boyfriend is not really boyfriend material, so she must choose between her new boyfriend and her long time friends. Sophie’s character develops as she asserts her independence. She buys a slinky black dress to wear to the dance, without her mom’s permission. She takes herself on a stay-cation when all of her friends leave for Christmas vacation. She also drops the cute boys who are progressively pushing her for more than kisses for the more homely, but more thoughtful, Murphy.

Reviews:

School Library Journal 2008

"Told in Sophie's own free verse poems, the story moves and evolves quickly in a satisfying and tantalizing manner."

Publisher's Weekly 2001

"The author poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy."

Booklist

"The very short, sometimes rhythmic lines make each page fly."

Kirkus 2001

"The verse format allows Sophie to interrogate and explore her feelings and relationships with quintessentially teenage ferocity."

Awards:

winner of the Iowa Teen Book Award (2005 -2006)

named by the American Library Association as one of the Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2004 and of 2005

Michigan Thumbs Up Award Honor Book (2002)

unanimously chosen an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2002)

unanimously chosen an American Library Association Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (2002)

named an International Reading Association Young Adults' Choice (2003)

named a Booklist Editor's Choice (2001)

voted a VOYA Top Shelf for Middle School Readers (2003)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award: YA Recommended Title (2003 -2004)

named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age (2002, 2003, and 2004)

named a Texas Lone Star State Reading List Choice (2003 – 2004)

named a Top Ten Editor's Choice by Teenreads.com (2001)

named a Bookreporter.com Best of 2001 for Teens

chosen a Junior Library Guild selection

chosen a Scholastic Teen Age Book Club selection

chosen a Scholastic Trumpet Book Club selection

chosen a Scholastic Book Fair selection

nominated for the following state awards:

Volunteer State Book Award (TN) (2004 – 2005)

Utah Children's Choice Beehive Award (2003 – 2004)

Garden State Teen Book Award (NJ) (2003 - 2004)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (2004)

Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2004)

South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (2003 – 2004)

Missouri Gateway Reader's Choice Award for Teens (2003 – 2004)

Wyoming Library Association Soaring Eagle Book Award (2003 -2004)

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://www.sonyasones.com/

For an online poetry writing workshop with current poets visit http://teacher.scholastic.com/writewit/poetry/

For tips on teen dating safety visit http://www.teenhelp.com/teen-issues/teen-dating-safety.html

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

The truth about forever by Sarah Dessen

Along for the ride by Sarah Dessen

True believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff

Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The it girl by Cecily Von Ziegesar

The realm of possibility by David Levithan

Ttyl by Lauren Myracle

Picture:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780689855535&imId=68897809

Mod 5 A Northern Light

Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. ISBN 9780152167059

Summary:

Promises, promises, promises. Sixteen year-old Mattie Gokey has made plenty of promises. She promises her dying mother that she will always take care of her father and sisters. She promises Royal Loomis that she will marry him. And she promises Grace Brown, a guest at the Glenmore hotel where she is working, that she will burn a pile of letters. Now she is stuck living in poverty, engaged to a man that may not love her for who she is, and carries around a stack of letters for a woman who has turned up dead. Using the true story of Grace Brown’s murder in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Mattie uses her love of words and Grace Brown’s letters to discover herself, her dreams, and which promises must be kept and which ones can be broken.

Analysis:

Donnelly keeps readers captivated in this historical fiction novel by alternating between Mattie’s time spent at the Glenmore Hotel and flashbacks from the previous year until they catch up to each other. Mattie is worried about graduating from high school, passing her tests, and being accepted into college. She spends time learning vocabulary with Weaver, the only other graduating student as well as the only African American boy in the town. “Mattie's strength, courage, and love of learning mark her as a captivating heroine” according to VOYA. Donnelly weaves Mattie’s struggles around the true and tragic story of Grace Brown. Publisher’s weekly says, "The author's ability to recast the murder mystery as a cautionary tale for Mattie makes the heroine's pending decision about her future the greatest source of suspense.”

Reviews:

Booklist

"In an intelligent, colloquial voice that speaks with a writer's love of language and an observant eye, Mattie details the physical particulars of people's lives as well as deeper issues of race, class, and gender as she strains against family and societal limitations."

School Library Journal 2003

"Donnelly's characters ring true to life, and the meticulously described setting forms a vivid backdrop to this finely crafted story. An outstanding choice for historical-fiction fans, particularly those who have read Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy."

Awards:

Carnegie Medal Winner, United Kingdom

Los Angeles Times Book Prize Winner

Borders 2004 Original Voices Award Winner

Named a Printz Honor Book by the ALA

Awarded a De Gouden Zoen Honor, The Netherlands

Named a Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults by the ALA

Named a Best Book of 2003

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://www.jenniferdonnelly.com/

To read more about Grace Brown and Chester Gillette visit http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/classics/chester_gillette/index.html

For games and quizzes using SAT vocabulary visit http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/web_games_vocab_sat.htm

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Postcards from No Man’s Land by Aidan Chambers

Send Me Down a Miracle by Han Nolan

Kingdom of the Golden Dragon by Isabel Allende

My Antonia by Willa Cather

Gallows Hill by Lois Duncan

A Foreign Field by Gillian Chan

Picture:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780152053109&imId=38321128

Mod 5 The Book Thief

Zusak, Markus. The Book Thief. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. ISBN 9780375931000

Summary:

Nine year-old Liesel Meminger believes her life is over. It is 1939 in Nazi Germany. She and her brother are on their way to Molching, Germany to live with a foster family. During the train ride, the brother dies. After he is buried in the snow-covered ground, Liesel finds a book, The Grave Digger’s Handbook, and it changes her life forever. Obsessed with learning to read, Liesel becomes the book thief. Upon arriving in Molching, Liesel lives with Hans and Rosa Huberman. Hans, the fun-loving painter and accordionist teaches her to read. Rosa, the stern, swearing laundress secretly loves her. Liesel spends her days reading and playing with her friend Rudy while keeping a secret. A Jew is hiding in their basement. Liesel earns her title of book thief by stealing the books she needs to continue to learn to read until she ultimately writes her own book. Narrated by Death, who, according to VOYA, is impressed with Liesel as she “makes a profound impression on him, and he carries her words with him everywhere he goes.”

Analysis:

The Book Thief is a gripping story of intense danger yet the reader is warned in advance of what is going to happen from the narrator, Death. The main character, Leisel is realistic in that she misses her mother and brother, gets into fights at school, steals to keep from being hungry, and steals to fill her need for words. She also grows to love the stranger, Max, who is the Jew hiding in their basement. Set in 1939 Nazi Germany, there is real fear of searches from the Gestapo, air raids, and of not being accepted into the Nazi Party. Tragedy (and death) is the main theme of this story as Liesel seems to lose everyone close to her during the war. As the narrator, Death is obsessed with the tragedy and deaths surrounding Liesel as she grows.

Excerpt:

Liesel reversed.

Cautiously.

She took the first few steps backward, calculating.

Perhaps the woman hadn’t seen her steal the book after all. It had been getting dark. Perhaps it was one of those times when a person appears to be looking directly at you when, in fact, they’re contentedly watching something else or simply daydreaming. Whatever the answer, Liesel didn’t attempt any further analysis. She’d gotten away with it and that was enough.

She turned and handled the remainder of the steps normally, taking the last three all at once.

“Let’s go, Saukerl.” She even allowed herself a laugh. Eleven-year-old paranoia was powerful. Eleven-year-old relief was euphoric.

***A LITTLE SOMETHING TO ***

DAMPEN THE EUPHORIA

She had gotten away with nothing.

The mayor’s wife had seen her all right.

She was just waiting for the right moment.

Reviews:

School Library Journal 2006

" Zusak not only creates a mesmerizing and original story but also writes with poetic syntax, causing readers to deliberate over phrases and lines, even as the action impels them forward...An extraordinary narrative."

Booklist 2006

"It's Liesel's confrontation with horrifying cruelty and her discovery of kindness in unexpected places that tell the heartbreaking truth."

Awards:

NOMINEE 2006 - Commonwealth Writers Prize for Best Book (South East Asia & South Pacific)
WINNER 2007 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults
WINNER 2007 - Michael L. Printz Honor Book
WINNER 2007 - Book Sense Book of the Year
WINNER 2006 - Horn Book Fanfare
WINNER 2006 - Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award
WINNER 2006 - School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
WINNER 2006 - Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
WINNER 2006 - Booklist Children's Editors' Choice
WINNER 2006 - Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book
WINNER 2009 - Pacific Northwest Young Readers Choice Master List

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://www.randomhouse.com/features/markuszusak/

To watch an interview with Mark Zusak visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7B8ioiZz7M

Visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at http://www.ushmm.org/

For more information about the Holocaust, visit the Jewish Virtual Library at http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/holo.html

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Dream Merchant by Isabel Hoving

Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian

By the Time You Read This, I’ll be Dead by Julie Anne Peters

Hear My Sorrow: The Diary of Angela Denoto, A Shirtwaist Worker by Deborah Hopkinson

An Innocent Soldier by Josef Holub

Chase by Jessie Haas

If I Just Had Two Wings by Virginia Frances Schwartz

In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Picture:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780375831003&imId=12591277

Mod 5 Copper Sun

Draper, Sharon M. Copper Sun. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2008. ISBN 9780689821813

Summary:

Fifteen year-old Amari has her whole life to look forward to. She is engaged to the most handsome man in the tribe, Besa, loves the Ashanti village in which she lives, and has nothing better to do than laugh and joke with her friends. One day, however, strange white men come to visit the elders of the tribe. The welcoming feast turns deadly when the white men shoot fire from a stick and kill most of Amari’s tribe. The rest are taken prisoner and sold into slavery. Amari endures a long voyage across the ocean, and is sold to Percival Derby, a plantation owner. Mr. Derby intends for Amari to be a birthday present for his sixteen year-old son. Though she is overworked, beaten, and repeatedly raped, Amari befriends Polly, a white indentured servant. Together, Amari and Polly escape and head south to Florida. Can Amari and Polly survive the journey and the hardships without being caught?

Analysis:

Copper Sun is a historical fiction novel set in 1738. While the actual story is fiction, a lot of the references are true. Young, strong black adolescents were taken from their homes, sold into slavery, and treated as property. The punishments described in the book are accurate as well as the location of Fort Mose and Captain Menendez. Amari, however, is a fictional character who feels all the same emotions of any teenager who witnesses the murder of her parents, the loss of her home, and the humiliation of rape. She shows remarkable determination in her survival, especially in keeping her name throughout the story. School Library Journal says, “This action-packed, multifaceted, character-rich story describes the shocking realities of the slave trade and plantation life while portraying the perseverance, resourcefulness, and triumph of the human spirit." Draper keeps the reader invested in the story by alternating points of view between Polly and Amari. “Polly's cynicism and realistic outlook on life provides a welcome contrast to the lost innocence of Amari, whose voice often disappears beneath the misery of her circumstances,” says Kirkus.

Reviews:

Booklist 2006

" Draper builds the explosive tension to the last chapter, and the sheer power of the story, balanced between the overwhelmingly brutal facts of slavery and Amari's ferocious survivor's spirit, will leave readers breathless, even as they consider the story's larger questions about the infinite costs of slavery and how to reconcile history. A moving, personal author's note discusses the real places and events on which the story is based."

Kirkus 2006

"Sobering, yet essential."

Awards:

2007 Coretta Scott King Literature award

2007 Ohioana Award for Young Adult Literature

Top Ten Historical Fiction Books for Youth by Booklist

Nominated for the 2007 NAACP Image Award for Literature

IRA Notable Book for a Global Society

Best Book of the Year by School Library Journal

Listed on the New York Times Bestseller List

Chosen by the National Underground Railroad Freedom center as a major museum exhibit

Chosen by the International Reading Association, the United States State Department, and Reading Across Continents as the novel to be read by students from the US and Africa. A true international, intercontinental, multi-cultural literary experience!

Connections:

For information about the author visit http://sharondraper.com/

For information about slavery visit http://www.sciway.net/afam/slavery/indexs.html

For a map of the Middle Passage/slave trade route visit http://www.juneteenth.com/mp2.htm

For an interactive map of the Underground Railroad visit http://www.eduplace.com/kids/socsci/books/applications/imaps/maps/g5s_u6/index.html

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons: The Story of Phyllis Wheatley by Ann Rinaldi

The Red Rose Box by Brenda Woods

Hope’s Crossing by Joan Elizabeth Goodman

Names Will Never Hurt Me by Jamie Adoff

Pemba’s Song: A Ghost Story by Tonya Hegamin

Annie, Between the States by Laura Malone Elliott

The Night I Disappeared by Julie Reece Deaver

Picture:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780689821813&imId=12576258

Mod 4 Uglies

Westerfield, Scott. Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse, 2005. 978068986538

Summary:

For almost 16 years, Tally has woken up every morning and looked out her window at New Pretty Town. Everyone is born ugly, but at sixteen you have an operation that will make you pretty-like everyone else. All of Tally’s friends are already in New Pretty Town and Tally cannot wait to see them again. In the meantime, she meets Shay, another Ugly who happens to share her birthday. Tally and Shay become fast friends while playing tricks and sneaking out at night. As her sixteenth birthday gets closer, Shay reveals that she does not want to be pretty. She plans to run away and asks Tally to go with her to live with the Smokies. Tally does not go, but does not stop Shay from running away either. The authorities, also known as Specials, give Tally a choice-help them find her friend or never be pretty. Tally’s choice gives her a new definition of Pretty.

Analysis:

Tally, the main character in this science fiction dystopian novel, is just like every other teenager. She wants to be accepted and pretty. She allows her feelings to rule her decisions, feels trapped by authority, and ends up giving her loyalty to her friends rather than the authority. The futuristic setting describes how the “Rusties” became too dependent on oil and most died in a panic. However, the metal left behind gave way to hoverboard transportation that uses magnetic fields to move. While the reader must suspend some disbelief in the novel, the typical teen novel includes the absence of parents, evil adults in authority, and world altering decisions to be made by the teens. Kirkus review says, “Tally inflicts betrayal after betrayal, which dominates the theme for the midsection; by the end, the nature of this dystopia is front and center and Tally-trying to set things right-takes a stunning leap of faith.”

Excerpt:

“Maybe I think my face is already right”

“Yeah, it’s great.” Tally rolled her eyes. “For an ugly.”

Shay scowled. “What, can’t you stand me? Do you need to get some picture into your head so you can imagine it instead of my face?”

“Shay! Come on. It’s just for fun.”

“Making ourselves ugly is not fun.”

“We are ugly!”

“This whole game is just designed to make us hate ourselves.”

Reviews:

Booklist 2005

"...teens will sink their teeth into the provocative questions about invasive technology, image-obsessed society, and the ethical quandaries of a mole-turned-ally."

Publisher's Weekly

"Teens will appreciate the gadgetry-including bungee jackets and hoverboards that work by magnetic levitation."

School Library Journal 2005

"...highly readable with a convincing plot that incorporates futuristic technologies and a disturbing commentary on our current public policies"

Awards:

Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best for Teens, 2005
Kirkus Editor's Choice, 2005
New York Public Library's "Books for the Teen Age", 2005
School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 2005
Texas Lone Star Reading List, 2006-2007
VOYA's Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers, 2005
YALSA Best Books For Young Adults, 2006
YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, 2006
YALSA Quick Picks Nominee, 2006

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://scottwesterfeld.com/blog/

For more information on reconstructive surgery visit http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/guide/reconstructive-surgery

For more information on hoverboards visit http://www.howstuffworks.com/hoverboard.htm

If you are wondering about the plausibility of the oil-eating bacteria that devastated the world of the “rusties" you might want to see these pages at the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency - http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/bioagnts.htm.

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld

Specials by Scott Westerfeld

A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian

Elsewhere by Will Sheterly

A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780689865381&imId=60059691

Mod 4 Ender's Game

Card, Orson S. Ender's Game. New York: TOR, 1991. ISBN 9780765342294

Summary:

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin is a not-so-ordinary six year-old boy. He is gifted, of course, as everyone in his family is. But, he is a third. A special circumstance. Not every family can have three children. Ender’s family is different, though. Ender’s older brother, Peter, and sister, Valentine are both gifted, but they did not pass the military standards needed for the perfect general. Ender is the last hope. He begins training immediately. Taken from his family at the age of six, Ender trains at Battle School, an off-planet site where training is a game and growing up is not.

Analysis:

Ender’s Game is a futuristic, dystopia science fiction novel. It begins on Earth, which is doomed to invasion by “buggers.” The military has been looking for a general to lead the army in battle in defense of the planet for more than one hundred years. In that time, technology has allowed space stations with on-demand gravity, instant communication between spacecraft, and life-like simulations. Ender, the smallest and smartest soldier, must learn combat, leadership, and self-preservation. There is no time for coddling, only learning. Ender learns self-defense tactics that keep him safe from the other soldiers who are jealous of his growing leadership abilities. Library Journal review says, “Aptest pupil ever Ender quickly rises to the top of Battle School, which has twice the nasty of any boarding school and all the charms of a snake pit.” The training takes place in a space station, where gravity is manufactured when needed. As Ender’s abilities grow, he is transferred to a small planet on the other side of the solar system to practice commanding a fleet of warships. Ender soon learns that the simulations here are more than a game.

Reviews:

School Library Journal 2008

"Despite Ender's age, this is not a children's novel. Its profound themes (and mild profanity) call for intelligent teens who appreciate a complex novel."

Awards:

Nebula

Hugo Award

Connections:

For more information about the author visit http://www.hatrack.com/

For discussion questions and study guides visit http://www.hatrack.com/research/index.shtml

For more information about the International Space Station visit http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

To listen to an audio excerpt visit http://us.macmillan.com/endersgame-card

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift

Owlflight by Mercedes Lackey

Spindle’s End by Robin McKinley

Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott Card

Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780765342294&imId=42095598

Mod 4 Life as we knew it

Pfeffer, Susan B. Life As We Knew It. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006. ISBN 9780152058265

Summary:

Sixteen year-old Miranda is a typical teenager at the end of her sophomore year. She works hard in school, hangs out with her friends, follows her heartthrob on the Internet, and is looking forward to driving. Her dad’s new wife is pregnant, and her mom is dating a new man, Peter. The big topic on the news is that an asteroid is supposed to collide with the moon. In a party-like atmosphere, the whole town turns out to watch the impact. But it wasn’t what was expected. “But the moon wasn’t a half moon anymore. It was tilted and wrong and a three-quarter moon and it got larger, way larger, large like a moon rising on the horizon, only it wasn’t rising.” Miranda’s typical teenage life comes to a screeching halt. Worldwide earthquakes, tsunamis, volcano eruptions lead to food shortages, gas shortages, and climate changes. Miranda and her family shift into survival mode until things return to normal. And they will return to normal…won’t they?

Analysis:

Life as we knew it is written in a diary format that keeps the readers involved in the day to day struggles of Miranda, her family, and neighbors. It is a well-written futuristic fantasy novel that makes the reader ask, “What would I do if this happened to me?” Miranda’s plight becomes more and more personal as the setting closes in from the town to the neighborhood to the house to one room. Miranda also develops as a character from the carefree teenager interested only in driving, friends, and dates to the one who is increasingly responsible for the survival of the family as family members succumb to injury, illness, and malnutrition. Amazon.com says this is a “haunting book that documents one adolescent's journey from self-absorbed child to selfless young woman.”

Reviews:

School Library Journal 2006

…readers will be left stunned and thoughtful.

Voice of Youth Advocates 2006

this novel reminds readers of the wild power of nature that far outstrips human ability to either predict or control it.

Booklist 2006

…readers will respond to the authenticity and immediacy of their [Miranda and her family] plight. Each page is filled with events both wearying and terrifying and infused with honest emotions. Pfeffer brings cataclysmic tragedy very close.

Awards:

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

CCBC Choices

Junior Library Guild Premier Selection Junior Library Guild Premier Selection

Connections:

For information about the author visit susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/

For information on preparing for a disaster visit http://www.ready.gov/

To view a meteoroid hitting the moon visit http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2006/13jun_lunarsporadic/

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Raven’s Gate by Anthony Horowitz

Nightrise by Anthony Horowitz

Maximum Ride by James Patterson

School’s Out Forever by James Patterson

Passager by Jane Yolen

Rowan and the Travelers by Emily Rodda

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780152061548&imId=53228696

Mod 3 Double Helix

Werlin, Nancy. Double Helix. New York: Sleuth, 2003. ISBN 0803726066.

Summary:

Eli Samuels only got drunk once in his life. However, that one time he did something really stupid. He sent an email to a legendary molecular biologist, Dr. Quincy Wyatt, asking for a job. Amazingly, he gets it. Working for a Nobel prize winning doctor, at a prestigious institution, with great pay and benefits while taking a year off before college is a dream come true for Eli. Until. Until his father asks him to quit without giving him a reason. Until his mother’s Huntington disease takes her life. Until he discovers a fifth-level basement that is not on the building plans. Until he meets a girl that looks exactly like his mother did at his age. What is the connection between him, his father, his mother, and Dr. Wyatt?

Analysis:

Werlin keeps up the pace in this young adult mystery with her short chapters and fast action. Eli tries to keep his life secrets to himself, but once he begins working, they fall off like layers on an onion. His mother’s disease, his girlfriend, the letter he finds about a blood test, the connection to Dr. Wyatt, and his biggest fear, that his father is not his real father all unravel in a short period of time. Dr. Wyatt’s cryptic remarks do not give any relief to Eli’s plight. “Free will? The soul? Something unique in humans that separates us from animals? It’s a fairy tale we’ve invented to shield us from reality.” Eli struggles to find out who’s reality Dr. Wyatt is referring to. The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books wrote, “Taut pacing gives this thrilleresque appeal, the emotional intensity and contemporary plausibility will suck in even readers usually skittish about speculative fiction, and the challenging exploration of genetic ethics will definitely prompt some thoughtful discussion."

Reviews:

Kirkus 2004

A suspenseful exploration of love and bioethics.... Thought-provoking, powerful, and rich in character.

Publisher's Weekly 2004

Mesmerizing ... appeals to reason and love for humanity without resorting to easy answers. Brisk, intelligent and suspenseful all the way.

School Library Journal

A riveting story with sharply etched characters and complex relationships that will stick with readers long after the book is closed.

Awards:

A School Library Journal Best Book of 2004.

An ALA Booklist Editor's Choice Book of 2004.

An ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2005.

An ALA Booklist Top Ten Mystery for Teens, 2004.

Connections:

For information about the author visit http://www.nancywerlin.com/

For information about Huntington’s Disease visit http://www.hdsa.org/

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Twilight Child by Sally Warner

The China Garden by Liz Berry

The Duplicate by William Sleator

Tankworld by S.R. Martin

The Last Universe by William Sleator

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780142403273&imId=14566003

Mod 3 Nation

Pratchett, Terry. Nation. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 2008. ISBN 9780061433030.

Summary:

In Terry Pratchett’s Nation, Mau is a child returning from a month’s stay on the island of the boys. He is returning to his village in a canoe that he made on the island. Everyone in the village would be waiting at the shore to welcome him back, have a feast, and make him a man. However, his canoe is caught by a huge wave-a tsunami-that wipes out the whole village, and everyone waiting at the beach.

Daphne is an English girl on her way to meet her father, the mayor of The Rogation Sunday Islands. Only 138 people need to die for her father to become king. However, the tsunami takes her ship, Sweet Judy, into the middle of Mau’s island. Mau and Daphne must overcome language and cultural differences in order to survive the onslaught of survivors from other islands, cannibals, and the lack of leadership.

Excerpt:

"The young man stared at Mau. 'You are the chief? But you are just a boy!'

'Not just. Not even. Not only. Who knows?' said Mau. 'The wave came. These are new days. Who knows what we are? We survived, that's all.' He paused and thought: And we become what we have to be..."

Analysis:

Nation is a survival tale mixed with humor and religion. From Daphne’s (aka Ermintrude) grandmother that “prepared her granddaughter for royal life by seeing to it, wherever possible, that Ermintrude was not taught anything that could possibly be of any practical use whatsoever,” to the parrot who shows up at just the right time to shout “Show us yer drawers!” humor is used to develop the characters and provide relief from the sometimes overwhelming situations. Hornbook says “Satirical portraits of upper-class twits, slapstick buffoonery, bad puns, and that particular brand of English wit buoy this story at every turn. Add a romance of gentle sweetness, encounters with ghosts, and lots of gunfire, and it is hard to imagine a reader who won't feel welcomed into this nation.” Mau is a likeable character who develops and matures as he steps up into a leadership role that is thrust upon him, uses new knowledge to develop new skills, and questions his own beliefs of the gods and traditions he was raised on until he comes to his own conclusions.

Reviews:

Booklist 2008

Quirky wit and broad vision make this a fascinating survival story on many levels.

Kirkus 2008

A searching exploration of good and evil, fate and free will, both as broad and as deep as anything this brilliant and, happily, prolific author has produced so far.

School Library Journal 2008

The main characters are engaging and interesting, and are the perfect medium for the author's sly humor.

Awards:

Michael L. Printz Honor Book
Boston-Globe/Horn Book Award
Los Angeles Times Prize for Young Adult Literature

Connections:

For information about the author visit http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/

For information about tsunamis visit http://www.tsunami.noaa.gov/

Have students evaluate the reliability of websites by researching the tree-climbing octopus mentioned in the book, Octopus arbori at http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/media.html

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Jumper by Steven Gould

The Ropemaker by Peter Dickinson

Elske: A Novel of the Kingdom

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780061433030&imId=44084024