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:

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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

Mod 3 Bloody Jack

Meyer, L. A. Bloody Jack. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002. ISBN 9780152167318.

Summary:

Mary Faber is an orphan in the eighteenth century after her parents die of a terrible disease. She joins Rooster Charlie’s gang and survives by begging and stealing what they can. When Rooster Charlie is killed, she takes his clothes, cuts her hair, changes her name to Jack, and heads toward the sea. What she learns on the way is that “it’s easier bein’ a boy ‘cause nobody bothers with you…no one remarks upon me bein’ alone…when someone needs somethin’ done they’ll always pick a boy…I don’t have to look out for no one but me.”

Jacky Faber becomes a ship’s boy by telling that he can read, and becomes valuable to the ship. Once aboard, however, life is not easy on board a Royal Navy ship in the pursuit of pirates. Jacky earns the nickname Bloody Jack by killing a man. She has duties to perform, takes classes and tutors others onboard, and most importantly, maintains her deception of being a boy. However, her quickly developing body and her growing love for a fellow shipmate may put an end to her deception. Will she be hung or put off the ship at the next port? Only time will tell.

Analysis:

Meyer keeps the pace up in this adventure novel by constantly providing obstacles to Jacky’s grand deception. She is in constant fear of being discovered, and must make great plans to avoid detection. She even sews a rolled up piece of cloth into her underpants to have the same bumps as the other boys. She battles pirates, practices drills, makes new uniforms, gets her period, and is attacked by one of the other crew members. An interesting twist of events at the end leaves readers wondering what will happen to Jacky Faber next?

The beginning of the story is a little difficult to read as the orphans live in Cheapside and their grammar is nonexistent. However, as Jacky learns and teaches, there is a definite improvement. Hornbook says, “The ship's teacher molds the boys, Jacky included, into officers and gentlemen, and has them change their speech from street urchin-ese to more refined English constructions. Jacky's diary reflects this language growth but always retains her strong, proud voice.” Jacky is a strong character and reveals her true self by doing whatever is necessary to survive.

Reviews:

Kirkus August 2002

Meyer, a debut novelist, has penned a rousing old-time girl's adventure story, with an outsized heroine who is equal parts gutsy and vulnerable, then sets her loose on a pirate-hunting vessel in the high seas.

Library Media Connection 2003

... pure fun and a riveting read.

Publisher's Weekly 2002

...salty tale a rattling good read

Awards:

Booklist Editors’ Choice

Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book

Junior Library Guild Selection

Book Sense 76 Pick

Connections:

For information about the author visit http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/170658.L_A_Meyer

For information about famous pirates visit http://www.piratesinfo.com/

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper

Children of the Lamp by Philip Kerr

Redwall by Brian Jacques

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Cover photo:

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Mod 2 Speak

Anderson, Laurie Halse Speak. New York: Penguin Group, 1999. ISBN 9781417750818

Summary:

In Speak, Melinda Sordino must begin her freshman year in high school as an outcast. An end of summer party was ruined when she called the cops. Now friends and strangers alike ignore her and even show hatred toward her. Divided into the four marking periods of the school year, Melinda’s grades and seemingly her attitude decline. Her only outlet is an art class where she is encouraged to express her feelings through her art. It isn’t until later in the book that readers discover the reason for the hostility shown her and her reluctance to participate in class, dialogue, or life.

Analysis:

Laurie Halse Anderson depicts school with accuracy and demeaning detail. Cliques, name calling, social outcasts, bullies, and loneliness are captured honestly. Melinda’s ability to deal with her attack is shown through her dialogue and her descriptions of herself and her attacker. The dialogue begins as nonexistent. Contrary to the title, Melinda does not speak. Throughout the book, she gradually finds her voice and the courage to tell of the attack. At the beginning of the story, she calls her attacker IT because she is afraid to name him. She compares herself to a scared rabbit in a field where he is a wolf, and to a deer stuck in the headlights, too afraid to move. The fact that Melinda’s parents are seemingly unaware of a problem even though she does not talk to them and her grades drop dramatically accents her feeling of being alone in her pain. She finally learns to find her voice through art and by writing on the bathroom wall. The dramatic conclusion begins with the last line of the book: “Let me tell you about it.”

Reviews:

School Library Journal October 1999:

Anderson expresses the emotions and the struggles of teenagers perfectly. Melinda's pain is palpable, and readers will totally empathize with her. This is a compelling book, with sharp, crisp writing that draws readers in, engulfing them in the story..

Kirkus September 1999:

The plot is gripping and the characters are powerfully drawn, but it is its raw and unvarnished look at the dynamics of the high school experience that makes this a novel that will be hard for readers to forget.

Booklist September 1999:

Anderson perfectly captures the harsh conformity of high-school cliques and one teen's struggle to find acceptance from her peers. Melinda's sarcastic wit, honesty, and courage make her a memorable character whose ultimate triumph will inspire and empower readers.

Awards

· ALA Best Book for Young Adults

· ALA Top-10 Best Book for Young Adults

· ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults

· Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist

· IRA Young Adult Choice

· Junior Library Guild Selection

· Michael L. Printz Honor Book (American Library Association)

· National Book Award Finalist

· New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age

· New York Times Bestseller List

· SCBWI Golden Kite Award

· YALSA Popular Paperback for Young Adults

Connections:

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

Listen to an interview with Laurie Halse Anderson at http://madwomanintheforest.com/youngadult-speak/

For information about sexual assault visit http://www.rainn.org/

Read a poem by the author at http://madwomanintheforest.com/teachers/youngadult-speak/

If you liked this book, you might enjoy:

Losers by Matthue Roth

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780142414736

Mod 2 Before I Die

Downham, Jenny. Before I Die. Oxford: David Fickling Books, 2007. ISBN 9780385751834

Summary:

Before I Die is the story of sixteen year-old Tessa. She has leukemia. Together with her friend, Zoey, she makes a list of things she wants to do before she dies.

Excerpt:

“Do it with me” I say.

She looks startled. “Do what?”

“It’s on bits of paper everywhere. I’ll write it out properly and you can make me do it.”

“Make you do what? The thing you wrote on the wall?”

“Other stuff too, but the boy thing first. You’ve had sex loads of times, Zoey, and I’ve never even been kissed.”

I watch my words fall into her. They land somewhere very deep.

“Not loads of times,” she says eventually.

“Please, Zoey. Even if I beg you not to, even if I’m horrible to you, you must make me do it. I’ve got a whole long list of things I want to do.”

When she says, “OK,” she makes it sound easy, as if I only asked her to visit me more often.

“You mean it?”

“I said so, didn’t I?”

I wonder if she knows what she’s letting herself in for.

Analysis:

Before I Die is a gripping story of a young girl who wants to experience life before she dies of a terminal disease. Downham gives her the spunk and determination of any teenager as she sneaks out at night, dresses too scantily for her dad, throws temper tantrums, and wants to experience love, sex, and underage drinking. Tessa has atypical parents as it is her mother that leaves and her father must deal with the day to day of a terminally ill child. The writing is fast paced as Tessa races to finish everything on her list, until the end of the book. The reader experiences the gaps in time as Tessa fades from consciousness with spacing of the paragraphs and Tessa’s incoherency in rambling paragraphs without punctuation. A moving story of love and loss.

Reviews:

School Library Journal:

Told from Tessa's viewpoint, even in her last moments, the story draws listeners into a gut-wrenching range of real emotions.

Booklist November 2007:

The clear, beautiful prose brings out all the elemental emotions especially Tessa's anger and frustration at being stuck in bed while others get on with their lives and the passionate present-tense narrative will draw readers deeply into story and make them wonder, What if it was me?

Awards:

WINNER 2007 - Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of the Year
WINNER 2007 - Booklist Books for Youth Editors' Choice
WINNER 2007 - Book Sense Children's Pick List
WINNER 2007 - Kirkus Reviews Editor Choice Award
WINNER 2007 - Publishers Weekly Flying Start Author
WINNER 2008 - ALA Best Books for Young Adults Top 10

Connections:

To read an interview with the author visit http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-downham-jenny.asp

To learn more about leukemia visit http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls

To help someone complete their list visit http://www.wish.org/

If you enjoyed this book, you may also like:

10 things to do before I die: a novel by Daniel Ehrenhaft

If I should die before I wake by Lurlene McDaniel

2Do before I die: the do-it-yourself guide to the rest of your life by Michael Ogden.

Cover photo:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780385751834

Mod 2 The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

Mackler, Carolyn. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. Somerville, Mass.: Candlewick Press, 2003. ISBN 978-0-7636-1958-2.

Summary:

The earth, my butt and other big round things is about an overweight 15 year-old girl named Virginia. While her body is not perfect, the rest of her family seems to be. Her older, skinny sister is in the Peace Corps, her older athletic and attractive brother is a freshman at college. Her mother is an exercise fiend and an adolescent psychologist while her executive father loves to manage chaos and travelling. Virginia, however, lives by the Fat Girl Code of Conduct. All Virginia wants is to be accepted for who she is. Virginia feels invisible and out of place in the perfect family until a phone call bursts the “perfect family” bubble.

The Fat Girl Code of Conduct

by Virginia Shreves

1. Any sexual activity is a secret. No public displays of affection. No air-kisses blown across the cafeteria. No carefully folded notes passed in the hall. No riding the moped in public.

2. Don't discuss your weight with him. Let's face it. you both know it's there, so don't start bemoaning your body and pressure him into lying, i.e., "What are you talking about? You don't look fat at all."

3. Go further than the skinny girls. Find ways to alert him to this, such as slutty comments peppered into the conversation. If you can't sell him on your body, you'd better overcompensate with sexual perks.

4. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, push the relationship thing. Everybody knows that guys hate discussing relationships, so make it easy on him. Same goes for dates to movies and school dances. Bottom line: Let him get the milk without having to buy the cow.

Analysis:

Carolyn Mackler does an excellent job developing Virginia’s overweight character in this realistic problem novel. Self-loathing, binge eating, parental pressure to lose weight, negative comments by peers, and self-mutilation are real problems that real teens face everyday. In the novel, some issues are dealt with better than others. The pressure from her parents to be more acceptable is frequently discussed while the self-mutilation is only briefly mentioned.

While watching an interview of her mother, Virginia has an epiphany. Her mother is an adolescent psychologist who does not practice what she preaches. As thoughts click into place, Virginia realizes how dysfunctional her family is. Her attitude changes, and so does her life. She rebels, dyes her hair, gets an eyebrow ring, makes new friends, and gets a boyfriend. Realistically, one epiphany would not make so many positive changes in such a short amount of time, but the reader is left with a sense of hope for an overweight character to be accepted as is.

Reviews:

School Library Journal September 1, 2003:

“Virginia's story will interest readers who are looking for one more book with teen angst, a bit of romance, and a kid who is a bit like them or their friends.”

Kirkus Review June 15, 2003:

“Readers will be rooting for Virginia all the way as she moves from isolated TV-watcher to Website-creator with purple hair and an eyebrow ring.”

Horn Book September/October 2003:

“Mackler does a fine job introducing girls to a very cool chick with a little meat on her bones.”

Booklist September 1, 2003:

“Her gradually evolving ability to stand up to her family is hard won and not always believable, but it provides a hopeful ending for those trying stand on their own two feet.”

Awards:

A Michael L. Printz Honor Book
An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age
A YALSA Teens' Top Ten Book
Publishers Weekly Cuffie Award winner for Best Book Title
A Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Honor Book
An International Reading Association's Young Adults' Choice
2006 Volunteer State Book Award, third place finisher in the grade 7-12 category
A 2006 Nevada Young Readers' Award Nominee
A 2006 Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award Nominee
A Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee
A 2006-2007 Volunteer State Book Award Nominee
A 2006 Great Lakes Great Books Nominee
A 2005-2006 Colorado Blue Spruce Book Award Nominee
A 2006 South Carolina Association of School Librarians Book Award Nominee
An Amelia Bloomer Project Selection
A Pennsylvania School Librarians Association YA Top Forty Fiction Titles

Connections:

Find out more about the author at http://carolynmackler.com/Carolyn-Mackler-Home-Page.asp

Learn more about eating disorders at http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/

Learn more about date rape at http://www.rainn.org/

If you enjoyed this book, check out:

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Kendra by Coe Booth

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

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