Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
DivergentBy Veronica Roth
Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York : Katherine Tegen Books, 2011. 487 p.
Annotation:
In this action-packed dystopian novel, teenager Beatrice Prior (Tris) who must choose her future lifestyle according to five predetermined factions, soon discovers that she is actually a combination of two which could lead to exile and certain death in this flawed society.
Booktalk:
How would you like to be forced to choose one personality trait and then strictly live by it for the rest of your life? That's the premise for the dystopian novel, Divergent, by Veronica Roth. Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior and her fellow teenagers must choose a faction of society to live and work in. There are five factions: Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). The factions were formed at a time in the past when the world's civilization fell apart because of different vices such as dishonesty, selfishness, cowardice, ferocity, and ignorance. Each faction blamed one of these vices and therefore worked to cultivate the opposite virtue in their faction of society. Of course, each thinks their own faction is right and once again civil war is imminent.
After being tested for her aptitudes, Beatrice discovers that she does not fall into any one trait and is classified as "Divergent" which is considered very dangerous to society! She must keep this hidden or be ex-communicated to the streets of post-apocalyptic Chicago where life is very hard and short. Beatrice surprises her parents who belong to the Abnegation faction by joining the Dauntless and surviving their brutal initiation. She changes her name to Tris which fits her newly assumed lifestyle and then tries to come to terms with the political and personal issues that surround her.
Divergent is about choosing a way of life and standing up for your values whether they are like everyone else's or not. Tris learns that life is not always as it seems and that friends must be chosen carefully and family must be valued. She faces the same problems as a typical teenager of today's world, but they are compounded to the extreme in this fast-moving, action-packed novel! If you liked Hunger Games, you will love the Divergent trilogy!
Reviews:
Booklist 03/01/11Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 05/01/11Horn Book 10/01/11Kirkus Reviews 04/15/11Library Media Connection starred Nov/Dec 2011
New York Times 05/15/11Publishers Weekly starred 02/21/11School Library Journal starred 06/01/11
Awards & Honors:
Librarian's Choice 2011YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young AdultsMany state award lists including Oklahoma
Websites:
The Divergent Trilogy - http://thedivergenttrilogy.com/veronica
Author’s blog - http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/
Author’s Twitter - http://twitter.com/veronicaroth
Author’s Facebook - www.facebook.com/pages/ Veronica - Roth /108433975887375
Discussion Guide - http://files.harpercollins.com/HCChildrens/OMM/Media/Divergent%20DG.pdf
Related books:
Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. 374 p.In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the other districts in line by forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight-to-the-death on live TV.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. New York: Dell, 1993. 179p.In a dystopian society where the government controls everything including your lifetime assignment or job at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other. He then learns the terrible truth about the Community.
Oliver, Lauren. Delirium. New York: Harper, 2011. 441 p.In this futuristic society, the disease of “love” has been eradicated. Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.
Westerfield, Scott. Uglies. New York: Simon Pulse, 2005. 425p.In a future where “Rusties,” have destroyed the environment and a viral airborne disease has destroyed oil production, a new society has taken over and in an effort to control and rid the world of conflict has created “Pretties,” people whose only job is to party and be beautiful.Other books by Veronica Roth:
Divergent series:
Insurgent (Book 2)
"Untitled" / (Divergent Book 3)-will be published 10/22/2013
ASHESBy Ilsa Bick
Bick, Ilsa. Ashes. New York. Egmont, 2011. 465p. (Gr. 8+)
Annotation:17 year old Alex has a brain tumor and is in the mountains trying to deal with her situation. When an electromagnetic pulse changes the world, electrical devices no longer work, millions of people are killed, some are spared and some become flesh eating zombies. Now Alex, Ellie an 8 year old girl, and Tom a young solider must try and survive.
Booktalk:Alex decides to go hiking in the mountains to deal with her conflicting emotions and to try and bring closure from her parents’ death. Alex has a brain tumor and is trying to learn how to live with the effects of treatment and some of the results of the tumor such as losing her sense of smell. While she is on her hike an electromagnetic pulse(EMP) flashes across the sky, wiping out computer systems and killing most adults. Some young people are turned into psychotic zombie type monsters that display shrewdness and thinking abilities. Alex meets up with Ellie, an eight year that was with her grandfather who died from the EMP and Tom, an army veteran. They do not know who to trust but must survive in the lawless situations they find themselves a part of and what remains of civilization. Alex has her sense of smell returned to her but now she can smell things normal people can’t like fear and lies. They hear of a place where “normal” people have gathered called Rule. On the way Ellie and their supplies are stolen and Tom is injured. Alex must continue on to Rule alone in hopes of finding help. Will Rule be the save haven it appears to be and will she find Ellie and Tom again?
Reviews:Kirkus 9/13/2011School Library Journal 5/23/2012Publisher’s Weekly 7/11/2011
Awards and Honors:VOYA Perfect Tens 10/2011
Author’s Website:http://www.ilsajbick.com
Related Books:Gone by Michael GantThe Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie RyanRot and Ruin by Jonathan MurrayHollowland by Amanda HockingBanished by Sophie Littlefield
Other Books by Ilsa Bick:Shadows—Book 2 in the Ashes trilogyMonsters—Book 3 in the Ashes trilogy (Sept. 2013)Drowning InstinctThe Sin Eater’s ConfessionWhite SpaceThe Dickens MirrorDraw the Dark
SHINEBy Lauren Myracle
Myracle, Lauren. Shine. New York: Amulet Books, 2011. 359p. (Gr.9+)
Annotation:Cat’s openly gay friend, Patrick, is involved in a vicious attack which leaves him in a coma. Cat must face her own fears and her small town’s prejudices and secrets as she searches for those responsible for the attack.
Booktalk:In the southern town of Black Creek, which has citizens that have issues of poverty, drugs, intolerance, and clan mentality, openly gay Patrick was brutally beaten and lies in a coma. Sixteen –year- old Cat, a friend of Patrick, has isolated herself from friends and activities for almost three years after an older friend of her brother molested her. Cat feels if she had remained close friends with Patrick and had not shut herself away from him and her friends, he would not have been injured. Out of her guilt and friendship for Patrick, she decides to investigate his beating, especially after the sheriff thinks the attackers were from out of town. He believes the attackers where college students from a nearby town that were mad that Patrick would not sell them beer. Cat becomes suspicious of some of her brother’s friends as she searches for information. She is told to leave it alone but after her self-isolation she is seeing people she has known all her life through different eyes. As she visits places Patrick and her use to hang out and she interviews mutual friends, she learns of secrets being kept by them, including dealing drugs and using meth. As Cat discovers who the attacker was, she discovers truths about herself. She comes to realize the strength she has to go against those she has known for so long in her town as she searches for the truth concerning Patrick’s attack.
Reviews:Bulletin of the Center for Children’s BooksBooklist 9/2012Kirkus 4/1/2011Publisher’s Weekly 5/2012School Library Journal 9/2012Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 2012The Washington Post 2012
Awards:2012 Amelia Elizabeth Walden AwardALA YALSA Reader’s Choice 2012Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012Mistakenly announced as National Book Award Finalist
Author’s Website:http://www.laurenmyracle.com/
Related Books:Sprout by Dale PeakSo Hard to Say by Alex SanchezBait by Alex SanchezBrooklyn Burning by Steve BrezenoffSuicide Notes by Michael Ford
Other Books by Lauren Myracle:Winne Years SeriesFlower Power SeriesInternet Girl SeriesKissing KateLov Ya BunchesPeace, Love and Baby DucksBlissRhymes with WitchesJoy RideInfinite Moments of Us
The Girl of Fire and ThornsBy Rae Carson
Carson, Rae. The Girl of Fire and Thorns. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2011. 423p. (Grades 8-12).
Annotation: When you're a nervous and sheltered sixteen year-old princess, being married off to an old king and then getting kidnapped by desert pirates kind of sucks.
Booktalk: Elisa is the youngest daughter of the royal family, and wouldn’t be important except that she is the Chosen One, the bearer of the Godstone. One person every century is born with this special stone that means they are destined for greatness. When Elisa is married off to a king of a country in turmoil, she is alone and confused, with no idea how to rise to her new position and be the powerful queen he needs. Dangerous enemies with dark magic steal Elisa away shortly after her wedding, and she must either truly uncover that inner strength that everyone expects her to have, or die young. Like most of the Godstone bearers do.
Author Websites:http://www.raecarson.comhttps://twitter.com/raecarson
Reviews:Booklist 10/1/2011Kirkus 11/5/2011Publisher’s Weekly 8/1/2011School Library Journal 8/1/2011VOYA 12/1/2011
Awards and Honors:Publisher’s Weekly Flying Start Author Award Fall 2011Finalist for Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy 2011Cybils Fantasy & Science Fiction (Young Adult) finalist 2011Finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award 2012ALA’s Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012
Other Books by Rae Carson:The Crown of EmbersThe Bitter Kingdom
If you LIKE: Graceling by Kristin CashoreThen TRY: The Girl of Fire and ThornsHere’s WHY: Great secondary characters, warrior queens, Katsa & Elisa have a lot in common.
If you LIKE: the Tortall series by Tamora PierceThen TRY: The Girl of Fire and ThornsHere’s WHY: Incredible world building, quests, action.
Lola and the Boy Next DoorBy Stephanie Perkins
Perkins, Stephanie. Lola and the Boy Next Door. New York: Dutton Books, 2011. 338p. (Grades 9-11).
Annotation: Fearless, quirky costume designer Lola has everything figured out until her childhood crush moves back in next door.
Booktalk: Seventeen year-old Lola is force of nature. She designs elaborate clothes to reflect her mood and personality, making every day a special kind of performance art. Her mantra is, “I don’t believe in fashion, I believe in costume.” She loves her dads and her friends and her job, and spends a lot of time with her (significantly) older boyfriend, Max. Lola has plans for the future that get derailed when her childhood neighbors move back in next door: figure skater Calliope-- her arch nemesis, and her brother Cricket-- the boy that she kissed who broke her heart. As Lola mends her friendship with Cricket, feelings get complicated. What’s the right decision?
Author Websites:http://www.stephanieperkins.com/http://naturalartificial.blogspot.com/https://twitter.com/naturallystephhttp://naturallysteph.tumblr.com/
Reviews:Booklist 9/15/2011Publisher’s Weekly 7/25/2011School Library Journal 10/1/2011
Awards and Honors:YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012ALA’s Rainbow Book List 2013
Other Books by Stephanie Perkins:Anna and the French KissIsla and the Happily Ever After
If you LIKE: books by Sarah DessenThen TRY: Lola and the Boy Next DoorHere’s WHY: Romance! Confusion! Drama!
If you LIKE: An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns by John GreenThen TRY: Lola and the Boy Next DoorHere’s WHY: Snappy dialogue, unforgettable characters, emotional investment from the reader
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
By Beth Revis
Revis, Beth. Across the Universe. Razorbill, 2011. 398p. (Gr. 9+)
Annotation:After agreeing to be cryogenically frozen and placed on a spaceship to be awakened 300 years later when it arrives at a new planet, Amy awakens to find she has been unplugged fifty years too early and someone is trying to kill her and the other frozen passengers onboard.
Book Talk:Amy and her parents have been cryogenically frozen, expecting to awaken 300 years in the future when the spaceship Godspeed arrives on a new planet, Centauri-Earth. Instead, Amy is unplugged and almost killed 50 years before the ship’s scheduled landing. She finds herself in a very different society than the one she left, which is inhabited by passive people, led by a tyrannical dictator. Worried that her parents might be the murderer’s next victims, Amy joins with another teen, Elder, who is next in line to be leader of the ship, to unravel the mystery of who is trying to kill the other frozen passengers. They end up discovering that the people are being drugged and lied to by the ship’s leader. The novel is told in alternating chapters by the two teens, which shows their different points of view. You will want to keep reading to see what secrets are revealed next and if Amy and Elder find the murderer and save Amy’s parents and the other frozen passengers.
Reviews:Booklist, 12/15/2010BookPage, 01/01/2011Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, 01/01/2011Horn Book Guide, 03/01/2011Kirkus Reviews, 12/01/2010 (*Starred Review)Library Journal, 04/21/2011School Library Journal, 02/01/2011VOYA, 03/01/2011
Author’s Website:www.bethrevis.comhttp://acrosstheuniversebook.com
Related Books:Pearson, Mary E. The Adoration of Jenna Fox. Henry Holt, 2008.In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.
Rossi, Veronica. Under the Never Sky. Harper, 2012.
Aria is exiled from her home and must survive in the outer wasteland, then she meets outsider, Perry, who's wild and dangerous, but he's her only hope for survival.
Testa, Dom. The Comet’s Curse. Tor, 2005.Desperate to save the human race after a comet's deadly particles devastate the adult population, scientists create a ship that will carry a crew of 251 teenagers to a home in a distant solar system
Other Books by Beth Revis:A Million Suns, Razorbill, 2012Shades of Earth, Razorbill, 2013
Awards and Honors:Selected as Amazon Book of the Month, January 2011Recipient of the Romantic Times Seal of ExcellenceLong-listed for the Carnegie Medal (UK)Nominated for Book of the Year from Romantic TimesWinner of the 2011 YA Paranormal/Futuristic Novel of the Year award from Romantic TimesSelected as a Texas Libraries (TAYSHAS) reading listYALSA Reader’s Choice nominationSelected by teens for the YALSA Teens’ Top Ten Award of 2012
Au Revoir Crazy European Chick
Joe Schreiber
Annotation:
Schreiber, Joe. Au Revoir Crazy European Chick. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 2011.
Get ready to go on a wild ride with Perry as he tries to juggle prom night, his first big gig in NYC with his band, Russian mobsters, and a date with his family’s exchange student turned assassin all while trying to keep his dad’s red Jaguar in one piece and those around him alive.
Booktalk
Perry, My Journal: The first day of the rest of my life:
Well journal, it’s been a ride the last 24 hours. My life has been threatened more times than I want to think about, I’ve been shot at, pretty much destroyed my Father’s sports car, and scared my parents nearly to death. So, let me start at the beginning.
First off let me say it’s been interesting to say the least. OK, the beginning. I like video games and my band. My band has some of my best friends ever. We have this cool band and just got a gig in NYC for one night. We were going to hit the big time, finally. Then Mom had to step in. She broke it to me that I was going to take our Lithuanian exchange student, Gobija, to the prom on the same night as our big gig. I pleaded with her and she wouldn’t come off it – I had to take Gobija to the prom. I couldn’t tell her about our gig in NYC because she would tell me no. Not just no but NO! I was stuck with our geeky exchange student who wore her geeky Lithuanian clothes. To sweeten the deal Dad threw in his red Jag for the night. His “never touch this car, Perry” car.
Let me just tell you it was a wild night after we left our house, left the prom, left Gobija’s clothes somewhere, got a gun, got to NYC, got cozy with some Russian gangsters and oh, man, I’ll write more tomorrow. I gotta get some sleep.
Review
Booklist starred 10/15/11
Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books 12/01/11
Horn Book 11/01/11 & 04/01/12
Publishers Weekly starred 08/01/11
School Library Journal 02/01/12
Wilson’s Senior High Catalog 11/01/12
Author’s website
http://joeschreiber.blogspot.com/
Related books on topic
Carter, Ally. Double Crossed [Kindel Edition]. New York: Disney Hyperion, 2013.
--------------. Heist Society. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2010.
------------- . Perfect Scoundrels. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2013
-------------. Uncommon Criminals. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2012
Other Young Adult Books by author
Perry's Killer Play List. New York: Houghton Mifflin, Nov 2013.
Awards and Honors for Au Revoir Crazy Little European Chick
Arkansas Teen Book Award Nominee 2012-2013
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominees 2012-2013
Oklahoma Sequoyah High School Book Award nominee 2014
Pennsylvania Bucks/Chester/Delaware/Montgomery counties Reading Olympics 2013: Young Adult
Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award Nominees 2012-2013
Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominees 2013
Tayshas High School Reading List 2013
Ashfall
Mike Mullin
Annotation:
Mullin, Mike. Ashfall. Terre Haute, IN: Tanglewood Press, 2011. 466p
Left alone for the weekend while his family travels east to see relatives, Alex faces a life-changing event when he is caught at home in Iowa as the Yellowstone super volcano erupts and sends a reign of ashes and chaos on western states from Wyoming, south through Texas and east to the Mississippi River.
Booktalk
Newsflash: Just in from Yellowstone National Park: January 1, 2009, Geologist Christine Sanderson advises, “ I am advising all state officials around Yellowstone National Park for a potential State of Emergency. In the last week the United States Geological Survey has observed over 434 earthquakes. We may have a 3D view on the movement of magna rising underground. We have all of the pre warning signs of a major eruption from a super volcano. I want everyone TO LEAVE Yellowstone Park and for 200 miles around the volcano caldera.
Newsflash: Just in from Yellowstone National Park: January 25, 2011, Researchers report the super-volcano underneath the state of Wyoming has been rising at a record rate since 2004. Its floor has gone up three inches per year for the last three years indicating the fastest rate since records began in 1923. You have been warned!
(http://www.earthmountainview.com/yellowstone/yellowstone.htm)
Newscaster in NYC: Just in from Yellowstone National Park: Sorry folks we just lost all transmission from the Park. We are waiting for updated reports from our newsman John Friday on the scene. Reports coming in from Chicago, St. Louis, Seattle and San Francisco indicate the super volcano in Yellowstone Park may have erupted. Stand by for the latest developments. John, we’re waiting for your report.
Narrator: John will never be filing his report. The super volcano in Yellowstone Park erupted and three to four foot of ash now covers the following states: Wyoming, Iowa, Idaho, Colorado, South Dakota, Kansas, the Oklahoma panhandle. Millions of people have died mostly within 100 miles of the volcano, 600 miles from the caldera is not safe at all.
FEMA could not handle this big an event. The U.S. economy would come to a halt. Grocery stores would empty out, airlines, trains, buses, and roads would stop.
Come along with Alex as he escapes the bombarding of his house with boulders, the ash covering everything that gets deeper by the hour, distraught neighbors and townspeople in a state
of shock, and marauders wandering through the countryside as he tries to find his parents and sister. This is a journey that can take him from being a video game playing teen to the hero of his own survival, or not.
Reviews
Booklist 10/01/11
Horn Book 01//1/12 & 04/01/12
Kirkus Reviews starred 09/01/11
Library Media Connection starred 01/01/12
Publishers Weekly 09/12/11
School Library Journal 11/01/11
Wilson’s Senior High School 11/01/12
Author’s websitehttp://www.mikemullinauthor.com/
Related books on topic
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008.
--------------------. Catching Fire. New York: Scholastic Press, 2009.
--------------------. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Press, 2010.
Condie, Allyson Braithwatie. Matched. New York: Dutton Books, 2010.
--------------------. Crossed. New York: Dutton Books, 2011.
--------------------. Reached. New York: Dutton Books, 2012.
Lu, Marie. Legend. New York: Putnam’s.
Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2011
------------------. Free Four: Tobias Tells the Story. New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2012.
------------------. Insurgent. New York: HarperTeen, 2012.
Other Young Adult Books by author
Ashen Winter. Terre Haute, IN: Tanglewood Press, 2012.
Awards and Honors for Ashfall
Nominee for Oklahoma High School Sequoyah Reading List 2014 Masterlist
Nominee for Missouri’s Gateway Readers Award for 2013-2014
Indiana’s Eliot Rosewater Award for 2013-14
10 Teen Reads you Can’t Miss, Entertainment Weekly
Center for the Book
Best children/YA Books of Indiana 2011 Winner
International Reading Association, 2012 Young Adults Choices List
National Public Radio, 2011’s top 5 YA Novels
Name of the StarBy Maureen Johnson
Johnson, Maureen. The Name of the Star: Shades of London Book 1. Putnam. 372p. (Gr. 7+)
Annotation:Upon arrival at her London boarding school, RoryBoueuxlieu discovers that someone is copying the murders of Jack the Ripper and so far she seems to be the only witness to the crimes.
Booktalk:Rory Deveraux is excited about arriving in London her senior year to attend a boarding school in London. However, when the driver picks her up at the airport he informs her that “someone pulled a ripper” the night before. It isn’t long before Rory understands that this means someone has committed a crime in Jack the Ripper fashion…on the same date in a different year, but in the same place and slice and dice fashion. More of these types of murders begin to occur and it becomes crystal clear that a new serial murderer, a new Jack the Ripper is amongst their midst. One of these murders occurs eerily close to the Wexford Academy. On the night of this murder, Rory spotted a mysterious man outside of the school. The only problem is that she seems to be the only one who has seen him which makes her the murderers only living witness….and quite possibly his next victim.
Reviews:Booklist 09/01/11 Publishers Weekly 06/27/11Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 10/01/11
School Library Journal 09/01/11
Horn Book 11/01/11 Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 10/01/11Horn Book 04/01/12 Wilson's Junior High School 10/01/12Kirkus Reviews 08/15/11 Wilson's Senior High School 11/01/12Library Media Connection 01/01/12
Author Website:www.maureenjohnsonbooks.com ---incluede author bio, book trailer, and author blog.
Related Books:Riggs, Ransom. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Quirk Books. 352p. (Gr. 7+)Following his grandfather’s abrupt and brutal death, sixteen-year-old Jacob begins a journey of investigation with only a few strange photos, an abandoned orphanage, and his grandfather’s bizarre stories to guide him.
McEntire, Myra. Hourglass. Egmont USA. 390p. (Gr. 7+)Seventeen-year-old Emerson uses her power to manipulate time to help Michael, a consultant hired by her brother, to prevent a murder that happened six months ago while simultaneously navigating their undeniable attraction to one another.
Petrucha, Stephen. Ripper. Philomel Books. 426p. (Gr. 8+)
Adopted by famous Pinkerton Agency Detective Hawking in 1895 New York, fourteen-year-old Carver Young hopes to find his birth father, but when he becomes involved in the pursuit of notorious killer Jack the Ripper, Carver discovers that finding the truth can be worse than ignorance.
Other Books by the author:The Madness UnderneathThe Last Little Blue EnvelopeScarlett FeverSweet ScarletGirl at SeaDevilish13 Little Blue EnvelopesThe Bermudez TriangleThe Key to the Golden FirebirdVacations From HellLet it Snow
Like, Try, Why:If you liked this book, you should try Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Why? It is a little creepy just as Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Both novels also have a time warp or time travel element as well as a supernatural element.
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar ChildrenBy Ransom Riggs
Riggs, Ransom. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Quirk Books. 352p. (Voya, SLJ, LJ). (Gr. 7+)
Annotation:Following his grandfather’s abrupt and brutal death, sixteen-year-old Jacob begins a journey of investigation with only a few strange photos, an abandoned orphanage, and his grandfather’s bizarre stories to guide him.
Booktalk:Jacob has always loved listening to his grandfather’s mysterious tales of the orphanage where he grew up….tales of little girls that could levitate, boys with superhero strength, and children that were invisible. His grandfather even had real photographs to accompany his tales. However, Jacob is no longer a little boy, but a teen now and he begins to doubt his grandfather’s stories. He begins to turn his grandfather and his strange tales away. That is, until he gets a frantic phone call from his grandfather. During this conversation, his grandfather pleas for help to fend off the person or thing that is lurking in wait, ready to destroy him. Jacob goes to his grandfather’s rescue, but it is too little, too late. He discovers his grandfather murdered in his backyard in quite a grisly scene.
Jacob begins his own investigation, determined to discover what happened to steal his beloved grandfather away from him.
Reviews:Booklist 05/15/11 School Library Journal 06/01/11Library Journal 05/15/11 Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) 06/01/11
Author Website:www.Ransomriggs.com ---includes author bio, photos from the book and other links.
Related Books:McEntire, Myra. Hourglass. Egmont USA. 390p. (Gr. 7+)Seventeen-year-old Emerson uses her power to manipulate time to help Michael, a consultant hired by her brother, to prevent a murder that happened six months ago while simultaneously navigating their undeniable attraction to one another.
Johnson, Maureen. The Name of the Star: Shades of London Book 1. Putnam. 372p. (Gr. 7+)Upon arrival at her London boarding school, RoryBoueuxlieu discovers that someone is copying the murders of Jack the Ripper and so far she seems to be the only witness to the crimes.
Related Websites:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VM5ikr2rwYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWrNyVhSJUU
Other Books by Ransom Riggs:
Talking PicturesThe Sherlock Holmes HandbookStrange Geographies
Like, Try, Why:If you liked this book, you should try Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. Why? It is a little creepy just as Name of the Star. Both novels also have a time warp or time travel element as well as a supernatural element.
THE GIRL IS MURDERBy Kathryn Miller Haines
Haines, Kathryn Miller. The Girl Is Murder. New York: Macmillan, 2011. 342p. (Gr. 6+)
Annotation:In 1942 New York City, fifteen year old Iris must deal with the death of her mother, and the loss of her privileged lifestyle, while she secretly helps her father, whose private detective business is suffering because he lost his leg in the war.
Booktalk:Iris lived in New York City during World War II. She grew up in a posh Upper East Side neighborhood, went to private school and had a comfortable lifestyle. But when Iris was fifteen, her mother committed suicide, and with her death, Iris’s life of privilege and private school was gone too. She moved in with her father, a disabled veteran, who was a struggling private detective. They rented rooms in a house on the lower East Side and Iris enrolled in public school. She overhears her father and his client when she returns from her first day at the new school. They find her in the hall as the client leaves.
“What did you do today?”“I started public school, remember?” It came out snottier that I’d intended. I tried to soften it with a smile.“That’s right. And how was it?”Awful, I wanted to say. I was robbed and ridiculed. I don’t belong there. Don’t come crying to me when I start wearing tight sweaters and smoking. But Pop looked so defeated by what had transpired with Mr. Wilson that I couldn’t bear to bring him down even further. My complaints could wait. “It was all right.” . . . “What did that guy want?”“His money back. He wanted me to prove that his wife was cheating on him.”. . .“And you couldn’t prove it?” I asked.He smiled, deepening the creases on his face. “I tried. But I’m starting to think I’m too slow for the detective business.” He thumped his thigh, just above where his leg ended and the wood began.“He’s giving you a second chance, though, right?”
Iris decides to secretly help her father solve the case. When she comes back with pictures, her father is furious that she put herself in such danger. So she backed off, until her father’s new clients are the parents of a boy from her school who had gone missing. Her detective work takes
her back to the Upper East Side, and even into the dance halls of Harlem, as she tries to solve the mystery of the missing boy.
Reviews:Publishers’ Weekly, 08/08/11Kirkus, 06/01/11Booklist, 05/01/11School Library Journal, 08/2011
Awards and Honors:2012 Edgar Award for Best YA Mystery nominee
Author Website:www.kathrynmillerhaines.com
Other Books by Kathryn Miller Haines:The Girl Is Trouble, Macmillan,The War Against Ms. Winter, 2007The Winter of Her Discontent, 2008Winter in June, 2009When Winter Returns
BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAYBy Ruta Sepetys
Sepetys , Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. New York: Philomel, 2011. 344p. (Gr. 6+)
Annotation: During World War II, Lenin sentenced many people in Eastern Europe, who opposed him politically, to work camps in Siberia under the harshest of conditions. This is the story of Lina and her struggle to survive the harsh treatment and tell the world her story in spite of the horrible weather, hard work assignments, inadequate shelter and little food.
Booktalk:They took me in my nightgown.Thinking back, the signs were there—family photos burned in the fireplace, Mother
sewing her best silver and jewelry into the lining of her coat late at night, and Papa not returning from work. My younger brothes Jonas was asking questions. I asked questions, too, but perhaps I refused to acknowledge the signs. Only later did I realize that Mother and Father intended we escape. We did not escape.
We were taken.In June, 1941, fifteen year old Lina, her mother and younger brother Jonas, were arrested by
the NKVD, in their home in Lithuania. During the same period of time that Hitler was gathering and killing the Jews in Europe, Stalin’s secret police were arresting Eastern Europeans who opposed him, and sending them to work camps in Siberia.
Under the harshest of conditions north of the arctic circle, Lina, Jonas and their mother struggle to survive, and reunite with their father.
Reviews:Hornbook,School Library Journal, 03/2011Publishers’ Weekly,01/03/2011Kirkus,01/15/2011
Awards and Honors:
A New York Times BestsellerAn International BestsellerA Carnegie Medal NomineeA William C. Morris FinalistA New York Times Notable BookA Wall Street Journal Best Children’s BookWinner of The Golden Kite Award for FictionAn ALA Notable Book
A Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book of 2011YALSA’s Top 10 Best Fiction For Young AdultsA School Library Journal Best Book of 2011A Booklist Best Book of 2011A Kirkus Best Book of 2011iTunes Best Teen Novel of 2011A Junior Library Guild SelectionNotable Books For a Global Society AwardAn Indies Choice Book Awards FinalistIRA Children’s and Young Adult’s Book AwardWinner of the Prix RTL Lire For Best Novel For Young People in FranceAmazon UK Top Ten Books of 2011Amazon Top Ten Teen Books of 2011A CYBILS Finalist for 2011
Author Website:http://rutasepetys.com/
Other Books by Ruta Sepetys:Out of the Easy. New York: Philomel, 2013. 353p. (Gr. 9+).
Leverage
By Joshua C. Cohen
Cohen, Joshua C. Leverage. New York: Dutton, 2011. 304 p. (Grades 10-12)
Annotation:Danny a gymnast and Kurt a football player form an improbable friendship as they stand up to the football team, whose arrogance and steroid-usage have led them to appalling levels of bullying.
Booktalk:Kurt is the new football star, while Danny is on the gymnastics team. Both boys have a past, full of sorrow and pain. The steroid using football players bully everyone, including the players in other sports. Danny does his best to stay out of their way, but an ever-increasing prank war between the gymnastic squad and the football team pulls him and his teammates in. When a tragedy occurs, Danny is one of the few who know who is responsible. Kurt, the stuttering abuse survivor and fullback is also a witness. As the two teens deal with their guilt over their failure to act during and after the events, they are forced to confront the bullies and their own self-doubts. The scenes containing sexual violence may bother some, but are appropriate to the plot and handled well.
Reviews:
School Library Journal 04/01/2011Publisher’s Weekly 12/06/2010Booklist Starred Review 12/15/2010Kirkus Reviews 12/15/2010
Awards and Honors:Nominated NPR’s Best YA Books2012 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults American Library Association
Author Website: www.leveragethebook.com
Related Books:Harmon, Michael. Brutal. New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2009. 240p.Poe moves in with the father she never knew. He is a counselor at her new high school. Poe manages to find a few friends: Theo, the cute guy and Velveeta, a born victim. When the pranks of the football star turn deadly, Poe must fix the system and take down the hero.
Crutcher, Chris. Whale Talk. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2009. 304 p. T. J. Jones is infuriated when football star Mike Barbour bullies brain-damaged Chris Coughlin for wearing his dead brother's letter jacket. He devises a plan for revenge by forming a swim team made up of outsiders with the intent of winning letter jackets.
Summers, Courtney. Some Girls Are. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2010. 256 p. Regina Afton becomes an outcast after word gets out that she slept with her best friend’s boyfriend at a party. It wasn’t consensual. Regina was nearly raped. In a series of pranks her ex-friends inflict a revenge meant to cause permanent damage. Regina’s only rescue is her friendship with a loner she once bullied.
Other Books by Joshua C. Cohen:This is Cohen’s first published book.
Anna Dressed in BloodBy Kendare Blake
Blake, Kendare. Anna Dressed in Blood. New York: Tor Books. 316p (Gr. 9+)
Annotation:
Cas Lowood is a ghost hunter who kills the dead who are harmful to the living. When he arrives in Thunder Bay he assumes that the local legends of "Anna" are just really elaborate myths until he meets her himself. Anna was murdered and anyone who enters her house never comes out.
Booktalk:
Cas has just picked up a hitchhiker. But this is not your ordinary mendicant on the side of the road. This hitchhiker haunts this particular stretch of road in North Carolina. If you pick him up you will feel euphoria and a sense of calm.
For the first few miles…until you reach the bridge. The bridge where the hitchhiker was killed years ago. And now he wants revenge by killing the driver. Something he has done over a dozen times.
But Cas is ready for him. Because Cas is just like his dad.
Cas’ father was a ghost hunter. He would kill those ghosts who brought harm to the living.
Until…someone or some thing killed him.
And now Cas has picked up his father’s weapons to continue the job.
Cas and his mother move from town to town for Cas to carry on the family tradition. After the hitchhiker they move to a town called Thunder Bay to take on what will be Cas’ toughest challenge to date: Anna Dressed in Blood, a girl whose throat was cut she bled so much that her white dress turned completely red. This will be his toughest fight yet and he might learn a whole lot about himself in the process.
Reviews:
Booklist 8/1/2011Kirkus 8/1/2011Publisher’s Weekly 8/15/2011School Library Journal 11/1/2011
Awards and HonorsArkansas Teen Book Award Nominees Best Books For Young Adult Readers Louisiana Young Readers Choice Book Award Nominees
Missouri Gateway Readers Book Award Nominees NPR’S Top 5 YA Books of 2011Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominees 2005 Texas Tayshas High School Reading List 1997-98 YALSA 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults
Author Website:
http://kendareblake.com/
Related Books:
Girl of Nightmares by Kendare Blake (Sequel)Rotters by Daniel KrauseI Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga
Like, Try, WhyIf you like Anna Dressed in Blood you should try I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga. Why? It’s a
chilling portrait of a descent into darkness.
StickBy Andrew Smith
Smith, Andrew. Stick. New York: Feiwel and Friends, 2011. 292p (Gr. 9+)
Annotation:
Fourteen year old Stark (nicknamed Stick because he is tall and thin) is bullied for being different—he was born with only one ear. His older brother Bosten is his ever present defender. However, that defense does not extend to their abusive parents. When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father’s anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or never feel whole again.
Booktalk:
They call me Stick.
I am six feet tall, an inch taller than my brother, Bosten, who is in eleventh grade.I’m thirteen, and a stick.
…and I’m ugly.I have only one ear. I was born that way.
If you look closely you’ll notice, and then you won’t be able to look away.
I’m Stick, and this is my story.
Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan, also known as “Stick,” has never really fit in. Labeled as “deformed,” Stick has had to deal with the bullying and teasing of being born with only one ear his entire life. Not to mention that his parents smoke, drink, beat Stick and his brother, Bosten, and lock them up for days at a time. Definitely not what you would call “normal.”
This is all that Stick has ever known. He’s used to it by now. However, things are about to change, for better, or for worse. When Stick’s father finds out that Bosten is gay, his reaction isn’t pretty. Bosten leaves home to go find a place where he can truly be accepted and escape from their boring town and oppressive parents. He’s gone without a trace, and Stick knows that he has to find him… before it’s too late.
Reviews:
Booklist 9/1/2012Horn Book Spring 2012Kirkus 9/1/2011Publisher’s Weekly 8/15/2011
School Library Journal 12/2011VOYA 10/2011
Awards and Honors:Georgia Peach Teen Readers Choice Book Award Nominees Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominees
Author Website:http://ghostmedicine.blogspot.com/
Other Books by Author:The Marbury LensPassengerWingerIn the Path of Falling ObjectsGhost Medicine
Like, Try, Why:If you like Stick you should try Punkzilla by Adam Rapp. Why? "Punkzilla" is on a mission to see his older brother "P", before "P" dies of cancer.
