2004 -
2005
Meg Cabot
Harper Collins, 2002
247 pages
SUMMARY:
Sophomore Samantha
Madison stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed teen
ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First
Son.
IF YOU LIKED THIS
BOOK, TRY…
The Princess Diaries (series) by Meg Cabot
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging (series) by Louise Rennison
Love and Other
Four-Letter Words by Carolyn Mackler
The Earth, My Butt and
other Big Round Things by Carolyn
Mackler
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Write a free verse poem about your love
life, friendship or family.
Write and design a mock
newspaper article/magazine cover detailing/depicting one or more events from
the novel (re: Samantha saving the President’s life, Samantha’s appointment to
the UN etc.).
Create your own ‘Top Ten’
lists on subjects that interest you.
Social Studies:
Complete the online virtual tour of
WEB SITES:
Homepage of author Meg Cabot
A virtual visit to Washington D.C.
BOOKTALK:
While waiting for her ride home from an after-school art
class, Samantha Madison, a sophomore at
Prepared by: Jen Garrett
Mary Jane Auch
Henry Holt, 2002
250 pages
SUMMARY:
When the Irish immigrant
Nolan family arrives on
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY:
Stick and Whittle by Han Nolan
Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood
Horse thief: a novel by Robert Newton Peck
Girl in a cage by Jane Yolen
The Great
The Triangle
Shirtwaist Factory Fire by A. R.
Schaefer
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
U.
S. History – 20th Century;
Fire
Safety
Women’s
working conditions
Labor
Laws
WEBSITES:
The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire of
1911
The Encyclopedia
of New York City -- Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
The New Deal Network --
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Photographs
BOOKTALK:
Rose Nolan has just
arrived in
While staying with
estranged relatives, Rose and her sister try to make a living at small
jobs. Learning to cope in a strange
country with strange people has its challenges.
Rose tries to work in a sweat shop, but the owner tries to take
advantage of her, and she barely escapes with her pride. It is not until she gets a job at the
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that Rose thinks things will eventually workout for
her and her sister. But working
conditions are not good for women and children there. Too many people work on each floor and the
management is not concerned for their safety.
They work long hours with little pay. When disaster strikes, Rose learns
a great deal about the importance of family, friends, and the way people should
treat one another.
This historical fiction
takes us back to the horrid working conditions before labor laws were
enforced. The connection to and
retelling of the terrible fire that consumed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in
New York in 1911, compels readers to remember squalid working conditions of the
past, and to be grateful for the women of those times who made things better
for the rest of us. You go girls!!!!!
Prepared by Donna E. Moyer
Before We Were Free
Julia Alvarez
Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2002
166 pages
SUMMARY:
In the early 1960’s Anita de la Torre is 12 years old and
living in a dictatorship under the
IF
YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
How Tia Lola Came to (Visit) Stay by Julia Alvarez
In the Time of the
Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
How the Garcia Girls
Lost Their Accents by Julia
Alvarez
Anne Frank: The Diary
of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Boat to Nowhere by Maureen Crane Wartski
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne
Houston
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Creative Writing
According to the author
it is a tradition in
Language Arts
Compare and contrast the
lives of the female writers in the following accounts: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in
Current Events/Government
Compare and contrast the
Psychology
Examine post-traumatic
stress syndrome in teenagers. Discuss
research articles and studies with actual cases.
WEB SITES:
Official Page of Julia Alvarez
History
of the Dominican Republic
BOOKTALK:
Before We Were Free is a
simple story of a complex time about a family who struggles for freedom from an
evil dictatorship. Twelve year old Anita de la Torre lives in the
The author, Julia Alvarez
based this book on real events experienced by her cousin in the
Prepared
by Kim Calhoun
Book of
Abby Bardi
Washington Square
292 pages
SUMMARY:
A sheltered fifteen-year-old girl named Mary
Fred Anderson is removed from her home in a fundamentalist sect and placed in
foster care in a
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Armageddon Summer by
Bruce Coville and Jane Yolen
The Secret Life of
Bees: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
Staying Fat for Sarah
Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Psychology/Sociology:
Study the dynamics of
cults and why individuals become involved and stay involved in such groups
(indoctrination, conditioning, etc.).
Research how many fundamentalist cults exist and their primary
beliefs. Discuss Mary’s decisions to
start to blend in with her peers once she is outside of the cult.
Language Arts:
Use the alternating narration
of the novel to discuss point of view and narration. How does how such a technique contribute to
or detract from the story?
Information
Literacy/Big 6:
Determine the best way to research cults on the Internet and how to determine bias in websites. Have students evaluate sites for their objectivity and/or informative value.
WEB SITES:
Abby Bardi
Survivors of the System Foster Children
United
Wellspring Retreat & Resource Center
(Center for rehabilitation of former cult members)
BOOKTALK:
Mary Fred Anderson has
been raised in an isolated fundamentalist religious cult that believes the end
of the world is near. She’s never
watched TV, never been to school, or never read books other than religious
ones. Suddenly, at the age of 15, her
parents are sent to jail due to the deaths of two of her younger brothers and
she is sent to live with a foster family in
Prepared by: Janet Kenney
Breaking
Through
Francisco Jimenez
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2001
195
pages
SUMMARY:
Francisco Jimenez grows
up as a poor immigrant worker in the fields only to have his family deported to
IF YOU LIKED THIS
BOOK, TRY…
Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Parrot in the Oven by Victor Martinez
Baseball in April by Gary DeSoto
Taking Sides by Gary DeSoto
Walking Stars by Victor Villasenor
Emilio by Julia Mercedes
Good Morning
Alberto by Sergio
Flores
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
History:
Examine the culture of Hispanic teenagers in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Discuss the racism, with which they confronted in their hometown, and contrast with the Civil Rights Movement and events of their day.
Language Arts:
Read this book and then have students write their own autobiographical stories detailing life-changing events in the lives of their families.
Freshman Focus:
Examine the difficulties of relating to a new school culture from the perspective of foreign students. Write reports on steps to help make foreign students feel more at home in your school. Develop a buddy system to identify and help students like Jimenez succeed in school and make friends.
Cross Curriculum Unit (For Teachers who want to work
together on a theme unit)
Language Arts:
Read this book and then have students write their own autobiographical stories detailing life-changing events in the lives of their families.
Math:
Students set up a budget for an immigrant family. How do they make ends meet on so little?
Chart the rates of immigration from
Social Studies and History:
Essays and discussions can be assigned on the following topics:
What were the immigration laws like when Jimenez family came
to
What are the child labor laws for immigrants? What is life is like for immigrants,
especially children?
WEB
SITES:
Immigration Superhighway
Immigration and Nationality Act
Federation For American Immigration Reform - F.A.I.R.
Center for Immigration Studies
Biography for Francisco Jimenez
Volvo for Life Awards (Another biography on Francisco Jimenez)
BOOKTALK:
It is a cold crisp, dawn for Francisco Jimenez, but instead
of getting ready for school, this teen is in the fields doing backbreaking work
of picking strawberries. Although he is only 14, Francisco has little choice
but to work. His family is poor, and they
depend on every cent from every strawberry he picks for just basic survival,
food and housing. What about his rights and child labor laws? Jimenez and his family are invisible to most
Americans. They are under the radar of the human rights laws, often having to
survive in desperate situations. To make
matters worse, the families are often here illegally. If caught they face deportation to even more
desperate lives in
Francisco Jimenez’s autobiography, Breaking Through,
tells of the conditions and the hardships faced by immigrant families in
Prepared by: Mary Hill
Dial Books, 2002
167 pages
SUMMARY:
During a study of the
Harlem Renaissance, students in a
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes
My Man Blue by Nikki Grimes
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
Breaking Through by Francisco Jimenez
The Circuit by Francisco Jimenez
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Use various poems from Bronx Masquerade along with poems from writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Compare and contrast the styles, voices, and themes of the poems.
Offer at least one "Open Mike" session for the class.
Freshman Focus:
Read Bronx Masquerade to class one character and
his/her poems at a time. Have students keep a record of the character's
perceptions of himself/herself and his/her classmates as the book progresses.. After the class has finished the entire novel, review
these records and evaluate the effects the "Open Mike" sessions had
on each of the characters, the class as a whole, and the school.
WEB SITES:
Circle's
Harlem Renaissance
BOOKTALK:
What in the world could writers seventy or eighty years ago during the Harlem Renaissance possibly have to say to teenagers today? Not much, Mr. Ward's English class assumes. Who writes poetry? Not us, Mr. Ward's English class assumes.
Aren't there strict rules about what poetry is and isn't? Very strict rules, they assume.
What person in their right mind would get up and share their poems with the class? No one we know, the students in Mr. Ward's class assume. Why would we risk showing our weaknesses and our true selves to the people in this class? No reason, they assume. What could Hispanic, white, and black students from very different cultures and homes have in common? Very little, Mr. Ward's class assumes. Until ... Open Mike Days are introduced to the class. What begins as a day set aside once a month in this one class quickly becomes a weekly occurence that has the students in Mr. Ward's English class learning more about themselves, each other, and their environment than they ever thought imaginable.
Prepared by: Cathy Garland
Dunk
David Lubar
Clarion Books, 2002
249 pages
SUMMARY:
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Razzle by Ellen Wittlinger
Flipped
by Wendelin
Van Draanen
Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn
No More Dead
Dogs by Gordon Korman
You Don’t Know Me by David Klass
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Self-esteem
Clowns (as art form)
Ostracism
Terminal illness
Limited Narrator (3rd
person)
WEB SITES:
Author
Interview
BOOKTALK:
A book about a guy
wanting to be a Bozo clown doesn’t really sound like the best book in the world
– but if you’ve ever wanted to look at things from a different point of view,
try getting in a dunk tank, hurling insults at people, and experiencing life as
a Bozo.
Prepared by: Tas Anjarwalla
The Gospel According to Larry
Janet
Tashjian
Henry Holt & Co., 2001
256 pages
SUMMARY:
Josh, seventeen and a senior in high school has an idea of wanting to save the world. In order to do so, he creates a website and impersonates himself as a guy named Larry. Everyone around him is oblivious that Josh is actually Larry. A group is started at school in response to the sermons posted on the web. Larry becomes known worldwide and everyone wants to know more about him and follow his beliefs. Josh struggles to contain his secret from his childhood best friend, Beth, as their friendship matures. Josh is finally forced to go public and people begin to consider him a celebrity and Beth and his father feel betrayed. The resulting hype is a complete contrast to the beliefs he voiced on his website, and he longs for the peace he once had. Josh then leaves town to find the peace he once had.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Black Mirror by Nancy Werlin
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
The Sisterhood of
the Traveling Pants by
Ann Brashares
Damage by A. M. Jenkins
Big Mouth &
Ugly Girl by Joyce
Carol Oates
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Consumer Spending
Activism
Internet ethics
False Identity
Fame
BOOKTALK:
Have you ever wished you could make an impact on the world? For seventeen year old Josh, he took it one step beyond wishing and creates a website notifying everyone of his beliefs on anti-consumerism. In a series of sermons Josh is able to convince many young people his age to take a stand and make a difference. The problem is, no one knows that Josh is “Larry” and it is a constant struggle to keep his identity hidden. Josh is found out suddenly becomes a known celebrity. Josh severs the relationship he had with his friend Beth and his father when he runs away seeking peace. This book will leave you wanting to clean out the things you don’t need that you have in your closet and will make you consider the things you have left as “needs” rather than “wants.”
Prepared
by: April Crumpton
Home of the Braves
David Klass
Frances Foster Books, 2002
320 pages
SUMMARY:
During the fall of his senior year, Joe Brickman is captain of his school’s soccer team and looking
forward to dating Kris, the knockout who lives down the street. Things at
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
You Don’t Know Me by David Klass
Rat by Jan Cheripko
What
Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci
Son
of the Mob
by Gordon Korman
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
You
and Violence in Your Family by John Giacobello
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Physical
Education
Peer Mediation
American
culture
Violence
in teens
WEB SITES:
United States Youth Soccer Online
National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center
BOOKTALK:
Perhaps Lawndale High is haunted. That would explain the strange things happening around Joe Brickman. It begins with the arrival of a Brazilian soccer star called “The Phenom” who arrives mysteriously and shakes things up around the school. “The Phenom” shines on the soccer field and controversy follows him everywhere. Things get strange when violence and danger escalate on school grounds. The football jocks expect others to bow to them in the halls and the refusal to do this results in major drama. Joe’s best friend Ed is also a mystery as he plots to take some dark revenge on the entire school. Follow Joe as he determines if the craziness at Lawndale High can be blamed on a phantom or if there is more to it. Will Joe have the courage to get through the events of his senior year that threaten to take him down? Find out in Home of the Braves.
Prepared by: Sue Anne Beym
The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
Little, Brown and Company, 2002
328 pages
SUMMARY:
Susie Salmon, is kidnapped, assaulted, and
killed by a neighbor. From heaven Susie
watches her family and friends as their lives continue after her death.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Lucky by Alice Sebold
Who Killed My Daughter by Lois Duncan
The Afterlife by Gary Soto
Three Junes by Julia Glass
Target by Kathaleen Johnson
Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce McDonald
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Use literary circles in English class to
examine Lovely Bones and similar titles: Life Who Killed My
Daughter and Shades of Simon Gray. Compare and contrast the lives and
obstacles faced by the main characters.
Family Life:
Consider the effects of the death of a minor
child upon family and friends. Examine
the difference between violent and natural death. Write reports on topics such as sibling loss
or value of support groups.
Psychology
Examine the grief process. Look for articles that examine such situations and report on what behavior might occur or the stages of grief. Study and debate the role of grief counseling as provided by different agencies such as churches, counseling centers, and victims advocate groups.
Sociology
Look at cultural differences involving death, mourning and
ritual.
BOOKTALK: Three days after being assaulted and killed by a neighbor, Susie is in heaven looking down on her family. She knows what would have happened at her house, when she was simply late returning home from junior high, and the steps her family would have taken when they decided she was not late but missing. Susie watches the police investigation and discoveries that lead police to the conclusion she in not only missing but dead. Susie finds peers, a support group, and even friends in heaven. While exploring heaven, Susie discovers that heaven is not the same for everyone and is related to each person’s idea of what heaven should be. Additionally, with experience and involvement with heaven, Susie’s heaven grows and changes as she does. Initially, Susie focuses heavily on her family and how they are coping with her missing from their lives. She expands to look at her friends, the community, and even her uncaught killer from her heaven. Susie muses about both the things she can see and know from heaven and the many things she will never experience because she is dead. Naturally, a ‘missed experience’ of prime importance to Susie is her first sexual encounter that is not an act of rape. As time passes following her death, Susie’s heavenly “being” ages with her former peers and she is able to borrow the physical body of girlfriend to have a sexual encounter with a boy she has long had a crush on. The encounter is blatantly sexual intercourse, but not presented in graphic detail.
Back
to the top
Prepared by: Linda Bryant
The Night I Disappeared
Julie Reece Deaver
Simon Pulse, 2002
242 pages
SUMMARY:
Jamie and her Mom are a
two-person family; Jamie’s father died when she was three and a half. Her mom is a very successful defense
attorney; Jamie is struggling in school and socially. The only place she feels comfortable and
accepted is with her friend Webb. Both
of them are leaving
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Cut by Patricia McCormick
Crooked by Laura McNeal
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Dreamland by Sarah Dessen
Blackwater by Eve Bunting
The Wanderer by Sharon Creech
The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Kidnapping
Recovered Memory
Friendship
Self-defense
WEB SITES:
False Memory Syndrome Foundation
Kidnapped Children
BOOKTALK:
Have you ever felt like
no one understands you and that you just don’t fit in? Do you hate your school and almost all of the
people in it? Do you love your mother
even if you know she really doesn’t understand you? If so, you can relate to Jamie Thessman. Jamie has
just managed to fail her junior year, mainly because she cut so many classes to
be with her friend Webb. She and Webb
have been friends since Jamie was nine years old. He is the only person who understands her. Her mother is taking her to
Prepared by: Tookie Harrop
Out of the Fire
Deborah Froese
Sumach Press, 2002
282 pages
SUMMARY:
Dayle is a normal sixteen-year-old dealing with school,
her friends, family and the recent death of her grandmother. She goes to a party with her boyfriend where
an accident causes her and a friend to be badly burned. While she struggles with both mental and
physical recoveries, she also tries to keep both her friends and family together.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Falling from Fire by Teena Booth
Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Writing Journal entries, transitions between
real life, dreams, and thoughts.
Biology and Medicine:
Burn injuries, the effect on the body and
the medical treatment.
Strategies for Success:
Teen parties, influence of alcohol and their
consequences, friendship and character.
Psychology:
Mental recoveries from injuries.
WEB SITES:
Biographical
information about Deborah Froese
Burns
BOOKTALK:
When I read the summary of this book, I thought it was going to be just another teenage tragic soap opera, and I thought I would get nothing out of reading it. However, as I started reading, I realized I was wrong. This book is written from the point of view of a normal teenage girl, whose life suddenly changes when she is badly burned in an accident. It shows what Dayle must go through in order to survive and recover, how she must mentally recover. Her deceased grandmother helps her with this in a spiritual sense. Dayle’s story also shows how this accident affected her family and friends. It hurt them almost as much as it hurt her. The metaphor of a phoenix is used to describe Dayle’s recovery. Like a phoenix, Dayle was reborn from her ashes or burns. No matter what wild ride life takes you on, you must learn to cope with the hardships, move on and become a better person out of the suffering.
Prepared by: Mollie Carter
The Pact
Drs. Sampson
Riverhead Books, 2003
248 pages
SUMMARY:
This is the story of friendship, motivation, and success. Three African American men growing up amidst the street life of gangs, drugs, money, and violence make a promise to each other in high school. These three men make a pact to apply for and complete a program for minority students interested in becoming doctors. The book depicts each man’s struggle to grow up, finish college, and complete medical school. It tells the inspirational tale of friendship and success in both academics and life.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
The Spyglass Tree by Albert Murray
Gifted
Hands: the Ben Carson Story by Ben Carson, M.D
Spellbound by Janet McDonald
Finding
Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Q. Fisher
Unafraid
of the Dark: A Memoir by Rosemary L. Bray
Raising
Fences: A Black Man's Love Story by Michael Datcher
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Biography/Autobiography
Careers
Minorities
African American culture
History
WEB SITES:
Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Plus
Program
BOOKTALK:
If
you grow up around gangs, drugs, and violence you are suppose to be a criminal
right?
Not
always!
George,
Sam, and Rameck grew up in poor homes in
During
high school these men learned of a program for minority students interested in
becoming doctors. That day their lives changed. George, Sam, and Rameck made a promise to each other to finish college and
become doctors no matter what, and they did. One is a dentist, two are doctors,
and they could not have done it without the friendship and inspiration of one
another. The “pact” these men made in high school acted as a positive force to
steer them away from the problems and dangers of the streets they played on as
boys and send them into the medical world to help their communities as men.
Read about growing up in the hood and finding a way out, but a way give back as
well in The Pact.
Prepared by: Sue Anne Beym
Shattering
Glass
Gail Giles
Roaring Brook Press, 2002
215 pages
SUMMARY:
Rob, the senior BMOC, and his hangers-on
decide to pull the male equivalent of My Fair Lady. The guys turn
Simon Glass, the butt of everyone’s jokes and target of derision, into one of
the school’s elite. As the social experiment unfolds, Simon,
unexpectedly, affects each of Rob’s crew in different ways. Through Simon’s
tutelage and cheating, the dumb jock is transformed into a self-confident
academic. Rob’s original right-hand man is reduced to relinquishing his
girlfriend to the newly crowned Prince Charming, and Rob finds himself,
ultimately, being played by his creation. The power struggle takes a
decidedly nasty turn in the end.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK,
TRY…
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Breaking Point by Alex Flinn
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Cheating Lessons: a Novel by
Stoner and Spaz by Ron Koertge
Freewill by Chris Lynch
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates
Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
The Gospel According to
Larry by
Janet Tashjian
Slave Day by Rob Thomas
The Body of Christopher
Creed and
What Happened to Lani Garver? by
Carol Plum-Ucci
Shades of Simon Gray by Joyce Macdonald
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Use literary circles and examine Shattering
Glass and similar titles: Shades of Simon Gray, Breaking Point,
Cheating Lessons: a Novel, Stoner and Spaz,
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl, Whale Talk, or others listed
above. Compare and contrast such issues as cheating, dealing with
popularity or unpopularity, and peer pressure. In addition to the
thematic approach, the construction of the novels could yield some interesting
comparisons and contrasts of plot line v. story line, the use of multiple
points of view, and other literary elements for higher-level classes.
Create a webquest dealing with school violence.
Compare and contrast Shattering Glass, Chocolate War, and Lord
of the Flies.
Science:
Read the novel in conjunction with a unit on
natural selection. The idea of survival of the fittest plays a daily role
in the lives of animals. Discuss and compare how animals use camouflage
and other methods to mask their inferiority or weaknesses to stay alive.
Discuss and compare how animals attract prospective mates. Discuss
comparisons to Simon’s transformation. Look at articles dealing with
animals and their systems of social order. Is it any different than what
humans do? Does murder occur in species other than humans?
Freshman Strategies:
Read and discuss the ethical implications of
Simon’s cheating. Discuss the pitfalls of peer pressure and the hubris of
the “in” crowd. Discuss ways to counteract these problems in school
situations. Role play situations that can be compared and contrasted to
situations that Rob, Simon, and the others involved find themselves.
Discuss the pressure to fit in at school. Read articles that deal with
these issues. Discuss school violence. Create web search about school
violence and bullying.
Psychology:
Examine the reasons for the actions of the
boys and the disastrous outcome. Breakdown the
psychological struggle for power and the superiority complex of the popular
crowd and the inferiority complex of the wannabes. Discuss the
psychosis of murder. (Could be highly controversial, but I haven’t met a
9th grade boy who wouldn’t jump at the chance to get some shock
value points by researching murderers.) Look for articles that deal with
peer pressure, bullying, and the stress of fitting in at school.
BOOKTALK:
"Simon Glass was easy
to hate. I never knew exactly why, there was too much to pick from. I guess,
really we each hated him for a different reason, but we didn't realize it until
the day we killed him." –Young Stewart
Gail Giles’ first young adult novel employs
multiple points of view to unravel her
mad-scientist’s-monster-that-ultimately-must-be-destroyed-through-no-fault-of-its-own
story. Much like the webbed cracks of a piece of glass, the different viewpoints
of teachers, fellow students, police, and parents unfold the dramatic and
suspenseful events. They connect varying
degrees of corroboration and dismissal of reasons for the violent failure of
the boys’ social experiment. Rob, the senior BMOC, and his henchmen decide to
pull the male equivalent of My Fair Lady. The guys turn Simon
Glass, the butt of everyone’s jokes and target of derision, into one of the
elite. It’s amazing what a new haircut and the right clothes can do for a
kid beyond the boundaries of the school’s social map. Unexpectedly, Simon
affects each of Rob’s crew in different ways. Through Simon’s tutelage
and cheating on a college entrance exam, the dumb jock, Coop, is transformed
into a self-confident academic. Rob’s original right-hand man, Young, is
reduced to relinquishing his girlfriend to the newly crowned Prince Charming,
and Rob, ultimately, finds himself and his gang being manipulated by their
creation. The power struggle takes a nasty turn in the end. The
boys all have reasons for disliking Simon before and after the transformation,
but why does the dislike elicit such a violent response, who is really
responsible, and who is punished for the final act?
Soldier Boys
Dean Hughes
Simon and Schuster, 2001
230 pages
SUMMARY:
Two soldiers – one
German, one American – face challenges in the worst war of its time. Dieter (pronounced Dee-ter)
has grown up as a Hitler Youth and is devoted to his country and the principles
he has been taught. Spence has grown up as a Mormon and must go against his
father’s wishes in order to satisfy his own conscience as the war
escalates. Dieter and Spence come
together on the battlefield – one to live, one to die.
IF YOU LIKED THIS
BOOK, TRY…
Under a War Torn Sky by L. M. Elliott
Soldier X by Don Wulffson
The Forgotten Soldier by Guy Sajer
Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
Slap Your Sides by M. E. Kerr
The Journal of Scott Pendleton Collins: A World
War II Soldier by Walter Dean
Myers
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Use the alternating
narration of Soldier Boys to discuss point of view and narrator. Create a possible alternate ending for the
novel. In looking at the experiences of
the two narrators, discuss a possible theme.
Discuss the impact of the narrators’ experiences on their lives.
Connect current world to
a similar situation.
Discuss character by
creating journal entries for each character at a given time period.
Social Studies:
The attitudes of the
people in
Military Studies:
Study the strategies of
the German and Allies military in the battles described in the novel.
Psychology:
Discuss
brainwashing. Read the novel and discuss
the effects of the training of the Hitler Youth and its subsequent results in
the novel.
Discuss propaganda in its
many forms (print, visual and audio media, and in social contexts) and its use
in political use in modern history (including the World War I, World War II,
the Korean conflict, the Vietnam conflict, the Gulf War, and the current war in
the Middle East).
WEB SITES:
BOOKTALK:
What would life have been
like as a young man during World War II? In
In
Prepared by: Joy Danigel
Son of the Mob
Gordon
Korman
Hyperion,
2002
262
pages
SUMMARY:
Vince Luca, 17 year-old
son of a powerful crime boss, does not want to be involved in his father’s business
in any way. Life gets hectic when Vince
starts dating Kendra, daughter of the FBI agent trying to put Vince’s father in
jail, as well as help Jimmy Rat, a hoodlum who owes Vince’s father money.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY…
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Romiette and Julio by Sharon Draper
Scribbler of Dreams by Mary E. Pearson
Most Precious Blood by Susan Beth Pfeffer
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Language Arts:
Read the novel and write a paper comparing Vince’s family problems with problems in your own family.
Social Psychology:
Read the novel and discuss the different family lifestyles and family relationships depicted in the novel.
Law Related Education:
Read the novel and discuss how the Mafia is portrayed in the story. How does this compare to actual crime families?
WEB SITES:
The Official Gordon Korman
Website
BOOKTALK:
17
year-old Vince is about to fulfill one of his dreams, making out with a girl on
Bryce Beach. But when he reaches into the trunk of his car
to get a blanket, he finds an unconscious man.
This is only one of the problems Vince faces being the son of Honest Abe
Luca, mob boss. Vince wants nothing to
do with his father’s business. He begins
dating Kendra, whose father, an FBI agent, is trying to put Honest Abe Luca in
jail. Vince also tries to help Jimmy
Rat, a lowlife who owes Honest Abe money.
Read Son of the Mob to see if
Vince can escape the family business, and if Vince and Kendra can overcome
their families’ different backgrounds and find love.
Prepared by: Evelyn Newman
Ronald Koertge
Candlewick
Press, 2002
176
pages
SUMMARY:
Two teenagers on opposite
sides of the social divide come together and form a bond that changes their
both their lives completely.
IF YOU LIKED THIS
BOOK, TRY:
Stuck in Neutral by Terry Truman
Cut by Patricia McCormick
Smack by Melvin Burgess
CURRICULUM
CONNECTIONS:
Drug use
Cerebral Palsy
Cinema
WEBSITES:
BOOKTALK:
Ben Bancroft and Colleen Minou come from different worlds. Colleen from a home with
absent parents is into drugs and tattoos. Ben has Cerebral Palsy and an over
protective grandmother. These two teenagers seem to have nothing in common, but
one night Colleen and Ben meet at a vintage theater and together bond with a
love for old movies. This is a story of two teenagers dealing with their
self-esteem and how sometimes people never really change.
Prepared by: Marci Salerno
Andrew Clements
Philomel Books, 2002
251 pages
SUMMARY:
Bobby Phillips, average high school student,
awakens one morning to discover that he is invisible. While on his journey to discover how he
became invisible, and how to become “visible” once again, he learns much about
himself and others.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK TRY…
Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The Boggart by Susan Cooper
Fade by Robert Cormier
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Language arts:
Use as a bell-ringer topic for a writing
class: 1) If
you woke up one morning and discovered you were invisible, how would you
feel? Or
2) Name 5 positive and 5 negative consequences of being
invisible. Or Would you rather have an
invisibility cloak like Harry Potter, or become truly invisible like Bobby.
Discuss alienation as a theme in literature.
Science:
Research the hazards of the scientific age
(radiation, electrocution, accidents)
Freshman Focus or Strategies class:
Discuss how we make some people seem invisible when
we ignore them or freeze them out.
Philosophy:
Discuss whether “human spontaneous involuntary
invisibility” could be real.
WEB SITES:
Want to
learn how to make something disappear?
BOOKTALK:
Bobby Phillips is a boy after every librarian’s
heart. One morning he awakens to find
that he is invisible. And where does he first go to begin to figure out why he
has become invisible? To the library! Answers and cures for his predicament aren’t
easily found. He does, however, meet
someone who helps him sort things out.
Alicia, a blind girl Bobby meets at the library, is at first unaware of
Bobby’s condition, then repelled by it, but ultimately can “see” that he is
worthy of her friendship and assistance.
One of his biggest problems is that school officials investigate his
absence and even threaten to take action against his parents. Are there others like him? Will he ever be
able to get back to any semblance of a normal life? By the author of Frindle and the picture book Big Al, Things Not
Seen will give you much to think about.
Prepared by Nancy D. Self
Sarah Dessen
Viking Children’s Books; May 2002
352 pages
SUMMARY:
Remy is a compulsive
dater but always knows the perfect time to give a boyfriend "The
Speech" telling him it's over. Her friends tease that her boyfriend tally is
nearing the triple digit mark, but she's a girl who knows just how to avoid any
messy emotional entanglement. After all, she's had the example of her
five-times-married mother to show her what not to do. So it's no surprise,
then, that Remy’s rules for relationships keep boys in her life at arm's
length. So why does Dexter make it so hard for her to follow her own rules?
He's everything she hates: messy, disorganized, much too vulnerable, impulsive,
and worst of all, a musician like her father: the
father Remy never knew, the father who wrote a famous song for her, the father
who disappeared from her life. Remy struggles with learning that loving someone
requires a leap of faith, and that a soft landing is
never guaranteed.
IF YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY….
That Summer by Sarah Dessen
Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Sloppy Firsts: A Novel by Megan McCafferty
Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Psychology: Read and discuss the effort Remy makes to keep herself from ever
feeling hurt. Discuss other types of walls people use to keep their feelings
protected. What are the risks involved in feeling love. Is love worth the
risks? What effect did the early ugly experience with sex have on Remy’s
outlook?
Family Life: Look at the cycle created for Remy by the abandonment by her father
and her mother’s constant tries at marriage. Discuss Remy’s view of marriage.
Is this more and more the norm?
Language Arts: Examine the book for the richness of the characters. Are the
characters in the book recognizable in any high school? How does Dessen illustrate character traits through dialogue,
description, and actions? Compare the lives of Remy and her girlfriends.
Compare and contrast Remy and Dexter. Compare and contrast Remy and her mother.
BOOKTALK:
“Hey, I’ve got no
illusions about love….It comes, it goes, it leaves casualties or it doesn’t.
People weren’t meant to be together forever, regardless of what the songs say!”
Words from Remy, a girl who doesn’t believe in love.
And you can hardly blame her. Her romance novelist mother is about to get
married again for the fifth time, and her father, a ‘70s hippie singer, died
shortly after she was born, leaving her with a one-hit wonder song to remember
him by. Entitled “This Lullaby,” every time Remy hears it, it seems to feel
like a “bruise that never quite healed right.” So Remy has become an expert at
ending relationships before they ever have a chance to get serious or cause any
hurt. She has rules for keeping the guys she dates at arms length. But then
Dexter, a quirky, klutzy, alterna-band boy inserts
himself into her life, and Remy suddenly finds the carefully constructed walls
around her heart beginning to crumble. This is a love story, no doubt about it.
A love story with completely believable characters; Remy’s
life embracing mother, three dependable friends, wacky band members, but
especially Remy and Dexter. And this is a love story about learning that
loving is taking a chance, it’s risking being hurt yes, but it is also risking really
feeling totally and completely alive.
Love is a leap of faith, and soft landings are never guaranteed. Will
Remy ever decide it is worth the risk? Read This
Lullaby and see.
Prepared by: Rose Grayson
What Happened to Lani Garver
Carol Plum-Ucci
Harcourt, 2002
307 pages
SUMMARY:
Claire is a teenage girl with problems
ranging from a potential relapse of her Leukemia
to an eating
disorder, and Lani comes into her life not as a person,
but almost as an
angel. Claire lives
in the tiny town of
unacceptable. Lani doesn't fit in with the rest of the guys his age, the
"Fish Frat,"
especially so after
he finds out a secret about one of them that could permanently
damage his
reputation. The book quickly takes a sharp turn for the worse when Lani and
Claire are kidnapped by the group, and you'll
unfortunately get a look at just how far
some people will go
to protect an image.
IF
YOU LIKED THIS BOOK, TRY. . .
The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol
Plum-Ucci
Aimee by Mary Beth Miller
Shattering Glass by Gail Giles
Hanging on To Max by Margaret Bechard
Stoner and Spaz by
Ron Koertge
Three Clams and an Oyster by Randy
Powell
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:
Peer mediation
Inclusion
Tolerance of alternative lifestyles
Stereotyping
WEB SITES:
Carol
Plum-Ucci - School Library Journal
BOOKTALK: Ever heard of floating angels? More importantly, do you believe in
them? It
was in Carol
Garver a floating angel? This is one of those questions that just
can't be answered, and
is strictly a matter
of opinion. He's different, sure. He didn't fit the profile of a Hackett
Islander, he was different. He helped 16
year-old Claire to find her true self, and to never
put people in boxes.
When she thought her leukemia might be coming back to haunt
her, he helped her
find a free clinic to get tested. When he found out about her eating
problem, he found a
therapist for her, who also in turn helped her to realize that the
bloody lyrics she
wrote to play on her guitar weren't something to be ashamed of.
Claire's life was once again beginning to
pick up, but simultaneously Lani's started to get
worse. We saw him
picked on and kidnapped, and worst of all, we watched his life end.
The question you are left with: Did his life
really end, or did he take his work as a
floating angel
elsewhere, to help someone new.