Module 8 - The Hunger Games

Module 8 - The Hunger Games

Book Summary -
The book takes place in a post-apocalyptic North America called Panem and is narrated by Katniss Everdeen.  As punishment for an earlier rebellion, the Capital has 2 children from the ages of 12 to 18 from the 12 districts compete in the Hunger Games.  It is basically a fight to the death.  Katniss takes the place of her younger sister Primrose when she can't stand to see her compete.  As the gaems start, many die early.  The rules are continually changed, especially when it is found that the other contestant from district 12, Peeta, has a crush on Katniss.  First two people can win the game, then they change it so no only one can win.  Katniss uses her wits and skills to make sure that Peeta and she are the last ones standing.  She then makes it look like they are going to commit suicide, having them change the rules again so both can win.  The story ends with Katniss now being a political target and Peeta wondering if Katniss ever felt anything for him at all.

APA Reference -
Collins, S.  (2008).  The hunger games.  New York: Scholastic.

My Impressions -
I love good science fiction books, especially if it seems as though it could really happen.  This is one of those books.  The society utilized technology and popular reality tv through the games.  It really is a look at what society might come to later on.  It's also a bit of a warning to us that we must continue to be and act "human" and look at the humanity in others.

Professional Review -
Imagine Survivor, with kids, televised in real time with the entire country watching. And instead of being voted off the island, you're locked in a death match till the last kid is left standing. For a sheer thrill ride that's bound to hook teens and adults, and for its mordant social commentary, this novel gets my vote.

Roback, D. (2009). The Hunger Games. Publishers Weekly, 256(1), 24.

Library Uses -

Since the book includes much technology that is an extention of technology today, the students could look at the world today and create a technological extention of today that the characters might use in Panem in the future.

Module 7 - Speak

Module 7 - Speak

Book Summary -
The summer before Melinda starts high school, she goes to a party and is raped.  She calls police, but is silent, not knowing what to say.  As school starts, she rarely speaks, and then is abandoned by her former friends.  She finds out that her rapists, Andy Evans, is a student at her school.  She becomes the outcast, and withdraws from society.  She skips school and only finds an outlet in her art class.  As her former best friend Rachel starts to date Andy, Melinda struggles, but succeeds in telling her that Andy raped her the summer before.  Rachel ignores the warnings, even though Melinda presses the subject.  At the end of the year, as she's cleaning out her "hideaway" (the janitor's closet), Andy confronts her.  She fights back and finally finds her voice. 

APA Reference -
Anderson, L.H. (1999).  Speak.  New York: Farrar Straus Giroux.

My Impressions -
This is such a powerful book.  It reminds us that we must speak up for ourselves.  The pain that Melinda feels at not being able to say what happened is translated through Anderson's writing.  This is a "crying" book.  It is full of pain, loss, and ostracization.  At the end, though, it is so full of hope.  The reader really goes on a journey with Melinda throughout her ordeal and the following year without hope.  I love, love, love this book.

Professional Review -
Gr 9 Up- After ruining a summer party by calling the police, Melinda Sordino begins her freshman year as an outcast. The truth is she was raped, and because of the trauma, she barely speaks. The teen's struggle to find acceptance and her voice is compelling and illustrates the cruelty of peer pressure and high school cliques.
Ralston, J. (2003). Speak (Book). School Library Journal, 49(10), 99.

Library Uses -
This book is ideal for a book talk.  Since it is such a heavy subject, it is perfect for a discussion led by a librarian or teacher.  It lends itself to discussion of the theme of speaking up for oneself and how important each person's "voice" is to them and to society.

Module 7 - Paper Towns

Module 7 - Paper Towns

Book Summary -
Q and Margo have lived next door to each other most of their lives.  Close as children, they drifted apart in their teen years, especially after they find a suicide victim in the park.  One night in the spring of their senior year, Margo sneaks through Q's window and asks him to help her.  They get revenge on a few of Margo's former friends.  Then she goes missing.  Q finds that she has left clues to where she has gone.  At some point he wonders if he is looking more for her dead body than her live one.  Right after graduation, Q and his friends (through searching and searching), go to find Margo, who they feel is living in a "paper town", one that used to exist, but now only exists on paper.  They find her in New York state.  Q talks her into calling her family, but she stays in New York.  Q goes home.

APA Reference -
Green, J. (2008). Paper towns.  New York: Dutton Books.

My Impressions -
I loved the way most of this book read.  It is a mystery, but has the added humor of teenagers.  It is fun, and it really is thought provoking.  It really made me excited to see what Q would find and how he would find Margo.  The thing I really didn't like was the end.  I felt it was a bit of a letdown.  I was excited to see what Margo had to say when Q found her, but when he did, she was surprised because she didn't intend anyone to search for her.  I would have liked more closure, but it is like life in that respect.

Professional Review -
Gr 9 Up-- Quentin has been in love with Margo for years, so when she includes him in a madcap night of escapades and then disappears, he feels compelled to search for her and to learn why she is so unhappy. This suspenseful and emotionally taut story of self-discovery and compassion is laced with smart-aleck humor and graceful prose.

Paper Towns. (2009). School Library Journal, 5556.

Library Uses -

This would be a great book for a book talk.  Getting students' perspectives on Q's search and what the book was ultimately trying to say would be entertaining and a great learning experience for the students who take the time to seriously read this.

Module 6 - And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

Module 6 - And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon

Book Summary -
The book is about what happens after the famous nursery rhyme.  What happens if the dish and the spoon can't be found to retell their story?  The other characters in the rhyme go searching for the dish and the spoon.  They go to other nursery rhymes to search for them.  They find a piece of the dish with the big bad wolf, but no dish.  They later find the spoon and the dish as they fall from the beanstalk.  Then they have to go to the man who puts Humpty Dumpty back together again in order to fish the dish.  After fixed, then the rhyme can be retold.

APA Reference -
Stevens, J. and S.S. Crummel.  (2004). And the dish ran away with the spoon.  New York: Harcourt.

My Impressions -
This is an extremely cute redo of the classic nursery rhyme.  What child has never wondered what happened to the dish and the spoon.  This helps to clear that up.  The illustrations are cute and really add to the book.  They can be appreciate by young readers and older readers.  It seems a bit long when read aloud, but otherwise it is a great read.

Professional Review -
K-Gr 3-- The nursery community takes action when the dish and spoon fail to return from their nightly romp. Little Miss Muffet, Bo Peep, the Big Bad Wolf, and Humpty Dumpty help Cat, Cow, and Dog locate the AWOL dinnerware before bedtime. Children can be encouraged to think about favorite book characters as part of a larger literary community, and hone their mapping skills as they follow the map of the animals' search. The oversized illustrations, particularly of Dog in her party hat and polka-dot tutu, are hilarious.

Auerbach, B. (2005). And the dish ran away with the spoon. School Library Journal, 51(9), 60.

Library Uses -

This is a great read-aloud book for younger readers.  For the ones who are writing, once the book is read, they can create their own short rhyme and illustrate it similar to how it is in the book.

Module 5 - Esperanza Rising

Module 5 - Esperanza Rising

Book Summary -
Esperanza is the daughter of a wealthy landowner in Mexico.  After he is killed, however, since women cannot own property, the land is left to her father's stepbrothers while her mother only keeps the house.  Esperanza's uncle Luis proposes marriage to her mother.  Her mother does consider this, but after the house is burnt and Tio Luis again proposes marriage, Esperanza, her mother, and three of their servants run away to the United States.  Esperanza's life used to be one of privilege, but not anymore.  She doesn't completely fit in with the other field workers because of her background, but she is no longer privileged.  The book ends with Miguel, the son of their old servants using the money Esperanza has saved up to bring Esperanza's grandmother to the United States.  Her life isn't what it used to be, but she is now happy.

APA Reference -
Ryan, P.M. (2000). Esperanza rising.  New York: Scholastic.

My Impressions -
I was excited to read this book, because this is a world of which I really had no knowledge.  I didn't really know about the Mexican immigrants that came to the U.S during the 1930s and what their lives were like.  I certainly didn't know that women could not really own property in Mexico at this time.  I did like this book.  It reminded me a bit of the book Bless Me, Ultima in the way the Spanish words were included in the writing. I do love the title as esperanza means hope in Spanish.  This gives a hint at the ending.  I admit I wasn't swept away by it, but it was a pretty good glimpse into a previously unknown world.

Professional Review -
Gr 6-9 --Inspired by her grandmother's immigration stories, Pamela Munoz Ryan (Scholastic 2000) offers valuable glimpses of the lives of Mexican-American farm workers during the Depression. When her father dies, 13-year-old Esperanza and her mother are forced to abandon their privileged lives and move to California. At first the proud girl is appalled that they must share a cramped row house and work at menial jobs, but when her mother becomes gravely ill, she learns the value of generous friends and her own inner resources. This coming-of-age story also looks at the economic and social issues of that era, and the author's note adds valuable factual information. Trini Alvarado's narration is adroit and melodic as she handles text that skillfully intersperses Spanish phrases and songs. Pairing this story with Zilpha Keatley Snyder's Cat Running (Delacorte, 1994) will give listeners broader insights into the difficulties of the 1930's. This recording is a solid choice for all elementary and middle school audiobook collections, and a necessity for libraries serving Spanish-speaking populations

Mandell, P., & Wysocki, B. (2001). Esperanza rising. School Library Journal, 47(8), 8

Library Uses -

This book would be a good featured book in the library over the Cinco de Mayo holiday, or during a spotlight time of book by minority authors. 

Module 5 - Monster

Module 5 - Monster

Book Summary -
Steve Harmon is 16 years old and on trial for murder.  As he waits in jail and later sits through the trial, he puts his feelings and his fear in the form of a diary and screenplay.  He looks in the mirror and does not see himself anymore.  He feels like a character in a movie.  Steve says that he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, and had no knowledge of the theft and murder before it happened.  The prosecution suggests that he was the lookout and was active in the robbery that led to a murder.  The book ends with him being found not guilty and struggling to find out who he really is after being thought a monster for so long.

APA Reference -
Myers, W.D. (1999). Monster.  New York: Harper Collins.

My Impressions -
I think that this book is written in a very unique and fun way.  It should certainly be a good book to read for those students who don't typically like to read.  Harmon, the main character, has very insightful things to say about his life and who he is in prison.  By writing the proceedings like a movie script, he reads into the characters of his life and is really able to look at who they are objectively.  This is a great and innovative book that hits on themes that are relevant for many teenage students in schools today.

Professional Book Review -
Gr 9 Up- When Steve Harmon is accused of being an accomplice in a robbery and murder, he chronicles his trial and experiences in the form of a movie script. The prosecutor calls the teen a monster while his high school film teacher calls him compassionate. The ambiguous ending of this riveting account provides much opportunity for debate. Audio available from Listening Library.

Ralston, J. (2003). Monster (book). School Library Journal, 49(10), 99.

Library Uses -

The students can use this book and rewrite the ending where the readers find out whether or not Steve is really innocent or guilty.  They need to write in the screenplay format.

Module 4 - The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Module 4 - The Witch of Blackbird Pond

Book Summary -
In the late 1600s, Kit Tyler must move from her home in the Caribbean to the colony of Connecticut.  She doesn't fit in with her family and certainly doesn't fit in with the others in the town.  She is much more free-spirited than the Puritans would like her to be.  She makes friends with another person who is basically ostracized from the community.  But in this world, witches exist, and it is certainly not a good thing to be a friend of the witch of Blackbird Pond.  Kit finds herself accused of witchcraft.  After she is finally exonerated, she finds the love and acceptance that she always wanted.

APA Reference -
Speare, E.G. (1986). The witch of Blackbird Pond.  New York: Dell Publishing.

My Impressions -
This is a great look into Puritan life.  This way of life is so different for us, so the choice of a protagonist that is just as different allows us to learn how Puritan society worked without it being a list of dos and do nots.  Kit and her two cousins are extremely different and it helps the reader to experience this way of life more fully and to get involved in the story as there is a character for everyone to relate to.  It is a great example of historical fiction and a great introduction to the witch hunts that dominated late 17th century society.

Professional Review -
Gr. 6–8. Hurt masterfully reads this Newbery award winner, set in seventeenth-century Puritan New England. Orphan Kit Tyler sails to the Connecticut colony to live with her aunt and uncle, but despite earnest attempts to belong, her behavior is unacceptable by Puritan standards. Criticized by the community, Kit seeks solace with a kindly old Quaker woman. Hurt’s youthful voice and soft New England accent perfectly match Kit’s buoyant personality and well-meaning antics. Hurt’s perception of the story enables her to shift seamlessly among characters, and she ably portrays everyone, including Kit’s soft-spoken aunt and her terse, unforgiving uncle. The villager’s talk of heresy is thick with suspicion, and Hurt’s capable reading accentuates this sense of foreboding.
Rich, A. (2002). The witch of Blackbird Pond (book).  Booklist, 99(5), 518.

Library Uses -
This book gives very detailed descriptions of the town in Connecticut where Kit and her extended family live.  It would be a fun and useful activity if the students drew a map, based on descriptions in the book, of the town.