List of Materials for Database Assignment LIBR265- Wrenn-Estes

Books

1. An Abundance of Katherines
2. Blogging for Teens by John W. Gosney
3. Chobits by Clamp
4. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
5. Cut by Patricia McCormick
6. The Dark Game: true Spy Stories by Paul B. Janeczko
7. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
8. Eldest by Christopher Paolini
9. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
10. The Firefly Letters: a suffragette’s letter to Cuba by Margarita Engle
11. The Giver by Lois Lowry
12. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
13. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
14. Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve
15. Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
16. Hope in Patcience by Beth Fehlbaum
17. Hot X: Algebra Exposed! by Danica McKellar
18. Into the Wild by John Krakauer
19. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
20. Little Brother by Corey Doctorow
21. Matter of Trust by Anne Schraff
22. Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica
23. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
24. Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
25. Peach Girl: Change of Heart, Vol.1 by by Miwa Ueda
26. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Steven Chbosky
27. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
28. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
29. Rock the SAT: trick your brain into learning new vocab while listening to slamming music! by David Mendelsohn
30. Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
31. Soul surfer : a true story of faith, family, and fighting to get back on the board by Bethany Hamilton
32. Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell
33. Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith
34. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen
35. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Databases

1. HelpNow
2. NoveList
3. World Book

Games

1. Just Dance for the Nintendo Wii by Ubisoft
2. Rock Band for the Nintendo Wii by Harmonix

Magazines

1. Game informer magazine : for video game enthusiasts
2. Seventeen Magazine

Movies

1. Beastly DVD by Daniel Barnz
2. Death Note DVD by Sony Pictures
3. Fast and the Furious DVD Robert Cohen
4. Mean Girls by Mark Waters DVD
5. The secret life of the American teenager. Season one [videorecording].

Music

1. Death to False Metal by Weezer
2. Doo-wops & hooligans [sound recording] by Bruno Mars
3. Glee: The Music, Volume 4

Into the Wild by John Krakauer

Bibliographic Information: Krakauer, Jon. Into the Wild. Anchor Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0385486804
Genre: Non-fiction, Adventure, Adult crossover books.
Reading Level: Grades 7-12
Curriculum ties: Christopher McCandless, Hitchiking-US, Adventure, Alaska,Wayfaring life, West-Biography, Made into a movie.
Awards:Garden State Teen Book Award, 1999 Winner Non-Fiction New Jersey
Note: Made into a movie in (2007). Author of Into Thin Air (1997).

Reader’s Annotation: After graduating from college, Christopher McCandless embarks on an adventure from Atlanta to Alaska that he has wanted to take for years.

Plot Summary: Christopher McCandless was a typical student athlete who just finished college and is ready to take on the world, unfortunately it is not the world that his parents had in mind. Christopher was never felt that he had to identify with the material things that were provided for him by his family and now was his chance to live life for himself. Christopher cleared out his savings account which totaled about $24,000 and gave it to charity. Abandoning all his possessions, he began his journey to Alaska where he would live off the land and become one with nature. Along the way, he develops a new persona; the real him,  adopts a new name; Alexander Supertramp, and befriends those who he most relates to; other vagabonds trying to find their way. When Christopher finally makes it to Alaska in the Spring, he is filled with a sense of peace and excitement but this is only the beginning of  what proves to be a challenging feat.

Critical Evaluation:  The author uses references to several classic novelists including Jack London, Leo Tolstoy and Henry David Thoreau as Christopher’s guides and references in his life which you can see by his actions and beliefs. Jack London’s book Call of the Wild was Christopher’s inspiration to become one with nature. This Naturalism philosophy is what he lived by in Alaska. Christopher also adopted a Tolstoyan renunciation of wealth and return to nature when he sold all possessions and went off the grid. The most constant influence would be that of Henry David Thoreau’s Transcendentalism, rebelling against what he saw as the current situation and trying to be different than that. A theme seen time and again,  he rebells against his father’s work, his affluent life at home and then proceeds to change his name, identity and ultimately rebells against nature. This is a great way to incorporate some classic literature into a modern story.

Booktalking Ideas:
Do you think that McCandless was properly prepared to go on this journey?
2) Was McCandless of sound mind to go on this adventure? Was he suicidal? Mentally ill?
3) Discuss the significance of the relationship McCandless has with his pen-pal Wayne.
4) What influence does Jack London have on McCandless’ adventure? Survival skills?
Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: none

Challenge Defense Ideas: There are no apparent challenge issues associated with this book. In the case that a challenge comes up, there are some things that you can do to start. You could read the book and become familiar with the content. Refer to the library collection development policy, and get reviews from reputable sources and teens that have read the book.
Why was this book included?: A gripping non-fiction account full of adventure and wonder.
Author Information: Mountain climber and writer Jon Krakauer was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1954. He was raised in Corvallis, Oregon from two years of age.
In 1976, Krakauer received a degree in Environmental Studies from Hampshire College in Massachusetts. He worked as a carpenter and fisherman and wrote articles on mountain climbing throughout the latter half of the 1970s. By 1980, he wrote regularly for Outside magazine and also wrote for such publications as National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Rolling Stone.
Krakauer but may be best-known for his book, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster. In this book, Krakauer recollected his guided climb of Mt. Everest that was known as the 1996 Everest Disaster. Krakauer is also recognized for his 1996 book: Into the Wild. It spent more than two years on the New York Times bestseller list and became a movie in 2007. He also wrote When Men Win Glory in 2010.
(Bowker Author Biography. Retrieved from: https://sddp.sirsi.net/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=z8ycJMz2mR/CENTRAL/143470071/9#syn_anotes)

An Abundance of Katherines

Bibliographic Information: Green, John. An Abundance of Katherines. Dutton Books 2006. ISBN 9780525476887
Genre: Teen Romance, Coming of age, Humor
Reading Level: Grades 7-12
Curriculum ties: Teenage boy prodigies, High school graduates, Mathematics, Self-perception, Historical trivia.
Awards: Booklist Editors’ Choice – Books for Youth – Older Readers Category: 2006, Texas Tayshas Reading Lists: 2007, YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2007, Michael L. Printz Honor Book, 2007.
Notes: Author of Printz-winning Looking for Alaska (2005)

Reader’s Annotation: Dumped by Katherine #19, Colin Singleton takes a road trip to contemplate his affinity to date girls named Katherine.

Plot Summary: Hassan, Colin’s best friend, hauls him out of his funk and out of the house with the promise of a road trip to cure all of Colin’s girl troubles after a recent break up with his girlfriend (Katherine #19). The boys leave Chicago and take to the road, entertaining themselves by playing anagrams, trivia, and foreign-language bons mots, and recounting historical facts (all their idea of fun). Eventually, they find themselves in Gunshot, Tennessee, where they see the grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, meet a girl who isn’t called Katherine, and end up working on a local oral history project. Lindsey (the not-Katherine) introduces the boys to Gunshot and agrees to help Colin with his “Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability,” which, when completed, will not only calculate the path of all romantic relationships, but also allow Colin to mature from failed child prodigy to successful mathematical genius.

Critical Evaluation:  This intelligent story, the inclusion of mathematical problems, word puzzles and historical references makes this story appeal to older teen readers, especially boys but may discourage non scholarly readers. The narrative is nerdy but this should not discourage those who decide to pick up this book because there are footnotes at the bottom of each page to translate, explain the formula or give background history of what they are talking about. It encourages teens to expand their knowledge base without losing the element of story. I do like the nods given to obscure historical figure such as the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Most teens do not know this story but after this book they will have a better understanding or look into this further on their own. Teens would benefit from more fiction books written in this manner to include some factual base.

Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss your feelings towards Colin’s theories on love. Do you think love can be interpreted mathematically?
2) Talk about the incorporation of math, puzzles and footnotes in the story. Do they add or detract from the plot?
3) What characteristics does Colin show that he is a prodigy? Would you consider him to be a prodigy? What constitutes a prodigy? 
4) In your opinion, why or why not does the formula (represented in the book) work?
Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Use of racist words such as: jewfro, fug, fugger, fugging, kafir

Challenge defense ideas:
• The words listed above were all part of a game that deals with wordplay. In the extensive combinations of letters, these words happened to come up as possible answers to their game.
Why was this book included?: A romantic book told from a male point view is hard to find.
Author Information: John Green is the New York Times bestselling author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns. He is also the coauthor, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He was 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Green’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages.
In 2007, Green and his brother Hank ceased textual communication and began to talk primarily through videoblogs posted to youtube. The videos spawned a community of people called nerdfighters who fight for intellectualism and to decrease the overall worldwide level of suck. (Decreasing suck takes many forms: Nerdfighters have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight poverty in the developing world; they also planted thousands of trees around the world in May of 2010 to celebrate Hank’s 30th birthday.) Although they have long since resumed textual communication, John and Hank continue to upload three videos a week to their youtube channel, vlogbrothers. Their videos have been viewed more than 75 million times, and their channel is one of the most popular in the history of online video. He is also an active (if reluctant) Twitter user with more than 1.1 million followers.
(Author biography obtained from author website. Retrieved from: http://johngreenbooks.com/bio-contact/)

Summer and the City by Candace Bushnell

Bibliographic Information: Bushnell, Candace. Summer in the City. Balzer & Bray 2011.  ISBN 9780061728938
Genre: Chick-Lit
Reading Level: Grades 8-12
Curriculum ties: None
Awards: None
Note: A prequel to Candace Bushnell’s The Carrie Diaries (2010).

Reader’s Annotation: Follow a young Carrie Bradshaw in New York City as she works towards being a famous writer.

Plot Summary: Picking up right where the Carrie Diaries left off, seventeen year old Carrie Bradshaw is living in one of the most fashionable cities in the world, New York. It is the Summer before she goes off to college, she is thinking Brown university, and is taking a writing course to keep her focused on her future career in journalism. Carrie has been living a somewhat nomadic lifestyle, crashing with friends wherever she can until she finally settles on moving in with her fashionista friend Samantha who’s main goals are fashion, fortune and fame. Carrie’s love interest is a thirty something playwright named Bernard who thinks doesn’t know Carrie’s real age. This is the Summer of discovery for Carrie. She becomes focused on writing, confident in her self and is having the time of her life with all her good friends living it up in the big apple.

Critical Evaluation: What I like about this book is how the author portrayed Carrie as a very confident and strong female role. Taking direction towards making her life long dreams of being a writer by actively seeking mentorship and education. I think her determination sets a good example for young teen women today. What I was a little leery about was the sexual, scandalous , and saucy escapades involving alcohol and men way out of their age range. This was more reminiscent of the adult version of Sex in the City but just at a younger time in their lives. I like how the author is giving readers more insight into how the group came to be before we saw them on television. What was cute was the inserts and guides to New York life told from the perspective of each girl, I thought they captured each personality very well.

Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss the relationship between the girls. Do you see any clues to their adult selves?
In this novel, Carrie loses her virginity,. Do you think seventeen is too young to be having sex?
What clues to Carrie’s adult self are developing during this “coming of age” period in her life?

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Sex, Alcohol
Challenge defense ideas:
Discussing how Carrie lost her virginity may deter girls who were thinking of having sex or at least open a discussion.
Why was this book included?: For older teens, this book is a great account of teenage life in New York. Also for fans of Sex and the City, it is a fun read.
Author Information: Bushnell (b. Dec. 1, 1958) grew up in Glastonbury, Ct, and moved to New York City at age 19. She attended Rice University and New York University, and began her professional career at 19 when she wrote a children’s book for Simon & Schuster. Throughout her twenties, Bushnell developed her trademark style as a freelancer, writing darkly humorous pieces about women, relationships and dating for Mademoiselle, Self Magazine, and Esquire. In 1990, she wrote a column that would become a precursor for Sex and the City, called The Human Cartoon, a fictional serial published in Hamptons Magazine.
She began writing for the New York Observer in 1993; in November of 1994 she created the column Sex and the City, which ran in the New York Observer for two years. The column was bought as a book in 1995, and sold to HBO as a series in 1996. Bushnell hosted a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, called Sex, Success, and Sensibility, which aired from October 2006 to October 2008. She wrote and created a web series, The Broadroom, starring Jennie Garth, which launched in September 2009. In April 2010 she released The Carrie Diaries, the prequel to Sex and the City. The second book in this series is called Summer and the City and will be in bookstores in April 2011. She is currently at work on The Two Mrs. Stones, which will be in bookstores in April 2012.
Through her books and television series, Bushnell’s work has influenced and defined two generations of women. She is the winner of the 2006 Matrix Award for books (other winners include Joan Didion and Amy Tan), and a recipient of the Albert Einstein Spirit of Achievement Award. In 2002, she married NYC Ballet Principal Dancer Charles Askegard. She currently resides in Manhattan.
(Author information obtained from author website. Retrieved from:http://www.candacebushnell.com/bio.html).

Mean Girls DVD by Mark Waters

Bibliographic Information: Michaels, Lorne. Mean Girls. Hollywood, Calif. : Paramount, c2004. 1 videodisc (96 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in.
. ISBN 1415700141, UPC 097363416043
Genre: DVD
MPAA rating: PG13; coarse language, sexual content.
Curriculum ties: DVD, High school, Teen Drama, Cliques, Social pressures
Producer: Lorne Michaels
Director: Mark Waters
Screenplay by: Tina Fey
Note: Based on the book Queen bees and wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman.
Cast: Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Tim Meadows, Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, Lacey Chabert, Lizzy Caplan, Daniel Franzese, Neil Flynn, Jonathan Bennett, Amanda Seyfried, Tina Fey.
Reader’s annotation: Cady Heron, portrayed by Lindsay Lohan, encounters a new jungle and becomes involved a new test of survival of the fittest.  The tumultuous life of teenage girls will bring the animal out of everyone.

Plot Summary: Cady Heron and her zoologist parents leave behind their simple life in the African bush country and move to the United States. Cady was home-schooled by her mother in Africa. For the first time in her life, Cady is attending public high school. Cady receives the harsh lessons of American teen-age culture, queen bees, wanna-be’s, and the importance of fitting in the right group and fashion. Cady befriends two social outcasts.  Together, they scheme to overthrow the queen bee Regina, portrayed by Rachel McAdams, and her group.  Cady infiltrates the group and acquires status in the high school jungle. To her dismay, Cady is enamored by the power of being in Regina’s group and downplays her intelligence.  Eventually, Cady loses her true friends, Aaron, her love interest, and the plan implodes in her face, resulting in public humiliation and being grounded by her parents.  Cady develops a strategic rescue plan to tame the wild jungle known as adolescence.

Critical Evaluation: Mean Girls is sassy story about the typical life of teenage girl. High school is portrayed as a war zone, depicting the conflict between the various social groups, such as the plastics, the geeks, and the jocks. Cady faces the conflict of right or wrong.  Although she does not agree with Regina’s ways, she follows.  She realizes that she has lost her true self when her true friends and Aaron.  Conformity and establishing one’s identity are powerful themes in Mean Girls.  Adolescence is a critical period for one to establish their identity.  Friendships and peers are the primary forces in the teenager’s life.  They shape views, values, fashion sense, and formation of relationships.I like how the director made Cady’s character come from Africa and have a completely fresh view on high school life in America. It also highlighted that anyone is able to fall into the social pressures of high school.

Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss How far would you go to fit in?
At this time, which group do you identify with?
Do you think that being part of a certain group makes you more popular or unpopular? If so, which ones?

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Pre-marital sex, sexuality, Social status, Use of alcohol and drugs
Challenge defense ideas:
• Individuals whose strongly held, unpopular opinions are given an outlet may be less apt to resort to violence than if their ideas are suppressed.
Because many decisions in our society are made by the majority, protection of minority rights ensures that the ideas of smaller, less popular groups are not suppressed by the majority. In time, the majority may come to agree with these minority groups.
Why was this book included?: Mean Girls was included to inform youths about cliques and how to avoid them.  This author hopes to provide students with a positive influence on establishing their identity, increase self-worth, acceptance, and tools to manage self during these trying years.

Producer Information:
Producer, writer. Born Lorne Michael Lipowitz on November 17, 1944, in Toronto, Canada. Soon after graduating from the University of Toronto, Michaels set his sights on a career in entertaininment, becoming half of a comedy duo with fellow Canadian Hart Pomerantz. He moved to Los Angeles in 1968 to write for Laugh-In and The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, as well as for a number of Canadian TV shows.
In 1975, NBC hired Michaels to create a show to fill a late Saturday night spot that was currently running reruns of The Tonight Show. After pulling together a group of actors and writers, Lorne debuted Saturday Night Live, a sketch comedy show that was filmed in front of a live audience. In time, the show earned the reputation of having launched some of the biggest names in comedy, incuding Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers and Will Ferrell. With Michaels as producer from 1975 to 1980 and executive producer from 1985 through today, the show has been nominated for more than 80 Emmy Awards and has won 18.
Michaels founded his production company, Broadway Video, in 1979. The company produced such shows as Kids in the Hall, as well as films based on SNL sketch acts like Wayne’s World and Tommy Boy. Michaels is also the executive producer of NBC’s Late Night with Conan O’Brien.
Michaels was married to Rosie Schuster from 1973 to 1980 and to Susan Forristal from 1984 to 1987. In 1999, he married Alice Barry with whom he has three children.
(Producer biography obtained from Biography.com. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/articles/Lorne-Michaels-16242370).

Fast and the Furious DVD by Robert Cohen

Bibliographic Information: Cohen, Rob. Fast and the Furious. Universal City, CA : Universal Studios Home Entertainment, c2009. 1 videodisc (107 min.) : sd., col. ; 4 3/4 in. DVD, region 1, anamorphic widescreen (2.40:1); Dolby Digital 5.1 surround. UPC 025195038416.
Genre: DVD, Street racing, Police, Crime, Action
MPAA rating: PG13
Curriculum ties: None
Director: Justin Lin

Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, John Ortiz, Laz Alonso.
Note: Based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson. Bonus features: Gag reel; feature commentary with director Justin Lin.

Reader’s Annotation: An undercover cop befriends the most well known street racer to gather evidence and catch a thief.

Plot Summary: Brian Spelner, Los Angeles police man is placed on an undercover assignment because of his bad driving habits and young, rugged look. The assignment is to gather information and bust a ring of thieves that have been steeling high end electronics. His new “job” is working at an auto parts store where he runs into a local street racer named Dom. Dom is not just ay street racer, he is the top dog on the streets, everyone is scared to go up against him except for Brian. Dom is suspicious that Brian is a great racer that he never heard of and even did a background check to make sure he was clean. Brian earns Dom’s trust when, after a police bust at the street races, Brian is the only one to come to his rescue. From there, their friendship blossoms and Brian is caught between a rock and a hard place.

Critical Evaluation: I really appreciated the sense of Family that Don has created among the cast of characters in the film. All of the street racers seem to come from broken homes and poor situations but they all have two things in common, the love of cars and street racing. Dom is so protective because his father was badly injured in a race car track accident that was caused by Dom so he feels the responsibility to take over that role and look over his sister. One tradition that Dom still keeps alive is Sunday lunch. Here, everyone is welcome without judgement. No matter who you are or where you come from, you are welcome to be a part of the family. Another one of Dom’s philosophies is that he lives life one quarter mile at a time. This outlook on life is why he has the need to drive fast for big stakes, and also why he never loses.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Why was this book included?: Cars, adrenaline, action packed. Liked by all teens.
Producer Information: Born in Washington DC in 1938, Robert Cohen took his undergraduate studies at Dartmouth College and UC Berkeley, and received his Doctor of Fine Arts at the Yale School of Drama in 1965, whereupon he joined the charter faculty of the newly-founded Irvine campus of the University of California. He has served there ever since, first as the founding departmental chair of Drama (for 25 years) and now as a Bren Fellow and Claire Trevor Professor of drama.
At Irvine, Cohen has directed more than seventy stage productions, including new plays, classics (often in his own translations), musicals, experimental works and operas. Off campus, he directs professionally, with works including a dozen productions at the Utah and Colorado Shakespeare Festivals plus many other works at Stages Theatre Center in Hollywood, the Summer Repertory Theatre in Santa Rosa, the Image Theatre in Boston, Theatre 40 in Beverly Hills, and the Focused Program in Medieval Drama at Irvine.

Cohen is also the author of many important theatre books, including leading texts in acting, a study of French playwright Jean Giraudoux, an introduction to theatre, a collection of theatre essays, and both original plays and translations. He has also published more than two dozen journal articles and two hundred-plus play reviews, the latter appearing mainly in the London-published Plays International, for which he is the regular southern California drama critic.
As a teacher, Cohen specializes in acting – particularly his own, closely-wrought integration of realism’s authentic underpinnings in human behavior with the classical, musical, and experimental dramatic styles commonly performed today. Cohen’s investigation of acting extends to scientific theory and world theatre practice. In the late 1980s, Cohen paired with Polish director Jerzy Grotowski in the creation of the Objective Drama Program on the UCI campus, a three-year, full-time round examination of the origins of ritual performance and their theoreticaland practical applications to modern acting and dramatic art. In addition to his regular teaching at UCI, Cohen speaks and conducts workshops around the country and abroad, including residencies in Canada, Korea, China, Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, Romania, Poland, Australia.
UCI awarded Cohen its highest honor, the UCI Medal, in 1993, and conferred on him a Claire Trevor Professorship in 2001. In 1999 he received the Career Achievement Award in Academic Theatre from the Association for Theatre in Higher Education, and in 2009 he received the honorary degree of Honoris Causa at Babes-Bolyai University in Romania, and the Polish Medal of Honor.
Cohen lives in Laguna Beach, California with his wife, Lorna Cohen. He has two children, Michael and Whitney.
(Author information obtained from author’s website. Retrieved from: http://www.robertcohendrama.com/bio/)

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Bibliographic Information: Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin 1993. ISBN 9780395645666
Genre: Fantasy fiction, Metaphorical tales, Coming of age stories, Classroom literature.
Reading Level: Grades 6-12
Curriculum ties: History, Language arts, Science, Sociology.
Awards:1994 Newbery Medal, An ALA Notable Children’s Book, An ALA Best Book for Young Adults.
Note: First book in a Trilogy. Gathering Blue (2000), Messenger (2004).

Reader’s Annotation: When twelve year old Jonas receives his life assignment at the annual Ceremony, he begins to better understand the world in which he lives.

Plot Summary: I Plot summary: The community strives towards fostering utopia society.  Citizens adhere to the strict rules.  Physical imperfections are not tolerated, including babies weighing under six pounds and the elderly.  Citizens who fail to contribute are tried, granted a maximum of three opportunities of improvement.  If they fail to improve or comply, they are punished by being released from the community. Upon the arrival of December, Jonas receives his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve.  Children receive a Ceremony corresponding with their age, such as Ceremony of Ten.  The most significant year is the Ceremony of Twelve because this is when they receive their lifetime assignment by the committee of Elders. The Assignment defines their role in society. Members undergo training for their assignment, in which they assume their role when they become adults. The Assignments serve as functional role to maintain the perfect society, including the Giver, the Instructor, and the Nurturer.  During the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas receives the most honorable Assignment. The Giver provides the training for Jonas to endure the responsibility of holding all the memories, encompassing happiness and pain. During the training, Jonas discovers the true methods to maintaining their ideal community.

Critical evaluation: The Giver is rich in symbolism and metaphors. The primary goal of the community to attain the perfect society parallels the goals of Hitler and other political leaders.  The irrational methods of maintaining the perfection by eliminating those who are less than perfect is similar to the genocide of Jews by Hitler. This notion leads this author to question the true value of living in a perfect society. Important figures in the community are named by their role, for example, “the Giver, “the Nurturer,” and “the Instructor”. The capitalization of the first letter signifies the importance of title and role in the community and the person assuming this large feat.  The substitution of the title demonstrates that each citizen loses his or her own identity and becomes only the function. The initial identity of children as numbers is similar to the prisoner barcodes, a mere number with no personality or individuality. Sameness is regarded as a high value.  The maintenance of sameness and perfection requires extreme control. The theme is control-controlling emotions, behaviors, thoughts, decisions, and roles.  Citizens lose their ability to be creative and to be themselves. This concept is similar to the Amish way of life, sheltering people for technology and leading an austere life. Instead, they abide by the given Assignments, which are decided by the committee of Elders.  The citizens are prisoners to their ideal of utopia. Lowry examines the value of choice when Jonas chooses to make his own decision of saving Gabriel from being released.

Booktalking Ideas:
How would you describe your perfect world? Who make the rules?
2) What elements of the story, plot, characterization, etc. did you find to be the most controversial?
3) How important was the setting to this story? Could it have taken place anywhere?
4)Discuss the definition of family. Families are described as a unit.
5)Explore the benefits and hindrances of sheltering from negative emotions and events.
6)Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of euthanasia.
Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Euthanasia —
Challenge defense ideas:
• Exposure to competing ideas provides us with variety, enriching our society.
In the book, the community accepts the challenges of this form of euthanasia:  Underneath the placid calm of Jonas’ society lies a very orderly and inexorable system of euthanasia, practiced on the very young who do not conform, the elderly, and those whose errors threaten the stability of the community.
The Giver was included to inform the youth about the value of freedom of choice.  In addition, The Giver allows youths to take an introspective look at their own values, prejudices and consider how they discriminate in their daily life.  The goal is to raise self-awareness.

Why was this book included?: A classic Fantasy novel for younger readers.
Author Information: I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer – an Army dentist – I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.

I married young. I had just turned nineteen – just finished my sophomore year in college – when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine – by now with four children under the age of five in tow.
(Author biography obtained from author website. Retrieved from: http://www.loislowry.com/bio.html)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Bibliographic Information: Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007. ISBN 9780545010221
Genre: Fantasy Fiction, Made into movie
Reading Level: Grades 6-12
Curriculum ties: None
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books – Older Readers Category: 2008, BILBY – Books I Love Best Yearly (Australia) : Older Reader, Booklist Editors’ Choice – Books for Youth – Older Readers Category: 2007, Nebula Awards: Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy, New York Times Notable Books – Children’s Books: 2007, New York Times Notable Books – Fiction and Poetry: 2007,YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2008.

Note: Book 7 in the Harry Potter Series. Made into movie

Reader’s Annotation: In this last book, Harry Potter is has the immense task of find and destroy all of the remaining Horcruxes of Voldemort.

Plot Summary:
After the death of Dumbledore, Harry Potter along with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger are forced to flee the evil Voldemort  and his Deatheaters. They decide to hide out in secluded forests never staying in the same place for more than a few days. They continue to search for Horcruxes which are parts of the evil soul of Voldemort in order to destroy them and in turn Voldemort himself. The trio are able to locate some Horcruxes despite the dangerous situations they face, including a bank break-in involving a fire breathing dragon. They believe the last Horcruxe is hidden at Hogwarts School, and return, only to discover that Voldemort and the Deatheaters are planning to attack the school. Harry, Ron and Hermione along with every ally that has helped them throughout the series of books prepare to defend Hogwarts to the death. But the main battle will be between Harry Potter and Voldemort once and for all. And this one will be to the death.
Critical Evaluation:
The highly anticipated finale of the Harry Potter series of books is the best and most violent of all the books.  The battle sequences are epic and deadly to some of the main characters. But how else would you expect this to end, with everyone living happily ever after?  You have to read this book to find out, and this is a long read. Harry, Ron and Hermione face their biggest battle yet when they face off against pure evil. It shows how they’ve matured by the way they handled all the adversity thrown their way. The final battle between Harry and Voldemort  was intense. I knew Voldemort wanted harry dead to fulfill his destiny of being the ultimate wizard. But what I realized is Harry wanted to murder Voldemort to avenge the deaths of his parents and Dumbledore. After I read the book, I was concerned that many parents were going to say that the book was too violent and that young adults should not read it. But I realized that we all grew up with Harry, Ron and Hermione and we all learned from their experiences. As they learned how to defeat the evil Voldemort, we learned how to deal with our own versions of Voldemort. This book should be looked at as a sort of non official guide for young adults to use whenever they need guidance when a parent is not available. WWHPD? What Would Harry Potter Do? I will miss Harry, Ron and Hermione. That’s ok, I can always reread the books. Just knowing that will allow me to live happily ever after.
Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss the epilogue. Was it satisfying? Was it surprising?
Discuss how this was a coming of age story. How did the main charaters change throughout the books?
What evidence is there that Harry and Voldemort are connected aside from Harry being a Horcrux.
Discuss the relationship between Ron and Hermione.

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Wizards, Magic, Beasts, Swearing
Challenge defense ideas:
• Exposure to competing ideas provides us with variety, enriching our society.
• The innuendo is not something I’m worried about because I doubt he’ll notice. Nor am I particularly worried about the swearing, but I felt it was worth mentioning. -Anonymous Retrieved from: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090104165528AA8IHS4.
From an adult viewpoint, the increasing maturity and darkness is actually one of the most appealing aspects of the series and shows a fair amount of skill on Rowling’s part.  It’s an excellent coming of age story about an orphan who has a hard life among uncaring relatives until his tenth birthday when he discovers he has magical skill and ultimately faces off with his parent’s killer.  From the beginning it’s built to appeals to childhood fantasy.  What kid hasn’t wanted to suddenly find out he was special and had the ability to strike back at the Dursleys (bullies) of his world? -Wesley Peck. Retrieved from: http://www.examiner.com/parenting-multiples-in-nashville/what-age-is-harry-potter-appropriate-for
Continue reading on Examiner.com: What age is Harry Potter appropriate for? – Nashville Parenting Multiples | Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/parenting-multiples-in-nashville/what-age-is-harry-potter-appropriate-for#ixzz1MxOg14fX
Why was this book included?: This popular saga revitalized the value of reading in around the world among all ages.

Author Information: Author. Born Joanne Kathleen Rowling, on July 31, 1965, in Chipping Sodbury, near Bristol, England. A single mother living in Edinburgh, Scotland, Rowling became an international literary sensation in 1999, when the first three installments of her Harry Potter children’s book series took over the top three slots of The New York Times best-seller list after achieving similar success in her native United Kingdom. The phenomenal response to Rowling’s books culminated in July 2000, when the fourth volume in the series, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, became the fastest-selling book in history.
A graduate of Exeter University, Rowling moved to Portugal in 1990 to teach English. There, she met and married the Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes. The couple’s daughter, Jessica, was born in 1993. After her marriage ended in divorce, Rowling moved to Edinburgh with her daughter to live near her younger sister, Di. While struggling to support Jessica and herself on welfare, Rowling worked on a book, the idea for which had reportedly occurred to her while she was traveling on a train from Manchester to London in 1990. After a number of rejections, she finally sold the book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (the word “Philosopher” was changed to “Sorcerer” for its publication in America), for the equivalent of about $4,000. The book, and its subseqent series, chronicled the life of Harry Potter, a young wizard, and his motley band of cohorts at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
By the summer of 2000, the first three Harry Potter books, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban earned approximately $480 million in three years, with over 35 million copies in print in 35 languages. In July 2000, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire saw a first printing of 5.3 million copies and advance orders of over 1.8 million. After a postponed release date, the fifth installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, hit book stores in June 2003. The sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, sold 6.9 million copies in the United States in its first 24 hours, the biggest opening in publishing history. Prior to its July 2007 release, the seventh and final installment in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was the largest ever pre-ordered book at chain stores Barnes & Noble and Border’s, and at Amazon.com.
Rowling, now Britain’s 13th wealthiest woman—wealthier than even the Queen—does not plan to write any more books in the series, but has not entirely ruled out the possibility.
(Author information obtained from Biography.com. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/articles/J.K.-Rowling-40998).

HelpNow Database by Brainfuse

Bibliographic Information: Help Now! database. Brainfuse, 2011.
Genre: Database, Homework Help, Tutoring
Reading Level: All ages
Curriculum ties: Science, Math, Social Studies, Literature, Foreign Language
Awards: Brainfuse recently topped effectiveness rankings from studies conducted by The Los Angeles Unified School District and the Colorado Department of Education.
Note: Library subscription needed to access this database along with patron library card number if  accessed remotely.

Reader’s Annotation: A 24/7 tutoring database that not only helps with homework but builds skills for success in the future such as SAT prep and writing labs for any age.

Contents: The HelpNow! database offers help at Grade levels K-Adult 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in a variety of subjects. Math (including Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus), Science (including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science), Social Studies (including US History, and World History),  and English/Language Arts. Additional help includes other skill building subjects with assistance with writing, grammar and vocabulary. HelpNow also offers foreign language help which only currently offers Spanish but they hope to expand to others as soon as they can recruit approved tutors. Once teens register at the site, they can keep a record of their activity. The Learning Account Features include the ability to view past sessions, has a dropbox/pick up center, view scores of online tests, and create an online study calendar. Lastly, Brainwaves is an archive for whiteboard screenshots that have been shared by you or other teens which is good for reference, especially when doing math problems.

EXPERT HELP SERVICES

Skills-Building: Our skills building service helps you master an academic concept through expert tutoring and state-aligned online lessons, HelpNow Skills Building has been designed for a variety of age groups and academic needs.
Submit a homework question and a tutor will provide you with a response (usually within 24 hours).
Foreign Language Lab: Our Foreign Language Center provides expert homework assistance and support for students who are learning a foreign language. Expert tutoring is currently offered for Spanish, and a host of helpful online resources for learning other languages is forthcoming.
Writing Lab: HelpNow offers two types of writing assistance:
Live Writing Assistance: Connect with an online tutor for expert writing assistance with our live help feature. Live help is particularly helpful during the initial stages of the writing process when you are working on the organizational and thematic features of your paper.
Intensive Writing Lab: For a more thorough analysis, simply select “Writing Lab” from the launch menu and submit your writing via our secure messaging feature. Within approximately 24 hours of submitting your paper, you will receive a detailed analysis of your paper in your message center inbox. Our writing experts are trained to focus their analysis on voice, word choice, sentence fluency, and organization.

Critical Evaluation: What I like about HelpNow is that it provides three distinct ways of studying, understanding that not all teens learn the same way. This database provides students with peer-to peer, self-study, and collaborative options. The peer to peer component offers students the opportunity to meet with friends using the MEET function. Here you can schedule study sessions and have the freedom to meet remotely which is especially helpful with group projects and studying for tests. The self-study components available include an online test center where teens can access sample SAT, ACT and GED tests as well as subject test including math and science. Once taken, students will get immediate scores and will be able to see in what areas they need improvement. The second self study element is Flashbulb, a collection of flashcards on different subjects which gives students a fun way to study. The collaborative aspect is of course the live tutors. All tutors go through rigorous screening, must have a four year degree, and prior tutoring experience.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A

Challenge Issues: none

Challenge Defense Ideas: There are no apparent challenge issues associated with this book. In the case that a challenge comes up, there are some things that you can do to start. You could read the book and become familiar with the content. Refer to the library collection development policy, and get reviews from reputable sources and teens that have read the book.
Why was this book included?:
Company Information: Brainfuse- Founded in 1999, Brainfuse is one of the nation’s leading online education providers, serving a diverse client base of libraries, school districts, workforce centers, and universities. With Brainfuse, users receive real-time tutoring and career assistance from certified instructors via our proprietary online classroom.
Since our founding, we have completed millions of one-to-one tutoring sessions.
Over 30 state departments of education have selected Brainfuse as an approved tutoring provider (based on a track record of effectiveness, state alignment, financial soundness, and the capacity to serve large numbers of students). Our K-12 clients include The Los Angeles Unified School District, Chicago Public Schools, and New York City Public Schools.
Brainfuse recently topped effectiveness rankings from studies conducted by The Los Angeles Unified School District and the Colorado Department of Education.
Brainfuse serves hundreds of library systems throughout the country, including Las Vegas-Clark County, The Free Library of Philadelphia, The Connecticut Library Consortium, and Queens Public Library.
(Company information obtained from Brainfuse website. Retrieved from: http://home.brainfuse.com/?page_id=136).

Death to False Metal [sound recording] by Weezer

Bibliographic Information: Weezer. Death to False Metal [sound recording]. Santa Monica, CA : DGC, 2010. 1 sound disc : digital ; 4 3/4 in. Compact disc. UPC 602527394718. Issue # B0014309-02 DGC.
Genre: Rock, Alternative
Age Level: 13+
Curriculum ties: Television music, Rock music, Popular music
Performer(s): Weezer
Producer: David Geffen Company
Note: Lyrics in container insert.

Reader’s Annotation: Weezer’s follow-up album to their 8th album, Hurley (2010), made up entirely of songs that never made it on any other album.

Contents: Turning up the radio — I don’t want your loving — Blowin’ my stack — Losing my mind — Everyone — I’m a robot — Trampoline — The odd couple — Autopilot — Unbreak my heart.

Critical Evaluation: In this collection of unreleased Weezer songs, the band stages a comeback. Death To False Metal is not a traditional collection of b-sides or songs from the vault, but an entirely original album that was created by using the basic tracks of 10 previously unreleased recordings (including a cover of “Unbreak My Heart” by  Toni Braxton) to assemble this record. There are very few songs on this album that will not become chart toppers. Weezer’s popularity stems from their assimilation of a variety of musical genres including Wax (a pop-punk band), Cymbols Eat Guitars (indie rock), Nirvana (grunge) and KISS (hard rock). Weezer incorporates their own sound mainly by distorting the guitar riffs and experimenting with other electric sounds on this album. This record will definitely begin Weezer’s comeback into the music scene. Their earlier album The Blue Album (1994) gave a very laid back, vibe that became the anthem for many teenagers then and even today, this album has been revive by games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero.

Booktalking Ideas: N/A
Challenge Issues/ Defense:

Challenge Issues: none

Challenge Defense Ideas: There are no apparent challenge issues associated with this compact disc. In the case that a challenge comes up, there are some things that you can do to start. You can visit the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) has always sought to be supportive of:
The artist’s right to free expression,
The parent’s right to identify entertainment with explicit content, and
The retailer’s right to handle explicit content according to how each believes they can best meet the needs of their company and communities.
Website: http://www.narm.com/services/parental-advisory/

Why was this item included?: Weezer is a band that have been loved by many different genres and ages because of their quirky musical stylings. Also appeals to the Rock/Alternative crowd.

Band Biography: Weezer are a popular Californian college-rock band fronted by geeky singer Rivers Cuomo. Their self-titled debut album (identified by its blue cover) was a big hit in 1994 thanks to the two lead singles and their videos. Both directed by Spike Jonze, the videos for “Undone – The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly” won regular airplay on MTV and won awards, boosting the band’s profile substantially. The Blue Album was critically acclaimed and went on to sell over three million copies.

Their second album Pinkerton (1996) divided opinion sharply. It originally didn’t sell well and some critics derided it. However, over time it has gained more acceptance and some now see it as Weezer’s greatest achievement. A particularly stark example of this turnaround can be found by comparing the views of Rolling Stone readers in 1996 and 2002: originally the readership voted Pinkerton the second-worst album to be released in 1996, but six years later the same demographic voted it the 16th greatest album of all time.

After taking a long break, the band returned to touring in 2000 and released a third album in 2001. Also self-titled, it became known as The Green Album because of its cover art. It sold twice as many as Pinkerton, buoyed by more cautiously positive reviews, and the success of singles “Hash Pipe” and “Island in the Sun”. Maladroit (2002) was Weezer’s least successful album yet, with mixed reviews and poor chart performance. Make Believe (2004) was another that sharply divided opinion, with some critics hating it while others loved it. Weezer released their so-called Red Album in 2008, to more difficult reviews.
(Band Biography retrieved from Amazon.com. Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Weezer/e/B000APYT4S/ref=ac_dpt_sa_bio).