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).

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).

The Firefly Letters: a suffragette’s letter to Cuba by Margarita Engle

Bibliographic Information: Engle, Margarita. The Firefly Letters: a suffragette’s letter to Cuba.Henry Holt and Co. 2010. ISBN 9780805090826
Genre: Poetry, Historical fiction
Reading Level: Grades 5-12
Curriculum ties: History, Literature, Social Studies
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books – Older Readers Category: 2011, A Pura Belpre Award for Narrative Honor Book, 2011.
Note: Author of the award winning The Surrender Tree (2008).

Reader’s Annotation: Three young girls challenge society norms to explore what Cuba has to offer.

Plot Summary: Set in Mantanzas, Cuba in the 1851,  three young girl’s lives become intertwined by fate. Elena is a twelve year old living in Cuba with her parents who are traditional and very protective of Elena, (they think she should be married by now) as most Cubans are of their daughters. The freedom to step foot outside is not something that women in Mantanzas have so when Fredrika Bremer, a Swedish Consulate comes to visit in Cuba, she decides to empower the women and show them that there is more to life outside the luxurious silk, lace and marble compound. Fredrika is given a translator, Cecilia, to navigate the countryside. Cecilia, fluent in both English and Spanish, is a slave brought from Africa by Elena’s parents. She is suffering from a lung disease. and dearly misses her homeland. Although from different walks of life, the three young women have a common goal of freedom and equality for everyone.

Critical Evaluation: The entire story is told with each girl taking turns telling their story in a poetic form. Through the language used, you could easily identify who was the narrator but the level of imagination and thought of each different girl was equally deep. All girls speak of love in association with the the value of their freedom. Fredrika was once asked for her hand by a country preacher that she was in love with but she denied him in worry that being a wife, she would lose her freedom to roam. Celia talks about how Elena’s father chose her husband Beni. She recounts that maybe if she was free to chose Beni on her own, she might know how to love him. Beni says that if he was free, he would have married a girl that he loved in his homeland before he was brought by slavery. Elena, who’s father will also pick her suitor, is arranging a hope chest in the hopes that she can run away and elope.

Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss: what is oppression. Can you think of any examples in today’s world?
What is he symbolism of the fireflies? Interpret the title.
Discuss the relationship between Fredrika and Cecilia. Do you think Cecilia influences her in any way? Explain.

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Slavery
Challenge defense ideas:
• This book was based on true accounts from the letters of Fredrika Bremer.
In the book, Cecilia, as a slave, had more freedoms than Elena, the privileged daughter.

Why was this book included?: For it’s imagination, poetry and Latin American influences.

Author Information: Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American author of young adult novels in verse. “The Surrender Tree” received a Newbery Medal, Pura Belpré Medal, Jane Addams Award, Américas Award, Claudia Lewis Award and Lee Bennett Hopkins Honor. Her first picture book was “Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian.” Her most recent work is “The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette’s Journey to Cuba” (Henry Holt). Based on the diaries and letters of Swedish suffragist Fredrika Bremer, who spent three months in Cuba in 1851, this book focuses on oppressed women, the privileged as well as the enslaved, in three alternating free-verse narratives. Engle lives in California.
(Author information obtained from the Library of Congress. Retrieved from: http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/kids-teachers/authors/margarita_engle.html)

Margarita Engle is a botanist and the Cuban-American author of several books about the island, most recently The Poet Slave of Cuba, a Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano (Henry Holt & Co., April, 2006).  Short works appear in a wide variety of anthologies and journals, including Atlanta Review, Bilingual Review, California Quarterly, Caribbean Writer, Hawai’i Pacific Review, and Nimrod.  Awards include a Cintas Fellowship, a San Diego Book Award, and a 2005 Willow Review Poetry Award.  Margarita lives in California, where she enjoys hiking in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and helping her husband with his volunteer work for a wilderness search-and-rescue dog training program.

(Author information obtained by Poet Seers. Retrieved from: http://www.poetseers.org/submissions/2006/margarita_engle/)

Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica

Bibliographic Information: Lupica, Mike. Million Dollar Throw. Anchor Books, 1997. ISBN 978-0385486804
Genre: Sports
Reading Level: Grades 4-12
Curriculum ties: None
Awards: Kentucky Bluegrass Award: Grades 6-8
Note: Author offers “Official Playbook to the Books of Mike Lupica” a teacher’s guide.

Reader’s Annotation: When a million dollars on the line can this quarterback rise to the occasion?

Plot Summary: Thirteen year old Nate Brodie “Brady” loves playing football and Tom Brady. He is the quarterback of his junior high team and has a great arm. When he is in the huddle his whole world makes sense, but outside of the huddle, things are falling apart. His father, a real estate agent, has had to pick up a second job to make ends meet and even his stay at home mother began working part time. To make matters worse, his best friend Abby, an excellent artist, is beginning to lose her sight due to a rare disease. For his birthday, Nate has his eye on a authentic signed Tom Brady football that his parents agreed to pay half of if Nate saved up the other half. After they were purchased the prized ball, Abby spotted an poster advertising “The SportsStuff Million Dollar throw” a contest to make one throw from the 30 yard line into a 20 inch hole at the half time show at the Patriots’ Thanksgiving game. Will he get the chance? If so, does he have what it takes to make the Million Dollar Throw?

Critical Evaluation: Aside from the suspense of the “Million Dollar Throw” contest and the detailed accounts of the weekly football games, Lupica also incorporates a lot of touching relationships that shape Nate into the person that he is. His father always keeps his promises, no matter what happens, he passes on to Nate to always be a man of his word. He has good friends from the football team (Malcom, LaDell, and Pete) that help him reach his full potential on the field and also support him off the field. His mother keeps him grounded by insisting on family dinners and communication. The most important relationship is the one he has with Abby. He admires how she is always positive and never lets herself get down about her blindness. They have a very emotional connection, she calls him on it when he is lying, she can get him to open up about his feelings, and most of all, she always believes in him and he in her.

Booktalking Ideas:
1) What contributes to Nate “losing his arm,” making it impossible for him to complete passes that were once easy for him? How does Nate’s father react when Nate says he is feeling pressure?
Nate creates distance between himself and Abby after she returns from her week at the Perkins School. Why does he do this? When does he realize this is a mistake and what does he do to fix it?
Discuss Nate’s connection to playing football. How did it help him cope with the difficult situations in his life?

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?: This book especially appeals to the teen boys by incorporating sports but don’t  tell them about the mushy stuff.

Author Information: Mike Lupica is one of the most prominent sports writers in America. His longevity at the top of his field is based on his experience and insider’s knowledge, coupled with a provocative presentation that takes an uncompromising look at the tumultuous world of professional sports. Today he is a syndicated columnist for the New York Daily News, which includes his popular “Shooting from the Lip” column, which appears every Sunday.
He began his newspaper career covering the New York Knicks for the New York Post at age 23. He became the youngest columnist ever at a New York paper with the New York Daily News, which he joined in 1977. For more than 30 years, Lupica has added magazines, novels, sports biographies, other non-fiction books on sports, as well as television to his professional resume. For the past fifteen years, he has been a TV anchor for ESPN’s The Sports Reporters. He also hosted his own program, The Mike Lupica Show on ESPN2.
In 1987, Lupica launched “The Sporting Life” column in Esquire magazine. He has published articles in other magazines, including Sport, World Tennis, Tennis, Golf Digest, Playboy, Sports Illustrated, ESPN: The Magazine, Men’s Journal and Parade. He has received numerous honors, including the 2003 Jim Murray Award from the National Football Foundation.
Mike Lupica co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells, collaborated with noted author and screenwriter, William Goldman on Wait ‘Till Next Year, and wrote The Summer of ’98, Mad as Hell: How Sports Got Away from the Fans and How We Get It Back and Shooting From the Lip, a collection of columns. In addition, he has written a number of novels, including Dead Air, Extra Credits, Limited Partner, Jump, Full Court Press, Red Zone, Too Far and national bestsellers Wild Pitch and Bump and Run. Dead Air was nominated for the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best First Mystery and became a CBS television move, “Money, Power, Murder” to which Lupica contributed the teleplay. Over the years he has been a regular on the CBS Morning News, Good Morning America and The MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour. On the radio, he has made frequent appearances on Imus in the Morning since the early 1980s.
His previous young adult novels, Travel Team, Heat, Miracle on 49th Street, and the summer hit for 2007, Summer Ball, have shot up the New York Times bestseller list. Lupica is also what he describes as a “serial Little League coach,” a youth basketball coach, and a soccer coach for his four children, three sons and a daughter. He and his family live in Connecticut.
(Author information obtained from author website. Retrieved from: http://www.mikelupicabooks.com/mikelupica.html).

A Matter of Trust by Anne Schraff

Bibliographic Information: Schraff, Anne. A Matter of Trust. Scholastic Books, 2007, 2002. ISBN 9780439865470
Genre: Urban Fiction
Reading Level: Grades 9-12
Curriculum ties: Social Studies
Awards: None
Note: Book 2 in the Bluford High Series.

Reader’s Annotation: Life is good for Darcy: having fun with her new boyfriend Hakeem and their new friends Tarah and Cooper.

Plot summary: Brisana and Darcy have been best friends since freshmen year at Bluford High. Lately, Darcy has been spending more time with Tarah and Cooper, the low-class people. Cooper is good friends with Hakeem. Brisana considers them trash and unworthy of mingling with and ends her friendship with Darcy. Darcy enjoys hanging out Tarah and Cooper despite their lower status.  Hakeem is frequently ridiculed for his stuttering. During his Shakespeare presentation, he stutters and feels humiliated. Darcy quickly defends him in class.  Hakeem explains to Darcy that how her gesture further embarrass him, similar to his mother and the mothers of children who mocked him in the past. Over the past few weeks, the friendship of Darcy Wils and Hakeem Randalls blossoms into a love relationship.  As Darcy spends more time with her new friends Tarah and Cooper, her best friend Brisana attempts to become better acquainted with Hakeem. Darcy catches Hakeem with Brisana a few times and learns. Trust is tested among lovers and friends.
Critical evaluation: The character development is simple and lacking depth. Due to the high school setting, the language style is simple. The story is short, which is one of the criticisms received by many readers. The storylines should have been more developed, such as the author could have   The tone of the story was light, with moments of common teenage turmoil, related to peer relationships, love relationships, and jealousy. Trust is a precious value that is to be earned. In A Matter of Trust, trust is tested between two best friends, Darcy and Brisana and a dating couple, Darcy and Hakeem, and one’s own judgment.  The theme of the story is not to pass judgment before exploring truth regarding people and situations. Throughout the story, Darcy assumes Hakeem is more interested in Brisana based on rumors about their activities and a few observations of their interaction.  Brisana passes judgment on Tarah and Cooper based on their socio-economic status.  She deems them as unworthy trash to associate with.  She expressed to Darcy that Darcy and Hakeem are high status, compared to Tarah and Cooper, therefore should not befriend them.  She is bothered by Darcy’s choice to associate with Tarah and Cooper and ends her friendship with Darcy. Hurt, Brisana displaces her pain and fear by chasing after Hakeem. Despite the maltreatment of Brisana, Tarah does not speak ill of Brisana, instead provides a genuine support and sound advice to Darcy regarding their faltering friendship and couple-hood.

Booktalking Ideas:
1)Discuss the social classes and labels in school.
2)Explore peer relationships and identify the positive qualities of friendship.
3) Discuss stuttering and learning disabilities.
4)Explore the various levels of trust.
5)Explore the impact of socio-economic status on socialization, including pre-conceived judgment based on socio-economic status.

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: learning disabilities, speech impediment, socio-economic status.
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?:  A Matter of Trust was added to the collection to increase diversity for young adult readers and expose them to urban fiction.

Author Information: Biography of (me) Anne Schraff I learned to read at age three and a half because I was tired of having to ask people to read all the funny papers to me. Once I knew how to read, I gobbled up books like most kids devour cookies. I soon figured that if reading was this much fun, writing had to be even better. And it was. I begged a typewriter from my mom and banged out stories every day. I was sure I’d sell them all and be the richest nine-year-old on my block. My first story was titled "Orchards for Linda." It was a tearjerker about a poor girl who had to buy her own flowers on a date. I mailed it to a big magazine and waited for the check. When it came back all bent up and rejected, I cried. But not for long. The next day I sent out another story. I spent my whole childhood writing stories and getting them back.
Finally, when I was starting college, I sold my first story. I told everybody on my street that I was—at last—a writer. I told the mailman, the grocer, the pastor of our church. I walked on air for about a week. Since then I’ve sold hundreds of stories and more than 35 books. Ideas come at me from all sides. Once, I saw a dusty marble statue in an old antique store. It seemed to come to life before my eyes. Soon I wrote a story about a long-dead teacher returning to his school as a ghost to save some kids. It was called The Haunting of Hawthorne. One day I saw a sad sight across the street from our house. A young girl hugged her mother—but the mother didn’t hug her back. This stayed in my mind as I wrote Please Don’t Ask Me to Love You. Every day on my way to teach school, I passed a little market on a run-down street. The owner of the market, a friendly black man in his 70, would often wave to me. One day when I passed, I noticed the market was closed. The man who owned the market had been murdered. The newspaper story told of a kindly soul who had been a blessing to the neighborhood. I remembered him when I wrote “When a Hero Dies”.
As I write my stories, I see the faces of so many students I have taught. They often shared their dreams with me. Their fears and joys became part of my day. In every book I write, there are little bits and pieces of wonderful people who were brave and fearful, funny and sad, hopeful and without hope. When I begin to write, a weird thing happens. The characters come to life and tell me their stories. I am writing down what is happening to these people. Often I’m surprised. I’ll think, "Wow—I didn’t know she was that kind of person!" Sometimes I’ll start a story about a bad character and that person will turn out to be a hero. Writing is the biggest joy of my life. Every day I am thankful for having the chance to tell stories. I sometimes feel like a magic flute. I am blowing, but somebody else is making the music.
(Author information by the author via messageboard. Retrieved from: http://www.allreaders.com/Board.asp?listpage=5&BoardID=23186).

The Dark Game: true Spy Stories by Paul B. Janeczko

Bibliographic Information: Janeczko, Paul B. The Dark Game: True Spy Stories. Candlewick Press, 2010. ISBN 9780763629151
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Non- fiction
Reading Level: Grades 6-10
Curriculum ties: History
Awards: None
Note: Award Winning Poet

Reader’s Annotation: A collection of real United States spy stories revealing top secret accounts from the last two centuries.

Plot Summary: The author takes us back in time to reveal the true stories about famous American spies and spies who changed important American historical events in both positive and negative ways. In six chapters with accompanying photos that add to the account, the author begins with “How George Washington Outspied the Brittish.” He then goes on to clear up misconceptions such as Benedict Arnold being a spy and not a traitor. Other chapters include the mysterious woman who was identified only by a coded number and never a name during the Revolutionary War; Mata Hari, who faced the firing squad charged with being a double agent and Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen, the two American double agents who were caught red handed in the last two decades. My favorite story was that of the Ch

Critical Evaluation:What I thought was great about this book was how the author included a well rounded view of those who have helped shape America to be what it is today. For instance, the story he included about the Choctaw code talkers. A group of about ten soldiers who in 1917 used their native Choctaw language to help relay messages to and from headquarters to the fields. Their language was so rare that the Germans, who had been tapping American lines, were not able to decipher anything allowing the Americans to be successful in the war. A second story highlighted was about how African Americans were delivering intelligence to federal troops during the Civil War. General Lee believed that they were the army’s primary source of information because they knew about the terrain as well as where extra ammunition, guns and other supplies could be found. The author also gave a nod to Harriet Tubman, a spy who’s intelligence about waterways was invaluable in 1862.

Booktalking Ideas:
What other secretes do you think the government could be hiding?
Discuss qualities of a good spy, do you have what it takes?
What, if any, lifestyle changes would you have to make being a spy?

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Representing the U.S. in a negative light.
Challenge defense ideas:
• Citizens’ ability to criticize the government helps prevent the government from misusing its power.
This book is a non-fiction account of events

Why was this book included?: A non-fiction offering with historical value to which teen boys would gravitate.

Author Information: Paul B. Janeczko aspired to be the teacher he never had, when he decided to pursue a career as a high school language arts teacher. From his own days as a student, Paul was obsessed with poetry of all kinds, and as a teacher he wanted to spread his own love of poetry to young people. Today, Paul Janeczko is better known as a writer, poet and anthologist.
Born in New Jersey in 1945, he was educated at St. Francis College, Maine and John Carroll University, Ohio, after which he became a teacher, and began publishing his works and collections in the mid-1970s. After twenty-one years as a teacher, he retired to focus on writing.
Some of Paul’s award winning teen books include “A Poke in the I, A Kick in the Head, A Foot in the Mouth” (2005), “Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets” (2006), “Worlds Afire” (2007) and “Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing (2004).”Paul Janezcko lives in Maine with his wife and daughter.

(Author information obtained from Scholastic website. Retrieved from: http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=1640)

Hoot by Carl Hiaasen

Bibliographic Information: Hiaasen, Carl. Hoot. Random House, 2002. ISBN 9780375829161.
Genre: Eco-fiction, Movie into a book.
Reading Level: Grades 6-9
Curriculum ties: Social Studies, Environmental, Politics
Awards: Newbery Honor book 2003, ALA Notable Children’s Books: 2003, Golden Archer Awards (Wisconsin): Middle/Jr. High School, Nutmeg Children’s Book Award (Connecticut): Teen category, YALSA Best Books for Young Adults: 2003.
Note: Adapted into the movie Hoot (2005).Author’s first Young Adult book.

Reader’s Annotation: A barefoot boy running, alligators in port-o-potties, and vandalism are all things that Roy, a mountain boy from Montana, sees in his new hometown in  Florida.

Plot Summary:As the new kid in town again, Roy, a student at Trace Middle School in Coconut Cove finds himself searching for a place to belong. HIs father, a government employee has changed locations, and therefore Roy schools, numerous times. What began as a typical bus ride to school, including a round of bullying by Dana, the school bully,  Roy sees something strange things going on outside the window that peak his interest. Roy saw a boy about his age, running away from the school bus with no books, backpack, and no shoes. This image is stuck in Roy’s mind until the next time he sees the mysterious boy. When he does, he follows the boy, and gradually learns that he is just trying to protect the nesting site of rare burrowing owls, creatures that cannot fight for themselves. Their home is going to be turned into a pancake house by a corporate executive called Chuck Muckle, with the assistance of a bald foreman called Curly. The group tries all types of pranks to deter the construction company’s building efforts to until they can come up with a plan.

Critical Evaluation: What I really enjoyed about this book was its environmental stand. This type of book will motivate readers to become more aware and active in the communities that they live in. Roy’s confident, quick thinking attitude really played well when the group came across corporate powers. Hopefully, they do not take any cues from Mullet (alligators in portable toilets and vandalism) on how to get their message heard. The issue that bothered me was the constant bullying. It was mentioned that Roy had faced bullies at other schools as a product of having to move around a lot. The author eluded to the fact that Roy knew “how to handle himself” which sounded like he himself also used violence to prevent being bullied. I thought it was funny that Roy used Dana’s sister against him seeing that she is the only person that Dana is afraid of. The cause and characters were good and I think book sends a great message to all teens to make a difference.

Booktalking Ideas:
Discuss any situations that you feel as strongly about as Mullet Fingers did about saving the owls.
Discuss the effects of bullying. What was the significance of Dana’s role?
How has Roy transformed throughout the book? What events contributed to this transformation?
Discuss the conflict between environmental and economic concerns. How should we balance our human needs with those of the natural world?

Challenge Issues/ Defense:
Challenge Issues: Bullying
Challenge defense ideas:
• If your kids are dealing with bullies, this is a great example of how to deal with them and survive with your dignity and self-respect firmly intact.- Kim Wheedletion. Retrieved from: http://bugsandbunnies.blogspot.com/2009/02/book-review-hoot-by-carl-hiaasen.html

Why was this book included?: I included this book for its environmental awareness and positive messages.

Author Information: Carl Hiaasen was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on March 12, 1953. He received a degree in journalism from the University of Florida in 1974. He has been a reporter and columnist for the Miami Herald since 1976, and is known for exposing scandal and corruption throughout southern Florida. He has received numerous state and national honors for his journalism and commentary including the Damon Runyon Award from the Denver Press Club. His work has also appeared in numerous magazines including Sports Illustrated, Playboy, Time, Life, Esquire and Gourmet.
His best-selling novels include Double Whammy, Skin Tight, Native Tongue, Stormy Weather, Lucky You, Sick Puppy, Basket Case, and Nature Girl. His 1993 novel, Striptease, was adapted as a film in 1996 starring Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds. He also writes children’s books including Hoot, which was awarded a Newbery Honor; Flush; and Scat. Hoot was adapted into a film in 2006. His non-fiction works include Team Rodent; The Downhill Lie: A Hacker’s Return to a Ruinous Sport; and two collections of his newspaper columns entitled Kick Ass and Paradise Screwed.
(Bowker Author Biography. Retrieved from: https://sddp.sirsi.net/uhtbin/cgisirsi/?ps=SAlqLYPLLT/CENTRAL/192100021/9#syn_anotes).