Smith, A. (2015). Grasshopper Jungle. Harper Collins Uk.
Summary of the book:
Response:
Summary of the book:
Response:
Links and URLs:
Book trailers:
Wednesday, April 11, 2018
Book 24
Hardinge, F. (2016). The Lie Tree. New York: Abra
Summary of the book:
Response:
Links and URLs:
Book trailer:
Author analysis of book:
Book 23
Ruby, L. (2017). Bone gap. London: Faber &: Faber.
Summary of the book:
Summary of the book:
Response:
Links and
URLs:
Book trailer:
Book in-depth trailer:
Book 22
Fey, T. (2012). Bossypants. London: Sphere.
Summary of the book:
Summary of the book:
Response:
Links and
URLs:
Book trailers:
Book 21
Reynolds, J., & Kiely, B. (2016). All American boys. New York: Scholastic.
Summary of the book:
“All American Boys,” is a story that begins on a Friday afternoon, a regular Friday or so Rashad thought. Rashad Butler is an ROTC member at Springfield Central High School. Rashad was ready to have fun that Friday evening, like a typical teenage boy. However, he experiences an unfortunate event at a corner store, when Officer Paul Galluzo thinks that he is trying to shoplift. Rashad is the unfortunate target of racism, as he is African-American, and Quinn his schoolmate is Caucasian, are forced to confront the issue that racism is still alive in America even now. Through his experiences, Rashad recovers from the incident and sees that support can come from those that you least expect.
Response:
This young adult novel tackles social issues that have been heavily covered in the media for the past decade. This book serves as an outlet for those teens who want to read a book that deals with current social issues, such as the ongoing racism, prejudice, racial profiling and police brutality going on in the world. The themes covered are racism and making a difference is prevalent in this book, and is told in a compelling manner. The targeted audience of this book is grades 8 and up. Textbook connections for this book can be “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas and “Dear Martin” by Nic Stone.
Links and URLs:
Book trailer:
Synopsis video:
Book 20
Green, J. (2007). Looking for Alaska. New York: Speak.
Summary of the book:
Summary of the book:
John Green’s novel, “Looking for Alaska,” begins with Miles, the protagonist, with his family at his going away party. He is moving from Florida to the boarding school in Alabama. Miles leaves his boring and safe life with his parents and encounters new experiences. In the boarding school, he meets Chip, his roommate aka the Colonel. The Colonel gives Miles the nickname of Pudge and introduces him to the rest of the inner circle. Miles then meets Alaska Young who is a complex teenage girl, and together they face situations. In the end, this group of teenagers experiences a major loss, when one of them makes a bad choice, on a cold wintry night.
Response:
“Looking for Alaska” is a well-written novel that will surely capture the interest of its intended audience, young adults. This novel will be relevant to teenagers, since it is about the experiences a group of teenagers go through, learning about life and death, and having to pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. It is worth mentioning that this book was in the ALA’s most frequently banned books I the 21st century. The grade levels targeted are 9-12. Textbook connections can be, “Paper Towns” by John Green and “Turtles All the Way Down” by John Green, as well.
Links and URLs:
Book trailer:
On the Banning of Looking for Alaska video:
Book 19
Reynolds, J. (2017). Miles Morales Spider-man. Los Angeles: Marvel Press.
Summary of the book:
Summary of the book:
Jason Reynolds’s “Miles Morales: Spider-Man” is a
young adult novel, who’s protagonist is a teenaged boy named Miles Morales. The
story is set in Brooklyn, New York, and his story begins will Miles finishing
up his punishment for getting suspended from school. As the story develops,
Miles is learning to deal with his Spider-sense and balancing the quirks of being
a teenage boy and rescuing people. Miles’ experiences the effects of racism, as
he is of mix race (Puerto Rican and African-American) proving that racism does
not care if you are a superhero. His journey as Spiderman and learning what it
means to be a superhero in a not so perfect world is an interesting one.
Response:
Reynolds’s take on Spider man is one that young adults nowadays
can relate to because of Miles being ethnically diverse. Miles Morales being of
mix race is ground breaking, as the pool for characters of a minority race do
not often have starring roles in a novel. So it is important to have diversity
in your characters so to appeal to all readers. The themes explored in the book
are bullying and prejudice. The book will likely attract graphic novel readers,
Marvel fans, and/or superhero fans who enjoy reading those types of formats. The
targeted audience would be grades 6 and up. Textbook connections can be Ronald
L. Smith’s “Black Panther: The Young Prince” and Jason Reynolds’s “Long Way
Down.”
Links and
URLs:
Audio Book excerpt:
Book trailer:
Book 18
Crutcher, C. (1983). Running loose. New York: Greenwillow Books.
Summary of the book:
Chris Crutcher’s novel, “Running Loose,” features Louie
Banks, who is a senior in high school, in Idaho, and happens to have very understanding
and supportive parents. Louie faces some ups and downs, and has to learn to
grow up and mature, in order to deal with all the situations surrounding his
life. He quits the football team, in which he played alongside his best friend,
hothead Boomer Clowns. His relationship with his football team, shows the
dynamic, and ins and out of the mentality of the team. When Boomer decides to
take a tackle to far, that upsets Louie making it his last play of his football
career. In the end, he learns many lessons regarding, school, friendship, love
and life.
Response:
Crutcher’s novel deals with a lot of important issues
that many young adults have experienced. Young adults may relate to the book’s protagonist,
Louie, as well as to other characters. The setting of the book is set in a high
school, relating to young readers who themselves might be high school students;
especially athletes who can identify with the good, the bad and the ugly of
being part of a team. The ending of the book closes the story with moral
lessons that Louie learned. The target audience would be grades 7-12, the length
of the book is 216 pages. Textbook connections can be “Boy21” by Matthew Quick
and “Dog Man Unleashed” by Dav Pilkey.
Links and URLs:
Book trailers:
Book 17
King, A.S. (2016). Still life with tornado: New York, NY: Dutton Books: an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Summary of the book:
Summary of the book:
A.S. King’s novel, “Still Life with a Tornado,” stars a sixteen-year-old protagonist named Sarah, who loves to draw and create art, the story begins with Sarah talking about her art class, and how her friend Carmen drew a picture of a tornado. In the art class is where Sarah loses the will to draw and shortly after stop attending school. Her parents want her to do something productive, but all the while she is skipping school. Her family is not what it seems; it’s been broken ever since her brother Bruce left after that vacation in Mexico. So instead of going to school, she is wandering the streets of Philadelphia. While wandering the streets, she first runs into her 23-year-old self, then her 10-year-old self later, and then her at 40-year-olds. At the surface, it appears that Sarah is having an existential crisis but she is really just trying to make sense of her life.
Response:
This novel is not what it seems, it can best be described as realism with a touch of magical elements, therefore falling under the umbrella of science fiction, in that it contains a realistic setting, but has futuristic elements. A.S. King’s take on a difficult subject matter like family abuse is done in a captivating and relatable manner that makes it easier for a young adult to gravitate to reading it. The appropriate grade levels would be grades 9 and up. Textbook connections would be “The Sun is Also a Star” by Nicola Yoon and “The Hate U Give” by Angie Thomas.
Links and URLs:
Author pitching book video:
Book talk with author video:
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)