Sharon Draper

Sharon Draper has written a multitude of young adult and children's literature.  This prolific author has a novel that will please any reader.  Not only does she write high interest, engaging novels that students can't seem to put down, but it's clear that she is just as interested in the education behind it.  She wants kids to read her books in school, and she makes it easy for teachers to teach her novels and ensures that students get the most out of them.  Draper’s website has a multitude of student activities including discussion questions, project ideas, and cooperative group activities, all separated into parts.  In order to teach this novel, all a teacher would need to do is visit Draper’s website for more ideas for activities than she could possibly ever use. (sharondraper.com) 

I had the pleasure of seeing Ms. Draper speak at a conference a few years ago, and it was an incredible experience to watch her perform excerpts from some of her novels.  She didn't just read; she put so much passion and emotion into her delivery, it was clear that she had created these characters with love and her entire heart was with them.  She truly has a gift, and I love the fact that I can share that gift with my students.

I have not read all of her novels yet, but of those I have read, Copper Sun is my favorite.  It is the story of Amari, a happy young African girl who suddenly is taken by slave traders to be sold.  She is forced to serve a cruel teenage boy, but meets unexpected allies in her search for freedom.  This is a story of unexpected friendship, survival and hope, and the reader learns about the inhumanity that many people endured during this awful time period in American history.  

I highly recommend her novels, as they are inspirational and touching, and the stories stay with you for a long time.

(Click on the video bar in the right sidebar to see interviews other clips of Sharon Draper)

“Magical. Enchanting. Spellbinding. Mesmerizing.”

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern is unlike any novel I've read.  It is strangely compelling, and although it is very dark, it is a love story at the same time, and it's difficult to put down.  In this story, Marco and Celia, two illusionists, are unwittingly pitted against each other in a mysterious competition.  Le Cirque des Reves, or the Circus of Dreams, is the arena for this competition.  No summary of the novel can effectively prepare the reader for this haunting, suspenseful, strange, wonderful story.

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel is the fact that it is told from many different perspectives and points of view.  At times, the story is even told in the second person, as if to draw the reader in and make him a part of the circus and feel as if he is really there.  First person and third person points of view are also present within the story, and this novel would be exemplary in a lesson on point of view.  As enticing as this novel is, it is written in a sophisticated fashion that would be appropriate for older or more advanced readers.  Struggling or reluctant readers may be turned off by the elevated style the author uses.

Check out the book trailer here:

The Maze Runner

Of all the novels I have read for the annotated bibliography I am creating for my Adolescent Literature class, The Maze Runner by James Dashner probably one of the most compelling.  This is the first in a series, and it definitely left me wanting to read the rest.  The story begins with Thomas, the protagonist, emerging from a box into a place called The Glade, with a bunch of boys he doesn't know.  He doesn't know where he came from or how he got there; the only thing he can remember is his first name.  The first several chapters draw in the reader very successfully; the reader is just as confused as Thomas as he tries to figure out what is happening.  The reader also begins to feel more at ease as Thomas starts to feel more comfortable in his new surroundings.  Thomas learns that he has been dropped into a maze that has no apparent solution.  He also learns that the walls to the maze close at night, and while the maze mysteriously transforms in the dark, terrifying creatures roam the maze, searching for Gladers foolish enough to stay in the maze after dark.  Eventually, Thomas begins to realize that the maze is very familiar, and one day, the first girl ever shows up in the box, and Thomas begins to piece together memories from his previous life.  With the girl's help, Thomas hopes to figure out the mysteries surrounding the maze and free himself and his new friends from this prison...

As soon as I finished this novel, I knew it would be a perfect selection for literature circles in my intensive reading class.  This is the type of novel that is engaging and near impossible to put down.  Not only is it very high interest, suspenseful, and thrilling, even for reluctant readers, but it also inspires a great deal of discussion, especially in the beginning when there is a lot of confusion in the novel.  This novel has been one of the most sought-after selections this year so far, and I have had to buy additional copies of this book to keep the demands at bay!  I would love it if I had this reaction to every book I offer to my students.  My goal is to find additional novels that elicit this reaction from students.

Here is a Q&A with the author, James Dashner.  In this interview, he discusses his inspiration for writing The Maze Runner and what readers can expect in the next two books in the trilogy.

Divergent

Divergent by Veronica Roth is close to 500 pages, and I read it in two days.  I hadn't expected it to be so captivating and difficult to put down, and I was very pleasantly surprised.  My first impression was that it would be a Hunger Games rip-off, and there were definitely similarities, but I found myself even more enthralled with this novel than I was with The Hunger Games series.  Like Suzanne Collins' novels, Divergent has something for everyone: action, suspense, and some romance; however, the love story does not take over the main events of the plot, and the main character Tris is a strong, believable character.  Adults and teens alike will enjoy this story, and I wouldn't be surprised if a movie is on the horizon.

I found a fan-made book trailer on YouTube that I feel perfectly captures the tone and excitement of the novel.  The follow-up, Insurgent, is just as captivating, ending with a nail-biting cliffhanger.  The last installment of the trilogy doesn't come out until the fall of 2013, and I will be not-so-patiently waiting for its release!

I love recommending this book to my students, but the length scares some of them away.  Sending them to YouTube to view this trailer would be a great way to draw them in.  Once they start the book, they're hooked! 

(check out the Veronica Roth video bar in the sidebar to the right for author interviews and other video clips!)

Looking for Alaska...Searching for Identity

I recently finished reading Looking for Alaska, and before selecting it, I read reviews that claimed that this book was life-changing, which made it a compelling choice.  This is a coming-of-age story, complete with a teenager’s search for identity and a tragic event that helps to solidify that quest.  The relationship between the group of friends in the story seems to be nothing remarkable, but this, I think, is what makes these characters so appealing.  They are so very ordinary that it is easy for teenagers to identify with them.  Pudge, the protagonist, and his friends the Colonel and Alaska, are just normal teenagers with normal teenage problems and experiences, which makes the tragedy that occurs toward the end of the novel so tragic and upsetting.  This story is definitely a tear-jerker, and the author uses just enough foreshadowing for the reader to know something upsetting is coming, but is subtle enough that the event is completely shocking.  The book is separated into two sections: “before” and “after,” and the chapters count down to this tragic event that changes Pudge’s life, a tactic that adds to the suspense of the story.

Additionally, the characters are real, another element of the story that makes it so appealing to teenagers.  They break the rules, they curse, they push the boundaries and try to get away with as much as they possibly can.  They aren't 100% wholesome and pure, just like most teenagers.  Alaska's character is carefree, laid-back and doesn't seem to worry about anything on the outside, but it's clear that she is troubled, and I can see a lot of teenage girls being able to relate to her.  

Pudge, the main character, has an obsession with last words, and researching the last words of famous people would be an interesting activity for students.  This novel would work well as a selection in literature circles, and I would likely recommend it for older students as it does contain profanity, drug and alcohol use, and sexual content.

Greek Mythology

In my last post, I mentioned that we read The Odyssey in ninth grade English, and it's difficult to engage the kids.  They like the short myths and the drama, jealousy, and promiscuity that the gods and goddesses engage in, so I try to hook them by reading myths first so they get a better sense of the gods, goddesses, and other mythological creatures that appear in Odysseus' travels.  I recently read Everneath by Brodi Ashton.  This story is a modern-day Persephone story, and it includes many allusions and references to Greek mythology.  

In Everneath, Nikki, the protagonist, made a choice that would make all of the pain disappear: her mother’s death that continued to haunt her, her absent father, and insecurities about her boyfriend’s faithfulness.  Cole gave her the gift of numbness—at a price.  He brought her to Everneath, the underworld, and fed on her feelings.  It felt like 100 years passed, but when Nikki chose to escape, only six months had passed.  Nikki returns to “the real world,” and her old friends and family believe that she was addicted to drugs and had run away.  She knows she has to return to the underworld, but she just wants six months to try and say goodbye to her friends, family, and Jack, her love, before spending eternity suffering in the Tunnels.  That is, unless she finds a way to change her fate. 

I enjoyed the story because it was more than just teen fiction “fluff.”  In one of her teachers, Nikki finds guidance, and learns a valuable lesson about heroes and choices.  The pages of the book contain “quotable quotes,” lines that would spark classroom discussion and reflection on the parts of students.  Those are the types of stories I enjoy sharing with my students because I feel they gain not only an entertaining plot, but also some deeper insight that may teach them about themselves and the world around them.

An Odyssey....

This week, my freshmen English students began reading Homer's The Odyssey, the story of Odysseus' long journey home after fighting in the Trojan War.  Many students are really engaged with the story; it has a hero, monsters, and plenty of action.  Other students are turned off by the elevated style and language and the fact that it was written a few thousand years ago.  It just isn't relevant to their lives.  When teaching the epic poem, I try to get them thinking about journeys, both literal and metaphorical, in their own lives, and it's effective in engaging them, but it only goes so far, especially with reluctant readers.

This year, in order to battle the disengagement, I thought I would have my Intensive Reading students (who I also have for English) read a novel called Shift by Jennifer Bradbury.  It is the story of two teenage boys who decide to go on a literal journey -- a bicycle trip across the country -- the summer after graduating high school.  During the course of the trip, they learn about themselves, their relationship with each other, and what it is they really want out of life.  In essence, they also go on a journey of self-discovery.  However, one of the boys disappears, and the other is questioned by authorities and is blamed for his disappearance.

Shift is engaging for students because it has action and mystery, and I think that kids can really relate to it, because they are all trying to find themselves and decide what path they want their lives to take.  The characters and situations are realistic, and I think that some students really appreciate being able to read realistic fiction.  I highly recommend the novel to anyone -- kids and adults -- looking for a story about adventure and self-discovery, especially those who would rather not read a 3,000-year-old epic poem!

Zombies for Teens...

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick was gripping and action-packed from the start.  With a supernatural/sci-fi plot, Ashes has something for everyone: zombies, suspense, action, and even romance.  The characters are believable, and I found myself unable to put down the novel because I wanted to see what they would do next and what would happen in their quest for survival. 

Even though the protagonist is a female, boys would also appreciate the action and fighting scenes, and Bick manages to weave a satisfying zombie storyline without including many gory details that would make it inappropriate for teenagers.  The major theme of the story seems to be the idea that in a time of crisis, the general humanity of society is sometimes abandoned, and people will do desperate things in desperate times. 

Needless to say, when I reached the end of the book and realized the next installment of the trilogy wouldn’t be released for another month, I became very impatient.  There are several story lines that are left open at the conclusion of the novel, and I look forward to reading the next book when it is released at the end of September.   

Ashes would be a great way to tie in the content areas of world and American history and the hysteria surrounding the pandemics throughout history, such as the black plague in the 1500-1600s, the yellow fever, AIDS, and even swine flu.  Discussions on “mob mentality” and the loss of humanity in times of crisis would be appropriate when reading this novel. 

Matched

The first novel I read for my Adolescent Literature course this semester was Matched by Ally Condie.  I couldn't put it down!  This novel has so many parallels with one of my favorite novels, Fahrenheit 451.  Surely, Ally Condie was inspired by Ray Bradbury when she wrote Matched, and I love how she was able to use some of the same themes and ideas, but put a fresh spin on them.  Through the characters in the novel, Condie successfully conveys the idea that conformity is dangerous, and people must be able to think and make decisions for themselves.  A society that guarantees health and happiness may sound ideal, but that "happiness" comes at a price...

I would not hesitate to recommend this novel to anyone! I think it may be a bit more suited to girls because the protagonist is female and a large part of the plot is related to her conflicted romantic feelings, but even though it is classified as a young adult novel, readers of all ages will love this book!  I can't wait to read the next two novels in the series, Crossed and Reached.