Book 17
Bibliography:
Zentner, Jeff. 2016. THE
SERPENT KING. New York, NY: Penguin Random House. ISBN 9780553524024
Cover:
Summary:
In THE SERPENT
KING your admiration for the characters will grow as you take this almost
impossible journey with each one as they deal with what life has given to
them. All three characters are seniors
in high school and best friends. Dill is
the son of a preacher and is living a nightmare dealing with his father in
prison. The father feels Dill should have confessed to his crime and now he
expects Dill to quit school and pay off his debts. Travis lives in poverty with an alcoholic and
abusive father. He loves reading about
wizards are fairies, wears a dragon necklace, and carries a staff. Lydia is more privileged than the other
two. Her father is a dentist and both
parents are very supportive. Lydia
dreams of a new life in a big town, so she uses her talents to make sure she
gets out of the little town she is in. She is the lifeline for Travis and
Dill. After Travis’ tragic death Dill
and Lydia take a hard look at life in general.
Dill takes control of his life and becomes stronger with the help of
Lydia and her father.
Commentary:
Zentner’s writes
THE SERPERNT KING so vividly. You feel
as though you are living with these characters because she makes the emotions
feel so real. This book is a tearjerker
because you get so emotionally involved.
This is a perfect book for Young Adults because there are so many out
there that have such similar problems and a small friend group that they can
count on. Also, the way you can count on
some parents for help even though your parents aren’t there for you. Overall, this book was a great read just make
sure you have tissues. This book is a
Morris Award.
Connections:
I thought THE
SERPENT KING was a very deep book that some kids really will be able to connect
too. I also think a lot can connect to
it just based on the role of some of the parents. Another book written by Zenter is GOODBYE
DAYS.
Book 18
Bibliography:
Murphy, Julie. 2015. DUMPLIN.
New York, NY: Harper Collins.
ISBN 9780062327185
Cover:
Summary:
Willowdean
Dickson, nicknamed Dumplin’ by her mom while others call her Will, has always
been comfortable in her own skin. She is
sixteen and lives in a small town called Clover City. Will’s mom is head of the pageant committee
and the official hostess. Will takes a
job at Harpy’s, a local fast-food place, and meets Bo Larson. She is attracted to Bo and is surprised that
he returns the feelings. Her relationship
with Bo begins to produce unwanted feelings.
Bo makes her feel undeserving and causes her to see her flaws. Will’s weight problem runs in the family. Mom was overweight in her teens and Lucy,
mom’s sister died weighing over four hundred pounds. Will was close to Lucy and the best advice
Lucy gave her was, “Don’t waste your life like I did thinking what people will
say or think, you owe it to yourself to give life a chance.” Thus, Will decided to enter the beauty
pageant and her life becomes very interesting.
Commentary:
This book is a
good read for anybody having self-image problems. It shows when you step out of your comfort
zone you will gain strength from the experiences you have. When you find that you can walk your own path
and find your own way your self-confidence returns. Do it really big or go home. This is a Quick Picks book.
Connections:
This book would
be an excellent book to have because it can connect to so many girls in high
school and throughout college. Even if you are an adult you might be able to
connect to it. I wish they had this book
when I was in high school. The way it
talks about owning yourself and being brave is something that a lot of girls
need, especially with the way society teaches us how we should look. Other books by Murphy are RAMONA BLUE and
SIDE EFFECTS MAY VARY.
Book 19
Bibliography:
Ruby, Laura. 2015. BONE GAP. New
York, NY. Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9780062317605
Cover:
Summary:
Finn and Sean
O’sullivan are brothers living in a strange town know as Bone Gap. There are gaps in Bone Gap that are
somewhere, yet nowhere, where people disappear.
Sean is the oldest and in charge of raising Finn. He had to give up his dream of medical school
when his dad was killed and his mom left home.
Rosa mysteriously appears in Sean and Finn’s barn with signs of
abuse. Sean treats her and she lives
with them until she is kidnapped. The
day Rosa is kidnapped Finn is there. He
sees the kidnapper, but cannon describe his face. Finn tells are the people of Bone Gap that
Rosa was kidnapped, but they don’t believe him.
Other people have gone mysteriously missing before. Finn is constantly searching for Rosa who
seems to have slipped through a hole into an unknown world.
Commentary:
Ruby draws you
into this book with just the first few pages.
With the corn talking to the characters and the mystery behind the
whispers that Finn hears. Ruby keeps the
readers wanting to move forward with the story to unlock the mysteries
involved. This is a great fantasy to get
involved with.
Connections:
I think this
book could connect with kids that are a little different because Finn is a
little odd, but overall he is just a normal kid. Finn kept telling the truth,
but no one would ever believe him. I
think so young adults tell the truth a lot, but no ones hears them. Other books by Ruby are THE WALL AND THE WING
and LILY’S GHOST.
Book 20
Bibliography:
Blake, Kendare. 2016. THREE
DARK CROWNS. New York, NY: Harper Collins Publishers. ISBN 9780062385437
Cover:
Summary:
Blake has
sprinkled throughout this novel cold-blooded, barbaric, and heartless acts by
the characters to punish those who break the rules. Fennbirn needs a new queen. Triplets are born to a queen and she leaves
them right after giving birth. They were
raised in a Black Cottage until the age of six. They had no mother or father, the Temple
doctrine decrees. The sisters are
controlled by the Temple and will be forced to kill the weakest sister. Fights till two are dead and only the
strongest sister will wear the crown. At
the age of sixteen, the plotting and planning by each queen and those in charge
of their destiny begins. Each queen has
special abilities of magic. Katherine can consume large amounts of poison
without ill effects. Arsinoe, the
naturalist controls flowers and lions. Mirabella, the elemental queen, is able
to bring forth storms and fire with a snap of a finger. It is a race to see which sister wins. A race filled with dark magic, suspense, and
the sadistic actions of Geneviene’s cruelty.
Commentary:
The author’s
plot through out the three kingdoms of Fennbirn gives the reader enough clues
to second guess who the winner of the dark crown might be, but this page turner
has to be carried out to the end. This
is a series and I can’t wait to jump into the second one. The book is divided into the three
kingdoms. The imagery in the book is so
detailed and the reader doesn’t have to imagine what the author is trying to
say. She paints the picture for you. This is a New York Times Best Seller.
Connections:
This would be an
awesome book for someone that wants to get involved in a series and loves
fantasy. It is like you are escaping the
real world when you are reading the book.
Blake makes you not want to put the book down because you want to know
which sister is the strongest and if they will actually go through with killing
one another. The next book in the series
is ONE DARK THRONE.
Book 21
Bibliography:
Telgemeier, Raina. 2010.
SMILE. New York, NY. Scholastic Graphix.
ISBN 9780545132053
Cover:
Summary:
Raina who is an
average 7th grader is experiencing more than her share of
problems. She fell and accidently
knocked out two front teeth. She suffered four and a half years with painful
trips to the dentist, orthodontist, and one visit to a periodontics. Her
so-called friends were not supportive.
They were always teasing and making unkind jokes about her. She lived through and earthquake, so she felt
she could tolerate anything. In high
school she finally stood up to her so called friends and said goodbye. Raina starts high school and finds a new group
of friends. She starts looking at
herself from the inside and life seems to get better.
Commentary:
Telegemeier does
a great job with this graphic novel. The
pictures themselves tell the story. I
read it in one sitting because I was so intrigued by the pictures. Experiencing all the normal things teens go
through with body changes, her first bra, and dealing with acne. When I read this book I was able to relate to
so many years as a young adult. This
book contains so many different experiences young adults can relate to. Once Raina realizes that the outside doesn’t
matter, but its how you feel on the inside and view life. You start to have a lot more to smile about
and are able to enjoy life.
Connections:
This would be an
awesome book to have because so many girls could relate. I also love that it is a graphic novel
because the pictures convey the pain and misery better than words can express.
Other books by Telegemeier are DRAMA and SISTERS.
Book 22
Bibliography:
Levinson, Cynthia. 2012.
WE’VE GOT A JOB: THE 1963 BIRMINGHAM CHILDREN’S MARCH. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree Publishers. ISBN
9781561456277
Cover:
Summary:
WE’VE GOT A JOB
tells the story about four thousand little black boys and girls ages from
elementary up to high school that voluntarily went to jail in Birmingham. This book focuses on four of the children’s
lives before, during, and after the march.
First the book talks about Audrey Faye Hendricks. She lived in a nice little home, but still
her and her family had some troubles during the Civil Rights Movement. Second, the story talked about Washington
Booker III. Wash shared a room with his mother and older sister. They shared a kitchen and common area with
others that lived in the house. Third,
the story discussed James Stewart. James
also lived in a brick home after his first home burnt to the ground. Both of his parents were well-educated
professionals. Last, the story discussed
Arnetta Streeter. Arnetta wanted to become a nun because she loved the nuns at
the school she attended.
Commentary:
I really enjoyed
all the photographs in this book. They
are real and tell so much of the story on their own. I also really liked how Levinson had quotes
throughout the book in all caps in a white font with a black background. It really made them stand out. This was a book on the Excellence in
Nonfiction list.
Connections:
I really enjoyed
this book because I can use it in my classroom now. We study all of this when we study MLK. I think it would be a great book for my
students to see because of the photographs.
A lot of the books we use just have illustrations and not photographs. I also liked that it tells stories that the
kids can connect to because of the similar ages.
Book 23
Bibliography:
Freedman, Russell. 2016. WE
WILL NOT BE SILENT. New York, NY: Houghton
Mifflin Harcourt Publishing. ISBN 9780544223790
Cover:
Summary:
WE WILL NOT BE
SILENT is about a brother and sister, Hans and Sophie Scholl, which were apart
of Hitler Youth as children. They
started to believe that what they were apart of was not right, so when they got
a little older they formed the White Rose with a few friends risking
everything. The White Rose was a movement of active
resistance to Hitler and the Nazis. Even
though the topic is very deep the book isn’t too graphic. The students really stand up for what is
right and this book describes it perfectly with the text and the
photographs.
Commentary:
Woah! Again, the
photographs in the book were also great.
I really enjoy the real photographs because you can really connect to
what you are reading with them. This
book would really encourage anyone, not just students to stand up for what is
right. I think this book should be in
all middle and high school libraries.
Connections:
I think this
would be a neat book to share with your students when you are studying
Hitler. It could really connect with
some kids about standing up for what is right.
This could be a book that gives them courage and strength. There is also a film called Sophie Scholl: The Final Days from 2005
and one called The White Rose from
1982.
Book 24
Bibliography:
Brown, Brian. 2016.TETRIS. New York, NY: Holtzbrink Publishing. ISBN
9781626723153
Cover:
Summary:
Brown begins his
graphic novel in early civilization as he reveals the history of how games
began. Two scientists in Moscow are
discussing the universe and out place in it.
One is Alexey Pajitnov, a popular inventor, believes puzzles and games
reveal a lot about human behavior; they imitate the mind. Alexey created artificial intelligence and
voice recognition software. In 1984 he
created Tetris in his spare time while developing software for the Soviet
government. Every game developer wanted
Tetris because it was a huge success all over the world. Consequently, a bidding war began. There were close door sessions, handshake
deals were made, but no contract was signed.
Robert Stein of Andromeda Software was searching for a game, saw Tetris
on a computer, and went to work trying to own the game. Eventually Stein got a
signed contract, but he didn’t get everything he wanted.
Commentary:
The illustration
is this graphic novel could tell the story itself. The way it began in early civilization with
cavemen and ended with in modern time with people on there gaming devices. Even though the colors used were only white,
yellow, and black the illustrations were very effective telling the story.
Connections:
I think a
teenager would love this book because it is discussing games and is a graphic
novel. I personally chose this book
because as a kid I loved the game Tetris and to be honest I still play it on my
phone today.
Book 25
Bibliography:
Gephart, Donna. 2016. LILY
AND DUNKIN. New York, NY: Penguin Random
House. ISBN 9780553536744
Cover:
Summary:
Timothy
McGrother born in a girl’s body living with an understanding, sympathetic mom
and a dad who chooses to ignore Tim’s problem.
Tim, an 8th grader, needs to begin hormone blockers before it’s
too late. Dad’s idea is to let nature take its course. Mom already refers to
Tim as Lily, even when discussing the matter with dad. She said she knew Lily knew as early as age
five. Dare, his best friend, encourages
him to be true to himself. The first day
back to school Lily is bullied. Norbert
“Dunkin” Dorfman has a bipolar disorder and loves donuts. His new friend Tim gave him the nickname of
Dunkin. He has to take two pills
everyday, but thinks if he cuts down to the one that shows up in his blood. He wants to be successful in basketball, but
being friend with Tim causes problems for him.
He begins to ignore Tim to please the members of the team. He begins
hearing voices in his head, talks to his dad, and begins to act weird. Finally, police take him to a psychiatric
hospital.
Commentary:
This story is
narrated by Lily and Dunkin. I liked it
because there told the story about themselves.
It was very straightforward and open about how they felt inside. The really expressed how they cared what
there parents thought. I really liked
the way the story was written because I think it would be easy for kids to
understand and follow.
Connections:
I think this
book would really connect with kids in middle school or high school because they
are going through similar situations or have friends going through similar
situations. I really like how they were
open with their parents and their parents wanted to help them. I know this is
not the case all the time, but maybe this would be encouragement for a student
to go find help and support. Another
book to look into by Gephart is HOW TO SURVIVE MIDDLE SCHOOL.
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