An Abundance of Katherines - by John Green

Summary/Overview: The story is about a boy named Colin who has dated nineteen Katherines to date. The title of the book is not misleading at all. Colin is a very interesting character and very smart. Okay, he is very very very smart. He is trying to figure out his dilemma with dating and being dumped by nineteen Katherines. Colin also is trying to figure how to actually matter in this world. He goes on a road trip with his best friend Hassan to figure this all out. Their road trip quickly ends in a town they only wanted to visit a tourist attraction in. The town and a few of its residents helps Colin to figure out what life is all about. It turns out that it wasn't what he thought it was supposed to be.
Personal thoughts and opinions: I thought Looking for Alaska was amazing and didn't know how John Green could top it, but he did, or at least they are dead even. The characters he creates within his stories are so complex and amazing. Some moments just made me laugh out loud. An Abundance of Katherines is an amazing book about a teenager trying to find himself that any teen reader can relate to (even if Colin is very very very smart). The footnotes in this book were not only amazingly creative but usually pretty hilarious. The footnotes fit the story to a T. I would recommend this book to anyone who simply enjoys a good book.
Would I teach this book: I would love love love to teach this book in a classroom. What is even more exciting is that there is actually some material out there already on teaching this book. I had a hard time finding materials or talk of teaching Looking for Alaska. I think that An Abundance of Katherines tones it down a bit compared to Looking for Alaska but that doesn't make it any less brilliant, just more teachable is how I look at it. This book would be great for a classroom and I couldn't imagine having anyone object to it.
Quote:"It was the first time since arriving in Gutshot that he'd beaten the rooster to waking. Immediately he opened his bedroom window, pressed his face up against the screen, and shouted: COCK-A-DOODLE DOO! HOW DO YOU LIKE IT FROM THE OTHER END, YOU LITTLE FUGGER?"

Looks - by Madeleine George

Summary/Overview: Looks is a book about two girls, two very different girls. One is Aimee and the other is Meghan. They are on opposites sides of the eating disorder spectrum. Through their experiences and thoughts Looks shows to us the struggles teens face with eating disorders. But it's not just about that. These girls are in high school and need to deal with a girl named Cara, and in this way they are brought together. This book is written with such a unique voice and vivid images that it is hard to put down.
Personal thoughts and opinions: This was a great book. It speaks true to just how mean high school can be on all levels. Based on all the books I read this semester, and this being my tenth read, I would say Looks and Looking for Alaska are my favorite ones.
Would I teach this book: I would love to use this book in a classroom. It deals with eating disorders and sheds two very different but distinct lights on eating disorder. Also the way this is written is magical. The descriptiveness and rich language makes is very unique. This would make for a great whole class read focusing on the themes and language throughout the book.
Quote: "God must be a friendless fat girl, because only friendless fat girls are as omniscient as God."

The Ousiders - by S.E. Hinton

Summary/Overview: The Outsiders is a story of a family of three boys; Sodapop, Darry, and Ponyboy. The story is told from Ponyboy's perspective. The three brothers parents died just a while ago and they are poor. The poor kids around town are considered to be the "greasers" and the rich kids are called "socs". These two gangs are constantly at each others necks simply because of their differences in social class. As the story goes on Ponyboy discovers that the gangs go deeper than social class and at the end of the day they are all just human beings. It is an intense story of youths dealing with gangs and the tight relationships that are formed. It is amazing that S.E. Hinton began writing this book when she was in high school, but she was writing from experience.
Personal thoughts and opinions: I really enjoyed the book. It was a quick read and I really enjoyed Ponyboy as the narrator because he is pretty entertaining.
Would I teach this book: I would definitely use this book in the classroom for a whole unit. I know the book has been around for a while and that it is pretty popular with middle school students. It's just one of those books that could easily be taught in a classroom with no hesitation.
Quote: "He ain't a Soc," I said, "he's just a guy. He just wanted to talk." - Ponyboy

The Color of Absence - edited by James Howe

Summary/Overview: This book is an anthology of short stories by some pretty popular young adult authors such as Virginia E. Wolff, Walter Dean Myers, and Avi. Each short story in the anthology deals with the theme of loss in a different way. The stories are wide ranging but loss ties them all together. There is a story about a vampire who loses his pet cat and about a child whose father has AIDS. These stories seem completely different but both the vampire and child are heart broken by their losses in the end. The universal theme of loss ties these stories together just as it ties us humans together. Even if you do not like some of the stories, there is at the very least one story within this wide assortment of texts that you may like.
Personal thoughts and opinions: This is a great collection of short stories and I strongly recommend it to just about anyone. Loss is such a universal theme so I think that anyone could find something to relate to within these stories.
Would I teach this book: I would not hesitate to use this anthology in a classroom. I know students would enjoy the short story aspect. Also the stories themselves are a great teaching resource. So many lessons and literary elements can be taught using this text as an example.
Quote: "It's a feeling like flying. I don't mean airplanes, I've never even been on one. I mean what flying would be like if you could just lift your arms and go. Soar. Sometimes, though, it's like a color, like swimming in a color." The Tin Butterfly - by Norma Fox Mazer

The Hunger Games - by Suzanne Collins

Summary/Overview: The Hunger Games is a book that takes place in the future after North America has been destroyed and risen from ashes, the new North American is called Panem consisting of a Capitol and thirteen districts. The capitol rules the districts where people living in the districts are not even supposed to go outside their fenced in town. The Capitol holds a televised event each year called The Hunger Games to show their power over the districts. One boy and one girl are drawn from each district and sent to an outdoor arena to fight till the death, the last one alive wins. This is where Katniss Everdeen comes in, her little sister gets chosen but instead she steps in for her. It's a fight for survival. But because of Katniss's experience hunting outside of her district to keep her family from starving, it really makes for an interesting fight.
Personal thoughts and opinions: I really enjoyed this book. This was one of the books I listed as a stretch for myself to read. I thought I might not get into it because it sounded futuristic and weird, but then again I love Harry Potter, so you never know. But it was not a stretch to read at all because it left me hanging on the edge of my seat. I also enjoyed the take on the future that it portrayed. Now I need to read the next one.
Would I teach this book: I do not think that I would teach this book in a classroom because it is way too far removed from the real world. Of course there still are ways to relate to this book but it just doesn't provide any great literary elements. I would recommend this to both boys and girls even though it is narrated through a girls perspective.
Quote: "Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."
-Peeta Mellark

Speak - by Laurie Halse Anderson

Summary/Overview: Melinda is not a normal teen entering high school. She keeps to herself and is losing touch with everyone that was once in her life. She lets this happen, it is better for her that way, so that she doesn't have to tell anyone. While at school Melinda either hides in art class or in an empty janitors closet she has converted into her own space. She is holding a secret, the secret that is making her so awkward around everyone else. She wants so badly to be normal and move on with her life in high school, but it just won't happen until it is out. Slowly we find out what has been eating at Melinda.
Personal thoughts and opinions: I knew what this book was about before I read it, and it seemed like a book I should read because everyone has been talking about it. I liked the book, it is written beautifully, where you can really get into the mind of a teenager.
Would I teach this book: I am kind of torn between teaching this book. I think the way it is written is great and the metaphor and symbolism that is created through Melinda's struggle portrayed through trees in art class could really go somewhere. It deals with a heavy subject so that would be my only objection. I know I would highly recommend this book to students, probably in high school and gear it towards girl students.
Lesson plan link: http://mshogue.com/ce9/Speak/speak.htm
Quote:
"A little kid asks my dad why that man is chopping down the tree.

Dad: He's not chopping it down. He's saving it. Those branches were long dead from disease. All plants are like that. By cutting off the damage you make it possible for the tree to grow again. You watch - by the end of summer, this tree will be the strongest on the block."
Speak Movie Trailer

We All Fall Down - by Robert Cormier

Summary/Overview: This book enters the mind of many characters within it. We see Jane Jerome's family's house get trashed, along with her sister thrown down a flight of stairs resulting in a coma. We see Jane's perspective on this along with one of the trashers perspective as well, Buddy. He feels really bad about the trashing, and deals with his problems by drinking, and drinking, and drinking. We see how both him and Jane deal with this situation from two different sides. But then there is this other character who witnesses the trashing and calls himself "The Avenger". He plans to avenge the house and the trashers. We find out this person really means business. The Avenger is revealed in the end of the book, and it is a real shocker. In the end characters come together through these odd series of events.
Personal opinions and thoughts: I enjoyed the book, but was not overly excited about it. It is written well and could spark the interest of many readers but just didn't have the spark that I was looking for. I did enjoy the change of perspectives in the third person narration, it really put a spin on the book.
Would I teach this book: I do not think that I would use this in a classroom. It just didn't really get me going and I want to pick books for whole class reads that really catch my attention and leave me excited in the end and this just wasn't one of them. I would definitely encourage my students to read it though.
Quote: "Now she knew the desolation of the words and how it felt to be so alone, abandoned, and betrayed."