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."

Looking for Alaska - by John Green

Summary/ Overview: First and foremost, this was a great book. Looking for Alaska is written from the perspective of Miles Halter who attends boarding school at Culver Creek in Alabama, not Alaska (I know, that's what I thought too when first reading the title). Alaska is a girl Miles, or Pudge as his new friends name him, meets at school. She is very pretty, smart, and a little vague and moody at times. Pudge goes to school, picks up smoking and drinking, focuses greatly on school, loves his religions class taught by a man on the verge of dying, and plans pranks with his friends. They are a tight knit group and then the before section of the book begins and everything changes, and for once I will not spoil this one.
Personal thoughts and opinions: I absolutely loved this book, I think some day this book will become a classic just like The Catcher in the Rye in which it reminds me of. This book is for both adults and young adults and both boys and girls.
Would I would teach this book: I would not hesitate to use this book in the classroom. This would be a great whole class read because there are so many things to consider when reading this book. Literary components that could be examined are voice, climax, and relating to characters and their experiences. Symbolism may be another one, and just the overall plot and theme to the novel will factor well into a classroom. There are some graphic moments that may be of concern so it should be used for high school juniors or seniors.
Quote: "After all this time, it still seems to me like ’straight and fast’ is the only way out. But I choose the labyrinth. The labyrinth blows, but I choose it." - The Colonel

Tuck Everlasting - by Natalie Babbitt

Summary/Overview: This book is very much fantastical. The Tucks are a family who stumbled across a spring on their journey to find a place to settle down. They all drank from the spring, including their hose, and eventually they realize they are not aging. Winnie's family owns the land that the spring is located on and finds Jesse Tuck sitting by the tree and drinking from the spring. Jesse is very concerned that Winnie saw him drinking from the spring because she wants to drink from it now. The Tucks take Winnie home with them to explain about the spring, and now Winnie is torn between protecting them and their secret or allowing the man in the yellow suit to exploit them.
Personal thoughts and opinions: I really liked this book a lot. I thought it was very well written and I liked the mythical aspect of it. I was anxious to see if Winnie would eventually drink from the spring. I instantly related it to the Twilight series because the themes of immortality within each of them.
Would I teach this novel: I would definitely use this as a class read. It deals with morals because of the immortality aspect, whether to choose an endless life or not. The characters would be easy to relate to, and I just think it would be a fun book to teach because most students would not mind reading it.
Lesson Plan Link: http://sps.k12.mo.us/sms/awicklund/WebQuest/tuck/webquest/home_aw.html

Breaking Dawn - by Stephenie Meyer

Summary/Overview: Breaking Dawn is the fourth and final book to the Twilight Series. This book has a lot going on within it. Bella and Edward finally get married and go off on their honeymoon. Once their honeymoon is almost over there is something wrong with Bella, she is pregnant, and getting more pregnant at a fast rate. In the end she gives birth to Renesme who is half human and half vampire, and the only way to save her from dying during giving birth is by transforming her into the vampire she has always wanted to become. The Volturi hear of Renesme thinking she is a forbidden vampire child whom cannot be tamed and come to destroy the Cullen family. In the end the Volturi realize Renesme is not a threat to their kind and leave the Cullen alone after some convincing.
Personal thoughts and opinion: I liked this book the best out of the four. The reason why I liked it so much is because that it had everything in it that I was anticipating and more of course. This books was filled with a lot of action I guess you could say. Once Bella is part of the Cullen family the book takes on a whole new perspective.
Would I teach this novel: I do not think i would use this book in a classroom either because it deals with sex and more intimate issues that are not appropriate in a school setting. But I would definitely recommend this whole series to any student who is open to reading it.
Lesson Plan Link: http://teachingtwilight.wordpress.com/about/
Quote: "I promise to love you forever—every single day of forever."

Eclipse - by Stephanie Meyer

Summary/Overview: This is the third book in the Twilight series. Bella and Edward are finally back together in this book and now Bella is torn between her best friend Jacob and her true love Edward who don't exactly like each other. Jacob is a werewolf and Edward is a vampire, and are intended to be enemies. The other dilemma is that there is a newborn army of vampires set out to destroy Bella, led by a vampire named Victoria who holds a grudge against Edward and plans to kill of Bella for payback. In the end the werewolves and vampires come together to fight this army of newborn vampires to protect Bella and succeed.
Personal thoughts and opinion: At first I refused to read this series because I never thought I could get into a book involving vampires. But surprise, surprise, I couldn't put the book down. I actually enjoyed the romance aspect of the novel the most. It was one of those books I had a hard time putting down because each chapter always left you hanging.
Would I teach this novel: I probably would not teach this novel in a classroom but I would definitely recommend it to certain students who may enjoy it.The first book to this series may be more appropriate for a classroom, but none of these books could really contribute to to any literature components.
Lesson Plan Link: http://teachingtwilight.wordpress.com/about/
Quote: "I'll be back so soon you won't have time to miss me. Look after my heart - I left it with you."