11/29 Teens Top Ten Best Books Discussion for Read 339/439

[Pam Goble]

PART 3 - PARTICIPATION CRITERIA FOR THE NING.

1. Since all of you are reading different books, the idea is to share the many reads students can experience from reading YA literature. For each list you, will get
reviews on approximately 20 or more books.

2. What must be included in your posts are:

            a. A short summary

            b. A connection to YA Lit criteria

            c. A link to a resource for further information about the book/novel( these may include author information, reviews, insight or information
about issues the text references.

            d. Your opinion/recommendations of the book/novel relating back to criteria. A key
question to consider is whether the book is
classroom appropriate, and, if so, what reading
level/grade/students would benefit from reading the text. If it is not
suited for the classroom, if students are reading the book, what is the
appeal?           

3. Lastly, you must respond to at least 2 other posts in detail.

Again have fun...after the
class is done you can still keep those reviews coming on the NING and
talk to each other about what your are reading for the year.
on people of the week!!!

[Samantha Carter]

Yes, it is. I have never made that connection when I was reading this book. The major difference is that in LB the cgirl died. That is the main difference but there are a lot of opposites between the two. For instance, in If I Stay Mia had a choice the young girl in LB did not have a choice. However, they are an interesting connection.

[Heather Olson]

I previously added this to my to-read list and found out there's a 2nd book called "Where She Went" if you're interested. This book sounds very interesting and somewhat like The Lovely Bones. I also wonder how it could be used in the classroom, whether as a teaching material or a classroom library selection. What is the educational value within it? Or is it a "fluff" or for-fun read? My favorites are the ones that are both - books I've read for fun that have no lesson, necessarily, to be learned but are rich with teaching tools such as figurative language, character development, amazing settings, etc. :)

[Samantha Carter]

Thank you for the info. I just looked up the sequel to this book and I would like to read it just to see what happened next. The summary I just read online was really short and it doesn't make the sequel very appealing for me but I will read it.

[Christina Abruzzini]

Samantha,
I read this book, too! I definitely agree with your comment about your eyes watering during various parts throughout the story---it was such a tearjerker! It was also uplifting at the end though as I took it the same as you did and felt it was a positive ending. I, too, took it that she was waking up from her coma. Like you also mentioned, I also feel that everyone can take something out of this book. It really was a great read!

[Zia Jusufi]

This book would make me cry my eyes out! I love those kinds of books though because they force us to connect with the characters on a personal level. I would really want to read this book because its different and its not something you would expect. Teenagers would really connect with this book because they are more inclined to connect with the character because it is someone in their same age group going through this tragedy. I also find that books that involve a loss of a loved one, usually turn out to be really good books.

[Rosalind Engerman]

random question....I have tried just about everything to upload the picture of the book titles I have read for the Mcpop series posts...how do you guys do this??

[Pam Goble]

Go to Google images. Cut and paste on desktop. Then insert image in a word doc..type your review and upload to mcpop...that does work for me...maybe there is an easier way, though???

[Danielle Sonni]

You can also click on the little camera icon on the mcpop post box and upload any image.

[Meg Seth]

Last Book Review!

The Gardner

I was astounded by this novel on multiple levels. It is a very mature novel, commenting on societal and environmental issues as well as young adult experiences and relationships. The story is that of Mason, a large-boned high school boy who plays football and loves biology. His life is fairly normal, despite an absent father and a mother who drinks her problems away until he meets Laila at the nursing home his mother works in. Laila is a girl who seems comatose until she hears a line read on Mason’s tape of his father, the only artifact he has from his unknown dad. She awakens startled, with no idea who she is or where she has been, but she has mysterious scars and an inability to eat or drink real, human food. She also seems unnaturally dependent on the sun, and speaks of a strange, and terrifying figure that she refers to as “The Gardner.” Mason takes her away, leading him on an adventure that challenges his notions of environmentalism, his mother’s past, and what it means to be a hero. They discover secrets about his past and that of TroDyn laboratories that change their lives forever.
This novel has strong environmentalist elements as well as YA ones. The novel directly addresses the food and nutrition crisis within the frame of Mason’s adventurous road to self-discovery. The idea of science as authority is questioned, and the line between right and wrong is unclear in regards to TroDyn’s “gardening” project. The whole point of the program is to help humanity evolve beyond a need for food, but in the process TroDyn is denying their adolescent subjects access to a normal life. The novel questions the idea of scientific and parental authority while highlighting the very real threat of global degeneration. Overall, I was rather impressed with its sociopolitical scope.
As far s the YA elements go, this novel is quite solidly rooted in the genre. The book is fast-past, narrated by a young adult character, and challenges adult authority repeatedly. I think this book makes an excellent statement on the need of teens to become informed about environmental and other political issues. The novel seems to be posing a question to its readers: what would you do in Mason’s situation? This question, and other questions like it, are important for young adults to consider and develop a grasp on social and political issues that will affect them as adults. How do you feel about this? Should YAL be actively posing political queries and challenging its readers? How should teens be exposed to political and social discourse?

[Pam Goble]

Great, that it is your last book!!! This has been a wonderful intellectual journey.
This book sounds like a tremendous reflection on the environment and our concern for nutrition right now.
I am adding this to my list!!!Thank you for all your insight into YALit.

[Danielle Sonni]

Meg, this books sounds really interesting and a little eerie! I think that most books, or any medium, have some type of political or social agenda (even if that isn't the main purpose). Young adults tend to think with their hearts and can easily be swayed towards a certain political or social view because they will be sympathetic to the characters in the book. YA lit is a good way to open the discussion for these issues and a way to connect "adult" concerns with fictional situations they can relate to. I think that teens should be exposed to these issues in YA lit and then also provided with factual information from multiple sources, showing all sides of the issue at hand. During elections I always feel overwhelmed by all of the issues and "how will this affect me" and still wish I had someone to lay out the information for me sometimes...

[Heather Olson]

Wow, that sounds really great and creepy! It reminds me of Kelley Armstrong's "Darkest Power" trilogy, in some ways (which I recommend if you liked this at all). Do you think male students would enjoy this book as much as females? It can be difficult to find books for our male students and this could be one to add to the lists! Thanks for sharing.

P.S. Who is the author of this title?