11/8 Best Books for Young Adults 2011 Discussion

[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/studentswouldbenefit 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.

 Have fun this week; I did... reading your work.

 

Enjoy.
Pam

[Shelly Fields]

I saw part of this book being used at a recent Speech tournament! It was for Dramatic Interpretation. The performer was a Junior. She performed as Andi, the young girl. It was a powerful performance

When I have time, I am going to try to read this. (I laughed when I read "I was a little annoyed when I found it because of the length") Thanks for the warning!

Shelly

[Danielle Sonni]

Gentlemen by Michael Northrop

What a twisted story!! This book is told from the point of view of Mike, a high school sophomore. Mike and his friends - Bones, Mixer and Tommy - are the trouble makers at school. They are in the remedial classes because of behavior problems and apathy towards school. They don't like any of their teachers except Mr. G the science teacher, because he does cool experiments. One day in class, Tommy's math teacher does something to upset him (looks at him in the wrong way) so he flips his desk over in anger. Tommy gets sent to the principle's office and Mike and the gang know he's in real trouble. English class with Mr. H rolls around (they really don't like this teacher) and he actually is kinda interesting for a change - he has a big plastic barrel in the front of the class and students all take turns hitting the barrel with a wooden rod to see if they can figure out what is in it. No one figures it out and after class Mr. H asks Mike, Mixter and Tommy to help him put the barrel in his car trunk. The barrel is way heavier than the boys thought and takes them a lot of effort. They barrel doesn't fit so Mr. H takes out the contents - which are wrapped up in a big blanket with duct tape all around the blanket. Mike goes to touch the blanket and sees something move, almost as if the contents had joints. In English class the next day Mr. H is talking about the book Crime & Punishment and Mike feels as if he is directing the lesson towards him, and he is making references towards a student being killed. Mike, Mixter and Bones are really creeped out.

Tommy still hasn't returned, he's run away before but this time his cell phone is off and usually he tells his friends where he is. The police are now involved and the boys think Mr. H killed Tommy (and they helped put him in the trunk) but feel like if the say anything people will think they are crazy.

The way the events of this story unfold is very unpredictable and kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't want to spoil the ending...so much happens...but if you want to know just reply to this post and I'll fill you in :)

YAL Criteria
- Told from POV of a high school student, Mike. Mike is pretty witty and insightful and he is smarter than he knows. He is only in remedial classes because his is apathetic towards school. Mike makes comments regarding his future, he knows he won't have a good job because he doesn't do well in school, and knows education is important in order to be successful.
- Parents are not involved. We get to know Mike's mom a little but she's not a big part of the story and doesn't impact any of the events in the story. The boys are dealing with a very serious issue - murder - and don't go to any adults for help. They want to figure it out and take care of it on their own.
- Lots of important issues discussed. This book touches on SO MANY issues - fitting in, sex (sexual abuse), sexual identity, violence, drugs/alcohol and coming of age.

I think this book would be great for high schoolers. It's an easy read so I would recommend it for 8th - 12th graders. I think most kids would have trouble putting it down (I read it in one sitting - I had to find out what happened!). I really like how this books shows that who you hang out with is important and that impulsive actions have consequences. Teens sometimes think they have it all figured out, but this book shows the consequences of not thinking things through. This book always puts an emphasis on education and learning in an indirect way, no beating kids over the head with it.

This book was great, full of twists I did not see coming!

For more info: http://michaelnorthrop.net/?page_id=3

[Nicole Priester]

This book sounds very interesting, but at the same time frightening. I know that you say this book would be good for highschoolers, but what about it would make it good? I think in some ways a teacher really could do that and it is kind of frightening.

[Danielle Sonni]

Nikki,

I don't want to give away the ending, so don't read the rest of this post if you plan on reading the book :)

Mike, Bones and Mixer got to Mr. H's home to interrogate him about the death of Tommy. The boys force themselves into his house and Bones ends up beating Mr. H unconscious with a bat (even though he realizes Mr. H is innocent). Tommy isn't actually killed by Mr. H. He runs away to find himself because he is gay.

Mike knows he should call 911 but he feels loyal to his friend, so they cover up the crime and leave. The boys end up getting caught, and Mike decides to testify against Bones. He realizes that what he had with Bones wasn't a friendship anymore and his life was more important than his relationship with Bones. Bones is tried as an adult and gets 7-10 years, Mike and Mixer go to Juvie.

I think it would be good for high schoolers because:
- Mike knows that he is a slacker and could do better, and that education is a key to success. I think a lot of apathetic students are like this, and Mike kinda calls them out.
- Mike is a good kid, but he hung around Bones, knowing he was a loose cannon, and it really affected his life. It's good for teens to realize that who you hang out with is a reflection of yourself and can sometimes get you in trouble.
- When Tommy comes out as being gay, Mike is shocked but decides to treat Tommy as the friend he has known all these years. He makes a joke about it to Tommy (like, "don't hit on me now") and then they move past it. I like how they deal with it, not making a huge deal of it.
- There is a scene where Mike sees Bones basically raping a girl, and it's really sad. The girl isn't resisting at all (so it's not like rape rape), she's just really high (on pills) and drunk. This is again a quick scene but I think it sends a message about respecting yourself, having control of your body (and it sets the stage for Bones being a bad guy).
- At the end of the story, Mike reflects back on all the things Mr. H did to make the boys think he was guilty. He know realizes that Mr. H was just trying to be a good teacher and reach out to the boys. I think this shows students that you shouldn't be impulsive, you need to think about your actions and also not make rash judgements.

This book is actually a little frightening as a future teacher, I will say!

[Nicole Priester]

Just an idea, for this book because it does have such a strong message. Maybe use this for kids who are struggling grade wise for like extra credit. Just call them up and say something like read this book write a report or give me an oral report and theres some extra credit to raise your grade. that way you are targeting the kids that don't care about school a little bit more rather than the whole class!

[Danielle Sonni]

That's a good idea!

I think anyone would like this book since it's so suspenseful and has so many twists. It's definitely a good book to put on a class list for optional reads or summer reading.

[Laura Bychowski]

Agreed! I think this book would be perfect in any high school class regardless of grade level or academic track (basic/honors level classes). Students would really take to getting to discuss their views of the education system as well as controversial issues of drugs, rape, and sexuality. While it might be difficult to facilitate such a delicate discussion, it would certainly break up the monotony of subjects most students don't feel they can connect to.

[Rosalind Engerman]

Wow...you definitely got me interested to read this book. Creepy, yes, but also seems like a twisted way to teach a lesson (one such as crime and punishment through the killing of a student by at teacher...). So...is Mr.H the killer?? One part that seems particularly intriguing to me is the acts of openly having the possible body of Tommy in a classroom, let alone a barrel!? Another level that was added was having students come up one by one and actually strike the barrel. GEEZ. Teachers always encounter some form of troublemakers each year that disrupt class, and make teaching quite difficult. So, some teachers may have dreams of verbally assaulting their students, but taking to killing that trouble maker seems almost dream like (in a negative way) and displays what human beings can be capable of when put in the right environmental context...

[Danielle Sonni]

Rosalind,

You can read my post above (in response to Nikki's post) to see what happens at the end of the story. It's a very unexpected twist! And yes, many parts in this book were very creepy.

[Adriana]

This looks like a really great and original story. It also seems like there really is no direct lesson the author is trying to teach which is always good since like you said, it's not good to "beat kids over the head" with something over and over again. Having subtlety and trusting that young adults will catch the importance of the novel is always best.

[Meg Seth]

I think it is interesting to talk about crime in a literary setting. Particularly, I think murder and mystery are both topics that are by their very nature interesting. I am pleasantly surprised to see these topics addressed in a YA novel, although it isn't a topic I would have predicted hearing about. What made the possibility of murder approachable in this novel? What techniques did the author employ to connect with YA readers?

[Rebeka Mirza]

Danielle,

Your book sounds like a good read. It definitely takes on a different outlook on teachers; I understand why you would be nervous to use it in the classroom! I think it depicts teachers as normal human beings. Unfortunately, not all are innocent and they can be involved in things that are looked at as negative in society. So since Mr. H had not killed Tommy, what was in the black bag?

I think this book also shows where curiosity can lead. Sometimes it is not a good idea, because you may not be right about something. Instead of just assuming, always try to get as much information you can. Moreover, a situation such as this, one should get the authorities involved and not try to deal with it themselves. I also think it’s great that Mike realized doing the right thing was more important than his friendship with Bones. That’s something that students need to understand especially in high school, being friends with the wrong people will only harm them. And I think the remedial classes reflect their personalities. Since they do not care about school and get in trouble, they end up in classes as such. Students can learn that they should have a positive attitude towards school and not get involved in negative things.

I also think the behavior of Tommy is one that we all should watch out for when we become teachers. We will definitely need to watch out for the troublemakers and know how to deal with those situations. And moreover understand that there is most likely something else beneath the anger that might be bothering them.