11/15/2010 Read 339/439 Quick Picks Discusssion

[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.

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!

 Pam

Pam

[Heather Olson]

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins is the third installment to "The Hunger Games Trilogy." Katniss Everdeen has now survived the Hunger Games twice. Although she has made it out of the bloody, competitive arena alive, she's still in significant danger. Her survival tactics have angered The Capitol and they want revenge for the uprising she has caused. President Snow has made it perfectly clear to her that she, her family, her friends and the citizens of the districts, including Katniss' own District 12, are in danger. Endangering everyone she cares about, and in the midst of a love triangle between her best childhood friend and her fellow co-survivor, Katniss must go through unthinkable acts to become what the people of the revolt are looking for – she must become their symbol of hope, their Mockingjay. (*dun dun duhhnn!!* :) )

This book is from the viewpoint of Katniss and focuses on her, Peeta (her co-conspirator/challenger in the Hunger Games), Gale (her childhood best friend), Prim (her little sister) and various other adult characters who are her family and friends. However, it is in first-person POV from Katniss and while she worries about and befriends adults, I would say this book meets YA criteria in being from Katniss' POV. Her mother and other adults are very involved in the novel. Some of her friends and advisors are adults and her mother is in the picture frequently. However, Katniss makes her own decisions, even if her decision is to take the advice of the adults. She often takes their advice just as she often goes against their advice! I think her accomplishments are largely her own, even as she achieves these accomplishments with the help of her adult friends.

Mockingjay is the third novel in a trilogy. In order to find out the culmination of the story you've been reading, I think that it is extremely fast-paced at this point. I was on the edge of my seat and read it in one night because I couldn't wait to see how the trilogy ends.

The YA fiction genre may be common but the subject matter is extremely interesting in that it takes place in Panem, or what used to be North America. It is about conspiracies by the government and a different life than young adults today are used to. In that way, it certainly adheres to the criteria of various genres/subjects. Given that each district within Panem and their citizens are different in culture and the people of the capital are very eccentric, Mockingjay also adheres to the criteria of different cultural groups. You learn about how the districts are different from each other and from the capital more and more in each book, with a great culmination in Mockingjay as the districts come together in a revolt against the capital and President Snow.

At many times in Mockingjay, the reader does not feel optimistic. Sometimes the characters feel hopeless which leaves the reader hopeless and mourning with them. However, you root for them in their revolt, dreams and individual accomplishments, big and small.

The emotions exhibited in Mockingjay include some that will not be as important or easily understood by young adults but are essential to the storyline, as well as emotions that are important to young adults. The main characters in the story are young adults themselves and experience different feelings within their actions and toward each other. The love, loss, terror, triumph and indecision the characters feel are ones anyone can relate to, but especially young adults as they are discovering who they are, what the best decisions for their own lives are and how best to relate to others.

I think http://mockingjay.net/ is a great fan site for anyone who likes the book/series. It includes a lot of fun extras that I think would get students more excited about reading it or discussing it in class. Even as a 25 year old "young adult" lover of this series, I find this site to be fun and educational, an extension to the novel itself. http://englishcompanion.ning.com has some amazing teaching tools for this series, as well.

This series was absolutely amazing and I couldn't stop reading it – I read all 3 in 3 days. Mockingjay, as the third and last book, was a great end to the story. Personally, I could see exactly why Katniss made the decisions she did, when she made them and her fierce love and loyalty to her family and friends was extremely endearing. I like books that are told in the first-person point of view because I feel you get the most information about the main character as you're able to see into their thoughts and feelings well. Suzanne Collins does a great job of this with Katniss. Mockingjay is absolutely an appropriate classroom read and I know these books are being taught in schools currently. I would have a hard time teaching just Mockingjay, however, as it is the third book and I can't see being okay with teaching the third book before the first and second. One would really need to read the 1st and 2nd before the 3rd to fully grasp the storyline and character development that occurs in those books. It is not a book that nicely summarizes the first two in the series for the reader. If I were teaching Mockingjay or the trilogy in the classroom, I would teach it to 7th-9th graders. I believe it is being taught in a lot of 7th grade classrooms at this point, from what I have read about it. I thought that was pretty young when I first heard that so I would probably teach it in the 8th or 9th grade classrooms. I feel the plot and character development, the themes and the imagery are all amazing for classroom use. If I were to teach this series in a class, I would use "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson (see a terrible grammar but complete version here: http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/lotry.html), "Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell (again, located here: http://www.classicshorts.com/stories/danger.html), and perhaps "The Truman Show," or clips from it (IMDb page here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120382/). It also coincides quite well in a lot of ways with "The Giver" (Goodreads.com page here: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3636.The_Giver).

[Danielle Sonni]

Heather,

Great review! I also like the lesson plan ideas and accompanying texts you provided; it's helpful to get a better idea of how this book would work in the class room. Would you teach all three installments of the trilogy during one year/semester with students? Do you think it would work if an English Dept. all agreed to teach the series over the course of 3 semesters?

This book seems like there are a lot of issues that almost all students can relate to, no matter how different they are from each other. I could see girls and boys both liking this book, which is important because I think sometimes boys don't connect as well to a lot of books taught.

I would imagine that the themes in this book connect to larger issues in our society, like "The Giver" as you mentioned. If I remember correctly, "The Giver" commented on big government and the invasion of privacy? I could be wrong, haven't read it since middle school! Does this book raise similar issues about government (I see in your review that government conspiracies are involved? Or about society's use of the environment (seems like humanity has somehow ruined North America)?

[Heather Olson]

Hi, Danielle -

I wanted to do my SEED 450 unit plan on the first book in this trilogy so I had researched a lot of information about incorporating it into the classroom! I think it would be difficult to devote that much time to the themes presented in these novels. It would be very cool if teachers in the Engl. Dept. could cross semesters and teach different themes from the series in that way. They aren't long books for fluent readers who love to read for fun but it could be too much for students to cover the entire series in the classroom. One thing I thought of is covering The Hunger Games in class and then Books 2/3 ("Catching Fire" and "Mockingjay") in an after-school reading group for any students who are interested.

I definitely think these books could catch the attention of our male students. Especially the first in the series because there are 24 people fighting to the death in an arena! That's pretty crazy, bloody and exciting! Then there's the love triangle and the strong female protagonist for the female students.

It is very much like a communist government (as "The Giver" seemed to be, too). The government (The Capitol) has people in the districts to discipline the citizens and report back to The Capitol, there are fences you cannot go out off without repercussions by the government, etc. They have rich and poor districts that are kept rich and poor by The Capitol. They force The Hunger Games upon the citizens to show them that they are always in charge, randomly selecting 2 children from each district to fight in The Hunger Games. Every year they are put into the lottery for the Hunger Games and they can even add more tickets into the lottery in exchange for more food but then they will have a greater number of tickets/a higher chance of being selected for The Hunger Games.

It's great and I highly recommend it!

[Monika Andes]

I loved your review. You did such a great job with your feedback. It really makes me want to read the trilogy myself. I think it's interesting that so many of these issues are tackled in this creative way. I think that students would really be able to get into the material. I think that you made a good point about schools that are currently teaching the novel. Having not read them myself, I liked that you were able to say how you felt it should be taught.

Also, I think it sounds like a book that everyone can enjoy. Boys would probably really like the fighting, while girls would get really into the thougt processes. Overall, it sounds like a trilogy that I will now have to read, because it just sounds so good. Quick question. I know that you mentioned the adults, but are they really present? Or are they background characters?

[Heather Olson]

I really recommend it! My good friend recommended them to me before I chose them for this class and I, in turn, recommended them to my mom, fiance and cousins. So far, all positive feedback! I thought the first book was the best but Mockingjay was an amazing wrap-up of the story and although I was mad about some of what happened, I felt it couldn't have been written in any other way. If Suzanne Collins had changed the way Mockingjay ended or the events within it, the same effect would not have been achieved and so while I was mad, I understood.

Because the story is from Katniss' POV, it doesn't feel as though the adults are in the forefront, but I think they are. Katniss and Peeta are trained for and prepped for The Hunger Games by adults. They interact with adults regularly and are given orders by and captured by and fight against other adults in the series. I truly felt that a few of the adults were as important characters as Peeta or Gale (Katniss' two love interests).

As Dr. Goble said, we can continue to use this discussion even after the class has ended so if you do read this series, let me know what you think! I love sharing books with people and discussing them. :)

[Meghann Lothson]

It sounds like an awesome book, and I love the connections to other books you've included. I have never heard of this series, and it sounds extremely involved and would probably make complete sense if I read the whole series myself (which is probably what this summer is going to be all about :)). I have read "the Lottery," "the Giver," and have seen "the Truman Show," which greatly helps me understand the type of reality we're dealing with here. I was wondering--what is it about the books that makes them better for 7-9th graders, and not older students? Also, what is it about the character development that makes it so appealing to teens? You make a point to highlight the fact that Katniss made certain decisions. Were these good decisions? Does she exhibit any weaknesses in her story that make her stronger?
I would love to get some more insight and learn more about this particular work. Alternate possible realities are a great way to explore the reality that we live in ourselves, so I really look forward to it.

[Heather Olson]

I don't think it would be only for 7th-9th graders. I'm 25 and I loved it, and my fiance is 29 and loved it! :) I just know I've heard it's being taught in 7th-9th grade classrooms at this point. I definitely think it could be used in older classes, as well. As for the character development, I feel like although the main character is Katniss, through her eyes you see other characters so clearly and get a sense for who they are outside of her opinion/telling of them. She's the narrator but others are very clear and deep without getting a look into their heads at all. I think it's great when an author can do that without breaking their chosen point of view at all. Even though she may be mad at a character for something they've done, you still know those characters well enough to know it wasn't vindictive or whatever the case may be.

I don't want to give any of her decisions away but I think she makes good and bad choices through the series, especially in Mockingjay. She is definitely a character I'd say, "She's only human!" about. She is only human but is expected to be a superhero to a lot of people, a position she isn't sure she wants or can handle well. Throughout the series she makes mistakes that cause lives to be lost, hunger, further poverty, etc. But also, love, respect, support and admiration.

[Tiffany Shreve]

I want to say that this is an excellant review. i have not read any of the books talked about but your review makes me want to. It was very well written and I enjoyed the way you really thought about how it would be used in a classroom I never would have thought that these books could be used in a classroom but rather as something that a teen would just pick up and read. So it was great to see a different point of view. I have also looked at some of the links you provided and they all shed light on the book as well as other things.

[Nicole Priester]

"Scars" by Cheryl Rainfield is about a young girl Kendra, who is REALLY going through a lot of stuff in her life as a young teenager.She is an artist, but her mother thinks her art sucks and will never sell, and criticizes her a lot in her art style. She is also in therapy due to the fact that she was molested for what she believes to have started early in her childhood, but she can not figure out who molested her even though she was molested a lot. On top of being a victim of abuse, she is hiding two secrets. The first secret she is hiding is that she cuts her self a lot. The second secret she hides from her parents and that is that she is a lesbian, since her mom is homophobic in many ways despite having a gay friend. She also hid it from most of her classmates too for a long time, but rumors began about her and her ex. A lot of things start to go wrong for Kendra, making her life a lot more complicated and on top of it, she is being stalked by her molester who is hoping to keep her quiet. Things get crazy, but to give a way the end would ruin this powerful and moving book so I wont.

This book is definitely directed at YA readers. The parents are present, but are not very supportive in many ways. She does have her therapist who she does depend on a lot, but she is not physically present in the story often and same thing with her good friend Sandy, who she met through her mother and is also gay and understands a lot of the difficulties that Kendra is going through. He constantly wishes he could protect her. Therefore, adults are not really present often that fits into this criteria. Kendra is also going though a lot of issues: molestation after effects, cutting, loneliness, being gay and coming out to your parents and much more. The reader also goes through a wide variety of emotions reading this book. There is not a lot of diversity in this story besides gay and straight characters.

Here is a website on information about cutting. In the back of the book there is also a lot of resources and reachout programs for those who cut or for those who know someone who cuts themselves. http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/cutting.html
http://www.cherylrainfield.com/cherylPage_Scars.html this is to her website that gives the viewer an overview of the book along with what others are saying about the book and a video clip.

I really liked this book a lot. I knew a lot of people that cut, and totally saw these people in Kendra's character. I also must admit that I wanted to know who molested her and cheated and went to the end to find out. Luckily, it did not take away from the book at all. I also really enjoyed that in the back of the book, there was a note from the author Cheryl Rainfield; where she talks about her abuse as a child. It really solidified her story, more than other books I have read on this subject. I however, would not teach this book in a classroom, nor do I think schools would a lot it, because this book in particular, explores some very touchy subjects. I would definitely have this in my classroom as a book students could read if they wanted to, I would probably also recommend it to students that I thought would enjoy or gain something from it.

[Monika Andes]

Wow. This books sounds amazing too! It's sad that so many books have to be written on this subject, because these issues are everywhere. I think you did a fantastic job on your review. I like that you wrote that you cheated and looked at the end, because I do that a lot too! The way that you described the book reminds me of Speak. Did you find that to be the case? Are the books similar at all?

It's interesting that you say that you wouldn't teach this book in your class. For another class, I'm writing a book about the downside to book banning, and your post deals with what I'm writing about. I think that the classroom is the perfect place to teach a book like this, because it is a safe environment where students can learn. Please don't misunderstand, I am not trying to tell you that you're wrong in your opinions. In fact, I applaud you for at least saying that you will recommed the book to your students. It sounds like a really good book that I have to read.

[Nicole Priester]

There are similarities to Speak, which was nice, but it really does bring the issue to a whole other level. I have read a lot of books on cutting, because like I said I have had a lot of friends who cut themselves for one reason or another. This book was by far the most horrific (in a good way), emotional roller coaster book on this subject that I have personally read. There are two reasons mainly why I would not teach this in a class room. The first is very personal. I had a friend who cut her self for a long time, and cutting was not as big of an issue or talked about as much when this all first came out. We were friends with another girl who was very innocent and guarded by her parents. When things started going "bad" for her, she started to cut herself, because that is how my other friend dealt with her pain. I would just be afraid that I would be giving people the idea to cut themselves which is not something that I would ever want to do. The second is all the other issues that are in the story, I personally feel like this book would cause a rift in the class, because it could turn very political in many ways and I would not want to do that either.

[Nicole Priester]

thats a really good question, but her abuser taught her how to cut and taught her to do it when she wanted to talk about it. He was quieting her up. It is really sad