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

[Kymberly Mosley]

Wow this sounds super exciting! With the idea of involuntary testing I can't help but think of how it might be similar to Octavian Nothing. I wasn't a huge fan of that book, just because it moved a little too slowly for me, but this book seems much more action-packed. I think it'd be interesting to compare and contrast the two. I'll definitely be adding this book to my must-read list. Nice review!

[Rosalind Engerman]

A. The Half Life of Planets by Emily Franklin and Brendan Halpin (yes! it is a YAbook that is co-written!) is a romance novel that contains two protagonists. Liana is a female high school student that loves science and would even go on to describe herself as a science geek. Liana is also a bit 'addicted' to kissing, which can be a harsh addiction when it comes to cruel peers, and rumor mills that all high school's contain. After kissing (and only kissing) four different boys, Liana is confronted with a note that had been placed in her locker with the word "SLUT" written on it. From that point on, Liana decides to conduct a little experiment of her own. She decides to place a 'no kissing over the summer' rule. Soon after this experiment commences, Liana comes in to contact with Hank. Hank is also in high school, but he possesses something that makes him much different than the rest of the people Liana has ever come in to contact with. The reader learns that Hank is battling the socially hindering mental disorder known as Aspergers syndrome. Aspergers is a disorder characterized as an Autistic spectrum Disorder, but the qualities and symptoms aspergers brings are quite specific. People that have aspergers have difficulties in two-sided social conversations and non-verbal communication. Though there speech is grammatical, People with aspergers sound peculiar due to abnormalities in inflection and repetitive behaviors. Clumsiness in interactions and motor functioning is also prominent in the Disorder. Another flavor Aspergers brings is the quality of fixation on a specific circumscribed field of interest. Hank's interest of choice is music, and playing the guitar. Through music, Hank seems to reveal underlying feeling and emotion that is not readable on the surface. It is this quality of Hank's that Liana is attracted to.
Liana believes that in surrounding herself with Hank, she will be able to have positive results with her own "no kissing" experiment. Well, as the story goes on, it is obvious that there is attraction between the two protagonists. Because of Hank's condition, awkward happenings and mis-communications are of plenty when it comes to the relationship Hank and Liana form. As the story unfolds, Liana comes to the conclusion that Hank has Aspergers, and that his awkward ways of interacting with her are not signs of disinterest. Liana and Hank grow closer to one and other, and by the end of the novel, both characters are able to come to terms with who they really are and not the labels that they originally defined them as human beings.

B. The Half Life of Planets meets YA criteria for many reasons. Acceptance, coming of age, love, and the questioning of identity are themes present in the novel. In the beginning of the book, both Liana and Hank battle with seeing who they are as the labels they have been identified and scrutinized with. Liana = slut: Hank= aspergers. The relationship and comfort they find in one another leads to acceptance. Through this acceptance, both protagonists eyes are opened to the fact that much more lies beneath the surface of the labels they have seen themselves as for so long. Liana and Hank begin to understand that a word does not define who they are, but rather they are both so much more then they first believed.

C. Links and resources for The Half Life of Planets
www.emilyfranklin.com/books_ya_halflife.html
www.fictiondb.com/.../emily-franklin~the-half-life-of-planets~26678...
D. I enjoyed this book for a couple of reasons, but overall, It was not my favorite read by any means. The usual issues that arise from co-written novels were not present in HLOP. In fact, I thought the two authors did very well for themselves. I was especially taken by Hank and the writers' ability to truly capture Aspergers in written form. The feelings that arose between the two characters was also realistic (not instant, written in the stars type deal, which is a quality that some romance novels have) and I appreciated that factor. One thing that really threw me off about the book: Liana is called and labeled a slut after kissing four different boys. I find this situation unlikely in the real world. If the characters were in 6th grade, maybe I would understand this unrealistic event in the novel, but I found it difficult to imagine. Would I recommend this novel? I would only recommend it for 7th and 8th grade reading courses, and lower level freshman high school reading courses (this is even a bit of a stretch).

[Alexander Wm. Evers]

“Will Grayson, Will Grayson” is a novel by David Levathin and John Green. I must admit, I was hoping for “Looking for Alaska 2: Bloody Ice”, nonetheless, I was pleased by this text.

My classmate Heather Olson already provided an excellent description of the plot. I found the idea that catalyzes and propels the plot, two individuals with the same name living in different places sharing similar experiences, to be riveting. Moreover, I think that this is something students will grapple onto, I can picture a student excitedly reflecting on, “if there’s another Johnny/Jane Doe, somewhere far away, [and] what their life is like; who are they; etc.”. As the novel unfolds, we learn more about each Will Grayson, one whose friend Tiny is a subject in his own right, and another who is exploring the dangerous world of online relationships. As these two experience a complicated modern world, and find themselves in relation to their and others understanding of sexuality, we watch as these two draw closer—emotionally, psychologically, metaphorically, and geographically.
The text meets most of the criteria. The YA viewpoint(s) is preserved throughout and paramount to the novel. Moreover, the YA’s are themselves the focus of the novel, parents and adults are predominantly absent. The pacing, themes, mise-en-scène, and vernacular are all indicative of and authentic to a YA audience. While the use of vulgarity may attract students, at first for the wring reasons, it often succeeds both in showing them the ridiculousness of YA’s overabundant swearing, and provide a sense of authenticity and believability to the characters’ dialogue.
The novel takes the reader into the mind and/or world of the LGBTQ young adult. While I have read texts with similar themes, few succeed in illustrating the relationship between our ever-advancing society and the LGBTQ community. Specifically, the novels use of Internet communication to elaborate on and, at times, emphasize how the Internet serves to offer both a place of solace for these individuals and an opportunity for deceit, manipulation, and tragedy.
The novel does, however, present the usual problems. Not all parents may want their child reading this novel for a variety of reasons. The themes of homosexuality, sexual practice and curiosity, vulgarity, etc. are each a point of contention in their own right. However, I will only say that without education about diversity, individuals become bigoted and biased toward anything different. Ignorance is the father of prejudice.
The character “Tiny” does, as my classmate noted, present the personification of the archetypal homosexual-male stereotype. In many ways, I saw “Tiny” as an adaptation and/or repackaging of the gay, male character Damien from Tina Fey’s film “Mean Girls”. While this individual does reflect the usual stereotypes, these stereotypes are based on tropes and commonalities that do exist in said community; that is, most stereotypes have at least a minimal degree of truthful basis. Not all, or most, Gay men are effeminate, or musical lovers. However, I have met multiple Gay men who are effeminate and many of my school’s Drama department staff and students are openly homosexual—does this make them any less individualistic; does this mean stereotypes should be accepted; are they merely casting themselves as stereotypes? I’m not sure. However, the novel presents an opportunity to explore the issue of stereotypes, prejudice, etc. in the best possible environment—a classroom.

[Pam Goble]

Links???

[Alexander Wm. Evers]

Here is a website of individuals responses to the novel, especially the character Tiny--http://willgraysonwillgrayson.tumblr.com/

An interesting interview with the authors--
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/04/19/qa-will-grayson-will-grayson-authors-john-green-and-david-levithan/

[Pam Goble]

Thanks.

[Alexander Wm. Evers]

Sorry about that; I'm not sure why I keep forgetting to attach links. My apologies.

p.s. I was wondering if you had heard back from your professional/peer who specialized in LGBTQ literature. I recently had a YA family-friend recently express some interest in this genre and am hoping you might have some recommendations; others than those we've previously discussed.

[Pam Goble]

I had not  and I met her at NCTE and she was supposed to put me on the listserv..

[Kymberly Mosley]

Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

Summary:
Fallout is the final book in the Crank trilogy which tells the story of Kristina Georgia Snow, a girl who threw away her future when she became hooked on crystal meth. The first two novels, Crank and Glass, focused on Kristina’s story, whereas Fallout tells the story of her children. These children--
Hunter, Autumn, and Summer--have no genuine attachment to each other, but they are still connected by their absent mother, Kristina. Written in free verse like the previous two books, Fallout switches between their individual narratives, so that we are able to see just how the effects of their mother’s poor decisions have influenced them. Hunter, Kristina’s firstborn who first appears as a newborn at the end of Crank, struggles with the typical issues of a 19-year old college student in addition to his feelings of abandonment and resentment towards Kristina. He is under the care of Kristina’s parents, and thus is the most aware of Kristina’s past and how it has affected him. Autumn, Kristina’s 15 year-old daughter, lives with her paternal aunt and grandfather, and struggles with a developing alcohol addiction as a result of loneliness. Kristina’s second daughter, Summer, is the most removed from her family by being bounced around between her father’s house and various foster homes. Although these homes were meant to give her a positive family environment, she finds herself victim to physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her foster families as well as her father’s many girlfriends. All three of Kristina’s children reflect some part of her, whether or not they are willing to admit it. Throughout Fallout, we watch their personalities and personal issues unfold as they try to cope with their past and avoid letting it destroy their future.

Connection to YA criteria: YA novels are noted for their removal of parents to focus on the development of the young person. Fallout furthers the story of Kristina and brings her story to a close while introducing the stories of her children. By moving beyond Kristina’s battles and showing how they have become the catalyst for her children’s battles. How Hunter, Autumn, and Summer all deal with their personal struggles and fight against that characteristics that they seem to have inherited from their mother makes them the new protagonists, trying to avoid becoming victims to the “monster” like Kristina.

Links:
A Review from another Ellen Hopkins fan: http://dreaminginbooks.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-fallout-by-ellen...

Author’s website: http://www.ellenhopkins.com (In the Bio and FAQS sections, she talks about how her real life experience with her daughter inspired the writing of the Crank series.)


Recommendation:
I may be a little biased because I’ve read all but two of Ellen Hopkins’ books, and she’s one of my favorite authors. However, the reason that I’m such a fan of hers is that her stories are compelling, raw, and enduring. By choosing to write Fallout and introducing the children of the stories’ subject, Hopkins explores on an idea that many other authors only vaguely mention. She does not completely leave Kristina behind, but she demonstrates that there are several others who are affected by one character’s poor decisions. For the first two novels, I was rooting for Kristina, hoping that she could leave behind her meth addiction and salvage any chances she had left at a bright future. However, now I am hoping that her children can avoid falling into the same troubles, despite their similarities to Kristina. I would definitely recommend this book to students in high school (or even beyond high school, like me) because sometimes youths can feel as though they are doomed to follow a path that was predetermined for them. Or they can sit at the opposite end of the spectrum and be blind to the fact that they are going down a path which they had not intended to follow. Either way, Fallout presents the idea that although we cannot change things like our parents’ bad decisions, we can make conscious efforts to avoid letting those bad choices determine the type of person we want to be.

[Tiffany Shreve]

Winter girls is a book that focuses on the life of two high school girls Lia and Cassie they have been best friends since they were in third grade. Just as best friends follow in each other’s footsteps in this book the two best friends follow each other in a very destructive way. The two become obsessed as many teen girls do with their body image. However Lia and Cassie take it over board and Lia becomes anorexic while Cassie has her battles with bulimia. Their senior year of high school Cassie decided to break off their friendship leaving Lia devastated and without answers. However, that did not last long when six months later Lia received thirty three phone calls from Cassie in one evening. Cassie however is still mad at Lia and refuses to answer any of the calls. The next day Cassie finds out that Lia has died due to her own excesses alone in a local motel room. Cassie then realizes that Lia had been calling Cassie for help that night when she would not answer the calls. Cassie becomes full of guilt and shame. She did not know that Lia was dealing with many things in her life for example her parents divorced and they were all caught up in their own careers to realize that their daughter was going downhill and fast. So due to this Lia started to cut and starve herself which lead to her destruction.
This book connects to all the YA literature criteria. The book allows the youth to speak from their own minds. They speak what is on their heart and they do it so honestly. The parents are very much in the back ground in this book, they are hardly mentioned and that is part of the reason things go so far with Lia and her cutting and eating disorder. The book defiantly deals with issues that are important to youth. Many young adults especially young woman deal with body image issues. It is something that needs to be talked about and in an honest fashion like it is in the book Winter girls.
I have attached a link on anorexia because I think it is important for everyone especially those who are working with young woman to know all that they can about eating disorders because they can end up being deadly as we find out in this book.

http://www.mamashealth.com/anorexia.asp

My opinion of this book is that it should be read by all young women. It brings a light into the true heart of those dealing with an eating disorder and the honesty opens up a chance for teachable moments I think. I think it would be a great book to use in the classroom so that young adults could be exposed to the true nature of the problem and maybe it would help those in the classroom dealing with the same or similar issues. I think the appeal in this book is the honest nature of this book. I also think that this book even though it ends badly offers hope to those in similar situations because they could find out that they could get help and that people are willing to help them get out. This is an amazing book and I would recommend that everyone would read this book regardless of age.

[Kymberly Mosley]

I've seen this book during my many trips to Borders, but I haven't had a chance to read it. It had always struck me as just another book about teen girls struggling with their body image, but from your summary, I think the friendship issues would be an interesting element. I unfortunately could probably identify with Cassie and her lack of support for Lia during her time of need. I had a friend who was going through a lot of issues but I didn't know how serious they were because she and I had sort of drifted apart over time. Once I found out what she was dealing with, I immediately felt guilty because I felt that if I had stuck with her, I could have helped her. I think that including the deterioration of their friendship in addition to Lia's physical deterioration was a really good idea.

[Rosalind Engerman]

PART 3 of GEEKTASTIC Stories from the Nerd Herd.

d). I really enjoyed reading the short stories in GEEKTASTIC! There were some more than I liked than others, but that is typical of a book that is a compilation of stories from a wide variety of talented writers. In Junior and High School, I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer...so much to the point that I reached the title of Geek. I collected everything, tried to dress like Buffy, and even went as far as attempting to bleach my hair with hair bleach (meant for your face) that I found in my mom's cupboard (yeah, that did not work out). When choosing GEEKTASTIC, I thought that the book would be filled with short stories having to do with the trials and tribulations high school cliques could bring, and the embarrassing stories that would ensue years later, when bringing those sensitive subjects to a new fruition and often times comical publication. When I opened up the book for the first time, I started noticing a common theme; RPG's, SCI-FI fandom, Online dating, Costume wearing/ role playing conventions, and the almost secret communities these commonalities produce within each topic matter. Even though I was a bit out of the inner circle of understanding these topics, I still found the book fruitful in the themes produced by the stories told about these alternative reality based lives the young characters experienced in each of these stories. Themes such as first love, identity, bullying, overcoming adversity, and getting revenge still came through just as clearly as the rest of the YA novels we have read this semester. The themes came across in a new view for me which made me appreciate the compilation of short stories even more!
As far as whether or not this book is good in a classroom setting? I think the book would be fit as a further suggested reading, or summer reading list, but the book as a whole does not seem appropriate for one class. I could see a few short stories being read in a High School English class for sophomores and juniors. The comic illustrations between the chapters were especially entertaining, and I could see them used on their own in a 7-8th grade junior high English course as a fun added bonus. Though the subject matter of the short stories is pertinent for the YA audience, I do not think the entire book would fit well in one course curriculum.