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

[Rebeka Mirza]

Nicole,

This book seems like it definitely deals with many emotions! It is very upsetting that Kendra is going through all of this by herself. It doesn't seem like she has anyone to turn to. Her mother doesn't seem to be very supportive, since she is already putting down her artwork. That's just another thing that must be ruining Kendra's self-esteem and making her feel like she is worth nothing. I think that it's very sad and disturbing that she knows she is being molested, but doesn't know by who! I hope by the end of the story she does find out and turns the person to the proper authorities! I think it would also be important for the author to include a note about other ways to deal with stress, even if the narrator has not found those ways. Just like you have inserted links, that might be a good idea for the author to do, as well. I wonder if she did that? But it's interesting that she wrote about her personal experience as a note at the end of the book. It helps readers understand that these situations are real.

I agree that it might be difficult to use this book in the classroom. I don't think it would be allowed either, but it could be recommended to students. It sounds like a good book. It's just sad that Kendra has to deal with these situations!

[Kymberly Mosley]

I definitely see a connections to Speak with the lack of parental support, and that's a very unfortunate, but common, characteristic in stories like these. Kendra's problem with cutting especially reminded me of the book Cut (how appropriate) by Patricia McCormick. I actually read it back in 8th grade but I still remember how the main character, Cassie, felt totally alone and couldn't open up to anyone, not her distant parents or her therapists. She even earned the nickname "Silent Treatment". I agree that even if they are not taught in the classroom, books like Cut and Scars are good recommendations for students to understand that there is help available to them and they don't have to (nor should they) handle everything on their own.

[Shelly Fields]

I just read an article where they refer to the way young readers use literature to solve problems as "bibliotherapy".  I remember when I was young, I would read every spare moment I got.  Sometimes as a way to escape boredom or problems that I was experiencing.  Though the problems I had back then seem petty compared to the ones kids face today, books helped me get through some of them.  Fortunately, more kids are recognizing the value of reading especially since the selection is growing and the fact that teachers are telling the kids about them.  I love the YA genre.  I am 40 years old and still enjoy YA LIT!!! 

[Christina Abruzzini]

THE UNWRITTEN RULE- By: Elizabeth Scott

SUMMARY:
"The Unwritten Rule" is a fantastic read that teaches us about friendship, love, and life. The main character (and narrator) is a 17 year old high school girl named Sarah who is in love...with her best friend's boyfriend Ryan. Her best friend, Brianna, is this tall, gorgeous, long haired beauty who every guy wants, as Sarah mentions in the book. Back in eighth grade, Ryan had asked Sarah to the school dance but had to cancel at the last minute. Sarah, of course, was devastated and felt rejected. She had always been in love with Ryan but figured he didn't like her since he had cancelled. Right before freshmen year of high school started, there was an end of the summer party. Sarah hadn't seen Ryan all summer and when he walked in, she was so happy. He goes over to her, and they talk for quite some time. He touches her hand, says "Sarah.." and it seems as though they are about to kiss. Right at that moment, Brianna goes over to them and starts talking. She seems to really be interested in Ryan as they both begin to talk to each other. At that moment, Sarah explains how she knew that Brianna had him and Sarah didn't stand a chance. Soon after that, Brianna and Ryan become a couple. The problem is that whenever Brianna and Ryan would hang out, Brianna practically forced her to hang out with them, too, since she assumed Sarah didn't have anything else to do. Sarah, being the best friend that she could be, continued hanging out with the two of them even though her feelings for Ryan were only getting deeper and stronger. All along though, it is clear that Ryan is having feelings for Sarah, too. Right from the beginning, Brianna and Ryan seem like such an odd couple. You have Brianna, an arrogant, somewhat stuck up girl who is really into herself and then there is Ryan, who is this charismatic, considerate, easygoing guy that is the opposite of superficial. While reading this book, it doesn't make much sense why Brianna and Ryan are together. Ryan and Sarah are clearly falling for each other throughout the book yet he stays with Brianna. Brianna does start to feel that Ryan is being distant but doesn't understand why, so she asks Sarah to talk with him. Ryan and Sarah just get closer and closer and end up kissing...twice. Sarah is so torn up about this and wants to tell Brianna the truth but keeps failing to do so. Sarah finds out that Brianna ended up kissing one of their classmates Greg who has a crush on Brianna yet hadn't told Ryan. Brianna's home life is not the greatest either as her mom constantly puts her down and criticizes just about everything about her. Her dad wants nothing to do with her and refuses to see her. (The parents are divorced). Sarah's parents, on the other hand, are wonderful and loving to both Sarah and Brianna. I think this is partly why Sarah finds it so difficult to tell Brianna the truth. Brianna finds more of a home at Sarah's house, so it is a tough situation. In the end, (***SPOILER ALERT) Brianna dumps Ryan, which he was about to do anyway in order to be with Sarah, and Ryan and Sarah end up hanging out and cuddling all night at Sarah's house. (Her parents are out of town). They seem so happy and in love and even tell one another that they love each other. They fall asleep and wake up the next morning to the sound of the door opening...it's Brianna. She sees them together in Sarah's bed, gets extremely upset, and storms out. Sarah tries apologizing numerous times and finally gives up months later as she feels it wasn't meant to be. Even though they were best friends, they were also very different from each other and in a weird way, it did work out for the best. Sarah and Ryan were happy and in love, even though Sarah had lost her best friend.

CONNECTION TO YA LIT CRITERIA:
~YA authors write from the viewpoint of young people- This story is told through the eyes of 17 year old Sarah.
~YA lit gets rid of parents so the young person is free to take credit for his/her own accomplishments- Throughout the story, we do get glimpses into the parents' lives of both Sarah and Brianna; however, the critical and climactic parts in the novel are primarily involving the younger people.
~YA lit is fast paced- This book has probably been the quickest read for me! I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading to see how it would end. What made this book especially fast paced was how the author, Elizabeth Scott, ended each and every chapter with a cliffhanger! While they were not all major, every chapter ended right when something was about to happen. This made the book incredibly enjoyable and intense!
~YA lit includes a variety of genres and subjects- This book covers many different topics: friendship, love, betrayal, family/friend hardships, fitting in, trying to do the right thing, etc.
~YA books are optimistic w/ characters making worthy accomplishments- While in the end, Sarah does end up losing her best friend, she did achieve what she wanted most which was Ryan. They were both so in love with each other which is definitely a worthy accomplishment.
~Successful YA novels deal w/ emotions that are important to young adults- This book is definitely relatable with young adults' emotions. It deals with falling in love, facing emotional hardships with family/friends, friend betrayal, etc.


LINK FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
http://www.elizabethwrites.com/theunwrittenrule.php --> This link will take you to the author's own website. It gives a summary, reviews, and actual comments about the story from the author herself!

PERSONAL RESPONSE:
This book was excellent! I really liked it and felt it was an absolute page turner. From the summary above, it may seem to many that Sarah sounds like some backstabbing boyfriend stealer but as you are reading, the author makes you want to root for Sarah. I felt Brianna's character to be very unlikable, and I felt bad for Sarah. I wanted her to come out on top in the end which she did thankfully. While I personally have not gone through this type of experience, I still found it interesting and exciting to read. Sarah is such a likable character, and Scott did an amazing job portraying her as someone who only wanted to do what was best for everyone else until she finally did something for herself. I think this book would be wonderful to read for high school aged children. I do feel it would appeal more to girls---in movie terms, it is a bit of a "chick flick." In regards to incorporating this into a classroom lesson, I definitely would not. It is solely for entertainment purposes. I do not feel there is enough to go on with the storyline/life lessons/significant importance. I think it is just a fun read that shows true love conquers all---well, at least in this case! :)

[Nicole Priester]

Christina, your summary of this book is amazing, it definately reminds me of how teenagers are. Do you think maybe there is some value to that. Honestly, I think it is kind of stupid that they are not friends anymore, but do you think that having teens especially girls see how stupid it is to end a friendship over a boy? I think there are definately life lessons to be learned here. I am not sure what type of class this book would be good for, but I think there is definately a place for this book in the schoool.

[Alexander Wm. Evers]

Ok. I get that this novel is, like many others, a repacking of archetypal adolescent stories. As my friend Nicole notes, "it definately reminds me of how teenagers are". However, what, other than being genuinely reminiscent of adolescence, does this novel offer? That is, what, if any, academic and/or intellectual benefit does this novel offer?

I'm not trying to be critical. But, sometimes I become frustrated by a story, about adolescence, that does little more retell a familiar adaptation of the, "boy meet girl. girl and boy fall in love. boy breaks girls heart. girl leaves boy. she finds herself..." -stories to which we've all become so accustomed. I am sure that the novel is well written, the characters, will crafted, and the story is genuinely believable and entertaining-- it is, in its own right, a good novel. However, in my eyes, it's like if a professional poet writing a quatrain "Roses are Red, violets are blue..." poem; how unique can it really be? Then again, that brings up a good question- Do YA texts need to be unique; or, what more should we expect of YA novels than "remind[ing] [us] of how teenagers are" ?

[Christina Abruzzini]

Alexander,
I definitely see where you are coming from, and I do not think you are being too critical. I found the book enjoyable but solely for entertainment purposes. As I mentioned in my review, I do not recommend this for a classroom lesson AT ALL. It is, like you said, it is not unique. This story is pretty typical as it entails what many other teenage books do. I don't really believe there is an academic benefit unfortunately which makes me wonder how this did get on the nomination list. A book like this one is seen all over the place. Since I do enjoy the typical teenage love triangle, it is probably why I liked this book but if someone is looking for a unique/one of a kind/powerful work, then this is not the book for you. You bring up an excellent question though about YA novels and what we should expect from them. I do feel that we should have pretty high expectations. If there was a way to be relatable to teenagers yet still be unique, then that would be a perfect blend!

[Alexander Wm. Evers]

I couldn't agree more or have articulated it better myself. My friend (female) noted that, "thinking about yourself in relationship to other women/girls is a really big deal, and important to how a girl begins to see and define herself as a 'woman'"; I'm paraphrasing, but I really agree with her. To some degree, the benefit of these books, or the "typical teenage love triangle" plot, is that it reassures a female reader that her experiences, though significant, are not something ONLY she is experiencing / has experienced. So, I think there is merit in these texts; I just have trouble approximating it.
-personally, I'll stick to my Zombie novels!-

[Shelly Fields]

This quote is from a book entitled, Books That Don't Bore'Em',  "Whether you call them archetypes or stereotypes, there are certain experiences and certain kinds of people that are common to adolescents. Reading about it may help a young person validate his or her own experience and make some kind of meaning out of it" (Blasingame)  

"Your eyes" are through the eyes of an adult who has been through this stuff already.  The young adult hasn't.  Kids need somewhere to turn somewhere sometimes. Why not in the pages of a book that tells stories similar to theirs?

 

 

 

 

[Pam Goble]

This is an excellent book.  There are so many good literacy books available to help understand what is of interest to students/kids.

[Pam Goble]

Alex, there are not many plots to work with.  There is a book by Tobias which talks about the repetitiveness of plots because readers like the formula of certain plots...and there is one basic plot/ good vs. evil.

[Christina Abruzzini]

Thanks Nikkie! I think what makes this book valuable is the sole fact that it is relatable among high school girls. This might be a possible way to show girls that it is in fact dumb to lose a friendship over a boy. I was angry that they did not stay friends. The issue is that they are young and immature, so these types of issues are very major and problematic to them. Among adults, I do not think the outcome would be as extreme, but I believe that the reaction was typical high school. High school aged children still have a lot to learn and do not realize that there is more to life than arguing about some boy.