Young Adult Literature and Reflections

A. Bibliography: Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper Jungle. New York, NY: Dutton. ISBN: 9780142425008. B. Summary:    Austin Szerba, a teenager struggling with his sexual identity, takes us on an adventure of the end of the world that could only happen in your wildest dreams.  This apocalyptic sci-fi story takes place in a very small town in Iowa, with not much to do or get excited about.  After a night of getting beaten up by bullies in a deserted part of town called Grasshopper Jungle, Austin and his gay best friend Robby stumble into the trap door of a store owned by his girlfriend Shann's family.  They find a jar with glowing liquid labeled, "Contained Plague Strain 412E" in the store office.  The bullies from earlier find the jar and accidentally drop it.  They are instantly infected and become huge, bloodthirsty and sexually aroused praying mantises.  Austin, Robby and Shann seek shelter in an underground compound named Eden Project....

A. Bibliography: Anderson, M.T. (2002). Feed. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN: 9780763622596. B. Summary:    Feed by M.T. Anderson is an example of dystopian fiction because it explores the structures of society. The book is set in the 25th century in America.  People are now able to space travel and they have "feeds", which are computer chips planted in their brains that connect them to the internet and social media. These "feeds" are owned by the corporations that have taken over society and education. Society is losing the ability to think for themselves. The book follows a teen named Titus and his friends.  While on a space trip, he meets a girl named Violet.  Their feeds end up getting hacked, and their group has no idea how to communicate with each other, now that they don't have their instant "feeds".  Hmm...sound familiar?  After their feeds are restored, Titus spends a lot of time with Violet, who is very introspective and f...

A. Bibliography: Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my Mind. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN: 9780374400118. B. Summary:    A commonly banned book, Annie on my Mind is a young adult novel about two teenage girls that fall in love.   They meet at the Metropolitan Museum in New York and instantly click. Liza and Annie live in two different worlds.   Liza attends a private school and Annie lives with her lower middle class parents and attends a public school.   Liza gets suspended from school for a minor issue.   This creates an opportunity for the girls to bond as Liza is brought to reality as Annie explains what her school is like.   A romance forms between Liza and Annie.     Liza volunteers to cat-sit while her teachers are on vacation, but it is there that one of the religious teachers finds Annie and Liza together.   It is then discovered that the teachers who she cat-sat for were lesbians too.   The teachers are...