Book Reviews 10-14
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 finds the whole "feed" concept boring and narcissistic. She makes him question the way he sees the world.
C. Strengths of the Book:
Feed was a finalist for the 2002 National Book Award and was an Honor Book for the 2003 Young People's Literature Boston Globe/Horn Book Award. It is a little scary how well Anderson predicted the future in this novel. The book was meant to represent our future in the 25th century, but the issues presented in this book have already begun ahead of schedule! There were many themes in Feed that is currently happening here in America: technology controlling society, making connections to others, consumerism and a sense of immediate gratification. The characters in the book have a "feed" that allows them to have immediate access to whatever they want, whenever they want. Feed makes the reader think about the future and the impact social media is having on our lives and families.
D. Educational Connections:
As a classroom teacher, I see how much technology has rapidly changed the field and students. Our students are used to the mindset of "immediate gratification"...being able to figure out an answer to whatever question or problem instantly. This is a great book to do comparisons with past, current and future.
E. My Personal Connections:
When reading Feed, I was instantly taken back to high school memories of one of my favorite novels, Brave New World. Both books contain the theme of technology controlling society.
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Black, H. (2013). The Coldest Girl in Coldtown. New York, NY: Little Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316213103.
B. Summary:
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a young adult action-packed novel with a spin on the modern vampire tale. There are cities on the edge of our walls called Coldtowns. These Coldtowns are dangerous and filled with vampires. Readers will instantly fall in love with Tana, the protagonist, as she exudes strength, courage and selflessness from the first chapter. The story begins with Tana waking up to death all around her after a night of partying. She finds herself only one of three survivors, along with her ex boyfriend Aiden and a mysterious vampire Gavriel. Displaying her courage and selflessness, Tana helps her team of 3 escape the massacre and leads them to a Coldtown. The reader then explores the darkness of these towns and the love story that develops between Tana and the mysterious vampire Gavriel.
C. Strengths of the Book:
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a combination of horror and fantasy. One of the strengths of this book is the plot development. I could not put this book down because it was action-packed from the first page. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown was a recipient of many awards/honors: Kirkus Best YA Books, SLJ Best Book of the Year, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults and Amazon Best Teen Book of 2013. Black does a great job portraying vampires as dark, dangerous and evil creatures, which is the opposite of most recent vampire stories. The flashbacks from Tana's childhood and Gavriel's early years really tie their experiences together and gives the reader insight into their personalities.
D. Educational Connections:
I liked Holly Black's style of writing: shifting from the now to flashbacks in time to develop the story. This is a strategy that students could use to develop the plot of their narratives or fictional writing.
E. My Personal Connections:
Vampire stories are my personal favorite, so this was in my top 5 out of all the books I read this semester. I grew up reading Christopher Pike's Last Vampire series (over and over again) and it is still on my bookshelf. I liked how Black stayed true to the idea of a dark and dangerous vampire.
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King, A.S.(2014). Glory O'Brien's History of the Future. New York, NY: Little Brown Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9780316222730.
B. Summary:
Glory O'Brien's History of the Future is an award winning novel that tells of a teenage girl's struggles to find her identity. The reader joins Glory through her struggles and journey toward becoming an adult. As she transitions out of high school, we view her vulnerable side: are her friendships really true, will her life result in the same path as her mom's suicide at an early age or will she overcome it? As Glory and her "frenemy" drink a magic spell that they've concocted out of a mummified bat, Glory begins to experience visions from the past and future. We join Glory on her journey as she experiences unfortunate changes in the future and tries to write a better future.
C. Strengths of the Book:
Glory O'Brien's History of the Future features a strong, honest and witty protagonist who stands for freedom and justice. The story line is quite unique from anything that I've read before. The quirky and dark humor featured in this novel make it an interesting read. Glory O'Brien's History of the Future was a recipient of many awards and honors: Kirkus Best YA Book 2014, Indie Choice Book Honor Award of 2015, Boston Globe Best YA Book of 2014, and 2015 YALSA Best Fiction YA Book to name few. The book has several themes, but the major ones are politics, identity and depression.
D. Educational Connections:
Students could do a research project on women's rights and how they've changed over the years. They can research famous historical figures related to women's rights such as Susan B. Anthony.
E. My Personal Connections:
At first glimpse of this book, I thought for sure it would be on my least favorite list of the semester. I was proved wrong as soon as I came to the girls gaining magical powers from drinking the mummified bat. That was a game changer! The risk that Black took when coming up with those "out there" ideas paid off, as I did not want to put the book down after that. I also connected with Glory as she tried figuring out what life would be like as she transitioned from high school to adulthood.
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B. Summary:
My Friend Dahmer is a graphic novel in which Backderf tells about actual experiences with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. We learn Backderf's personal account, as they went to school together and shared classes. The reader gets to see the early development of Dahmer's mind as a future serial killer, while also feeling some sympathy into his struggling teen years as an alcoholic and misfit. The reader learns that he had no friends and spent a lifetime being unnoticed. Backderf provides sections that include real photographs, as well as more thorough explanations that include interviews. While Dahmer's killings were his responsibility, Backderf strongly feels that society failed him and is partially at fault for allowing him to slip through the cracks.
C. Strengths of the Book:
My Friend Dahmer would be considered an example of a memoir told through a graphic novel. The main theme of this novel is the idea that society should step in and be an upstander when someone seems troubled. The illustrations and narrative by Backderf are spot on. There are pages where the reader can see Dahmer's darkness through Backderf's illustrations. Even though it is a graphic novel, the drawings demonstrate a balance between realistic and cartoony. Backderf's narrative ranges from detailed thoughts to one word pages, and finally no words at all. The various contrast in narrative creates a feeling of suspense and tension. My Friend Dahmer won the 2013 ALA/YALSA Alex Award. I thought this statement from Kirkus Reviews summed up the strengths of this book: "A powerful, unsettling use of the graphic medium to share a profoundly disturbing story. . . . An exemplary demonstration of the transformative possibilities of graphic narrative." —Kirkus Reviews
D. Educational Connections:
This is a great novel to discuss the importance of being a friend to people. Counselors and teachers have an important role in education more than ever. It is necessary for us to pay attention to our kids' social-emotional skills just as much as academic. By providing social skills to those troubled kids, we may be able to help them solve their problems in constructive ways and prevent tragedies.
E. My Personal Connections:
I could not wait to read this book because I have always been intrigued by murder mysteries and learning the why behind serial killers. I've never been much of a graphic novel fan until I read this book. I appreciated Backderf's detailed and dark illustrations to go along with his narrative of memories with Dahmer. I now want to watch the movie that was released last year based on the book!
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B. Summary:
Invisible takes place in modern America and features Doug "Dougie" Hanson as our main character. He is witty, yet socially awkward, gets beat up and is considered a freak. Dougie shows his intelligence through his obsessive model-railroad building, which he spends many hours working on in his basement. He has disturbing hobbies such as stalking girls and a fascination with fire. The unusual part is that he is best friends with Andy Morrow who is the complete opposite: a jock, popular, good looking. They've been best friends since childhood and although they don't do a lot together, Andy is good at listening to him. Dougie has an underlying secret about an incident that happened three years ago at old Tuttle place. With the help from his therapist, he comes to the realization that his mental illness has affected his memory of what truly happened that day. The novel ends with a chilling discovery and twist about Dougie and the sad truth of his best friend Andy.
C. Strengths of the Book:
Pete Hautman hits on the struggle with mental illness in his novel Invisible. This is an increasingly important subject as more and more students come to school from troubled backgrounds. Although Dougie has some disturbing tendencies, the reader can sympathize with him, as all of his problems are a result of mental illness and teen angst. Teenage readers can connect with Dougie's feeling of being invisible to everyone, clueless adults, being a longer and a need for friendship. Hautman creates suspense and tense moments that keep the reader guessing what was real or just Dougie's imagination. Invisible was one of the YALSA Best Books of 2006.
D. Educational Connections:
Similar to My Friend Dahmer, this book brought awareness to the importance in reaching those troubled students at a young age- the students who are socially awkward and seem friendless.
E. My Personal Connections:
While reading Invisible, I immediately was taken back to Dunkin's character in Lily and Dunkin and his struggle with mental illness. While Dunkin had his mom's support, Dougie does not have a close relationship with his family.
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