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Selina HorsleyProfessor KiblerEDIS5400October 12, 2016Young Adult Literature AssignmentMonster by Walter Dean MyersGenre: Crime fictionSummaryMonster takes the form of a screenplay interspersed with diary entries and recollections. It tells the story of Steve Harmon, a sixteen-year-old boy who’s on trial for his complicity in a drugstore robbery. Through the fragmentary narrative, the reader pieces together that Steve is innocent. At the end of the novel, he’s absolved of all guilt.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , the interest level for this book is grades 9-12 even though the grade level equivalent is 5th grade at a 670 Lexile. This distinction makes sense because the book contains mature themes about death, prison, and crime that could be inappropriate or misinterpreted by 5th graders. Further, the language of the book is not lofty or hard to understand, but the themes such as whether doing a bad thing makes you a bad person are more complex. How is the book unusual/noteworthyMonster is a New York Times bestselling novel and a National Book Award nominee. In 2000, it won the Michael L. Printz Award and the Coretta Scott King Award for Author Honor. In 1999, it won the Boston Globe-Horn Award Honor for Fiction. I was drawn to this book because it was on our list of literature circle books and the cover drew me in. The structure of it is also interesting because of the movie/screenplay element. I’ve never seen anything like this in another book. Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyMonster could fit well into a unit on morality or perspectives. The use of the screenplay in the book definitely conveys an alternate perspective that is not a part of most books. Further, students could explore the effect of having diary entries by Steve Harmon—because he writes in the first person are you more likely to sympathize with his plight and believe his innocence? The stereotypes brought up in the court room such as the black male thug could also be interesting to explore. In terms of morality, the book could pose interesting questions about the pitfalls of our justice system. The story could also connect to the real-life problem of higher rates of incarceration for black males by giving a face to this all too popular phenomenon.Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookI think that any students who are interested in how the criminal justice system works would choose and enjoy this book. I could also see students who have family members or close family friends who are incarcerated being interested in this book. Additionally, students who have not had these experiences may gravitate towards Monster for the opposite reason: to broaden their horizons and learn about a new perspective.Bamboo People by PerkinsGenre: Historical FictionSummary“The story starts off when Chiko and several other boys are kidnapped by Burmese soldiers. The Burmese are drafting to fight off neighboring tribes that want their own land. The new drafted soldiers are shipped off to a military training center were Chiko meets a street boy named Tai and becomes his?accomplice?Tai tries to escape military camp but gets caught, and the captain of the training regiment punishes Tai and Chiko severly. Military training continues until Chiko, Tai, and the other soldiers become official soldiers. The captain sends Chiko on a suicide mission which is to be a mine clearer for other soldiers going on a more important mission. The story of two teenage boys who are on opposing sides of the unrest between the government of Burma and the tribal groups in Thailand” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , the Lexile measure is 680, placing the book just about at the 4th grade level. The age range for this book is 11-14 year olds. Amazon rates the age range as 10-15 years, perhaps because the lower Lexile level would be more appropriate for 10 year olds. Some challenging vocabulary words in the book are “beckons” “kerosene” “cooperates” and “plasters.” How is the book unusual/noteworthyThis book was a Junior Library Guild Selection, was nominated for ALA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults, received starred reviews in PW and School Library Journal, and was named one of Book Page’s Top Ten MG Novels of 2010. Besides winning these and more awards, the book is noteworthy because the author has based the story off of her real-life experiences visiting Karenni refugee camps. Even though the story is classified as historical fiction, the author seems to have a valid perspective because of her personal experience in the region in which the book is set. Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyThis book could fit into a unit on power and government. It would fit well into a unit on power or government because at its core, it is about a war between two neighboring regions. It could be interesting to explore questions about why people usually go to war and what’s at stake for both competing parties. The two male protagonists also have very different perspectives on power. The author describes Chiko as someone “who is not a fighter by nature” and Tu Reh as someone who wants to enthusiastically fight for his country’s freedom from Burma. What could be some possible reasons that these two boys have such different perspectives on power? Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookI could see students gravitating towards this book who are interested in learning more about Asia and also interested in war stories from an adolescent’s perspective. It reminds me of a version of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah that could be more appropriate and accessible for an adolescent audience. Hoops by Walter Dean MyersGenre: Realistic FictionSummary“In?Hoops, Myers makes the game of basketball symbolize the game of life. Basketball was one of Myers’s passions; it was an escape from the frustrations of school, a time to bond with other kids his age, and just plain fun. He depicts the basketball scenes in his books with astounding clarity and from an insider’s perspective. Hoops?seems at first to be an action-packed sports novel but is soon revealed as a moral tale about choices and integrity. The main character in?Hoops?is seventeen-year-old Lonnie Jackson, who clings to a dream that he will become a professional basketball player. He is a senior in high school and is feeling tense about what his next steps in life will be. Basketball could be a way out of Harlem, a way to accrue status in the world, and a way to have some self-esteem.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , this book has an interest level for grades 6-8 and a grade level equivalent of 5.9 with a Lexile of 740. However, rates the grade level as 7-12, perhaps because the protagonist is a 17-year-old senior who high school students would be more likely to relate to compared to middle school students. The theme of the protagonist learning how to acquire self-esteem could be applicable to both middle and high school students. Troubling details about Harlem, however, could be more appropriate for an older audience. How is the book unusual/noteworthyHoops won the American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults and was an Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee. A user on states, “This book was a great description of Harlem and the struggles of young blacks regarding family, financial struggles, peer pressure, mentors, integrity, sexuality, and awareness of power, options for how to proceed in life, and realistically facing the future.” Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyI’d love to incorporate this book into a unit on conflict or war. It would be interesting to pair this book with other stories of conflict across the world such as something about the age-long violence between Sunnis and Shias in the Middle East or a 9/11 story. It would be interesting to explore the similarities and differences between these conflicts and to meditate on the many different reasons why wars start in the first place.Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookI think that any students interested in sports, basketball specifically, or the importance of following your dreams would gravitate towards this book. Additionally, any students coming from poorer neighborhoods could be interested in Lonnie’s story about using basketball and his dream to help him move up the social ladder in life and consequently get out of Harlem. The book also has many specific details about the game of basketball itself and these rules or guidelines are transferrable to many other sports as well.Smile by Raina TelgemeierGenre: Nonfiction (graphic memoir)Summary“Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night she trips and falls, severly injuring her two front teeth. What follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there’s still more: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , Smile is at a 3rd-7th grade interest level and a reading grade level equivalent of 4.3 with a Lexile measure of GN410. Raina, the protagonist, is a 6th grader and younger adolescents would likely relate more to her story than older ones. However, this coming-of-age story will likely resonate with anyone who’s ever been in middle school. The themes in the book such as pride and self-esteem, friends and friendship, and changes and new experience also seem appropriate for a younger audience. How is the book unusual/noteworthyAs a graphic memoir, I think this book would be useful in challenging the assumption that nonfiction is always dry and boring. The book is noteworthy because there is an activity online that lets students “jump into the author’s seat” and make their own Smile comic. This option for creativity is unique and I could see many students being interested in making their own version of the story. This graphic memoir has won the Eisner Award and was #1 on the New York Times bestselling list. Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyThis book could fit well into a unit on physical appearance and friendships. Friend groups shift a lot, especially in middle school, and many students could likely relate to Raina’ struggles with her own friends as well as boys her age. The question about what happens when she knocks out her front teeth could connect to larger questions about the importance of physical appearance. Why does it matter so much that people look a certain way? This idea could also be connected to other markers of physical appearance such as clothing choices and dress code. Further, physical appearance could be connected to a student’s self esteem and overall confidence level, which are both things that many middle school students struggle with. I’d love to pair this book with Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men to explore the theme of friendship.Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookIt reads like a comic book, which would be great for getting students to read who claim that they don’t like reading. Additionally, students who are interested in art and drawing could easily be drawn to this book because of the illustrations. This would be a great book to ease younger adolescents into seeing that reading can be fun and relevant to their lives. A user on goodreads says that Smile is one of her most frequent recommendations for 5th and 6th graders because so many of her students find the story light-hearted and hilarious. Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan KuklinGenre: Nonfiction Summary"Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves." ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , the reading grade level equivalent for this book is 4.7 and the Lexile measure is 600, although the interest level is marked for grades 6-12. Sensitive topics like adult content, LGBTQ experiences, and suicide could explain this discrepancy between the interest level and the grade reading level estimate. Further, the fact that the book features interviews with real people could make the themes more powerful as opposed to a fiction story about similar topics. How is the book unusual/noteworthyThis book is unusual in that it takes the form of an interview between the author and the six subjects. From what I can find online, it also seems to paint a very vivid picture of the transgender or gender-neutral youths, with many pictures that give insight into their lives. Further, awareness and understanding of transgender issues and struggles in day-to-day life are important to convey to students, especially when much of what they hear on the news about the LGBTQ community is negative (e.g. the night club shooting in Miami, criticism of Caitlin Jenner’s transformation, the transgender bathroom debate in North Carolina). Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyThis book could fit into a unit on identity or stereotypes. In the book, Kuklin finds that some of the youths she interviewed identified with a certain gender because of that gender’s stereotypes, like boys liking sports and girls liking the color pink and getting dressed up. It would be interesting to do a unit on identity and ask students to consider the different parts of their own identity; how much value do they place on their sexuality and/or gender? What about other parts of their identity, like religion, extracurricular activities, or family? I would also love to incorporate this book into a unit on banned books and to talk about reasons to ban or not ban it, since it is on the ALA list of “frequently banned diverse books.”Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookStudents who are a part of the LGBTQ community could be drawn to this choice, as well as students who are cis gender (where individuals’ experiences of their own gender agree with the sex they were assigned at birth) because they would be able to learn about and hopefully appreciate different perspective on sexuality and gender. In addition, any teens who are struggling to fit into different social worlds and contexts could relate to this text. Yours Truly/Ketchup Clouds by Annabel PitcherGenre: FictionSummary“Zoe has an unconventional pen pal -- Mr. Stuart Harris, a Texas Death Row inmate and convicted murderer. But that's okay, because Zoe has an unconventional story to tell. A story about how she fell for two boys, betrayed one of them, and killed the other.?Hidden away in her backyard shed in the middle of the night with a jam sandwich in one hand and a pen in the other, Zoe gives voice to her heart and her fears after months of silence. Mr. Harris may never respond to Zoe's letters, but at least somebody will know her story -- somebody who knows what it's like to kill the person you love. Only through her unusual confession can Zoe hope to atone for her mistakes that have torn lives apart, and work to put her own life back together again.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , the interest level for this book is grades 9-12 while the reading grade level equivalent is mid-6th grade with a Lexile measure of 630. Perhaps this book appeals to an older audience because it deals with a tough divorce between the protagonist’s mother and her drug addict father. Nicole, the protagonist, spends most of her early teen years dropping in and out of school and trying to figure out who she is and what she wants in life. This content could be heavy for middle school students, especially those who have personal connections to the story through experience with either divorce or alcoholism. A user on Goodreads warns potential readers of the trigger warnings in this book that include sexual content, slut shaming, sexual coercion, and domestic violence.How is the book unusual/noteworthyThis book won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Young Adult Novel in 2014, the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Doncaster Book Award, and the YALSA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults Award. The book is not necessarily unusual in terms of content for mystery/suspense novels, but the amount of awards it received makes the case for its noteworthiness. Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyThis book could fit well into a unit on morality. Do we judge Zoe for killing someone? What about the prisoner who is on death row? If you commit a crime, are you automatically a bad person? Are humans innately good creatures? These would all be interesting questions to explore in the unit. I’d love to pair this book with Monster by Walter Dean Myers or A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines. Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookDescriptions of this book reminded me of stories told by well-known author Jodi Piccoult. I think this book would be similar to a romance mystery story with a lot of suspense and I would recommend it to adolescents who like the television show “Pretty Little Liars” because the show and the book both seem very suspenseful. I would also recommend this book to adolescent girls; one of the authors on claims that Zoe (the protagonist) is easy to relate to and has a good personality with lots of interesting quirks. Night by Elie WieselGenre: Nonfiction (memoir)Summary“Despite warnings about German intentions towards Jews, Eliezer’s family and the other Jews in the small Transylvanian town of Sighet (now in modern-day Romania) fail to flee the country when they have a chance. As a result, the entire Jewish population is sent to concentration camps. There, in a camp called Auschwitz, Eliezer is separated from his mother and younger sister, but remains with his father. As Eliezer struggles to survive against starvation and abuse, he also grapples with the destruction of his faith in God’s justice and battles with the darker side of himself. Forced into a desperate situation, Eliezer feels a conflict between supporting his ever weakening father and giving himself the best chance of survival. Though Eliezer survives the concentration camps, he leaves behind his own innocence and is haunted by the death and violence he has witnessed.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , the interest level is grades 9-12 and the Lexile measure is 570, placing it almost at a 5th grade reading level. The harsh content about death and the Holocaust explains why the interest level is older than the reading level. How is the book unusual/noteworthyLike The Diary of Anne Frank, this book would be interesting because it offers the perspective of someone who actually lived in the World War II era. The book has been extremely popular—it has been published in 30 languages, it sold about 6 million copies in the US by March 2006, and it topped the New York Times bestseller list for paperback nonfiction in 2005.Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyI’d love to fit this book into a unit on World War II. Maybe it would be possible to talk with the history teacher at my school and make sure that the students are reading it when they’re learning about the Holocaust in history in order to give a face to the tragedy. It would also pair well with The Boys in the Boat, another one of my selections since they are set around the same time period. This book would also fit well in a unit on death, grief, or loss. We could explore how different people cope with death, the different effects that it has on individuals and why, and even the motive behind killing. It’d also be interesting to explore the question of whether a memoir is nonfiction or not.Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookI think that any students interested in the World War II era would enjoy reading this book. I would recommend it to anyone who read The Diary of Anne Frank in order to view the Holocaust from a different perspective. Students who had read or seen the movie Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand would also likely enjoy this book. It also reminds me of All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation) by Daniel James BrownGenre: NonfictionSummary“Out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler. At the center of the tale is Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, whose personal quest captures the spirit of his generation—the generation that would prove in the coming years that the Nazis could not prevail over American determination and optimism.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAs a teacher, depending on the age and ability of my students, I could use either the young readers adaptation of Boys in the Boat or the “adult” version. According to , the adult version is rated at a Lexile of 1260, placing it in the mid-8th grade range. The young readers adaptation is much shorter than the original at 256 pages. The Lexile for the young readers adaptation is 1000, placing at the mid-7th grade range. The interest level is grades 9-12. These two different versions could be good for differentiating among students will still having them read similar content with similar themes. How is the book unusual/noteworthyThis book was a #1 New York Times bestseller, won the 2014 Indies Choice Award from the American Booksellers Association, and the Listen List Award from the American Library Association in 2014. This book is unusual in that it actually includes photographs from the crew races, which make the scenes come alive for the reader. It’s nonfiction, but it doesn’t read in a dry or boring way; it has more of a novel feel. Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyI would pair this book with other narratives of the Great Depression such as Esperanza Rising or Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck in a unit on trials and tribulations or the Great Depression specifically. It would be interesting to compare all of the obstacles the different characters face in these different books and to also ground their struggles in the historical context of the Great Depression. It would be useful to talk to other teachers and see if there was a way to incorporate this theme into other classes as well. For example, while students are learning about the Great Depression in history, they are also reading this book in English class and doing math problems involving saving money in math class.Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookStudents interested in the World War II era could definitely gravitate towards this book, along with students who enjoy sports books since this book is about a crew team. I would recommend this book to students who have read Unbroken. All the Bright Places by Jennifer NivenGenre: Young Adult FictionSummary“Theodore Finch?is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey?lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wonders” of their state, both Finch and Violet make more important discoveries: It’s only with Violet that Finch can be himself—a weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who’s not such a freak after all. And it’s only with Finch that Violet can forget to count away the days and start living them.” ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , All the Bright Places is at a little above a 5th grade reading level with a Lexile score of 830. However, mature content such as adult content, mental illness, and suicide contribute to the interest level being for grades 9-12. The youngest age rating I found was 14+ and the oldest was 16+. It is notable that the two main characters are both 17 and 18, so their ages alone would likely attract an older teenage audience. cautions that this book should be reserved for “mature teens.” The narrative also condones premarital sex and profanity.How is the book unusual/noteworthyDespite its controversy, this book seemed like the number one choice on this list that most adolescents would actually want to read. The attention to mental health issues adds a layer of complexity and nuance to the love story. It’s refreshing to see a young adult book that does not shy away from difficult themes like depression and suicide. This book was the best-selling young adult novel of 2015 and won the Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Young Adult Fiction in 2015.Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyThis book would fit well into a unit on how different books portray death. Death and dying are definitely a central part of this story and it could be interesting to compare how death is portrayed in this story compared to other young adult literature stories. I could also see this book fitting well into a unit about love where students would explore the questions: what is the definition of love? Can teenagers really be in love? What’s the difference between love and lust? I would love to compare this more modern book with something older and more class, like Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookI would recommend this book to students who read the book or watched the movie called The Fault in Our Stars. I also think students who have personal experience with mental illness themselves or have close friends or family members who are affected by it would be drawn to this book. Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve SheinkinGenre: NonfictionSummaryA gripping narrative of the race between countries, spies, and scientists to create the first atomic bomb. In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific race that spanned 3 continents. In Great Britain and the United States, Soviet spies worked their way into the scientific community; in Norway, a commando force slipped behind enemy lines to attack German heavy-water manufacturing; and deep in the desert, one brilliant group of scientists was hidden away at a remote site at Los Alamos. This is the story of the plotting, the risk-taking, the deceit, and genius that created the world's most formidable weapon. This is the story of the atomic bomb. ( )Quantitative readability information you can findAccording to , the interest level for this book is grades 8-12 and the Lexile score is 920, placing it at just under the 7th grade reading level. However, amazon claims the appropriate age range is 10-14 years (so roughly 5th-9th grade, which is quite a range). Some challenging words in the book that could trouble beginning readers are “arsenals” “complexioned” “precipices” “bombard” and “bilge.” How is the book unusual/noteworthyBomb was a finalist for the 2016 Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Award, won the 2013 Newbery Honor Book Award, was a 2013 Sibert Award Winner, and a 2013 YALSA Excellence Winner. This book seems unique in that it is about a historical topic, but reads more like a narrative. Further, much historical nonfiction reads like a history textbook and this book is noteworthy because it challenges that stereotype. Suggest one or two thematic units it could fit into and explain whyI would love to use this book in a unit on narrative strategies such as suspense. We would explore questions such as “how does the author create suspense?” “what is the effect of suspense on the reader?” and “does it matter that the suspense in this book is created by real events? How could you compare it to suspense in a fiction story?” This book could also fit well into a unit on how different content areas are portrayed literature. We could have this book for science or history, another for math, foreign language, etc. This book would provide many opportunities for interdisciplinary study across content areas, but in an English class I would like to pair it with historical fiction concerning World War I, maybe something like War Horse by Michael Morpurgo or the war novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque. Describe what types of students would choose and enjoy this bookI would recommend this book to students who are interested in science since it talks about physics, chemistry, and engineering in a real-world context and/or World War I. This book could also appeal to students who like mystery and suspense; a user on goodreads describes it as a “spy thriller.” ................
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