Modern Fantasy

Title: Double Identity
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Awards: A Junior Library Guild Selection 2005

Summary: As Bethany approaches her thirteenth birthday, her parents start acting very odd. Her mother constantly cries and her father never lets Bethany out of his sight. One day Bethany's father packs a suitcase for her and takes her and her mother on a long road trip. They end up in Sanderfield, Illinois, where Bethany's father leaves Bethany with an aunt she never even knew existed. Her father won't tell her where he and her mom are going and won't give any explanation as to why they are behaving so strangely. However, Bethany does overhear her father telling her aunt not to bring up Elizabeth because Bethany doesn't know about her. Bethany is now determined to find out who Elizabeth is and why she has been kept a secret.

Bethany also experiences some strange encounters with people who live in Sanderfield. When people look at Bethany they react as if they had seen a ghost. There has also been a man who has been following Bethany. He has been driving a black rental car and he somehow knows what Bethany's name is. Soon Bethany realizes that there are many secrets her parents have kept from her and she is now determined to unravel all of the mysteries.

Reaction: I enjoyed this book. At first I wasn't sure why it was classified as modern fantasy but as I got half way through the book I started picking up on why it would be classified as modern fantasy. This book had a lot of mysterious events that happened so it was very easy and enjoyable to keep reading. It wasn't as good as the last book I read, but I still liked it.

Recommendation: This book was an easy read. The main character is a female and she is just getting ready to turn 13 years old. I think the book would appeal to females more than it would appeal to males because the cover has a picture of Bethany on it. I would recommend this book to females in grades 5-8.

Book talk hook: Have you ever had to question who you are? What if one day you found out that your whole life has been a lie and you have actually been living someone else's life? How would you react? Is it even possible to be living someone else's life? As Bethany starts to uncover family secrets, she slowly realizes that she may in fact be someone else.

Realistic Fiction

Title: The Body of Christopher Creed
Author: Carol Plum-Ucci
Genre:Realistic Fiction
Awards: Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award 2001, Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist 2001, Children's Choice List 2001, Best Books for Young Adults 2001, Most Popular Paperbacks 2004

Summary: Christopher Creed has always been a social outkast in the small town of Steepleton. One day he disappears leaving a typed letter on the school library computer.

Sixteen year old Torey Adams and his friends reminisce about the times they had bullied Creed. Now that he is gone, they joke uneasily about him to ease their guilt. The town is full of ugly rumors, as Torey's lawyer mother tells them "See, guys, this is what happens when a kid suffers a personal tragedy. Nobody wants to take responsibility. Nobody wants to admit they had a part in it. So, they spend a lot of time pointing the finger, and things just get worse and worse." Suspicion of murder conveniently falls on big, tough Bo Richardson, an outcast "boon" from the boondocks edge of town. Torey's smug assumptions about people are rattled when he discovers that his childhood friend Ali is secretly romantically involved with Bo.

Torey, Ali, and Bo try to solve the mystery of Creed's disappearance by attempting to steal Creed's diary. Soon the town of Steepleton is consumed with rumors and adult secrets. Torey finds himself distanced from his other friends who don't have as much compassion for people who are "different" from them. Just when you think you have figured out the mystery of Creed, the book takes a twisted turn.

Reaction: This book was very hard to put down. Right from the beginning the author really draws you in. There is a constant flow of rumors, secrets, and mysteries that are revealed throughout the novel. Steepleton is a small town, but it is definitely full of secrets and drama. Just when you think you have figured everything out, the author throws you a curve ball.

Recommendation: This book is recommended for young adults but it is written at a 5.3 reading level. I would recommend this book to both boys and girls who are in grades 10-12. I think mature freshman could handle it as well. There are a few scenes in the book that deal with sex and there is some foul language in the book so that is why I would not recommend it to any immature students. I think many students would relate to this book because either they have been bullied, witnessed someone being bullied, or they themselves are a bully. Everyone has problems of their own, it is easy to assume that everyone else's life is better than your own. In this book, students will realize that people who seem to have perfect lives, may just have as many problems as they do.

Book talk hook: I would read the following letter that Christopher Creed had written before his disappearance.

Dear Mr. Ames,
I have a problem getting along with people. I know that people wish I were dead, and at this moment in time I see no alternative but to accomodate them in this wish. I have a wish. Not that anybody cares, but if anybody cared over the years, it was you. Here is my wish. I wish that I had been born somebody else--Mike Healy, Jose DeSantos, Tommy Idle, Evan Lucenti, Torey Adams, Alex Arrington...
I don't understand why I get nothing and these boys get everything--athletic ability, good personalities, beautiful girlfriends. I'm sure their parents will be buying them cars next year, while I will still be riding my bicycle until my parents decide I'm old enough. Quite possibly, I'll be tewnty-five. I wish to understand life and luck and liberty. But I will never do that confined to this life, the personality defects I've been cursed with, the lack of abilities, the strain. I wish no malice on anyone. I only wish to be gone. Therefore, I AM.

Yours respectfully,
Christopher Creed

Historical Fiction

Title: Milkweed
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: Winner of the Golden Kite Award for Fiction, A Notable Children's Book of the Association of Jewish Libraries, Winner of a Parent's Guide Children's Media Award, A National Jewish Book Award finalist, An ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Summary: This book is about a young orphan named Misha,who lives on the streets of Warsaw, Poland during World War II. He doesn't know who his parents are, he doesn't know what his name is, and he doesn't realize what is going on around him. Day after day, he raids the streets looking for food in order to feed himself and to feed other orphans who are in need. One day Misha discovers that he is a Jew and he marches along to the Ghetto with the other Jews. While in the Ghetto, he realizes that finding food isn't going to be as easy as it used to be. Just when the Jews think it can't get any worse, trains come to take them away. They think they are going to a different settlement but what they really don't know is that they are going to be transported to a concentration camp. Misha has been warned by an old friend not to get on the trains. However, Misha has a bad habit of not listening to his friend. Does he listen this time? Find out for yourself by reading Milkweed!


Reaction: I enjoyed reading this novel. I like how the story is told through an innocent orphan's perception. The Holocaust is a very morbid topic, but this book is written in a very easy to read format and it isn't gruesome at all. Misha, the orphan, is oblivious to everything that is going on around him. He doesn't know what it means to be a Jew, Gypsy, or a Jackboot. He is very naive and believes everything that he is told. He finds himself in many dangerous situations but always seems to escape from danger. Even though this novel is written on a very serious topic, I found many parts of the novel to be humorous.

Recommendation: This novel is labeled as a YA novel but it is written at a 3.6 reading level. Since the novel isn't gruesome, I would recommend this novel to both boys and girls in grades 6 and up.

Book talk hook: I would bring in props that relate to certain events that happened in the novel. For example, I might bring in a pickle, hard boiled egg, ear, seed, a necklace with a yelow stone on it, angel wings, and a train. I would then discuss some things that happened within the novel.

Realistic Fiction (p.49-57)

Title: Cut
Author: Patricia McCormick
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Awards: ALA Best Book for Teenagers

Summary: This novel is about a 15 year old girl named Callie. She blames herself for her brother's illness and begins to cut herself. This leads to her being admitted into a psychiatric ward. While she is in the psychiatric ward, she is very observant of the other patient's problems, but she neglects her own problems. She does not talk to any of her peers, family, or therapist. Her peers start calling her "silent treatment," and nickname her S.T. for short.

This novel is written in first person. Callie explains her troubling experiences and how she deals with them. Most of the novel is composed of her thoughts and feelings throughout the experiences she encounters. Eventually, Callie is able to identify what she wants in life and she is able to move forward in order to obtain her goal.

Reaction: I was a little disappointed with this novel because I was expecting more intense conflicts within the story. The novel is recommended for young adults but I think students in grades 6-8 could easily read this novel. After reading the back of the book and looking at the cover, I was prepared to read a very intense novel. However, this novel is very tame and presents the issue of self injury but seems to be mainly focused on how Callie deals with living in a mental institution. I don't think this novel was bad, I was just expecting more on the issue of self injury.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to students in grades 6-12. I think females would be more interested in the novel, but some males may find it interesting as well. Any student who has experienced problems or pain in their life would definitely appreciate this book.

Book talk hook: I would either act out a scene that involves Callie talking with her therapist or I would read the following excerpt to draw the reader in.

excerpt: Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside. Now she's at Sea Pines, a "residential treatment facility" filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak. But Callie can only stay silent for so long......