A Wrinkle in Time

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L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Square Fish, 2007. Print.

9780312367541. $7.00. 245 pages

Awards:

John Newbery Medal (1963)

Runner-Up, Hans Christian Andersen Award (1964)

Lewis Carroll Shelf Award (1965)

Sequoyah Children’s Book Award (1965)

Annotation:

Meg Murry just doesn't fit in. Her dad has been missing for over a year, she can communicate with her five-year-old brother without words, and now she is traveling through time with three celestial beings to save her family. A Wrinkle in Time is an fantasy adventure perfect for readers of all ages and interests and should hold a place on shelves in every library.

Booktalk: Open-Ended

Could Meg Murry's life get any stranger? Her dad works for the government and went missing over a year ago. Her five-year-old brother is a genius and maybe more, who has eccentric and mysterious friends. Now Meg must travel through time with her best friend, her brother, and his friends Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which to save her father from the evil force, The Dark Thing. Can she save her father and survive traveling through A Wrinkle in Time?

Find the Kindle version here

Fina the NOOK version here

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The Curious Incident

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Haddon, Mark.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.  New York: Random House, 2003. Print.  ISBN: 1-4000-3271-7. $12.95. 226 pages.

Awards:

2003 - Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize

2003 - Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year

2004 - Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book

Annotation:

Christopher is clever, in fact he might even be a genius, but he hates being touched and doesn’t understand people and their emotions, so how can he uncover the mystery of the dead dog next door? This is one of the most unique and powerful books I have ever read and it should be in every library, because it is an incredible story about a boy with autism and how he makes his way through life.

Book Talk Technique: The Book Whisper

 

Christopher is amazing at math and he can list off the names of all the countries in the world, but he cannot understand why his mother’s death doesn’t make him cry or why someone would stab the dog next door with a fork.  Through drawings and his analytical skills, Christopher sets out to uncover The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.  

 Book Talk Technique: The Index Card Trick

• Mathematics
• Prime Numbers
• Autism
• Asperger’s Disease
• Murder
• Animals
• Death
• Mothers
• Fathers
• Mystery
• Discovery
• Genius

Find the Kindle version of the book here.

Find the NOOK version here.

Mark Haddon talks about the book here.

Like the The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time Facebook page.

Rapunzel's Revenge

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Hale, Shannon & Dean.  Rapunzel’s Revenge.  New York: Bloomsbury, 2008.  Print. ISBN: 9781599902883. $15.99. 144 pages.

Awards:

ALA Notable Children's Book (ALA)
Amelia Bloomer Project Selection (ALA)
An Al Roker Today Show Book Club Pick
An IndieBound Next Pick
Cybils Award (Graphic Novels)
Great Graphic Novels for Teens (YALSA)
Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (YALSA)
Texas Maverick Graphic Novel List
Utah Book Award
Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee

Annotation:

 

Rapunzel has it all, a beautiful home and a loving mother, but she is tormented by a dream that there is something much greater outside of the wall that keeps her trapped. This non-traditional tale of Rapunzel is both fun and empowering as she proves that anyone can be the heroin of her own adventure. 

 

Book Talk Technique: Open End

 

How can it be that Rapunzel lives in such grand villa, and others live in a wasteland? Rapunzel lives a great life.  She is waited on by servants and has everything she needs.  There are only two things in her life that bother her.  One is her recurring dream about a family she has never met, but loves her so, and the other is the giant wall that surrounds her home and prevents her from chasing her dream.  One day, Rapunzel discovers that her hair can help pull her over the wall, but she is quickly found and forced back to her mother, Gothel, who imprisons Rapunzel in a magical tree.  Can Rapunzel use her hair and her wit to escape Gothel and find her dream family ultimately Rapunzel’s Revenge?

 

Find the NOOK version here.

Find Shannon Hale on Facebook here.

Read Shannon's Hale's Blog here.

 

Pants on Fire

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Cabot, Meg.  Pants on Fire. New York: HarperTeen, 2007. Print. ISBN: 0060880155. $16.99.

272 pages.  

Awards:

New York Times Children's Chapter Books Best Sellers List

A BookSense Pick

New York Public Library "Book for the Teen Age" 2008

Annotation:

Katie is a liar and a big one at that, but when her deepest secret resurfaces, she must face her lies and make things right.  Pants on Fire is fun and speaks to a lot of issues faced by teen girls today.

Book Talk Technique: The Wrap Around

Have you ever lied?  Maybe just a small white lie? 0r perhaps a giant elaborate one? Katie Ellison has.  In fact, she is becoming quite good at it.  Between running for Quahog Princess on a platform that she doesn’t believe in and hiding her two boyfriends from one another, Katie is into it pretty deep.  But when her former best friend moves back to town, she knows that she must either come clean or risk being exposed as a liar, liar Pants on Fire.

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

The Coldest Winter Ever

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Le Souljah, Sister. The Coldest Winter Ever. New York: Pocket Books, 2006. Print.
ISBN: 9781416521693. $7.99. 545 pages.

Annotation-

Winter Santiago is gorgeous, smart, and privileged. Her father is a drug lord, her mom was shot in the face, and money drives everything Winter does. When her father goes to prison and her family is torn apart, Winter must learn to survive without money and material things.

The Index Card Trick

• Inner Cities
• Brooklyn, New York
• Drug Lords
• Sex
• Violence
• Materialism
• Guns
• Murder
• Anger
• Prison
• Wealth
• Family
• African American Women

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Twilight

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Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2005. Print. ISBN: 9780316015844. $10.99. 513 pages.

Awards:

One of Publishers Weekly’s “Best Children’s Books of 2005″One of School Library Journal’s “Best Books of 2005″

Annotation: Bella Swan knows there is something dangerous about Edward, but she can't stop herself from loving him, even if it means he won't be able to keep himself from drinking her blood.  Twilight is a perfect teen romance novel, with just the right amount of fantasy and fear mixed in. 

Booktalk Technique: "Wrap Back to the Title"

"There are three things that Bella knows.

1. Edward is a vampire

2. There's a part of him—how big a part, she isn't sure—that truly thirsts for her blood

3. She is unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

Bella is clumsy and awkward.  Edward is perfect, but dangerous.  Together they are magnetic and cannot be torn apart. Bella knows that being in love with a vampire is dangerous. She worries that she could die and wonders if she even wants to (at least mortally). She fears that she is putting everyone she knows at risk, but what Isabella doesn't realize is that Edward and his family aren't the only vampires in town and nothing will ever be the same after Twilight?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

Like the Twilight page on Facebook.

 

 

Watch the film version of the book.

 

If you like Twilight, read the rest of the series.  New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn are available in paperback at bookstores. 

The Hunger Games

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Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games.  New York: Scholastic, 2008.  Print.  ISBN: 0439023483.  $17.99. 387 pages.

Awards:

Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year 2008

California Young Reader Medal 2011

ALA Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults

New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2008

Kirkus Best Young Adult Book 2008

2008 Cybil Award – Fantasy and Science Fiction

School Library Journal Best Books of 2008

 

Annotation:  In Panem, every year twenty-four tributes are chosen to fight to death in an arena made by the dominating capitol and this year Katniss Everdeen will learn just how strong she really is by going into the arena with a mission of coming back out alive.  The Hunger Games is one of my favorite books this year and readers will love Katniss and her fighting personality.

Booktalk Technique: Wrap Back to the Title

What would it feel like to have your life determined by random drawing? War and famine have led the people of Panem to be divided into 12 districts.  Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are chosen at random from a drawing to take part in the Hunger Games. Imagine being forced to watch boys and girls battle to the death, leaving only one survivor. This year, 16 year old Katniss Everdeen is the female champion from District 12 and must compete for her life.  Can she survive The Hunger Games?

Find the NOOK version here.

Find the Kindle version here.

The Hunger Games is the first book in a trilogy about Katniss and Panem.  The other books in the series are Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

Read more about the series on Suzanne Collins website. 

Watch the book trailer

 

The film version of The Hunger Games was released in 2012 to great success. 

 Watch the film preview.