Frankenstein

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Chapter Book: No     Genre: Graphic Novel

Burgan, M., Callero, D. (2008). Mary shelley’s frankenstein. Minnesota: Stone arch Books. ISBN 978-1-59889-830-9.  $6.95.

     The book Frankenstein is a gothic science fiction novel about a young man Victor Frankenstein, who desires to become a great scientist by perfecting human existence and in his zeal, goes too far and creates a monster that he cannot control. The monster goes on a journey leaving death and destruction in his path. Victor must find the monster and destroy him before it is too late. This book was written in the nineteenth century by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 1797 -1851, and is retold by Michael Burgan as a graphic novel.

     Can a human being be brought back to life after he has been dead long enough for decomposition to set in? Who are we? Where do we come from? And what are we really made of? Those are just a few questions I’m sure Victor Frankenstein asked himself time and time again until one day he determined to find the answers. The story Frankenstein begins somewhere near the Arctic Circle where Captain Robert Walton and his seamen and their ship are trapped on the ice. While there they see what seems to be unreal, a creature of some sorts was traveling through the night and a half dead man chasing behind him. Captain Walton and his men rescue the half dead man. He is revived and begins to tell a story so fantastic that you would have to see it to believe it. Unlike the original version that had no illustrations, the graphic novel tends to take away the mystery of your imagination. However, Burgan stayed true to the story line therefore I think the graphic novel was very well written and lends itself to an even wider reader base. I would recommend this book for readers 14 years old and above.

     After reading Frankenstein I remembered a book I read called The Adoration of Jenna Fox. It is a story about a teenage girl who died in an automobile accident and after death her parents brought her back to life not considering all of the drama she went through after discovering that she was only ten percent. Books of this nature even through science fiction have good arguments for the pros and cons of cloning and stem cell research. 

Picture retrieved from:                                                                                                       http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1902241.The_Adoration_of_Jenna_Fox

Thirteen Reasons Why

 

 




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Chapter Book:  Yes    Genre: Fiction

Asher, J. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN: 978-1-59514-171-2. $11.25.

     Thirteen Reasons Why is a very haunting tale about a young lady who commits suicide after being rumored about and bullied by her peers. However, before she commits the act of suicide she leaves behind thirteen reasons why. The author Jay Asher said that the inspiration of this writing came from one of his very own family members who were the main character’s age. The story takes place in a town that is a composite of the two cities where the author grew up in and around California (p.296).  Although this story is labeled fiction, it deals with a very non-fictional problem that plagues a high number of teens today.

     Imagine that you wake up and begin to start you daily routines. You’re off to work or school, you step outside you door, and there is a package addressed to you with no return address. You open the package with excitement only to learn that someone you know has committed suicide and left you all of the details as to why they did it and is forcing you to share that information with others. Well that’s what happened to young Clay Jensen. One of his friends, a girl he very much admired but could never express his feelings to name Hannah Baker did that very deed. She left Clay several tapes naming the people she felt was responsible for her decision and demanded from the grave that he share those tapes with them. 

     While reading Thirteen Reasons Why I began to remember that this time last year one on my students committed suicide after being bullied on face book. I cannot help but wonder if he felt like Hannah, alone, scared, misunderstood. I looked back in my memory to see if he showed in telling signs and the only thing I remember is that the week before he committed the act, he cleaned out his locker. Although there were no illustrations in the book, the author very vividly describes every scene. I have very mixed feelings about the book however, I thought it was very well written and unfortunately it is a subject matter that we must give attention to. I would recommend this book for teens 14 and above with a lot of group discussion.

     After reading Thirteen Reasons Why if you are interested in books that deal head on with teen disorders you might find Winter Girls interesting by Laurie Halse Anderson. This story is about eating disorders and its deadly affects. So many of our teens suffer in silence but hopefully after reading these books we as adults will be brave enough to ask why and how can we help.

Picture retrieved from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5152478-wintergirls

My Young Adult Literature Reading List

#	GENRE	TITLE	AUTHOR	YEAR 2007 -present
1	Nonfiction	A.      Zero to Breakthrough B.      Black and  White	Vernice Armour Larry D. Brimner	2011 2011
2	Realistic Fiction	13 Reasons Why	Jay Asher	2007
3	Graphic novel	A.      Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein B.      Gettysburg	Michael Burgan C.M. Butzer	2008 2009
4	Non-Western setting	A.      Drawing From Memory B.      Sofi Mendoza’s Guide to getting lost in Mexico	Allen Say Malin Alegria	2011 2008
5	e- book (Playaway, audio, Kindle, …)	A.      Dear Author B.      Not Just Black or White	Joan F. Kaywell Katie Jayne	2007 2009
6	Fantasy	A.  Ship Breaker B.  The Hunger Games	Paolo Bacigalupi Suzanne Collins	2010 2008
7	Short Story Collection	A.      You Don’t  Even Know Me B.      Rain Plays Barefoot	Sharon Flake Jennifer Steen	2010 2011
8	2011 or 2012 Award-Winner: Printz, Sibert, Morris, Alex, Edwards, Schneider, Batchelder, or Belpre	A.      Where Things Come Back B.      Big Girl Small	John Whaley Rachel Dewoskin	2011 2011
9	Film adapted from a work of young adult literature	A.      The Hunger games B.      The Help

Zero to Breakthrough

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Chapter Book: Yes Genre: Non-Fiction

Armour, V. (2011). Zero to breakthrough. New York: Gotham Books.

ISBN: 978-1-592-40624-1   $25.00

     The book Zero to Breakthrough is written by Captain Vernice Armour (Ret. USMC) the first African-American female combat pilot; and is about her many accomplishments as a female athlete, the first female African-American on Nashville’s motorcycle police squad, and as a member of the San Diego SunFire professional women’s football team. In her book she highlights six Zero to Breakthrough strategies that will help you find your purpose and keep your passion about whatever it is you believe you are meant to do in this life. She has become a well know motivational speaker in high demand.

     Have you ever read a book that was so interesting that you did not want to put it down? Well that’s exactly what happened when I read Zero to Breakthrough. The author of the book takes you on a journey filled with excitement and intrigue. From her first pony ride, to her long drive from Columbus, Ohio to Nashville Tennessee, to the very hostile environment of Iraq. It is very clear to me that Captain Armour is a very intelligent woman just from her life accomplishments alone. And yet, the book is written in a very clear simplistic format. I love the way she connects each adventure to her military training. There are no illustrations however, the story is told so precise that you can see vividly every detail. One incident in particular that stood out was the time when she was in Iraq and had to save the lives of a squad of Marines and soldiers who were pinned down by mortar fire. The mission was a success and when she returned home she went to get a check-up and standing in line waiting to be seen as well was one of the Marines whose life she saved. Through their conversation they realized their connection to each other and celebrated their survival in a joyous manner. I celebrated with them as though I was there. That’s just one of the reasons I highly recommend this book. It is well suited for Young Adult Readers and above.

     After reading Zero to Breakthrough, if you like reading books about the Iraqi war you might be interested in Sunrise Over Fallujah written by Walter Dean

Myers. That book is about a young man’s experience in the war in Iraq and all of the challenges and successes he faced.

Picture retrieved from:  http://www.powells.com/biblio/1-9780439916240-4

Film adapted work

Hello everyone, did we confirm that we will view the movie  The Hunger Games?