Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial by Penny Colman

Colman, Penny. Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial. Henry Holt and Co, . 224 pages. ISBN-10: 0805050663. ISBN-13: 978-0805050660.

Plot:

Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial covers everything a person would want to know about the historical and cultural practices surrounding death and burial. Colman begins by explaining her reasoning for writing the book, including her own experiences with death. The first two chapters focus on defining and understanding death. She includes personal stories, historical information, and other facts surrounding exactly how humans define and understand the process of dying. The next step is, of course, what happens to a body after death in a chapter over decomposition, embalming, autopsies, and transplants. The next four chapters cover the various ways that people deal with corpses, including burial, cremation, locations, and customs. One of the chapters focuses solely on the way to dispose of corpses, one on items used to contain the remains, one over burial sites, and one over customs and ceremonies. The final chapter covers images of death in art, including statuary, literature, and music. Colman also includes additional information at the end of the book about epitaphs, burial sites of famous people, burial instructions, and gravestone carvings.

Critical Evaluation:

Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial is fascinating. Colman takes a very sensitive topic and addresses it with straight-forward style that is admirable. She manages to combine emotion and fact in a way that makes this book both personal and educational. Her writing is simple, but she doesn’t talk down to her audience. Though this is considered a young adult book, it could easily have been written for adults.

The layout of the book is very functional. Colman chooses to split the subject of death and dying into eight main sections presented in a logical order. By writing about customs and history from around the world, she covers almost every aspect of death that could be of interest. She also includes personal stories from herself and others she has interviewed, as well as photographs. This keeps the book from becoming too clinical in its examination of the subject.

Death is a subject that people fear for many reasons. By choosing to write about the subject in such an informative and sensitive way, Colman has made a great contribution to non-fiction. Reading this book could lead to a really good discussion.

Reader's Annotation:

Penny Colman delves into the fascinating, complicated, and often sad history of death and burial.

Author Information:

Penny Colman was born September 2, 1944 in Denver, Colorado. She also lived in Washington, Oregon, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania all before the age of five. Her family finally settled in Warren, Pennsylvania where they lived on the grounds of the Warren State Hospital where her father worked as a psychiatrist. She attended Western College for Women, but dropped out after two years to hitchhike around Europe. When she returned, she attended the University of Michigan and then went on to receive a masters in Teaching from Johns Hopkins.

She solely writes non-fiction and primarily writes books about women. Her childhood visits to museums and historical sites inspired her love of history, though she noticed that there was often a dearth of information on the historical contributions of women. She has set about to rectify that with her books.

Genre:

Non-Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

History: Dealing with death through the ages
Cultural Anthropology: Death and Burial customs
Science: Embalming

Booktalking Ideas:

• Discuss some burial customs for various cultures.
• Explain Colman's reasons for writing the book as stated on page 9.
• Give a brief overview of some of the topics included in the book.
  

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Some gruesome descriptions
Discussion of death

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This was listed as a good non-fiction book for teens in our class text. I thought the subject sounded really interesting.

The Looking Glass Wars (The Looking Glass Wars Trilogy #1) by Frank Beddor

Beddor, Frank. The Looking Glass Wars. Speak, 2007. 400 pages. ISBN-10: 0142409413. ISBN-13: 978-0142409411.

Plot:

Alyss Heart is the beloved princess of Wonderland. Her mother, Queen Genevieve, is a benevolent ruler, but Genevieve’s sister, Redd, is evil and has sworn revenge on Genevieve for taking what she saw as her rightful place as ruler of Wonderland. On Alyss’s seventh birthday, Redd atacks Wonderland. She kills Alyss’s parents and the father of her best friend, Dodge, but Alyss escapes with Genevieve’s bodyguard, Hatter Madigan. The two of them jump through the Pool of Tears, a portal to earth. They are separated in the process and Alyss ends up as a street child in London, while Hatter spends the next 13 years getting into trouble as he searches the world for her. Soon, Alyss is taken in by the Liddell family, who change her name to Alice and raise her as their daughter. At first Alyss insists on telling everyone who she really is, even going so far as to tell her entire life story to the Charles Dodgeson who promises to write a book about her. He creates the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but Alyss is outraged that he fictionalized her life story in such a way. Eventually, though, even Alyss begins to forget who she is as she grows up and even agrees to marry Prince Leopold. Hatter discovers her shortly before her wedding.

Meanwhile, in Wonderland, things are getting worse. The few rebels who are still loyal to Genevieve are planning to take back the queendom, but they can’t do it without Alyss. Dodge has grown up to be a good warrior, but he’s a bitter man set on revenge. When a wounded Hatter arrives back in Wonderland, Dodge decides to go after Alyss himself, kidnapping her from her wedding. Now that she is back in Wonderland, the rebels expect her to lead them, but Alyss isn’t sure that she can.

Critical Evaluation:

This is such a great premise for a book. Taking the story of Alice in Wonderland - one that already has controversy concerning the truth surrounding it - and turning it into a “true” science fiction novel is a clever move. Beddor includes all the well-known characters but gives them a twist. His use of their names and certain qualities are enough to make them recognizable to anyone familiar with the original story, but they’re still quite different from the original. The story celebrates the power of imagination and Beddor was certainly using his when he created his Wonderland.

This book contains features to satisfy all manner of readers. There are elements of fantasy, science fiction, romance, history, and plenty of action. Beddor created a fascinating world complete with its own politics, fashion, weapons, inventions, and various types of inhabitants. Though he’s created an impressive world, he didn’t fall back on his fantastical environment to support the story; the plot is also complicated and exciting. The supporting characters are entertaining and really round out the story. However, it’s the main characters, particularly Alyss, Hatter, and Dodge, who are impressively written. Beddor gives them each their own secrets, motivations, love and pain in a very convincing way. He writes both male and female characters well. Beddor is a imaginative writer who has created a captivating novel that leaves the reader hungry for more.

Reader's Annotation:

This is the true story of Alyss Heart, the rightful heir to the Wonderland throne.

Author Information:

Frank Beddor was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated from the Catholic private school, Benilde-St. Margaret's School, in 1977. He was a competitive skier and was the World Freestyle Skiing Champion in 1981 and 1982. After he left competitive skiing, he turned to film work. He had a few small acting parts in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He then worked as a producer of films and video games, including the successful film There’s Something About Mary.

While in London for the U.K premiere of There’s Something About Mary, he visited The British Museum and was inspired to write his Looking Glass Wars series. The book was rejected by every major publisher in America before being published in the U.K. After becoming popular there, Penguin agreed to publish it in America. Beddor has also written graphic novels, created a card game, a video game, an apparel line, a musical CD, and a possible musical theater production all based on his Looking Glass Wars novels.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

English: Comparison to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Booktalking Ideas:

• Introduce this as the "real" story of Alice in Wonderland.
• Discuss what it would be like to be thrust into a completely strange world.
• Talk about the power of imagination.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Violence

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

Everything related to Alice in Wonderland has experienced a resurgence in popularity recently. This is a great twist on the traditional story.

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. Scholastic Press, 2008. 384 pages. ISBN-10: 0439023483. ISBN-13: 978-0439023481.

Plot:

In the future, North America has become a country known as Panem, consisting of a capitol and 12 surrounding districts. Years before, the districts launched a rebellion against The Capitol, but they were defeated. As punishment, each year the districts must send one boy and one girl to fight to the death on television. These tributes, as they’re called, are drawn at random in a ceremony known as The Reaping. When sixteen-year-old Katniss’s younger sister is chosen to be a tribute, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She, the male tribute Peeta, and their alcoholic mentor Haymitch are sent to The Capitol to participate in the Hunger Games. While there, Katniss and Peeta are encouraged to play up to the crowd in hopes that it will give them an advantage. Katniss soon learns that this includes pretending to have a doomed relationship with Peeta. She and Peeta are thrown together in the arena to play out their love affair, but Katniss knows that only one of them can survive. What she doesn’t know is that Haymitch, Peeta and The Capitol all have a plan for her.

Critical Evaluation:

In The Hunger Games, Collins has written a book that can appeal not only to teenage audiences but adults, as well. The plot is complex and the characters are universally appealing. Though the writing style is often conversational, it only serves to personalize the story. It is a compelling narrative and one which the reader will be unable to put down. The fast pace and exciting description of the actual Hunger Games are juxtaposed nicely with the sweeter moments between Katniss and the other characters. Katniss is an engaging narrator and the reader is immediately on her side. The Capitol serves well as a terrifying and anger inducing villain.

Equal to the entertaining plot and characters are the ethical aspects of the story. This is most certainly a book that will make the reader think and question the situation. One of the most important questions the book raises is that of whether or not it is right to do what is necessary for survival. Collins doesn’t provide the readers with the answers, but instead allows them to decide for themselves. This book would excellent for both pleasure reading and using in a classroom. However, because there is quite a lot of violence, it would be wise for a parent or teacher to consider the age and temperament of a teen before recommending it.

Reader's Annotation:

In Panem, where teenagers are forced to fight to the death on television to pay for the rebellion, Katniss must survive after volunteering to take her younger sister's place.

Author Information:

Growing up, Suzanne Collins’s father was in the Air Force, so she moved all around the country. She has said that doing so made her aware of what it felt like to be a stranger somewhere, much like the main character in The Underland Chronicles. She attended New York University and received an M.F.A in dramatic writing. She spent 16 years living in New York, but now resides in Connecticut with her husband and children.

Before becoming an author, she worked as a writer for children’s television. She’s written for shows on Nickleodeon and Kids’ WB as well as several specials. After working in television for 12 years, she published her first novel for young adults, Gregor the Overlander, the first of The Underland Chronicles series. Since then she has published 8 more novels. Her books have won numerous awards and topped the New York Times Bestseller list. She was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Government: Totalitarian Government, Fascism
Mythology: Comparison to Theseus
English: Plot Development, Symbolism, Character Development

Booktalking Ideas:

• Compare her relationships with Gale and Peeta.
• Talk about Katniss's decision to take her sister's place.
• Discuss where the idea of The Hunger Games originated and why.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Violence
Anti-government

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This was a required reading for the class. It is a book that is both entertaining and thought-provoking. It's also one of my favorites.

Shadowland (The Mediator #1) by Meg Cabot

Cabot, Meg. Shadowland. Simon Pulse, 2000. 256 pages. ISBN-10: 0671787918. ISBN-13: 978-0671787912.

Plot:

Suze Simon has always been able to see, talk to, and touch ghosts. She's a mediator and it's her job to help ghosts pass over into the after life, though some ghosts don’t need help so much as a kick in the butt to get them going. When Suze moves from New York to California to live with her new step-family, she hopes that she can put her job behind her and live like a normal girl. Unfortunately, she discovers that her room is haunted by a very cute ghost named Jesse and he seems pretty content to stick around. Suze also learns that there is the ghost of a girl named Heather hanging around her school. Heather shot herself after her boyfriend broke up with her and she is out for revenge. With the help of Jesse and Father Dominic, another mediator, Suze must try to help Heather cross over. Heather isn’t interested; she thinks that Suze is there to take her place. Heather wants her old life back and she isn’t going to let anyone stand in her way, no matter who gets hurt.

Critical Evaluation:

Like most of Cabot’s writing, this is a very cute book. Suze is a hilarious narrator. Her comments about those around her and her transition to life in California are humorous and witty. Though she tries to maintain a tough persona, her sensitivity often shines through. This aspect of her personality makes her a very sympathetic character. Jesse is an unusual but great romantic hero. His old fashioned chivalry perfectly counters Suze’s modern tough girl. Their budding romance is the driving force of the book.

The romance isn’t the only fun aspect, however. The mediator storyline is entertaining, especially when it comes to the disparity between Suze’s methods and Father Dominic’s methods. The two of them bouncing off of each other is one of the more fun parts of the story. Though Cabot does insert a few small frightening parts when it comes to the mediating, they don’t seem out of place with the relatively light storyline. This is definitely a fun read.

Reader's Annotation:

Suze is a mediator, which means she has an unusual gift: she can see, touch, and talk to ghosts. When she encounters a cute ghost who lives in her new bedroom, her life becomes even more complicated than it already was.

Author Information:

Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967 in Bloomington, Indiana. As a child, she was an avid reader and frequently spent her summer days in the library. In high school, she entertained herself by writing her own stories. She credits much of her inspiration for writing from the diaries she kept as a teenager, her own experiences, those of people she knows, and things she reads in the news, as well as a healthy dose of imagination.

She attended the University of Indiana as a Fine Arts major. After college, she moved to New York to pursue a career as an illustrator. When that failed, she turned again to writing. Her first novel - Where Roses Grow Wild - was published in 1998 under the pen name Patricia Cabot. Since then she has published over 40 novels for young adults as well as several others for tweens and adults. She has published under the pen names of Patricia Cabot, Jenny Carroll and under her real name.

Genre:

Fantasy

Curriculum Ties:

None

Booktalking Ideas:

• Talk about what it would be like to be a mediator.
• Discuss Suze's relationship with Jesse.
• Introduce Suze in character.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

13 and older

Challenge Issues:

Violence

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

Meg Cabot's books have been popular with teens for many years.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Wintergirls. Viking Juvenile, 2009. 288 pages. ISBN-10: 067001110X. ISBN-13: 978-0670011100.

Plot:

Lia and Cassie had been best friends since childhood. They shared everything, including a pact to be the skinniest girls in school. After a Lia spends time in the hospital for her eating disorder, Cassie decides to drop her for being a bad influence. They hadn’t talked in months the night that Cassie called Lia 33 times and then died alone in a hotel.

Cassie has been living with her father and claiming to have her disorder under control, but she is a pro at hiding it. The only person who seems able to get through to her is her step-sister, but even she can’t save Lia from herself. Lia is haunted by her guilt about what happened and begins seeing Cassie’s ghost everywhere. Cassie wants Lia to join her, to waste away to nothing until they can be together forever. As she loses more and more weight and her sanity begins to slip, Lia wonders if maybe she should join Cassie after all.

Critical Evaluation:

Laurie Halse Anderson manages to depict the physical and emotional decline associated with a severe eating disorder in a chillingly realistic way. Though Lia is lying to those around her, and even to herself, the reader is spared nothing in the description of her downward spiral. This is a difficult book to read for the same reason that it is an admirable one - it’s honest.

Lia is an unreliable narrator, but in a way that works for the story. It’s difficult to tell when she is being honest or when she is evading the truth. It’s also sometimes difficult to determine which events are actually occurring and which are part of her mental breakdown. This coupled with the sometimes unusual and increasingly erratic writing style that is employed only enhances the portrayal of a girl quickly slipping out of control.

The plot could potentially trigger a reader who is suffering from the same disorders; however, it could also help readers feel less alone in their problems or encourage them to seek help before they reach the same state that Lia is in.

Reader's Annotation:

After her best friend Cassie’s sudden death, 18-year-old Lia spirals downward as she struggles to deal with Cassie’s death and her own problems with anorexia.

Author Information:

Laurie Halse Anderson was born October 23, 1961 in Potsdam, New York. She began writing in second grade and has loved it ever since. She attended Georgetown University and received a B.S. in linguistics. After graduating, she worked as a freelance reporter for several years, while working on her fiction writing. In 1998 she became a full-time writer of fiction. She has published 9 books for young adults and 20 books for children.

Though writing was one of her first loves, she also enjoys running, gardening, travel, knitting, and quilting. She lives in Northern New York with her husband and children. Noticing that she was suffering from several distractions, her husband built her a cottage in the woods to be hers to use for her writing. She views this as her answer to the claim of Virginia Woolf that every woman needs a room of her own to write fiction.

Genre:

Realistic Fiction: Eating Disorder

Curriculum Ties:

Health: Healthy Eating
Psychology: Eating Disorders, Depression, Cutting, Grief
English: Character Development

Booktalking Ideas:

• Read the passage starting "Dead girl walking" placed on page 19 of the e-book version.
  
• Discuss Lia and Cassie's friendship.
• Focus on Lia's relationship with her family.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Anorexia
Cutting
Could be a trigger

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This book was recommended to me by my sister. Extreme dieting and disordered eating is something that affects many teenagers including my group of friends when I was in school.

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzane Collins

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. Scholastic Press, 2010. 400 pages. ISBN-10: 0439023513. ISBN-13: 978-0439023511.

Plot:

When the novel opens, Katniss Everdeen is living in the secret District 13 with the rebels who rescued her from her second Hunger Games competition. Though she is with her family and Gale, she was forced to leave Peeta behind and suspects he is probably dead or worse. Katniss was rescued because the rebels would like her to be the Mockingjay, the symbol of their revolution. After discovering that Peeta is alive and being used by the Capitol, she agrees to help, but only if they fulfill some of her conditions, including that she wants to be the one to kill President Snow. The rebels agree and stage a rescue of Peeta, only to discover that the Capitol has engineered his brain to hate Katniss. Though the rebels try to rewire him, he is a loose cannon as he, Katniss, and the rebels rally the other districts and head into battle in the Capitol. Everything goes wrong, however, and her group is stranded in the hostile Capitol trying to get close enough to President Snow in order to kill him. As they reach Snow‘s mansion, they discover it is surrounded by children and rebels, including Prim, Katniss’s sister. Bombs begin to go off and Prim is killed as the Capitol falls to the rebels. Snow is found guilty and sentenced to be executed by Katniss. Before this can occur, however, Katniss learns some horrifying things about the night of the bombing and the role she and her friends played in the rebellion.

Critical Evaluation:

This final book in the trilogy was one of the most anticipated books of the year and it didn’t disappoint. Collins weaving of Katniss’s personal story with the story of the rebellion personalizes war and its consequences in a way that few young adult novels do. She doesn’t sugarcoat the story and doesn’t hesitate to show the horror and violence that accompanies the rebellion. Though the book is violent, the violence isn’t gratuitous. It’s evident that Collins gave careful consideration to the descriptions she included. The violence isn’t there to entertain, but rather to show the horror, corruption, and dehumanization of the rebellion. Collins continues the question she introduced in the origin of the trilogy, that of whether the end can truly justify the means. However, this time the reader is forced to apply that question to both sides rather than just the Capitol’s tactics. It’s a complicated moral issue that she handles in thoughtful and emotional way.

Katniss has the strength of a warrior, but vulnerability that reminds the reader she is a child who has been thrust unwillingly into this situation. She makes mistakes and she doesn’t always do the right thing, but she is always doing what she thinks is right. She learns more about trust and betrayal than one would hope someone her age should have to. Katniss is a character the readers can respect. In Katniss, and Mockingjay in general, Collins has created something that the reader can find both captivating and thought-provoking.

Reader's Annotation:

After years of abuse by the capital, the districts have had enough and they’re fighting back. Katniss is lynchpin in the rebels’ plan, but is she really ready to be the Mockingjay?

Author Information:

Growing up, Suzanne Collins’s father was in the Air Force, so she moved all around the country. She has said that doing so made her aware of what it felt like to be a stranger somewhere, much like the main character in The Underland Chronicles. She attended New York University and received an M.F.A in dramatic writing. She spent 16 years living in New York, but now resides in Connecticut with her husband and children.

Before becoming an author, she worked as a writer for children’s television. She’s written for shows on Nickleodeon and Kids’ WB as well as several specials. After working in television for 12 years, she published her first novel for young adults, Gregor the Overlander, the first of The Underland Chronicles series. Since then she has published 8 more novels. Her books have won numerous awards and topped the New York Times Bestseller list. She was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010.

Genre:

Science Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

Government/History: War and Rebellion, What is Freedom?
English: Plot Development, Symbolism, Character Development
Ethics/Philosophy: Ethics of War, Does the end justify the means?

Booktalking Ideas:

• Focus on where each of the characters are at the beginning of the story.
• Discuss the choice Katniss must make between Peeta and Gale.
• Give an overview of Katniss’s journey so far and ask where she will be going next.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Violence
Anti-government

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

It is the much anticipated finale to the popular Hunger Games trilogy.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) by J.K. Rowling

Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2007. 784 pages. ISBN-10: 0545010225. ISBN-13: 978-0545010221.

Plot:

Harry has been left a task by Dumbledore: find and destroy the Horcruxes to defeat Voldemort. After fleeing Ron’s brother’s wedding, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set off to search the country for the remaining Horcruxes. The only problem is that they don’t know what they are, let alone where they are or how to destroy them. The three spend months on the run as they try to figure out what to do. They receive help from some unlikely places, including a goblin, Dobby the house elf, and some former classmates. Harry also learns more about his past and that of Dumbledore. Despite many near misses and one wild escape from the Death Eaters, the three friends eventually discover all the Horcruxes, including one hidden at Hogwarts.

After arriving back at Hogwarts they find that many things have changed under the leadership of Snape. One thing remains the same, however. Many at the school still support Harry and are willing to join him in the fight against Voldemort. This is made very clear when Voldemort and the Death Eaters attack Hogwarts. Harry, his friends, and many of the students and staff of Hogwarts take a stand against Voldemort. It’s been building for seven books and the final battle comes down to Harry and Voldmort while everyone learns what it means that “Neither can live with the other survives.”

Critical Evaluation:

Rowling outdoes herself in this epic finale to the Harry Potter series. It’s evident that she has thoroughly planned every detail of the series. Plot points, character traits and story lines from the previous six novels had not been introduced in vain, as they come together to form a conclusion worthy of the series thus far. Though the novel is really two stories in one - that of the journey and that of the war - they join together in a very cohesive way and neither would form a complete picture without the other. Despite its daunting length, the novel moves along at a quick pace. There isn’t any unnecessary exposition to distract from the central plot, but there are enough side stories to fill out book.

Though the reader has watched Harry, Hermione, and Ron grow throughout the series, it is in this novel that they truly come into themselves. Their friendship isn’t always an easy one, but their loyalty and love for each other is a wonderful example for readers of any age. In their honor and willingness to fight for what they believe is right in the face of dangerous and overwhelming circumstances, Rowling has created three characters that are the very definition of hero. She is a good character writer in that even her lesser characters are well-developed and substantive. She also doesn’t hesitate to kill a beloved character when it is necessary to the story, something that should be respected as many authors are afraid to do so. The characters and the plot complement each other rather than it seeming as if one is only there to support the other. This excellent finale exceeded my already high expectations.

Reader's Annotation:

In the final book of the series, Harry Potter and his friends set out to defeat Lord Voldemort once and for all.

Author Information:

J.K. Rowling was born on July 31, 1965. She began writing fantasy stories as a child, the first of which she remembers creating at the age of five. She was an avid reader and has said that the character of Hermione is based on herself as a child. She attended college at Exeter where she studied French and the Classics. After receiving her degree, she worked as a bilingual secretary and a researcher for Amnesty international. Following the death of her mother in 1990, Rowling moved to Portugal to teach English. While there, she married and had a child. After her daughter’s birth, she and her husband divorced and she and her daughter moved to Edinburgh, Scotland. Her famous rags to riches story is based on what happened while she was there. She was living off welfare and struggling with depression while she finished the first of the Harry Potter books. She used her depression, her grief over her mother, and instances from her childhood as inspiration for her novels.

Today, Rowling is one of the most famous authors in the world. She is the first person to become a billionaire by United States standards solely through writing novels and is the second wealthiest female entertainer in the world. She's been credited with helping revitalize the young adult genre and making reading a popular pastime for children and young adults again. Her books have won countless awards and been translated into 67 languages. They have spawned a series of movies, video games, clothing lines, numerous products, and even an amusement park.

Genre:

Fantasy

Curriculum Ties:

English: Plot Development, Creative Writing
Mythology: Allusions to Mythology/Mythological Archetypes

Booktalking Ideas:

• Focus on the friendship between Harry, Hermione, and Ron and what that has meant for the over the past 7 years.
• Discuss the prophecy “neither can live while the other survives” as how it pertains to the final book.
• Focus on the connection between Voldemort and Harry.
• Acting as each of the characters, discuss the mission that starts the book.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

12 and older

Challenge Issues:

Witchcraft/Magic/The Occult
Violence
Anti-government
Anti-family
Anti-religion
Poor role models

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This is a wildly popular series with many age groups. The movie based on this final book is being released this fall. It's also one of my favorite series.

A Great And Terrible Beauty (Gemma Doyle Trilogy Book #1) by Libba Bray

Bray, Libba. A Great And Terrible Beauty. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2003. 403 pages. ISBN-10: 0385730284. ISBN-13: 978-0385730280.

Plot:

Gemma Doyle has spent the entire 16 years of her life with her family in India, but all she wants is to go to London. When her mother is tragically and mysteriously killed on her 16th birthday, following a vision Gemma had of the occurrence, she gets her wish, but it’s no longer what she wants. She is sent to Spence Academy, where her grandmother believes she can be taught to be a proper young lady. While there, Gemma continues to have ever more confusing visions, one of which leads her to a diary of a young girl named Mary. Mary also has visions and writes of a magical world called the Realms and a group of powerful women called the Order. This is all made more complicated by an Indian boy, Kartik, who warns Gemma that she must close her mind to her visions or terrible things will happen.

Though she tries to fit in at Spence, she is bullied by the school's most popular clique until she finds a way to blackmail them to let her and her roommate Ann into their circle. Gemma, along with Ann and their new friends Felicity and Pippa, learn more about the Order through a teacher at Spence and eventually find a way to enter the Realms. They discover that the magic of the Order and the Realms is threatened by a former member named Circe who committed a terrible crime years ago to gain power. It is now Gemma’s responsibility to save the Realms and the Order, but she isn’t sure if she is really the girl for the job

Critical Evaluation:

This is an engaging and enjoyable start to the trilogy. It is reminiscent of Victorian Gothic horror novels such as those by the Bronte sisters, but written in a way to appeal to the modern reader. Bray paints an equally vibrant picture of both Victorian England and the fantasy world of the Realms. The juxtaposition of the two worlds and the lessons Gemma must learn to travel each provide an interesting metaphor for coming of age and finding one’s place in the world. Bray’s treatment of the idea of female empowerment manages to stay just short of preachy. Even when it tends toward the heavy-handed, the story is engrossing enough that the reader can forgive her for more obvious moments, especially as the message is such an important one. Gemma’s sarcastic wit, coupled with her vulnerability, make her a humorous and likable narrator. As she stumbles many times while trying to find her place in both of her worlds, she is a character to which the reader can relate and support. Her relationships with the other characters, particularly Kartik, Felicity, and Miss Moore, serve to develop and explore the different facets of her personality, while still providing interesting story lines to fill out the novel. In all, this is a well-written and entertaining book.

Reader's Annotation:

After her mother's tragic death, Gemma Doyle is sent to Spence Academy , where not everything is as it seems. Gemma isn't quite the girl she seems to be, either.

Author Information:

Libba Bray was born March 11, 1964 in Alabama, but she grew up in Texas. Her mother was a teacher and her father was a preacher. She had dreamed of being an actress, but that dream was derailed when she was 18. She was in a terrible car accident that resulted in the loss of one of her eyes and several reconstructive surgeries. She used writing to battle the pain and depression she felt during that time and it paved the way to her current career.

She moved to New York at the age of 26 with only $600 that she had put in her shoe. She still lives there with her husband and son. She loved theater growing up and so spent many years as a playwright. Her first novel - A Great and Terrible Beauty, the first of the Gemma Doyle trilogy - was published in 2003. She has since published 7 more books, including the second and third novels of the Gemma Doyle Trilogy.

Genre:

Horror

Curriculum Ties:

Geography: England, India
History: Victorian Era, Colonialism
Sociology: Family Dynamic, Friendships
Psychology: Self-Awareness, Coming of Age, Grief

Booktalking Ideas:

• Discuss differences in lifestyle for a teenage girl in Victorian times and a teenage girl today.
• Focus on the relationship between Gemma, Felicity, Pippa, and Ann.
• Speak as Gemma in the aftermath of one of her visions.
• Tell the story of The Order.
  

Reading Level/Interest Age

14 and older

Challenge Issues:

Witchcraft/Magic
Violence

Challenge Defense Ideas:

• Require the challenger to fill out a written challenge form with clear reasons stated and examples given.
• If not already familiar with the content, become familiar.
• Refer the challenger to the library's collection policy.
• Refer the challenger to reputable reviews of the books, as well as reviews by those in the book's target audience.

Reasons for Selection:

This is one of my personal favorites.