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.

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.

Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause

Klause, Annette Curtis. Blood and Chocolate. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 1997. 272 pages. ISBN-10: 0385323050. ISBN-13: 978-0385323055.

Plot:

Vivian’s pack of werewolves is forced to move from their home after a fire that kills her father - a fire they suspect was started by some locals who figured out what they were. After relocating, Vivian meets and falls for a human, a “meat boy,” named Aiden, which is forbidden by the pack. Loving a human leaves the pack open to exposure and it goes against their laws for mating. Instead, the pack thinks she would be more suited for one of her own. Gabriel, a young werewolf who takes over as leader in the place of her father, has his eye on her. When she accidentally wins a competition between the female members of the pack, she ends up named as Gabriel’s mate and new queen of the pack. Despite this, Vivian believes Aiden is the one for her and that she can trust him with her secret. As she contemplates telling Aiden and leaving her duty to the pack behind, a series of murders points to one of the pack being involved. Vivian can’t remember where she was during the attacks. Vivian must decide between Aiden and Gabriel, while trying to figure out who’s been murdering humans and if she’s involved.

Critical Evaluation:

Vivian’s internal conflict is what really drives this novel. Though the plot is entertaining and the other characters are interesting, if one-dimensional, they are secondary to the internal world of Vivian. Her struggle with deciding what she wants, who to trust, and where she fits in with the pack are well-developed. The reader is right there with her as she is torn between the human world and that of the werewolves. We feel her pain, confusion, fear, and shame. The other characters and the action tend further her story rather than stand on their own.

As the two vastly different love interests, Aiden and Gabriel are slightly more developed than the rest of the characters, but they still basically serve the purpose of representing the two sides of Vivian. Unlike the typical paranormal romance, however, the relationship between the human and the supernatural being ends up being unworkable. Despite what one might think, it’s actually refreshing to see a novel that allows the human character to have a negative and fearful reaction to discovering the truth. Though we might initially be supportive of her relationship with Aiden, by the time he and Gabriel both reveal who they really are to Vivian, it’s easy to switch sides. The ending does feel a little rushed, but it’s relatively sweet and satisfying.

Reader's Annotation:

Vivian has never wanted any life other than the one as a werewolf, but everything changes when an attack on her pack kills her father and forces the rest of the pack to move. She falls for a human boy and starts to question everything she’s ever known.

Author Information:

Annette Curtis Klause is a librarian and young adult author. As a child, she was given an assignment to write about what she wanted to be when she grew up and she chose librarian because of her love of visiting her hometown library. After discovering how much schooling was required to become a librarian, she put it aside until after graduating with an English degree in undergrad. With no idea of what to do with her future, she turned again to her dream of being a librarian and pursued her MLS at the University of Maryland. She has worked in libraries primarily in the children and youth departments since 1979 and says that this work and her studies really opened her eyes to the wonders of youth fiction.

She has also been writing since she was a child. She had her first novel published in 1990. She has published 4 novels for young adults as well as a handful of short fiction and poems. Most of her work focuses on the supernatural and also contains elements of romance.

Genre:

Fantasy

Curriculum Ties:

None

Booktalking Ideas:

• Discuss the choice between love and family duty.
• Compare Vivian’s relationship with Aiden to her relationship with Gabriel.
• Focus on the idea of keeping your real self a secret.
• Tell the story of where the loups-garoux originated.

Reading Level/Interest Age:

15 and older

Challenge Issues:

Sexual content
Suggestive language
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:

The paranormal romance sub-genre of fantasy is a popular genre for teens at the moment.

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.