Cyber Book Club
ELA teachers are always on the look out for interesting books, either
for their personal use or for their students. The Cyber-book club is a forum to share information about novels, short stories, poetry,
articles, or sites we have found interesting (and perhaps not so interesting).
Cyber-book club members can record titles of books read or have heard
about through the grapevine and share thoughts about the books, articles
- interest level and audience.
Let us know the title, author, and ISBN (if possible).
The entries can be brief (or long if you wish), and include a few brief
comments.
This is one way to share reading material and keep us connected.
Spread the word and we can have a truly eclectic Cyber-book
club.
Submit your information to mary.eva@mail.mcgill.ca
The Cyber Book-Club is up and running. Keep checking in for other entries as the year progresses. Send in your comments on a book mentioned and share your readings with others.
Dewey Divas weigh in at the Fall 2008 Roundtable discussions!
Elementary and High School reading suggestions.
Series Bibliography compiled by Lisbeth Clemens, Librarian, (April 2008)
High School reading suggestions: Babar Bookstore (April 2007)
Anderson, M.T. Feed
National Book Award Finalist; LA Times Book Prize
Tradition of 1984 , Brave New World and Handmaid's Tale; world as it is now and extrapolates into the future; futuristic dystopia fiction; comic satire.
“We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.” So says Titus, a teen whose ability to read, write, and even think for himself has been almost completely obliterated by his “feed”, a transmitter implanted directly into his brain. Feeds are a crucial part of life for Titus and friends….how else would they know where to party etc. However girl (girl who decides to fight the feed) enters picture - she cares about what's happening in the world and challenges Titus to reevaluate his stance. (Gr. Senior)
Bertagna, Julie. Exodus -
Shortlisted for Whitbread Children's book of the year award
Futuristic, environmental wake-up call; how is life on earth to be sustained in an uncertain future; Island home is drowning beneath storm-tossed waves…. Mighty icecaps melt; earth is losing its land to the ocean; way of life and community are going to die….. hints of a New World rising from the sea… cities where desperate refugees can find safety….quest for survival…journey into humanity's capacity for good and evil. (Gr. 7+)
Brooks , Martha . Mistik Lake
Story of grief, loss and love; set in small Manitoba resort town of Mistik Lake . … Brooks captures perfectly the excruciating pain of divorce for children, the ache of older adolescence, the loss of childhood, and the centrality of family love. (Gr. 8+)
Fisher Staples, Suzanne. Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind -
Newbury Honor Book; ALA Best
Book for YA; discussion questions at end of book
Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she's been allowed the freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she's dreamed of …. question of choices - to do what is necessary to uphold her family's honor – or listen to the stirrings of her own heart. (Gr. 8+)
Goobie, Beth. Sticks and Stones
(reluctant readers, large print, easy read, interest- Orca Soundings)
Character becomes target of a gossip (slept with dance date on first date) and bathroom wall graffiti; refuses to become a victim; class assignment to force administration of school to take the matter seriously.
- plot is strong; sympathetic character and universal theme - real life events; ideal for classroom discussion and contemporary issues. (Gr.7+)
Green, John. Looking for Alaska
Michael L. Printz Award; ALA Best Bk for YA; Booklist ed.'s choice;
Miles is intrigued with what the poet Rabelais called the “Great Perhaps” ; he is
done with his safe life at home; goes to boarding school; meets Alaska Young - she
is gorgeous, funny, screwed–up, clever and draws Miles into her world.
(Gr. Senior
Secondary). Visit John Green site: www.sparksflyup.com
Nolan, Han. Dancing on the Edge
Winner of the National Book Award; reader chat page and author interview included
Character Miracle McCloy feels so insignificant that she sometimes doubts her own
existence. Her mama died before Miracle ever had a chance to know her. Her father,
a distant, brooding novelist, disappears without a trace. And her psychic
grandmother, Gigi, is too preoccupied with the search for knowledge of the beyond to
pay much attention to her. Dancing is the only thing that makes Miracle feel whole.
But when Gigi forbids her to dance, Miracle does something shocking and desperate
just to prove she is a real person. Committed to the psychiatric ward of a hospital,
Miracle is forced to face the disturbing reality of her life. … troubled young person
emerges from the shadows that surround her and at last find light….
Author's notes :….time spent alone, when we take off our social masks, that show us who we are and even give us time to think about who we want to become. Some young people have such busy schedules these days that they don't get to experience much alone time. They don't know who they are when nobody's looking because somebody always is. Miracle's problems run deeper than her being forbidden to dance. ….if a person is constantly denied the opportunity to do what he or she loves, then that person could become seriously depressed, or develop some other issues in an attempt to deal with that frustration…. (Gr. 7+)
Polak, Monique. All In
- Deals with gambling issues
Todd has street smarts and a poker face; needs cash to attract attention of grade eleven girl. Inspired by true events ( Montreal private school); journey into the world of addiction, fraud, and gambling. (Gr. 7+)
Rosoff, Meg. How I Live Now
Michael L. Printz Award; Guardian Award for Children's fiction
Deals with the complexities of being young in a world teetering on chaos; story of perseverance in the face of the unknown; adventure story, war story, survival story, a love story - all told in the voice of a subversive and witty teenager. (Gr. 9+)
Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies
(part 1 of a trilogy) - NY Times Bestseller
In a world of extreme beauty, anyone normal is ugly.
16 yr old about to get license – for turning pretty… in Tally's world, 16th birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. … story of decisions, loyalty, friendship, philosophy/ethics, coming of age. (Gr. Senior Secondary)
Yen Mah, Adeline. Chinese Cinderella
(memoir/bio) - ALA Bet Book for YA; historical note
and author's postscript included
The true story of an unwanted daughter … Returns to her roots to paint an authentic portrait of 20th C China as well as to tell the story of her painful childhood and her courage and ultimate triumph over despair….. mother dies giving birth to her; Adeline's affluent, powerful family considers her bad luck; father remarries; yearning for love and understanding of her family.
Author's note : I hope to intrigue you with the plight of a little girl growing up in China … interest you in Chinese language, history and culture. (Gr. 7+) Visit www.adelineyenmah.com
Zevin, Gabrielle. Elsewhere
Dialogue with author included
Concern with after-life; is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different from a life lived forward?
15 year old has a bike accident and discovers that she is dead; elsewhere is a unique version of the afterlife where everyone becomes younger until they are babies and are sent down the river to be reborn. There is a good allegory explaining elsewhere in the book: Think of a tree. The tree is really two trees - the one you see above ground, and the one you don't see, below (the roots). Life is the tree above ground, Elsewhere is the roots. (Gr. 8+)
Let's Talk: Reads that Rock workshop: Cycle 1 and 2 - reading choices prepared by Geraldine Rose , Young People's Librarian, Beaconsfield Public Library
Picture Books
Arnosky, Jim. Grandfather Buffalo – When Grandfather Buffalo, the oldest bull of the herd, trails
behind the group, he finds that he is joined by a newborn calf.
Buntin, Eve. One Green Apple – While on a school field trip to an orchard to make cider, a young immigrant named Farrah gains self-confidence when the green apple she picks perfectly complements the other students' red apples.
Knudsen, Michelle. Library Lion – A lion starts visiting the local library but runs into trouble as he tries to bother obey the rules and help his librarian friend.
McClintock, Barbara. Adele & Simon – When Adele walks her little brother Simon home from school through the streets of Paris , he loses one thing after another, arriving home empty-handed…almost.
Salley, Colleen. Epossumondas Saves the Day – In this variation on the folktale. Sody Sallyraytus, each of Epossumondas's birthday guests disappears until it is finally up to him to rescue them all and bring home the “sody” for his birthday biscuits.
Sis, Peter. Play, Mozart, Play! – Introduces very young children to the child prodigy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, in attribute to the beauty of listening, looking, imagining, and, above all, playing.
Wheeler, Lisa. Castaway Cats – Fifteen felines find themselves marooned on an island and are not sure what to do.
Beginning Readers
Arnold, Tedd. Super Fly Guy – Fly Guy visits the school cafeteria and gets the lunch lady fired.
Blackwood, Gary . The Just So Woman – When the Just-So-Woman runs out of butter one day, she learns an important lesson from her neighbor, the Any-Way Man. (K-Gr.2)
DiCamillo, Kate. Mercy Watson Fights Crime – Mercy the pig's love of buttered toast leads to the capture of a small thief who would rather be a cowboy. (K-Gr.2)
Howe, James. Houndsley and Cantina – Houndsley and Cantina run into trouble when they decide to prove that they are the best at cooking and writing, respectively.
Fiction
Abbott, Tony. Firegirl – A young boy's life is changed when Jessica, a girl disfigured by burns, starts attending his school while receiving treatment at a local hospital. (Gr. 5-9)
Baccalario, Pierdomerico. Ulysses Moore 1: The Door To Time – After moving from London to an old mansion on the English coast, eleven-year-old twins, Jason and Julia discover that their new home has twisting tunnels, strange artifacts from around the world, and a mysterious, locked door. (Gr.3-6)
Cooper, Susan. Victory – Alternating chapters follow the mysterious connection between a homesick British girl living in America today and an eleven-year-old boy serving in the British Royal Navy in 1803, aboard the HMS Victory, commanded by Admiral Horatio Nelson.
ed. Sandy Asher & David L. Harrison. Dude! : Stories and Stuff for Boys – From futuristic to familiar to far-out, this anthology will introduce you to boys that have a lot in common: they're on the verge of something great. (Gr. 4-7)
Ellis, Deborah. I Am A Taxi – Twelve-year-old Diego ends up at the San Sebastian Women's Prison in Cochabamba , Bolivia when his parents are falsely accused and convicted of smuggling drugs. While his parents remain locked up, Diego can go to school and run errands as a ‘taxi' to earn money to help pay for food and rent on their tiny cell. Then his life takes a dive and he is desperate. (Gr. 6-8)
Gilkerson, William. Pirate's Passage – When an old sea captain takes up residence at a small inn run by young Jim and his mother, his presence soon becomes invaluable, yet they wonder who this mysterious man really is who tells engrossing and detailed stories about he pirates and their history. (Gr. 6-8)
Grindley, Sally. Dear Max – As Max - who is almost ten - and his favorite author, D.J. Lucas, exchange letters, the two writers help each other with their new books and develop a special friendship. (Gr. 2-4)
Hahn, Mary Downing. Witch Catcher – Having just moved into the West Virginia home they inherited from a distant relative, twelve-year-old Jen is surprised that the father is already dating a local antiques dealer, but more surprised by what the spooky lady really wants. (Gr. 4-6)
Stewart, Paul & Chris Riddell. Fergus Crane – Nine-year-old Fergus Crane's life is filled with classes on the school ship Betty Jeanne, interesting neighbors, and helping with his mother's work until a mysterious box flies into his window and leads him toward adventure. (Gr. 3-5)
Strickland, Brad. The House Where Nobody Lived – Twelve-year-old Lewis and his best friend Rose Rita investigate a strange old house in their home town and discover that they may be dealing with powerful ancient Hawaiian spirits. (Gr. 4-7)
Ursu, Anne. The Shadow Thieves – After her cousin Zee arrives from England , thirteen-year-old Charlotte and he must set out to save humankind from denizens of the underworld, Nightmares, Death, Pain, and a really nasty guy named Phil. (Gr. 5-8)
Non-Fiction
Bledsoe, Lucy Jane. How To Survive In Antarctica – If you're curious about how to stay warm in –100 ° F weather or what to do if you should find yourself in danger of falling through an ice crevasse, this guide is for you. (Gr. 5+)
Davis, Nicola. Extreme Animals – The toughest animals on earth. (Gr. 4-6)
Kelsey, Elin. Strange New Species – This large-format book showcases new species, particularly animal species, and the scientists who have discovered them. (Gr. 5+)
Kyi, Tanya Lloyd. Canadian Boys Who Rocked The World – Thirty lives that achieved greatness before the age of 20, from Louis Cyr to Wayne Gretzky to Jim Carrey . (Gr. 4+)
Morris, Ann. Tsunami: Helping Each Other – This is the story of how one family survived the tsunami in Thailand in 2004 and, with the help of others, began to rebuild their lives. (Gr. 2-4)
Reynolds, Jan. Celebrate!: Connections among cultures – Photo essay that explores the similarities among celebration rituals in several indigenous cultures around the world and compares them with American celebrations. (Gr. 2-4)
Richardson, Adele. My First Look At Countries – A new series geared for beginning readers. Countries covered include Australia , Canda , China , Iran , Israel and Mexico . (Gr. 1-2)
Savage, Jeff. Steve Nash – Meet Steve Nash - Top NBA point guard, MVP two years running, and a Canadian! (Gr. 4-6)
Shoveller, Herb. Ryan and Jimmy and the Well in Africa That Brought Them Together – Describes how a young boy was moved to raise money for wells in Africa , eventually creating Ryan's Well foundation. (Gr. 5+)
Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells -
I loved this book because it was a story of her difficult childhood and
what events made her the successful person she is today. (SUE)
Women will love this book of historical fiction by Phillipa Gregory.
The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of Mary Boleyn the younger sister
of Anne Boleyn. Terrific easy read that you can't put down. The English
courtiers were quite something. Hard to believe the women were so young
and so used. (SUZY)
I just finished reading an interesting book: 1599:
A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare. It is
about the year when a major decision was made about Shakespeare's
acting
company. There had been a longstanding
dispute between the owners of the land where the theatre stood and the
owners of the theatre (the building itself). If the dispute were not
settled, the landowner would have taken over the building and probably
torn it down.
The solution: The building's owners, hired some carpenters and, in
the space of a day, took the building apart to be able to carry the wood
over the Thames
and rebuild without notifying the landowners.
The consequences were very important in theatrical history. The political
context was also an important factor in the creation of some of Shakespeare's
plays.
Having read this, I wonder why Mel Gibson's version of Hamlet eliminates
most of the references to Fortinbras at the beginning and the end. Fortinbras
has
a lot to do with the contemporary events: England's fear of invasion
because of the declining health of Elizabeth and the ultimate accession
of James
I. Are there underlying implications that could be elucidated by a closer
reading
of the political situation?
I am still investigating and when I have something clear, I'll try
to write it up in a more coherent fashion. (KEVIN)
THE GOLDEN NOTEBOOK by Doris Lessing is probably
known best as a classic of the feminist movement, perhaps notable for
its peculiar organization
into separate diary-like notebooks at various levels of fictionalization...
what intrigued me most about it was its 1950's setting in England among
the devastated post-Stalinist remnants of left-wing artists and intellectuals...
Having experienced that type of milieu in the 1960's student activist
anti-Vietnam war, American civil rights, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
(CND) etc. etc. circles, the book forcibly reminded me of the ABSENCE
of that type of discourse in today's world. What has happened to a whole
generation of social critics, artists and activists?
"The arguments of one generation are unintelligible to the next." (me)...
I guess I'm getting old. (WILLIAM)
Oliver Sacks. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. Toronto:
Vintage Canada, 2002. 337 pages
Any book by Oliver Sacks is a good read. Remember The Man Who Mistook
His Wife for a Hat, which won many accolades. Awakenings, another of
his books, served as the inspiration for the film of the same name starring
Robin Williams. This book is a memoir. Young Oliver, who is fascinated
with science, lives in a family as intellectually curious as himself.
The Uncle Tungsten of the title owns a light bulb factory; his father
and mother are physicians. Sacks’ wit and storytelling skill convey
the insecurity and courage of a boy growing up in wartime England and
learning important life lessons. (JUDITH)
Stephen King’s On Writing – A Memoir of the
Craft, offers
an illuminating insight into the life experiences of this great writer.
King relates one particular story that made me wince. He recalls a time
when he was in grade eight and wrote an abbreviated version (plagiarism
not a concern of his at the time) – of The Pit and the Pendulum,
selling copies to his classmates. However his tryst was short-lived.
Accused of wasting his talents on writing junk, King refunded his earnings.
As he states “I have spent a good many years since – too
many, I think before I realized that almost every writer of fiction and
poetry who has ever published a line has been accused by someone of wasting
his or her God-given talent.”
How far do we (should we) as teachers censor student writings? (IG)
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