Karrie+Kennett

=**__Karrie Kennett Book Review Wiki__**=




 * __Title__**: Beautiful Creatures

__**Authors**__: Garcia and Stohl


 * __Award__**: Morris Award


 * __Genre__**: Supernatural Fantasy


 * __Summary__**: Ethan Wate lives in a small Southern town filled with gigantic secrets… especially when Lena Duchanne moves to town to live with her Uncle Macon. This supernatural mystery and love story follows these two sixteen year old high school students as they try their best to save Lena from being “claimed” as a dark caster while attempting to survive and thrive in a normal high school setting. This is the first of four books in the series, three of which are currently published. There is also a movie version of the series currently being cast. I would recommend this fabulous book to anyone who is a Hunger Games, Graceling, or Twilight fan.


 * Curriculum Connection/Grade Level:** Grade 8/ RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text, including its relationship to the characters, setting, and plot;provide an objective summary at the end.


 * Classroom Activity**: Have students discuss the parallels of good and evil and the ideas of whether a person can choose to be either good or evil (In a way, like Lena's choice in the story). Then, encourage students to choose a side- are people born evil or good or is it thrust upon them? Then, have students use strategy number 28, Academic Controversy, and encourage them to debate the issue. Each side should create a Powerpoint to demonstrate their argument.

Garcia, K., & Stohl, M. (2010). //Beautiful creatures.// New York, New York: Little Brown and Company.


 * ISBN: 978-0-316-07703-3**


 * Title**__: The Book Thief__

__**Author**__: Zusak


 * Award**__: Michael L. Printz Award (2006 Honor Book)__

__**Genre**:__ Historical Fiction

__**Summary**__: For me, this book was an extremely hard and dark read. Too much depression and sorrow for my taste. However, the story was an interesting one as it follows a teenaged girl named Liesel in Nazi Germany just before and during World War II. The story is told by Death, however, I imagined Death telling the story looking like the Grim Reaper. Anyway, Liesel loses her brother on her way to her new foster home prior to the war beginning and they stop to bury him along the way. It is then that Liesel steals her first book- The Grave Digger's Handbook. Although she can not read it, she takes it and holds onto it. Over time, her new "Papa" (Foster Father) Hans works with her to improve her reading using __The Grave Digger's Handbook__ because of the shame she feels at school for not being a good reader. The rest of the story unfolds with her friend Rudy, who is always looking for a kiss, a Jewish man named Max hidden in their basement who leaves her a book for "when she is ready", a sour Foster Mother named Rosa who weeps herself to sleep when her husband is drafted, the Mayor's wife who Leisel sneaks in to steal books from. Without giving it away, it ends tragically and Death eventually finds Liesel years later to give her the book she had written.

__**Curriculum Connection/Grade Level**: Grades 9-10: RL.9-10.4:__ Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g. how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).

__**Classroom Activity**:__ Contextual Redefinition (Strategy 3/Developing Content Area Literacy- Pg. 32). Students will be using context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar words within a text. This activities would be great for students within this book because there are several words in German as well as rich language throughout the text. There is also a lot of specific word choice that sets the tone for the book. This would be a great text to team up with a Social Studies class when studying World War II. A great way to cross curriculums.

Zusak, M. (2005). //The book thief.// New York, New York: Random House.

__**ISBN- 978-0-375-84220-7**__




 * Title**__: Speak__
 * Author**: Laurie Halse Anderson
 * Award**__: Margaret A. Edwards Award__
 * Genre**__: Realistic Fiction__
 * Summary**__:__ This, for me, was another hard read. One of my dearest friends had a similar experience and reading this was extremely hard because I kept imagining this friend. This story follows Melinda, a teenager getting ready to begin high school... however, at a summer party, Melinda was raped. She calls the police but is shunned by all other the other teens for doing so. She begins to slip into silence and doesn't stand up for herself. She even tries to warn her former friend that her boyfriend is the one who raped her... however she is not believed. This act alone, though, gives her courage. Over the course of the story and with some help from her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, she begins a road of recovery. She begins to become confident in her self again.

__**Curriculum Connection**__: **Grades:** 11-12; **SL.11-12.3:** Evaluate a speaker's point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence in rhetoric, assessing the stance, premises, links among ideas, word choice, points of view, emphasis, and tone used.

__**Classroom Activity**:__ This book was written in diary (First person) format and contains a straight line view into the thoughts of the main character. I feel that it would be appropriate to create a Open-Minded Portrait for this character. It allows the student to illustrate what the character might be feeling on the outside and thinking on the inside. I feel that it would be a neat thing to create digitally for students to demonstrate the ideas and points of view of Melinda.

Anderson, L. H. (1999). //Speak//. New York, New York: Penguin Group.

__ISBN: 0-14-340732-1__


 * Title**__: The Thirteenth Tale__
 * Author:** Setterfield
 * Award**: Alex Awards
 * Genre**: Fiction/ Fantasy?
 * Summary**: This story follows Margaret Lea as she is invited to write a biography of the famous Vida Winter. Vida wrote a collection of tales called __The Thirteen Tales of Change and Desperation__... however there were really only twelve tales and many people wondered why. However, Vida is an eccentric character who has continuously made up different tales of her life. Now, though, she wants Margaret to tell the real story on her terms and without interruption. After beginning and then doing some of her own digging, Margaret unearths a tale that is rather... well, ghostly. There are some very adult themes present in this book. Very interesting story but one, I felt, you must pay attention to details in.
 * Curriculum Connection**: **Grades** 11-12 **RL.11-12.1:** Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
 * Classroom Activity**: Wikibooks (Strategy 23: Developing Content Area Literacy ): Just as Margaret is doing in the book, encourage students in small groups, to create a collaborative biography of Vida based upon the information given in the book and inferences drawn. The biography must have textual evidence to support their writing.

Setterfield, D. (2006). //The thirteenth tale//. New York, NY: Washington Square Press.

__ISBN: 978-0-7432-9803-2__




 * Title**__:__ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Author**: J.K. Rowling
 * Speaker**: Jim Dale
 * Award**__: Odyssey Awards__
 * Genre**__: Fantasy__
 * Summary**__:__ I must come out and admit it- I have a problem with series books. I never want to read the last one because it means that world is over and I will need some time to relish in the finality of it. I haven't even watched the last movie (Sad for a Potter fan, I know). However, when I do, it means that the characters I have loved are gone. (It's the same with __Mockingjay__ for the Hunger Games Series! My friends think I am nuts... oh well.). With this in mind, when I saw that __Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows__ had received an honor for an Odyssey Award, I knew that is the one I had to listen to. It was time.

__Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows__ opens after Dumbledore's Death when Harry is being released from the magical protection of his Aunt and Uncle's house since he is turning seventeen. After leaving this protection, his friends in the Order of the Phoenix come to the rescue to take him somewhere safe. Throughout the book, there are many plot twists and turns including looking for the several Horcrucx's hidden throughout the wizarding world. Each Horcrucx has a piece of Voldemort's soul within and they must be found and destroyed in order to truly destroy Voldemort. Within the story, Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic and the battle for good and evil ensues, eventually taking place within Hogwarts. This story ends, much better than I thought it would, with a flash forward, however it left me in tears knowing it was the end. I don't, however, feel I could have found a better way for it to end. Jim Dale did an extraordinary job with this tale. I had never listened to one of the Potter books through an audio book, but felt it was an extraordinary experience. Each character had an amazing voice of their own which was so strong throughout the entire book. At the same time, the emotion was so incredibly strong and was easily demonstrated. I found myself actually wanting to be in the car and drive or even just on my iPod and clean, just to see how it ended. This man did an amazing job with the story. Kudos, Jim Dale.


 * Curriculum Connection**: **Grade** 8: **RL.8.7:** Analyze the extent to which a filmed or live production of a story or drama stays faithful to or departs from the text or script, evaluating the choices made by the directors or actors.
 * Classroom Activity**: Questioning the Author (Strategy 16: Developing Content Area Literacy). With this activity, and with it being the end of the series, I know that I had a million questions on the text for J.K. Rowling. I would love to read a passage with students and have them develop questions about the text and how she connected it back to previous stories and even word choice. I feel this would be a great activity for developing inferences. I would also like to take a step further and question the director of the movies as to why he filmed the production omitting specific parts and embellishing others. Then, using these ideas, it would be amazing to create a text to movie comparison.

__**ISBN**:__ 978-0739360385

Rowling, J.K. (2007). //Harry potter and the deathly hallows// [Audiobook]. Jim Dale (Speaker). New York, NY: Listening library.



__**Curriculum Connection**: Grade 6: ELA.6.6: Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.__ __**Classroom Activity**:__ Strategy 25: Book Trailers (Developing Content Area Literacy: Pg. 176): Using events from the story and the point of view of Tory, students will create a book trailer which will explain her point of view across the book to promote interest in reading the story.
 * Title**: __Virals__
 * Author**: Reichs
 * Award**: Bluegrass Middle School Award
 * Genre**: Science Fiction
 * Summary**__:__ Tory, a teenager who recently lost her mother, moves in with the father she has never known on a secluded island off of South Carolina. In addition to not knowing her father, Tory must navigate adolescence including a group of "mean girls" and a pseudo Southern Belle step-mother who wants Tory to follow in her debutante footsteps. Meanwhile, Tory makes friends with a group of boys, also Science geeks, who end up exploring the neighboring island together. While exploring, they find a secret lab and wolf puppy who has been caged for medical experimentation. They take the puppy with them. However, this turns out to be a very bad choice. The wolf puppy infects them with an experimental strain of canine parvovirus which can be passed to humans. This turns the teens into a living breathing wolf pack (not in looks, however). They also stumble on decades old murder in the process and learn more about their island than they ever wanted to. The science in this novel is amazing and will draw your male readers for the high paced action and science while also drawing the female readers for a strong independent girl like Tory with real issues that students can relate to (Maybe not the virus/wolf pack part...).

Reichs, K. (2010). //Virals.// New York, NY: Razorbill Publishing.


 * ISBN**: 978-1595144263




 * Title**__: If I Stay__
 * Author**: Forman
 * Award**: Bluegrass High School Award
 * Genre**: Realistic Fiction/Fantasy
 * Summary__:__** Seventeen year old Mia wakes up to a surprise snowday... and with this surprise day off, her parents and brother take off to visit friends. However, a driver crashes into their car and kills her family while leaving Mia in a grave condition. Mia, in an out of body experience, follows along and watches what happens during that day, unable to communicate with those that she loves. However, Mia, amid memories, must decide should she stay in this life, or if she should go?

__**Curriculum Connection**:__ **Grades** 9-10 **W.9-10.3(d)**: Use precise words and phrases, telling details and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting and/or characters. __**Classroom Activity**:__ Radio Reading (Strategy 9: Developing Content Area Literacy ). Prior to the end of the book, in small groups, students will create a short script for the news about the accident Mia's family was in and tries to inform and persuade Mia to stay or leave based upon their group's opinion.

Forman, G. (2009). //If I stay.// New York, NY: Speak Publishing.

__**ISBN**:__ 978-0142415436




 * Title**__: Mockingjay__
 * Author**: Collins
 * Digital Book**
 * Genre**: Fantasy
 * Summary**__:__ Once again, another story I couldn't bear to read because it would be the end. I've had the book for ages but it sat on my Kindle just waiting. In __Catching Fire__, the story ends with Katniss being pulled from the "75th Annual Hunger Games" and pulled to safety as the symbol of the resistance. She is then pulled into the underground world of District 13 as they plan a revolution on the capital. Meanwhile, Peeta is kept and brutally tortured and brainwashed. He eventually returns and is not the same. However, they commence upon the capital with plans to execute President Snow and plan to take back their government. This book, although it was fabulous, I felt that too political and contained too much graphic violence (Prior books did not go into as much detail where violence was concerned. The part of the story where body parts were described flying through the air in detail was more for adults). It borders more on the genre of Adult Fantasy and, at times, I felt that Collins was doing more writing for her adult audience than the young adults the book is intended for.

__**Curriculum Connection**:__ Grade 8: RL.8.2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text including its relationship to the characters, setting and plot; provide an objective summary of the text. __**Classroom Activity**:__ Strategy 22: Digital Storytelling (In Developing Content Area Literacy pg. 162): A class will be divided into small groups. Each group will be responsible for digitally recreating a 3-5 minute film using iMovie or MS Photostory to reenact a chapter within the story depicting the theme of that chapter. This could be a favorite or assigned chapter. If assigned, students could then place these videos together to recreate the story. This could also be done using Claymation and stop-motion camera.

Collins, S. (2010). //Mockingjay.// New York, NY: Scholastic Press.


 * ISBN**: 978-0439023511




 * Title**__: Hero__
 * Author**: Lupica
 * Digital Book**
 * Award**: Alex Award
 * Genre**: Fantasy
 * Summary**: This book by Mike Lupica, follows Zach as he learns the truth behind his father. Zach thought that his father was a general everyday hero, important to the country and the president. His death is listed as an accident and Zach and his mother are distraught. However, after he dies, Zach knows that his father, who was an excellent pilot, did not die on his own account. Zach begins to dig and learns more about his father than he ever dreamed. Through some magic of a Morgan Silver Dollar, Zach is able to do things that are worthy of comic books and he will stop at nothing to learn the truth, as well as who it is really telling the truth.


 * Curriculum Connection**: **Grade** 6 **RL.6.3:** Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot moves towards a revolution.


 * Classroom Activity**: After reading this story, have students develop a series of six "graphic novel" type illistrations/text of how Zach changes over the course of the story due to events that occur.

Lupica, M. (2010). //Hero.// New York, NY: Philomel.


 * ISBN**: 978-0399252839




 * Title**: __Bootleg__
 * Author**: Blumenthal
 * Award**: YALSA Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction (Honor)
 * Genre**: Non-Fiction
 * Summary**: Being from the Cincinnati area, an area that was affected largely through prohibition, I felt that Bootleg would be an interesting read. I was correct. The book begins with the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre and follows the timeline from the beginning of prohibition to the end. It discussed the political movements involved and the ways that alcohol was still involved in American society during prohibition (on the sly, of course). The end of the book discusses the ongoing battle against alcohol, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), and Red Ribbon Week.

Classroom Activity:
 * Curriculum Connection**: **Grades** 11-12 **RI.11-12.7:** Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.


 * Classroom Activity:** Using a Web 2.0 Presentation Tool (Such as Prezi), have students evaluate multiple sources regarding prohibition and create a multi-media timeline of the era and people involved.

Blumenthal, K. (2011). //Bootleg: murder, moonshine, and the lawless years of prohibition.// New York, NY: Roaring Book Press.


 * ISBN**//:// 978-1596434493