Title: Seventeen
Editor-in-Chief: Ann Shoket
Publisher: New York, NY: Heart Magazines
ISSN: 0037301X
http://www.seventeen.com
Summary: In publication since 1944, Seventeen has been a standby in teen magazine's for decades. Covering topics from beauty and health to boys and careers, teens are sure to be able to locate subjects of interest in each issue. $2.99 per issue from the newstand. Subscription of 12 issues for $10.
Critical Evaluation: Thoughtfully laid out, and with every detail clearly defined, Seventeen is probably the best of the magazines available especially for teens. It has fun quizzes and information on fashion, etc, but also contains more mature material such as teens finding their own images on the Internet after break-ups, internship nightmares, etc.
Editor Information: Ann Shocket keeps her own blog on the Seventeen website, but there is limited information available about her, beyond that she adores David Beckham, Adrian Grenier, Cherry Chapstick, and modern art. She is also to be found on the television series, America's Next Top Model.
Grades/Ages
Grades 8-12/Ages 13-19
Challenge Issues
Potential for trouble with younger teens looking at articles for the seventeen, and older, crowd. Would relate to parents or administrators that issues are not to be swept under the rug, and seeing them detailed in a reliable source is preferable to content to be found from young sources or often those on the Internet.
Why did you choose this book?
I chose this magazine because Seventeen has been in circulation so long, and appears to still be going strong, despite competition like Teen Vogue. I wanted to find a magazine for teens that contained topics more than just music, fashion, and celebrities.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
EBSCOhost (Database)
EBSCOhost. (2010). Birmingham, AL: EBSCO Industries, Inc.
http://web.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/search?vid=1&hid=106&sid=843656dc-bcd7-41da-9b1b-d7fd6aa5005d%40sessionmgr110
•Covers
Makes readily available over three hundred full text databases, as well as secondary databases.
•Critical Evaluation
Searches can be basic, advanced or even visual, making this one the most flexible databases on the web. Ready access to an array of popular databases, including Academic Search Premier (widely used in high schools and colleges), as well as GeoRef, ERIC, and PsychInfo, make this an ideal database for campuses and individuals that cannot afford to pay a lot of subscription costs to get current information.
•Genre
Subscription Database
•Curriculum Ties
History
English
Science
Social Science
Government
Psychology
Geology
Religion
•Booktalking Ideas
Research papers, ERIC documents
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 10-12/Ages 15-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I wanted to include one database that has a good all-around feel, where teens can access information in many different ways, and in many subjects without having to change databases. I have keeping track at work of what the teacher use a great deal, and they tend to rely on ProQuest and EBSCO (with ready access to Academic Search Premier).
http://web.ebscohost.com.libaccess.sjlibrary.org/ehost/search?vid=1&hid=106&sid=843656dc-bcd7-41da-9b1b-d7fd6aa5005d%40sessionmgr110
•Covers
Makes readily available over three hundred full text databases, as well as secondary databases.
•Critical Evaluation
Searches can be basic, advanced or even visual, making this one the most flexible databases on the web. Ready access to an array of popular databases, including Academic Search Premier (widely used in high schools and colleges), as well as GeoRef, ERIC, and PsychInfo, make this an ideal database for campuses and individuals that cannot afford to pay a lot of subscription costs to get current information.
•Genre
Subscription Database
•Curriculum Ties
History
English
Science
Social Science
Government
Psychology
Geology
Religion
•Booktalking Ideas
Research papers, ERIC documents
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 10-12/Ages 15-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I wanted to include one database that has a good all-around feel, where teens can access information in many different ways, and in many subjects without having to change databases. I have keeping track at work of what the teacher use a great deal, and they tend to rely on ProQuest and EBSCO (with ready access to Academic Search Premier).
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Butterfly Boy
Gonzalez, Rigoberto. (2006). Butterfly Boy: Memoirs of a Chicano Mariposa. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.
ISBN-10: 0299219003
•Plot Summary
Rigoberto is nineteen, but has a lover twenty years his senior. His lover places butterfly marks on Rigoberto with his teeth, a symbol that the younger man likes because it does remind him of the monarchs that were a party of his childhood, one of the few happy parts for a boy that is a marisposa, a butterfly, gay. Born in Bakersfield, because his mother wanted him to be United States citizen, his parents work the fields between Los Angeles and the region Mexican region of Zacapu, where his father's parents live. Rigoberto spend much of his time with his mother, although she is not always kind to him. She is better than the alternatives of his alcoholic father, and his tyrannical, paternal grandfather. His brother makes fun of him, because he plays with dolls, and soon he learns that becoming absorb in books keeps him away from the bullies, both inside his own home, and at school. When he experiments with his mothers clothing and nail polish, his father walks in, but turns to leave as if nothing ever happened. Indeed, his entire nineteen years have passed without it being mentioned by anyone in his family. He has been attending the University of Riverside on a scholarship, although his father had initially tried to stop him from going. Now, the two are on a four-day bus ride, going to Zacapu. Rigoberto's mother died when he was eleven, and she was buried in the area. His father remarried not long after, leaving his sons with his parents, something for which Rigoberto can never forgive him. Their conversations alternate between semi amicable, and Rigoberto seething, only wanting his father to shut up. They part ways in the city, and after a brief visit to the grave (to which he brings red gladiolas), he visits his grandparents and father, giving his father the remainder of his money. Using his credit card, he returns to Riverside, and the abusive lover. For two days he waits for the man to contact him again, and when he does, they board a ship of older men with their younger boyfriends. Rigoberto is "Mexican", so they make him serve drinks, and days later another fight erupts. This time, the lover has used hit Rigoberto with the phone, knocking him unconscious. The boy thinks back to how his mother, and how to her, he was always mijo. Her son, and although he felt she knew he was homosexual, she did not speak of it either. The door closes by the lover's hand, and after decades of affairs with married farmers, closet schoolboys, and other such "relationships", Rigoberto is determined to find something better.
•Critical Evaluation
Despite the level of violence and sadness, this work is somehow peaceful. There is a quietness, a sensitivity to Gonzalez's work, that is in keeping with his title, mariposa, butterfly. Although we realize that he will probably never reconcile with his father, their sometimes casual relationship is grounds for hope that he will find peace with their existence, and also find love that doesn't involve tyranny.
•Reader’s Annotation
Graphic content is mainly restricted to the final chapters, but may be considered too extreme for younger teens.
•Information about the author
Rigoberto Gonzalez has written books of poetry, and two books for children. He has received the Guggenheim and NEA Fellowships, as well as international residencies for artists, and served on the Advisory Circle of Con Tinta (coalition of Latino/Chicano writers). Currently, he lives in New York City.
•Genre
Autobiography
•Curriculum Ties
Social Science
•Booktalking Ideas
Field works from Mexico, American immigration, sexual dynamics in Mexico, homosexuality
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 1-12/Ages 17-19
•Challenge Issues
The homosexual relationships in this book are limited in their number, but are graphic enough to warrant care. As a defense, it would be suitable to point out that this is not a work of fiction, and therefore has merit in teaching real world situations.
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
All of my books contained caucasion characters, despite the fact I live in Southern California, and only three cities away there is a large population of field workers from Mexico. I wanted to know more about that experience, especially as it pertained to a young, gay male.
ISBN-10: 0299219003
•Plot Summary
Rigoberto is nineteen, but has a lover twenty years his senior. His lover places butterfly marks on Rigoberto with his teeth, a symbol that the younger man likes because it does remind him of the monarchs that were a party of his childhood, one of the few happy parts for a boy that is a marisposa, a butterfly, gay. Born in Bakersfield, because his mother wanted him to be United States citizen, his parents work the fields between Los Angeles and the region Mexican region of Zacapu, where his father's parents live. Rigoberto spend much of his time with his mother, although she is not always kind to him. She is better than the alternatives of his alcoholic father, and his tyrannical, paternal grandfather. His brother makes fun of him, because he plays with dolls, and soon he learns that becoming absorb in books keeps him away from the bullies, both inside his own home, and at school. When he experiments with his mothers clothing and nail polish, his father walks in, but turns to leave as if nothing ever happened. Indeed, his entire nineteen years have passed without it being mentioned by anyone in his family. He has been attending the University of Riverside on a scholarship, although his father had initially tried to stop him from going. Now, the two are on a four-day bus ride, going to Zacapu. Rigoberto's mother died when he was eleven, and she was buried in the area. His father remarried not long after, leaving his sons with his parents, something for which Rigoberto can never forgive him. Their conversations alternate between semi amicable, and Rigoberto seething, only wanting his father to shut up. They part ways in the city, and after a brief visit to the grave (to which he brings red gladiolas), he visits his grandparents and father, giving his father the remainder of his money. Using his credit card, he returns to Riverside, and the abusive lover. For two days he waits for the man to contact him again, and when he does, they board a ship of older men with their younger boyfriends. Rigoberto is "Mexican", so they make him serve drinks, and days later another fight erupts. This time, the lover has used hit Rigoberto with the phone, knocking him unconscious. The boy thinks back to how his mother, and how to her, he was always mijo. Her son, and although he felt she knew he was homosexual, she did not speak of it either. The door closes by the lover's hand, and after decades of affairs with married farmers, closet schoolboys, and other such "relationships", Rigoberto is determined to find something better.
•Critical Evaluation
Despite the level of violence and sadness, this work is somehow peaceful. There is a quietness, a sensitivity to Gonzalez's work, that is in keeping with his title, mariposa, butterfly. Although we realize that he will probably never reconcile with his father, their sometimes casual relationship is grounds for hope that he will find peace with their existence, and also find love that doesn't involve tyranny.
•Reader’s Annotation
Graphic content is mainly restricted to the final chapters, but may be considered too extreme for younger teens.
•Information about the author
Rigoberto Gonzalez has written books of poetry, and two books for children. He has received the Guggenheim and NEA Fellowships, as well as international residencies for artists, and served on the Advisory Circle of Con Tinta (coalition of Latino/Chicano writers). Currently, he lives in New York City.
•Genre
Autobiography
•Curriculum Ties
Social Science
•Booktalking Ideas
Field works from Mexico, American immigration, sexual dynamics in Mexico, homosexuality
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 1-12/Ages 17-19
•Challenge Issues
The homosexual relationships in this book are limited in their number, but are graphic enough to warrant care. As a defense, it would be suitable to point out that this is not a work of fiction, and therefore has merit in teaching real world situations.
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
All of my books contained caucasion characters, despite the fact I live in Southern California, and only three cities away there is a large population of field workers from Mexico. I wanted to know more about that experience, especially as it pertained to a young, gay male.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
The Society of S
Hubbard, S. (2007). The Society of S. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Paperbacks.
ISBN-13: 9781416534570
ISBN-13: 9781416534570
•Plot Summary
Ari Montero has always had a different life than kids her own age. For one thing, her mother disappeared only a few days after she was born, and no one seems to know why. She's been home schooled due to her health, which borders on anemia, and her father has lupus. Still, for all that, Ari has always been happy with her father, and he's given her the best classical education available. She does not truly miss not having a television, jeans or the other things that most teens covet, at least not until she begins making friends with the housekeeper's children, especially Kathleen. The two girls become fast friends, both able to offer the other a piece of an existence never had before, and Ari becomes romantically linked to Kathleen's older brother, Michael. Everything goes smoothly, until Kathleen is murdered, and there aren't any likely suspects. The FBI has become involved in the investigation, because Kathleen had begun dressing differently, and was a participant in a live action role playing game with vampires and werewolves, and with young people that the authorities might be part of a cult. As a result, Ari and Michael can no longer speak freely, and Ari has a new need to understand her background. Her father, Raphael, is a vampire. Tales of coffins, shapeshifting, and stakes through the heart are nonsense. Being capable of invisibility is due to physics, not the supernatural, vampires simply having more control over their molecular composition than humans have. Their forgetting to lessen the effect results in their often being blurry, or absent, from mirrors or photographs. Vampires are each drawn to certain types of patterns, like paisley or stripes, some encountering a form of dyslexia around patterns to which they aren't attuned. They eat food, usually meats, and colors have individual scents. Shortly after his wedding, Ari's mother had encouraged him to go to England for his work, and he'd been turned by Malcolm, one of his colleagues. His own colleague, Dennis, had been with the family for years. Ari had believed him to only be her father's research assistant, working to create medical cures for blood diseases, but in fact helps her father keep his own condition a secret. Ari's mother, Sara, had had a difficult pregnancy, and Raphael had refused to make her a vampire. She would have been the only mortal, because she already knew Ari had inherited her father's condition. Excited by her new knowledge, Ari tracks her mother to Homossasa, FL, able to do so because her mother believes the letter "S" to be lucky-she always looked for the letter in her daily life as a sign. Sara has become a vampire, and explains that Malcolm made her into one, for agreeing to stay away from Raphael and Ari. She is a horse breeder and bee keeper, living in a town primarily composed of other vampires who live off commercial blood substitutes and food additives. News arrives that Ari's father is dead, which she does believe, and the two trace Raphael to Saratoga Springs. He has entered into new dealings with Malcolm, because Raphael (now known as Arthur Gordon Pym) wants to keep an eye on his maker, while Dennis pleads with Ari to make him a vampire too. Malcolm and Dennis had been the ones to smuggle Sara away, and for it, Raphael tells them both to leave. It's established that Malcolm murdered Kathleen, and he also tries to burn down the condo where Raphael and Ari are staying, despite being in love with Raphael. Sara returns to her regular home in order to retrieve her possessions, before the arrival of Hurricane Barry. The hurricane does wipe out much of the area, but Ari is reunited with her parents, whether or not they choose to become a couple once more. The FBI investigator on the case makes a visit, and Ari accomplishes throwing him off course, and embarks on keeping a journal of what it means to be a vampire.
•Critical Evaluation
Hard to make an objective evaluation of this novel. So much of what was written in it, spoke to me. I rarely read fiction, but when I do, it's almost always a novel of mystery or about vampires. The affinity for Poe, especially Annabelle Lee (which I used to construct my daughter's name), and several other of Raphael and Ari's favorites authors, is here. The fondness for the letter "S" is one I share, and use often in my own role playing game (online), due to my character's name. The loss of a mother at an early age, and not truly understanding the "whys" of the situation, especially knowing she is still alive-just not coming back. The attachment to bees, because my own name means "honeybee".
Still, the references to literature in this novel are many, and therefore make it more readable for younger teens of advanced learning, and older teens. The plot line is tight, and Ari is a smart girl, with good sense of self. The ethics of the family are sound, and this novel is the first in a series called "The Ethical Vampires" series.
•Reader’s Annotation
Suitable for readers that possess a solid background in literature, because many of the references that are used as plot ties, simply won't make sense without an understanding of the individual bodies of work.
•Information about the author
Susan Hubbard was born in New York, but currently lives in Florida with her husband. She is now a professor of creative writing at the University of Central Florida, and in 1999, won a Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize for best prose book by an American woman. In addition to her position at UCF, she had been given teaching awards from Syracuse and Cornell universities.
The sequel to The Society of S, The Year of Disappearances, was released in May 2008. A third volume in the series, entitled The Season of Risks, is scheduled to be released this year. Susan is part of the Anam Cara Writer's and Artist's Retreat, and will be teaching classes in Ireland this year as well.
•Genre
Fantasy
•Curriculum Ties
Biology
Folktales
Literature
•Booktalking Ideas
Vampires, literary references in teen fiction, physic's role in folklore
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 10-12/Ages 15-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
This was one of the first books I picked up for this course, but one of the last I read. I think it's because I knew, somehow, that this one was going to be special (maybe with a capital "S"). The idea of a coming-of-age vampire story intrigued me. As someone who was appalled by the lack of real content (particularly literary or historical) in the "other teen vampire series", I was glad to see it present here.
Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales
Aiken, J., Anderson, M., Gaiman, N., Kiernan, C., Maguire, G., Nix, G., Rees, C., ...Yourgrau, B. (2006). Gothic! Ten Original Dark Tales. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
ISBN-10: 0763627372
ISBN-13: 9780763627379
•Plot Summary
Lungewater-While on the way to visit Aunt Theodosia, a young narrator meets an old gentleman who regales the narrator with a tale about Count Boyanus. Boyanus had fallen in love with a woman, and sent her poetry via his slave, Stiva. The serf had been given instructions to always use the shortest route, but taken a long one instead, since it was safer. Despite his poetry, the Count was unsuccessful in his pursuit, and the woman had three daughters in as many years-Noelle, Christina, and one unknown. Stiva was followed by the Count on his way to deliver the final poem, and drowned when forced to take the shorter route. The old man telling the tale was Stiva's brother, the information passed to him by a young man that had befriended Stiva, who also passed on due to a wound. The Count was believed to have drowned as well, and when the old and narrator arrive at the house of the Count's former love, it is revealed that Aunt Theodosia was the third daughter. Her mother had never read the poems, and Theodosia burns all three to finish the tale.
Morgan Roehmer's Boys-Ashley works as a set designer and cast member of a Halloween fright farm. About to begin her shift as usual, bad weather sets in, and over her headphones she is told to take refuge in the barn. Alone, Ashley's imagination begins to run wild, as the site once belonged to a farm where Morgan Roehmer murdered and hid several young men, later uncovered and buried. As the evening progresses, Ashley encounters a spectre, a young man that says he's still on the property, buried under the porch. Believing him, and his statement that he can fix her broken headphones, she gives him the device. But the boy is not what he appears, and the clever ghost of Morgan Roehmer strangles Ashley, becoming stronger each time he kills-so he can maintain the appearance he had at seventeen.
Watch and Wake-Jim is on the way home, although his parents don't know it. Lacking funds, he stops in a restaurant, and asks if there is B&B anywhere close by. His plan is to call his parents, and have them pay the bill so he can sleep. While eating a sandwich, he is told he'll be paid to watch a corpse through the night. Agreeable, Jim is introduced to the man's family, including his grieving wife, Jenn. After the house grows quiet, and Jim is reading, he sees a weasel in the window. Chasing it off, he eventually falls asleep. Jenn wakes him up in the morning, telling him that weasel are witches, but bears are the worst. On his way out of town, Jim sees the mourning party for the funeral, including the professional mourners and necromancer. The necromancer awakens the husband, who is also named Jim, and explains that Jenn poisoned him. She also killed the younger Jim in his sleep, and quickly the young man's facial features are being torn away. They are only wax.
Forbidden Brides...of Dread Desire-Amelia Earnshawe, like any good gothic heroine, is fleeing something in the dark when she comes upon a residence that might provide refuge. Admitted into the house, she comes to understand her destiny, and helps to discover the dead body of the house's former owner-dead no less than a century, Amelia attests, after sticking her finger into the goo that remains of his decaying body, and licks the goo off. Except that Amelia is not real. She is a a real accounting, of real life, by a woeful young man that feels his writing is not what it should be. When his older brother, thought dead already, comes to reclaim his estate, the estate enter into a heated sword fight. Watching the contest, a human skull and a raven. The young runs his brother through, and in so doing, receives only half finished warnings of things most dire. The older brother is given to the butler for burial, and the raven asks the young man if he enjoys writing the sorts of tales he's been writing. If writing fantasy might not be better than writing what is real, but the young man insists otherwise, and the raven says he will comment "Nevermore," flying away. From there, the butler explains to the scullery maid that she must never repeat what he tells her...and ghouls wait for the brides Amelia will be delivering to them, with a side of breadsticks.
The Dead and the Moonstruck-Jane Starling is a changeling, chosen by The Cuckoo to be plucked from Providence, and taken below. For eight years, she has been studying for her Three Confirmations, the only way she will be allowed to live. At night, her mother visits, telling her she is beautiful, and wishing she could have remained at the beach. No one is sure if Jane will pass her Third confirmation, not even her best friend, ghul pup Sorrow. Jane makes her descent to meet the dragon, Nidhogg Rootnibbler, becoming drenched in moonlight. She has passed, and can now live, even if it among monsters.
Have No Fear, Crumpot is Here-Walter has a made up a world of his own, based on a character named Crumpot, one that has a tendency to lead him into scrapes. His father is constantly lecturing Walter about responsibility, and when one too many adventures occur, Walter is sent to stay with friends of the family-the Wilkies. The couple also have a son, whose name is also Walter, a sickly looking little boy in a red velvet jacket that sleeps his days away. When the Wilkies' babysitter can't come over one evening, Walter is given the responsibility. He loses track of time, however, and realizes it's already dark outside once he's aware again. Seeing a man and his son outside, he calls to them, but stops when he's confronted by a strangely beautiful girl he'd seen only days before. She claims Walter Wilkie is a vampire, and gives Walter the tools to kill the little boy, just moments before he's bitten.
Stone Tower-As far back as she can remember, Tara has been cold in the tower. A voice tells her to go to bed, to get up and go to school, to dress, to eat. She can't recall how she used to dress or the names of people she realizes she ought to know. Fleeing from the world outside, she can only run back to her tower prison. Memories are coming back to her, a lullaby that used to be sung to Tara when she was little, a distinguished man who became harder and harder to understand-her father. A raven has been appearing at her window, its feathers left on the windowsill, until one morning she finds several that are bloody. Tara had been hiding from her father, she could now remember, and the raven is Jeremy-the missing boy that Tara had been dating, the one her father told her she could not see again. Defiant, she jumps from her tower, and finds the raven. The cold melts away, and the missing boy is in her arms, the two finally warm.
The Prank-Melanie has been charged with a hate crime, but as a teenager, she is released into the custody of her Aunt Beryl. The woman is old, and it's only in this visit that Melanie finds out that Beryl is her Great Aunt, her mother's aunt. She's never been married, and Melanie wonders if she might have been a lesbian, the type of woman that Melanie had hit with an iron bar nine times. Beryl drills her on the crime committed, and Melanie breaks into the attic because Beryl tells her not to, finding the still-living sister that Beryl hasn't mentioned. What's more, she's been preserved at the same age she was when Beryl committed her own hate crime-placing rat poison in her food. Now she is half rat, but Melanies frees her from the bed where Beryl has had her tied, and the three are also all released from their hate.
Writing on the Wall-Mark Banks found the house one day, and made an offer over the phone. It has Victorian charm, and he wasn't as sensitive to the paranormal as his son, Sam. As the renovations of the old home begin, a Witch's bottle is found over the door, and a cat's corpse in the fireplace. They are methods of protection, and with the items taken away, history is on the verge of repeating itself. The son of Mark's contractor, Tom, has developed a crush on Katie Banks (Mark's daughter). In the span of only a few days, the crush has become something more, and Sam is seeing visions in Katie's room. A girl that the family discovers fell to her death, pushed when she spurned the advances of a young man of which her father didn't approve. Katie has peeled away layers of her wallpaper, and revealed a message pleading with Kate to go. Believing it is a message for someone else, she is not prepared when Tom arrives in her room, bent on getting revenge for Katie not being already in love with him. When Mark and Sam arrive, Tom is dead on the floor of Katie's room, and she still has the chisel in her hand.
Endings-It is a simple ending, to a very long story. His two swords rest in a chair, Joy and Sorrow. That is not their real names, and for a moment he recalls their mother, now long dead. But he is not dead, is somewhere between dead and alive. A young hero came to the house, and chose Sorrow, killing the real daughters. Now, all that remains is the owner of the two swords. A second youth arrives, too young to be a hero, but he has chosen Joy. Once through the heart, and then across the throat, it is all that is required to finally have the swords' owner finally have Joy.
•Critical Evaluation
A fantastic treat, gothic stories, not horror. There are moments of whimsy and dry humor, but all intertwined into the overall gothic tapestry.
•Reader’s Annotation
Suitable for all teens, and intricate enough to even intrigue those that tend to enjoy more bite to their fantasy tales.
•Genre
Short Stories, Gothic Fiction
•Curriculum Ties
English
History
Folktales
•Booktalking Ideas
Halloween, the Gothic novel, Poe, Byron, Polidori, Neil Gaiman fans
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-12/Ages 14-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I have always been a huge fan of gothic novels, the kind with the estate on a moor, and a brooding figure that might kill as easily as turn out a hero. This collection of short stories was, hands down, my favorite of the books I chose for this course.
ISBN-10: 0763627372
ISBN-13: 9780763627379
•Plot Summary
Lungewater-While on the way to visit Aunt Theodosia, a young narrator meets an old gentleman who regales the narrator with a tale about Count Boyanus. Boyanus had fallen in love with a woman, and sent her poetry via his slave, Stiva. The serf had been given instructions to always use the shortest route, but taken a long one instead, since it was safer. Despite his poetry, the Count was unsuccessful in his pursuit, and the woman had three daughters in as many years-Noelle, Christina, and one unknown. Stiva was followed by the Count on his way to deliver the final poem, and drowned when forced to take the shorter route. The old man telling the tale was Stiva's brother, the information passed to him by a young man that had befriended Stiva, who also passed on due to a wound. The Count was believed to have drowned as well, and when the old and narrator arrive at the house of the Count's former love, it is revealed that Aunt Theodosia was the third daughter. Her mother had never read the poems, and Theodosia burns all three to finish the tale.
Morgan Roehmer's Boys-Ashley works as a set designer and cast member of a Halloween fright farm. About to begin her shift as usual, bad weather sets in, and over her headphones she is told to take refuge in the barn. Alone, Ashley's imagination begins to run wild, as the site once belonged to a farm where Morgan Roehmer murdered and hid several young men, later uncovered and buried. As the evening progresses, Ashley encounters a spectre, a young man that says he's still on the property, buried under the porch. Believing him, and his statement that he can fix her broken headphones, she gives him the device. But the boy is not what he appears, and the clever ghost of Morgan Roehmer strangles Ashley, becoming stronger each time he kills-so he can maintain the appearance he had at seventeen.
Watch and Wake-Jim is on the way home, although his parents don't know it. Lacking funds, he stops in a restaurant, and asks if there is B&B anywhere close by. His plan is to call his parents, and have them pay the bill so he can sleep. While eating a sandwich, he is told he'll be paid to watch a corpse through the night. Agreeable, Jim is introduced to the man's family, including his grieving wife, Jenn. After the house grows quiet, and Jim is reading, he sees a weasel in the window. Chasing it off, he eventually falls asleep. Jenn wakes him up in the morning, telling him that weasel are witches, but bears are the worst. On his way out of town, Jim sees the mourning party for the funeral, including the professional mourners and necromancer. The necromancer awakens the husband, who is also named Jim, and explains that Jenn poisoned him. She also killed the younger Jim in his sleep, and quickly the young man's facial features are being torn away. They are only wax.
Forbidden Brides...of Dread Desire-Amelia Earnshawe, like any good gothic heroine, is fleeing something in the dark when she comes upon a residence that might provide refuge. Admitted into the house, she comes to understand her destiny, and helps to discover the dead body of the house's former owner-dead no less than a century, Amelia attests, after sticking her finger into the goo that remains of his decaying body, and licks the goo off. Except that Amelia is not real. She is a a real accounting, of real life, by a woeful young man that feels his writing is not what it should be. When his older brother, thought dead already, comes to reclaim his estate, the estate enter into a heated sword fight. Watching the contest, a human skull and a raven. The young runs his brother through, and in so doing, receives only half finished warnings of things most dire. The older brother is given to the butler for burial, and the raven asks the young man if he enjoys writing the sorts of tales he's been writing. If writing fantasy might not be better than writing what is real, but the young man insists otherwise, and the raven says he will comment "Nevermore," flying away. From there, the butler explains to the scullery maid that she must never repeat what he tells her...and ghouls wait for the brides Amelia will be delivering to them, with a side of breadsticks.
The Dead and the Moonstruck-Jane Starling is a changeling, chosen by The Cuckoo to be plucked from Providence, and taken below. For eight years, she has been studying for her Three Confirmations, the only way she will be allowed to live. At night, her mother visits, telling her she is beautiful, and wishing she could have remained at the beach. No one is sure if Jane will pass her Third confirmation, not even her best friend, ghul pup Sorrow. Jane makes her descent to meet the dragon, Nidhogg Rootnibbler, becoming drenched in moonlight. She has passed, and can now live, even if it among monsters.
Have No Fear, Crumpot is Here-Walter has a made up a world of his own, based on a character named Crumpot, one that has a tendency to lead him into scrapes. His father is constantly lecturing Walter about responsibility, and when one too many adventures occur, Walter is sent to stay with friends of the family-the Wilkies. The couple also have a son, whose name is also Walter, a sickly looking little boy in a red velvet jacket that sleeps his days away. When the Wilkies' babysitter can't come over one evening, Walter is given the responsibility. He loses track of time, however, and realizes it's already dark outside once he's aware again. Seeing a man and his son outside, he calls to them, but stops when he's confronted by a strangely beautiful girl he'd seen only days before. She claims Walter Wilkie is a vampire, and gives Walter the tools to kill the little boy, just moments before he's bitten.
Stone Tower-As far back as she can remember, Tara has been cold in the tower. A voice tells her to go to bed, to get up and go to school, to dress, to eat. She can't recall how she used to dress or the names of people she realizes she ought to know. Fleeing from the world outside, she can only run back to her tower prison. Memories are coming back to her, a lullaby that used to be sung to Tara when she was little, a distinguished man who became harder and harder to understand-her father. A raven has been appearing at her window, its feathers left on the windowsill, until one morning she finds several that are bloody. Tara had been hiding from her father, she could now remember, and the raven is Jeremy-the missing boy that Tara had been dating, the one her father told her she could not see again. Defiant, she jumps from her tower, and finds the raven. The cold melts away, and the missing boy is in her arms, the two finally warm.
The Prank-Melanie has been charged with a hate crime, but as a teenager, she is released into the custody of her Aunt Beryl. The woman is old, and it's only in this visit that Melanie finds out that Beryl is her Great Aunt, her mother's aunt. She's never been married, and Melanie wonders if she might have been a lesbian, the type of woman that Melanie had hit with an iron bar nine times. Beryl drills her on the crime committed, and Melanie breaks into the attic because Beryl tells her not to, finding the still-living sister that Beryl hasn't mentioned. What's more, she's been preserved at the same age she was when Beryl committed her own hate crime-placing rat poison in her food. Now she is half rat, but Melanies frees her from the bed where Beryl has had her tied, and the three are also all released from their hate.
Writing on the Wall-Mark Banks found the house one day, and made an offer over the phone. It has Victorian charm, and he wasn't as sensitive to the paranormal as his son, Sam. As the renovations of the old home begin, a Witch's bottle is found over the door, and a cat's corpse in the fireplace. They are methods of protection, and with the items taken away, history is on the verge of repeating itself. The son of Mark's contractor, Tom, has developed a crush on Katie Banks (Mark's daughter). In the span of only a few days, the crush has become something more, and Sam is seeing visions in Katie's room. A girl that the family discovers fell to her death, pushed when she spurned the advances of a young man of which her father didn't approve. Katie has peeled away layers of her wallpaper, and revealed a message pleading with Kate to go. Believing it is a message for someone else, she is not prepared when Tom arrives in her room, bent on getting revenge for Katie not being already in love with him. When Mark and Sam arrive, Tom is dead on the floor of Katie's room, and she still has the chisel in her hand.
Endings-It is a simple ending, to a very long story. His two swords rest in a chair, Joy and Sorrow. That is not their real names, and for a moment he recalls their mother, now long dead. But he is not dead, is somewhere between dead and alive. A young hero came to the house, and chose Sorrow, killing the real daughters. Now, all that remains is the owner of the two swords. A second youth arrives, too young to be a hero, but he has chosen Joy. Once through the heart, and then across the throat, it is all that is required to finally have the swords' owner finally have Joy.
•Critical Evaluation
A fantastic treat, gothic stories, not horror. There are moments of whimsy and dry humor, but all intertwined into the overall gothic tapestry.
•Reader’s Annotation
Suitable for all teens, and intricate enough to even intrigue those that tend to enjoy more bite to their fantasy tales.
•Genre
Short Stories, Gothic Fiction
•Curriculum Ties
English
History
Folktales
•Booktalking Ideas
Halloween, the Gothic novel, Poe, Byron, Polidori, Neil Gaiman fans
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-12/Ages 14-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I have always been a huge fan of gothic novels, the kind with the estate on a moor, and a brooding figure that might kill as easily as turn out a hero. This collection of short stories was, hands down, my favorite of the books I chose for this course.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
M (Magazine)
Title: M
Editor-in-Chief: Molly MacDermot
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Bauer Media Group, Inc.
ISSN: 15339149
http://www.mmm-mag.com
Summary: Upbeat and funky teen magazine, primarily geared toward music, movies, and fashion. The M stands for "musics, movies, and more", topics upon which the magazine does indeed give you bang for your buck (or rather your $3.99). 10 monthly volumes, at a subscription rate of $14.97.
Critical Evaluation: While the amount of information in the magazine is considerable, the flashy colors, continuous blurbs of content, and lack of continuity in design makes reading this magazine rather difficult. Teens will no doubt like the dozens of photos of their favorite stars, and the posters that are included in each issue. For teens that are looking for good articles, there may be disappointed, as even the topics such as animal rescue are limited to only a few paragraphs.
Editor Information: Molly MacDermot started her career at The New Yorker, and has also worked for Marie Claire and Redbook publications. Molly was one of the creators, and editors, of J-14, a magazine very similar to M in terms of its content and layout. She has also been a guest on MTV, VH1, and Inside Edition.
She launched M in 2001. Since that time, it has become the fastest growing teen entertainment magazine.
Grades/Ages
Grades 6-11/Ages 11-16
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why did you choose this book?
I chose this magazine because I hadn't seen it on the shelves before. Unlike the old standbys, Seventeen, J-14, and Teen Vogue, I thought this one might have something new to offer.
Editor-in-Chief: Molly MacDermot
Publisher: Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Bauer Media Group, Inc.
ISSN: 15339149
http://www.mmm-mag.com
Summary: Upbeat and funky teen magazine, primarily geared toward music, movies, and fashion. The M stands for "musics, movies, and more", topics upon which the magazine does indeed give you bang for your buck (or rather your $3.99). 10 monthly volumes, at a subscription rate of $14.97.
Critical Evaluation: While the amount of information in the magazine is considerable, the flashy colors, continuous blurbs of content, and lack of continuity in design makes reading this magazine rather difficult. Teens will no doubt like the dozens of photos of their favorite stars, and the posters that are included in each issue. For teens that are looking for good articles, there may be disappointed, as even the topics such as animal rescue are limited to only a few paragraphs.
Editor Information: Molly MacDermot started her career at The New Yorker, and has also worked for Marie Claire and Redbook publications. Molly was one of the creators, and editors, of J-14, a magazine very similar to M in terms of its content and layout. She has also been a guest on MTV, VH1, and Inside Edition.
She launched M in 2001. Since that time, it has become the fastest growing teen entertainment magazine.
Grades/Ages
Grades 6-11/Ages 11-16
Challenge Issues
N/A
Why did you choose this book?
I chose this magazine because I hadn't seen it on the shelves before. Unlike the old standbys, Seventeen, J-14, and Teen Vogue, I thought this one might have something new to offer.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
Covey, S. (1998). The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. New York, NY: Fireside Books.
ISBN-10: 0684856093
•Plot Summary
A workbook of instructions on how to be a happy and successful teen, this work is just one of many inheriting from the tradition of the original The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Sean Covey has begun with a series of quotes and examples about lifestyle choices and behaviors that teens allow to become habit, that in turn prevent them from being who they really want to be. Using what he considers Baby Steps, Sean Covey gives teens tried and true methods for changing their habits to more positive ones. Focusing on the concept of remaking their own paradigms, teens learn the problems with allowing their approach to their own lives being things such as pleasing just their parents, seeing success only in materialism, and even being self-centered. In part two, teens learn to keep a Personal Bank Account, a way of keeping track of whether they are spending too much time beating themselves up over certain topics, aren't being honest with themselves, aren't giving themselves time to renew, and not rewarding themselves when it's deserved. Habit i is about being Proactive, turning setbacks into triumphs, taking stock of mental states in order to improve mood, etc. Habit 2 involves Beginning with the End in Mind. Teens learn how to set their sights on what they want in the future, and create personal mission statements, with realistic goals for fulfilling their objectives. Habit 3 is about learning to Prioritize, about learning to use a personal planner, teens realizing when they are outside their comfort zone, and acknowledging milestones. Habit 4 is about thinking Win-Win, about not being a doormat or always seeing things in a negative light, about making healthy comparisons and realizing that not all levels of competition are healthy. Habit 5 involves Seeking First to Understand, and then to be Understood, and explains the principles of listening to (not just hearing) what other people say, placing ones self in the shoes of another, and only then in seeking feedback of ones own beliefs or impressions. Habit 6 deals with learning about how Synergy works, seeing how people learn individually, adapt, and then work together as as group. Habit 7 is potentially the most basic, and possibly the most overlooked, teens taking time out from busy schedules to eat well, get enough sleep, and just relax.
•Critical Evaluation
Light-hearted, but fact, quote, story, and method-packed manual for teens to learn how to be truly successful and happy. Some areas that are meant to be funny may come across as inane to more mature teens, but the stories and anecdotes are often interesting.
•Reader’s Annotation
Probably best for older teens, especially those that have busy parents or have had trouble with things like school or emotional development.
•Information about the author
Sean Covey's father wrote the original version of this manual with adults in mind, and Sean has adapted it for teen audiences. He was born in Ireland, raised in Utah, and has lived in Boston, Dallas, and South Africa. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in English, and from Harvard with an M.A. in Business. He was a quarterback for the BYU football team, and was ESPN's Most Valuable Player in a college team, twice.
Since reaching adulthood, he has worked at several multimedia corporations, including Walt Disney Company. He enjoys movies, working out, dirt bike riding, eating, and along with his wife, Rebecca, is the father of four children. Currently, he is the VP of Retail Stores for Franklin Covey Co., which specializes in materials for individuals interested in leadership.
•Genre
Non-Fiction, Self-Help
•Curriculum Ties
Social Sciences
•Booktalking Ideas
Lifestyles, ethics, improving self-esteem
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 10-12/Ages 15-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I had never read the original version of this book, but was intrigued by the number of stories and anecdotes included in this one for teens to relate to on a more personal level.
ISBN-10: 0684856093
•Plot Summary
A workbook of instructions on how to be a happy and successful teen, this work is just one of many inheriting from the tradition of the original The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Sean Covey has begun with a series of quotes and examples about lifestyle choices and behaviors that teens allow to become habit, that in turn prevent them from being who they really want to be. Using what he considers Baby Steps, Sean Covey gives teens tried and true methods for changing their habits to more positive ones. Focusing on the concept of remaking their own paradigms, teens learn the problems with allowing their approach to their own lives being things such as pleasing just their parents, seeing success only in materialism, and even being self-centered. In part two, teens learn to keep a Personal Bank Account, a way of keeping track of whether they are spending too much time beating themselves up over certain topics, aren't being honest with themselves, aren't giving themselves time to renew, and not rewarding themselves when it's deserved. Habit i is about being Proactive, turning setbacks into triumphs, taking stock of mental states in order to improve mood, etc. Habit 2 involves Beginning with the End in Mind. Teens learn how to set their sights on what they want in the future, and create personal mission statements, with realistic goals for fulfilling their objectives. Habit 3 is about learning to Prioritize, about learning to use a personal planner, teens realizing when they are outside their comfort zone, and acknowledging milestones. Habit 4 is about thinking Win-Win, about not being a doormat or always seeing things in a negative light, about making healthy comparisons and realizing that not all levels of competition are healthy. Habit 5 involves Seeking First to Understand, and then to be Understood, and explains the principles of listening to (not just hearing) what other people say, placing ones self in the shoes of another, and only then in seeking feedback of ones own beliefs or impressions. Habit 6 deals with learning about how Synergy works, seeing how people learn individually, adapt, and then work together as as group. Habit 7 is potentially the most basic, and possibly the most overlooked, teens taking time out from busy schedules to eat well, get enough sleep, and just relax.
•Critical Evaluation
Light-hearted, but fact, quote, story, and method-packed manual for teens to learn how to be truly successful and happy. Some areas that are meant to be funny may come across as inane to more mature teens, but the stories and anecdotes are often interesting.
•Reader’s Annotation
Probably best for older teens, especially those that have busy parents or have had trouble with things like school or emotional development.
•Information about the author
Sean Covey's father wrote the original version of this manual with adults in mind, and Sean has adapted it for teen audiences. He was born in Ireland, raised in Utah, and has lived in Boston, Dallas, and South Africa. He graduated from Brigham Young University with a B.A. in English, and from Harvard with an M.A. in Business. He was a quarterback for the BYU football team, and was ESPN's Most Valuable Player in a college team, twice.
Since reaching adulthood, he has worked at several multimedia corporations, including Walt Disney Company. He enjoys movies, working out, dirt bike riding, eating, and along with his wife, Rebecca, is the father of four children. Currently, he is the VP of Retail Stores for Franklin Covey Co., which specializes in materials for individuals interested in leadership.
•Genre
Non-Fiction, Self-Help
•Curriculum Ties
Social Sciences
•Booktalking Ideas
Lifestyles, ethics, improving self-esteem
•Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 10-12/Ages 15-19
•Challenge Issues
N/A
•Why did you include this book in you’re the titles you selected?
I had never read the original version of this book, but was intrigued by the number of stories and anecdotes included in this one for teens to relate to on a more personal level.
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