Beth+Kibby

Beth K.




 * Book Title:** __Blank Confession__
 * Author:** Pete Hautman
 * Genre:** Contemporary Realistic Fiction
 * Date of Publication:** 2010

Detective George Rawls is five minutes away from the end of his shift, when Shayne Blank confesses to killing someone. Detective Rawls, a former high school teacher and the unofficial “youth crimes” officer, interrogates young Shayne, a teenager who looks twelve, through one narrative in the novel. Detective Rawls is unsure what to think of Shayne as he listens to his story.
 * Summary**

Mike “Mikey the Munchkin” Martin, a scrawny, short and sarcastic high school junior narrates the rest of the story. Mikey and Shayne meet when Shayne roars into the school’s parking lot on his motorcycle for the first time. Later that day as Shayne watches, Mikey has a run-in with Jon Brande, the local drug dealer and bully. Since Jon dates Mikey’s sister Marie, Jon asks him to hold a “limp and wrinkled” brown paper bag for him on the day the police conduct a locker search for drugs. To avoid getting caught, Mikey trashes the bag, and Jon insists that Mikey now owes him $500 for his lost possession. The tension mounts as Mikey, Jon and Shayne careen toward an encounter with lasting consequences.

I thoroughly enjoyed the exciting pace, characterization (to make up for his short stature, Mikey wears a suit and tie to school), and the narrative jumping from Detective Rawls and Shayne in the interrogation room to Mikey’s account. I was disturbed by the violence, although it fits perfectly with the tone of the book, and was skeptical with Detective Rawls’ career change at the end of the book. I will be checking out more Pete Hautman books!
 * Likes/Dislikes**

What motivates Shayne to befriend Mikey? What motivates Mikey to become friends with Shayne?
 * Essential Questions**

What motivates Shayne to act as he does during the climax of this book? What motivates Mikey to act as he does during the climax of this book?

How do you feel about Mikey’s decisions in the book? Explain. Would your feelings change if the end of the book was different? Explain.

Compare and contrast the dilemma Mikey faced at the end of the book with one you have encountered in your life.

Check out my FakeBook page at:
 * Comprehension Activity**

[]

Beth Kibby


 * 1) Book Title (1 pt.) __Scat__
 * 2) Genre: (Adventure-Survival or Mystery) (1 pt) - Mystery
 * 3) Author (1 pt.) Carl Hiaasen
 * 4) Date of Publication (1 pt) 2010
 * 5) What did you like about the book? What did you dislike? (5 pts.)

I really like Mrs. Starch’s dedication to the endangered species in Florida and that she shows her commitment by caring for the orphaned panther cub, despite the risk to her safety and her career. I also liked Nick’s commitment to his dad’s recovery. It’s easy to admire a person who willingly sacrifices his own comfort to understand and encourage someone for whom he cares.

For me, the “hook” wasn’t set early enough in the book. The mystery of Mrs. Starch’s disappearance didn’t compel me to continue reading. I wasn’t desperate to finish the book until Nick and Marta reunite with Mrs. Starch in Black Vine Swamp, which doesn’t occur until two-thirds of the way into the story. Once they discover her reason for disappearing, then I was anxious to see the situation resolved.

6. Write three essential (higher level thinking) questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book. (6 pts)

Nick is determined to learn to function with the use of only his left hand. Put yourself in his shoes. Devise a two-week workout schedule to develop the use of your non-dominant hand. Include 6 - 8 activities, time spent on each one, and how often you would practice them. Choose a variety of activities to develop muscle memory in the upper arm and lower arm muscles, as well as, the muscles in the wrist and hand.

Nick and Marta tell their parents they are going to the movies and, instead, they walk to Mrs. Starch’s home to look for clues (Chapter 11). Later in the story, they look for Duane at his house and then end up hiding in Mrs. Starch’s car to get information from Twilly (Chapter 17). Give your opinion on their decision making and then defend it. Compare their actions to a similar experience you have had.

Compare and contrast the characters Nick, Duane Jr., and Marta.

Choose five artifacts that you believe represent the main character of your novel (or one of the main characters in your novel) and provide an explanation for choosing each. Avoid making all obvious choices, but instead, get creative and think outside the box!
 * Comprehension Activity**: (15 pts).

I chose Nick’s arm bandage because Nick decides to adapt to being left-handed before his father returns from Walter Reed. Nick ties his right arm behind his back and maneuvers through his everyday tasks with only the use of his left arm. Taking notes, completing his algebra homework, eating meals, and pitching a baseball become problematic with only one hand. “This wasn’t about baseball, it was about hope. Nick wanted to show his dad that you could do practically anything with one arm that you could do with two” (p187).
 * Artifact #1 – Nick’s arm bandage **

I chose Nick’s science book because Nick begins to reevaluate Duane, or Smoke, as a person, when Duane’s stops at his house to borrow his science book for a test. Nick knows nothing about an upcoming test and really considers Duane and his position for the first time. [Nick] “’But he’s [Duane] hardly said five words to me since elementary school. I wouldn’t exactly call him a friend.’ ‘Well, maybe he thinks you are,” Nick’s mom said” (p 193).
 * Artifact #2 – Nick’s science book **

I chose a baseball because Nick is inspired by his father’s hard work and determination as he adjusts to losing his right, and dominant, arm in an explosion while fighting in Iraq. Nick’s father, Captain Greg Waters, pitches balls left handed to build up his strength and endurance. His father’s resolve spurs Nick to continue using only his left hand. Subsequently, the strength he builds up in his left hand help save him from serious injury as he reunites the panther cub with its mother. “For half an hour they played three-way catch in a breezy, pleasant silence, just as they used to do before Greg Waters had been sent to Iraq. To Nick it seemed unreal that not even two weeks had passed since his dad had been seriously wounded – yet he was already back home, slinging the baseball! It was like a miracle, Nick thought” (p220).
 * Artifact #3 – baseballs **

I chose pizza boxes because Nick and Marta hid in Mrs. Starch’s blue Prius to try to get more information from the mysterious man named Twilly. Nick’s impulsive act lead them to solve the mystery of Mrs. Starch’s disappearance. Once they find out what Mrs. Starch has been doing since the day of the field trip to Black Vine Swamp, Nick and Marta are compelled to join the cause. “Mrs. Starch began pacing, as she did in class. It had the same nerve-wracking effect on Marta as always; she turned greenish and queasy. Nick set the pizza boxes on a tree stump” (p 250).
 * Artifact #4 – Little Napoli pizza boxes **

I chose Nick’s flashlight because Nick brought his flashlight on the night he and Marta decide to break into Mrs. Starch’s house to investigate her disappearance. During the break-in, Nick reveals his familiarity with the endangered species of Florida. Nick is able to identify the species because he read Mrs. Starch’s syllabus. While inside Mrs. Starch’s house, a stranger comes in, so the children hide in a trunk. While hiding, Nick uses it to calm down Marta. “’I can’t breathe,’ Marta said wretchedly. ‘Yes you can.’ ‘Turn on the flashlight, Nick, or I’m gonna scream.’ ‘Don’t tell me you’re claustrophobic.’ ‘Big time.’ Nick said, ‘Oh, that’s great.’ He, too, had a fear of confined spaces. The flashlight wouldn’t come on until he jiggled the batteries” (p 138-139).
 * Artifact #5 – Nick’s flashlight **


 * Title:** //Hold Me Closer, Necromancer//
 * Genre:** Fantasy
 * Author:** Lish McBride
 * Date of Publication:** 2010

Sam is a college dropout working at a fast food restaurant and not doing much with his life. He rides his skateboard, he goes to work, he hangs out with his friends from work, and he occasionally plays a game of Potato Hockey in the parking lot of the restaurant where he works. It’s one misplaced shot during a Potato Hockey game that drives him toward an encounter with a strange man named Douglas. Sam is scared of Douglas when confronted about the damage done to his car’s headlight. The conversation quickly takes a confusing turn when Douglas begins asking questions Sam can’t answer, like “You live here and you haven’t petitioned the Council?” (p 16).
 * Summary**

Sam has good reason to be scared. Douglas is a necromancer, or one who controls the dead, and a powerful figure in the supernatural community that inhabits the Seattle area. But why is he so interested in Sam? And what is this about petitioning a Council when Sam has lived in Seattle his entire life? After Sam receives a terrifying message from Douglas, he decides to start asking questions about himself. As he learns more, Sam realizes he will have to face Douglas to protect those he loves. To find out how Sam fares against the powerful Douglas, read //Hold Me Closer, Necromancer// by Lish McBride.

Lish McBride had me on page one with the line “Something about the fast food uniform makes people think it’s okay to treat you like crap” (p 1). I knew I was going to like this character Sam. I felt the same way during the summer during college that I worked at McDonald’s as a second job. I, like Sam, preferred working in the kitchen to working the counter. McBride creates strong and interesting characters as she tells Sam’s story. I was highly entertained by the book and chapter titles, the reference to pop culture (//Mansquito// and //Hellboy// p 52) and the humor her characters use to endure some awful situations.
 * Likes/Dislikes**

When Sam discovers he is a prisoner, he asks his fellow prisoner Brigid, “’I don’t suppose this is the kind of basement with a freezer full of popsicles and an old Nintendo or something?’” She responds, “No such luck. There’s a freezer, but knowing the owner, it’s probably not full of Popsicles” (p 207).

Or despite being in a desperate situation, Sam still tries to make time with a beautiful girl. After asking Brigid to put on some clothes, so he can think, he remarks, “Then you can go right back to being naked. All the time. With my full blessing” (p 211).

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and really only found one minor thing I disliked. I thought she included too much back story about the other members of the Council that didn’t really pertain to the plot. Yes, it showed the array of beings that live in the Seattle area and the power Douglas holds over them. I felt she included some confusing details that I struggled to sort through and then immediately forgot when I finished that passage. All in all it was a great read that I hope to recommend to my own daughter, when she’s older.

1. Throughout the novel, Douglas uses his power to squelch Sam, who Douglas sees as a competitor. Douglas’ control is limited to a portion of the northwest United States, but he is feared by many of those over whom he governs. In our recent world events, find incidents where world leaders have gone to great lengths to maintain their rule or control. What point do you think the author is trying to make by creating a character like Douglas?
 * Essential Questions**

2. Sam drops out of college (he refers to himself as a “dropout loser”) and has never felt like he has fit in anywhere. Through discovering his abilities as a necromancer and forging a bond with the future leader of the werewolves, he finds a place where he fits by the conclusion of the novel. What are some other reasons people do not feel like they fit in? What are other outcomes when people feel ostracized or left out of the society in which they live?

3. Pretend you are Sam at the end of the novel. What plans would you make for the house he inherits?


 * Newspaper Article**

The headless body of a young woman was found in her home on Wednesday morning. Her parents, who had spent the previous night out with friends, came home late and assumed she was in bed. When her mother entered her room the following morning, she found her daughter’s body lying on her bedroom floor.
 * Headless Body Found in Home**

The victim worked at a local fast food restaurant. One co-worker, who asked that his name not be printed, said he worked Tuesday evening with the victim. “We played a game of potato hockey in the parking lot on our break. She was fine. I can’t believe she’s dead.”

Another co-worker, who also wished to remain anonymous, said he and two co-workers had an altercation in the parking lot behind the restaurant after it closed. He said, “We had a little problem after work with some cracked-out dude. But [victim’s name] had already gone.”

Detective Dunaway, the lead detective on the case, would not release the name of the victim or her address. When asked about the whereabouts of the victim’s head, he replied “No comment.”



//Birthmarked// Genre: Science Fiction Caragh M. O’Brien 2010

Gaia, who recently turned 16, is training to be a midwife like her mother. Despite her instincts, she delivers and advances her first baby to the Enclave, the elite community that lives protected inside a forbidding wall. After doing her duty to the Enclave, she walks toward her home. She encounters her mother’s assistant, Old Meg, who informs her that her parents have been taken by Enclave soldiers, gives her a package from her mother, and urges her to leave for the Dead Forest. Gaia refuses to leave but does hide the package from her mother. Why would the Enclave arrest her parents? They have always done their duty to the Enclave. What could her mother need to hide?
 * Summary**

When she returns home, Gaia finds soldiers waiting for her. One soldier questions her about a list her mother kept about the babies who were advanced, or given, to the Enclave. Gaia doesn’t know anything about a list, understand why her mother would keep one, or why the Enclave would want it. After her interrogation, Gaia is determined to find and free her parents from the Enclave. Will she find a way into the Enclave, even though it is forbidden? Will she find rescue her parents? Read //Birthmarked// to find out!

I thought this book was excellent! Gaia is a strong, courageous character that it is easy to support. Caragh O’Brien creates builds great tension through the book and leaves the reader desperate to read the next novel in the triology.
 * Likes/Dislikes**

The only part that I didn’t like was a descriptive line the author uses, “She [Gaia] stood slowly, feeling like her movements were underwater” (p 115). The author writes from a third person singular point of view and follows Gaia throughout the story. Gaia lives in a community that lies on the shore of “Unlake Michigan” where water is scarce and a precious commodity. Gaia couldn’t experience the feeling of being submerged in water because she has never had access to enough water at one time. Otherwise I thought the writing and story were fantastic.

Identify an underlying theme of this novel. Support the theme with evidence from the book.
 * Essential Questions**

The Enclave uses several methods to keep track of those living outside its walls. Find examples of governments, modern-day or historical, using similar methods to keep tabs on its citizens.

Gaia chooses to advance the first baby she delivers despite her instincts to let the mother keep it. Describe a time you faced a moral dilemma. How did you respond in the situation? Why?

I would pair this book with //The Hunger Games// and ask students to compare and contrast the Enclave/Wharfton with The Capitol and Panem. Also, I would ask students to compare and contrast Katniss and Gaia.



//The Boy Who Dared// Historical Fiction Susan Campbell Bartoletti 2008

//The Boy Who Dared// by Susan Campbell Bartoletti tells the fictionalized story of Helmuth Hubener, a fatherless boy in Hamburg, Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. Bartoletti discovered Helmuth’s story when she was doing research for her award-winning book //Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow//. Telling the story in a series of flashbacks, she paints a picture of life in Hamburg, Germany, as the Nazis take power and Hitler leads Germany to war.
 * Summary**

Helmuth was a schoolboy when the Nazi Party comes to power. Helmuth lived with his mother and two half brothers in a small apartment next door to his maternal grandparents. He and his family were devout Mormons who believe that faithful Mormons obey the laws of their government. With Hitler’s promises to bring jobs and prosperity back to Germany, young Helmuth was caught up in the pride, parades and loyalty to the Fatherland.

As he grew up, Helmuth saw Jewish shops vandalized, storm troopers forcing German citizens to boycott Jewish shops, and Brother Worbs, a family friend and an outspoken critic of Hitler and the Nazi Party, upon his return from years in a concentration. Helmuth privately questioned the government. After both of his brothers move away to do their part for the war effort and with escalating arguments with his stepfather about the Nazis, Helmuth moved in with his grandparents. Gerhard visited Helmuth and their grandparents before being shipped out for basic training; he left a black-market item locked in a closet. This item changed Helmuth’s life. What happened to Helmuth? You will have to read Susan Campbell Bartoletti’s compelling novel, //The Boy Who Dared.//

This is another fantastic book! Once I began reading, I was amazed at how compelled I felt to read even though I knew how it was going to end. I always thought finding out the end was the reason for reading, but good writers create that same excitement, even when you know the outcome. This novel fits the reason for reading historical fiction, or “a TRUTH of the past that is NOT the truth of the history books, but a bigger truth, a more important truth – a truth of the HEART” ((Lee, 2000) p 212). I plan to read more Bartoletti books, other than the one assigned.
 * Likes/Dislikes**

Other than being heartbreaking, I didn’t find anything I didn’t enjoy about this book. What a great way to incorporate literature into a history class about World War II and to help students understand what life was like for German citizens during Hitler’s rule.

What is a cause for which you are willing to fight or take a great personal risk? Why?
 * Essential Questions**

Find examples of other people who, despite great personal risk, stand up for what they believe.

Hugo, Helmuth’s stepfather, is a faithful Nazi. After moving in with the family, Hugo, Helmuth, and Gerhard often argued about the Nazi government. After Gerhard left to serve in the war, Helmuth no longer had someone in whom to confide. How would Helmuth’s life have been different if he had a father, or a father figure, to whom he was close? Why?

Write a letter to The People’s Court asking for leniency for Helmuth. Use instances from his life to help make your case.

[]
 * Comprehension Activity**


 * Book Talk Project**
 * Book:** __Birthmarked__ by Caragh M. O’Brien
 * Prop**: pocket watch worn on a ribbon around my neck; I refer to it directly and touch it when I speak as Gaia.
 * Book Talk Script**

//I stand to the right of front of the room with the right side of my face toward the audience. I wear a pocket watch on a ribbon around my neck. As I speak Gaia’s words, I touch the watch for comfort.//

My name is Gaia and I delivered my first baby as a midwife tonight. I’ve trained with my mother for years, but tonight I helped a young mother bring her first baby into the world on my own. The delivery went smoothly: //(I hold up the pocket watch.)// I used my birthday gift to time the contractions, and I followed the routine my mother taught me, tea for the mother and a tattoo for the infant. The mother called the baby Priscilla. It was difficult to hear her name the baby, since the infant must be advanced to the Enclave. Though I felt confused and guilty, it is my duty to give the first three babies I deliver each month to the Enclave. I am glad to serve. I must hurry home. My mother will be worried when she returns from her delivery and sees I’m not home.

//I walk to the center of the front of the room and turn to directly face the audience.//

In Caragh M. O’Brien’s novel __Birthmarked__ //(hold up the book),// Gaia lives in Wharfton. It lies on the banks of Unlake Michigan, the empty basin of what was once a great lake, and outside the walls of the Enclave, the elite community. With barely enough food and water to survive, life is not easy in Wharfton. It is a stark contrast to the lives of the citizens of the Enclave. They have an ample food supply, running water and electricity. Life in the Enclave seems perfect to the citizens of Wharfton when they watch shows about life inside the walls. Most families accept giving their babies to the Enclave because they know they will have a better life. Gaia’s own parents advanced her two older brothers, when they reached the age of one, which was the law at that time. Now babies are advanced immediately after birth. The Enclave discovered it was hard for parents to advance babies they reared for a year. Gaia was not eligible for advancement because she was accidently burned on her face when she was ten months old. Her scar marks her as a freak in her community, and she knows no young man will marry her. She understands her role in her community. On her way home from her first delivery, Gaia encounters Old Meg, her mother’s assistant.

“’Your parents have been taken by the Enclave,’ Old Meg said. ‘Both of them. The soldiers came an hour ago, and there’s one that stayed behind for you, too.’

‘To arrest me?’

‘I don’t know. But he’s there now.’

Gaia felt her hands grow cold, and she slowly lowered her satchel to the ground. ‘Are you sure? Why would they take my parents?’

‘Since when do they need a reason?’ Old Meg retorted.

‘Meg!’ Gaia gasped. Even in the dark, secluded as they were, Gaia was afraid someone might hear the old woman.

Old Meg grabbed her arm, pinching just above Gaia’s elbow.

‘Listen. We got back from the other birthing and your mom was just leaving to find you when the soldiers came for her and your dad,’ Old Meg said. ‘I was heading out the back, and they didn’t see me. I hid on the porch. It’s time you wised up, Gaia. Your mother’s an important resource. She’s too knowledgeable about the babies, and Enclave higher-ups are starting to want more information.’

‘What are you talking about? My mom doesn’t know anything that everybody else doesn’t already know.’. ..

Old Meg stepped back farther, looking around furtively. ‘I’m leaving Wharfton,’ she said. ‘They’ll be after me next. I just waited to see if you want to come with me.’

‘I can’t leave,’ Gaia objected. ‘This is my home. My parents will be back.’. ..

Old Meg slipped [Gaia] a small, brown parcel, smooth and light as a dead mouse. Gaia almost dropped it, repulsed.

‘Idiot,’ Old Meg said, grasping Gaia’s hand firmly over the parcel. ‘It was your mother’s. Keep it safe. On your life.’

‘But what is it?’

‘Put it along your leg, under your skirt. It has ties.’. ..

Old Meg gave her a quick jab. . . ‘Your parents were fools,’ Old Meg said. ‘Trusting, cowardly pacifists. And now they’ll pay’” (p 9-12).

//I walk back to center-front and turn to face the audience.//

Gaia returns to her home and faces questions from the Enclave soldier waiting for her. She doesn’t have the answers the soldier, Sergeant Grey, wants, especially regarding a list. Gaia never saw her mother or father with any type of list, and she tells him so. She asks when her parents will come home and if she can see them, but Sergeant Grey doesn’t give her any information and reminds her to watch her place. He tells her to take over her mother’s duties as midwife.

//I move back to the spot where I started the book talk and turn the left side of my face away from the audience. As I begin to speak, I absently touch the watch hung around my neck.//

How long will the Enclave keep my parents for questioning? When will my parents come home? I must talk to them. I have to find a way inside the walls. Who will help me?

//I walk back to center-front and turn to face the audience. I hold up the book.//

To learn if Gaia finds her parents, you’ll have to read __Birthmarked__ by Caragh M. O’Brien.



2005
**Summary**

=
Bartoletti provides a detailed account of the famine years in Ireland, its impact on the Irish people, the British government’s response to the famine, and the response from the rest of the world. Bartoletti incorporates first-hand accounts, handed down from generation to generation in the Irish story-telling tradition. She also reproduced wrenching pen and ink illustrations that were originally published in newspapers and books of the time period. The illustrations portray the despair and suffering without being too graphic for young adults. The illustrations and the personal stories made this book relatable and easy to read. Bartoletti's nearly two decades of teaching eighth grade English are evident in her writing; she writes in an easy-to-understand, informative, but not didactic, manner. Bartoletti also includes a timeline of events, an extensive list of sources, and a detailed index. ======

**Likes/Dislikes** 1. Book Title (1 pt.)2. Genre: Fantas3. Author (1 pt.)4. Date of Publication (1 pt.) Like with almost all of the books I’ve read for this class, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I only knew the bare facts about the Irish potato famine, even though my great-great grandfather immigrated because of it. My family’s connection was why I chose this book in January. Bartoletti went into a fair amount of detail in explaining the history of the potato and the people's reliance upon it, the public reaction to the initial blight, "Some people remembered how dark the sky had turned just before the blight struck. Many people blamed the darkened sky on the fairies, whom they believed lived in the Irish countryside. They said that the dark sky occurred because the different fairy tribes were battling over the potatoes" (p 9). The retelling of personal recollections made reading gut-wrenching at times, especially when she describes a nursing mom removing her infant from her breast so her fifteen-year-old son can gain some sustenance before he works to earn rations for the family. Wow! After reading this book, my excitement for my author project increased, and I quickly read Bartoletti's //Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow//, which was equally impressive. I will read anything she writes for young adults.

I didn't find anything I didn't like about this book.

**Essential Questions**

1. Play excerpts from NPR’s FreshAir podcast (April 4, 2012) with Jeffrey Gettleman from the //New York Times.// Gettleman is the East Africa Bureau Chief for the //New York Times// and reported recently on a famine in Somalia. Compare and contrast the British government’s reaction to the famine in Ireland to the Shabab’s reaction to the most recent famine in Somalia.

Link to the podcast: []

2. What actions could the British government and the Irish landlords taken to help lessen the effects of the blight on the people of Ireland? What situations do you see today that parallel the problems in Ireland in the mid-1800’s?

3. Ask students to inquire at home about their heritage. Have students share any family connections to the Great Irish Famine. I would begin the discussion by sharing the three contradictory stories that were told in my family about the famine. (Discussion could include the reliability of stories preserved only through the oral tradition. It could also segue to the reliability of the narrators in fiction.)

4. The people suffering from starvation in Ireland were also at great risk for different diseases including typhus, dysentery, and cholera. Disease outbreaks often follow disasters, even in our modern world. Ask students to find and share examples of disease outbreaks following natural or man-made disasters. Discuss ways disease can be prevented in today’s world.

**Comprehension Activity** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Susan Campbell Bartoletti included many personal stories in her book //Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850//. Pretend you are a teen living in Ireland during this time frame. Decide where your family fits in the land system in Ireland (your father might be a landlord, a large farmer, a small farmer, or a farm laborer).

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Write a personal diary about the things you would experience while living during the famine years. The diary should span a two-year time period and include 25 entries. Each entry should include at least six sentences, a date and a location where you are living. You can develop any relevant storyline for your diary. You might be the child of a landlord who sews and gathers clothes for those less fortunate. You might be the child of a farm laborer who suffers terribly from lack of food. Be creative but make sure what you write could have happened in the late 1840s in Ireland.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Example** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">September 10, 1845 County Westmeath - We've heard the telling of potatoes turning black in the fields over night. I don't believe it. A thick mist has covered the land for the last several weeks. Ma says the fairies are at war over the potatoes<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">. Pa dug up some of our early potatoes this morning, while I helped ma cook breakfast for my three little brothers and my little sister. The potatoes were fine this morning. I think we will be okay this winter.



//Bloody Horowitz// Alternative Format - Short Stories; Genre - Horror Anthony Horowitz 2010

//Bloody Horowitz// by Anthony Horowitz is a collection of short horror stories. The collection kicks off with an “article” by Professor Wendy Grooling titled “Why Horror has No Place in Children’s Books,” which tells the reader that young adults should not read this book – a clever ploy by a wildly successful author. Horowitz writes fast-paced stories that are sometimes gruesome but always make the reader think. From his homicidal author in “The Man Who Killed Darren Star” to his commentary on reality television in “Bet Your Life” to his haywire robot in “Robo-Nanny,” Horowitz grabs hold of his readers and keeps plunging the knife deeper and deeper. He includes flawed main characters in “The Man Who Killed Darren Star,” “Cobra,” “You Have Arrived,” and “Are You Sitting Comfortably,” and warnings about technology in “You Have Arrived,” “Robo-Nanny,” “sheBay,” and “Plugged-In.” Horowitz concludes his collection with a tongue-in-cheek story about a nervous editor who must suggest seven edits to a horror author’s short story collection. The publisher feels these seven cuts make the material more appropriate for young readers.
 * Summary**

I liked that Horowitz wrote stories with main characters that you didn’t necessarily like. He also seemed to serve some type of justice in many of the stories. Many of his stories are disturbing, but that is true with most works of horror. I can see this collection being very appealing to adolescents with the current popularity of horror movies.
 * Likes/Dislikes**

When I began reading the first story, “Why Horror Has No Place in Children’s Books,” I thought it was hokey. As I continued through the collection, I realized I read the story as an adult and not with the mind of an adolescent. As you pointed out at the beginning of this class, making something forbidden only makes it more appealing. After some reflection and with the concluding story about the book editor being killed by seven cuts, I understand what Horowitz was trying to do. Like much of what I’ve read this semester, I didn’t dislike much in this book.


 * Essential Questions**

How do you think the author feels about reality TV and technology? Why? Cite evidence from the stories to support your idea.

Compare and contrast the main characters from any three of the short stories. Discuss why you think the author gave his characters certain qualities.

Choose one plot you would like to change. Discuss with your group how you would change the plot and why.

Within your group, devise four or five questions you would like to ask Anthony Horowitz about his stories. Develop detailed questions that pertain to a particular story or character.

8. **How can you see this book being used in the curriculum? For what grade level would it be most appropriate? Give a** **specific example of how you as a teacher might use the book as part of the taught curriculum. What specifically would you use it to teach and what would you have students do with it? (7 pts.)**

To use this short story collection as required reading in a classroom would take some groundwork, similar to the plan I devised to use Sherman Alexie’s //The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian// because of the graphic violence included in the stories.

With administrative approval and after informing parents that I planned to use this collection, I think these short stories could be used to teach characterization in a literature classroom with high school juniors or seniors. Though the stories are plot-driven, Horowitz still effectively creates characters about whom the reader cares. After I divide the students into pairs, I would ask the pairs to make a chart that shows a character’s actions or thoughts and the trait(s) they reveal. Each pair of students would have to analyze characters from three of the short stories, not including the first story or the last story. I modified a chart from www.readwritethink.org for this activity.


 * Title of Short Story || Character Name || Character’s Actions/Thoughts || Character Trait They Reveal ||
 * “The Man Who Killed Darren Shan” || Henry Parker || “Over the next six months, Henry wrote nine more letters . . . when //The Vampire’s Assistant// . . .was published, he wrote eleven more” (p 21)

“it was easy enough to convince himself that certain words and phrases had been copied from him” ( p 21) || Obsessive

Delusional ||