Kira+M.

= Book Summaries: =


 * SCIENCE FICTION**


 * Book Title:** __Epitaph Road__


 * Author:** David Patneaude


 * Date of Publication:** 2010

In the year 2097 Kellen Dent is one of a restricted population of males with tight restrictions. Thirty years ago there was an airborne virus which nearly wiped out the entire male population of the world. Women now rule the world and complications such as poverty, crime, war, and hunger have all vanished. When rumors start flying that there is going to be another outbreak of the same virus that will potentially threaten his outsider father, Kellen realizes that he has to warn his father of the possible danger. During his adventure to find his father, Kellen discovers a terrifying secret that that will change the course of his life and the future of the world.
 * What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.**

This would be a great title to use for discussion of human and civil rights. The story explores these rights through examination of Kellen's struggles with being a male figure in a predominantly female world. It also discusses the themes of loyalty and friendship through the adventure that Kellen and his friends take to find his father.
 * How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?**

1. How do you think the modern world would respond to a virus that decimated the majority of the male population? Do you think it would affect crime, poverty, hunger, and war in the same ways as the novel portrays? Explain.
 * Write three higher level thinkingquestions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.**

2. What would you do with the information that Tia and Kellen uncovered during their adventure? Would you keep it to yourself or share it with the world? Explain.

3. Explain Gunny's character and why the author chose to include him the way that he did.


 * HISTORICAL FICTION**


 * Book Title:** __Sunrise Over Fallujah__


 * Author:** Walter Dean Myers


 * Date of Publication:** 2008

This book is about a young man name "Birdy" who makes the difficult decision to enlist in the army after the attacks on the World Trade Center. He is a member of the Civil Affairs Battalion and is supposed to help secure and stabilize Iraq, as well as successfully interact with the Iraqi people. The story starts off with Birdy's arrival in Iraq and takes you on his various emotional missions, where he must decide who is the enemy and who deserves to live or die.
 * What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.**

This book could be used a variety of ways. It could be used to talk about the war in Iraq, especially since this is something that would be so relevant to adolescents today. I would use this book to discuss cultural differences, as well as perspective-taking. Birdy often talks in the story about having a hard time determining who the enemy is. While he is referring to not knowing which Iraqi people are the enemy, this could lend itself to a wonderful conversation about perspectives of American people vs. Iraqi people and how they feel about the war. This could also be a great way to invite adolescents to take a closer look at war and share their "not often heard" feelings about war.
 * How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?**


 * Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.**

1. Describe Birdy's personality. Why does he write his most honest letters to his Uncle Richie?

2. As Birdy spends more time at war he begins to think of killing differently … "killing was taking on a different meaning to me…now I was willing to kill because I was afraid of being killed…" Can you justify killing when it is in self-defense? Explain.

3. Are wars really "won" or "lost"? Explain.


 * CONTEMPORARY REALISTIC FICTION**




 * Book Title:** __The Cruisers__


 * Author:** Walter Dean Myers


 * Date of Publication:** 2010

Zander and his friends (nicknamed "The Cruisers") attend a distinguished school in Harlem for gifted teens. While they are considered gifted and talented, the "Cruisers" have not been putting forth their best efforts at school and are on the verge of being asked to leave. They are given one last chance to redeem themselves and keep their enrollment in the school. The whole school is participating in a unit on the Civil War where half of the students represent the Union and half of the students represent the Confederacy. The Cruisers assignment and last opportunity is to keep the peace between the two sides and prevent war.
 * What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.**

This book could be used to again explore war and its effects on people. This could also be used to discuss civil rights and stereotyping behaviors. Since "The Cruisers" have created their own newspaper, it could generate a good discussion about freedom of speech and how members of the news media report information with their own agenda and/or biases. This would be a great thing for adolescents to learn about as they start paying more attention to media - they need to be able to listen to news with a vigilant ear.
 * How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?**


 * Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.**

1. The Cruisers are assigned to be the peacekeepers in this story and prevent war. How would you go about doing this?

2. In one of The Cruiser's articles, Zander writes, "What are we talking about when we use the words civilized?" … Is forcing another person into slavery civilized? Explain what it to be a civilized person.

3. In the story, Zander has the idea to agree with and justify the comments his classmates were using to degrade others. Discuss this idea and what effects it had on the people who were making the degrading comments. Do you think this was a good idea? Or did it cause more problems?


 * NONFICTION**




 * Book Title:** __Heaven is for Real__


 * Author:** Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent


 * Date of Publication:** 2010

Heaven is for Real is the true story of a four year old boy, Colton Burpo, who after making it through an emergency and life-threatening appendectomy reveals that he has been to heaven. Colton told his parents that he left his body during surgery and went to heaven. He spoke of who he met there and what he did, sharing events that happened before he was even born. He also shared information and descriptions that matched the Bible exactly, although he had not yet learned to read. This story is told by Colton's father in Colton's words and will change the way you think about heaven and eternity!
 * What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.**

I really have a hard time coming up with how to incorporate this book into the classroom because of its religious intentions. I am sure that a teacher could use this book to discuss reality and the difference between people's own realities. A teacher could also use this book to talk about beliefs and what it means to be believe in something completely.
 * How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?**


 * Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.**
 * Discuss your own beliefs surrounding Colton's trip to heaven.


 * Talk about Todd Burpo and his relationship with Colton. Since the family chose to write this book, do you think that Colton will have a harder time growing up with all the skepticism and criticism that may be revealed to him? Explain.


 * How would you respond to your son/daughter, brother/sister, or mom/dad if they told you stories of their visit to heaven?


 * FICTION**


 * Book Title:** __The__ __Help__


 * Author:** Kathryn Stockett


 * Date of Publication:** 2009

Aibileen is a black maid in 1962 Jackson, Mississippi. She is raising her seventeenth white child, but she is beginning to become bitter about having to cater to her white boss' every need. Skeeter, a young white woman, becomes interested in the everyday happenings of Aibileen and other black maids in the town. She decides to write their stories down to publish in a novel, despite the risk of social suicide or even worse, death. This is the story of the maids' stories, as well as the unique friendships that form because of it.
 * What is the book about? Give a brief plot summary in your own words.**

This would be a great novel to use to discuss the Civil Rights movement, as well as the mistreatment of black people during those times. It would also be a good book to use to teach interviewing skills and how to write selections based on an interview.
 * How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?**


 * Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.**
 * Do you think that a person's character is dependent on the times and/or circumstances in which he/she lives? Explain. How does this relate to the characters in the novel?
 * Do you believe racism lives on today? Why or why not?
 * How do you feel about Celia? Why do you think she tries so hard to be accepted? Explain your answer.


 * POETRY**


 * Book** **Title:** __Time You Let Me In: 25 Poets Under 25__


 * Author:** Naomi Shihab Nye


 * Date of Publication:** 2010

This is a compilation of poems written by authors that are twenty-five years old or younger. The published authors in this collection of poetry write a variety of poems about many different topics. I specifically liked several of these poems. Here are a couple of my favorites: "Macaroni Love" by Lauren Stacks, "Severe" by Margaret Bashaar, "The Falling Man (and every person who jumped from the twin towers as they fell to the ground)" by Tala Abu Rahmeh, and "The Giving Tree" by Allison Rivers. "Macaroni Love" describes a woman's state of sadness cured by the arms of love, represented in the poem by boiling macaroni. "Severe" is a poem that discusses the heartache left behind after a lost love. "The Giving Tree" describes the relationship between a father and son and the lack of appreciation of the father's unconditional giving. "The Falling Man" describes a mother's urgent need to cling to her son's happy memories. The line that is continuously repeated is 'I saw him twirl and curl into a thud'; however, the last line of the poem states, 'I am his mother and when I dream of him I see him standing'.
 * What is the book about? Give brief plot summary in your own words.**

This book could be used to introduce a unit on poetry. Since there are a variety of poems included in this book, you could use it to help teach different styles of writing in poetry. It could also be used to motivate students to write since the people published in this book are around their age.
 * How could a teacher use this book in the classroom? What instructional strategies might you choose to incorporate with this particular title?**


 * Write three higher level thinking questions that you might use in a culminating discussion of this book.**
 * Explain how Lauren Stacks uses macaroni as a metaphor for love in her poem "Macaroni Love".
 * Discuss the common theme of misery and love in "Severe" by Margaret Bashaar and "Macaroni Love" by Lauren Stacks.
 * Discuss the irony in "The Giving Tree" by Allison Rivers.