The Hunger Games

(Image Credit: http://www.goodreads.com)

Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Press, 2008. 

Annotation: Katniss Everdeen is a young hunter from District 12.  When her younger sister is selected for the deadly and annual Hunger Games, Katniss decides to volunteer in her place. 

Awards:

Georgia Peach Book Award (2009),

Amelia Bloomer List (2009), 

An ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers (2009)

An ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers (2009), 

Horn Book Fanfare Best Book (2008), 

West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA) for Older Readers (2010), 

Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award Nominee (2011), 

Red House Children's Book Award for Older Readers & Overall (2010), 

New York Times Notable Children's Book (2008), 

Publishers Weekly's Best Books of The Year,South Carolina Book Award for Junior and Young Adult Book Awards (2011), 

Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (2010), 

Teen Buckeye Book Award (2009), 

Rhode Island Teen Book Award (2010),

Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (2010), 

ALA Teens' Top Ten (2009), 

Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Nominee (2010),

Sakura Medal for Middle School Book (2010), 

Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award (2009), 

Florida Teens Read (2009),

Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (2010), 

Iowa High School Book Award (2011),

 ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2009), 

The Inky Awards for Silver Inky (2009), 

Abraham Lincoln Award (2011) 

Book Talk:  It isn’t easy living in District 12.  Here, coal miners work day and night, barely making money, barely surviving.  For young Katniss, surviving means sneaking outside of the guarded community to hunt for wild game.  It is all she can do to provide for her mother and younger sister since her father died. To make things worse, each of the twelve districts must participate annually in a game with deadly consequences.  Two are selected, one boy and one girl from each district, twenty-four contestants in all, but only one may win.  When Katniss hears her sister’s name selected for this game of death, she immediately volunteers in her place.  Now she must fight her way through twenty three opponents in order to see her mother and sister again.  Will Katniss find the will to survive when the hunter becomes the hunted?  Life will never been the same once she enters The Hunger Games!


Rachel - Age 17: "I have read The Hunger Games and absolutely loved it. I loved the plot, I loved the characters. The character of Katniss is strong and fierce and was an awesome fighter. Finally they have a heroine instead of a hero."


Catherine - Age 17: "I enjoy reading "dystopias " because these types of books let you use your imagination. My favorite book is "The Hunger Games" because the whole book makes you think, and It was so suspensful, I was always tempted to read more."

Gossip Girl

(Image Credit: http://www.randombuzzers.com)

Ziegesar, Cecily. Gossip girl : a novel. New York: Little, Brown, 2007.

Annotation:  Upon being expelled from boarding school, Serena van der Woodsen plans to reunite with her old friends and share in having fun as they use to have.  She soon discovers that life has moved on, especially for her closest friend Blair who is determined to do everything in her power to keep Serena away from herself and her boyfriend.  Even if it means she has to believe in some very vicious gossip.

Book Talk:  Gossip is a very vicious thing especially when it’s written by an anonymous person with a lot of followers.  For Serena van der Woodsen, gossip found her among the people she most loved and trusted.  Although all the girls want to be her and all the guys want to be with her, she soon finds out that your friends can become your enemies when you are just trying to be yourself.  As the gossip keeps flowing, Serena must find a way to restore her friendships that have been ruined by rumors of a life she never lived.  Will she be able to rise above the rumors or will she fall victim to the Gossip Girl?


Kerry - Age 17: "My favorite genre would be fictional drama or romance. I like these books because I believe that you can really get into them, and put yourself in the shoes of the characters and feel what they feel and even learn from them."

The Things They Carried

(Image Credit: http://www.librarything.com)

O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Broadway Books, 1990. Print.

Annotation: Tim O’Brien, through masterful storytelling, brings you into the war that was fought in Vietnam. He tells us the experiences of death, fear, madness, loss of innocence and hope that each young solider experienced as they marched through an unknown land. 

Awards: France's Prix du Meilleur Livre Etranger, Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award

Review: Although Tim O’Brien experienced war first hand, he chooses to write this story as fiction. After reading this book, it is hard to accept this as fiction however, O'Brien elaborates on storytelling in the chapter “Good Form” which brings into perspective why this is better considered a fiction story as oppose to a true life account. Each chapter is a short story that expands the entirety of trials the individuals must face in dealing with being at war. Tim O’Brien assumes the role of the main character along with 11 other men that observe as well as experiences the hell of Vietnam. Each character has their own story which deals with the many themes of war that include hating, fearing, regretting, and coming to terms with their life that is forever changed. O’Brien does an exceptional job at conveying the emotions of these men and what kept them going through what some felt was an unnecessary war. The storytelling is so captivating that it made this book very had to put down.




Alex C. Age 17
"My personal favorite genre of book is Non-Fiction or Historical.  I enjoy learning about the stories of our past..."

Forever...

(Image Credit: http://librariansbetweenthecovers.com )

Blume, Judy. Forever.... New York: Simon Pluse, 1975. Print.

Annotation: This is the story of Katherine, a girl in her senior of high school who meets her first love, Michael. They begin a very serious relationship that throws them into the many trials and tribulations of love, sex and heartbreak.

Awards: Winner of the A.L.A. Margaret A. Edwards Award

Review: A first love is definitely a monumental moment in a teenager’s life. It brings them to a whole new world of feelings, emotions and experiences that bring about inevitable changes. Katherine and Michael are the typical teenagers that spend every free minute together, lust after one another while being sexually responsible, and feel that their love will last forever. But how long is forever? When Katherine’s parents sign her up to work at summer camp, 7 weeks away from Michael seems like an eternity. It is during this time that Katherine has the chance to step away and truly see if her love for Michael is genuine or if her experience at camp is the start to a whole new journey in life. 

Judy Blume does a fantastic job of getting inside the teenager’s experience of a first love. It is hard not to relate to one aspect or another within this story and truly feel for the characters and what they must go through. It is a very realistic and mature take on the challenges teenagers must face during their first love.




Stevie P. Age 17
"When I read a book I put myself in the main character's mind set... I love romances and dramas...I also love the book Forever Judy Blume, she's one of my favorite authors. "