Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi

Bertozzi, Nick. Shackleton: Antarctic odyssey. New York: First Second, 2014. Print.         

Brief Summary: Shackleton is a graphic novel depicting the story of Ernest Shackleton and his journey across Antarctica. He and his crew face many challenges along the way but they manage to keep up good spirits. Shackleton, a great leader, is determined to succeed in their goals and to bring everyone back alive.  

Overall impression: Nice and short telling of Shackleton’s expedition.

Critical Analysis:

Strengths & Weaknesses: This graphic novel has great illustrations and manages to condense Shackleton’s story into a short, interesting, and easy to read book. There were no weaknesses in my opinion.

Young Adults: Shackleton is a great quick read for young adults interested in history, exploration, survival stories, or even just fans of graphic novels. The reading level would be suitable for YAs of all ages, from lower middle school to upper high school. There is no bad language or anything of that sort. The only iffy part is that the crew members end up having to eat their sled dogs to survive. That might upset certain readers.  

Activity: After reading this book, young adults might enjoy participating in an expedition of their own, set up by the library. Each person or team could be given a map or coordinates that will lead them to certain places either in the library or around town (depending on the sizes of each). They will be required to use only the tools that Shackleton and his crew used (no smart devices!). Prizes could be given to those who arrive at the final destination the quickest.

                                  

Related Resources:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/outdoors/a18539/rgs-restored-photos-shackletons-expedition/ This article shows and discusses some of the photos taken during Shackleton’s expedition.

 

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/11/151109-south-pole-antarctic-explorers-shackleton-expedition/ This interview from 2015 is with a man, Henry Worsley, who is going to travel across Antarctica alone. He unfortunately did not make it, but readers might be interested in a modern version of Shackleton’s expedition.

Published Review: "SHACKLETON Antarctic Odyssey." Kirkus Reviews 82.9 (2014): 79. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 2 Aug. 2016.

The Boy on the Wooden Box by Leon Leyson

Leyson, Leon. The Boy on the Wooden Box. New York: Atheneum, 2013. Print.         

Brief Summary: The Boy on the Wooden Box is a memoir of a holocaust survivor, Leon Leyson. He was the youngest person on Schindler’s list and gives him complete credit for his survival. Through his first person telling of his childhood experiences in Poland, readers will feel a new empathy for those who suffered from Hitler’s reign.   

Overall impression: Powerful and humbling.

Critical Analysis:

Relation to Young Adults: This book would be great for young adults interested in the holocaust or for those who are learning about it in school. It is usually classified as a juvenile book rather than a youth book, but it would still work well, especially for reluctant teen readers. Because it is told in first person and is relatively short, most teens will enjoy it and learn from it. In addition, it is considered juvenile because it lacks some of the more explicit things that happened during WWII and the Jewish holocaust. This would make it a good choice for school reading because it would expose students to the topic without overwhelming them with every single awful thing that happened during that time. Older teens should know about everything of course, but if the audience is younger, then this book might be a good starting point.

Strengths & Weaknesses: Its strengths are that it is easy to read and it gives light to a young boy’s life during a horrible part of our world’s history (in other words, it is informational). I did not see any weaknesses.

Activity: This would be a good opportunity for the library to collaborate with their closest museum or other place that has connections to WWII and/or the holocaust. There could be a presentation at the library hopefully with artifacts for patrons to view, a speaker who either lived through that time period or an expert on the topic, and a ton of library materials including Leon’s book.       

                                

Related Resources: https://youtu.be/tXBWkl10Vkk This video shows parts of one of Leon Leyson’s speeches about his experiences. It is about 10 minutes long and would make a good addition to his book. There are other, longer, videos of him available on YouTube as well for those who are interested.

Schindler's List. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Prod. Steven Spielberg. By Steven Zaillian. Perf. Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Ralph Fiennes. Universal Pictures, 1993. DVD.

Another related resource is the film Schindler’s List. Leon’s story revolves around Schindler and gives him credit for his survival and even references the movie. It is rated R though, so be aware of that when considering your audience.

https://www.ushmm.org/ In addition, this is the website for the United States Holocaust Museum. It has tons of information related to Leon’s experiences.

Published Review: "THE BOY ON THE WOODEN BOX How The Impossible Became Possible…On Schindler's List." Kirkus Reviews 81.15 (2013): 293. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 25 July 2016.

Lock In by John Scalzi

Scalzi, John. Lock In. New York: Doherty, 2014. Electronic.         

Brief Summary: In the not-so-distant future, Locked-in Syndrome has become a widespread disease across the world. People of all ages are now restricted to their beds in a coma-like state. Fortunately, technology has allowed these people to continue to interact with the world through androids and, in some cases, through actual people called Integrators. The main character, Chris Shane, is a victim of this disease and is just starting his new job as an FBI agent. Along with his partner, Leslie Vann, he has an action-packed first week on the job. Beginning with a seemingly simple murder case, Shane and Vann soon discover that this is only the start of a much more complicated case involving everyone from Shane’s dad to Integrators to Locked-in victims to people living on the Navajo Reservation.

Overall impression: Completely agree with Kirkus’s thoughts: “Contains plenty of action, great character development, vivid and believable worldbuilding and a thought-provoking examination of disability culture and politics--is definitely worth the ride.

Critical Analysis:

Lock In and Young Adults: I would not classify this novel as being a “young adult novel” nor would I say that it is developmentally appropriate for them, but YAs interested in futuristic settings and action could still enjoy it nonetheless. There are no teen characters and there is not a lot that teens will explicitly relate to. However, there are subtle aspects of it that some teens, probably older ones, would find familiar and interesting, such as the world’s view of the characters with Lock In Syndrome (disabilities, etc.) and the world’s widespread acceptance of same sex relationships.

Strengths: As stated in “overall impression,” it has action, good characters, a believable futuristic world, and allows the reader to think about our society’s view on disabilities and politics. In addition to that, the story itself is interesting and will keep readers engaged throughout.

Weaknesses: Parts of the story are left unexplained (like Vann’s former partner’s story and the twins threep). This is more of an annoyance than a weakness, but maybe he will explain in the sequel.   

Activity: A fun activity that could be paired with this book is a murder mystery dinner/party. The story could be set in the futuristic world that Scalzi has created, with threeps, Integrators, Hadens, and so on. Participants (teens and/or adults) would have to read the book in order to solve the mystery.   

                                 

Related Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locked-in_syndrome This Wikipedia article explains the basics of “Locked-in Syndrome.” It’s important for readers to know that this is a real disorder even though the book is fiction and adds information to fit the future world the author has created.

http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/nasa-unveils-android-astronaut This article shows readers the android created by NASA about 6 years ago. It shows readers that technology from Lock In is not all that far away.

Published Review: “Lock In.” Kirkus Reviews 82.15 (2014): 36. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 13 July 2016.

Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta

Koryta, Michael. Those Who Wish Me Dead. New York: Little, Brown and Co, 2014. Electronic.         

 

Brief Summary: Jace Wilson, 14 years old, has just witnessed a murder. He now must do everything in his power to protect himself from the murderers whose mission it is to kill him. His parents have tried everything to hide him, but these guys are just too good; they have too many allies in too many inside sources. Now, as a last resort, Jace is sent to Montana’s mountains to learn about survival techniques from the best, Ethan Serbin. He is given a new identity in hope that the murderers will not be able to find him, but Jace and everyone around him is in for some surprises.

Overall impression: Fantastic and full of surprises.
 

Critical Analysis: Although this novel is developmentally appropriate for young adults, I would not have labelled it as a “young adult novel.” The main plot revolves around a 14 year old boy, Jace Wilson, but each chapter alternates (in third person) between him and other characters, all of whom are adults. Young adult readers will no doubt relate with Jace in some way or another, whether it is his bad luck (being in the wrong place at the wrong time), his desire to be safe, etc. However, I do not imagine that younger teens will find much interest in the adult characters. I would recommend this novel to 16 year olds and up, depending on their interests.

The strengths of this novel are its surprises/plot twists, its multiple points of view, and its authentic characters. I could not name any weaknesses besides its lack of focus on the teen character (resulting in a smaller YA audience).    

Activity: To promote this book to a teen audience, an outdoor survival course and survival books could be paired with a reading of this novel. The library could bring in a person who could teach teens some basic wilderness survival techniques and he/she could tie them to the events in the book. After the course, teens could be shown the library's collection of nonfiction books on the subject for further reading.    
                                    

Related Resources: http://www.wilderness-survival.net/ This website has all sorts of information on wilderness survival. Teens who were interested in that aspect of the book could use this resource for further information.

http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Outdoor-Survival-Skills/zgbs/books/864488 This is a link to an amazon list of books on outdoor survival skill guides. This could be useful for teens interested in this or for librarians who wish to add more of these books to their collection.

Published Review: "Those Who Wish Me Dead." Kirkus Reviews 82.11 (2014): 92. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 11 July 2016.

 

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

Yang, Gene Luen. American Born Chinese. New York: First Second, 2006. Print.         

Brief Summary: American Born Chinese is a graphic novel that alternates between three characters, the monkey king, Jin Wang, and Danny/Chin-Kee. With Jin Wang’s struggles to fit into a mostly white community, Chin-Kee’s stereotypically Chinese life, and the monkey king’s journey in the heavens, Yang tells three seemingly independent stories. However, they all come together in a surprising way in the end.

Overall impression: Great combination of fantasy and a young boy’s true experiences as an Chinese-American.

Critical Analysis: This graphic novel is absolutely necessary for any library young adult collection. It is developmentally appropriate for teens 13 and up. Although the main characters begin as young kids, the majority of the stories take place while the characters are young adults and readers younger than 13 may not understand the stereotypical aspects without guidance. The whole story is focused on the lives of characters from the Chinese culture, but any YAs could relate and benefit from reading it. Many of the experiences of Jin Wang are things that the author himself went through. He deals with racism and other prejudices which readers can either directly relate to or can empathize with at the very least. Because some of the events are true, readers will be affected in a deeper way and could learn about the struggles that some of their peers are probably going through.

Strengths of this graphic novel are its 3 in 1 story, its display of Chinese stereotypes in a realistic way, and its great drawings/story flow. The weakness (completely in my opinion) was its ending. I’m glad that the three stories connected in the end, but I thought it was too strange compared to the rest of the book and took away from the believability of Jin’s story.         

Activity: An activity that could be used to promote this book would be to have a comic strip contest for YAs. Other graphic novels could be displayed with American Born Chinese and YAs could be given the opportunity to create their own short comic strip. Different categories could be applied such as comic strips about a personal story, nonfiction story, adventure story, etc.

                                  

Related Resources: http://geneyang.com/american-born-chinese This is the author’s website which has information on the three different points of view of the book, the monkey king, Jin Wang, and Chin-Kee. Readers might enjoy learning about the reasons Yang chose to write about these three characters.

http://en.chinaculture.org/ This website gives information on China’s culture. Readers could use this information as a way to better understand portions of Yang’s book.

Published Review: Thornell, Peter. "American Born Chinese." Library Journal 139.10 (2014): 53. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 4 July 2016.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

Blume, Judy. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. New York: Antheneum, 2001. Print.         

Brief Summary: This novel is about a 6th grader, Margaret, who just moved from New York to New Jersey. She is a pretty typical young girl with anxieties about typical 11 year old girl things - getting her period, growing boobs, kissing boys, doing well in school, and making friends. Also, there is one other thing. She has no religion. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret is the funny and honest story of Margaret’s experiences with discovering herself and becoming a woman.

Overall impression: Authentic. Fantastic.

Critical Analysis: This novel would be best suited for the younger end of the young adult spectrum (12-14 years old). The main character and first person narrator is a girl in sixth grade (turns 12 in the book) and she talks about experiences specific to this age group and gender. I cannot imagine young adult boys having any interest in this novel, but girls could benefit greatly from it. She talks about personal (and controversial) things like periods, kissing boys, growing breasts, religion, and so on. Many young girls find this time in their lives to be complicated, confusing, and scary. Unfortunately, there are girls out there who only have wonderful authors like Judy Blume to look to for guidance, rather than their family or friends. Books like this are able to help young girls feel less alone and self-conscious about their experiences.

There are many strengths to this novel. It is honest, humorous, and relatable. There were no weaknesses, in my opinion. It obviously has had some controversial issues due to its content, but I loved it and wish I would have read it as a young girl (although I still got plenty out of it as a 23 year old).    

Activity: (For a school setting - about 5th - 7th grade) During the reading of the book, use Margaret’s struggle with religion as an opportunity to discuss and learn about various world religions. Students could discuss their beliefs and the teacher/librarian should emphasize the importance of tolerance and respect. There could be many different activities, but the main one could be a large poster/white board with columns for different religions where students write what they are learning about each. After completing the board as a class, each student can choose two or three religions and create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast them.                                      

Related Resources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/ This website has information on many different religions. YAs could use it to learn about the ones Margaret discusses in the book, as well as others they might be interested in.

https://sites.google.com/site/worldreligionsforkids/ This website also has information on world religions. Students could use this resource during the activity.

Published Review: "ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET. by Judy Blume | Kirkus Reviews." Kirkus Reviews. Bradbury, 15 Oct. 2011. Web. 28 June 2016. <https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/judy-blume/are-you-there-god-its-me-margaret/>

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Bacigalupi, Paolo. Ship Breaker. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2010. Print.         

Brief Summary: Ship Breaker tells the story of Nailer, a 15 year old boy working as a ship breaker (he scavenges wrecked ships for valuable parts). The book is set in a dystopian future and he lives on an island where ship breaking is the only way to make any money. He is trapped in a life of poverty where his mom is dead and his dad is always beating him. Just when he feels completely hopeless, he ends up rescuing a “swank” (rich) girl from a wrecked ship. She might be his ticket out of the rough world he has known all his life, but first they must find a way to escape the evil clutches of Nailer’s dad.  

Overall impression: I wasn’t terribly impressed by the plot, but dystopian and adventure lovers will enjoy.  

Critical Analysis: Ship Breaker is classified as dystopian/scifi and has won the Printz Award, the Locus Award for best science fiction novel, and has been nominated for many others. Although many dystopian novels have gained popularity over the past decade, this particular one stands out for its emphasis on natural disasters and environmental causes of the future world.

It has definite appeal for teens who are fans of this genre, particularly boys. The main character is a 15 year old boy and the other young characters are all around that age. Teens might pick up this book thinking that they will enjoy the intense adventure that awaits them, but many will find that they have some similarities with Nailer or even the rich girl, Nita. Nailer faces many hardships that are seemingly unique to this futuristic world that he lives in, but teens might relate to his lack of a family, his struggle to get out of poverty, his hopelessness, or even his struggle to do what is right despite what others think. Although we all hope that teens are not facing these issues, we know that many are and need books like these to tell them they aren’t alone.

The strengths of this novel are its unique setting and characters, its fast-paced nature, and its ability to relate to struggling young adults without being blunt about it. Its weakness (strictly in my opinion) is its ending. I just found the end to be dull. He could have added more detail.  

Activity: Librarians could create a book trailer to promote this book, using footage from real hurricanes and shipwrecks. This trailer could be displayed in the library so that teens can watch it. Along with the trailer there could be a selection of nonfiction books about environmental issues and natural disasters and teens could scan a QR code that will take them to a fun quiz to test their knowledge on such information.                                    

Related Resources: http://climate.nasa.gov/ This website explains climate change. Readers of Ship Breaker might use this resource to delve deeper into the underlying cause of the book’s setting.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/natural-disasters/ This website explains the many different natural disasters. Ship Breaker mainly references hurricanes, but teens might find the information on the other disasters interesting as well.

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

Hinton, S. E. The Outsiders. New York: Speak, 2006. Print.         

Brief Summary: The Outsiders is a story set in Oklahoma during the 1960s and is told by a fourteen year old boy named Ponyboy (yes, that is his real name). He’s a greaser, is being raised by his two older brothers, and can’t seem to avoid conflicts with the Socs. The greaser gang, made up of Ponyboy, Sodapop, Darry, Dally, Two-Bit, Steve, and Johnny, is all the family each other has. The Outsiders tells of a time when the greasers face some tough issues and must stick together and face some hard truths in order to get through it all.

Overall impression: It’s considered a classic for good reason.  

Critical Analysis: Despite being a classic YA novel, this is the first time I have read The Outsiders. I thought that it was engaging and still relevant for YAs today (nearly 50 years later). The protagonist is 14 years old and the majority of the other characters are between 16 and 20. This gives readers of many ages the opportunity to relate and connect with the characters. Also, because the main focus is on the two extreme socioeconomic statuses (low income being “Greasers” and high income being “Socs” or “Socials”), YAs can either relate to the characters’ situations or develop an empathetic attitude toward those who are different than themselves. In addition to these aspects of the novel, The Outsiders seems to appeal to YAs mostly because of its intense plot. It has smoking, alcohol, rumbles, fights, and murder all in one story. Teens tend to either seek out risks or at the very least they tend to have the “I’m invincible - that’ll never happen to me” outlook. Reading this novel will satisfy their desire for realistic action while also showing them that no one is invincible.    

The strengths of the novel, in my opinion, are its relatability to boys, its emotional bluntness, and its engaging plot. The weaknesses are that it may not appeal to girls as easily as boys and its narrative is not always believable. I was not aware of this until after I finished the book, but the author is a woman even though the story is narrated in first person by a young boy. This made more sense to me because a few of the things that Ponyboy says did not come across as ‘boyish’ to me. Things like his awareness of his brothers’ handsomeness and his openness about his emotions did not seem typical for a 14 year old boy, but these details do not necessarily have to negatively affect the story. The strength outweigh the weaknesses by far.    

Activity: High school librarians could collaborate with teachers who have assigned this book as required reading and do an activity in the library related to their classroom learning. The library could create a display promoting the book and allow students to use sticky notes to write things like why the book is still relevant today, what they might have learned from reading it, and/or what character they most related to and why. Students can write their student ID numbers on the backs of the sticky notes in order to receive credit for participating but their responses will remain anonymous to their peers.                                   

Related Resources: The Outsiders is now considered historical fiction for YAs, so one of the most important things to discuss with teens while reading this book is the time period in which it takes place. Teachers or librarians can use many resources for showing YAs life in the 1960s (those who have grown up in the ‘60s can tell their own experiences and maybe even bring in actual things from that time). Here are a couple of websites to get started with:

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraID=17&smtID=1  (I wouldn’t necessarily make teens read directly from this website, but rather the educator should take information from the site and present it to them in a less boring way)

http://www.pbs.org/opb/thesixties/topics/culture/ (Teens might enjoy exploring this one)

Published Review: Peck, Dale. "'The Outsiders': 40 Years Later." New York Times Book Review (2007): 31. Book Review Digest Plus (H.W. Wilson). Web. 14 June 2016.