Books #16-21

Ness, P. (2008). The Knife of Never Letting Go. Boston: Candlewick Press.

Todd hears noise all the time from everyone in Prentisstown, including his dog Manchee. But one day, he hears nothing and the source is a girl. Toss has never seen a girl, for a germ on this new planet that created the noise killed all the women. But when the town hears Todd's noise about the silence and the girl, Ben (the man who has raised Todd) gives him a knife, a backpack, and his mother's journal and tells him to take the dog and run.

Todd find Viola, who scout ship has crashed on this planet killing her parents, and together with Manchee they go on the run. As they run, they find towns that Todd didn't know existed with women in them! Slowly, Todd learns the secret of Prentisstown and what is expected of him when he becomes a man in less than a month. He decides that he will not be a part of that evil. He and Viola continue to the city of Haven to find help to stop the Prentisstown men and to signal Viola's mother ship before it brings thousands of settlers to this messed up planet. But something else is waiting for them in Haven.

This is the first book in a series by Patrick Ness. I've read only one other book by him, A Monster Calls. This soft science fiction book has dystopian themes. They have left the old world to come to a new world and live according to their principles and belief. But each town has developed its own society and rules to live by. This reminded me of The Giver series and Birthmarked, where there are all these different groups with different rules in one area.

This idea of noise, that none of your thoughts are private, is intriguing. For some groups it brought the women, who could hear noise but not have their noise heard, into power. For others, it made them control and fear women. In the case of Prentisstown it drove them to kill all the women. This would be an interesting talking point for teens, who both value their privacy but live on social media sharing all the details of their lives. For Todd he is struggling with morality, developing a relationship with a girl (Havighurst), struggling to meet his basic needs (Maslow), and dealing with loss. The morality in this book or lack of, would also be a talking point for teens. When you are in a new world, who decides what is wrong and right? Do you adapt to the situation or stay with the value system from your old world?

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tj4fowWo7xM

Teacher Links -https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=13593



Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi: A Girl in Pieces. Texas: Cinco Puntos.

Gabi just wants to graduate from high school and go to college. But her family has other plans. Gabi is being raised in a conservative Mexican household, where girls remain virgins until they are married and "boys will be boys". Those who go against the expectations are often kicked out of the home or severely punished, as happens to her best friends when Sebastian comes out at gay and Cindy announces that she is pregnant.

Gabi writes poetry. It is through this poetry that she meets her boyfriend Martin and she deals with the craziness in her life like her meth addicted father and the idea that boys can do what they want with no consequences, but girls can't.

When she learns that Cindy's pregnancy is the result of a rape, she puts her graduation and college career at risk to confront the assailant. And even with a college acceptance, Gabi must fight her family in order to attend.

This realistic fiction book provides an amazing look into the world of a Latina teen. Gabi's relationships with her family and friends creates such tension. Gabi wants to grow and change, but her family and her culture want her to follow tradition. Although Gabi will be allowed to go to college, we are left wondering how college will change her and her family. Its frank discussion of homosexuality, teen pregnancy, date rape, and drug abuse in Hispanic culture makes this such a strong read. The poetry was amazing as well. It was one of my favorites this semester.

As a YA book it has a lot to offer. It has a strong protagonist struggling to change and make her life better. The topics are current and it tends to avoid stereotypes.


Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBshMlkLwqM
Teacher Links- https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=39562&s=n


Jamieson, V. (2016) Roller Girl. New York: Scholastic

Astrid and her best friend Nicole spemd and evening at the roller derby and Astrid falls in love with the sport. So much so that she signs up for derby summer camp. She assumes that Nicole is going to camp with herm but Nicole has chosen dance camp instead. Astrid lets her mom believe that Nicole will be there at camp with her and will bring her home daily.

Camp is way harder that Astrid expected. She struggles with the drills and keeping up with the other girls. So she starts writing letter to her favorite player Rainbow Bite and slipping them in her locker. AS the two write back forth, Astrid's confidence grows. She als develops a friendship with Zoey, another girl at camp.

Things fall apart when Astrid overhears Nicole talking to Rachel about her, Astrid's mom finds out that Nicole isn't at derby camp, and Zoey is chosen over her to be the jammer at the bout. But a long talk with her mom, an apology and truce with Nicole, and a surprise gesture for Zoey start to fix things. During the bout, an attempted hit by Astrid, give Zoey the chance to score and win the jam. In the end she learns that friendships will change over time and that's okay.

This is a brightly colored graphic novel, which is appropriate for the colorful world of roller derby and Portland. There are between 3-6 panels per page with a gutter that is narrow but separates the panels well. The illustrations do a great job of showing the facial expressions of the characters which is key in the book. The colors and the set up also me make this story easy to follow.

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r4zLaJrMWY
Teacher Links - https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=43641&a=1


Sartrapi, M. (2004). Persepolis. New York: Pantheon.

Marji's story in interwoven with the history of modern Iran. At the beginning, her life is good and very western, but with the revolution to depose the Shah, her life changes. Fundamental Islam becomes the basis for law. She must wear a veil and conservative clothing. Her liberal parents, who participated in the protests to over throw the Shah, are now working just to protect each other. When the war with Iraq begins, and the bombing and air raids put everyone in danger, life becomes even more difficult. Marji's parents still encourage her liberal thinking, but warn her to be safe. Everything that a teenage girl would want has become illegal to have or wear. Neighbors turn in other neighbors over their clothing, music, card playing, drinking, and conversations,When she becomes rebellious at school and risks being arrested (which could result in execution),  her parents decide that an European boarding school may be best for her.

The author and illustrator have chose to make the illustrations black and white. That choice , to me, makes the story more powerful. The focus then becomes the words and the characters' expressions. It also adds to the starkness of the story and life in Tehran during this time period. The frames vary per page. The gutter is essential when everything is black and white. It breaks up the page and provides necessary white space. A memoir of this type is unusual in this format,  but the graphic novel format makes a harsh world easier to understand and makes you want to read more.

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJTDUaAcUDM
Teacher Links- https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?tid=5342&s=n


Harris, R. (2009). It's Perfectly Normal. Boston: Candlewick Press.

Let's talk about sex....This book covers all aspects of human sexuality and development including the parts of the body, puberty, homosexuality, reproduction, fetal development, masturbation, HIV, sexual abuse, birth control, and abortion. Everything is discussed is simple, honest terminology so that the reader can understand it . The illustrations, although cartoonish, are accurate and depict all types of bodies, not just a social ideal.  The story is narrated by a bird and a bee and the bird's excitement to learn this and change is opposite to the bee's reluctance and fear. It's an interesting way to mimic an adolescent's attitudes toward puberty and sex.

This nonfiction text was written by a former teaching working in conjunction with parents, doctors, nurses, psychologists, teachers, clergy, and young people. There is a note to the reader in the back of the book stating that this information was up to date at the time of publication, but there is a caveat that science is always changing. There is also a note to ask parents or other adults if the reader has more questions. The illustrations provide accurate information in a way that would be appealing to the reader.

As a parent, I felt this book would be a great way to share information with my child in a way that would be less intimidating than a text book. The frank explanation of the subject matter is done in a way that covers everything without, for lack of a better term, "the gory details". Although I can understand the controversy with this book, as it addresses homosexuality, abortion, and birth control, it covers those topics in a matter of fact way. It also says that many people disagree with these topics and feel they are sins and asks the reader to talk to their parents about it. I think that is respectful  to others beliefs.

Trailer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vya_DTyPbgU
Teacher Links - https://www.teachingbooks.net/tb.cgi?a=1&tid=3541