Teen Read '09 tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1867527 2009-09-02T10:12:31-05:00 Brought to you by your public library and the South Central Library System TypePad teenreadhttp://feedburner.google.com Catching Fire tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d32e053ef0120a5979438970c 2009-09-02T10:12:31-05:00 2009-09-02T10:12:23-05:00 So, it's now September 2nd and the sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, has been out for one whole day. And I know that there are many of you who stayed up all night or who are spending all of Labor Day weekend reading this great book! What do you think? Does it stand on its own as a great read? How do you compare it to the first book? What do you think will happen NEXT? I've been comparing this book to The Empire Strikes Back -- a lot of elements have been set in place for a... ShawnB

So, it's now September 2nd and the sequel to The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, has been out for one whole day.  And I know that there are many of you who stayed up all night or who are spending all of Labor Day weekend reading this great book!  What do you think?  Does it stand on its own as a great read?  How do you compare it to the first book?  What do you think will happen NEXT?

I've been comparing this book to The Empire Strikes Back -- a lot of elements have been set in place for a rewarding and exciting conclusion in the 3rd and final book of the series and I wish I could read THAT book THIS weekend!

I'm looking forward to reading about others' thoughts on this sequel.

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/09/catching-fire.html Jellicoe Road tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d32e053ef0115712d4c8b970c 2009-07-21T22:43:09-05:00 2009-07-21T22:43:09-05:00 Its kind of hard to read anything after this book....it is so compelling, and will make you see patterns in your own life that may have unintended links to the past. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Markham is the most unwilling and unwelcome leader of her Australian boarding school's deadly serious teen wars, which have been going on for decades and involve hostage taking and territory disputes with rival groups in town and the nearby military school. Taylor's past abandonment at age 11 by her disturbed and neglectful mother turns out to be deeply and strangely connected to a group of her "enemies,"... Toni S

Its kind of hard to read anything after this book....it is so compelling, and will make you see patterns in your own life that may have unintended links to the past. Seventeen-year-old Taylor Markham is the most unwilling and unwelcome leader of her Australian boarding school's deadly serious teen wars, which have been going on for decades and involve hostage taking and territory disputes with rival groups in town and the nearby military school. Taylor's past abandonment at age 11 by her disturbed and neglectful mother turns out to be deeply and strangely connected to a group of her "enemies," and also to Hannah, her sometimes rescuer and enigmatic "house mother." This book, first published in Australia, won the 2009 Printz award for excellence in young adult literature. It's been criticized for being too confusing initially and making the reader wait too long for the pieces of the story to come together. Do you agree? Do you think the Printz award committee made a good choice? Who was your favorite character?

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/07/jellicoe-road.html the devotion of jenna fox tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d8341d32e053ef01157064ace1970c 2009-06-25T14:13:41-05:00 2009-06-25T14:13:41-05:00 I've been thinking a lot about Jenna's parents and the lengths they went to in order to keep her alive. I'v been thinking about their utter devotion and, in their world, their means and ability to bring her back from the brink of death. I thought it was brilliant that Mary E. Pearson created Jenna as a character who questions their devotion and decisions. She's a smart, complex and often humorous character and I'm glad to have met her. I often use the word "adorable" when describing something that I find especially charming. But adoration... that's a heavier word. Worship.... ShawnB

I've been thinking a lot about Jenna's parents and the lengths they went to in order to keep her alive.  I'v been thinking about their utter devotion and, in their world, their means and ability to bring her back from the brink of death.  I thought it was brilliant that Mary E. Pearson created Jenna as a character who questions their devotion and decisions.  She's a smart, complex and often humorous character and I'm glad to have met her.  


I often use the word "adorable" when describing something that I find especially charming.  But adoration... that's a heavier word.  Worship.  Devotion.  These are words that I associate with the term "adoration."  Jenna's parents worshipped their daughter and looking back on the book I appreciate the correlation between the type of worship that takes place in the ancient mission and Jenna's parents' worship of family and science.

Jenna also is a devoted character.  She's devoted to her friends and to protecting them.  This devotion is an admirable quality - it is her strength and humanity.  For those of you who read the book, what strengths do you think Jenna possesses?  And how does she use these strengths throughout the book?
 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/the-devotion-of-jenna-fox.html More thoughts on Savvy tag:typepad.com,2003:post-68492857 2009-06-25T13:45:41-05:00 2009-06-25T13:45:42-05:00 Thanks for your comments, Beverly and Kate. I'm glad that you're discussing this book with us! Keep those comments coming. kate makes a good point about Mibs being confused by, and even a little disappointed in, her savvy. She wanted her savvy to be a different one and the scene in which she says good-bye to her idea of her dream savvy broke my heart. This book has me thinking a lot about our skills and talents and the ways in which we see ourselves. It would be so easy to ask this question, "if you could have one savvy,... ShawnB

Thanks for your comments, Beverly and Kate.  I'm glad that you're discussing this book with us!  Keep those comments coming.  kate makes a good point about Mibs being confused by, and even a little disappointed in, her savvy.  She wanted her savvy to be a different one and the scene in which she says good-bye to her idea of her dream savvy broke my heart.

This book has me thinking a lot about our skills and talents and the ways in which we see ourselves.  It would be so easy to ask this question, "if you could have one savvy, what would it be?"  But, after reading this book, I think a more appropriate question would be, "what savvy would you WANT, but what do you think your actual savvy would be?"  If I had to answer that question, I think I would say, "I'd WANT my savvy to be having the ability to perfectly do things (like Mibs's mom), but my ACTUAL savvy would probably be the ability to help those around me excel at the things that are important to them."

How would you answer this question?  What savvy would you WANT, but what do you think your ACTUAL savvy would be?

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/more-thoughts-on-savvy-1.html Happy Margo or Sad Margo? tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67982101 2009-06-11T08:18:47-05:00 2009-06-11T08:18:47-05:00 One of the fun things about this book is the fact that it has two covers! In Paper Towns, Q really believes he knows everything there is to know about the fabulously awesome Margo Roth Spiegelman but finds that sometimes there is a lot more to a person than what we see. John Green, the author of Paper Towns asked that two covers be made of his book to show two of the ways that people see and label Margo. One cover is happy the other is sad and serious. Some say it says something about OUR personalities when we... Lisa Wegner

One of the fun things about this book is the fact that it has two covers!  In Paper Towns, Q really believes he knows everything there is to know about the fabulously awesome Margo Roth Spiegelman but finds that sometimes there is a lot more to a person than what we see.  John Green, the author of Paper Towns asked that two covers be made of his book to show two of the ways that people see and label Margo.  One cover is happy the other is sad and serious.  Some say it says something about OUR personalities when we choose one cover over the other!  So,  which is your favorite? You can see both covers here  http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780525478188&MICTID=38

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/happy-margo-or-sad-margo.html Paper Towns by John Green tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67980331 2009-06-11T07:59:42-05:00 2009-06-11T07:59:42-05:00 Quentin or “Q” as his friends call him has known the amazing and perfect Margo Roth Spiegelman since he was two and has had a bit of a crush on her most of that time. She lives just next door and while they used to be good friends, now that they are in high school they aren’t exactly in the same circles. Q thinks he knows everything there is to know about her, but does he really know her at all? Just a month before high school graduation, Margo enlists Q’s help to pull a fabulous prank and then just... Lisa Wegner

Quentin or “Q” as his friends call him has known the amazing and perfect Margo Roth Spiegelman since he was two and has had a bit of a crush on her most of that time.  She lives just next door and while they used to be good friends, now that they are in high school they aren’t exactly in the same circles.  Q thinks he knows everything there is to know about her, but does he really know her at all?  Just a month before high school graduation, Margo enlists Q’s help to pull a fabulous prank and then just disappears.  Q is desperate to find her and begins following the clues that Margo has left for him.  Will he be able to find her or is she gone forever?

http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/paper-towns-by-john-green.html Savoring Savvy tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67952451 2009-06-10T13:49:00-05:00 2009-06-10T13:48:24-05:00 We're excited to begin discussing this great read. Right now we're all busy reading this book and look forward to blogging about it throughout the summer. Feel free to add any comments about this book and keep checking back throughout the summer to hear what others have to say about it. scls

We're excited to begin discussing this great read.  Right now we're all busy reading this book and look forward to blogging about it throughout the summer.  Feel free to add any comments about this book and keep checking back throughout the summer to hear what others have to say about it.

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/savoring-savvy.html Approaching... Paper Towns tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67952407 2009-06-10T13:46:32-05:00 2009-06-10T13:46:32-05:00 We're excited to begin discussing this great read. Right now we're all busy reading this book and look forward to blogging about it throughout the summer. Feel free to add any comments about this book and keep checking back throughout the summer to hear what others have to say about it. scls

We're excited to begin discussing this great read.  Right now we're all busy reading this book and look forward to blogging about it throughout the summer.  Feel free to add any comments about this book and keep checking back throughout the summer to hear what others have to say about it.

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/approaching-paper-towns.html Hunger Games - whet your appetite tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67952339 2009-06-10T13:44:08-05:00 2009-06-10T13:44:08-05:00 This is one of the most talked about books of the year and many of us are anxiously awaiting the sequel, Catching Fire. But, until the new book comes out on September 1st, this summer will be a great time to re-read The Hunger Games and re-visit Panem and re-acquaint ourselves with Katniss and Peeta. How do you think you would battle to survive if you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games? Why do you think this book is so popular with so many readers? scls

This is one of the most talked about books of the year and many of us are anxiously awaiting the sequel, Catching Fire.  But, until the new book comes out on September 1st, this summer will be a great time to re-read The Hunger Games and re-visit Panem and re-acquaint ourselves with Katniss and Peeta.  How do you think you would battle to survive if you were forced to participate in The Hunger Games?  Why do you think this book is so popular with so many readers?  

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/hunger-games-whet-your-appetite.html The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks tag:typepad.com,2003:post-67913069 2009-06-09T16:41:41-05:00 2009-06-09T16:41:41-05:00 In the summer before her sophomore year, Frankie Landau-Banks transforms from a geeky debate club member into a curvy, sharp-tongued knockout. And she has turned into the mastermind behind outrageous pranks at her elite prep school. What do you admire about Frankie? What do you dislike about her? What do you think life has in store for her after Alabaster Prep? Meagan_S

In the summer before her sophomore year, Frankie Landau-Banks transforms from a geeky debate club member into a curvy, sharp-tongued knockout. And she has turned into the mastermind behind outrageous pranks at her elite prep school.

What do you admire about Frankie? What do you dislike about her? What do you think life has in store for her after Alabaster Prep?

 http://teenread09.scls.info/2009/06/the-disreputable-history-of-frankie-landau-banks.html