2012-2013 Reading List Part 2

Fear and Light by Michael Grant

This year I had the pleasure of finishing a series that I had been reading for several years.  Gone by Michael Grant was a book I picked up when I was looking for new science fiction books to use in my classroom.  Essentially, a giant dome appears over a section of California and everyone over the age of fourteen disappears.  Instead of just being a story of kids trying to survive, some of the kids trapped start to develop powers, giving the series a bit more of the science fiction edge.  I've been up and down with the series (the second book is my least favorite and almost caused me to give up the series), but the heart of the story was always kids working together to survive, and was what kept me coming back.

Fear followed by Light are the last two books in the series.  I won’t say too much if you haven’t picked up Gone yet, but I was very satisfied by the end.  Sometimes when you invest your time in six books you’re disappointed in the end, but that wasn't the case here.  I didn't love all of the plot points in the last few books (a baby being born, for example), but I was emotionally pleased with the characters’ endings, which was important to me after six books.  

Eagerly Anticipating

Champion by Marie Lu, expected release November 5, 2013

Though I left it off my list of obsessions, one of the upcoming releases I am most excited for is Champion by Marie Lu.  Champion is the third and final book in the Legend trilogy, following teens Day and June.  The series takes place in a futuristic North America that has the United States as we know it divided into two separate counties that are at war.  Day is a criminal mastermind, and June is the military prodigy assigned to capture him. 

My students love this series as much as I do, and when the second book in the series, Prodigy, came out, I eagerly passed it around to my students to find someone to commiserate with me over the ending.  The series includes a bit of romance, political intrigue, and plenty of action.  I definitely have my calendar marked to find out how this series is going to end.

My Latest Obsession

My Latest Obsession: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I have a bad habit of becoming obsessed with different book series.  I find a book and then devour the rest of the series in days.  The first time it happened was during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college; I finally read Harry Potter (averaging about a book a day) and was devastated that the series was not yet complete.  I followed Harry Potter a few years later with Twilight and Uglies during my student teaching.  Once I started teaching I discovered and became promptly obsessed with The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and Divergent.  There are other series I enjoy, but it takes something unique get me to the point where I anxiously watch the calendar for the next release in the series.

I had avoided reading Cinder for a long time.  Even though I like science fiction, something about a cyborg Cinderella didn't appeal to me.  When my school librarian recommended it to me, I finally broke down and gave it a chance.  I wasn't disappointed.  I quickly fell into the world of cyborgs, princes, and aliens and I could not put the book down.  Marissa Meyer has done an excellent job of weaving her narrative with the classic story of Cinderella.  It is another story with a futuristic setting you could imagine being real, if not in our lifetime.  The most fantastical element is the existence of the Lunars, an advanced telepathic race that lives on the moon and whose leader has designs on controlling the earth.  The few students I had time to share this series with before school let out for the summer quickly became just as addicted as well.

The Lunar Chronicles is a planned series of four novels, each introducing a new fairy tale story.  Cinder and Scarlet (Red Riding Hood) are currently released, Cress (Rapunzel) is scheduled to be released in 2014 and the finale Winter (Snow White) is scheduled for winter 2015. 

2012-2013 Reading List Part 1

This is the start of my 2012-2013 reading list. 

Revived by Cat Patrick

Daisy is a fifteen and has died five times.  Each time she is brought back to life by a top secret experimental drug called Revive.  Every death brings a new identity, a new town, and a new life.  Her secret life usually prevents her from developing any real relationships, but when she does make friends she begins to question the experiment that controls her life.

I enjoyed this book and it was frequently borrowed by my students during the school year.  I enjoy the realistic science fiction genre; things that I could picture happening in our near future.  The story was fast paced and had a few twists to keep me interested.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

Andi’s life has been in a downward spiral since the death of her younger brother.  When her father receives notice that she is going to be kicked out of school if she doesn't finish an outline for her thesis, he arranges for her to travel with him to France to do her research.  While there, she becomes wrapped up in the tragic story of a young French prince, resulting in a mysterious journey through time.

Donnelly’s work is something that I enjoy but not something I would recommend to all of my students.  Her work is probably targeted at a demographic a little older than middle school, but mature students who need a more challenging read enjoy her work.   I like that she mixes historical information into an interesting fictional narrative.  I always feel like I learn something with her novels, and that isn’t always the case with the young adult genre