Science Fiction: Cinder - The Lunar Chronicles

Check out this 2013 interview with the author, Marissa Meyer.

Meyer, Marissa. Cinder: The Lunar Chronicles. New York, Square Fish, 2012. Print. ISBN: 978-1-250-00720-9; paperback. $9.99

Annotation: Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .

Book Awards

• YALSA Teens' Top Ten (2013)

Book Talk: In a futuristic Earth, Cinder lives in New Beijing with her adopted mother and two wicked stepsisters. Loosely based on Cinderella, Cinder is a cyborg, part human part machine, who must help Earth fight a deadly plague that she is immune too. A futuristic fairy tale, Cinder encounters the charming and handsome Prince Kai and the evil Lunar Queen Levana who schemes to marry the Prince. Cinder must user her talents to save the Earth from being wiped out by plague and the lunar people who watch from afar. As the fate of Earth hangs in the balance, the mysterious path of the one person who can save Earth slowly becomes revealed in Cinder. 

Science Fiction: Divergent

Check out the Trailer to the 2014 movie.

Roth, Veronica. Divergent. New York: HarperCollins, 2011. Print. ISBN: 978-0-06-202402-2; hardcover. $17.99.

Annotation: In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Book Awards

• Goodreads Choice Award - Favorite Book (2011)
• YALSA Top 10 - Number 1 (2012) 

Book Talk: After sixteen-year-old Beatrice takes an aptitude test that classifies her as Divergent, she goes against her family’s wishes and joins the Dauntless faction, all the while carrying a deadly and powerful secret that can change the course of her world and those that struggle to survive.

Science Fiction: A Wrinkle in Time

Check out the trailer to the 2003 movie by Disney.

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Square Fish, 2007. Print. ISBN: 978-0-312-36754-1; paperback. $6.99

Annotation: It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

Book Awards

• Newbery Award Winner (1963)
• Sequoyah Award (1965)

Book Talk: On a dark and stormy night, Meg and her family are paid a visit by a neighbor who explains the existence of a tesseract. Longing for their Father who has not been around in quite some time, Meg and her siblings are sent on a journey that requires them to travel through time and space to find their Father. In their quest, Meg must battle evil and travel through the 5th dimension to save their Father before he and his family become simply A Wrinkle in Time.

Science Fiction: Life as We Knew It.

Check out my book talk on the novel!

Follow Susan Beth Pfeiffer's Blog: http://susanbethpfeffer.blogspot.com/

Follow Susan Beth Pfeiffer on Twitter: https://twitter.com/susanbpfeffer

Pfeffer, Susan Beth. Life as We Knew It. Orlando: Harcourt, 2006. Print. ISBN: 978-0-15-205826-5; paperback. $7.99

Annotation: Through journal entries, sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.

Book Awards

• ALA Best Book for Young Adults

Book Talk: Is this the end of life as we know it? What was supposed to be just another asteroid hitting the moon becomes a nightmare for Miranda and the rest of Earth as the asteroid knocks the moon closer to Earth.  As natural disasters began to occur regularly around the world, Miranda and her family prepare for the worst as schools begin to close, stores run out of food and volcanic eruptions spew grey ash clouds that block the sun and its warmth. Will Miranda and her family be able to survive the apocalyptic conditions caused by the Moon or will it become impossible to continue living on Earth? Surely this is the end of Life as We Knew It.   

Science Fiction: The Maze Runner

Check out the first trailer to the movie, which will be in theaters on September 18

Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print. ISBN: 978-0-385-73795-1; paperback. $8.99.

Annotation: When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.

Book Awards

Book Talk: Thomas wakes up to find himself in a pitch black room unable to remember where he came from, his parents, how he got in the room in the first place, or even his last name. After being pulled out by several teenage boys, Thomas finds himself in a place called the Glade, which is surrounded by a gigantic Maze. After learning more about the maze, Thomas becomes a Runner, one who explores and tries to solve the Maze. Every night, the doors of the maze close, protected those from the Griever’s inside. One night, Thomas makes a fearless decision.

“A loud boom exploded the air, making Thomas jump. It was followed by a horrible crunching, grinding sound. He stumbled backward, fell to the ground. He wouldn't have believed it if he hadn't seen it for himself. The enormous stone wall to the right of them seemed to defy every known law of physics as it slid along the ground, throwing sparks and dust as it moved, rock against rock. The crunching sound rattled his bones. He looked around at the other openings. On all four sides of the Glade, the right walls were moving toward the left, closing the gap of the Doors. Then one final boom rumbled across the Glade as all four Doors sealed shut for the night.”

Find out if Thomas and the other Glader’s will be able to survive and solve the mysteries that surround them in The Maze Runner.

Science Fiction: Ender's Game

Check out the trailer for the 2013 movie starring Asa Butterfield and Harrison Ford 

Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 1991. Print. ISBN: 970-0-7653-6233-9; paperback. $7.99.

Annotation: In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, may be the brightest of them all.

Andrew C. "Ender’s Game was a very complex book. I liked that the characters were all young and very smart people. You think one thing is going to happen but something else happens along the way. There is violence and leadership and a cool game with lasers. Ender is a good character and I think he’s a good person even if he does violent and bad things. The adults around Ender don’t tell him what’s going on and that makes him choose things that he wouldn’t have chosen otherwise, like sacrificing a lot of people to blow up the
Bugger’s planet. Ender’s Game was a really good book and made me think a lot about how we make choices."

Book Awards

• 1985 Nebula Award - Best Novel
• 1986 Hugo Award - Best Novel

Book Talk: After a fight in school, Ender earns a place in Battle School located in outer space. Ender and other cadets are trained in preparation of a future battle with an alien species known as the Buggers. After several military training exercises in zero gravity, Ender demonstrates superior ability and leadership qualities that others look up to while others are resentful of his ability and youth.

As the battle between the Buggers and Earth continues, Ender must cope with the pressure of his training and his feelings for his sister Valentine. As the battle gets closer, Ender must make difficult choices as he learns more and more about the truth behind this war. Find out if he has it in him win Ender’s Game.

Science Fiction: I Am Number Four

Check out the trailer for the 2011 movie

Lore, Pittacus. I Am Number Four. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Print. ISBN: 978-0-06-196955-3; hardcover, $17.99.

Annotation: The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

Book Awards

Book Talk: Number Four and eight others became scattered on Earth, leaving their planet after it was attached by The Mogadorians. All nine aliens possess powers and skills yet look and live the lives of ordinary teenagers. After the death of Number Three, Number Four, aka John, and his guardian Henri move to Ohio where he meets friend Sam and Sarah.

Knowing that the Mogadorians kill in order, Number Four knows that he is the next target. While trying to live the life of a normal teenager, John becomes more attracted to Sarah while finding it harder to hide his legacies and identity as an alien. Will John be able to avoid the Mogadorians and continue to live the life of a normal teenager or will his secret be too much of a burden to him and those he is trying to protect? Find out the future of John and the other numbers in I am Number Four.

Science Fiction: Imitation

Check out this interview with the author

Check out the author's blog here: http://heatherhildenbrand.blogspot.com/

Hildenbrand, Heather. Imitation. Virginia: Accendo Press, 2012. Print. ISBN: 978-1482761283; paperback. $6.99

Annotation: A clone must enter the real world as the surrogate of a wealthy eighteen-year old. 

Book Awards

Book Talk: Ven is the clone of Raven, a wealthy eighteen-year-old girl. Never meeting the girl she is cloned after, Ven spends time watching Raven from a lab, only being allowed to leave if harm is done to her authentic. Everything changes after an attack is made on Raven’s life.

“She casts a quick look toward the door. Her words are rushed. “I can’t explain. You have to trust me. Whatever you do, you can’t let them send you to Relocation. Okay?”

When Ven must fend for herself in the real world, she uncovers many truths to the world that are kept hidden from those deemed not to be real. Find out if Ven can change the course of those clones like her in Imitation.

Science Fiction: The Age of Miracles

Check out a video preview of the book from Random House Publishing Group

Walker, Karen Thompson. The Age of Miracles. New York: Random House, 2012. Print. ISBN: 978-0-8129-9297-7; hardcover, $26.00.

Annotation: In a seemingly ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, 11-year-old Julia and her family awake to discover, along with the rest of the world, that the rotation of the earth has suddenly begun to slow

Gracie B. “This book was a really quick read.  I read it on vacation with my family and couldn’t put it down.  After finishing, I couldn’t help but think about the world and the fragility of the environmental a little differently.  I saw on IMDB and several blogs I follow that a movie is in development with the same director as Twilight.  I hope they do a good job of adapting the supernatural and normal teenage life elements of the story to the big screen.”

Book Awards

• New York Times Best Seller

Book Talk: On October 6, the news became official. A day on Earth had grown 56 minutes longer as the Earth had begun to slow. For 11-year-old Julia and her parents, the consequences of this slowing were not clear at first but would eventually began to show.

"Later, I would come to think of those first days as the time when we learned as a species that we had worried over the wrong things: the hole in the ozone layer, the melting of the ice caps, West Nile and swine flu and killer bees. But I guess it never is what you worry over that comes to pass in the end. The real catastrophes are always different - unimagined, unprepared for, unknown."

In The Age of Miracles, find out exactly how the slowing of the Earth will impact the lives of all those who live on it.

Multicultural: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Sherman Alexie was a featured guest at the Texas Book Festival in Austin, participating in a Young Adult novelists' panel on November 3, 2007. He reads a snippet from his new book "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" and then answers a few questions at the end.

Follow Sherman Alexie on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Sherman_Alexie

Listen to an Interview Sherman Alexie gave on NPR regarding the book in 2007: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14586575

Alexie, Sherman. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. New York: Little Brown and Company, 2007. Print. ISBN: 978-0-316-01369-7; paperback, $8.99.

Annotation: The story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school

Book Awards

• National Book Award for Young People's Literature, 2007
• Boston Globe - Horn Book Award, Fiction and Poetry, 2008
• Odyssey Award, 2009
• California Young Reader Medal, 2010
• Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, YALSA, 2008

Book Talk: 14-year-old Junior thinks he is a zero. Born with mental and physical disabilities, Junior is picked on for being and looking different [show self portrait of Junior on page 5]. Growing up on a poor Indian Reservation, Junior carries with him the dream of being a cartoonist. After being suspended for accidentally hitting his teacher with a book [show teacher's picture on page 29], Junior transfers off the reservation to a rich and almost all white high school. Throughout the story, Junior faces many hardships, a lot of which is feeling ashamed for leaving the reservation. His relationships with his best friend Rowdy, his parents and grandmother [show picture of grandmother on page 69], and a girl that Junior likes at his new school [show Penelope on page 113], all play integral parts in Junior's coming of age story. 

Graphic Novel: A Contract With God

Interview with author Will Eisner which includes discussion about the creation of the story

Eisner, Will. A Contract with God. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2006. Print. ISBN 978-0-393-06105-5, paperback, $18.95.

Annotation: Through a quartet of four interwoven stories, A Contract With God express the joy, exuberance, tragedy, and drama of life on the mythical Dropsie Avenue in the Bronx. 

Book Awards

Book Talk: Frimme Hersh had made a contract with God, written out on a small stone [show Frimmie writing the contract on page 18].

After migrating from Russia to New York City, Frimmie finds an abandoned infant girl at his doorstop which he believes must be part of his contract with god [show Frimmie finding and raising the girl Rachele on pages 20-21].

One day, Rachele, the adopted daughter of Frimmie suddenly dies, leaving Frimmie in utter despair and anger. Frimmie does not believe this is possible because after all, he had made a contract with god [Show Frimmie’s anger on page 23].

How does Frimmie cope with his misfortunate? Does he remain loyal and faithful to his contract with god or does he throw the contract out and go back on the promises he had initially made? 

Urban Fiction: Upstate

A short video from author Kalisha Buckhanon giving advice and her experiences about writing

Check out her website here: http://www.kalisha.com/

Buckhanon, Kalisha. Upstate: A Novel. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2005. Print. ISBN: 0-312-33268-8; hardcover, $19.95.

Annotation: The letters between Antonio and Natasha, two teenagers in love but separated by Antonio being in jail for being accused of murdering his father.

Book Awards

Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship in Prose (2001)

Hurston-Wright Foundation Legacy Award in Debut Fiction- finalist (2006)

American Library Association ALEX Award (2006)

Audio Publishers Association Audie Award in Literary Fiction (2006)

Terry McMillan Young Author Award at the National Book Club Conference (2006)

Friends of American Writers Adult Literary Fiction Award (2009)

Book Talk: Antonio and Natasha are two teenagers in love in Harlem New York City. Their relationship is put to the ultimate test as Antonio is in jail being accused of murdering his Father. Through their letters, their relationship is explored through past experiences and their feelings toward their future.

" When I'm 21, you'll just be 20. When I get out we can get married real quick and start a family and buy a house where you can do hair or make clothes in the basement and I can have a music studio or sumthin down there too. We can do it. We can get through it and this can happen for us. I just need for you not to be mad at me and not to leave me, just to stick by me and not to leave me."

Their relationship is strained as Natasha has to make difficult decisions about Antonio while he left with his despair and longing to be free with the girl he loves. Their correspondence , full of raw emotion, demonstrate that their love for each other can only last for so long as Antonio remains locked up. Will they be together when Antonio gets out or will Natasha let go of the boy she was in love with before Antonio got locked up? 

Chick Lit: Two-Way Street

Check out my Book Talk video!

Barnholdt, Lauren. Two-Way Street. New York: Simon Pulse, 2007. Print. ISBN 978-1-4169-1318-4, paperback, $9.99

Annotation: Jordan and Courtney are on a three day road trip to college. The only problem is their recent breakup. Will they survive the trip and is there something to more to their relationship?

Book Awards

Book Talk: Jordan and Courtney embark on a three day road trip to college. When they planned this trip, they were still boyfriend and girlfriend. Now they are separated because Jordan dumped Courtney, but why? Courtney is determined to disengage and detach from Jordan but is that possible when they are spending three days together?  Jordan, however, may not be over Courtney either:

"I lean my head against the side of my truck an take a deep breath. I've spent the past two weeks driving myself completely crazy with the fact that if it weren't for Courtney's douche bag dad, and one second that changed everything, we'd still be together. But instead, we're not, and Courtney hates me."

In Two-Way Street, we find out if Courtney and Jordan can survive their three day road trip and discover just what happened that led to their broken relationship. Is it possible that they discover the truth about each other before the end of their journey or will their time by themselves lead to an insufferable adventure. 

Horror: Silver Kiss

Klause, Annette Curtis. The Silver Kiss: With two short stories: “The Summer of Love” and The Christmas Cat.” New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print. ISBN: 978-0-374-85782-9; paperback, $8.99.

Annotation: Zoe is wary when, in the dead of night, the beautiful yet frightening Simon comes to her house.Simon seems to understand the pain of loneliness and death and Zoe's brooding thoughts of her dying mother.

Book Award

• South Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2013

Book Talk: What would cause Zoe to kiss the un-dead? Zoe is sixteen and is depressed by her Mother being hospitalized with cancer, her best friend moving away and her Father being stricken with grief and despair over taking care of Zoe’s Mother. With Zoe being unable to cope with her Mother’s imminent death, she wanders out one night to meet the mysterious but beautiful Simon. When Zoe and Simon kiss, she finds out the secret truth behind Simon and his past. Can their relationship help solve their problems and conquer their fears of coping with their past and future?

Realistic/Coming of Age: The Fault in Our Stars

Check out an interview from the movie with Shailene Woodley & Ansel Elgort 

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York: Dutton Books, 2012. Print. ISBN 978-0-525-47881-2; hardcover, $17.99.

Annotation: The love story about Hazel and Augustus, one with cancer, the other now cancer free, as teenagers who fall in love despite their diagnosis.

Erika S. "I really liked this book. Even though it is really sad, it is really happy too because it is about love and honesty. Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters are relatable, and I think the movie does a pretty good job of showing how they are connected and in love the way it shows in the book. The text messages back and forth between them are exactly how I would talk to my boyfriends and friends, and their phone conversations until 3 AM show how strongly they are connected, and I’m glad these all made it into the movie. Texting is an important means of communication in relationships today, like Facebook and Twitter and all of it, social media and technology are pervasive in relationships."

Book Awards

• Children's Choice Teen Book of the Year Award, 2013

Book Talk: "You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."

Despite a diagnosis of thyroid cancer and knowing that dying young is relatively certain, sixteen-year-old Hazel Grace Lancaster remains a strong, funny and smart minded teenage girl who is resilient in the face of her cancer. One day in her cancer support groups she meets Augustus Waters who is cancer free after having his leg amputated. Hazel is cautious at first in her relationship with Augustus because she does not want to hurt Augustus when she dies. As their relationship grows, a life-altering trip to Amsterdam may finally allow them to fully understand and embrace their love for each other. While Hazel is aware of her cancer and her growing relationship with Augustus, she remains driven to understand the final fate that the people, both in fiction and in real life will face. This coming of age story is a great read for those willing to venture into a young relationship of love and friendship , where fate is left to The Fault in Our Stars. 

Fantasy: The Giver

The movie adaptation was released in August 2014. Watch the Trailer!

A 5 minute interview from NPR features the author Lois Lowry and her inspiration behind her writing the book: Lois Lowry Interview


Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print. ISBN 978-0-395-64566-2; paperback $7.99

Annotation: In a world with no poverty, no crime, no sickness and no unemployment, and where every family is happy, 12-year-old Jonas is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the tutelage of the Elders and an old man known as the Giver, he discovers the disturbing truth about his utopian world and struggles against the weight of its hypocrisy.

Brittney C. "I think I would be really sad if I could never love someone, not even my parents. If  I lived in Jonas’s community, I would never know what it feels like to love someone, or to have my own kids, or anything. Even if you would never have any war, or murders, you would still never be able to love anyone, and no one would be able to love you. I also would not like that you had to do the job that they told you. What if I didn’t like that job?  I would definitely choose to live in my own world so that I can love people and choose the job I like."

Book Awards

• Newbery Medal Winner, 1994
• Regina Medal, 1994
• William Allen White Award, 1996

Book Talk: Why was Jonas chosen as the Receiver of Memories? In a society of sameness where rules and order govern society, Jonas is given his lifetime assignment of becoming the receiver of memories, a position that only one other person in the society has been assigned: The Giver. In his meetings with the Giver, Jonas receives memories of what his community was like before everything was made the same. As Jonas receives more memories, he begins to understand the dark truths that govern society. Will Jonas be able to convince others in the community that the rules they live by are immoral? Is it the Giver who is responsible for Jonas' fear and hatefulness for their 'perfect' community?  

             

LGBTQ: Annie on My Mind

Check out my book talk here!

Garden, Nancy. Annie on My Mind. New York: Square Fish, 2013. Print. ISBN 978-0-374-40011-8; paperback, $8.00

Annotation: The story of Liza and Annie, two teenage girls whose friendship blossoms into love and who, despite pressures from family and school that threaten their relationship, promise to be true to each other and their feelings.

Book Awards

1982 Booklist Reviewers' choice; nominated for Gay Book Award and Golden Kite Award 

1982 ALA Best Books

1983 ALA Best of the Best 1970-1983

Best of the Best renewed, (1987?)

Booklist Best Books of the 1980s 

Booksellers' Choice list, 1993

ALA Best Books for YAs for past 25 Years, 1994

Book Talk: Liza is conflicted with a war inside her. In her growing relationship with another girl named Annie, she knows that it is wrong and bad and sinful. Another side of her knows that nothing has ever felt so right and natural and true and good. Liza feels that this is all happening too fast, but through her war of thoughts and emotions, all Liza wants is to stop thinking altogether, fling her arms around Annie and hold her forever.

Liza's tug-of-war of feelings and emotions are pulled from all sides throughout her final year of high-school in a New York City private school. Her life is forever altered when her and Annie meet and begin to fall in love. In 1982, when same-sex relationships are viewed with disgust, disbelief, and as a disease, all Liza wants is a place in the world for her and Annie to be together and true to themselves. As their love grows, will their relationship be able to withstand the pressures from their families, school and the world around them? While Liza spends the novel fighting this war inside her, she admits to never a moment without Annie on My Mind.

Biography/NonFiction: Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different

Watch Steve Jobs' 2005 commencement address at Stanford

Blumenthal, Karen. Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different. New York: Square Fish, 2013. Print. ISBN 978-1-250-01445-0; paperback; $10.99

Annotation: A biography on the visionary Steve Jobs framed by his 2005 commencement speech at Stanford. Learn about his life from his adoption to become the most innovate thinkers and creators in the 20th and 21st century.

Book Awards

• 2013 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults

Book Review: Connecting the dots, love and loss, and death. These were the three stories that Steve Jobs told in his 2005 speech to the Stanford graduating class and these three themes are woven into the biography of Steve Jobs. Blumenthal uses these themes to tell the story of one of the most brilliant minds that shaped the 20th and 21th century from his adoption at birth to his premature death from cancer. Throughout the narrative, Jobs is shown as an innovator that was not afraid to take incredible risks in pursuing his passion. While Jobs could be malicious and demanding at times, he was never driven by fame, greed or power. Blumenthal makes it apparent that Jobs' accomplishments meant little compared to the journey Jobs took in getting there.

It is impossible not to be captivated by the story of one of the most brilliant minds of a generation. Blumenthal does an outstanding job of presenting a full unbiased view of Jobs' life and personality while maintaining focus on Jobs' career journey. It is a fast paced read that from time to time delivers important lessons relevant to young aspiring minds. Remaining true to what you love, not settling, and understanding that the "journey is the reward" not just the accomplishments define the drive behind Steve Jobs. Blumenthal's narrative is divided chronologically and thematically by the three stories told by Jobs at the 2005 Stanford graduation speech and also includes an informative appendix with a time line of Jobs' career and accomplishments as well as a glossary and other useful content. I highly recommend this book to all young adults, specifically anyone with an interest in Jobs or technology. All readers of Blumenthal's biography will be fascinated by Jobs' story and accomplishments.