College Courses on Young Adult Literature

So I was looking through the course catalog for the university that I attend and I saw that my school offers a course in Young Adult Literature. I thought this was so cool, so I've decided to share with you the course description:

"A critical study of literature, including nonprint media, for young adults, focusing on helping prospective teachers develop familarity with young adult literature and how it may be used in the middle school and high school classroom, stressing gender roles and multi-cultural issues."

And for anyone who's curious, there are three prerequisites to taking this course: Conventions of Reading and Writing; Histories and Texts; and Theory, Meaning and Value.

I would love to take this course, but even if I stay in the English program I have no idea if I will even be able to take the prerequisites, let alone the actual course. But I just thought it was awesome that my school offered a course on something that I read everyday. Do any of your schools offer similar classes?

The Best Middle School Novels

I was originally going to title this post: "The Best Middle Grade Novels." But I wasn't really sure if the books I was listing would be considered middle grade. Even though the three books I have below feature protagonists who are twelve years old, the stories and plots are pretty deep and I wasn't sure if they should be catagorized YA or MG. To compensate, I'm calling them Middle School novels, because that's when I read them. I feel like these are YA books with younger characters. Not quite MG, not quite YA. Regardless, these books are worthy of audiences of all ages.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I think this is my favorite book of all time. And it's probably pointless to have up on here because I'm sure everyone has already read it. But I have to give some love to The Giver. I first read it in fifth grade on my own and loved it. It was the first dystopian novel I've ever read and look at me now! I had to read it again in seventh grade for school and I enjoyed analyzing and dissecting the novel. If you don't know, The Giver takes place in a future society that's "perfect" - no pain, no hunger, no disease. When you turn twelve years old, a committee decides what job you will have, and you start training. Jonas, the main character, gets the job of the Receiver, which is an honored position where Jonas will receive the memories of the community.

The Giver is one of those books that is banned, so obviously that means it's an amazing and thought-provoking novel. I consider this to be a must read for everyone.

Tangerine by Edward Bloor

I also read this in seventh grade for school. It's about a middle school boy, Paul, who moves to Tangerine County in Florida with his family. Paul is legally blind, so he's not a star athlete like his brother Erik. But as time goes on, Paul discovers some secrets that Erik has been hiding.

Tangerine is also another one of my favorite books (I'm sensing a theme here). This definitely is not as popular as The Giver, and I haven't really seen it in bookstores or anything. But it's such a good book in that it's like a mystery, as Paul is trying to figure out some things about his brother. And there's a pretty big twist ending which was awesome. If you haven't read this, I would definitely give it a try, it's a really good book.

A Corner of the Universe by Ann M. Martin

I picked up this book because the cover was so pretty and because it was written by Ann M. Martin, the same author who "wrote" The Baby-sitter's Club series (I say "wrote" because I think she used a lot of ghostwriters). A Corner of the Universe is about a twelve year old girl Hattie, whose uncle she's never met comes to stay with her family in the summer of 1960. Her uncle is mentally challenged (though it was undiagnosed since it was 1960) and Hattie befriends him and struggles to cope with teasing from other children and the ups and downs of his personality. It's a really good novel: thoughtful and pretty deep compared to the Babysitter's Club. This may be more for younger girls but I really liked it and still do.

So that's it for now, I need to get some studying done. I'll probably do another post of this because there are a lot of middle grade novels that I really enjoyed when I was younger and I think other people would like them too.

The Hunger Games from a Non-YA Reader's Perspective (3)

This will be the last post for this little feature because my dad has finished The Hunger Games! He actually read it really fast for him and he kept exclaiming how fast of a read it was. Oh, Dad. However, he has decided to continue onto Catching Fire, for which I am really excited. It's a on trial basis right now; he first wants to see how he likes it. Some of his comments on The Hunger Games were (spoiler alerts):

- he wished Rue had survived and wasn't quite sold on Peeta yet.
- he liked the hovercrafts (not really sure why lol).
- he was interested in Cinna as a character.
- he agreed that my brother and sister should read The Hunger Games.

It's hard to get information out of him, but I could tell he liked it, even though it was something he'd never pick up on his own. He keeps asking me if he should read Catching Fire (duhhh) so I gave him the book. He wanted to read because he felt like he knew the characters and wanted to see what happens next, which was cute and is how I feel about some of the characters in this series. So I will probably do more posts on this topic, but now it will be my dad's thoughts on Catching Fire. Now you guys can recommend The Hunger Games to your parents/adult friends because they will probably like it!

Across the Universe and its Awesome Packaging

Being a book blogger, I love love love getting books in the mail. What's even better is when it's a book you really want to read AND you're not expecting it. I got an ARC of Across the Universe by Beth Revis in the mail today and I was practically overjoyed. I was not expecting it at all and I've been wanting to read it for a few months now when I first heard about it. I wanted to share with you some pictures of the book and the awesome packaging it came in.

Here's the packaging! It's just like the normal stuff you get except it's all silver and shiny, like a spaceship (hm, I'm sensing a theme here). I don't know if you can read the sticker but it says "THE JOURNEY BEGINS" and then 1.11.11 is the date the book is released. I love that someone when out of their way to get cool packaging and stickers just for these books. :)

Here's the actual book. The cover is gorgeous. This is a paperback but on the back it shows you what the hardcover will look like. It will have a reversible book jacket (which is the coolest thing ever): one side is the normal cover, and the other is a blueprint of the ship.

This is the inside cover of Across the Universe and is the blueprint of the ship. I'm sure this will come in handy while reading the book.

As you can tell, I am so excited to read this book! But what makes it even better are the fun stuff that comes along with it: the packaging, the illustrations, etc. I feel like such a nerd being excited over this but I don't care :)

The Hunger Games from a Non-YA Reader's Perspective (2)

For those of you who don't know, I'm chronicling my dad's thoughts as he reads The Hunger Games. He's a teacher and the entire school where he works is reading it. I thought it might be interesting for other people to see what a non-YA and non-fiction reader in general would think of The Hunger Games.

I talked to my dad for the first time about it earlier tonight. He says he really likes it! I was super excited when he said that because it's one of my favorite books (obviously). Some of his thoughts were that it's really long - I was kind of surprised when I heard this because I've never considered THG a long book. But I guess 350+ pages is kind of long. He's only at the part where Katniss first arrives at the Capitol, though, so to him it probably seems like forever until the end. He doesn't like how people have weird names, which I laughed at. He also says that he has a certain ending in mind (but I don't know what it is) that he wants to see happen and that will partly determine whether he reads the next two books.

That's all I have to report now but to me this is very interesting and hopefully someone else is interested too.

Have Trouble Reading the Classics? Try This!

Everyone has used SparkNotes for books that they don't understand. It is a really useful tool for researching characters, reviewing summaries, and defining symbols. They even have No Fear Shakespeare, where you get regular English side-by-side the old English so you know what's going on. Unfortunately, what if it isn't just Shakespeare you have trouble reading? Author Wayne Josephson has started a series called Readable Classics, in which he "gently edits great works of literature to make them less frustrating for students and modern readers." According to Mr. Josephson, "each Readable Classic follows the original, chapter by chapter. A student can read my chapter first, and then better understand and enjoy the same chapter in the original version." Wayne Josephson has published Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, and Pride and Prejudice.

Even though I would recommend reading any classic novel in its original form, I do believe that the Readable Classics could definitely help students who struggle in English. So if you or anyone you know needs help, the Readable Classics would be a great resource.

The One Short Story You Need to Read!

I will be the first to admit it - I am not a big fan of short stories. There are a few that I like, but whenever I have to read them for school, my thinking goes along the line of "So what was the point?" For some reason, I just don't get short stories; to me they sometimes seem like they have no point. I much prefer novels - there's just more time for character development, plot, etc and more room for the author to make a point. But when I read "The Dream Thief" by Scott Tracy (whose first novel Witch Eyes will be released in Fall 2011), I fell in love. This is one short story that I would recommend. But at the same time, there's such a good premise going, that it demands more. Chelsea of The Page Flipper has started a petition for Scott to transform "The Dream Thief" into a full length novel. I highly recommend that you read the story and then sign the petition. I desperately need to read this in a full length novel and I really really hope Scott Tracy writes more. Enjoy!

EDIT: Scott Tracy has updated his story saying that he will be expanding "The Dream Thief"! Hooray!

The Hunger Games from a Non-YA Reader's Perspective (1)

Last night when the power was out (darn you, rain!), I learned something very interesting. My dad was going to read The Hunger Games. Why is this interesting, you may ask? Well, this is not the type of book that my dad would normally read. Like, this is literally on the opposite end of the spectrum for the books my dad reads, which is almost exclusively historical non-fiction. So no way in any world is he going to pick up a young adult, fiction book about a 16-year-old girl. The conversation is actually pretty funny, so here it is in script form:

EVAN (my brother): Well, now that the lights are out, it's a good time to get some reading down.

ME: *looking pointedly at him* Oh yes, you could read The Hunger Games, like I've been suggesting.

DAD: Oh I have to read that.

ME: *incredulous* You do?! (Aside: for some reason I thought he was going to read it on his own. Alas, I was wrong)

DAD: The whole school has to read it. (Aside: my dad is a teacher. Might I say that I think it's awesome that the whole school has to read The Hunger Games. So jealous!)

ME: OMGILOVETHATBOOK, etc.

ME: Wait, do you even know what it's about?

DAD: Yes...it's about...tribes.

ME: *confused* Tribes?

DAD: Sects.

ME: You mean districts?

DAD: Yeah.

ME: Okay so what else?

DAD: Well, I don't want to know anything, so don't say anything!

ME: Ok, I won't say anything. Just tell me what you think it's about.

DAD: These tribes are ... competing for food...and things.

ME: *confused* Oh.

I think it's hilarious that my dad doesn't really know what it's about...and a little annoying because he won't let me tell him. Like, I guess by having tributes in the Hunger Games, the districts are essentially competing for food and resources, but that's not how I would describe it. But since this book is totally opposite of what my dad would normally read, I thought people might be interested in what he thought, kind of, you know, another perspective. I'll update you periodically on his thoughts, which I will be pressing him for because I am extremely curious as to what he thinks about one of my favorite books. It shall be interesting.

Calling all Future Editors...

I just received an email telling me about this really cool project. A well-published author, Alma Alexander, recently discovered an old story she wrote as a teenager. After writing several successful novels, Ms. Alexander realizes how much work this old story needs...and is enlisting you to help her! Every week she will post a chapter from the work, and you can read it and give her feedback in the comments section. I think this is great practice for anyone who wants to be an editor or just wants to hone their reviewing skills. I really want to do this and see how I fare as an editor and whether I enjoy it will help me make some decisions regarding careers (I'm hopelessly lost as to what I want to do with my life). So head on over to Rebirth of a Novel and start editing!

New Header

So for like two months my header has been MIA - the link was broken/missing or something. I was really upset, too, because I loved that header. It looked so professional. Here's the new one I finally got around to making. I am not computer-savvy/artsy in the least, and I had to make this on Facebook using Picnik. I don't even know how to center the picture! If anyone has any tips, they'd be greatly appreciated. But hopefully this isn't too hideous.

Twilight Stuff

So obviously everyone knows about Twilight and all the merchandise that unfortunately accompanies it. Every other day there's some new Special Edition Twilight coming out. Well, I found two Twilight things that were actually pretty interesting:

Twilite: A Parody by Steve Jenner

Love between a teenage girl and a vampire can be a beautiful thing. Then again, it can get a little ugly. Just ask Stella Crow. Stella is a clumsy but otherwise ordinary girl whose life takes a radical turn the moment she meets Edweird. Though perfect on the outside, Edweird Sullen is remarkably unrefined on the inside. He also happens to be a one hundred year old vampire, trapped in the body of a teenage boy, who has yet to finish high school. Nonetheless, Stella is unconditionally smitten with him. But not everything is rosy in this gloomiest of towns. Edweird's enemies have sworn to put a tragic end to their romance. Against all odds, the bond between Stella and Edweird is nearly strong enough for their love to survive. Most love stories between an impossibly handsome vampire and an ungainly young woman have a magical ending. This one - not so much.

If you want to know more, click here. There are some excerpts that made me laugh so hard. I can't wait to get a copy of this book.

Defining Twilight: Vocabulary Workbook for Unlocking the SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT by Brian Leaf

Can you resist the allure of Edward’s myriad charms—his ocher eyes and tousled hair, the cadence of his speech, his chiseled alabaster skin, and his gratuitous charm? Will you hunt surreptitiously and tolerate the ceaseless deluge in Forks to evade the sun and uphold the facade? Join Edward and Bella as you learn more than 600 vocabulary words to improve your score on the *SAT, ACT®, GED®, and SSAT® exams!

Use this workbook side-by-side with your own copy of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight!
• Each chapter of the workbook gives you eight words taken from Twilight, with page references for you to read the words in the context of your favorite novel
• Define the words on your own before turning back to the workbook for their actual definitions
• At the end of each section you’ll take SAT, ACT, GED, and SSAT drills and quizzes to review and integrate what you’ve learned
• Plus, you’ll learn synonyms, Latin word parts, and memorization tools throughout the workbook

I actually think this is a pretty good idea. I know Stephenie Meyer might not be the best writer, but she does use some good vocabulary. Now you won't fall asleep while studying for the SAT's. For more information, click here.

My Bookshelves

It's been so much fun seeing everyone else's bookshelves, so I thought I'd post pictures of mine, too. Seeing everyone else's makes me feel like I have no books, but here are the ones I do own.

The top shelf has all my ARC's and books that I haven't read yet.

This shelf has all my favorite books like the Gemma Doyle Trilogy and the Uglies series. Some of my books are missing, like Twilight and The Da Vinci Code.

These are two shelves above my desk. The top one has the last four Harry Potter books and paperback Nancy Drews. The bottom shelf has my hardcover Nancy Drew books, some of which I haven't even read.

So there's my bookshelves!

Books + Sale = Love

So the Borders Express in this mall really close to my house is closing! The mall is undergoing massive renovations, and they want to put "higher end" stores in the mall (I guess bookstores don't count?). A Barnes & Noble is going to be put in, but not for another two years! I'm actually pretty upset, because this bookstore was about five minutes from my house. But there was one good thing about the Borders closing: a huge sale to get rid of all the books.

The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti

Bogus to Bubbly by Scott Westerfeld

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Envy: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen

A lot of the YA section was picked over, but I think I got a pretty good selection. Everything was 40% off, so the grand total for all these books was $23.52, which is a very good price, especially since Envy is hardcover.

Top 15 Books of 2008

This year has been great! I've read so many good books (and a few that were not-s0-good), it was hard to choose 15. I think I've narrowed it down to my favorites that were published in 2008. They are in no particular order, since I've never been able to pick one favorite book.

1. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer*
2. The Host by Stephenie Meyer
3. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare*
4. Paper Towns by John Green*
5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins*
6. Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen*
7. Perfect You by Elizabeth Scott*
8. Model by Cheryl Diamond
9. Death By Bikini by Linda Gerber*
10. Death By Latte by Linda Gerber*
11. Audrey, Wait! by Robin Benway*
12. Rumors: A Luxe Novel by Anna Godbersen*
13. Confessions of a Triple Shot Betty by Jody Gehrman*
14. Wake by Lisa McMann*
15. How To Build a House by Dana Reinhardt*

* indicates that there is a review.
Review Archives

Birthday Books!

Today is my birthday and I turned 17. Now I can see rated R movies and sing along to songs like "Dancing Queen" by Abba and "Seventeen Forever" by Metro Station. But I didn't come on here to tell everyone it's my b-day, I wanted to share with you the books I got today : ).

Breathe My Name by R. A. Nelson
Life should be sweet for Frances Robinson. She has a quirky best friend, lives in a McMansion with a loving, adopted family, and has just met a dreamy guy from Louisiana, Nix, who is as charming and exotic as an evening on the bayou.So why is she terrified of ambulances screaming in the night? And what makes her so uneasy about the coming of spring?Frances has a secret—the most terrifying secret in the world. A secret that has haunted her for eleven years: her birth mother, Afton Jelks.Afton is the mother who laughed, sang, and made up stories for Frances and her sisters Tan, Ninny, and Suddle when they lived in Fireless. A place that allowed their mother to lead them deeper and deeper into darkness, until one horrific morning Fireless overtook the real world, and Afton smothered her children one by one. Only Frances survived. Now that Afton is free from prison, Frances’ secret horror threatens to rip her happy world apart. She has one chance to win her life back: she decides to accept Afton’s twisted invitation to meet. She and Nix embark on a clandestine journey to confront the monster in its lair. This is a trip that will help Frances at last find peace . . . or die trying. But no matter what happens, Frances will discover just what it means to finish.


Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti
It is summer in the Northwest town of Nine Mile Falls, and sixteen-year-old Ruby McQueen, ordinarily dubbed The Quiet Girl, finds herself hanging out with gorgeous, rich, thrill-seeking Travis Becker. But Ruby is in over her head, and finds she is risking more and more when she's with him. In an effort to keep Ruby occupied, Ruby's mother Ann drags Ruby to the weekly book club she runs. When it is discovered that one of the group''s own members is the subject of the tragic love story they are reading, Ann and Ruby spearhead a reunion between the long-ago lovers. But for Ruby, this mission turns out to be much more than just a road trip....

Secrets of My Hollywood Life by Jen Calonita

What if... Your picture was taped inside lockers across America, your closets were bursting with designer clothing, and the tabloids constantly asked whether you were losing your "good girl" status? It's a glamorous life, but Kaitlin Burke, co-star of one of the hottest shows on TV, is exhausted from the pressures of her fame. So she decides to spend a few months undercover as an ordinary high school student. But could it be that real-life high school is just as harsh as cutthroat Hollywood...? Combining the vicarious star-studded glamour of the bestselling A-List series with the innocence of The Princess Diaries, this is an engrossing look behind the velvet curtains of stardom.

I'm so excited to start reading these books! In other news, The King's Rose finally came in the mail today so that was another plus. And the Twilight Saga Official Guide was released today, something I'm hoping to buy

What's Up With Barnes & Noble?

I got a giftcard to Barnes & Noble for Christmas and wanted to knock off some of the books on my To Read list, so today I headed to the bookstore. I need to buy The Elite by Jennifter Banash, because I got In Too Deep from Flamingnet and I can't read the sequel without reading the first book. So I went to the Teen section and I can't find the book. I looked around for some of the other books I want and can't find them either. I went to the customer service and had the employee look up The Elite.

"Sorry," she said, "We don't have it in stock, but we can order it for you."
How about The Violet Series by Melissa Walker? I ask.
"No, we don't have it, but we can order it for you."
Ok, do you have any books by Elizabeth Scott? I ask again, starting to get annoyed.
"Which ones are you looking for?" she asked.
Living Dead Girl and Stealing Heaven, I answer.
"We only have Perfect You and Bloom in stock."
I already read those. Ok, thanks for your time.

I'm still completely amazed by the fact that Barnes & Noble didn't have any of the books I wanted. What is the world coming to?