The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Divergent and Insurgent by Veronica Roth

My Reaction:
I'm lumping these two into one post because they're part of a trilogy and there really isn't much to distinguish them as two separate books. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though! Where Divergent ends, Insurgent picks up, making it a seamless transition from one book to the next. It also helped that I didn't have to wait too long after finishing Divergent to start Insurgent, so the story was still fresh in my mind. When I put Divergent on my list of books that I was going to read for this project, I was extremely hesitant and not excited at all to read it. It feels that since the release and rise in popularity of The Hunger Games, dystopian fiction has gained momentum, and the description of Divergent made it sound like a knockoff of The Hunger Games. I gave it a shot anyway, and I was not disappointed at all. In fact, I found that I enjoyed it even more than The Hunger Games. The writing was a little weak in spots, particularly some of the dialogue, but it didn't really detract from the story. One thing about this series that I liked more than The Hunger Games was that there wasn't as much of a focus on the romantic relationships. While there is still a little romance in the books, it doesn't have quite the same importance. The only major dislike I have about the two books is the cliffhangers at the end of each. It wasn't quite so bad after finishing Divergent because I was able to get Insurgent right away, but now I have to wait for the third book to come out to finish the series and answer all the questions that I have. I think it'll be worth the wait though.

About the Book(s):
Beatrice Prior lives in a futuristic, dystopian Chicago, where everyone is divided into five different factions. Each faction is dedicated to a particular virtue: Amity are peaceful, Candor are truthful, Abnegation are selfless, Dauntless are brave, and the Erudite are intelligent. Each year, all of the sixteen-year-olds must select which faction they will belong to for the rest of their lives. They can choose the faction they were born into and remain with their families, or pick a different faction and never see their families again. When Beatrice switches factions, she leaves her family behind and changes her name to Tris. As she tries to survive initiation into the new faction, she struggles to figure out where she fits while still learning about herself. When she learns what it means to be Divergent, she is forced to make decisions that could jeopardize her safety, her friends' safety, and even her family's safety. In the sequel, Tris continues to save those she cares about as the factions fall apart around her, while trying to sort through the truths, lies, and secrets that she has uncovered.

On Teaching:

I know that a lot of schools are starting to teach The Hunger Games, and since there are a lot of thematic similarities among the two sets of books, I think the Divergent series could easily be taught instead. Some students might even prefer one to the other. It would be interesting to have two groups of students, half reading The Hunger Games and half reading Divergent, and then have them compare the two societies. The only thing I would caution against is having students read Insurgent before the final book is released. There are going to be a lot of angry and frustrated students if they have to wait to find out what happens!

Book Extras:

Other Books by the Author:
Just Divergent and Insurgent for now, but the third book is due out Fall 2013.

Author's Website:
http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/

Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

My Reaction:
Wonderstruck was a stunning read, even more enjoyable than The Invention of Hugo Cabret. At first, I was hesitant about reading it, having loved Hugo so much, I wasn't sure it would live up to my expectations, but it far exceeded them. I loved how Selznick used different mediums to tell two different stories at once. The way that the two stories intertwine at the end to become one singular narrative is incredible. Even though I think it is a little predictable that two stories become one, Selznick leaves a little mystery for the reader, so the entire story is not predictable. This was also a super fast read, partly because half of the story is told in images. It's well over 600 pages, so it looks intimidating and long, which might deter some readers from picking it up, but it's a whirlwind of a story that everyone will enjoy.

About the Book:

Wonderstruck is about the stories of Ben and Rose, set fifty years apart, but intertwining in an intricate way. Ben’s story is told entirely in words, while Rose’s story is told entirely in images.

Ben is a twelve-year-old boy living in Gunflint Lake, Minnesota in 1977. He has just lost his mom and now lives next door with his aunt, uncle, and two cousins. One night, he sees a light on in his mother’s bedroom, which he decides to investigate. He finds his cousin, Janet in his mother’s bedroom, wearing his mother’s locket, which Ben had never seen before. This, along with a tin can full of money, prompts him to look through her belongings for the first time since her death. In her dresser, Ben finds a clue about his absent father, sending him on a journey to New York City for answers.

Rose is a twelve-year-old girl living in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1927. Rose, obsessed with a famous actress, runs away to New York City to see her live on stage. Rose convinces her older brother, Walter, who lives in the city, to let her stay with him instead of making her go back to her father.

What unite their two stories are the American Museum of Natural History and a bookstore, Kincaid’s Books. 

On Teaching:
Like Hugo, Wonderstruck is more of an upper elementary/middle school novel. However, I think there are a lot of teachable concepts in Wonderstruck, and I think it's the kind of story that anyone, no matter the age can enjoy. It might also be a good "practice" novel for someone interested in reading graphic novels. Wonderstuck isn't a graphic novel exactly, but it does use images to tell a story.


Book Extras:

Check out Wonderstruck's website for some essays and virtual field trips related to the book. 

Other Books by the Author:

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Author's Website:

http://www.wonderstruckthebook.com/

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

My Reaction:
This was such a fantastic read. I love how Selznick combines words and images to tell a story. It didn't feel disjointed at all while I was reading, either. I was a little hesitant that it would feel like I was stopping and starting as I read it, but I was able to move seamlessly from the text to the images and back, without losing the momentum of the story. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, which Selznick did himself, but there is a sort of beauty to the text, too. While the thickness of the book is certainly intimidating (it clocks in at over 500 pages), the combination of illustrations and words makes the reading quick. After I finished reading this book, I immediately wanted to recommend it to everyone I know, from my mother to my thirteen year old cousin. It's just that type of book, one that everyone can enjoy. There is also a movie of this book, and it does a decent job of remaining true to the book, but I won't go into details here since this is about the book, after all.

About the Book:
Twelve year old Hugo lives in the walls of a train station in Paris. He spends most of his days making sure the clocks in the station are all set to the correct time. In his spare time, Hugo tries to rebuild an automaton that his father found hidden in the attic of a museum. To get the parts he needs for the automaton, Hugo steals small pieces from a toy shop in the train station. When the owner of the train station catches Hugo stealing, he takes the notebook full of illustrations of the automaton, which Hugo had been using to help him rebuild it. To get his notebook back, Hugo starts working for the owner of the toy shop, Georges. As Hugo works for Georges, he becomes friends with Georges' goddaughter, Isabelle. Together, the two of them work together to restore the automaton to working order and figure out the mysterious connection between the automaton, a drawing, and Georges.

On Teaching:
While the intended audience for this book is more upper elementary and middle school, I totally think it has potential in a secondary classroom. Selznick tells the story of Hugo, Georges, and the automaton in such a unique way. It might be a neat exercise to have students practice writing stories based on images and vice versa to build on details, imagery, word choice, etc.

Book Extras:
The website for The Invention of Hugo Cabret has a ton of cool stuff of on it. There are biographies about some of the people in the story, a section on automata, and all kinds of links to different things that relate to Hugo in some way.

Other Books by the Author:
Wonderstruck

Author's Website:
http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/index.htm