Eragon

Bibliographic Information
Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Copyright Date: June 25, 2003
ISBN: 978-0375826689
Genre: Fantasy
Curriculum Ties: Young writers
Reading Level: Lexile 710
Interest Age: 11-18






Plot Summary
Eragon is a farm boy who lives with his uncle and cousin in the land of Alagaesia after his mother abandoned him as a boy and no one knows who was his father. He lives a simple life when he comes across a dragon egg while hunting. Once the egg hatches he is suddenly taking care of a young dragon named Saphira who he has bonded to as her dragon rider. This sets off a chain of events which will drive him from his home into unknown lands and terrible danger. He soon realizes that the fate of Alagaesia is in his hands as he is possibly the last dragon rider who can stand up to the King and his dragon. At the age of fifteen Eragon finds himself making decisions that will affect the whole land.

Critical Evaluation
One of the most amazing things about this book is the fact that Paolini was a teenager himself when he wrote and had this story published but you would never know it based on the intriguing and adventurous fast-paced plotline that he has put together. The world that he has built is one of mystery and magic with dwarfs, elves, shades, dragons, and humans all living side by side although not peacefully since the time of the dragon riders. This book has it all to be included with the best of high fantasy.

Reader's Annotation
Once you read this book you will no longer wait for a Hogwarts letter but instead will search for your dragon's egg.

Author Biography

Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. He has lived most of his life in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. As a child, he often wrote short stories and poems, made frequent trips to the library, and read widely. The idea of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby, a personal challenge; he never intended it to be published. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister. Christopher was fifteen when he wrote the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and spent a third year preparing the manuscript for publication: copyediting, proofreading, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye for the book cover (that now appears inside the Knopf hardcover edition). The manuscript was sent to press and the first books arrived in November 2001. The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, which is part of Random House. Knopf published Eragon in August 2003. Eldest, which continues the adventures of Eragon and the dragon Saphira was published in August 2005, and in December 2006, Fox 2000 released their movie adaptation of Eragon in theaters around the world.

Christopher Paolini. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Christopher-Paolini/e/B001IGLLNK/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Book Talk Ideas

• Dragons
• Following your dreams

Possible Challenges

•  Violence

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for Inclusion
This book is so well written that any fantasy reader will love slipping into the world of Alagaesia but to make it even more of a must read is the fact that the author was only 15 when he wrote the first draft. This book could be a great inspiration to many teenagers. It also won the Book Sense of the Year Award for Children's Literature.

Save the Last Dance

Bibliographic Information
Title: Save the Last Dance
Type of Media: DVD
Director: Thomas Carter
Actors: Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: June 19, 2001
Curriculum Ties: Racism
Rating: PG-13








Plot Summary
This DVD is an inspiring story of someone who must rise from the ashes of a traumatic event and discovers she needs the help of another in order to do so. Sara had big dreams of becoming a ballet dancer but when her mother died she gave it all up. After having to move in with her father she enters a new school of mostly African-Americans were she struggles to fit in.
Derek is an easy going, intelligent young man with a bright future himself. When he meets Sara at school he is immediately attracted to her and once he figures out what is holding her back he is determined to help her break free and fly once again.

Critical Evaluation
This movie does a good job of showing what different lives look like and how racism still exists in society and how easily we can overcome it. As this is not the main theme of the movie it is more subtle than most others. The biggest theme is not giving up on what your dreams are even when times are difficult. We all will struggle and face adversity in different ways but we can rise above it all. This movie is sweet and encouraging and is definitely geared towards a teen crowd.

Reader's Annotation
An inspiring film that will make you want to pursue the dreams you started to think were out of reach.

Possible Challenges

• Romance
• Violence
• Alcohol and drug use

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for Inclusion
This is a great movie that showcases teenagers who overcome adversity of different kinds. It is uplifting but also has a lot of the drama that teens like in movies making it an easy sell with a great lesson to be learned.

Lirael

Bibliographic Information
Title: Lirael
Author: Garth Nix
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Harper Trophy
Copyright Date: April 2002
ISBN: 978-0060005429
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Lexile 950
Interest Age: 12+







Plot Summary
In this second Old Kingdom novel Nix returns to the world of the Abhorsen fourteen years after Sabriel. This time we are introduced to the Clayr where Lirael lives although she has always felt like an outsider. She was abandoned by her mother and has never known who her father is. She has grown up surrounded by the sisters of the Clayr who all have a similar look and the gift of the sight, while she has neither.  As Lirael spends her time deep within the library she stumbles upon the Disreputable Dog who quickly becomes her best friend. Meanwhile we follow the adventure of Prince Sameth, the son of Sabriel and King Touchstone, and his friend Nick who unbeknownst to them has released very dangerous magic. Read as all the storylines intertwine in this beautifully written sequel.

Critical Evaluation
A brilliantly written sequel by Nix which enlarges our view of the Old Kingdom to include new people and areas and make it seem even more real. The main focus of this book is not on Sabriel who is now a legend but on a new generation and a completely different person. Lirael does not who she is or what her purpose is and in this way, despite the fantastical land she resides in, becomes a character that we can all relate to at some point in our life. Many times the second book within a series comes up short but this is definitely not one of those cases.

Reader's Annotation
Deep within the Library of the Clayr a new adventure is beginning to take hold and this time there is a dog as the companion. Love this book!

Author Biography
Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary agent. He also spent five years as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. A full-time writer since 2001, more than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world and his work has been translated into 40 languages. Garth's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly (US), The Bookseller(UK), The Australian and The Sunday Times (UK). He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.

Garth Nix. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Garth-Nix/e/B000AQ01XU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Book Talk Ideas

• Belonging
• Finding one's self
• Good vs evil

Possible Challenges

• Fantasy violence
• Romance

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for Inclusion
It is rare to love a sequel more than the first book but that is the case for this book which just shows how amazing it is. Garth Nix is an incredible world builder and I was ecstatic to be able to reenter the Old Kingdom in Lirael.

Sabriel

Bibliographic Information
Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Harper Teen
Copyright Date: August 23, 1997
ISBN: 978-0064471831
Genre: Fantasy
Reading Level: Lexile 1060
Interest Age: 14+







Plot Summary
Sabriel has grown up separated from the source of magic that runs in her veins as she attended boarding school within Ancelstierre. In the Old Kingdom she is a daughter of the abhorsen, a necromancer who, unlike other necromancers, wields bells that can send the dead where they belong. While in her final year of school Sabriel receives a message that her dad is stuck in death so she embarks on a journey to the Old Kingdom where the users of Free Magic and Charter Magic are fighting for control. Sabriel who is not ready to take over her Father's position goes on the chase of a lifetime trying to find him and bring him back to life.

Critical Evaluation
Nix does an incredible job of world building through a setting that is so different from what we know. He is able to use words like magic to paint a picture that is both beautiful and disturbing. When it comes to his characters there is no difference. He does not try to establish a heroine who has no blemishes instead he creates characters that we can all relate to because they have struggles of their own just as we do. It is no wonder that this book has kept up it's popularity for the last 20 years.

Reader's Annotation
The marriage between dark and light created by Nix is not to be missed.

Author Biography
Garth Nix has worked as a bookseller, book sales representative, publicist, editor, marketing consultant and literary agent. He also spent five years as a part-time soldier in the Australian Army Reserve. A full-time writer since 2001, more than five million copies of his books have been sold around the world and his work has been translated into 40 languages. Garth's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of The New York Times, Publishers Weekly (US), The Bookseller(UK), The Australian and The Sunday Times (UK). He lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two children.

Garth Nix. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Garth-Nix/e/B000AQ01XU/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Book Talk Ideas

• Necromancy
• Levels of death (sort of like the levels of Heaven some believe in)
• Old magic vs new

Possible Challenges

• Fantasy violence
• Lots of talk about death
• Sexual content

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for InclusionThis is a darker fantasy novel that has held popularity and a following for almost two decades making it a clear choice for any collection.

Legend

Bibliographic Information
Title: Legend
Author: Marie Lu
Type of Media: text
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Copyright Date: November 29, 2011
ISBN: 978-0399256752
Genre: SciFi
Reading Level: Lexile 710
Interest Age: 12+







Plot Summary
It is 2130 AD and what use to be the United States is now split into the Republic and the Colonies who are perpetually at war with each other. Day is a 15-year old boy born into a poor family on the streets of the Republic where he has learned to fend for himself and has become the most wanted criminal within the Republic and has become a legend to the people. June is a 15-year old girl who was born into an elite family, her parents died a few years ago, and now it is just her and her brother Matius who works for the government as an officer a career that June wishes to follow him in. When Matius is suddenly murdered, Day is believed to be the killer. June sets off to revenge her family while Day is struggling to survive. Yet, as the water thickens and both characters learn more about what is happening within their country, the line between right and wrong no longer seems clear. What will become of these two characters who are destined to cross paths?

Critical Evaluation
Legend is beautifully written from the perspective of both Day and June. This duel narration helps to fill out the story as both characters are on the go, one searching for the other. Lu does an incredibly job getting into  the minds of the 15 year old characters. Their thoughts, actions, and language are all believable although extreme due to the world they live within. The development of the characters through the experiences that have as well as information they learn is that of an epic story.
Lu is definitely strong in the aspect of world building as well as character development. She easily paints a picture of a country that is far distance from what we know but close enough to place the locations in your mind and map it all out. It is incredibly interesting to look at America through the lens of a different government.

Reader's Annotation
This is the type of book that will keep you up all night long dying to know what is going to happen but desperately not wanting it to end.

Author Biography
Marie Lu is the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Legend, Prodigy, and Champion, as well as The Young Elites. She graduated from the University of Southern California and jumped into the video game industry, working for Disney Interactive Studios as a Flash artist. Now a full-time writer, she spends her spare time reading, drawing, playing Assassin's Creed, and getting stuck in traffic. She lives in Los Angeles, California (see above: traffic), with one husband, one Chihuahua mix, and two Pembroke Welsh corgis.

Marie Lu. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Marie-Lu/e/B004SRQ1WC/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Book Talk Ideas

• Future of America
• What makes right or wrong

Possible Challenges

• Violence

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for InclusionThis is a thrilling dystopia set in a futuristic America with lots of adventure and a little bit of romance. It makes it to number #1 on my all time favorite dystopian list. It is also a winner of the Young Reader's Choice Award as well as the Truman Readers Award.

The False Prince

Bibliographic Information
Title: The False Prince
Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen
Type of Media: Audio CD
Narrator: Charlie McWade
Publisher: Scholastic Audio
Copyright Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 9780545391771
Genre: SciFi
Reading Level: Lexile 710
Interest Age: 10-18




Plot Summary
Sage, an orphan boy is suddenly picked up from the streets and recruited to a plan concocted by a nobleman to unify the kingdom. Connor's plan is to choose four orphan boys with some resemblance to the lost prince Jaron, train them and test them to eventually choose one to place on the throne. As the boys begin to understand what is happening a rivalry begins to unfold. Sage is left with a huge dilemma, does he play this part Connor has laid before him or is it possible he has something else up his sleeve?

Critical Evaluation
Nielsen has masterfully put together a story of decent and lies with many layers. The plotline is well planned and executed with well thought through and laid back stories which then allows for a huge plot to be built on top without it crumbling. Although the story seems to get off to a slow start the narrator makes the audio book more entertaining while you wait for the plot to pick up it's pace, which it definitely does, and once that happens you won't want to stop the recording.

Reader's Annotation
When the first boy is shot I immediately knew that this book was going to be epic.

Author Biography
Jennifer lives at the base of a very tall mountain in Northern Utah with her husband, three children, and a perpetually muddy dog. She loves the smell of rainy days, hot chocolate, and old books, preferably all at once. At one time or another she has been a high school debate coach, theater director, daycare worker, and worked at an assembly of odd jobs so insignificant they didn't even deserve job titles.

Jennifer Neilsen. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Nielsen/e/B003VJQBT6/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Book Talk Ideas

• Scheming
• World building

Possible Challenges

•  Violence

Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for Inclusion
The series is one of the most well thought through that I have been exposed to in the last couple of years and where would a trilogy be without the first book?

What If?

Bibliographic Information
Title: What if? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Author: Randall Munroe
Type of Media: text
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Copyright Date: September 2, 2014
ISBN: 978-0544272996
Genre: Nonfiction
Curriculum Ties: Science
Interest Age: 14+






 Summary
 Monroe put together a compilation of wacky and random questions which he then attempts to give a real factual answer to. From questions like "what would happen if the Earth and all terrestrial objects suddenly stopped spinning, but the atmosphere retained its velocity?" to "what if I took a swim in a typical spent nuclear fuel pool?" this book tackles it all.

Critical Evaluation
This book is not written for teens but it is written in a way that screams for teens to read it.Monroe does a great job of taking very scientific topics, terms, and information and presenting it in a fun way. The language is still somewhat complicated but for older teens it is a very interesting approach to topics they would not otherwise care about. The book also contains pictures to go along with the explanations which graphically display some of the information presented. All science teachers should take a page from Monroe's book on how to take difficult topics and explain it in a goofy and fun way.

Author Biography
Randall Munroe is the author of the popular webcomic xkcd and the science question-and-answer blog What If. Randall was born in Easton, Pennsylvania and grew up outside Richmond, Virginia. After studying physics at Christopher Newport University, he got a job building robots at NASA Langley Research Center. In 2006, he left NASA to draw comics on the internet full-time, supporting himself through the sale of xkcd t-shirts, prints, posters, and books. He likes candlelight dinners and long walks on the beach. Very long walks. Lots of people say they like long walks on the beach, but then they get out on the beach and after just an hour or two, they say they're getting tired. Bring a tent. He lives in Massachusetts.

Randall Monroe. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Randall-Munroe/e/B004H66444/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0

Book Talk Ideas

• Fun science

Possible Challenges
 There is not any challenges to this book that I can foresee.

 Defense File

Have the library's selection policy and the Library Bill of Rights ready to hand out

Access to honest reviews from trusted sources

Know the awards, if any, the book has earned

Understand the material so you can explain the use of the book as a good talking point for serious and sensitive issues

A lot of times people just want their concerns heard, so make sure you listen

If they are still persistent be able to offer them a reconsideration form

 
Reason for InclusionIt is hard to find ways to entice teens into learning especially when the topics are difficult to understand and this book is a fantastic tool for that.