Hurricane Song: A Novel of New Orleans by Paul Volponi

Volponi, P. (2008). Hurricane Song: a novel about New Orleans. New York: Viking.

ISBN-13: 978-0-670-06160-0

Plot Summary

Miles has been living with his jazz-playing father, Doc, in New Orleans for two months. The only thing Doc cares about is playing jazz in clubs, but Miles is looking forward to having a father figure in his life. School is about to start, and Miles is excited playing football. However, it is the end of August 2005, and Hurricane Katrina is barreling toward New Orleans. Miles, Doc, and Uncle Roy get in the car to stay in a motel inland, but they are directed to stay in the Superdome instead. Miles had hoped the first time he saw its grass would be when he played on it, not running from a storm. Miles, Doc, and Uncle Roy must survive the hurricane, the impatient and angry crowds, and the oppressive National Guard soldiers. When the rain finally passes, this small family realizes what is truly important to them.

Critical Evaluation

The setting of Hurricane Song is the backdrop and the catalyst for everything that occurs within the plot. Each chapter opens with a stanza of the song “When the Saints Come Marching In,” which cleverly sets the stage and foreshadows the events of the chapter. Of course, the significance of this song must not be overlooked: it is the Saints football team that calls the Superdome home. Now, though, it is home to the thousands of people seeking refuge from the storm. Also, each chapter begins with the date and time; tension builds as the hurricane approaches. The language of this first-person narration told with the voice of Miles is full of Southern dialect, which adds to the realism of the place and the characters. For example, Miles says, “Mom would bust on me whenever I complained about it” (4). Furthermore, the dialogue is rich with expletives and while some might be offended, it would be unrealistic to have anything other than that. Explicit language and derogatory terms bring to the forefront the racism and terrible experience endured by the people trapped in the Superdome. Through it all is Doc and Uncle Roy’s love of jazz, which exemplifies the strong culture of music that lives in New Orleans. Readers will be able to relate to the complicated father-son relationship. At the end, the theme of hope and perseverance will inspire readers.

Reader’s Annotation

 

When Miles chooses to live with his jazz musician father permanently, his relationship is put to the test when Hurricane Katrina threatens New Orleans. Struggling to survive in the Superdome, he realizes what is important and what people need to get through the storms of life.

 

Author Information

 

Paul Volponi is a teacher, a writer, and a journalist who lives in New York City. Between the years of 1992 and 1998, he was a teacher to incarcerated adolescents on Riker’s Island, New York City’s main jail facility. There, he taught teens how to read and write. During another six year period of time, Volponi taught teens in drug day-treatment centers. His work with teens influenced much of his writing, and his particular experience working on Riker’s Island inspired his first young adult novel, Black and White, which won the 2006 IRA Young Adult Book Award and an ALA Best Book Young Adult. Volponi holds a BA in English from Baruch and an MA in American Literature from the City College of New York.

 

Paul Volponi is available for contact through his website. He also enjoys visiting schools and libraries, and he offers to chat with students in classrooms via a video or speakerphone conference.

 

For more information or to contact Paul Volponi, please visit his website:

http://www.paulvolponibooks.com/index.htm

 

Genre

Young adult

Historical Fiction

Survival

Curriculum Ties

Hurricanes, weather, flooding, jazz music

Book Talking Ideas

What do you remember about Hurricane Katrina? How did it affect people’s lives?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

Language, racism

Challenge Defense

If it were challenged, I would consult ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

I would also cite these reviews:

Booklist 05/01/08

School Library Journal 08/01/08

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 05/01/08

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 06/01/08

Horn Book 10/01/08

Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10

Kirkus Review 05/01/08

Wilson's Senior High School 06/01/10

Why did I include this title?

This is the first historical fiction novel I have seen about Hurricane Katrina. The story is incredibly moving and often frightening. It sheds light on something I only saw from the safety of my couch watching television and while I knew it was bad in the Superdome, this novel shows me how horrible it really was. Hopefully, once people read this book, they will think twice about how they treat people during difficult times like natural disasters as well as on a daily basis.

The Devil's Breath by David Gilman

Gilman, D. (2007). The Devil’s Breath. New York: Delacorte Press.

ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73560-5

Plot Summary

Fifteen-year-old Max Gordon attends a private all-boys boarding school near a military training zone in England. Something is amiss when he narrowly escapes an assassin’s shot. When he gets back to his room, items are misplaced. Furthermore, his brilliant ecological adventurer father, Tom Gordon, is missing and presumed dead. Max then sets out to find his father and his adventure leads him from Europe to Africa. Along the way, Max makes new friends who help: !Koga is a bushman boy who understands the language in Africa and Kallie is an aviator. Together with the help of his computer genius friend Sayid back in boarding school, Max and his new friends encounter numerous complications such as extreme weather, car chases, hand-to-hand combat, poisonous arrows, and evil monkeys. When Max learns that his father is caught up in Shaka Chang’s monstrous plot of water pollution that could kill thousands of people, he must find his father and stop Chang in time.

Critical Evaluation

The story opens with the attempted assassination of Max Gordon, and the plot does not let up from there. The twists and turns of this adventure story lead the reader to multiple locations; some readers might be easily confused by such quick setting changes. However, it is these unrelenting twists and turns that create the fast-paced plot. In fact, The Devil’s Breath is very much like Horowitz’s Alex Rider books. Readers will be intrigued by the Bushmen people’s language as it is translated by !Koga for Max. The African setting is significant because it is as foreign to Max as it probably is to the reader, and the detailed descriptions of this unfamiliar place add to its intensity. However, sometimes the descriptions can be quite lengthy and the reader might feel lost. The reader will recognize clear references to the ecological dangers of water pollution.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Max Gordon’s adventurer father is missing and Max, with the help of his friends, faces dangers in the African wilderness to try to find him. When he realizes the evil plan that will kill thousands, Max must find his father before it’s too late.

 

Author Information

 

David Gilman is a successful television screenwriter in the UK and was a writer for a show called A Touch of Frost from 2000-2009. Before that, the sometimes tragic turns of events in his own life provided him with experiences that took him all over the world. He grew up in Liverpool, England and because his father’s job required him to move every six months, Gilman attended many different schools. He was always looking for new experiences and frequently went missing from the time he was four. When he eventually found a love of books at a public library, he continued to get lost in the worlds he found in the pages. Of reading, he says, “I’m convinced that reading helps to socialize even the most disadvantaged or disruptive child and makes an enormous difference to communication skills. Reading lights up synapses other activities can’t reach!”

Gilman held a variety of jobs while living in South Africa before going to school to learn how a screenwriter. His many jobs working in a dairy and in a clothing emporium where he learned how to tailor clothes. He lied about his age to become a traffic cop and then as part of a Fire and Rescue Service. His jobs took him from South Africa to England to Canada to Australia and back to England again. There, he became a screenwriter for a television show and novelist.

More information about David Gilman can be found on his website:

http://www.davidgilman.com/

Genre

Young adult

Action Adventure

Survival

Curriculum Ties

Geography, environment

Book Talking Ideas

What would you do to help someone you loved? What kinds of adventures would you expect to have in South Africa?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Main character is in high school; appropriate for ages 15 and up

Challenge Issues

N/A

Challenge Defense

N/A

Why did I include this title?

Evil monkeys. Enough said. Seriously, though, this novel does feel an awful lot like an Alex Rider novel for an older crowd. It is fun to read. Fans of Alex Rider novels will enjoy this ride.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Ryan, C. (2009). The forest of hands and teeth. New York: Delacorte Press.

ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73681-7

Plot Summary

Mary has listened to her mother tell stories about the ocean, and her hope is to see it. That would mean leaving her village, which sits secluded in the middle of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. The village is surrounded by a fence, and outside the fence is where the Unconsecrated live. They are zombies, but they infect their victim instead of eating flesh. The Sisterhood has rules and religion to keep the village alive. It’s a post apocalyptic story that takes place seven generations after a plague that kills people, but the people come back as zombie-like creatures. Mary’s father left the village never to return, taken by the unconsecrated, and Mary’s mother has been pining for him ever since until she is infected as well. When the protective fence is breached, Mary and her friends must fight to stay alive. Meanwhile, a love triangle develops between Mary and two brothers, Travis and Harry. Ultimately, one of them is infected, and Mary must put him out of his misery. Mary eventually does reach the ocean and learns a valuable message.

Critical Evaluation

The narrator of The Forest of Hands and Teeth is Mary, and through her first-person account, readers are drawn into a rich setting made clear through descriptive details. Readers are captivated by the first few lines: “My mother used to tell me about the ocean. She said there was a place where there was nothing but water as far as you could see and that it was always moving, rushing toward you and then away” (1). The suspense begins here and builds through the plot’s twists and turns. In some ways, The Forest of Hands and Teeth is reminiscent of Lois Lowry’s The Giver with their similar ruling societies and barriers. However, in this story, Mary is facing the Unconsecrated, which adds to it an element of horror. Also like The Giver is a sexual undertone. Much of the story is Mary’s thoughts rather than plot action. When the story reaches its conclusion and Mary is at the ocean, the frame created by the link to the beginning presents us with a satisfying conclusion and still leaves an opening for the next installment, The Dead-Tossed Waves (2010). Readers will be inspired that determination and hope can ultimately wash evil away.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Mary would love to see the ocean her mother has always talked about, but she cannot leave the watchful eyes of the Sisterhood and the fence keeps her protected from the zombies on the other side. When the barrier is breached, Mary and her friends must fight for survival while they are being challenged by conflicts of knowledge, friendship, and love.

 

Author Information

Carrie Ryan was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She was very active in sports and read on the weekends. She especially enjoyed Sweet Valley High and Christopher Pike. She went away to college to experience a different climate in Massachusetts, but ultimately she did not like how it was cold most of the year, so she moved Virginia. There she wrote books that agents did not like. She then tried her hand at chick lit, but she felt did not have the kind of life experience that would lend itself to this kind of writing.

 

Ryan made the life-altering decision to go to Duke Law School to pursue a career in law. It was there that she met her now-husband, JP. He took her to see the first horror movie she had seen since Poltergeist. She hated horror movies. Dawn of the Dead (the remake), fascinated her and she was intrigued by everything zombie. JP happily indulged her new obsession. Ryan wanted to know what happens after a zombie apocalypse generations later and so The Forest of Hands and Teeth was born.

 

More about Carrie Ryan and her books can be found at her website:

http://www.carrieryan.com/

Genre

Young Adult

Science Fiction

Horror

Survival

Zombies

Romance

Curriculum Ties

Geography, infectious diseases

Book Talking Ideas

Infectious diseases, epidemics

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up

Challenge Issues

Horror

Challenge Defense

If this book were challenged, I would cite these reviews as well as consult ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

Booklist 01/01/09

Publishers Weekly starred 02/02/09

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 04/01/09

School Library Journal starred 05/01/09

Horn Book 10/01/09

Kirkus Review 02/15/09

Why did I include this title?

 

Who doesn’t love zombies? They’re the new vampires. Mary’s story teaches us a good lesson: if you have hope and determination, you can get through anything.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games. New York: Scholastic Press.

ISBN-13: 978-0-439-02348-1

Plot Summary

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen will do anything to protect the people she loves in District 12, a coal mining society and part of the Capitol’s far-reaching empire. Every year, the Capitol reaps two young adults from each district as tributes to compete in the Hunger Games as a way of keeping its citizens under its oppressive rule. The Hunger Games are televised for all to watch in entertainment and horror. This year, Katniss’s sister, Prim, has her name drawn. Katniss jumps to take her place, and she and Peeta, the boy who kindly gave her bread when she was a starving child long ago, must fight 22 other tributes in an evilly devised game field full of natural disasters and monstrous creatures. The winner of the Games will live a life of fame and luxury, but there can only be one winner. Katniss and Peeta create a love story that draws the attention and sympathy from people throughout the district, and when they outsmart the Hunger Games and the Capitol, their lives are about to change.

Critical Evaluation

Suzanne Collins creates a world where the Capitol of twelve districts manages every aspect of society. Through careful reading, we come to understand that the districts are areas of a post-apocalyptic America, and Katniss’s District 12 seems to be the coal mining areas of East Coast. Each District contributes in its own way to the Capitol creating a dependency that holds the districts together. Furthermore, when the children from each district meet each other, they see for the first time how each district is different and the comparisons between wealthy and desperate are obvious. The District itself serves as an obnoxious, glaring example of what happens to people in a world of vapid excessiveness. Vivid descriptions of the arena increase the game’s horrow. The plot is fast-paced and tension-filled as plot twists move from one problem to another as Katniss, Peeta, and the other tributes fight each other, the elements in the game, and their internal conflicts. Not all conflicts are resolved, however, leading the reader to the next book. Themes of individual freedom in a world of government control run throughout the novel. The characters’ holding up the berries for all to see show readers that one’s decisions are ultimately your own no matter what.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Katniss Everdeen would do anything for her family, even risking her life to compete in the Hunger Games. Katniss wants to win, but the Capitol and the other tributes have another idea.

 

Author Information

 

Born in 1962 in Connecticut, Suzanne Collins attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts and then earned her FMA from New York University in Dramatic Writing. In 1991, she began her career as a writer for children’s television shows including several shows for the children’s network, Nickelodeon. Her first books, five books of the Underland Chronicles, were published between 2003 and 2007. She attributes the inspiration of this series to when she realized that in New York City, people were more likely to fall down a manhole than a rabbit hole as in Alice in Wonderland. The Hunger Games, the first book in this series, was published September 2008 with great acclaim. Due to the popularity of this trilogy, Time named Collins as one of the 100 most influential people of 2010. Filming of The Hunger Games movie began in 2011, and Collins has adapted the novel for the film herself.

 

Collins currently lives in Connecticut with her husband, their two children, and an adopted family of feral cats that they found in their backyard. She says the idea for the Hunger Games came to her when she was flipping through the channels on her television between a reality show and news coverage of the Iraqi War.

 

More about Suzanne Collins can be found at her website:

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/bio.htm

 

And:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunger_Games

Genre

Young Adult

Science Fiction

Survival

Romance

Dystopian Society

Post-Apocalyptic

Curriculum Ties

U.S. government, geography

Book Talking Ideas

What do dystopian society settings tell us about the world we live in? What sacrifices would you make for the people you love?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Main character is 16; appropriate for grades 7 and up.

Challenge Issues

Violence

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library  Materials.

Booklist starred 09/01/08

Publishers Weekly starred 11/03/08

Horn Book starred 09/01/08

School Library Journal starred 09/01/08

Library Media Connection starred 11/01/01

New York Times 11/09/08

Why did I include this title?

I had been meaning to read this for a few years. It is one of the most circulated books at my school. Many reluctant readers have changed their minds about reading when this book is put into their hands. Once I realized I had to read it for class, I sped through it this summer. I was hooked and immediately had to find the next two books. When I visited my friend in Philadelphia this summer, and I didn’t want to take multiple books, I bought a Kindle to download them because I couldn’t live without them. I feel it is an important discussion to have with students: how much control should a government have over its people’s individual rights?

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

Dashner, J. (2010). The scorch trials. New York: Delacorte Press.

ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73875-0

Plot Summary

This second installment of The Maze Runner series picks up where the first left off. Thomas and the rest of the Gladers, having survived the murderous Maze, are now faced with WICKED’s second experimental trial. After just one night of rest, they are told that in order to find a safe haven, they must cross a wide expanse of sun-scorched land. To make matters more complicated, they are pursued by Cranks, zombie-like humans infected with the Flare, a disease that causes insanity and has already wiped out much of Earth’s population. As if that is not enough, Thomas and the rest learn that they, too, are infected with the Flare, and if they can successfully cross the postapocalyptic wasteland, they can be cured and live in safety. Thomas searches for his missing friend from the Glade, Teresa, as the boys struggle for survival and to understand why this government group is doing this to them.

Critical Evaluation

Once again, Dashner creates a world with vivid description to make the setting come alive for the readers’ senses: “The town seemed to have grow during the night, its buildings stretching toward the cloudless purple-blue sky” (120), “Heat, like a dry ocean through which they had to swim” (123), “The world was lost in the sound of roaring, screaming air” (131). The desolate landscape reflects the bleak mood of the characters, who continue to be well developed and believable through their actions and their language. Their conversations are flowing realistic teen speak woven together with Maze Runner vocabulary. For example, “Come on, dude,” and then, “What the shuck you talkin’ about?” The fast-paced plot and dialogue lead reader across the treacherous landscape. While there are holes in the plot, the reader is left expecting answers to remaining questions in the next book, The Death Cure (2011). Readers will connect with themes of wondering who to trust and missing the person you love.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Thomas and the Gladers have survived the Maze only to find themselves part of another trial: cross the barren, sun-scorched wasteland to find the cure of the disease they’ve been infected with. The identifying tattoos they now have are only part of the question, why are they being forced to do this?

 

Author Information

 

Please see the blog post for The Maze Runner.

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Science Fiction

Dystopian novel

Suspense

Romance

Survival

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Book Talking Ideas

Epidemics, infectious diseases, telepathy.

Reading Level/ Interest Age

The protogonist is 16; appropriate for readers 14 and up.

Challenge Issues

Violence

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Booklist 01/01/11

School Library Journal 12/01/10

Horn Book 05/01/11

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 12/01/10

Kirkus Review 10/01/10

Why did I include this title?

I enjoy reading series, and because The Maze Runner is so popular, my school library is also purchasing more copies of The Scorch Trials. I can’t seem to keep up with my students. They are hungry for more. Unfortunately, we do not have The Death Cure yet, but at least I will be able to discuss this book with them and join in the begging for the third installment. I especially appreciate how the middle books of trilogies create a bridge from the first book to the last while remaining able to stand on its own.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Dashner, J. (2009). The maze runner. New York: Delacorte Press.

ISBN-13: 978-0-385-73794-4

Plot Summary

Teen boys live in the Glade after having been dropped off by an elevator. Their memories have been erased, and they do not know why they are there. Every day, the boys run through the maze that surrounds them, searching for a way out. But every night, the door closes, which protects them from the Grievers, but the maze changes everyday. Then Thomas arrives. And the next day, a girl arrives. Teresa is the only girl there. Before she falls asleep into a coma, she tells them that everything is about to change. And it does. Their numbers are dwindling, and they need to find a way out. If they are caught by Grievers, they undergo Changing and can only survive if a serum is administered in time. A side effect, though, is some regained memory. Eventually, they realize that they have been put there as an experimental trial by the WICKED to find the smartest boys; these boys will aid in curing a disease called The Flare, which has wiped out Earth’s population. They risk their lives to save each other and in the process, some go crazy and some attempt murder. When they reach the Scorch, a dangerous area near the Equator, they are lulled to sleep without knowing what is planned for them next.

Critical Evaluation

Dashner creates the world of the Glade with vivid description to make the setting come alive for the readers’ senses: “…a mixture of smells bombarded him. Freshly turned dirt, manure, pine, something rotten and something sweet. Somehow he knew that these were the smells of a farm” (7). The characters are well developed and believable through their actions and their language. They have created their own linguistic style and vocabulary, calling each other “Klunkhead” and “shank,” and exclaiming, “Shuck it” when they are frustrated. This language intrigues the reader and further adds to the richly developed setting. Also, in doing so, they are talking to each other as boys do without being overtly offensive to readers’ parents. The fast-paced plot leads reader from chapter to chapter like a maze as the reader is left wondering what will happen next. However, the novel ends rather abruptly, leaving the reader with questions and wanting more, no doubt in preparation for its sequel, The Scorch Trials.

 

Reader’s Annotation

When Thomas finds himself in the middle of a huge maze, he can’t remember anything of the past and neither can the rest of the boys. Fighting for survival and finding their way out is all part of the plan.

 

Author Information

 

James Dashner was born in a rural town in Georgia, but moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University, where he received a Masters Degree in Accounting. After spending a few years as a missionary in Japan, he returned to Utah where he received his CPA. He currently works for a major accounting firm as a financial analyst. He resides in West Valley City, Utah with his wife and four children.

The Maze Runner is the first in a series. Second is The Scorch Trials (2010) and third is The Death Cure (2011). On November 20, 2011, Dashner announced the prequel to The Maze Runner, The Kill Order, due out August 2012.

James Dashner keeps a blog, The Dashner Dude:

http://www.jamesdashner.com/

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Science Fiction

Dystopian novel

Suspense

Romance

Survival

Curriculum Ties

Epidemics throughout history

Book Talking Ideas

What diseases throughout history have affected mass numbers of people? What would you be willing to do to survive?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

The protogonist is 16; appropriate for readers 14 and up.

Challenge Issues

Violence

Challenge Defense

In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.

Booklist 09/01/09

School Library Journal 10/01/09

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 11/01/09

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 12/01/09

Horn Book 04/01/10

Publishers Weekly 09/21/09

Why did I include this title?

I had heard about this book at a What’s New in YA Literature conference, and it was on my list of books to read. When I noticed it getting popular among my students, I realized it was time to read it and join in the discussion.

The Compound by S.A. Bodeen

Bodeen, S.A. (2008). The compound. New York: Feiwel & Friends.

ISBN-13: 978-0-312-57860-2

Plot Summary

Fifteen-year-old Eli and his family have been living underground for six years in a sprawling, luxurious shelter built by his brilliant billionaire father, Rex Yanakis, to keep them safe. Rex, Eli, his mother, and his two sisters are the lone survivors of a nuclear war, or so they believe. Rex had the foresight to build the compound years earlier, and it is able to keep his family alive for fifteen years; that is how long they must wait for it to be safe to emerge. Unfortunately, it seems his grandmother and twin brother, Eddy, didn’t make it to safety. Their lives are routine and dull, and after six years of this carefully planned existence, Eli begins to make discoveries that cause doubt and make Eli wonder and suspect his father’s sanity. Furthermore, Eli learns that his twin still lives. Questioning the safety of the compound and his father’s bizarre experiments, and with the help of who he hopes is Eddy, Eli tries to save his family from Rex and the compound.

Critical Evaluation

Before the novel begins, before even the Prologue, we read perhaps the most quoted stanza of all of T.S. Eliot’s poetry, the final stanza of “The Hollow Men:”

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

This is the way the world ends

Not with a bang but a whimper.

Without analyzing “The Hollow Men,” and assuming these lines allude to war and the H-bomb, the mood is set to dismal, cheerless, and unhopeful. They are underground, after all. In fact, while Eli, the narrator whose point of view becomes ours (Eli, Eliot?...just thinking…) says “T.S. Eliot was wrong. My world ended with a bang the minute we entered the Compound and that silver door closed behind us,” we continue reading expecting the eventual whimper. And it does not take long. The stage is set for a character obsessed with nuclear war, Rex, and the experiment his compound houses.

The allusions throughout the novel create a very real world. Eli and Eddy were born on July 16, which is the anniversary of the first successful nuclear bomb test in New Mexico, 1945. Rex has made sure his wife has enough Tully’s coffee to last fifteen years. Eli chooses a DVD, The Matrix, to watch from his father’s extensive catalogue. As Eli drinks his powdered milk, he imagines, “it is an icy gallon jug of Land O’ Lakes 2 percent” (92). Details such as these help create believable characters and situations and enable us to connect with them. Furthermore, the extensive descriptions of the compound itself emerge us within this world, just as Eli and his family are. The plot is full of twists and surprises as we, through Eli’s eyes and narration, learn more about the compound, Rex, and what exactly he is doing there.

Rex’s experiment is a mad scientist attempt to prove his point: “People will do anything to survive” (89). This theme becomes even more apparent by Eli’s actions. His escape is a way to survive. Readers might ask these questions: what things in life make a person truly happy, what does it mean to survive, and how far are you willing to go to survive?

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Eli and his family have been living in a luxurious underground compound for six years and have nine more to go before it is safe enough to breathe air above ground again; their father has made sure they have everything they want. When Eli begins to question his father’s motives, he begins to want the only thing his father is determined not to give him: escape.

 

Author Information

 

Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen (S.A. Bodeen), born in 1965, was raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, and even though she always enjoyed writing, it was not until her children were born that she decided to take up writing as a career. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin at River Falls, she joined the Peace Corps and moved to Tanzania as a volunteer. Her experience in Africa was the inspiration for her first book, Elizabeti’s School, a picture book.

 

After her time as a Peace Corps volunteer, she became a teacher and has taught junior and senior high school. She has lived in seven states and on a remote Pacific island. Bodeen enjoys spending time with teachers and students when she visits schools for speaking engagements. She currently lives in Oregon, and in her biographies, she states she is a big fan of cheese. Oregon is a great place for cheese.

 

S.A. Bodeen has won many awards for her children’s books, Elizabeti’s Doll (1998), Mama Elizabeti (2000), Elizabeti’s School (2002), and Babu’s Song (2003).

 

Her website can be found here:

http://www.rockforadoll.com/index.html

 

S.A. Bodeen keeps a blog:

http://latteya.livejournal.com/

 

For more information and lists of awards, please visit:

http://www.answers.com/topic/stephanie-stuve-bodeen

 

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Science fiction

Post-apocalyptic

Suspense; psychological thriller

Survival

Father-son conflict

Curriculum Ties

Significance of "The Hollow Men" poem

Book Talking Ideas

Nuclear war, bomb shelters, World War II, scientific experimentation

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Appropriate for ages 14 and up. The protagonist is 15.

Challenge Issues

N/A

Why did I include this title?

At about the same time that I did the Hunger Games project for LIBR 265 (If you liked The Hunger Games, then you’ll love these books…) an eighth grade student in my 7^th period had this book on her desk. I recognized its cover as one I was looking for to be part of my Hunger Games project, and I couldn’t find it in any of the libraries. And there it was on her desk! I asked her if I could borrow it and she happily handed it to me, saying it was a really good book. She was right. Thank you, Emily!