Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Doctorow, C. (2008). Little brother. New York: Tor.

ISBN-13: 978-0-7653-1985-2

Plot Summary

One day, Marcus Yallow, a techno-geek high school senior in San Francisco whose Internet name is w1n5t0n (pronounced “Winston’), decides to ditch school to play Harajuku Fun Madness with his friends. Escaping the school’s high-tech security system proves easy compared to what he endures that day. When San Francisco is attacked by terrorists who blow up tunnels, the BART system, and the Bay Bridge, Marcus and his friends are captured by the Department of Homeland Security and held for interrogation for days. They believe he is part of Al Qaeda. Marcus is released, but not before he is tortured. When he realizes that the government has taken away people’s civil liberties and privacy and is tracking their every move in the name of security, Marcus creates a movement with the help of his technologically-gifted friends and the Internet to counter the DHS’s surveillance under the name of M1k13y. He is spurred on by the memory of Darryl, stabbed and bleeding, whom he believes might still live, the encouragement of his new girlfriend, Ange, and the resolve to wrought revenge on the people who did this to him and his city.

Critical Evaluation

Reminiscent of George Orwell’s 1984, a theme of Little Brother is individual rights and privacy vs. national security in the name of unity. In fact, the main characters of both novels share the same name, Winston. The terrorist acts that set the plot in motion parallel 9/11 and set the stage for the mysterious Homeland Security’s arrival. The immediate future setting of this novel, San Francisco, is significant because this city is known to be a hot bed of free-thinking activists and technology, just the thing to get under the skin of the government. Doctorow brings the city to life with specific details such as real places; Marcus and Ange ride the Muni and the Bart, have a party at Sutro Baths, and attend a concert at Dolores Park. The first-person narration of Marcus is sometimes a blur of techno-speak and readers who do not understand things like crypto and private keys might get lost in the sometimes long-winded explanations, but the effect is powerful. While the reader might not understand, he will understand that there are hackers able to control the Internet to their advantage. The characters are well-developed as they not only show concern for their own friends, but are genuinely worried about the public in general and are willing to San Francisco’s next activists. The motto, “Don’t trust anyone over 25” will ring true with young adults who believe that those older are jaded conformists who do not fully understand the digital generation and who question the government. This book will make readers question their own stance on individual privacy vs. national security and never look at intersection cameras the same way again.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

When Marcus is kidnapped and interrogated by Homeland Security after terrorist attacks on San Francisco, he does not take this encroachment on his individual rights lightly. With the help of his friends and the Internet, he rebels against authority and strives to regain his, and the city’s, personal liberty.

 

Author Information

 

Cory Doctorow, born July 17, 1971 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a blogger and science fiction author whose awards include the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, John W. Campbell Memorial Award, Prometheus Award, and Sunburst Award. Doctorow was a Greenpeace campaigner as a child and attended four universities but never received a degree. He began writing fiction when he was 17. In 2007, he received a Canadian Fulbright Chair for Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy and a professorship at USC included a one year writing and teaching residency. He returned to London, where he became a naturalized citizen in 2011, and continues to be a public speaker on copyright issues. His first novel, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (2003), was released in two ways. At the same time as its physical printing, it was released with a Creative Commons license, which allowed readers to circulate the electronic edition as long as they made no money off of it. After that, the license allowed derived works and all of his novels have been released the same way.

 

He is married to Alice Taylor and together they delight in their little girl born February 3, 2008, Poesy Emmeline Fibonacci Nautilus Taylor Doctorow (I had to include that wonderful name). He frequently does public speaking engagements, podcasts, and blogs on BoingBoing (http://boingboing.net/).

 

There is much more to know. Please enjoy yourself as you visit Cory Doctorow’s website:

 

http://craphound.com/

 

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Science Fiction

Suspense

Romance

Curriculum Ties

9/11, First Amendment Rights, civil liberties and privacy vs. national security

Book Talking Ideas

How much personal freedom and privacy are we willing to give up in the name of national security?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

The protagonist is a senior in high school; appropriate for readers 14 and up.

Challenge Issues

None I can think of, except some people might disapprove of the characters’ irreverent attitudes towards the U.S. government. There is also some non-graphic, but palpable tension-filled sex that occurs off page.

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 04/01/08

Publishers Weekly starred 04/14/08

Horn Book 10/01/08

School Library Journal starred 05/01/08

Horn Book starred 07/01/08

New York Times 09/14/08

Why did I include this title?

This book really made me think about my own personal liberties and privacy post 9/11. It is often seen as un-American to resist the government’s infringement on our own privacy. If we’re not doing anything wrong, why should we worry about that? Obviously, I disagree. However, I understand that this situation exists. All those intersection cameras, parking garage cameras, police vehicle cameras? Who is watching, and why? I’m not doing anything wrong, but I don’t like what’s going on. Unlike Marcus, though, I am in no place to change it. In fact, unfortunately, I don’t think it can be changed.

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!

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Asher, J. (2007). Thirteen reasons why. New York: Razorbill.

ISBN-13: 978-1-59514-171-2

Plot Summary

One day, high school student Clay Jensen receives a box in the mail containing seven audio cassettes. When he finally finds a cassette player (who has cassette players anymore?), he is shocked when he hears the voice on the tape: it is Hannah Baker, who had taken pills to kill herself just two weeks prior. One classmate is the focus of each side of the tape, and the thirteen sides tell the story of the thirteen reasons why each person somehow factors into Hannah taking her own life. With a map that had been mysteriously placed in his locker a few weeks ago, Clay follows the directions Hannah gives and essentially walks in her footsteps. He experiences anger, horror, sadness, and frustration as he listens to all the other stories of people he knows and anxiously waits for the tape that tells his story and how he factors into her suicide. Clay realizes how there were many moments that could have changed the outcome and with this notion, he reconnects with another girl who seems to be lost like Hannah was. Maybe this time, the outcome could be different.

Critical Evaluation

Told in the first-person narrative point of view, the reader experiences the raw emotion and thoughts running through Clay’s head as he listens to Hannah tell her story. Mostly alternating between Clay’s somber thoughts and Hannah’s biting narration, the author weaves together the lives of very different, yet authentic characters: the popular girl who would do anything to preserve her status, the scorned friend wanting revenge, the boy who rapes the passed-out girl at a party, the ineffective school counselor. Young adults will be able to recognize any of these characters in their own school and perhaps, in doing so, also recognize those who might need help. The chapters are divided up into tape sides A and B, so the anticipation builds as each tape brings Clay, as well as the reader, closer to the inevitable, tragic end. The tapes are Hannah’s words after her death, and, preserved forever and inescapable, they symbolize how every action has a reaction and everything has an effect on person, even if it is not immediately recognized.

 

Reader’s Annotation

 

Clay Jensen has just received a box of tapes from Hannah Baker, who killed herself two weeks ago. What does Hannah need to tell him, and how is his life going to change after hearing her posthumous words?

 

Author Information

 

Thirteen Reasons Why is Jay Asher’s first published novel. In his blog, Jay Asher explains, “I've worked at an independent bookstore, a chain bookstore, an outlet bookstore, and two public libraries. Before those jobs, I worked at a shoe store, a trophy shop, and an airline.” He shares that his idea for this novel came to him while working in Sheridan, Wyoming for six months. Besides his short stint in Wyoming, he has lived in California his entire life and continues to do so.

 

Born September 30, 1975, in Arcadia, California, Jay Asher grew up in a family that supported and encouraged his interests. He attended Cuesta College, a community college in San Luis Obispo, where he wrote two children’s books as assignments for a Children’s Literature class. He later attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he dropped out in his senior year to pursue writing. Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) is his only published book to date. A website called 13RWProject.com launched in May, 2011 as a place where fans of the book can record their reviews and experiences as text, photo or video.

 

More information about Jay Asher can be found at these websites:

 

http://www.jayasher.blogspot.com/

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/569269.Jay_Asher

Genre

Young Adult Fiction

Suicide

High School

Suspense

Curriculum Ties

N/A

Book Talking Ideas

What are the signs of depression? How do you deal with rumors? What do you do if you are experiencing suicidal thoughts? How difficult is it to be the new person at school?

Reading Level/ Interest Age

Characters are high school students; appropriate for grades 8 and up

Challenge Issues

Underage drinking, suicide, rape, sex

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 09/01/07 review

School Library Journal 11/01/07 review

Horn Book 04/01/08 review

Voice of Youth Advocates (V.O.Y.A.) 02/01/08

Kirkus Review starred 09/01/07

Publishers Weekly 10/08/07 review

Why did I include this title?

Many of my eighth grade students have read this book or are reading it, and I was curious.