Alphabetical List of Materials

Amigurumi – by Lan-Anh Bui & Josephine Wan

Beauty Queens – by Libba Bray

Blankets – by Craig Thompson

Bokurano: Ours 1 – by Mohiro Kitoh

Book Thief, The - by Zusak

Boy Toy – by Barry Lyga

Boyfriends with Girlfriends - by Alex Sanchez

Bumped – by Megan McCafferty

City of Bones – by Cassandra Clare

Donnie Darko – by Richard Kelly (Director)

Dragonflight – by Anne McCaffrey

Earth, My Butt, and Other Big round Things, The - by Carolyn Mackler

Edward Scissorhands – by Tim Burton (Director)

Evil? – By Timothy Carter

Freegalmusic.com – by Freegal

Gemini Bites – by Patrick Ryan

Glass Castle, The - by Jeanette Walls

Go Ask Alice – by Anonymous

Good Omens – by Neil Gaiman

Grave of the Fireflies – by Isao Takahata (Director)

Hello, Cupcake – by Alan Richardson & Karen Tack

Hope in Patience – by Beth Fehlbaum

Host, The - by Stephanie Meyer

House of the Scorpion, The - by Nancy Farmer

I was a Teenage Fairy – by Francesca Lea Block

Jack of Kinrowan – by Charles de Lint

Kissing Kate – by Lauren Myracle

Little Brother – by Cory Doctorow

Maze Runner, The - by James Dashner

Mistborn – by Brandon Sanderson

Night Circus, The - by Erin Morgenstern

Num8ers – by Rachel Ward

Paper Towns – by John Green

Princess Bride, The – by Rob Reiner (Director)

Princess Diaries, The – by Meg Cabot

Repossessed – by A. M. Jenkins

Ruby in the Smoke – by Philip Pullman

Seventeen – by Ann Shoket (Editor)

Ship Breaker – by Paolo Bacigalupi

Shonen Jump – by Hyoe Narita (Publisher)

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The – by Ann Brashares

Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The – by Jon Turteltaub (Director)

Storm Front – by Jim Butcher

Tantalize – by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Teach Me – by R. A. Nelson

Twilight Soundtrack – by Alexandra Patsavas & Paul Katz

Uglies – by Scott Westerfeld

Waking Up – by New Republic

Z for Zachariah – by Robert C. O’Brien

 

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

Bibliography:

Brashares, Ann. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants [Audiobook]. Books of Tape, 2001. 6 hrs (6 discs). ISBN 978-0-8072-1161-8

Plot Summary:

Four high school sophomore best friends, since birth, Lena Kaligaris, Tabitha (Tibby) Rollins, Bridget Vreeland, and Carmen Lowell, are each going to be going their separate ways for summer but still want to be able to stay in touch. While Carmen is out shopping one day she find a pair of old jeans. They all try on the jeans and even though they are all four different body shapes and sizes, somehow the jeans magically fit all four of them. They use the ‘traveling jeans’ as a way to stay in tough with each other while separated. Lena spends time with her grandparents in Greece and meets Kostos, and they take an interest in each other. Tibby is spending her time working at a department store and planning on making a documentary of her experiences there. Then she meets a 12 year old girl, Bailey. Carmen goes to South Caroline to spend time with her father and learns that he is engaged. And Bridget goes to soccer camp and meets Eric, one of the coaches there. She starts to like him a little a lot. As they play out their summers separately they send the pants to one another and recant their experiences while wearing them.

Critical Evaluation:

This audiobook is a wonderful story of four best friends who are looking to find themselves individually, but also remain best friends. Somehow a pair of pants that miraculously fits all of them, even though their bodies are quite different from one another, is able to keep these best friends close when they are far apart. They each branch out from themselves and develop into stronger individual characters. Lena becomes less shy, Tibby finds a new friend who she sadly loses, Carmen comes to understand her father and accepts his choices, and Bridget is able to understand that she can’t pursue just any guy she wants. Individuality is an important thing to remember, you should always seek out you individuality, but that does not mean that you cannot find similarities among your friends and hold on to them so that you can find some common ground among  your friends. This is a beautifully written novel that will will touch the hearts of young adult girls.

Reader’s Annotation:

Four teenage girls, four destinations, one pair of jeans. Somehow the jeans fit them all.

Author:

Ann Brashares grew up in Chevy Chase, Maryland. She has three brothers. She went to a Quaker school in the D.C. area called Sidwell Friends. She studied Philosophy at Barnard College, part of Columbia University in New York City. Ann took a year off after college to work as an editor and was hoping to save money for school. She was going to continue studying philosophy but loved her job, so she never went to graduate school. She stayed in New York City and worked as an editor for many years. Ann made the transition from editor to full-time writer with her first novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.

Genre:

Realistic Fiction

Curriculum Ties:

N/A

Booktalking Ideas:

Four best friends and pair of jeans.

Reading Level/Interest Level:

YA/YA

Challenge Issues:

N/A

Why I included this book:

I notices this book on one of the genre presentations and thought I would check it out.

 

Donnie Darko (Movie)

Bibliography:

Fields, Adam. (Producer). Kelly, Richard. (Director). (2001). Donnie Darko [DVD]. Flower Films. 113 min.

Plot Summary:

Donnie Darko is seeing a psychiatrist for his troubled past. On October 2 he is drawn out of his room in the middle of the night by a six-foot tall, menacing-looking, time traveling bunny named Frank who tells Donnie that in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds the world is going to come to an end. He then wakes up on a golf course and heads home to find police and firemen at his home. A plane engine fell through his house and landed in his room. Nobody knows where the engine came from because there were no reported planes flying over that area. The next day at school Donnie meets a new student, Gretchen Ross, who becomes Donnie’s new love interest. His father takes him to see his psychiatrist and is given more medication, but Frank continues to appear and manipulates Donnie into committing a series of crimes. Frank also tells Donnie about time travel and how to manipulate it. On October 30, Donnie and his sister throw a Halloween party, but Donnie realizes his 28 days are up, and he only has a few hours to do before the world comes to and end.

Critical Evaluation:

This film is filled with dire circumstances and psychological content. Donnie’s character is able to see things that other people cannot, such as a six-foot tall, menacing looking, time traveling bunny named Frank. The atmosphere of the film is menacing, eerie, and dreamy all at the same time. The music adds just the touch mystery and spooky it needs to create the perfect ambiance for this film. All of the characters have a little bit of strangeness to them that leaves the viewer pondering their nature and how they fit in with Donnie and his mental state. Given that Donnie was seeing a psychiatrist for his troubled past, it is possible that the things he is seeing are imaginary. There is no six-foot, time traveling bunny and there are no swirling time vortexes that Donnie can somehow manipulate. He had some serious mental issue that could explain away his entire experience for the last 28 days. Although, I can’t say for certain, this is just an idea I had. Either way, this is a thrilling film.

Reader’s Annotation:

Donnie sees a six-foot tall, menacing, demonic-looking, time-traveling rabbit named Frank who tells him in 28 day, 6 hours, 42 minutes, and 12 seconds the world is coming to an end.

Director:

James Richard Kelly was born in Newport News, Virginia. His mother is Lane Kelly and his father is Ennis Kelly. He grew up in Midlothian, Virginia where he went to Midlothian High School and graduated in 1993. When he was a child, his father worked for NASAon the Mars Viking Lander program. He won a scholarship to the University of Southern California to study at the USC School of Cinema for Television and he was a member of the Phi Delta Thetafraternity. Before graduating from USC in 1997, he made two short films, The Goodbye Place and Visceral Matter.

Donnie Darko was only given a budget of $4.5 million. This was his first feature and was nominated for 21 small awards, winning 11 of them, including a nomination for a Saturn Award. His second feature release November 16, 2007 called Southlland Tales. In 2008, his production company Darko Entertainment announced that it was producing the adaptation of the bestselling book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. In 2011, he announced that he was writing and directing Corpus Christi.

Genre:

Thriller – Psychological

Curriculum Ties:

Psychology

Booktalking Ideas:

Donnie Darko meets Franks.

Interest Level:

YA

Challenge Issues:

N/A

Why I included this movie:

I loved this film when I was in high school, it quickly become one of my favorites. I highly recommend it to other young adults.

 

Grave of the Fireflies (Movie)

Bibliography:

Hara, Toru. (Producer). Takahata, Isao. (Director). (1988). Grave of the Fireflies [DVD]. Studio Ghibli. 88 min.

Plot Summary:

Set towards the end of World War II in Japan. The scene shows up the main character, fourteen year old Seita, sitting at the bus station in rags on the verge of death. A janitor searches his possessions and finds a tin filled with bones and ashes, and pronounces Seita dead. He throws the tin, and it lands in a bed of flowers and out of the ashes Seita and his sister, Setsuko’s, spirits are released. Seita then tells up how he ended up dead, starting with town being bombed. Seita and Setsuko’s father is off fighting in the war and their mother suffers from a heart condition. Seita and Setsuko are left to secure the house while their mother heads for a bomb shelter. The bombs start dropping before they can make it to a shelter, but they are left unscathed, however, they mother was hit and badly injured. She dies a couple days later and the siblings are sent to live with their aunt. Things don’t go well at their aunts house, so they leave to live on their own. Seita struggles to take care of his Setsuko and himself, but it is tougher than he thought it would be.

Critical Evaluation:

This is a heartbreaking animated film about a boy, Seita, and his little sister, Setsuko, during World War II. It is based on the semi-autobiography, Grave of the Fireflies by Akiyuki Nosaka, which was intended to be an apology to his own sister.  Even though the ending is foretold to us in the beginning, it is still incredibly sad. The story is told as a narrative by Seita’s spirit, shortly after he dies. Seita is a strong character, taking care of himself and his younger sister on his own during those rough times of war, but in the end he fails her and dies of his guilt of not being able to take care of Setsuko better. Setsuko shows up the vulnerability of people during the war and how a lot of people struggled to survive, but were ultimately left to die. However, the animation is beautiful and will draw you in, making you feel for the characters as if they were real. Probably one of the best war films in a long time.

Reader’s Annotation:

Seita and Setsuko are left to fend for themselves, but life keeps throwing misfortunes at them, one after the other.

Director:

Isao Takahata (高畑 勲 Takahata Isao) was born on October 29, 1935 and is a Japanese anime filmmaker that have earned critical international acclaim for his work as a director. He is a co-founder of Studio Ghibli and a long-time collaborative partner of Hayao Miyazaki. He has directed films such as Grave of the Fireflies, Only Yesterday, Pom Poko, and My Neighbors the Yamadas.

Takahata does not draw and has never worked as an animator before he become a director. According to Hayao Miyazaki, “Music and study are his hobbies”. He was born in the same town as fellow director Kon Ichikawa.He graduated from the University of Tokya with a degree in French literature in 1959.

Genre:

War/Animation

Curriculum Ties:

World History – World War II

Booktalking Ideas:

This is how he died.

Two young siblings with nobody to care for them.

Interest Level:

YA

Challenge Issues:

N/A

Why I included this movie:

I chose this movie because it really is one of the greatest war movies I have ever seen, and it is animated, I wanted to add an animated film, but it had to be at the young adult level. This movie fits well.

 

Edward Scissorhands (Movie)

Bibliography:

Burton, Tim. (Producer). Di Novi, Denise. (Producer). Burton, Tim. (Director). (1990). Edward Scissorhands [DVD]. 20th Century Fox. 105 min.

Plot Summary:

Edward was created by his father, an inventor who lived atop a hill of a pleasant neighborhood. His father invented all sorts of machines to do various tasks. Edward was first created as a machine that helped cut things, but his father gradually made him more and more human, even giving him a heart. Edward was almost complete, all that was left was his hands, which were still made of scissors, but his father died of a heart attack and was not able to complete him. For some time Edward lived alone in his home atop the hill. He would sculpt the hedges into different shapes, and never left the house. One day a nice Avon lady, Peg Boggs, showed up at his home and noticed that he was all alone. Peg took him home with her to meet her husband, Bill, and her two kids, Kevin and Kim. Edward ends up becoming friends with Kevin and Bill, and he later falls in love with Kim. Many of the towns folk find his hedge trimming and hair cutting skills impressive, but a couple people dislike him instantly and try to cause him trouble.

Critical Evaluation:

This is a beautiful and touching romantic fantasy film about a guy who is unexpectantly gentle given his condition. The story is moving and heartfelt with a beautifully written script. The set and characters are reminiscent of a colorful Pleasantville. A couple people are frightened of what is different and therefore they are frightened of Edward because of his scissor hands. They think he is an evil creature because they cannot understand him and his differences. But it is not his fault he was left unfinished. Fortunately for Edward Peg could see him for who he was and over time her family learned to see him for who he was as well. However, even though some of the towns’ folk were able to learn to like Edward, not everybody was and he is wrought with troubles after troubles. This movie paints the picture that individuality is a good thing and you should not fear what is different. You should embrace your differences.

Reader’s Annotation:

He was created by an inventor, but was not finished. Now he is left with scissors for hands and nobody to love him.

Director:

Timothy William “Tim” Burton was born on August 25, 1958 and is an American-born English film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies. He is responsible for Beetlejiuce, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleep Hollow, Corpse Bride, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, Batman, Batman Returns, Planet of the Apes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 9, and Alice in Wonderland. He is known for using actors Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter quite often.

He wrote and illustrated the poetry book The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, which was published in 1997. And a compilation of his drawings, entitled The Art of Tim Burton, was released in 2009. Burton has directed 14 films as of 2010, and has produced 10 as of 2009. His next film is a remake of his 1984 short, Frankenweenie, scheduled to be released on October 5, 2012.

Genre:

Romance/Fantasy

Curriculum Ties:

N/A

Booktalking Ideas:

He is really good at trimming hedges and cutting hair.

His hands are scissors.

Interest Level:

YA

Challenge Issues:

N/A

Why I included this movie:

I wanted to use a Tim Burton film, because he is such a great director, and I thought this was a good one to use. This is a wonderful film with great meaning behind it.

 

The Princess Bride (Movie)

Bibliography:

Reiner, Rob. (Producer). Scheinman, Andrew. (Producer). Lear, Norman. (Producer). Reiner, Rob. (Director). (1987). The Princess Bride [DVD]. Act III Communications: 20th Century Fox. 98 min.

Plot Summary:

A boy is sick in bed and his grandfather has come to read him a story. The boy says he doesn’t want anything sappy. The grandfather assures him it will have lots of adventure and action. The story he reads is about a young woman named Buttercup who lives on a farm. She has a farmhand named Westly who always takes her orders with the answer of “as you wish.” They realize they love each other so Westly leaves to seek his fortune so that they may marry. However, Westly’s ship is attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who’s reputation is to not leave anyone alive. Five years later, when asked by Prince Humperdinck to marry her, Buttercup believing Westly dead, agrees. However, before the wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by three outlaws, the Sicilian Vizzini, the giant wrestler Fezzik, and the Spanish fencing teacher Inigo Montoya, who seeks revenge on the six-fingered man who killed his father. Prince Humperdinck is in pursuit of Buttercup and the three outlaws, but so is a mysterious masked man in black.

Critical Evaluation:

This is a wonderful fast paced fantasy film. The film gets its name from a scene in Disney’s Fantasia, which they put in the film for a reference. The story is intriguing, the music complements it well, the actors play their roles fantastically, the set is amazing, and the graphics used are outstanding. It follows the strict rules of your classic Disney movie with its happy ending and need for a love story to be mixed in somewhere. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful film that teaches you in believing in yourself. Dave Stutler is a normal geeky guy who all of a sudden finds himself in the middle of an outdated battle between two sorcerers and apparently he is supposed to be the almighty Primer Merlinean that can defeat the bad guy. Except, he has no confidence in himself, so he struggles with trying to learn magic until he realizes that he is strong and he must help save mankind from this evil sorcerer and gains some confidence in himself that ultimately saves the day. A fantastic movie that is highly recommended.

Reader’s Annotation:

Action, adventure, and a whole lot of hilarious characters. The Intended princess Buttercup has just been kidnapped by three outlaws.

Director:

Robert “Rob” Reiner  was born on March 6, 1947 and is an American actor, director, producer,writer, and political activist. As an actor, he first came to national prominence as Archie and Edith Bunker’s son-in-law, Michael “Meathead” Stivic, on All in the Family. That role earned him two Emmy Awards during the 1970s.

As a director, he was recognized by the Directors Guild of America with nominations for Stand by Me, When Harry Met Sally…, and A Few Good Men. He is known for directing the famous Misery. He studied at the UCLA Film School.

Genre:

Adventure/Comedy/Romance

Curriculum Ties:

N/A

Booktalking Ideas:

Buttercup has just been kidnapped.

Who is the man in the black mask?

Interest Level:

YA

Challenge Issues:

N/A

Why I included this movie:

I grew up with the Princess Bride and would like to share its greatness with other young adults.

 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Movie)

Bibliography:

Bruckheimer, Jerry. (Producer). Turteltaub, Jon. (Director). (2010). The Sorcerer’s Apprentice [DVD]. Studio Films: Walt Disney Pictures. 109 min.

Plot Summary:

When Dave Stutler was just a boy, his class went on a field trip downtown. He really liked this girl, Becky, so he wrote a note asking her “friend or boyfriend” with boxes to check either one. He passed it down the line and she marked a box, but as it was getting passed back to him the wind caught it and it flew away. Dave proceeds to chase after the note, all the way into some random antique shop. Inside the shop he meets a guy, Balthazar, and is given a serpent ring that seems to come to life when put on his finger. He is told not to touch anything, but knocks over a vase, and out comes this other guy, Horvath, and the two begin to battle. Dave backs into another vase and spills water all down his front. When the shop catches on fire he runs out and meets his class who laugh at him because of his wet pants. When he tries to explain what happened, the shop has returned to normal. We jump to the future and Dave is now a teacher assistant, and one of his students happens to be Becky. Things could turn around yet, expect for that Balthazar character bent on ruining Dave’s life.

Critical Evaluation:

This is a wonderful fast paced fantasy film. The film gets its name from a scene in Disney’s Fantasia, which they put in the film for a reference. The story is intriguing, the music complements it well, the actors play their roles fantastically, the set is amazing, and the graphics used are outstanding. It follows the strict rules of your classic Disney movie with its happy ending and need for a love story to be mixed in somewhere. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful film that teaches you in believing in yourself. Dave Stutler is a normal geeky guy who all of a sudden finds himself in the middle of an outdated battle between two sorcerers and apparently he is supposed to be the almighty Primer Merlinean that can defeat the bad guy. Except, he has no confidence in himself, so he struggles with trying to learn magic until he realizes that he is strong and he must help save mankind from this evil sorcerer and gains some confidence in himself that ultimately saves the day. A fantastic movie that is highly recommended.

Reader’s Annotation:

There are sorcerers bent on destroying the world and the only thing stopping them is Dave Stutler, a pretty normal guy.

Director:

Jonathan Charles “Jon” Turteltaub was born on 8 August 1963 and is an American film director and producer. He graduated from Wesleyan University and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is the son of the television comedy writer Saul Turteltaub.

He has directed several successful mainstream films for the Walt Disney Studios, including 3 Ninjas, 1992; Cool Runnings, 1993; While You Were Sleeping, 1995; Phenomenon, 1996; Disney’s The Kid, 2000; National Treasure, 2004; and it’s sequel National Treasure: Book of Secrets, 2007; and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, 2010. He produced the CBS television series, Jericho, and directed the first three episodes.

Genre:

Fantasy

Curriculum Ties:

N/A

Booktalking Ideas:

Dave just found out he’s the Prime Merlinean.

Interest Level:

YA

Challenge Issues:

N/A

Why I included this movie:

I think it’s a fantastic movie. Young adults are sure to like it.