GETTING IT WRITE
HSC Middle School English Resource Centre
GREAT READS
STARTERS & ENDERS by Lissa Price
For all you post-apocalyptic novel junkies, these two books will be right up your alley. The text is easy to read and the plot is engaging. Here is the jacket description from the first book, Starters:
In a future Los Angeles, becoming someone else is now possible. Sixteen-year-old Callie discovers the Body Bank where teens rent their bodies to seniors who want to be young again. But when her neurochip malfunctions, she wakes up in the mansion of her rich renter and finds she is going out with a senator’s grandson. It’s a fairy-tale new life, until she discovers her renter’s deadly plan.
Mrs.Neibert
THIS DARK ENDEVOUR & SUCH WICKED INTENT by Kenneth Oppel
If you love mystery, history, creepy things, with a bit of romance mixed in, than this novel is for you. Personally, I think that these books are Kenneth Oppel at his best.
Ever wonder why Victor Frankenstein wanted to build a monster. Well, Kenneth Oppel did, and decided to write two books about Victor Frankenstein as a teenager, to try to explain what made him the obsessed adult that he became. In the first book, Victor's twin brother Konrad becomes ill, so Victor and two of his friends go on a search for a cure. This leads them into the bowels of the chateau where they live during the summer. There they find a dark library and a spell that explains the ingredients that they need to make the Elixir of Life. Will they be able to gather the ingredients in time to save Konrad's life? You will have to read it to find out.
Mrs. Neibert
BETWEEN SHADES OF GREY by Ruta Sepetys
Most of know about the horrors of the Holocaust for the Jewish people, but not as many are aware of the things that happened to the people of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia when Stalin came into power. Not unlike Hitler's plans, he considered these people worthless and anti-Soviet, so he drafted orders for them to be murdered, sent to prison or deported to slavery in Siberia.
This tale chronicles the experiences of a girl named Lina and her family. Just a warning, the content is a bit mature because the way that they treat the people is horrific. It is a powerful story that will leave you realizing just how lucky you are.
Mrs. Neibert
THE CAT AT THE WALL by Deborah Ellis
Although the The Cat at the Wall by Deborah Ellis is a brief novel, it is still packed with powerful moments that cause the reader to reflect on multiple aspects of life. The story is told from the perspective of a cat living in the West Bank of Israel during the heated riots between the Israeli soldiers and the Palestinian people, but the hook for the reader is that this particular feline was once a young girl who had lived in the United States. Apparently, she died at the age of 13 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and was reincarnated as the cat in Bethlehem, Israel. The parallel name of the two cities is a not so subtle hint that the first story will influence the outcome of the second.
This book may not be out on the shelves yet becasue I had an advance reader copy, but it should be coming soon.
Mrs. Neibert
THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins
The first book of the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, was action-packed – and full of surprises. I couldn’t put it down. One of the most interesting things about reading the book was that I couldn’t decide the whole time I was reading it whether I liked Katniss (the main character) or not – and I think that’s part of what made the story so compelling. She’s not 100% evil or 100% heroic, like some fictional characters – she was truly presented as human, someone with both flaws and virtues, and there were times I thought she was acting foolishly as well as times I thought she was being extremely courageous. Between themes like family, love, survival, war, and fascinating political undertones, the author kept me on the edge of my seat and the end left me begging for more – which was why I had to read the second book, Catching Fire!
Ms. Curtis
THE MAZE RUNNER by James Dashner
Wow – this is one book that hooked me pretty soon after I picked it up. As crazy as the premise of waking up and finding yourself climbing out of the top of something like an elevator into an empty-looking, enclosed field full of unshowered, angry, hungry, and desperate teenage boys is, it’s plausible in a futuristic, Ender’s Game sort of way. It reminded me a little bit of Lord of the Flies because of the way it was about a group of boys (at least at the beginning) trying to survive, but unlike Lord of the Flies, where you know how they got to the island, in The Maze Runner, you have no idea how this situation came about, where they are, or if they’re ever going to get out. That one question is enough to keep you reading, but there are lots of interesting twists and sublots along the way, including a girl arriving on the scene. The author does a great job giving the characters interesting but realistic personalities, and they all seem a bit mysterious, which is part of what keeps you reading – you’re never quite sure which character is going to snap and do something crazy because he’s lost his mind after being trapped for who knows how long in this strange place. As the story progresses, James Dashner really builds up to a ‘reveal’ of why the characters are so terrified of the maze, and although I wondered if it would be a let-down when I got there, he doesn’t disappoint. Amidst all the action, the characters wonder who they can trust, whether they will survive, and how this all started. Maybe on some level, this book is making a statement about science and experimentation – I’m not sure. There’s definitely more to this story than meets the eye, and you’ll find yourself asking, “What would I do in Thomas’ shoes?”
Ms. Curtis
