Twilight By Stephanie Meyer

Book Title:  Twilight

Author:  Stephanie Meyer

Genre:   Romance Fiction

Summary/Review

Twilight is about a 17-year old girl named Bella Swan who was madly in love with Edward Cullen, who came from a Vampire family. This feeling came after her life was saved by Edward who exhibited super human qualities. She later learned from a friend, Jacob Black, that Edward was a vampire. Yet, despite this truth, she went against the advice of her friends, family and even of Edward not to be with him lest she would be attacked by blood-thirsty vampires.

This story became a blockbuster not only to teenagers but also to adults. Both age groups could relate to the story, since the genre is a mixture of fantasy and romance. It’s a universal behavior among female teenagers and even across ages to be swept-off their feet upon seeing their Knights on a shining armor, as was the case of Bella whose life was saved by Edward. It is equally a universal feeling for adults to love romantic stories as they could easily relate to this kind of feeling adults have presumably experienced such emotion. It is a common behavior among teenagers to do what they are prohibited from doing. In fact Bella was cautioned to keep her distance from Edward for fear that she would be attacked by the vampires. But she didn’t. In short, what is a “no-no” to teenagers, is a “do-or die” to them. And this is Bella’s character in this story – an impulsive, adventurous and passionately in love and defiant girl.

As for Edward, who is an adult, he exhibits a behavior of a  thinking adult who is able to put his intellect (reason) over his heart (emotion). His love for Bella made her very cautious and protective of her. He didn’t transform Bella into a vampire which he could easily do if he wished, in so doing, they could have eternal love and live happily forever after. But, he didn’t do this despite his being a vampire, his human attributes prevailed  over his animalistic or cannibalistic attitude. The moral or ethical implications as a consequence, if Bella is turned into a vampire that she would be able to fight her new instincts to hunt human as a vampire made Edward decide not to transform her into one. And this decision will result to a constant and conflict of suppressing emotions between a human girlfriend and a vampire boyfriend.

Awards

           A New York Times Editor’s Choice Award

              A Publisher’s Weekly “Best Book of the Decade"

           A Teen People “Hat List” Pick

           An American Library Association “Top Ten Best Book For Young Adults” 

                    And “Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers.”  

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Title:  The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Author:  Stephen Chbosky

Publisher:  MTV Books

Publication Date:  1999

Pages:  256p

ISBN:  0-61-0274-4

Summary/Review

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower tells the story of a 16-year-old teenage boy , Charlie ,who writes letters to an anonymous friend, sharing his heart and soul, almost like he is writing his letters to us, his readers.  He writes about how it is like to grow up in high school, how he hated  going to his first day in school and how he navigates his way out of the awkward stages of adolescence.

Charlie, the main character, is described by other people as too shy,  socially  awkward, and an unconventional thinker, hence the “wallflower” title. Wallflower is someone who is too awkward or too bland to be worthy of noticing, going through life like a bystander. A lot of teenagers could  relate and connect to Charlie, feeling like wallflowers. 

The novel captures the confused and bemused life of an adolescence and all the things that come with growing up. The author explores briefly topics such as suicide, drugs, smoking, molestation,  and friends.  The plot takes place in the suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania during the 1991-1992 school year, when Charlie is a freshman in high school.

I can attribute the popularity of this novel to the story’s theme which is full of teachable nuggets and  life lessons. Examples: 

“Things change, and friends leave. Life doesn’t stop for anybody.”(page 145)

“But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there” (page 211)

                    

Maus: A Survivor's Tale by Art Spiegelman

Title:  Maus : A Survivor’s Tale

Author  Illustrator: Art Spiegelman

Publisher: Pantheon; 1st edition (August 12, 1986)

ISBN-10: 0394747232

ISBN-13: 978-0394747231

Publication Date:  1987

Pages:  160 p (pbk.)

Summary/Review

Maus is a comic book that tells the story of Art’s Spigelman’s father, his experiences in German concentration camps during the Holocaust, a World War II story.

In Maus, human creatures are portrayed as animals. With mice representing Jews and cats representing Nazis, Maus narrates the experiences of Vladek Spigelman, Art’s father, describing his ordeals as a Holocaust survivor with other people, our ancestors who live with the history of such injustice.

The narratives describes the death of Art’s aunt Tosha, his brother Richieu and his cousins. The interview is included word-for-word in the book.

With Maus, the author exposes students to a historical example of religious intolerance through a personal narrative of a Holocaust survivor. The theme serves as a meditation on the effects of a major historical event, the traumatic event of the Holocaust.

Maus is a unique work of art, it won the Pulitzer prize, the first comic book to earn such an honor.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian By Sherman Alexie

Title: The Absolutely Diary of a Part Time Indian

Author/s: Sherman A Slexie; Illustrated by Ellen Forney

Summary/Review

 This is a heartwarming story of Arnold Spirit Jr., a fourteen -year old Native American young man, who grew up in in the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Wash. Most of the people who live at the reservation are terribly poor.  As Arnold narrates, “My parents came from poor people, all the way back to the very first poor people.”When he opens his first geometry book at school, Junior finds the name of his mother written on the flyleaf, “…so poor and sad that we had to study from the same day books our parents studied from,” Junior says.

Junior was born with water on his brain that caused him a series of physical problems resulting from brain damage. He is skinny, with one farsighted eye, another nearsighted eye, he has to wear “ugly, thick, black plastic” eyeglasses. Junior has enlarged head, huge hands and feet. Because of his handicaps, this causes him to stutter and lisp, which makes him the object of ridicule and teasing and being picked on by his peers.

Following the advice of his math teacher, Mr.P, he transfers to Reardan High, 22 miles away and full of wealthy white kids, equipped with computers and chemistry labs. In his new school, in spite the fact that he is the only Indian, he wins the heart of the beauteous white girl Penelope.

Back at the reservation, Junior is considered a traitor. When Reardan plays Wellpinit High in basketball, the Indians throw so much abuse on Arnold and a riot nearly breaks out. His ex-best friend Rowdy, described as “red-necked” punches him on the face. To avoid being ridiculed and beaten up regularly, he spend a lot of his time in his room, reading books and drawing cartoons.

Junior’s toughness helps him overcome all these obstacles. He learns that though he is poor, he still has his education and his new friends. He soon earns their respect as well as a spot on the varsity basketball team.

  

The book recounts the trial of a Native American teenager, Arnold “Junior” Spirit, during his freshman year on an Indian Reservation. Sherman Alexie uses humor to soften the difficult and full of emotional high and lows of  Arnold’s story.

The story explores the struggle to survive between the Indians and white worlds. It touches on poverty that borders on racism, “It sucks to be poor, and it sucks to feel that you somehow deserve to be poor because you’re stupid and ugly. And then you start believing that you’re stupid and ugly because you’re Indian. And because you’re Indian you start believing you’re destined to be poor. It’s an ugly circle and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Junior’s story is told by his first-person perspective. His optimism and hope shines through all the pages of the book. It teaches you to never give up, always have hope , and dream big dreams.

Killing Mr. Griffin By Lois Duncan

Title:    Killing  Mr. Griffin

Author:  Lois Duncan

Published:  New York: Dell Laurel-leaf, 1981

Pages: Paperback, 272p.

ISBN-10: 01609900

ISBN-13:98-016099004

Summary/Review: 

The story is about five high school students who plot to scare their English Teacher for being very strict in giving them grades. Brian Griffin is their high school great literature teacher, He is tough on students who fails to turn in their papers on time.

The group of students thinks it would be funny if they played a prank on Mr. Griffin and decide to get revenge by kidnapping him. They never wanted to kill him. But It all goes wrong when the teacher dies of heart attack while being tied.

The book is about teenagers planning a prank, a smaller crime that spirals out of their control. The central characters are both male and females. The teenagers are: Mark Kinney, David Ruggles, a handsome senior and president of the high school’s senior class; Jeff, a basketball player and Betsy, the head cheerleader.

In the story, they all succumb to one character that is portrayed as a leader, and now they must take the consequences of their actions. The characters are realistic and interesting, and the difficult portrayal of Mr. Griffin is handled perfectly. The reader could easily believe he is a good man, undeserving of his fate.

Two of the major themes about this novel re peer pressure and the reactions of choice and equal consequence. Teenagers need to learn at an early age that they do have a choice. Everyone has choices in everything they do, and there are positive choices that yield positive consequences, and there are negative choices  that yield negative consequences.

Killing Mr. Griffin was awarded the ALA Notable children’s Books.

The Blue Sword by Robin Mckinley

 

Title:  The Blue Sword

Author:  Robin McKinley

Genre:  Fantasy Novel

Publisher:  Berkley Publishing Group

Publication Date:  1982

Pages:  320p.

ISBN:  98-068800980

Synopsis/Review

 

This is the story of Angharad Crewe, called Harry, a Homelander orphan who crosses the ocean to be with her brother Richard. She is sent off to Istan, the Homeland’s remotest town in the Royal Province of Daria. 

Istan, called Ihistan by the native, is considered an important outpost that boasts a number of diplomats as well as soldiers. When Harry arrives in Istan, the outpost receives a visits from Corlath, King of the Hillfolk who still possesses the Magical Gift.  He has come to warn the Homelanders of an impending invasion from the barbarian outlanders. One glance at Harry, Corlath sees that she carries something in her, a power she did not suspect nor he understands, but that his kelar tells him will help his Hillfolk. And so he abducts Harry in the middle of the night, and   carries her off into the desert.

Harry’s  fear gives way to wonder when she discovers, that she too , possesses a strong kelar, a magical element of the royale bloodline

 Harry  feels at home with the king and his people. She is now called Harimad by the Damarians. Harry learns that she and her brother Richard are both part Damarian, through their great grandmother on their mother’s side.

Harry learns how to ride and fights like a warrior. She clashes swords with the Northerners and engage the invaders in a fierce, bloody battle. The interaction between Harry and Corlath includes romantic kisses and embraces. By the end of the book, we learn that they live as husband and wife and have several children.

Robin McKinley’s book is a fantasy novel about a young woman’s journey of discovery of her heritage. Harry is caught between the culture she grew up with the culture she has grown to love.  This is a tale of good and evil, about war and the preparations against the invasion.  There is a clear theme of overcoming prejudice and fear between different people in order to save their world.  Harry Crewe is the protagonist, proud and stubborn, she clashes with many personalities, possesses a magical gift and willingness to learn, and finds her place among the Hillfolk but still holding on to the culture of her homeland.

Mckinley’s characters are believable and diverse. Major chararacters are Harry, Corlath, Colonel  Jack Dedham and Mathin, one of Corlath’s riders and Harry’s teacher of warfare.

AWARDS

Newbery Honor Award

ALA Best Book for Young Adults

ALA Notable Book