Taylor, C. (2001) On wings of a dragon. Markham, ON: Fitzhenry & Whiteside.
Author:
Cora Taylor
Summary:
Kour'el has been captured, and she cannot remember why. She must piece her memories together and figure out how the winged dragon Api'Naga comes into play. Meanwhile, Maighdlin and her friends Marika and Mala are taken from their homes to become slaves. Kour’el and Maighdlin must join forces to save the king and defeat the ruthless Queen Mariah.
Response and Reaction:
I also enjoy seeing fantasy series with heroines for the main characters that have young women as the target audience. The fantasy loving female is often a neglected demographic. Excellent writing makes this an enjoyable read. Taylor has a fun time playing with font to show the size of growing Api'Naga.
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Fantasy, magic, identity, journeys, dragons
Awards:
Manitoba Literary Awards - Young Readers Choice Award (NOMINATED) 2003
Showing posts with label Young Adult Novel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Young Adult Novel. Show all posts
Saturday
Friday
Pure Spring
Brian, D. (2007) Pure spring. Toronto, ON: Groundwood Books.
Author:
Brian Doyle
Summary:
15 year old Martin O’Boy has lied about his age to get his job at Pure Springs, an Ottowan soda company. But his partner Randy knows this and his now blackmailing him to help him steal from customers. Martin must come up with a plan to stop Randy’s thieving so that he can get the girl of his dreams, Gerty McDowell, the granddaughter of one of the customers Randy has ripped off.
Response and Reaction:
Martin is cost in the moral dilemma of protecting himself or protecting strangers and his own morality. He handles these situations in a way that teenagers can relate to and does not make the decision to do the right thing right away. It is interesting to see the setting of Korean War and Cold War Canada and see the reaction to the “Red Scare.”
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Age, working, young love, grandparent, family, stealing, morals, racism
Author:
Brian Doyle
Summary:
15 year old Martin O’Boy has lied about his age to get his job at Pure Springs, an Ottowan soda company. But his partner Randy knows this and his now blackmailing him to help him steal from customers. Martin must come up with a plan to stop Randy’s thieving so that he can get the girl of his dreams, Gerty McDowell, the granddaughter of one of the customers Randy has ripped off.
Response and Reaction:
Martin is cost in the moral dilemma of protecting himself or protecting strangers and his own morality. He handles these situations in a way that teenagers can relate to and does not make the decision to do the right thing right away. It is interesting to see the setting of Korean War and Cold War Canada and see the reaction to the “Red Scare.”
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Age, working, young love, grandparent, family, stealing, morals, racism
Sunday
Little Brother
Doctorow, C. (2008). Little brother. New York, NY: Tor Teens.
Author:
Cory Doctorow
Summary:
Marcus (screen name w1n5t0n) is living the life of a normal teen in San Francisco, until he cuts class and is arrested for being too close to a terrorist attack. He is returned to his home with the warning that the Department of Homeland Security will be watching. But Marcus is not content with sitting by and watching the government take advantage of their power. With the help of his friends, they use their knowledge of technology to rebel and regain their freedom.
Response and Reaction:
This book is definitely an eye opener to how technology can be used by the government to spy on the lives of citizens. Some of the jargon is difficult to understand for the non-tech savvy, but Doctorow does a good job of explaining what Marcus is doing without talking down to the reader. This is a great book for discussions about the PATRIOT ACT and the right to privacy.
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Terrorism, torture, paranoia, power abuse, government control, miss use of power, rebellion, counterculture, computer hackers
Awards:
Locus Awards (WON) 2008
Hugo Awards (NOMINATED) 2009
John W. Campbell Award (WON) 2009
Locus Awards (NOMINATED) 2009
Sunburst Award (NOMINATED) 2009
Book Sense Book of the Year (NOMINATED) 2009
Nebula Awards (NOMINATED) 2009
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year (WON) 2008
Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (NOMINATED) 2011
Author:
Cory Doctorow
Summary:
Marcus (screen name w1n5t0n) is living the life of a normal teen in San Francisco, until he cuts class and is arrested for being too close to a terrorist attack. He is returned to his home with the warning that the Department of Homeland Security will be watching. But Marcus is not content with sitting by and watching the government take advantage of their power. With the help of his friends, they use their knowledge of technology to rebel and regain their freedom.
Response and Reaction:
This book is definitely an eye opener to how technology can be used by the government to spy on the lives of citizens. Some of the jargon is difficult to understand for the non-tech savvy, but Doctorow does a good job of explaining what Marcus is doing without talking down to the reader. This is a great book for discussions about the PATRIOT ACT and the right to privacy.
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Terrorism, torture, paranoia, power abuse, government control, miss use of power, rebellion, counterculture, computer hackers
Awards:
Locus Awards (WON) 2008
Hugo Awards (NOMINATED) 2009
John W. Campbell Award (WON) 2009
Locus Awards (NOMINATED) 2009
Sunburst Award (NOMINATED) 2009
Book Sense Book of the Year (NOMINATED) 2009
Nebula Awards (NOMINATED) 2009
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year (WON) 2008
Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (NOMINATED) 2011
The Perfect Cut
Burtinshaw, J. (2008). The perfect cut. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books.
Author:
Julie Burtinshaw
Summary:
After the death of his sister Bryan is numb. His entire family is falling apart and his big sister can no longer protect him. The only way he can feel like he is alive is by cutting himself. As he spirals deeper into depression and self destruction his mother and friends try to reach out to help him. But only Bryan can decide to save himself.
Response and Reaction:
This book deals with a lot of serious issues including suicide, underage drinking and drug use and self mutilation. Burtinshaw handles these topics maturely and on a level that young adults will relate to. She also shows that there are no quick fixes, and that sometimes treatments do not work or can be harmful. Bryan has to work hard on himself and his relationships and learn healthy ways to cope with his grief in order to move forward in his life.
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Suicide, drugs, self mutilation, abuse, therapy, death, coping, divorce, alcoholism
Author:
Julie Burtinshaw
Summary:
After the death of his sister Bryan is numb. His entire family is falling apart and his big sister can no longer protect him. The only way he can feel like he is alive is by cutting himself. As he spirals deeper into depression and self destruction his mother and friends try to reach out to help him. But only Bryan can decide to save himself.
Response and Reaction:
This book deals with a lot of serious issues including suicide, underage drinking and drug use and self mutilation. Burtinshaw handles these topics maturely and on a level that young adults will relate to. She also shows that there are no quick fixes, and that sometimes treatments do not work or can be harmful. Bryan has to work hard on himself and his relationships and learn healthy ways to cope with his grief in order to move forward in his life.
Format:
Young Adult Novel
Age Range:
15-18 years old
Themes:
Suicide, drugs, self mutilation, abuse, therapy, death, coping, divorce, alcoholism
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