Independent Reading Selection

Tell me all about the book you are currently reading and why we should all read it too (or not).

YA Lit

Explore the Book Club LibGuide and discuss authors and books that look interesting and why. Who are some of your favorite Young Adult authors?

Unbroken - Blog #1

Laura Hillenbrand gives us a moving story, one that brings to life the suffering and courage of not just one man, but thousands whose stories are untold. What is it about Hillenbrand's writing that saves her book from feeling melodramatic? What do you admire most about Louis Zamperini? What enables him to survive the plane crash and POW ordeal? Does he possess special strengths-personal or physical? Did his training in track, for instance, make a difference in his resilience? What do you find most horrifying about Zamperini's experiences so far?

The Wednesday Wars - The Turbulent 1960's

The novel, The Wednesday Wars, is set in the decade of the 1960s. Many important historical events and social as well as political movements occurred during during this turbulent time. Go online and research two or more of the following topics. Your blog this week should include a discussion about what you learned and how your topics are discussed in the novel.
Topics:

Martin Luther King, Jr.
Robert Kennedy
Civil Rights movement
hippies
space program
atomic bomb
Vietnam War
Mickey Mantle

The Wednesday Wars- Mrs. Baker

Holling Hoodhood is really in for it. He's just started seventh grade with Mrs. Baker, a teacher he knows is out to get him. Why else would she make him read Shakespeare outside class? Holling is completely convinced that Mrs. Baker despises him. Why does he believe this? What details help support his case? Do you think it is obvious which students your teachers like and which they dislike?

Let's Roll

What have you learned from Let's Roll about the 9/11 terrorist attack on America that you did not already know? What did you think about this biography? Did you enjoy reading it?

Discuss the ways in which the Gamemakers control the environment and "entertainment" value of the Games. How does it affect the tributes to know they are being manipulated to make the Games more exciting for the gamblers and the viewers? Does knowing that she is on live TV make Katniss behave differently that she would otherwise?