Mrs. McGriff's Reading Blog

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Tag Archives: science fiction

March 15, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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Why Day Should Win Our March Madness

 

I’m taking part in the Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers. I hope to write every day for the month of March and then continue weekly each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slices. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.

 

 

I’m sure my classes have noticed that I have a new current favorite book.  My mission right now is to convince as many students as I can to read Legend by Marie Lu.  My second mission is to sneak another book order past my husband so I can read the second book, Prodigy, as soon as possible.

I also nominated Day for our March Madness brackets, and I’m doing everything in my power to convince my students to vote for him.  I don’t even promise to set up the brackets fairly.  Now June is awesome in her own right (and I usually go for strong female lead characters), but something about Day just blew me away.  Here’s why I think Day should win it all:

  • He’s the Republic’s most wanted criminal, and they don’t even know what he looks like.  He has been sabotaging the war effort for years, and the police don’t have a picture or even a fingerprint.
  • The Republic supposedly killed him when he failed his Trials, but Day escaped and has been living on the streets every since.  He has street smarts you wouldn’t believe that allows him to find food, clothing, and shelter without leaving a trace.
  • Day is brilliant both mentally and physically.  He broke into a heavily guarded bank vault in under 10 seconds.  He escaped with the money and without harming any of the guards.  Once again, he left no trace behind.  He can scale the outside of skyscrapers and leap from rooftop to rooftop.
  • Day’s biggest heist was breaking into a military hospital–the heavily guarded, no windows medical lab floor–to steal plague medicine.  He got away without killing anyone, but he did have to injure one soldier to escape.  Why did he even attempt such a daring and dangerous break-in?  He had to save his little brother who lay dying from the plague.
  • Day is not a cold-hearted criminal.  Both the bank theft and the hospital theft were to help his family.  He can’t let any of them (except his older brother John) even know that he is alive, but he keeps an eye on them and helps out when he can by slipping John extra food, money, and clothes.
  • Day also is willing to help out a stranger in need.  That’s why he teamed up with Tess, a street urchin he found abandoned in an alleyway.  He also reached out to help June because she had helped Tess.

I didn’t think any character could ever top Katniss for all around toughness, stubbornness, and goodness (I even named my orange car after the Girl on Fire), but I think Day deserves to win.  I can’t wait to see what happens in Prodigy now that Day and June are on the same side.

Who do you think is the toughest, baddest character from YA literature? I think Day can take him or her any day.

March 8, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix

True confession:  I haven’t actually read The Always War by Margaret Peterson Haddix yet.  But yesterday, and again today, Austin M told me that I need to read it right now.  It’s that good.  I promise, I moved it to the top of my TBR pile.  If I’m lucky, I’ll get it read before this post shows up.  It certainly looks good.

March 5, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Sometimes sequels let me know, but not in this case.  If it is even possible, I loved Scarlet (Feiwel and Friends 2013) even more than I did Cinder.  I introduce Cinder as my all-time favorite Cinderella story.  Marissa Meyer takes the sci-fi cyborg and stirs in elements from yet another fairy tale, this time Little Red Riding Hood.

Scarlet is tough and stubborn enough to walk blindly into danger to rescue her grandmother.  When the police won’t help her, she turns to the mysterious (and possibly dangerous) Wolf to track down what happened.  Scarlet discovers much more than she bargained for, including desperate secrets kept by Wolf and her grandmother.

Don’t worry.  We still get to follow the adventures of Cinder (and her new sidekick Thorne) as she escapes from prison and comes to terms with her real identity and growing Lunar power.  When Cinder’s path collides with Scarlet’s quest, things really get interesting.  Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until the release of Cress in 2014 to find out any more.

Cinder:

Scarlet:

February 27, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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Search for WondLa by Tony DiTerlizzi

Tony DiTerlizzi has created a vividly imagined world filled with fantastical beasts, outrageous danger, and unbelievable choices.  Not only do you get all of this packed into the pages of this book, but you can find more adventure on the WondLa website.  It comes complete with games, extras, and the brand new technology of Wondla Vision.  All you need is a copy of the book, a computer with Internet access, and a webcam.  Then you, too, can visit this world of never-ending wonder.

What will you find?  Who will you meet?  Start with Eva Nine, a girl who has lived her entire life in an underground bunker.  Muthr, a robot, has trained her to one day survive on the surface.  Now that day has come.  When a marauder attacks the bunker, Eva Nine must flee to the surface alone to escape and survive.  All she has to guide her is a scrap of cardboard with the words “Wond La” on them.  On her journey she encounters both dangers and friends, but no one like her.

I loved the blend of fairy tale and science fiction in this book.  I loved not knowing what kind of fascinating creature I might meet next.  Rovender and Otto are both fantastical, but in totally different ways.  Besteel is one of the nastiest villains I’ve encountered in quite a while.   My favorite, though, is the indomitable Eva Nine.  She is thrust into situations that would send most of us into utter despair, yet she always manages to find a way out, not just for herself, but also for her new friends.

February 3, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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Unwholly by Neal Shusterman

I don’t know where Neal Shusterman comes up with the vividly imagined (and warped and twisted) worlds in his novels, but I am glad he does.  The world of Unwind scared the bejeebies out of me with the aftermath of the Heartland War and the brave new world of unwinding.  The second book in the trilogy, UnWholly (Simon and Schuster 2012), delivers even more danger, intrigue, and betrayal.

Connor now leads the rescued AWOLs who are living at the Graveyard, but he’s not sure he’s up to the task even with the help of the Holy of Whollies, his closest advisors.  His leadership is tested by the daily complaints from those who look up to him and by the useless help from the ADR.  Risa refused to accept a new spine from unwinding, so she fears she is more of a burden than a help–and why does Connor keep pushing her away?  Lev has been defused–literally and figuratively–as everyone in his family but his brother Marcus rejects him and the terms of his punishment keep him from speaking about unwinding.

Three more unforgettable characters join the rest.  Starkey cannot get over his anger at being storked and then sent for unwinding.  He is determined to make his name into a legend even bigger than that of the Akron AWOL.  Miracolina is more than pleased to be a tithe for her family, but she cannot forgive being rescued by people who treat Lev (the former tithe and the clapper who didn’t clap) as a godlike figure.  Finally, Cam is a creation unlike anything the world has ever seen before.  How will these new characters fit in with those from before?  The answers may surprise you as some are worshipped, some are feared, some are tested,  some rebel, and some betray.

The action is fast and the characters are tested and twisted with choices that have no good answers.  Hang on for a wild ride through a future I hope we never see.

 

January 20, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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Shades of Earth by Beth Revis

Oh. My. Goodness.  Fasten your seatbelts and hang on for one wild ride as Beth Revis presents the stunning conclusion to the Across the Universe trilogy with Shades of Earth.  I was anxious to read and find out what happens to Elder and Amy as they leave Godspeed and explore Centuari Earth.  It was worth the wait.   It was even worth winning the tug of war with my daughter to read it first.

I don’t know how she did it, but Revis packed in even more twists and turns and nonstop action than she did in the first two books.  Once the shuttle reaches the ground, nothing is what it seems and danger lurks within every shadow–terrifying creatures and hostile aliens and deadly plants..  Amy is desperate to wake her parents, but their arrival does not solve all the colony’s problems.  Instead, Amy must come to terms with their faults and imperfections (much as does Meg in my favorite science fiction book A Wrinkle in Time) and the possibility that her parents may even contribute to the problems.  The Earthborn and Shipborn regard each other with distrust, but their survival depends on working together.

Elder and Amy must figure out what secrets are still being hidden before truth can set them all free.  There are even more clues to help them if they can solve the riddles in time.  But ultimately, every choice leads to one final showdown.

I am sad to see this series come to an end.  I will miss Godspeed and the dream of starting a new world.  I can’t wait to see what my students think of this last book, too.  What will you miss about Godspeed?

January 11, 2013
by Mrs. McGriff
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The Kill Order by James Dashner

I have been intrigued with The Maze Runner series by James Dashner even though they have too much violence for my tastes.  I keep reading hoping to find a reason to redeem the cruelty and violence, but I keep finding more and more reason for despair.  These are popular books with fast-moving plots, and they raise plenty of questions about ends and means.  The Kill Order, the prequel to the series, is no different.  The more answers that are given to why the world of the Maze Runner came to be, the more questions I have.

December 3, 2012
by Mrs. McGriff
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Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I read the first book in the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix quite a while ago.  I was surprised to that the series now includes seven books.  I figured it was time to finish off the series set in a future world where overpopulation and food scarcity have given rise to a government that allows only two children per family.  The Population Police enforce these limits by any means necessary.

Among the Hidden (Scholastic 2000) introduces Luke, an illegal third child.  All his life he has remained hidden in his family’s house and woods.  Now that the government has built big fancy houses close by, Luke must remain inside at all times.  However, the new neighbors open him to new possibilities when he discovers another illegal third child, Jen.

 

 

Among the Imposters (Scholastic 2002) follows Luke, now Lee, as he attends Hendrick’s School for boys.  The school is very odd and hides many secrets.  Who can Luke trust with the truth?  How can he help the other boys who tremble at every sound?

 

 

 

Among the Betrayed (Scholastic 2002) gives Nina a choice. Will she betray her new friends and herself in her desperation to stay alive?  Will she give into the demands of the Population Police who hold her in prison and gloat over the betrayal by the boy she loved?

 

 

 

Among the Barons (Scholastic 2003) draws Luke/Lee further into the Grant family.  His little “brother” Smits shows up at Hendricks School with a body guard.  Will he protect Luke’s secret or betray him.  Luke is caught in a web of lies until he no longer knows who he can trust.

 

 

 

Among the Brave (Scholastic 2004) provides Trey an opportunity to discover the courage within himself.  Everyone that Trey has depended on–Luke, Mr. Talbot, Mr. Hendrick–has disappeared as the Population Police overthrow the government.  It is up to Trey to decide what to do and to take action.  As he stumbles from one challenge to the next, he learns that courage is not the absence of fear, but the willingness to act through your fear.

 

Among the Enemy (Scholastic 2005) finds Matthias alone, separated from Percy and Alia.  Everything he does seems to go wrong from the very beginning.  When he tried to save Percy and Alia from the Population Police roundup, he ends up killing several other children and injuring his friends.  When he tries to save Mrs. Talbot, he ends up saving a Population Police officer and finds himself as a new and favored recruit.  When he encounters Nina at Population Police headquarters, will he be able to set aside his grief and disappointment and fear to work with the resistance.  How can he know what is the right choice when there are no good options.

Among the Free (Scholastic 2006) follows Luke through the fall of the Population Police as he struggles to understand what it means to be free.  Luke can’t see how he and the others are having any success in their attempt to undermine the Population Police from the inside, but somehow, they still fall.  Even so, the danger is not past for third children.  When it comes down to it, what will Luke choose to do?

I am glad I finished the series.  Because Haddix introduces new third children and focuses on different ones throughout the series, I never got bored with the books or found them too predictable.  Even though we don’t live is the terror of this future world, we can still connect with the questions raised and choices made by these characters as they learn to be brave and to be free.

November 29, 2012
by Mrs. McGriff
0 comments

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This is my retro book review running over at the Nerdy Book Club site today.  Remember you have until tomorrow to submit your favorite books of 2012 for a Nerdy Award.

I don’t remember the first time I read Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (probably sometime during my high school or college years), but every year that I have been teaching eighth grade I make it my mission to put this little book in the hands of just the right reader.  I love it when the magic happens and I can revel with another reader at the myriad of improbable events and and snicker any mention of the number 42.

If for some reason you have version the many versions of this classic sci if comedy (Listen to the radio show! Watch the movie or televison show!  Play the video game! Peruse the comics!), let me introduce you.

Poor Arthur Dent is a befuddled human who is fascinated by digital watches and worried about all the wrong things.  It simply doesn’t matter is city hall is going to bulldoze your house if Vogons are waiting up above to demolish the Earth to make way for a hyperspatial express route.  Fortunately, his friend Ford Prefect is not from Guilford, but is from a small planet somewhere near the vicinity of Betelgeuse.  Ford also writes for the best-selling Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  When the Vogons show up, Ford is past ready to hitch a ride away from Earth, and he takes Arthur with him.

As they make their way across the universe, they escape the horrifying effects of Vogons poetry (while strapped into poetry appreciation chairs), survive being thrust into the vacuum of space (improbable to the odds of two to the power of two hundred and seventy-six thousand, seven hundred and nine to one against), are picked up by the the Heart of Gold (stolen by Ford’s cousin Zaphod Beeblebrox who just happens to be President of the Imperial Galactic Government), and visit the mythical planet of Magrathea (which designed the Earth as an experiment to discover the question to the Life, the Universe and Everything.  The answer is 42.).

Believe it or not, these seemingly random and improbable events (along with many more) come together in a way that is both brilliant and hilarious.  After all, I’ve never laughed at a  squashed sperm whale before, but it is the characters that I love and remember the most.  Arthur may be bumbling, but he manages to surprise even Ford on occasion and even says something more intelligent than “tea” every once in a while.  Ford may be a suave travel writer (or at least he thinks he is), but he is a loyal friend and cousin when it counts.  Zaphod may be stupid, or it may be just an act.  Even he doesn’t know why he does the things he does, but a secret brain surgery has convinced him there is a method to his madness.  It’s a good thing he has Trillian, a mathematician and astrophysicist, to look after him.  My favorite, though, has to be Marvin, the depressed robot.  You are bound to feel better about your situation after spending time with him.

Quick, grab a copy of Hitchhiker’s and a cu of tea and settle in for the ride of a lifetime.  The journey can continue with the ever growing series, including The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, Life, the Universe, and Everything, So Long and Thanks for All the Fish, Mostly Harmless, and now And Another Thing written by Eoin Colfer.  If all else fails, DON’T PANIC keep your towel handy.

PS -There are only 177 days left until Towel Day on May 25.

 

November 26, 2012
by Mrs. McGriff
2 Comments

Graphic novel roundup

My students this year are loving graphic novels, and I am feeling the lack in my book collection.  I currently have only three books on that shelf.  That’s been pretty typical this entire year.  At the Scholastic book fair this week, I stocked up on some more titles.  I’m reading them as quickly as I can so I can put them in the hands of students.  Here they come!

Poe by J. Barton Mitchell (writer), Dean Kotz (art), and many more (BOOM! Studios 2011)

At first I wasn’t sure how to take this fictional biography of Poe, but the further I got into it, the more I liked it.  The story line of Poe’s supposed life is as dark and twisted as his short stories and poems.  He’s haunted by a Raven and sees visions of gruesome death’s.  As Poe helps his police detective (a word Poe creates in this story) brother, they escape one bizarre event after another.  The most fun for me was recognizing elements from Poe’s stories in their adventures. The dark artwork lends even more doom to the mood.

Avengers by Paul Toben and others (Marvel worldwide 2010)

I read this one for my students.  I am not a huge superhero fan, but I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  I wss surprised by the somewhat silly humor and allusions.this is a collection of previously collected comics Superheros, Supernova, and Tails of the Pet Avengers.  If have to confess that my favorites were from the Pet Avengers.  Classic superhero artwork carries the story along with the text.

Excaliber: The Legend of King Arthur: A Graphic Novel by Tony Lee and Sam Heart (Candlewick Press 2010)

No matter what form it’s in, I love stories of King Arthur amd the knights of the Round Table.  This version focuses closely on Arthur and how his decision to forget the Lady of the Lake bring about his death and the end of Camelot. Lancelot and his love for Arthur’s Guinivere also are prominent. Lush illustrations add to the fantasy components with the faerie, both seelie and unseelie.

Trouble Maker by Janet and Alex Evanovich, art by Joelle Jones (Dark Horse Books 2010, 2011) 

Explosions, kidnappings, and angry chickens lead Alex Barnaby and Sam Hooker on a non stop thrill ride through the streets of MiamI and the swamps of the Florida Keys as they try to outsmart a voodoo priest.  The trouble begins when Lorna is kidnapped and held hostage for a statue stolen by her boss, Walter Percy.  The nefarious Nitro will stop at nothing to get him back.  Can Alex and Sam rescue Rosa and return the Baron Samedi statue to the museum before it’s too late?  Vibrant colors bring Miami and South Florida to the page.

 The Clique: A Graphic Novel by Lisi Harrison & Yishan Li (Yen Press/Hachette Book Group 2010)

I have never gotten around to reading the popular Clique series even though my middle school girls have raved about it for years.  When I saw this graphic novel edition at the book fair, I had to grab it.  I can see why middle school girls love it.  Massie and her friends are the ultimate mean girls, but newcomer Claire manages to hold her own and even get sweet revenge as she navigates the very expensive social customs of her new school.  The manga illustrations are perfect for these girls.

I know these graphic novels won’t stay on my shelf for long.  Which ones do you want to read?