Geekerella

Title: Geekerella retold by Ashley Poston

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Genre: Romance, Fairy Tale

Justification:

          Fractured fairy tales are very popular. When looking for a young adult romance Geekerella (Once upon a Con #1) came up in a search. This book was rated 4.03 on goodreads and received 34,066 ratings and 7,803 reviews (goodreads, 2019). It was on the Spring 2017 Kids Indie Next List Pick, 2017 Goodreads Choice Award finalist for Best Young Adult Fictions, and Seventeens “12 Life-Changing Books you have to read this summer” list (Barnes and Noble, 2019). This romance and coming of age story are perfect for younger students because it does not become overly graphic.

Evaluation of the book:

The book shifts between two different points of view throughout the whole story. Each chapter has the characters name on the top when it is their point of view. As you read the story you can see the character develop and become flushed out. It also allows the readers to predict and infer what is going to happen. The author uses different voices for the two characters as well. Elle’s voice screams her insecurity while Darien’s voice shows his kindness and willingness to do whatever it takes. It also shows Darien’s fear. As readers it is nice to reminded that even people who act like superheroes have fears.

The characters are a mix of dynamic and static. Catherine and Chloe are static. They remain the same throughout the book. Chloe and Danielle however are dynamic characters. They change and shift as the book is read. Danielle or Elle begins the book as standoff. She does not trust anyone and has no friendships. As the book progresses, she becomes more trusting and open. She stops closing herself in. As Sage and her form, a relationship she shares information about herself. The surprising dynamic character is Chloe. Although, she has a minor role the reader learns that she is not evil. This character development allows the reader to make connections and change assumptions and misconceptions.

          The plot of this story is a fractured fairy tale. It begins with a “evil” stepmother and a character who must take care of everything. However, this shows more redeemable characters. The Elle character is not as submissive as the traditional fairy tale. She has small rebellions such as working for “The Magic Pumpkin” and watching her show. She also hides peanut butter for herself and saves the dog. This story however had all the elements of the classic fairy tale as well. There is a character named Ella, a Prince charming, a magic pumpkin, and a fairy godmother. Each of these elements were modernized including diverse, culturally relevant character.

Response:

          (d) This book does a great job representing diversity. Poston uses a diverse set of characters to tell her story. She uses main characters from different races, as well as lesbian characters. This is wonderful to see. She makes sure that everyone is represented and does not white wash the characters. She also does a good job of writing a fairy tale with a modern-day twist. (g) When she uses blogs and comic-cons to tell her story it helps the reader understand the story. This applies well to teens in a world of vloggers and bloggers. She tackles feelings of insecurity, the struggle to make and keep friends, and how important it to not shut the world out. This is refreshing to see. (e) The text does start slowly. In traditional Cinderella stories the disdain for the stepmother begins almost immediately. In this story it comes slower. The reader has more empathy for the stepmother. As she sits at the table upset about the Comic con it becomes apparent that she feels guilt that she could never connect in that way. This was in interesting way to handle the situation. It made the reader see that not all characters are fully bad.

Conclusion:

          This was an enjoyable read. It would be great for young adults. The book is full of diversity and well-developed characters. Its focus on comic-cons and superheroes is applicable to a modern-day audience. This book will connect with multiple young adults. The book features multiple viewpoints, strong characters, and an easy to follow plot. This book is the first in a series and I am excited to see what the rest of the series holds.

Citation:

Barnes and Noble. (2019, October 23). Geekerella (Once Upn a Con Series 1). Retrieved from Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/geekerella-ashley-poston/1123918421?ean=9781683690436#/

goodreads. (2019, October 22). Geekerella. Retrieved from goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30724132-geekerella

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm

Thirteen Chairs

Title: Thirteen Chairs by Dave Shelton

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Genre: Horror  

Justification:

          Thirteen Chairs is a collection of scary stories embedded into one larger story. This horror book has a series of ghost stories. When choosing a horror book, I began by looking at the interest level. The logic was that the younger the book the less scary it was likely to be. It received 3.38 stars on goodreads and has 1,474 ratings (goodreads, 2019). The cover of the book states that is was “The New York Times Bestseller” (Shelton, 2015).

Evaluation of the book:

The mood of the story sets the tone. Jack is standing outside a door debating is he should go in. As he debates you can feel his insecurity. When he enters the room, he sees the chairs and the candles. As each person blows out their candle it becomes darker and darker. The stories themselves become darker and darker. The mood becomes tenser. Jack’s worry can be felt, and each story becomes scarier. There is she in the story. In this story the mood shifts from dark and scary to somber. This shift allows the reader to come back and listen to a more lighthearted tale to finish the story. The mood helps to progress the story and allows the reader to relate to all the characters.

Through most of the story Jack is thinking about what ghost story to tell. When he gets to the last person, he realizes he is not supposed to tell a ghost story. The author uses unexpected insights to shift the mood and the plot of the story.  “I am Frederick William Osterley and in death, as in life, I am among the dead. And I help them to their rest” (Shelton, 2015, p. 231) These two simple sentences change the entire story. The readers then realize that everyone, but Jack has moved on but not fully. It also explains why they all refer to Osterley as the leader in the entire book. It was simply done but had a lot of meaning.

The book is told from multiple points of view.  Fifteen different stories are told within the same book. There is a story for each of the thirteen chairs and one story for Megan the next year. Each of the points of view is a different story. As everyone in the book shares their story you can hear their voice change and style change depending on their personality. This helps the reader understand each character and life. The characters each give a brief introduction to themselves from Jack’s point of view then it shifts into their own perspective for their story.

Response:

          (g) Horror is not a genre of books that I would naturally look for. This book was well written and thought out. The book still gives me nightmares. One of the stories about the cook and his brother still stays with me. I did like how Shelton ended his book. He changed the narrative to that of ghost stories to the power of living. (a) That is important to understand the power of living and how we can not move on until we live. It shows the importance of observing the world different ways and changing your views so that others can move on. Sometimes it is easy to get stuck in one mindset where it becomes impossible to move on. This year I have worked hard to see the other actions from a different perspective so that I can understand their actions. This book does a great job of modeling that. ( e ) This book was well written. It goes thought multiple ghost stories and uses two characters to tie the whole book together. As the book is being read the stories become scarier and scarier and the book is somber. The story from Mr. Osterley shows how we need to see the world in a different light. He talks about how we must support and help others. This is a positive message in a ghost story.

Conclusion:

          While horror is not a genre I would normally read, it was a good experience to read it.  This will help give me some ideas for recommendations for students. This book will be donated to someone who enjoys horror. As a reader is not a good fit genre for me, but it has literary merit. This book taught me how not every book is meant for every reader. The author uses mood, unexpected insights, and multiple points of view to share twelve ghost stories. This was written and thought out. Students will enjoy the book.

Citation:

Goodreads. (2019, October 22). Thirteen Chairs. Retrieved from goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23436913-thirteen-chairs

Shelton, D. (2015). Thirteen Chairs. Oxford: Scholastic.

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm

The Trials of Apollo Book Four the Tyrant's Tomb

Title: The Trials of Apollo Book Four the Tyrant’s Tomb by Rick Riordan

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Genre: Greek, Mythological fiction, fantasy 

Justification:

          Rick Riordan is one of the most popular writers today. He has written numerous series including Percy Jackson, Heroes of Olympus, Kane Chronicles, Magnus Chase, and Tres Navarre (Riordan, Rick Riordan, 2019). His current series is The Trails of Apollo. This series just released the fourth book on September 24. The book already has 4,109 ratings and 570 reviews on goodreads.com. It has received 4.48 out of five starts. Each of his books builds upon the next book in the series and the previous series. After reading all his other books in the series I was excited when this book was coming out. This book was read immediately and demolished in one day.

Evaluation of the book:

Rick Riordan is skilled in character development. His characters are dynamic. He spends a lot of time developing them and bringing them into all his stories. He intertwines his stories showing the depth of emotions and struggles the characters face. This book focuses on the guilt and what “it feels like to be human”. He also knows when to downplay certain characters and have others become more prevalent. Meg does not have a lot of time spent on her. Instead the novel focuses on Reyna, Apollo, and Lavinia. Reyna learns that she needs to complete herself and cannot wait for others to save her (Riordan, The Trials of Apollo Book Four The Tyrant's Tomb, 2019, pp. 405-406). Apollo learns remorse, and regret. The book focuses on his mistakes and his self-importance fades away. At the beginning of the series Apollo only cares about himself and being worshiped. By the end he is regaining his god like characteristics, but he is also learning about the consequences of his actions. Lavinia is a crucial character for this book. She is introduced and developed in book four. She is quirky and breaks the rules, but she has a good heart and is willing to always do her best. She does not abandon her unit but finds a way to save everyone without asking for awards or accolades. She is an inspiration to a lot of young adults and children who need to hear it is alright not to fit the mold and to be yourself.

The tone of this book was more somber. Rick Riordan incorporates some of his typical elements of humor. However, the tone of this book was filled with remorse and regret. Apollo is realizing what it means to be human and how he needs to repent for his mistakes. In the first few books he is worried about himself and now he is worried about others around him and keeping them safe. For instance, he sees worries about not seeing Peaches and how that would affect Meg. He is also concerned about the silent God having to give up his life because of his selfishness.

The book uses understatement. While the book never explicitly states the Apollo will become a God again it become apparent that he will. His god-like qualities return in the book. The first trait is mentioned in the beginning of the book where he has a burst of god-like strength. During the book his gift of music is returning. He can sing a moving ballad about Jason Grace’s life. These hints allow the reader to understand that the series is ending. His remorse is also showing tat his character is coming to his point of redemption. This book was about how he feels guilt and wants to correct his actions and feels bad for his past mistakes.  The understatement is also prevalent when the characters are talking about Reyna. At first her love seemed to be tied to the those around her. As the book progresses it becomes clear that she has to love herself and she can be tied to her own destiny. This was not explicitly stated but left to the reader to understand.

Response:

          (d) Apollo goes though significant character development throughout the whole series. As he grows, he learns to reflect on his decision and tries to redeem himself. It seems that we all need to reflect and analyze our own decisions and consequences of our actions. When I started teaching, I did not reflect as much. As I have taught longer my reflection has increased and it now guides my teaching. This book shows the power of reflection. It is good for teenagers and adults to see that all our actions have consequences. It also speaks volumes about how important it is to stand up and for what you believe it in.

 (c) In the beginning of the series the reader does not feel bad for Apollo. He is not given any sympathy. As the book progresses, he comes more relatable. It shows how characters are willing to do a lot to support each other and help them grow. This book taught me how we can always help others grow even if they are not deemed redeemable. Apollo lead to Jason Grace’s death but he also helps Frank control his own destiny and allowed other characters to realize they could move on. Reyna learned to love herself. This taught me to love myself and give everyone another chance.

(g) This book was well written and will become a staple in my home library. This book has strong character development, redemption, action, and loss. This book has a lot of meanings and shows how important it is to follow our own path, and support those we care about and strangers in need. It is well-written and engaging. As soon as I finished the book it was sad to know that I would have to wait for the next book to come out. I want to learn what happens to Lester, and Meg. This book is great for fans of Rick Riordan, and mythology.

Conclusion:

          This is a must-read book for young adults. When this book came in, I could not put it down. Rick Riordan is a talented writer.  His books are funny, and sad. It makes the reader feel a lot of emotions and become fully invested into the characters. His use of tone and understatement are also very prevalent. I am excited for the conclusion of the series to see what happens with Apollo and Meg. This book is a great book to add to any collection.

Citation:

Riordan, R. (2019). Rick Riordan. Retrieved from The Trails of Apollo: http://rickriordan.com/

Riordan, R. (2019). The Trials of Apollo Book Four The Tyrant's Tomb. New York: Disney Hyperion.

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm

Renegades

Title: Renegades by Marissa Meyer

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Genre: Science Fiction

Justification:

          The award-winning author Marissa Meyer released a new series called Renegades. This novel won the 2017 Publishers Weekly- Starred Review and received 4.16 stars on Good Reads (Goodreads, Inc., 2019) (FictionDB, 2019). Marissa Meyer is also the author of the Cinder series and the book Heartless. Her dystopian novels are fantastic with developed characters, interesting setting, and relatable dynamic villains. Upon hearing about her new series this became a must-read book.

Evaluation of the book:

Marissa Meyer has written multiple novels. Her novels take themes and archetypes and she then transform them into dystopian novels. In Renegades she uses the archetypal theme of good verse evil. In this story she tells the story from two perspectives and allows the reader to determine if the protagonist is good or evil. He flipped roles and character development model how the main character Nova must battle internally with her scheme and balance of good and evil. Throughout the book she deals with guilt, loss, and understanding what family and a support system is. As she grows as a character Marissa Meyer then throws in one shocking piece of information that sends the reader spinning. This information about Max changes the perspective she has gained in the book at the last second and then the book ends. This makes the reader itch to grab the sequel and determine who will win good or evil and who is good and evil.

Nova and Adrian live in a tense world. This book uses tension to tell a story of superheroes who help to salvage a dystopian world.  There are multiple tensions throughout the book. Therese is the tension of will Nova be caught, will Sketch be discovered, as well as the tension between the Anarchistic and the Renegades. The greatest tension however in Nova’s inner battle. She battles guilt, family, and the notion of good and evil. She works hard to protect those she loves and begins to form friendships and bonds. She life has led to a war then has impacted society and a family she never expected. As she goes on her challenges and works to solve the mystery the reader is concerned about her getting caught, with Adrian admit he likes her and how will she handle it. She has to choose between the family in her past and the family of her present and future.

Marissa Meyer has a gift in developing her characters. When she made her new series Renegades, she follows her tradition process. She beings by slowly bringing in the characters and letting them develop naturally and through her book. Nova grows significantly though out the book. The shifting view points help the reader to see different perspectives and understand the characters motivation. The reader can see Adrian’s need to succeed and Nova’s need to avenge her family. The book become about the character development instead of just a book with superheroes and villains. The portrayal also does not follow the traditional model. The protagonist in the book can also be deemed the villain. It is an interesting take. The characters that are not seen also have a profound impact. For instance, Adrian’s Mom and Uncle Ace. These characters are not seen but lead to significant character development and motivation.

Response:

          Marissa Meyer has a gift with words. She storytelling is intriguing and profound. (a) In this new series she discusses the two sides of a coin good and evil. This is an internal battle that I have faced as a mother. This decision of am I making the right choice or the wrong choice. When making decisions it is hard to determine the impact those decisions are going to have. Nova is trying to decide to help others while still respecting her family. When registering for classes I had to decide to I rob my daughter of time now and finish grad school or go slow and rob my child of time longer but for less intense hours? We all have battles we have to face and do not know what the final consequences will be.

(d) Although, we do not have superhero powers like the ones listed in the book we each have our own superhero traits. The book talks about how a lot of the Renegades got their powers though traumatic events. Rubi and Oscar were both faced with trauma before their powers emerged. There are a lot of superheroes today who are the same way. New parents go months without sleep (just like Nova), teachers find strength to support their kids through secondary trauma and sickness, volunteers feed the hungry, donate food and assist others. Women who have gone through rape and other trauma rise again and keep going just like Oscar coming from the fire. We do have superheroes and they are made stronger from their adversity and challenges.

(g)  Marissa Meyer is a favorite author. This book was enjoyable and a book that will be reread with the luxury to time. I am excited to finish reading the series and to see how she has her character continue to grow and develop. This book is not as strong as Heatless and Cinder, yet it is still an enjoyable read that makes the reader think. Her character development is meaningful. It will be interesting to see how she continues her internal battle and to see what is going to happen as Uncle Ace reenters the picture. This book would be a great book for young adults and a way to teach multiple perspectives.

Conclusion:

          Reneges might look overwhelming at first but it a wonderful novel. This is the first book of a new series of superheroes battling good verse evil. It is so far a trilogy. The book features theme, tension, and strong character development. This enjoyable text. Is a must read for people who like dystopian novels, superhero books, and those who need to find inner strength. Sketch and Nova portray a lot of inner strength and provide a good model for those who need this. This coming of age book will be great for young adults and adults as well.

Citation:

FictionDB. (2019). Award-Winning Books by Marissa Meyer. Retrieved from FictionDB: https://www.fictiondb.com/author/marissa-meyer~book-awards~67458.htm

Goodreads, Inc. (2019). Renegades. Retrieved from goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28421168-renegades

Meyer, M. (2017). Renegades. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm