Book Circles

1. Book Circles

3. Make Your List Watch power point List titles that interest you Turn In your Top 3 list today Be placed in a group Bring Permission letter home Have Book by March 19

4. The Hunger Games In the future, the U.S. is gone. In its place is Panem, in which the city of Capitol, somewhere in the Rockies, rules over 12 rebellious districts. To maintain their iron grip, they hold an annual televised reality show, a lethal form of Survivor to which each district must send one boy and one girl. Out of these 24 teens, only one will survive. Katniss, who volunteers to take her sister's place, and Peeta are District 12's competitors, but their competition is complicated by Peeta's announcement that he is in love with Katniss. Would you like it?~first in ascience fiction series (dystopian)~ strong female protagonist~tense action, sharp plot twists , some-what violent~Made into a movie (out in March)~ Survival, Loyalty

5. Thirteen Reasons Why When Clay Jenson plays the cassette tapes he received in a mysterious package, he's surprised to hear the voice of dead classmate Hannah Baker. He's one of 13 people who receive Hannah's story, which details the circumstances that led to her suicide. Hannah articulates her reasons for committing suicide through audio tapes she sends to 13 people, mailing them on the day of her death. Would you like it?~destructive nature of bullying, gossip, and indifference~ friendship, loss, peer pressure, revenge, suicide~very accurate portrayal of high school/age

6. The Last Child A year after 12-year-old Alyssa Merrimon disappeared on her way home from the library in an unnamed rural North Carolina town, her twin brother, Johnny, continues to search the town, street by street, even visiting the homes of known sex offenders. Det. Clyde Hunt, the lead cop on Alyssa's case, keeps a watchful eye on Johnny and his mother, who has deteriorated since Alyssa's abduction and her husband's departure soon afterward. When a second girl is snatched, Johnny is even more determined to find his sister, convinced that the perpetrator is the same person who took Alyssa. But what he unearths is more sinister than anyone imagined, sending shock waves through the community and putting Johnny's own life in danger. Would you like it?~thrilling mystery; page turner; surprise ending!~innocence vs. hard wisdom, hopelessness vs. faith~ loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil~taking matters into your own hands

7. Bleachers High school all-American Neely Crenshaw was probably the best quarterback ever to play for the legendary Messina Spartans. Fifteen years have gone by since those glory days, and Neely has come home to Messina to bury Coach Eddie Rake, the man who molded the Spartans into an unbeatable football dynasty. Now, as Coach Rake's "boys" sit in the bleachers waiting for the dimming field lights to signal his passing, they replay the old games, relive the old glories, and try to decide once and for all whether they love Eddie Rake-or hate him. For Neely Crenshaw, a man who must finally forgive his coach-and himself-before he can get on with his life, the stakes are especially high. Would you like it?~suspenseful football/sports ~ line between love & hate for authority~overcoming personal battles~ “Friday Night Lights” 20 years later 

8. Breathing Underwater Intelligent, popular, handsome, and wealthy, sixteen-year-old Nick Andreas is pretty much perfect — on the outside, at least. What no one knows — not even his best friend — is the terror that Nick faces every time he is alone with his father. Then he and Caitlin fall in love, and Nick thinks his problems are over. Caitlin is the one person who he can confide in. But when things start to spiral out of control, Nick must face the fact that he's gotten more from his father than green eyes and money. The book starts out with him in court, after he beat up his girl friend, Caitlin… Would you like it?~effects of family violence~ ongoing cycle of violence~overcoming personal weaknesses

9. Payback Time Through the eyes of a distinctly non-athletic protagonist—a fat high school journalist named Mitch—veteran sports novelist Deuker reveals the surprising truth behind a mysterious football player named Angel.  When Angel shows up Lincoln High, he seems to have no past—or at least not one he is willing to discuss.  Though Mitch gets a glimpse of Angel's incredible talent off the field, Angel rarely allows himself to shine on the field.  Is he an undercover cop, wonders Mitch?  Or  an ineligible player?  In pursuit of a killer story, Mitch decides to find out just who this player is and what he's done.  In the end, the truth—and what Mitch does with it—surprises everyone. Would you like it?~compelling combination of sports novel and mystery~ journalist unravels secrets about suspicious peer

10. Heart of A Champion Jimmy Winter is a born star on the baseball field, and Seth Barnam can only dream of being as talented. Still, the two baseball fanatics have the kind of friendship that should last forever. But when Seth experiences an unthinkable loss, he's forced to find his own personal strength—on and off the field. Would you like it?~gripping tale of baseball and friendship~ “action worthy of a sports page”~finding personal strength through tragedy

11. Code Talker The United States is at war, and sixteen-year-old Ned Begay wants to join the cause-especially when he hears that Navajos are being specifically recruited by the Marine Corps. So he claims he's old enough to enlist, breezes his way through boot camp, and suddenly finds himself involved in a top-secret task, one that's exclusively performed by Navajos. He has become a code talker. Now Ned must brave some of the heaviest fighting of the war, and with his native Navajo language as code, send crucial messages back and forth to aid in the conflict against Japan. His experiences in the Pacific-from Guadalcanal to Iwo Jima and beyond-will leave him forever changed. Would you like it?~historical fiction—World War II~Navajo Marines~overcoming prejudice~pride in one’s heritage

12. Numbering All the Bones The Civil War is at an end, but for thirteen-year-old Eulinda, it is no time to rejoice. Her younger brother Zeke was sold away, her older brother Neddy joined the Northern war effort, and her master will not acknowledge that Eulinda is his daughter. Her mettle is additionally tested when she realizes her brother Neddy might be buried in the now-closed Andersonville Prison where soldiers were kept in torturous conditions. With the help of Clara Barton, the eventual founder of the Red Cross, Eulinda must find a way to let go of the skeletons from her past. Would you like it? Would you like it?~ historical fiction-Civil War era~based on true events: slavery, Andersonville~personal sacrifice and courage in uncertain times~ “Before she can bury the skeletons of her past, she must find them.”

13. Split Sixteen-year-old Jace arrives at the doorstep of his estranged brother with a re-landscaped face (courtesy of his father's fist), $3.84, and a secret. Jace tries to move on, but all his changes can't make him forget what he's left behind. Running is easy, but true escape is near impossible. Jace realizes that if he really wants to move forward, he may first have to do what scares him most: He may have to go back. After you’ve said enough, after you’ve run, after you’ve made the split—how do you begin to live again? Would you like it?~ young male protagonist dealing with domestic violence~ intense page-turner ~What happens after you get away ~Redemption

14. Partials Eleven years after the Partials wiped out 99 percent of the human race with the weaponized RM virus, 16-year-old medic-in-training Kira Walker hatches a desperate plan to save her species. Disobeying the middle-aged Senators, who have mandated that all women over 18 be impregnated as soon as possible, Kira and a small group of allies set off from their stronghold on Long Island to journey to New York City and kidnap a Partial. They plan to study one of the engineered organic beings and perhaps find a cure for RM, but they have no way to expect the revelations that their mission uncovers. Would you like it?~first installment of a science fiction series (dystopian)~ strong female protagonist~tense action, sharp plot twists ~What makes us human? Is it empathy and compassion that sets us apart? Or does it just come down to genes?

15. The Eleventh Plague The Eleventh Plague focuses on a post-apocalyptic world where a virus had been released (as part of a world war) and wiped out much of the human population. The wars that followed nearly destroyed civilization. Now, twenty years later, the world is faced with a choice—rebuild what was or make something new. Stephen Quinn, a quiet and dutiful fifteen-year-old scavenger, whose choices lead him to Settler's Landing, a lost slice of the Pre-Collapse world where he encounters a seemingly benign world of barbecues, baseball games and days spent in a one-room schoolhouse. His distrust of such tranquility, eventually leads to a violent conflict with the leaders of Settler's Landing who are determined to remake the world they grew up in, no matter what the cost. Would you like it?~science fiction/post apocalyptic/ dystopian~discovering the underside to people who might otherwise seem too good to be true 

16. Heist Society When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her on a trip to the Louvre…to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria…to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own—scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving “the life” for a normal life proves harder than she’d expected. She quickly discovers, though, that her past is inescapable. Her father has been accused of stealing already stolen masterpieces from a dangerous Italian billionaire. Certain that her father is innocent, Kat resolves to find the missing paintings and return them to their unsavory owner, who has given her a two-week deadline.  Would you like it?~first installment of a series ~ strong female protagonist~spy thriller, involves art and art history~ trying to escape your past ~familial obligations

17. The Forest of Hands and Feet Mary's village has been trapped for generations by a very near, very visible menace: the Unconsecrated-insatiable, flesh-eating zombies that constantly tear at the village's fences. Yet the Sisterhood-a convent-like order of religious women charged to protect the village's survival-is as much responsible for the submission of Mary's village as the Unconsecrated. When the fences are breached and the village overrun, Mary and several others escape through gated paths and arrive deep into the Forest of Hands and Teeth, forced to search beyond it for their future. Would you like it?~first installment of a zombie series ~ tough, strong, curious, adventurous, and brave female protagonist~endless capacity of humanity to persevere, keeping hope alive, and fighting for a better world (even if it means chopping off some zombie heads)

18. Sweethearts Jenna Vaughn used to be named Jennifer Harris. She was fat, dirty, and often home alone. At school, she -- and her only friend Cameron -- used to get picked on by their school's mean kids. After Cameron moves away (and, according to the kids at school, dies in an accident), she decides to transform into someone new: a pretty, skinny, happy girl whom everyone likes. But will Jenna be able to keep her unhappy past from resurfacing when years later Cameron moves back to town? Would you like it?~gripping, for mature readers~Jenna's ability to start dealing with the past -- and become the person she wants to be -- is heroic. ~learning from your past, facing your troubles head-on, reinventing yourself, true friendship (bonds)

19. The Knife of Never Letting Go Todd has grown up in a village of men, believing that everyone else in the world, including all the women, was wiped out in a biological war with the original alien inhabitants of this planet. The world is filled with Noise, as the thoughts of all, human and animal, are constantly broadcast to all. Now, about to reach the age of manhood at 13, he discovers that nearly everything he has been told about his world is a lie. Forced to flee with his talking dog and a girl who has crash landed nearby, he is pursued by an army bent on conquest, and an insane preacher bent on murder. Would you like it?~first in the Chaos Walking trilogy (this is a MAJOR cliffhanger!)~science fiction/post apocalyptic/ dystopian~extreme violence for mature readers only (violence is not glorified however)~brilliantly written, surprisingly funny & terribly moving~coming of age (becoming an honorable man), gender roles/relations, the place of killing in society, religion, utopianism, what growing up really means

20. The Seventeen Second Miracle Cole Snow's grandfather, Willard, learned the pain of loss and regret when a tragedy happened in front of him, taking just seventeen-seconds. Those seconds transformed Willard-but they did not destroy him. He lived every day with the belief that the smallest everyday acts can change the world-sometimes for worse, but also for better.  This book helps the reader understand that it only takes a few seconds to change another person's life.... for the good or for the bad.  Would you like it?~timeless message of being a better person~general idea that “love is a verb”~a “feel good” book~tragedy, forgiveness, hope, love, healing....and miracles.

21. Red Riding Hood The villagers in Valerie's rough hometown have always sacrificed animals to appease the Wolf, but when it brutally kills a human being -- Valerie's sweet older sister -- the truce ends and the village men hunt the creature they've long feared. They think they've killed it, but when a famous werewolf hunter comes to town, he reveals to them an unbelievable truth: the wolf they killed is an ordinary lupine -- but the werewolf they seek roams among them every day in human form ("The real killer could be your neighbor. Your best friend. Even your wife.") Suspicion grows between neighbors, and circles around Valerie, who can understand the wolf's growls -- and that it wants her to come away with it. Meanwhile, Valerie finds herself suspecting the wolf could be either her kind fiancé or the dark mysterious man she really loves -- she even suspects her own grandmother.  Would you like it?~violent, romantic fairy tale retold~extremely suspenseful~evil (that we allow) ~commitment to "not just stand by and watch the events of life unfold."

22. Pretty Face There's a lot of pressure from her mom -- and her L.A. peers -- to be thin, and Hayley worries that she will never be anything more than the funny friend to the boy that she likes. When her parents send her to a friend's house in Italy, Hayley finds peace that she has never known. She is surrounded by healthy food, a family that enjoys talking, beautiful places to walk -- and even a cute boy who seems to think she is more than just a pretty face. Would you like it?~teenage girl accepting herself~positive body image~discovering one’s true inner beauty

23. Slam Fifteen-year-old Sam is an ordinary, nice kid. He gets along pretty well with his single mom, who had him when she was 16. He does OK in school, and has a few not-very-close friends. He likes to skateboard, and idolizes Tony Hawk. When he meets a pretty girl, Alicia, who wants to have sex with him, he is naturally thrilled, and they start a passionate relationship. But life is about to get extremely complicated. He and his girlfriend—make that ex-girlfriend— Alicia have gotten themselves into a bit of trouble. So begins a journey for which neither of them is ready. Sam is suddenly forced to grow up and struggle with the familiar fears and inclinations that haunt us all.  Would you like it?~real life issues realistically presented (not preachy)~consequences to decisions~being forced to grow up prematurely

24. Looking For ALaska Miles, tired of his friendless, dull life in Florida, convinces his parents to send him away to boarding school in Alabama so that he can seek "the Great Perhaps." There he meets his roommate and soon-to-be best friend, Chip, called the Colonel, and Alaska Young, the moody, gorgeous, wild girl who instantly becomes the object of his lust. Miles is quickly enlisted in their war against the Weekday Warriors, the rich kids who go home every weekend, and they bond over elaborate pranks, studying, and assorted rule-breaking. About halfway through the book a tragedy occurs, and those left spend the rest of the book trying to make sense of it, to solve the mystery it leaves behind, and to pull off one last, greatest-ever prank. Would you like it?~for more mature readers~physical relationships can never ever compare to emotional relationships~turning one’s life around, dealing with grief/loss

25. Lock and Key When Ruby's single mom takes off a few months before Ruby's 18th birthday, she lives alone in a roach-infested house without running water, hoping to stay under the radar until she's a legal adult. Instead, a social worker sticks her with Cora, the older sister she hasn't seen for 10 years, now a lawyer married to a rich Internet entrepreneur. Despite her new posh surroundings, Ruby always wears the key to her old house on a chain around her neck as a reminder of her difficult yet more familiar old life. She slowly starts to lower her emotional defenses, reconnecting with her sister, making friends with another girl who doesn't fit in at school, and crushing on Nate, the cute, popular boy next door who seems to have a perfect life. It's only when she gets to know Nate that she realizes he might have secrets of his own to unlock. Would you like it?~substance abuse~absence of positive parental influence~trying to start over but hanging on to the past~realization of worthiness

26. The Fault In Our Stars Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.And though she soon learns that Gus has a painful secret, Hazel learns that loving others is worth it, even when it leaves a "scar." Would you like it?~humorous, witty, moving, heartbreaking~ taking risks, friendship, sickness/tragedy ~ “exploring the funny, thrilling and tragic business of being alive and in love.”