B Project

1. B Project Presented by: Justin Mandia

2. Books: • Deathwatch by Robb White • The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price • Vanished by Sheela Chari • Cash & Carry by Tim Broderick • Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

4. DEATHWATCH By Robb White • Ben (a geologist) and Madec (a hunter) take to the desert to hunt bighorn. Very early on in the story, Madec kills a park ranger “accidentally.” Madec realizes that Ben is going to take this issue to the police, so he decides to hunt him so that his secret isn’t revealed.

5. Deathwatch Themes: • Survival • Power vs. Determination • Suspense • Adventure Lesson Ideas: • If you were in Ben’s situation, what are 5 things that you would ABSOLUTELY need? • What moral dilemma does Ben face when Madec shoots the old man? What is the right thing to do in this situation?

7. The Interrogation of Gabriel James by Charlie Price • The Interrogation of Gabriel James is about a young man who is an eyewitness to two killings. His story is told through a combination of the interrogation that the police are performing, as well as flashbacks explaining the information he is giving the detectives during the interrogation. The reader finds out step by step how these murders were linked to a quiet classmate’s home life and an outbreak of hate crimes going on in this once quiet Montana town.

8. The Interrogation of Gabriel James Themes: • Detective/Interrogation • Suspense • Flashback • Adventure Lesson Ideas: • What are the advantages of the way the story is told (through interrogation and flashback)? • How is this book similar to other books you’ve read?

10. Vanished by Sheela Chari • Vanished is a book about an 11 year old Indian girl who dreams of becoming a famous musician while playing her veena (a traditional Indian string instrument). When her veena disappears from a local church, Neela starts an investigation as to why her instrument could have possible been stolen. As she searches for it, she finds out that her veena has a strange history of escaping its owner, and that she’ll have to travel far to find it.

11. Vanished Themes: • Human nature • Follow the clues • Deceit • Suspense Lesson Ideas: • Have you ever lost something/had something taken from you? What did you do to look for it?

13. Cash and Carry by Tim Broderick • David Diangelo has been hired to deliver a case to a lawyers firm in Las Vegas, but runs into a few snags along the way. When he starts being followed, he wonders what’s in the case, and why he is being targeted.

14. Cash and Carry Themes: • Suspense • Action • Deceit • Perserverance Lesson Ideas: • (Post reading): Draw a map of the places where David travels, mentioning what happened at each location. (story map).

16. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher • Clay Jensen comes home from school to find a box of cassette tapes on his door step. Upon listening to the first tape, he finds out that it is Hannah Baker, a girl in his class that has recently committed suicide. According to her message in the first tape, the rest of the tapes will reveal the thirteen people who caused it to happen.

17. Thirteen Reasons Why Themes: • Suicide • Bullying • Teen Issues • Suspense Lessons Ideas: • How could Hannah’s situation have been avoided? • Talk about the effects that your words could have on others.

19. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle • The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve “episodes” written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, in the voice of Dr. John Watson. In the episodes, Holmes helps people with many cases including a runaway bride, a “murderous” son, and 10 other very unique cases. Through clever observation and accurate detective work, Holmes and Watson solve each of the cases, with a few surprise twists throughout.

20. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Themes: • Detective • Inquiry • Observation Lesson Ideas: • Solve the mystery using clues from the paragraphs. (Give each group a separate small mystery).

22. Other Mystery Texts • The Alex Rider Series by Anthony Horowitz • The Da Vinci Code by Robert Langdon • Encyclopedia Brown by Donald J. Sobol • The Hardy Boys by Franklin W. Dixon • Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene

24. Mystery Movies and TV Shows Movies: • Citizen Kane • The Departed • To Kill a Mockingbird • Psycho TV Shows: • Psych • Law and Order • CSI: Crime Scene Investigators

26. Activities! • For Deathwatch: • With a small group, list 5 items that you would want to have if you were stranded in the desert. REMEMBER, you can only have 5 items, and you need to get out of the desert alive! • Write an alternate ending for Deathwatch, and explain why you chose to end the book in that way. • For The Interrogation of Gabriel James and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: • “Interrogate” one of your classmates about what they did this weekend. Ask detailed questions, and ask for anything out of the ordinary.

27. Activities! (cont.) • For Vanished: • (During reading): After reading the chapter in which Neela loses her veena, discuss with the class who might have taken it and why they might have done so. • (Post reading): Write a short essay on a favorite object of your own, and talk about what you would do if you were to lose it. • For Thirteen Reasons Why: • Have a class discussion on the topic of bullying. • How do your actions and words have an effect on other people? Cite examples from the book. • Does the style of the story (written in “tapes”) add to the effect of the story?