Genre: YA Apocalyptic / Dystopian Fiction Pages: 310 (hardcover) Reading Level: Easy Rating: 3 / 5 Summary from Goodreads In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies… a promising leader in the effort to revitalize … Continue reading
Genre: Humor / Vampires Pages: 304 (hardcover) Reading Level: Easy Rating: 4 / 5 Summary from Goodreads Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor continues her rule in Hell in the scorchingly funny finale to the Undead series from New York Times bestselling author MaryJanice Davidson. It had been a well-kept secret for centuries, but now the existence … Continue reading
Genre: YA Apocalyptic / Dystopian Fiction Pages: 325 (hardcover) Reading Level: Easy Rating: 3 / 5 Summary from Goodreads Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Isn’t that what they say? But how close is too close when they may be one and the same? The Seven Stages War left much of the planet … Continue reading
Author: MaryJanice Davidson Genre: Humor / Vampires Pages: 304 (hardcover) Reading Level: Easy Rating: 4 / 5 Summary from Goodreads If Betsy Taylor has learned anything about ruling Hell it’s: 1) she can’t do it alone, and 2) she doesn’t have to. She’s got the help of a devoted vampire king, a dateless zombie, an … Continue reading
Genre: YA Science Fiction Pages: 599 (hardcover) Reading Level: Easy / Intermediate Rating: 5 / 5 Summary from Goodreads This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she’d have to do. This afternoon, her planet was invaded. The year is 2575, and two rival megacorporations are at war over a planet … Continue reading
Genre: Dystopian Pages: 263 (paperback) Reading Level: Intermediate Rating: 3/5 Summary from Goodreads Global warming has changed the world’s geography and its politics. Wars are waged over water, and China rules Europe, including the Scandinavian Union, which is occupied by the power state of New Qian. In this far north place, seventeen-year-old Noria Kaitio … Continue reading
Do you think that an author must be a native born American in order to accurately write a great American novel or what it means to be an American? Explain. “Nobody’s American,” said Wednesday, “Not originally” p96. Do you agree? Why or why not? What makes someone American? When you were first introduced to Shadow’s … Continue reading
1. Before you got to the second half of the book, did you think the choice was Gabby’s choice of which man? 2. Did the second part of the book make you rethink any medical or life decisions you and your significant other have made? 3. Is it always a bad idea to make an … Continue reading
FROM THE PUBLISHER Discuss the environment of Elizabeth, New Jersey, before the crashes occur. How would you describe the community? How does the community band together after the first crash? Throughout In the Unlikely Event, newspaper clippings are interspersed among the text. How do those articles help to provide context for the events that occur? … Continue reading
1. What did you think of the fact that the entire book was comprised of letters? Do you think letter writing is a lost art? 2. Did reading the letters feel like an invasion of privacy? 3. Do you think the writing was too much? For example, referring to themselves as Lysander & Diana? Were … Continue reading
Did you buy the whole love scene at the beginning between Auburn and Adam? Were you skeptical because they were so young? Explain. When Auburn discovered she was pregnant, do you think there were other options she could have considered that would have allowed her to keep her son? What else could she have done? … Continue reading
Before this, had you read a graphic novel? What did you think about the format of this book? Did you like it? Why or why not? Did you enjoy the humor? Why or why not? Warning Signs Do you remember doing weird, creepy things when you were young? Do or did your children do weird, … Continue reading
ISSUED BY PUBLISHER In her introduction, author Wednesday Martin asks herself “who were they really, these glamorous, stylishly turned out women with sophisticated babies?” (2). Answer Wednesday’s question with your group. Who are the women of the Upper East Side really? Is there an Upper East Side in your town? Did your conception of these … Continue reading
ISSUED BY PUBLISHER It would be easy to think of the Hempstocks as the “triple goddess” (the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone) of popular mythology. In what ways do they conform to those roles? In what ways are they different? The narrator has returned to his hometown for a funeral (we never learn whose). … Continue reading
On page xiii, Rebecca Skloot states, “This is a work of nonfiction. No names have been changed, no characters invented, no events fabricated.” Consider the process Skloot went through to verify dialogue, re-create scenes, and establish facts. Imagine trying to re-create scenes such as when Henrietta discovered her tumor (page 15). What does Skloot say … Continue reading
ISSUED BY PUBLISHER Did you like the younger Alice best? Or did you relate more to the older Alice? What would your younger self of ten years ago think of the person you are today? What would surprise your younger self most about the life you’re currently leading? What would disappoint you? What would you … Continue reading
CHRISTINA’S QUESTIONS What did you think of the humor? Did you think it was low brow or cheap? Did you think it was below his intelligence? One critical review referred to his humor as cutesie zingers. Do you agree? Do you expect someone with Mark Watney’s level of education to be more serious? What do … Continue reading
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Genre: Non-Fiction, Pages: 320, Level: Intermediate Book Description: “Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink- all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing … Continue reading
Rating: 1 out of 5 stars, Genre: Erotica, Pages: 368, Level: Intermediate Book Description: Before E. L. James and Sylvia Day, there was Anne Rice: Discover Beauty’s Kingdom, the fourth novel in the bestselling Sleeping Beauty series Mega-bestselling author Anne Rice, writing as A. N. Roquelaure, returns to the mysterious kingdom of Queen Eleanor in … Continue reading
Book Expectations 