Teen Book Club March - TRAPPED

Hey YAs, last night we had the March meeting of the Teen Book Club.  We discussed Trapped by Michael Northrop.  Here are the questions we discussed:

1.            What did you think of the book?

2.            What do you think of Scotty, Pete, and Jason?  Which would you want with you if you were trapped during a snowstorm?

3.            What do you think of Krista and Julie?  Les and Elijah?

4.            The school provided food, shelter, and some warmth.  What other public buildings do you think would be a good place to be stuck during a snowstorm?

5.            Did you have a favorite scene or part of the book?

6.            Did you like the style of writing in Trapped?  Would you read something else by this author?

Then we gave our ratings and final thoughts:

Melanie: 5/10 - Characters seemed poorly written and the way he told the story of survival did not impress.

Clare: 5/10 - Book was overall weak and didn't enjoy reading it.

MissG: 6/10 - Some of the situations seemed so unrealistic (the fire setup) that it really bothered me.  

MissG recommends these books if you like survival fiction~

The Raft by S. A. Bodeen:  Robie's last-minute flight to the Midway Atoll proves to be a nightmare when the plane goes down in shark-infested waters, but the real terror begins when the co-pilot Max pulls her onto the raft.

Survive by Alex Morel:   A troubled girl is stranded in an arctic winter terrain after a plane crash and must fight for survival with the only other boy left alive.

If We Survive by Andrew Klavan:   When revolutionaries seize control of a country in Central America where sixteen-year-old Will is serving at a mission, he and the other volunteers find themselves in a desperate race to escape the 'p violence and return home.

For the month of April we are reading...

  Determined to fend for herself in a world where only men have real freedom, headstrong Helen, who will be called queen of Sparta and Helen of Troy one day, learns to fight, hunt, and ride horses while disguised as a boy, and goes on an adventure throughout the Mediterranean world.

Meeting, discussion, snack, and preview of May new books on Tuesday, April 30th at 6:30.  Copies of the book are available, ask a librarian!

 

Snow Day!

Hope everyone's enjoying their snow day...I'm still at the library!  So I thought that i would dig up some snow/winter related books for you.  Enjoy~

Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen

Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.

Holiday Princess by Meg Cabot

Princess Mia presents a guide to the winter holidays, including the story behind some traditions, gift suggestions, make-up and fashion tips for seasonal parties, recipes, and craft ideas.

Let it Snow by various authors

In three intertwining short stories, several high school couples experience the trials and tribulations along with the joys of romance during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town.

Rink of Dreams by Nancy Russell

Anything seems possible to 13 year-old Gary when he's on his backyard rink. However, things aren't so easy outside of his backyard. Gary finds that his first year of bantam hockey is tough and that his recently separated parents are dating other people. The positive things in Gary's life include the arrival of the New Mexico Snow Dogs (a farm team) to his hometown and his new friendship with Dmitri. However, Dimitri's brother gets involved with the Russian mafia and the Snow Dogs consider leaving for a bigger city.

Survive by Alex Morel

A troubled girl is stranded in an arctic winter terrain after a plane crash and must fight for survival with the only other boy left alive.

Sweet Treats and Secret Crushes by Lisa Greenwald

When a snowstorm keeps thirteen-year-old best friends Olivia, Kate, and Georgia inside their Brooklyn, New York, apartment building on Valentine's Day, they connect with their neighbors by distributing homemade fortune cookies and uncover one another's secrets along the way.

Trapped by Michael Northrup

Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high school during a week-long blizzard that shuts down the power and heat, freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if they will survive.

Teen Book Club - November - Feed by MT Anderson

Hey YAs~

The November Teen Book Club recap is a little late this time, cause well we were a little late.  I got sick and had to push the meeting back until Dec. 8th.  But we did it and here we go!

For Novemeber we read Feed by M. T. Anderson.

In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.

The questions we discussed were:

1.   What did you think?  Did you like it?
2. Would you want to have The Feed installed in your body?  Why or why not?  What are the benefits and drawbacks?
3. Do you think that The Feed is something that might actually happen in the future?
4. What did you think of Violet and her actions?  What did you think of Titus?


Our overall ratings:


Clare - Did not finish - "Didn't like the writing or the characters.  Didn't think that the author had a validated point of view."
Melanie - 5/10 - "Understood the point he was trying to get across but it didn't show what needs to be fixed."
Catherine - 6/10 - "It was stimulating, but didn't like the author's point of view."

We also voted on the next 4 months worth of books.  Here are the decisions:

January (audiobook) - Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
February (being made into a movie) - Delirium by Lauren Oliver
March (disaster/disease/virus) - Trapped by Michael Northrup
April (mythology) - Nobody's Princessby Esther Friesner


for the month of December we are reading:

After being sold to a cruel couple in New York City, a slave named Isabel spies for the rebels during the Revolutionary War.

Meeting for discussion and snack will be on Tuesday, December 18th 6:30-7:30.  It's a week early because Christmas falls on a Tuesday this year.  We will also be discussing all the books we read in 2012 and voting on our favorites.