The Fault in Our Stars

Green, Tom. (2014). The fault in our stars. Penguin Young Reader’s Group: NY. Hazel has cancer and is in a support group where she meets Augustus who also has cancer. They start a friendship that soon develops into more. Hazel is in love with the Author Peter Van Houten and would give anything to talk with him about his characters. The problem is that she used her make a wish on Disney but Augustus offers to take her to meet the author with his make a wish. It is a disappointment to say the least but allows Augustus and Hazel to get closer sexually. The book ends sadly with Augustus dying. While I currently have students in my elementary school unfortunately battling cancer, this is a book for older kids in middle school and above. There is a lot that is over tweens heads I feel and the characters are speaking in a higher register than most teens. That or they are just not afraid to show their education. Worth the discussion on how we spend out lives and what we pursue. Havighurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks with adolescents must define their appropriate sex role comes into play with this book as the two main characters are both dealing with cancer that has taken away many of the normal factors that teens consider when dating to create their own definition of a relationship. 

Feed

Anderson, M. T.. (2002). Feed. Candlewick Press: Cambridge, Massachusetts. Titus is part of the Feed, a neurologically implanted connection to all outlets of media and consumerism. 3/4^th  of all of America are connected to the feed. It is on the Moon for short trip with friends that he meets Violet who was connected to the feed latter in life. A hacker hacks their feed causing them to go with out for a short period. While it is tempting to believe that Titus will overcome the feed and stick it out with Violet while she deteriorates, even possibly avenge her, he does not. He quickly reabsorbs into the feed.  I was uncomfortable with this book because even though it is a futuristic setting, it his close to our current reality with cookies on our computers and marketing being profiled to fit us. This s a great book for tackling what it means to fit in and the price we pay for conformity. It might be a stretch but I wonder about Titus' mental development through out this book. I feel that the feed has dumbed them all down to almost a simple concrete thinking and not allowing them to reach analysis in the formal operational thinking of Piaget's theory. 

Last Night I Sang to the Monster

Saenz, Benjamin A. (2009). Last night I sang to the monster. Cinco Puntos Press: El Paso, TX. Zach is in rehab and he fighting alcoholism and more. He is fighting a monster that haunts his dreams and lingers with the fear it produces when he is awake. He comes from a troubled family where his dad drinks to oblivion, his mom wants him to touch her like a husband and his older brother runs the house all the while beating the crap out of Zach.  Zach maintains A’s and a cover story to explain away his pain by keeping mostly to himself and retreating with alcohol and drugs. Still, he has to figure out how he got to rehab. He has to sing to his monster like a parent sings to a child to chase away the dreams. He has to remember how his brother killed his parents then killed himself in front of him. He has to believe that God did write happiness on his heart, which he did. The language of the book jarred me at first. The book is real and raw and yet there is hope. There has to be hope to stop the characters from killing themselves. Because of the level of understanding required to relate and comprehend, this is a book for the mature young adult. Well worth the read and could even be used for counseling. Havighurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks With adolescents undergo changing relationships with parents. Zach comes to terms with the fact that his parents are dead but also that they never were parents at all. He works though identifying his counselor and roommate as father figures. 

Strange Case of Origami Yoda

Angleburger, Tom. (2010). Strange case of origami Yoda. Amulet: NY. Tommy is a student at McQuarrie Middle School where Dewight has created an origami Yoda. Dewight has always been strange but now he is making the Yoda talk and give advice. There is quick belief that maybe the Yoda is tapped into the force. Tommy starts to create case files to decide if the origami Yoda is or is not tapped into the force. His best friend draws the case files. The Yoda through Dewight tells him about doing the twist and helps him to land his crush, which could be support for the truth of the Origami Yoda. I love this book because Dewight is strange but he brings together more people with his origami Yoda than would otherwise be possible. This is one of those books that even young kids in 3^rd grade love even if they aren’t going to school dances and doing the twist. It is a series so it is quick for students to read all of the books and get hooked. It is however hard to keep them on the shelf. I would argue that Dewight is still learning how to get along with peers from Havighurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks and that is why he uses an Origami Yoda to do the talking. 

Ungifted

Korman, Gordon. (2012). Ungifted. HarperCollins Publishers: NY. Donovan is ungifted in that he has not realized what he is capable of doing except stirring up trouble.  Through a chain of events after he has crashed a giant brass ball through the gym, he is sent by mistake to the gifted magnet school for the district. It is clear that he does not belong academically yet he becomes instrumental in the success of the other students.  Friendships are formed, a baby is born and robots fight. This is really a true underdog story that has you cheering for the juvenile delinquent. I think that this would be a great book for middle school because it is the time period for the characters.  If offers a good place to start examining how we see each other within the parameters of school and could help to bridge the gaps between different groups. In this book there is an unspoken interest in the opposite sex but no relationship is pursued. According to Havighurst's Theory of Developmental Tasks, Donovan is currently working through adolescents need to develop an easy relationship with the opposite sex as he transfers schools and seeks to work with peers who are also girls. Even seeing one in a new light at a dance.