The Night Circus

The Night Circus
Morgenstern, Erin. 2011.
The Night Circus.
Read by Dale, Jim.
New York: Doubleday.
Audio-compact disc. $45.00
ISBN 9780307938909.

Format: audiobook
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

Plot Summary
The circus arrives sometime overnight, while everyone sleeps –appearing without signs or fanfare. It is a unique circus - Le Cirque des Rêves; it opens at dusk and closes at dawn. It all began when Celia was five years old and was forced to go live with her illusionist father, Prospero the Enchanter. Not to be outdone, his comrade and chief rival takes in a random boy from an orphanage, Marco, to prove that magical training can be more powerful than those born with the gift.

In a long-running rivalry, the circus becomes the stage for this remarkable battle of imagination and will. As the duel between Celia and Marco progresses, new breathtaking elements are added to the circus. Unbeknownst to them - only one can survive. The fates of everyone involved rest with Celia and Marco, including all of the circus performers like Isobel who loves Marco, to the tattooed contortionist, to the twins: Poppet and Widget born on the night the circus first opened, to young Bailey, a farm boy who sneaks in and becomes obsessed with the circus. With many twists and turns, the story ends with a finale as unexpected yet perfect for all who have become part of this story.

Critical Evaluation
Morgenstern’s The Night Circus is beautifully crafted, moving forward and backward between space and time as fluidly as the illusions performed within the story. As a first time novelist, it is heavy on description and may cause some readers to skim or skip details while attracting other readers to absorb every minute detail.

Adding another rich element is having the audiobook version of The Night Circus read by none other than Jim Dale, whose ability to give voice and depth to each character adds further richness to the storyline. The familiarity that some listeners may feel projected in voice could be due to his narrations of the entire Harry Potter series. For those who read the HP series, Dale’s is a new voice giving life to each of Morgenstern’s very special characters.

The development of plot and mini-plots are brilliantly woven. Morgenstern's development for even the most obscure character causes readers to want to embrace nearly each and every character, cheering for their connection to this magical adventure while cautiously wondering how much is real and how much is illusion. In a world and competition where only one can win the battle, where each new circus tent element adds drama and complexity that seems to tickle doom’s edge, readers are drawn to and hold tightly to the sliver of hope for a happy ending.

Reader’s Annotation

Imagine going to the circus, where you can jump between clouds without risk of falling, where you can build a tree of wishes made and fulfilled, or wander a garden made entirely of ice, where each black and white striped tent beholds another wonder, and all magic happens between dusk and dawn. All created by two magicians: Celia and Marco, who are destined to compete in this years-long battle of magic where, unbeknownst to them, only one can survive.

Information About the Author

Erin Morgenstern was raised in Massachusetts and doesn’t remember having a YA section of her library available for her to read when she was growing up, so she spent most of her time reading Stephen King novels and then plays by greats like Shakespeare. As a drama student, she didn’t even start writing until she was in her twenties.

She studied studio art and theater at Smith College, graduating in 2000. As an annual participant of the National Novel Writing Month since 2003, The Night Circus blossomed from this event in November 2005 and was sold to Doubleday in September 2010. The rights have been acquired to make it into a movie. With an eye for art, Morgenstern intentionally created all black and white striped tents, with a splash of red strategically located to reflect the story's “dangerous passion simmering just below the surface” (Carstensen, 2011).

(Carstensen, 2011) and (Morgenstern, 2011)

Genre
Fiction: Romance - Historical Romance

Read-Alikes
Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron
Prospero’s Daughter Trilogy by L. Jagi Lamplighter

Curriculum Ties:
This book would tie perfectly to a unit of study on the use of illustrative language and imagery.

Booktalking Ideas
(1) introduce the intrigue about the night circus and how it simply appears and all the unique, magical circus elements unlike any other
(2) love story between Celia and Marco, two pawns in a battle of magical skill established by their ruthless male parental figures

Book Trailer Links
Book trailer by the Publisher

Reading Level/Interest Age
Adult / YA cross-over

Challenge Issues
fantasy, magic, games of risk, murder

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards
New York Times Bestseller
Goodreads Nominee - Favorite Book of 2011 - Best Fantasy
Candidate for the Guardian First Book Award 2011

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
As a fantastical blend of fairy tale, magic, illusion, and romance set in the 19^th century, The Night Circus will appeal to a number of teen readers, especially those who love reading fantasy. As there are so many bleak dystopian stories flooding the YA market, teens will need books like The Night Circus to balance the literary offerings. Some teen fans may also sympathize with Celia and Marco, who suffer being controlled by ruthless fathers.

School Library Journal, Amazon, Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor

The Help

The Help
Stockett, Kathryn. 2009.
The Help.
New York: Amy Finhorn Books.
464 pages, hardcover.
$24.95
ISBN 9780399155345.

Format: book
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

Plot Summary

Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan arrives home in 1962 Mississippi with a college degree and a passion to write, certainly not interested in finding a husband, as did all of her friends. In her quest to find a story, she begins to see the injustices bestowed upon the black help that raised these white children. At her weekly bridge club gatherings, Skeeter sees that her friends have become the newest generation to use the black help, without appreciation or respect. Having been raised by her own black maid, Constantine, Skeeter thinks back to her past and sees how much of the person she has become is because of her. Seeking out Aibileen, her friend Elizabeth’s maid, Skeeter first needs the help of Aibileen to help write a how-to column for the local paper.

With a publisher's rejection letter and with the support of an editor, she's told to find what bothers her and to write about it. So, Skeeter tries to enlist Aibileen's help to tell their story, from the black maid's point of view. Minny, the spunky best friend of Aibileen, joins forces, and as things change within the homes in which they work, more maids come forward to share their stories. This story does not come without a very real threat; racism is still the foundation of the lifestyle, and sharing their stories could cost every maid her job or worse, since blacks are being beaten and killed in 1960’s Mississippi.

Critical Evaluation
Stockett’s writing style is believable and each of the maid’s stories compelling. She uses an accurate dialect indicative of deep-south African Americans in the 1960’s without resorting to clichés and captures the hearts of her readers with the sensitivity that she shows as she writes each story. Skeeter’s interest for both Aibileen and Minny becomes a strong, unique interracial friendship – uncommon for the period. Prior to the Civil Rights Movement, the times are volatile and this friendship is risky, and what they are doing is extremely dangerous. Until now, the maids' place was in the background - serving the white folks, but from the sidelines of silence.

The absence of more violent injustices experienced by the maids in The Help seems intentional as the husbands are not much more than the financier and do not even warrant much attention. Instead, Stockett chose to interweave humor and irony to support the believability of her characters. A perfect example of this is the brilliant scene where these privileged white women are raising money to help starving black children in Africa, yet they were not at all concerned with the children of the maids they employ who often go without, due to the little salaries they provide them. Another is the inclusion of the newest white woman needing a maid: Celia Foote, who seeks acceptance into this white women’s club, and she does not understand the “rules of having black help”, including how she insists on eating with her new maid Minny.

The character development Stockett uses ingratiates these maids into a reader’s soul, and how she allows each to grow, including Skeeter’s deep-south, tradition-rooted mother, and change from this experience give her readers reason to applaud.

Reader’s Annotation
This is the story of three extremely brave women daring to step forward and share their story of discrimination in 1962 civil rights movement Jackson, Mississippi. Written by freshly minted white college graduate 'Skeeter' Phelan, it tells the story of the black maids who raise the white babies of Mississippi, yet are discriminated in every way while they go about doing their work every day in the best way they know how.

Information About the Author
Kathryn Stockett was born in 1969 in Mississippi and obtained a degree in Creative Writing and English from the University of Alabama. Upon graduation, she moved to New York City to work in both marketing and publishing. She now lives in Alabama with her family, husband and a daughter from a previous marriage (Stockett, 2011).

The Help is Stockett's debut novel, published in 2009 after five years and 60 rejections, and was made into a movie by Walt Disney Studios in 2011. In 2008, before the book was even published, Stockett gave her childhood friend (screenwriter & film producer) Tate Taylor rights to create the movie. She has been accused, and even sued, by the former maid of her brother who claims that Stockett stole her life story. The case was thrown out due to statute of limitations (Stockett-wiki, 2011).

Genre
Fiction: Historical Fiction – 20th Century

Read-Alikes
Bone by Bone by Bone by Tony Johnston
Fire from the Rock bySharon Draper

Curriculum Ties:
The Help is the perfect companion for any study of the Civil Rights Movement, and is an exemplary model for telling a story true to language, only using words one would find in a dictionary, without resorting to slang and colloquialisms.

Booktalking Ideas
(1) Aibileen sharing the story of losing her son
(2) Skeeter scene challenging Miss Hilly during the bridge club gathering

Book Trailer Links
Book Trailer by a Reader

Reading Level/Interest Age
Adult / YA cross-over

Challenge Issues
racism, discrimination, Civil Rights Movement, 1962, Mississippi

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards
New York Times Bestseller: 2009, 2011
Amazon's Best Books of the Year, 2009
Orange Prize for Fiction, 2010
Christian Science Monitor Best Book Fiction, 2009
Indies Choice Book Award, Adult Debut 2010

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
The Help is perfect for any collection in need of more women in history stories, those that take the more challenging road of sensitivity in making the characters human and not stereotypical of the time and place. This story shows heart and strength of women, both white and black, and shows that for all the differences there is a universal similarity. The Help is a story of triumph, and heart and honesty and just may help correct one great wrong in our American history.

School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, Amazon, New York Times Bestseller (100 weeks), The Washington Post

Ready Player One

Ready Player One
Cline, Ernest. 2011.
Ready Player One.
New York: Crown Publishers.
384 pages, hardcover.
$24.00
ISBN 9780307887436.

Format: book
Rating: 4.5/5.0 stars

Plot Summary
On 2045 futuristic Earth, people live all stacked up in major cities. For safety sake in this dystopian world, most students attend a virtual school, including Wade Watts (as Parzival) and a few of his virtual friends (Art3mis and Aech). They spend nearly all of their time in Haptic suits in the online utopian world of OASIS. Created by James Halliday, his genius is exhibited when he leaves an Easter-egg hunt of keys and clues hidden within the game - just like original game creators who were never given credit for their game programming. Since Halliday was obsessed with 1980's pop culture, understanding that time period is key to this entire contest.

The first to find all three keys and solve all three puzzles designed for a single winner will inherit Halliday's entire empire and control of OASIS. Due to a loophole in his will, the company that provides Internet access wants to win so badly that they've hired an army of 'sixers' who work 24/7. Their goal in winning is to take control of OASIS, so that they can charge usage fees; the stakes are high for them to win. When Parzival discovers the first key after five years of searching, there is a renewed adrenaline-induced rush by all the players to stake a claim and win the ultimate fortune, and so begins the real competition - a race to the finish, where not all of the players will survive.

Critical Evaluation
What appeals to Cline’s readers, especially those having lived through or interested in 1980’s pop culture, is a rock solid immersion in the time period from the music, movies and television series to computers and video games. For those readers, simply enjoying the nostalgic ride, we cheer for the young teens who have embarked on this quest to win over the evil empire set on corrupting everything Halliday created.

While the action feels very real, and there is both violence and death, it doesn’t feel as dark and threatening as other dystopian YA novels, like Neal Shusterman’s Unwind or Brian Falkner’s Brain Jack. On the other hand, the geek-speak techno references of past and present are as rich as Cory Doctorow’s Little Brother.

Wade and his friends do face morale dilemmas, and as clever and creative teen main characters, they dream of making the world a better place. They no longer want to simply hide out online as most do in order to tolerate their world of bleak destitution, which makes readers cheer them on.

For the reader who finds it necessary to research the hundreds (maybe thousands) of minor details of 1980’s pop culture references, it may be a boring and frustrating journey. For this novel to appeal, one must simply trust (and with the accuracy of references we should) and enjoy Cline's quest. Ready Player One is for all t3chi3s, g33ks and n3rds out there. Are you ready?

Reader’s Annotation
To win Halliday's vast fortune and control of his company, Wade Watts and his virtual friends seek out the three clues to solve the three puzzles while avoiding a company bent on winning the game and control of the OASIS virtual world, where most people hide out due to the bleak dystopian 2045 world in which they live.

Information About the Author
Ernest Cline (Ernie) grew up in Ohio in the 1980's, and as a die-hard geek spent many hours programming his TRS-80, playing arcade games, and basically geeking out with or over anything sci-fi. Even now, he still spends vasts amounts of time following or being Trekki, creating and playing the part. He is a performer at heart and has not only been involved in but also directed and co-produced several parts. One of his films was made into a movie: Fanboys (Cline, 2011).

Ready Player One is his first novel and a movie deal is in the works with Warner Brothers (Cline, 2011). As such, Ernie is travelling the world (last week Norway - this week England) promoting his book. He is genuine and kind, sharing his enthusiasm with this blog author for her very first booktrailer that she created, inspired by his book (Brechner, 2011).

Genre
Fiction: Science Fiction – virtual reality

Read-Alikes
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
Epic - Conor Kostik

Curriculum Ties:
Ready Player One is a great example while studying the implications of science and technology, as well as psychological and sociological examinations on human behavior.

Booktalking Ideas
(1) being pursued by a ruthless man who'll stop at nothing to win the game and take possession of the vast fortune left by Halliday
(2) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-style Easter egg hunt in a futuristic virtual world

Book Trailer Links
Book Trailer by blog author
Book Trailer by Publisher

Reading Level/Interest Age
Adult / YA cross-over

Challenge Issues
futuristic dystopian world, violence, murder

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards
New York Times Bestseller
Amazon Best Books of the Month – August 2011
Goodreads Nominee - Favorite Book of 2011 - Science Fiction

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
Much of our recent high school population is obsessed with 1980's pop culture, the foundation for this book, and these students have had access to one-to-one laptops since middle school. As such, many of them are 24/7 connected and are always interested in exploring new technology and virtual worlds. With the blend of mystery, adventure/survival, gaming, and 1980's - Ready Player One will appeal to a wider audience than simply gamers.

School Library Journal, Amazon, Kirkus Reviews, Publisher's Weekly, The Horn Book

Runemarks

Runemarks

Harris, Joanne. 2008.

Runemarks.

Read by Bermingham, Sile.

New York: Doubleday.

Audio-compact disc. $50.00

ISBN 9780739362846.

Format: audiobook

Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

Plot Summary

Since her birth, with a runemark on her palm that no amount of scrubbing could remove, Maddy Smith has been blamed for all the bad luck and evil that existed in her small village. It is five hundred years after the end of the world, at least the worlds of the gods and chaos and order, the see-er folk, and the land of dream. Folks in Maddy's village ignore the signs of the curious, or unnatura, like the goblins, instead blaming the rats. If any bad luck befalls a villager, somehow Maddy is blamed. Fear of allowing other worldly creatures from entering their world through their dreams forces them to live in a world without dreams or any use of their imagination, as dictated by the Good Book.

The only person who sees Maddy for who she really is, and who begins training her for the skills she has hidden deep inside, is a traveling scoundrel named One-Eye. After years of annual visits that include lessons on cantrips, runecharms, and glamours, it becomes evident to One-Eye that Maddy has a gift, and she may be the only hope they have of finding the oracle and changing the world's prophecy - the one that dooms them all.

Critical Evaluation

Harris has created a vivid, rich in detail world - multiple worlds really if we consider all nine of them. With a strong background in languages and having studied Old Norse for a five year period, it isn't surprising that her ability to create characters with special powers and gifts, who have such unique and diverse personalities and hidden, secret pasts of great Norse mythology that somehow impact the present and the future. Runemarks is the ultimate fantasy where every runecharm alters the expected plot direction. Readers won't predict every twist and turn in this one.

Fantasy lovers will absorb every morsel. Other readers might struggle a bit as the connections are not always easily evident, and predictable is not a word that comes to mind with all of the plot changes and rising action that keeps readers suspended for far greater lengths of time than a shorter, action-paced novel.

Considering the novel is over 500 pages, it is understandable that the audio version in its entirety is quite lengthy. Sile, as a professional voice actress, adds so much to the reading with her ability to give life to so many of the different character's voices: male and female. I highly recommend the audio version, as it provides another dimension to this legendary story.

Reader’s Annotation

Born with a runemark on her palm, Maddy Smith is an unusual 14-year-old girl, one that attracts goblins and other curious creatures from the world below. Having had annual lessons with One-Eye over a seven year period, Maddy is now asked to go down below to find an oracle named The Whisperer and stop the prophecy that would end all of the worlds -- forever.

Information About the Author

Joanne Harris was born in 1964 to a French mother and English father. French was her first language; her nickname in school was Frog. She studied Modern and Medieval Languages and taught for more than a decade and published her first three novels while still teaching with her most famous Chocolat having been made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche. Even though she can only write on a laptop, she is forever buying and collecting notebooks and journals though won't write in them. She still lives in the vicinity of where she was born, with her husband and daughter.

She has won the critically acclaimed Whitbread Award, one of Britain's most prestigious literary prizes. Since leaving the education profession, she has published eight more novels which include a short story collection, a few cookbooks, and Runemarks. Her newest book, the much anticipated Runelights, was just released. Her books have been published in more than 40 countries.

(Harris, 2011).

Genre

Fiction: Fantasy - world of Faerie

Read-Alikes

Poison by Chris Wooding

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowlings

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Curriculum Ties

Runemarks is based upon Norse mythology, and could support a study or comparison between Norse and the more commonly studied Greek mythology.

Booktalking Ideas

1) Maddy catching a goblin scene, mistakenly throwing a mind rune that pulls everything up from down below back into the basement

2) lesson when One-Eye is trying to teach Maddy, and she loses her temper

Book Trailer Links

Book trailer by Random House Publishers

Reading Level/Interest Age

Ages 12 and up / YA

Challenge Issues

Fantasy, charms, magic, world of Faerie, spells, possessed, murder, other worlds

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards

N/A

Why Title Included & Selection Tools

Runemarks is a extraordinary tale of magic and Norse mythology and is being included for the fantasy lovers who will adore this book as it should be. Though quite lengthy by YA standards, it offers readers entry into a fantastical world of magic and other worlds.

Publisher's Weekly, NoveList, H. W. Wilson's Senior High Core Collection, ALA Notable/Best Books, Booklist, The Horn Book

The Outsiders

The Outsiders
Hinton, S. E., 1997.
(first published in 1967).
The Outsiders.
New York: Puffin Books.
192 pages, paperback.
$9.99
ISBN 9780140385724.

Format: book
Rating: 5.0/5.0 stars

Plot Summary
Fourteen year old Ponyboy Curtis’ parents died tragically in a car accident, so he is now being raised by his two older brothers, nicknamed Sodapop and Darry. Living in the poor section of town, they are part of a gang of greasers. But, Ponyboy is a bit different then his brothers and their friends. While Darry is serious and often hard on Ponyboy, Sodapop is closer in age, much more personable and is more supportive of Ponyboy.

The other side of town has a group of wealthy, privileged boys (the Socs) with nothing better to do than taunt the greasers every chance they get – often beating up on them when they discover them alone or in pairs. When Ponyboy and Johnny show kindness to a few school girls while at the movies, a place they go often to stay out of trouble, they have a run-in with the Socs. Things go from bad to worse for Ponyboy, and he reconsiders what it is to be a greaser, a friend, and a brother.

Critical Evaluation
Hinton wrote The Outsiders over forty years ago, and many of the truths still hold true today as she explores classism and how it stereotypes without always telling the whole story. She also explores relationships including family and friendships, the hierarchy of gangs and gang fights, robbery, and murder – all written in a clear, believable prose.

Ponyboy is a complex character, trapped in a role of being a greaser and all of the limitations that implies; yet he is so smart and talented that he should have so many more opportunities than he is being given. Hinton’s style allows the reader to immediately connect with and feel compassion for Ponyboy. She pulls readers into the relationships, and gets them cheering for the greasers who are as much the victims as the bullies. It reflects the human nature of each character with such care that readers cheer for them and feel sadness with each loss. Written about and intended for high school students, as society has changed greatly, The Outsiders now has a strong readership as young as middle school, as it is still used in classrooms across the country.

Reader’s Annotation
Ponyboy is shy and trying to avoid getting ambushed by the spoiled kids (Socs) who bully him and his friends (greasers) for the fun of it. Then, one night, a simple walk home from the movies changes all of their lives.

Information About the Author
S. E. (Susan Eloise) Hinton began writing The Outsiders at the age of 15, while still in high school, inspired by two rival gangs at her school: Will Rogers High School. It was published in 1967, has sold more than fourteen million copies, and is still used in classrooms across the country for its frank depiction of the social structure in American high schools. Even in the 1990’s The Outsiders was still considered controversial enough to make the American Library Association’s (ALA) “most frequently challenged books”. It has been her best selling book and what she likes most is “how it has taught a lot of kids to enjoy reading” (Hinton, 2011).

Hinton used her initials instead of her name so that her work wouldn’t be easily dismissed, and so male readers wouldn’t know that she was a girl. While The Outsiders is her most highly recognized work, she is also known for her YA novels: That was Then, This is Now (1971), Rumble Fish (1975), Tex (1979), and Taming the Star Runner (1988). More recently, she has published several children’s books.

She was the first recipient awarded the Margaret Edwards Award by the Young Adult Library Services Association for her collection of work. She has also been honored with the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Oklahoma Writer’s Hall of Fame.

(Hinton, 2011), (Hinton-wiki, 2011), (eNotes, 2006) and (InfoPlease, 2011)

Genre:

Fiction: Issues – outsiders

Curriculum Ties

The Outsiders ties perfectly to a study on literature and culture, as well as psychological and sociological examinations on human behavior.

Booktalking Ideas
1) greasers and modern gangs

2) Ponyboy torn between his gentleness and being forced to defend himself as a greaser, all because of where and how he lives

Book Trailer Links
Book trailer by a Reader

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9-12 / Middle & High School
(respectfully disagree with Amazon's grade 3 and up rating!)

Challenge Issues
bullies, gang violence, underage drinking, smoking, teen sex, and murder

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards
Chicago Tribune Book World Spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967
New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967
American Library Association Best Young Adults Books, 1975
Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975
Massachusetts Book Award, 1979

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
The Outsiders is one of only a half-dozen titles I've ever intentionally read more than once. The story is a timeless classic that every teen should read, to be reminded of the issues that surround, even today, social class and how it strongly influences one's path to adulthood.

NoveList, H. W. Wilson's Senior High Core Collection, ALA Notable/Best Books, Booklist, The Horn Book

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Brashares, Ann, 2001.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
New York: Delacorte Press.
320 pages, hardcover.
$15.95

ISBN 9780385729338.

Format: book

Rating: 4.5/5.0 stars

Plot Summary

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is a story about four teenage girls, who have been friends since their moms were pregnant with them, and are about to embark on a summer-long journey apart for the first time.

Carmen, our narrator, is the realist and a loyal friend who tries to reconnect with her father in South Carolina and becomes the bratty step-child who desperately needs to unload her pent up frustrations.

Bridget, the lonely superstar athlete who takes crazy risks and always seems to run from her problems, just might get into some mischief while attending her all-girl soccer camp in Baja, Mexico.

Shy, quiet Lena who never takes risks at all, protecting her heart and thoughts choosing instead to observe the world and recreate it in her art, travels to Greece to visit her ya-ya and poppy (grandparents).

Rebellious Tibby is home for the summer babysitting, tolerating her menial job and trying to record footage for a documentary project.

Together in spirit, the girls share a magical pair of jeans that somehow fit all four of them and tell the story of the pants as they send them to each other. It is a summer that will change all four girls, forever.

Critical Evaluation

The Sisterhood…is written with such a solid grip on teen-speak that it is a challenge to think that Brashares didn’t grow up with this kind of sisterhood to draw from when writing this, her first novel.

Brashares writing is crisp and clear with dialogue that is spot-on (incredibly realistic) and lends to the character development of each of our young girls – allowing readers to insights by showing instead of telling. By developing four very different types of girls as our lead characters, Brashares shares four stories within one, and offers readers a chance to identify with at or have a special kinship with at least one of the girls: Carmen, Lena, Bridget or Tibby.

All of the family connections read so real that readers are pulled into this sisterhood, and cheers as Carmen, Lena, Bridget or Tibby discover new parts to their own identity and cries when each is hurting or suffers a loss. Brashares seems to control the pulse of this friendship, and these girls, and as they grow, readers will learn through them how they see the world, each other, and themselves.

Brashares’ use of a pair of a traveling pair of jeans as a tool to reveal the inner souls of these girls works well, as every teen girl can connect with the power of friendship, love, loss, and sharing secrets. If these pants could talk, well…

Reader’s Annotation

When four lifelong teenage girls prepare for their first summer apart, what could possibly hold them together as they travel to Mexico, or South Carolina or Greece? A magical pair of pants, magical because they can’t possibly fit all four very different sized girls, yet they do.

Information About the Author

Ann Brashares is a lover of travel and pants, and still owns a pair of jeans from high school, though they contain no magic and don’t quite fit. She was raised in Maryland with three brothers and attended a Quaker school.

She took a year off between college and graduate school to earn some money, and ended up loving her role as an editor – forgoing the idea of graduate school altogether.

Ann lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children; the youngest Susannah is an honorary member of the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was her debut novel, the first in the series of five novels. The newest Sisterhood Everlasting was released this summer, and is most definitely these girls all grown up.

(Brashares, 2011).

Genre

Fiction: Romance – contemporary

Read-Alikes

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

In or Out by Claudia Gabel

Curriculum Ties

The Sisterhood…supports a writing unit on character development, with dialogue creation that is true and believable and adds another layer to each character.

Booktalking Ideas
1) sneaking into the yoga studio where Carmen, Bridget, Lena and Tibby write the rules for when wearing the pants

2) bio snip-its of each of the four girls showing their individuality and unity

Book Trailer Links
Book Trailer by a Reader

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grades 9 and up / Ages 12 and up

Challenge Issues
teen rebellion, coming of age, romance, teen sex

First, I would share some of the recommendations used as part of the selection process, including reviews from resources as noted below. Next, I would point out the value in allowing these types of materials to be optional reading as teens grow ever closer to adulthood and making their own decisions. Finally, following our school district’s policy #KEC, after explaining that our school district’s philosophy is that no parent or group of parents has the right to determine the reading matter for children other than their own, I would refer the parent or community member to the building principal, so that he/she can file a written complaint to begin the process of review.

Awards

Book Sense Book of the Year Award for Children’s Literature, 2002

American Library Association’s (ALA’s) Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults, 2002

South Carolina Book Award Nominee for YA Book Award, 2004

Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader’s Choice Award for Senior, 2004

Iowa Teen Award, 2004

Why Title Included & Selection Tools
The Sisterhood… is a story of friendship, and growing up yet never forgetting from where you came. Tibby, Carmen, Lena and Bridget are closer than sisters, and they allow readers into their family – to experience their hardships and triumphs, heartbreak and celebrations. It is a coming of age story, which every teen collection should have.

School Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, USA Today