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Annotated Survival-Themed BibliographyFor High School Students

De La Cruz, M (2007). Blue Bloods. NY: Hyperion Books.

A young girl named Schuyler Van Allen is suddenly thrust into a very wealthy secret un-human society in New York with only her grandmother at her side. She must find out the truth of the vampire society that is being preyed upon in order to survive before it is too late.

Idea: Students must list ideas that they would want to suggest to Schuyler to help her survive in the new vampire society.

 

DiCamillo, K (2006). The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. MA: Candlewick Press.

This is a great book that deals with the struggles of a china rabbit to make it back to his original owner. His will to survive and one day walk back into his owners life is what makes this book a great survival story.

Idea: List all of the examples of survival that Edward Tulane experienced throughout his journey.

 

McCormick, P (2006). Sold. NY: Hyperion Books.

Lakshimi is a thirteen year old girl that is sold into prostitution by her stepfather without her knowledge. She finds out that no matter how much she tries to save to be free all odds are against her. She finds friends and comfort with the other girls involved in the prostitution slavery and know that she must survive in order to try and escape.

Idea: What is the one thing about survival that Lakshimi learned through her horrible ordeal?

 

Meyer, S (2007). Eclipse. NY: Little, Brown and Company.

This is the third book of the Twilight saga and seems to be the best so far. Bella has decided that she wants to become immortal to be with her love Edward, but he does not want that for her so he decides to leave her alone to let her live her life. Bella needs to learn how to survive without her beloved Edward and learns the truth about the ancient fight between vampire and werewolf. She needs to survive to make it through to graduation but with so many obstacles she will need the help of her friends to get there.

Idea: Create a journal that Bella could have written talking about the hardships she went through in order to survive the loss of Edward, her fear of being killed and her decision to become immortal.

 

Patterson, J (2006). Maximum Ride: School's Out-Forever. ME: Thorndike Press.

After living for a while with an FBI agent, the six genetically altered winged youths learned that they have been betrayed by the agent and must survive and make it to Florida where they must try and save the world from the erasers.

Idea: What would you do if you were a winged youth and you had to survive to save the fate of the world?

 

 

Riordan, R (2007). The Battle of the Labyrinth. NY: Miramax Books.

We continue following Percy Jackson on his new quest through the Labyrinth. This maze is filled with mysterious surprises ready to get you stuck and turn you crazy. Percy along with his friends must survive a quest in the labyrinth in order to make it back on time to help protect Camp Half-Blood.

Idea: Create a book of items that describe all of the situations that illustrate survival in this book.

 

Riordan, R (2006). The Lightening Thief. NY: Miramax Books.

Percy Jackson is a twelve year old boy that doesn't seem to fit in at school. He is troubled by the fact that his teacher turns into a monster and that his best friend turns out to be a satyr. Percy must survive the attacks by monsters in order to make it to Camp Half-Blood to learn his true identity and to help Zeus find his lightning bolt and help stop the war of the gods.

Idea: Give examples of survival that Percy went through that you might be able to relate to such as survival of school.

 

Riordan, R (2007). The Sea of Monsters. NY: Miramax Books.

Percy is a seventh grade student that happens to be the son of Poseidon the God of the Sea. Everything seems to be going well, but then his good friend Annabeth comes to his school to deliver the news that Camp Half-Blood has been poisoned and unless a cure is found the only safe place for demigods will be destroyed. Percy has to journey into the Sea of Monsters in order to help the camp survive.

Idea: If you had his powers what would you do differently if anything in order to help the camp survive?

 

Riordan, R (2007). The Battle of the Labyrinth. NY: Miramax Books.

We continue following Percy Jackson on his new quest through the Labyrinth. This maze is filled with mysterious surprises ready to get you stuck and turn you crazy. Percy along with his friends must survive a quest in the labyrinth in order to make it back on time to help protect Camp Half-Blood.

Idea: Create a book of items that describe all of the situations that illustrate survival in this book.

 

Sniegoski, T. (2006). Sleeper Code. NY: Razorbill.

Tom Lovett is a teenager that has narcoleptic lapses that end up covering his alter ego, Tyler Garrett, to carry out murders as a hired assassin. After a trigger helps Tom realize what he was programmed to do, he tries to survive an attack on his own life to try and take down the agency that created him and other like him. The one thing that Tom did not count on was having his own mother and father betray him and turn out to be only handlers.

Idea: List the tactics that Tom and Tyler used in order to survive being killed and what he used to get back the organization that made him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finalist for 2008 National Book Award

First and foremost, I have so many books that I would actually like to nominate for this title such as Stephanie Myer's Eclipse but that would be my personal opinion. I would like to say that the list of finalists still has not been released since they just finished picking up nominees. One of the nominees for 2007 was Touching Snow by M. Sindy Felin. It is a story about a family that has immigrated from Haiti and struggles with family inter conflicts. Karina has a stepfather that does not want to lose control of his wife and stepdaughters so he uses excessive force. Karina longs for her independence and education in America. It is a touching story that takes the reader on the life experiences of Karina and her family struggling to survive new America and their stepfather.

2008 Best Books for Young Adults (5)

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

When the unpopular geek turns into the popular senior at school you know that there is trouble to come. Tyler was a geek that got in trouble his junior year of high school for spray painting graffiti at school. For that he was given manual labor over the summer and begins his senior year with a new muscular body that brings trouble for him even though he is unaware of it at the beginning. Tyler finds himself in very unfamiliar territory with the popular girl in school and sister of the bully very much interested in him, his father’s anger with him, school administration and staff looking at his every move and a particular party. Tyler is unable to handle all of the situations at once that he feels suicide is his only way out. This book will deal with issues that some of the students in high school deal with everyday and in the end Tyler realizes that he is not the problem.