I am about to enter my LAST semester of the MLS program. I’ll be taking the practicum (110 hours mainly after school and on Saturdays – please pray that I do not become more unglued than I already am), and the not so anticipated Young Adult materials course.
One thing I’ve discovered is that the Young Adult sections in the libraries round these parts are more than a bit skimpy. The required books for the course are:
- Crank by Ellen Hopkins – Book of poetry about a girl who goes to visit her father and gets hooked on crank. All the pitfalls are amazingly graphic. The poetry was hard to get into, but once I did, it really flowed.
- Beastly by Alex Flinn – Teenage retake on Beauty and the Beast. Pretty good.
- What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles – Snotty girl disses guy who kills himself. Brother kidnaps her. Story is told from several points of view. Great twist at the end. Nicely done.
- Deadline by Chris Crutcher – Boy gets medical death sentence and decides to live his last year to its fullest without telling anyone. Pretty good.
- The Killer’s Cousin by Nancy Werlin – A young man goes to live with his aunt and uncle. Having killed another teen, he clearly has issues, but his cousin also has some serious issues.
- Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block – This one was just weird. Short, but weird.
- The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks – Two young men go off to find the story behind their sister’s murder. More psychological than I usually read.
- The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier – I liked this one. Stubborn boy refuses to participate in the annual chocolate sale at school. A sale that is run by what can only be called a gang of thugs. Boy stands his ground but pays a very big price.
- Inexcusable by Chris Lynch – Date rape.
Still need to read the following. Hoping to have them done by the end of the week.
- Forever by Judy Blume
- Tyrell by Coe Booth
- The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Then I get to find and read six more for a book talk. woohoo
Jack Of All Trades 