Books
Wonder: Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, Auggie wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid—but his new classmates can’t get past his extraordinary face. Wonder begins from Auggie's point of view, but soon switches to include the perspectives of his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These voices together show a community as it struggles with differences, and challenges readers, both young and old, to wonder about the true nature of empathy, compassion, acceptance, friendship, and—ultimately—kindness. Auggie is a hero for the ages, one who proves that you can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.
Wonder Book Summary |
River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze is a travel journal by American writer and journalist Peter Hessler. It’s the first book in Hessler’s China trilogy and describes his journey through Fuling, China and the changes this river town is going through. It was published by in 2001 and won the Kiriyama Prize for Nonfiction in the same year. At the time the book was published, Hessler served as Beijing journalist for The New Yorker. He won the 2008 National Magazine Award for excellence in reporting, and he’s a contributing writer for National Geographic.
Back to the River Town Peter Hessler |
The Bicentennial Man tells the story of a robetic man with a human soul and his quest/journey to become human. This robot is named Andrew and he is immortal (machine can not die). Andrew has contributed vastly to society. He has written books, created art, and invented biological organs that can help the human race live much longer. Even with these contributions Andrew is constanly fighting so simply be an eaqual.Andrew asks for "As simple a thing as my right to life." The plot allows the reader to sympathize with Andrew. Everyone in the world can relate to the desire for freedom and the desire to be included. The plot asks the reader how they define what is human and what deserves equal rights as humans. Bicentennial Man - Right to Humanity |
Tuesdays with Morrie: After graduating from college for nearly twenty years, Mitch Albom lost himself as he made his way as a sports journalist, and his insights faded, and the world seemed colder. Then he had that second chance. He rediscovered Morrie, his favorite mentor in college, in the last months of the older man's life. Knowing he was dying, Morrie visited with Mitch in his study every Tuesday, just as they used to back in college. Their rekindled relationship turned into one final "class": lessons in how to live. Tuesdays with Morrie is a magical chronicle of their time together, through which Mitch shares Morrie's lasting gift with the world. The title topped the New York Times list of Non-Fiction Bestsellers for 2000. In 1999, it was adapted into a television movie, and in 2002, it was adapted into a stage play.
Tuesdays with Morrie - official trailer |
The Joy Luck Club describes the lives of four Asian women who fled China in the 1940s and their four very Americanized daughters. The novel focuses on Jing-mei "June" Woo, a thirty-six-year-old daughter, who, after her mother's death, takes her place at the meetings of a social group called the Joy Luck Club. As its members play mah jong and feast on Chinese delicacies, the older women spin stories about the past and lament the barriers that exist between their daughters and themselves. Through their stories, Jing-mei comes to appreciate the richness of her heritage.
A Conversation with Amy Tan by Lawrence Bridges |
Animal Farm is an allegorical novel by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy. Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon. Animal Farm Cartoon |
The novel charts the adventures of modern-day twelve-year-old Percy Jackson as he discovers he is a demigod, the son of a mortal woman and the Greek god Poseidon. Percy and his friends Annabeth Chase and Grover Underwood go on a quest to find Zeus's stolen lightning bolt and prevent a war among the gods Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades. "Water Will Give You Power" Clip |
Flipped: When they meet in second grade, Juli Baker falls instantly in love with her neighbor, Bryce Loski. Bryce, however, does not feel the spark, nor does he return the love. From that day forward, Bryce tries hard to keep brash and unpredictable Juli at bay. After six years, she begins to feel that she was wrong about him being the love of her life. Unfortunately, that is just about the time that Bryce begins to think he was wrong about Juli, too. Things get flipped around and the situations that follow are both poignant(affecting one's feelings deeply) and funny. Throughout all these goings on, we also see into why Bryce and Juli are the people they are. We see their realization (especially on the part of Bryce) that where they come from doesn't necessarily have to decide what they become. Flipped-Bryce and Julie/Perfect |
Vincent and Theo: The deep and enduring friendship between Vincent and Theo Van Gogh shaped both brothers' lives. Confidant(trusted person), champion, sympathizer, friend―Theo supported Vincent as he struggled to find his path in life. They shared everything, swapping(exchanging) stories of lovers and friends, successes and disappointments, dreams and ambitions. Meticulously(Very carefully) researched, drawing on the 658 letters Vincent wrote to Theo during his lifetime, Deborah Heiligman weaves a tale of two lives intertwined and the extraordinary love of the Van Gogh brothers.
Book Trailor Vincent and Theo |
Been There, Done That: Where do authors get their ideas? And how do they turn those ideas into stories? This anthology looks at the process of taking real-life experiences and turning them into works of engaging fiction. The collection features award-winning and bestselling middle-grade authors who provide both original fictional short stories as well as the nonfiction accounts that inspired them. The contributing authors include Julia Alvarez, Karen Cushman, Margarita Engle, Dee Garretson, Nathan Hale, Matthew Kirby, Claire Legrand, Grace Lin, Kate Messner, Linda Sue Park, Adam Rex, Gary Schmidt, Alan Sitomer, Caroline Starr Rose, Heidi Stemple, Rita Williams-Garcia, Tracy Edward Wymer, Lisa Yee, and Jane Yolen.
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