Last month when I visited the HWRHS Independent Reading class some of the students asked for books that took place outdoors or survival-adventure stories. So I made a bookmark with ten titles to give out to the class when I see them again next week. Here are the titles with links to our catalog:
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey, by Nick Bertozzi, 2014. Presents, in graphic novel format, the adventures of explorer Ernest Shackleton in the Antarctic.
The Raft, by S. A. Bodeen, 2012. Robbie's last-minute flight to the Midway Atoll proves to be a nightmare when the plane goes down in shark-infested waters, but the real terror begins when the co-pilot Max pulls her onto the raft.
The Year We Were Famous, by Carole Estby Dagg, 2011. A novel based on the true story of Clara Estby's walk across America with her mother Helga, to save their farm with the 10,000 dollars promised by a New York City publisher-- if they can do it in eight months.
The Distance From Me to You, by Marina Gessner, 2015. McKenna and her best friend planned for over a year to defer their freshman year of college to hike the Appalachian Trail all the way from Maine to Georgia, so when her friend backs out McKenna embarks alone on a physical and emotional journey that will change her life forever.
Adrift, by Paul Griffin, 2015. Working in Montauk for the summer, Matt and Mike meet three girls who invite them to their Hamptons mansion, where the group decides to sail out into the ocean in a small boat, become lost at sea, and must learn to work together to survive.
The Way Back From Broken, by Amber Keyser, 2015. After losing his infant sister, Rakmen's family is devastated. While his parents figure things out, they send Rakmen on a camping trip in the Canadian wilderness with another grieving family. Rakmen is far from thrilled about the trip, and he has to decide whether it's too late to find his way back from broken.
Nation, by Terry Pratchett, 2008. After a devastating tsunami destroys all that they have ever known, Mau, an island boy, and Daphne, an aristocratic English girl, together with a small band of refugees, set about rebuilding their community and all the things that are important in their lives.
Endangered, by Eliot Schrefer, 2012. Sophie is not happy to be back in the Congo for the summer, but when she rescues an abused baby bonobo she becomes more involved in her mother's sanctuary--and when fighting breaks out and the sanctuary is attacked, it is up to Sophie to rescue the apes and somehow survive in the jungle.
The Trap, by John E. Smelcer, 2006. In alternating chapters, 17-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel, who is better known for brains than brawn, worries about his missing grandfather, and the grandfather, Albert Least-Weasel, struggles to survive, caught in his own steel trap in the Alaskan winter.
Peak, by Roland Smith, 2007. A 14-year-old boy attempts to be the youngest person to reach the top of Mount Everest. (Sequel: The Edge, 2015.)
Our library's dedicated and creative (when they are not munching pizza) teen advisory board made a video over the summer about what not to do in case of a zombie rising. They just finished editing and narrating. Take note, be prepared. Enjoy!
What is a dystopia but a love gone wrong. This list of dystopian fiction is a trove of suspenseful, adventurous, anti-valentines. Some of them are brand new, just out of the box fresh; feel the angst, live the adventure. Happy Valentines! "May the odds be ever in your favor."--Hunger Games
The Hunger Games - Official Theatrical Trailer
Movie Release date: March 23, 2012
The Diary of Pelly D, by L. J. Adlington, 2005. When Toni V, a construction worker on a futuristic colony, finds the
diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down by
holocaust-like events, he begins to question his own beliefs.
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi, 2010. In a futuristic world, teen-aged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from
grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper
ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip
the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.
Ashes, by Ilsa Bick, 2011. Alex, a resourceful 17-year-old running from her incurable brain
tumor, Tom, who has left the war in Afghanistan, and Ellie, an angry
8-year-old, join forces after an electromagnetic pulse sweeps
through the sky and kills most of the world's population, turning some
of those who remain into zombies and giving the others superhuman
senses.
Matched, by Ally Condie, 2010. Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her,
so when Xander appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows
he is her ideal mate--until Ky Markham's face appears for an instant
before the screen fades to black.
The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, 2009. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.
Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, 2008. After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security
in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco,17-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a
police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set
things right.
The Eleventh Plague, by Jeff Hirsch, 2011. 20 years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse,
15-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel
post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his
father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers,
Stephen's life is turned upside down.
Epic, by Conor Kostick, 2007. On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game,
14-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual
gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the
futures of each of their families.
Legend, by Marie Lu, 2011. In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations,
fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the
brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common
enemy.
The Secret Under My Skin, by Janet McNaughton, 2005. In the year 2368, humans exist under dire environmental
conditions. Blay, rescued from a work camp and chosen for a
special duty, uses her love of learning to discover the truth about the
planet's future and her own dark past.
Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, 2012. As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder,
a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with Prince Kai
and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world
in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.
The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, 2008. Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and
Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's
true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers
from Old World.
Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, 2011. Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that
prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and
happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and
her treatment, when she falls in love.
Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, 2011. Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger on the spaceship Godspeed, wakes up to discover that someone may have tried to murder her.
Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi, 2012. When Aria is exiled from the enclosed city of Reverie,
she forms an unlikely alliance with an Outsider named Perry, who could
be her only chance of survival providing they can overcome their
prejudices.
Divergent, by Veronica Roth, 2011. In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice must choose among
five factions to define her identity for the rest of her
life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group.
Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, 2007. In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen
can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by
others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and,
perhaps, save their own lives.
All These Things I've Done, by Gabrielle Zevin, 2011. In a future where chocolate and caffeine are contraband,
teenage cellphone use is illegal, and water and paper are carefully
rationed, 16-year-old Anya finds herself thrust
unwillingly into the spotlight as heir apparent to an important New York
City crime family.
It's winter, and I am wishing for a little snow to lighten the days. Maybe you are too. So, until we get some of the real thing, here are a few books for icy crystals by proxy. This chilly list is a mix of genres. Wintersmith; Stork; Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow; Snow-walker; and East; are fantasy stories. Whiteout is a mystery. The White Darkness, Trapped, Revolver, and Brian's Winter are suspenseful, survival, adventure stories. Let It Snow, is a romance. Emperors of the Ice is historical fiction, based on a true story. I have read and can recommend: Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, and The White Darkness. I gave both books 4 stars. Trapped, while not a favorite of mine (I gave it 2 out of 5 stars), might appeal to those of you who enjoy survival stories. I gave Stork, three and half out of five stars. It is an urban fantasy that weaves Norse mythology into a small Minnesota town. There is a sequel titled, Frost.
Brian's Winter, by Gary Paulsen, 1996. Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's
book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had
he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his
survival pack and hatchet.
East, by Edith Pattou, 2003. A young woman journeys to a distant castle on the back of a great white bear who is the victim of a cruel enchantment.
Emperors of the Ice: A True Story of Disaster and Survival in the Antarctic, 1910-13, by Richard Farr, 2008. Apsley Cherry-Garrard shares his adventures as the
youngest member of Robert Scott's expedition to Antarctica in the early
20th century, during which he and Edward Wilson try to learn the
evolutionary history of emperor penguins. Includes historical notes.
Let It Snow : Three Holiday Romances, by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle, 2008. In three intertwining short stories, several high school couples
experience the trials and tribulations along with the joys of romance
during a Christmas Eve snowstorm in a small town.
Revolver, by Marcus Sedgwick, 2010. Finland, 1910: Fifteen-year-old Sig is shocked to see a hole in
the frozen lake outside his family's cabin and to find his father's
corpse nearby. Sig's sister and stepmother go for help,
leaving Sig alone with Einar's body in the cabin. Soon after, an armed
stranger barges in, demanding a share of Einar's stolen gold.
Snow-walker, by Catherine Fisher, 2004. The snow-walker Gudrun came from the swirling mists and icy depths
beyond the edge of the world to rule the Jarl's people with fear and
sorcery, but a small band of outlaws will fight to the death to restore
the land to its rightful leader.
Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, by Jessica Day George, 2008. A girl travels east of the sun and west of the moon to free her beloved prince from a magic spell.
Stork, by Wendy Delsol, 2010. After her parents' divorce, Katla and her mother move from Los
Angeles to Norse Falls, Minnesota, where Kat immediately alienates two
boys at her high school and, improbably, discovers a kinship with a
mysterious group of elderly women--the Icelandic Stork Society--who
"deliver souls."
Trapped, by Michael Northrop, 2011. Seven high school students are stranded at their New England high
school during a week-long blizzard that shuts down the power and heat,
freezes the pipes, and leaves them wondering if they will survive.
The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean, 2007. Taken to Antarctica by the man she thinks of as her uncle for what
she believes to be a vacation, Symone--a troubled fourteen year
old--discovers that he is dangerously obsessed with seeking Symme's
Hole, an opening that supposedly leads into the center of a hollow
Earth.
Whiteout, by Walter Sorrells, 2009. Sixteen-year-old Chass makes her way through a Minnesota blizzard,
seeking not only the murderer of a beloved music teacher, but also
something belonging to the killer who has been chasing her mother and
herself around the country.
Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett, 2006. When witch-in-training Tiffany Aching accidentally interrupts the
Dance of the Seasons and awakens the interest of the elemental spirit of
Winter, she requires the help of the six-inch-high, sword-wielding,
sheep-stealing Wee Free Men to put the seasons aright.
POD, by Stephen Wallenfels, 2009. One morning at 5 AM gray black spheres dot the sky, and any human or car outside is instantly zapped in a flash light "no explosion, no ball of flame, just gone". Strangely animals and plants are not affected. Those who are caught in buildings must find a way to survive, like 16 year old Josh and his father trapped in their house in Washington, and 12 year old Megs caught in the parking garage of a hotel in California. Although the pods seem menacing, the human beings in the story are often more scary. If you like Science Fiction straight up, (no fantasy funny business), or you like survival stories this book will dish it out. The ending is surprising, and satisfying. This is Mr. Wallenfels first book. According to his website, he is currently working on POD 2. My rating: 4 stars Stephen Wallenfels website
Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi, 2010.
Nailer Lopez lives on a Gulf Coast beach in a dystopian future. To survive he works on a crew that scavenges beached ships and oil tankers for wire, scrap metal, and fuel. It is a harsh, primitive, and dangerous way of life. Out in the distance Nailer can see the modern clipper ships that fly over the waves, and longs to be on one. In this future world there are also human/dog hybrid slaves, crews who salvage body parts, the very wealthy "swank", and the very poor. At the center of the story is Nailer's love/hate relationship with his abusive drug-addicted father. One day a storm shipwrecks one of the clipper ships. The wreck could be Nailer's "Lucky Strike", however, he discovers the owner, a girl, still alive in the wreck. Thus begins a series of events that require Nailer to make life and death decisions, in this fast paced gritty Sci-Fi adventure story. My rating: 4 stars
