2007 Nutmeg

TeenBook Award

CT’s Teen Choice Award

Mortal EnginesPhilip Reeve

In the distant future, when cities move about and consume smaller towns, a fifteen-year-old apprentice is pushed out of London by the man he most admires and must seek answers in the perilous Out-Country, aided by one girl and the memory of another.

Curriculum Connections:

•Robotics

•Future Civilization

•Darwinism

•Flight

AR: 6.6Lexile:990

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Scholastic Great Britainhttp://www.scholastic.co.uk/zone/book_philip-reeve.htm

Philip Reeve Star Chathttp://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/bluepeter/contact/starchat/preeve.shtml

Rhode Island Teen Book Award Discussion Module (Questions and Activities)http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba06/mortalengines.htm

Scholastic UK Book Guide including synopsis, discussion questions, lesson ideashttp://www.scholastic.co.nz/Resources/Notes/MortalEngines.doc

Predator’s Gold (Sequel) Chapter Onehttp://www.harperteen.com/global_scripts/product_catalog/book_xml.asp?isbn=0060721960&tc=cx

Read Alikes: Airborn by Kenneth Oppel, True Sight by David Stahler, Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman, The Kiln by Jennifer Anderson

Activities: Old Tech bulletin board/display, Future Trends Debate, Darwin lesson, Nuclear Bomb study, Hiroshima, Contemporary Issues . . .

Jumpman Rule # 1: Don’t Touch Anything

James Valentine

When a defective time-jumping device strands Theodore, a teen from the distant future, in the twenty-first century, he is helped by two high schoolers--Jules, who is having time problems of his own, and Gen, an old friend Jules was about to ask out.

Curriculum Connections

•Time/Space Continuum

•Time Travel

•Future Civilization

•Science Trends

•Disease Control

AR: 4.5Lexile: n/a

Useful links (to be added to Webjunction)

James Valentine’s Website http://www.jamesvalentine.net/

SimonSays (Description, Awards, Excerpt)http://www.simonsays.com/content/book.cfm?sid=33&pid=489679

Einstein’s Big Ideahttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/einstein/

American Museum of Natural Historyhttp://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/einstein/

Read Alikes: Stravaganza City of Stars by Mary Hoffman, Brainboy and the Deathmaster, Singing the Dogstar Blues by Alison Goodman, Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde, The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer, The Time Machine by HG Wells

Activities: Video Game Design, Propose a Jump Site, Einstein Activities . . .

AirbornKenneth Oppel

Curriculum Connections

•Alternate Past

•Flight

•Species detection

•Scientific Identification

•Pirates

Matt, a young cabin boy aboard an airship, and Kate, a wealthy young girl traveling with her chaperone, team up to search for the existence of mysterious winged creatures reportedly living hundreds of feet above the Earth's surface.

AR: 5.1Lexile: 760

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Rhode Island Teen Book Award Discussion Module (Awards, Questions, Read Alikes)

http://www.yourlibrary.ws/ya_webpage/ritba/ritba06/airborn.htm

Kenneth Oppel

http://www.kennethoppel.ca/

Unit on Airborn (Word Document with worksheets, activities, rubrics and more!)

http://www.kennethoppel.ca/novel%20studies/airborn%20novel%20study.doc

Read Alikes: Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve, Year of the Hangman by Gary Blackwood, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, The Xanadu Adventure by Lloyd Alexander, The Coral Coffin by Michael Dahl

Activities: Design an airship, look up new species, draw a map of the island, foods with mango. . .

Vampire HighDouglas Rees

When his family moves from California to New Sodom, Massachusetts and Cody enters Vlad Dracul Magnet School, many things seem strange, from the dark-haired, pale-skinned, supernaturally strong students to Charon, the wolf who guides him around campus on the first day.

Curriculum Connections

•Vampires – horror stories

•Mystery

•School story

•Self-identity

AR: 4.0Lexile: 620

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

From Random House

http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385731171

Louisiana Young Readers Choice Award Nominee

http://www.state.lib.la.us/empowerlibrary/2006%206-8%20Vampire%20High.pdf

Gothic Fantasy and Suspense for Teens and Tweens

http://www.cynthialeitichsmith.com/horrorteens.htm

Booktalks Quick and Simple

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/rees_vampire.htm

Douglas Rees

http://www.douglasrees.com/

Read Alikes: Cirque du Freak Series, Vampire Plagues Series, Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja, Dangerous Girls by RL Stine, Charlie Bone Series,

Activities: Water Polo or Game, Vampire Mythology, Build a mini-city

Under the Same SkyCynthia DeFelice

While trying to earn money for a motor bike, fourteen-year-old Joe Pederson becomes involved with the Mexicans who work on his family's farm and develops a better relationship with his father.

Curriculum Connections

•Migrant Workers/Illegal Immigrants

•Farm life

•New York state

•Coming of age

AR: 4.8Lexile: 750

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Cynthia DeFelice

http://www.cynthiadefelice.com/

Booktalks Quick and Simple

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/defelice_under.htm

Cynthia DeFelice About the Author

http://www.fsgkidsbooks.com/authordetails.asp?ID=DeFelice

William Allan White Discussion Guide

http://www.emporia.edu/libsv/wawbookaward/curriculumguides/cg05-06.htm#grade6

Read Alikes: Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan, The Circuit : Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child by Francisco Jimenez, Breaking Through by Francisco Jiménez

Activities: Setting financial goals, Migrant workers in CT, x-treme sports - motocross, immigration in the news

Mississippi Trial, 1955Chris Crowe

In Mississippi in 1955, a sixteen-year-old finds himself at odds with his grandfather over issues surrounding the kidnapping and murder of a fourteen-year-old African American from Chicago.

Curriculum Connections

•Emmett Till (1941-1955)

•Racism

•Civil Rights

•American history

•Mississippi

•Trial

AR: 5.5Lexile: 870

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

PowerPoint from NCTE

http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/reading%20strategies/Mississippi%20Trial,%201955/NCTE%20Indianapolis%202004.pdf

Chris Crowe

http://www.chriscrowe.com/

PhotoStory of Emmett Till story

http://www.panopt.com/photogra/withers/fulewtill12.html

Lots of Activities at BYU Novellinks

http://english.byu.edu/Novelinks/Novel%20Pages/Mississippi%20Trial%201955.htm

State Library of Louisiana Center for the Book

http://www.state.lib.la.us/la_dyn_templ.cfm?doc_id=417

Booktalks Quick and Simple

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/crowe_mississippi.htm

A Crime That’s So Unjust Interview with Crowe

http://www.zinkle.com/p/articles/mi_qa4063/is_200304/ai_n9183635

Read Alikes

Monster by Walter Dean Myers, The Legend of Buddy Bush by Sheila P. Moses, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor, Storm Warriors by Elisa Carbone

MilkweedJerry Spinelli

Captures the hardships and cruelty of life in the ghettos of Warsaw during the Nazi occupation of World War II, through the eyes of a Jewish orphan who must use all his wits and courage to survive unimaginable events and circumstances.

Curriculum Connections

•Holocaust

•World War II

•Gypsies

•Nazi Life

•Orphans

AR: 6.0Lexile: 510

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Random House

http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375813740&view=tg

Random House Teacher Guide

http://www.randomhouse.com/teachers/pdf/milkweed.pdf

TeacherVision Interview

http://www.teachervision.fen.com/page/26381.html

Chapter Discussion Questions and More

http://www.roberthjackson.org/documents/MilkweedTeachersguide.pdf

About the Author from KidsRead

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-spinelli-jerry.asp

Read Alikes: Torn Thread by Anne Isaacs, Daniel’s Story by Carol Matas, Shadow of the Wall by Christina Laird, Run, Boy, Run by Uri Orlev,

Activities: Survival, Orphans, Holocaust read alikes, Identity, Grateful For. . ., Name symbolism

For Freedom: The Story of a French SpyKimberly Brubaker Bradley

Despite the horrors of World War II, a French teenager pursues her dream of becoming an opera singer, which takes her to places where she gains information about what the Nazis are doing--information that the French Resistance needs.

Curriculum Connections:

•World War II

•Spying – Espionage

•Opera

•France

AR: 4.0Lexile: n/a

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Random House Reader’s Guide

http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385729611&view=rg

Bookclubs with discussion questions

http://www.bookclubs.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780440418313&view=rg

Great Guide from South Caroline Junior Book Award

http://www.scasl.net/bkawards/JBA%20ACTIVITY%20GUIDES%202005_2006.doc

Discussion Questions

http://homepage.mac.com/crowleyvt/dcfaward/dcf/pages/2005/DCF%20BookTalks.pdf

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

http://www.kimberlybrubakerbradley.com/index.htm

Read Alikes: The Enemy by James Riordan, A Pocket Full of Seeds by Marilyn Sachs, The Good Liar by Gregory MacGuire, Resistance by Janet Graber

Activities: Secret codes, Listen to opera, Dealing with trauma

Say YesAudrey Couloumbis

In her efforts to hang on following the disappearance of her stepmother, Casey resorts to anything including robbery.

Curriculum Connections

•Teen life

•Family problems

•Survival

•Ethical choices

•Friendship

AR: 3.6Lexile: 510

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Audrey Couloumbis Homepage

http://www.audreycouloumbis.com/

Say Yes Discussion Questions

http://www.audreycouloumbis.com/yes_book_students.shtml

About the Author

http://www.chronogram.com/issue/2005/08/bookshelf/

Read Alikes: Crossing Montana by Laura Torres, Zero at the Bone by Michael Cadnum, Missing Matthew by Kristyn Dunnion, In the Key of Do by Carole Frechette, Following Fake Man by Barbara Ware Holmes

Activities: Stranger Danger, Police Guest Speaker, Foster Care in CT

Inventing ElliotGraham Gardner

Elliot, a victim of bullying, invents a calmer, cooler self when he changes schools in the middle of freshman year, but soon attracts the wrong kind of attention from the Guardians who "maintain order" at the new school.

Curriculum Connections

•Bullying

•Self-identity

•Cliques

•School

•Family Issues

AR: 5.1Lexile: n/a

Useful links to be added to Webjunction

Graham Gardner

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blast/writing/profiles/wprofile_ggardner.shtml

Author Profile

http://www.heinemann.co.uk/authors/gardener.doc

Good to Read .org

http://goodtoread.org/books.cgi/initial/I/inventing-elliot

Richie’s Picks

http://www.richiespicks.com/users/stories/picks/inventing_elliot.html

Booktalks Quick and Simple

http://nancykeane.com/booktalks/gardner_inventing.htm

Read Alikes: The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, Sleep Rough Tonight by Ian Bone, Hit Squad by James Heneghan, Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja, Plague Year by Stephanie Tolan

Activities: Bullying Policies, Identity/, “Mob Mentality,” Sister School Exchange, Makeover

http://www.ellingtonschools.org/emslibrary/nutmegteen.htm