Feed

"Look at us! You don't have the feed! You are the feed! You're being eaten! Your raised for food! Look at what you've made yourselves!" - Feed Pg. 202

The final book I read for my reading goal was Feed by M.T. Anderson. I found a recommendation for Feed as a good "boy book" online and was interseted in it because I had never heard of it before. It was also a part of my exciting purchase at the recent library book sale.





Feed is another futuristic book. It takes place during a time when computers have been inserted in humans' brains so that people are constanting receiving information via their "feeds." The book focuses on Titus, a boy who never really questioned the feed until he met Violet, a strange girl who completely changes the way he sees the world.





Similar to some of the other books I have read this semester I can definitely see boys engaging with the technology found within Feed. Although the book is set in the future it deals with a lot of issues that teenagers today are currently grappling with as information becomes more and more accessible through the internet. My only hesitation with using Feed in the classroom is its use of profane language and some sexual content. I think I would just be sure to recommend the book to more mature students on an individual basis.

Artemis Fowl

Artemis Fowl is also a book that I have been wanting to get my hands on for a long time. On several occassions I have seen other books in the Artemis Fowl series at the library but the first book has always been missing. You can imagine my joy when I found it waiting for me at the same book sale where I purchased Monster by Walter Dean Myers.

Artemis Fowl, written by Eoin Colfer, tells the story of Artemis, an Irish teen who sets out to earn back his families fortune by exploiting fairies. Few humans know of the population of fairies that live beneath the earth's crust and so when Artemis gets his hands on information about them, he uses it to blackmail them for some fairy gold. What Artemis wasn't counting one was dealing with the fairy police force who have some tricks of their own up their sleeves.

I can definitely see boy's enjoying Artemis Fowl. It is a light read and deals a lot with technology. I would most likely recommend it to Middle Schoolers (both boys and girls) for individual reading and would be less likely to use it as a whole class text.

Monster

"Half of those jurors, no matter what they said when we questioned them when we picked the jury, believed you were guilty the moment they laid eyes on you. You're young, you're Black, and you're on trial. What else do they need to know?" - Monster Pg. 79

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to a local library book sale. I went very early on the first day of the sale and was delighted to see such a large treasure of Young Adult books awaiting me! Within the mass of books I found several "boy books" I had been wanting to read including a book called Monster by Walter Dean Myers. I had heard good things about Monster in a previous class and was excited to finally read it.

Written in the form of a movie script, Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon, a black teenager has been accused of murder. The book covers his trial and his time spent in jail. Although the jury comes to a final conclusion at the end of the book, the audience is left unsure of Steve's guilt even once they have finished reading.

I would have to lay that of all the books I have read so far this semester for my reading goal, Monster is my favorite. It describes a very real situation and it deals with very real issues such as racism and prejudice. I think that many boys, especially boys that have similar backgrounds to Steve's character's background, would relate to Monster. Not only would I recommend this book to individual students, but I would also not hesitate to use it as a literature circle book or a whole class book. Monster is suspenseful and engaging and I think it would interest boys and girls alike.

Brian's Return

"He leaned forward at the waist, slipped the paddle deep into the water and pulled back again, evenly, his arms and shoulders taking the load. The canoe came alive and seemed to leap ahead. He would follow his medicine." - Brian's Return Pg. 110

Every website I found suggesting good books for boys named Hatchet as an all time classic "boy book." I remember hearing about Hatchet when I was younger and so I was interested to read it, but unfortunately I was never able to obtain the book from the library. Instead I opted to read another book by Gary Paulsen titled Brian's Return.

Brian's Return tells the story of Brian's experience after he returns from the wilderness he first encountered in Hatchet. Now that he is back in civilization Brian begins to feel like he doesn't belong and realizes how much he longs for the wilderness he had left.

One thing I enjoyed about reading Brian's Return is that it reminded me a lot of a book I read for a college course called Into the Wild. Into the Wild is also about a young man who goes to live in the wilderness and begins to feel as though he doesn't belong in civilization. I was excited to see the similarities between the two books because although Into the Wild would be a difficult book for middle schoolers to read, Brian's Return is a like a much more accessible version of it! I would be excited to use Brian's Return (or even Hatchet once I am able to read it) as a part of a unit on the relationship between humans and nature.

Ender's Game

"I'm your tool, and what difference does it make if I hate the part of me that you most need?" - Ender's Game Pg. 130

Every time I told a guy that I was trying to read more "boy books" I was asked "So are you going to read Ender's Game?" I quickly realized that this was a book I had to read.

Although Orsen Scott Card wrote Ender's Game in the 1980's I think that the book still holds its own amongst more recent young adult literature. The book focuses on Ender, a young boy who has been chosen to be trained as a soldier for the International Fleet, the army sworn to protect Earth from the alien "buggers." Ender is taken away from his family and placed in Battle School on a space shuttle. There Ender begins a journey of figuring out exactly what his role in the universe is.

With its focus on war and technology I can definitely see why Ender's Game is a preferred book among boys. I plan to recommend it to my future students and although I wouldn't be inclined to use it as a whole class text I think it would make a great literature circle novel.

Chocolate, bullying and teenage boys

“They don’t want you to do your thing, not unless it happens to be their thing, too. It’s a laugh, Goober, a fake. Don’t disturb the universe, Goober, no matter what the posters say.”
– The Chocolate War Pg. 248

I had heard a lot about The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier before I decided to read it for my reading goal. We had talked about it in my Teaching Young Adult Literature class as a book that is often placed on banned book lists. I wasn't exactly certain why it was such a controversial book but I also didn't have an urge to pick it up on my own. After resreaching for books that boys like, however, I discoverd that The Chocolate War was on several of the lists that I found.

Reading The Chocolate War was actually a very difficult process for me. The book focuses on the bullying that student endures at his highschool for refusing to take part in the annual chocolate sale. The bullying he experiences is overwhelming because it comes from both teachers as well as his peers. The book does not have a positive ending, leaving you feeling very hopeless once you put it down.

I would have a hard time recommending The Chocolate War for younger students but I think that older students could actually really get something out of it. I think it would work well as a literature circle book within a unit on bullying. It could bring up very good discussions about bullying and I definitely think that there are some male students who would really relate to the main character's struggles. I would be careful, however, to only recommend the book to students who I felt could handle the book's tough ending.

Books for Boys

So this marks my first post reporting on Young Adult literature. I had to create a reading goal for one of my classes this semester and so I decided to begin reading more books that boys in my class would relate to. I did some research, selected some titles, and am now currently on my journey to discover boy friendly books. After each read I'll be posting on here to share what I thought about the book and how I might use it in the classroom in the future. I am hoping that in doing this I will develop a recipe book of sorts to which I can refer back to for my instruction.

“‘Without me, you would never have seen a beautiful sunset or smelled the rain approaching on the wind, You would never have tasted cool water on a hot summer day. Or heard music or known the wonderful pleasure of creating it. I gave you these things, Mi Vida. You…owe…me.’”- The House of the Scorpion Pg. 235

The first book I read was Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion. The book centers on the life of a boy who is actually the clone of a powerful drug lord. The boy, Matt, struggles throughout the book with what it means for him to be a clone. He is treated like an animal but has the same emotions as humans, causing him to be uncertain about his place in the world. After Matt's creator, El Patron, dies Matt is forced to leave his childhood home and begins an adventure to prove his own significance.

The book is very engaging and brings up interesting ideas about cloning and the value of a human life. Because it is futuristic and has a male protagonist I think that it is a great option for boys as well as girls. I would love to teach as a full class book because of the discussions and ideas that it would bring up in a classroom.