Witchlanders

                                         The Witchlanders by Lena Coakley

High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future.

  But it's all fake.

  At least, that's what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes-one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people's old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated? But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he's ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic, and about himself will change when he discovers that the prophecies he's always scorned…are about him.  Laced with rich, imagined histories; miles of catacombs; and prophecies  true and false, Witchlanders takes place in an evocative, tantalizingly vibrant world and raises equally evocative questions: Who gets to defines history? When does a legend become a crutch? And why does the enemy in war look a lot like the hero? Lena Coakley's first novel is a lush, chilling  story that is sure to send shivers through your finger bones.

Discussion Questions:

• The cover of Lena Coakley's Witchlanders depicts a young pretty woman along with a sword and red fabric. As an adventure story that focuses on Ryder, a young farm boy struggling to keep his family safe, why did the author chose those images on the cover? Do they work for you? Can you make an alternative suggestion?

• What are some of the key conflicts and prejudices in Witchlanders? How do these misunderstandings contribute to Lena Coakley's final message to the reader, "There are no sides"?

• Ryder's faces multiple challenges throughout the story that help develop his character. What do you think was his greatest character trait?

Way To Go

 Way To Go / Tom Ryan  

 Danny thinks he must be the only seventeen-year-old guy in Cape Breton-in  Nova Scotia, maybe-who doesn't have his life figured out. His buddy Kierce  has a rule for every occasion, and his best friend Jay has bad grades, no plans and no worries. Danny's dad nags him about his post-high-school plans, his friends bug him about girls and a run-in with the cops means he has to get a summer job. Worst of all, he's keeping a secret that could ruin everything.

Discussion Questions:

-What better place to write a story about than Deep Cove in  Cape Breton? Have you ever been lucky enough to spend any time in Nova Scotia? What Danny wants to run away from,  Denise was running to. Please comment on the the similarity of the motivation for both characters.

-What was the climate for young gay men at the time that this book was set in, the mid 1990's? Do you think that the same attitude is true of society today? It it better or worse?

-This simple, straightforward book is one of  figuring out in your teen hood who you and have the courage to accept it. True of anyone, gay or straight. Please comment on this statement.

The Way We Fall

The Way We  Fall / Megan Crewe

 

When sixteen-year-old Kaelyn lets her best friend leave for school  without saying goodbye, she never dreams that she might not see him again.  Then a strange virus begins to sweep through her small island  community, infecting young and old alike.  As the dead pile up, the government quarantines the island: no one can leave, and no one can come back.  Those still healthy must fight for the island’s dwindling supplies, or  lose all chance of survival. As everything familiar comes crashing down,  Kaelyn joins forces with a former rival and discovers a new love in the  midst of heartbreak. When the virus starts to rob her of friends and family, she clings to the belief that there must be a way to save the people she holds dearest.  How will she go on if there isn't?

The Way We Fall is book one of a series called "The Fallen World" trilogy.

Discussion Questions:

-Did you like the format of this book written as a journal entry?

-Why did you think that Kaellyn survived when so many in her life didn't? Is it a question of destiny or fate and or just luck?

The Taming by Eric Walter and Teresa Totten

The Taming by Eric Walters and Teresa Totten

Katie likes to believe she's invisible. It seems so much safer than being  exposed as who she is: shy, poor, and vulnerable. So getting up in front of audience as the lead in her school's production of The Taming of the Shrew should be complete torture. But as Katie tells it, something totally unexpected happened when she stepped on stage: "My head exploded. I loved  it. Acting hit me like a sucker punch and I loved, loved, loved it!  Invisible Katie became visible Katherina."Evan is, as they say, another story. He knows just what it takes to get  noticed, and he uses every one of the skills he's perfected from years of  being the new kid at yet another new school. Rich, smart, and ridiculously charming, he's like nothing and no one Katie has ever encountered. How  then could someone like him possibly be interested in someone like her? Before she knows it they are inseparable. Over the dizzying course of  their relationship, Katie must confront the fact that the power of love can conceal darker truths.

Discussion questions:

-On page 54, Katie discusses her  friendship with Lisa. "Lisa and I didn't do sleepovers, each other's nails or never-ending phone calls. She was curt, bordering on rude"... Why are Katie and Lisa friends, if Lisa exhibits these kinds of qualities? What is your definition of friendship? Do you consider yourself a "good friend"?

- Even though Katie is shy and withdrawn  and Evan is  an outgoing guy,  a  product of private schools and a jetsetting lifestyle, they still have a lot in common at the begining of their realationship and worlds apart at the end  Discuss.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney

Getting Over Garrett Delaney/ Abby Mcdonald

Seventeen-year-old Sadie is in love: epic, heartfelt, and utterly

one-sided. The object of her obsession - ahem, affection - is her best  friend, Garrett Delaney, who has been oblivious to Sadie's feelings ever since he sauntered into her life and wowed her with his passion for Proust (not to mention his deep-blue eyes). For two long, painful years, Sadie  has been Garrett's constant companion, sharing his taste in everything from tragic Russian literature to art films to ''80s indie rock - all to no avail. But when Garrett leaves for a summer literary retreat, Sadie is  sure that the absence will make his heart grow fonder - until he calls to say he's fallen in love. With some other girl! A heartbroken Sadie  realizes that she's finally had enough. It's time for a total Garrett  detox! Aided by a barista job, an eclectic crew of new friends (including the hunky chef, Josh), and a customized self-help guide, Sadie embarks on  a summer of personal reinvention full of laughter, mortifying meltdowns, and a double shot of love.

Discussion questions:

-Do you know anyone who has the characteristics of Garrett; self absorbed, a tad on the snobby side. in you opinion, what motivates people to act like this?

-What is the biggest lesson that Sadie learned about herself  in this book?

-Do you think that Garrett ever really understood what happened between Sadie and himself? Go 10 years in the future.  Where do you see their lives as adults?

The Opposite Of Tidy

The Opposite of Tidy/ Carrie Mac  

Fifteen-year-old Junie is barely coping. Her mother has started sleeping in the chair in front of the TV, and the house is so packed with junk,  newspapers, cupboard organizers and other helpful items from the Shopping  Channel that she can barely get in the front door. Her father is no help,  since he's always with That Woman. To top it off, she's failing math. So when Wade Jaffre, the hot new guy at school, offers her a ride home, it   seems too good to be true. Junie surprises herself by accepting - and even   talking! She doesn't have to think twice about directing him on to her  best friend Tabitha's house, or about continuing the charade of pretending  she lives there. Tabitha and her mother are understanding - and willing to go along, for  the moment. But as the weeks go by, Junie's lies start piling up and the  opportunity to tell the truth seems to slip away. Until the day Junie's world - and her mother's - is literally turned inside out for everyone to see, and Junie and her mother must face the consequences of her mother's illness... and the lies they both told to hide it.

Discussion questions:

-The tag line for this book is 'How to come clean when your life is a mess". Can you relate to this statement, not from a hoarding experience, but a general statement about honesty in relationships?

-Do you think that Junie's mom (or anyone else who is afflicted by this disorder) ever really gets "over" the desire to hoard? How do they keep it in check?

Karma

Karma / Cathy Oslere

On October 31, 1984, Indira Gandhi is gunned down by two Sikh bodyguards. The murder sparks riots in New Delhi and for three days Sikh men are targeted and killed in retribution for the prime minister's death. It is  into this chaos that fifteen-year-old Maya and her Sikh father, Amar, arrive from their home in Canada. India's political instability is the backdrop and catalyst for Maya's awakening to the world. Karma is the story  of how she straddles two cultures, endures personal loss, and ultimately learns forgiveness, acceptance, and love.

Discussion questions:
-The format of the book is written in "free verse". Did you enjoy this writing style? Were you able to follow the  different narrative voices in the techniques of using italics, brackets, margins and page breaks?

-Do you know anything about the historical significance of the assassination of Indira Gandhi? What did you learn about the Indian culture that you never knew before?

-Has your definition of "karma" changed after reading this book? How?