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?

All Good Children

All Good Children/ Catherine Austen

It's the middle of the 21st century and quick-witted, prank-pulling graffiti artist Maxwell Connors is more  observant than the average New Middletown teenager.  And he doesn't like what he sees.   New Middletown`s children are becoming frighteningly obedient, and their parents and teachers couldn`t be happier.  As Max and  his friend Dallas watch their classmates transform into model citizens,  Max wonders if their only hope of freedom lies in the unknown world beyond  New Middletown's walls, where creativity might be a gift instead of a liability. 

Discussion questions:


-Here we go with another book about dystopia, a very popular topic for teens in the past few years. What is it about this subject that seems to strike a cord with readers?

-In your opinion, what was the author trying to relate in the story? Is "nesting' a good thing? Is this a question of conforming to society or is the character of Max the author's way of  striking a vote for individuality?

  -On a scale of 1-10, rate this book.

First Day On Earth

First Day on Earth/ Cecil Castellucci

Mal lives on the fringes of high school. Angry. Misunderstood. Quiet, but with a lot of words underneath. Seven years ago, Mal disappeared for three days.  Everyone tells him it was a breakdown, a seizure, something medical.  He thinks it was something different. An alien abduction. But there’s no  way for him to know for sure. Then, at an abductee support group, he meets Hooper, who has some other worldly secrets of his own. And suddenly the  truth is closer than Mal ever imagined it could be.

Discussion questions:

-Let's talk about the theme of this story. Do you think that Mal was really kidnapped or  is this story a metaphor about growing up,  life as a teen and sometimes feeling like you don't fit in?  

-Who did  Hooper represent to you and was he really an alien?

    

- Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz remarked "I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't really there, I never  really lost it to begin with". Do you think that this applied to Mal?  Did he just need someone from Earth to make him realize what he had all along, despite what he thought? 

Dark Inside

Dark Inside/ Jeyn Roberts

Mason's mother is dying after a terrible car accident. As he endures a last vigil at her hospital bed, his school is bombed and razed to the
ground, and everyone he knows is killed. Aries survives an earthquake  aftershock on a bus, and thinks the worst is over when a mysterious stranger pulls her out of the wreckage, but she's about to discover a world changed forever. Clementine the only survivor of an emergency town hall meeting that  descends into murderous chaos, is on the run from savage strangers who used to be her friends and neighbors. And Michael witnesses a brutal road rage incident that is made much worse by the arrival of the police--who
 gun down the guilty party and then turn on the by-standing crowd.

   Where do you go for justice when even the lawmakers have turned bad? These  four teens are on the same road in a world gone mad. Struggling to survive, clinging on to love and meaning wherever it can be found, this is a journey into the heart of darkness - but also a journey to find each other and a place of safety.

This is book one of a story and is continued in "Rage Within" (also found at the Centennial Library).

Discussion questions:

-This book has been tagged as a book for  "people who like action and post-apocalyptic visions" and "creepy". What were your overall impressions of this book?

-Baggers or Zombies? The same? Different?

-How did you like the book from the four perspectives of the main characters? Would you have preferred a singular voice who told the story from their own unique perspective?

Welcome to the White Pine Readers Blog

Welcome all to this year's virtual meeting room for this year's "Forest of Reading Programme"- the high school level  named "White Pine". There is a diverse collection of titles for all this year to read and enjoy. This is the first year for this blog here at Welland Centennial and I am hopeful that this electronic format will allow everyone the chance to have their say on each book that has been read.

An important part of the programme is feedback, so I need to hear from you for you to qualify to vote. I am posting discussion questions on all the nominated titles, so all you need to do is read five of the books on the list and log on to this blog and leave your comments.

Also, please remember, if you are reading one of these White Pine books, we only have 2 copies of each fiction book for everyone to share.  Please remember to return each book promptly so that everyone has the chance to read as many of the titles as they choose to.

If you are interested, please check out the Goodreads site. All of this year's books are listed there and you can rate these books. This site is also great for checking out what other people are reading and you can create your very own bookshelf of titles that you have read in the past or would like to read in the future.

I hope that you enjoy reading this year's selections and I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and comments as you work your way through these titles for 2013.

Yours in reading,

Mrs. Saunders