Official Book Club Selection

Official Book Club Selection

by Kathy Griffin

 There's something about putting things in print as opposed to saying them on stage: it seems they carry more weight. Even the jokes, people take more seriously. 

- Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin

Anti-bullying

I found this clip on youtube, a message from funny comedienne Kathy Griffin to teens about bullying and homophobia. It also includes a link to a teen-help line. It is well worded and very inspirational.

It will get better!

The Uglies

The Uglies  

by Scott Westerfeld 

Would you give up your ability to think independently in exchange for being happy, beautiful, healthy, and rich? This is the question that 15 year-old Tally Youngblood has to consider as she must choose between following societal expectations of forced conformity and rebelling against the Government and the Special Circumstances (the malevolent government officials).

Any Known Blood

Any Known Blood
by Lawrence Hill  

Langston Cane V is a thirty-eight year old divorced man who sets on a journey of self-discovery by tracing his roots back for five generations. After losing his job for sabotaging a government official’s speech, Cane embarks on a quest to uncover his family’s history. What he finds in his past not only brings him pride to carry on the tradition of the family name, but it helps him to develop his own sense of self.

The Lady Elizabeth

The Lady Elizabeth
by Alison Weir

Weir, Alison. The Lady Elizabeth. New York: Ballantine Books, 2008.

The story of the Tudor family is one of the first true soap operas. Filled with love, lust and loyalty, the reign of the Tudors shaped the history of England. The Tudor dynasty was founded in 1485 under King Henry VII, marking the end of the War of the Roses. Henry VII, his son Henry VIII, and his three children Edward VI, Mary, and Elizabeth, ruled for 118 dynamic years.

How I Live Now

 How I Live Now

by Meg Rosoff 

 

How I Live Now is a story about 15 year-old Elizabeth’s struggle to survive during a fictional World War III outbreak sometime in the beginning of the 21^st century. After constant conflicts with her new step-mother, Elizabeth (who goes by Daisy) is sent away from her Manhattan home to live with her maternal aunt in England. She finds that she instantly bonds with her cousins, and together they fight to survive while her aunt is stranded in Oslo after an attack. Meanwhile, Daisy finds herself entangled in forbidden love, and a new desire to protect her new family from any harm.  Her protective instinct is put to use when the boys (Osbert, Edmond and Isaac) and girls (Daisy and Piper) are separated, leaving Daisy solely responsible for protecting her youngest cousin. Will Daisy and Piper make it home safely? Will Daisy reunite with her love? Read Meg Rosoff’s How I Live Now to find out!

Witch & Wizard

 Witch & Wizard

James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonet.

 New York City: Little, Brown and Company, 2009.