The Maze Runner

Dashner, James. (2009). The Maze Runner. New York: Delacorte.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation:

An amnesiac teenager awakes in a box in the middle of a colony of boys.

Booktalk:

What is a Maze Runner?

maze runner. n. a fast shank who risks his shuck life everyday running through the ever-changing maze, escaping the grievers, in the hopes of finding an exit for all the gladers.

Thomas wakes up confused and without a memory of who he is or what happened to him. He knows that he is currently surrounded by a large crowd of boys of all ages and that they don't looked surprised to see him. Thomas soon learns he is in a place called the Glade, a large area surrounded on all sides by massive walls. Beyond the walls is a massive labyrinth maze that changes every night. Thomas is immediately determined to find a way out, and he soon discovers that the only way he will succeed is to become a Maze Runner.

Awards:

• Kentucky Bluegrass Award grades 9-12, 2011
• VOYA Best Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, 2009 
• YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers 2011

Listen to a clip from the audio version courtesy of Random House Audio ©2011 .

The Hunger Games

Collins, Suzanne. (2008). The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation: 

In order to prevent her sister from certain death, seventeen year-old Katniss must battle to the death at The Hunger Games, a life or death battle where winning means being the only one left alive.

Booktalk:

How far would you go for the ones you loved? Katniss Evergreen has just volunteered to take her little sister's place as one of District 12's tributes for the annual Hunger Games. In doing so she will spare her sister's life, but she will be putting hers on the line.

Accompany Katniss as she battles twenty-three other children in an arena that is an unpredictable killing field controlled by the Gamemakers. The only way to make it out alive is to be the last man standing. Who will survive and win this year's Hunger Games?

"Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun..."

Check out the new film adaptation of the book out March 23, 2012

Awards:

• ALA Amelia Bloomer Project List, 2009
• ALA Notable Children’s Book
• ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults
• Black-eyed Susan Award, 2010-2011
• Booklist Editors’ Choice, 2008
• CCBC Choices, 2009
• Children’s Choice Book Award, 2009
• Cybil Award for Fantasy & Science Fiction, 2008
• Horn Book Fanfare
• Indies Choice Best Indie Yung Adult Buzz Book Honor
• Isinglass Teen Read Award, 2009-2010
• Kirkus Best Book, 2008
• New York Times Bestseller
• New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
• New York Times Notable Children’s Book, 2008
• NYPL “Stuff for the Teen Age” List, 2009
• Publishers Weekly Bestseller
• Publishers Weekly’s Best Children’s Fiction Books, 2008
• School Library Journal Best Books, 2008
• Teen Choice Book of the Year Finalist
• USA Today Bestseller
• Wall Street Journal Bestseller
• YALSA'S Teens' Top Ten, 2009
• LA Times Favorite Children’s Book, 2008

The Outsiders

Hinton, S. E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York: Viking Press.

Image credit: Wikipedia

Annotation:  

A group of outcasts band together to survive the social injustice present in their small town and high school. 

Review:

The Outsiders is the quintessential young adult novel written by S. E. Hinton when she was just a sophomore in high school. Much of the success of this novel can be attributed to its authenticity in its representation of social class in high schools across the United States. Hinton presents two different social groups in an Oklahoma town; the Greasers are stereotyped as poor, uneducated “hoods,” while the Socs are perceived as rich, superior and perfect. Throughout the novel Hinton proves that appearances can be deceiving and all teenagers, regardless of their social class, experience similar challenges during adolescence. Touching on familiar teenage topics such as popularity, friendship, and identity allow young readers to relate to the main characters and storyline no matter what side of the tracks they reside.

The themes of death and loss are also present in The Outsiders, but Hinton uses both themes in a realistic way that demands empathy from the readers. The development of the relationship between the Curtis brothers is touching and authentic. While their familial issues may not be exactly the same as those of every reader, everyone can relate to growing pains within the family dynamic, especially during adolescence. Another important aspect of The Outsiders for many young adults is the portrayal of friends making a surrogate family for teenagers. As adolescents come of age, they tend to identify more with their peers than their family members. And in such a way, they develop a family as evidenced in the group of greasers that they novel is centered around. The book is most appropriate for young adults ages 14 and up due to the violence and intense scenes.

Awards:

• ALA Best Young Adult Book, 1975 
• Chicago Tribune Book World spring Book Festival Honor Book, 1967
• Massachusetts Children’s Book Award, 1979
• Media and Methods Maxi Award, 1975 
• New York Herald Tribune Best Teenage Books List, 1967