Annotated bibliographies must contain the following components:

This is an opportunity to collaborate and produce a comprehensive annotated bibliography. Your instructor has set up five categories—one for each of the five novel types you are recommending. Post one suggestion to each category.
Once the task is complete, you will be able to download all the suggestions at once.
Respond to at least three posts on Padlet. Ask a question, comment (especially if you have used the novel already), or add relevant information.

 

Orwell, George. (1996) Animal Farm: a fairy story.  New York, NY: Signet Classics,

 

 Animals in Mr. Jones’ Manor Farm are assembled to have a meeting by an old pig who has had a dream about a perfect and happy paradise without human beings to oppress or control them.  Animals are excited about living in this paradise.  Soon after the meeting, the old pig dies, and three young pigs, Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer form a philosophy called Animalism.  One night, the animals defeat the farm owner, Mr. Jones in a rebellion and take over the farm. They renamed the property Animal Farm and try to build their own paradise to achieve the old pig’s dream. At first, Animal Farm prospers.  

 

However, after a while, Snowball and Napoleon have a power struggle with each other. During a meeting discussing whether to construct a windmill, Snowball is attacked and chased off the farm by nine dogs controlled by Napoleon and the Animal Farm is taken over by Napoleon, a dictator.  There are no more meetings to discuss the farm business and the pigs alone make all of the decisions. Napoleon sleeps in Mr. Jones’ bed and does business with other human farmers.  All pigs walk on their hind legs and wear human clothes.  They eat plenty of food, and drink alcohol while other animals are cold, hungry and overworked. Napoleon kills animals who he suspects are opposed to him with the teeth of vicious dogs in front of all the other animals. They keep changing the Commandments to excuse themselves: "All Animals Are Equal” is changed to “All animals Are Equal / But Some Are More Equal Than Others" and "No animals shall drink alcohol" is changed to, "No animal shall drink alcohol to excess."  He rewrites history to blame Snowball for the harsh lives of animals. He sells the Boxer, a very loyal, devoted and long-suffering hardworking horse, who is now wounded and sick, for whisky. However, Squealer, Napoleon’s propagandist, cheats animals by telling them that Boxer was taken to the hospital and died in peace in bed. Napoleon also changes the name of the farm back to “Manor Farm”. Everything is back as in olden times and animals cannot tell the pigs from the humans. 

 

Personally I like this book very much and it reminds me of the communist country that I came from. History is repeating itself over and over. 

 

 

Golding, William, 1911-1993.  (1954). Lord of the Flies. New York: Perigee,

 

Lord of the Flies was written by Nobel Prize-winner and English author William Golding. The book describes a story of a group of boys who are trying to survive on a deserted island after a shipwreck.  The group of boys is led by Ralph, an attractive boy. Ralph and other boys set up a fire with a pair of glasses belonging to a boy, whose nick name is Piggy.  Ralph emphasizes the importance of maintaining the fire and building shelters, but some boys, led by Jack, think hunting is more fun.  When the hunting group is looking for pigs to kill, they fail to look after the fire. The fire goes out and a ship passes by without noticing the smoke. Ralph confronts Jack and they have a fight.  Pig is hit by Jack during the fight. The group of boys is starting to fall apart.  During the night, a dead parachutist lands on the island, and boys mistake it for a beast. Jack is defiant to Ralph’s leadership and demands that Ralph quits the leadership position. Without much support, Jack angrily takes some boys away with him and goes to the other side of island. Jack and his group go hunting for and eventually they kill a pig and mount its head on a stick as a sacrifice for the beast. They paint their faces and enact bizarre rites.  They cook the pig, and lure and recruit other boys from Ralph’s group to join the feast.  During the ritual and feast, another boy, Simon, who discovers that the “beast” is actually a dead parachutist rushes down the mountain to tell the other boys. When he appears from the forest, the wild and crazy boys mistake him as the beast and kill him savagely, just like they kill the pig. After the incident, one night, Jack leads his tribe to raid Ralph’s camp and steal Piggy’s glasses, the only thing that can set a fire. Ralph, Piggy and two twin boys go to Jack’s place to demand Piggy’s glasses back. During the argument, the twin boys are tied up as prisoners, and Piggy is killed by a boulder dropped by one of Jack’s boys. Ralph is able to escape and hide, but Jack’s group continues to hunt for him. Jack orders boys to set the forest on fire to force Ralph to come out.  Running for his life, Ralph collapses on the beach. When he wakes up, he is greeted by a British naval officer who is alerted by the fire on the island. At that moment, the rest of the group chases Ralph to the beach. The officer is shocked to learn what has happened on the island. Ralph bursts into tears and so do other boys. They are back to being boys again. 

 

The author digs deep into human nature and impulses and discovers that people are driven naturally towards savagery and cruelty under certain circumstances, but under the laws of civilization, these human nature will be contained and minimized.  

 

Can you imagine what our school students would behave like if there were no rules to regulate them? 

 

Tan, Amy (1989). The Joy Luck Club. New York: Putnam’s,

 

The Joy Luck Club is the name of a mah-jong club formed by four immigrant mothers. The book contains sixteen interwoven stories about conflicts between Chinese mothers and their American-born daughters. With different worldviews, histories and values, the mothers and daughters don’t always see eye-to-eye. They are struggling with generational gaps and cultural differences at the same time.  Mothers try to raise their daughters in the traditional Chinese way, but daughters try to be more “American”.  The book starts from Jing-mei who has taken her mother’s place to play mah-jong in a weekly gathering in the Joy Luck Club after her mother had passed away. The other three old ladies tell Jing-mei that her mother’s long lost twin daughters, Jing-mei’s half-sisters, had been located in China just before her mother died. They urge Jing-mei to visit her half-sisters and tell them about their mother.  However, Jing-mei confesses that she never understood her mother and she wonders if she is capable of telling her mother’s story. The other three mothers fear that their own daughters, just like Jing-mei, may not understand or appreciate their mother’s loves and sacrifices.  

The individual stories are grouped into four sections, each focuses on different themes; for example, sacrifice and loss in the first section, uncertainty, anger, or fear in the middle two sections and hope and love in the last section. At the end of the book, Jing-mei flies to China to meet her half-sisters and once they see each other, they instantly hug and cry. Jing-mei feels that she has understood her mother. The journey is a reconciliation between the past and present, between two generations and between two cultures. 

 

I’m sure that my students with Chinese backgrounds will easily connect to the book. They might have experienced the same struggles as those daughters and cannot fully understand their parents’ sacrifices, worries, concerns, interventions and over protections. 

 

 

 

Yang, Gene Luen., and lark Pien.(2006). American Born Chinese. New York: First Second,

 

I have never read any graphic novels. I chose this one because of the school aged characters with Chinese backgrounds. Here is the summary from Goodreads website: 

 

Henegan, James, 1930-. (1994). Torn Away. New York, N.Y.,U.S.A.: Viking, 

This book won the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Juvenile Mystery.  The story is about a thirteen-year old boy who has been torn away from his native soil of Ireland after his mother, father, and sister had been killed on the streets of Belfast. He is forced to live in Canada with his uncle’s family. Driven by revenge for his family’s murderers, the boy manages to escape and causes plenty of trouble.  The new friends, new home and the peaceful life gradually easies his anger and leads him to re-examine his perspective of courage and heroism. 

 

The story is full of fast-paced action and is easy to read with vivid descriptions and a sense of reality. It’s suitable for intermediate English classes.

 

References: 

The Joy Luck Club, retrieved from http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/joyluck/summary.html

Goodreads, retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/118944.American_Born_Chinese

·        entire series consistently rated high on GoodReads.com

·        creative, fictional, relatable

·        rich vocabulary, storyline is engaging, characters have depth
Graphic novel star Kazu Kibuishi creates a world of terrible, man-eating demons, a mechanical rabbit, a giant robot---and two ordinary children on a life-or-death mission.
After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother to the home of her deceased great-grandfather, but the strange house proves to be dangerous. Before long, a sinister creature lures the kids' mom through a door in the basement. Em and Navin, desperate not to lose her, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.
Eventually, they enlist the help of a small mechanical rabbit named Miskit. Together with Miskit, they face the most terrifying monster of all, and Em finally has the chance to save someone she loves.

Young Adult Fiction:
History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

·        Includes the LGBQT community

·        Has emotions all students will be able to connect with

·        Approachable vocabulary makes it an easy read, but intensity makes it difficult at the same time!
When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course.

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart.
If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.

Cultural Contrast:
American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

·        We all face a conflict of some sort- grass-is-always-greener… sort of thing so the story is relatable to all (not just minorities)

·        “This book is the perfect antidote to the "graphic novels aren't real books" crowd's poison. it takes full advantage of the medium (lgm with the local boy scout troops), and just runs with it. this story could not have been told as well or as broadly using a more traditional narrative structure. and at the end, there is a perfect collapse - the three storylines streamline so perfectly into one message about cultural acclimatization and race-shame.” (Karen’s rating on GoodReads.com)
All Jin Wang wants is to fit in. When his family moves to a new neighborhood, he suddenly finds that he's the only Chinese American student at his school. Jocks and bullies pick on him constantly, and he has hardly any friends. Then, to make matters worse, he falls in love with an all-American girl...
Born to rule over all the monkeys in the world, the story of the Monkey King is one of the oldest and greatest Chinese fables. Adored by his subjects, master of the arts of kung-fu, he is the most powerful monkey on earth. But the Monkey King doesn't want to be a monkey. He wants to be hailed as a god...
Chin-Kee is the ultimate negative Chinese stereotype, and he's ruining his cousin Danny's life. Danny's a popular kid at school, but every year Chin-Kee comes to visit, and every year Danny has to transfer to a new school to escape the shame. This year, though, things quickly go from bad to worse...
These three apparently unrelated tales come together with an unexpected twist, in a modern fable that is hilarious, poignant and action-packed. American Born Chinese is an amazing rise, all the way up to the astonishing climax--and confirms what a growing number of readers already know: Gene Yang is a major talent.

Contemporary Literature:
Esperanza Rising (McDougal Littell Library) (2016) by Pam Muñoz Ryan

·        Vividly descriptive writing that is both approachable and rich in vocabulary

·        Teaches one to work for what one wants

·        Appreciation of family and friends
Esperanza thought she'd always live with her family on their ranch in Mexico--she'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home, and servants. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California during the Great Depression, and to settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard labor, financial struggles, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When their new life is threatened, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.

Literary Canon:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

·        It’s controversial so it inspires deep, rich, thoughtful participation

·        Presents an opportunity for insight and reflection on past shames

·        Presents an opportunity to compare/ contrast Canada’s ugly
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award-winning film, also a classic.
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill A Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

Of Mice and Menby John Steinbeck, 1937

Drifters in search of work, George and his simple-minded friend Lennie have nothing in the world except each other and a dream that one day they will have some land of their own. Eventually they find work on a ranch in California’s Salinas Valley, but their hopes are doomed as Lennie, struggling against extreme cruelty, misunderstanding and feelings of jealousy, becomes a victim of his own strength. Tackling universal themes such as the friendship of a shared vision, and giving voice to America’s lonely and dispossessed, Of Mice and Men has proved one of Steinbeck’s most popular works, achieving success as a novel, a Broadway play and three acclaimed films.

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, 2014

This book is the beginning of a series, of a girl named Amy Gumm who is described as “the other girl from Kansas.” She has been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked and been trained to fight. She has been given a mission: Remove the Tin Woodman's heart. Steal the Scarecrow's brain. Take the Lion's courage. And—Dorothy must die.

The Middle of Everywhereby Monique Polak, 2009

I have not read this novel, however, it is rated very highly on Goodreads. It is described as:

This story of a 15-year old boy moving from Montreal to Nunavik to live with his father provides a very informative but easy to understand and compelling look at modern Inuit life. Told from Noah's perspective, the reader learns about storytelling (including the story of Kajataijug), sled-dogs, hunting, winter camping, catching Arctic Char, even shopping at the Northern Store. The reader also learns some of the history of Nunavik, such as the RCMP killing of the sled dogs, residential schools, and why the town looks so "new". By the end, both Noah and the reader have a much better understanding of and respect for this place that isn't in the "middle of nowhere", but rather of everywhere. I finished the book wishing there was more to read. Recommended novel study. [review by Chandra Hildebrand]

This one Summerby Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

I have not read this novel, however, t is rated very highly on Goodreads. It is describes as: 

“Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. It's a summer of secrets and sorrow and growing up, and it's a good thing Rose and Windy have each other.
 
 In This One Summer two stellar creators redefine the teen graphic novel. Cousins Mariko and Jillian Tamaki, the team behind Skim, have collaborated on this gorgeous, heartbreaking, and ultimately hopeful story about a girl on the cusp of her teen age — a story of renewal and revelation.”

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell, 2013

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. They face problems at home and at school, learning to speak up for themselves and for other, and who they are as individuals. 

 

 

“Lord of the Flies , William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island, is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." (taken from Amazon.ca, 2017)

 

This book is written in easy-to-understand English, making it accessible for most intermediate readers to connect with the characters portrayed in the novel. The ages displayed in the novel are similar to the ages of the readers in middle/high school, therefore fostering and increasing the comprehension of the sensitive subject matters of the text.  

 

Contemporary Literature Text

 

 

“The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unspecified future time, in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, located in North America.^[7] The country consists of a wealthy Capitol city, located in the Rocky Mountains,^[8] surrounded by twelve (originally thirteen) poorer districts ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced, but the districts are in varying states of poverty. The trilogy's narrator and protagonist Katniss Everdeen, lives in District 12, the poorest region of Panem, located in Appalachia,^[8] where people regularly die of starvation. As punishment for a past rebellion against the Capitol (called the "Dark Days"), in which District 13 was supposedly destroyed, one boy and one girl from each of the twelve remaining districts, between the ages of 12 and 18, are selected by lottery to compete in an annual pageant called the Hunger Games. The Games are a televised event in which the participants, called "tributes", are forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public arena. The winning tribute and his/her home district are then rewarded with food, supplies, and riches. The purposes of the Hunger Games are to provide entertainment for the Capitol and to remind the districts of the Capitol's power and lack of remorse, forgetfulness, and forgiveness for the failed rebellion of the current competitors' ancestors.” (taken from Wikipedia, 2017)

 

This contemporary piece touches upon many current themes including: women in a protagonist position, the influence of the media on mass populations, conflicts between oppressor and oppressed, government control and suppression, and differing values and beliefs. 

 

 

Literature that Supports Cultural Diversity

 

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

 

This piece of literature touches upon the social issues in rural America during the times of unrest between white Americans and African-Americans. Bigotry, racism, and other social norms are current issues in today’s society, making the novel a relevant and engaging read.

 

Graphic Novel

 

 

“In this unflaggingly suspenseful story of aspirations and moral redemption, humble, orphaned Pip, a ward of his short-tempered older sister and her husband, Joe, is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman. And, indeed, it seems as though that dream is destined to come to pass — because one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." In telling Pip's story, Dickens traces a boy's path from a hardscrabble rural life to the teeming streets of 19th-century London, unfolding a gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, and love and loss. Its compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness; and the embittered Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride.” (taken from Amazon.ca, 2017)

 

The graphic format of this novel makes it easy for young readers to connect to the story, the characters, the setting, and the plot in order to unravel and explore the underlying themes. 

 

Young Adult Fiction T

 

 

“David Strorm’s father doesn’t approve of Angus Morton’s unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realize that his own son, his niece Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret aberration which would label them as mutants. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands” (taken from Amazon.ca, 2017)

 

One of my favourite books, as it connects readers with a potential future aftermath of a nuclear war, and the impact on the environment, causing genetic changes within people, and creating a divide between the unaltered humans, and those that were genetically affected.   

 

 

 

“Lord of the Flies , William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island, is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." (taken from Amazon.ca, 2017)

 

This book is written in easy-to-understand English, making it accessible for most intermediate readers to connect with the characters portrayed in the novel. The ages displayed in the novel are similar to the ages of the readers in middle/high school, therefore fostering and increasing the comprehension of the sensitive subject matters of the text.  

 

Contemporary Literature Text

 

 

“The Hunger Games trilogy takes place in an unspecified future time, in the dystopian, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem, located in North America.^[7] The country consists of a wealthy Capitol city, located in the Rocky Mountains,^[8] surrounded by twelve (originally thirteen) poorer districts ruled by the Capitol. The Capitol is lavishly rich and technologically advanced, but the districts are in varying states of poverty. The trilogy's narrator and protagonist Katniss Everdeen, lives in District 12, the poorest region of Panem, located in Appalachia,^[8] where people regularly die of starvation. As punishment for a past rebellion against the Capitol (called the "Dark Days"), in which District 13 was supposedly destroyed, one boy and one girl from each of the twelve remaining districts, between the ages of 12 and 18, are selected by lottery to compete in an annual pageant called the Hunger Games. The Games are a televised event in which the participants, called "tributes", are forced to fight to the death in a dangerous public arena. The winning tribute and his/her home district are then rewarded with food, supplies, and riches. The purposes of the Hunger Games are to provide entertainment for the Capitol and to remind the districts of the Capitol's power and lack of remorse, forgetfulness, and forgiveness for the failed rebellion of the current competitors' ancestors.” (taken from Wikipedia, 2017)

 

This contemporary piece touches upon many current themes including: women in a protagonist position, the influence of the media on mass populations, conflicts between oppressor and oppressed, government control and suppression, and differing values and beliefs. 

 

 

Literature that Supports Cultural Diversity

 

African-American Philadelphia police detective Virgil Tibbs is arrested on suspicion of murder by Bill Gillespie, the racist police chief of tiny Sparta, Mississippi. After Tibbs proves not only his own innocence but that of another man, he joins forces with Gillespie to track down the real killer. Their investigation takes them through every social level of the town, with Tibbs making enemies as well as unlikely friends as he hunts for the truth.

 

This piece of literature touches upon the social issues in rural America during the times of unrest between white Americans and African-Americans. Bigotry, racism, and other social norms are current issues in today’s society, making the novel a relevant and engaging read.

 

Graphic Novel

 

 

“In this unflaggingly suspenseful story of aspirations and moral redemption, humble, orphaned Pip, a ward of his short-tempered older sister and her husband, Joe, is apprenticed to the dirty work of the forge but dares to dream of becoming a gentleman. And, indeed, it seems as though that dream is destined to come to pass — because one day, under sudden and enigmatic circumstances, he finds himself in possession of "great expectations." In telling Pip's story, Dickens traces a boy's path from a hardscrabble rural life to the teeming streets of 19th-century London, unfolding a gripping tale of crime and guilt, revenge and reward, and love and loss. Its compelling characters include Magwitch, the fearful and fearsome convict; Estella, whose beauty is excelled only by her haughtiness; and the embittered Miss Havisham, an eccentric jilted bride.” (taken from Amazon.ca, 2017)

 

The graphic format of this novel makes it easy for young readers to connect to the story, the characters, the setting, and the plot in order to unravel and explore the underlying themes. 

 

Young Adult Fiction T

 

 

“David Strorm’s father doesn’t approve of Angus Morton’s unusually large horses, calling them blasphemies against nature. Little does he realize that his own son, his niece Rosalind and their friends, have their own secret aberration which would label them as mutants. But as David and Rosalind grow older it becomes more difficult to conceal their differences from the village elders. Soon they face a choice: wait for eventual discovery or flee to the terrifying and mutable Badlands” (taken from Amazon.ca, 2017)

 

One of my favourite books, as it connects readers with a potential future aftermath of a nuclear war, and the impact on the environment, causing genetic changes within people, and creating a divide between the unaltered humans, and those that were genetically affected.