Trust. How is it built, how is it broken? A Reading Ideas, Fiction Book Club Unit

1. Tangerine - by Edward Bloor

Paul Fisher sees the world from behind glasses so thick he looks like a bug-eyed alien. But he’s not so blind that he can’t see there are some very unusual things about his family’s new home in Tangerine County, Florida. Where else does a sinkhole swallow the local school, fires burn underground for years, and lightning strike at the same time every day? The chaos is compounded by constant harassment from his football–star brother, and adjusting to life in Tangerine isn’t easy for Paul—until he joins the soccer team at his middle school. With the help of his new teammates, Paul begins to discover what lies beneath the surface of his strange new hometown. And he also gains the courage to face up to some secrets his family has been keeping from him for far too long. In Tangerine, it seems, anything is possible.

1. Tangerine - by Edward Bloor “I remembered a black, metal mailbox. On a black metal pole. I was riding my bike home at dinnertime, heading east down this street, with the sun setting behind me. I heard a loud roar like an animal’s, like a predator snarling. I swiveled my head around, still pedaling, and looked back. I couldn’t see anything else. But I could hear the roar, even louder now, and I recognized it: the roar of an engine revved up to full throttle… Then I turned back and saw it -- a black car… I saw a man hanging out of the passenger window, hanging way out. He had something pulled over his face, some kind of ski mask, and he was holding a long metal baseball bat in both hands like a murder weapon… The man in the ski mask leaned farther out the window. he pulled the bat back and up. Then he brought it forward in a mighty swing, right at my head.”

2. Speak - by Laurie Halse Anderson

The first ten lies they tell you in high school. "Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end- of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party.

“The kids behind me laugh so loud I know they’re laughing about me. I can’t help myself. I turn around. It’s Rachel, surrounded by a bunch of kids wearing clothes that most definitely did not come from the EastSide Mall, Rachel Bruin, my ex-best friend. She stares at something above my left ear. Words climb up my throat. This is the girl who suffered through Brownies with me, who taught me how to swim, who understood about my parents, who didn’t make fun of my bedroom. If there is anyone in the entire galaxy I am dying to tell what really happened, it’s Rachel. My throat burns. Her eyes meet mine for a second. “I hate you,” she mouths silently. She turns her back to me and laughs with her friends.” 2. Speak - by Laurie Halse Anderson

Which book will choose you? 1.Tangerine - by Edward Bloor 2.Speak - by Laurie Halse Anderson