Favorite Authors! Grade 7 Book Talk October 2016

Double Identity by Margaret Peterson Haddix Genre: Realistic/Science Fiction Haddix has written 35 books for children and teens to date, with her first published book being Running Out of Time. Double Identity is the story of Bethany Cole, or is it Bethany Krull? Right around her 13th birthday her parents begin to act strange. She is dropped off to stay with an aunt she has never met, in a town she has never heard of. This book will leave you in suspense from start to finish! The story doesn’t begin to make sense until at least ½ way through.

Advice to readers… “Read a lot. Write a lot. Think a lot. Enjoy what you read, write and think about. And, not to sound too much like a mom, but, really, next time start on your report before the night before, okay?”

The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman Genre: Realistic Fiction The author has written many novels for children in teens that cross genres of humor, suspense and sci-fi. Schwa-the faint vowel sound in many unstressed syllables in the English language. It is signified by the pronunciation “uh” and its symbol is the э. If you were to call a person a “Schwa” what could that say about them? Read experiments on p. 24 & 26 Read on to find out what happens when you are “invisible” and what you can do to be seen

Inspiration for the “Schwa” “The idea came to me in the middle of an author visit. I was answering questions in a school library when a teacher pointed out a boy who had had his hand up the whole time and I hadn’t noticed. He was sitting in front of the library’s big dictionary and I made this odd connection. The kid was unnoticeable---like a schwa in the dictionary”. ---Neal Shusterman

Schooled by Gordon Korman Genre: Realistic Fiction Gordon Korman wrote his first book in 7th grade!!!!! His coach had to teach English that year and assigned students to write whatever they wanted for 4 months resulting in his first novel, This Can’t Be Happening at MacDonald Hall He sent his manuscript to Scholastic because he was the classroom book order monitor (he figured he was practically an employee!) The book was published when he was a freshman. In Schooled, we meet Capricorn Anderson (see pgs. 3-4) and a long cast of characters who take turns narrating the chapters. The book spans an 8th grade year where: unlikely candidates are elected for class president, enemies can become friends and a boy who has never left the “farm” where he lives with his grandmother can become an integral part to a community.

Matched By Ally Condie Matched book trailer using Animoto Cassia lives in a society where everything is chosen for you, including your career, who you will marry and the very day you will die However, something goes terribly wrong at Cassia’s matching ceremony She is matched with a dear friend…unusual. More unusual is the face she sees when viewing the microcard of her ‘match’. Read on to learn about Cassia and what decisions she makes in a society where they are forbidden.

Ten Days a Madwoman-Deborah Noyes Genre: Nonfiction Brand new in nofiction—never checked out! Nellie Bly was the original “Girl” reporter who began her career in 1887. An editor shared that women found it “impossible not to exaggerate” and it was very difficult for her to find work. She was tenacious and convinced Joseph Pulitzer (yes that Pulitzer) to offer her a job. Her first assignment---get herself admitted into the insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island to report on conditions there Other assignments: travel to Mexico, pose as a maid for an expose on unemployment agencies, box factory worker, and even traveled around the world in 72 days, 6 hours, and 11 minutes! She was the 1st woman to circumnavigate the globe alone (without guide, escort or attendant)