The William
C. Morris Debut YA Award, first awarded in 2009, honors a debut
book published by a first-time author writing for teens and celebrating
impressive new voices in young adult literature.
2012
Finalist
McCall, G.G. (2011). Under the mesquite. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books Inc.
Lupita,
the oldest of eight children, discovers that her mother has been diagnosed with
cancer. Though she is used to being in
control, now she must face many trials as she tries to help keep the family
together, make it through her high school classes, and learn to be a better
actress. With her father consumed with
the care of her mother, it is up to Lupita to care for her siblings. She seeks refuge from the fear and chaos by
writing in the shade of a mesquite tree.
A poet and promising actress, Lupita’s voice resonates in free verse
form as she tells her poignant, heart-wrenching story of pain, love, and
resilience in the face of tragedy. Like
the thorny mesquite that has taken root in the middle of her mother’s rose
garden, Lupita is a survivor who will not be uprooted.
Note: This book also won the 2012 Pura Belpré Award
and the 2013 Tomas Rivera Children’s Book Award
Follow-up:
Meet the author: book
reading in Spanish and English. Guadalupe
Garcia McCall introduces and shares some of the back story for creating Under the Mesquite.
View the book trailer
for the book: </a>
">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4D70BoguoA
2010
Finalist
Garcia, K. & Stohl, M. (2009). Beautiful creatures. New York, NY:
Little, Brown, and Company.
Sixteen-year-old Ethan Wate is eager to escape the
small South Carolina town of Gatlin, the epicenter of the middle of nowhere, where
practically nothing has changed since the Civil War. He is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl
who slips through his fingers while he tries to save her. When a new girl, Lena Duchannes, moves into
town, Ethan finds he is drawn to her. He
realizes that she is the mysterious girl of his dream and is determined to
uncover the connection between them.
Lena is struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her
family for generations. As they begin a
friendship, Ethan learns of the dark secret that is to be revealed on Lena’s
sixteenth birthday.
Follow-up:
Here are some ideas from http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/beautiful-creatures
Essay
Topic
Describe and discuss
the setting of Gatlin, South Carolina, as depicted in the opening of Beautiful
Creatures. How does the narrator feel about his hometown? How does his father describe
the town? How large is the town?
Essay
Topic
Describe and analyze
the character of Ethan Wate in Beautiful Creatures. How old is Ethan? What can
you tell about his character based on his narrative style and comments about
the townspeople of Gatlin? How does Ethan change in the course of the story?
The
Evolution of Supernatural Literature
Beautiful Creatures is
one of many novels written that centers on the supernatural. Conduct research
and develop a presentation that examines the evolution of “monster stories,”
“vampire novels,” and other supernatural literature.
No comments:
Post a Comment