The Maze Runner

Title: The Maze Runner
Author: James Dashner
Published: Oct. 2009
ISBN: 0385737947
Page number: 374
Price: $16.99
Other books in the Series: The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order
Genre: dystopia, fantasy
Reading Level:  6th grade
Interest Level: 6th grade and up
Awards: YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults (2011), Abraham Lincoln Award (2012), Reviewers' Choice Award Nominee for Best Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy Novel (2009)
Plot Summary: Thomas wakes up to find himself in the Glade with no recollection of life before he awoke. The Glade is home to a bunch of young boys called Gladers who each have a job to do in the Glade. Outside the Glade lies a large maze that closes every night. Every day the boys work to try and get out of the maze but they can't seem to find the exit before the maze closes every night. At night strange and deadly creatures come out of the maze and the boys must retreat to the Glade for safety.  Everyone month a new boy shows up, just like Thomas, and they have no idea of life before the  maze but the day after Thomas shows up a girl appears. That is when everything goes wrong. The maze doesn't close at night and the Gladers are now exposed to the dangers within the maze. Their only choice for survival is to escape but what lies outside the maze? 
Review: The story is fast paced and action packed. The mystery of the maze and why they are all there drives the story. Though it seems that as the story moves along there is more questions than answers. Of course the story is part of a series so many of those question can be answered in later stories. There is quite a bit of violence but the story is one of survival and not every kid in the maze makes it out. The story ends on a cliffhanger with the reader eager to start the next book.
Reader's Annotation: Thomas wakes up to find himself in a maze with no idea of who he is or where he is. Thomas is just another boy who has found himself trapped in the maze but everything changes when a girl shows up.
Book Talk Ideas: The story is built on mystery and suspense so that same feeling should be brought to the book talk. Perhaps using many of the stories unknowns to draw in the audience.
Issues: The story is a dystopian theme with violence, betrayal and government conspiracy.

Main Themes: secrecy, violence, coming of age, survival, betrayal, government conspiracy

Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: The story is one of survival and struggle and teens perhaps gain strength from the characters ability to overcome deadly creatures and other trials in the maze.
Read-alikes: Code by Kathy Reichs and Shade's Children by Garth Nix
Author Website: http://www.jamesdashner.com/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews

Why chose this book: The series is very popular, especially amont teen boys who love the action and suspense. The story has received some controversy for it's violence.

Ship Breaker

Title: Ship Breaker

Author: Paolo Bacigalupi

Published: May 2010

Pages: 326

Price: $16.99

ISBN: 0316056219

Other books in the series: Drowned Cities

Reading Level: 6th grade

Interest Level: 8th grade and up

Awards: National Book Award Finalist, Printz Award, Locus Award

Plot Summary: Nailer is a young boy who lives in the gulf coast which has been flooded by the rising waters. To make money Nailer scavenges tanker ships for copper wiring and other raw goods. It's a long, tireless and dangerous job but it's how Nailer survives. Everyone in Nailer's village is looking for a "lucky strike" that find that will set them up for life and get them out of their job working on tanker crews. Then one day after a storm Nailer's "lucky strike" happens. An expensive and beautiful Clipper ship is shipwrecked on shore and Nailer is the first to find it. The bought could be scavenged for more wealth than he could possible ever make in a year of tanker scavenge. But it turns out there is something far more valuable on the ship, a young rich girl. He know has two choices save the girl and risk his life or pillage the ship for all it's wealth and the the girl to her fate.

Critical Review: Ship Breaker is a gritty, faced paced dystopia novel filled with violence, bleak surrounding but colorful well developed characters. Nailer's grueling life of stripping tanker ships is nothing compared to the struggles he goes through to save himself and Nita, the rich girl from the boat from her tribes who want her dad and Nailer's drug addicted violent father who wants to exploit the girl for her wealth. At times the violence was almost too much, but it really helps tell the story of the how people lived and survived in the story. Without all the grit the story would seem to clean, too happy and the story line wouldn't feel the same, it wouldn't have that grim and desperate feeling.

Reader's Annotation: Nailer is forced to scavenge tankers and risk his life everyday in small dark holes while dreaming of a better life. Then one day his dream comes to him in the form of a crashed clipper ship, but the treasures on the ship go beyond gold, oh no the treasure Nailer finds is something far more valuable.

Issues Present: The story contains some very graphic violent scenes. There is also drugs and alcohol abuse in the story which some find offensive.

Main Themes: poverty, survival, greed, abuse, addiction, friendship

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness: Nailer lives a life of poverty, abuse and bleak surroundings. A teen living in similar situations can relate to Nailer's struggles and those who are more fortunate can develop empathy for those who have to struggle to survive.

Read alikes: Ashfall by Mike Mullin, The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd, Trash by Andy Mulligan

Author Website: http://windupstories.com/

Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews

Publisher's Weekly

Why Chose this Book? While the book is set in the future it deals with some very current issues of poverty and survival. The bleak environment shows how rough life is for the children who are forced to salvage inorder to live. The book is an award winner and has an action packed plot that pulls the reader in.

The Hunger Games

Title: The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
Published: Sept. 2008
ISBN: 0439023483
Page number: 374
Price:$10.99
Other Books in the Series: Catching Fire, Mockingjay
Reading Level: 7th grade 
Interest Level: 6th grade and up
Awards: ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers (2008), School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2008), Cybils Award for Young Adult Fantasy and Science Ficton (2008), ALA's Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults (2009), New York Times Notable Children's Book (2009), Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year (2008), Horn Book Fanfare (2008)
Plot Summary: North America is now known as Panem and consists of 12 districts that are all controlled by The Capitol. Years before there was a war and the 13th district was completed destroyed and after that The Capitol started the Hunger Games to remind the people of Panem of how violence destroyed them. The Hunger Games are a yearly game that has teens from the ages 12-18 fighting for their life until only one emerges as the sole survivor and winner. The tributes as they are called are chosen at random every year and each district choses a boy and girl to compete. Katniss is from one of the poorest districts and when her sister is chosen she volunteers to go in her place. Now Katniss is part of the televised spectacle that is The Hunger Games. She may not have the training or powerful backing that some of the other tributes has but Katniss is determined to win and come back to her family. But can Katniss survive or will she just be another in a long line of those who fall victim to The Hunger Games.
Review: The story is exciting and suspenseful with lots of action at every turn. But Suzanne Collins does a great job of showing just how manipulative The Capitol can be. While there is plenty of violence in the book there is also lots of remorse and emotion associated with the deaths. I believe this shows the appalling nature of such violence rather than glorifying the violence. I also think that Collins has created a great character in Katniss. Even though Katniss at times can come across as too practical and emotionless she exposes a softer side at times, especially in the case of Rue that readers will find appealing. 
Reader's Annotation: Every year The Capitol holds The Hunger Games, a fight to the death with only one winner. Every year each of the 12 districts of Panem will chose 2 tributes that are 12-18 years old. But when Katniss's little sister is chosen to be apart of the games she volunteers to take her place. Now Katniss must outwit and kill her opponents and survive the games but will the odds be ever in her favor?
Bibliotherapeutic usefulness: The book can allow teens to see someone they relate to overcome great odds and survive. They can be inspired to overcome their own challenges. It may also show how corrupt people with control can become and that you have to fight for what is right even when it is difficult.
Issues: The book is a very bleak depiction of the future that includes a corrupt and overly powerful government. There is quite a lot of violence and death of young children and teens that many may find to be over the top or offensive.
Book Talk Ideas: 
Genre: dystopia
Main Themes: survival, government control
Read-alikes: Divergent by Veronica Roth, Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Author Website:http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/
Professional Reviews: Kirkus Reviews
Publisher's Weekly
Why this book was chosen: This series is widely popular with teens and adults especially since the series has been turned into movies. It has hooked a lot of reluctant readers into reading again and with it's popularity has brought about controversy with it's violence and bleak depiction of the future.