Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

Some Classics

A Wrinkle in Time - (Newberry Medal Winner) This is simply a beautiful book that has blazed a trail in modern children's fantasy by putting forward a story of several children embarking on a grand adventure; In this case to rescue their father. There is some fascinating and thoughtful stuff in this book like living stars and tesseracts. It is a perennial favorite and on every librarian's list.

A Wizard of Earthsea - Written by Ursula K. Leguin this is the first book in a series called The EarthSea series. Short and light but extraordinarily beautiful. This first book in the series follows a young boy named Ged as he goes from being a simple goat herd to a powerful wizard. It is simply beautiful and it brings forth some wonderful and magical themes such as the concept that everything (including dragons) has a secret name. And if you know the secret name you can control the thing (including dragons).

The Hobbit - This probably shouldn't be on this list but it is so good that I can't leave it off. With the absolute enormous success of the Lord of the Rings movies this book may be overlooked but I consider it better! It is also in the works to be a movie.

Five Children and it - This is one of the most popular books written by Edith Nesbit who is often credited with creating the whole genre of children embarking on fantasy adventures. Her books are in the public domain now and can easily be found for free. The theme of this book is: Be careful what you ask for. You may get it! That's the message in this delightful tale of five youngsters who discover a bizarre sand creature that grants wishes. There's a catch, of course: the wishes come undone at sunset, and worse yet, things often get out of hand!

Dragonflight - This book is a little more complex than earlier ones I have cited here and it tends toward being more of a novel for grownups but it very suitable for teens. We are introduced to a complex world of dragons through the main character Lessa. This book is often credited with being the book that has launched many a young girls writing career. It is the first book in a trilogy of books called The Dragon riders of Pern series.

A Princess of Mars: - The first novel in the Edgar Rice Burroughs series and currently in the initial stages of being written into a movie or animation that will be made by Pixar. This is the first book in a series called John Carter of Mars and it is good rollicking fun in the tradition of the old pulp magazines. It is a favorite for young boys who like sword fighting big monsters.

Contemporary fantasy and fiction

When it comes to modern fantasy fiction for teens there is an enormous selection to choose from and that, in itself, could be an obstacle. Here are summaries of some of the more popular ones and I have also picked some that are currently slated to be made into a movie.

Artemis Fowl Series - This series of books takes a little bit of an unusual position as far as children's books go because Artemis Fowl himself is a twelve year old genius and a criminal mastermind. The author of these books calls them Die Hard with Fairies! And the books are often characterized as being a high-octane and rip-roaring ride. It is a wildly popular series of books with a big website and even a wiki. There are currently five books in the series with the first being simply titled Artemis Fowl. The sixth book "The Time Paradox" is set to be released in July of 2008.

Here, there be Dragons - The title itself is rather mysterious and harkens back to another time. This was the phrase that cartographers used to write in patches of ocean that were unexplored. The basic premise of this story will really resonate with teens that are fans of fantasy itself because it starts with the unusual meeting of three young strangers John, Jack, and Charles on a rainy night in London. We later find out these three young men are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams.

The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches - This is a series of books that takes place in a world of magic and secrets called Ruin Mist. This book was slow to start but word of mouth turned it into a best seller. It is one of those relatively little known books and series that is very satisfying.

Septimus Heap - If magic and wizards are of strong appeal this series of books make a great alternative to Harry Potter. The Main character (Septimus) is the seventh son of a seventh son and the main line of the story follows two children switched at birth: a boy destined to be a wizard and a girl destined to be a princess. There are currently four books in the series and the first book has been picked up by Warner Brothers and is currently being made into a movie that is scheduled for release in 2010.

Any of these books or series will launch teens and young adults on a remarkable adventure into strange fantasy worlds and no joystick or keyboard is required.

Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

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Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults
Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

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Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is Robert Louis Stevenson's first real success that has maintained it's position as one of the greatest classics of the world from generation to another.

The plot of the novel is quite simple. The treasure map of a furious pirate captain Flint ends up to young Jim Hawkins who goes for the treasure with his good friend Dr. Liveyse and other villagers. Departed captain Flint's men infiltrate to the treasure galley Hispaniola as crew members. When the galley reaches the island the pirates rise up against Jim and his companions who have to establish a camp to the ground. On the island Jim meets Ben Gunn who was left on the island three years earlier. At this point starts a real island adventure and treasure hunt.

Especially one of the most positive things of the book is Stevenson's descriptive language, the people and scenery literally take form in your eyes. The treasure island and the pirates bring expression to the book and especially the story of the island could have been longer. The language is occasionally harder to understand and somewhat old-fashioned but mostly it just gave more charm to the story. The language fitted especially good to the mouth of the pirates. The most annoying thing was the foreseeability of the story. The main character is Jim Hawkins who took the role of a hero despite of his young age. Most of the book is about the conflict of thrift versus profligacy.

Treasure Island is very traditional adventure novel, especially as a youth novel which has attractive setting and the hero is a young adult. The conflict between good and bad is commonly present in this type of novels. Treasure Island is a good, entertaining and captivating novel that does not offer bigger surprises. I would recommend the novel mainly to young adults but also to little older fans of adventure literature.

Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Top Ten Books for Young Adults

Ferocious dragons and evil witches; mighty heroes and invincible superheroes; romantic tales and happily-ever-after stories: the fantasy world of a young adult is weaved around all these.Though there are comics, T.V. channels and DVDs where he can satiate his passions very well, books for young adults are the latest fads. Can you imagine their world without all those Harry Potters and Frodo Bagginses who hold the reins of their hearts all the time? The best thing is that grabbing a book of their choice is not that hard these days, thanks to the myriad online book stores that are only a click away from their reach. Well, if you are a teenager and looking forward to read some really good books, here is a list of some of the best ones that you can purchase and enjoy.

Inheritance (by Christopher Paolini)
A captivating story of a Dragon Rider, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira who are on an adventurous quest to save Alagaesia from the clutches of the evil king, Galbatorix. One of the ultimate fantasy books for young adults.

The 39 Clues:Cahills Vs. Vespers: A Kings Ransom (by Jude Watson)
Second in the series of 39 clues, this one is about Amy and Dan for whom taking the right decision is like getting blood out of a stone. They have to face deadly Vespers who will either play havoc with the world if not stopped or snatch the hidden tunnels leading to Timbuktu from them.

Angel Fire: (by L.A. Weatherly)
A book where action and adventure are thrown in together for the teen young adults. Willow and her lover are determined to kill Church of Angels, but there are hurdles as Willow is only half-angel. Soon, she finds herself fallen for another handsome stranger.

Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune (by Rick Riordan)
In continuation to the last saga, Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero, this book for young adults is an answer to the questions that they were left guessing last time. Percy Jackson comes back and is on a quest to Roman half-blood camp. What happens next? Get this thriller and start reading.

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire (by George R.R.Martin)
Nothing less than an epic, this mind-blowing young adult fiction is of astronomical proportion in terms of fantasy and catastrophe.

Fallen in Love (by Lauren Kate)
It is all about bumping into someone and falling in love with him; it is about excruciating pain of losing a passionate love; and it is about the urgency to make love for one last time. You will read the book with throbbing hearts and pangs of separation. A book that every young adult will fell in love with.

King of Lanka (by David Nair)
A book for young adults that they are going to connect with the epic story of Ramayana. Rasita is captured by the devilish Ravindra and her friends Vikram and Manjit have to rescue her from the clutches of Ravindra whose mind is plotting nefarious plans.

Kate Chronicles: The Red Pyramid (by Rick Riordan)
A story that turns the tables and takes the reader from the precincts of mundane life to the world of Egypt gods. Dr. Julius Kane, father of Carter and Sadie, unleashes Set, an Egyptian god, while performing his research work. The sons set out on a quest to protect the devil that is after their father now. One of the best young adult fictions.

The Power of Six (by Pittacus Lore)
A captivating science fiction story for young adults with surprises at every turn. A sequel to 'I am Number Four', this book is the next in the series of Lorein Legacies. The book is a narration from the point of view of John, Number Four and Marina, Number Seven.

Abandon: Underworld (by Meg Cabbot)
Another book that takes the reader to dark and bewitching world of the underworld. Meg Cabbot has come up with a sequel to his previous immensely popular book 'Abandon'. Pierce is fatally attracted to John who lives in the dark realm. But she finds out some unexpected things about him and is perplexed what to do next. Pick up the one that interests you and order at some good online bookstore.

Pick up the one that interests you and order at some good online bookstore.

Top Ten Books for Young Adults

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Top Ten Books for Young Adults

Top Ten Books for Young Adults
Top Ten Books for Young Adults

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Words by Heart by Ouida Sebastyen - Book Review

A little black girl with Magic Mind is a wonder to behold; an oriental child with an amazing penchant for math is prodigious; a white boy with a scientific aptitude to shame Harvard Ph.D.'s is amazing; an Indian child with the scent perception of a cougar is incredible. Race makes no difference. The color of the prodigy in no way affects the way the genius of the individual should be perceived. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a Spaniard, won the Nobel Prize for Literature. So did Jose Camilo Cela, another Spaniard. Brilliance does not reside in skin pigmentation. It grows from the essence of the inner self no matter where that individual was born or from what racial derivative. Lena's father knew the meaning of integrity and self-esteem: Rewards don't prove you're somebody, Lena. When you're somebody inside yourself, you don't need to be told. (page 14)

All too often, people need to express their achievements in terms of awards and prizes as a reminder to themselves and an indicator to others that they, as persons, are important. The really important persons do not need tangible reminders to reaffirm the existence of their particular talents. To uncertain others, the gift does not exist without the reminder. He iterated this same ideology with: Nobody's better than anybody else. The Lord has a special need for all of us, or we wouldn't be here. But the thing you want to strive for, always, is to be better than yourself. (page 18) If everyone adhered to this belief, there would be no violence based on the precept that there are those who are better than others. Racial, social, political, and religious bias would be eliminated.

When Lena's father stated that he didn't think killing people was any way to solve problems (page 22), he trapped himself in the universal conundrum of Biblical references that urge reserving vengeance for the Lord, turning the other cheek versus the proposition that justice demands an eye for an eye as retribution. It is a paradox that exists even today with murderers being released for good behavior while the victims remain incarcerated in their irrevocable tombs. I was affected by Claudia's thought that her husband had forty years of history to give to Lena and had failed to do so. Her words reminded me that I have a half century to give my children and that it is not too late to start, especially since one of them is not here, yet. (page 23)

That is one of the reasons I have not given up on writing because through what I write, for whatever it is worth, my legacy is left, a documentation of my perceptions of life through my eyes, another medium with which they may be able to understand a complex universe.

I also understand how parents, spouses, and good friends could easily forget the Biblical restraint of Thou shalt not kill and religiously exterminate with no regrets any person who poses a threat to their life, family, or property. Lena's father struggled with those bipolar choices (page 29) as I have. My earliest beliefs were pro-life, but they changed as the prospects of survival diminished in direct proportion to the decrease in the age of criminals and the statistical data verifying the increase in untimely deaths at the hands of those who didn't value life for the precious gift that it is.

Ms. Chism's suggestion that books were of no value to Lena because of their content (page 35) reminded me of the value I always placed on books to enable me to vicariously experience conflicts and their resolutions without ever having to leave the comfort of home. It started with comic books (the Classic variety) and hadn't stopped since. The content has changed within the same forms, but the opportunity to grow with literature, art, music, and philosophy lives on. Ms. Chism portrayed that kind of unhappy person I would never want to be or see. The fact that she wants to take it all with her reveals a selfish character whose anger slowly erodes the fabric of the soul. But, she does show some willingness to relent by allowing Lena to not only read but, perhaps, even own the books she so coveted. (page 37)

After the mysterious death of Bullet and the devastating picture of the dying bird, Lena expressed her feelings that I share and would fear to suffer: Everything had to die... it hurt her when death came without the healing of love and kind regret. (page 46)

Since I travel so much, every day I face accidental death at any moment. It is 30 miles each way to school on the interstate. It is 1200 miles to where I travel each month or so. Death is just a heartbeat away. I know that. I am terrified of being a statistical casualty without having finished what I started more than half a century ago - life. I am not ready to die -- not yet. There are too many things that I must do. My being decimated carnage splattered on interstate concrete wrapped in colorful steel rubble embedded in my ripped flesh clinging to shattered chunks of pulverized bone with only curious strangers to look pitifully upon my open, sightless eyes with an empty prayer on my bleeding lips is not my idea of dying in peaceful repose. I am just not ready.

Lena's father enjoyed the living works of Whitman reinforced my own concept that poetry, as literature, should speak to the reader as if he were there. When I write, I try to keep that in mind more stringently, especially when I think that my writing is the mirror of my mind and some readers don't want to see either my writing or my mind. (page 53) Lena's father mentioned that books are worth being scared for (page 69) and I stay scared, watching you grow up with that good mind all hungry for learning and nothing to feed it with. I want you to know things and do things. Use your talents, pour yourself out. I want you to believe you can do anything you set out to, if it's good....And I wanted those books for a beginning. I'd go further (sic) than Hawk Hill for that -- I'd go around the world. (page 70)

My two-year old is bilingual and I feel I cannot teach him fast enough all there is for a youngster like him to learn. It is twice as hard because he has a double vocabulary base for a single set of referents. I want him to read soon because through reading now he will establish a pattern of behavior that will look upon reading as a natural byproduct of living. The sooner he starts, the easier it will be for him to want to continue. The world can be his library, and through books, he can feast on the buffet of the world. Lena's father's submission to the precept that there is nothing wrong with working for others, that some of the greatest people served under others, makes me more determined to maintain my sense of individuality. That's really why I became a teacher. Although I was responsible for a group of students and accountable to superiors for the programs I utilized in the teaching process, I really was responsible only to myself to face the immediate task of addressing the needs of my students.

Ouida Sebastyen knows well how to describe the life of the slave and what it is like to spend a lifetime picking cotton, a task of drudgery to which few today are willing to or are able to relate. It wasn't so much the work itself but the attitudes of the white overseers who saw the black laborers as insignificant others. Lena's perception that there were those who had to put others down and make them feel inferior just to bolster their own sense of inadequacy. (page 90)

Winslow Starnes, who was clearly beaten in the Bible Bee,showed hope for the Caucasians as he emerged from the well of hatred unscathed deep inside, though he was dictated to by those in control of his behavior rather than his thoughts. He recognized the ultimate inconsequentiality of color as the criterion for admirable achievement. But, I thought it perspicacious of Lena to wonder if, punningly, Winslow were trying to rub the color out of the blackboard (page 99) much as he may have been trying to rub the prejudice out of his existence.

Lena's sense of responsibility was emphasized with her determined and successful effort to locate her father who was mortally wounded in an altercation with Tater Haney. Yet, his lessons to her were not in vain. She and Winslow both grew in the recognition of their responsibilities and were able to face the consequences of their actions. Even the elder Haney learned to live with the decisions he caused to be made. So also do I recognize that I have to live with the decisions I had made in the past that put me where I am. From there, I can look forward to the future and prepare myself for new conflicts, new decisions, and unforeseen consequences that I will have to deal with then, God willing I survive my many more northward treks with the promise of imminent and total annihilation. I knock on wood, cross fingers and toes, make signs of the cross, touch a rabbit's foot, and am subtly aware of black cats crossing my path. Shouldn't that be enough?

Words by Heart by Ouida Sebastyen - Book Review

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Words by Heart by Ouida Sebastyen - Book Review

Words by Heart by Ouida Sebastyen - Book Review
Words by Heart by Ouida Sebastyen - Book Review

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The Pigman by Paul Zindel - Book Review

John Conlan and Lorraine Jensen interact as any teenagers who are not overwhelmed by the problems that beset them but deal with them as they come, sometimes not just one at a time. They alternate writing chapters to inject a multiple view of the same situation with pleasing variety. It is not unlike listening to two students eagerly revealing their escapades. The Pigman himself is not so much a character as he is an ideal personified in the body of Angelo Pignati.

But, it is clear that what the Pigman represents is transiently dynamic replaceable by any stimulus which has as its goal the acquisition of self-identity. It was by assisted chance that Lorraine selected the name during their random telephone marathon, but Angelo Pignati became an integral part of the youths'transitions from children to young adults. The Pigman, despite his wry humor indicative of regression to second childhood, issues profound challenges that test the perceptivity of John and Lorraine concerning their values. The combination of young innocence and aged experience fulfills both sets of needs for parental bonding sorely lacking in John and all too weak with Lorraine.

The revelation of the loss of the Pigman's wife only heightens the need for this bond. The importance of honesty in any relationship is brought to light as Lorraine and John struggle with the decision whether or not to reveal to Mr. Pignati the truth about their chance meeting. He, however, is a master psychologist and knows how to extract from the unwary couple their subconscious aspirations. The negative parental images are not fiction; they recreate Paul Zindel's own conflicts in his novel personae reflected not only in this story but also forming the common thread throughout his others.

As is so true to life, the depth of feeling for the Pigman is not realized until the pain they inflict on him is complete, albeit unintentional. It takes his inevitable death to punctuate the severity of their loss. It is not unintentional that similar images, like baboons, are replete throughout Zindel's stories. They are meaningful to him and should be as significant to the readers no matter what their age might be.

Evaluation: Paul Zindel knows children, their problems, and some solutions. He doesn't offer the answers to questions like Where am I going? but opens the child's mind to possibilities that must be answered by the child himself. The story addresses peer problems concerning interpersonal relationships without wallowing in blatant sexuality, family ties, friendship, and death. But, the primary thrust of this story is personal identity at an age when individuality is so difficult to assert.

Recommendation: This story is appropriate for any student who can pick up the book and read with minimal effort. It is more than a tale of misadventure and emotion; it is a commentary on human behavior between family members, peers, and children with adults.

Teaching: The style of this narrative opens avenues for creativity not only for exploring other models based on the alternate writer method but also for answering questions addressed in the plot: Who is YOUR pigman? Where are YOU going? What is important to YOU? Different classes could take the same test the Pigman gave to Lorraine and John with the boatman and the assassin. Variations on that same theme, looking for personal values, may provide incredible insight into the personalities of students and teachers alike.

The Pigman by Paul Zindel - Book Review

Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video

Video Clips. Duration : 2.93 Mins.

Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video

Amazing shots from a kid (Titus) between 18 and 24 months old. He began shooting baskets shortly after learning to walk, we started filming some, and then got totally carried away. This is the trick shot video that makes other trick shot videos look like a bunch of old guys who should have something better to do -- like retire, turn up their pacemakers, or join an assisted living facility. Soundtrack is original.

Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video

Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video

Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video

Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video

No URL Unbelievable Little Kid Does a Trick Shot Video




Amazing shots from a kid (Titus) between 18 and 24 months old. He began shooting baskets shortly after learning to walk, we started filming some, and then got totally carried away. This is the trick shot video that makes other trick shot videos look like a bunch of old guys who should have something better to do -- like retire, turn up their pacemakers, or join an assisted living facility. Soundtrack is original.

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The Pigman by Paul Zindel - Book Review

The Pigman by Paul Zindel - Book Review
The Pigman by Paul Zindel - Book Review

Mockingjay

The Pigman's Legacy by Paul Zindel - Book Review

Welcome back, John and Lorraine, to a more mature adventure in search for identity under the auspices of total truth and unwavering honesty. Angelo Pignati did not die in vain. His resounding effect on John and Lorraine awakened in them deep feelings they ignored because of their youthful naivete. They may have had doubts about their role in the death of the Pigman because they could never be sure that their actions, if different, may have had a more positive result. Such hindsight is rarely beneficial unless one learns from his indiscretions.

Just as the concept of the Pigman may be said to reside in different people in variable circumstances, there could be no doubt that the spirit of Angelo Pignati reincarnated itself in the person of Colonel Glenville, whose apparent poverty was his only company in the face of imminent death. He identified himself as Gus, who was actually his canine companion faithful beyond the end, and probed the hearts and minds of both John and Lorraine (again, alternating as narrators) to elicit from them the essence of their respective IDS. Like Mr. Pignati, the Colonel effectively drove Lorraine and John to the ultimate of their pursuit of identity not only to quash the feelings of doubt about themselves but to form the foundation of their truthful exposition of themselves to each other as well as to their families and peers.

The Colonel's Game of Life had the same goal as Mr. Pignati's Assassin/Boatman challenge, the solidification of moral fiber, goals, and determination of values. It was complex and, understandably, more open-ended and subject to more liberal interpretation. The result was the same: greater insight into the essence of the self.

The unlikely scenario of the Studebaker ride, essential for the mobility required to transport the quartet of Dolly, the Colonel, John, and Lorraine to Atlantic City, smacked of the humor of Bernie [Weekend at Bernie's] as the lively cadaver without the morbidity. The revitalization of the life of the Colonel with Dolly paralleled the birth of the idyllic love of Lorraine for John. As the Colonel re-emerged from death, so also do John and Lorraine encapsulate themselves in love for each other. But, it takes a devastating, emotional tragedy for John to come to grips with his nearly fatal, tragic flaw, which awakens in him the fact that the weaknesses of the parents can materialize with similar vices in the progeny. Forgiveness of the self empowers forgiveness of others.

It would have been romantic for Lorraine to have been able to exert the necessary power over John to save him from himself; but, realistically, someone so entrenched in the mire of his own misconception of self would not allow himself to be so dissuaded. He had to fail in order to realize his own frailty and succeed in finding himself and his feelings for Lorraine, which he had for so long denied. The Colonel had to die poor to allow others to live, and love, from his richness. Somewhere, another Pigman lives, waiting to be discovered by those who are most in need of him and his legacy.

Evaluation: Once again, the alternating narrators style works to make the reading easier for both boys and girls. Both are able to relate more personally and identify with the real problems John and Lorraine feel. The consistency in the natures of both Angelo and the Colonel provides the unity of purpose Zindel expresses through his characters -- to address viable responses to psychological and social problems faced by young adults in a world that draws no clear lines of demarcation. Providing older problems that include travel, drinking, gambling, and personal responsibility expands the scope of the experiences with Angelo Pignati, the forerunner of all Pigmen to come.

Recommendation: This is an indispensable sequel to the first Pigman novel and would satisfy the hunger of an even wider range of students because of the more serious conflicts that are addressed. It can be read to those who are younger just for the sheer adventure without delving into the deeper meanings of the questions that are posed.

Teaching: Undoubtedly, I would teach both as if they were part one and part two of the same book. I would also incorpotrate variations of the items found on the Colonel's Road of Life exercise with creative input from students to provide their own individual roads and rationalizations. I would not hesitate to incorporate as a preview to the texts Zindel's biographical sketch, The Pigman and Me.

The Pigman's Legacy by Paul Zindel - Book Review

"THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

Tube. Duration : 2.82 Mins.

"THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

So THAT'S what they were saying... Like on Facebook! www.facebook.com Follow on Twitter! twitter.com

"THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

"THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL



"THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

No URL "THE NFL : A Bad Lip Reading" — A Bad Lip Reading of the NFL

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