YA Literature

Entries Tagged as 'YA Literature'

Hunger Games Movie News!

January 26, 2011 · 1 Comment · Books, Movies from Books, YA Literature

The hunger games by suzanne collins free giveaway photo © 2010 Carissa Rogers | more info (via: Wylio)
Hey gang! Sorry it’s been so long since an update, but I guess time just got away from me. I think that there should be more frequent posts from here on out through the school year. It’s going to be a long one due to all this snow, so I guess we ought to just buckle down and get comfortable!

I ran across some interesting news while doing my snow-day blog reading. Apparently the movie version has acquired a release date! According to a post on Entertainment Weekly’s Shelf Life blog, we should go ahead and put March 12, 2012 on our calendars, people! I feel a midnight movie trip for Mrs. Northcutt coming on!

So, Hunger Games fans – what do you think? LG Book club, how are you doing on reading this fabulous book? Can you see the movie in your minds?

P.S. I found a pretty cool fansite called The Hob that Hunger Games fans should definitely check out and Entertainment Weekly has a whole section of neat stuff! Have you found any HG websites to share with others?

What I Did With My Summer Vacation…

June 22, 2010 · 1 Comment · 2010 ERP, 2011 KBA, Books, Realistic Fiction, YA Literature

Hey gang! Well, it’s been an embarrassingly long time since I’ve posted anything here. There’s not really a great excuse other than my second semester was CRAZY busy! I do believe, however, that I am back on the blog wagon and I am fully prepared to do a better job of giving you interesting stuff to read/watch/look at!

To get that rolling, you might want to check out the updated links on the “Book Videos” page and if you go to the “Reading Projects” page you’ll notice that I’m slowly building the reading lists for the Fall 2010 Electronic Reading Project for grades 6-8. The only FOR SURE picks at the moment are the books on the Kentucky Bluegrass Award Master List for Grades 6-8. I’ve got links to videos promoting three of the titles (Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld, The Storm in the Barn by Matt Phelan and Million Dollar Throw by Mike Lupica) and I just finished creating a video for Deborah Lytton’s Jane in Bloom! Let me tell you, I HEART the books on this year’s middle school KBA list!

Check out my video and see what you think! Leave me a comment about what YOU are reading!

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Hunger Games #3 Has a Title! (and a cover…)

February 11, 2010 · 1 Comment · Adventure Fiction, Books, Fantasy Fiction, Science Fiction, YA Literature

I…can’t…breathe! This is the best news I’ve heard in a while! I’m not sure that I’ll make it until August 24th when I can actually get to read it, but I can stare at the cover image starting NOW. I know that I keep telling people that I almost threw Catching Fire off my front porch when I was finished, but it was only because I did not have Mockingjay already accessible! You guys who’ve read it know what I’m talking about…

I am thrilled! Would you believe, dear readers, that I even have a mockingjay pin that I’ve been wearing on my winter coat? I’m such a fangirl sometimes.

Of course there’s no news on what the book will actually be ABOUT plot-wise, but the following list of things that most certainly will NOT be in the novel were pretty hilarious and I had to share them with you. They were created by Scholastic Publishing’s David Levithan (VP Editorial Director) and featured on their blog.

Panem is not shaken up when District 9 is nominated for a best picture Oscar.
At no point does President Snow utter the line, “This is Snowmageddon, baby.”
Despite internet rumors to the contrary, it is not revealed that Cinna has been secretly designing outfits for a Capitol operative known as “Lady GaGa.”
All rumors of a crossover appearance by Geronimo Stilton are false.
In a tough editorial call, we decided not to have Katniss win the Hunger Games…only to be interrupted by Kanye West.

HA! funny stuff! Not so funny? Having to wait! ARGHH! Oh, and by the way – are you Team Peeta or Team Gale?

Twilight – the Graphic Novel!

January 20, 2010 · 2 Comments · Books, Fantasy Fiction, Horror Fiction, Movies from Books, Romance Fiction, YA Literature

I must admit, I do enjoy a well-done graphic novel. It’s not everyone’s proverbial cup of tea, but I like seeing what a talented artist can do to bring stories to life in that format. Having a talented writer along for the ride is certainly always a plus, as well.

Enter the latest entry in the graphic novel universe – a little book by author Stephenie Meyer called Twilight. Ever heard of it? ;) Love it or hate it, it’s certainly a book that’s difficult to ignore.

Click HERE for a link to the article I read at Entertainment Weekly magazine’s Shelf Life book blog about this forthcoming publication. Oh, and see below for the cover…I think it looks pretty cool and VERY interesting…

Week #1 – 8th Grade

April 20, 2009 · 51 Comments · 2009 Book Projects - Spring, 8th Grade, Books, YA Literature

Like the 90s alternative rock band The Offspring said, “You gotta keep ‘em separated” (from the super-cool tune “Come Out and Play”).

Of course, I think that The Offspring might have been referring to gang violence, but the phrase still works for my purposes. Just roll with it.

To hopefully cut down on confusion, 6th and 8th graders will have separate posts for their weekly assignments. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE WRITING YOUR COMMENTS ON THE CORRECT POST OR THEY WILL BE DELETED. With that out of the way, on with the topic.

This is a two-part question.

Name and describe the main character of your first project book. Include info such as the character’s age, physical features, and aspects of their personality.

AND

Describe how you feel about the main character of your book. Do you like them? Dislike them? Do you think that you would want to interact with the character if he/she/it was a real person? Make sure that you tell us WHY you feel the way that you do.

Clear as mud? I hope so. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask in person or email me.

Take it away, 8th graders!

You’ve Read Twilight. Now What?

February 6, 2009 · 12 Comments · Books, Fantasy Fiction, Horror Fiction, Romance Fiction, YA Literature

Hello again! One of my favorite new toys in the world is a website called Animoto. It is a web-based site that allows you to create really cool videos and one of the best things about it is that you can make 30-second videos for FREE! Just upload your images, pick some music and it’s INSTANT coolness! You should DEFINITELY try it out yourself. You can even make nifty Valentine videos for a limited time!

To learn how to use this nifty tool myself, I decided to create a video that would perhaps give you some ideas for what to read AFTER Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight or its sequels. I know that quite a few of you really enjoyed that book and there’s no reason to stop reading just because you finished that one!

SO, check out my video and let me know which ones of these look the coolest! Or if YOU have read some of these books, then share with other readers which ones they should go for FIRST!

I’m Mrs, Northcutt, and I approved this message…

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton–7th grade Literacy Class

December 2, 2008 · 27 Comments · Audiobooks, Book Reviews, Books, Realistic Fiction, YA Literature

Hello 7th grade students!

I hope you enjoyed reading The Outsiders as much as I did. This is such a great book about social cliques and how those cliques can affect society and change people’s lives. It amazes me that S.E. Hinton was only in high school when she wrote and published it! Later, we will watch the movie version of the book, and I will get to hear what you think about it, but in the meantime, I’d like to hear your thoughts and interpretations on the book itself.

Choose one or more of the following quotes from the book. Interpret and explain what you think the quote means and why the character may have said it.

Ponyboy: “I lie to myself all the time. But I never believe me” – pg. 18

Cherry to Pony: “I could fall in love with Dallas Winston. I hope I never see him again or I will.” – pg. 46

Johnny to Pony: “Stay Gold Ponyboy” – pg. 148

Pony to Cherry: “It’s okay… We aren’t in the same class. Just don’t forget that some of us watch the sunset too.” – pg. 46

Randy to Pony: “Greasers will still be greasers and Socs will still be Socs. Sometimes I think it’s the ones in the middle that are really the lucky stiffs.” – pg. 117

Ponyboy: “What kind of a world is it where all I have to be proud of is a reputation for being a hood and greasy hair? I don’t want to be a hood, but even if I don’t steal things and mug people and get boozed up, I’m marked lousy. Why should I be proud of it? Why should I even pretend to be proud of it?” pg. 132

Ponyboy: “It was too vast a problem to be just a personal thing. There should be some help, someone should tell them before it was too late. Someone should tell their side of the story, and maybe people would understand then, and wouldn’t be so quick to judge a boy by the amount of hair oil he wore.” – pg. 179

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