Eragon

Paolini, Christopher. Eragon. New York: Random House, 2002.
ISBN: 044023848x pbk.
$ 6.99

Reader’s Annotation:
This fantastic tale follows a young farm boy who finds a dragon stone.

Booktalk:
Eragon is just a poor farm boy hoping to find some food, but what he finds instead will change his world, his destiny, and your reality. Experience the transformation in: Eragon.

-Parallels to other fantasy most notably Tolken
-A quest
-Movie tie-in
-Coming of Age
-Set in an imaginary kingdom with Elves, Dwarves, Dragons
-Source of power Dragon/Sword
-Similar to King Arthur tale and others- fostered child ignorant of true destiny
-Good versus Evil dynamic
-Teacher student dynamic with Brom the storyteller

Awards:
#1 New York Times Bestseller
#1 Publishers Weekly Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
Wall Street Journal Bestseller
Book Sense Book of the Year

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Artemis Fowl

Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. New York: Hyperion Paperbacks for Children, 2001.
ISBN: 0786817070
$7.99 pbk.

Reader’s Annotation:
Artemis Fowl is a young, rich, criminal mastermind that has just found a new source of plunder in the magical realm.

Booktalk:
Who is Artemis Fowl? Perhaps it’s best to start with the facts. He is twelve years old. He comes from a very wealthy family with a criminal background. He is very intelligent. He is very greedy. These qualities paint a picture of a very well off if slightly off kilter young boy. None of these qualities explain why he is enemy number one of all fairies. Perhaps the fairies explain it best in the chapter entitled, “Translation,” on page 19:

Artemis was perhaps the only person alive who could take full advantage of his recent acquisition. He still retained a childlike belief in magic, tempered by an adult determination to exploit it. It there was anybody capable of relieving the fairies of some of their magical gold, it was Artemis Fowl the Second.

Through the fairies we learn about Artemis Fowl, but even they do not fully understand their arch enemy. The only way to fully understand Artemis is to follow along on his hair brain scheme to steal fairy gold. Will Artemis Fowl be the first to dip into the fairies’ rich treasure trove or will centuries of magic win out? The only way to find out is to take part in the adventure.


Awards/Reviews:
New York Times Bestseller
School Library Journal reviewed Dec. 1 2004 & May 1, 2001
Library Journal reviewed July 15, 2001
Booklist reviewed April 15, 2001.

Image provided by:
http://wordlily.wordpress.com/2008/09/03/artemis-fowl-by-eoin-colfer/

the house of the Scorpion

Farmer, Nancy. the house of the Scorpion. New York: Simon and Schulster, 2002.
ISBN: 0689852231 pbk.
$7.99

Reader’s Annotation:
This story follows the life of Matteo Alacran, a clone, who fights against his destiny.

Booktalk:

Matteo Alacran is not only a clone. He is the clone of the most powerful drug lord in a country called Opium. You would think that this would make Matt important or even special, but that is not the case. Matt is lower than the lowest animal, yet he is special. Matt is different from the other clones. He thinks, he dreams, he is artistic; he is most definitely different from the mindless drones that surround him. But what makes him different from other human beings?

Matt doesn’t know why he’s different. He just knows he is. But will this difference be enough to save him from his fate, the fate of all clones? Will he find out what that fate is before it’s too late? Matt’s story is one of difference and its importance. Sometimes difference can make you a target and sometimes it takes one person to make a difference in the world. Find out what happens in the house of the Scorpion.

Awards:
National Book Award Winner
Newberry Honor Book
Michael L. Printz Award
Booklist Starred Review
Kirkus Starred Review

Image provided by:
http://www.bookrags.com/The_House_of_the_Scorpion

Howl's Moving Castle

Jones, Diana Wynne. Howl’s Moving Castle. New York: Harper Collins, 1986.
ISBN: 9780061478789 pbk.$6.99


Reader’s Annotation:
Sophie is under a horrible spell that has made her into an old woman, yet it is as an old woman that Sophie has her grandest adventure.
Booktalk:
Sophie is the eldest of three sisters, a very unlucky position in life; what is it about a wicked witch, a moving castle, a lecherous wizard, and a talking fire demon that will change that? Read Howl’s Moving Castle and find out.

-Fantasy for girls
-Coming of Age
-Elements of romance, fantasy, and horror
-Combines different times and places
-Familiar motifs wicked witch, scarecrow, mistaken identity
-Academy Award-nominated movie tie-ins with Anime
-Lighthearted fantasy with a happy ending
-Destiny versus determining your own fate

Awards:
Boston Globe-Horn Honor Book
ALA Notable Book
ALA Best of the Best in YA
Booklist Starred Review

Image provided by:
http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/3034899/used/Howl%27s%20Moving%20Castle

A Wrinkle In Time

L’Engle, Madeline. A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1962.
ISBN: 0374386137
211 pp.
$21.00

Reader’s Annotation:
This story chronicles the adventures of three children that travel through space and time to save their father.

Booktalk:
Margaret Murray is a misfit. Her parents are gorgeous and smart. Twin brothers Sandy and Denny are liked by everyone. Charles Wallace, Meg’s little brother, is a child prodigy waiting to happen. Calvin, Meg’s new friend, is popular and fits in with everyone. For Meg nothing goes right. Meg Murray does everything wrong. She was dropped down to the lowest section in her grade. She is ridiculed by her classmates. She gets into fights with boys. Meg is convinced that she’s a delinquent.

On top of all this Meg’s dad has been missing for a long time. When he will get back and from where is a big question. No one including Meg’s mom knows where her dad went. Teachers at school are both curious and snide about her dad’s disapperance. Meg’s little brother, Charles Wallace, barely remembers their dad. The only clue to what happened is one word, tesseract.
No one will tell Meg what a tesseract is. She only knows that if there is a hope of saving her dad it will come from this strange unfamiliar word. Three little old women Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which all know about this word. A simple funny sounding word that is about to release a mountain of possibilities and cause a world of trouble. But what if this word has the power to bring Meg’s father back? Will Meg have the courage to learn everything about a tesseract? Where is Meg’s father, is it possible that he is just A Wrinkle in Time away?


Awards:
Flicker Tale Children's Book Award Nominee 1987
Sequoyah Book Award 1965
Newberry Award Winner 1962
Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Hans Christian Andersen Award Runner-up

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