Action/Adventure Literature Circles
Trish McCoy
Room 203
MMS
There are several elements of the action/adventure genre
that make this sort of tale appealing. Let's take a look at the
characteristics of an action/adventure tale.
* A Likeable hero that is usually male. This character follows a moral code,
even if it is sometimes outside the law and uses his skills and ingenuity to
extricate himself and those with him from dangerous or volatile situations.
* An unlikable antagonist, or villain if you prefer. This character has no moral
code, and is almost always outside the law, using their skills and ingenuity
to thwart everything the hero does. This character loves being bad.
* There is always physical action. Characters are often placed in extreme
situations.
* Almost always fast paced. The tale may start slow, but the pacing always
builds toward the middle and end. The action pulls the reader along and into
the story building toward a culminating event
* Violence of some kind is always an element of an action/adventure tale, no
matter how large or small that violent act might be. The violence in an
action/adventure tale is usually graphically described. An example of this
would be a battle description.
* The setting is usually changeable, moving from place to place as we follow
the protagonist through his journey. The setting is important because it
underlines the sense of danger and obstacles to be overcome.
What
is
a
literature
circle?
A literature circle is a group of students reading the same book. All
groups in the class will be reading the same genre.
The groups will meet to read and understand sections, to review for
presentations, to discuss the book, to encourage and motivate.
Groups are NOT to enable a student to NOT read the book and just
gather information from others in the group. This helps no one
and will reflect in everyone’s grade!
At the end of the section, groups will work together to prepare and
present a PowerPoint on their book.
The grades for the students will be recorded from the PowerPoint
presentation, student participation in the group exercises, and
various worksheets and assignments given by the teacher.
You MUST read the book in order to achieve passing scores on
these assignments.
Once you choose a book, it is yours. There will be no switching
groups!
Only five students per group. Do NOT choose a group simply
because your friends are in it. You will be stuck with this book for
five to six weeks, and you will have to read it; choose a group by
book.
• Every time Martin opens
Every
time Martin
opens
his mouth,
he gets
in
histrouble.
mouth,He's
he gets
in
just been
trouble.
He's
been
dumped
at just
the last
place
dumped
attake
the last
that will
him; place
a
thatschool
will take
school
filledhim;
withafreaks,
filled
with and
freaks,
misfits,
misfits,
psychotic
andbullies.
psychotic
bullies. His
His roommate
roommate
starts
fires, his
starts fires,
his new
new
friends
thieves
friends
areare
thieves
andand
cheats,
and
hishis
teachers
cheats,
and
teachers
hate
him.
Then
things
hate
him.
Then
thingsstart
to get
startreally
to getweird.
really weird.
Twelve-year-old Becker Drane has definitely
got the coolest job of any seventh grader in
Highland Park, New Jersey. He works as a
Fixer
for The Seems.
From the opens
Department
• Every
time Martin
of Weather to the Department of Sleep, The
his mouth, he gets in
Seems is a secret organization that makes
trouble.
He'srunning—and
just beenmore
sure our
world keeps
dumped
lastthat’s
place
importantly,
sticksat
to the
The Plan
been
madethat
for it. will
But The
Plan,
and The
take
him;
a Seems for
that matter,
would
be nothing
without the
school
filled
with freaks,
people in it, and that’s where Becker Drane
misfits, and psychotic
comes in. When a Glitch is reported in the
bullies.
His roommate
Department
of Sleep,
Becker is dispatched
fires,
hissure
new
to Fixstarts
it, but he’s
not so
this is a routine
mission.
Could are
the Bed
Bugs, who
are
friends
thieves
and
behind
our Worstand
Nightmares,
be
cheats,
his teachers
responsible for the problems? Or maybe it’s
hate him. Then things
The Tide, an underground organization bent
start toThe
getSeems?
reallyNoweird.
on destroying
matter what,
Becker’s in for quite an adventure, and it’ll
take all his training, a little luck, and the
coolest Tools™ known in (or out of) the
Seems to Fix the problem.
Two new novels in series hopefully
will be made available to group.
•
•Littlest One is a tiny creature
slowly learning her job of giving
dreams to humans. Each night she
and
teacher,
Thin
Elderly,
visit
Littlest One
is aher
tiny
creature
slowly
learning
an old dreams
woman’stohome
where
she
her job of giving
humans.
Each
softly
touches
beloved
objects,
night she and
her
teacher,
Thin Elderly,
visit
gathering
happy
memories,
and
an old woman’s home where she softly
drops of
old scents
and sounds.
touches beloved
objects,
gathering
happy
Littlest
One
pieces
these
bits
memories, and drops of old scents and
together
presents
sounds. Littlest
Oneand
pieces
thesethem
bits to her
sleeping
human
form
of
together and
presents
themintothe
her
sleeping
pleasant
dreams.
Butdreams.
the dreaded
human in the
form of
pleasant
But
Sinisteeds,
dark
fearsome
the dreaded Sinisteeds, dark fearsome
creatures
plague
their
victims
creatures that
plaguethat
their
victims
with
with
are always
work
nightmares,
arenightmares,
always at work
againstatthe
against
thethe
dreamgivers.
When in
the
dreamgivers.
When
old woman takes
old woman
in John,
an angry
John, an angry
foster takes
child with
a troubled
foster childgowith
a troubled
past, the Sinisteeds
after
him with past,
their the
Sinisteeds go
after
him with
horrifying nightmares.
Can
Littlest
One,their
and
horrifying
nightmares.
Can
Littlest
her touch light as gossamer, protect John’s
One,from
and the
her nightmare
touch light of
ashis
heart and soul
dark past?gossamer, protect John’s heart and
soul from the nightmare of his dark
past?
A fast-paced, impossible-to-put-down
adventure awaits as the young
orphan Peter and his mates are
dispatched
to animpossible-to-put-down
island ruled by the
• A fast-paced,
eviladventure
King Zarboff.
They
setyoung
sail orphan Peter
awaits
as the
aboard
the mates
Neverare
Land,
a ship to an island
and his
dispatched
carrying
a precious
andZarboff.
mysterious
ruled by
the evil King
They set sail
trunk
in itsthe
cargo
hold-and
aboard
Never
Land, athe
ship carrying a
journey
quickly
precious
and becomes
mysteriousfraught
trunk in its cargo
withhold-and
excitement
and danger.
the journey
quickly becomes
Discover
developedand
characters
fraughtrichly
with excitement
danger.
in the
sweet richly
but sophisticated
Molly, in the
Discover
developed characters
the sweet
scary but
butsophisticated
familiar Black
Stache,
Molly,
the scary but
andfamiliar
the fearless
Peter. Treacherous
Black Stache,
and the fearless
battles
with
pirates, foreboding
Peter.
Treacherous
battles with pirates,
thunderstorms
at sea, and evocative
foreboding thunderstorms
at sea, and
writing
immerse
theimmerse
reader inthe
a story
evocative
writing
reader in a
thatstory
slowly
finally
the the
thatand
slowly
andreveals
finally reveals
secrets
andand
mysteries
ofofthe
secrets
mysteries
thebeloved
beloved Peter
Peter
Pan.
Pan.
For
Forgenerations,
generations,the
theBeaumont
Beaumontfamily
family has
has
harbored
harbored
a magical
a magical
secret.
secret.
They
They
each
each
possess
possess
a "savvy"
a "savvy"
— a special
— asupernatural
special
power that
supernatural
strikes whenpower
they turn
thatthirteen.
strikes when
Grandpa
they
turn
moves
thirteen.
mountains,
Grandpa
Bomba
older brothers
•Bomba
For
generations,
the
Beaumonther
family
has harbored
a magical
moves
create
mountains,
hurricanes
and
her secret.
older
sparkThey
brothers
electricity... and
each possess a "savvy" — a special
power
thatspark
strikes
create
nowsupernatural
it's
hurricanes
the eve
ofand
Mibs's
bigwhen
electricity...
day.
they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba
and
As moves
ifnow
waiting
it's
the
weren't
eve
hard
Mibs's
enough,
big day.
the family
mountains,
herof
older
brothers
hurricanes
andhard
spark
electricity...
As
gets
ifcreate
waiting
scary
news
weren't
two
daysenough,
before Mibs's
the
and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.
family
birthday:
Poppa
scary
has
news
twoin
days
a terrible
before
•
As ifgets
waiting
weren't
hardbeen
enough,
the
family
gets birthday:
scary
news develops
two
days before
Mibs's
Mibs's
accident.
Mibs
Poppa
has
thebeen
singular
in a mission
birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible
terrible
to get
to
accident.
the
hospital
Mibsthe
and
develops
prove
the
that her new
accident.
Mibs
develops
singular
mission
to getcan
to
thesave
hospital
prove
thatshe
her
new
singular
power
mission
her
toand
get
dad.
to So
the
hospital
sneaks onto a
power can save her dad. So she sneaks
onto
a salesman's
only
tofind
find the
and
salesman's
prove
that
bus...
herbus...
only
new
to
power
can
thebus
bus
saveheading
heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly
her
in the
dad.
opposite
So herself
she direction.
sneaks
onto
Suddenly
a
Mibs finds
Mibs
finds
on an unforgettable
odyssey
will
force
her to
to make
sense
of that will
salesman's
herself
onthat
an
bus...
unforgettable
only
findodyssey
the bus
growing up — and of other people, who
heading
force
her
into
the
make
opposite
sense
direction.
of
growing
up — and
might
also
have
a few
secrets
hidden
just
beneathpeople,
the skinfinds
Suddenly
of other
Mibs
whoherself
might also
on an
have a few
Listen to Chapter One
unforgettable
secrets hidden
odyssey
just beneath
that will
theforce
skin her
to make sense of growing up — and of
other
whoOne
might also have a few
Listenpeople,
to Chapter
secrets hidden just beneath the skin