Book Chats
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The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Movie Trailer
Author Talk
Genre: Science Fiction
Protagonist: Thomas
Setting: Glade
Conflict: Thomas and the other Gladers (teenage
boys) wake up trapped in a giant maze,
remembering nothing from their former life.
They must find a way out before being eaten
alive by the Grievers.
Middle School the Worst Years of My Life
by James Patterson
• Genre: Realistic Fiction
• Protagonist: Rafe
• Setting: Middle School (6th-8th
grade)
• Conflict: Rafe is a good kid but he’s
dealing with issues at home and is
bored in school. He creates a game
with his best friend Leonardo. The
objective? Break every school rule.
• James Patterson talks about this
book
This is the totally insane story of
how I, Rafe…
• Fought and overcame a diabolical teacher called the
Dragon Lady
• Sold my soul to the school bully, a dollar at a time
• Wrestled with a real live bear, repeatedly
• Fell kind of in “like” with the most popular girl in school
• Went into the soda business and went bust
• Accidently-on-purpose hurt all the people I care about
The worst days of my life were good sometimes. Bad
sometimes. But mostly they were hilarious.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Protagonist: Melinda
Setting: High School
Conflict: Melinda busted an end of
summer party by calling the cops. Now,
she is the most hated girl in school. She
trusts no one, and falls into a deep
depression because of a secret that is
haunting her.
Breathing Underwater
by Alex Flinn
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Protagonist: Nick- good looking,
popular, athletic
Setting: Miami, high school
Conflict: Nick is sentenced to
anger management classes
because his ex-girlfriend Caitlyn
has taken a restraining order
against him. He is ordered by the
judge to write about their
relationship.
If I Stay By Gayle Forman
• Genre: Realistic Fiction
• Setting: Hospital, flashbacks
• Main Characters: Mia, her family, and BF Adam
If I Stay
By Gale Forman
Book Chats- Conflict
• Take your SSR book and your note card.
• Stand in two lines.
• Read/describe the conflict of your book to
your partner.
• Your partner must guess the type of conflict
you’ve just described.
• Switch roles.
• 1 minute
Book Chats:
Take on the point of view of your protagonist!
• Hello my name is _________________ and I
am the protagonist of the book
_______________.
• I am about ____ years old and I live ________.
• One interesting fact about me is
______________.
• Some other characters that are important to
me are ______________________________.
• Right now I am facing a conflict because
____________________.
Skeleton Creek Series
by Patrick Carman
• Setting: an abandoned gold dredge in the
town, Skeleton Creek
• External Conflict: Strange things are
happening in the town and Ryan and Sarah
are trying to prove the dredge is haunted by
the ghost of Old Joe Bush
• Protagonists: Ryan and Sarah
• Ryan records everything in his journal, Sarah
videotapes clues and sends them to Ryan
Sold
Patricia McCormick
Realistic Fiction
Copyright: 2006
Exposition-Lakshmi (young girl) Protagonist
Mumtaz (runs the brothel)Antagonist
Setting: Begins in a small village in the mountains of
Nepal and then a city in India.
Conflict: Lakshmi’s stepfather gambles away all of
the family’s money and they begin to starve. He
sells her to Mumtaz to become a prostitute.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytlDtf-AXTE
Facts about Human Trafficking
• Almost 200,000 girls from Nepal, many of them
under the age of 14, are working as sex slaves in
India
• An estimated two million women and children
are sold into the sex trade every year, the U.S.
research group Protection Project states
Edgar Allan Poe-The Black Cat (1843)
Poe is best known as one of the earliest American writers of the short story
and is considered the inventor of the detective-fiction genre.
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Genre: Horror
Antagonist: The Black Cat
Protagonist: The narrator
Point of View: 1st person
• Conflict: The conflict begins to unfold when the
man describes how his personality changes
because of his heavy drinking which results in
moodiness and violence. He starts abusing his cat
Pluto and then soon directs it towards his wife.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzA2NHwYtWA
Deadline
by Chris Crutcher
Genre: realistic fiction
Setting: present day high school
Protagonist: Ben, 18 years old, diagnosed
with a rare blood disease
Conflict: keeps his sickness a secret but
wants to make the most of the few months
he has left. Ben starts to wonder how his
family and friends will cope once he’s gone.
Repossessed-by A.M Jenkins
• Main Character: Kirel (A Demon or AKA-Fallen Angel)
• Genre: Fantasy
• Conflict: Internal (feels guilty that he overtook a
teenager’s body)
Plot: Kirel needs a vacation from tormenting the dead
souls in hell, so he takes a forbidden break. He takes
over the body of 17-year-old Shaun Simpson moments
before the teen steps in front of a speeding cement
mixer. He takes over living Shaun’s life and shows how
Shaun did not appreciate the value of his best friend,
brother and parents-things humans take for granted.
Unlikely Friendships
• Author: Jennifer S. Holland
• Genre: Nonfiction
• Stories about animals who have nothing in common, bond
in the most unexpected ways and thrive on warmth,
closeness, and trust that come with best friends.
• Some unusual “friendships”: The Cockatoo and the cat, The
Dachshund and the piglet, and The Gorilla and the kitten
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• http://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=A2KLqIRj
aKFQAyAAea37w8QF;_ylu=X3oDMTBncGdyMzQ0BHNlYwN
zZWFyY2gEdnRpZAM?p=unlikely+friendships+you+tube&ei=utf-8&fr=yfp-t-701
Book Chats
• The title of my book is __________ and the
author is_______.
• I chose to read this book because__________.
• The protagonist of my book is ______________
and he/she is (age/personality).
• The antagonist of my book is ______________
because _____________.
• One interesting thing that has happened so far in
the plot is _____________________.
Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson
• Protagonists: Lia and Cassie (18
years old), best friends since
second grade
• Conflict: Cassie just died
mysteriously and Lia is coping with
her death as well as her own
struggle with anorexia. She starves
herself because it is her only way
to cope with her own problems
and insecurities.
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
Flipped
The Outsiders
• Protagonist:
• Antagonist:
• Conflict:
House Rules
by Jodi Picoult
Handle with Care
by Jodi Picoult
The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
Peak
By Roland Smith
Peak
By Roland Smith
The Hunger Games
By Suzanne Colllins
Hunger Games
By Suzanne Collins
The Shack
by William P. Young
The Shack
WM. Paul Young
Unwind
by Neal Shusterman
If I Stay By Gayle Forman
• Genre: Realistic Fiction
• Setting: Hospital, flashbacks
• Main Characters: Mia, her family, and BF Adam
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by
John Boyne
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Setting: World War II
Concentration Camp
• Main Characters: Bruno and
Schumel
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
I won’t describe
what I look like.
Whatever
you’re thinking,
it’s probably
worse.
Protagonist: August “Auggie”, 5th grade
- Born with a severely deformed face
- 27 surgeries
Conflict: Auggie is starting school for
the first time and his classmates are
horrified by his face.
*Each section is a different character’s
point of view.
Sundays at Tiffany’s
by James Patterson
• Protagonist: Jane, 9 years old
• Conflict: Jane’s mom is always too busy for her, so her only
companion is an imaginary friend named Michael. Michael
leaves her on her 9th birthday, promising she’ll forget him…
but she doesn’t.
• movie trailer
The Acorn People
Ron Jones (Nonfiction)
Characters: Ron Jones (camp counselor)
Ron signs up to be a camp counselor thinking that he would have a fun vacation
swimming and boating at the camp. He finds out that his is responsible for five
students with severe physical handicaps. They are known as the Acorn People.
• Benny B: A child who is in a wheelchair because of polio .
• Spider: Has 2 extra arms and a extra leg.
• Aaron (A.K.A.) Arid: smells awful, he has no bladder
• Thomas : has muscular sclerocis
• Martin-Blind
• Theme: Over time, they teach their counselor that despite their disabilities, they
are just like everyone else on the inside and that they are capable of
accomplishing anything.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=wNpchXQ1jh4&NR=1
DIVERGENT BY VERONICA ROTH
Genre: Science Fiction
 Protagonist: Beatrice (Tris), 16 years old
 Setting: Chicago (in the future)
 Plot: Tris finds out she’s divergent and
chooses to leave her faction (Abnegation) to
join another Dauntless.
 Five Factions
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Abnegation (the selfless)
 Amity (the peaceful)
 Candor (the honest)
 Dauntless (the brave)
 Erudite (the intelligent)
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Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters
by
Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and his friends, Annabeth and
Tyson, team up for an adventure when they
need to travel to an island in the Bermuda
Triangle to find Grover and recover the Golden
Fleece.
The Golden Fleece is a gold-hair winged ram.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KoOtiuSjuI
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By Sherman Alexie
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
By Sherman Alexie
• Thirteen Reasons Why
Jay Asher
Sarah’s Key
by Tatiana De Rosnay
• Setting: France, 1942
• Protagonist: Sarah (10 years old)
and her family
• Antagonist: The French military
• External Conflict: Sarah’s family has
been captured and sent to a
concentration camp
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
0AmxnNxiNWA
Stuck in Neutral
by Terry Trueman
• Protagonist: Shawn (14 years old)
with cerebral palsy
• Point of View: first person, Shawn
• Setting: Seattle
• Antagonist: Shawn’s father
• External conflict: Shawn knows his
dad is thinking about killing him
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
RZ_pLwYP3bA
Book Chats
• In groups of 4, use your SSR journal to discuss
the book you are currently reading.
5:00
Chinese Handcuffs
by Chris Crutcher
• Realistic Fiction
• Protagonists: Dilon &
Jennifer
• Conflict: Both Dilon &
Jennifer are dealing with
a terrible past
The Boy from the Basement by
Susan Shaw
• Realistic Fiction
• Protagonist: Charlie
• Conflict: Brainwashed
by abusive father
When You Reach Me
by Rebecca Stead
• 2010 Newbery Medal
• Genre: Science Fiction & Mystery
• Protagonists: Miranda and best
friend Sal
• Conflict: Miranda is finding creepy
notes that predict her future
• Setting: NYC
• The laughing homeless man
always says “book bag pocket
shoe”
• clues are found in the story itself,
on the map, in words and chapter
titles
Book Chats
• WHO is the book about?
• WHAT is the book about (quick plot
summary)
• WHEN does the story take place?
• WHERE does the story take place?
• WHY did you choose to read this book?
• HOW do you think this book will end?
(prediction)
The First Note
• I am coming to save your friend’s life, and
my own.
I must ask two favors. First, you must write
me a letter.
Crank
by Ellen Hopkins
Go Ask Alice
Anonymous
A Child Called It
by Dave Pelzer
Three Little Words
by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
Among the Hidden
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
• Protagonist: Luke
• Static Character: Jen, Luke’s neighbor
and another shadow child
• Conflict: The government is coping with
food shortages by creating a Population
Police. Families are only allowed two
children. Luke is a shadow child.
Shadow children will be killed or
imprisoned.
• trailer
The Shadow Children Series (7 books)
Margaret Peterson Haddix
Book Chats
• Share with your partner(s):
– Who is the protagonist of your book? How do you
know?
– Who or what is the antagonist of your book? How
do you know?
– Based on what you’ve read so far, who is a
dynamic character? Or who do you PREDICT will
be a dynamic character? How do you know?
– Who is a static character in your book? How do
you know?
Cut
by Patricia McCormick
What my Mother Doesn’t Know
Slam
by Nick Hornby
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Protagonist: Sam
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16 years old
Lives for skateboarding and idolizes
Tony Hawk
Dreams of going to college and making
something of himself, unlike his own
father
Conflict- Sam’s girlfriend Alicia is
pregnant
Twisted
by Laurie Halse Anderson
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Genre: Realistic Fiction
Protagonist: Tyler
Conflict: External- Character Vs. Society
Tyler already has a bad reputation for doing graffiti
on the school. He attends a party with Bethany, his
Dad’s bosses daughter. After the party, nude pictures
of Bethany end up on the internet and everyone
thinks Tyler is responsible.
Rules
by Cynthia Lord
Deadline
by Chris Crutcher
Notes From the Midnight Driver
by Jordan Sonnenblick
• Protagonist: Alex, 16 years old
– Dad ran off with his 3rd grade
teacher, Mom is on her first date
since Dad left
• Conflict: an accident faces him
with a $375 fine, $125 to fix his
mom’s car, 100 hours of
community service with a nasty
old man named Sol
Book chats: pick one
• If you could have dinner with the protagonist
OR author of your SSR book, what are TWO
questions you would ask him/her?
• What are TWO ways you can connect your life
to your SSR book?
The Shadow Children Series
• Setting: future
• Protagonist: Luke, a 3rd child hiding from the
population police
• Conflict: Luke and other 3rd children are being
blamed for food shortage, so they must stay in
hiding or be killed
Book Chats: Your Turn
• Bring book with you
• Share the following: Title, Author, Genre,
Setting, Protagonist, Conflict
• Switch partners every 3 minutes
Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
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Genre: Fantasy Adventure
Protagonist: Pi
Antagonist: Nature
Setting: India, a raft in the middle of the Pacific
Plot: His family owns a zoo in India and decide to
sell the animals and move to Canada. The ship
wrecks during a storm, and Pi is the only survivor,
along with a few animals.
Final Book Chat
Look back at your SSR journal. Reflect on the
following questions:
• How have you grown as an independent reader
this year? What do you notice about your
reading habits? What genre of books have you
been reading?
• Out of all the books you read this year, which
one stands out? Why?
• How many books did you finish this year?
Write your responses to these questions as a
final entry in your SSR journal.