Poll Results

During October and the first part of November, I was running some polls for my students to participate in. These were hosted on my school district internal website, and since they all revolved around The Hunger Games, I thought that I would post the results for those of you that don't have access to that website.

Poll #1:

How excited are you for the Catching Fire movie?

Response options ranged from "I'm counting down the days and will be there opening night for sure...I already have my tickets" to "What's Catching Fire?" Okay, I'm scared that there were 19 students that replied that they didn't know what Catching Fire was, because even if you didn't like the books or hadn't read the series, I think that you'd have to actually know about it with all the marketing that goes on. I'm hoping that these kids chose this answer as a joke to mess with me. Surprisingly, there were not many students that indicated they'd be there opening night either (seriously??? I'm going opening night and I don't even like to see movies on opening night). Somewhere around 40% of kids indicated that they wanted to go, and would, but they weren't in a big hurry to see it. This totally nonchalant attitude kind of surprised me.

Poll #2: Who is your favorite Hunger Games character?

This was a fun one to see how students answered, and even more entertaining to listen to students openly debate the "correct" answer. Katniss was the clear winner with 31% of the votes. Rue came in second with 19%, and Peeta and Haymitch tied for 3rd with 14% each.

Poll #3: Which movie are you most excited to see in theaters?

The three choices: Catching Fire, Book Thief, and Ender's Game.

Not surprisingly, Catching Fire garnered 73% of the votes. (Ender's Game received 15%, and Book Thief received 10%...and someday I'm going to figure out how the system did it's math...)

Just some interesting insight into what my students think. 

They love doing these polls by the way. I try and post a couple different ones each month. Ideas for poll questions? Comment here and let me know!

Hunger Games Movie Countdown

Are you a fan of The Hunger Games series? Are you excited for the upcoming movie? Make sure to get the Hunger Games Movie Countdown widget. You can find it by clicking on the movie's website.


Make sure to fan the movie's Facebook page for updates about the movie as well as pictures from filming.


And make sure to mark your 2013 calendars for the movie release of Catching Fire. Lionsgate announced today that it would arrive in theaters November, 22, 2013. Wonder when that countdown widget will arrive?

Evergreen Young Adult Book Award!

This is the first year that we participated in the statewide Evergreen Young Adult Book Awards. It is just a quirky twist that the awards seem to be named after our school. For those readers outside the state of Washington, we are also known as The Evergreen State, which is where the awards get their name.

The awards are open to all students, statewide, in grades 7-12. Each year, ten books are nominated (all must be available in paperback), and students can read any or all of them. Then in March, students vote through their school or public library (or online) for their favorite, and in April a statewide "winner" is announced. This year's nominees can be found here.

Our 7th and 8th graders participated this year and votes were tallied last week. 321 students participated by reading at least one of the books and there was definitely an overwhelming winner! With 197 votes, the EJH winner was "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. Honestly, this was not such a surprise, but I did think that some of the other nominees would garner more votes in the end.
 

If you're interested, our 2nd place winner was "The Compound" by S.A. Bodeen, and 3rd place was too close to call, a virtual tie between "Lock and Key" by Sarah Dessen and "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary Pearson.Voting is open through today, March 15th, for Washington state students in grades 7-12. If you did not get a chance to vote through your class and would like your voice to be heard, click here and VOTE NOW!

Stay tuned after spring break for the announcement of the state winner. Do you think it will be the same? I have a feeling it just might. But I could be wrong.

Now What???

The question I currently get asked the most is, "What do I read now?"  Usually said by a student, often in a "woe-is-me" voice.  However, grown-up friends, neighbors, and teachers have also been known to ask this question, usually via Facebook, typically without the whine.

The reason for this desperation? "The Hunger Games" trilogy, concluding with the recently released "Mockingjay," has ended. After waiting so long for book three, for most people it has now come and gone...and left everyone wanting more books to read!  As a librarian, I am very excited when a series can spark interest in other books, not just the series itself.  "Yeah!" to Suzanne Collins for giving us such a story.

So, whether you LOVED "Mockingjay," are sad to see it end, or were greatly disappointed by it, never fear...there are more books for you,  I promise!  Dystopian fiction for teens is a HUGE genre (especially now), that will not let you down. 

Here are my suggestions (in no particular order) of "What to Read Next:"

(1) Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi.  Okay, though I promised no order to this list, there is a reason that I mentioned it first.  I LOVE IT!  And so do many others, based on all the starred reviews it has received.  Nailer is on a scavenger crew tearing up old hulks of ships, living day to day in a not-so-distant future U.S., until a rich girl and her gleaming ship run ashore in a storm on the beach and his life gets more dangerous.  See my review here.

(2) Incarceron by Catherine Fisher.  Another new book, first in a series, that you will definitely enjoy.  Trapped in the massive prison world of Incarceron, Finn searches for his true identity; outside, Claudia searches for the truth about Incarceron and its warden, her father.  My review is posted here.  Book 2, "Sapphique," releases in December 2010.

(3) Maze Runner by James Dashner.  Again, another first in a series.  (The second book, "Scorch Trials" will actually be released 10/12/10).  This is "The Hunger Games" meets "Lost."  Click here for my earlier review.

(4) Numbers by Rachel Ward.  What if you could look into people's eyes and see the date they were going to die?  Jem can, and now she is on the run because of it.  Here is my earlier post on this book.  An excellent cover, by the way!

(5) Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld.  World War I as never seen before.  This is certainly not the history that you studied!   In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, is on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery.  Alek forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn, who disguises herself as a boy to join the British Air Service, learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts. A sequel is on the way--"Behemoth," 10/5/10.

(6) Life as We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer.  What if it really is the end of life on Earth as we know it?  How will you survive?  This is one of the top choices each year for the 8th grade Survival Unit.  Two books follow in the series.

(7) Feed by M.T. Anderson. In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.

(8) Unwind by Neal Schusterman. Set in a future U.S. in which abortions are outlawed but parents have the option of signing over their 13- to 17-year-olds to be used as organ donors, three teens embark upon a cross-country journey in order to escape.

(9) The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson. In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances have made synthetic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from a serious accident and suffering from memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.  Though this is a few years old, I just finished listening to the audio.  Definitely recommend this book.

(10) The Giver by Lois Lowry.  The standard by which all Dystopian novels should be judged, this classic won the Newbery Medal in 1994.   Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.  Two other books, "Messenger" and "Gathering Blue," follow.

Other books that should not be missed:
The Diary of Pelly D. by L.J. Adlington
Exodus by Julie Bertagna
The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
The Gardener by S.A. Bodeen
The White Mountains by John Christopher
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner
The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman
Gone by Michael Grant
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Enemy by Charlie Higson
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
Declaration by Gemma Malley
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark by Glenda Millard
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Epitaph Road by David Patneaude
Fever Crumb by Philip Reeves
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Bar Code Rebellion by Suzanne Weyn

Suggestions?  Omissions? Other recommendatons?  What do you think?  This might become my own version of a "Tuesday Top 10," though clearly I couldn't stop at just 10!

Have you read Mockingjay?

So, I've been quite busy this week...teachers had to report back to work on Tuesday...and a little book called "Mockingjay" was released.  And for some reason the family expected dinner, laundry, and rides to soccer practice.  What could they possibly be thinking?  (Don't worry, I vetoed laundry.  That's what I'll be doing today though). 

To be honest, I spent a good part of August wondering how I was going to read the book while sitting in meetings.  Well, I decided to get clever.  If you bought Mockingjay for the Kindle, you could download it from Amazon at 12:00AM Tuesday.  My theory?  Download it for the Kindle app on my iPad at midnight, read until 6:30AM and then go to work having completed the book.  Brilliant! 

Alas, it did not quite work out according to plan, which will be the subject of another guest reviewer blog post next week (assuming said guest reviewer actually finishes the book by then).  But I did FINALLY finish the book on Thursday...whew!  And I have been dying to talk about it with someone.  Unfortunately, all the Evergreen teachers that are fans of the series have not read the book yet, so the mantra at school this week has been, "Don't say anything!"  I'm going just a little crazy.  I MUST TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK!

But, I won't post my review just yet, because I am incapable of reviewing it without spoilers.  Have you read the book?  What did you think? 

Countdown to Mockingjay...And I have to Work?

Just like many of you, I am anxiously awaiting the release of "Mockingjay," Suzanne Collins' last book in The Hunger Games trilogy.  As if you couldn't tell by all the previous blog posts on the book/series/author, or the countdown clock not-so-subtly placed on the right-hand side of the blog.

Here's my problem--I have just realized that the book's release day is my FIRST DAY BACK TO WORK.  What?!  This must be some kind of joke, right?  How can a librarian be expected to work on what is likely to be the biggest "book party" of the year?  And I thought having curriculum night on the premier evening of "Survivor" every year was bad.  This is a whole new level of torture.

So, while I contemplate if this type of event is what sick days are for (joking Principal Olson..he, he, he), I am reminded of a perk of working at the public library through all the years of Harry Potter releases.  Since I worked many Saturdays (and Sundays, it was an awesome work schedule--not), and Scholastic finally got smart and released the books on Saturdays or in the summer (as kids were skipping school to get/read the books), I would have a copy of the book waiting for me when I arrived at work.  And since it was release day, all the library patrons were home reading their own copies.  The library was a quiet, peaceful place to sit with a good book...say, for example, one by J.K. Rowling.  I could make quite a dent on the book by Monday, when all the kids would finally start rolling in again and want to talk to me about what happened to Harry.

But my public library days are long behind me.  In fact, I did get to spend a few joyous days in July 2007 savoring the final Harry Potter book at home, trying not to ignore my own children, and not worrying about work.  "Mockingjay versus Work" though is a whole new dilemma, as I can't imagine anyone being too pleased about my sitting through all the staff meetings with a book in my hand.

So, the work day ends at 3:30pm (I am very grateful I live a mile from the school).  Do not call me, do not text me, do not expect me to cook you dinner.  I will be curled up with a good book, reacquainting myself with my friend Katniss, hoping life works out for her just as it did for my friend Harry. 

Where will you be on August 24th?  Will you be reading "Mockingjay"?  Did you buy a copy, or will you get it from the library?  By the way, there will be multiple copies at school on the first day...in case you haven't read it by then...

Hunger Games Around the World...

Scholastic recently posted Hunger Games and Catching Fire book covers from countries around their world on the Hunger Games Official Page (on Facebook).  If you are on Facebook, become a fan of the page and you can see all the covers. 

I have posted a few of "The Hunger Games" covers here...which one is your favorite?  By the way, I have a clear winner, and a very close second choice!

From top to bottom:

On the left-hand side: Germany, Russia, UK

On the right-hand side: Sweden, Japan, Romania




Okay, okay, I'll tell you my fav...GERMANY!  I love it.  And a very close second to Sweden.

Keeping the secrets of Katniss Everdeen...

With less than 20 days to the release of "Mockingjay," Scholastic (the publisher) has been doing it's best to keep the story's secrets.  However, they are also promoting the heck out of the book (a Facebook page, a book trailer, activity kits sent to bookstores for release parties, a countdown clock, and more).

Although I was able to get advance copies of both "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire," I was not able to get an advance copy of "Mockingjay."  And neither was anyone else, so I don't feel too bad.  (Well, that's not true...I'm still bitter.  And so is Mr. Kaneko, and just about everyone else who knows I can score books before they are published). 

As with the last four "Harry Potter" titles, Scholastic skipped the process of printing advance reader copies for Mockingjay. “I’ve never worked on a project that was so top secret,” said David Levithan, v-p and editorial director at Scholastic. “I actually had to wipe the file from my laptop when I was done with it, for fear that I’d be the guy who leaves his laptop in a taxi and ends up ruining it for everyone.”  (From an interview printed in Publisher's Weekly). 

I actually sat next to David Levithan at a dinner in June (he is also an author, and an exceptional person to spend an evening talking to), and he was introduced as "the only person in the room to have read Mockingjay."

So...what do you think is going to happen in Mockingjay?

Suzanne Collins coming to Seattle!!!!

Obviously gearing up for the excitement of "Mockingjay," I am attempting to keep you updated on things related to The Hunger Games. 

Scholastic has announced that author Suzanne Collins will tour in the fall...and she is coming to Seattle (three dates, three different places).

November 5, Barnes and Noble in Lynnwood

November 6, morning, Elliot Bay Books in Seattle

November 6, afternoon, Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park (I love this bookstore!)

For times and details, click on the tour link. 

Hunger Games Updates

As we are now less than a month to the release of "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins, Scholastic has unveiled a Facebook page for The Hunger Games Trilogy...you can find the link here.   While it is a brand new page, and does not have a lot of information that we don't already know, I imagine it will constantly be updated with news and maybe even interviews?

Right now it has a link to a "Mockingjay" trailer.  You can also find the link by visiting "The Hunger Games" trilogy website; click on "Watch the Trailer" at the bottom of the page.  Check out the trailer and let me know what you think!

And don't forget to comment on my previous posts:
Hunger Games Movie...
Mockingjay Cover Comparison...

Hunger Games Movie...

As we countdown to the release of "Mockingjay" (almost T -30 days!), Hunger Games fans like myself are becoming more anxious.  I hope that you have been reading some of my suggestions to tide you over, especially "Incarceron," "Ship Breaker," and "The Maze Runner."  You might even enjoy "The Gardener" and "Epitaph Road."  (see earlier blog posts to find my reviews of those titles).

Since "The Hunger Games" became such a phenomenon, there has been buzz about a Hunger Games movie.  I have had numerous discussions with students about the possibility.  To be honest, I thought that it would never fly because the visual imagery of kids killing kids would be pretty powerful and I wasn't sure how it would get through the movie rating system.  I guess this is why I am not in the movie business.  There does appear to be a Hunger Games movie in the works.  See this article from the LA Times to find out the scoop!  Exciting news.

So, the question is...who do you think should play Katniss??? 

Mockingjay Cover Comparison...what do you think?

Scholastic has released the Mockingjay cover for the U.S. edition (left) and the U.K. edition (right).  Which do you like better?  Hmmmm...By the way, less than 75 days on the Mockingjay countdown clock!

Suzanne Collins is listed in the 2010 TIME 100!

Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy, is listed in the 2010 TIME Magazine 100 influential people! Included in the list are President Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Steve Jobs.