BULLYING UNIT BOOK TALK ELAAt the end of today’s book talk you

should have a list of at least three of the novels we talk about tonight as potential books you want to read at

the end of the year.

IN YOUR NOTES The only thing you have to do in your

notes tonight is take notes on the books we are about to talk about and write down at least three novels that sound the best to you.Remember you can’t read a book you have

already read To get an “A” you will have to create a PSA

announcements using specific examples from your book.

Don’t just pick something that your “friend” is reading, pick something that YOU are interested in.

MATURE CONTENT Some of the books we are reading have

mature content. If there is a book that is labeled with an

M for mature and you think you would be uncomfortable reading it.

Or your parents will be uncomfortable with you reading it, pick a different book!

M

SPEAK BY LAURIE HALSE ANDERSON

SPEAK This is a story about a girl that is at a party in the

summer between 8th and 9th grade year, something terrible happens and she calls the cops. She is known as the girl that “busted” the party. She then becomes an outcast, with no friends, and slowly stops talking to those around her. You see something happened at the party and no one has bothered to ask her why she called the cops in the first place. The only place she finds comfort is in her art class, and it is through an art project that she finally comes face to face with the fact that she needs to speak up for herself about what happened that horrible night.

STARGIRL BY JERRY SPINELLI

STARGIRL From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a

burst of color and sound, nobody can stop talking about her. She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first. 

Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.

REVENGE OF THE WANNABES BY LISI HARRISON

REVENGE OF THE WANNABES Weeks before Christmas Alicia and Olivia

are on their way to Manhattan so the Teen People editors can do a story on them about winning the Octavian Country Day uniform design contest. When Massie finally processes that the girls who hijacked her victory are also modeling for Teen People, she is livid. It should have been her. Massie decides it's time to get revenge. This snake can not lay idle in the weeds for one more second. Kristen and Dylan throw out terrible 'revenge' suggestions and Massie vetoes them all. She will think of something! The Clique . . . the only thing harder than getting in is staying in.

BATTLE OF JERICHO SHARON M DRAPER

BATTLE OF JERICHO Sixteen-year-old Jericho is psyched when he and his

cousin and best friend, Josh, are invited to pledge for the Warriors of Distinction, the oldest and most exclusive club in school. Just being a pledge wins him the attention of Arielle, one of the hottest girls in his class, whom he's been too shy even to talk to before now. But as the secret initiation rites grow increasingly humiliating and force Jericho to make painful choices, he starts to question whether membership in the Warriors of Distinction is worth it. How far will he have to go to wear the cool black silk Warriors jacket? How high a price will he have to pay to belong? The answers are devastating beyond Jericho's imagination.

STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES

STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends

for years. When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts. Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend. Now Sarah Byrnes -- the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known -- sits silent in a hospital. Eric must uncover the terrible secret she's hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under.

FREAKY GREEN EYES

FREAKY GREEN EYES Sometimes Franky Pierson has a hard

time dealing with life. Like when her parents separate and her mother vanishes, Franky wants to believe that her mom has simply pulled a disappearing act. Yet deep within herself, a secret part of her she calls Freaky Green Eyes knows that something is terribly wrong. And only Freaky can open Franky's eyes to the truth.

SHATTERING GLASS BY GAIL GILES

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SHATTERING GLASS Fat, clumsy Simon Glass is a nerd, a loser who

occupies the lowest rung on the high school social ladder. Everyone picks on him -- until Rob Haynes shows up. Rob, a transfer student with charisma to spare, immediately becomes the undisputed leader of the senior class. And he has plans for Simon. Rob enlists the help of his crew -- wealthy, intellectual Young, ladies' man Bob, and sweet, athletic Coop -- in a mission: Turn sniveling Simon from total freak to would-be prom king. But as Simon rises to the top of the social ranks, he shows a new confidence and a devious side that power-hungry Rob did not anticipate. And when Simon uncovers a dangerous secret, events darken. The result is disquieting, bone-chilling...and brutal.

WHALE TALK

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WHALE TALK A varsity letter jacket: it's exclusive, nearly

unattainable, revered . . . and everything that's screwed up about Cutter High, as far as T. J. Jones is concerned. That's why T. J. is determined to have the Cutter All Night Mermen—the unlikeliest swim team a high school has ever seen—earn letter jackets of their own. It won't be easy. For one thing, they don't even have a pool. They will fight for their dignity, they will fight with each other, and sometimes they will just fight. And then they will realize that a single moment can bring lifelong heartache or lifelong friendship. For T. J. and his crew of misfits, the quest may be far more valuable than the reward.

THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS

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THE EARTH, MY BUTT, AND OTHER BIG ROUND THINGS Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-

average body and a plus-size inferiority complex. She lives on the Web, snarfs junk food, and follows the "Fat Girl Code of Conduct." Her stuttering best friend has just moved to Walla Walla (of all places). Her new companion, Froggy Welsh the Fourth (real name), has just succeeded in getting his hand up her shirt, and she lives in fear that he’ll look underneath. Then there are the other Shreves: Mom, the successful psychologist and exercise fiend; Dad, a top executive who ogles thin women on TV; and older siblings Anaïs and rugby god Byron, both of them slim and brilliant. Delete Virginia, and the Shreves would be a picture-perfect family. Or so she’s convinced. And then a shocking phone call changes everything.

THE MISFITS

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THE MISFITS What do a 12-year-old student who moonlights as a tie salesman, a tall,

outspoken girl, a gay middle schooler and a kid branded as a hooligan have in common? Best friends for years, they've all been the target of cruel name-calling and now that they're in seventh grade, they're not about to take it any more. In this hilarious and poignant novel, Howe (Bunnicula; The Watcher) focuses on the quietest of the bunch, overweight Bobby Goodspeed (the tie salesman), showing how he evolves from nerd to hero when he starts speaking his mind. Addie (the outspoken girl) decides that the four of them should run against more popular peers in the upcoming student council election. But her lofty ideals and rabble-rousing speeches make the wrong kind of waves, offending fellow classmates, teachers and the principal. It is not until softer-spoken Bobby says what's in his heart about nicknames and taunts that people begin to listen and take notice, granting their respect for the boy they used to call "Lardo" and "Fluff." The four "misfits" are slightly larger than life wiser than their years, worldlier than the smalltown setting would suggest, and remarkably well-adjusted but there remains much authenticity in the story's message about preadolescent stereotyping and the devastating effects of degrading labels. An upbeat, reassuring novel that encourages preteens and teens to celebrate their individuality.

INVENTING ELLIOT

INVENTING ELLIOT Elliot's life has been spinning out of control. He

would give anything to get back to normal. Now, at his new school, he has a chance to reinvent himself. He will make himself so cook, so out of reach, that no one will hurt him ever again. The plan succeeds beyond his wildest dreams. And then beyond his wildest nightmare.

Elliot is noticed by the Guardians, the mysterious, manipulative group who run the school according to their own very special rules. They want him to become one of them. For the first time, Elliot has power. But power comes at a terrible price, and Elliot faces an impossible choice when he has to decide how to use it.

TANGERINE

TANGERINE Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others

cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly wrong. But no one listens to Paul--until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around--the soccer team at his middle school. Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past--and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother.

THE GIRLS

THE GIRLS Maya has been part of the group ever since

the day Candace asked her if she wanted to "do lunch" in the cafeteria. Yet when Candace suddenly deems her unworthy, Maya's so-called friends just blow her off. While Maya just wants the girls back like they used to be, she knows that can never happen-because whatever Candace wants, Candace gets, no matter who gets hurt. Maya isn't sure exactly where things went wrong for her, but she knows she has to find out who her real friends are, and who among the girls she can trust.

HIDDEN TALENTS

HIDDEN TALENTS After being expelled from any number of schools, 13-year-old

Martin winds up at Edgeview, a publicly funded boarding school and a last-chance alternative. Martin, who narrates, doesn't seem like a delinquent, but he just can't stop himself from taunting his teachers. By the end of his first day he has infuriated the whole staff. Of the kids, Bloodbath is a terror, as are his cronies, but Martin's roommate, "Torchie," is nice enough, although he constantly denies starting the fires that flare up wherever he goes. The other boys Martin gets to know similarly refuse to own up to the particular behavior that landed them at Edgeview. Readers expecting a typical resolution, wherein the boys accept responsibility for their misdeeds, are in for a surprise. Martin's buddies aren't liars and troublemakers at all; unbeknownst even to themselves, they're endowed with paranormal powers: Cheater is telepathic, Trash is telekinetic, Flinch is clairvoyant, etc. Led by Martin, who finally discovers his own hidden talent, the six use their abilities to save Edgeview from Bloodbath and his gang's attempts to sabotage a state inspection. The stakes are a little suspect (would these boys really develop such passionate school spirit?), but on the whole Lubar (Kidzilla) serves up great fun, along with an insight or two for those whose powers are only too human.

ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN

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ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART TIME INDIAN

Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the "poor-ass" Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the rez, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation. Alexie's humor and prose are easygoing and well suited to his young audience, and he doesn't pull many punches as he levels his eye at stereotypes both warranted and inapt. A few of the plotlines fade to gray by the end, but this ultimately affirms the incredible power of best friends to hurt and heal in equal measure. Younger teens looking for the strength to lift themselves out of rough situations would do well to start here

YOUR NOW FINISHED! The digital WSQ for tonight is SUPER

short! Thanks for watching! We will vote in class!