This futuristic dystopian novel takes place in America after the 2nd Civil War. Abortion is no longer allowed after conception, but between the ages of 13-18, a parent can choose to have a child "unwound." Children are not technically killed this way, as all of their organs and body parts are given to other recipients. Three kids, Connor, Risa, and Lev, are all scheduled to be unwound and run away before they are collected. They spend most of the book on the run and in the process save a baby and are swept into a sort of underground railroad for unwinds. They finally stay in a warehouse run by a former admiral, who shuttles them to an aircraft graveyard where they hope to stay until after they turn 18 and can no longer be unwound. When the admiral has a heart attack, Connor and Risa fly him to a hospital and are caught and are sent to a harvest camp. Liv joins them at the camp, and arranges for the unwinding facility to be blown up. Connor is injured in the blast, and unknowingly receives body parts from other kids at the hospital. Risa is also injured, and refuses body parts from unwinds, and thus ends up disabled and unable to still be unwound. Afterwards, Risa and Connor return to the graveyard and Connor becomes the new admiral.
Grades 7 and up.
Shusterman, N. (2007). Unwind. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Unwind short film
Lesson plan
Jasper Dent (Jazz) is constantly afraid he will turn out like his father....the most famous US killer in history, and in jail for numerous life sentences. When bodies start piling up in Jazz's small town, Jazz sets out to uncover who the killer is along with his best friend Howie and his girlfriend Connie. Jazz suspects the killer is copying his father's crimes and he feels it is up to him to stop the killer. Jazz was trained to be a serial killer by his father, and struggles throughout the book with his fear that he is turning into his father. In the end, the killer goes after Jazz's senile grandmother, and is eventually captured by the police who inform Jazz that his father has just broken out of prison and is killing again. I Hunt Killers is a dark, modern, realistic fiction thriller best for grades 9 and up.
Lyga, B. (2012). I hunt killers. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Teacher Resources
Glory O'Brien is finally dealing with the long-ago suicide of her mother, is graduating high school, oh, and is also God. She became God by drinking the remains of a petrified bat along with her best friend, Ellie. Ellie lives on a hippie commune across the street, and together her and Glory discover that the bat has granted them the power to see selective things about the future when they look into the eyes of passersby. This is how Glory sees a future of totalitarian dictatorship rule and the rights of women being taken away. Glory begins to question herself and fears she may be going crazy like her mother did before she killed herself. Glory O'Brien's History of the Future is magical realism at its finest, as it paints a future dystopia that Glory begins to chronicle in an attempt to warn others.
Grades 9 & up.
King, A.S. (2015). Glory O'Brien's history of the future. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Educator's Guide
Steve Harmon is a sixteen year old African American on trial for being an accomplice to a robbery that ended in a murder. While in jail, Steve writes down his thoughts and feelings in the form of a screenplay. The other defendants in his case attempt to paint Steve as guilty, but Steve claims innocence. Steve's innocence is never proven for sure, but the jury does end up finding Steve not guilty of being a lookout during the robbery. In this dark and modern realistic fiction graphic novel, Steve eventually questions what kind of person he is, and tries to decide if he really has become a monster.
Grades 7 & up.
Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster. New York, NY: HarperCollins.
Lesson plan and activity ideas
Derf Backderf attended high school with one of the most notorious serial killers in United States history, Jeffery Dahmer, and he chronicled that experience in a biographical graphic novel. Backderf allows the reader a glimpse of Dahmer's early days as a disgruntled and alcoholic teen that mutilates animals, to a murderous young adult dealing with frustrating feelings of homosexuality. Dahmer's dysfunctional home life is explored, as are the gruesome details of his murders up until he is caught by police.
Grades 9 & up.
Backderf, D. (2012). My friend Dahmer: A graphic novel. New York, NY: Abrams ComicArts.
Book trailer
In this paranormal romance, Tana lives in a world where vampires are real and live in walled-off cities called Coldtowns in order to keep humans safe. Tana wakes up after a party to find all of the party-goers dead, her ex-boyfriend bitten, and a vampire named Gavriel. Tana takes Gavriel and her ex, Aiden, to a coldtown and pick up two wannabe vampires named Winter and Midnight. While in Coldtown, Aiden turns into a vampire, and steals Tana's Coldtown exit pass. Meanwhile, Midnight becomes a vampire, kills his friend Winter, and attacks Tana and bites her. Tana then becomes a dormant vampire that is turning "cold," and Tana must avoid drinking vampire blood or become fully turned. Tana teams up with Gavriel to go after a head vampire named Lucien, and Tana ends up killing Lucien in defense. Tana then decides to wait out her infection so she will not fully turn, with Gavriel at her side.
Grades 9 & up.
Black, H. (2013). The coldest girl in Coldtown. New York, NY: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Book Trailer
In this science fiction novel, Titus is a teenager in a fictional, futuristic Earth who travels to the moon for his Spring Break. There, he meets Violet, and while at a dance club with her, their "feeds" are hacked. Their feeds are implanted in their brains and allow them to instant message and have access to the internet at all times. Titus is able to recover from being hacked, but because Violet had her feed implanted later in life, she slowly starts to fall apart both physically and mentally. Titus has a hard time dealing with Violet's end of life demands despite the fact that they are dating. Eventually Titus decides to abandon Violet, but finally thinks twice about it and visits her after she is in a coma, moments away from death. Fans of Feed will appreciate its ability to make the reader question technology's role in society, and the parts corporations and consumerism will play in the future.
Grades 9 & up.
Anderson, M. (2002). Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
Lesson plans
Book Trailer
Kaj is the ruthless leader of the Dregs gang. He and his band of misfits (Inej, Nina, Jesper, Massiah, & Wylan) are tasked with breaking Bo Yul-Bayur out of the impenetrable Ferdjan prison at the Ice Court. Bo is an inventor of a powerful addictive drug that gives super powers to Grisha soldiers. Once inside, it is discovered that Bo is dead, and Kaj breaks out his son, who is the only remaining person that can recreate the drug. Each of Kaj's accomplices has their own personal demons and special talents that will keep the reader enthralled. After Kaj and company finally escape the Ice Court thanks to Nina's powers, Inej is kidnapped while Kaj attempts to collect their reward. Six of Crows is a high fantasy novel, and readers will definitely want to pick up the sequel.
Grades 7 & up.
Bardugo, L. (2015). Six of crows. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Co.
Book Trailer
Nineteen year old Ry Burke lives on a dying farm with his mother and eleven-year-old sister. Barely able to function due to a lifetime of abuse from his father, Ry soon learns a meteor has fallen on the local prison and his father is on his way back to the farm....to get vengeance for being locked up. Can Ry help his family get away from his abusive father with the help of his imaginary friends that helped save him years ago? Scowler is brutal and livid, you won't want to put it down. This book is not for the faint of heart. Ry's inner destruction and the physical destruction of his father make this book a true realistic horror novel.
Grades 11 & up.
Kraus, D. (2013). Scowler. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.
Book Trailer
Melinda Sordino is a freshman at Merryweather High. Something unspeakable happened to her during the summer, and she's having a hard time facing it and readjusting to life. She's a social outcast at school, and struggles when trying to relate to friends or family. Her art class is one of the only places she begins to express herself. Once she is finally able to admit to herself that she was raped at a party, she has to deal with attending school with her rapist. Once confronted by her rapist in her safe space (a closet on campus,) Melinda is able to finally defend herself and fight off her rapist. Now her friends will know what she was going through, and Melinda finally feels like she can move forward with her life. Speak is realistic fiction novel suited for grades 7 & up.
Anderson, L. H. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: Farrar Straus Giroux.
Lesson Plan Ideas 1
Lesson Plan Ideas 2
Junior (Arnold Spirit), has grown up on the Spokane Indian Reservation and is now ready to strike out into the world and attend high school in the neighboring white-majority town. He has an easier time fitting in at his new school than he imagined he would, and even ends up on the basketball team despite having a prior brain injury. Junior's old friends from the reservation are not as happy about his success, and they take it out on each other on the basketball court. All the while Junior deals with dating, and the death of family members. Junior is one determined kid, and while trying to find his way off of the reservation and out of poverty, Junior discovers himself in this realistic fiction novel.
Grades 7 & up.
Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Lesson Plan Ideas 1
Lesson Plan Ideas 2
