Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

The world is in turmoil and the populace including Wade retreat into the Oculus VR in order to escape their troubles, also to possibly take over the Oculus and become the wealthiest person on the planet.

General Information:

Paperback: 400 pages

Price: $8.76

Publisher: Broadway Books; 32089th edition (June 5, 2012)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0307887448

ISBN-13: 978-0307887443

Plot:

Ready Player One is a sci-fi novel that is set in the year 2045 and earth is essentially falling apart due to massive garbage overflow and a severe population crisis. It follows the story of Wade Watts who like everyone else on earth only finds happiness when plugged into the virtual reality game Oasis where he can be whoever he desires. The creator of the game and the largest business in the world passed away five years previously and left a message with everyone stating the fact that he left easter eggs within the game and whoever can solve the puzzle will be able to take over the whole game and corporation. It is filled with a lot of video game and movie references and a lot of 80’s sub themes however it is a sci-fi action book at its core. Wade learns a lot about himself in the real world through his antics in the virtual world as he uncovers the secrets that the creator left for everyone.

Reading and Interest Level:

The book is marketed for general adult through Baker and Taylor but the actual interest level in this book would be 9th grade through young adult. It may have older themes and pop culture references but the way it was written plus the movie/video game references appeal it to the younger high school crowd.

Evaluation:

This book is extremely well written and valuable for multiple reasons, especially when dealing with its core audience of high school kids and young college kids. It deals with a large variety of issues on varying levels starting with teen angst and young love, and progresses through what is family, and then moving on to environmental issues and the idea of being over reliant on technology to support us in all facets of our lives. So as one can tell there is a wide breadth of different topics being covered all at once within this novel yet all of it is told in a way that keeps the novel light and fast paced while covering heavier topics. It is the type of book that is hard to put down as the pacing is fast and pushes you through to the point that when you reread it you will catch things you may have missed in the first place.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic value of Ready Player One for teens is relevant from many different viewpoints. The most value comes within the viewpoint of the importance of finding out what your true self is. The virtual or technological world may be your fantasy image of yourself but true happiness comes in the real world which is something that Wade Watts discovers throughout the book. It also gives value on environmental issues as that is a strong underlying theme throughout the book which is in a dystopian world that is essentially a large garbage dump at this point.

Issues Present:

The issues present within this book, that most challenges levied against the book have, include the strong language, objectification of female characters, and reverence to elitism. All of these issues represent various things that would not affect adults but some of which may cause some concern of parents, if their children were to read it. The strong language and objectification of women characters are definitely the most prevalent of issues.

Defending the Title:

The defense of this book is a little more straightforward than that of the other titles on the list due to the target audience of the book. This book is meant to be for older teens and young adults, therefore one of the main problems with the book is essentially a weak argument in the sense that the language in the book is nothing that they don’t hear on a daily basis in public and or online/tv. The objectification of female characters is a trope that has been in heavy usage since the films and video games of the eighties which this book references a lot and it provides a solid platform to teach boys what not to do. The book does poke a little fun at themselves in this case as well. Last but not least the book is critically acclaimed and is extremely well written. Overall it is an easier book to defend in my opinion but that does not mean it doesn’t have its fair share of challenges.

Book Talk Idea:

There are two book talk ideas that I would discuss with this book, the first being a more for fun book discussion pointing out all of the references that they could find to films and video games from the eighties. This would really be for fun and it can be cool to see which ones you missed versus others. For the other book talk idea I would like to discuss the various times that Wade starts to “grow up” throughout the story. He goes through personal growth throughout the story and starts to understand the importance of the real world no matter how much it may not be fun. Pages: 17, 51, 65, 104, 176, 276, 312, 348, etc.

Genre:

The genre of this book is fiction but more specifically science fiction with fantasy subthemes. It takes place in a dystopian future where the world is falling apart and people hid from their problems within a virtual reality world.

Similar Reads:

Authors Website:

http://www.ernestcline.com/

Awards Won:

Wisconsin Battle Of The Books Award Nominees 2005-06 (And Ongoing)

Indiana Rosewater High School Book Award Nominees 2003-04 (And Ongoing)

Illinois Abraham Lincoln High School Book Award Nominees 2005 (And Ongoing)

Washington Evergreen Young Adult Award Nominees 1995 (And Ongoing)

Pacific Northwest Young Reader’s Choice Book Award Nominees 2005 (And Ongoing)

New Jersey Garden State Teen Book Awards 1998 (And Ongoing)

Vermont Green Mountain Book Award Nominees 2005-06 (And Ongoing)

Nevada Young Reader Award Nominees Grade Young Adult 2004-05 (And Ongoing)

Illinois Read-For-A-Lifetime High School Reading List 2004-05 (And Ongoing)

Alaska’s Association Of School Librarian Battle Of The Books Nominees 2003-04

Professional Reviews:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/ready-player-one

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ernest-cline/ready-player-one/

Why I chose to read this book?

I love video games and movies and everything nerdy in this world (except for Star Trek) and I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction so this book checked off all the boxes for me! This book is right up my alley in my usual choices of reading material and I was interested in seeing the book after I read about challenges against it. It really is a terrifically written book that is fast paced and well written which helped me power through it quite quickly.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

A young genius on earth is used to crush an alien species that had invaded over 70 years prior.

General Information:

Series: The Ender Quintet (Book 1)
Price: $9.83
Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Tor Science Fiction (July 15, 1994)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0812550706
ISBN-13: 978-0812550702

Plot:

Ender’s Game is a story of Earth and her colonies 70 years after nearly being wiped out by an alien species. The earth is overpopulated at this point in time so there is a universal 2 child rule with very few exceptions. One of those exceptions is Ender Wiggins who is a Third and is allowed to exist due to his and his siblings very high IQ scores. The global government in charge of the defense of earth from a possible second invasion from the alien species is taking the brightest minds up to the international space battle station for training to see who will lead Earth’s forces one day. Though Ender is a genius he has a hard time and conflict seems to follow him as he kills two children (one in kindergarten and one on the battle station) though both in self defense. He is also relentlessly pushed to his limits both physically and mentally at the battle station. In the end he is used without his knowledge to lead Earth’s forces in what ends up being a genocide against the alien species.

Reading and Interest Level:

Marketing has Ender’s game at a 9th grade reading level but it will interest any teen in high school 9-12th grade.

Evaluation:

Ender’s game is a high energy science fiction story that has very deep issues and thought provoking scenes for the reader to think about. It is a very well written book that keeps the reader engaged. There are a lot of twists and turns and everyone is grey even Ender. The author does a wonderful job of you wanting Ender to win but also questioning whether he is the right person to lead earth. The ending specifically is wonderful when you think that Ender was just tricked into committing mass genocide against these perceived enemies of earth only to finally succeed in the one simulation game that always gave him trouble which leads to him discovering a larva that will hopefully recolonize the alien species. It is a very effective book in spreading life lessons in an entertaining way.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic value in this book really varies as there are many topics that can be covered using Ender’s Game. The first couple that I would like to talk about on a level that is more relatable immediately by teens would be the idea of being ostracized for being intelligent. When you are intelligent and people recognize you as a threat or a rival they will do their best to push your limits. Though Ender’s Game takes that to the extremes, the way Ender works his way through these problems is a something that teens can relate to and learn that hey it is okay that they excel and that they can overcome the obstacles that are being placed in front of them by others to hinder them. The other issue that this can offer therapeutic value is in the sense of the lessons of hated in Ender’s Game. Earth is overcome by its hatred and fear of the alien species that there was no chance of surrender or talking to them to try and understand what provoked the attack 70 years before. Instead they let that blind hatred lead them down the road of using a little boy in what ends up being a near genocide campaign without his knowledge that it was happening.

Issues Present:

The issues present in Ender’s Game leading to it being challenged include child on child violence (killing), two child rule, and the presentation of genocide as an answer to a foreign populace. Also oddly enough I saw a challenge on this book describing it as pornographic in nature which I still do not understand but as it was a legitimate challenge on the book I will mention it.

Defending the Title:

The defenses for this title and the challenges laid out above are relatively simple besides the pornoggraphic claim as I still do not understand where that is stemming from. The presentation of suicide as an answer is an overlying example of when fear leads to unbridled hatred and humans forget that the ones that are being ostracized have families and lives as well. The idea of genocide is something that occurs regularly throughout human history and it is an abominable crime which is some of the crux that the end of the book is getting at. As for the child on child violence, all of the killing was done in pure self defense with no malicious intent and the rest of it shows an example of how to rise and overcome the pressures of bullying.

Book Talk Idea:

The idea for a book talk that I would like to talk about in this book would be to follow Ender’s siblings story along with his and take a look at how each of them handle different areas of difficulty and their roles in how the story end. They have an important part in Ender’s life and yet they proved incapable of being successful in Ender’s shoes as they had already been tested out by the military. Some of the pages that really highlight this are: 2, 3, 14, 15, 122, 123,130, 131, 150, 151, 232, 233, 310, 312

Genre:

The Genre of this book is Teen Fiction: Science Fiction with the theme of a futuristic society using a genius child to destroy an Alien species that almost wiped out earth 70 years earlier.

Similar Reads:

Author’s Website:

http://www.hatrack.com/

Awards:

1986 – Nebula Award for Best Novel

1986 – Hugo Award For Best Novel

1986 – Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Award

Professional Reviews:

http://sfreviews.net/card_enders_game.html

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/enders-game

https://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/enders-game/

Why I chose to read this book?

Ender’s Game as a science fiction book about a war between humans and an alien species that had nearly wiped them out seemed like an interesting book. However the hook of the book is the fact that it was about so much more than that. Ender’s Game is thought provoking on many levels from whether or not the two child rule is good or bad for the earth? To how far can a child be pushed before they are pushed to far? Also the idea of is all encompassing hatred/fear the root of genocide and war? It is really a well written book and the premise got me started but the depth is what made me really enjoy this book!

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

A firefighter has a realization that the books hes burning are important part of keeping humanity intact in this dystopian society.

General Information:

Paperback: 249 pages
Price: $8.99

Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reissue edition (January 10, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9781451673319
ISBN-13: 978-1451673319
ASIN: 1451673310

Plot:

The plot summary of the Fahrenheit 451 revolves around a futuristic dystopian society and the life of a firefighter named Guy Montag. In this world firefighters burn books instead of putting our fires as society has banned the reading of all books. At some point Guy’s chief explains to him that at first books were the subject to criticism form minority groups and then authors stopped writing anything good to try and appease everyone, so the government decided to just ban everything and make it illegal not only to own a book but to read them as well. The triggering points in Guy’s life is after a young girl he met dies from a speeding accident and after watching an older lady burn herself with her books rather than give them up. Guy realizes that the government was actually afraid of the ideas that books could spread and eventually Guy escapes and joins others who record books. In the end he ironically burns a book still after memorizing it to keep it preserved.

Reading and Interest Level:

The marketed reading level for this book was for grades 9-10 and would agree that the interests level would be around those grade though older teens may be able to better appreciate some of the messages within the story.

Evaluation:

Fahrenheit 451 is still read in high schools to this day due to how well written and effective the story is. The plot in this book is timeless as the lessons transcend generations which is why it is continually referred to. I personally find it an enthralling read and it gives terrific lessons in how to handle censorship and the importance of defending free speech and what can happen when those things get taken away from you.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic value of this book for teens revolves around the concept of censorship. Being able to express themselves and the importance of having access for information is taken for granted at times especially in our country. Not being heard or listened to as a teenager is a much more common concept and this book is a good way for them to work out the importance of such a topic that as I said previously is taken for granted a lot of the time.

Issues Present:

The issues present in this book revolve with anti-government resentment, censorship and depicting teenagers with drugs, alcohol and speeding cars. The main reasons that this book has been challenged and even banned in some areas of the United States has revolved around the burning of books which includes all religious texts such as the bible or the Quran. This had certain religious groups in outrage. Some leaders have also put out the dislike of the strong anti-central government messages that the book seems to promote.

Defending the Title:

The ways librarians can counter these controversies within Fahrenheit 451 to help defend having the book within their collections would be to talk about the importance of the topic of censorship. By pulling the books you are essentially acting as the firemen in Fahrenheit 451 by not allowing teens to have access to this book. Nothing in the book is overly graphic and all of the “anti”-government sentiment revolves mostly around the idea of censorship.

Book Talk Ideas:

Some ideas for a book talk for Fahrenheit 451 would be following the path that causes the change of mindset for Guy Montag. To go from a firefighter to someone who now saves books is the most extreme change that could happen in this universe that Ray Bradbury created. Some of the pages that reference these changes are: page 35, 49, 59, 70, 85, 89, 104, 137, etc.

Genre:

The genre of this book is Teen Fiction: Science Fiction – dystopian society about censorship by book burning.

Similar Reads:

Author’s Website:

http://www.raybradbury.com/

Awards:

2004 – Ballantine

Professional Reviews:

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/fahrenheit-451

https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2008/jan/15/burningstillfahrenheit451

Why I chose to read this book?

Fahrenheit 451 is a classic read that gets read by many students in early high school and with the hot topic issues in the news the idea of censorship is very real and a strong concern as the world is becoming a more volatile place. This book is the best book besides (Library Wars Manga) at discussing the topic of censorship. The hook of the book is definitely the main character had the journey he makes once he finally has cracked open one of those forbidden books.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

A young lady finds that she is one of the select few that have a divergent mind in this futuristic society which puts her life at risk.

General Information:

Series: Divergent (Book 1)
Price: $11.39
Paperback: 487 pages
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0062024035
ISBN-13: 978-0062024039

Plot:

Divergent is a book that takes place in the city of Chicago in the dystopian future. The world is divided into five factions. Each faction has a lot of conformity within them as people are tested to see what faction they belong to based off of aptitude tests taken once the teens hit 16 years old. This story follows a young girls named Beatrice Prior who goes by the name Tris when with the Dauntless clan after changing clans from Abnegation at her ceremony. What is special about her is she is actually showing aptitude for multiple factions meaning she is a divergent. She is told to hide that because the society views divergents as threats as they want conformity from everyone for each specific faction. As Tris tries to find herself in the Dauntless clan the is drugged and controlled and used as soldiers to invade the other factions to take power within the world however as a divergent the serum does not work on Tris. That is the foundation of the first book of the series.

Reading and Interest Level:

The book is marketed for grades 10-12 and ages 15 and up. Based off of reading the book and the themes within the book I believe that the marketing for the book makes perfect sense .

Evaluation:

The first book of this series was written exceptionally well. It hits one many different teen aspects, such as having a love interest, finding oneself, following your heart versus your family, total government control, and conformity. Each of these themes is touched upon within the book in an intelligent matter through the views of Tris (Beatrice Prior) and in a way that is easily relatable to the teen audience. Its effective in the sense that it uses these messages to move the plot and keep the book interesting without becoming heavy or to slow for what essentially is an action-adventure science fiction tale. That is why this book is effective especially with its target audience of older teens.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic usefulness of this book is very high which is likely why it is so popular with the older teens. On an individual level teens can relate to multiple problems faced and worked through by Tris. For example the finding oneself when you don’t seem to fit in anywhere is a theme faced by Tris as she is a rare divergent in her world. Or following your families footsteps versus carving your own path which is faced by both Tris but even more shockingly her brother who everyone expected to stay with the family. Then finally how important individuality is even if it is threatened as conformity can lead to very serious societal issues which get exposed in this book. All of these issues can be felt and experienced on a regular basis.

Issues Present:

The issues present in this book include anti-government sentiment, child violence, and ostracizing the other as potential concerns that may be brought up in a challenge to this title. There are mutterings of dissent throughout the book starting with the doctor who tells Tris to keep her divergent nature hidden from the government through to the end where a rebellion starts by the divergents. The child violence was almost a softer version of spartan society in the dauntless faction which is a concern for some parents. One child from the dauntless ended up committing suicide during this training section.

Defending the Title:

How to defend this book from these challenges is to explain the importance of these topics and the fact that the book presents them in a clean and easy to relate way. The child violence in the dauntless training for example is for the most part safe beyond superficial injuries. The anti-government sentiment is a large part of our world today so it is a relatable subject. This book isn’t telling teens to become anarchists but rather to understand the dangers of totalitarian government and the conformity/exclusion of what the government views as the other or thoughts they view as radical.

Book Talk Ideas:

Some book talk ideas for this title would be the topic of Tris self discovery throughout the novel. It starts in the beginning while worrying about the aptitude test and it only grows as she joins dauntless. Some of the pages that could be referenced to in the book on this topic are: 6-7, 20-23, 40-43, 130-132, 177-179, 256-258, 378-384 etc.

Genre:

The genre and subject matter of Divergent is Teen Fiction, specifically science fiction and action adventure.

Similar reads:

Authors Website:

http://www.carvethemarkbooks.com/

Awards:

The Amelia Bloomer Award

2011 Goodreads Best Young Adult Book

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards Favorite Book

Yalsa Teens Top Ten

Professional Reviews:

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/2014/jul/15/review-veronica-roth-divergent

Why I chose to read this book?

The hook of this book that really drew me into it was the strong division of society into factions. I thought that it was reminiscent of what our political parties look like and I could see how a teen would really relate to it because not only do they see it in the government and politics but also within there daily lives with social cliques. Also from the viewpoint of Tris trying to find herself in a moment of transition in her life was intriguing as she has to decide what the rest of her life will be like at a young age. Overall the book was terrific to read and a top choice to have in a library.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Katniss and other former winners are rounded up to fight in the Hunger Games again as the totalitarian rule of the capitol squeezes its grip.

General Information:

Age Range: 12 and up
Price: $10.19
Grade Level: 7 – 9
Series: Hunger Games (Book 2)
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press; Reprint edition (June 4, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0545586178
ISBN-13: 978-0545586177

Plot:

The whole Suzanne Collins Trilogy is filled with challenged and controversially viewed books. Catching Fire is the second book in the trilogy and it picks up from where Katniss Everdeen left with her and Peeta Mellark living in the victors home. As victors they have to go on a tour of the districts speaking on behalf of the government in “anticipation” for the Quarter Quell which is a special Hunger Games that is held every 25 years. On their tour certain districts start holding up the salute Katniss give Rue in the first book causing riots, and clearly there is strong discontent in many of the districts. Also on the tour the economic disparity of the different districts and the Capitol is clear to see. The Quarter Quell also has a surprise as the government wants one male and one female winner from each district to perform in the Quell. All of these victors already had to go through the horror’s of the games where they are pitted to the death on live television against each other until there is one survivor left. In general the participants are always children though in this book they range from really young to very old in the games. At the end of the book the Quarter Quell ends with a surprise escape and a full blown rebellion against the government ensues.

Reading and Interest Level:

Catching Fire is marketed for grades 7-9 and ages 12-14. In reality the writing style suggest that those ages are correct, however I believe that this book due to its content will also appeal throughout high school so I would have the range be 8th-12th grade ages 13-18.

Evaluation:

Catching Fire is a well written book with clear messages within it. The central theme of the book is a dystopian world and a very anti-government message within the book. More than that however you see a young lady torn between two possible love interests, trying to stay alive herself, and trying to keep her family specifically Prim her 7 year old sister alive. There are issues of government brutality and economic disparity that are also touched upon. All of these issues are intertwined within the second book and shown in a creative way without it being “preachy”. Its value is the ability to actually show all of these messages but also by showing that yes you are a teen an you have your daily problems with love interests and getting through your day. But you can also be an activist for larger causes and you do not have to agree with the government on everything and you can make a difference. It is almost a case to let teens know that they can handle their personal lives and make a larger difference at the same time.

Bibliotherapeutic Value:

The bibliotherapeutic value of this book is very varied due to the large number of issues presented within the book. Ironically the issue of children killing each other and the psychological impact of that is not one of those issues covered in great detail. It does however help with an example of how a teen can work through what may seem like trivial problems such as relationships with overbearing outside pressure on them. It also helps teens understand that they can have a voice in government and larger societal issues, and they can make a difference if they desire to (maybe don’t start a rebellion though).

Issues Present:

The issues present in this book when it comes to it being challenged are straightforward in nature from the main plot lines. Anti-government dissent, children killing other children/adults, “police” brutality, and graphic violence. All of these issues are common reasons for books to be challenged and Catching Fire has all of them front and center throughout the book which will be the cause of concern.

Defense of the book:

How can these concerns be countered/explained? Anti-government consent and “police” brutality shown within the books are real concerns in today’s america. This book is an example of how things can escalate without checks but it doesn’t necessarily promote anti-government sentiment. The graphic violence and children related violence is not shown in great detail in throughout the book with unnecessary details. The book is also oriented for older teens not 6th graders.

Book Talk Ideas:

The plot line I would follow as a reader would be scenes of anti-government dissent. Acts of rebellion throughout the book and what drove them to this point and how could the government have prevented it or allayed some of the problems. This can be viewed on pages 52-57,106-107,160-162,247-251, 385-391 to give some of the examples.

Genre:

The genre is Dystopian Fiction, could also be labelled as science fiction. The main theme is the struggle of Katniss in a futuristic dystopian world where children are forced to participate in fights to the death.

Similar Reads:

Authors Website:

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Awards won:

2009 – Goodreads Choice Awards Young Adult Series

2009 – Goodreads Choice Awards All-Time Favorite

Reviews:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/sep/10/review-catching-fire-suzanne-collins

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-439-02349-8

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/catching-fire-the-hunger-games-book-2

Why I chose to read it?

I am a large fan of science fiction so when I read the summary of a gladiator style games in a futuristic dystopian society I was instantly interested. Also as this was the second book in the series some of my initial interest was to see the continuation of Katniss story as how does one just go back to a “normal” life after surviving those horrors. We find out that she doesn’t go back to a “normal” life and that was a huge point of interest for me. Also I had seen the movies and not read the book which is very unlike me as I almost always read the books before watching the films.