Assignment+4

//**Assignment 4 E-Books**//

I downloaded the following two e-books to read on my Kindle app for educational use with my students in the classroom and for personal enjoyment at home:

Because my Language Arts students and I are so excited about having read Suzanne Collins’s (2008) //The// //Hunger Games// novel and finally going to see the movie together this Thursday, March 29, on a school field trip, I downloaded the sequel //Catching Fire// (2009)//.// Although I have already read the entire series twice, once in print and the second time electronically, I believe in modeling for my students that truly rich literature should be read more than once to grasp its nuances and to appreciate its themes more fully. Reading this novel with students will allow us to discuss contemporary fictional literature together and utilize a variety of reading, writing, and technology strategies to analyze central themes of oppression and liberation. In the novel //Catching Fire// forces are in motion that main characters Katniss and Peeta know little about. Reflecting the necessary stealth of the District rebels to survive the close monitoring by the Capitol’s prying eyes, the reader has to piece together the true story using the author’s subtle clues strewn carefully throughout the novel. I hope to harness my students’ excitement and continue to explore the intriguing world of Panem and its districts in //The Hunger Games// trilogy.

I am a huge fan of Jodi Picoult, and I have read all of her novels that she has written to date except for her most recently released book, //Lone Wolf// (2012). For this reason, I chose to download her newest novel to enjoy at home and on El Dorado Beach in Mexico next week. Picoult’s novels always grapple with difficult issues and controversial themes in innovative ways, and I love how her characters jump off the pages with lives and loves of their own. I have attended two of Picoult’s book release signings at Mt. Alverno College in Milwaukee, and although receiving an autographed copy of her books is exciting, listening to her speak of her inspirations, research and editing processes, and insights into her next novels thrill me each and every time I hear her speak. Each of Picoult’s novels has touched me in some way as her books ask challenging questions that have no easy right or wrong answers. I look forward to savoring her latest novel that questions the love and loyalties of families and the steep cost of sustaining both. My teaching colleagues and library staff also enjoy reading her books and discussing them together at school. In addition, several of my eighth grade students are mature enough to read Picoult’s novels with their parents’ permission, and I enjoy discussing her captivating characters and riveting themes with them as well.

References Collins, S. (2009). //Catching fire.// New York: Scholastic Press.

Picoult, J. (2012). //Lone wolf.// New York: Emily Bestler Books.