Kearsten's Book Club Wrap-Up: Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne

This past Monday night, we rowdy book clubbers discussed the creepy and awesome apocalyptic thriller, Monument 14 by Emmy Laybourne.

Trapped inside a chain superstore by an apocalyptic sequence of natural and human disasters, six high school kids from various popular and unpopular social groups struggle for survival while protecting a group of younger children.

WE LOVED IT.  

The discussion was, as usual, all over the place.  We spent a lot of time on the disasters - deadly hail, bus crashes, earthquakes, and toxic smoke - and how we might (or, in Kearsten's case, might not) have survived.  We also talked about the unsettling interactions with adults in the story, and how the teens handled themselves and the younger children. 

Kearsten's favorite part of the meeting was when we examined the ways in which the teen characters reacted to their situations.  Some distanced themselves, whether on purpose by hiding from the others or unintentionally by going into shock, while others tried to ignore the situation by drinking or using drugs.  Most of us were pretty disgusted by the characters who used drugs and alcohol, primarily because it meant they were leaving the younger children without support when they needed it most.

The teens in book club are awesome.

Here's a pic of some of the questions submitted by book clubbers! 

Already read Monument 14?  Then try one of these teen-endorsed read-alikes, which also focus on themes of missing parents, disasters, and survival!

Gone by Michael Grant. In a small town on the coast of California, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining town residents and the students from a local private school, as well as those who have "The Power" and are able to perform supernatural feats and those who do not.

The Enemy by Charlie Higson. After a disease turns everyone over sixteen into brainless, decomposing, flesh-eating creatures, a group of teenagers leave their shelter and set out of a harrowing journey across London to the safe haven of Buckingham Palace.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

No Safety in Numbers by Dayna Lorentz. Teens Shay, Marco, Lexi, and Ryan, quarantined in a shopping mall when a biological bomb goes off in an air duct, learn that in an emergency people change, and not always for the better, as many become sick and supplies run low.

Kearsten's Book Club: Voting Edition, 2015!

Every year in January, book club settles in for an extra-long meeting so as to choose the next ten titles we'll be discussing (beginning in June).  Book club teens recommend the books, then we run through summaries of them all before book clubbers choose their favorites.  This year was SERIOUSLY tough, as there were a whopping thirty-four excellent titles to choose from.

Happily, we made it through and have an awesome bunch of books for June 2015-May 2016!

Interested in getting a head start on your reading?  Check out the list, in a variety of formats. 

Need a copy of Thirteen Reasons Why for our Feb 23rd meeting? Put it on hold today! 

Kearsten's Book Club meets at the Main Library, in the Storytime Room on the 4th Mondays of the month at 6:30pm. Join other teens, ages 12-18, to snack, chat and discuss a variety of titles for teens (or of teen interest)!  No registration required - just show up and be ready to talk (or simply listen) about the book!

If I Stay

This month for Shelf Discovery, we read If I Stay by Gayle Forman.
In case you don't know what this book is all about, here's a brief synopsis. Mia has a wonderful family, a love that is rocky at the moment, but strong, a best friend, and is a talented cellist who may be attending Julliard. Then the car accident occurs and she spends 24 hours in coma trying to decide to stay or to go. The story is written in first person present tense with lots of flashbacks telling the back story of the characters and the heartache she is feeling. 

The discussion was a small one, but very interesting. The paperback copy has discussion questions, but they felt very school-oriented which wasn't very satisfying. Instead we discussed how parents are portrayed in teen literature. For the most part, in teen literature, parents are non-entities. In this one and in Fault in our Stars, the parents are strong characters in their own rights. What do you think?

We also discussed the music in the book which is a character in and of itself. Finally, we talked about the upcoming movie. 

Next month we're reading The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. Pick up your copy at the adult service desk if you want to join us!

What will Kearsten's Book Club be Reading?

Every new year, Kearsten's Book Club gathers for an extra-long meeting wherein we argue, bluster, shout, laugh, roll our eyes, and scarf down massive amounts of popcorn. It is "Kearsten's Book Club: The VOTING EDITION!!!!" (cue echo sound effects...maybe I should have vlogged this.)


Despite being named after moi, Kearsten's Book Club has been evolving from revolving around me leading discussions, choosing the books to be voted from, wearing tiaras while insisting that everyone refer to me as her royal majesty, etc. Instead, book club members have been leading discussions and recommending the books we vote on, and I must say, they picked some darn awesome books this time around!


So, starting in June or July, these are the titles (in alpha order, not the final scheduled order, heh, heh, heh) we'll begin reading, discussing, and picking apart into picky little bits. 'Cause that's how we do.

 

Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Teenaged Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger on the spaceship Godspeed, wakes up to discover that someone may have tried to murder her.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Lena looks forward to recieving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. In a future Chicago, sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomoly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all.

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John. Eighteen-year-old Piper becomes the manager for her classmates' popular rock band, called Dumb, giving her the chance to prove her capabilities to her parents and others, if only she can get the band members to get along.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The 3rd in The Hunger Games series! Summary skipped to avoid spoilers for those who haven't yet read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. : )

the perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Most people think 15-year-old Charlie is a freak. The only friend he had killed himself, forcing him to face high school alone. But then seniors Patrick and his beautiful stepsister Sam take Charlie under their wings and introduce him to their eclectic, open-minded, hard-partying friends. It is from these older kids that Charlie learns to live and love, until a repressed secret from his past threatens to destroy his newfound happiness.

Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King. When her best friend, whom she secretly loves, betrays her and then dies under mysterious circumstances, high school senior Vera Dietz struggles with secrets that could help clear his name.

The Psychopath Test: a Journey through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson. In this madcap journey, a bestselling journalist investigates psychopaths and the industry of doctors, scientists, and everyone else who studies them.

White Cat by Holly Black. When Cassel Sharpe discovers that his older brothers have used him to carry out their criminal schemes and then stolen his memories, he figures out a way to turn their evil machinations against them.


Which of the above is your favorite?  Any peak your interest?  If so, and you'd like to join Kearsten's Book Club, send me an email at 59Square@gmail.com!