The Ghost Writer By Robert Harris

The Ghostwriter by Robert Harris tracks the journey of an author in the writing of ex prime minister Adam Lang's memoirs. The author who goes unnamed and is the narrator is a ghostwriter for Lang and writes his book for him by taking his memories and experiences and making a book out of them. He gets no credit for writing the book and no one will know who he is. One day he his called up by his publisher to work on this book and accepts with out realizing what he is getting into. He is offered $250,000 to get the book rewritten in a month. He must rewrite it in a month because the original ghostwriter drowned but his cause of death is disputed throughout the book. The first few days of interviewing go well. Soon after he joins Lang reports come out that he authorized torture of four suspected terrorists. This sends him across the East Coast to defend himself while on a lecture tour in the U.S. While Lang is gone the author goes into researching Lang more deeply. This detracts from his ability to write his book and get it in on time. What he finds will change the lives of him and everyone associated with Lang. The end of the book is very suspenceful and I can not say anmore without revealing to much of the book

Discussion Questions

1. Would you accept a job just for money without knowing what the job entails?

2. If news came out that the person you were working had commited a serious crime what like what Lang supposedly did would you still work for that person?

"Palace of Mirrors" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Cecilia is a 14 year-old girl living in a small village with Nanny Gratine. However, she has a secret: she is the real princess of Suala. She is in hiding because her parents were murdered the day she was born. Every since she could remember, her teacher, Sir Stephen (who is also a knight), has been teaching her about the rules and responsibilities of ruling the throne. Soon, when her parents' murderers are imprisoned and it is safe for her to take over, she will relieve the decoy, Princess Desmia, of her mission. Until then, however, Cecilia is stuck in this small village with her friend Harper, who does not know of the secret. One day, as she and Harper are walking down to the pond to go fishing, she senses that someone is following them. She thinks that these people are trying to kidnap her and that they know that she is the real princess. That night, she realizes that she needs to tell Harper the truth, just in case something does happen to her. When Harper finds out, he is outraged over the situation. He cannot believe that Cecilia could be so selfish as to put someone else's (Desmia's) life in danger just so that she can be safe. Cecilia feels guilty, so she and Harper decided to sneak out of the village and go to Suala. Harper takes his harp so that they have a reason to be going there in the first place. On their way out, they hear Nanny calling for Cecilia. They rush to her and see that the house is wrecked. Although Nanny is fine, she is nervous about Cecilia's safety in the village and tells her to go to Sir Stephen's house, not knowing that the teens were planning to go to Suala. The teens disobey and go to Suala instead. There, they enter a music competition to get inside the castle and meet Desmia, who is one of the judges. After their performance, Cecilia approaches Desmia and tells her that she is the real princess. Desmia nods in understanding and follows the teens out of the room. She leads them up a secret flight of stairs where the teens are blinded into entering a small trap. A couple of days later Desmia returns with Ella Brown, who is part of the delegation to create peace between the countries of Suala and Fridesia. These two countries are at war and Ella is on a mission with the delegation to end the war. However, Ella is also Desmia's friend and is trying to help her with this princess mystery because Desmia believes that she is the true princess. Upon hearing Cecilia's side of the story, the teens are released and are escorted down to a dungeon to find eleven others girls claiming that they are the true princesses. They tell the same story as Cecilia, except that they lived in different villages and had different teachers. Here, Cecilia begins questioning her identity, feeling betrayed by Sir Stephen. The group begins sneaking around the palace to try to find out some details. Cecilia gets lost and stumbles upon a secret dungeon where there are eleven men barred against the wall.Cecilia realizes that these men were the girls' teachers. Next to these men Cecilia finds a twelfth set of bars. They are empty. She realizes that they must be for Sir Stephen. Unfortunately, I do not want to give away the ending, so if you would like to know what happens next you will need to read the book to find out what happens. Questions:
1. The knights that Cecilia finds are in terrible condition. Cecilia says, " They are old men, shrunken down to bone and beards...They look like they've been crucified" (Haddix 207). If you were Cecilia, would you rather free them and risk being caught, or would you rather leave them there because you know you are the real princess and they are all imposters? If you free them, what would you do afterwards? If you don't free them, would you tell the rest of the group about them or would you keep it a secret? Why or why not? (Sorry this is long but they are yes or no questions so I had to expand a little.)
2. When Harper found out that Cecilia was a princess, he called her selfish for letting Desmia risk her life for her. Do you think Cecilia was being selfish? Explain.

Taking Woodstock by Elliot Tiber with Tom Monte

Taking Woodstock is a nonfiction book that follows the life of Elliot Tiber, the man that took over Woodstock. Woodstock is a 3 day concert, full of music, peace, and love. In 1969, they needed a new place to put it. Elliot Tiber lived in Bethel by White Lake, New York with his parents. It was a run down town on the side of the highway that did not get very many visitors. Tiber's parents owned a run down hotel that rarely had any occupants. Elliot moved to New York to try to make money for his parents so they could keep living. When he heard that Woodstock needed a new home, he knew just the place. He was head of the town's board, so he had the ability to hold the music fest in Bethel. The town grew very upset with Elliot for causing all of the chaos that came with the festival. Millions of people flooded the tiny town to take part in the music festival. The book follows Elliot through the planning and problems of Woodstock. It also follows his life as he comes out and becomes who he truly is.
1. While saving up money to move away from Bethel, Elliot Tiber's parents almost had to declare bankruptcy. His sister told him to get as far away as he could. But Elliot gave all of his money to his crazy parents, and he was therefore stuck in Bethel. Would you give up all of your hard earned money to your parents knowing it is the only way you can get to a better life and that your parents were just going to lose it all again?
2. The people that lived in Bethel were outraged that Elliot let such a concert happen in their home, even though it brought them enough business to stay open forever. Elliot risked everything he had ever done when he agreed to have Woodstock in Bethel. Would you risk everything you had to try to make a better life?

For The Win by Cory Doctorow

For The Win is a confusing book to summarize. Basically it's a fictional book about web users from all around the world joining together to fight for workers rights. The way they fight is peaceful protesting, and fighting in virtual games on the computer. Actually, that's kind of what it's all about. Online games. There are people called gold farmers on the internet. They play games to get the virtual currency for the specific game and then sell it online for real money. However, those people usually work for other people, and they're scammed off a lot of money. Anyway, those people are fighting for their rights and hacking game companies and whatnot that try to shut them down (ironically shutting them down would actually be worse for the game's economy, which is what they're trying to fix in the first place). The book has a lot of economic theories and switches between characters every chapter. One chapter might be about "General Robotwalla" (an Indian girl that plays a game with giant robots fighting zombies/other robots for money) and the next about Lu (A member of a guild on some other game that eventually becomes a regular on an illegal underground talk show for workers rights). Eventually, the Webblies (nickname for the workers union) convinces a big game corporation to join their cause. The end.

1. Would you risk your life for a cause like workers rights? Most would probably say yes without even thinking about police brutality or the amount of people that really do die from this sort of thing, so really think about it before answering, and give your reason behind your answer.

2. On a scale of one to ten, how pathetic do you think gold farming is and why?

Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

Right, so the book that I chose is part of a series called "Percy Jackson and the Olympians". This is the fifth and final enstallment! In case you have not read this series (you're missing out if you haven't), I'll provide you with some background information. First off, Percy Jackson is what is known as a half-blood or if you want to be technical, a demigod. He is half human and half, well...god. Percy has been trained, along with other demigods, at a special camp called Camp Half-Blood. I know, what a creative name! Anyway, Percy (son of Poseidon) has some very special friends, emphasis on special.There's Annabeth (daughter of Athena), Thalia (daughter of Zeus) ,and Grover (a satyr). In this particular book, the Titan Lord (Kronos, who is taking over the body of Luke, a good demigod gone bad who bathed in the River Styx and was made invulnerable, expect for one spot. Just like ACHILLES) is preparing to attack Mount Olympus (which is on the 500th floor of the Empire State Building), home of the Olympians, and it is up to Percy and his friends to stop him and to save the world. So, they start recruiting demigods and other mystical beings to help fight the war, BUT THEY DIDN'T GET ANY UNICORNS, which isn't relevant to this plot summary I just thought I should make it a little more interesting; my bad. So eventually Percy is face to face with Kronos and forced to make a decision. One, give up and surrender, causing the destruction of Mount Olympus and the discontinuation of life as we know it, or two, give Kronos/Luke the knife so that when Luke starts fighting Kronos' control over his body, he can stab his Achille's spot and spread Kronos' remains all over the world and into the pits of Tartarus! Can you guess which one he chose? C'mon, it's not too hard. You got it! He chose option number two! Woop Woop! Finally, Mount Olympus is safe from harm and life can go on. The End.

Just kidding. After the war, Percy is greeted by the Olympians and they offer to turn him into a god. (How legit!) BUT, Percy looks at Annabeth before making his decision (They have this sort of Kate and William thing going on) and turns DOWN their offer. Blah, blah, blah. They live happily ever after. The End.

1.) Remember that Kronos is controlling Luke's body, but Luke is fighting it, gaining a little control for short periods of time. Kronos/Luke is UNARMED and all you have is a knife. Would you have trusted Luke enough to give him the knife to stab his Achille's spot so Kronos would die?

2.) Why do you think Percy turned down the gods' offer to become a god?


P.S. Hey,don't forget to vote this coming Friday mods 7-13. I'm running for Junior Class VP! All you need is your school I.D. so be sure to vote!! (Don't be careless, this is it. Vote Rafiq, cause I'm legit) :)

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah

The novel “Chinese Cinderella” by Adeline Yen Mah is an inspirational autobiography. The story takes place in China during the Civil War. Adeline lived through a very rough life. When she was born, her mother passed away. Her brothers and sisters thought that Adeline was an unlucky child because she was the reason their mother died. Adeline was a very unwanted child. Her father remarried to a woman named Niang. Even Niang treated Adeline with much disrespect and did not show her love. Even though Adeline lacked a loving and caring family, she did not let that get to her. She was a very strong and confident girl. She believed in herself because she knew that if she did not then no one else would. Adeline really connected with her grandfather in which she called Ye Ye. When he passed away Adeline was torn apart, he was the only one she could talk to, the only one who supported and cared for Adeline. However, she was very strong and moved on with her life. Later, Adeline was sent to a boarding school and became very educated. She proved to herself that she could be somebody and she knew exactly what she wanted. Adeline was a very smart girl. She became very successful in school and was able to go to college but her father forced her to study medicine. Later, Adeline changed her study to writing and became a very successful writer.


1. If you were in Adeline's shoes, how would you feel being an unwanted child? How would you handle the hatred from your own family?

2. Adeline was very strong and confident and had to obey what her father told her. If you were Adeline, would you go against your father's rules and change your college study to what you wanted? Or would you obey your father's wishes and commands?

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

New Moon is the second book in the Twilight Saga. In this book Bella Swan goes through one of the most difficult times in her life. Her boyfriend and "soul mate" Edward Cullen, leaves for months. When this happens shes lost and does not know what to do with her life. She feels as if all is lost. While he is gone she has no friends except for a guy name Jacob Black. He was always there for her no matter when or what she needed him. He eventually fell for Bella, however she was still hung up on Edward. When he finally returns Bella goes back to Edward even though Jacob was always there for her like he promised, not like Edward who left without realizing how hard that would be for Bella.
1. Do you think Bella made the right choice going back to Edward because they're "soul mates" or do you think that Jacob would have been better for her. Why?
2. Do you think it was better that Edward left because he was trying to protect Bella or do you think what he did was wrong?

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse starts off with a series of killings in the city of Seattle. It turns out that these victims were being killed by newborns, which is a new vampire thirstier than ever for blood. These newborns were created for one purpose only, to kill Bella Swan. In the first book, Edward Cullen, Bella’s gorgeous vampire boyfriend, kills James, another vampire, because he was going after Bella. James’ girlfriend, Victoria, has been out to seek revenge for Edward’s mate ever since. This time Bella is in life threatening danger, so the Cullen family and her best friend’s, Jacob Black, wolf pack join together to form an army to kill these newborns. During the battle, Edward, Bella, and Jacob seek safety on the mountain top, away from danger. Here Jacob finds out that Edward has proposed to Bella and he becomes extremely jealous and threatens to put his life in danger by fighting the newborns. In the end, Edward kills Victoria and the newborns are all killed off. With an unexpected attack from a hidden newborn, Jacob is badly injured. Bella returned to Jacob’s house after everything had been settled only to find out about his extreme jealousy about her engagement. He then tells her that he will always be waiting for her. The book ends with Bella and Edward deciding to tell Charlie, her father, of the engagement plans.

1. If you were Jacob, how would you feel that the girl of your dreams is getting married to your enemy?

2. Do you think the feud between Edward and Jacob will ever stop?

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is the story of high school student Craig Gilner and how his ambition lead him to spiraling out of control, landing him in a mental hospital. Craig, who merely wanted to succeed at life, decides that going to the right high school will help him land a spot at a good college which will then get him a good job. He studies nonstop and is granted admission into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School. However, once there, Craig becomes overwhelmed with what's expected of him academically. The pressure of school causes Craig to stop eating, stop sleeping, and begin using drugs with so-called "friends." One night, he decides he has finally had enough and decides that he is going to kill himself. Just before he jumps off a bridge, Craig calls a suicide hot-line and is then admitted into a psychiatric hospital. He meets the other patients, who have problems of their own, and gets the support of his worried family. Craig finds that drawing helps him cope with his anxiety and soon recovers and leaves the hospital.

1.) Craig gets a phone call from his best friend, Aaron, during one of his first nights in the hospital. Aaron is with a bunch of Craig's other friends as he talks with Craig. Aaron doesn't quite understand why Craig is in the hospital and believes his problem is that he just needs to calm down more. If one of your friends went into a psychiatric hospital, how would you handle it?
2.) In the book, Craig meets a lot of the other patients, like a man who is scared of gravity and a girl who cut her face up with scissors, who are staying at the hospital. Though most are older than him, Craig is able to make friends with them. If you were in Craig's position would you try to make friends with the other patients who may not seem so normal?

The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan

The Longest Day, by Cornelius Ryan, is a book about the D-Day landings in Normandy, France. Ryan collected many veterans' stories who had taken place in the events leading up to, during, and after the battle that turned the tide of the war in Europe. The book begins with the planning of the invasion, with General Eisenhower planning Operation Overlord, the codename for D-Day. The middle of the book explains the disaster of the paratrooper landings the night before, and how nearly everything went wrong with where they landed and how their missions were conducted. The last part of the book explains the actual landings on the five beaches: Omaha, Gold, Juno, Utah, and Sword. This part shows the true sacrifices in war, and what many of these soldiers and their comrades went through to achieve victory for the Allies. Each of the soldiers' stories are honest and interesting, but many are sad as well. Many soldiers who were interviewed had been injured or had seen a friend get killed. In the end, the book showed the true experiences and horror of war and its soldiers.
1. Would you give your life, or be crippled with a life-long injury for your country?
2. Do you think D-Day was necessary, or was it a waste of human life? On a greater scale, is war necessary?

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Bella Swan and Edward Cullen are completely in love. They walk around Forks High School together everyday after Edward picks Bella up in his fancy Volvo, and they spend long nights together after Edward sneaks through her window when her father, Charlie, falls asleep.Everything seems perfect for the couple, they've never been happier. However, disaster strikes at Bella's party at the Cullen's. Edward's brother, Jasper, not quite accustomed to their vampire 'diet' of animal blood instead of human blood. He launches at Bella, almost killing her when she cuts her self unwrapping a birthday present. This scares Edward because he fears by being a vampire, he puts Bella's life at stake. From here, everything begins to go downhill. In a few weeks, Edward leaves and completely removes himself from Bella's life. She goes into a deep state of depression, moving through life like a zombie hardly talking or showing and life in her eyes. She lives this way for quite a long time until she meets up with an old friend, Jacob Black. Jacob acts almost as a light to Bella. He keeps her happy and safe and she quickly becomes dependent on him for happiness. Soon Jacob begins acting strangely and becomes vert sick. He drops communication with Bella and she goes crazy with worry because of the loss of her light. After a few weeks of this strange behavior, Bella discovers her best friends is a werewolf. This news does not bother Bella and she is eager to see Jacob again. She starts to get to know the others in the pack, that are part of a bigger tribe called the Quileuts. Bella continues to see Jacob but the longing for Edward is still inside her and she discovers something wonderful. Any irresponsible act such as riding motorcycles or jumping off cliffs triggers a very realistic hallucination of Edward. To see Edward, Bella decides to go cliff diving when Jacob is not around to protect her and she almost drowns. Edward's sister, Alice, sees this as a vision, but not the outcome of Bella's survival, and Edward eventually finds out. He is driven mad by the 'loss' of Bella and goes to the Volturi to request his death. They refuse so he creates a plan that gives them no choice to kill him: show himself in the sun. It is up to Bella to go and rescue him from this fate by showing Edward she is still alive. She reaches him in Italy just in time and the two are taken to the leaders of the Volturi. A deal is made because Bella knows their secret; she is to be made a vampire herself, and they are safely let home. Upon her return Jacob becomes furious that Bella accepted this deal because the vampires and the werewolves are enemies. Bella loses her best friend but Edward is given back to her.

1). Bella is in so much pain after losing Edward that when she finds Jacob, he is like a source of happiness and light. When she does not have Jacob she returns to the pain and becomes dependent on Jacob, always visiting him to relieve herself of it. However, she leads Jacob on but repeatedly rejects him when he says he loves her. Do you think that is selfish?
2). Do you see a good outcome in Edward's actions in leaving Bella had he stayed away?

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain is one of the first biographies written about one of music's most legendary artists. Christopher Sanford, the biographer, details the life (including younger years, marriage to Courtney Love, and the birth of their daughter), contriversal career, and tragic end to Nirvana's frontman, Kurt Cobain; quoting those close to the late musician and providing factual information regarding Kurt's life. Throughout the 367-page novel, Sanford gives his opinion on the media portrayal of Kurt Cobain, in which he says is in part to the star's later suicide.

1.) How do you view the media? Are they too harsh and invasive towards celebrities or are they just doing their job?

2.) Kurt Cobain was a troubled soul and turned towards drugs, yet many teenagers "admire" the musician. Do you think this is a negative situation, that they view him as such an idol given his past?

Do Hard Things

The book Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris is about young people starting a "rebelution" as they call it, and stepping out of their way to do amazing things for God's glory. This book is written by two teenage twins who feel they are called to challenge the young people of the nation. They challenge the teens of the nations to rise above the world's idea of a typical teenager and to make a difference for God and for the world. They feel that many people today think that every teenager is lazy and is not willing to do anything challenging that will put them out of their comfort zone. This book shares many stories about the experiences that Alex and Brett Harris have had and the big tasks that they have taken on. These big tasks, when they worked hard, they figured out were not impossible with the help of God. The authors also challenge the readers to take a stand for what's right and to live out their faith in everything that they do. These large tasks that many kids think are impossible, are not so hard when you join hands with others and work hard to accomplish great things for God.

1) Many teenagers read this book and think that there is nothing they can actually do. They think that Alex and Brett were some extraordinary teenagers. These boys were normal kids who decided to work hard to accomplish great things. Do you think it's possible for teenagers to make a big difference in this world?

2) What do you think it means for teenagers to rise above these expectations of laziness that our world has placed upon them?

The Uglies By Scott Westerfeld

The Uglies is a novel that takes place in a supposed utopia. Everybody looks forward to their sixteenth birthday, not because it is when they are allowed to drive, but because it means the beginning of a whole different life style. A person's sixteenth birthday in this novel, brings a life changing surgery making them a "pretty". "Pretties" lead a perfect life, never doing any work, partying all the time, and most importantly being flawlessly beautiful. Until this day however, people in this world are considered ugly and have to live apart from the pretties. Tally Youngblood is the protagonist of this novel and like any other ugly, is looking forward to this life style. It is all she has ever dreamed of until she meets a new friend named Shay. Shay has a different attitude towards this surgery and possibly a little more insight into what it does to a person. On the eve of Shay's birthday, she runs away leaving officers suspicious of Tally. Tally is not allowed to get her surgery until she finds Shay and brings her back, and leads the officials (also known as specials) to a place called the smoke full of people who ran away from the life of a pretty and instead choose to live a life of honest work in uncivilized conditions. Tally learns many things from the people she meets in the smoke such as what it means to like people for more than their appearance or even despite their appearance. She also learns things about what becoming a pretty does to your brain. People who get the surgery no longer have the freedom to think for themselves and are programed to think a certain way and never question the way in which they think. After learning this, Tally is then faced with a decision. She could 1) Betray the people of the smoke and get the operation to turn her into a pretty, or 2) Stay with the people of the smoke and never become a pretty.

Questions:

1) If you were Tally which choice would you make and why?

2) Why do you think the surgeons choose to do this to a persons brain when undergoing the pretty operation?

3) Could something as superficial as everyone being pretty really bring peace to the world? Why or why not?

Blind Man's Bluff

Blind man's bluff is a true story about U.S. Navy submarines that spied on the Soviet Union during the cold war. A team of investigators got together and interviewed real people and documented their true stories. The stories were compiled into this book. Much happens throughout the book, and many of the stories are very suspenseful. One story was of a U.S. nuclear submarine that had to stay submerged for an unprecedented amount of time to avoid Soviet ships on the surface in Soviet waters. Another story told of an attempt to salvage a sunken Soviet submarine. The sinking was witnessed, or rather "seen", on a radar screen on a U.S. sub that had been tailing the Soviet submarine. The U.S. offered to help to Soviet sub, but the Soviets refused. Many of the stories told were by people who almost didn't survive their ordeals, and they recounted their terrifying experiences. A lot of the book, too, tells about life on a submarine and how it is cramped and stuffy, with little clean air to breathe.

Interesting fact: My parents were in the Navy and they knew crew members that had personally been in Soviet waters during the Cold War.

1.) How would you deal with daily life on a submarine?

2.) How would you cope with the everyday anxiety of the potential to be found by Soviets? If you were found spying, it is very likely that tension between the two nations would increase to the breaking point.

Q & A Questions

1. Throughout the book Ram does commit crimes such as stealing and even trying to kill someone, but they are all for a good cause (for example to save someone else) or for his own suvival. Do you think that his motives justify him? Should he be punished?


2. Some people view the book as a sort of modern fairytale, while others see it as an accurate representation of Indian street life. From what you know about the book and how Ram is treated in it, what do you think?

Q & A By: Vikas Swarup

Q & A, also published as Slumdog Millionaire, by Vikas Swarup, is a novel about the journeys of an orphan Indian street urchin named Ram Mohammad Thomas. The book begins with Ram being beaten and interrogated by the police because he won a game show. Ram answered all of the questions on the game show Who Will Win A Billion? correctly to win the billion dollars. However, people believe that he must have cheated because he is a homeless street boy who could not know the answers to all the questions. For this reason, he is arrested in the middle of the night. He is beaten by the police and questioned by them without being given food or water for days. Just as he is about to give in a young lawyer comes to his rescue. She makes the police hand him over to her to take back to her home to prepare a defense for his trial. He does not know anything about who she is and she only tells him that her name is Smita Shah and that as soon as she heard of his arrest on TV she came to help him. Smita gives him food and lets him sleep at her home, and then begins to ask him how he was able to win the game show. Swarup writes that Ram tells Smita truthfully that he did not cheat, but he got lucky- every question that was asked he knew the answer to (17). Everything that had happened to him through his life up to that point provided him with the answers to the trivia questions. He tells Smita that there was no one reason why he was able to answer all of the questions, but he knew each answer because of a specific experience that he had had. He says, “Do you notice when you breathe? No. You simply know that you are breathing. I did not go to school. I did not read books. But I tell you, I knew those answers” (18). The rest of the book is divided into twelve chapters, a chapter for each question that Ram answered. With each chapter, Ram tells about the part of his life that allowed him to know the answer to that question, from living with a Catholic priest to being a tour guide at the Taj Mahal, to rescuing a young girl being abused by her father in the slums, and living with an Indian tragedy film star in her mansion. In the process he falls in love, and the reader finds out about his intentions of going on the game show in the first place. A twist at the end connects the whole book and the reader is left with a fulfilling end to a modern Cinderella story.

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, is a story about a girl named Alice and her adventure to Wonderland. Alice sits under a tree while listening to her sister read a book. Alice sees a little white rabbit in clothes talking to himself. Alice follows the rabbit and he goes in a rabbit hole. She follows the rabbit into the hole and this begins the journey to Wonderland. After falling a long time, Alice reaches a room with doors of all sizes. Alice finds a key to a very small door that goes to a garden. Alice eats a cake and drinks a potion that makes her grow and shrink to all different sizes. She cries and floods the room and floats away. She meets a Dodo and they have a Caucus race to get Alice dry. Alice doesn't like the race idea so she leaves and runs into the rabbit. He tells her to get the Duchess's gloves and fan. She goes to the house and eats a cake that makes her grow very large again. Throughout the book Alice grows and shrinks to various sizes. Alice meets many characters in Wonderland. After Alice gets out of the Duchess's house, she meets a caterpillar that helps her get back to her original height. Alice meets the Duchess, her cook, a baby that turns into a pig, and a Cheshire cat. The cat tells Alice to go to the tea party where she meets the Hatter, the March hare, and Dormouse. At the tea party, the hosts all ask Alice ridiculous riddles making her leave. As Alice is leaving she finds the garden she saw in the little door. The garden belongs to the Queen of Hearts. The Queen asks Alice to play croquet with her. They use flamingos and hedgehogs for equipment. The Queen gets mad and shouts, "Off with their heads!" many times. After the game of croquet there is a trial on who stole the Queen's tarts. The Queen believes it was the Knave of Hearts. Alice is called up as a witness. Alice grows again and the King and Queen order Alice to to leave, citing rule 42, all persons more than a mile high to leave the court. Alice doesn't leave, she calls them just a pack of cards. The Queen shouts, "Off with her head!" and the cards swarm around Alice. Alice wakes up by leaves falling on her. 1. Do you think Alice's journey to Wonderland was just a dream? 2. If it was a dream, do you think the journey was suppose to symbolize something in Alice's life?

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

Leaving Paradise is told from the varying points of view of the two main characters, Caleb and Maggie. Both live in a town called Paradise and both have a shared past that keeps them a part but that is also what brings them close together. Caleb is returning to Paradise from prison where he went after being charged for being behind the wheel of the car that struck Maggie and damaged both her legs. The story starts with him finding out he is to be released. The closing line is, "Tomorow I'm going home" (Elkeles 8). Maggie used to be an athlete and the top of her school. She had one secret: that she was in love with her neighbor and best friend's brother, Caleb. After the accident she became an outcast. She could no longer play tennis because she had a horrible limp. She went to physical therapy but would never be able to move as she used to. When Caleb returns, he comes back to a dysfunctional family. His mother is a drug addict, his father is in denial and his sister now dresses completely in black and tries to avoid everyone. He goes back to school and is automatically accepted back into his old group. Appearance wise, everything seemed perfect, but Caleb did not want everything to go back to normal. It takes an old neighbor who receives help from both Maggie and Caleb, an entire school who cannot see either of them as who they truly are, and a life of secrets, for Maggie to finally get what she used to want. She thought she hated Caleb, but when she realized he was the only person as damaged as her, they began to secretly see each other. In the end, both are faced with major decisions. Caleb could no longer watch his family falling apart. The truth about the accident came to life. Also, they discovered that teenage love could not in fact conquer all. In the end they had to choose between each other and their families. One of them faces the prospect of running away. 1.) If you were injured in an accident like Maggie, would you ever be able to forgive the person who took away your ability to walk normally? 2.) Caleb's life is all about appearances. If you were in his situation, would you be able to handle all the pressure, or would you be tempted to rebel as he tries to do?

Tuesdays with Morrie-By: Mitch Albom

"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."-Henry Adams

When Mitch Albom graduated from Brandies University, he promised his favorite professor, Morrie Schwartz, that he would keep in touch. However, as the years progressed Mitch continued developing his career as a journalist and lost touch with Morrie.

One night when Mitch is watching television he sees Morrie giving a lecture and decides to try to get in touch. When he finally reaches Morrie he discovers that he was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's Disease, or ALS, and does not have too much time to live. After that Tuesday, they decide to continue visiting together every Tuesday, so that Morrie can share his life lessons. They will call their meetings their last thesis, so that Mitch can write a book sharing the lessons on the meaning of life.

Despite Morrie's condition he remains content in his situation and with his entire life. He teaches Mitch the value of loving people fully, living in the moment, and not becoming caught up in the modern world, only to forget what is important. In addition, Morrie feels that learning to accept death, the inevitable, only helps to teach one how to live. He believes in creating this legacy not only to help Mitch, but also to help others learn to live with his philosophy of life.

Questions

1. If you knew that you only had a short time to live, would you live any differently, or regret anything that you have done?

2. What do you think are life's most important lessons?

3. Morrie believes in loving people wholeheartedly. Do you think it is wise to love so many people, or would that set you up for heartbreak?