This edition invites students to interact with the play by encouraging decision making and creativity. Preceding each scene is an introduction and one or two questions related to exploring ideas, themes or personal experiences. Following each scene is a set of activities connected to the issues and problems that arise during the scene. Many of the suggested activities call for group work and personal response. The book is designed with the play on the right-hand side and key vocabulary words on the left-hand side.

Written in diary format by Vera, readers learn about the evacuation of the Aleut people from the Aleutian Islands during World War II. By focusing on a handful of fictional characters, Hesse tells of the hardships that the Aleuts endured when the Japanese occupied these islands near Alaska. The short prose poems reveal how the Aleutians suffered and readers also learn about their history and culture. Included are examples of poetic devices such as imagery, simile and alliteration.
The format of prose poetry could be used for the study of contextual cueing systems.

This re-telling of the eighth century Anglo-Saxon poem infuses the condensed narrative of strong, rhythmical prose with word choices that retain the flavour of the original. Many of the literary devices such as alliteration are incorporated. This version makes the poem more approachable to a modern audience.
The illustrations contribute to the understanding of the text for the adolescent reader. The black-and-white drawings evoke the menace and mystery apparent in the story. The book supports the viewing and representing strands.

This version of the Cinderella story is set in China during the reign (1368-1398) of the Emperor Hung Wu, the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Xing Xing's father dies and she is bound in servitude to her stepmother and to her stepsister, who is undergoing the painful process of foot binding in order to make her more marriageable. While hiding the bones of a pet fish killed by her stepmother, Xing Xing discovers a green silk gown and golden slippers that belonged to her mother. Dressed in this fine clothing, Xing Xing goes to the festival where she loses a slipper. As in the Cinderella story, Xing Xing meets her prince and the story ends with happily ever after.
Xing Xing's story makes it clear that in traditional Chinese life, women were not valued and daughters were considered a liability.

Set in 14th century England, Crispin is forced to flee his feudal village after he is falsely accused of a crime. He is declared a "wolf's head" and becomes legal prey of any man. Crispin finds refuge with a juggler who teaches him about self-worth. As it becomes clear that his rescuer is involved in a planned peasant uprising, Crispin must find a way to negotiate his freedom.
Infused with historical currents of the Black Plague, the power of the Church, feudalism and the Peasant's Revolt, this historical narrative was the winner of the 2003 John Newbery Award.

When conservative straight "A" student Antonia Dillon is approached to become a peer counsellor to troublemaker and punk rocker Jazz Luther, she reluctantly agrees to become part of the program. As the counselling progresses, the two girls discover that they have more in common than they realized. When Antonia's family life falls apart, Jazz appears to be her only lifeline. This darkly humorous book begs readers to question their stereotypes regarding normal and abnormal people.
This book was nominated by American Library Association (ALA) as a Best Book for Young Adults in 2004.

The protagonist in this novel is chosen by powerful adults to carry out an important task. Set in a futuristic society that emerges after great destruction on planet Earth, Kira is left homeless after her mother dies mysteriously. Kira is threatened with death because she has a deformed leg and her society sees no purpose for those who cannot do hard labour. Kira is saved because, like her mother, she is able to dye threads.
The Council of Guardians gives her the job of repairing and restoring the robe of the Singer, the oral historian who presides at the annual harvest time Gathering celebration. Through her work, Kira discovers that she has real talent for creating new and beautiful patterns. She also discovers, however, that her temporary privileged status will eventually bring her doom. The novel is an examination of a future society that will challenge readers to think about community, creativity and the values they have learned to accept.
Gathering Blue would be a good choice for literature circles and for discussions around the theme of the future.

This book deals with the topic of living in a blended family. Matt and Cody run away from home after their stepfather bullies Cody, but the boys soon learn that running away is not the answer to their problems. Matt and Cody discover that the world is not the safe and pleasant place they anticipated. When Matt and Cody return home, they are prepared to follow the rules that are necessary to live together in a family setting.
Kropp has tried to parallel this book to Hinton's The Outsiders, which would be a good book to use along with this novel.

Into Thin Air is a firsthand account of the tragic commercial expedition to Mount Everest in 1996 in which eight climbers died. Krakauer, a mountain climber and journalist from the United States, balances the views of the ego-driven mountain climbers, the underappreciated Sherpa guides and the inexperienced amateurs' desires to reach beyond one's limitations. Krakauer investigates the catastrophe and what went wrong on the summit the day of the storm.
It would be interesting for students to compare Into Thin Air with The Climb and Touching My Father's Soul.

As a member of an all-boy company preparing to perform Shakespeare's play A Midsummer Night's Dream in a London replica of the Globe Theatre, Nathan Field becomes ill and is mysteriously transported to Elizabethan England. This time-travel novel conveys the sights, sounds and smells of Elizabethan England as Nathan befriends Shakespeare. The details of 16th-century troupe life as well as how costumes, makeup and stage effects were carried out add depth to the story. Woven into the description of the past is the story of Nathan and his attempts to deal with the deaths of both his parents.
This novel, with its multifaceted themes, would be a good choice to use partnered with Shakespeare's original play.

Kit Watson and his family return to the coal-mining town of Stoneygate to look after Kit's aging, recently widowed grandfather. Kit is lured into playing a game called Death by a boy named John Askew. When Kit must stay alone in a mine, he is haunted by the ghosts of people who died working in the mines. John disappears and Kit, an aspiring writer, creates a story about a prehistoric boy who becomes separated from his family.
The story parallel's John's life and the stories that Kit's grandfather has told him about the mines.
This book won the Michael L. Printz Award in 2001 for literary excellence.

This is the third book in the trilogy that began with the Newbery Award winner, The Giver and later, Gathering Blue. Matt, who found Kira's father in Gathering Blue, now lives in the utopian community called the Village. Kira's father is the Seer and Matt has grown under his care. Matt, a responsible member of the community, acts as a messenger for Leader, the blue-eyed Jonas from The Giver. Matt, once a scruffy thief, discovers that he has healing powers. Matt's skills become crucial in saving his formerly tolerant village from the greed and the suspicion that is eating it away.
Messenger could be used alone as a novel or as part of the trilogy in an author study.

Marjane Satrapi writes about her own experiences as a child in Iran. A graphic novel about Iranian culture and history, the story is told with a sense of humour and it offers insight into the culture of Iran and the impact of the Islamic revolution on the Iranian people. As the only child of revolutionaries, Satrapi's life changes dramatically. Marjane found it very difficult to live under such strict rules and her disobedient behaviour put her family in danger. Her parents were forced to send her to live in Europe for her own safety until she was 14. We learn from Marjane's story of a childhood based on terrorism and war that the actions of a few extremists do not reflect the attitude of a nation.

This is an interesting recounting of the survival story of Ernest Shackleton's adventure. Ernest Shackleton and his crew were attempting to cross Antarctica. When the Endurance became icebound in Antarctica in 1914, Sir Ernest Shackleton and his crew of 27 were 166 kilometres from land. Although their mission was unsuccessful, their survival story is remarkable. The men played on the ice to pass the time after the Endurance sank. They took to their lifeboats and spent a year travelling over ice, water and mountains to safety. In 1916, Shackleton led a rescue party to retrieve his men and, remarkably, the entire crew survived. The photos provide an opportunity to witness what the crew experienced during the journey.

In this sequel to Stravaganza: City of Masks, Georgia's stepbrother Russell makes her life miserable. Georgia loves horses and when she buys a tiny winged horse in an antique shop, she develops the ability to move back and forth between a parallel dimension of her world in contemporary London and Talia and 16th-century Italy. In Talia, Georgia becomes a jockey and, disguised as a boy, wins an important race. Georgia is a strong, determined individual who overcomes difficulties and focuses on achievement. In the end, Russell's meanness is revealed and he is forced to leave Georgia alone.
The sections of the novel that are set in contemporary England feature English expressions and terminology, while the sections set in Talia include Italian names. While this might be challenging for some readers, it also emphasizes the difference between Georgia's two worlds.

The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest is the story of the rescue on May 10, 1996. The book tells how the climbers became disoriented in a vicious storm and when the group runs out of oxygen, it complicates the situation. A Russian mountaineer, Anatoli Boukreev, climbs without oxygen and saves six of his climbers during the height of the storm.
The Climb: Tragic Ambitions on Everest provides the transcripts and debriefing after the tragedy as well as another viewpoint to Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air and Jamling Norgay's Touching My Father's Soul.

Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has an inferiority complex and feels like a stranger among her family. Virginia sees her older siblings as being slim and "perfect" until this image is shattered by the news of her brother's participation in a date rape on campus. Virginia begins to realize that images are only that - images. Virginia's mother, Doctor Shreves, is an adolescent psychologist who understands teenagers, but cannot counsel her family. Virginia is encouraged by the advice from her family doctor that she should be happy with her own body image, not her mother's image. In this humorous novel, readers vicariously experience numerous sensitive, real-life issues.

Philbrick has written an imaginative, disturbing story about a bleak and dangerous future world. A teenage boy called Spaz, because of his epilepsy, undergoes a journey to find his adoptive sister, Bean. Spaz still has his memory because he cannot take the drug-like mindprobes that turn the others into zombies. Ryter, an old man, accompanies Spaz on his adventure because he is one of the few people who still remembers and values books. Lanya, a female "proov" (genetically improved human), takes the group to Eden, an idyllic proov community that is different from the dangerous toxic Urbs where "normals" live. When Ryter is killed by a mob, Spaz must tell his story in "the last book in the universe."

Ponyboy is only 14, but after his parents' death, he tries to keep the family together. Ponyboy's loyalties are to his brothers and to his gang. In this novel, there are two kinds of people in the world - greasers and socs. A soc (short for social) has money and can get away with almost anything. A greaser always lives on the outside and needs to watch his back. One night after a fight, Johnny kills a soc. Ponyboy learns that pain feels the same whether you are a soc or a greaser.
S. E. Hinton wrote this novel in 1967 when she was 16 years old and it has stood the test of time.

In this book, the sequel to The City of Ember, DuPrau continues the adventures of Doon and Lina, who have led the people from the underground city of Ember to the Earth's surface and the city of Sparks. The refugees are welcomed by the people of Sparks who live near a wasteland left by the disaster a long time ago that nearly destroyed most of civilization. Due to the differences between the sheltered, electric-powered life in Ember and the low-tech, farm-based existence in Sparks, conflict arises between the two groups. As conflict and violence escalate, Doon and Lina must find a solution that provides hope for the future of both groups.

This novel about Wendy Darling, written before she met Peter Pan, deals with issues of infidelity, caregiver abuse, madness and maturation. Wendy is outspoken and often gets into trouble. After being severely punished by the nanny, she sneaks out of the nursery to spy on her parents at one of their parties. During the party, Wendy discovers that her father is unfaithful. Later, the children are sent to Rosegrove, a summer retreat. Wendy loves Rosegrove because she can see Thomas, who has a disability. Wendy learns that Thomas is really her brother who was sent away because he was not socially acceptable to her father. Wallace describes the hypocrisy and cruelty of the privileged class in early 20th-century London.