The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Shaffer, Mary Ann and Annie Barrows.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: A novel.
Random House. 2008.
ISBN: 9780385340991
$22.00. Hardcover. 288 pages.

Readers Annotation
It’s 1946 and Juliet Ashton, a writer, is looking for sunny subjects to report. She never expects to find the stories on the Isle of Guernsey.

Plot Summary
This epistolary novel begins in 1946 just as London is emerging from the Second World War. Writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject when she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams, a farmer on Guernsey Island. Adams had come across her name in a book he purchased written by Charles Lamb. Juliet and Dawsey continue to exchange letters, and she comes to intimately know the people who inhabit his world. She discovers that the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was created as an alibi when the Germans occupied the island. As Juliet’s correspondence continues with the members of the society, she learns about their home, the books they enjoy, and the impact of the German occupation. Juliet is so captivated by their stories that she sets out to join her new friends. She wants to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an island resident, Elizabeth in a German prison camp. The letter format might be a novelty for young adults who text message all day long, but it is a great way to see the (mostly) beautiful communication of the past, when life allowed us time to put a pen to paper.

Critical Evaluation
Many critics noted the similarity between this novel and the works of Jane Austen. I never noticed any similarity between the two, although Austen is often mentioned among other writers in the novel. This novelty of this book is in the letters themselves. Shaffer is excellent at finding the voice of each of her characters. The novel is truly like reading personal mail from the past. The characters are beguiling and readers will have sympathy for their plight during the occupation. The only part I did not care for was the subplot about Elizabeth and her daughter Kit. After Elizabeth is taken away to a concentration camp, the people on the island raise her daughter Kit. It is heartrendingly sad in such a joyous novel of renewal. I would recommend this book to any young adult who wants to read a good novel in a unique format.

Information about the author
Mary Ann Shaffer (1934-2008) was inspired to write this novel after a visit to England in 1976. As she finished the novel her health began to decline and her niece, Annie Barrows completed the writing process. This is Shaffer’s only novel. Annie Barrows is the author of the Ivy & Bean series for children. You can find out more about Shaffer at http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=1586. You can find out more about Annie Barrows at http://www.anniebarrows.com/

Genre
Historic fiction

Curriculum ties
English, history and social studies: WWII, letter writing.

Challenge Issues
None

Challenge defense ideas
There are no apparent challenge issues associated with this book. In the case that a challenge comes up, there are some things that you can do to start. You could read the book and become familiar with the content. Refer to the library collection development policy, and get reviews from reputable sources and teens that have read the book. You can find out more about this book on Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Guernsey-Literary-Potato-Peel-Society/dp/B002WTC8RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260164060&sr=1-1

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss the format of the book (letters vs. straight narrative fiction)
2. Discuss the occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII

Reading Level/Age
Adult crossover

Why I included this title
I consider it one of the best books of 2008.

Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton

Hamilton, Laurell K. Guilty Pleasures.
Berkley Trade. 2002.
ISBN 978-425197547
$15.00. Paperback. 368 pages.

Readers Annotation
Anita Blake, animator and vampire executioner is called upon by the Master of the City to uncover the person murdering vampires.

Plot Summary
Anita Blake works for Animators, Inc. and raises zombies out of graves for a living. She is also a state sanctioned vampire executioner. The local Master of the City, Nikolaos wants to hire Anita to investigate who is murdering the most powerful vampires in St. Louis. Anita refuses and is later coerced into working for the vampires. Jean-Claude, a vampire who works for Nikolaos, and manager of the all male strip club Guilty Pleasures works with Anita. When Anita is nearly killed during her first meeting with Nikolaos, a very old vampire in the body of a young girl, Jean-Claude saves her by sharing some of his life force. This gives Anita the first vampire mark. Nikolaos introduces another animator to Anita. His name is Zachary. Anita knows that something is just not right with Zachary, but she can’t fathom what it is. Meanwhile, Edward another vampire executioner shows up at Anita’s apartment. He has been hired to execute the current Master of the City. Anita meets a number of supernatural beings including the king of the wererats.  Ultimately, Anita discovers that Zachary is a zombie who is only alive through gris-gris magic. Anita, along with Edward, kills Nikolaos, and Zachary who is responsible for the murders. In doing so Jean-Claude becomes the new Master of the City of St. Louis. Anita is on her way to becoming his human servant.

Critical Evaluation
In this debut novel, author Laurell K. Hamilton introduced a set of fabulous characters. Anita, is charismatic and at the start of her career. Hamilton embued her character with a snarky sense of humor, and an unknown power that continues to grow with the series. Jean-Claude, is smart, sexy and 300 years old. It becomes clear in later novels that although he is a Master Vampire, he is no master to Anita. Edward, the sociopathic killer is scary good at his job. Anita learns how to kill efficiently and effectively from him. The storyline is original. In Anita’s world, supernatural beings are out, and living with the humans. The novel is smart, funny, sexy, and a good read. I would recommend this novel to older young adults (17 an up) who have read YA vampire series and want more vampire-themed books. I would not however, recommend the novels from #4 on, because they include graphic sex. This novel does not include scenes of graphic sex, but is has a great deal of violence. It is not for the squeamish. Young adults who read this novel should not expect the romance of Twilight or its sequels.

Information about the author
Laurell K. Hamilton has been writing since she was a child. She had difficulty selling this novel because no one knew what genre it should fall into. She is consistently on the New York Times Bestseller list. There are currently 16 books in the series. You can find out more about her at http://www.laurellkhamilton.org/index.php.

Genre
Paranormal thriller, horror, fantasy.

Curriculum ties
None

Challenge Issues
Violence.

Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its contents.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Guilty-Pleasures-Anita-Vampire-Hunter/dp/0425197549/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1260155655&sr=1-2
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.

Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss Anita’s ability to raise the dead.
2. Talk about her work with the police in uncovering supernatural crimes.

Reading Level/Age
Adult crossover.

Why I included this title
This is the first book in one of my favorite vampire series.

Sunshine by Robin McKinley

McKinley, Robin. Sunshine.
Berkley Books, 2003.
ISBN: 978-0-425-22401-4
407 pages

Reader's Annotation
Going to the lake alone was dumb, but there hadn’t been any trouble there in years. Until that day when Sunshine was abducted by vampires. 
 
Plot Summary
Sunshine (Rae) Seddon spends her time baking killer desserts until that day by the lake. Abducted by vampires she never expects to survive. Joining forces with a fellow captive, a vampire named Constantine (Con), Sunshine must use her dormant magical powers to help them both escape. First repelled by Cons, Sunshine finds herself increasingly drawn to him. When Sunshine kills a member of the vampire family that captured them with her bare hands, she becomes a target of authorities. Caught between the local cops (SOF) and the vampires, Sunshine must use all her powers to discover the location of the vampires in order to defeat them. If not, the vampires will continue to hunt for Sunshine and Con, and ultimately take over their city.
 
Critical Evaluation
Author Robin McKinley specializes in the fantasy genre, and many of her novels reflect her fairy tale sensibilities. McKinley’s favorite themes (a strong young female protagonist in a beauty and the beast situation) are predominant her novels. Her settings are usually far away and technologically deprived. For this novel, written in 2003, the author has created a post-apocalyptic world for Sunshine, which different from any other novel she has written. The apocalypse in McKinley’s world includes a world war between vampires (and other supernatural creatures) and humans. Told in the first person by “Sunshine” Rae Seddons, the story centers on her work in the family coffee shop as a baker. It is only after Sunshine is abducted that the world beyond the coffee shop begins to come into focus. Sunshine has an original voice with a unique viewpoint and dialect. While her voice is worth reading it is also sometimes very slow going. The reader is thrust into this exciting world with no background knowledge for the terminology or history. This contributes to becoming lost at times. While Sunshine’s language is often difficult to interpret, her vampire companion, Constantine is the opposite. Although very old, Constantine feels contemporary to the reader. Sunshine is snarky, comedic and insightful about her life, and her inherent magic. Constantine is her polar opposite. Together they are magnetic. Although the story is original it has not had the success of later books like Stephanie Meyers’ Twilight, in part due to the difficulty with the jargon, and the lack of background information. This book could be recommended to an older young adult reader who has read the Twilight series, or the Vampire Academy novels, and is ready for an outstanding stand alone vampire-themed novel. 
 
Author Information
Born on November 16, 1952, Jennifer Carolyn Robin Turrell McKinley spent much of her early life traveling the world as a Navy brat.  She currently resides in England.  McKinley won the Newbury Medal for The Hero and the Crown. You can follow her at: http://robinmckinleysblog.com or www.robinmckinley.com.
 
Genre(s)
Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal

Curriculum Ties
English/Reading: This book could be used as a tie in with other vampire fantasy novels like: Twilight, Vampire Academy, or Vampire Diaries.
 
Booktalking Ideas  
1.  Vampire Theme: Discuss how the relationship between Sunshine and Con is complicated. How can a human and vampire become allies?
2.  Baking Theme:  Discuss Sunshine's baking talent and how she creates incredible desserts.  Is cooking related to magic?

Challenge Issues 
Language and sexuality. 

Challenge Defense Ideas

• Become familiar with the book and its content.
• Refer to the collection development policy of the library. 
• Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Sunshine-Robin-McKinley/dp/0425224015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256704098&sr=8-1
• Try to get reviews from teens who have read the book. 
  

Reading Level/Age
Adult Crossover.  Ages 16 and above.
Why I included this title  
This selection was recommended by Nancy Pearl as a cross over for YA readers at a seminar I attended at the Santa Clara County Office of Education.  It is also included on the 2005 ALA Best Books for Young Adults.