Picoult, J. ((2007). Nineteen minutes. New York, New York: Atria Books.
Summary: What can you accomplish in nineteen minutes? Watch a sitcom? Take a shower? Read the newspaper? This fictional novel goes into the mind of a fictional teenage character, Peter, who goes on a violent shooting spree that lasts nineteen minutes and leaves almost a dozen dead. Thousands of others are haunted by the memories of that horrific day. This novel takes you through the minds of the key players in the shooter’s life. Josie, the girl he loves, is also the judge’s daughter, and witnesses the crimes. Unfortunately she can’t remember the events of that fateful day. Her mother, the judge, is torn about whether or not to be involved in the case. Peter’s mother is not dealing well with being the mother of a murderer. You will be shocked at the outcome of this intriguing novel.
Rationale for Selection: Jodi Picoult’s books are generally marketed for an adult audience. However, one of her novels was on the Florida Teens Read List for last year. This book deals with a school shooting, which unfortunately is in our headlines today. I thought that teens would emotionally relate to the characters in the book—because they are in high school also. This book takes them into Peter’s life, and what it was like to be bullied. I wanted this book to give students a glimpse of what it is like to be tortured and teased in school.
Reader Response: This book took me a little longer to get through. I was in tears at the beginning of the story—but the court case part of the book seemed to drag on. I think that teens would like it much better if they court room drama scenes were fewer and far between. I read this book right before the Cleveland, Ohio, school shooting of the other week—so parts of the book really hit home. My school also had a “code red” drill today—a drill for if there is a shooter in the building. My class had a discussion on how much things have changed for schools in the past ten years.
Genre and Themes: This is a fictional account of a school shooting. This novel deals with bullying, teen relationships, and parental relationships.
Teacher Thinking Notes: This is a tough book to relate to classroom teaching. I would definitely suggest it to kids for book conferencing or do a book talk in class to get a discussion going about school safety. It would also be a book to introduce before code red drills.
Reading Level: 9-adult
Interest Level: High
Quality Level: Medium
Summary: What can you accomplish in nineteen minutes? Watch a sitcom? Take a shower? Read the newspaper? This fictional novel goes into the mind of a fictional teenage character, Peter, who goes on a violent shooting spree that lasts nineteen minutes and leaves almost a dozen dead. Thousands of others are haunted by the memories of that horrific day. This novel takes you through the minds of the key players in the shooter’s life. Josie, the girl he loves, is also the judge’s daughter, and witnesses the crimes. Unfortunately she can’t remember the events of that fateful day. Her mother, the judge, is torn about whether or not to be involved in the case. Peter’s mother is not dealing well with being the mother of a murderer. You will be shocked at the outcome of this intriguing novel.
Rationale for Selection: Jodi Picoult’s books are generally marketed for an adult audience. However, one of her novels was on the Florida Teens Read List for last year. This book deals with a school shooting, which unfortunately is in our headlines today. I thought that teens would emotionally relate to the characters in the book—because they are in high school also. This book takes them into Peter’s life, and what it was like to be bullied. I wanted this book to give students a glimpse of what it is like to be tortured and teased in school.
Reader Response: This book took me a little longer to get through. I was in tears at the beginning of the story—but the court case part of the book seemed to drag on. I think that teens would like it much better if they court room drama scenes were fewer and far between. I read this book right before the Cleveland, Ohio, school shooting of the other week—so parts of the book really hit home. My school also had a “code red” drill today—a drill for if there is a shooter in the building. My class had a discussion on how much things have changed for schools in the past ten years.
Genre and Themes: This is a fictional account of a school shooting. This novel deals with bullying, teen relationships, and parental relationships.
Teacher Thinking Notes: This is a tough book to relate to classroom teaching. I would definitely suggest it to kids for book conferencing or do a book talk in class to get a discussion going about school safety. It would also be a book to introduce before code red drills.
Reading Level: 9-adult
Interest Level: High
Quality Level: Medium
No comments:
Post a Comment