This Is Not a Drill Blog Tour

We are also lucky to be participating in the Blog Tour for this great new young adult novel and we are so happy to have Beck McDowell herself as a guest blogger today as well as a giveaway of this suspenseful book.  Beck is a former middle and high school English teacher and continues to promote literacy through her novels, her passion as well as an amazing website, Not Required Reading, where teens write book reviews to share. 

When we finished This is Not a Drill, our immediate question was how Beck had chosen this topic to write about in a Young Adult book. Below our review, you will find her fascinating answer to this question. 

Title: This Is Not a Drill 

Author: Beck McDowell 

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books 

Publication Date: October 25th, 2012 

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction/Novel  

GoodReads Summary: Two teens try to save a class of first-graders from a gun-wielding soldier suffering from PTSD.
     When high school seniors Emery and Jake are taken hostage in the classroom where they tutor, they must work together to calm both the terrified children and the gunman threatening them--a task made even more difficult by their recent break-up. Brian Stutts, a soldier suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq, uses deadly force when he's denied access to his son because of a custody battle. The children's fate is in the hands of the two teens, each recovering from great loss, who now must reestablish trust in a relationship damaged by betrayal. Told through Emery and Jake's alternating viewpoints, this gripping novel features characters teens will identify with and explores the often-hidden damages of war. 

What Jen Thinks: I've shared before that my dad is a veteran of the Vietnam War and that he has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It's so interesting to me to read about characters who are also dealing with PTSD. I'm glad we have another book that shares what it might be like to encounter or live with a veteran with PTSD. It saddens me that we (as a country) haven't figured out how to help soldiers with PTSD returning to civilian life but that seems to be the case. I do think bringing awareness to how difficult going back to mainstream culture and life is important so I'm happy we have This Is Not a Drill. I really enjoyed getting to know Jake and Emery in this book. I loved reading from each of their perspectives and I think young adult readers will relate to their stories and how each of them deals with the situation at hand. Beck does a great job of bringing them to life. 

What Kellee Thinks: What an intense book! I read it in one sitting and couldn't put it down. From page one, Beck McDowell reels you in keeps you hooked for the next 200 pages. 
     Emery and Jake are high school students volunteering at an elementary school 3 days a week. They are also ex- girlfriend/boyfriend so the interaction is a bit awkward. But none of this matters when a gun wielding vet with PTSD invades the classroom demanding custody of his son. Now, they have to work together to ensure that the eighteen 6-year-olds in the classroom make it out safe.
     I am so glad that Beck wrote this book in 1st person alternating point of views. It really allowed for the reader to be part of the action as it unfolded. It made it more intimate because not only were you seeing the actions from more than one place (like 3rd person would have done), but the reader was able to know Jake and Emery's emotions and motives. 

Read Together:  Grades 8 and up

Read Alone:  Grades 7 and up

Read With: Purple Heart by Patricia McCormick, BADD by Tim Tharp, Give a Boy a Gun by Todd Strasser, Shooter by Walter Dean Myers, Personal Effects by E.M. Kokie

Snatch of Text:  "I pretend to empty my pockets onto the desk nearest me, hoping he won't notice the slight cell phone bulge still there. "Don't worry," I tell him. "You won't have any problem from me. I don't want these kids hurt, and besides, I'm no hero." That's the understatement of the year. 
     "I don't wanna hurt anybody, either, kid, I'm just tryin' to be a good dad. I'm not gonna let them take my son away from me. Not my wife" - he's getting louder and some of the words are slurred - "and not a bunch of small-town bureaucrats like those people down in the office. I don't need anybody tryin' to run my life. You got that, Jake?"
     "We'll do whatever we can to help you sir," I say, keeping my voice even and looking him in the eye. "Just don't hurt the people in this room. We're not the enemy." 
     "That's the problem, Jake; I don't know who the enemy is any more. Maybe I never knew who the enemy was. The enemy's everywhere." His voice gets even louder. "You don't know who's tryin' to mess you up. You can't tell where the shootin's comin' from!" 
   It's crazy talk to so I keep quiet. Emery's eyes move from the gun aimed at her to Stutts and back to the gun again. The gun changes everything and there's no way to know how this will end." (Jake, p. 17-18)

Mentor Text For: Activating Background Knowledge, Making Connections, Point of View, Suspense, Flashback

Writing Prompts: Choose a topic from this book or related to this book to learn more about. Gather information and then write a persuasive essay to convince your reader to support the topic you chose. For example, you may want to learn more about PTSD and then persuade your reader to support veterans dealing with PTSD. 

Topics Covered: PTSD, Custody, Education, Panic attacks, Diabetes, Iraq war
Beck's Guest Post: A friend recently asked me if I plan to write any books for adults. I explained to her that 55% of the people reading YA today ARE adults, but my writing will always be geared primarily toward teens.  High schoolers are the reason I began writing. As a middle and high school teacher, I spent years researching, reading, and promoting books I thought my students would like. A big part of my mission as an educator was showing teens who associated reading with required books they’d disliked that there was a world of great young adult books out there that they would love. I loved the way their eyes lit up when they discovered The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska, I Am the Messenger, and others.

     I had so much respect for the students I taught who were going through tough situations at home and managed to persevere through the school day with such great attitudes. So it wasn’t surprising that my first book was about a teen hero. I wrote Last Bus Out in 2007 – the true story of Courtney Miles, who stole a school bus and drove over 300 people out of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The idea began when I read a San Francisco Chronicle article about him after he moved to California to play basketball. I interviewed him, mostly by phone but twice in person, over two years and wrote his story. The book was picked up by a great agent but when the economy fell apart, we were unable to sell it, and I eventually published it as an enhanced ebook and print-on-demand paperback.

     The idea for This is Not a Drill came from a conversation I’d had with my 2^nd grade nephew. He told me they’d been instructed, if they were in the bathroom when a lock-down was announced, to lock the stall door, sit on the toilet, and pull their feet up in case someone came in. It broke my heart to think of him there alone and afraid and that image stayed with me. I never worried about violence in the classroom when I taught, but I dreamed about it several times - so I know the fear was there in my subconscious.

     It’s a troubling subject – for adults and for kids – but we’re certainly all aware of random acts of violence that occur in public places, and I actually think kids would be more comfortable talking about it than pretending it doesn’t exist. In fact, it makes sense to prepare them as best we can for any dangerous situation they might encounter. The Stranger Danger speech parents have always given their kids (Don’t get in the car with the man who wants you to help him find his puppy) now has to be expanded to “if you hear gunfire, move away fast or drop to the floor, depending on how close it is.” It happens – in malls, in movie theaters, in schools, and I think we can have these discussions with children without traumatizing them. We have fire drills and tornado drills regularly, but kids understand that the occurrence of either is unlikely. We teach them to buckle their seatbelts – but they don’t constantly fear a car accident. Depending on the maturity level of the child, the discussion can be as simple as: never open a locked outside school door to a stranger, always tell a teacher if you see someone unfamiliar in the building, and move to the nearest classroom if you’re in the hall when a lock-down is announced.

     While researching This is Not a Drill, I put together a list of safety tips for students and one for teachers. I realized I’d never been given any instruction for what to do if a gun appeared in my classroom - even though I knew guns had been discovered in several schools where I’d taught. Something as simple as, “I’m going to send my students to the library so you and I can talk,” wouldn’t have entered my mind in that situation, but it would be worth a try if there’s any chance an intruder might allow it. And it would certainly be comforting to know that most hostage situations are resolved safely, and to think of my role as just keeping things stable until authorities arrived.

     Of course, much of the book centers around trying to understand the soldier’s experiences that have led to his losing hope and losing control. And this is another discussion we, as a society, need to have – with a generation of young men and women returning from battlegrounds in Iraq and other areas. When I speak in schools, students often have questions about PTSD, and I explain that it can occur after many scenarios, including car accidents, child abuse, and for many of my students – surviving natural disasters like the tornadoes we had in Alabama a year or so ago.

     While I don’t like books with heavy morals, I’m sure the “teacher” part of me will always be “teaching” in any book I write.  A fast-paced, engaging story should always be paired with an opportunity for students to think and grow. If  my story helps readers engage with larger life ideas like PTSD, response to danger, the pain of loss, courage in tense situations, the power of young people to act heroically, then I’ve done my job as a writer. And as a former teacher, I know that teens are capable and eager to discuss these big life issues in the context of good literature.
Thank you so much Beck! 
And please check out the other stops on the This is Not a Drill blog tour: 

Thursday, Oct. 25         CYNTHIA LEITICH SMITH

Friday, Oct. 26             A LIFE BOUND BY BOOKS   

Monday, Oct. 29          THE STORY SIREN  

Tuesday, Oct. 30          YA BLISS  

Wednesday, Oct. 31     BUZZ WORDS BOOKS    

Thursday, Nov. 1          YA LOVE BLOG 

Friday, Nov. 2              ICEY BOOKS    

Monday, Nov. 5           NERDY BOOK CLUB      

Tuesday, Nov. 6           THE NAUGHTY BOOK KITTIES 

Wednesday, Nov. 7      THE COMPULSIVE READER 

Thursday, Nov. 8          TEACH MENTOR TEXTS   

Friday, Nov. 9              CONFESSIONS OF A BOOKAHOLIC 

Monday, Nov. 12         KATIE’S BOOK BLOG 

Tuesday, Nov. 13         ALLURING READS 

Wednesday, Nov. 14    PAGE TURNERS BLOG 

Thursday, Nov. 15        MY BEST FRIENDS ARE BOOKS  

Jen and Kellee *heart* It:

and

**Thank you to Beck and Penguin for providing us with copies of This is Not a Drill for review**

The Infects

Title: Infects

Author: Sean Beaudoin

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Publication Date: September, 2012

Genre/Format: Sci-Fi, Humor/Novel

Goodreads Summary: A feast for the brain, this gory and genuinely hilarious take on zombie culture simultaneously skewers, pays tribute to, and elevates the horror genre.
     Seventeen-year-old Nero is stuck in the wilderness with a bunch of other juvenile delinquents on an “Inward Trek.” As if that weren’t bad enough, his counselors have turned into flesh-eating maniacs overnight and are now chowing down on his fellow miscreants. As in any classic monster flick worth its salted popcorn, plentiful carnage sends survivors rabbiting into the woods while the mindless horde of “infects” shambles, moans, and drools behind. Of course, these kids have seen zombie movies. They generate “Zombie Rules” almost as quickly as cheeky remarks, but attitude alone can’t keep the biters back.
     Serving up a cast of irreverent, slightly twisted characters, an unexpected villain, and an ending you won’t see coming, here is a savvy tale that that’s a delight to read—whether you’re a rabid zombie fan or freshly bitten—and an incisive commentary on the evil that lurks within each of us.

What Kellee Thinks: Sean Beaudoin definitely has a unique style that you cannot confuse with anyone else. It is like when you see a movie and you know who the director is - that is how distinct Sean's writing is. And what he does so well is keep his style yet still has characters that have distinct voices that you can distinguish between. He actually reminds me of John Green in that way; however, Sean Beaudoin is more of the underground, quirky, dry twisted humor sort of way. This book also reminded me of the humor you found in Libba Bray's Beauty Queens in that it is very much a parody of qualities of pop culture and primarily emulated at zombie flicks such as Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. 
     Once you get used to Beaudoin's style, the story sucks you in. An incomparable cast of characters takes us through a survival guide against those who want to eat you. You lose some you care about, you cheer when some turn and many will dream about one particular female. Between the cast of characters, the humorous plot line and Beaudoin's style, many will eat up this novel.
What Jen Thinks: I agree with Kellee, this is one of the most unique examples of voice that I have ever read. The whole novel exudes voice and energy. I felt like I needed to be running in place the entire time, it's completely an amped up book. I kept making connections with all the zombie stories I read when I read Zombies Vs. Unicorns. Those are some wild stories, it's amazing how unique zombie stories can be and reading all of those really expanded my whole thinking of zombies and of where they come from or what it means to be a zombie. It's an amazing exercise in writing - to think like a zombie and to try to understand a zombies hopes and dreams - they are...well, were...people, too. I love the idea of not simply accepting that a zombie is a dead person who's soul and essence are gone. What if when a person becomes a zombie he or she is still who he or she was....or that some people can become zombies but still act completely normal - like Edward is a vampire but has committed himself to not eating people. Is there a zombie who can withstand diving into a bowl full of brains? Talk about stepping into someone else's shoes and trying to walk about. I'm so impressed with Sean Beaudoin and what he has created with The Infects. I can completely see how readers are going to devour this book. Mmmmm...brains, I mean...books. 

Read Together: Grades 11 and up 

Read Alone: Grades 9 and up

Read With: Gaff by Shan Corea, Zombies Vs. Unicorns edited by Holly Black and Justine Larbastelier, Never Slow Dance with a Zombie by E. Van Lowe, Beauty Queen by Libba Bray, Zombie in Love by Kelly DiPucchio

Snatch of Text: "But Petal Gazes was a whole other universe, a different orbit, a brighter sun. She was a tenth straight espresso, pure feedback, wet-toe-in-socket beautiful. 
At least to him. 
Which went directly against Nick's long-standing policy: Never Want Anything. 
Treeless Christmas? Eggless Easter? Toastless morning? 
It's hard to be disappointed when you don't give a crap. 
But now he really, really wanted something. 
Petal Gazes." (p. 8)

Mentor Text for: Voice, Style, Humor, Parody, Allusions, Word Play, Vocabulary, Flashback, Dialogue, Making Connections, Activating Background Knowledge, Perspective

Writing Prompts: Write your own short story about what would happen if you encountered a zombie. Write a short story from the perspective of a zombie, show the reader what he or she might not realize or appreciate about zombies. 

Topics Covered: Family, Friendship, Love, Survival, Courage, Zombies

Kellee and Jen *heart* It: 

and

**Thank you to Candlewick Press for providing copies of The Infects for review**

Maus

Title: Maus I: My Father Bleeds History and Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began

Author and Illustrator: Art Spiegelman

Publisher: Pantheon Books

Publication Date: 1991 & 1993

Genre/Format: Biography/Graphic Novel

GoodReads Summary: Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist trying to come to terms with his father, his father's terrifying story, and history itself. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiararity with the events described, approaching, as it does, the unspeakable through the diminutive.

This second volume is subtitled And Here My Troubles Began. Genuinely tragic and comic by turns, it attains a complexity of theme and a precision of thought new to comics and rare in any medium.

What I Think: Maus shows the brilliance that can be within a graphic novel. This Pulitzer Prize-winning piece of literature not only is a great example of a graphic novel, but of writing in general. Art Spiegelman's story is multi-dimensional littered with symbolism, irony, and history. 

One thing I found particularly intriguing about Maus is the way that Spiegelman made the setting a character within itself. The background was sometimes drawn more detailed than the characters leaving the characters to be generic looking and the background unique and with its own character. 

I think this book would be a fascinating book to use in the classroom- history and reading/language arts. It would be a phenomenal book to teach simultaneously in the two classrooms. 

Read Together: Grades 8 and up (though parts could be used in all grades, only certain parts are too mature for younger grades) 

Read Alone: Grades 10 and up

Read With: Boy at War by Harry Mazer, Requiem: Poems of the Terezin Ghetto by Paul B. Janeczko, Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow, Once by Morris Gleitzman, Terezin: Voices from the Holocaust by Ruth Thomson, Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayer and Alfons Heck, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Snatch of Text: 

Mentor Text for: Symbolism, Metaphor, Interview, Flashbacks, Point of a View, Irony

Writing Prompts: Art Spiegelman interviews his father Vladek to get the story for Maus, after interviewing one of your parents, create a biography of your parent as either a comic strip or narrative. 

Topics Covered: Cross-curricular- World War II, Holocaust, Concentration Camps, Nazis, Racism; Values, Morals, Survival, Self-Worth

I *heart* Maus I: 

I *heart* Maus II:

Cleopatra's Moon

Title: Cleopatra's Moon

Author: Vicky Alvear Schecter

Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books

Publication Date: August, 2011

Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel

Goodreads Summary: Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony--the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, & when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she's ever loved. Forced to build a new life in Octavianus's household in Rome, she finds herself torn between two young men and two possible destinies--until she reaches out to claim her own.

This stunning novel brings to life the personalities & passions of one of the greatest dramas in history, & offers a wonderful new heroine in Selene.

What I Think: Once again, a historical fiction novel that taught me as much as entertained me. And it taught me A LOT. Before reading this novel, I had some very basic knowledge of Cleopatra and Marc Anthony and none about their children or the crazy war with August (Octavianus) Cesaer; so, my background knowledge of this time period was quite weak. Now, this both helped and hurt my interest in the novel. It helped because I wanted to finish the book. I truly wanted to know what happened and get to the end and learn as much as I could. It hurt because it took me a long time to read this book because for me it was slow going- not because of the plot or story, but because of my lack of background knowledge (I wish I'd read Shecter's nonfiction book about Cleopatra first). For the first half of the book, there were many Wikipedia searches and flipping back to the character list that is provided at the front of the book. As you can imagine, this really slowed down the reading for me. However, once I got into the swing of things (and that happened for a bit while the book was set in Egypt and again for the last half set in Rome), the book was quick. It is scandalous and sexy and full of revenge and mythology- GOOD STUFF!  

Now, as a teacher: I would love to share this with world history teachers! There are some great parts that would add to any curriculum! And the author's notes really sum up everything nicely.

Read Together: Grades 7 to 12

Read Alone: Grades 8 to 12

Read With: Cleopatra nonfiction books, Nonfiction books by Vicky Alvear Shector such as Cleopatra Rules! and Alexander the Great

Snatch of Text: 

 I will follow you, Mother, as I will follow Isis, unto my death, I swore to her then. May I live as you live, may I rule as you rule, may I die as you die. (p. 35) 

"But it did not take long for everyone to learn that it had been all for show.  Mother had not 'won' at Actium; she had merely broken through the enemy's blockade. Father had broken through with her buth then sailed for Libya to prepare his legions there to engage the enemy on land. We - along with all of Alexandria - only learned the truth of Mother's ruse after she executed traitors, those who had secretly and not so secretly supported Octavianus."  (p. 55)

Mentor Text for: Writing a historical fiction novel, Characterization, Background knowledge, Plot Development, Flashback

Writing Prompts: What aspects of history did you learn about in Cleopatra's Moon? What did you find to be the most interesting part of history that you learned about. 

Topics Covered: Curriculum connections- Social Studies/World History, Egyptian Mythology, Family, War, Fitting in, Alliances, Enemies, Choices

  

Back When You Were Easier to Love

Title: Back When You Were Easier to Love

Author: Emily Wing Smith

Publisher: Dutton Childrens Books

Publication Date: April, 2011

Genre/Format: Realistic Fiction-Romance/Novel

Summary: Zan is gone. He left with no good bye, no explanation, no anything. Joy doesn't understand why he left and she misses him. So, Joy feels like she must go find Zan and get closure. 

What I Think: I think that teenage Kellee would have loved this book a lot more than I did. Most teenagers at some point fall into what they feel is the love of their life. I did. This is a story about that. And about obsession and heart break. I think many, many teenage girls will connect with this book. 

But there are some things about it that will limit the connections and some things about it that I didn't like. The what I don't like gives away the ending, so I, unfortunately, can't rant and rave about it, but I can explain the other thing. 

Joy is Mormon. And I truly believe there needs to be a variety of protagonists and a variety of religions represented in literature (specifically YA), but as someone who doesn't know much about being Mormon, I felt disconnected from the characters because I didn't feel like it was explained very well. You were thrown into this town where everything is different than every where else and with a protagonist that doesn't like it, but I just never got it. I never got why Zan would want to leave. I never got why Joy didn't feel connected. I never got why she thought Noah was a bad guy. I just never got it. I wanted to and I kept reading hoping that I would, but the connection for me was just not there. 

What I did LOVE about this book was the way it was set up. It was set up as a mix of narration, flashbacks, lists, poetry and vignettes. The vignettes were my favorite! So beautifully written. This format is what made the book a 3 star-er for me instead of a 2. 

Lastly, I did like that Joy was a book lover and a good girl. I like that her love is clean and this book is available.  She IS really quite different than any other girl protagonist, but this story shows that no matter how different you are, girls still can fall head over heels in love with the wrong guy.

Read Together: Grades 8 to 10

Read Alone: Grades 7 to 12

Read With: Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins, Let it Snow by John Green/Maureen Johnson/Lauren Myracle

Snatch of Text: 

"I want to hold onto Zan the way a junkie resists rehab, or a dieter rationalizes a chocolate eclair; the way forbidden lovers run from inevitable consequence. The instant gratification of one last time makes me shake with satisfaction. But when his memory is gone I feel the aching return like a bruise that won't heal." (p. 91)

"I saw the best minds of my generation wasted

By conformity, dreams fading to black and

White. Cutouts

Dragging themselves through the pristine streets of a cardboard town looking for a 

Savior

There was a cardboard girl there, in the cardboard world, but I felt no connection

Even tearing down the walls

Each shard breathed promise they'd never know

They cry stagnant, hollow tears." (p. 197) 

Mentor Text for: Format, Flashback

Writing Prompts: Throughout Back When there are vignettes where Joy answers "People Ask Me What I Miss Most" which always ends with "I never had this. I miss it anyway."- in a similar format as Joy, write your own vignette focusing on what you miss most that you never had.

Topics Covered: Love, Obsession, Religion, Identity

Between Shades of Gray

Title: Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Publisher: Philomel Books

Publication Date: March, 2011

Genre/Format: Historical Fiction/Novel

Summary: In 1939, Stalin was expanding the USSR and invaded the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. He then started deporting anyone who he deemed a threat to his vision. This included scholars, reporters, or anyone that has been outspoken against him. Between Shades of Gray is about 15 year old Lina who, along with her mother and brother, is ripped from their home one night in 1941 and thrown into a truck to be deported to Siberia. They are separated from her father and their only hope is to stay together so that maybe they can be together as a family one day. 

What I Think: This one is hard to put into words. This is such a powerful story with characters that you grow to love as they are put through hell. What makes the hell even more grotesque is that it is based off of stories that really happened during a time of history that does not get spoken of too often. Like Holocaust books, this book is one that will rip you apart as you read it. It starts so suddenly and you are breathless as Lina and her family are dragged from their home and put into trucks and trains with conditions none of us can even fathom. Since the book is told from Lina's point of view and she had no idea that her family was even in danger, the fear and shock that she feels resonates with you as a reader and lends the the horror that you will feel. But the true theme behind this book is love & hope and how important they are and how they can be found even in the most horrible of situations. 

Ruta Sepetys did a couple really brilliant things with this book that I really appreciated. First, I loved the theme of art throughout the novel and how it is what kept Lina sane. How she weaved Munch and his artwork throughout the story really captured my attention. Second, I really appreciated the way that she would use a single word to trigger a memory that Lina would share with us. It is exactly how real life is when you make connections between the present and memories. 

I will say that the only negative thing I have to say is that I wanted more. I really felt that it started to rush a bit towards the end and then it ended too suddenly. However, it was not done in a way that hurt the brilliance of the book, but just enough to bother me. 

And now, I am intrigued by this time of history. As I've stated in the past, I didn't feel like I had a very good history education and often learn new things from historical fiction- this was no exception. I'd always known Stalin was evil, but I never knew why. This book taught me so much and has made me want to learn more. I was talking with a friend about it and she made a very good point- we often don't learn about genocides or other hardships within a country if the dictator doesn't cross borders. It is only when it starts to affect us do we begin to care. That needs to change and this history is one example of why.

Read Together: Grades 7 to 12

Read Alone: Grades 7 to 12

Read With: Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin, Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse, Angel on the Square by Gloria Whelan, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Snatch of Text: 

"They took me in my nightgown. 

Thinking back, the signs were there- family photos burned in the fireplace, Mother sewing her best silver and jewelry into the lining of her coat late at night, and Papa not returning form work.  My younger brother, Jonas, was asking questions. I asked questions too, but perhaps I refused to acknowledge the signs.  Only later did I realize that Mother and Father intended we escape.  We did not escape. 

We were taken." (p. 3) 

Mentor Text for: Characterization, Making Connections, Background Knowledge, Asking Questions, Flashback

Writing Prompts: Throughout Between Shades of Gray Lina often connects her life with the artwork of Edvard Munch.  Find a piece of art that you feel represents a time in your life and write about how the art and/or the artist's style fits your life. 

Topics Covered: Cross curricular- Soviet Union, Coming of age, Identity, Family, Art