1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Johnson, Angela. 2003. THE FIRST PART LAST. New York: Simon Pulse. ISBN 0689849230

2. PLOT

This is the story of a 16 year old boy who is caring for his newborn daughter. His life goes from shooting hoops and playing pranks with his buddies to late night feedings and crying baby. After a tragic accident, Bobby is left to care for Feather all on his own. He now has to grow up and think about what is best for his baby girl, instead of what he would prefer to do.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Johnson does a great job at making this story seem very realistic from the perspective of a teenage father.  The way that she organized the story in a back and forth then and now format seemed to be really effective.  I think doing it this way helped me as the reader to really see the difference in his actions and life before and after the baby.  With the growing number of teens that have found themselves in this situation and the growing number of tv shows, movies, and books on this subject, Johnson has done a great job at making sure that the novel portrays this very serious topic in a realistic way that does not make it look glamourous.  The character Bobby, seems to be one that teenage boys could relate to if they too find themselves in the same situation or to read before they get in this situation.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
From School Library Journal: "any flaws in the plot are overshadowed by the beautiful writing"

From Booklist: "from the first page, readers feel the physical reality of Bobby's new world"

5. CONNECTIONS

Other books about teen pregnancy:

Dessen, Sarah. SOMEONE LIKE YOU. ISBN 0142401773

Efaw, Amy. AFTER. ISBN 0670011835

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. THE GRAVEYARD BOOK. Detroit: Thorndike Press. ISBN 0060530928

2. PLOT
This is the story of a boy known as Bod Owens, which is short for Nobody Owens. When he is only a toddler, his family is brutally murdered as he wanders out of the house and down to the graveyard. The ghost of Bod's mother pleads with the residents of the graveyard to protect her little boy. From that point on, the ghosts who live in this graveyard adopt Bod into their family. Bod is given "the freedom of the graveyard" and is able to do things that most humans aren't able to do until after death. Silas, Bod's guardian who is neither alive or dead, looks after him until it is safe for him to go out into the world. As Bod gets older, he begins to grow curious and wants to know more about the death of his family and who it was that killed them.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Gaiman has done a wonderful job at immersing you into the setting of the graveyard with the ghosts and ghouls.  As the book is being read, you feel as though you are there walking through the graveyard and the headstones.  Gaiman has also done a great job at creating rules for this fantasy world and making sure that they are followed.  Bod is given the "freedom of the graveyard" which means that he is able to do things that normally only ghosts and ghouls are able to do.  However, he is only able to do these things while he is in the graveyard.  Fantasy novels do need to be believable though.  The only point in the story that I did not think was believable was when Bod, as a toddler, crawled out of his crib and wandered out of his into the graveyard while there just happened to me a murderer in the house looking for him.  This story was riveting and made me want to continue reading until the end without putting the book down.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT

From School Library Journal: " Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family"

5. CONNECTIONS

Other books by Neil Gaiman:

STARDUST - ISBN 0061689246

CORALINE - ISBN 0380977788

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Kinney, Jeff. 2007. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID. New York: Amulet Books. ISBN 0810993139

2. PLOT

This is the journal, not diary because diaries are for girls, of the trials and tribulations of middle school. Greg doesn't want to be the most popular or the most athletic, he just wants to survive. Throughout the book, Greg shares the things that he does to survive middle school. From trying to bulk up in order to make it during the wrestling unit to joining safety patrol in order to get out of pre-algebra, Greg will try just about anything to not picked on.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I thought that the style of the book in the form of a diary was great.  I think that a lot of kids could relate to wanting to write down your experiences with school.  It might also encourage children to begin recording their own thoughts.  Greg also seemed like a very relatable character.  He was not super nerdy, but also not super popular.  I think many kids can relate to that.  I enjoyed the drawings in the story and thought that many of them were very funny.  However, I did not feel like they could make or break the story.  I think the story would have been just as good being read without the drawings.  This was a quick and easy read that I think many kids can relate to.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS

From Publishers Weekly: "Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class"

From School Library Journal: "it is his obliviosness to his faults that makes him such an appealing hero"

5. CONNECTIONS
Other Wimpy Kid books:

Kinney, Jeff. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES.

Kinney, Jeff. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE LAST STRAW.