Young Adult Annotation: The Giver

Author: Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver

Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: 1993

Number of Pages: 240

Geographical Setting: An unnamed utopian community

Time Period: Future

Synopsis: Jonas lives in a utopian society that has embraced sameness. There is no such thing as strong emotions including love and pain, there is no color. Children are assigned their jobs during their twelfth year. Jonas is made the Receiver of Memory. The Giver warns Jonas that receiving the memories will not always be pleasant. The experience changes Jonas and makes him question his society.

Characteristics of Young Adult

• The main character is a young teen
• The story introduces some heavy concepts such as euthanasia
• Jonas must make tough decisions
• This is a coming of age story—Jonas grows up and matures throughout the story
• Jonas must overcome obstacles
• This utopian society is really a dystopia
• Adults make bad decisions and Jonas fights against them
• Fast paced, reads quickly

The Giver Read-a-likes

• Crewel by Gennifer Albin
• Truesight by David Stahler
• The Cure by Sonia Levitin
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver
• The One Safe Place by Tania Unsworth
• The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
• The Line by Teri Hall
• Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix

Author Read-a-Likes

• Suzanne Collins
• Veronica Roth
• Marie Lu
• Conor Kostick
• Lauren Oliver

Thoughts: The Giver is one of my all-time favorite books. I first read it in elementary school and it has stuck with me ever since. It is one of those books I try to get teens to read. It’s not a huge book and I think it doesn’t look imposing. I think it’s a good book for reluctant readers because it reads pretty quickly.  A few years ago I learned that The Giver is actually part of a quartet of books. Also, as much as I love the book, I didn’t completely hate The Giver movie adaptation. It wasn’t as bad as I had imagined. I hope it made more people read the book.

Week 12 Prompt: Readers' Advisory Matrix

Readers’ Advisory Matrix for Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident by Donnie Eichar

1. Where is the book on the narrative continuum?

Highly narrative (reads like fiction)

A mix (combines highly narrative moments with periods of fact-based prose)

Highly fact based (has a few or no narrative moments)

2. What is the subject of the book?

The mysterious Dyatlov Pass Incident

3. What type of book is it?

True Adventure

4. Articulate appeal

What is the pacing of the book? The pace is rather fast and reads quickly.

Describe the characters of the book. This story is character-focused. Donnie Eichar is the primary narrator. The nine hikers who disappear in 1959 are young and full of life. Other characters include the Russians who Eichar befriends. They help him investigate this cold case.

How does the story feel? Mysterious, bizarre, intense, and adventurous

What is the intent of the author? To share this strange mystery with readers and to share his investigation into it.

What is the focus of the story? The author’s investigation into the Dyatlov Pass Incident and the evidence he finds on his trips to Russia. The hikers’ trip in 1959 and the initial investigation in 1959 are also focused on in the story.

Does the language matter? Yes

Is the setting important and well described? Russia is the main setting and plays an important part in the story. The author is American and must communicate with Russians who speak very little English. The Russian setting was well described. The world the hikers’ lived in was also well described.

Are there details and, if so, of what? The story is full of details. Details include the hikers’ trip via diaries and photos, the author’s trips to Russian and the Ural Mountains, the science behind possible causes behind the deaths, and information about the hikers from friends and families.

Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear? There are many photos included in the book. There are a few charts and graphics that help explain some of the scientific concepts. They were helpful.

Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience? I would say the book does all three. Learning about the Dyatlov Incident, understanding the possible causes and how Russia has changed from 1959, experiencing the hike through the hikers and the author.

5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

1. Story Line

2. Learning/Experiencing

3. Detail

Nonfiction Annotation: Dead Mountain

Author: Donnie Eichar

Title: Dead Mountain: The Untold True Story of the Dyatlov Pass Incident

Genre: Non Fiction

Publication Date: October 22, 2013

Number of Pages: 288

Geographical Setting: Northern Ural Mountains in Russia

Time Period: 1959, 2010s

Synopsis

In January-February 1959, nine friends attempted to hike the northern Ural Mountains in Russia. Even though they were young college students, they were all rather experienced hikers. The group never returns. A large search party is sent to the mountains to find the group. The group members are eventually found dead. 

The mystery begins once the hikers are found. The tent appears to have been cut from the inside out. The hikers were found in different spots and appeared to be fleeing the tent. Some of the hikers had no shoes and many of them were not dressed to be out amongst the elements. One of the female hikers’ tongue was missing, and family members of the deceased mentioned that their loved ones’ skin appeared to be darker, discolored. The official report stated that their deaths were caused by “an unknown compelling force.” 

Donnie Eichar, a director and producer, heard about this story, became intrigued, and began to reinvestigate the case. His investigation takes him to Russia where he learns much more about the incident and meets a few people who help further his investigation, including one of the hikers who left the trip right before the group got to the mountains. He also attempts the last hike of the group. 

Eichar tries his hardest to piece together the clues and come to a conclusion. With the group’s diary entries, photos, and interviews with people who knew them, the reader gets a sense of who these young hikers were. Will we ever know what really happened to the hikers?

Characteristics of Nonfiction

• The writing covers real events that took place in the past.
• The author uses personal experiences, diaries, photos, and interviews to tell the story. These additions give readers a fuller sense of who the hikers were.
• Official reports and science are referenced throughout the story. These aspects do not bog the story down, but enhance the bizarreness of this true story.
• The story is rather fast paced; the reader wants to keep reading to find out more.
• The wirting is highly narrative and teaches readers about mountaineering accidents and their possible causes including infrasound.

Dead Mountain Read-a-likes

• Ghost Ship by Brian Hicks
• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
• Touching the Void by Joe Simpson
• Denali’s Howl by Andy Hall
• Shattered Air by Bob Madgic

Author Read-a-Likes

• Jon Krakauer
• Joe Simpson
• Thomas F. Hornbein
• Lene Gammelgaard
• Helen Thayer

Thoughts

While I generally love nonfiction, this is the type of nonfiction I really enjoy. Weird, paranormal mysteries are right up my reading alley. I was one of those kids who went straight to the UFO section in the library. This story is like a real-life X-Files case. Eichar comes up with a plausible scenario for what happened to the hikers, but I think we will never completely know what happened. It’s just such a strange story and Eichar does a good job telling it. The alternation between the hikers’ trip in 1959, the search in 1959, and Eichar’s trips to Russia worked quite well. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in real-life mysteries, the paranormal, and stories that are “out there.” I would also suggest it to those who are interested in mountaineering stories. I found the book pretty fast-paced and wasn’t weighted down with the scientific aspects. I thought the science was important to making the story feel more grounded and not just bizarre.