Suzanne’s Diary to Nicholas by James Patterson
ISBN: 978-0-7595-2521-4
Patterson, J. (2001). Suzanne's diary to nicholas. New York: Hachette Book Group

Plot Summary
Katie Wilkinson has found the man of her dreams.  He is kind, handsome, and can support a family.  When Katie feels their relationship is going somewhere, Matt suddenly leaves, with only a diary to show Katie he was once there.  Katie distraught, the man she loved left her, and she soon realizes she is pregnant.  The diary is called Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.  As Katie reads, she realizes that Suzanne was married to Matt.  She is immediately horrified, thinking Matt is married and was having an affair.   Katie continues to read about Suzanne, her pregnancy, and subsequent birth of her son Nicholas.  The novel switches back-and-forth between Katie’s day-to-day life to the diary.  Katie reads about Matt through another woman’s eyes, their joy with their son Nicholas, and excitement over Suzanne’s second pregnancy.  The feeling is bittersweet, as Katie wants all that Suzanne and Matt had for herself and her unborn child.  As Katie nears the end of Suzanne’s diary, she will reach a tragedy that has affected Matt, and their future happiness as a family. 

Critical Evaluation

One of Patterson’s first forays outside the thriller crime novels he is best known for, brings Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas. Typical Patterson elements include short chapters, surprising twists, and a fast-moving good story.  Told in both first- and third-person, the diary and narrative formats are surprisingly suited for one another.  Katie, the protagonist, reads the diary written by Suzanne in first person.  The diary entries read like a story unto themselves, which serves to juxtapose Matt’s two lives with two different women.  A love story at its heart, the novel teeters between sentimentality and overly saccharine.  Sensitive readers will need to keep some tissues nearby, while hardier readers may roll their eyes at the tragic circumstances.  Though the ending somewhat explains Matt’s leaving, one also gets the feeling of wanting to smack him.  There is sympathy, but also annoyance that he could not discuss his warring thoughts with a woman he was intimately involved with, and suddenly left instead.  In the end, love is portrayed as beautiful, yet imperfect, with pitfalls and heartbreaks along the way.

Reader’s Annotation
Katie found the perfect man, until he left, leaving only a diary about his wife and son behind.  Why did he leave, and why is the diary so important?

About the Author
James Patterson is one of the most successful adult authors.  Patterson’s books have sold 260 million copies worldwide, has had five new hardcover novels debut at #1 every year since 2005, has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds the Guinness World Record for most Hardcover Fiction titles by a single author with 76 books.  Some of Patterson’s novels have been turned into Hollywood movies, including the Alex Cross novels with the title character portrayed by Morgan Freeman.  Patterson’s first young adult series, Maximum Ride is currently being filmed.

James Patterson was born in New York in 1947.  He attended Manhattan College and Vanderbilt University earning both a bachelor and master degree in English.  Patterson first worked in advertising, but retired in 1996 and turned to writing fulltime.  Patterson is a prolific writer, and signed a deal in 2009 to write 11 adult books and 6 young adult books by the end of 2012.  He has founded four programs that encourage reading and literacy, including the James Patterson PageTurner Awards that donated $100,000 to companies and people with creative ways to spread books and reading.  Patterson currently lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife and son.

Genre
Romance/Chick List

Curriculum Ties
Writing diary entries

Booktalking
Matt had a reason for leaving, but was it a good enough reason?

Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 5th grade
IL: 9th grade and up

Challenge Issues
Possible challenge issues may include sexual relationships between adults before marriage.

In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.

Why Included
James Patterson is such a well-known author of both adult and young adult novels; I felt it important to include one of each.  Additionally, Patterson is most known for his crime novels about Alex Cross and the Lady Detectives, so I decided on one of his other works. 

Others in the Series
N/A

References
Hachette Book Group. (2013). About james: Biography.  Retrieved from http://www.jamespatterson.com/about_biography.php#.UVHwCxlAus0
James Patterson. (2013, April 14).  Retrieved March 20, 2013 from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Patterson

Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
ISBN: 978-0-06-085198-9
Cabot, M. (2006).  Queen of babble.  New York: William Morrow.

Plot Summary
Lizzie Nichols is newly a college graduate going to visit her boyfriend in London.  But, Lizzie did not really graduate (she still has to finish her thesis), and her boyfriend is a guy she has not seen in three months.  It will all work out great, right?  Lizzie arrives in London only to find that Prince Charming Andrew is not really Prince Charming.  She quickly takes a train to the south of France to join her best friend Shari and Shari’s boyfriend Chaz as they help cater a wedding at Chateau Mirac.  On the way over Lizzie sits next to an incredibly handsome man, Luke, and quickly falls in love and embarrasses herself.  Turns out Luke is the son of Chateau Mirac’s owner and Lizzie will be seeing him for the next few weeks.  Lizzie’s blabbermouth rubs Luke the wrong way and he basically hates her.  Andrew turns up wanting money, Lizzie is still trying to finish her thesis and finally graduate, and needs to figure out a way to make Luke fall in love with her.

Critical Evaluation
Meg Cabot is a Queen of Chick Lit.  Perhaps best known for the Princess Diaries series, Cabot is just as adept at writing adult novels.  Characters are playful, quirky, humorous, and looking for romance.  The setting is every female college grad’s dream, a French chateau.  The love interest is every female college grad’s dream, a handsome, wealthy, and educated man with an accent.  Though a fluffy novel without too much substance, fans of Cabot will eat this up and enjoy it.  The problems and antagonists are not earth shattering, or even particular evil or horrible.  It is clear one is supposed to support the protagonist, her friends, and quest for love, but it is not necessary to hate anyone who gets in her way.  Handsome man’s girlfriend is spoiled, but appears like a caricature of perfected mean girl-ness.  The setting adds some needed element of surprise and the idea that anything can happen.  It is only Cabot’s light-hearted writing, and her likeable characters that make any kind of impression.  There is nothing particularly outstanding in Queen of Babble, and a happy ending is essentially predetermined, but that does not prevent readers from enjoying the ride.

Reader’s Annotation
Lizzie Nichols has found the love of her life, but he hates her.  How is she going to make Luke fall in love with and finish her undergraduate thesis on time?

About the Author
Meg Cabot’s first published book was Where Roses Grow Wild at age 30 and was written as Patricia Cabot.  Before moving to one publisher, Cabot also used the pen name Jenny Carroll.  She is a prolific writer with twelve series, even more stand-alone novels, and contributes frequently to anthologies.  Cabot’s most well-known works are probably the Princess Diaries books that have sold over 20 million copies, translated into 38 languages, and made into two movies by Disney. 

Meg Cabot was born in Indiana in 1967.  She attended Indiana University at Bloomington, IN and studied studio arts.  Cabot always enjoyed writing, but was dissuaded from majoring in creative writing because a guy at a party said majoring in writing would suck the love of writing out of you.  Years later Cabot was reintroduced to the guy and ended up marrying him.  She worked as an assistant residence hall director at New York University, and uses some of these experiences in her Heather Wells books.  Cabot now lives with her husband and two cats in Key West, Florida.

Genre
Romance/Humor
 Adult Crossover

Curriculum Ties
History of Fashion

Booktalking
Imagine you’re at a French chateau with your best friends and a gorgeous guy.  Lizzie Nichols doesn’t have to imagine, she’s living it.

Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 5th grade
IL: 9th grade and up/adult

Challenge Issues
Possible challenge issues include sexual relationships.  I probably would not include in a school library.

In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.

Why Included
Meg Cabot has had movies based on her book, and is a well-known author of contemporary novels for teens and adults.  I felt she is an excellent example of an author whose books might be written for adults, but are also read by teens (and vice-versa).  I actually enjoy many of her adult books more than the young adult ones.

Others in the Series
Queen of Babble in the Big City (Book #2)
Queen of Babble Gets Hitched (Book #3)

References
Cabot, M. (2013).  About meg cabot.  Retrieved from www.megcabot.com

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9266-0
Gier, K. (2012). Sapphire blue.  (A. Bell, Trans.).  New York: Henry Holt and Company.  (Original work published 2010)

Plot Summary
After discovering she, and not her cousin Charlotte, has the time-traveling gene Gwyneth’s life has been much more complicated.  Gideon, her time-traveling partner, is gorgeous, but Gwen is unsure of his feelings towards her.  One day he’s kissing her, the next he’s ignoring her completely.  Gwen also is not sure why her cousin Lucy and Gideon’s cousin Paul are considered traitors and stole the first chronograph.  Was it because they want the secret power of the chronograph for themselves, or is were they trying to protect someone?  On one trip to the past Gwen and Gideon attend an evening soiree where Gideon flirts with an older woman and Gwen drinks too much.  Their meeting with Count Saint-Germain is somewhat informative as Gwen learns of the Florentine Alliance, a group dedicated to killing the time-travelers.  During one of Gwen’s time-traveling episodes, she goes to 1947 and meets her grandfather.  After their initial surprise, the two compare information about Lucy and Paul, and what their potential motives might have been.  They form a plan and agree to discuss any new information they find.  Aunt Maddy has a vision about a ruby stone pushed over by a lion, and shattering into blood.  Gwen is shaken and believes she is the ruby and Gideon is the lion.  Soon after Gideon clumsily admits to Gwen that he is in love with her.  They leave on another time traveling trip with disastrous results.

Critical Evaluation
As with Ruby Red, Bell has translated so wonderfully that it does not seem to have been written in a language other than English.  The jokes and sarcasm come off as naturally as if a friend spoke them, and there are no awkward sentences or phrasing.  Sapphire Blue begins just minutes after Ruby Red, the first installment, ended.  Readers unfamiliar with the first novel will have a challenging time trying to keep up and understanding the time-traveling problem.  Gwen comes off convincingly as a sixteen-year-old girl. It is not the time-traveling that has her crying or talking about for hours, but a boy.  Like a regular teenager, life takes second place when a boy issue is at stake, and Gwen’s best friend is ready to listen.  Gwen’s mother also acts as a real mother, one who loves her children deeply and will do anything to keep them safe.  Though a major plot point, the time-traveling explanation remains elusive.  There is no convincing explanation of how or why it started, and the chronograph makes little sense.  The timing is also difficult to understand as characters in the past experience visits with Gwen linearly, but Gwen hops back-and-forth between time.  Despite these complications, Gier has written a captivating story with likeable characters and intriguing plot points.  Fans will be waiting eagerly for the last installment. 
 
Reader’s Annotation
Gwen and Gideon continue their time-traveling adventures and their feelings for each other grow. 

About the Author
Kerstin Gier is German and all information I could find was in German, but I used the translate feature.

Ruby red and the two sequels are Gier’s first youth adult fantasy novels.  It has been translated into seventeen languages include English, Spanish, Polish, and Norwegian.  Anthea Bell is the German to English translator.  Ruby Red has also been turned into a German-language film.  Before turning to young adult, Gier wrote 13 novels for adults.

She has enjoyed reading fantasy since childhood, but finally decided it was a good time.  Gier has published novels under the pseudonyms Jule Fire and Sophie Berard.  However, Gier now just writes under her own name.  She says she used to write more prolifically, but now just has need for one name.  Gier is married and has ason.  During book tours Gier’s mother takes care of her son.  Favorite authors include Nick Hornby, Marian Keyes, Neil Gaiman, Jonathan Stroud, and Antje Babendererde.  She lives in Bergisches Land on the western side of Germany.

Anthea Bell is a well-known translator.  Her most recognizable translation are Cornelia Funke’s children’s novels.  Other than English, Bell is fluent in German and French, and can also translate Danish, though she does not speak it.  Bell attended Oxford University and took a special English course on language development.  Bell was married at 21 and became a secretary.  By chance, someone asked if anyone read German and could give a publishing house an opinion on a German book.  From there, Bell began reading books in German and eventually turned to translating them.  She has won the Batchelder Award for book translations four times and has been honored an additional three.  Bell currently lives in England.

Genre
Fantasy/Romance

Curriculum Ties
History

Booktalking
Are Gideon’s feelings genuine and what is going on with Paul and Lucy?
What does Aunt Maddy’s vision means?

Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 6th grade
IL: 7th grade and up

Challenge Issues
Possible challenge issues may include time travel and murderous threats.

In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.

Why Included
I loved Ruby Red and definitely needed to read the sequel right away and add it to this assignment.

Others in the Series
Ruby Red (Book #1)
Emerald Green (Book #3- Not yet translated into English)

References
Lear, Elizabeth (2011, May 19). Q & A with anthea bell. Publisher’s Weekly.  Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/interviews/article/47327-q-a-with-anthea-bell.html
Swiss, Tine. (2009, November 30). Interview with kerstin gier.  Tines World Books.  Retrieved from http://tinesbuecherwelt.wordpress.com/2009/11/30/interview-mit-kerstin-gier/

Christy by Catherine Marshall
ISBN: 0-310-24163-4
Marshall, C., (1967). Christy.  New York: McGraw Hill

Plot Summary
Christy, a 19-year-old from a well-to-do family hears a Christian revival minister speak about his missionary work in Appalachia.  Christy is drawn to his message and decides to volunteer her time and become a schoolteacher in Cutter Gap.  When she arrives, Christy is overwhelmed by the poverty and ignorance of the people she meets.  The locals are suspicious and unwelcoming to outsiders, and are reluctant to ask for her help.  Alice, a Quaker woman, helps Christy see the goodness in the people and acceptance of their ways.  There is also a young minister David Grantland, another outsider, and Dr. Neill MacNeill, an agnostic who has lived in the mountains.  She learns about the people’s customs and way of life, and learns to appreciate them all.  As time passes, Christy and the people form relationships, and she begins teaching the children, and some of the adults.  Christy also grows closer to the young pastor and doctor.

Critical Evaluation
A heart-warming story.  God and Christian themes are a tenet throughout, but are not the main focus.  Rather, the actions and attitudes of many characters are guided by their faith, but are not managed or controlled.  Superstitious individuals also prevent this from becoming a overly moralizing Christian novel.  The atheist doctor is also not reviled, but treated with respect and understanding.  His reasons for his lack of faith are convincing, and while not agree with, are accepted.  If the religious tones are too much, glancing over them is sufficient and will not ruin or lessen the story.  Alice’s Quaker ways are calming, and even non-Christian readers will find themselves supporting her quiet and peaceful views.  The characters are what make Christy a memorable novel.  Their plights, concerns, and successes are celebrated by the other townspeople and readers alike, as it is easy to become invested.  The simple, daily lives of the Appalachian people were mundane to those living them, but are written with a sincere interest that turns them into interesting accounts of very different lives.  There is moonshining, feuding, and killing, but also hard workers, loving families, and lasting friendships.  In the end, what you believe in is not as important as how you live your life.

Reader’s Annotation
Christy, a young woman from an educated family goes to the very poor Appalachian Mountains to be a teacher.  Her relationships with the locals, including the pastor and doctor, change all their lives.

About the Author
Catherine Marshall’s first book, Mr Jones, Meet the Master came about after her husband’s death when she needed to support her small family.  Due to its success, Marshall decided to write A Man Called Peter, her husband’s biography.  It remained on the New York Times bestseller list for fifty weeks.  She then turned to novel writing and wrote Christy.  The novel is partly based on her mother’s experiences teaching in Appalachia before her marriage.  Her books have been translated into thirty-five languages and sold over eighteen million copies. 

Catherine Marshall was born in Tennessee to a reverend and his wife.  She graduated from Agnes Scott College and married a minster named Peter Marshall at twenty-two.  Marshall wanted to be a writer, but devoted the next years to being a wife and mother.  She contracted tuberculosis and was confined for over two years while she recovered.  Just twelve years after they were married, Peter Marshall died of a heart attack.  Left a poor widow, Catherine Marshall decided to compile and edit her husband’s sermons into a book.  It was a success and she continued to write.  Ten years after her husband’s death, Marshall remarried.  Her second husband was Leonard LeSourd, editor of Guideposts.  Marshall died in 1983 at 68. 

Genre
Christian/Historical Fiction

Curriculum Ties
Appalachian History

Booktalking
Imagine a young woman leaving all that is familiar, and going to Appalachia.  A beautiful place, but one with poverty and little knowledge of modern ways.

Reading Level/Interest Level
RL: 8th grade
IL: 9th grade and up

Challenge Issues
I do not foresee any challenges.  But if there were I would have my Defense File ready.

In my defense file, I would include the following:
1) Library Mission Statement
2) Library Selection Policy approved by any or all of the following individuals—principal, school board, district librarian OR library manager, city council, mayor.
3) Library Bill of Rights adapted from CSLA Bill of Rights, AASL Bill of Rights and/or ALA Bill of Rights
4) Reviews, both positive and critical, from respected sources such as School Library Journal, VOYA, Booklist
5) Rationale for book inclusion for titles anticipated to be controversial, frequently challenged, or created when a book is challenged including: summary, audience, purpose, controversial issues and how they are handled
6) How the book fits within Common Core Standards or State Standards
7) Reconsideration form for challenger to complete—include a section asking which part was of particular concern, if the entire book was read, and what other similar titles are suggested instead
8) Student reviews from those who have read the book and either enjoyed or disliked the book and why.

Why Included
I read Christy for the first time several years ago and it stayed with me.  It is a lovely book and one I reread.

Others in the Series
N/A

References
Peter Marshall Ministries. (2013).  Legacy.  Retrieved from http://www.catherinemarshallministries.com/legacy/catherine-marshall/