YAedge Book Club on hold for July

We will continue to discuss The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan for the month of July due to 1k-a-day. Tomorrow I will have Carrie Ryan's interview up and the end of this week the final discussion questions posted.

August will continue our discussion of great YA books. Wings by Aprilynne Pike was selected and we will begin discussing August 1st! Run out and grab your copies. It's never too early to get a jump on reading.

Questions for Carrie Ryan

As we continue to discuss The Forest of Hands and Teeth, now is a good time to have everyone post questions for The Forest of Hands and Teeth author, Carrie Ryan! She has agreed to take questions. Thanks!

So, if you have something you'd like to ask her regarding The Forest of Hands and Teeth, writing, or anything having to do with teen fiction, please type them in the comments section of this post. I will be taking all questions and passing them along to her Wednesday June 17 @ 5pm PDT.

The Start of Discussion: The Forest of Hands and Teeth

Since we're five days into the month and probably started reading The Forest of Hands and Teeth, I thought I would post a few discussion questions to think about while you're reading. These are just basic questions that we will be discussing for each book. We will get more specific with our discussion later in the month. Please remember, if you have finished The Forest of Hands and Teeth, do NOT post any spoilers for those who have yet to finish.

If you visit the comments, you'll notice that I've also posted each question there, as well as this post. If you want to join in on the discussion for any of the questions, please just hit the "post reply" option next to the question. That way, we can keep each discussion a separate thread and reply to individuals. Remember, please no spoilers in this discussion. We can talk about the end of the book in the last discussion post of the month.

Also, if you haven't already (I'm sure most of you have by now), please read the FAQ and Rules. They will always be posted in the sidebar if you need to find them at any time.

1. How does the setting figure into the book? Is the setting a character? Does it come to life? Did you feel you were experiencing the time and place in which the book was set?
2. What motivated the story? Was the novel plot-driven or character-driven?
3. What are some of the book's themes? How important were they?
4. How are the book's images symbolically significant? Do the images help to develop the plot, or help to define characters?
5. What was your first impression of the characters?

Please don't be shy. Make sure to join in the discussion. If there is another question you'd like others to consider while reading the book, please feel free to post them in the comments section as a new comment.

If you haven't picked up your copy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth yet, don't worry. There is still plenty of time. We will be reading and discussing the book throughout the month!

Don't forget to vote for July's book club selection in the poll to the right.

June's Book: The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

About The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan:

In Mary's world, there are simple truths.

The Sisterhood always knows best.

The Guardians will protect and serve.

The Unconsecrated will never relent.

And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village. The fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

But slowly, Mary's truths are failing her. She's learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power. And, when the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness.

Now she must choose between her village and her future, between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?

For more information, visit The Forest of Hands and Teeth website:

The The Forest of Hands and Teeth website

Online links to buy The Forest of Hands and Teeth:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Powell's Books

Link to find an Indie bookstore near you:

Indie Bound

Link to find the nearest public library in the US:

US Public Library Search

The Final Discussion: Jellicoe Road

It's time to finish off the month with new discussion questions, since your perspective can change once finishing a book. This thread of comments may contain spoilers. If you haven't finished Jellicoe Road, please do not click the comments section, assuming you don't want parts of the story revealed to you.

Below are a few questions I thought would be interesting to throw out to the group. Please feel free to add any questions in the comments you would also like to discuss. Also, keep in mind, just reply to a question or someone's answer if you'd like to respond. Keeping the discussion clean and organized is the key to a fun talk!

If you are new to the group, before commenting please review the FAQ and rules.

Don't forget, the poll for June's selection ends May 28th. If you have yet to vote, please do so.

Since I was unable to contact Melina Marchetta for this month's interview, I will have a contest on the blog soon instead!

Final Questions (based on completing the book):

1. After finishing the book, do you think the lesson or meaning of Jellicoe Road changed from start to finish? How?
2. In the first discussion, we discussed Taylor's story and how it was very different from the 5 friends' tale. At the end of the book, both stories were woven together. Did you think that the end conclusion was satisfying for both ends of the story?
   
3. I've heard/read about many people's confusion with the beginning of the book. Did you feel confused, and if so, did it change your view of the book overall?
   
4. What will you take away with you from reading Jellicoe Road?
   
5. Do you think the book is portrayed properly (cover, back cover copy (or jacket flap), etc.) in stores/media?

REMEMBER, COMMENTS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!!

The Start of Discussion: Jellicoe Road

Note from Tami: First off, I wanted to warn the readers, Jellicoe Road can be a bit confusing at the beginning. Stick with it, you won't be sorry. When I first picked up the book, I almost put it down after the first few chapters (which is so unlike me). I couldn't keep track of all of the characters and I had trouble keeping the time frame of events straight. PLEASE keep reading. You will be rewarded. Everything becomes clear and hopefully you will be as moved by this book as I was.

Now on to our regularly schedule discussion questions! Since we're seven days into the month and probably started reading Jellicoe Road, I thought I would post a few discussion questions to think about while you're reading. These are just basic questions that we will be discussing for each book. We will get more specific with our discussion later in the month. Please remember, if you have finished Jellicoe Road, do NOT post any spoilers for those who have yet to finish.

If you visit the comments, you'll notice that I've also posted each question there, as well as this post. If you want to join in on the discussion for any of the questions, please just hit the "post reply" option next to the question. That way, we can keep each discussion a separate thread and reply to individuals. Remember, please no spoilers in this discussion. We can talk about the end of the book in the last discussion post of the month.

Also, if you haven't already, please read the FAQ and Rules. They will always be posted in the sidebar if you need to find them at any time.

1. How does the setting figure into the book? Is the setting a character? Does it come to life? Did you feel you were experiencing the time and place in which the book was set?
2. What motivated the story? Was the novel plot-driven or character-driven?
3. What are some of the book's themes? How important were they?
4. How are the book's images symbolically significant? Do the images help to develop the plot, or help to define characters?
5. What was your first impression of the characters?

Please don't be shy. Make sure to join in the discussion. If there is another question you'd like others to consider while reading the book, please feel free to post them in the comments section as a new comment.

If you haven't picked up your copy of Jellicoe Road yet, don't worry. There is still plenty of time. We will be reading and discussing the book throughout the month!

May's Book: Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

About Jellicoe Road, by Melina Marchetta:

"What do you want from me?" he asks.

What I want from every person in my life, I want to tell him.

More.

Taylor Markham is not a popular choice. She is erratic, has no people skills and never turns up to meetings. Not to mention the incident when she ran off in search of her mother and only got halfway there. But she's lived at Jellicoe School most of her life and as leader of the boarders that's her greatest asset. Especially now the cadets, led by the infamous Jonah Griggs, have arrived. The territory wars between the boarders, townies and cadets are about to recommence.

But Taylor has other things on her mind: a prayer tree, the hermit who whispered in her ear, and a vaguely familiar drawing in the local police station. Taylor wants to understand the mystery of her own past. But Hannah, the woman who found her, has suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but an unfinished manuscript about five kids whose lives entwined twenty years ago on the Jellicoe Road.

For more information, visit Jellicoe Road website:

The Jellicoe Road website

Online links to buy Jellicoe Road:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Powell's Books

Link to find an Indie bookstore near you:

Indie Bound

Link to find the nearest public library in the US:

US Public Library Search