Title: Indie Girl
Author: Kavita Daswani
ISBN: 1416948929
Plot Summary: Indie Konkipuddi is a young Indian-American teenage girl, living with her parents and younger brother in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Indie dreams of becoming a fashion designer, and when Aaralyn Taylor comes to speak at her school, Indie jumps at the chance, thinking meeting her idol will help her land a prestigious summer internship at Aaralyn's magazine. Although Aaralyn ends up only hiring Indie as a babysitter, Indie is disappointed but still accepts, thinking she may still get an "in" if she is a constant presence in Aaralyn's home. To Indie's disappointment though, Aaralyn turns out to be demanding, rude, ungrateful, and dismissive of both Indie and her own son. She sticks it out in her current position, despite her parents' concerns, even finding romance with another of Aaralyn's employees - until her boss's behavior during a trip to Italy convince her that whatever Indie's goals may be in the fashion world, she cannot let them come at the expense of her own self-esteem and emotional well-being.
Showing posts with label High School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label High School. Show all posts
The Catcher in the Rye
Title: The Catcher in the Rye
Author: J.D. Salinger
ISBN: 0316769533
Plot Summary: Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from his prestigious prep school for failing all of his classes. Rather than confront his parents with this news, he checks into a hotel, leaving only to visit his sister in secret, confiding in her as he can never do with his parents. After a failed sexual encounter with a prostitute, a disturbing one with a teacher, and another brief outing with his sister, Holden reflects on his current situation, regretting the fact that he cares about his old friends enough to miss them.
Author: J.D. Salinger
ISBN: 0316769533
Plot Summary: Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from his prestigious prep school for failing all of his classes. Rather than confront his parents with this news, he checks into a hotel, leaving only to visit his sister in secret, confiding in her as he can never do with his parents. After a failed sexual encounter with a prostitute, a disturbing one with a teacher, and another brief outing with his sister, Holden reflects on his current situation, regretting the fact that he cares about his old friends enough to miss them.
Mean Girls
Title: Mean Girls
Director: Mark Waters
Authors: Tina Fey (screenplay), Rosalind Wiseman (book)
Cast: Lindsay Lohan (Cady), Rachel McAdams (Regina), Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury), Tim Meadows (Mr. Duvall), Lacey Chabert (Gretchen), Amanda Seyfried (Karen), Lizzy Caplan (Janis), Daniel Franzese (Damian)
ASIN: B0002IQJ8W (DVD)
Plot Summary: Cady was raised in Africa by her well-meaning yet clueless zoologist parents. Upon relocation to American suburbia, she finds herself totally clueless about how to fit in socially with her peers. She initially becomes friends with two other outcasts, hip, sardonic Janis and her friend Damian, a boy she describes as "almost too gay to function." Cady is soon adopted as a pet project by the popular girls in her class, whom Janis describes as "The Plastics." She initially does so with the intention of bringing down Regina George, the leader of the pack and Janis's former best friend. However, in the process, Cady gets drawn into their web of backstabbing, lies, and passive aggression, unwittingly becoming just as vicious and shallow as they are and abandoning her old friends. When Regina finds out about Cady's plot to ruin her, she makes the contents of a secret "slam book" the Plastics keep public, and the entire school is thrown into pandemonium. Cady eventually mends fences with Damian and Janis, but not before she and the entire school makes an effort to get past its mass avoidance of direct confrontation.
Director: Mark Waters
Authors: Tina Fey (screenplay), Rosalind Wiseman (book)
Cast: Lindsay Lohan (Cady), Rachel McAdams (Regina), Tina Fey (Ms. Norbury), Tim Meadows (Mr. Duvall), Lacey Chabert (Gretchen), Amanda Seyfried (Karen), Lizzy Caplan (Janis), Daniel Franzese (Damian)
ASIN: B0002IQJ8W (DVD)
Plot Summary: Cady was raised in Africa by her well-meaning yet clueless zoologist parents. Upon relocation to American suburbia, she finds herself totally clueless about how to fit in socially with her peers. She initially becomes friends with two other outcasts, hip, sardonic Janis and her friend Damian, a boy she describes as "almost too gay to function." Cady is soon adopted as a pet project by the popular girls in her class, whom Janis describes as "The Plastics." She initially does so with the intention of bringing down Regina George, the leader of the pack and Janis's former best friend. However, in the process, Cady gets drawn into their web of backstabbing, lies, and passive aggression, unwittingly becoming just as vicious and shallow as they are and abandoning her old friends. When Regina finds out about Cady's plot to ruin her, she makes the contents of a secret "slam book" the Plastics keep public, and the entire school is thrown into pandemonium. Cady eventually mends fences with Damian and Janis, but not before she and the entire school makes an effort to get past its mass avoidance of direct confrontation.
Very Far Away from Anywhere Else
Title: Very Far Away from Anywhere Else
Author: Ursula LeGuin
ISBN: 0152052089
Plot Summary: Owen is an average young man with above-average math and science skills, who has never felt entirely at home socially. He has created a fantasy world, Thorn, in his head, but does not share it with anyone else until he meets Natalie, a beautiful young musician and fellow student who instantly relates to him. The two become friends, then become involved romantically, but neither of them is sure they are ready to go to the next level, nor are they sure which direction they want the relationship to lead.
Author: Ursula LeGuin
ISBN: 0152052089
Plot Summary: Owen is an average young man with above-average math and science skills, who has never felt entirely at home socially. He has created a fantasy world, Thorn, in his head, but does not share it with anyone else until he meets Natalie, a beautiful young musician and fellow student who instantly relates to him. The two become friends, then become involved romantically, but neither of them is sure they are ready to go to the next level, nor are they sure which direction they want the relationship to lead.
Streams of Babel
Title: Streams of Babel
Author: Carol Plum-Ucci
ISBN: 0152165568
Plot Summary: Cora Holman is a high school outcast with a tormented, drug-addicted mother. When her mother and several neighbors die of a mysterious new ailment, Cora and her friends become increasingly alarmed when they too start getting sick. She and her friend Scott discover an abandoned store which appears to have been occupied by, and bears graffiti from, terrorists. Meanwhile, Shahzad Hamdani, a young Pakistani computer genius, has begun to notice some disturbing internet chatter among terrorist groups regarding a new weapon known only as Red Vinegar. Shahzad and Cora's lives will intersect as they both try to figure out what is killing people in Cora's neighborhood, who is causing it, and how it can be stopped.
Author: Carol Plum-Ucci
ISBN: 0152165568
Plot Summary: Cora Holman is a high school outcast with a tormented, drug-addicted mother. When her mother and several neighbors die of a mysterious new ailment, Cora and her friends become increasingly alarmed when they too start getting sick. She and her friend Scott discover an abandoned store which appears to have been occupied by, and bears graffiti from, terrorists. Meanwhile, Shahzad Hamdani, a young Pakistani computer genius, has begun to notice some disturbing internet chatter among terrorist groups regarding a new weapon known only as Red Vinegar. Shahzad and Cora's lives will intersect as they both try to figure out what is killing people in Cora's neighborhood, who is causing it, and how it can be stopped.
Flowers for Algernon
Title: Flowers for Algernon
Author: Daniel Keyes
ISBN: 0553274503
Plot Summary: Charlie Gordon, a developmentally disabled man, is selected by two researchers to be the subject of an experimental technique designed to increase intelligence, having already tried the technique on Algernon, a laboratory rat. The technique works, and Charlie's intelligence increases exponentially; at the same time, he also becomes increasingly aware of how the people in his life relate to him, and develops an interest in the opposite sex. However, this increased awareness is not without its drawbacks: his former co-workers, resentful that he now realizes how they have taken advantage of him, become alienated from him, and Charlie is unable to carry on a meaningful romantic relationship without being haunted by images of his former self. When his increase in intelligence turns out to be temporary, those around Charlie who care about him are distressed, but Charlie does not wish them to pity him, content with the memory that he was once a genius.
Author: Daniel Keyes
ISBN: 0553274503
Plot Summary: Charlie Gordon, a developmentally disabled man, is selected by two researchers to be the subject of an experimental technique designed to increase intelligence, having already tried the technique on Algernon, a laboratory rat. The technique works, and Charlie's intelligence increases exponentially; at the same time, he also becomes increasingly aware of how the people in his life relate to him, and develops an interest in the opposite sex. However, this increased awareness is not without its drawbacks: his former co-workers, resentful that he now realizes how they have taken advantage of him, become alienated from him, and Charlie is unable to carry on a meaningful romantic relationship without being haunted by images of his former self. When his increase in intelligence turns out to be temporary, those around Charlie who care about him are distressed, but Charlie does not wish them to pity him, content with the memory that he was once a genius.
Eragon
Title: Eragon
Author: Christopher Paolini
ISBN: 0439244196 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Other Books in Series: Eldest, Brisingr
Plot Summary: Eragon, an orphaned young man, lives with his uncle and cousin in a small town in the country of Alagaesia, ruled over by a tyrannical king. When Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the Spine, a forested mountain range near his village, he is stunned when it hatches into a dragon, whom he raises and names Sephira. When word gets back to the king's soldiers, they burn Eragon's uncle's house searching for the dragon, killing his uncle, Garrow, in the process. Dragons and their riders possess a psychic bond; through this bond, Sephira is able to instruct Eragon in the skills and responsibilities befitting his new status. As he and Sephira travel to find a group of rebels dedicated to defeating the king, they meet new traveling companions, rescue a beautiful and powerful female elf, battle and battle with the race of dwarves against evil sorcerers known as Shades and an orc-like race called Urgals, who serve the king. During his adventures, Eragon finds out about the history of dragons and their riders, as well as one who bore his name.
Author: Christopher Paolini
ISBN: 0439244196 (Audio Book)
Narrator: Gerard Doyle
Other Books in Series: Eldest, Brisingr
Plot Summary: Eragon, an orphaned young man, lives with his uncle and cousin in a small town in the country of Alagaesia, ruled over by a tyrannical king. When Eragon finds a mysterious stone in the Spine, a forested mountain range near his village, he is stunned when it hatches into a dragon, whom he raises and names Sephira. When word gets back to the king's soldiers, they burn Eragon's uncle's house searching for the dragon, killing his uncle, Garrow, in the process. Dragons and their riders possess a psychic bond; through this bond, Sephira is able to instruct Eragon in the skills and responsibilities befitting his new status. As he and Sephira travel to find a group of rebels dedicated to defeating the king, they meet new traveling companions, rescue a beautiful and powerful female elf, battle and battle with the race of dwarves against evil sorcerers known as Shades and an orc-like race called Urgals, who serve the king. During his adventures, Eragon finds out about the history of dragons and their riders, as well as one who bore his name.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)