Tragedy

Nineteen Minutes

Posted on September 24, 2013 by webmaster

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“

Nineteen Minutes
by Jodi Picoult

These are the words that seventeen-year-old Peter Houghton says when he is found after a school shooting spree huddling with a gun in his hand by Detective Patrick Ducharme. An outcast who had been bullied since kindergarten, Peter kills ten, including a teacher, and injures many more.

Click for More

At first glance, it looks like a straightforward act of revenge, but things are revealed to be more complex. One of his victims is Matt Royston, the boyfriend of his former childhood friend, Josie Cormier, and others are members of the in-crowd, but others have seemingly no relation. In the days before the trial, and in the days leading up to the shooting, we are given the backstory, told mostly from Josie’s, Peter’s, and their mothers’ viewpoint. We learn of the incessant teasing this boy received, adults’ unsuccessful attempts to help him fit in, and of the stormy relationship between Josie and Matt.

During the trial, we hear from the victims who survived and the devastation the crime has wrought on their lives. In the end, the reader may still be undecided whether Peter is primarily a victim, perpetrator, loyal friend, or all three, but that is the point.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
890L	Young Adult	460	Thriller/Suspense	2007	0743496736

Romeo & Juliet

Posted on September 10, 2013 by webmaster

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“

Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare

This magnificent, timeless drama is the world’s most famous tale of “star-crossed lovers.” The young, unshakable love of Juliet and Romeo defies the feud that divides their families–the Capulets and Montagues–as their desperate need to be together, their secret meetings, and finally their concealed marriage drive them toward tragedy.

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
1260L	High School	336	Drama	2004	0743477111

Crime and Punishment

Posted on July 1, 2013 by webmaster

Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov, a former student, lives in a tiny garret on the top floor of a run-down apartment building in St. Petersburg. He is sickly, dressed in rags, short on money, and talks to himself, but he is also handsome, proud, and intelligent. He is planning on committing a murder with a singular purpose – to reaffirm his belief that he is a kind of “Superman”, above mere mortals.

After he goes through with his plans, Raskolnikov feels the guilt gnawing at his psyche. Will he confess to the authorities, or will he be able to keep calm under fire?

Lexile Level	Content Rating	Number of Pages	Genre	Date Published	ISBN Number
850L	High School	516	Drama	1981	05532211757

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time©“

“Creating a community of avid readers, one video at a time^©“