Houghton Mifflin Harcourt kindly provided us with these project ideas for teachers to use in the classroom. Several of them also serve as great essay prompts, especially when teaching epistolary novels. Reading • Have your students read Annexed alongside Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl. Have them discuss, compare, contrast,... Continue Reading →
At Novel Novice, we think every good book deserves a playlist, and with so many songs mentioned in The Mermaid's Mirror, we just couldn't resist. L.K. even sent us some of her own suggestions! Some songs are serious, but many are just silly. After all, how can you even talk about mermaids without mentioning "The Little Mermaid?"... Continue Reading →
The following discussion/essay questions come from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt -- we couldn't have done better ourselves. I do have one question to add to these, however: Why is it important to discuss this subject/book? Why is Annexed so important now? Where is the line between dredging up the past and learning from history? __________ Discussion Points... Continue Reading →
Synopsis: Lena has lived her whole life near the beach—walking for miles up and down the shore and breathing the salty air, swimming in the cold water, and watching the surfers rule the waves—the problem is, she’s spent her whole life just watching. As her sixteenth birthday approaches, Lena vows she will no longer watch... Continue Reading →
In the following Q&A, Annexed author Sharon Dogar addresses some common questions surrounding her new book and Anne Frank's diary. In this article, she also addresses some of the concerns that have arisen about its controversial slant. __________ Q. How old were you when you first read The Diary of Anne Frank? You say you related... Continue Reading →
Amidst controversy over her latest novel, Sharon Dogar discusses her motivation and journey writing Annexed. She also explains why Anne Frank's diary is so important now. __________ The story of Annexed really began the first time I picked up Anne Frank’s diary. Like millions of teenagers everywhere, it was my first encounter with a first-person narrative... Continue Reading →
Synopsis: On July 13, 1942, 15-year-old Peter van Pels and his parents entered the attic that became their home for two years. Peter is angry that he is hiding and not fighting Nazis. He is also not happy to be sharing cramped living quarters with the Franks, especially know-it-all Anne. In this novel, Dogar "reimagines" what happened... Continue Reading →
That's a darn good wedding present -- having your latest book at no. 1 on the best sellers list. Cassie Clare is still reigning with Clockwork Angel for the fourth week in a row. The only other big news is that The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff has inched onto the top 10 and a couple of our... Continue Reading →
It's October and that means only one thing: Halloween! (Oh yeah, and Cassie Clare's getting married today!) All this month, we'll be featuring books that we think are the scariest we've read. Some are creepy, some are gross, some are haunting. And all of them would make great October reads to get you in the... Continue Reading →
Not that we're partial or anything, but whoo-hoo! Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare is no.1 on the best seller's list for the third week in a row! Another favorite author of ours, Maggie Stiefvater, is in her 10th week on the list with Linger, the follow-up to Shiver. Halo by Alexandra Adornetto is also in the top 10... Continue Reading →
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