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Module 5: Fantastical Fiction

  Module 5: Fantastical Fiction Book 1: His Dark Materials: Serpentine by Philip Pullman Bibliography Pullman, Philip. His Dark Materials: Serpentine . Illustrated by Tom Duxbury. Knopf Books for Young Readers. October 2020. ISN-13: 978-0593377680 Plot Analysis Lyra Silvertongue and her daemon, Pan, go on a quest to find answers about how their separation in other books and other experiences such as war will affect their relationship, as humans and daemons should never separate. Together they travel to find the person that might give them answers, Dr. Lanselius, and once there, they don’t really get the direct answer they're looking for, rather they seem a bit more confused than when they first arrived. However, on their way back, as they open up honestly and talk about their emotions and worries, both Lyra and Pan realize that they need each other no matter what and don’t want to separate emotionally or have hatred towards each other. Through this coming of age emotion that Lyra r...

Module 4: Historical Fiction

  Module 4: Historical Fiction I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys Bibliography Sepetys, Ruta. I Must Betray You . Philomel Books. 2022. ISBN-13: ‎ 978-1984836038 Plot Analysis The story follows Christian, a Romanian who is living in a tyrannical society and communism. He reflects the story in his journal, starting with the day he was called into the front office and ordered to become a spy/informant in exchange of leniency from the law and medical care for his grandfather’s leukemia. The challenge between switching from Christian, a Romanian teenager, and “Oscar,” a spy and informant causes Crisitan to struggle between withholding information so that he can do what’s right versus actually sharing what he sees with Dan Van Dorn. He must try to fool the agents while also trying to stand up against the government and make a difference. Ultimately, he faces a choice in becoming an active protester and advocate for his country. Despite being caught and tortured, he is able to fight until...

Module 3: Contemporary Fiction

  Module 3: Contemporary Realistic Fiction Dear Martin by Nic Stone Bibliography Stone, Nic. Dear Martin . Crown Books for Young Readers. 2017. ISBN-13  978-1101939499  Plot Summary After trying to help his drunk friend, Melo, the protagonist Justyce is arrested through a misunderstanding. This terrible experience leaves him wondering about injustice and prejudice against black people and how that affects and surrounds his life. Through a letter to Martin Luther King, Justyce expresses his experiences as a black teenager and tries making sense of his culture and beliefs. Faced with challenges such as constantly debating with a white, privileged teenager, Jared, the struggle of picking the right girlfriend or the right college or the right friends, constant hate crimes against black people who end up dead, family trauma, death and grief of his friend, he rises up against injustice and tries to find his voice and stand up for his beliefs and values, defending and being prou...