Spider-Man 3—May 4

Shrek the Third—May 18

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End—May 25

Ocean's 13—June 8

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer—June 15

Nancy Drew—June 15

Evan Almighty—June 22

Transformers—July 4

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—July 13

The Simpsons Movie—July 27

The Bourne Ultimatum—August 3

Highly recommended older movies:

Crash

Napoleon Dynamite

Whale Rider

Thirteen (for those with strong stomachs)

Lord of the Rings trilogy

Matrix trilogy

Star Wars Episonde III and I, II, IV, V, VI on DVD

Batman Begins and other Batman movies on DVD

Harry Potter I, II, III and IV on DVD and V in theaters

Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on DVD

Cinderella Man on DVD

Topic Two: Out of Childhood and into Tweens

• The 2007 Newbery Winner, The Higher Power of Lucky by Susan Patron, or Crispin: The Cross of Lead. (the 2003 Newbery Award Winner) by Avi.
• The 2001 Newbery Winner A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
• The 1998 Newbery Winner Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse 
• Newbery Honor book Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, and see the movie.
• Read one title specifically published for the tween market.

Topic Four: The Juvenile Novel

Read or experience one of each:

Read One of the following fiction works:

• Klass, David. You Don't Know Me.
• Johnson, Angela. The First Part Last
• Frost, Helen. Keesha's House
• Going, K.L. Saint Iggy
• Kortege, Ron. Stoner and Spaz
• Murdock, Catherine Gilbert. Dairy Queen
• Reinhardt, Dana. Harmless. 
• Giles, Gail. What Happened to Cass McBride
• Levithan, David and Rachel Cohn. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. 
• Reynolds, Marilyn. Love Rules: True-to-Life Series from Hamilton High 

Read one nonfiction title directed at teens: (read one.) Suggestions:

• Schlosser, Eric. Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food. (2006)
• Jukes, Mavis. The Guy Book: An Owner's Manual. Crown, 2002
• Halpin, Mikki. It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teenagers (2004)
• Simmons, Rachel. Odd Girl Out: The Hidden Culture of Agression in Girls.
• Always Running by Louis Rodriguez  
• Johnson, Spencer. Who Moved My Cheese? for Teens: An A-Mazing Way to Change and Win! 2002.
• Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul (any title from this series targeted at teens)..- browse through and read a few stories.
• Jacobs, Thomas A. They Broke the Law: You Be the Judge: True Cases of Teen Crime. Free Spirit Press, 2003
• Espeland, Pamela. Life Lists for Teens: Tips, Steps, Hints, and How-Tops for Growing Up, Getting Along, Learning, and Having Fun. Free Spirit Press, 2003.
• Huegel, Kelly. GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens. Free Spirit Press, 2003.
• Covey, Sean. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens : The Ultimate Teenage Success Guide
• Wilkinson, Bruce. Prayer of Jabez for Teens.Multnomah Publishers, 2001
• Hirschfelder, Arlene. Kick Butts!: A Kid's action Guide to a Tobacco-Free America. Scarcrow, 2001
• Goldstein, Mark A. and Myna Chandler Goldstein. Boys Into Men: Staying Healthy Through the Teen Years. Greenwood, 2000.
• CQ Researcher on Teens in America. CQ Press, 2001
• Grimbol, William R. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Spirituality for Teens. Alpha Books, 2000.
• Woods, Earl and the Tiger Woods Foundation. Start Something: You Can Make a Difference. Simon & Schuster, 2000.
• Vizzini, Ned. Teen Angst? Naah... Free Spirit Publishing, 2000
• Johnson, Julie Tallard. The Thundering Years: Rituals and Sacred Wisdom for Teens. Bindu Books, 2001
• Desetta, Al, ed. The Struggle to be Strong: True Stories by Teens About Overcoming Tough Times. Free Sprit Publishing, 2000.
• McGraw, Jay. Life Strategies for Teens. Simon & Schuster, 2000
• Packer, Alex J. Highs!: Over 150 Ways to Feel Really, Really Goodd...Without Alcohol or Other Drugs. Free Sprit Publishing, 2000
• Williams, Terrie. Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens, with an Introduction by Queen Latifah. 2001.
• Beroff, Art. and T.R. Adams. How To Be a Teenage Millionaire. Entrepreneur Press, 2000
• Greene, Rebecca. The Teenagers' Guide to School Outside the Box. Free Spirit Press, 2001.
• Morisette, Alanis. Conversations With God for Teens. Hampton Roads, 2001.
• Wilson, Jacqueline. Girls in Love. Delecorte, 2002.

• Strauch, Barbara. The Primal Teen: What the New Discoveries About the Teenage Brain Tell Us About Our Kids. 2003
• Horn, Wade F. and Carol Keough. New Teen Book: An Z to Z Guide for Parents of 9- to 16-Year Olds. (Merideth Corp. 1999).
• Pollack, William. Real Boys. Owl Books, 1998.
• Mary Pipher. Reviving Ophelia. (book or audiotape); or
• Dave Pelzer A Child Called "It" (Health Communications Inc., 1995) or any of the "It" books; or
• Geoffrey Canada's Reaching Up for Manhood (Becon Presss, 1998)
• Dr. Laura Schlesinger. Parenthood by Proxy : Don't Have Them If You Won't Raise Them (book or audiotape) (2000)
• Hersch, Patricia. A Tribe Apart: A Journey into the Heart of American Adolescence. Balantine Books, 1999.
• Panzarine, Susan. A Parent's Guide to the Teen Years: Raising Your 11- to 14-Year-Old in the Age of Chat Rooms and Navel Rings. Facts on File, 2000.
• Drowns, Robert W. and Karen M. Hess. Juvenile Justice. 3rd ed. Wadsworth, 2000.

Topic Seven: Give Me Real History (but I might want it fictionalized)

Read and view one of the following movie/book tie-ins:

• Cold Mountain. Book by Charles Frazier. Movie on DVD (Civil War - older teens)
• Seabiscuit. Book by Laura Hillenbrand. Movie on DVD. (Depression Years - older teens)
• Pearl Harbor or 13 Days with accompanying screen version in the book stores or a book about the events (movies released 2001).
• October Sky: A Memoir by Homer H. Hickam Jr. (Bantam, 1999) (also titled Rocket Boys: A memoir) and the movie October Sky - now in video stores. Hickam has also issued a second volume covering about the same time period titled The Coalwood Way. Volume three in the series A Sky of Stone: A Memoire is out.
• Schindler's List (the movie) then read one book about the Holocaust such as: Opdyke, Irene Gut. In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer. (Knopf, 1999), or Wareen, Andrea. Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps (Harper Collins, 20001); or tour the Holocaust Museum web site or the actual museum (a visit to Washington D.C. would be nice)
• Or a historical movie w/ no particular book attached, such as Troy, Alexander. or King Arther
• Killer Angels by Michael Shaara and the movie Gettysburg.

• Nelson, Pete and Hunter Scott. Left for Dead: A Young Man's Search for Justice for the USS Indianapolis
• Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow
• Jacobson, Sid & Ernie Colon (ill.). The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation.
• Delisle, Guy. Pyongyahg: A Journey in North Korea (a graphic novel)

• Miss Potter (the movie) and a biographical sketch/biography (yes, we know this is children's, but too good to miss.)
• Taylor, Mildred. The Land
• Donnelly, Jennifer. A Northern Light
• Saenz, Benjamin Alire. Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood
• Turnbull, Ann. No Shame, No Fear
• Rees, Celia. Pirates!
• Draper, Sharon. Copper Sun. 

Topic Eight: Give Me Real People

• Crutcher, Chris. King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography
• Partridge, Elizabeth. John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth.
• Fleischman, Sid. Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini (2006). 
• Aronson, Marc. UpClose: Robert F. Kennedy (2007).
• Hemphill, Stephanie. Your Own Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath (2007). 
• Freedman, Russell. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights (2004)
• Silverstein, Ken. The Radioactive Boy Scout: The Frightening True Story of a Whiz Kid and His Homemade Nuclear Reactor (2005)
• Myers, Walter Dean. The Greatest: Muhammad Ali.
• Myers, Walter Dean. Bad Boy: A Memoir. (Harper Collins, 2001). A reflection on his teen years.
• Isaacson, Walter. Benjamin Franklin: An American Life. 2003 (for older teens)
• McCullough, David. John Adams. (for older teens - remarkable love story)

Topic Nine: I Wish I Were a Scientist...

(the world of science and technology from research scientists to medicine to auto mechanics)

Read/view at least two:

• Thompson, Kate. The New Policeman. (Already won Guardian and Whitbread awards in Britain, released 2/07 in USA)
• Paolini, Christopher. Eragon or its sequel: Eldest. And, see the movie Eragon.
• Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter I-VII and the movies I, II, III, IV or V; Philip Pullman. The Golden Compass and its two sequels.
• Stroud, Jonathan. The Amulet of Samarkand (The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Book 1) 2003 or any of its sequels.
• Lord of the Rings trilogy of movies and/or the books
• Matrix trilogy
• X-Men I and II
• Spiderman I, II, III

Also read:

• any other science fiction or fantasy title enjoyed by teens such as Spacer and Rat by Margaret Bechard, Herbie Brennan’s Faerie Wars series, Philip Reeve’s Mortal Engines series, (Brian Jacques’ Redwall series, Orson Scott Card’s Ender books, Terry Brooks Shanara series, Michael Crichton (any title), Heinlein (early books), Dune books, Frank Herbert, Marion Bradley Zimmer, Donaldson (Thomas Covenant series), Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time)

Read any recent science fiction movie you haven't been able to see: Star Wars III, Batman Begins, War of the Worlds, Superman Returns

Topic Twelve: Culture is a Matter of Taste..

(film, theater, dance, art, music, classic literature, poetry)

Read, view, or listen to:

• any classic literature and it's recent adaptation to film such as Pride and Prejudice, The Importance of Being Ernest, Gosford Park, Sense and Sensibility or Emma or The Crucible; or, Shakespeare in Love (movie), or any recent Shakespeare film/play such as the movie The Merchant of Venice (2005), Hamlet (2000) or "O" (Othello released Aug. 01)
• any multimedia item of the art world such as an Internet site of an art collection; or, a book about an artist poular with teens such as: Greenberg, Jan and Sandra Jordan. Andy Warhol, Prince of Pop (204)
• any play / film adaptation of a play teens should know, such as The Phantom of the Opera (2004)
• any book of poetry aimed at teens or a poet that teens have adopted.
• any concert or video concert of a group teens know or should know
• Top Ten on radio or most popular on MTV (listen to one hour)

Topic Thirteen: ...In a Multicultural World

Objective: To help budding professionals discover the wide variety of resources and programming strategies to promote inclusion in the modern American experience.

Read Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos

Topic Fourteen: Move Over, Adults, We're Interested in Your Stuff Too...

(Best sellers, Expose', Westerns, Romance, Mysteries, Espionage, Horror, Crime, Public Figures and Celebrities)

Read:

• any Alex Awards fiction title (from the Alex Awards done by YALSA)
• A blockbuster film of the Spring

Topic Fifteen: ...But We're Not Sure We Like the World We've Inherited.

(War, Environment, Politics, Post modernism, Cultural Conflict, Values or Lack Thereof, Deconstructionism)

Read:

• any Alex Awards nonfiction title (from the Alex Awards done by YALSA)   

Topic Sixteen: It's an Information Blitz: Becoming a Reference World Junkie in the World of Teens

Read:

• Peruse and prepare to discuss any title of a significant reference work of use to teens (see "Youth Services Recommended Reference Sources Compiled by the Youth Services Reference Evaluation Committee of the Suburban Library System, Burr Ridge, Illinois" published in JOYS, Spring, 1996)
• Peruse at least one Internet reference site or reference title that teens would use for reference.