Wild Things: YA Grown-Up discussion

Laura
Sorry: Here are my points and page numbers from my first set of tasks:
60 points; 928 pages

Just finished a few more tasks:
30.1 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (British) with and The Summer of the Swans (American); 226 & 144pp
25.4 Uglies and Pretties; 524 & 384pp
5.4 The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - (the first listing on GR doesn't list page # so I'm going with what some of the other editions show - 232pp.)

Totals: 60 points; 1411 pages

For task 25.3 I read Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C. Wrede (288pgs). (It's set in Regency England, definitely a different country - and culture - to my own!)

Total: 160 pts., 5352 pages.

I finished reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith for task 5.2.

Total Points: 350
Total Number of Pages Read: 9,839

30.1 The Tale of Despereaux (USA), Just in Case (UK)
30.2 The Graveyard Book
30.3 Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid"
25.1 Wicked Lovely (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), The Book Thief (Historical), A Countess Below Stairs (Romantic)
25.3 Sold
20.1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
20.2 The Girl Who Could Fly
10.2 I Capture the Castle
10.3 To Kill a Mockingbird
5.4 Gingerbread

Total Points = 205
Total Pages = 3972

Clearly I should update more often but here is the list.

30.2 A Northern Light 380pg
25.3 Bound 192 pg
25.4 A Great and Terrible Beauty 416pg and Rebel Angels 592pg
20.2 Converting Kate 312pg. I would want every young person to read this book so that they might become comfortable in questioning their own beliefs.
10.1Playing with Matches 304 pg
10.2 Good Enough 336 pg. Given 5 stars by Jennifer Wardrip.
10.3Spanking Shakespeare 287pg
10.4The Graveyard Book 312pg. I agree with this book getting awards.

Which brings my totals to 330pts and 6162 pgs.

I finished I, Coriander for task 20.4. My daughter was born in 2005, same year book was published.

Updated Points: 225
Updated Pages: 4665

Finished The Luxe, which, along with The Awakening and American Born Chinese completes task 25.1. I started a thread for American Born Chinese after I read it. It was probably my favorite of the three, with The Awakening a close second and The Luxe a distant third.

The Luxe: Historical 448 pages
The Awakening: Science Fiction/Fantasy 360 pages
American Born Chinese: Multicultural/Graphic Novel 240 pages


TOTAL: 280 points, 6633 pages

I read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a couple of weeks ago but I didn't watch the movie until last night. In one of those rare instances, the movie was actually better. It was more powerful and the main character was much more believable. He was so naive in the book that I had a hard time buying it. But in the movie, he asked questions and wasnt completely oblivious. Great movie! That completes task 20.1

Total Points: 245
Total Pages: 4889

25.2 Wolf Tower 240 pages and When She Was Good 240 pages. Wolf Tower was really good, I was pleasantly surprised. When She was Good was OK, not for people who are easily depressed.

Total 305 points 6281 pages

I just finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon for Task 20.2. I'd like my younger sister to read this book because she's really good with children with special needs and considered becoming a special ed teacher for a while. I think she would appreciate the unique main character in this book.

Total Points: 120+20=140
Total Pages: 1512+226=1738

20.2 To Kill a Mockingbird 336 pages. I just love this book! All kids should read this book.

Total: 325 points 6617 pages

LEADER BOARD:

Alisha: 350 pts., 9839 pages.
Amanda: 350 pts., 7011 pages.
Allison: 330 pts., 6162 pages.
Jennifer W: 325 pts., 6617 pages.
Misty: 280 pts., 6633 pages.
Beth: 270 pts., 5461 pages.
Kristen: 250 pts., 6376 pages.
Luann: 245 pts., 6796 pages.
Natalee: 245 pts., 4889 pages.
C: 230 pts., 5628 pages.
Ashley: 215 pts., 4014 pages.
Jennifer: 205 pts., 3972 pages.
Josie: 160 pts., 5352 pages.
Alexis: 160 pts., 2602 pages.
Bird: 155 pts., 2875 pages.
Linda Grace: 145 pts., 3594 pages.
Michelle (sunflowers): 140 pts., 1738 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 135 pts., 3347 pages.
Jamie: 135 pts., 2600 pages.
Heather: 135 pts., 2384 pages.
Leora: 135 pts., 2330 pages.
Becky: 130 pts., 3823 pages.
Kathy: 110 pts., 2486 pages.
Jen B: 105 pts., 2048 pages.
Cheryl: 75 pts., 1789 pages.
Lynlee4: 70 pts., 946 pages.
Nirmala: 65 pts., 1506 pages.
Stephanie: 65 pts., 1306 pages.
Linda: 60 pts., 1411 pages.
Katrina: 50 pts., 836 pages.
Fiona/Tweety: 45 pts., 1174 pages.
Michelle: 45 pts., 993 pages.
Kandice: 45 pts., 480 pages.
Camerandi: 40 pts., 682 pages.
Lisa Julianna: 30 pts., 312 pages.
Arynne: 30 pts., 256 pages.
Liz: 20 pts., 538 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.

Congratulations Alisha for being our second finisher!

:)

I need to get moving on these! Only one month left!

I completed task 30.2 last night
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, 320 pages


I have added my comment to the main discussion. There is no way that I am going to complete all the tasks, but enjoying it any way. My challenge is to see far I can get.

Total points: 90 (60 + 30)
Total Pages: 1,488(1,168 + 320)

Just realised that I have missed something out, so to summarise the books I have completed for this challenge are

30.1 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred Taylor - USA
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon -British
30.2 Anne of Green Gables, L.M. Montgomery
20.1 The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
10.4 Junk, Melvin Burgess
5.2 Journey to the centre of the Earth, Jules Verne

That makes my totals to be


Total points: 95 (65 + 30)
Total Pages: 1,826(1,506 + 320)

30.1 Finished The Graveyard Book and The Golden Compass as two books I’ve never read before from the Wild Things Awards list for 30 points (task #1). I loved The Graveyard Book and enjoyed The Golden Compass.

Total Points: 175/350
Total Pages: 4,305

I just finished task #25.2 by reading:

1. Born Confused (512 pgs) and
2.Summerland (500 pgs).

New point total: 295
New page total: 6, 473

I thought I had posted this before, but apparently not.

I read A Curse Dark as Gold for 10.1. That gives me 50 points and 1080 pages.

Linda Grace wrote: "30.1 Finished The Graveyard Book and The Golden Compass as two books I’ve never read before from the Wild Things Awards list for 30 points (task #1). I loved [book:Th..."

I did the same two books!

Just finished The Demon's Lexicon for task 20.3 - I'm just dying to go to England. I loved this book!

Total points: 270
Total Pages: 6712

25.1 Inkdeath (Fantasy), The Mysterious Benedict Society (Children's), Airman (Action/Adventure)
I really loved the Mysterious Benedict Society! I haven't read a book like that in a while.

20.4 Rebel Angels

C: 275 pts., 7873 pages.

Misty wrote: "I did the same two books!"

I guess great minds think alike! haha

30.1 The Tale of Despereaux (USA), Just in Case (UK)
30.2 The Graveyard Book
30.3 Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid"
25.1 Wicked Lovely (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), The Book Thief (Historical), A Countess Below Stairs (Romantic)
25.2 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Mysterious Benedict Society
25.3 Sold
20.1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
20.2 The Girl Who Could Fly
10.2 I Capture the Castle
10.3 To Kill a Mockingbird
5.4 Gingerbread

Total Points = 230
Total Pages = 4745

I just finished A Gathering Light for task 30.2
Total Points: 50
Total Pages: 918

Just finished listening to The Amber Spyglass for task 5.3 - which I read in middle school I believe. I love the full cast audio version. So amazing.

Total points: 275
Total Pages: 7192

I just completed task 10.1 with Savvy by Ingrid Law. It is a VERY good new book by a new author and has 342 pages. I highly recommend it!

Total Points: 255
Total Pages: 7138

I just finished task 20.1! I read Ella Enchanted in June and was finally able to find the movie today. The book is definitely better than the movie. I enjoyed the movie but they made too many changes and it ended up losing most of its Cinderalla-ness.

Total Points: 140+20=160
Total Pages: 1738+240=1978

30.1 The Tale of Despereaux (USA), Just in Case (UK)
30.2 The Graveyard Book
30.3 Midnight Pearls: A Retelling of "The Little Mermaid"
25.1 Wicked Lovely (Fantasy/Sci-Fi), The Book Thief (Historical), A Countess Below Stairs (Romantic)
25.2 Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, The Mysterious Benedict Society
25.3 Sold
20.1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
20.2 The Girl Who Could Fly
20.3 Laguna Cove
10.2 I Capture the Castle
10.3 To Kill a Mockingbird
5.4 Gingerbread

Total Points = 250
Total Pages = 4969

I finished task 20.3, 336 pages - Alpha Dog. It took place in Texas, where I live. It was specifically in Austin and San Marcos, both of which I've been several times. Cute book!

I also read The Graveyard Book for task 10.4, 312 pages. I really hate to say this but I didn't enjoy it at all. I don't believe it deserved the Newberry Award. Sorry... I know so many of you love it. I felt it lacked in character development and had so many loose ends. The chapters felt disjointed and as if he was writing for a movie.

Updated Points: 275
Updated Pages: 5537

Task 20.3 is done! I read A Maine Christmas Carol by Philip F. Harris, which takes place in Hallowell, Maine where I lived for the summer of 2007 (great town!).

Total Points: 160+20=180
Total Pages: 1978+146=2124

30.3 The Book of Lost Things

Points: 30/ 470 pages
Total: 140/ 2956 pages

I finally finished the last of Task 25.1. Here's what I read:

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Fantasy)
The Book Thief (Historical)
Airman (Action/Adventure)

Total points: 300
Total Pages: 8828

LEADER BOARD:

Alisha: 350 pts., 9839 pages.
Amanda: 350 pts., 7011 pages.
Allison: 330 pts., 6162 pages.
Jennifer W: 325 pts., 6617 pages.
Kristen: 300 pts., 8828 pages.
Beth: 295 pts., 6473 pages.
Misty: 280 pts., 6633 pages.
C: 275 pts., 7873 pages.
Natalee: 275 pts., 5537 pages.
Luann: 255 pts., 7138 pages.
Jennifer: 250 pts., 4969 pages.
Ashley: 215 pts., 4014 pages.
Michelle (sunflowers): 180 pts., 2124 pages.
Linda Grace: 175 pts., 4305 pages.
Josie: 160 pts., 5352 pages.
Alexis: 160 pts., 2602 pages.
Bird: 155 pts., 2875 pages.
Kathy: 140 pts., 2956 pages.
Fiona (Titch): 135 pts., 3347 pages.
Jamie: 135 pts., 2600 pages.
Heather: 135 pts., 2384 pages.
Leora: 135 pts., 2330 pages.
Becky: 130 pts., 3823 pages.
Jen B: 105 pts., 2048 pages.
Nirmala: 95 pts., 1826 pages.
Cheryl: 75 pts., 1789 pages.
Lynlee4: 70 pts., 946 pages.
Stephanie: 65 pts., 1306 pages.
Linda: 60 pts., 1411 pages.
Camerandi: 50 pts., 1080 pages.
Liz: 50 pts., 918 pages.
Katrina: 50 pts., 836 pages.
Fiona/Tweety: 45 pts., 1174 pages.
Michelle: 45 pts., 993 pages.
Kandice: 45 pts., 480 pages.
Lisa Julianna: 30 pts., 312 pages.
Arynne: 30 pts., 256 pages.
Adam: 10 pts., 432 pages.

Tasks completed (most recent in bold):

30 Point Tasks
3. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine (GR Page Count: 240)

25 Point Tasks
1a. New Moon - Stephenie Meyer (Category: Romance) (GR Page count: 563 pages)
b. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson (Category: Contemporary) (GR Page count: 282)

20 Point Tasks
2. The Tales of Beedle the Bard - JK Rowling (GR page count: 109 pages)
4. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen (GR page count: 400 pages)
5. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things - Carolyn Mackler (GR page count: 256 pages)

10 Point Tasks
3. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin (GR page count: 192 pages)

5 Point Tasks
4. When You Wish - Kristin Harmel (GR page count: 288)

Still playing along, I've just been reading a lot more adult books than YA books lately. But I finished Wintergirls last night. I really enjoyed this one. It's a very honest, painful look at the effects of anorexia on one teenage girl and the people in her life. Anderson doesn't shy away from the harsh, awful truth - she tells it like it is. I think many teenage girls (and adults, for that matter) would benefit from reading this one.

No new points for me -- one book left to go for that task!

Point Total: 105/350
Page Total: 2330

10.1 Just finished Shift by Jennifer Bradbury.
Points: 10
Pages: 256

For task 30.1, I just read I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak (357 p.) which was the winner of the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Award: Older Readers in 2003. I also read Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman (416 p.), which won an Alex Award (US) in 2006. It was, incidentally, also recommended to me by Laura. :)

Total Points: 285
Total Pages: 7911

Yesterday morning I finished reading To Kill a Mockingbird (336 pgs) and then last night I watched the movie for task 20.1. The movie was excellent and so was the book. I have to say I liked the book better because I enjoyed imagining what the characters and the town looked like. I was wrong about the way Maudie looked! The movie stayed pretty close to the book, though, and Gregory Peck did an excellent job of portraying Atticus.

New point total: 315
New page total: 6, 809

25.4 I finished The Subtle Knife (326 pages) and The Amber Spyglass (480 pages) as my two books from a Young Adult series for 25 points (task #4).

Total Points: 200/350
Total Pages: 5,111

Read The Book Thief for task 20.2 I wish I could get my brother and sister to read it, but I doubt they will (at 552 pages, it's a hard sell). Actually, I'm trying to get my mom to read it, too. It's a powerful book and it gives a new perspective on the Holocaust. Most YA WWII books take place in a concentration camp or ghetto, and are from a mostly Jewish perspective, and it's easy to forget that there were Germans against what was going on and faced traumatic experiences of their own, even if on a smaller scale.

Total: 300 points, 7185 pages

I haven't been able to spend much time on GR lately, or read for that matter. I'd planned on reading other books for the challenge, but have worked some of the books I've read but haven't counted into the challenge. Here is my update:

25.1 Shadowland (fantasy) - 256 pages, Chasing Vermeer (mystery) - 272, & Anne of the Island (classic) - 243 (Contributing to Anne of Green Gables thread. I liked this book just a bit more than Shadowland, but I didn't enjoy Chasing Vermeer at all)

25.4 Enna Burning - 317 & River Secrets - 304

5.2 Anne of Avonlea - 276

Total Points: 190
Total Pages: 4268

Just finished task 25.2! I randomly pointed at the summer reading shelf and ended up with A Separate Peace by John Knowles and 1984 by George Orwell...heavy stuff!

Total Points: 180+25=205
Total Pages: 2124+208+326=2658

Michelle wrote: "Just finished task 25.2! I randomly pointed at the summer reading shelf and ended up with A Separate Peace by John Knowles and 1984 by George Orwell...heavy stuff!

Total Points: 180+25=205
Tot..."

Separate Piece was one of those books I thought I was going to hate and I fell in love with. It broke my heart. I really should read it again.

I just finished task 25.3 by reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. Great book! I was so drawn to the main character. His voice was so believable, I felt like I really was reading from a 14 yr olds perspective.

Total Points: 300
Total pages: 5766

I love A Separate Peace too. What was lame when I read it in high school was that it was assigned summer reading for the boys' classes, and the girls got something like Wolf by the Ears (classes were separated for the first two years). I would have never read it if my brother hadn't been assigned it, and it's one of my favorite books.

===

20.5 The Sweet Far Thing

10.4 The Knife of Never Letting Go
I'm not sure I think this book deserved the award because I haven't read any of the other books on this list. I thought the book started really slowly, but made up for it by the middle and then a strong end.

C: 305 pts., 9171 pages.

Finished Bless the Beasts and Children for task 20.3. It takes place in and near Prescott, Arizona, where my family visited and considered moving a number of years ago. I wouldn't mind living there, if there was work for my husband; it is a lovely community & climate.
20 Points; 224 Pages

Totals: 150 points, 2819 pages

Last night I finished Graceling by Kristin Cashore for Task 10.1! It was great!

Total Points: 205+10=215
Total Pages: 2658+471=3129

I just finished The Thief Lord (348 pgs) for task # 20.3. I've always wanted to visit Venice, Italy and this is where the book takes place.

New point total: 335
Ne page total: 7, 157

Finished with task 25.1. I read Coraline by Gaiman, a fantasy (192p); Love's Abiding Joy by Oke, Christian fiction (240p); and Stargirl by Spinelli, a contemp. novel (188p).

Adding those points and pages to my totals brings me to:
175 points, 3439 pages