Book Talk #1 Dead Beautiful

Book Talk #1: Dead Beautiful
Summary:

Dead Beautiful is a fictional story about a young girl in high school. Renee is just a normal girl in California who is struggling with figuring out if a boy really likes here and enjoying her break from school. However, her life quickly changes when both of her parents are found by her dead in the forest. She is thrust into an ever-changing world with many different challenges she does not know how to deal with. Her grandfather takes custody of her and informs her that she will be transferring to a private school that her mother attended at her age as well as moving away to another part of the country. This is a coming of age book for a young girl who must not only deal with her emotions of losing her mother and father but also going to a new home and school. She quickly learns that she really knew little about her parents or her heritage. When she gets to Gottfried Academy she starts to learn about ancient texts that tell of children who died, were not buried properly, and came back to life without a soul. Renee starts to learn how to stop children from stealing other people’s souls, and how to help them and herself deal with death. All of this happens while she is trying to figure out why she is so physically drawn to a young boy on campus.

Rationale:

When I was an adolescent I was struggling with death and change. This book goes through the changes that some adolescent may experience but also adds a touch of science fiction to make the text more intriguing. What some kids may pull from this text is that we all go through things in life and it is what we do with those changes hit that really determine where we will go. Another thing, Renee finds new abilities that she did not know she had when she was faced with change, and this could inspire students to learn new things/interests. This book is about a girl who is their age going through a huge change that would move her perception of the world. This book is an easy read that would allow a student to learn some new vocabulary but can also help them to read easier. For me this is one of those books I could not sit down once I started and had to know what was happening next.

Teaching Ideas:

One of the central ideas of this book is adolescent change which is something all the students are going through. The thing that students connect to in this story may be different, whether it is death, moving, or just the changes that come with growing up students will be able to relate to the main character. Three ways to use this text in the classroom would be: read the text as a class, independent reading, or get to know piece. The reading this text as a class could easily be paired with the getting to know the students. By having them read this text and discuss how the character experiences relate to their own life a teacher can get the students reading as well as learning some something new about their students struggles and where we can help them. For an independent reading, this book plus another could be offered as options for students to pick one and tie it back to the subject of coming of age. This text offers students a relatable character that may be going through similar life changes as they are.

Potential Issues:

A potential issue that will arise with this book is religion. The Academy that Renee attends has students learning how to help the dead. This may cause issues for parents and administrators because many will argue that it is teaching a new religion. When you look at this book strictly from a coming of age piece it will be easy to point out that those components are there to help the character develop and grow into the woman she is at the end of the third book. Another argument to make is that this book helps students see how life can change but also how to make the best out of these changes.

Additional Ideas:

When I was an adolescent I struggled with many changes that I did not understand, as I am sure many have. This book helped me to find a passion in reading, but it also showed me how a life can change so drastically for someone who seems to have a normal life. Whether this is taught in the classroom or given as an independent read for a student it does help a student see the changes in a life can lead to a different outcome. Questions that should be asked: Is this a modern take on a coming of age book? How will the students relate to the text? How can we as teachers relate to the text?