Annotated Bibliography book list- Fiction novels

Bradbury, R. (1951). Fahrenheit 451. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Reading level: Grades 9-12

Themes: Rebellion, Power of the mind vs. authority, Quest for knowledge, Freedom, Abuse of power, Manipulation, Censorship. 

Summary: In this futuristic, dystopian setting, Guy Montag is a fireman, but his job is to burn books, not stop fires. Armed with a kerosene hose, Montag lives in a world where books are illegal, so people walk through life with an empty mind, materialistic dreams, and live through characters on wall-to-wall television programming. Montag's unknowingly suicidal wife, Mildred, fits that mold. Montag meets a teenager, Clarisse McClellan, who questions the nature of society and the humans living in it. Following McClellan's sudden death, and witnessing a woman choosing to be burned alive with her book collection, Montag begins asking questions himself. It is revealed Montag has a stash of books in his home gathered from years of burning them on the job, and Montag misses work due to his state of mind. His boss, Beatty, visits and tells Montag the history of how books fell out of favor while discouraging Montag from finding answers. Montag is given a day to peruse through his book collection, but after failing to convince Mildred of opening her mind, he seeks out Faber, a former English professor. Armed with a listening device that fits in Montag's ear, they put a plan in motion to reproduce books. With nuclear war approaching, Montag returns a book to Beatty at work only to find out Mildred has turned Montag in to the authorities. Montag burns his own house down and is arrested by Beatty. Montag rebels, burns Beatty to death, and goes on the run, fleeing from a deadly, government-controlled mechanical hound, helicopters, and television crew. After a final visit to Faber's house, Montag escapes the city and finds refuge among exiled "Book people." After the city is destroyed by nuclear bombs, Montag and the others go toward the city as "a time to build up,,, a time to speak" begins (p. 158). 

Hinton, S.E. (1967). The Outsiders. New York, NY: Puffin Books (Penguin Group). 

Reading level: Grades 6-12. 

Themes: Loyalty, Coming of Age, Friendship, Class Conflict.

Summary: Hinton. who wrote this novel when she was 16, begins the story with Ponyboy Curtis, a member of the lower-class Greaser gang, getting jumped by a few members of the upper class Socs on his way home one night. Ponyboy, who lost both his parents to a car crash, is saved by his fellow family and friends, the Greasers, which includes his two older brothers, Sodapop and Darry. While at the movies, Ponyboy finds a potential love interest in Cherry, who is a Soc and dating Bob. After arriving home late, Darry and Ponyboy get into a fight that results in Ponyboy leaving the house and meeting up with Johnny at the park, where Bob, Randy ,and other Socs are waiting for them. Ponyboy is nearly drowned by the Socs, but wakes up to Bob "lying there in the moonlight, doubled up and still" (p. 56). Johnny admits that he killed Bob, and the two flee out of town. After a week of hiding out in an abandoned church, another brawl is on the horizon. Johnny tells Dally and Ponyboy his intention to turn himself in, and on a drive they discover the church is on fire with kids from a school picnic inside. They save the children, but Johnny breaks his back. Although the Greasers get the best of the Socs in the fight, Johnny dies in the hospital. Dally runs off, robs a grocery store, and is shot down by police after raising a gun. In the end, charges stemming from Bob's death against Ponyboy are dropped, he resolves his issues with Darry, and begins to write a story about the events within the book. 

Orwell, G. (1946). Animal Farm. New York, NY: New American Library (Penguin Putnam). 

Reading level: Grades 9-12

Themes: Abuse of power, Corruption, Manipulation. Dreams, Class Conflict. 

Summary: Orwell's satirical novel tells the tale of an animal uprising on a farm. Following a coupe that results in the exile of Mr. Jones, three pigs put forth the late boar Old Major's vision of "perfect unity, perfect comradeship in the struggle" (p. 31). Snowball, Napoleon, and Squealer help bring peace and prosperity to Animal Farm. When a power struggle between Snowball and Napoleon ensues, however, the perfect utopia of "animalism" that Old Major had envisioned starts to go into a downward spiral. Using propaganda, and attack dogs, Napoleon achieves absolute power. Through a series of deals and battles, and with the help of Squealer, Napoleon rules over the farm for years while making fellow pigs the elite class. He reaches an agreement and aligns himself with farmers against the working class. As the book comes to a close, the line between pigs and humans becomes blurred in the eyes of the laboring animals. The story, originally published as an opposition to Soviet Russia, can be applied to circumstances of totalitarianism and communism today. 

Paulsen, G. (1987). Hatchet. New York, NY: Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster).

Reading level: Grades 6-12

Themes: Nature, Perseverance, Beating the Odds. 

Summary: Following his parent's recent divorce, Brian Robeson takes a plane trip from New York to Canada to visit his father. The pilot of the small plane dies from a heart attack, forcing Brian to man the controls as the plane spirals out of control. He survives when the plane crashes into a lake, and is stranded in the wildnerness with his clothing and a hatchet that his mother, who is secretly having an affair, gave him as a gift. Brian is forced to survive by making a shelter, learning which berries are best to eat, and creating fire with his hatchet, all while having run-ins with bears, wolves, porcupines, skunks, moose, and tornadoes. When a plane flies past him, he takes his hatchet and tries to "end it by cutting himself" (p. 118). He comes out of the failed suicide attempt with more mental determination, and goes on to catch fish and hunt birds and rabbits for meat. When the plane emerges from the depths of the lake, Brian retrieves the survival pack from the plane and finds freeze-dried food and orange drink. As he's cooking the food, a plane lands on the lake and Brian is rescued after 45 days. He refrains from telling his father the "secret" about his mother.

Steinbeck, J. (1937). Of Mice and Men. New York, NY: Penguin Group. 

Reading level: Grades 9-12

Themes: Dreams, Friendship, Loyalty.

Summary: George and Lennie, two migrant workers, are as different as can be, but share a close bond. George, small in stature, helps guide and protect the tall, lumbering Lennie, who has a mental disability. Lennie, who is carrying a dead mouse at the beginning of the novel, loves petting soft things, but his strength often kills. The two, who together dream of owning land to farm and raise rabbits, report to a new job on a farm in California. Their boss's son, Curley, is a short-tempered recently married man with a flirtatious wife. One day, the ever-jealous Curley starts a fight with Lennie, but gets his hand mangled in the process. A couple days later, Lennie pets the puppy Slim gave him too hard and kills it. Curley's wife offers her hair to Lennie, but he is too rough and breaks her neck. With Lennie's life in danger, George meets him by the river as Curley leads a mob to find and kill Lennie. George, gun in tow, describes the shared dream as Lennie looks forward. George pulls the trigger, killing, yet saving, his friend, and the "shot rolled up the hills and rolled down again" (p. 106).