Nicole guest

Professor Warner

English 112B

November

Annotated Bibliography: Paranormal/ Supernatural

Ghosts, witches, vampires, werewolves, and other creatures have become a part of best selling novels. These creatures came from myths from around the world as well as from America. Ever since I was a little girl the supernatural has fascinated me with the creatures and the mythical powers they possess. I remember watching movies with witches and vampires in them and imagining I became a part of that movie. I have been amazed and glad at the recent explosion of supernatural movies and books, especially for teens. With Twilight becoming a highly ranked movie and book series, this allowed other supernatural books to come out such as Beastly, Hush Hush, The Gathering, and Cirque de Freak. Supernatural books share many of the same themes as other books but add a dimension of other things outside the realm of mortals. These books in addition deal with the timeless themes of self-discovery and growing up but add supernatural powers or creatures to the story.

I have always been fascinated with the idea of witches and the fact they could snap their fingers and make something unusual happen. I admit that it has been a secret dream of mine to be able to say a few words and snap my fingers to make things happen. Teens often feel lost, imagining supernatural powers allow them to gain an understanding of their existence. The supernatural storyline allows me to join the characters in another world I could relate to, and also feel the adventure going along with the plot. The supernatural allows me to escape my mundane life and join in the mystical world were I became the main character dealing with supernatural powers as well as growing up. The supernatural genre allows me to believe in something that is not real and join the adventure of getting into trouble and hoping the other characters never find out what is really happening. The supernatural story provided an escape from reality allowing me not to have to deal with the drama of high school life. I could always transport myself into a supernatural story where I had powers and abilities that made me special and in control of my destiny. The supernatural expanded my imagination allowing me to think outside of the norm of the modern world.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling could be considered supernatural since it deals with witches, werewolves, ghosts, and other worldly creatures. Yet in the story, Harry Potter also deals with many things teens deal with today such as friendship and right vs. wrong. This book became a phenomenon with teens as well as adults because it allows children to see Harry progress from child to teenager as well as deal with the supernatural world. Twilight by Stephenie Myers is a modern day twist on a classical creature, vampires. She wrote a story about a group of vampires that do not hurt humans and a group of werewolves that are protecting the people. A young girl falls in love with one of the vampires, which causes their world to twist and evolve. Although this book has become a major hit, the book really goes away from the classical Vampire myth, the key change being Myers made the vampire sparkle in the sun. The Vampire Diaries, which have now become a hit TV series, focuses more on the mythical version of vampires and a young girl set in the middle of an adventure she never really wanted.

Annotations

Beastly. Dir. Daniel Barnz. Perf. Vanessa Hudgens and Alex Pettyfer. CBS Films, 2011. DVD.

This movie is a modern day adaptation of Beauty and the Beast. It deals with a witch casting a spell on a young high school student who is consumed with the idea of beauty. This movie has the supernatural affect of magic as well as the classical concepts of high school beauty and popularity.

One reason I choose this movie was because it deals with the high school idea of beauty but includes magical affects of a spell. It brought a fairy tale into take in a modern day setting.

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. New York: Little, Brown and, 2006. Print.

Twilight is about a young girl named Bella who falls in love with a vampire. She is dealing with moving away from her mother to live with her father and finds she belongs with her boyfriend�s vampire family.

I choose this book because it has become very popular with the teens today. It deals with themes such as loss and finding oneself is a world full of strangers in the form of vampires and werewolves.

Fitzpatrick, Becca. Hush, Hush. New York: Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2009. Print.

Nora Grey was just trying to survive high school but when she notices a seemingly perfect guy named Patch, she does not know what he is hiding or if she should stay and find out. She soon realizes that she is caught in a primordial battles for souls.

This book talks about the right and wrong of life and typical insecurities humans face that go with falling in love.

Smith, L.J. The Vampire Diaries. New York, NY: HarperTeen, 2007. Print.

A diary written in first person about a young girl in high school who had a hard life since her parents died in a car crash. She sees a new student, Stephan, in school and falls for him and later meets his brother Damon. Both brothers are vampires caught in a feud with each other but there is more to the story than that and Elena is some how involved.

This book has gone on to become a popular television series. It has sparked the interest of people who like the vampire myths. It deals with the struggle of identity and the need to find right and wrong, and deal with the grey area in between.

Armstrong, Kelley. The Gathering. New York, NY: HarperTeen, 2011. Print.

Young Maya has grown up in a small researching town. Suddenly strange things start to happen. A boy drowns in the lake, her best friend is starting to get these weird feelings, and a stranger comes to town asking about Maya�s birthmark.

This story combines science, myth and mystery for an intoxicating mix of supernatural. This novel demonstrates the need to know where a person comes from and who to trust with the secrets of the past.

Adornetto, Alexandra. Hades. New York: Feiwel & Friends, 2011. Print.

Bethany Church is an angel sent to Earth to keep the dark forces away from the mortals. She was not supposed to fall in love with a mortal. Beth ends up being tricked into a motorcycle ride that lands her in Hell. She must bargain her way out of there but what will she have to give up in the process?

This book uses the theme of right and wrong as well as friendship and love. It�s an unexpected love story that puts love to the test. I find this novel to be insightful about the idea of Heaven and Hell and the angels set to guard the mortals. This novel has the undertone of religion but focuses on the angel�s journey as a young girl on Earth.

Carter, Amiee. The Goddess Test. New York: Harlequin, 2011. Print

Kate is a young girl who moved back to her mother�s hometown because her mother is dying. Kate starts a new school and meets a young boy who claimed to be Hades. He is willing to make a bargain with her to save her mothers life but she must first past the tests he gives her. If she succeeds she�ll become Hades wife and a goddess.

What would I do if all I had was my mother and she was slowly dying? I thought that same thought as I read through this book. This book deals with if there was someone that could grant me a powerful wish, would I be able to sacrifice something else in return? Loss and struggles flow deep in this book as Greek mythology comes into the modern day world.

Kate, Lauren. Fallen. New York: Tinderbox Books, 2009. Print

Lucinda is banished to a reform school after her friend is killed in a mysterious fire and she is blamed. There are no cell phones or Internet access at this new school. Horror. As she deals with the grief of losing her friends, strange shadows keep following her. She meets a new guy named Daniel and she wants to know him. She is drawn to him.

Supernatural romance is portrayed nicely with the shadows following Luce around and the theme of unrequited love makes in hard for a girl to grieve and move on.

Angelini, Joesphine. Starcrossed. New York, NY: HarperTeen, 2011. Print.

Young Helen Hamilton is having nightmares that are vividly real to her. She meets Lucas Delos and she has no way of knowing that they are destined to play the leading roles in a tragedy the Fates insist on. She tries to unlock the secrets of her ancestry and finds these myths are more than just legends.

This story is about a young girl finding who she is and how she relates to the universe around her. Like all teens she struggles with her place in life and who she is meant to be but in a whole different world.

Plum, Amy. Die for Me. New York, NY: HarperTeen, 2011. Print.

Is about a young girl who had just lost her parents and is forced to put her things in storage and travel across the globe to live with her grandparents in Paris. She meets a young boy with a dark secret; danger follows him wherever he goes. But she is ready to fall for him but she is unsure if but doing so would risk her family?

This book deals with the theme of loss, body image, and grieving. I found this book very interesting with the different take on the paranormal and supernatural. This allows the girl to realize that there is more at stake than just her life.

Braswell, Liz; Thompson, Celia. The Nine Lives of Chloe King. Simon Pulse. 2011. Print

This is the story of Chloe King who died for the first time at the age of 16. Although she didn�t stay dead. She was brought back to life by an ancient curse. She has a new sense of agility and powers that come from the being part Mai, an ancient civilization that is part cat. Now she must deal with the changes to her body and the changes in high school with people trying to kill her.

This book is great for the category of supernatural because it deals with an ancient civilization of cats and the drama of trying to be a normal teen when she is no longer normal.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire�s Assistant. Dir. Paul Weitz. Perf. Chris Massoglia, John C. Reily, and Salma Hayek. Universal Pictures. 2009. Film.

This story is about a young man named Darren who meets a mysterious man from a traveling freak show and ends up becoming a vampire. He must leave his normal life and settle in to becoming the Main Vampires assistant.

This movie has the adventure of the supernatural world as well as the themes of moving away from everything he knew. He has to let go of everything and everyone he has ever loved and settle into a new life that last forever.

Knight, Karsten. Wildefire. Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers. 2011. Print

This book is about a young girl moving across the country to a new town after accidently killing another person and learns she was brought her by a blind girl who tells her, and the others gathered, they are actually demi-gods and have a battle they need to get ready for.

This book is about learning life is not always what you thought it to be. It also touches on some very serious topics such as death and loss.