Laura Ehrhardt

English 112B

Warner

5/10/11

Annotated Bibliography

Scholars have debated for years as to whether or not the Paranormal or Supernatural genre of literature should be used in the classroom. Parents and teachers have had the same debate amongst themselves with the main question in mind: what can they (the students) learn from a make-believe world filled with fantastical creatures to help them progress from their adolescence and into the real world? The same question has been asked about the Science Fiction genre, and one scholar had this to say:

Contemplating Young Adult Science Fiction approaches the issue of techno-science to specifically appeal to adolescents and deal with problems they know are real. Many of these texts play off the current technologies in which students participate and the public dilemmas of ethics that they hear about in the news, from family and friends, or experience themselves. The genre is a natural thing for thinking about how closely good and evil are related. (The ALAN Review)

This same thing can be said for Supernatural literature. Instead of current technologies, these books focus on current beliefs and myths of varying cultures and explore them for the reading community to see. Through these books, the audience is experiencing history – through superstitions around supernatural occurrences, such as in Fools Crow and Ceremony, that is how countries evolved. From an anthropological view, that is how religions developed, also – the search for an explanation for the unexplainable.

Through the following books, the audience will get a view of how modern, young adult literature can help this develop this sense of questioning and curiosity, and delve into how different cultures interpreted different events. Almost every culture has a story about what the Europeans call �vampires� and �werewolves�. Different cultures have different interpretations of the living dead, and the psychic phenomena that some call visions or dream quests. In doing this, they also are able to question what good and evil is, and that there is no one concept of someone who is truly good or wholly evil. By incorporating the Supernatural genre into the classroom – or even into a young adults reading queue – they can enhance their reading experience, learn more about how different cultures viewed these myths and vision quests and question the age-old stories that they�ve been told from a young age; from there, they�ll be able to analyze them critically and broaden their horizons at the same time.

1. Black, Holly. White Cat. New York: Margaret K. McElderry, 2010. Kindle.

Cassel is a normal boy who was born into a not-so-normal family. He�s the only one in the family who doesn�t have the ability to produce curses and is ostracized from his family for it. He�s also ostracized from school for being different from them due to bouts of sleepwalking and other odd habits. He�s haunted by a white cat, which he believes represents a dead friend of his, and by the illegal actions of his family (curse casting). He also stumbles on a plot against him and he struggles to solve it before he dies or gets dragged into his family�s unnatural world – one he�s been fighting against since day one.

With this story, the students are presented with the concept that many have believed in for ages: that magic is evil. The students, however, must travel with Cassel in his endeavor to remain separate from the dark world of black magic all the while being dragged into it slowly. The students are faced with the question of how far is it okay to venture into the darker side of the world in the search for truth and salvation before it�s too late to turn back. Being faced with this question will make them think about the consequences of their actions, as well as what it means to be �good� in the face of �evil�.

2. Brewer, Heather. Eighth Grade Bites. New York, NY: Speak, 2008. Print.

Vladimir Todd is a young boy just entering his teenage years faced with the average problems that a boy that age faces, along with the added feature of being a vampire. He�s an orphan in a town where no one but his best friend and his mother�s best friend knows of his past or current condition, and he�s trying to keep it that way. All the while, he�s dealing with the urges that those of his kind are faced with, along with the threat of being hunted down by vampire-slayer and another unknown entity who knows a little too much about the little orphan.

This book looks at a normal kid, someone that students can relate to, and throws in a supernatural twist. A secret that is obviously something that must be kept secret lest he be the victim of a mob, is something that students can relate to; secrets being kept are paramount to survival socially at that age, and Vladimir has a big secret. However, looking at Vladimir as a normal kid controlling the side of himself that is typified as �evil�, the students are faced with the question of, is he truly evil? Does he deserve to be persecuted and hunted by a vampire-slayer for crimes that he hasn�t committed? Is the vampire-slayer in the right in defending human-kind from Vladimir�s possible future lapses in judgment?

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

This story is centered on a normal teenage girl – Nora – and her suddenly chaotic life when Patch comes into the picture. Nora has to delve into the mysterious charmer�s life to discover his secrets – why he puts up such a fight to keep his distance from her on a personal level, where he�s from and who he is. As it turns out, he�s comes from a line of fallen angels, and he has to fight this strange desire he has to kill her. She, on the other hand, has to fight to stay alive from another threat, and long enough to convince Patch that they were meant to be together.

This story is comparable to Twilight. It delves into why a human would want to interact with a person who is supernatural. Not only that but from what�s taught in some circles, the fallen angels are servants to the devil – the being who epitomizes evil. Why would someone associate themselves with someone who, but name and nature is supposed to be wholly evil? This is what students are faced with, and they must learn that

4. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Infinity. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011. Kindle.

This novel stems from a paranormal romance series that the author is currently writing. It's centered on one of the major characters in that adult series, and delves into his trouble-ridden past that was only hinted at before. Nick Gautier is a well-known kid from the French Quarter who runs around with a gang. He's saved by a Dark-Hunter, Kyrian of Thrace, from being killed by this gang, and enters a world that he previously thought fictional - soul-eaters, shape-shifting wizards, dream walkers, etc.

This is a new and developing series that will come to an end when the Nick in this series comes to the same moment where the audience meets him in the main series. This book in particular shows how a teenager deals with the stress of having an 'erotic dancer' for a mother, a convict for a father, being pigeon-holed into a group of friends and rising above all of this to uphold his own moral code. It shows the growth of a young man who doesn't know where his life is going and opening up so many more doors that he doesn't know which way to turn next - or what he'll face on the other side. It also explores the idea of Greek mythology – Daemons, gods and goddesses, dream-walkers and demons. This is a take on the common idea of the vampire and gives it a twist: blood isn�t necessary for them, it�s the soul of the human cattle that they require to survive. The students are also called on to notice the symmetry in the stories – there�s the daemons, who are evil, and the Dark-Hunters, who are their opposites in that they fight on the side of the �good�. The idea that�s intriguing is that both the Dark-Hunters and the Daemons share qualities: vulnerability to sunlight, fangs, superhuman strength and some have psychic abilities. That they are so similar is an interesting concept that students would look into.

5. Kenyon, Sherrilyn. Invincible. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2011. Kindle.

In this book, Nick is faced with demons, zombies and shape-shifters on top of the everyday stresses of adjusting to a new school where everyone thinks he's nothing but a bad seed and a trouble-maker. He's faced with the decision between wanting to be with the girl who noticed him when no one else did and a girl who's only associating with him because the football coach wants him back on the team.

With this book, Nick shows that there are people out there in the world who would use him for their own gains - and not all of them human. Manipulation is a universal concept, and those who are supernatural are all the more dangerous for it. Through his actions, Nick gives the lesson that it�s all about a person's own standards and how far he'll go to do the right thing, and to resist the manipulation and coercion that some will throw in the way.

6. Meyer, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn. New York: Megan Tingley, 2008. Print.

This is the concluding novel in Meyer�s modern literary phenomenon, the Twilight Saga. Bella faces the decision to have the half-human, half-vampire child that she and Edward conceived at the risk of her own life and at the risk of the lives of her family – the Cullens, her parents and the Quileute wolf pack. When her daughter is born into the world, they are faced with even more dangerous problems than the wolf pack trying to decide whether to kill them or not: the vampire royalty has heard about the child and comes to investigate. Now they have to prove that their daughter, Reneesme, isn�t a vampire child, but a hybrid who can control herself and not reveal the vampire race to the world.

This novel also explores the concept of good and evil – and the blurred lines that are drawn between the two. Creatures that have always been taught as bad or terrifying are now kind and gentle – searching for a soul for themselves without trying to condemn those around them. The audience is also presented with a new twist on werewolves from a Native American perspective – shape-shifters, men who were born as wolves and evolved into men. This kind of experience into cultural lore gives students an understanding of where this culture�s beliefs stem from. In the case of the Quileute tribe, they are descended from wolves. This connection to nature not only gives them a story of how their people were born, but also gives the young adults a reason why Native Americans have the rituals that they do and why they respect nature in such a different way than they�ve probably experienced before.

7. Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. London: Bloomsbury, 2007. Print.

This is Rowling�s conclusion to her seven-book long series based on the now infamous Harry Potter. This journey is what defines Harry as a hero and is the culmination of all of his heartache and endeavors. He, Ron and Hermione set out to find the horcruxes – little totems that each contains a shard of Voldemort�s soul. In the process, the trio is told of the story of the Hallows – three magical items that will enable the bearer of all three to be the ultimate master of death. Harry uses these in the end to master his own death and defeat the one who threatens him and his loved ones.

Throughout this novel, the audience is given clues as to who is good and who is evil. Throughout the series, Severus Snape was evil. In his final moments, he proves himself otherwise – a defender of what little is left of his beloved who was stolen from him twice. We see Dumbledore revealed as someone who once thought of enslaving the muggle race, for whatever reason he gave – an idea that anyone, let alone Harry, would have thought possible. These little nuances of human nature are revealed perfectly for young readers to experience and analyze.

8. Shelley, Mary Wollstonecraft. Frankenstein. Irvine, CA: Saddleback Pub., 2006. Print.

This classic novel, taught world-wide, too can be classified under the umbrella of the supernatural. A scientist named Frankenstein creates what he thought would be a perfect human from different body parts of the dead. This creature turns out to be hideous and is rejected by Frankenstein himself and the communities that the monster tries to incorporate himself into. Time and again he is rejected and, hurt to the point of insanity, he searches for Frankenstein to convince him to create him a partner – a female creature – to keep him company where society would not, by whatever means necessary. After those he loves is killed by the monster, and trying to avoid his creation, Frankenstein dies, and the monster is apologetic for his actions.

This book gives students the opportunity to look at humanity at its finest – man believing that he can create life better than the natural world. The students are faced with the question of �just because you can, doesn�t mean you should�or should you?� They are also faced with the core thematic question to the novel: who is more evil? Frankenstein, for creating this monster and leaving him to be labeled as a monster, or the monster who was trying to acclimate to society, rebuked, and acted out his rage at the injustice of the world? By being faced with the elementary idea of zombie-ism, the students are required to think about the concepts of good and evil and how determining what falls in each domain isn�t as clear-cut as they were taught at a younger age.

9. Silko, Leslie. Ceremony. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.

In this novel, the main character, Tayo, is a returning war veteran from WWII. He returns home to find his tribe in shambles and all of his friends are determined to drink themselves to death. This book chronicles his determination to restore honor to his tribe and to, hopefully, open the eyes of the white men to their susceptibility to evil, thereby saving the world.

The key in this novel is that Tayo, while away at war, lost himself. He lost his connection with his people, his heritage, and his beliefs. When he returns home, the Elders of his village perform a healing ceremony to bring him and his soul back to the tribe. During this experience, he has visions that reunite him with the stories and the strength that his people raised him to know and have. This book will open the eyes of the younger students and allow them to see the beauty and the harmony that the Native Americans have in their lives – in their connections to nature and to one another. It also enables them to see, through Tayo�s eyes, that evil doesn�t only have power over those who act on it deliberately, but those who see evil and do nothing are just as guilty.

10. Welch, James. Fools Crow. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Viking, 1986. Print.

This novel follows the story of a man, first called White Mans Dog and later earns the respectable name, Fools Crow, and his life in his village. He grows up in what is a normal fashion in this time – surrounded by people who give respect where its earned and receive it in the same fashion; stories being passed down of how the world came to be as it is in that day, among other things. He communes with nature, who warns him of the white men�s deceiving nature and their attempts to steal away the Lone Eaters� – the tribe Fools Crow belongs to – land. It also follows his witnessing of his people being wiped out by plague and war on all sides.

This book is phenomenal in drawing a reader into a world totally unknown to them and opening their eyes to a piece of history that many would prefer remain forgotten. It vividly describes White Mans Dog�s transition into himself, and into his role in his community. Through the scenes involving his communing with the spirits of the forest, the audience can see the connection and the pride that the Native Americans take in their heritage and in their strength of conviction in their places in the natural world. The �superstitions� that are shown in these scenes are traditions that make up this culture�s entire foundation. This concept of being one with nature and having mutual respect for what is around is a concept that even the environmentalists are elevated from – they still retain the creature comforts such as cars, TVs, bikes, cell phones. At this point in history, the Native Americans were nature. That white men came in and upset the natural balance is what caused the plagues to decimate the tribes, and it is their white men�s influence that causes the Native Americans to trust so easily in the them, ignoring the warning that nature attempts to give them through Fools Crow. The students will look at the connection that humans and nature had in this book and compare that to the connection between the two today and find an immense difference, and the consequences of that difference.

Sources:

1. Amazon.com – synopses for White Cat, Clockwork Angels, Infinity, Invincible, Frankenstein, Hush, Hush, Eighth Grade Bites, and
2. Eighth Grade Bites – Adrean Friend�s presentation/handout
3. Hush, Hush – Stephanie Sfarzo�s presentation/handout
4. Assembly on Literature for Adolescents of the National Council of Teachers of English 3rd ser. 37.Summer (2000). Print.