Smackdown Books 2021

Ordinary Hazards
We Dream of Space
If These Wings Could Fly
We Are Not Free
The King of Jam Sandwiches
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team
The Companion
Punching the Air
Show Me a Sign
Land of the Cranes
Furia
Dragon Hoops
When Stars Are Scattered
Snapdragon
The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark
American as Paneer Pie
Tune It Out
The Gilded Ones
The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
Switch

Friday, November 25, 2016

All American Boys vs Blackthorn Key











We thoroughly enjoyed the Blackthorn Key and it immediately reminded us of other great series that captured our imagination. The book was completely engaging.  It was refreshing that the subject matter was slightly unfamiliar.  The idea of creating potions and healing the sick with basic materials was fascinating.  The mystery aspect of this story defiantly kept us guessing and would be interesting to the students we teach.  I believe students would be able to connect to the main character as an orphan who has now feels accepted and cared for by his teacher in the arts of the apothecary.   This story was Harry Potteresque with it’s intrigue and interesting subject matter.  I loved that it didn’t fall into that post-apocalyptic genre which can feel overused.   This is a terrific book which will be a quick read for many students.

All American Boys  is a really relevant topic but at times it can seem heavy handed and sluggish.   At times, the novel was quite predictable.  The novel has very timely subject matter and is an important read for students who would like a better understanding of these issues.  It does explore both sides of the race issue in the U.S.A. For me, it was a hard read with the state of the world. We would recommend it to our students who are interested in current events.  


Overall, we really loved Blackthorn Key and have chosen it to move to the next round.

Tammy, Nell and Tristan

P.S Great novels for the first round.



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