Scythe vs Wolf Hollow

Team 15: Chelsea, Cristina, Anna, Vanessa and Deb

Scythe by Neal Shusterman Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk

                      

Vanessa: Well, I really hate when I get a pairing of two great books because it means that there is likely a pairing of 2 not so great books and one of those is going to move forward instead of both of these.  So...Wolf Hollow - gotta admit, it started a little slow for me but when Betty the Terrible appeared, it got real interesting.  I had a visceral reaction to her, not a single redeeming quality and no back story to make me feel bad for her, she was just mean.  And mean as a snake!  I was hoping you would get what was coming to her and I wasn’t even all that upset when it did.  Toby was what I thought he would be, self-sufficient, suffer-in-silence, surprising.  I guessed his ending right away but was still sad when it came.  It was a great book.  Scythe is a book I had listened to this summer while working out in the garden and I ended up listening to all 8 hours in one shot.  I wouldn’t want a peek into Neal Shusterman’s brain because he takes such macabre topics (he also wrote UnWind) and then makes you think, “well, that could totally happen”. Without giving to much away, I am totally voting for Scythe.  The scientist in me just gravitates to idea of Scythe and how it could all go terribly wrong.  I suspect I’ll be in the minority and I am prepared to take my lumps...so bring it!

Debbie: First of all….I want to apologize preemptively, for possibly not finishing all of the books assigned to us. I am taking two courses right now and am currently swamped with homework...and ‘work’ work...but I know everyone is busy!!!

Having said that, I finished Wolf Hollow and absolutely loved it, even though it broke my heart. I think it would be a wonderful read aloud for grades four and up because of the rich discussions to be had about hope, kindness, the tough choices we have to make in life and character development...and speaking of characters...how about that Betty??? She reminded me so much of Nellie Olsen from Little House on the Prairie...except Betty was WAY more villainous….would the word ‘psychopath’ be too much?

I am half way through Scythe and I am loving it too. Well written and a real page turner...I’ve already recommended it to some of our junior high students, some of whom have already read it and loved it. I promise to finish it this weekend and get back to this next week so we can make our decision. This is going to be a tough one for sure...I smell a zombie book in our future….

Okay….just finished Scythe. What...the heck? How did we get two such wonderfully written books in the first round??? I mean…..I’m just not sure which one to choose. We have two votes for Scythe...Chelsea??? What are you thinking? I would be happy with either one moving forward...and whichever one we choose...I will vote for the other to be a zombie pick at the end. (How’s that for noncommittal...but committal?)

Cristina: So I began with Scythe, while Anna started off with Wolf Hollow. I was drawn to this book immediately because of the cover art, which I liken to many books I have been reading lately including Ryan Graudin’s Wolf by Wolf series, and her newer book, The Walled City. I tell my students I like them “dark and stark”. And DARK is accurate for this book. There was little reprieve from the heavy subject matter and tone of this story, and let me tell you, I loved it so much. This book left me with a weight on my shoulders, but I think that it is an important one to bear. It highlighted the many sides of humanity and compassion, and Shusterman crafted a very poignant juxtaposition against these ideals.

Wolf Hollow - what a tragic, heartbreaking story. It is beautifully crafted, and I appreciated the clarity in the author’s voice on complex issues and situations - my students would too. Toby’s character just broke my heart. The scene where he reveals his stories of World War I, and how Annabelle left him to sleep in his tears moved me so deeply.

At the end of the day, the criteria I am using for myself to judge these books comes down to which books I can sell to my audience and inspire them to devour a story if given the opportunity. And my kids would LOVE Scythe. Scythe is officially my pick for this round.

Chelsea: I LOVED Wolf Hollow and can’t wait to read it to my students.  The last little bit literally took my breathe away - I really appreciated the ‘realness’ of it.  From the believable characters to the not-so-rosy ending.  I am so with you, Debbie.  

I haven’t gotten through Scythe yet… but I think Wolf Hollow is going to be my winner. I’ll add my thoughts on Scythe when I get all the way through it.

Okay,okay.  I changed my mind.  Scythe pulled me in! A major reason I’m in Smackdown is to find books my Grade 6 classroom library - which Wolf Hollow is perfect for.  But MAN , Scythe is written so well!  I am so invested in the characters, I love the little lessons that Scythe Faraday has for Rowan and Citra.  This book is about much darker themes than I normally read but it has my vote for this round.

We choose SCYTHE!!!!!!!