Bottle Creek vs Holding Up the Universe

It has been a couple weeks since I finished both books. And, since then I have been thinking about how I could change things up in my post. I am glad to see that Maureen has completed the inaugural bracket post as mine is, well, more brief. I did not get to consult our team either. And we work in the same building!

In our Community of Practice, we had been talking about microfiction and I thought I would give embedded tweets a try. I still only have 140 characters to work with even though I know that many, including Holly, are now able to write in the new longer tweet length. In their book called Empower, Spencer and Juliani talk about the power of constraints so I thought I would give this constraint a try.

Cort must overcome increasingly insurmountable obstacles to survive hurricane on Gulf Coast. Terror at Bottle Creek by @wattkeyauthor

— arllennium (@arllennium) November 26, 2017

Returning to HS, Libby Stout, America's Fattest Teen, meets Jack Masselin who has a secret. Holding Up the Universe by @jenniferniven

— arllennium (@arllennium) November 26, 2017

I knew that my students enjoyed Holding Up the Universe as it was very popular last school year.

I had never heard of Terror at Bottle Creek or the author Watt Key. As soon I held up my copy plus an extra I found (sorry, Dia), they were scooped up by two boys. Their reviews were polar opposites. On one end, a more reluctant reader loved the action which kept him reading. On the opposite end, a more sophisticated reader finished it because he said he never abandons books but predicted the events as they were unfolding.

I am torn as I am happy to have found another book that I know will entice our most reluctant readers. And, even though there was a little more action than I would like (hurricane, snakes, alligators, ants, wild hogs), I know that reluctant readers love action.

I already know more students who have read and loved Holding Up The Universe but I also know that Terror at Bottle Creek will have many readers who will love it. I think it is for that reason that my vote is going to go to Terror at Bottle Creek. I will leave it to the rest of our team to break the tie that we now have.