FeedTuesday Tales: Hate List by Jennifer Brown (BOOK GIVEAWAY CONTEST!)
February 9, 2010 in Brown Jennifer, High School Teachers, Middle School Teachers, Tuesday Tales, Writing Skills, Young Adult Novels Tags: contemporary novel, Hate List, Jennifer Brown, School violence, ya novel
photo by tibchris www.flickr.com
I am so happy to hold this contest on my blog today for Hate List by Jennifer Brown. I am IN LOVE with this book. It is perfect for tweens and teens, and I think all parents and teens should HAVE to read it. It’s great for a mother-daughter book club. So, I am going to give my copy away to a lucky winner. All you have to do is leave a comment about the book, about the photo I posted here (this is not the author, but this picture just reminded me of Hate List so I posted it), about high school, about your teenager or teaching teenagers, or a pick-me comment. 
Contest will close on the day we celebrate LOVE–February 14 at 8:00 pm CST.
*Young adult contemporary novel
*Senior girl as the main character
*Rating: Hate List will grab you from page one and keep you riveted until the end. It’s tragic and heartbreaking and shows there are no easy answers when it comes to being a teen. (Starred review from School Library Journal.)
Short, short summary: Valerie is getting ready to start her senior year in high school, which would normally be an exciting time for any girl. But this is not the case for Valerie. From page one, you learn that at the end of her junior year, her boyfriend Nick pulled a gun in the Commons and shot their classmates as revenge for the way he and Valerie were treated. Nick wound up shooting Valerie in the leg when she tried to stop him and then took his own life. Besides dealing with mental and physical pain, Valerie must also deal with the fact that many people at her high school and in her community (including her own family members) think she knew what Nick was planning and that she was a co-conspirator. Turns out, Valerie and Nick had a “hate list,” a notebook full of people they hated, and those same people were targets of the shooting. In Hate List, Jennifer Brown reveals what happened on that tragic day last May and how everyone is dealing with the aftermath. You follow Valerie through this book, hoping that somehow she can overcome one of the worst nightmares anyone has ever had to face.
So, what do I do with this book?
1. When you read a book like this with teenagers, they are bound to have strong opinions on Nick, Valerie, and the “bullies.” Some people will identify with Nick and Valerie; others will identify with the victims of the shooting. Brown does a good job of showing the reader that everything is not always as black and white as it seems, and I think this will bring out even stronger reader reactions because Brown has written a realistic book. Students and teens will need plenty of time to process, write about, and discuss this book. As a teacher or parent, you will want to give them space and time to express themselves without being hurtful to others. Set some ground rules, suggest students jot down notes or even free write before discussions take place, and try not to let it get too personal (as in naming teens) in your classroom. Students who need to talk personally could schedule a time with you, or you could put together a small group that you think would work for this type of discussion. Some themes to discuss: forgiveness, bullying, hate, divorce, honesty, and friendship.
2. Valerie uses art to help her through the healing process. You can do several things with this theme, depending on if you are using this book in a classroom, homeschool, or mother-daughter book club. In a smaller setting, you could give teens an opportunity to paint either while thinking about an extremely painful time in their lives or happy. Give them the freedom to paint whatever or however they want with materials you provide. In a classroom setting, you can ask students to write about what they do when they are really upset.
3. One question that Valerie asks herself over and over again is if Nick showed any warning signs that he was seriously going to bring a gun to school and kill people. While reading this book, it would be helpful to bring in a counselor or other professional who could talk to students or teens about what some of these warning signs might look like. Teenagers also need to know whom they can talk to if they are scared or want to report someone who might be planning something like Nick did. Often, friends know that something is wrong, but they don’t want their friends to get in trouble. Students need to feel safe to share information with adults, and that the “accused” student will not necessarily be punished but helped, too. Do your students and/or children know what to do in a situation like what happens in Hate List? (Before and during the shooting)
Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win this amazing book!
February 9th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
Pick me!
February 9th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
I”m very excited to read this book, Margo! Thanks for the info. It’s very ironic to me that you posted this when you did. Just last week in our Middle school two girls served OSS for creating a “Hit List”. ALthough they truly weren’t planning on hurting anyone, it was definately a hate list. It included teachers and students. Though it was in jest, the school policies in place now leave no room for “joking”. I can not wait to read this with my daughters and I’m going to check with the middle school and high school to make sure this is is their library!
February 9th, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Thanks, Jenae. It’s a scary world in middle school and high school now–much scarier than it was when we were there!
February 9th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
Wow – looks like a great read. When I was first starting out teaching we moved to KY right after one of the first school shootings. Scary.
February 9th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Margo,
This is on my to-read list. As a former full-time and current substitute teacher, the consideration of a school shooting always was in the corner of my mind. The day of the Columbine shooting, I had the radio on in my classroom, and even though I taught in a small school, the students couldn’t believe someone would attempt it. Then as a counselor, we began practicing for lockdown, in case an intruder did enter the building or if another emergency situation came about.
You never know when something will push someone too far.
Thanks for offering the contest.
LuAnn
February 9th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
I have a daughter who is a high school freshman. I know this book would appeal to her. Thanks for telling me about books I would never hear about!
February 9th, 2010 at 4:06 pm
I’ve heard such amazing things about this poignant book. I’d love to be entered.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:18 pm
I got a gift card to a book store and wanted to buy Hate List but couldn’t find it on the shelves, so I bought something else. I would love to read this book and appreciate the contest.
February 9th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
Margo, what an AMAZING book! We really need more books like this for teens/tweens that focus on these issues. And I LOVE the idea of a female character giving us insight into this.
YAY!
Chynna
http://www.lilywolfwords.ca
http://www.lilywolfwords.blogspot.com
February 9th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Hi Margo,
It’s scary to imagine the problems and issues high school students must deal with these days. Jennifer Brown’s book Hate List sounds like it has captured the essence and real-life drama of some of those issues. Her book sounds amazing!
Donna
February 9th, 2010 at 6:02 pm
I agree it is a scary place out there. I work in a middle school and see violent acts often. It isn’t just the people who are fighting that are scary. We had an incident last year where two girls met in the bathroom to fight and 23 girls filmed it on their phones and before the police had arrived along with the ambulance, the fight was on you tube and myspace.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
What a great premise! Definitely a high-interest concept. My son wasn’t much of a reader in h.s. (and isn’t now at 21), but it sounds like something that would’ve captured his attention. I’ve considered writing YA and got about 20 pages into a story based on my son’s sophomore year. Hate List sounds like the kind of book I would want to write for teens.
February 9th, 2010 at 6:24 pm
I never even thought of the whole video phone, you tube thing. WOW! Thanks for sharing the story.
February 9th, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I was living in Moses Lake, Washington, when the first nationally publicized school shooting took place. Fortunately, my daughter was at the other junior high. In fact, I was going through some old files just today and came across the special section that was in the local paper when it happened. Those days are still very vivid to a lot of people here, even though it’s been so many years ago now.
February 10th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Thank you for sharing your story, LuAnn. I’m sure it was/is a terrible time even though your daughter was at the other junior high. Thank goodness she was at the other junior high. I think this is also one of those issues that we need to talk about and discuss no matter how painful it is. Awareness and openness are two keys to helping this problem, in my opinion.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:25 am
I remember hearing some buzz about this book pre-pub and thought it sounded great. Thanks for offering this giveaway (and for entering me in your contest!).
February 10th, 2010 at 11:06 am
I was living in Moses Lake, Washington, when the first nationally publicized school shooting occurred. It was frightening for every parent. My daughter, fortunately, was at the other junior high or she could have very well been in that classroom.
Margo, thanks for stopping by my blog this morning. You may also enjoy reading “Jackson” by T.P. Jones. It takes place in your neck of the woods (almost). Iowa, anyway!
reading_frenzy at yahoo dot com
February 10th, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Pick me!
Would love to read this book with my daughter who will be entering high school in another year. She has switched schools already because of bullying, and she was intrigued by a ten minute play I wrote about a school shooting. Hate List would be a great mother-daughter book club addition and would come at an appropriate time in our lives. Sometimes school really, really sucks, and we parents are at as much of a loss as the kids.
February 10th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
My son is in grade school but I’ve already seen how damaging being an “outsider” can be and how the anger can build. This is definitely something parents, and children’s writers, should read and discuss.
February 10th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Sounds like a powerful book. Thanks for giving me a chance to win this.
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Thanks again, Margo, for picking my comment to win! I’m so looking forward to reading this.
February 23rd, 2010 at 1:23 pm
You are so welcome, Sara!