Tag: philip reeve

YA Lit Dream Interpretation: Spiders

In your dream everything seems normal, its not a nightmare at all.  Then something touches your arm.  You brush it away but still persists.  Your concentration is broken so you look for the source of your distraction.  To your horror you see a giant spider.  No matter how you try you cannot brush it off your clothes. 

In a panic you wake up.  Terrified and feeling a bit like Ron Weasley who is equally terrified of spiders, you wonder “Why spiders? Why couldn’t it be “Follow the butterflies?” (IMDB)   Freud might have a lot of explanations for your dream.  But a better interpretation is: you need fiction to solve your nightmarish concerns.  No need to psychoanalyze when some reader’s advisory  has the cure.

To see a spider in your dream indicates that you are feeling like an outsider in some situation. Or perhaps you want to keep your distance and stay away from an alluring and tempting situation. (DreamMoods)

While all dreams have positive and negative connotations, this dream interpretation will focus on the good outcomes of seeing a spider in your dreams.  Spiders can represent going against the popular crowd and finding your own way.  These YA novels will inspire you reject disruptive influences in your life by thinking about who your friends really are.

  • Conversion by Katherine Howe – Strangely similar illnesses strike the students at St. Joa18667792n’s
    Academy in Danvers, Massachusetts as the disease that sicked girls in Salem Village three centuries ago.  Colleen Rowly is determined not to panic as the symptoms spread among other students and several of her friends.  While accusations fly and talk show hosts salivate over such a juicy story, only Colleen sees the connection between to the Arthur Miller play, The Crucible.  Can Colleen find the cause of the illness before she becomes sick as well?

 

  • Shelter by Harlan Coben – After tragic events tear Mickey Bolitar away from his parents, he is shelterforced to live with his estranged Uncle Myron.  After switching high schools, Mickey finds both friends and enemies, but when his new new girlfriend, Ashley, vanishes, he follows her trail into a seedy underworld that reveals she is not what she seems to be.  Other mysteries wait to be unraveled as Mickey’s dad may not be dead.  Secrets from the Bat Lady and his mother’s drug addiction create a reality of suspicion and intrigue for Mickey to navigate solo.

Continue reading YA Lit Dream Interpretation: Spiders

Genre Guide: Steampunk for Teens

By Catherinette Rings Steampunk (Daniel Proulx) (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By Catherinette Rings Steampunk (Daniel Proulx) (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Definition

Steampunk, believe it or not, is a term that has been round since the late 1980s. It is usually defined as a sub-genre of science fiction and features a late 19th century or early 20th century setting, but with steam-powered and clockwork inventions and machines.  Steampunk can also be identified as a sub-genre of speculative fiction and is often described as alternate history.  Most steampunk novels are set in Victorian England or America, but are also known to be set in the Wild West of America.

Authors to Know

Characteristics

Steampunk is often characterized by the setting of the story and inventions that are fantastical and magical. Steampunk uses a lot of visual descriptions, especially when it comes to the machinery and fashion. Oftentimes, a lot of description will go into how a machine works.  Supernatural elements are typically included in a steampunk story. Steampunk plots are adventure-driven stories, where machines play the part of moving the adventure along.  Since there is so much action packed into most steampunk novels, the pacing is usually fast.

The characters of steampunk novels are quirky and include inventors, mad scientists, or the like. Characters in steampunk novels also take on the punk mentality.  Usually the main character or characters is individualistic often goes against the mainstream, and he or she may be fighting for a cause or movement.   Many times the plot of a steampunk novel involves good vs. evil, where the good guys and bad guys are clearly defined. Continue reading Genre Guide: Steampunk for Teens