Reading List

Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. Boston: G.K. Hall, 1987.
Offred is "Handmaid" a woman who's only purpose is to give birth for a Wife who can't. She lives in the Gilead Age (?). A time when women aren't allowed to read or write or own money/property, but Offred still remembers the time from before.

Frank, E R. America. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2002.
America is a disturbed teenager who was sexually abused as a boy causing him to be confused now as a teenager.

Frank, E R.. Friction. New York: Listening Library, 2003.
When a new girls comes to school, she brings up suspisions and rumors about the teacher and the main character.

Frank, E R. Life is Funny. New York: DK Ink, 2000.
Story of life of several different teenagers.

Melville, Herman. "Bartleby, the Scrivener." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. By Michael Meyer. N.p.: n.p., 2002. 116-140.
Bartleby is a law-copiest who works for a lawyer on Wall Street. However whenever he's asked to examine his work he says "I would prefer not to" eventually "He would perfer not to" write as well and just sits around the office. The lawyer is forced to fire him but Bartleby won't leave the office. The lawyer finds out Bartleby is living in the office and decides that he'll simply just move his office. In the end Bartleby gets arrested and put in jail and dies due from lack of food.

Melville, Herman. "Benito Cereno."
Billy Budd and Other Stories. New York: Penguin Group, 1986. 159-258. Amasa Delano is the captain of Bachelor's Delight, a whaling ship. One day he spots another ship floating there. He goes over to investagate and finds the crew and slaves begging for food and supplies. The captain Benito Cereno seems like he is both sick in body and mind. Delano decides to help them but gets suspcious of relationships between the slaves and the sailor. In the end he finds out that the slaves had lead a rebellion and had killed their owner and threatened the rest of the crew.

Melville, Herman. "Billy Budd, Sailor." Billy Budd and Other Stories. New York: Penguin Group, 1986. 287-385.
Bellipotent, a warship, recruits Billy, a young sailor on the Rights-of-Man (merchant's ship), because they are low on men. On the Bellipotent, Claggart (the man-at-arms) envies Billy and developes a grudge. In the end Claggart accuses Billy of mutiny. Billy, not being able to defend himself with words, hits Claggart. Claggart dies and Billy is brought to court and then hung.

Pierce, Tamora. Alanna: The First Adventure. New York: Atheneum, 1983.
About a girl who wants to become a knight but is about to get sent to the convent so she switch places with her twin brother because he wants to study magic at the city were the convent is at, not become a knight.

Pierce, Tamora. The Emperor Mage. New York: Atheneum, 1995.
Sequel to Wolf Speaker. She is sent to another country as part of a delegation for a peace treaty. Things happen and a war starts.

Pierce, Tamora. First Test. New York: Random, 1999. First book of the Protector of the Small quartet which is the sequel to the Immortal's quartet. It's now been 10 or years since Alanna was revealed as the first female knight. Now girls are allowed to try for their shields and 11 year old Keladry wants to try. However the traditional training master doesn't want female knights and insist she be put on a year's probation first.

Pierce, Tamora. In the Hand of the Goddess. New York: Atheneum, 1984.
Sequel to Alanna. She continues her pursuit of becoming a knight while trying to hide the fact that she is girl from her friends. Falls in love with the prince.

Pierce, Tamora. Lady Knight. New York: Random, 2002.
Last book of the Protector of the Small quartet. Kel has passed her ordeal and become a knight, proving to the world that girls do not need the aid of magic to become a knight. Int he middle of a war, shes not sent off to the battlefield but to run a refuge camp instead. At first she dislikes the idea of babysitting but finds the job harder then she thought.

Pierce, Tamora. Lioness Rampant. New York: Atheneum, 1988.
Last book of the Lioness quartet, sequel to Woman who Rides like a Man. Alanna's foe who she has killed in book 2 has now been brought back to life by no other then her own brother.

Pierce, Tamora. Page. New York: Random, 2000. Sequel to First Test.
Keladry is now a real page and not on probation anymore. In her next three years as a page she has to face the challenge of being the only girl amoung 200 boys. Not all of them willingly accept her.

Pierce, Tamora. The Realms of the Gods. New York: Atheneum, 1996.
Last book to the Immortals quartet. Explains who Daine's parents really are and why she has her magic.

Pierce, Tamora. Squire. New York: Random, 2001.
Kel is no longer a page but a squire now. Scared at first that no knight would choose her as their squire but now happily serving Sir Raoul who we remember from the Lioness quartet. Her life as a squire is harder then when she was a page. She now has to deal with jousting matchs, hangings, bandits, gossip, old enemies and a baby griffin. Plus there's the Ordeal she has waiting for her.

Pierce, Tamora. Wild Magic. New York: Atheneum, 1992.
First book of the Immortals quartet which is the sequel to the Lioness quartet. Features Daine who's trying to run from her past and get a grip on this "Wild Magic" that has been ruining her life.

Pierce, Tamora. Wolf Speaker. New York: Atheneum, 1994.
Sequel to Wild Magic. Daine is now going back to help a wolf pack who she use to live with keep their land.

Pierce, Tamora. The Woman Who Rides like a Man. New York: Atheneum, 1986.
Sequel to In the Hand of the Goddess. Alanna is now a knight her sex has been revealed. Trying to get away from recent events and on a search for adventure she ends up as a shaman in for a desert tribe.

Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1996.
11 year Lyra gets dragged into the problem of stupid adults. She goes off in aventure to save her best friend Roger and to find out about Dust. Turns out she's suspose to fufill some greast destiny.

Pullman, Philip. The Subtle Knife. New York: Knopf : Distributed by Random, 1997.
Lyra is now in another world. Meets Will, goes off on more adventure. Will become the bearer of the "subtle Knife" - a knife that can cut any material and can cut windows into other worlds.

Pullman, Philip. The Amber Spyglass. New York: Alfred A. Knopf : Distributed by Random, 2000.
Will meets angels and goes off to save Lyra who's been captured by her mom. Together they traveld to the world of the death to put the end to death. A great war between the worlds happen with them inbetween.

Shakespeare, William. Macbeth. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1967.
Witches tell Macbeth and his friend Banquo a prophecy that Macbeth will be King and Banquo's children will one day be king. Macbeth finds out that he has been made thane of Cawdor. Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill the current king. He does and blames it on someone else. He becomes King but worries about what the witches said about Banquo's kids becoming king. In the end he dies at the hands of one of Macduff, a Scottish nobleman.

Sophocles. "Antigone." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. By Michael Meyer. N.p.: n.p., 2002. 1333-1368.
Eteocles and Polynices have died at the hands of each other. Creon, who's now king, has made it law forbidding anyone to bury Polynices. Antigone (Eteocles and Polynices' sister) buries Polynices anyways. Creon finds out and sentences both Antigone and her sister Ismene to death. Later he changes his mind and says that he will spare Ismene but Antigone will be walled up alive in a tomb. City makes him change his mind again but it's too late, Antigone has hung herself and his son Haemon, who was betrothed to Antigone, kills himself. The Creon's wife finds out and kills herself too after finding out that her son is dead. Creon remorses and wish himself dead.

Sophocles. "Oedipus the King." The Bedford Introduction to Literature. By Michael Meyer. N.p.: n.p., 2002. 1289-1331.
A plague has hit Thebes. Information from the Oracle at Delphi said that the city will be saved when the murderer of Laius (the king before Oedipus) is exiled from the city. Oedipus declares that he will find the murderer and save the city. He finds out that he was really the son of Laius and he was the one who killed him and that he had married his own mom. In the end he exiles himself from the city.

Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. New York: Knopf, 1989.
11 year old girl is offered for marriage to a way older man to keep peace between her family and another. She must accept or it will ruin her sister's marriage and life.

Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Haveli. New York: Knopf, 1993.
After marrying the older man to keep peace in her family Shabanu must endure living with her husband's three other well bred wives. When a deadly conflict happens between her husband and his brother, Shabanu's life will change for the worst.