Young Adult Annotation - The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan

Author: Rick Riordan

Title: The Chalice of the Gods

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Publication Date: 2023

Number of Pages: 268

Geographical Setting: New York City

Time Period: Modern Day

Plot Summary: Percy Jackson has saved the world twice, done countless quests for the gods, fought his way out of Tartarus, and has too many achievements under his belt to count. He now faces his toughest challenge yet, getting into college. Since his is a child of the big three, in other words he should not have been born, he has to get three godly recommendation letters in order to get into New Rome University with his girlfriend Annabeth. Thankfully his father, Poseidon, has already gone through the trouble of putting a flyer up on Mt. Olympus advertising that Percy will do the gods quests in exchange for recommendation letters. To his luck he already has his first quest, retrieving the chalice of the gods that has been stolen from the godly cupbearer, Ganymede. Will Percy and friends succeed in getting the cup back?

Subject Headings: 

Mythology, Greek - Fiction

Mythology, Roman - Fiction

Friendship - Fiction

Young Adult Appeals:

Story Line: The story line of YA books in incredibly important. We want to see our character succeed while still facing struggles that the average teen would deal with. In this book we see Percy struggling with a relatable topic to most people, trying to get into college, but it is taken to the logical extreme of the setting. 

Characterization: The characters of a YA book are, in my opinion, the most important part. The thing that defines this readership/genre for me is the characters. For a successful YA book the main character has to feel relatable. The audience has to be able to see themselves in the character. For this series that idea holds true. Percy is a likeable, relatable character. Even though the reader has not slayed monsters or has a Greek god as a parent; Percy is still written in a way that makes him relatable to the audience. 

Language: The language is crucial in YA. The author has to toe the line between writing a book for children and a book for adults. It has to be adult enough to not seem as if it is talking down to the audience while being still child enough to be both relatable and appropriate for the genre. This book, and the series as a whole, achieves this by grounding the books firmly in Percy's perspective. The book is written in the first person and feels as if you are reading the main character's internal thoughts. This allows for the book to use teen language without it feeling forced. 

Three Terms to Describe This Book:

• Adventure
• Fun
• Relatable

Young Adult Fantasy Read-Alikes:

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

This book focus on Simon Snow and him ending his magical journey at school. He has worked for all of his schooling to defeat the Humdrum, but what comes after he defeats the big bad?

Common Appeal: This book, and series, focus on what happens to the protagonist after they fulfill the prophecy. This is similar to The Chalice of the Gods and the other two books that come after it. They are meant to show us the main character living his life outside of world-ending events. 

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 

This book is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy reimagining of China's only female empress. The story follows the rise of Wu Zetian as she avenges her sister. She does this by becoming a piolet of a giant mech in order to fight aliens that threaten their society.

Common Appeal: They are both YA books that are adaptations of different mythologies. The Chalice of the Gods focuses on Greek and Roman mythology while Iron Widow focuses on Chinese Mythology. 

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

This book focuses on Sophie, she is the eldest of three. This causes her to think that she is stuck with a life of misery. She expects that she will inherit the family's hat shop and never seek out her own fortune. When she makes an enemy with the witch of the waste that all changes. She is transformed into an old lady and must seek out her own path to fix this. She seeks out the only place she knows of the wizard Howl and his moving castle. 

Common Appeal: They both focus on a main character who had, prior to the events of the story, never felt quite right in their own world. It is their forays into the magical world that allow them to full actualize themselves. 

Other Genre Read-Alikes:

Delicious in Dungeon by Ryoko Kui (Graphic Novel)

This series focuses on Laios Touden and his, and his friends search, to get his sister back. Falin was swallowed by a red dragon deep in the dungeon. The party of Laios, Marcille, and Chilchuck are spit back out of the dungeon after this encounter. The need to immediately go back into the dungeon in order to save Falin, Laios's sister. They do not have time to pick up supplies, so they plan to eat the monsters they slay as they make their way through the dungeon. They struggle with the creation of their first meal and catch the attention of Senshi. He joins the party and shows them how to create a meal from the monsters. The party then begins their trek to save Falin from the dungeon's depths. 

Common Appeal: This series and The Chalice of the Gods are both satires of fantasy. The Percy Jackson series is a satire of Greek Myth as a whole while Delicious in Dungeon is a satire of more traditionally fantasy. 

Circe by Madeline Miller (Adult Fantasy)

This book is an adaptation of Greek myth with a specific focus on The Odyssey. It tells the story from the perspective of the witch Circe. Circe is a child of the Titan Helios who is banished by Zeus to a deserted island. There she works on her magic and crosses paths with many figures from Greek mythology. 

Common Appeal: This story and The Chalice of the Gods both focus on Greek mythology. The Percy Jackson series is written for young adults and thus is lighter in tone. It tends to remove the more mature parts of Greek mythology from its story. Circe on the other hand is an adaptation of Greek mythology meant for an adult audience. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Young Adult Science Fiction)

This book tells the beginning of the story of Katniss Everdeen. A young woman from the poorest district in the post-apocalyptic country of Panem. She volunteers to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games a fight to death battle that takes place yearly as punishment for the districts rebelling 74 years ago. 

Common Appeal: This story and The Chalice of the Gods both feature a main character who at the beginning of their series are thrust from normalcy into being a chosen one. Percy is a chosen one by literal prophecy and Katniss is a chosen one by pure luck. Both series sees our main characters fighting to make the world a better place for people like them. 

Non-Fiction Annotation - Readme.txt by Chelsea Manning

 

Author: Chelsea Manning

Title: Readme.txt

Genre: Non-Fiction (Memoir)

Publication Date: 2022

Number of Pages: 258

Geographical Setting: United States of America and Iraq

Time Period: 1987 - 2016

Plot Summary: Chelsea is in a Barnes and Noble in Maryland in 2010. She had tried to get this information out differently, but no one took her seriously. She resorts to her final option uploading them to WikiLeaks in the hopes that they understand what the documents are and that they publish them. She uploads them while on the free Wi-Fi in a Barnes and Noble before getting on a plane to Iraq the next morning. This book chronicles the life of Chelsea Manning. It follows her early life, her time being homeless, her joining the US military, her time in Iraq, her leaking of information, her trial, her time in prison, and her release. 

Subject Headings: 

• WikiLeaks - Nonfiction
• U.S. Army - Nonfiction
• Leaks (Disclosure of Information) - Nonfiction

Non-Fiction Appeals:

Storyline: "Story line is key in nonfiction because it so strongly affects a reader's response" (Wyatt, 2007, p. 15). 

The story line is the main point of this book. The story opens with the author actively doing what she is most famous for, leaking the documents, and then it moves to a chronological story of her life. The structure works to get the reader engaged off the bat then build back up to that moment and the aftermath from it. 

Learning/Experiencing: "Reading nonfiction, even highly narrative nonfiction, is a different experience than reading fiction. Part of the biggest difference is the nonfiction author's intent to turn fact into a teachable moment" (Wyatt, 2007, p. 19).

This whole book is one big teachable moment. She is teaching the audience about what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan and treats this book as a way to teach the public what actually happened from her perspective.  

Pace: "Pacing is a way of describing how a book moves through the story arc. It has two facets: the feel of the pace when the book is read and the speed at which the story unfolds" (Wyatt, 2007, p. 11). 

This book is incredibly well paced. It opens on the event that most people are the most interested in about her, the leaking of the documents. It tells you enough to get you interested then moves into her life story. The book is fast paced with how the story is read, each chapter jumps forward in time sometimes by years, but the story unfolds slowly. She really wants to make sure that the audience both understands how and why she leaked the documents. 

3 Terms to Describe This Book:

• Compelling
• Important
• Well-Written

Non-Fiction Read-Alikes:

Permanent Record by Edward Snowden

This is a book written by Edward Snowden about the NSA leaks, his life story, and why he did it.

Common Appeal: This is a book about the how and why he leaked government secrets similar to Chelsea's book.

Papers on the War by Daniel Ellsberg

This book is a selection of the writing by Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers. The papers that reveled to the public what was actually happening in Vietnam during the war. 

Common Appeal: This is a book about another famous leak in American history. The information was leaked for a purpose similar to why Chelsea leaked information.

Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment by James H. Jones

This book is about the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. An experiment that the U.S. government did on over 400 black people infected with syphilis.

Common Appeal: The information in this book is only known due to a whistleblower leaking that it was occurring. This is similar to the information presented in Chelsea's book. 

Other Genre Read-Alikes:

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (Political Fiction)

This is a fictional book that exposed the real situation that was occurring in the meat industry in Chicago. This book caused so much public outcry that it lead to the legislation.

Common Appeal: The book leaked information that was not know to the public at the time. This is similar to the information that was leaked by Chelsea.

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann (True Crime)

This book is a historical chronicle of the murders of the people of the Osage Nation for their land rights and how this event led to the creation of the FBI.

Common Appeal: This book helps to educate the public on a real event that occurred in American history that is not talked about. This book is similar because it helps to shine a light on an important event like Chelsea's book.

Wicked Leaks by Matt Bendoris (Thriller)

This book is about a woman who is caring for a patient who claims to have killed Princess Diana. She goes to investigate and finds that there may be truth to the claims. 

Common Appeal: This book is a fictional ideal of what leaking unknown information would look like. It leads the characters down twists and turns.

References

Wyatt, N. (2007). The readers' advisory guide to nonfiction. ALA Editions. 

Week 12 Prompt Response

The Readers' Advisory Matrix

Readme.txt by Chelsea Manning

1. Where is this book on the narrative continuum?

• Highly Narrative (Reads like Fiction)
• A Mix (Combines Highly Narrative Moments with Periods of Fact-Based Prose)
• Highly Fact Based (Has Few or No Narrative Moments)

2. What is the Subject of the Book?

• The subject of this book is the story of how and why Chelsea Manning nearly 750,000 documents about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The book chronicles her early life, her time being homeless, her time in the military, the leaking of the documents, and the fallout from that decision.

3. What Type of Book is it?

• This book is a memoir. 

4. Articulate Appeal

• What is the pacing of the book?
• This book is fast paced. Each of the chapters are a small look into a specific time point in her life.
• Describe the characters of the book.
• The main character of the book is Chelsea herself. She is the only consistent character throughout the entirety of the book. The other major characters are her family, other soldiers in the military, and her defense attorney. 
• How does the story feel?
• The story feels important and harrowing. If it was not for her we might still be in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
• What is the intent of the author?
• The intent of the author is to finally tell her story. She feels that everyone around her has been speaking for her for years. 
• What is the focus of the story?
• The main focus of the story is her life and what led to her decision. 
• Does the language matter?
• Yes, the language matters especially in this story. She still cannot say the full details because if she did she would be arrested again. She had to be very careful when writing this memoir. 
• Is the setting important and well described?
• The setting for the most part is not important expect for the Army base in Iraq. She describes the base in rich details. This allows the reader to get a better picture of what it was like in Iraq at the time. 
• Are there details and, if so, of what?
• There is so much detail in this book. She breaks down her home life, her transition, exactly how she leaked the documents, her time in Iraq, her time in prison, and many other things. 
• Are there sufficient charts and other graphic materials? Are they useful and clear?
• There are no charts or graphic materials in the book. The only thing that could be considered a "graphic" is the redactions in the book. She had to submit the book to the Department of Defense before publishing and if they told her to remove something she replaced it with redactions. This makes it clear to the reader that she wants to say more but cannot. 
• Does the book stress moments of learning, understanding, or experience?
• The book stresses all three. She really wants the audience to learn what happened in Iraq and Afghanistan, to understand why she did what she did, and to see her experiences from her perspective.  

5. Why would a reader enjoy this book (rank appeal)?

1. Subject
2. Storyline
3. Pacing

Week Eleven Prompt Response

 I think that I will always love the physical book. There is something so magical about holding a book in your hands and being able to feel the pages. I love seeing a book that has been read, with tape on the spine to keep it together. I also love ebooks and audiobooks for wildly different reasons. In a world post the height of the COVID-19 pandemic the landscape around books has changed. When people were not allowed to leave their homes they switched to ebooks and audiobooks, and some have never come back. I personally love ebooks and enjoy audiobooks.

For ebooks the biggest appeal factor for me is the ability to change the font size. I have not great vision. I need to wear glasses constantly and without them I turn into Velma from Scooby-Doo. I have realized that I most likely need to read large print books. I can read a standard print book, but it takes much longer. With my eReader, a Kobo Libra 2 to be specific, I can change the font size to something that is comfortable for me without the upcharge and limited selection of large print. The other main appeal factor for me is weight. I mostly read large books and they can hurt my hands after reading for a long time. With a lightweight eReader I do not have to worry about that. I also love that I can either borrow a book from the library or buy a book and then read it immediately without having to leave my house. It is a simple thing but it is very nice. 

With audiobooks I am more on the fence. I do not like to use them as my first read, and that is my main issue with them. When I am reading a book I cannot do other things, but if I am listening to an audiobook I can. When I am multitasking and listening to an audiobook I do not retain the information in the same way that I do when reading the book. The fact that I can multitask while listening to an audio book is why I love them though. The main place in which I listen to them is on my waterproof MP3 player while swimming. I love being able to load a few chapters into the MP3 and swim until they are over. I have not done this in a while because of both work and school, so I look forward to being able to start doing that again. With audiobooks the most different appeal factor is the person reading the book. That can make or break an audiobook. I am lucky and all of the audiobooks I have listened to over the years have had great narrators, but I can easily see how that could ruin the experience. 

Historical Fiction Annotation: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

 

Author: Chinua Achebe

Title: Things Fall Apart

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publication Date: 1958

Number of Pages: 209

Geographical Setting: Southeastern Nigeria

Time Period: Late 19th Century

Plot Summary: Okonkwo is famous in the villages of Umuofia he is a wrestling champion, hard-working, and a successful farmer. He wants to be nothing like his father who was a lazy man who died in a lot of debt. He works hard until eventually his gun misfires accidently killing a child. This causes him to be exiled from the land of his father for seven years. He then lives in his motherland for the seven years of his exile. While there Christian missionaries begin to appear and impose themselves on the natives. When he returns to his village it has been changed forever, and he is not sure if he can find a place where he fits anymore. 

Subject Headings:

• Colonialism - Fiction
• Nigeria - Fiction
• Igbo (African People) - Fiction 

Historical Fiction Appeals

Setting: "As with other genres that emphasize a sense of place, worldbuilding (the formation of a vividly created and detailed setting) is crucial in Historical Fiction" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 191).

The pre-colonial and mid-colonization Nigeria is beautifully described. Achebe intricately describes all aspects of the peoples lives from the villages, the building/structure of the houses, the agriculture, the family dynamics, and many other aspects all work together to flesh out the setting.  

Story Line: "History is story. Readers turn to the past, in fiction and in fact, to understand the broad sweep of narrative that has formed the world as we know it" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 192).

This is a story that is not often heard here in the west. The colonization of Africa is often told from the colonizer's perspective. This is a good book for someone to see the effects of colonization from an author who is living in post-colonial Nigeria. 

Characterization: "As much as history is story, individuals enact events, making characterization the flip side of the story coin" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 193).

This story works because of the character Okonkwo. He is a very traditional Nigerian man. The story would not work if he was not a strong character who was so fully representative of the time period in which he comes from. 

Three Terms to Describe this Book

• Engaging
• Epic
• Harrowing

Historical Fiction Read-Alikes

A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

This is a story about how different people were affect by a historical even that took place from 1952-1960 in Kenya. 

Common Appeal: This is a story about an event that took place in Kenya written by a Kenyan author. This is similar to Things Fall Apart. 

Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela

This is the story of the author's uncle. It is a fictionalized retelling of his life. 

Common Appeal: This is a story about a Sudanese person written by a Sudanese person. That is similar to Things Fall Apart.

Petals of Blood by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

This book is set in Kenya not long after independence. The story follows four different characters and how their lives are affected by the Mau Mau rebellion. 

Common Appeal: This book deals with the affects of colonization and western influences on Kenya. 

Other Genre Read-Alikes

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan (Literary Fiction)

This is a collection of short stories about children in crisis in different parts of Africa. 

Common Appeal: This story tells us what is happen in Africa from an African perspective just like Things Fall Apart.

The Wretched of the Earth by Frantz Fanon (Non-Fiction)

This book is a philosophy text about the affects that colonization has on the individual and the nation. 

Common Appeal: They both feature colonization written about by those who have been colonized. 

Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela

This is an autobiography about the life of the first democratically elected president of South Africa.

Common Appeal: Nelson Mandela worked to end apartheid in South Africa. Apartheid occurred in South Africa because of colonialization. 

References

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.

Fantasy Annotation: The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett

Author: Terry Pratchett

Title: The Color of Magic

Genre: Fantasy

Publication Date: 1983

Number of Pages: 277

Geographical Setting: The Discworld

Plot Summary: The Discworld is experiencing a new phenomenon some strange practice known as, "tourism." When Twoflower arrives Ankh-Morpork, the biggest city on the Discworld, with his sentient luggage in hand and a bag of gold in the other everyone wants a piece of him. Rincewind, a failed wizard who was kicked out of school after accidentally getting an ancient spell stuck in his head, is forced to be his tour guide while he is visiting the hublands. They visit the city of Quirm (while being used as pieces in a board game played by the gods), they travel through Wyrmberg where riders ride imaginary dragons, and many other misadventures. 

Subject Headings:

• Adventures - Fiction
• Dragons - Fiction
• Humor - Fiction

Fantasy Appeals:

    Setting: "Worldbuilding is the central appeal of Fantasy. Setting, in its broadest understanding, is therefore essential to the creation of every successful Fantasy novel." (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 146).

    The Discworld is a setting that just sticks with you from the moment it is described. It is a flat disc that is supported by four elephants who stand on the back of a flying space turtle. This is an idea that has existed within folklore, but Pratchett has taken it and made it his own.

    Story Line: "What happens in a Fantasy novel is as important as the world in which it occurs; thus, story line is a central appeal. Readers enjoy these books because they tell a great yarn, a rich story full of complications, excitement, danger, loss, and triumph" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 147).

    The plot of this novel is essentially many different snapshots of Rincewind and Twoflower's journey. Since this book is a humorous satire of fantasy novels it is not the traditional storyline. We mostly see our two characters fail upward over the course of the story. Twoflower can never seem to have anything bad happen to him and Rincewind is a glutton for punishment. This story works because it subverts the traditional expectations for a fantasy novel. 

 

    Language: "Like the fairy tales and myths that form the backbone of the genre, Fantasy stories emphasize the pleasures of language itself. Cadence is important, as are the sounds of words; adjectives abound" (Wyatt & Saricks, 2019, p. 149).

    One of my personal favorite things about reading a fantasy novel is the fake words. This book has those in stride. The name of the color of magic octarine or the city names like Ankh-Morpork add that extra little bit that really makes it feel like a completely different world. 

Three Terms to Describe this Book:

• Humorous
• Fast-Paced
• Plot-Driven

Fantasy Read-Alikes:

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones

This is a fantasy travel guide meant to examine the common tropes within the genre of fantasy.

Common Appeal: These are both works that are deconstructing the genre of fantasy.

 

Kill the Farm Boy by Delilah Dawson

This book is a send up of the chosen one narrative that is common in fantasy novels. 

Common Appeal: This book is a humorous satire in the vain of the Discworld novels. 

Nine Goblins by T. Kingfisher

This book follows nine goblins who have been teleported behind enemy lines. 

Common Appeal: This story works against the readers preconceived notions of fantasy races. This idea comes up in The Color of Magic and is a central plot point in one of the later Discworld novels. 

Other Genre Read-Alikes:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Science Fiction)

This book follows Arthur Dent who is saved from Earth's destruction who destroy it to create an interspace highway. 

Common Appeal: These two books are very similar just within different genres. They are both humorous takes on the tropes of their genres. 

The Evolution of Modern Fantasy by Jamie A. Williamson (Non-Fiction)

 

This work of non-fiction is a comprehensive history of the entire genre of fantasy.

Common Appeal: This work can help someone to better understand the tropes that are being satirized within the Discworld novels. 

Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology by Devdutt Pattanaik (Non-Fiction)

This is a book all about Hindu mythology. It explains and decodes the different stories that are prevalent within Hinduism.

Common Appeal: The core idea for the Discworld is almost directly pulled from Hindu mythology. 

References

Wyatt, N., & Saricks, J. G. (2019). The readers' advisory guide to genre fiction (3rd ed.). ALA Editions.

Book Club Experience

I observed at a book club at my local library. I did not read the book for the book club. They were discussing The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. The librarian introduced me to the group, told them why I was there, and I sat in the corner taking notes for the duration of the book club.


Who is asking the questions, is there a leader or do people take turns?


The librarian was the main one asking questions. He was the leader of the group. This book club works off of book club kits that can be checked out at the library, and part of those kits are prewritten questions to ask during a discussion. The participants also asked questions, but they were usually related to the first question posed by the librarian.


If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions as well or let the attendees respond first?


From what I saw it was a mixture of both the librarian and the attendees answering first. For the most part it was the attendees answering. The librarian did not give much of his opinion on the book and acted more as the facilitator rather than a participant.


What type of questions are asked? Any involving just yes or no answers?

The questions that were asked were the questions that come with each of the book club kits that the club uses. I talked to the librarian afterwards and he told me that each of the book club kits contains around 10 to 13 questions per kit. From what I observed none of the questions were simply yes or no questions. It seems to me that the questions in the kit are designed to be open ended questions that can start a conversation rather than questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no response.



Do all attendees actively participate?


From what I saw the majority of the people present participated. This book club consisted of 15 people, 16 including the librarian. There were two people who just sat and listened for the majority of the book club, but other than them everyone was actively participating.


Do any attendees swoop in and steal all the spotlight?


I did not notice anyone in particular. There were two people who talked a little bit longer than normal. I could notice by the looks on people’s faces that they were annoyed by this, but it was not to the point of disruption. From talking to the librarian afterwards this seems to be how it normally is for this book club.


What is the atmosphere of the discussion, where is it taking place at?


The discussion takes place in the library meeting room. The layout is a semi-circle of chairs so that everyone can look at each other throughout the discussion. They seemed like a welcoming group to me. They welcomed me in and, after an explanation, did not look at me funny or question why I was there.


Are snacks or drinks provided?


There were snacks and drinks provided at this book club. They had coffee, tea bags (with hot water), and cookies.


What types of books does this book club normally discuss?


I asked the librarian after the club ended and he told me that the group usually reads works of fiction. The picks are based on a survey that the members fill out to see what titles that they find interesting. He also noted that the picks also have to be based on what book club kits the library has available, and that the kits he chooses have to have some large print copies because some of the members prefer large print.