My name is Mrs. Levey and I am currently teaching 6th grade Language Arts at Wakefield Middle School in Raleigh, NC.


At home, I am the wife to a man always on the go and two growing girls who keep me very busy. When we are not running to orchestra or dance class, we are off to a picnic a the park or some other adventure, including our favorite vacation spot - Disney World.


This blog follows my thoughts on my reading, mostly the ones for Middle Readers, and the adventures of finding that right job...

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

TN#3: Dark Life

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a place in my heart for Science Fiction stories.  Blame my mom, she took me to my first Science Fiction movie, Star Wars, before I was even born.  Still, only certain Science Fiction stories can qualify.  So with this high standard in mind, I read the next book on the list of Truman Nominees, Dark Life.


Here is a book that was so greatly received that it had a film deal with Disney and Director Robert Zemeckis even before the book's initial release in 2010.  Well, it is 2012 and after some not so extensive looking, it doesn't look like it has gone into production yet.  Unfortunately I can't find a reason for the hold up, so we will just have to keep waiting.

Waiting for what?  I can hear you saying that now.  Especially since I haven't said anything about this book yet.  Ok, here is the trailer I found for the book:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCjp2JdIz48

Interested yet?  Don't worry if your not, it took even a big sci-fi fan like me a few pages to get interested.  But first, I had to put my imagination to work.  I had to see the story come to life while I was reading it, which was a little hard as the author tends to only give you bits and pieces of the puzzle at a time.  Most likely a way of keeping you interested.  Good hook idea, but a little frustrating at times.  Everything does finally come together in the end, just like any book, as long as you give it a chance.  This is definitely not one of those books you can decide what you think about it in the first 50 pages.  So if you are skeptical, give it at least 100 pages.  Then again, you may be hooked from the start, especially my guys out there.

Here we have a boy, named Ty, who was born and raised underwater.  Underwater, by the way, is the new frontier.  So this should catch the interest of those who like westerns.  Back to the story.  Ty, lives with his parents and sister at their underwater ranch, while eagerly awaiting his eighteenth birthday when he will be able to make a claim on his own piece of land.  One day, while out exploring beyond his area (something he's not supposed to be doing), he comes across a young lady from the Topside (above the water) named Gemma.  With this chance meeting begins an adventure that Ty will never forget.  He comes in contact with Outlaws, while coming to deal with what it really means to be a pioneer underwater.

So, as always, before I read the book I researched the author and what I could about the book (see above mention of a possible movie).  I will have to tell you as a teacher I was quite excited.  You see the author, Kat Falls has quite an extensive website (www.katfalls.com).  I was even able to download a Discussion Guide on this book that has lots of great test questions.  Will I use those?  Who knows?  I highly suggest you check out her site, there is some interesting links about the story.  Plus, you can learn more about aquatic life and the sequel to Dark Life, Rip Tide(2011).

Questions to ponder and look up?
1)  What are some of the aquatic life that Ty and Gemma encounter throughout the book?
2)  What is the cause of the Rising?  Could it happen in real life?  How does this relate to the idea of Global Warming?

As always, I look forward to your thoughts, responses, and recommendations!

Falls, Kat. Dark Life. New York: Scholastic, 2010. Print.
Falls, Kat. Rip Tide.  New York: Scholastic, 2011. Print.
"Kat Falls." Kat Falls. Web.  06 June 2012. <http://katfalls.com/>



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