Beautiful Creatures

Author: Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

ISBN:978-0316042673

Publication Information: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Plot Summary: Ethan Wade is a high school boy living in the small town Gaitlin, South Carolina. He is tired of his small town, the popular kids at his high school, and his reclusive father. He just wants to get out of Gaitlin. Furthermore, things are starting to get weird for Ethan, he has been having recurring dreams about a mysterious girl. He has to save her, and can never quite make it. Imagine his surprise when the mystery girl, Lena Duchannes, shows up at his high school as the niece of the local town shut in. Ethan quickly strikes up a relationship with Lena, and that's when Ethan's life really turns upside down. Lena is different than other girls, very different. Will Ethan's dreams become a reality? If so, will Ethan finally be able to save Lena?

Critical Evaluation: Beautiful Creatures is a great recommendation for teens that enjoyed the Twilight series. The basic plot lines of Twilight and Beautiful Creatures are the same, a boy and a girl, one with magical powers and one human, fall in love. What pushes Beautiful Creatures to the top of this genre is the historical aspect of the novel. Readers will get to briefly learn about the Civil War from both a liberal Southerner's point of view, and from flashbacks to Gaitlin during the War. While this is clearly a work of fiction, the Civil War tidbits may spark teens' interest in American history.

Reader's Annotation:Ethan Wade is sick of small town Gaitlin, until Lena Duchannes comes into town. Lena is different than other girls.... really different. Will Lena share her secret with Ethan, and will Ethan accept Lena for who she is?

Author Information:

• Margaret Stohl completed her undergraduate work at Amherst and Yale, and received a masters degree in English. She currently lives with her family in Santa Monica, CA. She has made a living writing, from YA novels to video games to screenplays.
• Kami Garcia grew up outside of Washington, DC, although her family is originally from North Carolina. She has a masters degree in Education and taught in DC for ten years before moving to Los Angeles. She still teaches, as a reading specialist, in between writing YA novels. She lives with her husband and has two children. (Information taken from Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia's website http://beautifulcreaturesthebook.com/writing/bios/)
  

Curricular Ties: American History

Genre:Historical Fiction, Fantasy

Book talking ideas:

• Do you believe in the idea that two people are soul mates? Why or why not?
• Why was Civil War reenactments so important to Gaitlin? Would you enjoy participating in the reenactments? Why or why not?
• If Ethan's Dad was your Father, how would you choose to interact with him?
  

Challenge issues:Mild sexuality, magic

• Familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
• Check the library for specific policies on challenged books.
• Check the ALA website for advice on how to respond and react when a book has been challenged. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm)
  
• Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
• Ask the challenger for their specific objections and try to address them using information from the above research.

Interest Age: Grade 7 and up

Why I selected this piece: This book has received a lot of attention, especially after the Twilight series, and the fantasy genre in general has become so popular. The hype is true, Stohl and Grey have created a fast past, interesting read that a wide variety of teens (but especially girls) will enjoy.