Dune by Frank Herbert
"Set on the desert planet Arrakis, this is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib, avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family, and bring to fruition humankind's most ancient and unattainable dream."
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Instrumental Music teacher, Mr. Corey Smith, sponsors Drum Corps (pronounced Core). In his free time he plays music, does wood working, and reads science fiction.
Of this novel, he says: "Dune is considered to be one of the most important sci-fi works of the 20th century. Although the book stands well on its own, it introduces the reader to the massive, eon-spanning Universe created by Frank Herbert in this space opera of epic proportions. Dune takes a special place in the sci-fi canon, so anyone who enjoys the genre should read Dune to see how influential it has been on ALL subsequent sci-fi writing. Furthermore, Dune has been set to film twice, both times very unsuccessfully (very bad, do not recommend watching!), but a third attempt is being made this winter that might actually find success, and I want the students to have the opportunity to read the book before the movie hits theatres!" |
The Humans by Matt Haig
"Regarding humans unfavourably upon arriving on Earth, a reluctant extraterrestrial assumes the identity of a Cambridge mathematician before realizing that there is more to the human race than he suspected and embarking on a darkly comic effort to save humanity from itself."
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Dance teacher, Ms. Cara Tench sponsors the Junior Dance Company. In her free time, she enjoys dance, photography, and gardening. Her favourite genre is historical fiction.
Ms. Tench has chosen this novel because: "Many great recommendations on the book! And I really enjoyed How to Stop Time by the same author. It looks like an interesting concept by a fabulous author." |
Leviathan Wakes by James A. Corey
"When Captain Jim Holden's ice miner stumbles across a derelict, abandoned ship, he uncovers a secret that threatens to throw the entire system into war. Attacked by a stealth ship belonging to the Mars fleet, Holden must find a way to uncover the motives behind the attack, stop a war and find the truth behind a vast conspiracy that threatens the entire human race."
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Math and Design and Tech teacher, Mr. Paul Rogers, sponsors Robotics and coaches Cross Country. In his spare time, he enjoys "crafting miniature rocket ships for a growing clientele of rodents seeking the boundlessness of space."
Mr. Roger's favourite genres are fantasy and sci fi. He chose this particular novel because: "First, it's awesome. Second, it uses physics as accurately as possible when discussing space travel. The authors have even presented at NASA discussing this. There is no artificial gravity or deflector shields. It is space travel like it might be one day." 
Head of Senft House, Mr. Kevin Waterhouse, teaches AP Psychology and coaches the Alpine team. In his free time, he enjoys sports, skiing/snowboarding, movies, and seeing friends. Mr. Waterhouse's reading tastes tends to lean towards crime dramas but he enjoys reading from many genres.
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The Golden Compass by Phil Pullman
"Accompanied by her shape-shifting daemon, Lyra Belacqua sets out to prevent her best friend and other kidnapped children from becoming the subject of gruesome experiments in the Far North."
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English teacher, Dr. Sara Schlemm, teaches English 9 and 12 and sponsors the Improv Club. In her free time she enjoys: hiking, cooking, and performing improv. Her favourite genre is detective fiction. So why pick this book? "It's a wonderful adventure. It's fun and enjoyable to read."
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Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
"An American bioengineering research firm builds a theme park on a Caribbean island, complete with living dinosaurs, and invites a group of scientists to be its first terrified guests. When things go strangely wrong at the park, the guests find themselves having to figure out how to survive against the dinos. Will the humans be triumphant, or will they be the dinodinner?"
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Physics teacher, Mr. Clayton Coxford, sponsors the Dungeons and Dragons club and enjoys playing board games and soccer in his free time. His favourite genre is fantasy and science fiction; hence, he picked this book: "When I first read Jurassic Park, I could barely put it down. Not only because it was thrilling, but because it almost sounded like the idea could actually work: bringing dinosaurs back to life. Michael Crichton has a way of making the made-up science in his book sound absolutely believable. As a scientist myself, it's exciting (and terrifying) to imagine a world where the things Crichton writes about could actually be real." Ms. Coxford adds"
"It has a gripping plot, interesting characters, cool science, and best of all, DINOSAURS!" 
Middle School Coordinator, Ms. Morgan McLaughlin, teaches Social Studies 9 & Philosophy and coaches Basketball and Netball which she also enjoys playing in her free time along with hiking and doing arts & crafts.
Her favourite genres are historical fiction and sci-fi. Of this novel: "It's a fantastic read with suspense, action, and futuristic science that makes you think could this really happen? Why should students read this? "This book is a great mix of action, suspense, science, and imagination. The movie does not do the book justice. So if you like the movie, you will LOVE the book!" |
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
"This exquisite and strange book could be a great comfort for the kind of young reader who feels alone in facing the world's darkness. In a near-future society that claims to have gotten rid of all monstrous people, a creature emerges from a painting seventeen year old Jam's mother created, a hunter from another work seeking a real-life monster."
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Mr. Brad Jolliffe teaches English 8 and 9, coaches Volleyball and sponsors Debate. In his free time he enjoys: jogging, reading, tennis, and volleyball.
On this choice: I'm a sucker for an allegory. Selecting this text was a risk but a timely exploration into injustice and the importance of questioning the world around us: "Forgetting is how the monsters come back." "Everyone struggles with their own monsters but what happens when you live amongst those that will not admit that monsters exist, let alone that they have their own. I think everyone can afford to question the choices we have available to us based upon our society. So...why not?" |
