City of Bones
Summary:
City of Bones is one of six books that make up the Mortal Instruments Series. City of Bones is the gate to a fascinating world of fantasy, following the path of a fifteen-year-old girl named Clary Fray. Her life starts out as fairly ordinary. She lives with her mother in New York and was pursuing getting into Art School. On her sixteenth birthday, however, everything changes. Clary goes to a nightclub with her best friend, Simon, and witnesses a “murder,” which understandably freaks her out. Clary sees two people with strange swords stabbing someone else, which resulted in the victim completely vanishing. She runs away and is later found by Simon who convinces Clary that what she saw was a hallucination or that maybe she was drugged. As Clary hopes that her life gets back to normal, she goes to a poetry reading with Simon the next day. There, Clary sees one of the murderers and insists that he talks to her in the alley. He agrees. Come to find out, the “murderer’s” name is Jace and he leaves Clary with more questions than answers. Jace doesn’t answer many of Clary’s questions and only confuses her by asking questions like “how can you see me?” As both Jace and Clary become more confused with one another, Clary gets a call from her mother. Her mother seems distressed and panicked over the phone, so Clary leaves Jace in the alley and runs home to help her mom. What she comes home to is horrific. Her mother is nowhere to be seen and her home is trashed. Clary hears a noise in the kitchen, to which she approached cautiously. What she sees will turn her world upside down. This is when Clary sees a demon for the first (well second) time.
Rationale:
I chose this book (and series as a whole) because this is the series that got me through high school. High school wasn’t the best time in my life, and it was nice to travel to another world to get away from my reality. This is a young-adult novel, but I would argue that this book could be read at the freshmen in high school level. The books are quite large, which can be intimidating, but once you get through the first chapter, I guarantee that you won’t be able to put the book down. I think that this book can be read by all high schoolers, with the exception of those who might have a lower level of reading. This book switches points of view depending on the chapter, so it might be hard for some students to differentiate between what chapter is focused on what character.
Teaching Ideas:
·       Book Club/Lit Circle: I probably would not teach this book as a whole class. However, I would definitely recommend using this book in a book club or lit circle. I think it would be beneficial for students to mix up their genres and share what they like/dislike about fantasy.
·       Individual Reading: I would FOR SURE recommend this book/series for individual reading. I will have this series readily available in my classroom so that anyone can take a look or borrow them. I’d recommend this book to anyone in high school that may be going through similar or the same things that I went through in high school. The relatability of this book is key.
·       Fantasy Circle: Like the book club/lit circle, I think it would be cool to have an after-school club just for fantasy books. I think that students who like fantasy could have a lit circle, but with only fantasy books to share and collaborate on. This would be nice for those who need an escape.
Challenges:
Some challenges include issues with the graphic nature of the book. The book isn’t too graphic, but it does include some fighting with creatures, which can be bloody, and some minor sexual contact. I don’t believe there is any sex in the series, however, there is a lot of kissing, cuddling, and close contact. There is also incest (sort of) in the book, as well as the presence of vampires, werewolves, fairies, angels, and demons. Some parents might not be too happy about all the mythical creatures and the presence of religion (sort of). I would definitely have to get this cleared through administration, but I don’t think it would be too hard to get this book approved, as long as it isn’t being used directly in the classroom.

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