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Yanked!
Author: Nancy Kress Published: Avon, 1999 Suitable for: (Age/Grade level) grade 7-12 Length: 246 pp. Reading Level: 7 Interest Level grades 7-12 Need Addressed: heroism, responsibility Genre: science fiction Plot: The future life is too soft. The Gift Givers, space traveling-aliens, have given humans the technology to travel the stars in an instant, but only the young can survive the travel. So people of the future borrow spunky kids from the past by Yanking them to help with problems dealing with alien cultures. There are nine steps for a society to reach the technology and thought processes of the Gift Givers. Step one is colonizing their own solar system and that is done. Step two seems to be understanding how to use the gifts the aliens have given them. It is time for step three. A human has figured it out but is killed by the Pannurish before he can pass on his wisdom. Five kids with "grit" are sent to rescue the children of a spaceship and find this missing peice of wisdom. Characters: Jason Ramsey is a gifted black athlete but he doesn't have a lot of drive. His coach is on his case about missing practices. Sharon, a girl who is growing up way too fast because she has to be the mother for her baby neice Tara. Jofrid, an Icelanic girl from the year 987 who speaks her own mind and has a way with plant medicine. Robbie, a pickpocket from London of 1810, who likes to gamble. Sor Spo Gillen, a "perfect" boy from 2337. Use: Individual, but could make an interesting large group discussion. Discussion Questions: What did Robbie take with him that he was told not to? What did Sharon take with her that she was told not to? What did Jofrid keep in her pockets? How does Jason build the Yanked kids into a team? How are the Yanked kids able to understand each other? What happens to an adult that uses a sally port? What does Sharon use on the robot to stop him from using a weapon? How does Robbie get the information from the Pannurish? How did the dying captain leave a message for the people of Earth? Why did Sor want to kill Robbie? Who was hurt? Related Activities: Research Iceland of about the time of Lief Erickson. Jofrid is not a typical girl of that time period. Compare the pickpockets of Oliver Twist to Robbie. Write a paper on ways Sharon could earn enough money to take care of Tara. Jason used football to build the kids into a team. Research and discuss how businesses build team spirit. Related Works: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens Tiger in the Sky by Shelia Finch The Game of Worlds by Roger MacBride Allen Censorship Issues: Sharon's mother uses some mild bad language. Sor is provoked to violence over Robbie's "selling" of baby Tara.
Yanked!
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