LibGuides: YA Book Club: 2013 The Scorpio Races

March 2013

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
Call Number: CL YA Sti44s 2011
Some race to win. Others race to survive. It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen. As she did in her bestselling Shiver trilogy, author Maggie Stiefvater takes us to the breaking point, where both love and life meet their greatest obstacles, and only the strong of heart can survive. The Scorpio Races is an unforgettable reading experience.

Also available on Kindle and Audio Book.

More about Maggie

From her website: I am Maggie Stiefvater. I write books. Some are about dead Welsh kings. Some are about werewolf nookie. Some are about neither. After a tumultuous past as a history major, calligraphy instructor, wedding musician, technical editor, and equestrian artist, I'm now a full-time writer living in the middle of nowhere, Virginia, with my charmingly straight-laced husband, two kids, four neurotic dogs who fart recreationally, and a 1973 Camaro named Loki. I'm also an award-winning colored pencil artist, play several musical instruments (most infamously, the bagpipes), and an ex-Navy brat. I recently acquired a race car.

Her website

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Discussion Questions

"What does this insane book have to say aobut religion versus spirituality?" -from Maggie Stiefvater!!
What does Maggie do to make Scorpio Races feel timeless? When do you think this book takes place and why?
Would you ride a Capaill Uisce if you could? Would you if you felt you had to?
Setting is a hugely important character in the novel. How does Thisby influence Sean and Puck and their choices?
Does the fact that George Holly is American impact his influence on Sean, and if so, how?
How does our soceity compare to the society in the book in regards to competition and spectator reaction? Constrast?
What does the book have to say about nature versus nurture?
Gabe is a major catalyst for the action of the novel, but the text says very little about his motivation. What do you think is his motivation? How does it compare to Kate's?
How much does "place" or "home" define who you are? Has it changed since moving to college? Since you started a family? Bought a house?

Book Trailer

Check out the book trailer from Maggie herself.

Tweets from Maggie!!

More Books by Maggie

Shiver (Book One of The Shiver Trilogy) by Maggie Stiefvater
Call Number: CL Fic Sti44s 2009
For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf-her wolf-is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: in winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl; and in summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again. Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human-or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.
Linger (Book Two of The Shiver Trilogy) by Maggie Stiefvater
Call Number: CL YA Sti44l 2010
In Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Grace and Sam found each other. Now, in Linger, they must fight to be together. For Grace, this means defying her parents and keeping a very dangerous secret about her own wellbeing. For Sam, this means grappling with his werewolf past . . . and figuring out a way to survive into the future. Add into the mix a new wolf named Cole, whose own past has the potential to destroy the whole pack. And Isabel, who already lost her brother to the wolves . . . and is nonetheless drawn to Cole.
Forever (Book Three of The Shiver Triology) by Maggie Stiefvater
Call Number: CL YA Sti44f 2011
In Stiefvater's "Shiver, " Grace and Sam found each other. In "Linger, " they fought to be together. Now, in the "New York Times" bestseller "Forever, " the stakes are even higher than before. Wolves are being hunted. Lives are being threatened. And love is harder and harder to hold on to as death comes closing in.
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
ISBN: 0545424925
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them-not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can't entirely explain. He has it all-family money, good looks, devoted friends-but he's looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys.

November Cakes!!

For more information about Maggie's original recipe for November Cakes, check out her blog.