Reading?

How many books have I read in my life? I don't know. I can guess. 400? Probably. 1,000? Maybe. All my life I've loved reading. Disney's Cinderella, whose step-sisters' names were so hard to pronounce. Sweet Pickles books hid under my pillow for my mother to read again and again as she tucked me in. Receiving new boxes of Dr. Suess books in the mail. Reading my first big book, Double Dilemma: A Nancy Drew Adventure when I was 8. I got that book at the food store. I remember how grown-up I felt. Nancy was an adult, and I didn't even know what the title meant. I remember reading Little Women when I was 9, and being so distraught over Beth's death that I didn't read Part II for another year. Flying through Nancy Drew, the Babysitters' Club, Sweet Valley High. Struggling through The Scarlet Letter, dictionary in hand at all times. Rereading Pride and Prejudice so many times. Sneaking Gone with the Wind under my desk in high school biology class. Reading The Firm on my lunch break while working at McDonalds. Becoming a know-it-all deep thinker after reading The Awakening and Demian as a senior. Discovering The Giver as an adult. Being floored by The Golden Compass and The Book Thief. Even discovering that I may possibly like graphic novels. I don't know how to define my life not including the identity of reader.

Sometimes I thinks it's extremely detrimental to my own life. Being able to lose myself so readily in another person's life. Is this preventing me from going out and living my own? I think it probably does. And has. However, I can justify it now more easily. I am an English teacher. This is what I do. I read so I can share. I read so I can observe technique. I read to become a better writer, so I can become more comfortable explaining writing to children.

Sometimes I don't want to read. Lately, that's been the case. I just haven't wanted much to do with it. Have I read? Certainly. Magazines. A few pages with my morning breakfast. I can't put reading entirely out of my life. But lately, I just haven't felt the desire. Perhaps it's because I read so much last year. Pushed myself. It became a chore, actually. But with this lull, I stopped blogging, which has deepened the chasm between me and my own writing. I havent' fulfilled any of the commitments that I gave myself in the early summer: more reflection in my teaching, keeping up with the latest in YA fiction. Haven't kept up at all.

But I think I'm back. Or at least I'm going to push myself to be back - back to reading and back to blogging.

2009 to Present

A log of books from the end of June 2009 to the end of June 2010.

1. A Day of Tears
   
2. The Misfits
3. Girls, Drums, and Dangerous Pie
4. Skullduggery Pleasant
5. Lost World
   
6. Marked (C+)
7. Betrayed (B-)
   
8. The Lost Symbol (B)
   
9. The Hunger Games (A+)
   
10. Amulet 2: The Stone Keeper's Curse (A)
    
11. Next (A+)
    
12. Double Identity (B+)
13. Catching Fire (A+)
14. The Lovely Bones (A)
15. Oh. My. Gods. (A-)
16. Tales From the Odyssey: Part One, Adapted by Mary Pope Osborne (B+)
17. Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (B+)

2010

1. Elsewhere (A+)
2. The Tomorrow Code (B-)
3. Eva (A-)
4. First Light (A-)
5. Waiting for Normal (A)
6. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau
   
7. Let the Right One In
8. Bitter is the New Black
9. Pitch Black: A Graphic Memoir
   
10. The World We Live In
11. Lady Macbeth's Daughter (B-)
12. The Help (B+)
    
13. Three Cups of Tea
    

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick

This is a fast, serious, sarcastic, reassuring YA read. I'm serious. This is perfect for middle school. Even the format and layout is excellent. Arial-type font, lots of white space to help feel like you're flying through the pages. At the onset, the protagonist is easy to identify with. Steven Alper is an 8th grade boy grappling with his goals (drumming and Renee), girls (Renee and Annette), and his family. Steven's first person narration is well-mixed with sincere reflection and emotion and sarcasm and humor.

By the second chapter, Steven's five-year old brother, Jeffrey, has been diagnosed with leukemia. The story flies by as Steven relates how his family copes (in good ways and in bad) with the cancer. Steven withdraws, agonizes over his brother, and go through many other emotions as he tries to come to terms with how he should be handling this situation and his life. Through Steven's narration, the reader will also fall in love with his charming and brave little brother. The other characters are well-drawn, although we don't get a lot of insight into them; however, this is first-person narration.

This is an excellent, but quick read. If I give any more information, I'll be taking away a good bit of the story. I'll leave with a fun reflection from Steven.

We argued back and forth about this for a while. Initially, my mom was on my dad's side, but as the "discussion" (It's amazing - my parents call everything a discussion. If I were standing across the street, firing a bazooka at my mother, while my father was launching mortars back at me, and Jeffrey was charging down the driveway with a grenade in his teeth, my parents would say we should stop having this public "discussion.") ...

Grade: A

The Misfits

The Misfits by James Howe

These are our names.

Bobby.
Addie.
Joe.
Skeezie.

These are our names. But they are only names. They don't tell you who we are. We have other names, too. Names we have been called, names we have been given. We figured it out. Between us, we have a total of seventy-two names, other than the names you see here. These names we have been called since kindergarten. The names we remember, anyway.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.

Anybody who believes that has never been called a name.

The Misfits centers on the protagonist and narrator, Bobby Goodspeed, and his friends: Addie, Skeezie, and Joe. Each has grown up being picked on by classmates for being too fat, too smart, too bad, or too gay. When school election time rolls around, Addie wants to organize a third-party system for Paintbrush Falls Middle School. Despite her efforts, Addie's efforts fall short with the administration: she seems to have no real purpose for a third party. However, Bobby hits upon the idea of a "No-Name" Party. A party whose platform is to end name calling.

This narrative is set up in an interesting manner that took some slight getting used to. Chapters are narrated in first-person, present tense by Bobby Goodspeed, a delightful and articulate personality. Interspersed are chapters in transcript format, detailing the groups "forums" at a local diner. The "Gang of Five" as Bobby and his friends call themselves (five because it adds mystery) regularly meet on Fridays for their forums. Forums are where the friends discuss big and small issues: name calling, goals for the future, middle school justice, popularity, etc.

Bobby's insights are humorous and relate-able, but at times, too mature for a seventh grader. However, Bobby is also an avid reader and that probably can be accounted for when looking at his fabulous vocabulary. Each of the Gang of Five and other cast of characters adds a lot of flavor to the story line. One complaint that I have is that the story seemed to take a long time to really go anywhere. Addie's efforts to start various justice, freedom, or liberation third party systems almost lost my attention completely. Unfortunately, this seems to be about 1/3 of the book.

I read this book for school. Each 7th grader will need to read this book or Schooled by Korman. I'm trying to really reach some conclusions about the parallels between the two books that go beyond the superficial: school misfits, school elections, etc. I would say that the message from The Misfits feels more explicit and the outcomes more realistic. In Schooled, the protagonist, a hippie, home-schooled boy, enters public school and becomes the local hero. In The Misfits, the Gang of Five does find recognition, but it has a more believable outcome (and yet, still hopeful). In addition, it covers the realm of homosexuality, which is a subject that needs to be broached in middle school (imo). What I really enjoyed about Schooled was the multiple perspectives: from the bullied, to the bystander, the principal, etc. Schooled is a fun read: quick and easy. I think kids will connect more readily to it because the language is easier to follow. Despite the multiple perspectives, I think it is easier to comprehend than the narrative/transcript format. However, the lessons in it are sometimes overshadowed by the sheer unrealistic nature of the story. The Misfits is a more complex and challenging read, although still humorous, that has a more realistic lesson.

Grade: A-

Currently Reading: Nancie Atwell's The Reading Zone and Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie.

Required Reading

For Summer School, I must read the following:

The Red Badge of Courage
The Gift of the Magi
The Last Class: The Story of Little Alastian
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
My Mistress' Eyes Are Nothing Like the Sun
The Most Dangerous Game
The Lottery Ticket
The Cask of Amontillado

With the exception of "The Last Class" and "The Lottery Ticket," I've read all of these at some point. I wish "The Lottery Ticket" was really Jackson's "The Lottery," because everyone likes that story.

The Red Badge of Courage is going to be a painful read, but most kids like "The Gift of the Magi." The only issue is that they read that in 8th grade, so why read it for summer school in 9th? However, I'm going to also bring in Zwerger's lovely picture book of the story.

I taught Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" to my 7th graders, so I've got that covered, too.

Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado" is a challenging read, but fun, and I'm going to get the graphic novel version to show them after the reading. Also, I wonder if The Simpsons have a version. I bet they do for "The Most Dangerous Game."

A Log of Books

June 2008 to June 2009

1. The Hot Zone
2. Down the Rabbit Hole
3. Al Capone Does My Shirts
4. Life As We Knew It
5. Among the Hidden
6. The Christopher Killer
7. Second Nature
8. The Luxe
9. The Door to December
10. The City of Ember
11. Contagion
12. A Christmas Carol
13. Breaking Dawn
14. Brian's Winter
15. The Dead and the Gone
16. The Frog Prince
17. Skeleton Man
18. Bone
19. Night Shift
20. Wicked Lovely
21. The Terminal Man
22. The Angel of Death
23. Silas Marner
24. My Sister's Keeper
25. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 3
26. Prince Caspian
27. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
28. The Magician's Nephew
29. Rhett Butler's People
30. Circle of Blood
31. Eager
32. Dracula - Graphic Novel by Ben Caldwell
33. Abner and Me
34. Touching Spirit Bear
35. Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf
36. Ink Exchange
37. Schooled
38. The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
39. Angels and Demons
40. Andromeda Strain
41. Amulet
42. Multiple Blessings
43. Pictures of Hollis Woods
44. Nice to Come Home To
45. Eaters of the Dead
46. Wintergirls
47. Chains
48. The Last Olympian
49. The Blood of Flowers
50. Code Orange

Day of Tears

Day of Tears
by Julius Lester

A Novel in Dialogue
A Coretta Scott King Award

A fictionalized account of the true event of the largest slave auction in American history in 1859, this story unfolds and blooms through the many different accounts and recollections of various characters. From the slave owner to the the slave, the reader gains insight into the attitudes of America prior to the abolition of slavery. Each snippet, or account, is a snapshot. All of these snapshots, strung along, help to tell a story that focuses on Emma, a girl who is sold away from her parents and from the white children for whom she loves and cares.

I don't want to say more. This book is powerful. It will upset you, warm you, anger you, and make you uncomfortable.

And the rather unconventional format of the novel will delight you.
Grade: A

Code Orange

Code Orange by Caroline Cooney

Mitchell, or Mitty, Blake is a likable high school boy who works hard to avoid academics. Forced, finally, to do some research for a term paper on an infectious disease, Mitty turns to some of his mother's antique books for information. In her collection, he finds a book on smallpox and an envelope marked "Smallpox Scabs." Mitty opens the envelope, handles the "scabs," and puts them back without much thought.

As Mitty digs deeper into the world of smallpox, he begins to understand that 1) viruses have a long shelf life and 2) small pox is baaaaad. I loved this section of the book: the growing paranoia teamed up with medical information. In fact, I love learning about viruses and disease. I don't really know why.

The book does eventually turn from the etiology of small pox into an action book, and this is where my interest dropped. However, this is exactly where one of my acquaintance's interest finally grew.

This is a quick and suspenseful read that includes a highly likable protagonist, some good medical mystery, and suspense and action.

Grade: B-

Recommendations for Jane

Number One Recommendation: Wintergirls

Adult:

My Sister's Keeper by Picoult

The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman (I did not read this book this past year.)

Silas Marner by George Elliot

The Girl with the Pearl Earring by T. Chevalier (I did not read this book this past year.)

YA:

Schooled by Gordon Korman - Quick and easy young YA read but very enjoyable

Pictures of Hollis Woods - Quick and easy young YA read. Very poetic. Protagonist is an artist.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson - Historical fiction about slavery

Day of Tears by Lester - a quick novel told from the perspectives of numerous characters reflecting on their memories of a slave auction. I am still reading this. It's painful but powerful.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson - Poetic. Powerful. About eating disorders.

Graphic Novel - Both found in the Children's Graphic Novel Section

Amulet - Fun and fast. Terry has a copy.

Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf - Totally freakin' hilarious. A great reminder of middle school life as a girl.

52?

Well, I'm on book 50 right now. As of June 19, 2009, that will be fifty books in fifty-two weeks. I'm satisfied with that. There's a chance that I will make it to book 51 by then, but if not, I'm fine with it.


Suggestions for Summer Reading:

1. The Underneath
2. A Curse Dark As Gold (Retold Fairy Tale)
3. Me, the Missing, and the Dead
4. Skulduggery Pleasant *
5. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
6. Epic
7. Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
8. Wolf Brother
9. Day of Tears
10. Elsewhere
11. The Penderwicks
12. Traces
13. Storytime
14. No More Dead Dogs
15. Belle Prater's Boy
16. Shooting the Moon
17. Luna
18. 13 Reasons Why
19. Neil Gaiman's latest YA
20. Waiting for Normal
    

The Blood of Flowers

The Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani

Set in Iran during the 1600s, the narrator is a young girl who dreams of a life as a wife and a mother. Tragically, her father dies, leaving her mother and her in poverty. They leave their home to live with their father's half-brother, a rich and successful rug maker.

The girl displays exceptional talent as both a rug knotter and a rug designer, and she works closely under the tutelage of her uncle, who has no sons with whom he can share the trade. However, her aunt treats her and her mother poorly: simultaneously using them as free help around the house and also complaining that they cost too much money to provide for.

Desperate for some financial independence and to prove that they are not a burden, the mother and daughter agree to enter the daughter into a sigheh. A sigheh is a temporary marriage contract. With no dowry, the girl has little hope of a marriage, but a sigheh could potentially turn into a long-term arrangement or even an actual marriage.

There are many twists in this plot: as intricate and subtle as the fine rugs that are described through the book. Interesting developments in her carpet making, the renewal of the sigheh, her friendship with the rich and beautiful Naheed, her eventual downfall, and the slow build-up to her own successful business. The girl learns of her own ability, her own weaknesses and her strengths. The narrator is a very reflective character, who is able to note where her flaws have led her astray - although this observance does not often prevent her from making similar mistakes.

This book was in the YA section of the library, but I definitely think that this is more of an adult book. First, the content contains a lot of sexual references. Second, the maturity level of this novel is not, I imagine, easily accessible to most teens - especially those under 17.

Grade: A


As the year ends, I have found my reading and blogging enthusiasm on the wane. This is book 49. Will I read three more before the end of the school year? I don't know.

The Last Olympian

Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

This book, the last of the series, has Percy fighting Kronos, who has taken over Luke's body. If Kronos is not defeated, the Olympian gods will perish. Unfortunately, the gods have deserted Manhattan in an effort to combat Typhon, a terrifying monster that is ravaging the United States. Mount Olympus is left undefended and Percy must unity the demi-gods, satyrs, and other creatures in a great battle against Kronos for control of Manhattan, the Empire State Building, and Mount Olympus.

As a wrap-up book, we learn more about Luke, Rachel Dare, Nico the demi-god of the Underworld, and Annabeth. There's a lot of action in this story: traitors, a dip in the River Styx, a visit to Poseidon's palace, and several visits to Luke's past.

This book promises a great read... and possibly another book. The Last Olympian ends with another prophecy from the Oracle...

Grade: A+ (Perhaps this is really a B+, but I am a crazy huge fan.)

Chains

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson

Isabel, and her younger sister Ruth, have been sold to the wealthy Lockton family in Manhattan during the 1770s. Isabel is given the chance to help the Patriots by spying on her masters. The Locktons, a Loyalist family, are cruel and harsh, even selling Isabel's younger sister to punish Isabel for disobeying Mrs. Lockton.

Isabel has little interest in the two fighting factions - the Loyalists and the Patriots - especially after she discovers that none will promise freedom to a slave girl. While Isabel struggles to survive in the Lockton household, she also endeavors to find a way to escape.

The first few chapters of this book were very uncomfortable for me to read. It was hard to read through Isabel's perspective as a slave. I couldn't bear the idea of being so controlled and owned. But the story line in entrancing, and you'll read on despite your own discomfort.

In addition, this book has definitely been extremely well-researched. Historical fictions fans will adore this book. There's information snuck into almost every detail. (BTW, I loved Anderson's other historical novel Fever 1793.)

Grade: A+

Wintergirls

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

The ideas of deception and perception are central to this story. How can a person deceive themselves so much that they are happily on the brink of death? This is a hypnotic read into the mind of 17 year old Lia, an anorexic. For years, she and her friend, Cassie, have struggled in a perverse race to see who could be the thinnest. However, after several hospitalizations for both girls, Cassie breaks up their friendship in an attempt to appear rehabilitated.

When the story opens, Lia has just been told that Cassie has died in a motel room. Lia, who had ignored Cassie's recent phone calls, slips even deeper into her own mind, which is as deceptive as a house of mirrors. With little to anchor herself to reality, she begins her fight against food with a renewed vigor. She begins to see the ghost of Cassie, which causes her to spiral downward even more. While everyone around her tries to save her, in the end only Cassie can make the decision.

The poetic prose and first person perspective invite the reader into the mind of Lia. The author uses strike-through words to mimic Lia's first thoughts, and then Lia's reformed and revised thoughts appear. For example, when Lia is offered food, her first reaction is that she is hungry. But these words have a strike through them, and after appear Lia's revised thoughts: often focusing on how the food will make her fat, ugly, gross. The author also illustrates Lia's repetitive and punishing habit of calling herself fat, ugly, and stupid. Lia repeats these words and sayings almost as though they were a path to enlightenment or a form of meditation. The poetic nature of the writing, and other various techniques that help mimic Lia's thoughts, allowed me to "become Lia," even though at every moment I knew how warped her perception was.

Grade: A+

The Best is Still the Worst

Yup. This portfolio was designed by some DMV department of the Department of Education... And the NJ DMV... Not the CT DMV, which is almost a love nest in comparison. BUT I'm down to the last nitty-gritty. 

I hope.

(BTW, I read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson and I cannot say enough about it. As good as The Book Thief, Mariette in Ecstasy, The Ice Queen... Just unbelievably poetic and powerful. Like a bomb. I'll review it in a few days.)

The Best Ever

There is nothing like this BEST portfolio for helping me feel like I must be the worst teacher in the world.

Thanks a lot, BEST.

Eaters of the Dead

Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton

A great take on Beowulf. Once again, Crichton uses a "pseudo-documentary" style to help "authenticate" his works. The entire book takes the form of a scholarly compilation and translation of ancient copies of Ibn Fadlan's journey from the Middle East to the north. While journeying north, he is forced to join a group of men who are returning to their homeland to battle mist creatures that attack and savagely kill their countrymen.

This was a fun read. I would write more, but I'm working on the BEST.

Grade: C+

Miserable Portfolio

Miserable Portfolio.
Miserable Portfolio.
Miserable Portfolio.
I need to finish.




(Currently reading Eaters of the Dead by Crichton. Really good. They made a movie out of it years ago - The Thirteenth Warrior - with Antonio Banderas. Both the movie and Banderas were very good.)

Nice to Come Home To

Nice to Come Home To by Rebecca Flowers

I'm on break... sweet, sweet spring vacation ... and I took out several books to divert my attention from the more relevant, more terrifying May 15th deadline of my BEST.

I always steer myself to the YA section because 1) reading YA is more beneficial to my business and 2) I really do have a passion for YA literature. But I do feel the calling to read something, on occasion, for the adult masses. Also, it's nice to be able to throw out one book appropriate for an adult conversation. (Needless to say, when socializing, not everyone shares my joy when discovering that the 4th Wimpy Kid is coming out in October and that The Last Olympian is coming out in a few weeks!) This week I picked up Nice to Come Home To to fulfill that need.

I got this book with the assumption that it would be a quick, typical chick lit book. It was quick, but only because I enjoyed it so much. Rather than leaving me feeling like I could have better spent my time elsewhere, I finished this book with the satisfaction that I had just read good literature.

Our protagonist in this story is Pru Whistler. She's 36, has a gay friend, lives in a city, and has recently been dumped and fired! And to make matters worse, she's now the owner of her ex's former lunatic cat! All of the makings of chick lit, right? But it's not the quintessential chick-lit, either. It's funny, but not in an embarrassing way. The protagonist doesn't spend hours complaining about her body. There's drama, but it always seems so subtle and tight. No room for drama queen moves by the protagonist.

Despite the catastrophic events that occur in the first few pages, Pru remains relatively calm during these times of duress. And the story quickly moves past the firing and the break-up. Typically, chick lit would harp on these issues throughout the story, but Flowers uses these quietly to help Pru grow. Pru wrestles with finding a new job. While developing a new life plan, she meets John Owen, who has recently separated from his wife. They develop a friendship that sits on the fence of "something more" throughout the whole book. The relationship feels very real, in the sense of people who are reluctant to give it another go. In the meantime, Pru's sister Patsy moves to the East Coast. Patsy and her daughter end up moving in with Pru, while both sisters recover from job loss and hurt.

This quickly goes from being a story about a girl to a story about a girl and her family. There are many important characters in this book, and Flowers does a great job developing them. Pru, Patsy, John, and Pru's mother are all drawn up so wonderfully.

However, like chick lit, this story ends happily, and that's always nice.

Grade: A/A-

BTW, this is my 44th book.

Pictures of Hollis Woods

Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff

The prose in this book feels poetic, fleeting, dreamy, and yet utterly absorbing. The writing immerses you and intoxicates you. I love this type of writing. It recalls Donna Jo Napoli, but only at times. For some reason, the best comparison I can make of this writing is to the book Mariette in Ecstasy, which is about a young nun's religious experiences. I know that I should have several other authors who have a similar writing, but I can't remember. That's one of the reasons why I started this blog. To remember.

This book is told as Hollis Woods looks back on several pictures that she has drawn of the Regan family. Hollis Woods is a foster child, abandoned at birth. The Regans were a family that took her in, and made her their own. However, after a horrible accident, Hollis runs away from them. Eventually, child services catches up with her and places her with Josie, an aging artist. Hollis finds herself immediately loving Josie, who understands Hollis's passion for drawing. However, Josie is also beginning to forget too much. When child services discovers this, they plan to move Hollis away. She takes Josie and they run away to the Regans' summer home.

Once again, the writing is top-notch. Because Hollis is an artist, all of the writing is very sensory - but not overly descriptive. This really lends itself to the fuzzy memories that Hollis is recalling.

Grade: A+

(I might liken the writing to The Girl with a Pearl Earring, but I haven't read that in ages. Perhaps I am making the comparison just because they both have art has a foundation of the plot?)

Multiple Blessings

Multiple Blessings: Surviving to Thriving with Twins and Sextuplets
by Kate and Jon Gosselin

How do I start my break? With this trifle. It's trite and saccharine. It's a 200+ page special from Women's World. It will satiate your need to know ever more about this family of absolutely adorable kids. They are the cutest kids. But really, this is more dangerous to your mind than just watching three straight hours of the show.

Judgment: D
Really. Just go watch TLC for three hours straight.

Crocs

What do you think?

Someone in my household now owns a pair just like these.

The color rocks, but I'm not so sure on the style.

Field Trip Finale

I don't like adults* on field trips -- and that includes me, too.

However, the kids today were wonderful.

While I'm still not ready to say that this trip was worth all the needless stress it caused me, I would do it again in a heart beat - because now I'll have the knowledge necessary.

Also, I totally know how I would teach these stories.

"The Necklace"- Read only half and have the kids write their own ending.
"The Monkey's Paw" - Have a paw, do the dramatized version, and have them do a for sale sign for the paw.** (And, of course, the Simpsons' version.)
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" - Read the graphic version. Write a poem from the frog's perspective.

*Most adults, but not all.
**Stole this idea from another teacher at school.

Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi

Amulet - A graphic novel
Written and illustrated by Kazu Kibuishi
Published by Scholastic Graphix (same people who put out Bone)

Yesterday I bought this graphic novel and I can only say that I wish that I had bought it when I first saw it months ago.

Emily and Navin are two children who must move to an old family home after their father dies. The house used to belong to their great-grandfather, Silas Charnon, a puzzle-maker. It is full of oddities, and Emily stumbles upon an amulet in her grandfather's workroom. At night, the mother goes downstairs into the basement to explore scary sounds in the night. She is eaten by a monster but is still alive inside its body. Emily and Navin follow the monster down into another world called Alledia. While seaching, they find the house of Silas Charnon, who is alive but on his deathbed. He has been waiting all this time for Emily to accept the power of the amulet - the power to rule over Alledia. In hopes of finding her mother, and perhaps regaining what she misses most, Emily accepts this responsibility, and with the help of Navin and a group of charming robots, they set off to get their mother back.

The graphics are awesome, and all I can say is that this book is top-notch! Amulet ends as a bit of a cliff-hanger, but the second one is in production.

I truly cannot wait to 1) share this book with my classes and 2) read the second one!

Grade: A+

The picture above is one that I designed myelf, using Scholastic's Amulet site. Getting it from that site to this site with text boxes required some screen capturing, Word, and some more screen captures.

Musings

ah, poetry...
to say so much with so little.

State of Me

I am sick.

Andromeda Strain

Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton

This is a good book... probably one of the first Crichton books that I ever read. My roommate Rosa got me into Crichton at Rutgers.

Andromeda Strain is the story of what happens when an extra-terrestrial organism enters Earth and has the ability to quickly kill humans. A satellite aircraft/probe was due to reenter the atmosphere, and when it did everyone in the town died quickly. The blood immediately coagulated with the exception of two survivors: an old man and an infant. A team of scientists assemble at a top secret government compound that was specifically built to analyze any extra-terrestrial microorganisms.

This book is just great science fiction fun. Fun because it feels so real - the emergency and the scientific data. Crichton was a great researcher! (Well, he was a doctor.) Anyway, many of his novels take on a pseudo-documentary, nonfiction reporting style. Studies are referred to, charts are displayed, etc. Crichton also spends quality time explaining how things work. And I love that! I loved the scene in Spiderman where the docent explains the genetically altered spider to the high school students. These scenes mirror my same love for makeover montages. I don't know if there's a connection, but I love them equally.

Grade: B+

Real Housewives - Ruined

I have a guilty pleasure. Mind-numbingly shallow and stupifying reality TV. We got cable (from low basic to high basic) this January. Since that time, I have immersed myself in the world of the Duggars and the housewives. (What can I say? I love the extremes of family life.) I really enjoy The Real Housewives of New York - probably because I love their accent. These ladies are a tad classier and often more employed than The Real Housewives of Orange County. And the Texas version? Pish. My East Coast sensibility won't allow me to stoop to that one.

But tonight?!? Tonight debuted The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Ugh. I may not be able support any of this franchise due to the new show.

These NJ housewives are horrible. Italian American*. Adopted (but maybe not) mafia attitude. When I watch a show about fabulously rich housewives, I want to frown and pass judgement on their petty concerns and their overconsumption... while still secretly coveting their thin bodies, class, and clothing.

But the NJ version? These housewives look like they just stepped off the Seaside boardwalk two decades ago. Thanks, The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Thanks for reinforcing the NJ girl image of big hair, bad accent, and insipidness. And just when I thought the stereotype was lessening.

Signing off,
A Jersey Girl in a New England World

*In regards to Italian Americans. I love 'em. I was raised by them. My wonderful brother and sister are of this ilk. But just because you're an Italian American with New York origins doesn't mean you have to always be pumped up, bedazzled, and loud. ... Does it? There are many Italian Americans who take just as much pride in demure grace and quiet reflection.

Also, there are girls in NJ who aren't Italian. In fact, NJ is quite diverse.

Sometimes...

creative writing for middle schoolers is like a trip into the minds of the insane...

That being said, several students have been pestering me to write a haiku about the dance.

Here it is:

loud lyrics, low lights

bodies swaying to and fro

middle school nightmare

Angels & Demons

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown.

This is a reread for me. I was inspired to read this again after reading The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp. Also release of the Angels and Demons movie is soon, and it's always nice to be able to remember the story line before you go to the theatre (at least in my opinion).

I think I liked this book a lot more the first time around, but I still think it has more excitement in it than The DaVinci Code. However, I felt that The DaVinci Code felt more intellectual.

Grade: A-

(BTW, this is book #39 since last June.)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey

This story is about a 16 year old boy named Alfred Kropp, whose life is tragic and yet mundane. Recently orphaned after his mother's death, Alfred now lives with his uncle, who was recently offered a million dollars to help steal a well-guarded sword from his employer. His uncle needs someone else to pull of the heist and he gets Alfred to agree to it.

Alfred successfully steals the sword, but his uncle is killed in the process. He knows the sword isn't an ordinary sword, and we soon find out that it is Excalibur, the sword of King Arthur. The sword has been protected for thousands of years by a brotherhood of descendants of the original Knights of the Round Table. Arthur unknowingly has stolen the sword and given it to a rogue Knight. The sword possesses immense power - the power to bend the will of others. Alfred pairs up with Bennacio, a Knight of the Sacred Order, and goes on a number of adventures to regain possession of the sword.

This story had some great action scenes. Car chases, sword fighting, sneaky getaways. There is one car chase that was done superbly well. Seriously, the scene is 100% ready for an action movie.

This book is also made for boys. Not to say that girls won't like it, too, but the A-1 cars, focus on food, and fight scenes will really appeal to the YA male market.

I like stories about ancient mysteries being solved, and this totally prompted me to reread Angels & Demons.

Grade: B

Schooled

Schooled by Gordan Korman

Schooled starts off with the unlikely and ends with the unlikely too, but that's okay because every once in a while a middle school geek can dream, right? Cap Anderson is a home-schooled 8th grader who has been raised by his hippie Grandma named Rain. Rain is Cap's only true friend. His life consists of nature and self-directed learning ... and very little contact with the modern world.

When Rain falls from a tree and must be hospitalized for several weeks, Cap is taken in by a local social worker named Mrs. Donnelly. Cap is enrolled at Claverage Middle School and immediately becomes the butt of many jokes and the biggest prank of all... being voted class president. A longstanding tradition at C-Average Middle School involves voting the biggest loser as class president, and then giving him or her a hard time for the remainder of the year. At this point, hijinks ensue that make us grin (at times at Cap's expense), lift our spirits (due to Cap's unwavering belief in the good nature of people), and make us squirm (because it makes us feel awkward to see someone unknowingly blunder so badly).

This book is chock full of a cast of characters. Each chapter is told in first person from a different character's point of view. (The last book I read like this was My Sister's Keeper by Piccoult.) It's extremely well-done. The prose is peppy, quick, and easy to visualize. Readers will even find themselves relating to many of the characters and empathizing with them too -- even for the coolest (and cruelest) middle-schooler, Zach Powers. Some might criticize this book for being unrealistic, but it's nice to dream that the school outcast can become the most beloved member of a school.

This would/could make a great read aloud.

Grade: A-

Ink Exchange

Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr

(Warning: This book is marketed as YA, but I would not recommend it to anyone under 14. Depictions of sex and violence are a little mature and offer no real reflection to help a younger reader process it.)

A companion piece to Wicked Lovely, this story sets Aislinn’s friend Leslie as the protagonist. Leslie is ignorant of the fantastical changes that have overcome her friend. Aislinn is now Queen of the Summer Fairies. In fact, Leslie is unaware of the existence of fairies at all. She is only aware of the new presence of several overwhelmingly attractive and enigmatic people whom Aislinn now calls friends. Despite some of these odd changes, Leslie is preoccupied. She is hiding many dark secrets from her friends: the deterioration of her home life, an alcoholic father, and an abusive and drug-addicted brother. In the chaos of her life, Leslie is trying to keep it together and take control. It’s a tightrope balanced walk, and one way that she tries to regain control is through the reclaiming of her body with a tattoo.

Leslie finds herself mesmerized by a particular tattoo that is special and unique. Unbeknownst to her, it is the tattoo of the King of the Dark Fairies, Irial. The Dark Fairies, who feed off of negative emotions, have been going hungry ever since Aislinn gained rule and the reigning Winter Queen, Beira, was ousted. Beira had kept the emotional pot of fairy emotions at a constant boil, and there was no end to sating the evil fairies’ appetites. Now that a kind rule has come over the fairy world, the dark fey are starving, and Irial must devise a new way for them to feed.

Leslie’s tattoo is more than mere mortal body art. It is an ink exchange, which will link Irial and her together, allowing Irial to filter all of humanity’s emotions through her. While she detests having been used, Irial’s magnetic power is overwhelming. Leslie at turns fights being used as such a tool, and at other moments prefers her tethered state to her previous sad life.

Irial’s court is truly a dark one. Humans are used and abused in the foulest ways so the fairies may extract the fullest range and depth of negative emotions: lust, greed, pain, gluttony, rage, and insanity...

The character development of the main characters, Leslie, and Irial, is good. Most spectacular is the descriptive and emotional language that shows up regularly. However, I still feel as though the background story is not fleshed out enough. Readers are left asking too many questions about side characters and practical questions about fairies. What exactly happens to a fairy that starves? What exactly do fairies do? What is their purpose? The holes in this book caused me to put this book down several times and ask, “What is the point? Do I really even care to know the end?” I persevered, and I can’t really say I felt a sense of satisfaction at completing it.

GRADE: C

A Sucker for a Cheesy Young Love Poem

I love this song. I've been trying to figure it out for about a month; only catching snippets of it here or there on my way to work. In the end, I used my cell to record the song on the radio and then used my husband's iPhone's song recognition software to identify the artist.

It's awkward, and the poetry isn't any more spectacular than what you would have found in a late night coffeehouse from a few woebegone smokers nursing unrequited love and a latte.

But it's catchy, and I love it.

The Airborne Toxic Event - "Sometime Around Midnight"

Then she leaves, with someone you don’t know.
But she makes sure you saw her.
She looks right at you and bolts.
As she walks out the door,
your blood boiling
your stomach in ropes.
And when your friends say,
“What is it? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Totally Off-Topic

I just saw a commercial for the new Venus Embrace razor. It has 5 -- FIVE -- razor blades for the smoothest skin ever!

How many razor blades does a person need?

When I was growing up, two-bladed razors were the standard luxury. Then it became three. Then four. Now five.

In 2015, will we see a Bic X - the newest razor with an astounding 10 razors?!?

Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff

Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff
by Jennifer Holm. Illustrated by Elicia Castaldi

Graphic novel? Scrapbook? This is the story of Ginny Davis, spanning her 7th grade year. Ginny starts off the new year like we all do: with high hopes and optimistic goals. But this is middle school and there are more downs than ups for Ginny who experiences the humiliation of a bad home hair dye to the adjustment of gaining a step-father to seeing her brother sent away to military school.

And the medium? The story is literally told through stuff. To-do lists, post-its from family members, notes from teachers, notes passed from Ginny to her friends during class. Bills, report cards, drawings, poems, instant messaging. Everything that is on each page connects to and enhances the story line. One of the most appealing parts of this book is looking at each object and seeing how it adds to the story or gives you more info.

This is a great book for reluctant readers.

This is also a great book for adults who want to take a quick trip back middle school. While we might not all know what it's like to get a new step-dad or the experience of breaking your arm trying to rescue your cape-wearing little brother, we do remember the high hopes of middle school: the wished for boyfriend, the slow accumulation of money from babysitting that is so quickly wasted on lip gloss and eyeshadow, the wheeling and dealing with mom and dad... Books like this (and Diary of a Wimpy Kid) help me remember and regain empathy for the plight of the middle-schooler.
Grade: A+

BTW, this is my 35th book since June.

Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday should happen when it's warm. Then you can really revel in the hedonism. It's not as much fun in the cold. I guess this is why warm New Orleans has such a lovely celebration.

Fat Tuesday and I've never even had an official Paczki. They advertise the hell out of them here. Really it's just a Polish donut. I don't even like donuts that much, but still...

Good Times

Today I had the kids warm up by writing an intro for a persuasive topic. Here are some of the best snippets.

*I heard that you think we should get a class pat. 90% of the class would like a snack. Also snacks teach you about shedding skin and that could be a prize if you do the best on a quiz or test. I think snacks are a good class pet.

*I recommend that you get a King cobra. They may be poisonous, but on a white floor you could see them easily if it escapes...I think you should get a King cobra and name it Bill.

*I think a Komodo dragon is a good pet. (My comment: Aren't these animals dangerous? Maybe they would be a good ISS pet.)

*Donkeys can discipline people if they don't get something signed on time.

*A parrot would be a good pet because if a student didn't hear something the teacher said, the parrot could repeat it.

Touching Spirit Bear

Touching Spirit Bear (YA) by Ben Mikaelsen

Cole is a deeply troubled and violent teenager who brutally beats a classmate named Peter. Cole is given an option: a trial and the possibility of jail or participation in Circle Justice.

Circle Justice is a Native American concept of justice that involves the perpetrator, the community, and the violated. Those who participate collaborate on what type of punishment should be given. Circle Justice works under the assumption that no justice actually occurs unless healing occurs. It is a means of healing for, hopefully, all involved. Rather than just punishing the criminal, the hope is to foster growth and change in that individual.

Cole signs on for Circle Justice because he thinks that it's a joke and will be a cake walk when compared to a jail term. Rather than prison, Circle Justice sends him to spend a year on an isolated island. Cole will have to fend for himself, and come to terms with his own actions, hurt, and anger.

However, when Cole gets to the island, he still acts with all of his violent, reckless old self. He burns down his cabin, he tries to swim the cold Alaskan sea to escape, and he attacks a bear. All on his first day alone! After being brutally mauled by the bear, Cole waits to die ... and comes to terms with his own desire to live.

After being rescued, Cole takes many months to rehabilitate. He is given one last chance to complete his year of Circle Justice. Will he be able to finally come to terms with his anger and his own actions? As he learns to deal with his own issues, Cole begins to focus on that of his victim, Peter. How can Cole help Peter come to terms with what happened? How can Cole help Peter overcome fear?

This was an excellent book, and as the ALA Bestseller states, "An excellent companion to Gary Paulson's Hatchet." There are remarkable similarities between this book and the Hatchet books. However, this book contains more moral and ethical dilemmas to mull over.* All in all, a great read (especially Chapter 23).

Final Grade: A

*But in defense of Paulson, this book has nothing on the Hatchet books' wonderful descriptive imagery.

Abner & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure

Abner & Me: A Baseball Card Adventure (YA) by Dan Gutman.

Having tired of recommending the same few books for reluctant male readers, I finally asked my school librarian for some new picks to expand my own horizons (and, hence, hopefully my students as well).

Joe, an avid baseball player and fan, is a 13 year old boy who is able to time travel when he touches old pictures (in particular, baseball cards). In this story, Joe decides that he wants to uncover the truth behind the inventor of baseball. Abner Doubleday is the American whom legend reports to have invented the game; however, there is no proof of this. Joe decides to hop over to 1863 to find out if it's true. The only thing stopping him? Mom. But to his surprise, his mother, a nurse, readily agrees to let him go - IF he'll bring her too. Reluctantly Joe agrees, and he and his mom embark on their journey.

To their surprise, (but not the reader) they land in the middle of the Civil War. Gettysburg to be exact. Excellent depictions of the battle are given as well as what medicine was like at the time. Eventually, they stumble across Doubleday. After a quick baseball game and some war-time fighting, Joe and his mother decide to retreat home to safety. More adventures ensue, but I don't want to give it all away.

At first, I did not like this book. I didn't like the protagonist, and I'm not a big sports fan. However, I love the idea of time travel and historical stories. So in the end, the book worked for me. It had just enough humor. The 19th century scenes were well done. The suspense was rather low key, but I can definitely see why boys would like this book.

1) It's an easy read. Nothing very complicated. Easy plot. Easy and few characters.
2) It's about sports.
3) The boy helps play the hero, and becomes more grown-up (especially in his relationship with mom).

An Amazon review that I read mentioned that this book was too violent, but I don't really know what they're talking about. The Gettysburg scenes were truthful, and nothing that a fourth grader couldn't handle.

Final Grade: B+

One Caveat:
At one point, the mother muses over the possibility of going back in time to prevent the assassination of Lincoln. Joe tells his mother that history cannot be changed. Joe reminds her that he tried to prevent the Black Sox Scandal in 1919 but couldn't ( page 129). But at the beginning of the novel (page 22), the reader learns that Joe's Uncle Wilbur is only alive because of Joe's time-traveling intervention. In 1919, Uncle Wilbur originally died of influenza. On Joe's trip there, he gives his uncle some flu medicine. So I guess you can change history as long as it's not textbook history.

What I'm Doing Today

If You're Gonna Watch a Godfather Marathon...

watch it on a big, flat-screen. Really.

Dracula - A Ben Caldwell Cartoon Comic

Dracula - A Ben Caldwell Cartoon Comic
Adapted by Michael Mucci. Drawn by Ben Caldwell. Published by Sterling.

This is an excellent adaptation of Stoker's Dracula. All of the important parts of the book remain intact. The graphics rock. They're hip, modern, and thoroughly charming. Best of all, I think it would equally appeal to both girls and boys. I would love to teach this to my kids. My only complaint is the lack of page numbering. It's a pretty significant size, and if I were to use this in the classroom, it would need page numbers.

This graphic novel did bring up the following thought: How enhanced is my enjoyment of this story because I have read the original? I can only assume that I get greater satisfaction from this version because of my familiarity with Stoker's book. But if that is the case, how well would someone who has never read the original (or seen a movie version) assess the comic version? Would there be gaps in their comprehension of the story line?

Grade: A+

(Photo courtesy of www.barnesandnoble.com)

Eager

Eager (YA) by Helen Fox.


I got this sci-fi book at a school book fair. I was intrigued by what seemed to be a story about robotics and ethics. The stuff of Asimov and Bradbury (but more Asimov). I was so intrigued that I bought it, put it on my shelf, and promptly found many other books to occupy me. Last week, however, I had the kids voting for the Nutmeg Awards (Connecticut's YA and Children's Book awards, which are chosen by the kids themselves). Eager was one of the nominations. I was shamed by the fact that I had only read two of the many choices, and yet I owned most of them! And so I set to work...

Eager is set in a world about 100 years into the future. Robots help run everything - from construction to egg scrambling. Life Corp is the primary robotics corporations, and they have just begun distributing their latest product, the BDC4. These robots are efficient and exceptionally life-like. They are only for the most wealthy and privileged - the technocrats.

Young Fleur Bell and her family have an old antiquated robot named Grumps. Grumps' timing mechanism is off - causing all sorts of mishaps like tomato soup for breakfast. The Bells know they need a new robot, but they are reluctant to part with Grumps or deal with the high cost. Fleur's best friend has her own BDC4. While the Bell children dream of the newest and latest, Mr. Bell acquires an experimental prototype named EGR3. EGR3 is able to learn from his own experiences. The children, especially Fleur, are not so eager to accept EGR3 but as EGR3 becomes more life-like they come to rely upon him - especially when the BDC4s of the world begin malfunctioning!

This was a fun read. I enjoyed the descriptions of life in the future, but I felt that the conflict of the plot was rather subdued. The terrifying takeover of a group of BDSC4s wasn't depicted as being really that terrifying. It feels as though the author had a great time writing until right before the start of the climax (which I will state is the moment in which Marcia announces that the BDC4s have taken over her neighborhood), and then just got tired. The details after this point seem muted and more like a summary.

Grade: C+

Delayed Opening

Delayed Opening Today. Once again, I would like to reiterate that my students' last full week was December 8th, and for the foreseeable future won't have a true full week until February 26th.

We are getting lazy and soft because of the snow.

Circle of Blood (YA)

Circle of Blood by Alane Ferguson

Another forensic mystery solved by Cameron Mahoney! That's right. Our modern day Nancy Drew is back and truly better than ever.

Cameron is dealing with all of the difficult emotions of being reunited with her mother when the small town of Silverton is once again the sight of a murder mystery. A young girl is shot, or is it suicide? Cameron's mother is somehow involved in this whole mess, but Cameron is determined to solve the crime in order to save her mother from any implication of murder.

All in all, this is the best Cameron Mahoney mystery yet. Why? 1) This one had some great stomach turning autopsy description. 2) Cameron makes mistakes typical of a teenager. 3) Really believable plot concerning the murder.* 4) Cameron uses technology more frequently than before.**

Grade: A-

*And when I say the plot line is believable, I mean that I have seen familiar crime plots on various crime shows, which may or may not have been ripped from the headlines.
** I feel that YA literature is still catching up to technology. It's nice to see the frequent references to Google, e-mail, and texting in a story line. This type of instantaneous information retrieval is now a part of life.

Early Dismissal

An early dismissal was announced today. The why is actually beyond me. It's only a light snow right now, and it's not even accumulating on the roads. It's melting! This year there hasn't been a snow where the flakes didn't just sit on top of the pavement. It's been pretty consistently below freezing. Regardless, we had an early dismissal, which means that my students will not have had a complete week (no snow day/no vacation/no delay/no dismissal) from December 8 to February 23.

Rhett Butler's People

Rhett Butler's People by McCraig.

I read Gone with the Wind (GWTW) during my Freshmen year of high school. I read it at home. I read it on the bus. I read it placed discreetly under my desk during Biology. I eagerly awaited the arrival of the prequel Scarlett. On Christmas Eve, my Aunt Camille gave me a copy. My mother had to hold it hostage until we went home - all to ensure that I did not hole up in a wall and read through the family dinner.

GWTW? Politically incorrect? Lacking true reflection on slavery and the South? Guilty. Fantastically mind-boggling great read? Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Ripley's Scarlett? Scarlett is where a yarn becomes too far-fetched and unbelievable. But I still ate it up. That book was done in a day.

Rhett Butler's People? IDK. Is it that I am an older, more discerning reader than when I read Scarlett? Perhaps.

This book takes on too much. Too much time (two decades) and way too many characters. Although this book focuses on Rhett's perspective and fills in the details of his childhood and youth, it doesn't do much for the character. The stars of the show, in fact, are poorly done in general. Scarlett, Rhett, and Melanie: I was displeased by the characterization of all three. Scarlett came off as being less a determined fire-brand. Rhett was described in detail, and yet the reader still never gains a greater understanding of why he loves Scarlett so much. Or why he considers them uniquely similar. And Melanie? Perhaps the mysterious, saintly aura of Melanie is better than a tepid attempt to tell her side of the story.

Where McCraig does shine is when he isn't focusing on GWTW. A large part of the book focuses on Rosemary Butler, Rhett's younger sister, and her struggles with survival and love. I also really enjoyed reading from Belle's perspective. Quite frankly, these two characters could have separately sustained their own novels.

The beginning of this book dragged on like few do for me. For the first 250 pages, I graded this as an F. The subsequent 150 or so pages picked up quite a bit. The excitement that grew as the pages turned, however, was shattered at the very end. The Klan wants to exact revenge on Rhett, so they vandalize and terrorize Tara. Death and fire ensue. It was just a bit too much. But still, by the end, I was so sad to see Scarlett and Rhett and the remaining GWTW gang go.

Grade: C+/B-

My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I finished this book over a week ago. But I am so overwhelmed by it that I have been hesitant to write anything about it. I'm still ruminating over it. The storyline. The ethics. The narration style.

In short, this is a story about a family that must make a decision that can never possibly lead to a happy ending. Anna, a young girl, was genetically conceived to be a match to her older sister, Kate, who has leukemia. As time has progressed, more has been asked medically of Anna. Now, she is being asked to give her kidney.

Anna is coming to terms with where her life ends and her sister's life begins. Without Anna, Kate cannot be. And Anna has decided that she needs control of her own life and body.

Where does familial obligation end and personal autonomy begin? What right does a person have to deny their sister life? And what if your life was created with the singular purpose of providing a solution to death?

My Sister's Keeper is told from a multitude of perspectives. From the mother who struggles with a sick daughter and the turmoil of asking her other daughter to endure pain. From the father who decides to side with Anna. There are chapters from the brother's perspective and also from the lawyer's and child advocate's perspectives. All of the multiple view points give the reader a more comprehensive view of just how difficult these decisions are ethically and morally.

I've included this link, which does a much better job reviewing this book.

Side Note: I am adding this book to my subgenre of books about genetic transplants, which include The House of Scorpions and Never Let Me Go.

Grade: A+

The Last Straw - Finally!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (YA) by Jeff Kinney.


The Last Straw ... but, thankfully, not Greg Heffley's last book. This is another charming, humorous addition to the Wimpy Kid series.

As an adult, I really enjoy this series because I think it portrays preteens very well. While Greg suffers from being genuinely misunderstood by adults, he also digs himself deeper into trouble with his own typical adolescent egoism (and laziness).

All in all, a great read. I love the layout, the font, and the drawings. More than a graphic novel, but it definitely reads just as fast as any Garfield comic book.

Grade: A