School's Out, What Now?

Turtle in Paradise

2011-09-04T16:47:00.000-04:00

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm

Turtle is an eleven year old girl who has lived life on the move. Her mother's a maid during the Great Depression and jobs are hard to come by. What isn't so hard to come by are the numerous men that Turtle's mother seems to fall in love with. Needless to say, Turtle is no dreamer; she's a realist.

Mother does finally land a job, but the lady of the house won't allow young children to live there. And so Turtle finds herself shipped to Key West, Florida, where her mother's sister lives.

Key West is nothing like anything else Turtle's ever experienced. Shoes are optional, but the heat is not. Used to being a team consisting of just herself and her mother, Turtle must now get used to a house full of cousins and a town where most of the residents are related to her - somehow! Slowly, she adjusts to her new life and her new family. She's even accepted by the Diaper Gang, a group of boys (her cousin's the leader) who have a babysitters' club type-of-thing going on - except they get paid in candy! She comes to love the boys' daily gathering to create a "Key West Cut-Up" - a tradition of cutting up whatever fruits and veggies the kids had on hand and pouring key lime juice all over it. She's even lured into the romance of the many stories of pirates and buried treasure that fill the land.

Turtle didn't want to go to Key West, but the question you ask yourself, is how could she leave it now?

This was a super charming read. Turtle is adorable and scrappy. Key West is a fantastic setting. You'll love reading about the water, the heat, the scenery, and the fruit-laden trees. The Diaper Gang is hilarious. This book reminds me of the Goonies and the Little Rascals. While I can't say I loved it, I really enjoyed it. The writing is brisk and light. The descriptions are clear and concise but not heavy-handed. It's a quick, pleasant read.

For more info on a Key West cut-up, click here.

Oh, and more interesting info. The author, Jennifer Holm, writes the Babymouse series, which I abhor, AND Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf, which is a graphic novel-esque story that I LOVED. It's just interesting to come across a writer with so many different styles.

The Forgotten Garden

2011-09-04T16:25:00.000-04:00

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

A tale within a tale within a tale...

1913: A portmaster on some Australian coast finds a small girl on an English ship that has just arrived in Australia. The little girl has no recollection of her name and is carrying nothing but a small suitcase containing a book of fairy tales. The portmaster has no choice but to bring the small child home. Day after day, he and his childless wife wait to hear news of some family searching for the girl, but no news appear. Eventually they claim her as their own.

Nell grows up to be the apple of her father's eye, the delight of her mother and younger sisters, and one of the most beautiful girls around. But on her 21st birthday, her father chooses to reveal a deep secret: Nell is not their biological daughter.

And she disconnects. Breaks her engagement. Becomes distant from her family. Moves away.

1976: Now 65, Nell finally decides to attempt to trace her true roots. (Yeah, I know. Doesn't it seem like she would have done more of that a lot sooner?) Nell eventually discovers where she is from, but not much else surrounding her mysterious arrival in Australia or why she was abandoned and by whom. Although she wants to go back to England to continue her search, her own daughter leaves her granddaughter, Cassandra, with her for a few weeks. And those weeks turn to years.

2005: After Nell dies, Cassandra learns her grandmother's dreadful (sarcasm on my part) secret and takes up the search. The search leads back to a rich family in England. A rich, young lady named Rose and her cousin Eliza, an author of fairy tales. Cassandra works tirelessly to discover who Eliza is and why she would have taken Rose to another country.

So this is really and truly a tale within a tale within a tale: rotating between Cassandra's continued search for Nell's origins to Nell's own search during 1975 to Eliza's own story at the turn of the century.
And sometimes Eliza's own fairy tales are inserted between these chapters.

It's a lot, right? That's my primary complaint. The story of how little Nell got to Australia is a compelling and worthwhile one, but the narratives that follow Nell and Cassandra as they unravel the mysteries are not. And neither are the fairy tales. And neither are the many side characters that pop up in Cassandra's story. I don't care about Ruby, the daughter of an Australian Cassandra knows, who now lives in England. I don't really care that Cassandra is falling in love with the English gardener. I don't care about the woman who bought Rose's family estate and turned it into a hotel. I just don't care. In fact, I found myself skimming a lot, sometimes skipping pages outright.

All in all I only made it through this 549 page story because Eliza is a compelling character, as is her cousin Rose. Unfortunately, we don't hear nearly enough from them.

Grade: C

Baby Time!

2011-08-12T06:02:00.002-04:00

First Part Last (A Coretta Scott King Award)

2011-06-30T14:49:00.003-04:00

by Angela Johnson

Poetic prose told from the first person perspective of Bobby, a teen father who is the primary parent of his daughter. The chapters alternate between his narration of the present and all his struggles encountered while caring for baby Feather, and chapters about the past, including those moments prior to and during his girlfriend Nia's pregnancy.

Poignant and superbly written. Also, it flies by at only 131 pages and crisp, clean narration.

Grade: A+

Someone Like You

2011-06-30T14:44:00.006-04:00


A rather dull cover of the book.

by Sarah Dessen

Haley helps her bff, Scarlett, deal with her pregnancy while working through her own strained relationship with her mother. This book is a quick, easy read dealing with a rather typical girl's transition from mom's best friend to an individual fighting to define herself. The unusual backdrop is that of her friend's pregnancy.

All in all, this book was good and quick - a few hours will finish it up - but not the quality I expected from Dessen. My sister also agrees, and I believe she's read probably 100% of Dessen's books up to a publication date of 2009.

Grade: C+

Lock and Key

2011-06-30T14:40:00.002-04:00

by Sarah Dessen

Not as good as Keeping the Moon, and definitely longer, but still a great read in my opinion. Definitely a girl's book and has all the markers of a great vacation read. What I love about Dessen's books is they are so easily upper teen fiction.

Here's a review from Reading Rants! since it's been awhile for me:
http://www.readingrants.org/2008/05/05/lock-and-key-by-sarah-dessen/

Luna

2011-06-30T14:37:00.001-04:00

by Julie Ann Peters

Liam is a good-looking, freakishly smart high school upperclassman, and yet the only person who really knows him is his younger sister, Regan. Regan is the sole holder of his very heavy secret. Liam is transgendered, and planning to crossover into his new identity as Luna.

I didn't finish this book. Don't get me wrong. It was well-written and the plot was definitely one I had not encountered before. But I began to be saddled by the stress of Regan having to keep such a powerful secret for her brother. This is a stressful and tense book, and I wish I could say I know how it ends, but I had to put it down. This book is (as far as I could see, and I read 147 of the 248 pages) much more about the stress Regan encounters keeping Luna's secret as it is about Luna becoming Luna.

Grade: B (but my school librarian highly, highly recommends it.)

I Am Legend

2011-06-30T14:29:00.001-04:00

by Richard Matheson

A long time ago, when I saw the movie I AM LEGEND with the lovely Will Smith, I thought "Wow! Can I read this book?" Years later, while at the Goodwill, I found a copy. I read this book in April, so my review is going to be a bit dusty and perhaps a bit more of a book-movie comparison than a book review.

Robert Neville is the only man alive. Everyone else has succumbed to a deadly vampiric infection. Or have they? Neville spends his days refortifying his house and killing the infected. At night, he holes up in his fortress-like home and tries to drink away the howls of the now dead and the memories of the ones he used to love. (So far, pretty similar to the movie.)

However, the book Neville isn't one of the best scientists in the world, so gone are all the absolutely wonderful science-lab backstory and vaccine montages that I loved in the movie.

Another however, this book has absolutely none of the hope that the movie does. The book is an end-of-the-world and there's not much you can do about it type of story. I'm torn between which I like better: the bittersweet, yet hopeful ending of the movie or the damned, that's it? ending of the book.

That being said, this is a great read at only 169 pages and while it's not hopeful, I would still easily classify it as light beach reading. B+

The Maze Runner

2011-06-30T14:23:00.001-04:00

by James Dashner

This book has a Hunger Games, Jr feel to it. Thomas finds himself in the "Glade" with no memory of where or who he was in the past. But he's not alone, a number of other boys are also in the Glade with the same problem. They've developed their own working hieracrchy and manage to get by since whoever created the Glade had the foresight to build in all the essentials: farm, slaughterhouse, etc. The kicker is that the Glade is surrounded by a giant wall and each day the wall's gate open and each night, they close. Outside the walls is an giant, ever-changing maze which the runners (maze explorers) dutifully go out into every day trying to find an escape. But the maze changes every day as well, and there are hidden dangers - robotic, yet mythological creatures whose bite or scratch can prove fatal.

All is running normally - as normally as it can in the Glade - when another new child arrives. This child is different. He's a girl. And she's the last new child to ever be brought to the glade.

The writing in this book is fast-paced and exciting, but definitely for the 10 to 14 range, and not really older. While this is a great read, it lacks the weighty ethical issues that I found myself thinking about in The Hunger Games. One thing I loved was the fact that the storyline is so obviously based on King Minos, the Minotaur, and the labyrinth.

Grade: B

Story of a Girl

2011-06-30T14:10:00.001-04:00

By Sara Zarr

This is a great coming-of-age novel that deals with a teen girl who is dealing with a reputation she just can't seem to lose and a family that feels like it's definitely falling apart. This book is short, realistic, and definitely a downer. However, it's still a worthwhile read - but one I read in April. So I'm going provide a link to a great book reviewer, Karin the Librarian.

http://www.karinsbooknook.com/2010/02/21/story-of-a-girl-by-sara-zarr-review/

My Grade: A- because it was very well-written, but probably just a B because I still felt like I was just reading the book - not a part of it.

Plague (The Gone Series)

2011-04-10T15:57:00.001-04:00

Boy, the covers are cheesy, though....

Well, stock in the Gone series has gone back up. After a tepid swim with Lies, Plague is back kickin' ass.

I love a good story about a plague. But strangely enough, the fatal flu wasn't what I flipped over. It was the absolutely disgusting parasitic worms that infected several characters and would literally eat their own hosts. Goodness, I think Grant should have gone into even more detail about those. It was stomach-turning and awesome at the same time. (An aside: Strangely, I have no stomach at all for scary movies, but do love the book versions.)

Back to the book: Albert, the self-made Trump of the FAYZ, has realized that the water levels of the reservoir are dropping dangerously low. Even with one gallon per person rations, the water supply isn't going to last long enough. He sends out an expedition made up of Sam, Dekka, Taylor, and Jack to search the outer boundaries of the FAYZ for additional water sources. While they explore their world, the kids at Perdido Beach must deal with both a devastating flu and a case of parasitic worms - that hatch and turn into almost indestructible and very hungry insects.

But, of course, that's not all. (Because it's not a Gone book unless one hundred other plots lines are happening, right?) Drake and Brittany are back - working for and against the Darkness (a.k.a. the Gaigaphage). What is left of the hate-group, the Human Crew, have beaten Albert to a pulp. Edilio is on his deathbed with the flu, and all hell, of course, breaks out.

Let's just say Caine comes back.

My review? This book really took time to explore Pete Ellison's mind - he's the five year old autistic boy who is responsible for the FAYZ. And he's the center of this whole mystery, so it's terribly exciting to see how he perceives his world. There's a lot of close-up time with Diana, and she absolutely will be the driving force behind why readers will flock to the fifth book of the series. Character development is still a bit slow, given all the pages, and I'm particularly saddened that I don't really care much for Sam anymore than when I started. However, as always, the storyline is non-stop adrenaline that doesn't let up - or give you time to reflect on plausibility, character development, etc.

Grade: B+

N.B. The covers for these books are absolutely horrible.

Keeping the Moon

2011-04-10T15:24:00.001-04:00

I don't know why these shorts have to be this short either.

by Sarah Dessen

Keeping the Moon is about a teenaged girl who finds some solace in a resort town when she lives with her Aunt Mira for a summer. Having once been fat, Colie can't shed her own ugly self-esteem - not that any of her classmates have let her either.

In the town of Colby, North Carolina, Colie lands a job at a local dinner - aptly names "Last Chance." Here she is able to closely observe friendship between two other girls: Morgan and Isabel. While she takes orders and folds napkins, Colie learns how to be a friend herself, how to accept others' differences, and how to accept herself for the wonderful person she is.

This was my first Sarah Dessen book, and I am ashamed it took me so long. My sister has been reading Dessen for years. Regardless, I didn't want to read it, but when a self-professed non-reader finished it in mere hours, I knew I had to give Dessen a chance.

This was a soft, slow, meandering novel. There were lessens learned and lots of feel-good moments. I enjoyed it a great deal. The character development was superb, and I have been missing that. I surmise that sci-fi character development is a tad bit more shallow since the focus is on the what and how and not necessarily on the who. Anyway, I've been all sci-fi, all the time lately, and getting to really know and connect with a character was great.

Grade: B

Lies

2011-04-10T15:15:00.002-04:00

by Michael Grant

In the third installment of the Gone series, way too many things happen... So it's business as usual for the world of the FAYZ.

Sam has ceded control over to the council: A council that is much to slow to make decisions or take action.
The Human Crew forms; it's a freak-hate group.
A prophetess named Orsay is communicating with those outside the FAYZ.
Mary Terrafino, who cares for the children in the nursery, has become overburdened and under-medicated.
Astrid and Sam argue.
Oh, and Brittany - the girl who died during the nuclear power plant fight - comes back from the dead.
And Drake, too.

Listen, tons of other stuff develops, too, but I read this book two weeks ago. Grade-wise, I would probably give this a C+. Too much happens, and the storyline becomes burdensome with so many different angles to it. However, there were a few redeeming qualities. Astrid's character is developed more. She's conflicted and arrogant. In a way, she's one of the better developed characters. Grant has gone about giving this goody-goody such sharp edges that make her hard to like. Unlike, strangley, the bad-girl Diana, with whom (I assume) most readers probably empathize. I found the whole storyline with Mary Terrafino to be terribly long and boring. For a girl suffering from way too much responsibility, depression, and an eating disorder, I found it hard to even want to pay attention to her.

So, all in all, this book had its slow moments. But in the end, it's about the mystery of the Darkness and Little Pete. What does this five-year old autistic child have to do with the FAYZ?

Grade: C+

The Compound

2011-03-14T19:24:00.000-04:00

by S.A. Bodeen

What if the world had been nuked?

What if your family had an escape plan?

What if your family had a well-stocked fallout shelter?

What would happen when things went wrong?

Eli has lived for six years in his family’s compound. An unending compound with room for the whole family, filled with enough supplies to last a nuclear winter of fifteen years. But the time for Eddy has not been one of relief, because for the last six years his identical twin, Eddy, has been dead. Left outside. Because of Eli.

For six years he has not cut his hair. He has not touched anyone. He has cocooned himself from life and from himself, just as much as the compound has cocooned the whole family. After all this time, the strangeness of his life underground doesn’t seem shocking. But then Eli finally makes the choice to enter his brother’s room in the compound. And his world is torn apart.

Review:

Excellent! I would actually say that the ideas presented in this book were more disturbing than the violence of The Hunger Games or the mercy killing in This World We Live In. The pacing is fast and exciting, and despite the brevity of the book, I developed a connection with the characters, especially Eli (narrator) and his older sister, Lexie.

I have a few complaints. First, this book should have been longer. There are a lot of ethical issues that could have been delved into deeper. Second, had the plot been more developed, it would have given more time for Eli to discover more about the compound and his father’s insane plans. Hence, as a reader, I would have learned more. I love scientific background stories.

Grade: B+

Hunger (sequel to Gone)

2011-03-05T15:54:00.004-05:00

by Michael Grant.

One day all the adults disappeared, and only children under fifteen were left in San Perdido, California. One day an impenetrable dome surrounded the town. One day all the children learned they were on their own, in a new world: the FAYZ.

Three months after the FAYZ occurred, life is still the same: the adults are gone, some children have superpowers, and Caine and Drake are still the menacing enemies. But now they are hungry.

As children go hungry, tempers flare, and a rift grows between the "normals" and the "moofs" (mutant freaks).

While Sam Temple, the protagonist, tries to create order out of chaos, find food, and mediate squabbles and fights, Caine - a cruel, power-hungry (with super powers to boot) kid from Coates Prep School - devises a way to topple Sam from his position of leadership. He decides to take over the local power plant.

But Caine's not the only enemy now. Sam and his friends are now fully aware of "The Hunger" a creature that lives underground and is growing more powerful and evil...

My Review:

Perhaps it's because I've read close to thousand pages of this series in the past two weeks, or perhaps it's the actual novel, but I felt like there was some real character development in this book. Astrid, Sam's girlfriend, and Edilio, Alberto, and Quinn (normals who are Sam's friends) become more interesting and create more depth in this fast-paced plot.

Once again, Grant's story was exciting and compelling - although for a brief spell (pages 200 to 300 or so) I lost interest.

Ethically, the book becomes more interesting as character have to deal with prejudices and mistrust between the moofs and the normals.

Each time you think you're unpeeling the mystery of the FAYZ, you find out there is another layer that you didn't know existed, and these mysteries have me chomping at the bit to read the next book: Lies.

Grade: B+

Gone

2011-03-02T21:13:00.000-05:00

By Michael Grant

Gone is touted as a modern-day Lord of the Flies. It's not that good. By that I mean, you won't be weighed down with any heavy ethical issues. No guilt for Piggy.

But it is good fun. And like all teenaged fun, it's best not to have the adults around.

San Perdido, California. One minute - normal life. The next? All individuals over the age of 15 have disappeared. There one second, gone the next.

Sam Templeton, a quiet 14 year old boy, becomes the leader who helps band the local kids together - fighting the bullies and also the rich, private school students who come down from their mountain to try to gain control of the town. The young children must be cared for, fights resolved, and a community must be governed.

In all honesty, there's enough to that story line to develop an engaging read.

But Grant gives us more. Along with the disappearance of adults comes the children's development of super powers. And the impenetrable domed barrier that prevents anyone from leaving the area. Oh, and did I forget to mention the mutating animals?

Throughout all the trials, the characters and the reader struggle to determine how? and why?

Honestly, that's a lot of ingredients for one story. And a lot of authors (especially if they were a seventh grader) would lose control of everything. But Grant does a good job tying it all together, juggling it all to help create a compelling mystery that drives the reader forward. I imagine that the reader's hunger to know the mystery is comparable to the series Lost (which I have never watched), Defying Gravity (awesome sci-fi series that was cancelled), or Battlestar Galactica (Best. Series. Ever.).

Of course, all this action and mystery has to take a toll on some aspect of the novel and it does: character development is rather shallow. But you'll forgive the book for this because you don't care so much for the characters as for the strange events, the mutations, the super powers, the fights, and the mystery. The fast pacing of the story line won't give you a moment to reflect on the weaknesses of the book anyway.

If you liked Hunger Games, super power stories, action-packed books, The Girl Who Owned a City, I Am Number Four, you will like Gone.

Grade: B+

I Am Number Four

2011-02-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

by Pittacus Lore

An alien race called the Mogadorians destroyed the planet Lorien. John Smith is one of nine alien children who escaped the destruction that occurred on Lorien. One of nine children with superpowers. Accompanied by their guardians, the nine arrived on Earth and have been living lives on the run, hiding from the Mogadorians who are out to finish them their race off.

The Nine are bound together by a charm that only allows the Mogadorians to kill them in order. John Smith is number four, and he is next.

Living a life constantly on the run has not been fun for young John Smith or his guardian, Henri. When fate finally lands them in Paradise, Ohio, John decides he’s ready to develop roots. He finds a friend and falls in love. As the story progresses and as John becomes more comfortable with his life in Paradise, the Mogadorians draw closer.

My review?

This story is one dimensional. There’s not a lot to drive the plot forward other than the Mogadorians, and the rising action doesn’t really create the suspense or tension readers enjoy with good action/adventure/mystery storylines. The character development is minimal; by the end of the book, I hadn’t really developed a connection with any of the characters. In fact, the character I liked the most was Bernie Kosar, John’s pet beagle.

The writing is one part sophisticated, one part middle school. The writing style is polished, but there is a lack of restraint that I also find in middle school writing. Overbearing, unnecessary descriptions of places. Details added in that seem to add little. Poorly explained background stories or descriptions. Beasts and turns of events added just to create more chaos. That's a typical middle-school writing trick: just adding extraordinary stuff on the fly just for shock effect. Ad-lib writing and "just because" justifications.

However, the book pulls together in the end because of the introduction of one compelling character: Number Six. It’s for this reason that I leave this book off with a B-/C+. Because it left me hope that the next book would be better.

Grade: C+

Birthmarked

2011-02-15T17:36:00.000-05:00

By Caragh M. O’Brien

Birthmarked is a sci-fi (although a subtle sci-fi) story set in a dystopian future. Hundreds of years into the future, only small remnants of humanity remain – small pockets of communities. Water is scarce – so scarce that even the Great Lakes are now “unlakes.” An oppressive ruling class called the Enclave has devised a system: the privileged and chosen live inside a gated community where resources are plentiful, while those outside the wall must scrape by on what the Enclave will give them.

Genetically, the pool of genes within the Enclave was small – inbreeding occurred and recessive diseases like hemophilia became rampant. To strengthen their pedigrees, the Enclave takes what it must from those who live outside of the wall: their children. The Enclave requires the first three babies born in each month be taken-"advanced"- from their parents for a better life inside the Enclave. In return, those taken babies will help increase the Enclave’s genetic diversity.

Gaia is from the outside. She is a mid-wife. It was her mother’s vocation, and ever since the Enclave imprisoned her parents, it is now hers. For the first time, she truly begins to question the Enclave’s right to children outside the wall.

This was a very good book written by a local CT author. At times the plotline felt too convenient, but otherwise a really good read. If you liked Handmaid’s Tale or The Giver, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Grade: B+

Ender's Game

2011-02-15T17:25:00.000-05:00

by Orson Scott Card

Ender’s Game is an interesting book, first published in the late 70s. I believe, but perhaps erroneously, that it is one of the “classic science fiction” novels specifically targeting children and young adults. But it’s hard for me to explain what this book is. If you like science fiction, will you read it? Yes. Will you like it? Maybe. Does it have a few interesting moral and ethical questions for you to ponder? Yes.

So, let’s cut to the chase. Ender Wiggins is a young boy in a society set far into the future. A society that is ruled by three separate entities, who are currently united in one fight: the fight against the buggers – an alien race that has attacked Earth twice before.

The international military is constantly preparing for their next encounter with the buggers. They prepare by picking the most intelligent children who have personalities that are highly suitable for military leadership. Such children leave their families and spend the rest of their childhoods learning, training, and fighting in Battle School.

Six-year old Ender Wiggins is chosen. But he turns out to not just be chosen; it’s like he is the chosen one. The adults quickly realize his potential far outweighes the potential of any other student, and so they begin to manipulate Ender’s life. They ensure that Ender is always on the outside to keep him from getting comfortable. They do little to prevent Ender from being bullied because they want him to learn how to deal with conflict on his own.

Ender quickly advances through the ranks, constantly outperforming everyone’s expectations. He is their genius military leader, but he begins to wonder if it’s all worth it.

Readability-wise this story reads kind of like a textbook with a B-line plot and shallow character development. It wouldn’t make a bad Made-For-TV movie. The shame of it is with more time and development of characters, I think I would have really enjoyed this book. When you enjoy this book, you’re enjoying it simply for the premise not necessarily for the writing.

Interesting Ethical Areas:

Childhood: Is it ethical to begin strict military training at the age of 6? Do we treat children like pawns? Are we unable to see children’s true potential because we see them as “children”?

Violence: When is violence justified? Exactly how violent can children be before it could be considered a “problem”? Can you justify exterminating an entire race – when those in question are attacking aliens?

Interesting point: One totally cool thing that this book focuses on is orientation, planes, and zero gravity. Ender spends a lot of time training his troops to give up their Earth orientation: where up is up and down is down. In zero gravity, you can be anyway. This is interesting because if you watch sci-fi (Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica), the ships all fly together on the same plane. Why?

Grade: B-

Away from Reading

2011-01-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

Every fall my reading slows down. The free time of summer is gone, and a new school year hits me like a ton of bricks. But this fall I really stopped reading.

Fall was good, but then fall got rough. And I didn't want to read.

For the first time in my life, reading didn't provide a therapeutic escape for me. I even stopped caring about being a "book pusher" at school.

Thankfully, it snowed. And snowed. And snowed. And snowed.

So -

I'M BACK!

Here are the few books I've read lately.

Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly

An interestingly crafted historical fiction that intertwines the life of a teen Brooklynite with a young girl living during the French Revolution. If you like music, you'll appreciate this book, which takes pains to bring music into almost every page. Let's just say you could create an entire playlist using the songs referenced in this book. A long playlist. I think if you like historical fiction (which I do), you'll enjoy this.

There are times where the plot gets a little sketchy, but you'll let it slide.

All in all, I enjoyed this book by Donnelly much better than her A Northern Light.

Forged by Laurie Halse Anderson

A companion to Chains, which was awesome, this follows the life of Curzon (the slave with whom Isobel ran away). Curzon fights in the army. Honestly, I didn't like this and only got about 3/4 of the way through it. It was dry and lacked passion. However, like all of Anderson's historical fiction, it was meticulously researched.

The Tudors by G. J. Meyer.

A nonfiction piece about the reign of the Tudors. I really dug this book, especially the alternating chapters that would detail certain aspects of Renaissance life from what the people ate to the spread of the printing press. However, this is no light book. If you want to know almost everything about anything that went on during Henry VIII's reign - pick this one up. BTW, Henry the VIII was an ass. Like I said, this is a pretty hefty book - let's just say it's a horse pill. In fact, I only made it up to Mary's death, and then I had to return the book to the library. I have every intention of taking it back out to read through Elizabeth's reign, though!

Brooklyn by Colm Toibin.

An excellent read. Ellis, a young Irish lady, finds herself traveling to America for employment. She lives in a boarding house, must learn to acclimate to her new job and new land, and fight her own homesickness. Awesome book, especially if you liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

Stitches: A Memoir

2010-08-23T09:11:00.001-04:00

by David Small

Stitches is a graphic novel retelling the creator's life as a child in a dysfunctional family. As a small boy, David was plagued with sinus and respiratory problems. As a treatment, David was given hundreds of X-rays by his father, a radiologist. His father believed that the powers of radiation could help solve sinus problems.

David grows up in a cold world, where each of his family members has retreated into their own world. His mother is cruel. His older brother is preoccupied with his own method of escape (drumming). His father just seems, well, absent.

Years later, David develops a "growth" on his neck. After seeing a doctor, who says that it is probably benign but should be taken care of, it takes his parents three years to take him to the surgeon.

David believes that he is having surgery to remove his cyst, but when he wakes up he can no longer speak. There is no explanation. His parents leave fourteen year old David to make the adjustment himself.

But he doesn't adjust. He rebels, and who could blame him?

I 'll leave the synopsis right there. This is a sad, tragic story. Wally Lamb style, for sure, but true. But it works. Why? It's not over-wrung with emotion. You can feel how David develops his own protective armor, his own cold separation. And yet you can still feel how disappointed the boy is. I'm not sure if this is communicated via the drawings or via the terse dialogue that goes on.

But it's good, and it's a real quick read (< 1 hour). It ends abruptly, and I can see how many wouldn't like it. But I liked the ending a lot.

Grade: B

Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life

2010-08-21T10:28:00.000-04:00

by Annette Lareau.

I read about this book in a NYT's article, which I will post here. It is probably more informative than this review. (BTW, the article is further discussed in Lisa Belkin's NYT blog, Motherlode.)

Unequal Childhoods is about Lareau's study into the difference in parenting philosophies between different classes and races during the 90s. She and a team of researchers spent intensive time with different families as they went about their lives. She found that race does not so much affect one's parenting philosophy as class does. Working class and the poor tend toward the philosophy of "natural growth," while middle class families tend to raise their children with the philosophy of "concerted cultivation."

A lot of it comes down to money. If you have money, then you can afford to reason with your kids. You can afford the myriad of activities that help prepare your child for an adult world. Middle class parents teach their child how to elaborate, persuade, and reason. They teach them how to demand individual attention. They teach them how to get what they want and how to manage in an adult world. Hence, middle-class children often have very adult schedules. Why? Middle class parents enjoy their own adult lives greatly and see the pleasures of work, which results in financial gains. They want to prepare their children for the same lifestyle. Low-income and working class parents tend to let their children have lots of free time to manage as they see fit. Why? The parents are busy working, just trying to have ends meet. These parents give directives. Why? Because they don't have the time. In a way, this philosophy reflects the parents' attitudes towards adulthood: a time of struggle. Why try to train your kids for that?

There are distinct advantages to the natural growth philosophy: the kids really don't fight with siblings (versus regular fighting in middle class families with more than one child), the kids learn how to occupy their own time (therefore, less of the "I'm bored" stuff), they easily work and play with kids of different ages, and they argue less with adults.

The advantages to "concerted cultivation"? The children have increased verbal skills. They learn how to persuade and argue. They learn how to speak up to individuals of authority to make their concerns and ideas known. They are better prepared for a middle class lifestyle.

Each chapter begins with the recounting of a different family that was studied. This is the most interesting part. Then the chapters begin a deeper exploration of what those family practices mean for the development of the child, etc.

An interesting read, but a bit repetitive. What I liked about it was that it does shed light on some of what I see as a teacher. The town I work in has a pretty equal divide of "concerted cultivation" and "natural growth." In fact, where I live there is a lot of "natural growth" philosophy out there. It's a kick back to what I imagine the 50s and 60s were like, when most parents (regardless of class), practiced natural growth: Kids playing on the streets, riding bikes everywhere, jump roping, etc. Granted, the problem is that natural growth parenting does not always work well with the educational system. Natural growth parents tend to see school as a totally separate part of their child's life. Therefore, school problems are mostly a teacher's problem. Teachers want the best of both worlds: natural growth, which leaves the teacher alone and doesn't question him/her, and concerted cultivation, which is supportive and actively involved in their child's education.

Grade: B

The Forest of Hands and Teeth: Remarkably Like The Passage

2010-08-18T18:33:00.000-04:00

by Carrie Ryan

"Who are we if not the stories we pass down? What happens when there's no one left to tell those stories? To hear them? Who will ever know that I existed? What is we are the only ones left - who will know our stories then? And what will happen to everyone else's stories? Who will remember those?
...
'I know about you, Mary.' He places a hand on my cheek, trails one finger along my jaw, and I'm forced to close my eyes so that he doesn't read in my expression the words that ring in my head but that I can't say aloud. That it is not enough.

That I am terrified that he is not enough." (p. 207)

The ocean: a wide, unending expanse of water. A fairytale? Or a memory passed down from mother to child through generations? In Mary's world all that exists beyond the village is the Forest of Hands and Teeth.

In this isolated world of order, all individuals have a common fear: the unconsecrated.
(Or virals, as they were known in The Passage, but the Unconsecrated are more like zombies.)
There are the Guardians, who guard the perimeter, and the Sisters, who make the decisions.
(Or the First Families, as they were known in The Passage.)
There are the villagers, who live their lives out despite the constant death and terror that surrounds them. Grow up, get married, have children.

And then there is Mary, who is torn between the man she is betrothed to and the man she loves. Mary, who also believes in the ocean and the existence of others.

As Mary's world begins to unwind, she learns of deeper secrets held by the Sisters. Secrets that lead Mary to suspect that another world is out there, and it is attainable. As the village's way of life is destroyed, Mary and her friends struggle to determine the right paths for their own lives.

Yup. So this is super familiar, right? We've heard this storyline before. Much to my surprise, though, this novel is much better done than both Cronin's The Passage and Haddix's Running Out of Time. The characters were much more personable, the pacing was super-fast (I read it this afternoon), and the prose was almost poetic at times.

Grade: A

Musings

2010-08-18T13:16:00.001-04:00

There are things I like to think about in the history of novels. I'm no expert, so these are just random thoughts.

Average sentence length of a 2010 novel compared to one from 100 or 200 years ago.
Use of first person and/or present tense now versus then.
Repetition of ideas. The say that all great stories come from other stories, but are we in an age where access has decreased originality? Or is it that access had led to more imitation? Or is it just that there is more of the same, so that a few ideas can dominate a market?

I guess I've been thinking about the last idea frequently lately. Many of the books that I read are really good books. Good prose, good story. But familiar, and not in a sense that you would expect. What do I mean? Well, in a series you would expect to find a familiar story line and characters. But so many books feel so connected. If I were to read only books from, say, the 1830s, would common threads run through many of them? I don't know; I've never done such an experiment. Perhaps it is because I read a lot, and I tend to read the YA market (which is heavily weighted towards girls).

Anyway, I just posted this because I'm two pages into The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (a 9th grade summer reading book), and I'm already thinking this:
"Hmm... an isolated and secured village? Haddix's Running Out of Time --> Cronin's The Passage --> M. Night Shymalan's The Village --> Perhaps even Lowry's The Messenger. (BTW, I do believe Haddix's book predates them all.)

Heist Society

2010-08-18T12:24:00.000-04:00

by Ally Carter.

Perhaps my second favorite book of the summer. A fast-paced book about a group of young thieves.

Think Da Vinci Code (for the art) plus the Ocean movies (for making thievin' look cool as hell) and maybe a bit of the Bourne movies (just because they're cool movies about being on the run). Oh, and that TV series that I watched a few times about a family of con-artists who assume the identity of a dead family. He becomes a lawyer... I don't know, but I like the primary actor a lot. Great comedian.

Kat Bishop was born into a family of thieves and con-artists. Not bad check writing type. Not the type that steal your credit card numbers. Not the type that scam the elderly. Not the type that steals TVs or computers and sells them from the back of the truck. (And, no, not dream thieves, Inception fans.)

High-end thieves. Swiss banks. Crown jewels. Artwork by the Masters: da Vinci, Raphael, Degas...

Kat loves her family-her father, her Uncle Eddie, her too-beautiful cousin, Gabrielle, the Bag boys-, but she longs for something different. Using all of her con-artist skills she gains not only admission into one of America's most prestigious boarding schools, but also the disapproval and censure of her family. She comes to appreciate the predictability of her life as a student until she is framed, and consequently expelled, for a school prank involving the destruction of one vintage Porshe owned by the headmaster.

Interestingly enough, though, this is not what the book is about. After her expulsion, Kat discovers that her father is suspected of stealing five Masterpieces, and the owner wants them back. Because he is tied up (under surveillance by the Interpol, actually), Kat must take on the mystery herself - with the help of her young family and friends. Not only must she find out who the real thief is, she also must devise a way to steal the paintings back. Her father's safety depends on it.

This was a great, fun read. A mystery to unravel. Cool tricks and technology to contemplate. A splash of romance. An evil bad guy. I wish the cover wasn't so feminized because this book could bring in a fairly large male audience as well. I wish it had gone into a little more detail: more detail on how the heist was done, more detail into relationships, but now that I think about it the Bourne Identity (book) went into too much detail, and I didn't like that. Regardless, I eagerly await a sequel. Also, if you liked the Frankie-Landau-Banks book, you will definitely like this one (imho).

Grade: A+

The London Eye Mystery

2010-08-08T17:10:00.000-04:00

by Siobhan Dowd

Ted (a boy whose age I can't recall and perhaps was not even mentioned) is the u-neek-ique protagonist in this mystery. Ted and his family, mom, dad, and sister Kat, live in London. Before his aunt and cousin leave to follow his aunt's career in NYC, they come to visit. Aunt Gloria is overly dramatic and pushy. Salim, Ted's teenaged cousin, is super cool and down-to-earth.Salim is reluctantly moving to America, and on their last full day in England he requests that they take a ride on the London Eye. Some gigantic Ferris-wheel type of ride, which sounds totally cool and awesome. And I always wanted to go to London, but now I want to go even more. Back to the book: Kat (Ted's sister), Ted, and Salim wait in line (or queue for tickets, since it is British) for tickets and a man approaches them. He has one ticket for free, any takers? Discouraged by the super long line, they decide that Salim should take it. Kat and Ted have already been on it anyway, and it would save money.

Thirty minutes after boarding, Salim's "pod" (Ferris carriage thing) lands.

And he's not on it.

What ensues is the unraveling of a mystery and insight into a family's interactions during a traumatic crisis. What you also see at work is Ted's unusual thought processes, his reactions to the world around him, and his growing relationship with his sister Kat.
Well-written, and an intriguing look into Ted's mind.

Grade: B+

Cool Looks at the London Eye

The photo "London eye" is copyright 2008 by **maurice** and made available under Creative Commons-licensed content requiring attribution.
The photo "London Eye" is copyright 2009 by "apdk" (Anthony Kelly) and made available under Creative Commons-licensed content requiring attribution.

The Mailbox

2010-08-08T16:29:00.000-04:00

by Audrey Shafer

By far the best book I have read all summer long. It's a quiet book, focusing on a young boy's love of his uncle.

Gabe Price has had a hard life - tossed from foster home to foster home - until his social worker is able to find his one last living relative - Uncle Vernon. So fifth grader Gabe finally has the stability and home that he always wanted. Vernon's not the warm, fuzzy type, though. A bit rough and crusty, and certainly more than a bit curmudgeonly, Vernon - a vet who seems somewhat haunted by his life in Vietnam - dispenses advice and knowledge to Gabe in small bits and pieces. But it is a good fit for both of them, and they clearly appreciate each other's presence. Oddly, the reader learns all of this after Vernon's death - so I'll back up a bit.

Gabe, a 12 year old boy, returns from his first day of middle school to find Uncle Vernon dead in his study. No fowl play. Just dead. Gabe is naturally shocked and terrified. While most 12 year-olds would run to the nearest adult, Gabe must contend with the fact that Vernon's death means that he will return to foster care. So Gabe shuts the door and goes to bed.

When he wakes up the body is gone. (Ah, the plot thickens!) Gabe is now even more terrified, but in an effort to cling to the one bit of security and stability he has left, he goes to school and returns to find an envelope in the mailbox. A stranger is communicating to Gabe. A stranger who knows about Uncle Vernon. A stranger who seems to know Gabe's conundrum. And where Uncle Vernon's body is.

The mystery of it pulls you in, eh? That's why so many 6th graders said they wanted to read it. But while you wait to discover what exactly happened to Uncle Vernon's body, you fall in love with Gabe and his bittersweet grieving reflections.

This book rocked. I loved the characterization. Gabe and his desire for a home. Gabe and his friends, sometimes childish, sometimes so genuine. Gabe and his dog. Gabe and his teachers. Gabe and the mysterious letter writer. Just a plain great read.

Grade: A+

Out of My Mind

2010-08-08T15:53:00.000-04:00

by Sharon Draper.

Melody is a middle school girl with a lot on her mind, but she has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. She has little control over her movements and has no speech. Melody lives at home with a loving family that has no idea of what she is truly capable of. She is limited by the word board that is in front of her. She spends countless hours in a special education room listening to mundane lessons.

But things change, little by little (but they seem fast in the book). First, Melody is mainstreamed into several new classes. She has an awesome new aide. Most importantly, she gains the ability to truly communicate with the use of some high-tech assistive technology. Using a computer board, Melody is now able to speak - very much a la Stephen Hawking.

For the first time, Melody is able to show her exceptional intelligence and her normal middle-school personality. She makes friends - kind of. She's able to say something back to the rude and heartless. She is able to tell her family how much she loves them. And she wows her classmates by getting on the quiz bowl team, helping them win their way all the way to the nationals.

But it's not all perfect. Really. Melody is brought to such heights, you begin to become frustrated. I mean, she is dealing with severe CP, and the book feels damned optimistic. That's why you become frustrated. You know it can't go on, but you want it to. You know it can't go on, and something worse will happen. How happy can this happy ending be? (And for those of you who know me, I'm not a big one for vibrant happy endings anyway.)

I'm going to leave it there and not say anything else. I'll just comment on the style. This book was well-written, straight forward with clean and crisp language. At times, Melody can have some beautiful poetic prose, but that's mostly just at the start and finish. It's an interesting view into the world of someone who is trapped in their body, and I think it would definitely open up any person's view into this type of disability. However, I do think that this book plays it a little too light, but as there are so few fiction books out there on the severely disabled, it's hard to judge. On a side note, this is a great companion to Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman, which was about another character with severe CP, but that book was much heavier and darker. I liked Out of My Mind much better, because Melody and her family were much more likable. I guess, although I don't profess to love happy endings, in the end I would prefer to dream that children dealt the most unfair physical hand are at least brought into truly loving and responsive families.

Grade: B

Babymouse 1: Queen of the World

2010-08-08T15:39:00.000-04:00

by Jennifer L Holm.

I picked this up at the library booksale. It's a little comic book about a girl mouse who goes to school. Babymouse isn't in with the cool girls, but she would like to be. When Babymouse hands over her own school paper to coolest girl in school, she gains an important invite to what is sure to be a fabulous sleepover. While Babymouse daydreams about how she is sure to become supercool, too, she barely gives a thought to the fact that she is going to stand up her equally nerdy friend with whom she already has plans.

The night finally arrives, and you guessed it. Babymouse doesn't have fun and the cool girls don't treat her very nicely. She bails out early and meets up with her friend.

The end.

Thank god this book was super short (think 30 minutes) because it was a definite waste of time. Like this was so predictable, it was an after school special, but not as well-written and lacking any gravitas. It was a Hallmark card: Accept yourself. Be happy with who you are. Trite and predictable, this could probably be made into a short film (think 5 minutes) that wouldn't be too much of a waste of time.

I did just research this book, and it's target audience is between 4 to 8 (amazon) and 7 to 10 (bn.com). That reassures me a little. I can't stand the idea of taking this seriously for anyone over 8, but I haven't read any of the others in the series. But I can see this being appropriate for a first through third grader, but absolutely not for anyone older.

No Grade as it is not relevant.

The Passage by Justin Cronin

2010-07-20T17:18:00.000-04:00

The Passage by Justin Cronin. It's, like, the 'it' novel for the summer. Or at least the sci-fi-vampire 'it' novel. So I ran out and got it. And it is looooooooooong. Here's what Ron Charles of the Washington Post has to say:

"Imagine Michael Crichton crossbreeding
Stephen King's "The Stand" and "Salem's Lot"
in that lab at Jurassic Park"

That's exactly my thought!! Except I might have added a bit of Dean Koontz. (Okay, I've only read Door to December, but still... The Passage feels a bit Koontz.) And I might have added King's Charlie McGee (the little firestarter from Firestarter).

But this is the thing: I love vampires. And I LOVE MICHAEL CRICHTON. And I have a deep respect and enjoyment of Stephen King. So this is, like, perfect, right?

Well, it is and it isn't. I love that vampirism is turned into a coldly scientific and unromantic virus. I love the background story. I mean, who doesn't love an origin story? as my husband would say.

The first two hundred pages are the origin story with all its juicy science-y stuff. Introduced are a hard-nosed FBI guy and an abandoned, precocious little kid. The precocious little kid is purposefully infected with the virus, thanks to US Military's scientific need for research. Loved it.

The rest of the 600 or so pages cover what the world in like 100 years into the post-virus future. A small community has survived called "The Colony." They live in a large compound that is powered by wind turbines, which help the lights stay on. Because the lights have to stay on. There are vampires about, remember?!? Except they call them virals. I agree with Ron Charles's astute criticism: this is where it got a little slow for me. There is so much detail about everyone in this community and their history; it gets tiresome. The story picks up momentum as a group from the colony leave their community, searching for an answer, other humans, something...

I liked this book. Crisp and fun at the start, a bit soggy in the middle, but a delectable end.
Anyway, I'm posting Ron Charles's review here.

BTW, although this has been purchased for its movie rights, I do not think a feature film is the way to go. I know it's risky, but I really believe this story would do better as a mini-series (like The Stand, V, etc.) The Passage is interesting because it takes the time to weave so many stories, and a movie wouldn't be able to do that. (I know! I just complained that the book was too detailed and too long, but I didn't sit down for just an hour or two every Monday night to read it.) The Da Vinci Code worked out well, because in the end, it was about the code - not about the people. But The Passage is about the people not the, necessarily the virals. It's about how they cope with their situation. How they put together the small clues to their future and past. It would really lend itself to a mini-series. Ohwell.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010-07-18T09:37:00.000-04:00

This is an adult book. A book for women. A great book club book. It's a good book.

This book was passed around my school, amongst the ladies, for several months until it made its way to me.

It's the story of a very racially divided South (Mississippi) just before the Civil Rights movement really kicks into place. Skeeter, a young white woman from a wealthy family, has graduated from college. Awkward, tall, and progressive-minded, she doesn't quite fit in with her old set of friends: young, married ladies with babies, husbands, and mindless leagues and charities to fill their time. Skeeter wants love and marriage, but she wants a career and a purpose, too. However, there's little room for that in Jackson, Mississippi. The best she can get is writing the responses to the cleaning questions in the newspaper - kinda like the Helene/Helouise column, I guess. The irony of it is that Skeeter has never cleaned anything; there's always been a maid to do that for her. In order to do her job, Skeeter must get help from a maid. She asks if she can question Aibeleen, her friend's maid, for answers. That's right: She asks permission from the white lady first.

This is an eye-opening view of a racially divided world. Something hard for me to fathom: A time when good white women always had a separate bathroom for their black maids, lest any transfer of disease occurs. I mean, really? Also, these white women have maids. But they don't work. They do have children. But this is hard for me to comprehend: The women don't do much. They're well-to-do, so they don't work. (And by "don't," that also implies "not allowed," because it probably wouldn't look "right" if they did.) Their maids take care of the house, the cooking, and a lot of the child care. Goodness! I am a ship without an anchor on the days I don't have school! I mean, okay, right now I wouldn't mind having a maid. My place is messy. But it was hard for me to comprehend these women who had nothing to do but attend their women's league meetings: where they plan charity balls, raise money to send to the poor in Africa, and also fight the good fight against desegregated toilet bowls.

Back to the storyline: Skeeter wants to push herself beyond her cleaning column. She wants to tell the story of the help: the black women who clean for white women. The first to agree is Aibileen. Then Aibileen's friend Minny signs up, too. Slowly, but surely, other women agree to sign up to tell their stories. But it all must be done secretly: if anyone were to find out, violence would ensue against the black community. And the stories? Some are horrific. Some are bittersweet. Some are funny. The author does a great job of showing different facets of the characters. You develop sympathy for the black women and sympathy for some of the white women, too.

The author does a great job describing life: Skeeter's, the black maids', the white women's. That minutae and detail is interesting. A door into an older world. An unknown world. I have no idea what a rich Southern woman's life was like in the 60s. I have even less of an idea what a black maid's life was like at the times. But I am grateful I do not live there or then. But I am left to wonder, if I read this story with shock at societal attitudes of the 60s, what will people think in the 2050s, reading back on the 2000s?

My one complaint is that at times this book seemed too long. Now, I generally read a lot of YA, so that's often my complaint with adult fiction. I max out at 400 pages. But as much as I loved the detail put into describing everyday life, perhaps it was too much. Not in the level of detail provided to the major characters, but that that level of detail was provided to minor ones as well. In addition, a lot of time was lavished on Minny's employer: a poor white lady suddenly rich. It was interesting, but didn't feel pertinent. Minny's home life, however, was important. Highlighting the abuse put up with by women from their husbands.

In the end, this is Aibileen's story, and Minny's, too. Skeeter is an interesting character, and it feels good to watch her grow up: confident and ready to leave the racially divided society that she grew up in.

I recommend this book. I also think it will transfer well into the big screen, and I'm already know I'll want to go to the theater to see it.

Side Note: A book was just published similar to Skeeter's book about maids, but about nannies. The Perfect Stranger: The Truth About Mothers and Nannies is a book recording the narratives of real nannies and the narratives of the real women who employ them. The Times did an article on nanny books recently. I really like The Nanny Diaries, so it was an interesting article, and I might read any one of the books mentioned.

Three Cups of Tea - Young Adult Version

2010-07-09T14:02:00.000-04:00

Three Cups of Tea

The recounting of an American's work to start schools for children in Pakistan.

I read the Young Adult version, and I have no idea how one would get through the adult version. The content, the ideas and the actions, are awesome. It's inspiring... But boring. I read this because our incoming 6th grade students have to read it for Summer Reading. The YA version of Three Cups of Tea for an adult? I would give it a B. For an 11 year old? I would give it a C-. I just don't think most sixth graders have the reading level to handle so many foreign names, nor do I think they have the ability to sustain their interest through the less exciting parts.

Having read this, I can say that I hope for the following for my school:

We start some type of collection to help Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute. Otherwise, what is the point of reading a book about how we can change the world with just a few pennies?
They show some type of documentary/video version of this book to the sixth graders. I think it will fill out their understanding of the book. Also, everyone likes videos.

Grade: C

My husband is reading The Hunger Games.

2010-07-07T22:24:00.001-04:00

Awesome!

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

2010-07-07T15:44:00.000-04:00

Who decides on life?

In the faraway future of Unwind, society and policy know the answers to such questions. Through the development of new transplant technology, the debates and differences between pro-life proponents and pro-choice proponents have been solved. The Bill of Life states that while all pregnancies are protected, unwanted children can be "terminated retroactively" between the ages of 13 to 18. And how, exactly, does that conform to the standards of pro-life beliefs? Each child who is "retroactively terminated" is divided up so that all parts are used again; hence, you are not killed but simply redistributed. Unwound.

Connor is a teen boy with behavior problems whose parents have signed his "Unwind" papers.
Risa is an orphan who is going to be rewound because she is not talented enough to keep in the already crowded orphanage system.
Lev is a thirteen year old tithe. His parents had him for the express purpose of donating him for the greater good. Lev believes whole-heartedly in the philosophy of unwinding, and he is proud to be a tithe.

All three are on the their way to be unwound at a "harvest camp" when Connor decides to rebel and fight back. His actions help free both Risa, who wants freedom, and Lev, who does not. While on the lam, the legend of the Akron unwind who fought back against the police grows. If each can survive on the run until the age of 18, they'll be free again.

This was a great book. If you liked the ethical issues and sci-fi feel of House of Scorpions, this is a great book for you. In some ways I wish Shusterman had been more explicit in the discussion of the life/abortion issues. I think that some kids could read this without really connecting to the issue as it stands today, in 2010. However, I appreciate the focus it does give to "newspeak" and the power of redesigning language. You're not murdered but rather "retroactively terminated"? As a Crichton fan, I loved it for the sci-fi future details. As a Stephen King fan, I loved the "unwind" scene - scary - but not too scary for a sixth grader. It also has a lot of fast-paced action to keep your attention.

I'm adding this to my list of books that I like that deal with the ethics of organ transplanting/donation:

House of Scorpions
Next
My Sister's Keeper
Never Let Me Go (This book and Unwind are the most similar. Very similar but Never Let Me Go has no action.)

Grade: B+

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2010-07-04T15:51:00.000-04:00

This is the final companion to Life As We Knew It and The Dead & the Gone. Miranda Evans and her family have survived over a year after the catastrophic meteor hit the moon, creating an inhospitable earth. Life is a monotonous game of survival: eat now or perish? eat now or relish later? While life seems better, the government is able to send out some food. Their hope is guarded.

Hmm...honestly, I read this book awhile ago and have been putting off reviewing it for some time. It's not fresh in my mind, and I'm still deliberating how much I liked it.

Here's my quick synopsis: Miranda Evans and her family are still struggling to survive in rural Pennsylvania. Miranda dreams of something -anything- different, and longs to know if her father, step-mother, and baby sibling have survived. Her brothers go off on a fishing expedition, and her older brother, Matt, returns with a wife. She's odd, beautiful, and damaged, and she definitely makes Matt happy - but she is one more mouth to feed.

Later, Miranda's father and step-mother return. Having had no luck traveling west, they have been slowly making their way back to Pennsylvania, so that Miranda's father can be near all his children. On their trip home, Miranda's father and family have adopted others: Charlie, a happy middle-aged soul and the Morales siblings: Alex and Julie. These are the same Morales who were in The Dead & The Gone. That book ended with Alex obtaining tickets to a safe community - a town where the government provides protection and food for a select few.

This was a good book, but not great. However, this book develops a level of maturity greater than the others. It is in this book where the real gravity of their situation forces the main character to make very adult decisions that few will ever have to make in their lives. I wouldn't recommend this to a sixth grader because the decision at the end are so ... heavy. I'm not sure an 11 year old would get that. This book definitely feels more high school (lower high school) than middle-school.

Grade: B

Is Three the Magic Number?

2010-07-04T15:08:00.000-04:00

Ah... Trilogies. We shake our heads pretentiously, and yet we still eat them up. And sometimes they're not bad.

Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - The Ewoks! I mean, they rocked! The romance of Leia and Hans? Irresistible. My 6 year old heart adored this movie - and still does.

His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass - Ehh... As the final closer to The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife, this book took a flight into the too fantastical and philosophical. If talking cabbage heads had shown up, I wouldn't have been shocked. However, there were some sentient trees, if I recall correctly. While I loved this book, it was partially due to how hard I loved the first two.

Lois Lowry's The Messenger. This was just a silly mess, in my opinion. The Giver is like a good punch to the head. It's probably in my top 5 YA books. The Gatherer was also awesome - and part of its awesomeness was in how absolutely different the book felt from the first. But The Messenger just felt superficial. A way to fulfill a demand - either by the readers or the publishers, I don't know. I'm not faulting Lowry - The Messenger is still a great book, but it doesn't reach the caliber of The Gatherer. And as a relative of The Giver? I still ruminate over The Giver years later, but The Messenger means nothing to me.

As an aside, I hope Lois Lowry NEVER EVER gives movie rights to The Giver. Am I ecstatic to see The Hunger Games, whenever it comes out? Definitely! But The Giver is too holy and too fantastic to recreate. How would we recreate a black and white world? How would a movie show the control exerted over individuals in The Giver? (In regards to the black and white vision, Pleasantville did a lovely job of this actually...)

All this is because I've been meaning to review Pfeffer's This World We Live In, which completes her series about life after a meteor hits the moon and creates havoc, end of humanity type of havoc, on our climate system.

The photo "Thick Encyclopedias with Colorful Hardcovers" is copyright 2010 by Harla Varlan and made available under Creative Commons-licensed content requiring attribution. Edited by M. Morrill.

Fear of Speaking: Our Society's Reluctance to Play the Adult to Children

2010-06-29T14:29:00.000-04:00

Last week, I had my niece and nephew staying with us. My nephew is 8 and energetic. He came with the following information "He's kind of allergic to sugar and caffeine." Later in the week, my husband said to me, "You know, I never saw sugar hit a kid so quickly."

While I let them load up on sugary sweets, I still had the willpower to say no to soda and energy drinks.

Let me get back to my original point. My nephew is no angel, but he's a lovable kid. He's an 8 year old boy. But twice I observed adult interactions - or should I say "non-interactions" with strangers that involved him. The first was at the children's museum, which was an absolute blast. We went to the scheduled Meet the Animals activity, where they got to pet a reptile of some sorts. There were probably 15 kids there. Some sitting patiently and quietly, and others, like my nephew, much more absorbed in the raccoon and bobcat windows. He and a few others walked around during most of the demonstration, not really interested in what the animal lady had to say. They stopped only when the reptile (a skink?) was allowed to walk around on the floor and when they were allowed to pet it. As the show was over, my nephew was moving about and squeezed past a lady who was sitting on one of the steps of the observation windows. She said this, "It would be nice if some kids would say Excuse Me." Maybe (probably) she was saying it loud enough for my nephew's adult (me) to hear. Maybe she was saying it for my nephew.

Fast Forward: Cabela's Store. My nephew is standing directly between two cash registers because this kept him more than an arm's length from the crazy junk they have for impulse buys. A woman with a cart came from the opposite direction (god only knows why) and complains to her husband, "I would go but this kid is in my way." She maneuvered around my nephew and was huffy. Had she just talked directly to him, he (probably) would have moved.

These situations both exemplify a common problem: our reluctance to talk to children. My nephew's too young to take an indirect hint. However, he is old enough to understand a directive. If you want an 8 year old to move, you just say "Excuse me." If you are upset that an 8 year old boy is squeezing behind you, there's no reason why an adult can't say "Please say excuse me if you would like to move."

Or these situations exemplify a deeper problem: Our reluctance and fear to stick our necks out and reprimand children (gently, I'm not talking about a screaming match with some stranger's kids) or interact with them. If you keep up on the education news, you'll hear a lot about an abdication of power by parents. Parents who don't reprimand or would rather allow the schools to do it. But there's been an abdication of power by our whole society. People are afraid to say, "Hey, cut it out."

I think, for males, there might be a fear that they'll be seen as some leering sick-o. Women, I think, might fear they'll come off as a b*tch or that they have no right to infringe on another mother's parenting skills.

I've been a perpetrator in this silent acceptance of misbehavior, too. Lots of times. But I also think that, as a teacher, I've learned that I have a responsibility and right to ask children for order and behavior.

But I still feel that same hesitation... That same fear...

The question is what is it that we fear? Some stranger's disapproval? That the kid might not comply? That the kid might say no or be a jerk back? Should those things matter?

My Life So Far

2010-06-29T10:08:00.000-04:00

This is not a book review. This is a life review.

1. It is too hot outside to do anything.

2. I don't want to do anything.
2a. Not even read.

3. I have to finish my Masters.
3a. I don't want to.

4. I have to get ready for Summer School.
4a. I don't want to.
4b. Red Badge of Courage sucks.

5. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEW TWILIGHT MOVIE!!!!

6. I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEW HARRY POTTER MOVIE!!!

7. Even more, I cannot wait for the third sequel of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. However, that book will signify the end of the summer. (It is released on August 24, which is only a day or two before I have to go back.)

Lady MacBeth's Daughter

2010-06-18T09:13:00.000-04:00

Lady Macbeth's Daughter is a new take of Macbeth. It's written by Lisa Klein, the same author who wrote Ophelia. I never really appreciated Macbeth when I read it in high school. However, four years ago I subbed for an English teacher for two months. We read Macbeth. For the first time, I really enjoyed it. The story of people so driven by power and greed that they are blind to their inhumanity. Blinded by prophecies. Ready to grasp any straw that hints of their superiority. Throughout it all, you can't help but remember that in the beginning, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth seem pretty normal and kind of nice. Logical. Upward climbing but in a rational sense. By the end, so much death, blood, and cruelty has occurred at their hands. I've never bothered to add up how many died: Duncan, Banquo, MacDuff's children...

However, this review is about Lady Macbeth's Daughter. The book is told from the first person perspectives of Lady Macbeth (whose name is Grelach in the book), and Albia, her daughter. Albia was born crippled. Macbeth ordered the baby to be left for the wolves. Grelach's maid rescues the child and brings her to her sisters' home. These three sisters are the weird witches of the play. The oldest sister prophecies that Albia has the second sight, but Albia does not want to accept her gifts. Regardless, Albia grows up living a pleasant country life until she is a teenager, where she is sent to train as a lady's maid at Banquo's house. Up until this point, Albia is a flightly, one-dimensional teen with a slightly odd home life. Honestly, I had little interest in Albia until romance blossomed between her and Fleance, Banquo's son. Albia becomes stronger when she learns of her true heritage and vows to avenge her father. Eventually, she begins to accept her second sight, but this ability felt like an easy out: an easy vehicle that enabled Klein to get Albia involved in Dunsinore. She becomes slightly more compelling regarding the battle of Dunsinore, but not much.

I enjoyed Klein's portrayal of Lady Macbeth much more. Klein has given LM children: one alive and one lost. She a mother overwhelmed by the loss of her daughter. She spends a lot of time depressed. This does not seem to be the Lady Macbeth of the play - specifically the beginning. What I did especially like about this version of LM is constantly aware of her precarious situation as a woman: always eager to stay in Macbeth's favor. This seems very realistic given the time period, when a woman's fate was that of her husband's whims.

The LM in the book portrays more of her maternal/feminine side. The masculinity that she displays in the Shakespeare's play is not evident enough to make not of. Klein's LM is the one who would say (as she said in Shakespeare's play)

"I have given suck, and know/How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me..."

But not the LM who continued on by saying "I would, while it was smiling in my face,/Have pluck'd my nipple from his boneless gums,/And dash'd the brains out, had I so sworn as you/ Have done to this..."

The book contains bits of the above lines, but loses the full violent impact:

"I know how tender it is to love the babe that milks me. But my body has betrayed me, refusing to bring forth any more life. Now it is time to use death as my means." (63)

LM's insanity is downplayed, and I don't recall any "Out damned spot" moment either. And LM lives! That was disappointing, too. The ending was just too sweet: Albia and LM reunite to repair their broken relationship.

All in all, I appreciated Lady Macbeth's view points and the battle scenes, but little else appealled to me. However, I think this is a great companion piece for those who have read Macbeth or will be reading it shortly. In addition, if you really like Ophelia by Klein, you will probably enjoy this one, too.

Grade: C+

(Painting of Lady Macbeth by John Singer Sargent (1889), one of my favorite painters.)

WORDLE

2010-06-15T13:20:00.001-04:00

Pitch Black: A Graphic Memoir

2010-05-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

This is a graphic memoir about a man who lives in the unused tunnels and rooms of the NYC subway. I believe such individuals have been given the nickname "moles" or "mole people." This was a super-quick read: the size of a normal children's picture book. In fact, I thought it was a civil rights type of book for children. Needless to say, it wasn't. I didn't really care for it much with the exception of two points:
1. There is a YA novel called Slake's Limbo, which is about a young boy in the foster care system who escapes into the underground world of the subway to escape abuse.
2. The line: Just cause you can't see don't mean aint nothing there.

For a much more sophisticated review, check out this out from the NYT.

Grade: C+

Bitter is the New Black

2010-05-30T14:21:00.000-04:00

Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smart-Ass, or Why You Should Never Carry a Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster

The memoir opens describing Jen’s pricey lifestyle: expensive shopping trips, expensive salon visits, and expensive apartment. She works in the finance industry, and she’s paid dearly for her expertise. She comes off as a spoiled bee-otch, but slowly you begin to realize that she does indeed work her butt off for her job; and you have to respect that. She calls it like it is – even when it’s shockingly cruel. She lacks all tact, and she’s all about business. That is, until in the recession that hit after 9/11, she finds herself laid off from her job.

(SPOILER AHEAD.) For almost two years, she pounds the pavement searching all of Chicago for jobs, but there are none. She’s over-qualified and on a job search when a large number of experienced professionals are doing the same. Eventually, she goes on the dole, but it takes her months and months and months to ever realize that she needs to curtail her spending. However, as your sympathy for Jen finally begins to build - she becomes a volunteer, gets closer to her family, starts a blog – she reverts back to spoiled brat. As she and her boyfriend, who has also lost his job, begin to hit rock bottom, she comes up with another spoiled, brilliant idea: Using a wedding as a means to further pay for their lifestyle. As much as I balked at this selfishly concocted idea, I could help but think “Why not?” She and her boyfriend are in a long-term committed relationship, and when the economy is tough you’ve got to do what you can to survive. As her story winds down, things finally start working out: Fletch, the SO, gets a job; they realign their spending habits to their actual financial limits; and Jen’s blog becomes hugely popular.

In the end, this was exactly what it looked like: chic-lit. Jen’s funny, sarcastic, and witty. It’s fun to live in her high-priced luxury world in the beginning; it’s fun to cluck your tongue in disapproval as she continues to spend recklessly when out of a job; and it’s satisfying to see her finally find her way. However, it was REALLY nice to see a book in which the protagonist maintained a committed relationship throughout the entire book.

Grade: B

Let the Right One In: A Vampire Novel for Adults

2010-04-20T15:15:00.000-04:00

Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist is a vampire novel. The most unromantic and depressing vampire novel I have ever read. There is nothing seductive about vampirism in this novel. The thrill and fascination for death, immortality, and power are nil. This is a vampire story by Wally Lamb: gray, depressive, and in need of a real anti-depressant. The back of the book claims that the author is “Sweden’s Stephen King.” If that is so, I am eternally grateful that I live in America. If King’s works seem a tad less serious, the impression they leave is still as lasting as this story and yet much more engrossing.

Oskar, a 12-year-old misfit, is ostracized and bullied to the extreme. He really has no one with whom he can connect with other than his mother, who seems to be just as desperate and lonely. No one really understands the extent to which he is subjected to cruel and inhumane harassment from bullies. No one tries to alleviate the problem. Oskar fantasizes about killing his bullies, and this is where you begin to question the empathy you developed for him. Is this kid whack-o? Is he going to go crazy and kill everyone? But as soon as you develop an aversion to Oskar, Eli enters the storyline and pulls you back in.

Oskar meets the strange, waif-like girl in his apartment complex's playground one night. He is unused to any attention that is not scornful. She, too, seems lonely. From the get-go, the narrator lets you know that Eli is a vampire and that her situation is as sad as the dull, cold apartment complex in which she and Oskar live. Due to her child-like appearance, Eli must live with an adult: a pedophile who is willing to kill for her and clean up the mess. In no uncertain terms is vampirism made appealling. Her situation is not glorified: she is a killer. When Eli hasn’t fed, she becomes old and decrepit looking. She often smells.

However, there is something between Eli and Oskar. Some understanding between their souls, some understanding of the quiet loneliness they both live with. They become friends. An odd friendship comprised of meeting at night and communicating through walls using Morse code. But this friendship, however strange, seems to give Oskar a little more strength in daily life.

It is Eli, primarily, and Oskar whom you want the story to develop around. However, there are so many subplots to the story that weave in and out, dampening my enthusiasm for the book. There’s the group of alcoholics that have little in their own lives but each other and the need to drink. There’s the pedophile that is willing to kill for Eli who has his own depressing and repellent background. There’s Oskar’s own sad alcoholic father. The author even develops the stories of the main detective who investigates the mysterious murders. And the story of his girlfriend and her drug-addict son, Tommy. Even the background of the main bully is explored. There’s just too much in the way of character development, and I’m not sure if it really adds much to the story….

Except to focus on the complete lack of connection these characters feel to any other human in their lives. So little love is displayed. So little enthusiasm for life.. And why would that be relevant other than to depress us? Well, it highlights the fact that maybe Oskar and Eli’s friendship isn’t all that odd. In a place with so little life, so little warmth, so little to hope for, perhaps Eli is a good choice as a friend.

Grade: C+

Waiting for Normal

2010-03-07T20:37:00.000-05:00

by Leslie Connor

Addie has moved again. And her last chance for stability seems to have gone, too. Her step-father, Dwight, now has custody of her two younger half-sisters and is moving closer to a new job. Now it's just Addie and her unreliable mother, living in a dumpy trailer on the corner of busy intersection. Her only neighbor is a convenience store. Her only view is an abandoned paved lot. Her mother loves her but can best be described as neglectful and, perhaps, bipolar. (I'm no psychiatrist.)

This is the story of Addie, a young girl struggling to survive and waiting for a chance at normal.

This was a sweet (and bittersweet) novel of a young girl, neglected, who struggles to maintain a life of normalcy. The narrator's voice feels natural and honest. The prose was easy to read, the plot easy to follow, and the characters - even some of the secondary ones - easy to feel a connection to. This story left me with a lump in my throat - due to a combined mixture of sadness and happiness.

Grade: A

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landeau-Banks

2010-03-02T21:18:00.000-05:00

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Frankie is a smart, witty, and observant sophomore. She is an overachiever. She has a trajectory. A plan. A blueprint. All leading to success. Frankie also now has looks. Once a plain Jane honor student at a prestigious boarding school, Frankie returns her second year looking HOT. Her new looks attract the attention and sentiments of Matthew, a senior who lives the highest echelon of her school's social hierarchy. And -Boom- Frankie falls in love.

Typical, eh?

But Frankie doesn't just fall in love with Matthew. She falls in love with his group of guy friends, too. They exude an easiness, a confidence, a friendliness that is charming, magnetic. Frankie both loves these boys and envies them. She envies the time they demand from Matthew and she envies their self-assured natures. Frankie, who is by no means underprivileged, realizes that these teen boys are like this because they are at the top of the world. They are a part of the "Old Boy" society. They are the next generation's future leaders. What have they to doubt? What worries might they have? They have their intelligence, their culture, and their family status.

But that's not really why Frankie's upset. Through her own snoopery, Frankie realizes that these boys are a part of a secret all-male society at the school called the Basset Hounds. One that she is not privy, too. Frankie, frustrated by her own lack of "power" as a girl (because she wants to exert power over these boys) decides that she will find a way to infiltrate the society and become the new "King".

The book is full of intelligent insights and a likable protragonist. Her misdeeds are clever, and the reader will happily speed through the pages to discover more about the mysterious order of the Basset Hounds and to learn of Frankie's newest pranks. In some ways, I loved the way information was presented in this book - somewhat reminiscent of Dan Brown.

One caveat: I had trouble "connecting" with the protagonist. I didn't really feel a strong emotional connection, but this book is more about the ideas and the plot rather than the emotion. But that's easily beat out by the following: I really enjoyed the fact that this book used a sophisticated vocabulary. While I love YA books, I feel that sometimes the vocabulary is less than challenging.
Grade: B+

A Quick Synopsis of Some Books in the Past

2010-02-27T13:21:00.000-05:00

I've read quite a few books in the past six months, and I haven't reviewed any of them. So here's a brief summary of the highlights:

#1 Recommendation: The Hunger Games.
This book kicks butt! Seriously, I love this book. Violence. Children who must fight to their death. A dystopian society. A female protagonist and yet it's still a book that the boys love, too. And fashion! Who would think kick ass fashion would play so well into a YA book that also involves such violence? And the ethical questions that the protagonist/readers must ponder!

THIS BOOK ROCKS. (Side note: I have never convinced so many people to read a book as this one.)

#1a Recommendation: Catching Fire. The sequel to The Hunger Games. A little slower, but ends with a dead-silent,-I can't-believe-it ending.

#2 Recommendation: Elsewhere.
Life in the afterlife? Can it really be as normal as the one we have here on Earth? This was a great YA read, but one that took me about five tries to fnally get into. I read this right after reading The Lovely Bones, and it was a wonderful breath of relief.

#3 Recommendation: First Light.
A much better City of Ember.

#4 Recommendation: Oh. My. Gods.
A Percy Jackson beach read for girls? Yup! This was all fluff but all fun. A private boarding school for the demi-gods of the mythological elite? Set in present day Greece 2010? Why not? Lots of fun, Sweet Valley High style.

Reading?

2009-11-22T09:54:00.000-05:00

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

2009-11-22T09:48:00.000-05:00

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

A Day of Tears
The Misfits
Girls, Drums, and Dangerous Pie
Skullduggery Pleasant
Lost World
Marked (C+)
Betrayed (B-)
The Lost Symbol (B)
The Hunger Games (A+)
Amulet 2: The Stone Keeper's Curse (A)
Next (A+)
Double Identity (B+)
Catching Fire (A+)
The Lovely Bones (A)
Oh. My. Gods. (A-)
Tales From the Odyssey: Part One, Adapted by Mary Pope Osborne (B+)
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (B+)

2010

Elsewhere (A+)
The Tomorrow Code (B-)
Eva (A-)
First Light (A-)
Waiting for Normal (A)
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau
Let the Right One In
Bitter is the New Black
Pitch Black: A Graphic Memoir
The World We Live In
Lady Macbeth's Daughter (B-)
The Help (B+)
Three Cups of Tea

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie

2009-07-03T12:08:00.000-04:00

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

2009-07-02T09:01:00.000-04:00

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

2009-07-01T13:12:00.000-04:00

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

2009-06-24T11:07:00.000-04:00

June 2008 to June 2009

The Hot Zone
Down the Rabbit Hole
Al Capone Does My Shirts
Life As We Knew It
Among the Hidden
The Christopher Killer
Second Nature
The Luxe
The Door to December
The City of Ember
Contagion
A Christmas Carol
Breaking Dawn
Brian's Winter
The Dead and the Gone
The Frog Prince
Skeleton Man
Bone
Night Shift
Wicked Lovely
The Terminal Man
The Angel of Death
Silas Marner
My Sister's Keeper
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 3
Prince Caspian
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Magician's Nephew
Rhett Butler's People
Circle of Blood
Eager
Dracula - Graphic Novel by Ben Caldwell
Abner and Me
Touching Spirit Bear
Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf
Ink Exchange
Schooled
The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp
Angels and Demons
Andromeda Strain
Amulet
Multiple Blessings
Pictures of Hollis Woods
Nice to Come Home To
Eaters of the Dead
Wintergirls
Chains
The Last Olympian
The Blood of Flowers
Code Orange

Day of Tears

2009-06-23T20:31:00.000-04:00

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

2009-06-23T15:12:00.000-04:00

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

2009-06-22T08:17:00.000-04:00

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?

2009-06-14T22:33:00.000-04:00

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:

The Underneath
A Curse Dark As Gold (Retold Fairy Tale)
Me, the Missing, and the Dead
Skulduggery Pleasant *
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie
Epic
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life
Wolf Brother
Day of Tears
Elsewhere
The Penderwicks
Traces
Storytime
No More Dead Dogs
Belle Prater's Boy
Shooting the Moon
Luna
13 Reasons Why
Neil Gaiman's latest YA
Waiting for Normal

The Blood of Flowers

2009-06-10T21:22:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-28T20:31:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-28T16:45:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-03T22:16:00.000-04:00

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

2009-05-02T11:33:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-25T09:46:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-23T22:01:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-22T15:54:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-17T20:05:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-16T20:39:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-15T18:40:00.001-04:00

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

2009-04-11T12:15:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-10T16:47:00.000-04:00

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

State of Me

2009-04-10T09:00:00.001-04:00

I am sick.

Andromeda Strain

2009-04-09T19:24:00.000-04:00

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

2009-04-08T22:00:00.000-04:00

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...

2009-04-06T22:28:00.000-04:00

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

2009-03-29T14:47:00.001-04:00

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

2009-03-13T19:13:00.000-04:00

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

2009-03-04T21:53:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

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

2009-03-01T10:37:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-28T09:45:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-25T20:58:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-23T19:50:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-16T18:42:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-15T17:00:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-15T12:15:00.000-05:00

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

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

Dracula - A Ben Caldwell Cartoon Comic

2009-02-12T20:52:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-08T18:01:00.002-05:00

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

2009-02-04T18:31:00.000-05:00

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)

2009-02-03T19:41:00.000-05:00

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

2009-02-03T13:38:00.000-05:00

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

2009-01-22T17:22:00.000-05:00

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

2009-01-19T21:20:00.000-05:00

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!

2009-01-16T20:00:00.000-05:00

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

Prince Caspian

2009-01-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

Prince Caspian - A solid A. I don't know if the story is developed better in this book, or if at this point in time I'm just thoroughly entrenched in the lives of Narnians and the Pevensies. This book so far is my favorite.

Grade: A

Now Reading: My Sister's Keeper

Can't Wait: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Okay, in all honesty, I can wait for the third Wimpy Kid book. I mean, I know that I will enjoy it, but what I'm most excited about how much the kids love these books. One, I like it when they like books. Two, I feel like the belle of the ball because I have the book that they all want. Isn't that totally childish?

Finally Gave Up On: Rumors (the sequel to The Luxe). Don't judge this book by it's cover. Cover: A++ Storyline: Frustrating.

Want to give up on, but I can't because I have to print progress reports tomorrow: My Accelerated Class's Writing Papers

Mel Loves New England

2009-01-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

We're due for another storm tonight. Some snow, a lot of ice. It will be real mess of a morning.

But I love New England.

I love that it snows so often. It's rarely a damp cold, which I hate. I love the low 30s and below. And when it's so cold out, you feel like your breath was sucked out of you. Truthfully, we don't see those days very often in Connecticut, but in Maine we did.

Also I love the word wicked. I don't use it myself very often, but it's a totally awesome word.

Just today I asked the kids to differentiate using a comma versus a colon in a letter greeting. One of my students replied, "You use the colon for wicked formal letters."

We wrote the rule down just like that.

Random Updates
Reading Right Now: Prince Caspian
On Deck: My Sister's Keeper
Personal White Whales:
1. Adding narration to a slide show
2. Is there a download for NetExtender for Mac users with an older operating system? Ugh! Can no one answer this question?

A Post for My Husband

2009-01-03T22:15:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago, I managed to get my husband to go see the movie Twilight with me. Although he will disagree now, he was reluctant to go. But we got there eventually. I liked the movie, but was constantly distracted by the severity of Robert Patinson's eyebrows and his dramatic lip color. Also, I would like to mention that if you watched the movie, you would believe that Bella's high school consists mostly of a cafeteria - and the best, bluest, most spacious cafeteria any small time high school could ever hope to build.

Anyway, I actually left the movie believing that my husband must have hated the movie. This was due to the fact that he was gone for about 15 minutes, getting a pretzel. I had figured that he had tired of the movie and was just putzing around outside. However, I came to learn that the pretzel did indeed take 15 minutes, and he really did enjoy the movie.

Which inspired him to read the series. All four.

I waited and waited and waited. I couldn't wait for him to begin the fourth book, which I found to have too sweet and easy of an ending.

But guess what? He liked the fourth book a lot!

So there, Mister, I wrote a post about you being a Twihard.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

2009-01-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

I really do hate saying that I enjoyed the movie better than the book, but in this case, I must.

This is not to say that the story isn't good. It is. I love the narration, which really lends itself (in my opinion) to being read aloud. Or at least, the omniscient narrator feels akin to a person reading the story - an old grandpa like the grandpa in The Princess Bride.

I felt that the character development of the four Pevensies was rather shallow in the book. Edmund gets a bit more character development in the book than in the movie, but is perhaps less likable in the text. I feel that Lucy is well-written, but Peter and Susan are not given much description or action to shape them into well-rounded characters. However, in the movie I grew truly attached to them.

And Mr. and Mrs. Beaver? Equally great in the book and in the movie! I wouldn't mind a book dedicated just to them.

I do believe there is an interesting difference between the two versions: the stance on women in battle. In the book, Father Christmas gives Susan her bow and arrow, but he tells her that "You must use the bow only in great need... for I do not mean for you to fight in battle." In the movie, there is no mention of Susan refraining from fighting. When Lucy receives her gift of the small knife, Father Christmas tells her, "the dagger is to defend yourself in great need. For you are also not meant to be in battle... Battles are ugly when women fight." Of course, Father Christmas makes no mention of females in combat in the movie.

I can't recall if Susan ever does fight in the Narnia movie. I know that she does in the Prince Caspian, but I can't recall for the first.

Grade: A

The Magician's Nephew

2009-01-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

After finishing Silas Marner, I was lost in regards to reading. Generally, I easily alight on a new book without much difficulty. I may not read quickly all of the time or rabidly, but I usually do have something that I enjoy reading nearby. Not so for the last few weeks. Metaphorically speaking, my search for a read has been akin to a night full of tossing and turning - looking for the best, coolest spot on the pillow.

I finished most of a Brave New World (a re-read), carried around the sequel to Wicked Lovely, and began a YA novel of unknown title that my sister said was good. But nothing really settled. I finally sat down, determined. I would begin reading the Chronicles of Narnia series. I had watched the two movies again - HD Blu-Ray, and I thought that I should really learn more.

I've started with the first: The Magician's Nephew. This book was written after The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe and tells the reader of the creation of Narnia.

Digory and Polly are two London children who find themselves thrown into another world due to the work of Digory's magician uncle (hence, the title). While hopping through worlds, they accidentally awaken the evil queen Jadis (who later becomes the White Witch) and bring her back to London. There she wreaks havoc on all sorts of things, and the children successfully maneuvered her out of our world and into an unborn world - the future world of Narnia. While floating in this unformed world, the group (for the children bring more people than intended), the birth song of the world - sung by Aslan - is heard. Aslan's song brings the world and its creations into being. Aslan gives chosen animals thought and speech.

The shame of this beautiful new world is that the son of Adam -Digory- brought evil into the Narnia, that being Jadis. Digory is sent on a mission by Aslan: to find and return with a powerful silver apple, but not to be tempted to eat it. Digory resists the temptation and returns with the apple. However, Jadis finds the tree and eats from it. When Digory returns to Aslan, they plant the apple, which Aslan tells the creatures it will provide them with protection against the White Witch. As a reward, Aslan provides Digory with another silver apple to help save his dying mother back in Earth. When the children return, Digory revives his mother with the apple and then buries the apple core and all other magical paraphernalia in the ground. A tree grows. This is the wood from which the wardrobe was created.

My Thoughts:
This is a dry read, one definitely more fit for illustrations because the text isn't exactly absorbing. The action sequences are low-key, and the story line is not movie-made. However, it does provide nice background info for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I kind of like to the think that the Bartle book by Rowling probably has a similar feel.

Regardless, this was a fun and quick read. I enjoyed the background info and I really like the fact that I know why there was a lamp post in the middle of the woods in the movie.

Grade: B-/C+

Side Note: At one point the newly born creatures of Narnia mistake the uncle for a talking lettuce. This made me think of a story about cabbage that could talk and feel. It was written by Bergerac in a book called The Other World. Anyway, I googled it and found that C.S. Lewis has a book of compiled essays and stories called Of Other Worlds. Connection? IDK.