Second Childhood Reviews

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

2012-01-31T15:06:00.000-08:00

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Quirk Books
Pages: 352
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Family, Friendship, Hero's Journey, Good vs. Evil
Age Ranges: 8th Grade and Up

Summary: (from Goodreads)
A mysterious island.

An abandoned orphanage.

A strange collection of very curious photographs.

It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Review:

One of the things that has been happening in children's publishing is a variety of new formats and narrative structures. The rise of the graphic novel for more than telling stories about superheroes has allowed authors to create genre-bending texts that appeal to children through a wide range of narrative structure, illustration, and technology connections.

Compared to some of the current children's and young adult literature, Miss Peregrine's is almost old-fashioned by comparison. But the way this story came about is what makes it so interesting. The author collects interesting period photos. These photos gave her the framework for an amazing story of a young man who discovers that his world is much more magical and horrifying than he even knew.

The photos have a very eerie quality that gives the while story a very dark feel. Jake, the narrator, is a rather cynical young man, prone to swearing, which makes this a book more suited to older children and youth. The story takes a bit to get going, but it is engaging enough for me to want to keep going and find out what the mystery behind Jacob's grandfather's history. This is obviously the first in the series, and I'm looking forward to reading what happens to Miss Peregrine and all of her peculiar charges.

Savvy, Ingrid Law

2012-01-25T06:11:00.000-08:00

Title: Savvy
Author: Ingrid Law
Publisher: Puffin
Year: 2008
Pages: 368
Genre: Magical Realism/Fantasy
Themes: Family, Identity, Coming of Age
Age Range: 4th Grade and Up

Summary: (from Goodreads)

For generations, the Beaumont family has harbored a magical secret. They each possess a "savvy" -a special supernatural power that strikes when they turn thirteen. Grandpa Bomba moves mountains, her older brothers create hurricanes and spark electricity . . . and now it's the eve of Mibs's big day.

As if waiting weren't hard enough, the family gets scary news two days before Mibs's birthday: Poppa has been in a terrible accident. Mibs develops the singular mission to get to the hospital and prove that her new power can save her dad. So she sneaks onto a salesman's bus . . . only to find the bus heading in the opposite direction. Suddenly Mibs finds herself on an unforgettable odyssey that will force her to make sense of growing up -and of other people, who might also have a few secrets hidden just beneath the skin.

Review:

I started reading this book at the beginning of the school year so I could model a reading journal for my students. Once my students were independent on our independent reading routine, I put the book aside for days and weeks at a time. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy the story, because I did. But one busy day as the teacher bled into the next, and the book got buried under papers to grade, projects to finish, an drawings that my students made me.

Yesterday I was cleaning out a bin and discovered it again, and I am so glad that I did. This story is frankly charming. Mibs' voice is uniquely her own-the musings of a girl from a unique family with a unique perspective on the world. Despite the impossibility of the circumstances, Mibs' voice rings true as she begins the awkward, often painful, usually embarrassing transition from little girl to young woman. I think that there are many children who would relate to the changes that Mibs is going through-we may not all have special powers, but who doesn't feel as though the world has suddenly tilted on its axis when we have our first crush, or our first grown up party, or when we realize that our own parents may not live for ever.

This novel is also a good teaching tool for fantasy that is different than fairy tales or fables. The magical realism in the book makes the most mundane activities take on an air of wonder, and yet still be totally relateable in a way that high fantasy is not. There is also a chance to talk about character motivation and feelings with this novel. Between Mibs' feelings about her father's accident and her crush, her brothers' reactions to their savvies, and the conflicted feelings of the bus driver and the waitress they pick up, and Mibs' ability to hear what other people are thinking, this book as s rich emotional landscape that will pull the reader in and make talking about issues of identity, self-worth, and responsibility easy.

Teacher Resources:

Penguin's Teachers Guide

Teachervision Discussion Guide

Bookrags Discussion Guide

Feathers, by Jacqueline Woodson

2011-09-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Title: Feathers
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile
Year: 2007
Pages: 116
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Multicultural
Themes: Acceptance, Disabilities, Multiculturalism
Age Level: 6th Grade and Up

Summary: (from Goodreads)
"Hope is the thing with feathers," starts the poem Frannie is reading in school. Frannie hasn't thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more holy.”There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says he’is not white. Who is he?

During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light:—her brother Sean's deafness, her mother's fear, the class bully's anger, her best friend's faith and her own desire for the thing with feathers.”

Review:

Woodson's books are like small jewels, each one getting right to the heart of the matter in lyric prose that is sparingly beautiful. In Feathers, Frannie is living in the early 1970s, a time when we as a culture were still struggling to come to terms with the many changes brought about by the turbulent 60s. Woodson does a wonderful job portraying that particular time, especially the racial divisions that persisted despite the civil rights movement's many battles for equality. The arrival of Jesus Boy throws everyone's beliefs about racial identity and where they "belong" into question. His peacefulness and obvious unconcern for how he is perceived by others makes no sense to a group of children who are constantly monitoring themselves and each other for "coolness". Her brother Sean's deafness, and the way that he carries himself with confidence despite it, plays a large part in her realizations about courage and hope. Frannie is also deeply affected by the death of her sister as a baby, and her mother's subsequent miscarriages and depression. When her mother becomes pregnant again, Frannnie is upset that she will no longer be the "baby" of the family, and worries about whether this baby will make it. Through the course of the book she goes from a self-centered child only concerned about losing her mother's attention, to a compassionate young woman full of hope for her mother to be healthy and happy with her new sibling. This short book is ripe with topics for discussion, and could be used as part of a unit on family or multiculturalism very easily.

Teacher Resources:
The Best Children's Books.org
Penguin Reading Group Guide

Memories of Summer, Ruth White

2011-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

Title: Memories of Summer
Author: Ruth White
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Year: 2001
Pages: 160
Genre: Realistic Fiction/Historical Fiction
Themes: Family, Mental Illness
Age Level: 7th Grade and Up

Summary:
Memories of Summer is the moving story of Lyric and Summer, two sisters who move from coal mining country in the Appalachians to Flint, Michigan in the mid-1950s. Their mother died when both girls were quite young, and after the death of their grandfather in a coal mine explosion their father, Poppy, decides to try his luck in the booming auto industry. Summer has always been different than the other children, and shortly after moving to Flint she begins to demonstrate more and more bizarre behavior. After a series of frightening episodes, she is diagnosed with schizophrenia. Fourteen-year-old Lyric and Poppy desperately want to care for her at home, but hiding her disability and managing her increasingly dangerous behavior become more than they can handle alone.

Review:
White's touching story is based on the real events of her childhood and adolescence, when it was her own sister who descended into the madness that is schizophrenia. She chose to set her story in the days before mental illness was as accepted and understood as it is today. It is clear that the story comes from her own personal experiences from the depth of feeling and the inherent authenticity of Lyric's narrative voice. While the main purpose of the story is to highlight the effects of mental illness on family dynamics and relationships, White also does a good job capturing the time period-a time period when many southern families were migrating north to find work in the ever-expanding manufacturing industry. My own grandparents came to Chicago by way of Alabama to find work in the railroads. White clearly captures the ambivalence that Lyric feels towards her sister-love and embarrassment and worry and annoyance coming over her in waves depending on the situation. In an interview with the author at the end of the book, White states that often in her novels she rewrites history to give herself at least moderately happy endings for events from her life that were anything but. However, in Memories of Summer, she found that she could not pretend, even for a fictionalized version of her life, that the story of her sister ended in anything but the tragedy of institutionalization.

Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick

2011-08-30T19:47:00.000-07:00

Title: Freak the Mighty
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Publisher: Scholastic
Year: 2001
Pages: 192
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Disabilities, Friendship, Overcoming Obstacles
Age Level: 4th-8th Grade

Summary: (from Goodreads)
Maxwell Kane, a lumbering eighth grader who describes himself as a "butthead goon," has lived with grandparents Grim and Gram ever since his father was imprisoned for murdering his mother. Mean-spirited schoolmates and special ed (for an undetermined learning disability) haven't improved his self-image, so he is totally unprepared for a friendship with Kevin, aka Freak, a veritable genius with a serious birth defect that's left him in braces and using crutches. Max is uplifted by Freak's imagination and booming confidence, while Freak gets a literal boost--hoisted onto Max's shoulders, he shares Max's mobility. Together they become Freak the Mighty, an invincible duo.

Review:
I loved this book! Max was such a good narrator-at the same time that he is putting himself down for not having a brain, he is describing things in such a poetic, interesting way. His heart really shows, despite his sometimes awkward behavior. And there is a ton of fodder for a good discussion. We have learning disabilities, exclusion, family issues, the effects of violence on children, friendship, and death and grieving. There were moments when I laughed, I grimaced, I cried-you get the full range of emotions from this one. Kevin's character was exceptional in many ways, but his brains and acceptance of Max were completely endearing. There is plenty of action to please readers who are easily put off by slower paced stories, but sensitive readers who like stories with a lot of heart will enjoy it as well. They made a movie based on the book called The Mighty which may be a good resource as well.

Teaching Resources:
ReadWriteThink Lesson Plans
Web English Teacher Lesson Plans
Teaching Guide from Author's Website
Comprehension Activities from Resource Room

Anything But Typical, by Nora Raleigh Baskin

2011-08-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

Title: Anything But Typical
Author: Nora Raleigh Baskin
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Pages: 208
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Self-Acceptance, Friendship, Disabilities
Age Level: 4th through 7th Grade

Summary:
Jason Block is a boy with autism navigating the neurotypical world. The book, told in a first person narrative from Jason, tells the story of Jason's atypical behaviors-such as hand flapping and hair pulling-and the very typical feelings of awkwardness, self-doubt, and fear that almost any 12 year old feels from time to time. We discover that Jason is a creative writing whiz, and he begins an online correspondence with another author on his favorite writing website. The girl, nicknamed Phoenixbird, loves Jason's stories, and frequently asks him for advice for her stories. Jason feels like he may finally have his first real friend-until the possibility that they could meet in person derails his good feeling. Can she like him if she sees how he really is?

Review:
Having worked with children with autism many times over the year, I can state that this narrative feels as authentic to me as anyone could write, given the fact that many people with autism have difficulty communicating at all, and especially in communicating their feelings. Jason has a rich internal life, which he is frequently frustrated about not being able to express. Like many young people with autism, Jason has learned and developed rules for himself to govern his social interactions, but the tumultuous period of preadolescence leaves him unprepared for the ways that he and his peers are changing.

Baskin does an admirable job keeping this book from becoming another "heart-warming" story of overcoming disabilities. Not that it doesn't have its tear-inducing moments, but unlike books I like to call the "Lifetime Movie" version of literature, there are no completely easy answers for Jason. His mother has still not really come to terms with his disability, and she is alternately overly-protective and frustrated by his behaviors. More than once I wanted to tell her to lay off-if Jason doesn't care that his belt is too tight why should she? But I have worked with many parents over the years who have trouble finding a balance between accepting their child for who they are and helping them become more "typical". When Jason finally meets Phoenixbird, it does not go as smoothly as Jason (and the reader) wish that it would. But that is real life for many children with disabilities, and makes Baskin's story ring true.

Teacher Resources:
Simon and Schuster Reading Guide
Nora Baskin's Website
Autism Awareness Lesson Plans

The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen

2011-08-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Title: The Running Dream

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Year: 2011

Pages: 352

Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: identity, friendship, survival, overcoming hardship

Age Range: Sixth Grade and up

Summary(from Goodreads): Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?
As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.
With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.

Review: Wendelin Van Draanen, the prolific author of the Sammy Keyes and Shredderman series (among many other books), has created an emotional and inspirational tale with The Running Dream. The book opens as sixteen year old Jessica wakes up in the hospital following a bus accident and the subsequent amputation of the lower portion of one of her legs. Told in Jessica's voice, the story follows her journey of recovery and reinvention. The details, though interesting (and true to the life of a contemporary high schooler), are not what made me love this tale. It is the bigger ideas that readers will take from it: endings are almost always beginnings, true friendships can be found in the most unusual of places, an individual is not defined by his/her disabilities, and with love and hope one can achieve the seemingly insurmountable. This book speaks to students, athletes, and anyone who has ever been humbled by a challenge. Read The Running Dream.

Troublemaker, by Andrew Clements

2011-08-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Title: Troublemaker

Author: Andrew Clements

Publisher: Atheneum

Year: 2011

Pages: 160

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: school, identity

Age Range: Third through Fifth Grade

Summary (from Goodreads):There’s a folder in Principal Kelling’s office that’s as thick as a phonebook and it’s growing daily. It’s filled with the incident reports of every time Clayton Hensley broke the rules. There’s the minor stuff like running in the hallways and not being where he was suppose to be when he was supposed to be there. But then there are also reports that show Clay’s own brand of troublemaking, like the most recent addition: the art teacher has said that the class should spend the period drawing anything they want and Clay decides to be extra “creative” and draw a spot-on portrait of Principal Kellings…as a donkey.
It’s a pretty funny joke, but really, Clay is coming to realize that the biggest joke of all may be on him. When his big brother, Mitchell, gets in some serious trouble, Clay decides to change his own mischief making ways…but he can’t seem to shake his reputation as a troublemaker.

Review: Let me begin by saying that I wanted to love this book. I truly did. I have been a fan of Andrew Clements for ages, and count many of his books amongst my favorites - Frindle, The Landry News, The Report Card, No Talking...I even loved Room One. I was hoping that after reading Troublemaker, I'd have another Clements classic to add to my list of faves. Sadly, that is not the case.

Though I believe that there are plenty of kids who can relate to Clayton Hensley (and I have certainly known a few Clays in my day), his transformation from gleeful mischief maker to considerate rule follower felt altogether too simple to me. It seemed that, within a short period of time, Clay had managed to change his behavior, learn the error of his ways, rebuild a relationship with his beleaguered principal, and discover new insights into the nature of his best friend. Quite a list of accomplishments for a kid who started behaving just because his brother told him to.

All my grouching aside, I do think that this book will speak to many students, especially those who are proud to call themselves troublemakers. It would also be a good choice for read aloud because it could spark some interesting discussion about rules and why we follow them, as well as the nature of friendship.

The Summer I Learned to Fly, by Dana Reinhardt

2011-08-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Title: The Summer I Learned To Fly

Author: Dana Reinhardt

Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books

Year: 2011

Pages: 224

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Coming of age, friendship, family, identity

Age Range: Fifth through Ninth Grade

Summary (from Goodreads): Drew's a bit of a loner. She has a pet rat, her dead dad's Book of Lists, an encyclopedic knowledge of cheese from working at her mom's cheese shop, and a crush on Nick, the surf bum who works behind the counter. It's the summer before eighth grade and Drew's days seem like business as usual, until one night after closing time, when she meets a strange boy in the alley named Emmett Crane. Who he is, why he's there, where the cut on his cheek came from, and his bottomless knowledge of rats are all mysteries Drew will untangle as they are drawn closer together, and Drew enters into the first true friendship, and adventure, of her life.

Review: In honor of the Book of Lists that Drew obsessively reads in order to connect with her deceased father, I am writing my review as a list, entitled...

What I Loved about The Summer I Learned to Fly

1. This book is set in the 80s, but never makes obvious jokes about the decade.

2. Drew's mother owns a gourmet cheese shop, and Drew makes mention of the difficulties Mom faces as a small business owner. This is a topic to which many of our students can relate, and has potential for rich discussion.

3. Drew's voice (and point of view) remind me of being thirteen. The things she says, and the choices she makes, feel 100% real.

4. I consumed this book in two, big gulps. It is simple, honest, and lovely.

5. The ending doesn't give you all the answers, but it gives you just enough.

6. Since completing the book, I still find myself thinking about Drew, Emmet, and Nick. I wish them well.

Teaching Resources

www.danareinhardt.net

Extra Credit, by Andrew Clements

2011-07-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Title: Extra Credit
Author: Andrew Clements
Publisher: Antheum
Year: 2009
Pages: 192
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Acceptance, Self-Confidence, Multiculturalism
Age Range: 4th through 7th Grade

Summary: (from Amazon)
It isn’t that Abby Carson can’t do her schoolwork. She just doesn’t like doing it. And in February a warning letter arrives at her home. Abby will have to repeat sixth grade—unless she meets some specific conditions, including taking on an extra-credit project to find a pen pal in a distant country. Seems simple enough. But when Abby’s first letter arrives at a small school in Afghanistan, the village elders agree that any letters going back to America must be written well. In English. And the only qualified student is a boy, Sadeed Bayat. Except in this village, it is not proper for a boy to correspond with a girl. So Sadeed’s younger sister will write the letters. Except she knows hardly any English. So Sadeed must write the letters. For his sister to sign. But what about the villagers who believe that girls should not be anywhere near a school? And what about those who believe that any contact with Americans is . . . unhealthy? Not so simple. But as letters flow back and forth—between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of central Asia, across cultural and religious divides, through the minefields of different lifestyles and traditions—a small group of children begin to speak and listen to one another. And in just a few short weeks, they make important discoveries about their communities, about their world, and most of all, about themselves.

Review:
As children's authors go, Andrew Clements is about as consistently good as they get. His books are always well-written, well-paced, and well suited to the age level of the kids he is writing for. And that is why I was disappointed in Extra Credit. Don't get me wrong, the writing is still first rate and the characters are well-developed. In the first part of the book, Clements does a great job setting up the relationship between Abby and Sadeed. And given the fact that Sadeed is from such an alien culture, that is no small feat. The problems for me start after Sadeed is confronted by the Talib near his village. Once that happens, the story suddenly speed up, but not in an exciting, things are really happenin' sort of way. The last third of the book feels incomplete. It felt like Clements was suddenly unsure how to write a story about why Abby and Sadeed had to stop corresponding in a way that would make it accessible for younger readers. And I suppose that is not really surprising-I know adults who have a hard time comprehending the very different culture of Afghanistan. There are some decent discussion points in the novel-culture clash, racism, stereotypes-but I felt a bit let down by Mr. Clements when I finished this one.

Teacher Resources:
Author Website
Simon and Schuster Reading Group Guide

The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine

2011-07-27T19:35:00.000-07:00

Title: The Absolute Value of Mike

Author: Kathryn Erskine

Publisher: Philomel

Year: 2011

Pages: 256

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Family, Friendship, Identity

Age Level: Grades 5 and Up

Summary (from Goodreads): Mike tries so hard to please his father, but the only language his dad seems to speak is calculus. And for a boy with a math learning disability, nothing could be more difficult. When his dad sends him to live with distant relatives in rural Pennsylvania for the summer to work on an engineering project, Mike figures this is his big chance to buckle down and prove himself. But when he gets there, nothing is what he thought it would be. The project has nothing at all to do with engineering, and he finds himself working alongside his wacky eighty-something- year-old aunt, a homeless man, and a punk rock girl as part of a town-wide project to adopt a boy from Romania. Mike may not learn anything about engineering, but what he does learn is far more valuable.

Review: In my last review, I was fairly critical of Close to Famous for being riddled with cliched characters. The Absolute Value of Mike is similar to that novel in the sense that Mike, like Foster McFee, lives in a town of misfits, many of whom are all too familiar. However, the characters in The Absolute Value of Mike were drawn with a depth that made me care deeply for them, even if their stories weren't entirely brand new. There's Poppy, paralyzed with grief over losing his adult son; Moo, Poppy's absentminded wife who fancies herself a collector of lost souls; a punk rock girl looking for a normal family, and a homeless gentleman who is not at all what he seems. Of course there's also Mike, a boy struggling to accept the fact that he is not the boy his father wants him to be. Mike's journey to discover his "absolute value" is a touching one, and the relationship that develops between Mike and his father feels genuine. The book has many possible points of discussion, one of which being that each chapter is titled with a mathematical term and definition that is somehow connected to the plot. I think that this novel could provide interesting discussion in a guided reading group or literature circle.

Close to Famous by Joan Bauer

2011-07-26T19:51:00.000-07:00

Title: Close to Famous

Author: Joan Bauer

Publisher: Viking

Year: 2011

Pages: 250

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Family, Friendship, Loss

Age Level: Grade 5 and up

Summary (from Goodreads): Foster McFee dreams of having her own cooking show like her idol, celebrity chef Sonny Kroll. Macon Dillard's goal is to be a documentary filmmaker. Foster's mother Rayka longs to be a headliner instead of a back-up singer. And Miss Charleena plans a triumphant return to Hollywood. Everyone has a dream, but nobody is even close to famous in the little town of Culpepper. Until some unexpected events shake the town and its inhabitants--and put their big ambitions to the test.

Review: Truth be told, I wanted to love this book. I really, really did. I thought that a young cupcake baker with ambitions to monopolize the Food Network spotlight was a novel idea. As a fellow cupcake baker and cooking show addict, I figured I would really enjoy spending some time with the character of Foster McFee. Unfortunately, Foster's town of Culpepper is chock full of literary cliches. There's Foster herself, whose list of issues would smother any main character: displaced from her home, suffering the loss of her father, worried about her mother's escape from an abusive relationship, trying to make friends in a new town, and....wait for it...she never learned to read. Joining Foster are the young boy with an inferiority complex (and big dreams of his own), the washed up movie star, the beautifully damaged mother, the villainous boyfriend of the mother, and many, many more. There's nothing inherently bad about this story, and it was not arduous reading by any means. It just wasn't all that compelling, either.

Teaching Resources:

Discussion Guide for Close to Famous

Heather's Top Ten Tuesday: Books with Issues

2011-07-26T07:34:00.000-07:00

This week's Top Ten list from The Broke and the Bookish gives me a chance to make two lists. The topic of the week is books that deal with societal issues, and I've already posted my list of adult books at my other blog, Book Addict Reviews. But because so much good children's literature also has social justice themes, I'm going to make a second list right here at Second Childhood Reviews.

1. The Friendship, Mildred Taylor: This short novella tell the story of two men, one black and one white, and how the racism of the south in the middle of the 20th century led them from being friends to violence. Great book-every class I've ever read this with has literally gasped at what happens.

2. The Misfits, James Howe: With all of the recent news about bullying, this book is a must read for the 5th through 8th grade set. Includes bullying based on weight, gender, intelligence, and sexual orientation.

3. Keeping Corner, Kasmira Sheth: A historical fiction tale of a child-bride in India during the rise of Ghandi. When her betrothed dies of a snake bite, 12 year old Leela is forced to live as a widow, which means never wearing bright colors or bangles again, never being able to marry or have children, and being considered bad luck by the others in her town. Really interesting look at Indian culture.

4. Monster, Walter Dean Myers: Really thought provoking book about a teenager on trial for murder.

5. Bait, by Alex Sanchez: Deals with childhood sexual abuse with a male protagonist. Sanchez's books are so good I have to list two, the other one being...

6. The God Box, Alex Sanchez: Reinterprets the Christian arguments against homosexuality through the story of a closeted Christian teen and his new out and proud Christian friend.

7. The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins: OK, I know that it is cool and trendy to love these books (and I did, love these books that is), but I also happen to think that they can be read and discussed as social commentary. Classism, the value of democracy, the voyeurism of "reality" television, the power of perception and the media-all really topical stuff!

8. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry; The Book Thief, Markus Zusak; The Devil's Arithmetic, Jane Yolen; The Boy Who Dared, Susan Campbell Bartoletti; The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, John Boyne: All books about the holocaust, all really well done.

9. 19 Minutes, Jodi Picoult: I know that she's usually considered an author of adult fiction, but this novel about a school shooting is perfect reading for teens.

10. Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson: Great story about finding your voice after a sexual assault. And a pretty good movie with Kristin Stewart, before she became enamored of sparkly vampires.

The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien

2011-07-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

Title: The Things They Carried
Author: Tim O'Brien
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Year: 1990
Pages: 273
Genre: Historical/Realistic Fiction, Memoir
Themes: War, Survival, Courage
Age Level: 10th Grade and Up

While I sometimes share reviews I've written of young adult novels on my adult book review blog (Book Addict Reviews), I have never posted the other way. But when my daughter recommended I read The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien after reading it in her junior level English class (my daughter, whose last recommendation to me was Twilight when she was 13), I figured I'd better read it. And she was right-this book says things that need to be said about war and courage, and I think that those things should be said to our youth. So, you'll find my review below, not in the usual format, but here all the same.

Summary and Review:
I was born in 1970. So while my life overlaps briefly with the Viet Nam War, I have no real memory of it. What I do remember is going to downtown Chicago with my granny, and later with my parents, and seeing the faces of the homeless vets that were begging on the streets. Wild-eyed, or blank-stared, the memories of their faces color everything that I have heard, read, or seen about the war since. And I have heard, read, and seen a lot. Stories from the fathers of friends who fought in the war, lessons from school, movies like Full Metal Jacket and Platoon-from these sources I have cobbled together a picture of that hot, wet, chaotic, horrific place and time.

But I am not sure that I have truly felt that I had even the faintest understanding of what it might actually have been like. Not, that is, until I read Tim O'Brien's stunning book The Things They Carried. Neither entirely fact nor entirely fiction, O'Brien uses a series of short stories and vignettes to tell the tale of Alpha Company, a group of soldiers based, in part, on the real men that O'Brien served with during the war. The stories meander from stateside to the jungles of Viet Nam, from childhood to middle age, detailing how each experience prepares or informs or explains the person that Tim was or is or may yet become.

I will admit to having some difficulty at first with the non-linear narrative, and with the fact that I was never sure what was true and what was made-up. But the genius of this work is that you soon realize that it doesn't matter. In fact, the way that the book is put together and the inability to tell fact from fiction ends up doing a better job describing what living through that experience was like than any straight forward telling could. O'Brien and his fellow soldiers lived a reality that most of us will never experience, and can never truly comprehend, where time was skewed, day and night traded places, where extraordinary circumstances became ordinary, and where the ordinary world as most of us know it became a dream that you couldn't let yourself believe in.

My favorite section of the book (if favorite is even the right word) is the story of how O'Brien almost ran away to Canada rather than go to war. Part of O'Brien's extreme talent is an ability to use words to paint not just a visual but an emotional picture for the reader, and I was able to feel how deeply terrified he was at the prospect of war. I felt his ambivalence about running away, about choosing the possibility of death over the certainty of shame and embarrassment. But the thing I found most stunning, and the line I would consider the most "controversial" of the whole piece, is this, "I passed through towns with familiar names, through the pine forests and down to the prairie, and then to Viet Nam, where I was a soldier, and then home again. I survived, but it's not a happy ending. I was a coward. I went to war."
Given the hyper-patriotism of the US since 9-11, and our unquestioning assumption that every soldier is brave and heroic, this simple statement stopped me dead in my tracks. It felt almost sacrilegious. Are we allowed to say that not going to war is more courageous than going? What does that say about us as a society, that we are find ourselves so often in armed conflicts? Is it bravery and strength, or is it because we don't want to be judged as wanting by the rest of the world? What would happen if our young men and women, en masse, simply refused to go the next time we try to send them into harm's way? Would it be courageous or cowardly? Regardless of where any one of us comes down on that particular idea, what O'Brien's work has done is illustrate for those of us that weren't there that nothing is as simple and straightforward in war as those of us sitting at home watching it on our televisions thinks it is.

Teaching Resources:
National Endowment for the Arts Teaching Guide
ReadWriteThink Lesson Plans
Web English Teacher Lesson Plans

Junonia by Kevin Henkes

2011-07-19T05:37:00.000-07:00

Title: Junonia

Author: Kevin Henkes

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Year: 2011

Pages: 192

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Themes: Coming of Age, Family

Age Level: 3rd Grade and Up

Summary: Junonia begins as Alice Rice and her family embark on their annual vacation by the sea. Every year, Alice celebrates her birthday in a cabin called Scallop, surrounded by her parents and fellow vacationers. Although this year's trip begins with a sense of promise and magic, that feeling quickly disappears as Alice's family is joined by Aunt Kate and a troubled young girl named Mallory. Alice spends her vacation trying to reconnect with that initial feeling of magic by searching for the rare Junonia shell.

Review: I have always been a fan of Kevin Henkes' picture books (Julius, the Baby of the World is my favorite), but have not always connected with his novels. That being said, I found Junonia and its cast of characters to be quite relatable. Alice is a girl who, on the outside, appears reserved and calm. On the inside, her mind is swirling with multiple musings: Could God be a beautiful woman named Junonia? Why is Mallory so unhappy? How do I know when I am really growing up? When will I find my little piece of perfection? As I accompanied Alice on her journey of self discovery, I was treated to sparse and beautiful prose that I can only describe as Patricia McLachlan-esque. Though I enjoyed Junonia as a reader, I believe it lacks mass appeal for young readers. As a teacher, I believe it would be a great addition to a classroom library, but I would not use this book for guided reading or read aloud.

Teaching Resources:

Kevin Henkes Author Study (Picture Books)

Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater

2011-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

Title: Shiver
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Year:2009
Pages: 400
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Themes: First Love, Werewolves, Family
Age Level: 9th Grade and Up

Summary (from School Library Journal):
Grace, 17, loves the peace and tranquility of the woods behind her home. It is here during the cold winter months that she gets to see her wolf—the one with the yellow eyes. Grace is sure that he saved her from an attack by other wolves when she was nine. Over the ensuing years he has returned each season, watching her with those haunting eyes as if longing for something to happen. When a teen is killed by wolves, a hunting party decides to retaliate. Grace races through the woods and discovers a wounded boy shivering on her back porch. One look at his yellow eyes and she knows that this is her wolf in human form. Fate has finally brought Sam and Grace together, and as their love grows and intensifies, so does the reality of what awaits them. It is only a matter of time before the winter cold changes him back into a wolf, and this time he might stay that way forever.

Review:
I will admit it-I got completely sucked into the whole Twilight phenomenon. The writing is only mediocre, and I only really liked about half of the characters, but the story sucked me in and wouldn't let go until I had read every, single, solitary word. (I even read The Host, which I actually thought was a better story, and better written.) Once I awoke from my Twilight-induced haze, and started blogging, I realized how many Twilight clones there are out there. Most of them didn't really interest me much, but the one that popped up over and over was Shiver.

As paranormal romances go, this one is pretty good. It is well written, with believable characters and dialogue. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Grace and Sam, which makes the plot structure a bit different than other novels written for teens. Both of the main characters are well-developed, but even the minor characters feel fairly fleshed out.

What makes this book stand out for me in the genre, though, is that Grace is not an awkward, indecisive girl. She is independent, sure of herself as much as a 17 year old can be, and shows a strength of conviction. Sam, as the poetry-loving, damaged 18 year old is a bit more stereotypical in his post-modern, post-feminist masculinity, but his inherent honor and decency feel authentic. I think that this book, while not worthy of direct teaching, would make a good addition to a classroom library or reader's workshop setting.

Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom, by Susin Nielsen

2011-06-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Title: Dear George Clooney, Please Marry My Mom
Author: Susin Nielsen
Publisher: Tundra Books
Year: 2010
Pages: 240
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Divorce, Family
Age Range: 6th-8th Grade

Summary:
Two year ago, Violet's life took a sudden turn-for the worse. Her TV director dad met a 24 year old actress named Jennica, and took off with her for sunny LA, leaving Violet, her sister Rosie, and their mother behind in Vancouver. Since then, Violet pretty much hates everything-her step-mom's fake boobs, her middle-school nemesis Ashley, and the fact that her mom has become a serial dater. After a string of failed relationships, her mom brings home Dudley Weiner, a pudgy, nerdy punster in whom Violet can see no redeeming qualities. Despite her best efforts to sabotage their relationship, her mother seems to really like this guy, even though he has man-boobs. In a last ditch attempt to break them up, she starts writing letters to George Clooney, hoping to offer her mother a chance at the man of her dreams. When Violet goes to LA to visit her dad on the set, it seems that she just might make that Clooney connection after all.

Review:
Written with refreshing honesty tinged with a sense of innocence, the character of Violet comes clearly off the page in this young adult novel. Violet could be just about any 12 year old girl. She's self-conscious, awkward, and self-absorbed. She's angry with her mom, her dad, her step-mother, even her two year old "half-sisters", as she insists on calling them. She tells herself that her spying on and being rude to her mother's dates is just a way to protect her family, but what she is really afraid of is someone taking the place of her dad. Nielsen even makes the George Clooney tie-in believable, what with her dad being in the business. Nielsen writes about Violet's various escapades with a sense of humor that keeps this story from straying into Lifetime movie territory, which as an adult reader I appreciate. There are no easy answers in this novel, and no tearful reconciliations. This book would make a great addition to a classroom library-I think that there are plenty of kids out there who would completely relate to Violet and what she is feeling.

Countdown, by Deborah Wils

2011-06-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Title: Countdown
Author: Deborah Wiles
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 400
Genre: Historical Fiction
Themes: Friendship, Fear, Family, Cuban Missile Crisis, Civil Rights
Age Range: 5th-8th Grade

Summary (from Goodreads):
It's 1962, and it seems everyone is living in fear. Twelve-year-old Franny Chapman lives with her family in Washington, DC, during the days surrounding the Cuban Missile Crisis. Amidst the pervasive threat of nuclear war, Franny must face the tension between herself and her younger brother, figure out where she fits in with her family, and look beyond outward appearances. For Franny, as for all Americans, it's going to be a formative year.

Review:
Wiles has pulled off with this novel the rather impressive feat of making something like the Cuban Missile Crisis accessible to younger readers through this coming-of-age story. Franny could be any pre-teen entering adolescence; she's the unsettled middle child of a stern mother and Air Force pilot father, embarrassed by her family while loving them deeply, navigating the world of friends and boys without a map. What makes Franny's story different is that she is doing it all in the context of some of the greatest upheavals in American society. While she and her classmates are still pedal pushers and headbands, the world around her is getting ready to enter the era of Viet Nam, the peace movement, the civil rights movement, the space race, and yes, the Cold War.

While the story itself does a decent job of detailing the particular moment in our country's history that was the Cuban Missile Crisis, there are also many parallels that could be made between 1962 and the fear that gripped the US after 9-11. What struck me most was the fear that the adults thought it was OK to lay on these kids. And the absurdity of teaching them to "duck and cover", as though that would provide any protection from a nuclear blast. Just another example of schools making safety rules and having safety drills designed to make us feel like we're doing something to be safer, when in reality we can't control all of the dangers that face our children.

The format of the book is engaging, with photos and advertisements and slogans, and short biographies of some of the major players at the time thrown in. While the main character is female, with rather uniquely female friend/boy issues, I think that there is enough action going on in the book that make readers would be able to get into the story. Apparently this is going to be part of a trilogy called The Sixties Trilogy, though I haven't found a release date for the second book. I'm hopeful that the next book will follow Franny's sister, Jo Ellen, as she goes to Mississippi for Freedom Summer.

Teacher Resources:
Scholastic-Deborah Wiles Author Study
Deborah Wiles Website
Countdown Discussion Guide
Mutlimedia Playlist of Music and Images from Countdown

Ninth Ward, by Jewell Parker Rhodes

2011-06-22T14:07:00.000-07:00

Title: Ninth Ward
Author: Jewell Parker Rhodes
Publisher: Little Brown and Company
Year: 2010
Pages: 217
Genre: Magical Realism
Themes: family, natural disasters, strength, survival, friendship
Age Range: 4th-7th Grade

Summary:
Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane—Katrina—fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm. (From Goodreads)

Review:
When a humanitarian tragedy as large as Hurricane Katrina occurs, often adults struggle to find ways to discuss the horrors of the situation in a way that is at once truthful and comforting. As the sixth anniversary of the hurricane that devoured New Orleans approaches, Jewell Parker Rhodes gives us a stunning example of how we as adults can harness the fear and sadness and turn it into something that kids can not only understand, but learn and grow from.

Lanesha is about as self-assured a character as you'll find in children's literature. Despite her unusual birth, living situation, and gifts, Lanesha is almost completely comfortable with who she is. Much of this can be chalked up to Mama YaYa, the midwife who raised her after her mother died in childbirth. Lanesha's "Uptown" family wants nothing to do with her, and leaves her in the Ninth Ward with Mama YaYa. In fact, the only thing that seems to bring sadness to her life is the desertion of her Uptown family-the wealthy family that never gave her a chance because of her mother's indiscretion with a low-class Ninth Ward boy. Lonely as she is, it isn't until she makes friends with a girl named Ginia, a boy named TaShon, and a dog named Spot that she realizes what she's been missing-friends.

Having lived through the lead up to and aftermath of Katrina, even from a distance, I didn't need much help imagining what the Ninth Ward was like during the hurricane. But Parker Rhodes' descriptions bring home the chaos and fear caused by the storm, and the desperation as the water flooded in afterwards. As an adult reader, I had a context for the references to the Superdome, but I can see how building background knowledge before reading this aloud or having your students read it would be important. I am thinking of using it as a read aloud during a unit in natural disasters. Sadly, what happened in New Orleans may be America's equivalent to the sinking of the Titanic (certainly, as many people died), or the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. Unlike those events, however, this one is still unfolding, as New Orleans continues to try and rebuild.

Teacher Resources:
Curriculum Connections-TeachingBooks.net
Author Interview
Education World Hurricane Watch Lesson Plans
Jewell Parker Rhodes Webpage for Ninth Ward

Ash, by Melinda Lo

2011-06-14T18:23:00.000-07:00

Title: Ash
Author: Melinda Lo
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 272
Genre: Fantasy
Themes: Family, First Love
Age Level: 7th Grade and Up

Summary: (from Goodreads)
In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.
The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Review:
This is one of the more creative re-imaginings of the Cinderella story that I've seen. Even above and beyond the fact of Ash's same-sex first love, Lo makes Ash a much more active participant in the story of her life than most versions do. Ultimately, the story comes down to the choice between fantasy and reality. Ash's life was hard and miserable-it only makes sense that she would wish to escape it to the land of the fairies. At least, it made sense to her until she saw what real life could be. Was it worth giving up a chance at happiness in the real world for an eternity of contented servitude to the fairies? Lo's writing is dark and subtly menacing when describing Ash's life in her stepmother's house or her time with Sidhean, but becomes luminous when describing Ash's time in the Wood, and her interactions with Kaisa. There are great opportunities for discussing writer's craft with this book, both in the use of descriptive language and the character development of Ash from young girl to young woman.

There are many ways this book could be used in the classroom. I think that you could make a whole unit out of re-imaginings of various fairy tales, of which this is a great example. I think that there are many discussions that could come from the choice Ash must make between withdrawing from the world and being a part of it. Regardless of whether it is used for direct instruction, I think that Ash would be a great addition to any classroom library.

Moon Over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool

2011-05-16T04:54:00.000-07:00

Title: Moon Over Manifest
Author: Clare Vanderpool
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Year: 2010
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Fiction
Themes: Family, Finding a Home, Community,War, Xenophobia
Age Range: 5th through 8th Grade

Summary: (from School Library Journal)
It's as if readers jump off the train in Manifest, KS, in 1936 with Abilene Tucker, 12, the feisty, likable, and perceptive narrator. She is there to live with Pastor Shady Howard, her father's friend, while her father works on the railroad back in Iowa. An equally important story set during World War I is artfully intertwined. Since her mother went off on her own 10 years earlier, Abilene and Gideon have been alone. Though their life together is unsettled, their bond is strong. Shady's place is shabby, but he is welcoming. The mystery about Manifest and Gideon unfolds after Abilene finds a box filled with intriguing keepsakes. It includes a letter dated 1917 to someone named Jinx from Ned Gillen that has a warning, “THE RATTLER is watching.” This starts Abilene, with the help of new friends Ruthanne and Lettie, on a search to learn the identity of the pair. The story cleverly shifts back and forth between the two eras. Abilene becomes connected to Miss Sadie, a “diviner” who slowly leads her through the story of Ned and Jinx. Though the girl is lonely, she adjusts to her new life, feeling sure that her father will come for her at summer's end.

Review:
This book won the Newbery Prize for children's literature last year, giving some indication of the quality of the writing in this book. The narrative structure is interesting and engaging, and the story within a story device works well in this setting. In many ways this book reminded me of books like Because of Winn Dixie-small town, spunky girl, eccentric older woman, slightly shady older man-but what makes this book unique is the focus on how the immigration question affected the midwest during the first part of the 20th century. Not many people know that the Ku Klux Klan targeted immigrants as well as blacks, nor do most people truly understand the hold that the mining companies (and other large manufacturing companies) had on the workers and their families. Throw in a short lesson on Prohibition and a long look at World War I, and this novel is a rich source of historical content for discussion and extension activities.

Teacher Resources:
Moon Over Manifest on eNotes
Moon Over Manifest on Bookrags

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

2011-04-30T13:44:00.000-07:00

Title: Unwind
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Year: 2007
Pages: 352
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystpoian
Themes: Reproductive Rights, Ethics, Morality, Survival, Identity
Age Levels: 7th-10th Grade

Summary:

Set in the future, the second civil war is fought over abortion. To end the war, a compromise is reached that ends the practice of abortion but creates an alternative called "unwinding." Between the ages of 13 and 17, parents or guardians can choose to have their children unwound, which involves having every part of their bodies harvested to be "donated" to another person so, technically, they don't really die. The complex and compelling plot follows three teens whose stories intertwine when they escape while on their way to the harvest camps. Fifteen-year-old Connor's parents can no longer control him. Lev, a tithe, was raised by religious parents for the sole purpose of being unwound. Risa, a ward of the state, is a victim of shrinking budgets since she is not a talented enough musician to be kept alive. (From School Library Journal)

Review:
My first thought upon finishing this book (in practically one sitting, I might add) was "Holy crap!". Not the most literary of sentiments, I realize, but I was so blown away by this story that "Holy crap" was as articulate as I could get.

When this book was first recommended to me by a close friend, I was a little bit concerned about the subject matter. Not that I consider myself squeamish, nor and I averse to a good debate over something I feel strongly about, like a woman's right to choose-I was more afraid that the book would come off as preachy, which is something I find pretty abhorrent in a book (though less so when the author's preachiness agrees with me!). I was assured by my (many) friends who had read Unwind that was not the case, and they were 100% right (I can hear them all saying, "Of course we were, stupid!"-well, maybe without the stupid part!) In fact, after reading the entire book I'm not sure where Shusterman himself would come down on the subject of reproductive rights-but I do know how he feels about respecting and protecting the children already here.

Shusterman's characters are well-drawn, and sympathetic while still being flawed, each in their own way. Connor, the character who sets the rest of the events in motion, is a perfect example of a good kid gone bad through lack of impulse control. I see two or three of those go through my classroom every year. Risa is actually the most functional of the three youth, which is ironic given the fact that she spent her entire life in a state youth home with no family. Lev is the one that got to me the most-a boy raised from birth to believe that he was destined to honor God by allowing himself to be "tithed" to the church by being unwound. Let's see, young men raised to believe that it is an honor to die for their religious beliefs-sound familiar to anyone?

Obviously the whole concept of unwinding could lead to some pretty intense discussion of morality, ethics, and the existence and/or nature of the soul. But there are points all along the way to take that discussion into different directions. What about the doctors? Don't they take and oath to do no harm? What happens to the parents? What kind of belief about the sanctity of life does unwinding lead to in the society? Do people seem to value life more or less as a result of storking and unwinding? Should people be allowed to pay for body parts? Should scientists do something, like the neurobonding in the book, just because they can, or is there a higher ethical standard to meet. This book has a ton of different ways you could go.

Teacher Resources:
Simon and Schuster Reading Guide
Teachervision Reading Group Guide
eNotes Study Guide

Forest of Hands and Teeth, Carrie Ryan

2011-04-27T19:25:00.000-07:00

Title: Forest of Hands and Teeth
Author: Carrie Ryan
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Year: 2009
Pages: 320
Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction
Themes: Survival, First Love
Age Levels: 7th through 12th Grade

Summary:
Mary knows little about the past and why the world now contains two types of people: those in her village and the undead outside the fence, who prey upon the flesh of the living. The Sisters protect their village and provide for the continuance of the human race. After her mother is bitten and joins the Unconsecrated, Mary is sent to the Sisters to be prepared for marriage to her friend Harry. But then the fences are breached and the life she has known is gone forever. Mary; Harry; Travis, whom Mary loves but who is betrothed to her best friend; her brother and his wife; and an orphaned boy set out into the unknown to search for safety, answers to their questions, and a reason to go on living.
(From School Library Journal)

Review:
If you liked M. Night Shyamalan's movie The Village, and you like zombies, then you will probably like this book. While I enjoyed this book, I'm not sure that I would say that it is one of the best examples of dystopian young adult literature that I've read. There were moments when it had similar suspense to Hunger Games, but without the emotional impact. It had elements of the drudgery of The Road, but without the masterful use of language. All in all, I think that this book (and the ones that follow) would be best used as part of a larger unit on dystopian literature, perhaps as a choice book for students to read after studying Hunger Games or Life as We Knew It.

The Three Questions, Jon J. Muth

2011-04-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Title: The Three Questions (based on a story by Leo Tolstoy)
Author: Jon J. Muth
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Year: 2002
Pages: 32
Genre: Animal Fantasy
Themes: Morality/Ethics
Age Range: K-4th Grade

Summary:

Muth (Come On, Rain!) recasts a short story by Tolstoy into picture-book format, substituting a boy and his animal friends for the czar and his human companions. Yearning to be a good person, Nikolai asks, "When is the best time to do things? Who is the most important one? What is the right thing to do?" Sonya the heron, Gogol the monkey and Pushkin the dog offer their opinions, but their answers do not satisfy Nikolai. He visits Leo, an old turtle who lives in the mountains. While there, he helps Leo with his garden and rescues an injured panda and her cub, and in so doing, finds the answers he seeks. As Leo explains, "There is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one who is standing at your side." (from Publisher's Weekly)

Review:

I am using this book as the children's story during a youth service at my church about "The Big Questions". While the text is deceptively simple, the concepts behind the story are subtle. The story has enough action to keep younger children entertained (plus pandas!), but older children will be able to discuss the lesson inherent in the questions that Nikolai poses to his animal friends. The art is beautiful-understated, but detailed enough to engage a child's interest. The story is moral without being preachy, and with older students you could compare the original story-which involves Russian politics-with the animal version. Regardless, it is a lesson worth teaching.

Teacher Resources:

Learning to Give Lesson Plans
Questioning Lesson

School for Tricksters, Chris Galaver

2011-04-14T16:15:00.000-07:00

Title: School for Tricksters
Author: Chris Galaver
Publisher: Southern Methodist University Press
Year: 2010
Pages: 248
Genre: Historical Fiction
Themes: Racial Identity
Age Range: 7th-12th Grade

Summary:
In School for Tricksters, Gavaler examines racial identity through the true, though fictionalized, lives of Ivy and Sylvester. Ivy is an orphaned white girl trying to move up in the world, Sylvester is a black Southerner trying to escape the Jim Crow south. Both end up at Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania-a school designed for assimilating Native Americans into mainstream society. Both of them are "passing" as Indian in order to escape their poor upbringing. Through Carlisle they come into contact with some famous-or infamous-names. Pop Warner, activist Angela De Cora and her husband Lone Star Deitz (himself passing as Indian to further his sports career) and future Olympian Jim Thorpe. Told in alternating stories about each main character, the book shows the ultimate price for "pretending" to be someone you are not.

Review:
Gavaler takes on a shameful period in American history-the destruction of Native American culture through forced attendance and boarding schools-and turn it on its head. This is not a story of Native Americans overcoming the threat to their identity, but rather the affects of defining people by race at all. While the very idea of someone having to "pass" is abhorrent, you can't help but understand the impulse. Our racial policies over the years have pitted groups against each other, causing people to act against their own long term interests to try and get ahead. This book would be a great way to introduce the idea of passing and what that meant to people of different backgrounds. Ivy and Sylvester are both written in a way that is promotes thoughtful discussion about character motivation and the narrative structure showcases a different way of thinking about storytelling.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, By Sherman Alexie

2011-03-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Author: Sherman Alexie
Publisher: Little, Brown for Young Readers
Year: 2007
Pages: 230
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade and Up

Summary:
Arnold Spirit, a goofy-looking dork with a decent jumpshot, spends his time lamenting life on the "poor-ass" Spokane Indian reservation, drawing cartoons (which accompany, and often provide more insight than, the narrative), and, along with his aptly named pal Rowdy, laughing those laughs over anything and nothing that affix best friends so intricately together. When a teacher pleads with Arnold to want more, to escape the hopelessness of the rez, Arnold switches to a rich white school and immediately becomes as much an outcast in his own community as he is a curiosity in his new one. He weathers the typical teenage indignations and triumphs like a champ but soon faces far more trying ordeals as his home life begins to crumble and decay amidst the suffocating mire of alcoholism on the reservation. (from Booklist)

Review:
Alexie does not pull any punches in this young adult novel about race, culture, and individuality. Arnold Spirit, known as Junior on the reservation where he lives, is conflicted. His family and culture encourage him to stay with the tribe, to stay on the reservation, to not look to the white man's world for hope. But Junior feels trapped on the reservation. He watches his family and friends deal with poverty, alcoholism, and violence, and he knows that if he does not leave the reservation he will succumb the the same hopelessness that is slowly killing the very culture of their Spokane tribe. But leaving opens him up to a whole different set of challenges. The other students at the small-town high school he attends treat him with suspicion, and he never truly feels like he belongs. At home, the members of his tribe treat him as a race traitor-someone who thinks he is better than the rest f them, and is betraying them by trying to "be white". Caught between these two worlds, Junior feels like a part-time Indian. When he is at school, he is always part-Indian, and on the rez he is always considered part-white. This duality of his existence begins to help him understand that identity is more than simply the race or tribe you are born into. It is also about what you do with your gifts, and about coming to terms with the fact that all of us have to make our own way, regardless of the challenges that stand in front of us. On the reservation he sees Indians who have given up, who have refused to face their challenges and try to cover them up with alcohol and violence. Despite his feeling that he is leaving something important behind, he knows what he needs to do to be a whole person.

Teacher Resources:
Sherman Alexie @ Web English Teacher
eNotes Study Guide
Oak Park River Forest High School Summer Reading Packet

Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block

2011-03-16T04:42:00.000-07:00

Title: Weetzie Bat
Author: Francesca Lia Block
Publisher: Harper Collins
Year: 1989
Pages: 109
Genre: Magical Realism
Themes: Family, GLBT, AIDS
Age Range: 9th through 12th Grade

Summary:
Weetzie Bat and her best friend Dirk live in Shangi-L.A., which most of us call Los Angeles. They like 60s Hollywood glam, and punk rock. Weetzie is straight, Dirk is gay. Both are looking for their "duck", or soulmate. After Weetzie gets three wishes from a genie in a bottle, Dirk find his in a dreamy blonde surfer boy, Weetzie finds her Secret Agent Lover Man. This odd collection of people live together in a bungalow in LA, creating a blended family like none I've ever seen. Together they face depression, AIDS, parenting, and an uncertain future.

Review:
This is a strange little gem of a book. There is almost no formal character development, yet I felt as though I knew and understood each of the characters intimately. Block's sparse, lyrical language paints a picture of a Los Angeles that is at once glamorous and gritty, magical and dirty-in fact, it is the perfect setting for a story with both Old Hollywood and punk rock sensibilities. Weetzie and her friends make some questionable choices-drinking too much, picking up men at clubs, having a baby while still very young-but you can't help but be moved by their loving, quirky, rather bizarre family. This book was the first in a series about Weetzie Bat and her family, including Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys and Baby Be-Bop

The House Your Pass On The Way, Jacqueline Woodson

2011-03-14T04:43:00.000-07:00

Title: The House You Pass On The Way
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Year: 1999
Pages: 114
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Coming of Age, Sexual Orientation, Identity, Friendship
Age Level: 6th through 9th Grade

Summary:
In this understated story set in a small, mostly African-American community in the South, Staggerlee Canan is shunned by her peers because her mother is white. This is not the sole cause of her isolation, however. She has a secret. In sixth grade, she had kissed another girl. Rejected by that friend, Staggerlee has no one to talk to about her sexual feelings until her adopted cousin, Trout, visits for the summer when both girls are 14. Both wonder if they are gay, but sexual identity is really only one of the things that troubles them. Their platonic intimacy is the intense kind shared by friends who see themselves as different from the crowd. Asked by Trout to say whether she's black or white, Staggerlee replies, "I'm me. That's all." (From School Library Journal)

Review:
Despite the slim nature of this book, it carries a surprising amount of weight. Staggerlee is an interesting character-the grandchild of famous grandparents, unable to take advantage of the freedom from oppression that they fought for. She struggles to understand what it means to be bi-racial in a mostly black community, where the other kids assume she thinks she is better than they are. The fact that she has a secret about her feelings towards other girls contributes to her isolation. When Trout comes into the picture, she has finally found someone "like her". But when Trout leaves, and the intensity of their frienship starts to lessen, Staggerlee is left wondering if and when she will truly be able to just be herself. This book would be great for teaching about multi-racial identity or sexual orientation specifically, or tryiing to find your place in the world in general.

Resources:
Jacqueline Woodson's Website

Totally Joe, James Howe

2011-03-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

Title: Totally Joe
Author: James Howe
Publisher: Antheum
Year: 2005
Pages: 208
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Themes: Coming Out, Coming of Age, First Love
Age Level: 6th through 10th Grade

Summary:
Joe Bunch is your average middle schooler. What he really wants is to be popular, but he'll settle for being left alone. Unfortunately for him, his rather flamboyant nature makes him the target of the school bully, Kevin. Told as journal entries for the "alphabiography" his teacher assigned, we learn about all of Joe's ups and downs, from his first boyfriend to his distant relationship with his brother and his beloved Aunt Pam moving away.

Review:
I don't usually read other people's reviews of a book before writing my own, but in looking for a summary of the ply of Totally Joe I came across two that made me shake my head. Both mentioned how well-written the book was, and how engaging the story was, and then went on to mention how unrealistic it is that a gay middle-schooler could be so comfortable with themselves, and that their family and friends could be so accepting. It is such a sad testament to the fact that most people still see being gay and coming out as traumatic experiences filled with self-hatred, family denial, and rejection. Believe it or not, there are families out there that are completely and unreservedly accepting of their gay children. I know at least three such young people myself, who came out in middle school to their families and close friends and had nothing but positive, supporting experiences. I love the fact that Howe does not make Joe's journey and coming out full of drama and conflict. Why is it unrealistic to describe what a loving, accepting family structure looks like? This book, a companion to The Misfits, does not have its power. But Joe is an engaging, likeable character, and his story of self-acceptance and first love is sweet.

Teaching Resources:
Alphabiography Project

The Misfits, James Howe

2011-03-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Title: The Misfits
Author: James Howe
Publisher: Antheum
Year: 2001
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 6th through 9th Grade
Themes: Acceptance, Family, Bullying

Summary:
What do a 12-year-old student who moonlights as a tie salesman, a tall, outspoken girl, a gay middle schooler and a kid branded as a hooligan have in common? Best friends for years, they've all been the target of cruel name-calling and now that they're in seventh grade, they're not about to take it any more. In this hilarious and poignant novel, Howe (Bunnicula; The Watcher) focuses on the quietest of the bunch, overweight Bobby Goodspeed (the tie salesman), showing how he evolves from nerd to hero when he starts speaking his mind. Addie (the outspoken girl) decides that the four of them should run against more popular peers in the upcoming student council election. But her lofty ideals and rabble-rousing speeches make the wrong kind of waves, offending fellow classmates, teachers and the principal. It is not until softer-spoken Bobby says what's in his heart about nicknames and taunts that people begin to listen and take notice, granting their respect for the boy they used to call "Lardo" and "Fluff." (From Publishers Weekly)

Review:
This book should be required reading in every middle school in America. Robby and his group of friends represent the typical middle-school outsider archetypes-the hooligan; the nerd; the unattractive know-it all; the sissy. But Howe-speaking through his insightful, hilarious narrator, Robby-shows that their experiences of name-calling and bullying are universal. The book examines issues of race, sexual orientation, and sexism in such a way that the target audience of tweens can easily relate. While the characters may be more well-adjusted and mature than the average middle-schooler, the journey of these four friends is inspiring. Speaking of inspiring, this novel spawned a nation-wide event, founded by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network called No Name-Calling Week, which is now celebrated in schools all around the country. As an educator, I'm speaking from experience when I tell you that the issues presented in this book are just as relevant today as they were when Howe wrote The Misfits. If you need proof, the fact that this book has been challenged in some school districts should be proof enough. I wish that we all had the courage and ability to speak truth to power the way that Howe has with this gem of a book.

Teaching Resources:
Teaching Tolerance Interview with Author James Howe
Teaching Guide from TeacherVision
No Name Calling Week
Literature Unit from edHelper

The Sissy Duckling, Harvey Fierstein

2011-03-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

Title: The Sissy Duckling
Author: Harvey Fierstein and Henry Cole
Publisher: Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing
Year: 2002
Pages: 40
Genre: Animal Fantasy
Themes: Family, Acceptance
Age Levels: 1st through 4th Grade

Summary:
Actor and playwright Fierstein (Torch Song Trilogy) turns a gimlet eye to Hans Christian Andersen in this ducky tale. Elmer, crowned by a wispy comb of feathers and wearing a pink backpack with daisies on it, is "one happy duckling doing all the things he loved to do," such as baking cookies and staging puppet shows. When Papa Duck, an imposing mallard, forces him to try baseball, Elmer promptly strikes out and heads for home, unfazed. Later, he hears his father complaining ("They all called him sissy! Now I'm the laughingstock of the whole flock") and endures threats from a school bully with a feathery flat-top and muscular chest. Elmer runs away and sets up housekeeping in a hollow tree, but comes to the rescue when his father gets shot by hunters and cannot fly south for the winter. In a campy, triumphant ending, the resourceful duckling loudly proclaims, "I am a big sissy and proud of it!" Ages 5-8.(From Publishers Weekly)

Review:
This book is lighthearted and fun on the surface, but addresses some read issues that students face when they act outside of what society considers "normal" for their gender. Fierstein draws from his own experiences to create a main character that is lovable and easygoing, an completely happy being different than the others. Fierstein shows clearly that the problem is not with Elmer's behavior, but with the prejudices and actions of others. Why should Elmer have to change who he is? Why shouldn't the other ducks have to open their minds? And who made up these gender roles anyway? I so appreciate that Elmer does not ever question his right to be who he is. And that while he misses his parents, he knows that he should not have to live someplace where he is not loved for being himself. Great book for teaching stereotypes and self-acceptance.

Teacher Resources:
Accepting Others Lesson Plan
Character Education Using Children's Literature
The Sissy Duckling Video

Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure

2011-02-27T12:37:00.000-08:00

Title: Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure
Author: Allan Richard Shickman
Publisher: Earthshaker Books
Date: 2007
Pages: 160
Genre: Historical Fiction/Adventure
Age Levels: 4th-9th Grade

Summary:
Zan-Gah is a 14 year old boy living with a small group of families in the prehistoric era. Hunters and gatherers, his small tribe survives by being fierce hunters. Guilty over his brother's disappearance from the tribe, Zan-Gah goes off alone into the wilderness to try and find him. Along the way, he faces danger after danger, growing from a young boy into manhood during his three year journey.

Review:
Getting boys to read can be a real challenge. Jon Sczieska even has an initiative called Guys Read to encourage more boys to read. So finding a book like Zan-Gah is like a gift to teachers or parents trying to find exciting, engaging stories for boys. Zan-Gah has all of the things that the stereotypical boy would like-danger, daring escapes, heroism. Shickman has created a world that is both informative and exciting. It reminded me a little bit of Clan of the Cavebear for kids. As coming of age stories go this one is pretty unique. Never mind the trials and tribulations of middle school or the divorced parents-this is like coming of age on steroids. The action is non-stop, and in amongst the action there are some good lessons on overcoming fear and standing by the people you love.

Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters

2011-02-08T09:33:00.000-08:00

Title: Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daugters
Author: Barack Obama
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date: November 2010
Pages: 40
Genre: Non-Fiction
Age Range: Ages 4-8 (I would use it in 4th and 5th grade as well)

Summary:
Of Thee I Sing is a loving tribute to President Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha. Mr. Obama uses the personal stories of 13 famous Americans of all races and backgrounds to highlight the traits he believes each of his daughters possesses- creativity, intelligence, bravery, compassion, strength, humility, and kindness. With beautiful illustrations by Loren Long, this book makes an inspiring story to read with your own children.

Review:
I will admit to some bias in my reasons for buying this book. I happen to love this particular president, and have read his other books as well. What makes this book special is two things for me-the multicultural figures Obama uses to highlight each character trait, and the gorgeous illustrations that accompany each person's story. As a teacher I am routinely frustrated by the token multiculturalism we have in American schools. Too many people seem to think that if we teach about Martin Luther King Jr. in January and Harriet Tubman and George Washington Carver in February we are somehow being progressive. This dichotomous view of "diversity" in our schools, the myth that by teaching about a few African-American heroes we are somehow making up for the lack of representation in our history and literature series, leaves out the many children who belong to neither group, or to more than one. Mr. Obama includes Native Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, women, men, rich, and poor in his description to his daughters about what makes America the amazing place that it is-and what it takes to make it the more amazing place it can be. Despite the political rhetoric in Washington, I can feel his continued idealism, and that in itself is a source of hope for me. For his daughters, this book holds all of the love and hope that their father has for them-and I dare say, for all of our children.

Teacher Resources:
I was unable to find any online teaching resources for this book yet, though I imagine that's at least in part because it only came out a couple of months ago. I am planning on using it to frame a biography unit, where we will do research on each of the Americans highlighted in the book. You can also use it to discuss begin a conversation about immigration, since a few of the people named were naturalized citizens.

Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card

2011-02-05T08:35:00.000-08:00

Title: Ender's Game
Author: Orson Scott Card
Publsiher: Tor Science Fiction
Date: 1985 (Original)
Pages: 352
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Range: 7th Grade and Up

Summary (from Goodreads):
In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.
Review:
This novel, which won the Hugo and Nebula Awards, has been on my to-be-read list for a while. As a science fiction fan, I felt that I needed to read it just to say I had. I didn't expect to enjoy it-the premise of turning children into soldiers did not appeal to me one whit, especially given that there are actual children being conscripted as child soldiers all over Africa and Asia today. But it is one of the classics of science fiction, so I finally agreed to give it a chance.

I should have known my fellow science fiction fans wouldn't have steered me wrong. Ender's Game is gripping and intense. There is violence from the very beginning, when Ender is attacked by some bullies at his school, but despite the violence the whole thing feels very controlled and rational, almost cold. None of the characters are easily pigeonholed, as the usual good vs evil dichotomy doesn't really apply here. All of the characters have flaws, pretty major ones for the most part, but it is hard to judge them too harshly. How much can you blame a person for acting in a certain way when they have been genetically manipulated to be predisposed that way?

Ender himself commits some pretty horrific acts, but is kept from the knowledge of their consequences so that he will continue to train, to "play the game". I will admit to being as surprised as Ender to find that the final battles he fought were real, at least partly because I knew there were other books in the series, so I was expecting a continuation of the war. But imagine the discussions you could have with students about what was done to Ender. He was manipulated into xenocide, blithely sending what he thought were fake fighters into battle, only to kill them in real life. What would that do to a person? What reasons would make it OK for a person to be manipulated that way? Would it have made a difference if Ender had been an adult? This novel has a lot of social commentary in it that makes it a great read with high schoolers.

Teacher Resources:
Unit Plans and Study Guides
Character Lesson Plan
Web English Teacher Plans

Boy Meets Boy, David Leviathan

2011-01-05T07:02:00.000-08:00

Title: Boy Meets Boy
Author: David Leviathan
Publisher: Alfred A Knopf
Date: 2005
Pages: 195
Genre: Realistic (?) Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade and Up

I was a HUGE fan of The West Wing. I thought the writing was smart, and the characters were interesting. But most of all, I thought that Aaron Sorkin had created a fictional world that I actually wanted to live in. For an hour each week, I could sit in my living room and pretend that Jed Bartlett was the president instead of that Republican from Texas. I'm pretty sure I would even vote for Martin Sheen in real life-he and I agree more than we disagree when it comes to politics. But I digress-the point was that I wanted to jump through the television and live in that America.

That's how I felt when I read Boy Meets Boy, by David Leviathan. It is the story of Paul, a gay boy who was outed by his kindergarten teacher as being "definitely gay". Paul goes to a high school where the star quarterback in a drag queen named Infinite Darlene, and everyone is free to be gay or straight for bi or trans (or geeky or smart or talented, etc...) without repercussions. Paul meets new-boy Noah, and his first real love starts to bloom. But Noah comes with baggage from a bad break-up, and when Paul's ex-boyfriend starts sniffing around, Paul has to find a way to show Noah that he is not like other guys.

This is your basic teenage love story-two young people, strong feelings, obstacles to be overcome...what makes this novel more than that is the idealized world that Leviathan creates. Not everything is rosy-Paul's friend Tony, in the next town, has fundamentalist parents who must be tricked into letting him leave with Paul and their other friends-but this is a view of what high schools, and our communities could be like if they were truly accepting and everyone could live openly. And while I enjoyed the sweet love story between Paul and Noah, what I am grateful to Leviathan for was a chance to live in that world, if only for a few hours.

Love, Stargirl

2011-01-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

Title: Love, Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Year: 2007
Pages: 288
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade and Up

Summary:
Stargirl (Stargirl, 2000) is disappearing. She and her family (including pet rat Cinnamon) have moved to Pennsylvania, leaving her boyfriend, Leo, behind in Arizona. "Can you lose your favorite person without losing yourself?" she writes in one of the many letters to him that comprise an epistolary companion to Spinelli's first story of the eccentric, large-hearted, happy-to-a-fault teenager. The questions abound: Will she be reunited with her Starboy, or will he be replaced by Perry, the petty-thieving, dangerously attractive new boy in her life? How will she help her new friends (five-year-old motormouth Dootsie, angry Alvina, agoraphobic Betty Lou, grieving widower Charlie, developmentally disabled Arnold)? And are the many genuinely nice moments in this novel buried under too much sentimentality, whimsicality, and self-conscious cuteness? The answer lies with individual readers. (from Amazon)

Review:
When I started reading Love, Stargirl, I was concerned that having Stargirl herself narrate the book would somehow take away from the myth of Stargirl that was created in the first book. Seeing Stargirl through Leo's eyes made her seem so magical, I wasn't sure if the effect would be the same. I shouldn't have worried. If anything, Love, Stargirl gives the character a depth and authenticity that would be impossible without seeing some of her inner life. And the story brings home the idea that to a large extent we choose how we see and act in the world. Things don't always go as planned, but each of us is empowered to choose how we frame our thinking, and how we respond to the challenges that life throws our way. I will admit to crying at the climax of the book, when Stargirl has her Solstice party, and the beam of light that is her touches so many lives in such a positive way. What I hope that Stargirl gives to the teens who read about her is faith in themselves, and the courage to be who they are, even in the face of society's differing expectations.

Bait, Alex Sanchez

2010-12-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

Title: Bait
Author: Alex Sanchez
Publlisher:Simon and Shuster Children's Publishing
Year: 2009
Pages: 239
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th Grade and Up

Summary:
Diego MacMann is in trouble. At 16, he faces juvenile court, charged with assault. He just can't control his fists, especially when he feels that his masculinity is threatened. Anger-management classes have failed, and now this earnest young man teeters between self-loathing and defensive pride. Hope comes unexpectedly when he establishes a bond with Mr. Vidas. The probation officer asks questions that challenge Diego to examine his motivations and his emotional life. How does he feel about his absent birth father? The stepfather who committed suicide? The gay student who looked at him that way just before Diego punched him out? The third-person narrative keeps readers one step ahead of Diego as he unravels the effects of abandonment, poverty, and sexual abuse on himself and his struggling family. (from Amazon)

Review:
One of the things that I like best about Alex Sanchez as an author is that he shows such a clear sense of the issues teenagers deal with on the journey from childhood to adulthood. As someone who works with teenagers as a youth advisor, Sanchez's characters and situations feel authentic in a way that some young adult authors can't seem to manage. I also respect the fact that when he takes on an issue, whether it is the experiences of gay youth, or, in Bait, the devastating results of childhood sexual abuse, he provides the reader not just with all the gory details, but with moments of transcendence and redemption that take the story from sensationalized stereotype toa deeply moving snapshot of the human experience. Unlike many books on sexual abuse, Bait does not focus on the act of telling the truth as its culminating event, but on the difficult process of dealing with the emotions and patterns of behavior left in the wake of such violence. There are no platitudes in this novel. All along the way Sanchez shows how incredibly difficult the journey back to wholeness is for children who have been broken in this way. But in Mr. Vidas, Diego's probation officer, Sanchez created the perfect model of what a supportive adult looks like. And while most of the other adults in Diego's life let him down one way or another, you can't help but hope that all of the Diegos in the world will find their own Mr. Vidas.

Teaching Resources:
Alex Sanchez's Website
Teenreads Author Profile
Dunebrook Lesson Plan in Child Abuse

Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-12-30T17:49:00.000-08:00

Title: Chains
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Antheum
Pages: 320
Year: 2008
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 6th Grade-10th Grade

Summary:
As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.(from Goodreads)

Review:
Laurie Halse Anderson does an excellent job in Chains painting a picture of just what freedom means, to a country and to an individual. Perhaps there are other novels that combine the issues of slavery with Revolutionary War history, but if there are I doubt they do it as deftly as Anderson does. Isabel's story provides a depth to the story of the start of the Revolutionary War that few other books, with their focus on the Patriots as good guys and British as bad guys, achieve. Told from the slaves' perspective, the fact becomes clear that what "liberty" and "freedom" meant to the Patriots was not something that was extended to women, or to Africans. In Madam Lockton, Anderson creates a truly despicable villian, and her malice towards Isabel creates a tension and suspense that makes the novel fly. This is a great read for students studying the American Revolution-as a companion to non-fiction texts on that period in history I can see it leading to many interesting discussions with students.

Teaching Resources:
E-Notes for Chains
Simon and Shuster Reading Guide
Interview with Laurie Halse Anderson-ReadWriteThink

Out of My Mind, Sharon M. Draper

2010-12-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

Title: Out of My Mind
Author: Sharon Draper
Publisher: Atheneum
Pages: 295
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 5th-8th Grade

Summary:
Melody is 11 years old, and she has never said a word. Born with cerebral palsy that has left her unable to walk, speak, or control her limbs, she has lived her entire life unable to communicate with her parents or teachers. But that doesn't mean that she doesn't have plenty to say. Her physical limitations hide mind with a photographic memory, the mind of an extremely smart girl frustrated by people's perceptions of her as retarded. Finally, in fifth grade, she gets a classroom aide who sees past her disability, and together they get her the technology she needs to communicate. To everyone's surprise but her own, Melody qualifies for her school's academic bowl team. But what should feel like the answer to all of her prayers for recognition and acceptance is just the start of the battle to show the world who she is inside.

Review:
This book was recommended to me by a very dear friend with excellent taste in young adult literature, so it is no real surprise to me that I enjoyed this book. But really, enjoyment does not begin to describe how I feel about this book. As a special educator, I have constantly fought to get my students recognized for what they can do, rather than always focusing on what they can't. Melody's story is like the fulfillment of every dream I have ever had for my students.

I literally read this book in one sitting. As Melody described her challenges, I felt her frustration. When she described her family, it was with a clear understanding that they were flawed, but doing the best they could. When her mother tells off the doctors and teachers who underestimate Melody, I cheered, even though she herself underestimated her brilliant daughter. When Melody "speaks" to her parents for the first time, I cried. And when she in confronted by students and teachers at school who see only her physical limitations, I had a sudden urge to punch something.

This is no after-school special, however. There is no heart-warming moment where suddenly everyone has an epiphany about how special Melody is. The kids don't suddenly start inviting her to sleep-overs or making play dates. Things do not turn out perfectly for Melody, but that is part of what makes this book so powerful. It is about more than just gaining the acceptance of others-it is about learning to accept yourself. Part of the lesson that Melody has to learn is how to deal with her loneliness and frustration, and not let it turn into self-pity and self-loathing. Draper's portrayal of Melody and her experiences feels all the more authentic for not turning out picture perfect. And all children, regardless of the challenges they face in their lives, need to see that failure, or exclusion, does not have to mean the end of your hopes and dreams.

Teaching Resources:
Sharon M. Draper's Website
Lessons on Teaching Acceptance of Disabilities

The Mailbox, by Audrey Shafer

2010-11-29T04:41:00.000-08:00

Title: The Mailbox
Author: Audrey Shafer
Publisher: Yearling
Pages: 192
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Range: 5th-8th Grade

Summary:
Gabe is an 11 year old boy who has seen a lot in his short life. After his mother died when he was two, he was bounced around from foster home to foster home until his Uncle Vernon, a reclusive Viet Nam veteran, was located when he was nine. Two years later, Gabe comes home from his first day of sixth grade to find his uncle dead. Wracked with grief and unsure what to do, Gabe does not report the death, and leaves for school the next day as if nothing has happened. When he returns home at the end of the day, his uncle's body is gone, and there is a mysterious note in the mailbox that says, "I have a secret". Thus starts a mailbox correspondence between Gabe and the mysterious stranger-and a journey towards finding the one person who needs him as much as he needs them.

Review:
I picked up this book on an impulse from the book fair at school, and I am so glad that something told me to check it out. The story is compelling, and the characters are complex and flawed in a way that just begs discussion. Uncle Vernon's misanthropic veteran is a gruff old man with many, many scars. It is fair to say that most of him never came out of the jungle. Gabe is a confused, frightened boy with scars of his own. All of the more minor characters are completely believable and well-written.

This is the first middle grade novel that I have seen that deals with any aspect of the war in Viet Nam, and it does so with a real sense of compassion for the veterans who fought there, while at the same time highlighting how war damages those who participate in it. Not one of the veterans who is featured in the book has been able to entirely leave the experience behind them-and Uncle Vernon and the mysterious stranger are perhaps more damaged than most. The book also deals with the foster care system and the effects on children who are bounced around from home to home. Gabe himself had been through a sort of war before he came to his uncle, and he was also scarred by the experience. It explains why he told no one about his uncle's death-he did not want to go back to not ever being secure in where he would lay his head that night.

There is some raw language (though no actual swear words) and mature subject matter in this novel, but the readability is pretty low, so I'd say this book would be good for mature 5th and 6th graders, average middle schoolers, and high schoolers who need high-interest, low readability.

Teacher Resources:

The Mailbox Classroom Guide

William Allen White Book Awards Discussion Guides

The Boy Who Dared, Susan Campbell Bartoletti

2010-11-22T04:51:00.000-08:00

Title: The Boy Who Dared: A Novel Based on a True Story of the Hitler Youth
Author: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 174 plus about 10 pages of photos and a timeline
Genre: literary non-fiction
Age Range: 6th Grade and Up

Summary:
The year is 1933, and the world is in the grip of the Great Depression. Germany is especially hard hit, after paying reparations to the rest of Europe after World War I. Helmuth Hubener is a German schoolboy, playing with toy soldiers on the floor of his small Hamburg apartment, while outside brown shirted men in jackboots have parades in support of their new chancellor, Adolf Hitler. At first Helmuth is taken in by the shiny uniforms and nationalist pride-until his Jeweish neighbors' shops are burned, and more and more freedoms are curtailed for everyone. Forced to join the Hitler Youth, he grows more and more angry, until one fateful decision leads to his imprisonment and execution.

Review:
Even though this is billed as a novel, I am going to call it literary non-fiction. It reads more like a biography than a novel, and while I'm sure some of the events are completely made-up, there is enough non-fiction here that I am not comfortable calling it fiction.

This book is sparsely written, at times almost too sparsely. Yet Bartoletti does a good job of setting the mood of Germany during the 1930s and early 1940s. Without going into too much technical detail, Bartoletti lays out some of the reasons that the Germans turned to Hitler in the first place. She also shows how the media can be used to incite fear and manipulate people into doing things that go against their nature. The characters are portrayed thoughtfully, with care given not to stereotype. When Helmuth rejects the Nazis at first, it is just as much because of his dislike of his stepfather as it is about being uncomfortable with the Nazi's restrictive laws. So often in Holocaust literature the German people are shown to be either indifferent to or in favor of the racism and hatred spread by the Nazi's. This book shows that some people did try to stand up, and that not every German was in love with Hitler. Helmuth's character is influenced strongly by his brother Gerhard, who is a voice of reason during Helmuth's teenage years. Gerhard, however, counsels following Hitler's laws in order to be a patriot (and good Mormon). In the end Helmuth cannot.

This book would make a good companion book to Number the Stars by Lois Lowry or The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. While most Holocaust fiction focuses on the events around the Jewish internment in concentration camps (and rightly so), there is a place in young adult literature for stories of the ordinary Germans who tried to stand up to the Nazi's.

Teacher Resources:

Scholastic Discussion Guide

E-Notes Study Guide

Where the Wild Things Are

2010-10-19T04:41:00.000-07:00

Title: Where the Wild Things Are
Author: Maurice Sendak
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 48
Genre: Fantasy
Age Group: K-3rd Grade

Plot Summary:
Max is a very naughty boy who makes mischief in his wolf costume. When his mother calls him a wild thing, he says he is going to eat her up, and gets sent to bed without supper. In his room, he imagines an incredible journey to the land where the wild things are.

Review:
I realize that this book is probably not new to anyone reading children's book blogs, but with the movie that came out last year and the season, I thought it was time to pull it out and use it in the classroom.

This book is just charming, from beginning to end. It is old enough now that some of the langauge is starting to sound quaint rather that realistic, but Sendak did such a good job creating the atmosphere of the book that even the words that are not familiar to students (mischief, gnashing, rumpus) don't take away from the sense of fun and adventure. My students love Max, and they are inspired to use their own imagination from seeing him use his.

Teacher Resources:
Because I teach in a school where we are not allowed to celebrate Halloween with the students, I have to be creative when it comes to honoring the spirit of the season for my non-fundamentalist kids, and respecting the wishes of the non-celebrating families. I'm doing a monsters theme right now, but none of the books are specifically Halloween stories, nor do they contain spells or witchcraft of any kind. Where the Wild Things Are is my whole-group text for this unit. Below I'll list some of the activities that I am doing with it.

Vocabulary-I've been modeling reciprocal teaching a lot this fall, and my students are almost ready to go it alone. For this book, I read the book aloud, and they concentrated on Clarifying, one of the steps in reciprocal teaching. They were to write down words or phrases that were confusing to them. As we read, if we got to a word that I knew was unfamiliar to most of the class, I would do a think aloud to model thinking about the word, and how to complete their Clarify box on their reciprocal teaching sheet. That is where the words mentioned above-mischief, gnashed, and rumpus-came from. We discussed the words and their meaning as part of our after-reading activity.
Sequencing-I created a list of ten events from the story that are discreet enough for a sequencing activity and put them on notecards. I then copied the pages of the book that show those events, minus any text. The students will get into cooperative groups, decide what order the events belong in, and glue the picture and events in order on a long piece of bulletin board paper.
Guided Drawing-My students often have fine motor and concept development deficits, so I like to do guided drawing activities with them so they can see how more complex pictures are made using simpler shapes. I do a step-by-step drawing demonstration, with the students copying each step as I complete it, and in the end we will all have a picture of one of the wild things!

Shredderman: Secret Identity, by Wendelin Van Draanen

2010-09-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

Title: Shredderman: Secret Identity
Author: Wendelin Van Draanen
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 144
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Group: 3rd-6th Grade

Plot Summary:
Nolan is the school nerd-at least according to bully Bubba Bixby. No matter how many times Nolan tells his teachers and parents about the mean things Bubba does, they never catch him in the act. So when Nolan's teacher Mr. Green assigns a newspaper project in class, Nolan knows just what he wants to do-an investigative report on Bubba, proving once and for all what a bully he truly is. But how to do his assignment without getting pounded? Well, he needs a secret identity, of course, and Shredderman.com, a website devoted to all things Bubba, is born. But will it help bring truth and justice back to Nolan's life?

Review:
This is the first in a series of four books by Van Draanen telling the story of Nolan and Bubba. It is charming. As a teacher, I've known a few Nolan's in my time-smart, socially awkward, unassertive. I have never known one to solve their problem in such a creative way as Nolan, however. Once he makes the decision to catch Bubba in the act with his secret camera, he begins to change from the scared, meek computer nerd into a more confident, assertive young man. Nolan's message is that if he had a superhero trapped inside of him (his superpower-using his noggin!) then so do you, third through sixth grade reader.

I use this as a read aloud, and this year my students are eating it up! They have already asked me to read the second book, Shredderman: Attack of the Tagger as soon as we finish Secret Identity. I consider this high praise, given that I have read very few series books over the years where the students were clamoring for more-Series of Unfortunate Events being the exception. My boys especially really get into Nolan/Shredderman, and given some of the recent talk about the reading crisis for boys it's always good to have male-centered titles for upper elementary and middle grade readers.

Teacher Resources:

Shredderman.com on Random House

Live Oaks Media Shredderman Activity Guide

Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind, by Judy Fincher

2010-09-06T19:31:00.000-07:00

Title: Miss Malarkey Leaves No Reader Behind
Author: Judy Finchler
Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers
Pages: 32
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 2nd-4th Grade

Plot Summary:(from Goodreads)

Miss Malarkey can make a reader out of anyone.

Principal Wiggins promises to dye his hair purple and sleep on the school roof if the students read 1,000 books this year. Miss Malarkey is determined to find the right book for each student so they’ll participate in the school program, and learn to love reading. She’s got a tough audience — video game fanatics, artists, sports lovers — nonreaders all. But she won’t give up until Principal Wiggins can flip his purple wig.

Review:
If you are looking for a good back-to-school book to read with your class, add Miss Malarkey to your list. This picture book, suitable as a read aloud for ages seven through ten, is sure to please both students and teacher. This year I used this book to introduce how to find a just right book with my students. They are all reluctant readers, and they could appreciate the narrator's trouble finding a book that held his interest. This book also pokes slight fun at the "No Child Left Behind" law, by turning something that causes a lot of stress for teachers and students alike into something fun and funny. I especially like that this book makes a point of addressing what so many children seem to believe-that it's not cool to like reading. The narrator thinks that he and his friends are all on the same page when it comes to what they would rather do-play video games. But when his friends start discussing the books they are reading instead of shooting monsters, he realizes that not reading makes him the odd man out.

Teacher Resources:
Books by the Month Idea

Author Information from Bloomsbury Kids

Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins

2010-08-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

At last the wait is over! Wednesday evening, I came home from class to find my copy of Mockingjay waiting for me in the mail.

In case you have been living under a rock when it comes to the latest in young adult literature, Mockingjay is the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I reviewed the first two books in the series, The Hunger Games and Catching Fire here. The trilogy tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old living in District 12 of Panem-what was once the United States. Her life, and the lives of everyone in the districts, is closely controlled by the Capitol. The populace is left half-starved and completely oppressed. Once a year, just to prove how powerful it is, the Capitol puts on the Hunger Games, in which teen-age tributes fight to the death to earn their districts extra food for the year. The event is televised all through Panem, and is required watching. When Katniss, who volunteers to be a tribute to save her younger sister, finds a way to outsmart the system, she becomes a threat to the Capitol, and sets in motion a chain of events that leads to an uprising.

(If you have not yet read The Hunger Games and Catching Fire, and want to, I suggest you stop reading now, as I cannot guarantee there will be no spoilers in the following review. You have been warned!)

This is where Mockingjay picks up. While Katniss deals with the physical and emotional aftermath of her time in the games, the rebels try to groom her to be their symbol-the mockingjay, which has come to mean freedom to the people of Panem. Katniss is ambivalent about being used by the rebels, and is desperately worried about Peeta, the second tribute from District 12, who was captured at the end of the Hunger Game in Catching Fire. Finally, her desire for revenge against the cruel President Snow causes her to throw in the with rebels. With her best friend Gale by her side, she tries to outsmart the Capitol-and the rebels-in order to avenge the brutalities visited on her, her family and friends, and her district, and maybe just free Panem from tyranny while she's at it.

That summary feels pretty weak, but I am afraid that saying too much will ruin something for someone, so it'll have to do. Because the fact is, if you know too much about the events of the book prior to reading, there is no way that the story can pack the same emotional wallop that it does on a cold read. I was wrung out after finishing-in a good way, if there is such a thing. Granted, I pretty much read it all in one sitting, but I don't know how I could have put it down. And I am not really going to go into the state of the Peeta/Katniss/Gale triangle. That, too me, is the least that this series has to offer. Suffice it to say that regardless of what "team" you are one (and could we stop making everything about teams, like it's the Superbowl or something!), you will find very few happy endings in Mockingjay.

What made this book feel different for me than other books with similar topics is the way that the horrors of war are portrayed. There is no sentimentality here. All of the characters, but Katniss, Gale, and Peeta especially, are horribly damaged by the war-body, mind, and spirit. Collins does not try to sugarcoat the effects of war on human beings. People go crazy, people are wounded, people die. For periods of the book some of the characters are basically living on anti-depressants and other psychiatric drugs. I don't see how anyone reading this book could possibly believe that war is somehow glamorous, as some books/movies seem to imply. Despite the horror and pain, Katniss and the others somehow manage to keep going-a greater testament to the human spirit than the glorified warriors of other novels, I think.

I also liked the theme of media manipulation. Both the Capitol and the rebels use propaganda films to sway the populace. There is a certain amount of "wagging the dog", and ultimately the novel shows how almost anything can be spun to prove almost anything. I think that is not so different than what happens in today's media. Just think about a political campaign. There is so much conflicting information presented in campaign ads, it is impossible for both sides to be telling the truth. Or think about famous scandals. A well placed apology or public conversion can change a scoundrel into a repentant saint we are all too quick to forgive-especially if they shoot a basketball real well or starred in a movie we really liked. The fact was that no one who wasn't "in on it" had any idea what the true agendas of either the Capitol or the rebels were, including Katniss, who was once again manipulated for someone else's purposes.

I Love Lists!

2010-08-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

This list was posted today on The Wormhole. Since I am a sucker for lists, I just had to pass it along. Given my new pledge to reconnect with YA literature, I though I should give myself a little test to see how out of the loop I am-I actually don't think I'm doing too bad! The ones I've read are in red (get it?).

Persnickety Snarks List of Top 100 YA Novels (2010): based on a reader poll conducted for five weeks between April and May 2010. Over 735 respondents shared their top ten YA books from all over the globe; 80% were female.

1. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins

2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's (Sorceror's) Stone - J.K. Rowling

3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

4. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

5. Northern Lights (The Golden Compass)- Philip Pullman

6. The Truth About Forever - Sarah Dessen

7. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

8. The Outsiders - S.E. Hinton

9. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer

10. This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen

11. Looking for Alaska - John Green

12. Just Listen - Sarah Dessen

13. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling

14. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott

15. City of Bones - Cassandra Clare

16. On the (Jellicoe Road) - Melina Marchetta

17. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

18. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J.K. Rowling

19. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

20. Along for the Ride - Sarah Dessen

21. Shiver - Maggie Stiefvater

22. Vampire Academy - Richelle Mead

23. Graceling - Kristin Cashore

24. Thirteen Reasons Why - Jay Asher

25. Sloppy Firsts - Megan McCafferty

26. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

27. Alanna: The First Adventure - Tamora Pierce

28. Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

29. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

30. Uglies - Scott Westerfeld

31. A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray

32. Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden

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

34. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

35. The Westing Game - Ellen Raskin

36. Paper Towns - John Green

37. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - J.K. Rowling

38. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins

39. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn - Betty Smith

40. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

41. Lock and Key - Sarah Dessen

42. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

43. Evernight - Claudia Gray

44. Sabriel - Garth Nix

45. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

46. Beautiful Creatures - Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl

47. Forever - Judy Blume

48. I Capture the Castle - Dodie Smith

49. Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine

50. The Princess Diaries - Meg Cabot

51. Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli

52. Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones

53. The Dark is Rising - Susan Cooper

54. Hush, Hush - Becca Fitzpatrick

55. Saving Francesca - Melina Marchetta

56. Second Helpings - Megan McCafferty

57. Dreamland - Sarah Dessen

58. Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

59. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn, David Levithan

60. Fire - Kristin Cashore

61. The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier

62. Weetzie Bat - Francesca Lia Block

63. The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank

64. Looking for Alibrandi - Melina Marchetta

65. How I Live Now - Meg Rosoff

66. City of Glass - Cassandra Clare

67. Keeping the Moon - Sarah Dessen

68. Breaking Dawn - Stephenie Meyer

69. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging - Louise Rennison

70. If I Stay - Gayle Forman

71. The King of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner

72. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson

73. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast - Robin McKinley

74. The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley

75. Feed - M.T. Anderson

76. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants - Ann Brashares

77. Go Ask Alice - Anonymous

78. Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr

79. Lord of the Flies - William Golding

80. Someone Like You - Sarah Dessen

81. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan

82. Jacob Have I Loved - Katherine Paterson

83. The Knife of Never Letting Go - Patrick Ness

84. Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder

85. Shadow Kiss - Richelle Mead

86. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle - Avi

87. An Abundance of Katherines - John Green

88. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon

89. A Ring of Endless Light - Madeleine L'Engle

90. Glass Houses - Rachel Caine

91. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party - M.T. Anderson

92. Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech

93. Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher

94. Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

95. Going Too Far - Jennifer Echols

96. The Last Song - Nicholas Sparks

97. Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver

98. Hatchet - Gary Paulsen

99. The Pigman - Paul Zindel

100. The Hero and the Crown - Robin McKinley

In case you were counting, that 32% of the list. And not just the titles that have been around since I was a young adult-I've read some of the newer ones too. Go me!

This World We Live In, by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2010-08-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Title: This World We Live In
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Year: 2010
Pages: 256
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopian
Age Level: 7th Grade and Up

Plot Summary:
This World We Live In continues the story of two families after a meteor hits the moon, changing its orbit and causing its new gravitational pull to start tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions all over the world. The narrator of this book is the same as the first book in the trilogy, Life As We Knew It, Miranda. Her family-her mother, two brothers, and cat-have survived the winter, with the help of the food the government has been delivering to people still living in her area. Most of the people in their small town have either left or died. The weather is getting marginally warmer, and the days are longer, if still gray with volcanic ash. They occasionally have electricity for a few hours at a time. During one of those days when the electricity is working, something miraculous happens-the doorbell rings. Standing outside are Miranda's father, step-mother, new baby brother, and a small band of survivors, including a boy about Miranda's age named Alex. The two groups try to decide how to live on the extremely limited resources they have, and start sending the young people out to scavenge in empty houses for anything usable. Miranda soon realizes she has feelings for Alex, and when a tornado rips through what is left of their town, she is forced to make a decision that could change all of their lives.

Review:
When I read Life As We Knew It, I literally could not put it down. The story of Miranda's family was fascinating to me. One of the things I loved about the first book was the way that Pfeffer showed that there would be a slow breaking down of society, and I especially liked that she did not write a story about how suddenly we would all turn into raving lunatics with guns shooting each other over a can of cat food, which is what so many dystopian novels or movies portray. I personally think that humanity is better than that.

This book was just as gripping, but much less satisfying in the end. Once again Pfeffer's writing style, and the authenticity of Miranda's character, made me feel like I was reading a real journal by a real person. Sometimes that format can feel contrived, but not in this case. I was glad for the addition of new characters-while the first book showed the slow narrowing of their world to just the sunroom and the four of them, this novel highlighted our need to be part of community. I did not read the second book in the trilogy, The Dead and the Gone, so I'm sure that some of my disappointment is due to not knowing what happened to Alex and his sister Julie before they joined up with Miranda's father and his group. Because after getting every detail of every day of the beginning of the crisis, things seemed to jump around a lot in the second half of this book. I couldn't understand why Alex was so insistent not to stay with the group, or why Miranda's step-mother was so attached to Julie. But that slight dissatisfaction, of my own making, really for not reading the second book, was nothing compared to the end. I want more! I want to know where they go and what happens to them! I searched the internet last night looking for anything that could tell me if this series is going to continue, and given that everything I found-including the author's blog-lists it as a trilogy I guess I'm out of luck. From a teacher's perspective this is not necessarily a bad thing-it can lead to great discussions and writing projects about what becomes of them and America in the future. But from a reader's point of view-I'll always wonder what became of them.

Teacher Resources:

Official Readers Guide for Trilogy

This World We Live In Book Trailer

Interview with Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life As We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer

2010-08-06T06:58:00.000-07:00

Title: Life As We Knew It
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Publisher: Harcourt Children's Books
Year: 2006
Genre: Science Fiction/Dystopia
Age Level: 6th-12th Grade

Plot Summary:
At the end of her sophomore year in high school, it seemed as though all Miranda's teachers could talk about was the impending collision of a meteor with the moon. But that event barely registered with Miranda-like most 16 year olds she was more concerned with boys, her friends, and getting her driver's license. But when the collision occurs, much more powerful than anyone predicted, it causes the moon to go off it's axis. This in turn causes tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and drastic weather changes. As the things that Miranda has always taken for granted start to disappear (like electricity, fresh food, and water), she is at turns angry, petulant, and finally resigned to the fact that life as she knew it is over. But she discovers that she is stronger than she imagined as she discovers what this new life might be about.

Review:
My book club decided to read this book, plus In a Perfect World by Laura Kasischke, as our August book clib books. So while most book clubs were probably reading light, beachy reads, we were reading about the end of civilization as we know it-TWICE! As my best friend said, it sort of made you want to start hording canned food and bottled water by the time you were done. But both books were so well done that I can't really complain too much about the subject matter.

As the mother of a 16 year old myself I can tell you that Miranda's voice on this book rings completely true. At times completely self-absorbed, and at others seeming too mature for her age, Miranda deals with the crisis in the context of the things she knows best-her friends, her school, her family. Like In a Perfect World, this story is really a multi-layered structure. There is the science fiction story of the crisis and it's aftermath, there is the family drama of Miranda's relationship with her mother and father, who is remarried and not living with them at the time of the meteor collision, and there is a coming-of-age story complete with that make or break moment where Miranda's ability to handle what this new life throws at her leaves her a more mature, wiser person. Pfeffer handles all of these matters authentically and with style.

One thing that I appreciated about this novel, and the reason that I think you could use it as young as 6th grade, is that rather than show the world descending into violence and madness after the collision, it shows what I consider to be a much more realistic view of the slow disintegration of our societal institutions and culture. People do not immediately get guns and start shooting each other over a can of tuna-though they do start to gather resources and hide them away. People are wary of each other, but not hostile for the most part, and that feels more right to me. Outside of urban areas where violence seems to sprout up for much less reason than food shortages, in the more rural parts of the country where the story is set, I like to believe that in the event of a crisis of this magnitude people would be more likely to try and work together and help each other than lock themselves away and shoot on sight. Maybe that's just me being overly-optimistic, but that's what I want to believe, and maybe believing will make it true!

Teaching Resources:

Susan Beth Pfeffer Resources

Scholastic Study Guide

Discussion Guide

It's Time for the Hop!

2010-07-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome Hoppers! The Friday Book Blogger Hop is a chance for book bloggers to visit new blogs and spread the word about their own. Hosted by Jennifer at Crazy-for-Books. Visit her blog for rules!

This weeks question-who is your favorite "new-to-you" author?

I have a couple. One is a new-to-me author, but she's been around a long time, Octavia E.Butler. She's a black, female, science fiction author, making her rather unique in the science fiction world. So far I've read and reviewed The Fledgling, Wild Seed, and Mind of My Mind for my adult blog, Book Addict Reviews.

My new favorite young adult author is Alex Sanchez. I discovered him when I was doing a project on GLBT literature for a class. I've reviewed his books Rainbow Boys and The God Box.

Thanks for "hopping" by!

The Missing, Book One: Found

2010-07-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

Title: The Missing, Book One: Found
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Year: 2008
Pages: 314
Genre: Science Fiction
Age Level: 4th-7th Grade

Plot Summary:
One night a mystery plane suddenly appears at a gate at a small airport. There is no pilot or crew on board, but there are 36 babies. Fast forward 13 years, and young adoptee Jonah and his new friend Chip start getting letters telling them that they are part of the Missing, and that someone is coming back to get them. This starts Jonah, his sister Dana, and Chip on an investigation that leads them to a terrifying truth-and to a place that none of them every imagined they'd be.

Review:
Haddix's books are always interesting, with twists that I as an adult reader don't always see coming. Her Shadow Children series remains one of my favorite fantasy series, even compared with adult series. She does not disappoint with Found. I'm not giving too much away to say that from the second page, when the plane appears with the words Tachyon Airlines on the tail, I knew we were dealing with a time travel story. Other than that, I had literally no idea where Jonah, Chip, and the others came from until they explained it at the end. Do you know how rare that is-that as an adult reader I can't see the plot of a young adult book coming a mile away? The action is well-paced, and the story is balanced nicely between what Jonah is feeling about events and the events themselves. I'm curious to see how the rest of the series plays out, since I'm not entirely sure where she's going with it at the moment-which is also a rare gift.

Teacher Resources:
This book has great opportunities for discussion-about adoption, or time travel. Students could research the historical figures mentioned in the book, as well. Below are a few sites I found with activities for this book.

Wild Geese Guides: Found

Elementary Library Ideas

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2010-07-26T07:31:00.000-07:00

I had a successful week in both the Young Adult and Adult genres! It finally feels like summer to me-I have no real responsibility for anything other than making sure the grass doesn't completely cover my house and perhaps making a meal or two for a couple of weeks. I'm making a serious dent in my quest to read 100+ books this year! Here's what I read this week!

Duma Key, Stephen King

The Missing, Book One: Found, Margaret Peterson Haddix

(Review Coming Soon on Second Childhood Reviews)

Mind of My Mind, Octavia Butler

Ten Things I Hate About Me, Randa Abdel-Fattah

Here's what I have on tap for this week:

Shutter Island, Dennis Lahane

Bait, by Alex Sanchez (YA)

Life As We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA)

The Battle of Jericho, Sharon M. Draper (YA)

The Law of Similars, Chris Bojalian

In a Perfect World, Laura Kasischke

I hope everyone has a great week!

Ten Things I Hate About Me, by Randa Abdel-Fattah

2010-07-24T19:49:00.000-07:00

Title: Ten Things I Hate About Me
Author: Randa Abdel-Fattah
Publisher: Orchard Books
Pages: 304
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 7th-10th Grade

Plot Summary:
Jamie is a 10th grader at a high school in Sydney, Australia. Like most high schoolers, she has the usual worries about boys and grades and being popular. Unlike most teenagers, she is also hiding a secret. For as long as she can remember, Jamie has hidden the fact that she is a Lebanese Muslim. Her real name is Jamilah, and she is afraid that if everyone at school knows that she is really a "leb" or "wog", as they call the Muslims in their community, her friendships and relationship prospects will be over. In the years following 9-11, it seems to Jamie that everywhere she goes she hears negative stereotypes about Muslims, and she experiences racism herself. Thing is, she loves being a Muslim, and is proud of her cultural heritage, even if it causes her father to be overprotective to the point of paranoia! When she makes an online friend named John, she unburdens herself, and shares all of her worries about her friends finding out her embarrassing truth. In the end, she has to make a choice-is it Jamie or Jamilah that she wants to be?

Review:
This book intrigued me because I could not remember reading anything like it before-the story of a Muslim dealing with the aftermath of the racial backlash after 9-11. I didn't realize at the time that the story was set in Australia, but that just made it more interesting to me. The fact that 9-11 had such a global impact was not news to me, but this was the first time I felt like I got a glimpse into how people in other countries reacted not just immediately after the event, but even years later.

I think that the story of Jamie/Jamilah is one that is at once uniquely Muslim and at the same time universal. I mean, we all deal with identity issues throughout our lives, but especially during adolescence. Each of us has something that makes us different, or at least that's how we feel. What makes the story uniquely Muslim is the fact that it is Jamilah's ethnic, cultural, and religious identity that is what makes her different. Most of us don't have to deal with being a religious/ethnic minority in addition to the other trials of adolescence, and most of us do not have to carry the baggage of Islamic fundamentalism as we move through life. Even with this fairly weighty subject matter, the book is easy to read, and the story is not preachy or too angsty. Jamie/Jamilah is an engaging character with a good sense of humor. The insights into her life as a Lebanese-Muslim are interesting, and show a culture rich in family tradition and love. Jamilah's over-protective dad is not portrayed as some woman-hating fundamentalist, but his character does provide insight into the clash of cultures that are inevitable when people emigrate to places with such different values. All in all, I think that the writing is excellent, and I would recommend this book to anyone looking to understand Muslim culture, or any teen working through their own identity issues.

Friday Book Blogger Hop

2010-07-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of the Twitter Friday Follow, the Book Blogger Hop is a place just for book bloggers and readers to connect and find new book-related blogs that we may be missing out on! This weekly BOOK PARTY is an awesome opportunity for book bloggers to connect with other book lovers, make new friends, support each other, and generally just share our love of books! It will also give blog readers a chance to find other book blogs that they may not know existed!

The Hop lasts Friday-Monday every week, so if you don't have time to Hop today, come back later and join the fun! This is a weekly event! And stop back throughout the weekend to see all the new blogs that are added! We get over 200 links every week!!

To add your own link, go to Crazy-for-Books

This week's blogger question: TELL US ABOUT THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING!

I just finished Ten Things I Hate About Me, by Randa Abdel-Fattah (which I will review soon!). I'm reading Duma Key by Stephen King for my adult read (you can see my other adult reads at Book Addict Reviews). I'm going to start Found, by Margaret Peterson Haddix. I loved her Shadow Children series, and a good friend of mine has been telling me for a while to read this new series. But that was before I rededicated myself to reading children's and young adult lit again. Now I'm ready! I am also almost finished the the audiobook of Kissing Kate, by Lauren Myracle. It's the story of Lissa and Kate, best friends who's friendship is put to the test when Kate gets drunk and kisses Lissa (and I mean kisses Lissa!) at a party. That act forces both girls to try to come to terms with their feelings for each other, their feelings (or lack thereof) for boys in general, and what this will mean for their friendship and future. It's OK so far-I'm not liking it as much as some of the other GLBT books I've read recently, but it's helped me get through a couple of long car rides, so I suppose it's served its purpose.

There's a Bird on Your Head, by Mo Willems

2010-07-21T07:06:00.000-07:00

Title: There's a Bird on Your Head
Author: Mo Willems
Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
Year: 2007
Pages: 64
Genre: Animal Fantasy
Age Level: Pre-K to 2nd Grade

Plot Summary:
Piggie is an optimist, Gerald the Elephant is a pessimist. Piggie finds the humor in a situation, Gerald the Elephant worries people will laugh at him. These two friends couldn't be more different, but they seem to compliment each other perfectly. When Piggie tells Gerals that he has a bird on his head, he runs away screaming, and the funny begins. While Piggie keeps Gerald updates about the bird, they try to figure out what to do. Turns out the only thing worse than having one bird on your head is having two!

Review:
As with all of Mo Willem's books, I was completely charmed by this story! Piggie and Gerald are good friendship models, and the way that they are drawn is so simple yet completely unique and wonderful. Willems does a great job showing emotion in his characters through a simple eyebrow angle or mouth movement. Children who enjoyed having the Pigeon books read to them will really like being able to read this to themselves. There are several other Piggie and Elephant books in the series, which is good because the repetitive, patterned nature of the text provides great scaffolding for early readers. There is also a recognition on the part of the author that adults will be reading this book as well, and he throws in a little bit of humor especially aimed adults reading with their kids.

Teaching Resources:
This book is a good fluency builder for early readers, and it is entertaining to boot, unlike some early reader books that have contrived stories built around sight words or word families. The format of the book, written in a statement/question/statement pattern is good for teaching early readers about the meaning of punctuation. Below I've listed some teacher resources from the web.

Elephant and Piggie Event Kit from Mo Willem's Site

Mo Willems Author Study

Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

2010-07-20T21:35:00.000-07:00

Title: Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Author: Rick Riordan
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Year: 2006
Pages: 400
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 4th-8th Grade

Plot Summary:
Let's see if this sounds familiar to you. A young boy living in a terrible family situation learns that he has special powers when someone comes to take him away to a place where he will learn about his powers with other special children. While there he discovers that someone very powerful wants to kill him, and the only way that he can survive is to go on a quest to find a magical object. With him on his quest is an awkward, bumbling boy and a super smart girl. If you think I'm describing Harry Potter, you are right! But I am also describing the basic plot of The Lightning Thief. Percy discovers that he is the son of the god Poseidon, making him a demi-god. He goes to the camp at Half-Blood Hill to learn about his powers, where monsters try to kill him. Seems that the gods think that he has stolen Zeus' lighting bolt, the most powerful weapon in the universe. In order to save himself and stop a war between the gods, he must go down to Hades itself to retrieve the weapon and save the day.

Review:
I found it pretty funny that the director of the movie version of this book was the same man who directed the first Harry Potter movie. I know that Riordan has stated in interviews that this novel started out as a bedtime story for his son with ADHD, but the parallels are just too close to be completely coincidental. I'm not saying that Riordan plagarized-this is a new take on a "classic" tale. Trouble is that the "classic" tale of Harry Potter is a little too new for me (and other's, I'm sure) not to make some comparisons. Riordan is not the first author to make a clone of a successful series, of course. The number of Twilight clones out there in the young adult world boggles the mind. Unfortunately the basic plot is so closely related to Harry Potter that it distracted me from the story.

That said, lots of kids LOVE this series, and I can understand why. I may have been distracted by the similarities to a certain young wizard with a lightning-shaped scar (seriously, lightning), but I still enjoyed this romp through Greek mythology. Riordan does an excellent job of balancing exposition with action, creating a novel that is by turns exciting and thought-provoking. Percy is a very likable character, and as a special education teacher I appreciated that they took his dyslexia and gave it a purposeful explanation. Fully getting into this story did require a certain amount of knowledge of Greek gods and goddesses, but having loved those stories as a child myself I had no problem following the many characters, both central and tangential to the main plot. In fact, the mythological aspect of the book is what saved it for me, turning it into something that I could see using in the classroom much easier than the much-challenged Potter series. This novel provides readers with a jumping off point for learning more about the ancient stories of mighty gods and the heroes of a distant age. I suppose that explaining the many instances of rape and incest in the original Greek myths would be problematic, but from a very shallow perspective there are many opportunities to get kids engaged with some of the oldest stories in Western civilization.

Teacher Resources:
The Lightning Thief Lesson Plans

Discussion Guide from Scholastic

The Lightning Thief: Teacher's Guide

Hello, Groin, by Beth Goobie

2010-07-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

Title: Hello, Groin
Author: Beth Goobie
Publisher: Orca Book Publishers
Year: 2006
Pages: 271
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th-12th Grade

Plot Summary:
Dylan just wants to be normal. She blames her bad hormones for the fact that instead of having sexual feelings for her popular, good-looking boyfriend, she instead has them towards her best friend, Joc. Dylan tries to be turned on my Cam, but when she kisses a girl impulsively at a school dance she realizes that there is no going back for her. While Dylan is working out her inner turmoil, she is also working on a book display for her school library. Everyone thinks that her idea of a male and female cut-out covered in book titles is a great idea-until the principal sees the titles that she chooses to place over the cut-outs' groins. He orders them removed, and this small act of censorship propels Dylan to develop and articulate her belief that whatever we are in our hearts and minds is also expressed through our sexuality. It won't be easy, but Dylan knows she has no choice but to be true to herself.

Review:
This novel is a frank and honest look at one teen's journey to self-acceptance. Dylan is not saddled with some of the same prejudices against homosexuality that plague the main characters of other books in this genre. She even acknowledges and approves of the out lesbians at her school. But when it comes to herself and her feelings she is ambivalent. She loves her best friend, Joc, and is worried that her feelings for her will destroy that friendship. She is concerned that her friends, the popular crowd that admitted her to their ranks as the girlfriend of one of the cutest boys in school, will reject her when they know. She's worried that her family will feel differently about her. Goobie does a good job of describing Dylan's inner life in a way that makes the reader really connect with her.

Some reviewers have expressed a negative opinion about the fact that Dylan's coming out ends up being fairly rosy, but I would hope that as time goes on, and more and more people see that being gay is not something that is shameful or undesirable, more teens will have the same positive coming out experience that Dylan has. I like the fact that the gay characters in this book do not turn out to be tragic. It seems like in earlier literature with gay characters they are always the ones who end up alone, as though they have to pay for whatever happiness living truthfully briefly brings them. The book's rather explicit sexual references make it one that is most suitable for older readers, but you can't fault the author for using Dylan's sexual feelings and experiences to set the stage for her decisions. Teenagers are sexual beings, and to ignore that fact is to miss important opportunities for discussing sexuality and relationships is a way that will help them be healthy and happy.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2010-07-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Sheila at One Person's Journey Through Books for hosting this weekly meme, letting book bloggers share what they've been reading. I tell you, my reading has become so much more diverse since doing this whole book blogging thing! Thanks to my fellow book bloggers for the inspiration and book ideas!

Another week gone, another week closer to going back to school. Ah, well, at least I had a good reading week!

Children's/YA Books Completed This Week:

Escape from Saigon, by Andrea Warren

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

(Review coming soon!)

Adult Fiction Completed This Week:

Another Thing to Fall, by Laura Lippman

Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler

(Review coming soon on Book Addict Reviews )

Books I'm Hoping to Get to This Week:

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli (YA)
10 Things I Hate About Me, by Randa Abdel-Fattah (YA)
Mind of my Mind, by Octavia E. Butler

...and whatever else I decide to pick up off the shelf. After a month of reading for class, I want to keep my options open!

Have a great week, everyone!

Escape from Saigon, by Andrea Warren

2010-07-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Title: Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became and American Boy
Author: Andrea Warren
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Pages: 128
Genre: Non-Fiction
Age Level: 5th-9th Grade

Summary:
In the terrifying days at the end of the Vietnam war, a young boy named Long was airlifted out of Saigon and taken to the United States in what became known as Operation Babylift. Hundreds of war orphans were brought to the United States and adopted by loving families. Long became Matt Steiner, and went on to become a valedictorian, athlete, and doctor with a family of his own. While this tale has a happy ending, one might not have predicted it based on his harrowing early years. Long barely remembers his American father, but he vividly remembers his mother's suicide. His devoted grandmother tried as best she could to take care of him, but when she became unable to support him any longer he was sent to live in an orphanage operated by Holt International Children's Services. This agency housed him, provided schooling, and later made it possible for him to be adopted in the United States. Finally returning to Vietnam in 1995, Long was amde to understand the sacrifices that his grandmother had made for him.

Review:
Warren has reason to be interested in this story of survival and triumph-her own daughter was also a child rescued in Operation Babylift. And a very personal story it is. Warren uses Long's memories, along with interviews and research regarding other adopted Vietnamese children, to craft a story that is powerful and engaging. This is a story of a child at war, a child struggling to find his identity in his new land, a child who mourns the loss of his family while going on to become a success in his new home. This story also details the challenges that Long had coming to terms with his mixed heritage, a theme that could speak to many biracial children in our school, who often don't see themselves represented in mainstream media. The action is written in a gripping, engaging style that leaves the reader feeling as though they too have witnessed tragedy and incredible acts of heroism. The passages detailing the airlift are especially gripping, and should grab the attention of even the most reluctant of readers.

Teaching Resources:
This book would make an excellent text to use in any study of immigration. It is also a good book for teaching about the diversity of the American experience, as Long's journey is very different from most children in America. Below I've listed some websites where you can find more ideas and specific lesson plans.

Louisiana Reader's Choice Awards

Bookwizard-Scholastic

Immigration and Diversity Lesson Plans

Almost Perfect, by Brian Katcher

2010-07-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Title: Almost Perfect
Author: Brian Katcher
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Year: 2009
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Group: 9th-12th Grade

Plot Summary:
This cleanly written, moving novel tells the story of Logan, a high school senior living in a rural Missouri town. He's just broken up with his girlfriend of three years after finding that she cheated on him, and he is feeling at a loss as to how to move on. In biology he meets Sage, a rare new student to his tiny high school. Sage is like no one he's ever met before-she is clever, and beautiful, and dresses as though she is living in St. Louis, not small town Missouri. He quickly becomes infatuated with her, but there are signs that something decidedly different is going on with her. Her younger sister is strangely overprotective, and her parents won't let her have friends, never mind dates. As Logan and Sage get to know each other better, and their feelings for each other deepen, Sage finally lets him in on her secret-she was born biologically male. Logan's world is rocked, as he struggles to deal with the questions about his own identity that come from finding out Sage's secret. Is he gay? Will he ever be able to love a "normal" girl? But eventually Logan realizes that regardless of Sage's biological sex, he is falling in love with her, and when Sage is the victim of a hate-crime, Logan decides he will stop at nothing to be with the girl of his dreams.

Review:
If Luna, by Julie Anne Peters, tells the story of a young male-to-female transgender person's decision to come out, then Almost Perfect tells what happens next. When Sage made the decision to live as a female, her family was so ashamed that they homeschooled her for five years. Her father applied for a transfer, and the whole family moved to small-town Missouri so that they could protect Sage from what they assumed would follow her decision, and to protect themselves from ridicule and judgement. Katcher does not romanticize Sage's family in any way. Her father is borderline abusive, and clearly feels betrayed by his "son's" gender identity. Her mother loves her, but has no idea how to support her in her decision to transition to female. Her sister is alternately embarrassed and protective of her. By the time she meets Logan, Sage has started taking female hormones and "passes" easily as female. Logan is just your average high school athlete. Raised in a society that holds little value for homosexuality and none whatsoever for transgendered people, he is at first repulsed by Sage. Again, the author does a good job of portraying Logan without too much sentimentality. He struggles with his feelings after Sage shares her secret, and he says some truly horrible things to her. Eventually, however, he comes to terms with his feelings for her, and they are able to share a very brief time together. Just as Logan starts to feel that he would be able to have a true, public relationship with Sage, she is the victim of a vicious beating, and it becomes clear to everyone that while Logan and Sage may be ready, society is not. This is a classic "star-crossed lovers" tale-true love is thwarted by circumstances beyond their control.

Katcher did an excellent job telling this story without sentimentality or sensationalism. It is not preachy or pedantic-the simple truths revealed in this story have no need to cheap gimmicks, nor does the reader need to be beaten over the head with them, for this novel to resonate with meaning. This book helped me remember again that while I may not understand the feelings that lead someone to be transgendered, that doesn't really matter. What matters is that I recognize each individual's right for self-naming, their right to live their lives fully as the people they believe themselves to be.

Teacher Resources:
While I did not find any specific lesson plans or activities for this novel, I've listed some resources about teaching GLBT issues in the classroom below.

GLBT Stereotypes Lesson Plan

Advocates for Youth

Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2010-07-12T07:19:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! I hope that everyone had a great weekend. While I spent most of yesterday nursing a summer cold, I did get to spend Friday night and Saturday at a youth leadership event, where I got some good insight into the kinds of books that teens are reading right now. I was telling them about the children's lit class I'm taking, and it started an hour long discussion on books they like or don't-very interesting stuff. Reminded me why I've spent so much time reading young adult literature for this class. These kids are dying to read good books that speak to their actual lives (though most of them also love sparkly vampires).

That event ended up being the perfect way to end a week of reading young adult stuff. Here's what I got done this week:

The View from Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg

Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez

Almost Perfect, by Brian Katcher (Review coming soon!)

Hello Groin, by Beth Goobie (Review coming soon!)

This coming week I get to go back to reading some adult titles as well, since my major book project is due today for my kiddie lit class. I am hoping to get to:

Another Thing to Fall, by Laura Lippman

Wild Seed, Octavia E. Butler

I will also get to the following YA titles:

Bait, by Alex Sanchez

Ten Things I Hate About Me-Randa Abdel-Fattah

Have a great reading week, everyone!

10,000 Dresses, by Marcus Ewert

2010-07-11T11:36:00.000-07:00

Title: 10,000 Dresses
Author: Marcus Ewert
Illustrator: Rex Ray
Publisher: Seven Stories
Pages: 28
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Grade Level: 1st-3rd

Plot Summary:
Every night, Bailey dreams about magical dresses: dresses made of crystals and rainbows, dresses made of flowers, dresses made of windows. . . . Unfortunately, when Bailey's awake, no one wants to hear about these beautiful dreams. Quite the contrary. "You're a BOY!" Mother and Father tell Bailey. "You shouldn't be thinking about dresses at all." Then Bailey meets Laurel, an older girl who is touched and inspired by Bailey's imagination and courage. In friendship, the two of them begin making dresses together. And Bailey's dreams come true!

Review:
It is hard to find books with sympathetic transgender characters period, much less picture books. That makes 10,000 Dresses a rare thing-a children's book that deals with trangenderism in a thoughtful and touching way, highlighting the misunderstandings that often go along with being transgendered in a way that younger children could understand, while showing that acceptance is the true hallmark of friendship.

Ewert does a great job creating the tension between who Baily feels like on the inside and what people perceive her to be on the outside. When Bailey thinks about herself, she thinks about the girl she believes she was meant to be. When her family sees her, they see the boy she was biologically born. When Baily tries to express how she feels to her family, the are unable to see past the biological boy to the girl inside. Only her friend Laurel is able to see past the biology to who Bailey believes she is in her soul.

The illustrations are so cute, and Ray did not shy away from the biological reality that was Bailey's outer body. The illustrations of Bailey in a dress very clearly look like a boy in a dress, not some miniature drag queen. Her mother, father, and brother in the book are shown with their faces turned away, as though refusing to see Bailey as she truly is. The only other face we see is her friend Laurel, who tells Bailey, "You're the coolest girl I ever met". The final message of the book is one of hope and acceptance.

Teaching Resources:
You can probably imagine that there are not exactly unit plans for this book waiting out there in cyberspace to be found. The topic of this book is just too controversial for most schools or teachers to handle. However, if you have smaller children and want them to be accepting of everyone, regardless of their gender expression, this is a great read aloud. It would be a good way to start a discussion of transgenderism with older children as well, since it is so accessible.

The View from Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg

2010-07-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

Title: The View from Saturday
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Publisher: Antheum Books
Pages: 160
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 4th-8th Grade

Plot Summary:
Mrs. Olinski couldn't tell you why she chose the four students she did for her Academic Bowl team, but Noah, Ethan, Nadia, and Julian were it. As far as she knew they were not really connected to each other in any way. But it turns out that they were-they called themselves the Souls, and every Saturday they met for tea. And that wasn't their only connection-Noah was accidentally the Best Man at the wedding of Ethan's grandmother and Nadia's grandfather, Nadia and Ethan had bonded over saving sea turtles in Florida, and Julian started their group off with his invitation to tea. The book traces their stories, as well as their journey to the state championships, in a fun, slightly quirky way.

Review:
OK, I want to say upfront that I enjoyed this book. I thought the story was creative, and I enjoyed the quirkiness of each of the characters. However, it won the Newbery Award in 1997, and I have to admit I don't really get it. I guess that 1996 must have been a slow year for quality children's literature, because I didn't find the story nearly as good as, say, The Graveyard Book or Holes or The Giver.

That said, the story is cute, and the themes of random acts of anonymous kindness is a good one. The Souls go out of their way to do nice things for their teacher, without expecting anything in return. They also allow each other to be themselves when they are together, and they keep their tea parties a secret so that no one at school actually knows how close they are. The secondary themes of dealing with major life changes (divorce, marriage, family moving away) are dealt with honestly and sweetly. Each of the characters is a child I would like to have in my class-kind, smart, and compassionate. And of course, friendship is also a major theme. The Souls are bonded in a way that few people are, and completely supportive of each other.

The writing style is superb, as it always is with Konigsburg. I especially like the way she uses questions from the Academic Bowl as the frame for telling the story of how the Souls got to know each other. The books is a cleverly put together combination of present action and flashback that could make a good talking point if teaching the book as literature.

Teacher Resources:
Planet Book Club Lesson Plans

Web English Teacher Lesson Plans

Teacher CyberGuide

Welcome Book Blog Hoppers!

2010-07-08T23:12:00.000-07:00

It's time for the Book Blog Hop, hosted by Crazy-for-Books! This weekly meme encourages book bloggers to connect and share ideas. This is the first Blog Hop with the new blog, so I am very excited!

This week we had a question to answer in our hopper post, and that questions is...

Tell us about some of your favorite authors and why they are your favorites!

I already wrote my adult reader post at my other blog, Book Addict Reviews, so you can check that out if you like. Since this is a children's/young adult themed blog, I'll stick with my favorite authors in those two categories. (Picking just a couple is not easy, by the way! I have so many favorites! Grrrrrrr....)

Old Favorites!
Tomie dePaola-I think that all of his books are charming as all get out. Did you know that he has written or illustrated more than 200 books?!? The man is prolific. His stories are touching, and his always puts his own special flair on his stories. The fact that he is gay, and that he had the courage to write Oliver Button is a Sissy (based on his own experiences as a child) makes me love him even more!

Katherine Patterson-Oh, how I cried and cried when Leslie dies in Bridge to Terebithia! And Jacob Have I Loved had me wanting to live on an island and be a fisherman. I just think that her books really touch on the vulnerability that we all have growing up, when nothing we do feels quite right and we are terrified of doing the wrong thing.

Madeleine L'Engle-A Wrinkle in Time...need I say more? Not if you are a science fiction fan like me, and this novel was one of my first forays into that world.

New Favorites:
Suzanne Collins-I love Hunger Games and Catching Fire. The way that Collins is able to merge story lines of first love and teenage angst with real life or death situations and social justice commentary is stunning for a young adult novelist.

Alex Sanchez-I just discovered him while doing a project on GLBT themed children's and young adult literature, and I think he is great. I just finished Rainbow Boys, which was so heartbreaking and joyous I laughed and cried, but my favorite of his so far is The God Box. The way that he dismantles the Biblical arguments against homosexuality is a thing of beauty.

Neil Gaiman-His books are creepy and skewed and irreverant and deep. I love the way his mind works, and while I wouldn't want to live in the world according to Gaiman all the time, I enjoy my trips there through his books, both young adult and adult.

I Need My Monster, by Amanda Noll

2010-07-08T17:13:00.000-07:00

Title: I Need My Monster
Author: Amanda Noll
Illustrator: Howard McWilliam
Publisher: Flash Light Press
Pages: 30
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 2nd-4th Grade

Plot Summary:
Ethan checks under his bed for his monster Gabe, and instead finds a note that says, "Gone Fishing. Back in a week." Ethan begins to fret-how will be get to sleep without Gabe's comforting snorts, or the sound of his claws scratching the floor. Various substitute monsters try to meet Ethan's exacting monster standards, but none are as good as his monster Gabe. Turns out that things just weren't the same for Gabe without Ethan, either. The fish just scare too easily. As Ethan finally snuggles into his covers for the night, Gabe and Ethan are both thankful that they have each other.

Review:
As "monster under the bed" books go, this one is pretty adorable. The illustrations are engaging, and sure to keep younger listeners occupied. The text is clever, with the various monsters each having their own distinct personality that could be discussed with students. It takes something scary, like the thought of monsters under the bed, and turns it into an integral part of childhood, something that we must give up (regretfully) as we grow. The vocabulary is rather challenging for new readers, so this probably works best as a read aloud for younger children, though older readers should have little trouble.

Teaching Resources:

Monster Lesson Plans
I Need My Monster Activity Guide

Teach With Picture Books

Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez

2010-07-08T10:21:00.000-07:00

Title: Rainbow Boys
Author: Alex Sanchez
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 233
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade and Up

Plot Summary:
Rainbow Boys tells the story of Nelson, Kyle and Jason. Nelson is the stereotypical gay male-a little swishy, with multiple piercings and multi-colored hair. Kyle is a quiet, sweet boy, a swimmer on the high school swim team. Jason is a popular jock, deeply in the closet. When the novel begins, Nelson is completely out to everyone, including his very liberal mother who is the chairperson of the local chapter of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Kyle is out to Nelson and the other teens in their GLBT support group, but not to his family. He also is deeply infatuated with Jason, looking at his picture in the yearbook so often the page is fading. Jason is dating Debra, and trying with all of his might to pretend that he is not having feelings for other boys. When the other guys make gay jokes, or harass Nelson (whom they call Nelly), he laughs or turns away. Finally he gets up the courage to go to a meeting of the support group, and is horrified to find Kyle and Nelson there. When he runs, Kyle follows him. The two boys strike up a friendship when Kyle agrees to help him with his math. Slowly, as Jason spend more time with Kyle, he breaks up with his girlfriend and comes to terms with his true orientation. Nelson, meanwhile, has decided that he is in love with Kyle, and tries to put the moves on him. When that doesn't work, he descends into depression, binging and purging and having unprotected sex with an older man he met on the internet. Afraid he may have contracted HIV, he sinks even lower, refusing to go to school. Turns out that Nelson, who is so open about his sexual orientation, doesn't really know any more about how to go about this whole dating business than anyone else. An act of gay bashing makes Jason realize that it is too dangerous not to stand up for himself and his friends, and leads to him finally coming out to his family.

Review:
If the above summary reminds you of a soap opera, you are not far wrong. There are a lot of issues tackled in this book, from sexual orientation to gay bashing to bulimia to alcoholism. Despite the somewhat soapish nature of the plot, the subjects are all handled in an honest way, without any sensationalism or gratuitous detail.

Each of the boys comes from a very different family. Nelson lives with his mother, and has almost no contact with his father. Nelson's mother is the epitome of what gay-accepting parents should be. She stands up for her son and his right to be who he is, and is actively involved in working for gay rights. Kyle's parents are well-meaning, though his dad is constantly pushing him into sports. That's the only reason Kyle joined the swim team, though he finds that swimming is something that helps him clear his head. When he comes out to his parents, they are taken aback, and both of them struggle to understand how he became the way he is. When push comes to shove, however, and they find out that he is being harassed at school, they stand up for him. Jason's dad is an alcoholic-a violent one at that. He found Jason and another boy experimenting when they were 10, and ever since he has called him pansy or faggot. It is only after Jason brings Nelson and Kyle back to his house after they were jumped on the street, and his dad starts in on them, that he is able to stand up to him and tell him his deepest secret. There's no storybook ending here-Dad does not suddenyl decide to go to AA and become a PFLAG member. He leaves the family and disowns Jason.

It is this authenticity and honesty that makes the book so appealing. Each of the boys could represent someone I know, or should I say that I know someone who went through what each of these boys did. The characters are well-developed, and you feel sympathy for each of them. The plot is well-paced, and the events feel real. When Kyle's mom finds his gay porno mag, you wince right along with him. When Nelson gets so depressed he can't get out of bed, you remember what being 17 was like yourself, how intensely teens feel everything. Sadly, the boys harassing Kyle and Nelson are also completely believable. The book was written in 2001, but even with all of the advances in gay rights and awareness that have happened in our country since there are still too many boys like them in our schools.

Sanchez does an excellent job of balancing the personal stories of the boys and some heavily debated societal issues. When the boys want to start a Gay Straight Alliance at their school, there is the expected opposition from religious groups. The teachers ignoring the harassment the boys are getting, and in fact blaming them for it because they can't act more "normal", is something that is still true. Parental acceptance of gay youth differs, though I like to think that more parents are supportive than there used to be. Overall, this novel brings home the issues that gay teens face every day in a very accessible, personal way.

Teacher Resources:
The themes in this novel are very well suited to the teenage population. The language is pretty salty, however, and there are a lot of homophobic slurs thrown in. All of the language is used appropriately for the context of the novel, but it is something you would want to prep your students for ahead of time. That said, I think that this novel would make a great addition to any study of social justice issues, tolerance, or coming-of-age novels.

Teaching Tolerance: Hidden Homophobia

Ms. Henson's Class Cultural Studies Unit Plan

The God Box, by Alex Sanchez

2010-07-07T07:12:00.000-07:00

Title: The God Box
Author: Alex Sanchez
Publsiher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 248
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 8th-12th Grade

Plot Summary:
Paul is a high school senior in a small Texas town. He and his girlfriend Angie have been together since middle school, and they enjoy the same things-listening to their favorite Christian rock CDs, singing in the church choir, and being members of their school's Bible study club. Paul tried not to worry about the fact that while he loves Angie, he does not feel the same attraction for her that most boys describe feeling for girls. He prays on it most nights-prays that he will lose the "unnatural" feelings he has towards boys so he can be a good Christian. Enter Manuel, new to school and the first openly gay teen Paul or his friends have ever known. Manuel is also devoutly Christian, and Paul is thrown into turmoil. Is it possible to be Christian and gay? Slowly Manuel opens his eyes to new interpretations of the Bible passages that get trotted out to "prove" God's hatred of homosexuals, but it is not until one terrifying night that Paul decides that being true to himself as one of God's creations is the best way to honor his creator.

Review:
I loved this book, and I'm not even going to try to find some cute, book-reviewer way to say it. I think that this book should be required reading in every Christian school/Sunday school/Bible study in the country. If you looked up the definition of "Christian" in the dictionary, Paul's picture would be there. He loved the Lord, and strove every day to live up to Jesus's standards. He was kind, and compassionate, and actively engaged in his faith. But he had been taught that his attraction for men negated all of the prayer and good deeds he's ever done. Manuel slowly, one Biblical argument at a time, dismantles all of the dogma Paul had been taught. Their Bible discussions are thoughtful and thought-provoking. Manuel is not written as some raging queer radical-he's just an average kid, same as the rest, only comfortable enough with himself to live openly as gay. Even in the face of taunts and danger (sounds a little bit like Christ himself, doesn't it?), he stays true to who he believes God wants him to be. I really believe that this book put in the hands of the right child at the right time could literally save lives.

Teacher Resource:
Searching the web I found no lesson plans or discussion questions for this book, which I think is a shame. I did find a whole host of gay-affirming Christian website, however, and was pleasantly surprised. I also found a website called Beyond Ex-Gay that tells the stories of survivors of what they call religious abuse-that is, using religion as a cudgel to (sometimes literally) beat the gay out of you and make you heterosexual so you can be right with God. Really fascinating stuff, though not terribly helpful for teachers except as background knowledge. I think that this book could be taught in high school English classes, but I think that perhaps more importantly I think that it should be openly, easily available in any high school library for teens who are struggling with their faith and their orientation to find.

The Magician's Elephant, by Kate DiCamillo

2010-07-05T13:22:00.000-07:00

Title: The Magician's Elephant
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 201
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 4th-6th Grade

Plot Summary:
Peter, a 10 year-old boy living in the town of Baltese, is sent by his guardian, Vilna Lutz, to get bread and fish at the market. On the way, he sees a fortuneteller's tent, with a sign promising the true answer to one question for exactly the amount of money that Peter was given. Peter is torn-should he buy the food he's been sent for, or should he spend the money on getting the answer to a question that has plagued him his whole life-is his sister still alive? He decides he needs to know the answer, and enters the fortuneteller's tent. The fortuneteller reveals that not only is his sister still alive-despite what his guardian may have told him-but an elephant will lead him to her. Since this seems impossible, Peter goes away still conflicted. Conflicted, that is, until and elephant comes crashing through the ceiling of a theater during a magic show, sending the whole town into a dither. What follows is a sequence of events that is magical, fantastical, impossible-but what if? What if? Peter will need the help of a policeman, a noblewoman, a beggar, and a blind dog, but he will eventually find what he is looking for.

Review:
The only Kate DiCamillo book I had read previously was Because of Winn Dixie, and somehow I expected this tale to be much like that-slightly supernatural elements blended into a very real story. Had I done any research on DiCamillo before reading The Magician's Elephant, I would have realized that Because of Winn Dixie is the anomaly in her bibliography. With novels like The Tale of Despereaux, about a mouse on a quest to rescue a princess, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, about a small china rabbit that is passed from person to person, DiCamillo feels very comfortable in the land of fantasy. The Magician's Elephant combines themes of family and finding where you truly belong with elements of magic to create a rather quirky book.

Peter himself is a strong, brave young boy, who stands up for what he knows to be true. If only we were all so brave! Despite knowing that what he imagines seems impossible to everyone else, he convinces them to help him with his steadfast resolve and belief in himself. The story has a lot of longing-Peter's longing for the truth about his sister, and for the days when his parents were alive; the magician's longing to do one bit of extraordinary magic; the policeman's longing for children; Vilna's longing for great battles and says gone by. Finally, it is the elephant's longing for home that drives the final sequence of events, the one that brings Peter and his sister back together into the waiting arms of their new family.

I suppose in the end that is the final message of the book-if you can dream it, you can make it be true. Instead of saying "I can't", ask yourself, "What if?"

Teacher Resources:
Reader's Guides from Kate DiCamillo's Website

Elephant Activities

Kate DiCamillo Discusses The Magician's Elephant

The Magician's Elephant Discussion Guide-pdf

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

2010-07-04T22:32:00.000-07:00

This is my first Monday post from this new blog. If this is your first time here-welcome! This blog is where I will review any and all children's or young adult books I read, and I will try to post teacher resources for the books when they exist on the web.

My week was very productive-which is good considering how much reading I still have to do for my children's literature class. I read:

Baby Be-Bop, by Francesca Lia Block
Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
Luna, by Julie Anne Peters
The God Box, by Alex Sanchez
The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

Reviews for all of the above titles can be found on this blog. I didn't get to any adult books this week, but if you want to check out my adult book reviews you can find them at Book Addict Reviews.

This week I need to read:

The View from Saturday, by E.L. Konigsburg
The Magician's Elephant, by Kate DiCamillo
Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
Almost Perfect, by Brian Kacher
Weetzie Bat, by Francesca Lia Block
Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief, by Rick Riordan

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman

2010-07-04T22:05:00.000-07:00

Title: The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Harper Collins
Pages: 307
Genre: Fantasy
Age Level: 6th-9th Grade

Plot Summary:
A man in black walks through a house in a small English village. He is searching for a baby, a baby that he knew must be there. As he searches, he passes a mother, father, and daughter-all killed by his hand. He is Jack, and he was sent to this house with a job to do. He catches scent of the baby, and follows the smell to a large graveyard at the top of a hill. What Jack doesn't know is that he is not the only thing awake in the graveyard. All of the ghosts have gathered, along with Silas, a mysterious stranger, neither living nor dead. They have gathered to discuss the fate of the small boy that has toddled into their midst-do they keep him, therefore saving him, or do they leave him to meet his fate at Jack's hands? When they decide to keep him, Jack is sent from the graveyard, but everyone knows that the boy, soon to be known as Nobody Owens (Bod, for short) will not be out of danger until Jack is stopped for good. This is Bod's story-the story of a boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard.

Review:
Now this is a Neil Gaiman book I can get behind! I know that I read another of his books last week, and wasn't so jazzed by it, but this book is properly a book, and therefore already has a heads up from that modified pilot-script called Interworlds. The plot is creative, and once again Gaiman melds aspects of real life with fantasy in such a way that the whole seems completely believable. I was totally drawn into Bod's world, and at times wished I had my own ancient graveyard to prowl around in, learning about the Romans and the middle ages and the Victorians from actual Romans, Victorians, and denizens of the middle ages. Gaiman's style is quirky, and unexpectedly sweet, especially in describing the relationship between Bod and his guardian, Silas-who, for the record, can't be seen in a mirror, sleeps all day, and sometimes seems to turn into a large animal with wings that can fly. Despite all of the sparkly or otherwise cuddly vampire characters recently, you somehow don't expect it of Silas. The whole tone of the book is one of dark menace, but with a childlike playfulness that should be in contrast to the sinister mood but in fact compliments it.

The story does have a few weak points, areas where I wanted more back story or exposition. There are many mythical or supernatural beings mentioned and never fully explained. And actually I think that Gaiman could have spent a bit more time on the motivation behind Jack's actions in killing Bod's family. There is a reason given, but it is not terribly well-developed. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through the tombs!

Teacher Resources:

Online Quiz

Learning Through Listening

Teachervision Book Discussion Guide

E-Notes: The Graveyard Book

Luna, by Julie Anne Peters

2010-07-04T13:27:00.000-07:00

Title: Luna
Author: Julie Anne Peters
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Co.
Pages: 256
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade and Up

Plot Summary:
Luna is the story of Regan and her older brother Liam-or, should we say, her older sister Luna. Ever since Regan was small, she knew that there was something different about her brother. He always wanted to be the mother when they played house. All of his friends were girls. One day, she comes back to their house unexpectedly, only to discover Liam dressed in their mother's clothes. Liam is 100% sure that she is a girl. Unfortunately, she was born in the body of a boy. Regan agrees to keep her secret, covering for her whenever anyone might catch on to her true self. As Liam/Luna gets ready to graduate from high school, she becomes more and more sure that she is going to have to come out as transgendered, or lose herself to depression or worse. Regan struggles with her feelings about her brother-and herself. What will people think of her if Luna comes out to live in the light?

Review:
There are not very many books that deal with the subject of transgendered people, and even fewer for young adults. But Luna is a shining example of how deftly the subject can be handled for a younger audience. Peter's has written a novel that is frank in its handling of the subject matter, not pathologizing transgenderism, but showing it from a very real place. Her use of Regan as narrator gives the subject an interesting twist, because anyone who knows someone who is transgendered but struggles to understand exactly what they feel can see themselves in her. It also provides an authenticity to the story, perhaps more so than if Luna had told it herself. There is debate in the world of multicultural literature about whether people not belonging to the group whose story is being told should try to tell it, and the structure of this novel deftly avoids that controversy. Of course, there are plenty of things that people could find controversial in this novel. With its themes of self-acceptance, peer pressure, and family drama it could be any coming-of-age novel. But we as a country are not terribly comfortable with the idea of transgendered people-especially male to female transgenderism. The fact that Luna is able to transcend the doubt and fear, and find a way to be herself despite those that oppose her, is ultimately a story of triumph over the odds. The journey that Regan takes through her unconditional love for her brother, and the lengths she is willing to go through to keep him safe, can teach us a lot about how to show loving acceptance for anyone in our lives struggling to be who they know they were born to be.

Teaching Ideas:
I was not able to find any web-based resources for teaching with this novel. However, I think that it could easily be included in any unit of study that looked at themes of self-acceptance. It could also be included in a discussion of social justice issues regarding the GLBTQ community. It is certainly a book that I would recommend to any transgendered youth-it shows that they are not alone, and that there is hope.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

2010-06-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Author: Stephen Chbosky
Publisher: MTV Books (who even knew there was such a thing!)
Pages: 213
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th Grade and Up

Plot Summary:
Charlie is a 15 year old high school freshman living in Pennsylvania. His brother is a football star, his sister is pretty and popular, and he is...well, he is something else altogether. His unique perspective on family, love, and friendship are shared through letters that he writes to an unknown someone. Charlie feels most comfortable in the "quiet", and is merely an observer in life until he meets Patrick (who is having a secret relationship with the quarterback), Sam (who Charlie falls deeply in love with), and their group of quirky friends. Even as he experiences his first cigarette, his first drink, his first pot, his first date, his first dance, and his first Rocky Horror Picture Show, he feels like an outsider looking in-a wallflower, observing but not participating fully. When he finally gets a chance at what he thinks he wants, he realizes that until he deals with the reason for his reserve, his sadness, and his anger he will never be a full participant in life.

Review:
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a tribute to all counter-culture, disaffected novels for youth everywhere. Chobsky makes no effort to hide his influences, giving the fictional Charlie a teacher who assigns him Catcher in the Rye, On the Road, Naked Lunch, and The Stranger as reading assignments. In their tradition, Charlie and his friends are at once desperate for a feeling of belonging while at the same time rejecting anything that smacks of the conformity that would make them belong. Patrick, Sam, and the rest are a perfect backdrop for Charlie, who is about as unconventional as they come. He is almost paralyzed by the fear of doing something wrong, and as a result does almost nothing at all, becoming a mirror for his friends without ever showing much of his true self. It is clear long before the big reveal at the end that something is just not right with Charlie-he gets so angry playing sports his parents made him quit, he gets so sad that he can't function, he's been in and out of hospitals-add the hormones of a 15 year old and it's no wonder he was an emotional wreck.

Sometimes the portrayal of Charlie is a little too on-the-nose, but despite some of the criticisms I've read of this book, there are kids like Charlie out there. Chobsky creates in this book a doorway for today's youth to discover and appreciate the same malaise that previous generations got from Catcher in the Rye. Is this book as good as CITR, well, no. But as homages go it is pretty good.

Teacher Resources:

Mr. Jeffrey's Lesson Plans (scroll down the page)

WebEnglishTeacher Anticipation Guide

Young Adult Review-Teaching Controversial Texts

YA Lit Gourley

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson

2010-06-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Title: Speak
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Publisher: Penguin
Pages: 198
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9th-12th Grade

Plot Summary:
Melinda is a freshman in high school. Instead of being excited to start the new year with her friends, she is feeling shunned, and outcast. You see, there was a big end-of-summer party, and everyone thought she called the cops to bust it. The truth is something that she can't tell anyone-not her parents, not her former friends, not her teachers. Since she can't let the truth out, she decided to keep everything inside, barely speaking, skipping classes, and avoiding all thoughts of IT-that thing that happened to her. She keeps it all inside, that is, until her ex-best friends starts dating Andy Evans-and IT forces her to make a difficult choice. Speak up, and relive what happened, or stay quiet, and put her friend in danger.

Review:
It is hard to write the above summary without giving any spoilers about the big reveal-but I imagine anyone who is old enough to be reading this review probably already figured out what happened to Melinda. I have to admit that it took me a little bit of time to get into this story. Anderson does a great job of setting the scene of Melinda's deconstruction. First it is little things-biting her lips, being late for class, not responding to teachers or the other kids-none of whom are terribly nice to her anyway. But as you read, the tension continue to build, as Melinda gets quieter and quieter, and more and more withdrawn. The only adult who really seems to "see" her is her art teacher, and he encourages her to use art to express whatever it is that is building inside. Finally, Melinda must make a choice-let her friend get hurt, or continue trying to hide from what happened to her. Anderson does a good job of showing that while Melinda thought she was hiding from the memories of that night at the party, really she was being eaten up from the inside by the things she couldn't say. It may have been a slow starter for me, but it was worth it in the end-when Melinda finally stands up and speaks.

Teaching Resources:

The Writer Lady

Ms. Hogue's Unit Guide

Speak Out! Reach Out!