tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74704166560342935342024-03-14T07:26:19.799-07:00Second Childhood ReviewsReviews of Children's and Young Adult LiteratureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.comBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-41910439585185820222017-02-23T11:16:00.002-08:002017-02-23T11:16:46.325-08:00We Are All Made of Molecules, Susin Nielsen<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJan_ltSSIEz9FrvbPjxXO0apeKJTEmDG-yT21MVj94dorH1LPDjZxm80vagRg70hY-kVD4PooptnlUytWCVJDV2CY4RvYkVLgPJCP8scHgTnaNqw4UT3yeeI4haq3msGG7hZkPH6Cz38/s1600/we+are+all+made+of+molecules.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJan_ltSSIEz9FrvbPjxXO0apeKJTEmDG-yT21MVj94dorH1LPDjZxm80vagRg70hY-kVD4PooptnlUytWCVJDV2CY4RvYkVLgPJCP8scHgTnaNqw4UT3yeeI4haq3msGG7hZkPH6Cz38/s320/we+are+all+made+of+molecules.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Title: We Are All Made of Molecules</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Susin Nielsen</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Wendy Lamb Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 256</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Blended Families, Popularity, Peer Pressure, LGBTQ+</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th Grade and Above</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: </span><br />
Stewart always wanted a sister. So when his father announces that they would be moving in with his girlfriend and her 14-year-old daughter, Stewart is hopeful that it will help take away some of the sadness he's been feeling since his mother's death the year before. Ashley, on the other hand, is NOT HAPPY about the new living arrangements her mother springs on her. She just wants to return to the perfect family life she had before her father told them he was gay and moved into the guest house. Stewart and Ashley could not be more different. Stewart is a genius in everything but social skills. School isn't really Ashley's thing, but she is the most popular girl in school. How will these two seemingly incompatible teenagers coexist under the same roof, both at home and at school?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
This book got one of my infrequent 5-star reviews. I am very stingy with my 5-star reviews. A book has to really be so well-written or so powerful that it deserves to be set apart from even other good books. I loved everything about this story. The Stewart that Nielsen created is possibly one of the most engaging, likable characters I have ever read. I wanted to hug him, high-five him, I wanted to put him in my pocket and take him home with me. He isn't perfect, which makes him all the more believable, but his sense of fairness, his loyalty, and his overall integrity made me wish he was a real person that we could clone and send out into the world to show the rest of us poor slobs how we should behave towards each other.<br />
<br />
I did not love Ashley at first, but then, you're not supposed to. She makes the biggest changes in the book, and that's good, because the person she was at the beginning of the story was an entitled, mean-spirited brat. But as you read, you discover that much of her attitude is designed to cover-up her feelings of intellectual inadequacy, and her deep fear that if anyone at school knew her true self they would crucify her. She bought in 100% to the ridiculous notion that exists in teenage culture that popularity is everything, and that you need to achieve it at all costs. The consequences of that drive for the top started catching up with her, however, and she was forced to confront the fact that maybe there are more important things in life than being at the top of the social pecking order.<br />
<br />
The story is told alternately from Stewart's and Ashley's perspectives, and while this has become a fairly standard practice in this case it really does add value to the story. Aside from the odd couple nature of the relationship between the two almost-step-siblings, the book deals with sexual assault (not graphic, and really and "almost" assault), teenage drinking, bullying, and coming out. It is a beautiful, emotionally impactful telling of two families becoming one.<br />
<br />
Usually, I try not to use phrases like "full of heart" because they've become so cliche, but I have to for this book. It is full of heart, and if you can come away from reading it without feeling connected to these characters, and proud of the changes they make, then maybe you yourself have no heart!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-4979637109200672072017-02-16T10:52:00.001-08:002017-02-16T10:52:59.035-08:00Pulse, by Patrick Carman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutHlvLqlkNwFGDOk1WpOC-F3xbzQ-zlfCOVjfbuJjEXqR4QO0odtHDnM1bW9kPuPJGneCK6QYGQwDKlZsKgMVYbLWWhkuORebCmub7rgbdrVj3KOaGpjVXGWZZx-Oxtt8PxaoM2R4jEE/s1600/puse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiutHlvLqlkNwFGDOk1WpOC-F3xbzQ-zlfCOVjfbuJjEXqR4QO0odtHDnM1bW9kPuPJGneCK6QYGQwDKlZsKgMVYbLWWhkuORebCmub7rgbdrVj3KOaGpjVXGWZZx-Oxtt8PxaoM2R4jEE/s320/puse.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Pulse</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Patrick Carman</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 371</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Power, Oppression</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th Grade and Above</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Faith lives in the no-man's-land outside the walls of the State. The United States, in a desperate bid to conserve resources, has encouraged all people to move into heavily populated States, where people are packed into the finite space but have access to food, medicine, and technology that you can't get on the outside. It seems as though the last stragglers of a dying way of life will eventually all succumb to the lure of the State. But there are some who are different. Some who prefer the freedom of the outside to the relative safety and comfort of the State. When Faith discovers that she has the "pulse", telekinetic abilities that allow her to control matter and fly, she also discovers that under the surface, dark forces are at work to dismantle the State and seize control of the people and resources that reside there. Under the tutelage of her classmate, Dylan, Faith learns to control her powers, and to use them in support of those who would keep the State safe from harm.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
This is the start of a trilogy, one that I have yet to finish. The first book, however, gets a thumbs up from me! The premise is interesting, and as someone who's read a ton of dystopian YA fiction, it felt new and fresh. Faith as a character is relatable, and there's the whole "dark, mysterious" love interest thing going on. I fully expected to find that the State was the enemy, and maybe they will be in the end, but I thought that premise that the State was good and the people opposing the State were bad turned that old "Hunger Games" style trope on its head.<br />
<br />
As far as deep, meaningful discussion opportunities go, it's not exactly chock full of them, at least not this first book in the trilogy, but it is action-packed, and has enough intrigue to keep a person interested. I'd say the trilogy is a solid addition to any well-stocked classroom library, though I reserve the right to change my mind if the rest of the books in the series suck.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-56488412272116493272017-02-14T06:47:00.000-08:002017-02-14T06:47:15.134-08:00Little Brother X, Cory Doctorow<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Little Brother X</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Cory Doctorow</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Tor Teen</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2008</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 382</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Dystopian Science Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Terrorism, Freedom, Government</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 8th-12th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: (from Goodreads)</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">Marcus aka “w1n5t0n,” is only seventeen years old, but he figures he already knows how the system works–and how to work the system. Smart, fast, and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting his high school’s intrusive but clumsy surveillance systems.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">But his whole world changes when he and his friends find themselves caught in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Marcus and his crew are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security and whisked away to a secret prison where they’re mercilessly interrogated for days.</span> </blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px;">When the DHS finally releases them, his injured best friend Darryl does not come out. The city has become a police state where every citizen is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: "M1k3y" will take down the DHS himself.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
<br />
This novel is action packed, and I think that the characters are ones that many youth could relate to. Unlike some dystopian novels, where the society that we know as completely ceased to exist, the America created in Little Brother is one that feels not so far away. Which is a little terrifying, to be honest. The books reminded me a little bit of <i>The Circle</i> by Dave Eggers. It is really an exploration of the consequences of our increasing reliance on social media, and the myriad of ways that we are connected to the digital world. What kind of information do we share about ourselves every day, and how can that information be used against us?<br />
<br />
Perhaps the scariest part for me was the constant surveillance, especially of children, all in the name of "safety". I've seen an awful lot of scary things happen in the name of "safety" already. White families who move out of a diverse neighborhood to a majority white one"for the schools", otherwise known as white flight. Surveillance cameras in our streets. The Patriot Act. The reprehensible immigration ban that is thankfully being blocked at the moment by the courts. It seems completely plausible to me that we are one or two terror attacks away from the kind of Department of Homeland Security crack-down that takes place in this novel. There are great themes to talk about with this book. What should be the balance between security, personal privacy, and freedom of association? Can hacking be considered a form of civil disobedience? Is it OK to break laws you consider unjust? What should the role of government be in policing our communities? All of these questions are relevant to the time, and could help build a bridge for students between the fictional dystopia of Doctorow's America and the complex issues the world must grapple with in the face of terrorist threats.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-90552811704564333052017-02-03T05:47:00.002-08:002017-02-03T05:50:04.326-08:00Reality Boy, A.S.King<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zGFqxZe29QFEcryC45zL8l-4c6kaC4WD7SOhcZQot1CbblSWK5vnrZmOFhjFr3bqGRZIwx3F39bVR1dUjPkK2TMfvuGoNfUjVP9j3-6cCvpRi2r27jvwc42jJw7pB0Z87qF_yNk1aIA/s1600/reaity+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zGFqxZe29QFEcryC45zL8l-4c6kaC4WD7SOhcZQot1CbblSWK5vnrZmOFhjFr3bqGRZIwx3F39bVR1dUjPkK2TMfvuGoNfUjVP9j3-6cCvpRi2r27jvwc42jJw7pB0Z87qF_yNk1aIA/s320/reaity+boy.jpg" width="209" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Title: Reality Boy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: A.S.King</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 353</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Mental Health, Media, First Love</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 8th Grade and Above</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Gerald Faust was five years old when his family appeared on the Network Nanny show. Ever since, he's been living under the shadow of his outrageous behavior, which helped him earn the nickname "The Crapper". Despite the nanny's intervention, by the time Gerald is 15 his family is in shambles, and he is carrying around more anger than is healthy. His oldest sister has moved back into the house, bringing with her a dangerous attitude and a rat-faced boyfriend. His middle sister has gone away to school, leaving him alone to deal with his mother's emotional neglect, his father's drinking, and his other sister's murderous rampages. He deals with his pain and anger by creating a fantasy world in his head, where he can disappear for hours at a time. When he meets Hannah, however, a girl who's just as desperate to escape her world as he is his, his defense start to crumble, and he finds he must deal with the demons, literal and figurative, that have been plaguing him for almost twelve years.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
<br />
"Dear Children Featured on Supernanny,<br />
<br />
I apologize."<br />
<br />
That was my overwhelming feeling upon reading Reality Boy. I am (now) ashamed to say that I eagerly awaited every episode of Supernanny. There was something wholly satisfying about watching Nanny Jo talk tough to parents and kids about their behavior. Frankly, it was more satisfying for me to watch her have "come to Jesus" meetings with the parents than anything that happened with the children. As a school teacher, I think it was a little bit of wish fulfillment on my part; Nanny Jo could say things to parents about setting boundaries and promoting responsible behavior in their children hat I could never in a million years get away with.<br />
<br />
But the sad fact is, these were real families with real children who had no say over whether their misbehavior was going to be broadcast on national television. And it never occurred to me, not once, that this could be more damaging to them than their parents' less-than-stellar parenting skills. Hence the apology above. While Gerald's situation is clearly an extreme form of what the families on this popular nanny shows went through, it does raise an ethical dilemma about exploiting children for entertainment.<br />
<br />
You feel sorry for Gerald right from the start. It is obvious that he is in tremendous emotional pain, with only two respites from the real world. He has developed a rich internal life, a place that he can escape to filled with all of the elements of what a happy childhood is. Disney characters and ice cream and playing on the swings with the sister who isn't a psychopath. The other place is the special education classroom his mother somehow convinced the school he should be in; a place where no one judges him for his five-year-old behavior. But when Gerald meets Hannah, his inner world starts to fall apart, and being in his SPED class starts to feel like hiding instead of living.<br />
<br />
I love the irony of the title. Gerald's life was defined by reality TV, which never actually showed reality, and his life is now defined by a fantasy world he has created that allows him to escape reality. I also love that Hannah, while she forces Gerald to make some changes for the better, doesn't "fix" him. She's got troubles of her own, and their relationship is not all sunshine and roses. It's a story of two broken people, each with their own emotional issues, supporting each other. They don't always make the right decisions, but each of them is trying in their own way to find the home they've always wanted, in each other.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-64875401689541495002017-01-27T07:50:00.000-08:002017-01-27T07:50:10.758-08:00Huntress, Melinda Lo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsND1AX2sBzz-pkZtYdXW5sy7ZQRwrR8RdjN3vwIt3zw7hFyGmpYaSZENcl-p8s4v8zzodpxxvN4Un7jdLKKuDposxDv5hdozjSJry1U-fZGHutZGYVerYnXeJEas-EbQSeSErWsZGQAc/s1600/huntress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsND1AX2sBzz-pkZtYdXW5sy7ZQRwrR8RdjN3vwIt3zw7hFyGmpYaSZENcl-p8s4v8zzodpxxvN4Un7jdLKKuDposxDv5hdozjSJry1U-fZGHutZGYVerYnXeJEas-EbQSeSErWsZGQAc/s320/huntress.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Huntress</span></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Melinda Lo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 371</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Destiny, Good vs. Evil, LGBTQ+</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th Grade and Above</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: (from Goodreads)</span><br />
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin, two seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth, without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet the two girls' destinies are drawn together during the mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever.</span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
Fans of Melinda Lo's first fantasy novel, <i>Ash</i>, will not be disappointed in this companion novel, which takes place in the same world, but hundreds of years earlier. I love the fact that Lo has created a world in her fictional (but Chinese-inspired) world of warriors and magic that turns traditional gender roles on their head. In fact, there appear to be almost no actual gender roles at all in the culture of the novel. How refreshing it would be to live in a place where that was actually true. Where people were free to follow their hearts and minds wherever they desired without fear of social repercussions. Lo is also completely at ease writing both same- and mixed-gender romances. In the Kingdom of Lo's creation, all romantic relationships are equally accepted and valued. As a gay woman I can only dream of a world where my relationship is so unremarkable in its nature that it doesn't require "coming out", or protection from people who may not accept it.<br />
<br />
Of course, are we really free to follow our hearts and minds? Destiny and fate are both themes explored in this novel. When Taisin has a vision of Kaede, one that makes her feel great love for her, is their eventual romance really authentic, or did it come about because of the way the vision made Taisin feel? When Kaede defies her father to follow Taisin, is she doing it because she is choosing to, or because she is meant to? Every step of the journey Taisin and Kaede fight to make their own decisions, yet every decision brings them closer to fulfilling the destiny that was foretold. HOw much control do we really have over our own lives? How much are we influenced by the things we are told we should be? How much are we influenced by forces larger than ourselves?<br />
<br />
The book is well-written, and Lo appears to have avoided the sophomore slump that often happens with second novels. If I had a criticism, it is that while the main quest the characters take unfolds over most of the book, the culminating quest that is Kaede's alone gets squeezed into the last chapter or so of the book. Seems like a sign that the novel could be longer, or that it needed a sequel. But that is minor-for the most part I enjoyed immersing myself into the world that Lo had created, and I would recommend this book be included in any classroom library that was looking to be inclusive in both genre and representation.<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-31115354416300582812017-01-25T07:06:00.002-08:002017-01-25T07:06:37.350-08:00One, Sarah Crossan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cYBzL7R1Qha2TdyQL5ZBSPY81mghAhc6xGv5klsQ-zyUhuPwMKhwKBw_-bTw3x6eyoDsxd2VdAfEMc27j3nmpWDxLXn8KLly5Yo56mW57ewoSJCJT5JigikJWhfJHsVXp7UeISZrg6E/s1600/one.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5cYBzL7R1Qha2TdyQL5ZBSPY81mghAhc6xGv5klsQ-zyUhuPwMKhwKBw_-bTw3x6eyoDsxd2VdAfEMc27j3nmpWDxLXn8KLly5Yo56mW57ewoSJCJT5JigikJWhfJHsVXp7UeISZrg6E/s320/one.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: One</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Sarah Crossan</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Greenwillow Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 400</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Identity, First Love, Sisterhood, Coming of Age</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th Grade and Above</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Grace and Tippi are conjoined twins, attached at the waist. Defying the odds, they have made it to their teenage years mostly healthy and pretty happy. After being homeschooled their entire lives, Tippi and Grace transition to a traditional high school. Despite the curious looks and unkind words from many of the students, they manage to find Yasmeen and Jon, who quickly become their first and best friends. But their world is turned upside down when their mother loses her job, and suddenly they are struggling to pay for the girls' expensive medical care. And then a health crisis forces them to make the decision they've been avoiding their while life-whether to undergo separation surgery.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
I really enjoyed this novel, told in a loose free verse. Grace is the narrator, which I thought was an interesting choice. This story certainly lends itself to alternating perspectives, but I think that Crossan made a good decision to focus only on one of the twins. This allowed her to show how Grace developed her sense of self and identity, both because of and in spite of her sister. Adolescence is a turbulent time for most of us, but having to manage hormones and crushes and the need for space while simultaneously being <i>literally </i>attached to another person heightened the angst and emotional impact.<br />
<br />
To be honest, while I know that novel told in verse are a thing right now, that would be my only real criticism of this book. Not because I don't like novels in verse-I do. But for this story it felt unnecesary. When I think of novels in verse, I think of powerful poetry from authors like Jacqueline Woodson (<i>Brown Girl Dreaming</i>) or Thanhha Lai (<i>Inside Out and Back Again</i>), where the format adds to the beauty and impact of the language. I'm not sure the use of poetry in the case of <i>One </i>actually added much to the story, and it occasionally felt a little choppy. However, the story on its own is engaging enough that the format is really only a minor criticism. I think that reluctant readers, even boys, would find a story about conjoined twins interesting enough to give it a chance, though I suspect some male readers may find it girly. Given the subject matter, there are surely paired informational readings that could be found to make it part of a larger unit of study, but if nothing else it would make a good addition to any classroom library.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Teacher Resources</span><br />
<a href="file:///C:/Users/godbouth/Downloads/Reading-Guide---ONE.pdf">Bloomsbury Kids Reading Guide</a><br />
<a href="https://www.clpe.org.uk/sites/default/files/ONE%20Teaching%20Sequence.pdf">Centre for Literacy in Primary Education Teaching Sequence</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-80421340642635610362016-08-19T12:15:00.000-07:002016-08-19T12:15:14.931-07:00Henrietta Hornbuckle's Circus of Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnRowGD2PyymCNNGbL5bYNvGQ1HeadqoKmkgyrEguAj9dXrP48hSvh7yGlZB0FC217VT05TQ8I4VOX0GihCyFlmLhaEwg5kWmZtrHBoTM7HrApwhX5L5v5ZFRz9meJijjueS731AMeas/s1600/henrietta+hornbuckels+circus+of+life.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUnRowGD2PyymCNNGbL5bYNvGQ1HeadqoKmkgyrEguAj9dXrP48hSvh7yGlZB0FC217VT05TQ8I4VOX0GihCyFlmLhaEwg5kWmZtrHBoTM7HrApwhX5L5v5ZFRz9meJijjueS731AMeas/s320/henrietta+hornbuckels+circus+of+life.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Henrietta Hornbuckle's Circus of Life</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Michael de Guzman</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 160</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Family, Change, Overcoming Loss, Coming of Age</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 3rd-5th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: </span><br />
Henrietta and her parents are clowns in a travelling clown circus. Henrietta thinks her life is perfect. Instead of going to school, she gets her education from the other clown in her troop. And instead of soccer practice or swim lessons, she gets to perform every night with her beloved father in their two person act. Henrietta wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life with the circus, but changes are coming. Attendance at their shows is getting smaller, and some of the clowns are leaving to find real jobs in the real world. Then, tragedy strikes. Her father is killed by a hit and run driver. How will she and her mother survive the loss of her father, and will Henrietta be able to survive the loss of her beloved circus life?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
Poor clowns! They get a lot of bad press these days. Seems like every time you turn around there is another creepy clown photo or tv show or movie. You don't see too many people wanting to be clowns in the 21st century. But Henrietta and her travelling clown troop brought back those old feelings of wanting to run away with the circus-live in a tent, travel the world, make friends with the acrobats and lion tamers. The troop that Henrietta and her family belong to is one big, happy family, and you can completely understand why Henrietta wants to spend the rest of her life surrounded by the people she loves best.<br />
<br />
The story is a simple one, but full of heart. You feel Henrietta's joy at working with her father, her deep fear of losing the circus, her distrust of her aunt (her mother's sister, who was not well pleased when Henrietta's mother ran away with her father), and her deep sorrow at the loss of her father. The first person perspective allows the reader to get immersed in Henrietta's inner life. The unique setting should engage elementary age readers, and there is enough emotional depth that you could have some decent discussions with students. It would make a decent addition to a classroom library, and could be used for novel study as well, depending on the themes being studied.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-85019207837496491842016-08-02T14:56:00.002-07:002016-08-02T14:56:22.608-07:00I'll Give You the Sun, Jandy Nelson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAajnvkre4otrnQ3TIEAIlo0uqowrAumi1eHxr5cps5nfaRUK4UmkVIvQeQQsCpd-ibYQYT9sEFMLkZfxwPUZelj2umAs4S4MR3WKoAleQw6iGKJlqgJ2DdvWWVvXnNMpmXpmmH8aq1k/s1600/ill+give+you+the+sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVAajnvkre4otrnQ3TIEAIlo0uqowrAumi1eHxr5cps5nfaRUK4UmkVIvQeQQsCpd-ibYQYT9sEFMLkZfxwPUZelj2umAs4S4MR3WKoAleQw6iGKJlqgJ2DdvWWVvXnNMpmXpmmH8aq1k/s320/ill+give+you+the+sun.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: I'll Give You the Sun</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Jandy Nelson</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Dial Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 371</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: LGBTQ+, First Love, Art, Sibling Rivalry</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 8th Grade and Up</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
<br />
Jude and Noah are twins. They have always been close, like two sides of the same coin. Noah is shy and isolated, spending all of his time drawing and dreaming of life as an artist. Jude, the outgoing daredevil, is equally protective of and a little frustrated by her gentle brother. Part of this story is told from the 13 year old Noah's perspective, the other part from the 16 year old Jude's. By the time Jude is telling her part of the story, the twins' family has been torn apart, and Noah and Jude are both struggling to survive some both the death of their mother, and personal tragedies that neither will share, driving them farther and farther apart. Can they ever find a way to bring their stories back together?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
<br />
In preparation for my new job as a high school literacy coach, I have been spending a lot of time reading YA literature this summer. I have read some fabulous books, and some not so fabulous-everything from gritty realistic fiction about growing up black in America to fantasy novels dripping with magic and folklore. But I think <i>I'll Give You the Sun</i> takes the prize for best-written, most creative YA novel I've read in 2016.<br />
<br />
Both Noah and Jude are fully drawn, fully realized characters, with rich inner lives that are the driving force behind the action of the story. My heart ached for both of them at different points in the narrative. They were both dealing with circumstances that were not of their making, though often their own choices contributed to the drama they were wrestling with. Noah's feelings for the boy next door were achingly tender and raw. Jude's desire to break away from her parents and blaze her own path are so familiar. Both of them find themselves in vulnerable situations, and while Noah loses his art in the process, Jude finds hers. There is a strange push-and-pull between them, with one gaining strength while the others weakens. It is beautiful and heartbreaking and I could not stop reading.<br />
<br />
Art and artists are central to this story. It ends up exploring the very nature of art. What is it for? Is it worth making? What happens when you lose it? What are you willing to give up to make it? I realize that art classes don't generally do novel studies, but I couldn't help but think that high school art students, ones who are really serious about their art, would find a lot to relate to in this book.<br />
<br />
There are some adult themes here that would be lost on less mature readers. Sexual assault, extramarital affairs, and parental death are all major plotlines. But they are handled with skill by an author who is not looking to sensationalize, but to create a world for her characters that the reader can empathize with. I think this book is an excellent addition to any high school library or literature class.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Teacher Resources:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://jandynelson.com/books/ill-give-you-the-sun/">Jandy Nelson's Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.penguin.com/yabookclub/books/ill-give-you-the-sun/">Penguin Discussion Guide</a><br />
<a href="https://nudge-book.com/blog/2015/09/reading-group-guide-ill-give-you-the-sun-by-jandy-nelson/">The Nudge Discussion Questions</a><br />
<a href="http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/15-young-adult-fiction/10152-ill-give-you-sun-nelson">Lit Lovers Reading Guide</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-32456044409991285592016-07-19T10:41:00.000-07:002016-07-19T10:41:14.743-07:00Dorothy Must Die, by Danielle Paige<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyEPZ9pXL2AcawiNyRzSfhj7fEnWcTH-z4uuXUX_91Mdvb7hiCfpcipl_Kg3wQb6BRH1U_S-PF8e4WEoa_p2Q8nFagXCNbmdVr-rrGvcx_vBS43bPard1oD29Al2rQRIDRZD_sV72CFA/s1600/dorothy+must+die.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOyEPZ9pXL2AcawiNyRzSfhj7fEnWcTH-z4uuXUX_91Mdvb7hiCfpcipl_Kg3wQb6BRH1U_S-PF8e4WEoa_p2Q8nFagXCNbmdVr-rrGvcx_vBS43bPard1oD29Al2rQRIDRZD_sV72CFA/s320/dorothy+must+die.jpg" width="211" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Title: Dorothy Must Die</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Danielle Paige</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: HarperCollins</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 452</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Fantasy</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Power, Good vs. Evil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th-12th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Amy Gumm, a trailer-park dwelling teenager from rural Kansas, is swept up in a tornado and finds herself in Oz. Sound familiar? Amy had read the books, seen the movie, but nothing prepared her for the Oz that she found. Good witches couldn't be trusted, and wicked witches were trying to save the world. From what, you ask? From Dorothy! That sweet little girl who landed on the Wicked Witch of the East and defeated the Wicked Witch of the West returned to Oz as a young woman bent on total domination of the land of munchkins and talking trees and flying monkeys. Addicted to the magic that powers the Land of Oz, she seized power from the rightful ruler of the land, Ozma, and enslaved the people in service to her never-ending desire for more and more magical energy. Oz, in short, was being sucked dry. Amy finds herself partnering with the formerly wicked witches to try and free Oz from the oppressive rule of the girl in the gingham dress-but to do that, she has to kill her.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
If you prefer your fairy tales dark, this book might just be for you. There are plenty of things wrong in Oz, and the book examines oppression, slavery, redemption, and the evils of absolute power. I'm convinced that Paige modeled Dorothy's Oz on North Korea, it was that oppressive.<br />
<br />
Amy herself is not just dealing with her Dorothy and her minions. She is also processing her feelings of self-doubt and helplessness in the face of her mother's addiction to pain killers, and the feelings of abandonment that came about as a result of her father deserting the family when she was in elementary school. There are also the regular cast of high-school bullies, girls who have convinced Amy that she needs to keep her head down and her mouth shut. But through the course of the book, Amy learns to own her power, both literally as she learns to fight and wield magic, and figuratively as she overcomes her lack of confidence and becomes a stronger person. In the topsy-turvey world that is the present-day Oz, she discovers a capacity for darkness within herself that has her constantly asking the question, "Am I am good witch, or a bad witch".<br />
<br />
The rest of the series (<i>The Wicked Will Rise, Yellow Brick War, </i>and <i>The End of Oz</i>) follow similar themes, and are just as enjoyable as the first book. This is a great series to have as a part of a classroom library, and I could see it being used to compare with the original version, or as part of a study of classic tales updated for modern realities.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-71920534577747726182016-07-05T09:44:00.001-07:002016-07-05T09:44:49.063-07:00Putting Make-Up on the Fat Boy, by Bil Wright<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIZmytTrXIUsdZCBfU1r1CVDq-zgFGonhfxJ8lyrcg-CYnGbxFHNOop_Y7Gr1i6kwHGDbp0PDDkWk4VBSuPDy-Q-MfoE0U7ZW5HiBKHRDhM5rs7DBr7MqbH9EeiNMNVVZD_S0elX5Eh4/s1600/putting+make+up+on+the+fat+boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdIZmytTrXIUsdZCBfU1r1CVDq-zgFGonhfxJ8lyrcg-CYnGbxFHNOop_Y7Gr1i6kwHGDbp0PDDkWk4VBSuPDy-Q-MfoE0U7ZW5HiBKHRDhM5rs7DBr7MqbH9EeiNMNVVZD_S0elX5Eh4/s320/putting+make+up+on+the+fat+boy.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Title: Putting Make-Up on the Fat Boy</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Author: Bil Wright</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Publisher: Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Year: 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Pages: 219</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Themes: Acceptance, LGBTQ+</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th-12th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
<div id="descriptionContainer" style="background-color: white; border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #181818; line-height: 18px;">
<blockquote style="line-height: 21px; margin-bottom: 10px; right: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span id="freeText1025454667608956019">Carlos Duarte knows that he's fabulous. He's got a better sense of style than half the fashionistas in New York City, and he can definitely apply makeup like nobody's business. He may only be in high school, but when he lands the job of his dreams--makeup artist at the FeatureFace counter in Macy's--he's sure that he's finally on his way to great things. </span><span id="freeText1025454667608956019"><br /></span><span id="freeText1025454667608956019">But the makeup artist world is competitive and cutthroat, and for Carlos to reach his dreams, he'll have to believe in himself more than ever.</span><span style="line-height: 18px;"> </span></span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
<br />
I've read a lot of LGBTQ+ themed literature for youth, and I find that they sometimes go out of their way to show that not all gay men are flouncy, flamboyant, or feminine. And while this is certainly true, there are also gay men that proudly all of those things. I understand the desire to bust stereotypes, but where is a young, flamboyant gay youth who loves fashion and drama to go for a fictional character that looks like them?<br />
<br />
Well, one place they can go is this entertaining exploration of one young gay man's journey through his first job and his first love. It would have been easy for Wright to create a caricature of a flamboyant young gay man, and Carlos does have many qualities that have become tropes when writing gay characters. He loves fashion and make-up, he eschews friendships with boys to hang out with girls and women, and he is not afraid to wear thigh-high women's boots if they make him look fierce. But Carlos is more than just a pretty, well-made up face. He also deals with bullying from his sister's boyfriend and her co-workers, he vies for his mother's acceptance, and he navigates the tough neighborhood where he lives with grace and humor. Living in poverty is not easy for anyone, and for a young man with big dreams and expensive tastes, it's even less so. While Carlos is conflicted about his relationships with his mother and sister, he loves and deeply cares for them to the point that he is willing to stand up to some scary situations to help them.<br />
<br />
He's also navigating the world of high school, and dealing with his first major crush. But he demonstrates an almost single-minded dedication to getting himself launched in the world of make-up. When he gets a job at a high-end Macy's counter, he is beside himself with joy. And when he accidentally ends up with one of daytime television's biggest stars as a client, he can't believe his luck. But he soon learns that in the real world, especially in the competitive make-up game, there are just as many people wanting to tear you down as build you up.<br />
<br />
While some of the events are fairly unrealistic, Carlos himself feels pretty real. He can be selfish and self-centered, his moods can change in an instant, and he feels awkward and lonely more often than not. I've known young gay men like Carlos. I've watched some of them grow into confident young men, and some have continued to flounder as they reach young adulthood. The ones that make it have a quality that Carlos has in spades-a fundamental belief in themselves, and an acknowledgement of their own self-worth. May we create a world where all of the young Carloses out there in the world can feel the same. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-88361110057724321382016-07-01T09:57:00.006-07:002016-07-01T09:58:52.936-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bQtwGiDku1TQIFm6Umqkru9fMagAFOU5VxN-oiL0dzMMHYjqR-9kq6TaSUipDE3qmmehgtdo-ZGaD5w917YMqSZVgdZbWROB6yJatFk1iy43jxJBQscdMUwjj0d8MRXZl1QMHwAK81w/s1600/eleanor+and+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bQtwGiDku1TQIFm6Umqkru9fMagAFOU5VxN-oiL0dzMMHYjqR-9kq6TaSUipDE3qmmehgtdo-ZGaD5w917YMqSZVgdZbWROB6yJatFk1iy43jxJBQscdMUwjj0d8MRXZl1QMHwAK81w/s320/eleanor+and+park.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Eleanor & Park</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Rainbow Rowell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: St. Martin's Press</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 328</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 9th Grade and Up</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.<br />
<br />
Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.<br />
<br />
This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.<br />
<br />
Teacher Resources:<br />
<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/static/eleanorandpark/pdfs/Eleanor%20&%20Park%20Reading%20Group%20Questions.pdf">Macmillan Reading Group Questions</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/eleanor-park/#gsc.tab=0">Book Rags Unit Plan</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-41547465820183510262016-07-01T09:57:00.005-07:002016-07-01T09:58:20.816-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bQtwGiDku1TQIFm6Umqkru9fMagAFOU5VxN-oiL0dzMMHYjqR-9kq6TaSUipDE3qmmehgtdo-ZGaD5w917YMqSZVgdZbWROB6yJatFk1iy43jxJBQscdMUwjj0d8MRXZl1QMHwAK81w/s1600/eleanor+and+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bQtwGiDku1TQIFm6Umqkru9fMagAFOU5VxN-oiL0dzMMHYjqR-9kq6TaSUipDE3qmmehgtdo-ZGaD5w917YMqSZVgdZbWROB6yJatFk1iy43jxJBQscdMUwjj0d8MRXZl1QMHwAK81w/s320/eleanor+and+park.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Eleanor & Park</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Rainbow Rowell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: St. Martin's Press</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 328</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 9th Grade and Up</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.<br />
<br />
Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.<br />
<br />
This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.<br />
<br />
Teacher Resources:<br />
<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/static/eleanorandpark/pdfs/Eleanor%20&%20Park%20Reading%20Group%20Questions.pdf">Macmillan Reading Group Questions</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/eleanor-park/#gsc.tab=0">Book Rags Unit Plan</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-66515442463584835352016-07-01T09:57:00.003-07:002016-07-01T09:57:57.131-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bQtwGiDku1TQIFm6Umqkru9fMagAFOU5VxN-oiL0dzMMHYjqR-9kq6TaSUipDE3qmmehgtdo-ZGaD5w917YMqSZVgdZbWROB6yJatFk1iy43jxJBQscdMUwjj0d8MRXZl1QMHwAK81w/s1600/eleanor+and+park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7bQtwGiDku1TQIFm6Umqkru9fMagAFOU5VxN-oiL0dzMMHYjqR-9kq6TaSUipDE3qmmehgtdo-ZGaD5w917YMqSZVgdZbWROB6yJatFk1iy43jxJBQscdMUwjj0d8MRXZl1QMHwAK81w/s320/eleanor+and+park.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Eleanor & Park</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Rainbow Rowell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: St. Martin's Press</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 328</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: First Love, Acceptance, Domestic Violence</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 9th Grade and Up</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Park is a half-Korean teenager living in Omaha, Nebraska. He loves comic books, punk rock, and trying to stay under the radar of his judgmental peers. When the new girl, Eleanor, sits next to him on the bus, he is mortified by her crazy red hair, her outlandish clothes, and her obvious misfit status. As they ride to and from school every day, Park discovers that while Eleanor may be a misfit in general, she is the perfect fit for him. Eleanor, for her part, is just trying to get through each day the best she can, managing the "mean girls" at her new school, and staying as far away from her abusive step-father, Richie, as possible. She can't believe someone as "cool" as Park would want anything to do with her, but as their relationship progresses, she finds a level of acceptance and love that she never thought possible.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
I realize I am late to the party on this one, but I loved pretty much everything about this book. I recognized a bit of myself in both Eleanor and Park. How many of us ever feel like we truly fit in when we're teenagers? Rowell has given us two characters who perfectly embody the sense if awkwardness and uncertainty that come with trying to navigate the world of first loves while simultaneously figuring out who you really are.<br />
<br />
Set in the 1980s, Rowell uses the more restrictive social norms of the time to highlight just how challenging coming of age can be. I wish I could say that the relative ease with which Richie abuses his family is something that could only have happened 30 years ago, but the truth is that much of what Eleanor experiences is all too true for many young people today. She is equal parts strength and vulnerability, pretending not to care what other people think about her, while secretly cringing inside at every slight. It takes Park a long time to tear down the walls that she has built around herself, but his gentleness and patience are completely endearing, to Eleanor and the reader.<br />
<br />
This would make a decent pairing with Romeo and Juliet, as it is reference quite a bit in the book, and Eleanor and Park's romance has qualities similar to that of the titular characters of Shakespeare's most beloved tragedy. It has a relatively low lexile level, so struggling high school readers may find it more accessible than other titles in a similar theme. There are references to sex and teenage drinking, but nothing graphic by any means. It would make a great addition to any middle or high school library, but there is so much fodder for discussion that I think it would work best in literature circles or guided reading.<br />
<br />
Teacher Resources:<br />
<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/static/eleanorandpark/pdfs/Eleanor%20&%20Park%20Reading%20Group%20Questions.pdf">Macmillan Reading Group Questions</a><br />
<a href="http://www.bookrags.com/lessonplan/eleanor-park/#gsc.tab=0">Book Rags Unit Plan</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-74887051949803830682015-10-21T07:26:00.001-07:002015-10-21T07:26:46.714-07:00The Crossover, Kwame Alexander<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBQW7ubrN4x0ofdxHk1unhR6vgGsI6bZy1PJ4qZQ3f_VGU5KEmKp7OTb1m57Aj1sFiARENb-JrURvoez54nOMvgWrEoAJbRDl0LBE8jXPjaTUejnZaSgwL81KybpCM3SDLZlq5S60IMQ/s1600/crossover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnBQW7ubrN4x0ofdxHk1unhR6vgGsI6bZy1PJ4qZQ3f_VGU5KEmKp7OTb1m57Aj1sFiARENb-JrURvoez54nOMvgWrEoAJbRDl0LBE8jXPjaTUejnZaSgwL81KybpCM3SDLZlq5S60IMQ/s320/crossover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: The Crossover</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Kwame Alexander</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 237</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction, Novel in Verse</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Sports, Family, Growing Up, First Love, Dealing with Loss</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 3rd-8th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Booklist (mostly)</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">The Bell twins are stars on the basketball court and comrades in life. While there are some differences—Josh shaves his head and Jordan loves his locks—both twins adhere to the Bell basketball rules: In this game of life, your family is the court, and the ball is your heart. With a former professional basketball player dad and an assistant principal mom, there is an intensely strong home front supporting sports and education in equal measures. When life intervenes in the form of a hot new girl, the balance shifts and growing apart proves painful.</span></blockquote>
<br />
When their father dies unexpectedly towards the end of the book, Jordan and Josh are forced to examine their relationship, and realize that while they may have their differences, nothing more important than family.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
Novels written in verse are big right now. I have a good friend who thinks that they are the kind of books that teachers like but don't really appeal to students. I suppose, depending on the book, that may be true. Books like Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson and Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes may appeal to a more mature reader, and may not have the widespread appeal of a graphic novel like Raina Telgemeier's Smile or genre mash-ups like Big Nate or Captain Underpants. But I think that any reader will enjoy The Crossover. Mature readers will find the format appealing, less able readers will be sucked in by the subject matter, and reluctant readers won't be scared away by the amount of print on a page. Just an importantly, the style and subject matter should appeal to Africa American students, who don't often find their lives and culture represented in children's literature.<br />
<br />
The style is not a gimmick. The book reads like a rap song, which in less deft hands could distract from the emotional impact of the story. But this book is full of heart, and it gave me one of my biggest cries of the reading year. Josh and Jordan as character ring entirely true-I have nephews that are just like them in many ways. Their relationship with their father, and ultimately with each other, reveal deeper truths about love and family, and the tumultuous time in life when children start to separate their identity from that of their parents. The books reads very much like a traditional coming of age story, focusing in social relationships and first romances, until tragedy strikes Jordan and Josh's family. Sparking conversation about the themes and structures of this books should be easy, making it perfect for use in guided reading, book clubs, or literature circles. The Crossover definitely deserves the the medals it received as the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Award winner for 2015.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-48869433452809505742015-10-09T12:08:00.001-07:002015-10-09T12:08:51.522-07:00The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUlxvgQGWM24FoWq4mrD7bqIcIHzsT7uI4iuaKFQBZ7i0YEmeJygJpfW2C1zhl3meTO-M8cZQBisY9pqqHUhRNy5U8LCp4LktzmsmpH70Df2MaafajUrXrozGxwf74XKk7_y23iwcOZs/s1600/knife+of+never+letting+go.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUlxvgQGWM24FoWq4mrD7bqIcIHzsT7uI4iuaKFQBZ7i0YEmeJygJpfW2C1zhl3meTO-M8cZQBisY9pqqHUhRNy5U8LCp4LktzmsmpH70Df2MaafajUrXrozGxwf74XKk7_y23iwcOZs/s320/knife+of+never+letting+go.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: The Knife of Never Letting Go</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Patrick Ness</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Walker</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2008</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 479</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Science Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Adventure, Good vs. Evil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 8th through 12th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Review: </span><br />
<br />
This book is the first in a trilogy, and in the interest of full disclosure I will say that once you've read the first one, you are going to need to devour the entire series. It is such an interesting premise-reading about Todd and the men of Prentisstown made me realize just how awful it would be to hear everyone's thoughts, about everything, all the time, without any real ability to control the flow of information. The fact that he stayed sane long enough to run away is sort of amazing. Ness uses this phenomenon, and the gender differences in how it affects men and women on the planet these humans have colonized, as a way to explore some pretty dark ideas about sexism and patriarchy.<br />
<br />
The men are definitely the villains in the first book, but as the series progresses it becomes much more sophisticated than that. By the end of the series there's the added perspective of one of the "aliens" (though really, if the humans are the colonizers, aren't they the aliens?), and Ness brings in issues of colonization and oppression of indigenous peoples as well. The story can certainly be read and enjoyed just as an adventure story, one where the forces of good an evil are caught in a life or death struggle for control, but there are deeper connections that can be made. This trilogy would make a good addition to a classroom library at the high school level, or for use in a book club setting. It is engaging enough that even reluctant readers will be drawn in. I am not the kind of person who reads an entire series in order, but this one I did. I couldn't wait to find out what happened to Todd and the people of this strange world.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-86475956667278822332015-10-08T13:05:00.000-07:002015-10-08T13:05:16.970-07:00Rose Under Fire, Elizabeth Wein<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDglSY2gXt6R6xVjopspKzYI3qN2KLw3QRCph1UpK0pOIUOsE727fBtkw0Br9IxtPra5B8UR8V0eurEELuwkf2pnF8mM_Gc467X8nJw25CWVlC-8rn-XEQqBeIjzCSBChZl6BbHnHaR1Q/s1600/rose+under+fire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDglSY2gXt6R6xVjopspKzYI3qN2KLw3QRCph1UpK0pOIUOsE727fBtkw0Br9IxtPra5B8UR8V0eurEELuwkf2pnF8mM_Gc467X8nJw25CWVlC-8rn-XEQqBeIjzCSBChZl6BbHnHaR1Q/s320/rose+under+fire.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Rose Under Fire</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Elizabeth Wein</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Disney Hyperion</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 368</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Historical Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: World War II, the Holocaust, Survival</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th through 10th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: </span><br />
Rose Justice is a pilot and poet. She is responsible for flying planes from France to England as part of the British army during World War II. During one of her missions, she is captured by German soldiers and taken to Ravensbruck, the notorious women's concentration camp. While there, she must find a way to survive, relying on the kindness of her fellow prisoners. Can she find the strength to withstand the terrible, terrifying conditions in the camp with her humanity and love of beauty intact?<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
This book is written at a fairly low reading level for the subject matter, but it is definitely a book that is best used in a setting where the students have some level of maturity, and enough background knowledge of World War II and the Holocaust to give them the ability to understand the underlying themes of the book. That said, I loved this book! There have been many, many books written about the Holocaust, as there should be. It is such a defining period in the 20th century, and only by revisiting it can we hope to prevent it from happening again. Sadly, there have been too many examples of similar atrocities being perpetrated around the world (the Rwandan genocide; the killings in Darfur, Sudan; the Srebrenica massacre, etc...etc...), but Hitler's concentration camps seem to have made a special impression on the minds and souls of much of the world, especially in Europe and the United States. This book stands out for me for two reasons. One, it deals with a female pilot. I suspect that there are many young people who don't realize that women were involved in the war effort in that way, and any time we can lift up the contributions of women I am all for it. Second, it specifically focuses on a women's concentration camp, which is something else that I think if fairly unique in literature for children and youth about the Holocaust.<br />
<br />
What Rose and her fellow prisoners endured in Ravensbruck can be hard to read. But it should be. I hope we as a society never get to a place where we can feel comfortable reading about the deprivation, terror, and torture that took place in the camps. But that discomfort can lead to some great discussions with students about the nature of evil, the strength of the human spirit, the meaning of perseverance, and the value of art in human society. I'd recommend this book for use in guided reading, literature circles, or book clubs for middle school or early high-school youth.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Teacher Resources: </span><br />
<a href="http://www.elizabethwein.com/study-guides">Disney Hyperion Study Guide</a><br />
<a href="http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2013/09/rose-under-fire-by-elizabeth-wein.html">Review and Author Interview</a><br />
<a href="http://eegatland.livejournal.com/">Elizabeth Wein's Blog</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-41643295847358510612015-09-01T13:08:00.001-07:002015-09-01T13:08:55.750-07:00The Impossible Knife of Memory, by Laurie Halse Anderson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcA0XwZ9L2fHubKEBHiumOtsQ4tPioyvuvPynCindEQjH32hJmxsZ8GbmG43t4LZdttKrWI0dr0EDZ2QVO2ma_ayp5r7_aooqtBqEAjxTZox1IaudDJff7T2KTxyvXhNgozWf6FLtMXE/s1600/impossible+knife+of+memory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcA0XwZ9L2fHubKEBHiumOtsQ4tPioyvuvPynCindEQjH32hJmxsZ8GbmG43t4LZdttKrWI0dr0EDZ2QVO2ma_ayp5r7_aooqtBqEAjxTZox1IaudDJff7T2KTxyvXhNgozWf6FLtMXE/s320/impossible+knife+of+memory.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: The Impossible Knife of Memory</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Laurie Halse Anderson</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2010</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 391</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: War, Family, PTSD, Suicide</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 9th-12th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: </span><br />
Hailey Kincain and her father Andy have been on the road for the last five years, trying to outrun Andy's post-traumatic stress disorder, Andy, a Gulf War veteran, has had trouble reintegrating into society since he came home from Iraq. Now that Hailey is in high school, he's decided that it's time to stop moving, and they return to their hometown so Hailey can go to proper school. While Hailey desperately wants a normal life, every day brings the constant fear that her father will fall victim to the demons that he's carried around with him since his time in the war. When she meets Finn, a hot boy from school who actually seems to like her, she dares to hope that maybe things are turning in her favor. But being home doesn't seem to be helping her dad recover from his PTSD, and when he starts using drugs and alcohol as a way to cope, Hailey worries that his terrible memories from the war will finally push him over the edge.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
This young adult novel is a beautiful, heartbreaking, harrowing tale of the consequences of war on the people who fight it; consequences that affect not just them but everyone who loves and cares about them. Hailey-smart, mature for her age, forced to grow up before anyone should have to-is the caretaker of her little family. She spends so much time worrying about and caring for her father and his emotional symptoms that she really has no normal teen-age experience. She's constantly vigilant, attuned to every nuance of her father's behavior, prepared to do whatever it takes to keep him safe from himself. What she has to learn, and what Finn helps to teach her, is that her wanting him to be safe is not enough; he has to be willing to ask for and accept help to recover from his PTSD.<br />
<br />
I think this novel will speak volumes to any young person who has personal experience with family members who have mental illness, especially PTSD. Hailey feels responsible for her father in a way no teenager should feel responsible for a parent. This is a fairly common theme in young adult literature, especially books that deal with issues of substance abuse, addiction, or mental illness-a theme which Anderson handles with her usual finesse. Anderson is a master at getting the reader to put themselves in the shoes of her characters, and she handles difficult subject matter with dignity and heart. You feel empathy, rather than sympathy, for Hailey, and for her father. Anderson portrays Andy in a way that shows how mental illness affects those living with it, and those living with those living with it, in a way that is non-judgmental and non-stereotypical.<br />
<br />
There is a ton of fodder for discussion in this novel-but there are also a ton of possible triggers for people who have experiences like those in the book. If this book is used in a classroom setting, it's important to be clear with students and parents what the topic and themes are, and to make sure that students for whom these issues are raw and emotionally challenging have support. But I wouldn't dissuade anyone from using this book in class-I think it is very important to our culture for everyone, young and old, to understand the harm that is visited on soldiers and their families when they are sent off to war.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-245996614765016122015-08-28T06:48:00.001-07:002015-08-28T06:48:57.705-07:00Two Boys Kissing, by David Levithan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUaE6pgGqx081a_acMpIpz8bPb5q5S34Fy0Ix8JxZArIFghY7AUdWrtAhyplxL_R2FjwSY-s5t9WNvt55r4SpRK2tuSLCZ_-jbvMXQlsm9MPxG_z31pEZH5aMN9VlJBzjR9hFfif6aAw/s1600/two+boys+kissing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUaE6pgGqx081a_acMpIpz8bPb5q5S34Fy0Ix8JxZArIFghY7AUdWrtAhyplxL_R2FjwSY-s5t9WNvt55r4SpRK2tuSLCZ_-jbvMXQlsm9MPxG_z31pEZH5aMN9VlJBzjR9hFfif6aAw/s320/two+boys+kissing.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Two Boys Kissing</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: David Leviathan</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 196</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction/Magical Realism</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: LGBT, Acceptance, Love, Family, AIDS</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 8th through 12th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">New York Times</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> bestselling author David Levithan tells the based-on-true-events story of Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record—all of which is narrated by a Greek Chorus of the generation of gay men lost to AIDS. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teen boys dealing with languishing long-term relationships, coming out, navigating gender identity, and falling deeper into the digital rabbit hole of gay hookup sites—all while the kissing former couple tries to figure out their own feelings for each other</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
I'm pretty sure I haven't read a David Levithan novel that I didn't like. <i>Two Boys Kissing</i> is a beautifully crafted story about what it means to be a young, gay man in America. The main characters, Harry and Craig, are at different places in their coming out. Harry's family knows and accepts him; Craig's family has no idea that he is gay, though he is out to all of his friends. When they decide to attempt to break the world's record for longest kiss, they know that the ensuing attention may make things difficult for Craig, but they and their friends are determined to make it happen. Choosing the front lawn of the high school as their base of operations only adds to the likelihood that Craig's family will find out.<br />
<br />
While they are preparing for, and then spending hours and hours kissing, we meet a cast of other young gay men. Ryan and Avery are falling in love, Neil and Peter are falling out of love, and Cooper has been looking for love through online hook-up sites. Each young man is struggling in his own way to be true to himself, and preserve his relationship with those around him. I think this is a fairly universal adolescent experience, regardless of a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, but the process is intensified (and often more dangerous) for queer youth.<br />
<br />
My favorite part of the book, and the one that spoke the most to me as an adult reader, was the chorus of gay male "ghosts" that narrate much of the book. These nameless men are the cultural ancestors of the present-day boys in the story, and they carry much of the history of hatred and fear that characterized living as a queer person in America before the last decade or so. They are the ghosts of those lost to AIDS, and to hate crimes. In their present ghostly state, they can only observe the changes that have happened in regards to the acceptance and recognition of gay relationships since their time, and send all of their love and positive energy out to these young people who represent the reason they were fighting all those years ago. They don't go so far as to say that "the kiss" makes it all worth it-all of the sickness and death and violence and indifference-but each touch, each kiss, each loving moment shared between any of these boys is a marvel to them.<br />
<br />
The novel presents an opportunity to talk about the issues facing gay youth today, and to explore the AIDS epidemic and the complete lack of response from the government that allowed it to go on so long without adequate funding for research and treatment. I could see this book being used in a sexuality education class as a jumping off point for discussions of healthy relationships, gender identity, and hook-up culture. Regardless, I think that any culturally responsive school library should include this, and many other exceptional LGBT titles, so that queer youth have a place to read stories about people like them, and so that non-queer youth can learn to have empathy for those walking a different path than they are.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-48959025045729240022015-08-25T15:03:00.000-07:002015-08-25T15:03:46.910-07:00Because of Mr. Terupt, by Rob Buyea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-no4z2G3to87a85Bd7OJN-5Bvmc1U6Frw7TKXf8H1cB6maGpbPOit_MQ4jCclnXB266YG_GsIiSO_QF-y-qbqGSorZ26yMr6URSFR26ZTI99LssVEjytYpMYppUev_vFjo0ZfFmIkgo/s1600/because+of+mr.+terupt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-no4z2G3to87a85Bd7OJN-5Bvmc1U6Frw7TKXf8H1cB6maGpbPOit_MQ4jCclnXB266YG_GsIiSO_QF-y-qbqGSorZ26yMr6URSFR26ZTI99LssVEjytYpMYppUev_vFjo0ZfFmIkgo/s320/because+of+mr.+terupt.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Because of Mr. Terupt</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Rob Buyea</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2010</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 288</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Friendship, School, Acceptance, Dealing with Tragedy, Forgiveness</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 3rd through 8th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Seven students in Mr. Terupt's fifth grade class narrate this story about the power that one special teacher can have on the lives of their students. Told in alternating perspectives, this book follows the students in Room 202 through a school year that changed them all. Mr. Terupt is the best teacher any of them has had, a teacher who sees his students for who they really are, despite the masks they put on to hide their fears, insecurities, and family tragedies. When Mr. Terupt is gravely injured in a freak accident on the playground, his students learn the true meaning of taking responsibility and forgiveness.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
<br />
I realize I am late to this party, but this book! I basically read it in one sitting, and I gave it a very rare five star review on Goodreads. As a teacher, I'm a sucker for inspirational teacher stories. Especially in the current school reform climate, I need as many reminders as possible as to why I chose this profession. To be honest, I feel like this profession chose me, and while I wouldn't say that I am quite as special as the fictional Mr. Terupt, I try my best every day to be as special as possible. Mr. Terupt's ability to see through the attitudes and behaviors of his students into the very things that made them tick is a gift that not all teacher have.<br />
<br />
I was concerned that seven shifting perspectives might be too disjointed, but each student narrator is so perfectly written that I didn't even have to look at the name on the first page of each chapter to know who was speaking. I've been an educator for over twenty years, and in that time I have known students EXACTLY like the fictional students in this book. The brainiacs, the popular girls, the bookworms, the jokesters, and the kids who pretend not to care-I've dealt with them all. Any child who picks up this book is going to see themselves in at least one of the characters-I certainly did (Jessica, in case you're wondering). I can't imagine any student reading this book that won't get swept up in the emotions of it-these kids articulate common childhood feelings and experiences in a way that may help the children who read it figure out how to explain their own truths.<br />
<br />
I've had a few days where I ended up crying at my desk over the year, and usually those were the bad days, the sad days. Today, as I closed the cover on the last page of Because of Mr. Terupt, I had tears streaming down my face for the best of reasons-because a book so moved me that I was swept away, not just reading a story, but living it.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Teacher Resources:</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-because-of-mr-terupt/#gsc.tab=0">Bookrags Novel Unit</a><br />
<a href="https://suzyred.com/2013_Because_of_Mr_Terupt.html">Kids Wings Activities</a><br />
<a href="http://www.conversationpieceslearning.org/because-of-mr-terupt.html">Discussion Questions from Conversation Pieces</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-58470412931871236102015-04-01T08:00:00.000-07:002015-03-31T06:59:58.440-07:00Sisters, Raina Telgemeier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlh30sXUokEMWmq4wZx2eIGu8VLNnTRIvqViH0VsmURNBuV-lgpT-rPyIVUrLAbI50EbsY6rx3pu-UTaKcGqQAG7dqplNNhva7BUmSSn1wM85mDq1u-jmAx-uUkBluc1OBo5B2IWvP8Fs/s1600/sisters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlh30sXUokEMWmq4wZx2eIGu8VLNnTRIvqViH0VsmURNBuV-lgpT-rPyIVUrLAbI50EbsY6rx3pu-UTaKcGqQAG7dqplNNhva7BUmSSn1wM85mDq1u-jmAx-uUkBluc1OBo5B2IWvP8Fs/s1600/sisters.jpg" height="320" width="219" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Sisters</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Raina Telgemeier</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Graphix</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 200</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Memoir, Graphic Novel</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Sisters, Divorce</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 4th-8th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary:</span><br />
Raina begged her parents for a sister. She couldn't wait to have someone to share her favorite activities and deepest secrets with. But when her sister Amara is born, Raina doesn't exactly get what she was hoping for. Amara is a grouchy, cranky baby, and her mood doesn't really improve the older she gets. When her mother announces that she and the girls will be driving cross-country for a family reunion, Raina is less than enthused. Being stuck in a car with her siblings for days at a time doesn't seem to improve their relationship, and there is something strange going on between her mom and dad. But when a roadside emergency causes both girls to put aside their petty concerns, they find that while they might not always get along, they always have each other's back.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
This third book in the series of graphic novel memoirs by Raina Telgemeier lacks some of the scope and emotional impact of her other books, but it is still a story that many children can relate to. I think most of us with siblings have had moments when we wonder if being an only child might not be preferable to living in a house with someone who seems to know how to push every last one of our buttons. <br />
<br />
A lot of this book is about Raina coming to terms with the fact that the reality of her sister does not match her expectations. Raina gets a taste of what it must be like to be the younger sibling when her older cousin, who she was looking forward to spending lots of time with at the reunion, suddenly doesn't have time for her. Raina is in that awkward 'tween phase in this book, and as someone who successfully passed through it myself many years ago, I could easily put myself back in that place of uncomfortable uncertainty, holding on to the things from your childhood that you love, while trying to be more grown-up than you really were. I think students who are in that stage themselves, or are soon to be, will feel a strong connection to Raina's character. Some may see themselves in Amara's character as well, though since she is not the narrator we don't get quite as much insight into her own feelings about her place in the family.<br />
<br />
The fact that Raina's parents are having problems becomes more clear as the story progresses, and I know that this is an experience that many children will experience sometime in their childhood. While the parents' relationship issues are not resolved within the scope of the story, the subplot adds a layer of tension that increases the emotional intensity of the story, if only slightly. And if all of this sounds like pretty heavy stuff, have no fear. Telgemeier uses her rather dry sense of humor to lighten it up.<br />
<br />
This book as seen heavy rotation among my 5th grade students, along with Telgemeier's first memoir, <i>Smile</i>. Boys and girls alike have enjoyed following Raina's story, and I look forward to using this book next year as part of a school-wide reading initiative.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-37518046139691478782015-03-31T06:37:00.002-07:002015-03-31T06:37:42.025-07:00Chained, Lynne Kelly<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oZPOe1s5kpPwzv6MNFdyd9Gx2ue2jT4nNEumoZRMv9nrh6MssOhuzNlq6Ivpvgf57rL7OSKWt-ff-A63EwmKWXnkFOdSmGDfXSvFnnKM-PEda3bQPSpv5khoUcmpdiRoxlj2VHkwN_w/s1600/chained.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0oZPOe1s5kpPwzv6MNFdyd9Gx2ue2jT4nNEumoZRMv9nrh6MssOhuzNlq6Ivpvgf57rL7OSKWt-ff-A63EwmKWXnkFOdSmGDfXSvFnnKM-PEda3bQPSpv5khoUcmpdiRoxlj2VHkwN_w/s1600/chained.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Title: Chained</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Lynne Kelly</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 248</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Realistic Fiction</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Friendship, Child Labor, Animal Cruelty, Freedom</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 4th-6th Grade</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After ten-year-old Hastin’s family borrows money to pay for his sister’s hospital bill, he leaves his village in northern India to take a job as an elephant keeper and work off the debt. He thinks it will be an adventure, but he isn’t prepared for the cruel circus owner. The crowds that come to the circus see a lively animal who plays soccer and balances on milk bottles, but Hastin sees Nandita, a sweet elephant and his best friend, who is chained when she’s not performing and hurt with a hook until she learns tricks perfectly. Hastin protects Nandita as best as he can, knowing that the only way they will both survive is if he can find a way for them to escape.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
In the spirit of <i>Water for Elephants</i> and <i>The One and Only Ivan, Chained</i> portrays a tender, loving relationship between a wild animal and its caretaker. Hastin and Nandita have a bond that transcends species, rooted in their shared desire to be reunited with their families. Set in India, <i>Chained</i> provides young readers with a window into another culture, and into the plight of children living in societies where they are often manipulated and exploited for someone else's financial gain.<br />
<br />
When Hastin's sister falls ill, his mother is forced to work as an indentured servant in the home of the wealthy business owner who paid the hefty hospital bill. When Hastin sees the deplorable conditions in which he is living, he hatches a scheme to make his own money, freeing his mother from the cruelty of her "employer". But Hastin gains his mother's freedom at the cost of his own, when he is duped into becoming an elephant keeper at a small circus in another part of the country. Separated from everything he knows, he is forced to participate in the capture and training of a sweet baby elephant that he calls Nandita. Some of the most emotional parts of the book are when Nandita is captured, and her family group tries to find her. Luckily for Hastin and Nandita both, the circus cook is also a retired elephant trainer, who helps Hastin take good care of the young elephant despite her cruel treatment at the hands of the current trainer. Neither Hastin nor Nandita could have survived their captivity without the care of the cook.<br />
<br />
Regardless of the treatment he receives, or the length of his servitude, Hastin never loses hope that he will find a way to free himself from bondage and rejoin his family. When the circus owner keeps adding time to his period of service, Hastin realizes that if he does not take matters into his own hands he will never be free. Hastin is brave and compassionate, and selflessly refuses to leave the circus unless he can find a way to free Nandita as well. His connection to the young elephant is a beautiful example for children of the power of loyalty and devotion.<br />
<br />
I think that this novel would make a good addition to any elementary unit with a focus on the lives of children around the world, child labor, or animals. There are many cross-curricular connections that could be made, with geography and ecosystems and environmental justice. I plan to use this book next year as part of a "One Book, One School" program in my district, and I hope that the 4th graders who will be reading it find it as satisfying as I did.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-41599275273110058472015-02-22T10:23:00.002-08:002015-02-22T10:23:54.274-08:00The Death Cure, James Dashner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvP3L_5Co_TTwinFQNDu3aqUxw2jnYruLyqlkmm8voN197QAbPN_IqimHvH7-AYJ8goTsOsFArIv_74BNiRIVj-aMjGz0QPk9jF66pu56rJCLA8goemrDgrM4iAEAn8EoaoMw39DoJrog/s1600/the+death+cure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvP3L_5Co_TTwinFQNDu3aqUxw2jnYruLyqlkmm8voN197QAbPN_IqimHvH7-AYJ8goTsOsFArIv_74BNiRIVj-aMjGz0QPk9jF66pu56rJCLA8goemrDgrM4iAEAn8EoaoMw39DoJrog/s1600/the+death+cure.jpg" height="200" width="131" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: The Death Cure</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: James Dashner</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2011</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 325</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Morality, Dystopia</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 7th Grade and Up</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">It’s the end of the line.</em></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">WICKED has taken everything from Thomas: his life, his memories, and now his only friends—the Gladers. But it’s finally over. The trials are complete, after one final test.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;" /><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">Will anyone survive?</em> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">What WICKED doesn’t know is that Thomas remembers far more than they think. And it’s enough to prove that he can’t believe a word of what they say.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;" /><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">The truth will be terrifying.</em> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;">Thomas beat the Maze. He survived the Scorch. He’ll risk anything to save his friends. But the truth might be what ends it all.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 21.466667175293px;"> </span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
The final installment of The Maze Runner trilogy has all of the action and excitement that you've come to expect from Dashner's dystopian novels. You finally get to see what the world outside of the Maze and the Scorch is like, and the picture is not a pretty one. Cities with uninfected people have become uneasy oases surrounded by hordes of Cranks (those infected with the Flare who have completely lost their sanity), and it is only a matter of time until the virus infiltrates their walls. Thomas and his friends have no one to trust-they don't always trust each other. They get connected with a group called The Right Arm, which purports to take down WICKED and end their experimentation, but will they be able to pull it off? And are their motives as noble as they seem?<br />
<br />
I felt like The Death Cure did not have the same level of emotional intensity as the first two books, at least not until the last quarter of the book or so. There are some questions that are left unanswered, though I assume that at least some of them are explored in the prequel, The Killing Zone. We never get an explanation of how Thomas worked for WICKED before the Maze, nor do we learn very much about the genesis of the plague, though the epilogue answers one major question-how did the virus get out in the first place? And if you are someone who likes their stories neatly tied up in the end, knowing what happens to all of your favorite characters, you may be frustrated with the conclusion. But overall I think this trilogy is a fine example of YA dystopian literature, and I think it will especially appeal to readers (mot of who are probably male) who would appreciate the male protagonist and the lack of a real love story.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-60570532317844797642015-01-06T13:08:00.000-08:002015-01-06T13:08:30.896-08:00Brown Girl Dreaming, Jacqueline Woodson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0l7ODOVsFUEdYZvPKoOBuTVwsXNN6eY-sTqkX37veJfZwiTydwy0R7MqYSgH1d0928ExjvJJQ3tRNKuYdxJhsutWn8TQ9mRiyPXv7KQo1f3kxl_2YcdUTx02EXQAY1B4koebG7B7gsg/s1600/brown+girl+dreaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0l7ODOVsFUEdYZvPKoOBuTVwsXNN6eY-sTqkX37veJfZwiTydwy0R7MqYSgH1d0928ExjvJJQ3tRNKuYdxJhsutWn8TQ9mRiyPXv7KQo1f3kxl_2YcdUTx02EXQAY1B4koebG7B7gsg/s1600/brown+girl+dreaming.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: Brown Girl Dreaming</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Jacqueline Woodson</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 336</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Memoir, Told in Verse</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: Black History, Family, Racism, Civil Rights</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 5th Grade and Above</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
I have loved all of Woodson's books, and this one is no exception. Her prose always read more like poetry to me, so I was glad to see this book is told in verse. Growing up in both the Jim Crow south and the Civil Rights era north, Woodson was in a unique position to witness racism and discrimination in both its over and covert incarnations. <br />
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While her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement and its affect on her daily life is central to the novel, at its heart this book is about a young girl with a complicated family, trying to figure out where she fits in the world. Being of two worlds often made her feel like she never really belonged to either, being too country for the urban northerners and too city for her rural family. Woodson points out the many ways she felt like the "other", and the subtle and not-so-subtle signifiers of her "otherness"-her speech patterns, her family configuration, her desire to write stories, despite not always being the best student in school. Woodson speaks lovingly of her grandparents, who symbolize stability and permanence. Her feelings about her mother and father are just as loving, but less grounded. Her father is not a part of her life, her mother leaves to find work in the city, eventually pulling her and her siblings away from their grandparents' home. And, of course, with aging grandparents come the sad reality of declining health and death, which deal a blow to the fragile ground upon which Woodson builds her sense of self.<br />
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I think that only the most mature, sophisticated fifth graders would be ready for this book, not because there is anything objectionable in it, but because I think the narrative structure and the sometimes oblique references to the events that shaped the Civil Rights movement would be lost on someone without sufficient experience to understand. But this book, which won the National Book Award for Young Adult Fiction for 2014, is certainly accessible and appropriate for use in middle or high school, and is gorgeous and moving enough to speak to adult readers as well.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-20255168357778854172014-12-06T06:00:00.000-08:002014-12-06T06:00:01.133-08:00When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop, by Laban Carrick Hill<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0gnLBMLlMpY14lk3qNxcmULJbG4nSnRNX91UeFjnM4fCIh1EKvViJEAIcjuydyLoSSRUs5EEnGnForbx_V0lXym2f3d9t6j8Ww74AR1_VJCh6IJ8KU68lXicwx3Jm_iWbEKhKuaHUcA/s1600/when+the+beat+was+born.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd0gnLBMLlMpY14lk3qNxcmULJbG4nSnRNX91UeFjnM4fCIh1EKvViJEAIcjuydyLoSSRUs5EEnGnForbx_V0lXym2f3d9t6j8Ww74AR1_VJCh6IJ8KU68lXicwx3Jm_iWbEKhKuaHUcA/s1600/when+the+beat+was+born.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Title: When the Beat Was Born: DJ Kool Herc and the Creation of Hip Hop</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Laban Carrick Hill</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Roaring Book Press</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2013</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Non-Fiction, Historical</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Themes: African American History, Music, Hip Hop</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 2nd-5th Grade</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Before there was hip hop, there was DJ Kool Herc.</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">On a hot day at the end of summer in 1973 Cindy Campbell threw a back-to-school party at a park in the South Bronx. Her brother, Clive Campbell, spun the records. He had a new way of playing the music to make the breaks—the musical interludes between verses—longer for dancing. He called himself DJ Kool Herc and this is </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When the Beat Was Born</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">. From his childhood in Jamaica to his youth in the Bronx, here's how Kool Herc came to be a DJ, how kids in gangs stopped fighting in order to breakdance, and how the music he invented went on to define a culture and transform the world.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
One of the things that my fellow teachers and I lament about is the lack of quality books about people of color to use with our students. While some children's publishers are making strides in offering more titles with protagonists of color, but there are still not nearly enough. As someone who works with a student population that is majority African American, I often find myself spending hours online trying to find quality books that will allow my students to see themselves in the writing.<br />
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So imagine my delight at finding this picture book while I was preparing for a parent workshop in what's new in children's literature. When the Beat was Born is the story of one of the founding fathers of hip-hop, Clive Campbell. He brought a Jamaican style of dubbing music to his New York neighborhood, spinning records at parties and creating longer "breaks" in the music by using multiple turntables for dancers (also the origin of the term "break dancing"). The books shows how Clive, known as DJ Kool Herc, was connected to the other founders of hip-hop and rap through the New York music scene.<br />
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While this book is technically historical non-fiction, unlike many books about African American history it takes place after the civil rights era. Considering the huge impact that hip-hop and rap have had on pop culture in our country, students should be able to understand and appreciate the story because they will have direct experience with the topic in a way they might not when reading about Martin Luther King Jr. or Rosa Parks. Since it is a children's book, there is very little in the way of social critique of hip-hop and the some of the negative issues surrounding it, but as an introduction to modern musical history that is relevant to their lives and experiences, this book does the trick.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7470416656034293534.post-77504721869799332102014-12-04T06:00:00.000-08:002014-12-04T06:00:02.294-08:00El Deafo, Cece Bell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsSNRMgikCzMeO8JJBQVU7TXxXpHA_T13YyfV-9q8XPBGfWb2OTowu2gS5V9YtKn_8HnnAsAr-kV-BBafKHKMpmvBE57PuaS51BTnf5p89wlkGFznHbfshGCfQnK_imoWYNh0SKIoJDk/s1600/el+deafo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqsSNRMgikCzMeO8JJBQVU7TXxXpHA_T13YyfV-9q8XPBGfWb2OTowu2gS5V9YtKn_8HnnAsAr-kV-BBafKHKMpmvBE57PuaS51BTnf5p89wlkGFznHbfshGCfQnK_imoWYNh0SKIoJDk/s1600/el+deafo.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;">Title: El Deafo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Author: Cece Bell</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Publisher: Harry N. Abrams</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Year: 2014</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Pages: 233</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Genre: Memoir, Graphic Novel</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Theme: Disability, Perseverance, Friendship, Self-Esteem</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Age Range: 4th-7th Grade</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Summary: from Goodreads</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest! At her old school, everyone in Cece's class was deaf. Here she is different. She is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Too bad it also seems certain to repel potential friends. </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere her teacher is in school--in the hallway...in the teacher's lounge...in the bathroom! This is power. Maybe even superpower! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But the funny thing about being a superhero is that it's just another way of feeling different... and lonely. Can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants most, a true friend?</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Review:</span><br />
Charming is the first word that comes to mind when I try to describe this graphic novel about a girl (rabbit?!?) with a hearing impairment. Cece Bell tells her own story in this engaging memoir, which details her bout with meningitis as a toddler, her struggle to learn to lip read, her ambivalence with her hearing aids, and her eventual acceptance of herself exactly the way she is.<br />
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Bell grew up in the 1970s, and there are quite a few pop culture references that today's student readers may not get right away. But I grew up during the same period as Bell, and I found myself fondly remembering times and places from my own childhood. The setting also highlights the difference in treatment options for children with hearing impairments today, when technology has allowed doctors to return normal or almost normal hearing to many people who would not have been able to hear as well in the past.<br />
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What hasn't changed, as far as I can tell, though, is the way that the deaf and hard of hearing are perceived and treated by some in society. Cece's experiences demonstrate the things that people do, with good intentions or bad, that make people with hearing impairments (or physical or cognitive disabilities) feel like the "other". Cece was afraid to stand out, didn't want to be noticed for her hearing aids or her awkward speech. She pretended to understand things that she didn't really hear in an effort to "fit in". She desperately wanted a friend who just treated her like the normal person she really is inside, but the various other children she met during her elementary school years never seemed to be able to totally forget the hearing impairment. She was the "deaf" friend, the friend who sometimes made unfortunate, laughable mistakes because of her difficulty understanding speech, and some of the girls who befriended her seemed to be motivated by their own desire to be noticed for their kindness to the "deaf" girl. <br />
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There are a few things in this book that might be problematic in a school setting. It was the 70s, and people smoked in the 70s (including her teacher, which is mentioned one time in one panel). There is also some bathroom humor involving Cece's ability to hear her teacher while peeing. I didn't find anything really objectionable, but if you are a teacher, you know your population and what would be acceptable or not. There are definitely plenty of opportunities for discussion with the themes in this book, and the fact that this is a memoir makes the message even more powerful.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Teacher Resources:</span><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnj5STG0SZo">Cece Bell Talking About El Deafo</a><br />
<a href="https://cecebell.wordpress.com/">Cece Bell's Website</a><br />
<a href="http://www.abramsbooks.com/academic/El_Deafo_TeachingGuide.pdf">Abrams Teaching Guides</a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16606360048165203407noreply@blogger.com0