Book Wind

The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks

2011-12-06T10:41:00.001-06:00

So, you think you know everything there is to know aboutvampires, right? They are sexy, fierce, and sophisticated, lusty, smolderingand dangerous, and you even know one thing or two about how to defeat one.After all, you’ve picked up a lot of good information from all the books youhave read. A stake through the heart, a crucifix in their snarling face, garlicdraped around your neck will do the trick of disintegrating any vampire outinto nothingness. Well, you are deadwrong! Unless you are a vampire and want to avoid being staked for attackingother people, you have to admit you have a problem and join a support group.

Meet Nina Harrison, a new addition to the vampire family.Actually, she is no longer that new. Fanged at fifteen back in 1973 and stillliving with her mother, Nina’s arrested development reveals an awkward teenagebody in a fifty one year old mind, and she defies anything there is to knowabout vampires. Forever hungry and sick, she struggles to survive among ushumans without infecting anyone else and without being detected. Half the time,she is nauseous, weak, tired and miserable. She spends her days locked up inher mother’s basement to avoid being turned to ashes by sunlight, and at night….Well, at night she does what every other teenager does…sometimes. Aside fromspending way too much time watching television sprawled on her couch, Nina isalso a published author and wants to set the record straight. Her fiction maynot be as popular as that of Stephenie Meyer, but then again, Nina does notwant to attract too much attention due to her, let’s just say, specialsituation. The highlights of her lifeare the Tuesday meetings of her support group when she joins a motley crew ofreformed vampires. Much like at an AA meeting, Nina sits in to listen or talkabout other people’s, uh, vampires’ problems. Led by Doctor Stanford Plackett,the oldest and wisest of them all, Dave, George, Horace, Casimir, Gladys, and Bridgetget together to alleviate the loneliness of their existence and to come up withnew ideas about how to deal not only with the isolation, but also with theindignities and the constant health problems they all face. After all, it isvery difficult to cope alone as a reformed vampire.

Their lives are as dull and depressing as it can get, untilone day when they discover Casimir turned to ashes in his coffin. Faced withthe terrifying possibility that all of them could be taken out one by one, Ninadecides to prove once and for all that not all vampires are such patheticlosers. Along with Dave and Father Ramon, the human priest that caters to theirneeds during daytime, Nina embarks on a long journey into the Australian Outbackto discover at the end of the trail an even more terrifying situation. Couldshe resist temptation and not succumb to the blood lust?

A Top Ten 2010 Best Book for Young Adults winner, Catherine Jinks’ The Reformed Vampire Support Grouppublished by Harcourt/Houghton Mifflin is a suspenseful mystery that would begobbled up in no time by a ravenous high school crowd of readers. Not only thenovel provides the entertaining value of the typical vampire books, but also itdoes so with a tongue and cheek, self-deprecating humor. Nina’s teenage awkwardnessreverberates with any of today’s issues faced by young adults. Acceptance ofone’s identity without admitting defeat and at the same time finding your placeto belong appears to be the underlying theme of the novel. Just because you are a sick vampire who has totake enzyme supplements to curtail the digestive cramps you suffer from doesnot mean you cannot lead a normal life. The novel’s well-paced action ispeppered with some slower and somewhat superfluous scenes perhaps to revealthat just like real life, a vampire’s existence is not all that is cracked upto be. The setting is rather dark anddepressing, especially when Nina reveals the gory details of their eatinghabits, including the fact that they all have to clean up after themselves inorder to avoid the wrath of her non vampire mother. After all, if Nina would have listened to hermother and avoided the party that fateful night when she got drunk, she wouldnot have gotten herself into such a conundrum. All in all, the novel tacklessome deep and dark issues without talking down or preaching to its audience.

How to Survive Anything: Shark Attack, Lightning, Embarrassing Parents, Pop Quizzes and Other Perilous Situations by Rachel Buchholz and Illustrated by Chris Philpot

2011-12-05T18:03:00.001-06:00

Face it! Sometimes, no matter what you do, no matter whatyou say, no matter how much effort and time you put into that yearlong project,your assignment partner, that pesky girl you did not want to know at thebeginning of the year who ended up being your best friend in the world, justturned her back on you after you have failed to deliver the speech your gradewas hanging on! You freeze, you stop breathing, and you choke on your sobs.What do you do? What do you do? Well, look no further than a book packed withmuch needed advice for this type of situations.

A 2012 Quick Pick Nominee for Reluctant Readers in thenonfiction category, How to Survive Anything by Rachel Buchholz with illustrations by Chris Philpot and publishedby the National Geographic is a must have guide for anyone trying to survivethe middle school years. Packed with fun but serious facts, the book is ahumorous survival guide to help the youngest of the adults navigate thescariest years of their lives. Divided into thirty one easy to read chaptersaccompanied by brightly colored and often funny illustrations, How to Survive Anything is a self-help bookcombining advice that would help anyone acquire both survival skills as well aslife skills. Not only Buchholz reveals how to survive chance encounters with avolcanic eruption, a tornado, a shark attack, a hurricane, or falling throughice, but she also delves into circumstances that are more common and scarier fortoday’s middle school grader, from how to survive embarrassing moments to howto survive a mean teacher, cyberbullying, or stressing out. Both sets ofchapters are peppered with sound advice and fun filled factoids that explainlittle known phenomena or myths that have been debunked. Who knew that in thecase of lightning, the intense heat emanated causes the surrounding air toexpand very fast, and when it does, it creates the noise we call thunder? The explanationabout how lightning is generated is both factual and also relatable toyoung audiences. The theory behind lightning formation becomes a metaphor forthe greatest love story of all times: Romeo and Juliet. With Romeo representingthe larger particles (within a cloud) that become negatively charged, andJuliet representing the smaller particles positively charged, the attraction orelectrical potential becomes too strong for the aforementioned particles tostay separated any longer. When they cannot keep apart anymore, they chargetowards each other and the attraction becomes literally electric. All the pentup electricity is released as lightning.

Aside from enlightening the young adult reluctant reader onearthquakes, avalanches, snakebites, or wildfires, Buchholz alternates thesechapters with advice on how to survive the daily grind of middle school. Packedwith plenty of advice, the author reveals how to deal and minimize the damageof stressing out by taking the reader through a step by step method on how totake control of the situation before it gets out of hand. From making a to-do listand keeping a calendar to breaking big projects into little chunks, or evencleaning one’s room, Buchholz reveals that it is all about prioritizing andorganizing, not only your time but also your space. The conversational tone ofthe book makes it an easy, breezy and fun read. The photos and illustrations oneach page make it appealing as they draw in any reluctant reader. It would be agreat addition to any social studies class in middle school. Anyone from grades5 to 9 would find the easy to follow tips and humorous illustrations acompelling and fun read. So, if you want to find out how to survive yourembarrassing parents, a fight with your best friend, or being the new kid onthe block, alongside tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards, this is the book foryou!

The Boy Who Couldn't Sleep and Never Had To - A Novel by DC Pierson

2011-11-29T11:55:00.004-06:00

What would you do if you could and never had to sleep? Catch up on homework and assignments, check off everything on your To Do list and still have plenty of time to spare for the things that you really like to do? Imagine how much you could accomplish while others are sleeping their lives away! DC Pierson’s 2011 Alex Award Winner Novel The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To is a wildly imaginative story delving into the awkwardness of the high school years complete with sleepless nights, girls and otherworldly mutants.

When Darren Bennett meets Eric Lederer, the two young adolescents strike up an instant friendship based on their mutual obsession with drawing and mutants from other galaxies. Darren lives with his dad and older brother in a house that for the most part seems abandoned to a male dominant way of living: coming and going as each one of them pleases, eating from a fridge stacked with premade, packaged foods, checking up on each other just to make sure they are still around. Eric comes from a traditionally caring family. Yet both of them are alienated from any high school cliques, living mostly suspended between their classes at school and their imaginary world. Soon after they meet, they decide to dedicate their time creating the most amazing alternate galaxy complete with Agtranian Berserkers, Yerum Battlebeasts and Tllnar Defenders. The project is their dream to make it big as they start to visualize a successful series of comics, television series, and even a motion picture. Everything is as normal as it should be. Until Eric tells Darren his secret: he cannot sleep and does not have to. Putting their friendship to the test, Darren needs convincing, but as soon as Eric proves it to him that he is the real thing, they embark upon the adventure of their lives. Peppered with sci-fi talk and outlandish, grandiose plans, their made-up world is shattered when both fall in love with Christine. Seized by a jealous rage, Darren tells The Man about Eric’s secret thing and as word leaks out, everything starts to unravel. They find themselves fugitives on the run. Is the government trying to snatch Eric away to explore his ability, or is there something else more sinister lurking about? As Darren finds himself privy to yet another one of Eric’s mind’s side effects, the two friends are thrown together into the battle of their lives.

Inhabiting a world laden with teenage lingo, in which love, drugs and music find their way to color their adolescent days, Darren and Eric are the embodiment of the typical 16-year-old ‘free-floating nerds’ who spend most of their time dreaming up made up worlds to satisfy their overworked imagination. The alienation not only from their families and friends at school but also from their own selves serves as a base for the growing pains of both characters. Alternately philosophical and downright decadently funny, Pierson’s novel is a reflection on the contemporary male tormented teenage psyche. Overwhelmed by fantastical imaginations, school, peer pressure and a lack of guidance, the two friends represent the awkward, alienated teenagers who struggle to make it through their high school years with profound implications not only on their own individual lives but also on the society at large. The twist ending leaves one bewildered, bemused and wondering.

Despite a tightly developed action, there are a few strands left unexplored which in hind side could have provided useful information regarding the ending. While Pierson does not reveal anything new in terms of teenage alienation and rebelliousness, the novel rests on its wild originality. Although funny and smart, the novel carries a much deeper and serious underlying message. It could be very well part of a teaching unit alongside classics such as JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye and S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, with The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To as thoroughly representative of some of our most pressing contemporary issues.

Teenreads Best Books Invite

2010-02-01T15:54:00.001-06:00

Please go to this website if you would like to participate in a process sponsored by Teenreads.com for deteriming the best books of 2009.

TP

Why did Devon throw IT in the Garbage?

2009-12-18T20:51:00.004-06:00

IT was her baby only a hour old!

Devon was a straight A high school student and a soccer goalie that was heading for the Olympics - but right now she is sitting on trial for attempted murder of an infant! Her infant!

One morning a dog walker opens a dumpster and opens a bag of garbage - one with newspapers, a chip bag, a juice can, bloody towels and a living newborn baby! The police start canvasing the neighborhood for answers. Devon's mother arrives home from her night shift job to find her daughter wrapped up in a blanket on the sofa staying home from school because she was feeling sick. Mom flirts with the cute police officer that comes knocking (the police want to know if Devon heard or saw anything since she was home all night and the baby was found earlier that morning in the dumpster behind her apartment building)and lets him in. When Devon stares blankly at the officer questioning her, Devon's mother tells her to stop being rude and rips off the blanket Devon is wearing. Devon is soaked in blood and promptly passes out.

Devon awakens as she arrives in the ER and can't figure out what is going on. Everything is hazy and bloody images of IT keep floating into her mind. The next thing Devon is in an orange prison jumpsuit in court for attempted murder and sent to juvenile detention to away further judgements.

Dom, a female defence attorney takes her case and starts to help Devon piece together what happened. Throughout the story, we hear Devon's memories of the last nine months.

Was she pregnant without knowing it?

OR

Was she in denial of the pregnancy?

OR

Did Devon knowingly cover up the pregnancy and purposely try to kill IT,the evidence?

This book is told through Devon's present situation with flashbacks of events that happened over the last nine months. The three questions above are the main reason for the story of AFTER. The reader is presented information through flashbacks, Dom's courtroom evidence and is presented Devon's emotional instability/confusion over her whole situation. The flashbacks cause the reader to try to also figure out what happened - did or did she not know she was pregnant? Did she knowingly hide the pregnancy from the world AND HERSELF? What about the extra hard soccer trainings to get rid of the stomach, use of stretch clothing, faked soccer injuries, and a misleading doctor's physical!?!

In 350 pages, AFTER by Amy Efaw, shows the the emotional confusion caused by an unplanned pregnancy that resulted from one sexual encounter during a quick summer romance. Throughout this book Devon is completely confused and at times so is the reader. There are only females in this storyline, males aren't really present in this book. I also think males would be turned off by this book's discussions and flashbacks about sanitary pads, bloody birthing, oozing breast milk and uterine cramping. This book would be better as a selected read than a mandatory read. The book could be used to discussed denial, mother/daughter hardships, teenage mothers, body changes in pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, unwanted babies and dumpster babies.

I was turned off by the legal doings of Dom trying to get Devon out of her crime. Dom used the legal system to get the charges lessened and dismissed due to the way the police entered Devon's apartment. She was Devon's attorney so she was trying to get Devon's case dropped without holding Devon responsible for her actions of dumping the baby in the dumpster without remorse or concern for the baby.

I'm still deciding if I liked this book or not - there is a definite ending with moral so the reader isn't completely left hanging.

Here is a quick article and news report about a real dumpster baby and the psychological reasons as to why she might have done it:

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/local_wane_auburn_psychological_reasons_for_baby_in_dumpster_200911092142

Here is an article about the misused Nebraska child dumping issue:

http://www.wowowow.com/post/dumpster-babies-law-leads-abandonment-nebraska-teens-116014

Here is the website for safe surrender laws - the law allowing newborns to be giving up to prevent dumpster babies:

http://www.safesurrendersite.com/load/safe-surrender-law

Unwanted baby stories that shock you into discussions in a classroom:

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/3151/CWA/life/index.htm

The True Enemy!

2009-12-07T07:15:00.004-06:00

Imagine living in a dystopia society where everything is ruled with a stern iron fist. There is no such word as freedom, but instead all of your actions is monitored and controlled. Sounds terrifying right? Well, the book Truancy by Isamu Fukui explores this very concept. For Tack and his sister Susie this is the harsh reality of their life. In their chaotic society the mayor seeks full control over his city. He desires control over the way his people sleep, eat, and learn. Yes, that is right, I did say learn.

For Tack and Susie school is dreadful. The mayor uses schooling to brain wash kids to conform them into his control. At a very early age, children are taught the value of following rules and conforming to superiors. Education as we know does not exist. Instead school is embedded with dreadful laws and policies. However, the only thing that brings Tack comfort in this cruel society is his loving, sweet, and tender sister. Nonetheless, war is wedged when Susie is killed in their district 20 school that is governed by Zyid. Zyid is the leader of the Truancy. The Truancy is a group of rebels who are fed up with the mayors strict educational rules. Consequently, they decide to no longer sit, but fight back. In the mean time, Tack vows revenge on the one who killed his sister. However, things become tricky as Tack plans to conquer the enemy, especially since he does not know who the true enemy is. Unfortunately, it is Zyid who is responsible for Susie death. In trying to kill a chief Educator, Susie is caught in a car explosion created by Zyid. Unconsciously, Tack becomes a member of the Truancy, killing educators trying to revenge his sister. In fact, he becomes the leader. Eventually Track will have to cook up a new plan, but who is the enemy? Moreover who will he wage war aganist?

Overall, I thought the book was a good read. I feel that elementary kids would love this book, likening their school system to the confined one they read about. in this book All though anyone could read the book, I personally feel it is more geared toward boys because of all of the graphic fight scenes. However, though I think kids would read this book merely for fun there are some good themes within it. I think the most prevalent themes that youthful reader could learn from reading this book are fighting for what you believe in, and the tragedy of acting out of revenge.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

2009-12-07T03:27:00.005-06:00

Mudbound tells the story of two families; one white, the other black, both living in Jim Crow South's Marietta, Mississippi in 1946.

Henry McAllan chooses to move his wife, Laura, and their daughters to a cotton farm in Delta Mississippi; closer to his family. He becomes so wrapped up in maintaining his land and crops that Henry is oblivious to the fact that his family is falling apart. His wife, Laura is infuriated with him for forcing her out of urban Memphis to a rural shack in the middle of Mississippi.

Jamie is Henry’s younger brother. He feels that he is constantly living in the shadows of his older brother. He returns from World War II and goes to live with Henry and his family. His sinister and demeaning father awaits his arrival and praises his war victories, but soon turn cold; demeaning and ridiculing Jamie as he’s always done. Jamie secretly turns to liquor as an escape from war trauma and reality.

Hap and Florence Jackson live in a shack on the McAllan’s farm. Both Hap and his wife Florence work for the McAllans. Hap dreams of purchasing his own land and having his eldest son, Ronsel, helping him keep the property up. Hap can not dream of working for whites any longer than he has to. Florence is strong-willed and is the glue holding the Jackson family together.

Ronsel returns home from the war only to find that to the white folks of Marietta, he is still just another Negro. They do not seem to care that he risked his life and nearly died saving his country. Ronsel knows that rural Mississippi is no place for someone like him: educated, opinionated, and filled with ideas. Despite of the fact that his family is in Mississippi, Ronsel’s heart is somewhere else.

Ronsel and Jamie develop a secretive friendship. They are brothers; soldiers of war, who fought for the same cause. In the Jim Crow South, a friendship like this is dangerous and can even be deadly. Can people of different races really ever be friends and if so at what costs? What role will each of these characters plays into the tragic fate of these two families?

Hillary Jordan delivers a novel that brings back all the anguish, discuss, and hatred associated with the Jim Crow South. The development of each individual character is amazing. Jordan allows the reader into the mindset of each of the main characters. Readers are able to get every perspective of the same story, as Jordan creates a dialogue and analysis for each character. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, with a conclusion that resonates as all too familiar in the 1940’s.

Mudbound contains some explicit and racist language and violent content. This is an excellent book for mature teens interested in World War II, the Jim Crow South, and reading a novel that challenges people to stand strong on their beliefs.

Stitches by David Small

2009-12-07T03:12:00.006-06:00

Ahhhhhhh!!! If he could scream, he would, but he can’t. Fourteen-year old David Small is practically unable to speak. He has awakened from what was supposed to be a routine follow-up surgery without a voice. What is even weirder is the way that everyone around him is acting. Every since the day he arrived home from the hospital, his parents have begun acting secretive. What are they hiding and why?

David Small lives with his parents and older brother. Their family is similar to the typical non-functioning family. His great grandfather tried to kill himself by drinking poison, which instead, ironically, damaged his vocal cords and caused him to be mute. His grandmother is in insane asylum for trying to kill her boyfriend by setting their house on fire. Then there’s his immediate family. His father, Edward, is a doctor who spends as much time as possible away from home, avoiding his wife and family. His absence angers David’s mother so much that she is constantly slamming doors and cabinets throughout the house. David’s mother, Betty, is bitter and stingy, replacing her problems with materialistic possessions.

David’s health problems began when he was a child. He had problems with his sinus and digestive systems. Since he was a doctor, it was not uncommon for Edward to attempt to remedy David’s sinus problems by giving him a series of countless x-rays. When David was eleven, his parents notice that he appears to have a bulging skin protruding from his neck. A trip to a specialist, one of Edward’s friends, confirms that David has cyst that needs to be removed. Betty is infuriated when she finds out that her son has a cyst that needs to be surgically removed. But her fury is not because doctors will be poking and prodding around inside her little boy; it’s because of how much money the surgery will cause. Betty decides that the surgery is unaffordable and can be put off until next year; she then goes on a shopping spree.

David is home from the hospital, recovering from his surgery. No one can hear David when he tries to speak, not because he barely has a voice, but because this is the way that it has always been. David has always been invisible to his parents and everyone else. He submerges and loses himself in his drawings, escaping into his dreams. No one has told David that the lump in his neck is cancer; he just stumbles upon a letter written by his mother to his grandmother and finds out on his own. David’s anger causes him to rebel. Can he be saved from his destructive and rebellious behavior? Will he learn to forgive his father for all of the x-rays that exposed him to the disease? What will become of David Small?

A picture really is worth a thousand words. If you have never read graphic literature before then you are in for a surprise and a well-awaited treat. David Small quickly moves you through this movie-like novel filled with vivid pictures. What is not expressed through words is shown in pictures. For those who think that picture books are just for children, think again. The graphics tell the story better than the few words used throughout the novel. Small captures expressions and actions that show emotions indescribable by words. Flipping through the pages of this novel was like a breath of fresh air

Swallow Me Whole

2009-12-07T02:56:00.004-06:00

This graphic novel by Nate Powell, is about two step-siblings and how they cope with their debilitating mental illness. The story is told through Ruth's and Perry's eyes and experiences. Ruth is the main character in the story and suffers from delusions, paranoia, schizophrenia and OCD. Her brother Perry's illness is not as severe, but he suffers from delusions. Ruth and Perry have above average intelligence and get good grades in school, but due to their illness they seem a little weird and have trouble making friends. They are very lonely kids and have only each other to confide in. The family has a lot to deal with, two mentally challenged kids and a grandmother that has also moved in with them. She is ill and can no longer care for herself due to dementia and old age. The grandmother has also suffered with mental illness and has learned to cope with it by painting.

Ruth and Perry are aware of their condition, they've always felt different from normal children. Ruth knows that no one else can see, hear or smell the things that she does. Ruth tries to get some control of her life by collecting, and sorting her insect collection. Perry hallucinates a small gnome or wizard that appears on everything he writes with, and orders him to draw until he's exhausted. Perry tries to cope with his hallucinations by drawing. As the children get older their illness worsens. The parents seek medical help, but the medications aren't very effective. When the children are older they are able to build relationships and live a somewhat normal life, at least for a short period of time. Ruth gets a job at a museum, working in the insect section. Her obsessive behavior takes over and she ends up stealing an insect exhibit for her collection. After this incident she begins to lose control at school and home. Her condition worsens and she begins to lose grip with reality. Can Perry save his sister from losing complete control?

The black and white illustrations give us insight into Ruth and Perry's minds.

The reader is able to see the challenges that Ruth faced just to make it through the day. The tiny words in each page represent the reality that Ruth is unable to hear. The book is written in a comic style, which makes it interesting for YA readers. I found the book interesting, but a little difficult to follow.

Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten

2009-12-07T02:50:00.004-06:00

“I pop back into my body then, to share this thought with myself: The world doesn’t make any sense at all. People tell you it does, try and pretend it does. But I know now what kind of place this is, what kind of world we live in. And my breath catches in my throat, and my heart rips apart not just for me, not just for Nina, but for all of us.”

- Wherever Nina Lies

Each day sixteen-year old Ellie relives her nightmare. In her dreams her and Nina, her older sister, are laughing and sharing jokes, but in reality Nina is gone. She disappeared two years ago, leaving her younger sister Ellie, with many unanswered questions. How could she just leave like this? Sure their father had abandoned them and their mother is always working, but they still had each other.

Now it is just Ellie and her mother. Her mother does not speak of Nina; she assumes that Nina has runaway with someone to start a new life. Ellie feels all alone. Nina’s presence stills feels so close. Her scent resonates throughout the bedroom that her and Ellie once shared and there are even strands of her “graduation blue” hair in the shower. Ellie still holds out hope that one day Nina will climb through their bedroom window and reappear. She knows that her sister is alive, but has no idea about where she should begin to search for her.

Amanda is Ellie’s best friend. They spend every free second together partying and hooking up with boys. Amanda has become a replacement for Nina. She and Ellie share secrets and she even give into some of Ellie’s attempts to find her sister. After two years, enough is enough. Amanda wants Ellie to stop chasing after random clues and face the fact that her sister is never coming back. Ellie begins to believe it too, she has relinquished her search for almost a year when she finds another clue as to where her sister may be. One of Nina’s drawings mysteriously appears at a used goods store where Amanda works. Ellie and Amanda follow this clue to a wrecking party where Ellie meets the mysterious and handsome, Sean.

Sean is a gorgeous and mysterious seventeen-year old. He seems so perfect and polite. Ellie confides in him about Nina and her search to find her. Sean immediately tells Ellie that he will help her find her sister. She has finally found someone who believes that she may actually have a chance at finding her sister. This chance encounter takes Ellie on a romantic cross-country road adventure that she will never forget. Together she and Sean follow clue after clue, each time getting closer and closer to where Nina may have traveled.

What if Ellie never finds Nina? What is Nina is not the Nina that she knew? What if Nina is… dead? Ellie may find more than she bargained for as she sets out in search of her older sister, Nina. Will what she uncovers be more shocking than what she has expected to find?

Weingarten keeps you on the edge of your seat as you flip through the pages of this novel. Her vivid details of Ellie’s flashbacks of Nina pull the reader into the novel. Readers become captivated by the exquisitely detailed drawings, those pictured throughout the novel as Nina’s artwork. Ellie possesses an unwavering spirit and determination to her sister. This spirit evokes sympathy from readers causing them to empathize with her pain and suffering. There was never a dull moment and the story ends with a twist that readers may never see coming. This novel may not be suitable for all audience because there are minor references to drugs, suicide, and murder. It is recommend for those ages fifteen and older.

Somebody by Nancy Springer

2009-12-07T02:35:00.006-06:00

Ever had the feeling that something just isn’t right? That the life you are leading belongs to someone else and is not your own? Why are we always moving and why does my dad make my brother and I change our names and hair color each time?

Meet…. Um, let’s see. You can call this new girl by whatever name you like because at the moment she is whoever you want her to be. There is something suspicious about the way her father isolates her and her brother from society; how they are always moving just as they get settled into a community. They are not allowed to have friends over to their house, get on the Internet, have cell phones, or take pictures. Why is her dad being so secretive? What does he have to hide and where is her mother? Did she really run off and leave her children, like her dad said that she did? Something just does not add up.

This is the life of Sherica Suloff. One day she remembers her real name and begins to put together pieces of her past: memories that she’d been forced into forgetting. A trip to the library and an Internet search changes everything! Sherica meets Mason, a young boy who appears to be about her own age, well at least the age that she has been told she is. With Mason’s help, Sherica slowly begins to dig up the skeletons from her past: deep dark secrets hidden by her father. Is he trying to protect himself or his children?

Sherica has found out too much. There in black and white is the truth about her family. Is it too late for her to go back to her secret life?

This two-time Edgar Award winning book has just about everything that a reader could want: suspense, drama, and relativity. Springer takes you into the mind and secret life of fifteen-year old Sherica: the chubby girl with no identity. Somebody is recommended for young teens. The book is an easy read it does not contain difficult terms or a controversial subject matter. The book is very enjoyable, however the ending leaves some unanswered questions about the fate or Sherica and her family. Springer leaves the reader yearning for a follow-up book. Could this be the beginning of a series?

Dreadful Pasts Reveals Devastating Truths

2009-12-07T02:13:00.005-06:00

Going too far by Jennifer Echols is a wonderful read. The initial start was a lot rawer than what I would expect, but it defiantly captured my attention! Immediately as a reader you are placed in the scenario where Meg, her boy toy Eric, and some friends head out to an isolated railroad bridge. As a reader, you are given hints that this decision is not the best as Meg and her friends hint on the couple who supposedly got killed by a train the prior year. Nonetheless, they go anyway. The graphic details begin right away. I was astonished to read the entire scene of Meg and her boy toy Eric making out. Meg vividly explains how Eric grabs her hair and bites her neck creating passion marks. Moreover, unlike traditional novels, Meg is totally in control. She is lured and turned on with the rush of making out in public. She is over sexualized as she brags on herself for being a sexual expert.

However, the fun soon ends as the cops show up to ruin the erotic party. The rebellious teens are soon arrested. Instantly, Meg friends, Tiffany and Brian crumble becoming overwhelmed with fear. In the mean time, Meg once again reestablishes herself as the brave heart in control, displaying no fear of authorities. However, Meg’s tough girl behavior comes to an end when she is along in the police station. This along time allows Meg to be sensitive and reveal her true nature of worry and regret. In arriving to the police station everyone parents come to pick up their children except for Meg’s parents. Consequently, Meg is forced to spend the night in the police station. During this stay, Meg does nothing more than express her desire to escape her small town. She longs to go away for college. Additionally, she expresses her excitement for going to Miami for spring break just to get away. Unfortunately, this dream is shredded as she learns that she must sacrifice her spring break get away of “drinking and flashing tits” (37) to accompany John After, the cop who arrested her, on his job for a week as punishment for getting arrested

When their lives intertwine for a week both Meg and John After are forced to face dreadful pasts and devastating truths. Was it an accident that John After just happened to be patrolling the railroad or is he invested some kind of way? Most importantly, what is the driving force that causes Meg to be this rebellious, overly sexual averted teen who wants to escape her hometown?

This is a great book, but the characters are very complicated. They slowly unfold and display inner truths. However, I know that young adult readers will appreciate the rawness of the characters, precisely Meg. Meg demonstrates the fear of love and relationships, and most importantly letting your guards down. John After reveals how the past can take over your life and torment you if you cannot let it go. Therefore, youthful readers can be entertained and learn vital reasons at the same time. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book to older mature teens. The sexual content and language is strong throughout the book so I would suggest for the reader to be 17 years of age.

Exclusive interview with Jennifer Echol on Going too far:

http://persnicketysnark.blogspot.com/2009/04/interview-jennifer-echols.html

The Naked Truth: Young, Beautiful and HIV Positive by Marvelyn Brown

2009-12-07T02:08:00.008-06:00

What if the person you loved gave more than just his love; he gave you his death?

“It’s hard to explain, but I saw the two of us linked by fate. He was the only person I knew with HIV in Nashville. He was my first true love…there was part of me that believed we would end up together…”

Nineteen-year old, Marvelyn Brown thought that she had struck gold when she met the man of her dreams. After countless failed relationships, Marvelyn has given up on finding true love and being happy. But it seems that her luck has changed or has it? A trip to the park sparks a chance encounter with Prince Charming. He is perfect; polite, gentle, and mature. Marvelyn is finally happy. She has a man that she loves and who loves her back.

Marvelyn lies in the intensive care unit of Tennessee Christian Medical Center helplessly fading away. Doctors are baffled by what has caused the once lively and athletic nineteen-year-old to deteriorate so quickly. She has been in the hospital for weeks, before she got her diagnoses: HIV positive. Marvelyn knows exactly who the culprit was based on the timeline given by the doctors, but she has no idea what HIV is or what it means for her life.

Prince Charming is in complete denial and to make matters worse, he doesn’t even look or act sick, so how was Marvelyn to know he had a disease? It takes him months to admit that he has the disease and that he has infected her. Marvelyn’s life has just been turned upside down and she must now face her biggest fear, being alone and exiled from her family, friends, and community. She knows her fate and begins to plan her funeral. Marvelyn Brown is ready to die…until she finds something to live for.

Follow Marvelyn on her journey as she struggles with self-love and acceptance in her quest for the truth behind the foreign disease living inside of her.

This book is the voice of the new generation of young adults, Marvelyn's message hits home and tugs at heartstrings, without the vulgarity typically found within a story of this nature. Her story mirror the all too common behavior that many teens engage in. The Naked Truth is raw and uncut. Marvelyn is straightforward about how ignorance about the sexually transmitted disease. Her story is a haunting revelation of the increasing number of young people continuing to become infected with HIV. Brown raises awareness about the misconceptions and stigmas associated with HIV. The Naked Truth ignites arousal and a sense of wanting to promote awareness within communities. Marvelyn's story is relatable in that she is typical young adult leading an ordinary life and suddenly she has an incurable disease. Marvelyn Brown could be your daughter, your sister, your best friend, your niece or your granddaughter.

Eternal

2009-12-06T21:57:00.006-06:00

Have you ever loved somebody that didn't even know you existed? That's how Zachary feels everyday. He has watched Miranda from afar, she is different than the others. When you are in love, your thoughts and actions are influenced by your emotions- sometimes a very dangerous thing. Zachary's love for Miranda clouds his judgement, he goes out of his way to ensure her safety and well being. Did I mention that Zachary is Miranda's Guardian Angel?

One night, Miranda and her friend head through a cemetary on their way to meet some boys-an idea that Miranda wasn't too keen on. Bored and uninterested, Miranda slows down and eventually is lost.

Dark and alone, Zachary sees Miranda only steps away from danger. He makes a quick decision and decides to break rules. He unveils himself to Miranda in an effort to save her; the moment he does so, he is stripped of his wings and is fated to life as a mortal.

Simultaneously, Miranda is captured by a vampire and is taken to become the new vampire princess. Zachary watches powerlessly. Miserable at his unsuccessful attempt to rescue her, Zachary is conflicted as a mortal. He is, however, given a second chance, but has a daunting task ahead of him-kill the vampire lord. (and save Miranda of course).

Even as a vampire, Miranda is very different from her peers. Quiet and kind as a mortal, Miranda isn't quite getting the ropes. Her new celebrity status in the vampire world is very opposite of her normal teenage life. She is not good at giving orders or attempting to be scary.

Zachary teams up with Miranda to get his mission accomplished. Will Zachary regain his Guardian Angel status? Will Miranda fall in love with him? This page turner, will certainly leave you thirsty for more. Check out the book trailer video for a tease.

The book would appeal to the fantasy readers in the classroom-vampire books for teens are very accessible. The style is alsoparticularly interesting. The story is told from both Zachary and Miranda's point of view, so that readers can get multiple angles. Teachers can use this novel to open discussion about love, personality characterisitcs, popularity, and breaking rules.

Terrified To Talk!

2009-12-06T20:18:00.003-06:00

Faint, and numbness are ways that an individual may feel when encountering a terrifying experience. But have you ever heard of a terrifying experience being likened to engaging in a typical conversation. If not, you will be astonished with Gary Paulsen's Notes From The Dog. This book tells the story of a 15 year old boy named Finn who is a loner. His ideal summer includes submersing himself in as many books as possible and avoiding as many conversations as he possibly can. As a result, for his summer he limits himself to talking to only 12 people which includes his father, grandpa, dog Dylan, and friend Matthew.

However, when Johanna, the new neighbor arrives, things change. Johanna is a cancer survivor who is full of life. She is 10 years older than Finn, but treats him as an equal. Nonetheless, Finn has a fear of interacting with anyone one new. When engaging in social conversations he becomes overwhelmed with sweat and anxiety. Moreover, anytime Karla, his school crush, appears he nearly have an heart attack. Throughout the book Finn consistently reveals his loves for books because they are safe and cannot talk back! However, things change!

Johanna becomes indulged in Finn's inability to converse. Most importantly, she knows that Finn is an awesome kid who needs guidance, attention, and a boost of confidence. As a result, she takes the role of his mentor. She teachers him how to express and believe in himself. Additionally, she show him the importance of living life unrestricted. Conversely, Johanna is unaware of just how handy her advice will be. Soon Finn becomes Johanna facilitator and number one supporter through her struggle of breast cancer. He takes the role of caring for Johanna as she undergoes chemotherapy. Furthermore, he even agrees to create a garden to make Johanna happy. Through Finn's ability to show endless humility, he becomes the new social butterfly! However, will he be social and confident enough to finally awe Karla into a date? Although this coming to age book has a pretty common plot, it is full with emotion and courage that will not disappoint!

I would defiantly suggest this book to youthful reads rather male or female. This book conquerors many themes such as the power of self security, and resilience. In this emotional roller coaster, Finn develops from a awkward insecure kid to a mature and confident young man. Most importantly, Johanna displays inner strength and resilience as she struggles with cancer. She remains gentle, vibrant, and full of life. She demonstrates that life is precious and should be valued regardless to current circumstances. I also think that this book will defiantly encourage young adult readers who deem themselves as social outcasts as Finn did. It will show them that with confidence and self belief any thing is possible.

Nuns and the Undead and Celibacy, oh yeah!

2009-12-06T19:54:00.004-06:00

The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a debut novel by British writer Carrie Ryan, and is the first book in a series of three. It follows the emotional story of Mary, a young girl living in a post-apocolytic, dystopian society in a woods surrounded by secured walls. Think The Village, with no lame twist ending. Mary's world is isolated to her single village, and run by a (crazy) religious order of nuns, called The Sisterhood. The Sisterhood controls everything that happens in the village and assures its citizens that leaving the village will result in immediate death and horror. See, the thing is, outside Mary's village, the world is full of Zombies! The Sisterhood calls them the Unconsecrated, and they will eat your brains. (No, really, they will. We see lots of it in the book. This book does not mess about with the goriness - there is LOTS of it, including a Zombie baby. Getting killed. ) The book plays out as Mary tries to figure out who she can trust, with a pretty uninteresting love story that ends in betrayal, lust and you guessed it...zombies! The book, overall, was pretty unoriginal. There were a few cool ideas, and the narration is fairly interesting, but on the whole, The Forest of Hands and Teeth was way less cool than its title led me to think it would be. My basic problem with it was that it was laden, much like the garbage Stephanie Meyer writes, with this theme that caving in to your desires results only in some kind of horrible zombie (or vampire, in Meyer's case,) hell, where you must live with your decision to be sin-laden for all eternity. Its an old, silly message that writers have been feeding to teenage girls for decades. And its preachy, and its boring, and its annoying. If you're going to write about gore and sex, write about gore and sex. Don't lure young girls into reading your stuff, then tease them with a little gore, and a little sex, and then shove a message down their throat.
Besides my whole issue with that, the book had a semi interesting plot-line, but it got caught up in cliche, and plot lines that have been done over, and over, and over. There's a video preview to the book, release by Random House, which is kind of neat.
I'd recommend this book to young adults, sure, but its not going to be doing anything challenging to them, mentally. It was an easy read. (At something like 320 pages, I read it in only a day and a half. During finals week!)
Oh! But don't bother reading it, because they're making a movie. It'll offer the same amount of brain work to watch this film as it did to read the book. Ooh, and they're going cast a "Hollywood A-Lister."

Wonderland

2009-12-06T19:46:00.002-06:00

The Queen of Hearts, The Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, and The White Rabbit are all present in Tommy Kovak’s graphic novel, Wonderland. There is only one person missing….Where’s Alice?

This is a tale of Wonderland, without Alice. Instead it follows the White Rabbit’s servant MaryAnn. The White Rabbit is accused of treason after the Queen of Hearts believes that he allowed the monster, Alice, into their land. Faithful MaryAnn accompanies him as they flee from the death sentence made by the Queen, “Off with his head!” They meet most of the same characters as Alice did, but they have all altered slightly. This tale parallels Alice in Wonderland, and was published by Disney. This graphic novel will also answer some un-answered questions from the original Alice in Wonderland. Will MaryAnn and The White Rabbit escape the wrath of the Queen? And what kind of interesting situations and characters will they come across? Chaos has taken over Wonderland, and Tommy Kovac does an amazing job with keeping the audience right in the middle of the drama.

I believe that this could be used in middle and high school classrooms. It is an easy read, but it is interesting with; character developments, plot twists, and great images and passages. I think it would also be an interesting book to examine in graphic design or art classes. Kovac’s art work is exceptional, and kept me hooked throughout the whole novel.

I believe that this is a great book for reluctant readers, especially if they enjoy art. With minimal words and elaborate drawings, the pictures carry the audience through the novel. I thought it was strange though that I found this in the Children’s section at the Harold Washington Library. I feel like the images and some language is not suitable for anyone under the age of twelve. I think that this is a great creative piece that deserves some acknowledgement. This book can definitely help start projects on; graphic novels, the importance of illustrations, or spin-offs of other stories.

Geek Charming

2009-12-06T19:00:00.003-06:00

Will popular princess, Dylan, risk it all for the safety of her designer purse?

Dylan, the rich and popular queen at Castle Heights High School, had an A-List lifestyle. A popular jock of a boyfriend, plenty of shopping buddies, and a status so high that she was even in love with herself. That was until Dylan accidently dropped her designer purse into a fountain. Josh, a nerdy film boy at high school, decided to get it for her for only one favor: Dylan had to be agreed to be filmed, documentary style, by Josh to see the in and outs of popularity. Once the in crowd sees this geek following them around, they all begin to shun Dylan. Will Dylan ditch the dweeb to reclaim her thrown? Or will geek finally become the new chic?

I believe that Geek Charming, by Robin Palmer, is filled with many strengths for readers. I feel like this read should be aimed at more middle school audiences. It is dealing with the use of stereotypes and clichés. This is a popular issue for students going through middle and high school. The idea of young and true love is apparent throughout the book. Also, what popularity really means to students and how it could hurt their self esteem. Palmer also touches on the ability a person has to change, whether for good or bad.

I would not use this book to teach my whole English class, but I would not be opposed to having a student read it for an independent study. I do not think it is necessary for teachers or students to read this text. Even though it touched on multiple themes, it lacks a sense of really important issues. It is a really girly book. I would rather my student read something like Looking for Alaska, to learn about teen love, than this book.

Have you ever heard of a SECRET READER?

2009-12-06T18:56:00.012-06:00

Why would someone be a secret reader? Eddie Corazon is a secret reader because he needs to maintain his reputation. In LouAnne Johnson’s latest novel entitled Muchacho, she depicts the life of many teens in the U.S. today.

Eddie lives in a dangerous part of New Mexico where there are a lot of gangs, theft, and drug dealing. Eddie once saw his cousin shoot another man in the face. Many of the students in Eddie’s class do not try to do well in school because they feel like they are confined by their circumstances. Even Eddie feels like this, but for some reason he secretly reads. When the teacher calls on him, he acts like he is dumb and has no interest in school.

Eddie decides to join the dance class at his school in order to meet girls. He meets a new student named Lupe and they begin to date. Lupe is not like the other girls because she is very focused on her education and does not want to have sex. Eddie actually respects that Lupe has morals and she sees positive qualities in Eddie. After a car accident, Lupe’s father forbids Eddie to see her. Eddie’s father also sends him away to live with his uncle.

Eddie decides to change his juvenile delinquent ways so he can impress Lupe’s father and change for the better for Lupe. He also wants to change for himself after reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. Eddie begins to take school seriously and even begins to write poetry, which he is talented at.

To find out what happens with Eddie and Lupe you must read this novel! The novel was just published in September of 2009. LouAnne Johnson also wrote My Posse Don’t Do Homework, which was made into the movie called Dangerous Minds.

This book should definitely be used to teach inner city students for Literature class. Many of the problems Eddie struggled with are similar to teens in CPS. I would recommend this book for high school readers because there are swear words used on a few occasions. I also think many suburban teens could relate to Eddie’s character because he has conflicts with his family and Lupe that he has to resolve.

If I were to teach this novel, I would warn parents about the some of the controversial language in the book. In addition, many Spanish words are used in the novel, so the students need to look up those words to understand the meanings.

Hispanic students will relate to this novel because Eddie depicts what it is like to be Mexican living in America. He discusses the American/Mexican controversy of immigration. There is also a part in the novel where the homosexuality controversy is discussed by the other students in his class. The teacher who teaches this book must indicate that they are not advocating any particular position, but should inform their students why these contents are in this novel.

Untamed

2009-12-06T18:13:00.002-06:00

Can vampires and humans live side by side?!? Well that is exactly what is happening in Untamed by mother and daughter team, P.C & Kristin Cast is the fourth installment in the House of Night Series. This book begins right where the previous book left off. Zoey Redbird the main character, who is sarcastic, smart, and a vampire finds herself in the mix of some major action. Her entire school has been pushed to the limit by the killings of two vampire teachers. Zoey asks her grandma to help her and her friends get end and get to the bottom of what is happening at the school. Zoey’s grandma agrees, but gets hurt in an accident and ends up in the hospital. Zoey soon realizes that she needs to protect her grandma who is like extremely close to her, from some human/crow like creatures called raven mockers. In addition, Zoey no longer has a boyfriend and her friends have made her an outcast. One top of all that, Zoey finds out that her mentor High Priestess Neferet has decided to declare war on humans which Zoey is torn about. The action does not stop in this book all the event occur over the time span of a few days, but this does help to keep readers interest. Another bright spot is that the characters are well developed and interesting in the book. However one negative is that I was left slightly confused because I have not read any of the earlier installments to this series. Therefore, I strongly recommend reading the earlier installments first to understand more of the background information. This book has some mature language so I would recommend it for all upper-class high school students and younger students based upon maturity levels.

Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak by Writers Famous & Obscure

2009-12-06T18:01:00.003-06:00

Can you sum up your view of love in six words?

In the collection, Six-Word Memoirs on Love and Heartbreak by Writers Famous & Obscure, edited by Smith Magazine, hundreds of people submitted six word memoirs of the ups and downs of romance. Who knew that in only six words you can say so much? An example would be Zak Nelson’s submission of, “I still make coffee for two”. Every page throughout the book is different. When one page can be filled with up to five memoirs, another can be a sketch (submitted by the author) along with the memoir typed on the bottom of the page. These memoirs were submitted by a variety of people through; snail mail, e-mail, or even social networking sites like Twitter. Submissions were gathered and published into one amazingly diverse book.

I believe that this is a great book for reluctant readers. The book is obviously a quick read of 237 pages of six-word memoirs. This book can be seen as seemingly simple but also critically deep at the same time. This would be very influential for teachers, and has already been implemented in the classroom. I think this would be a great tool in order to practice on analyzing quotes. It would be fun to give each student a memoir, and ask them to predict and write the author’s unique story.

I believe that this book is suitable for both teens and teachers. Each memoir is different and would be easily relatable to any aged person. I believe that a major theme in YAL is love. This book ties up hundreds of ideologies of love and love stories.

Un-Gentlemenly Gentlemen in Green Manor: Assassins and Gentleman

2009-12-06T17:50:00.010-06:00

A gentleman has never been as dangerous as in Green Manor: Assassins and Gentleman!! Written by Fabien Vehlmann and illustrated by Denis Brodart this graphic novel is a collection of six short stories totaling 56 pages. The stories are set in London at the Green Manor gentleman’s club where the members, all males, discuss the perfect crime and how to kill people off, some being the other members of the club, without being caught. Each story typically begins with the murderer, who is one of the gentlemen, asking a question to the other patrons or spinning a story which reveals that the gentleman who initially began the story, or posed the question is indeed a murderer. “Delicious Shivers” sets the tone of the book by one of the gentlemen asking the question of whether or not there can be a murder without either murderer or victim. He then goes on to describe how this is possible and as surprised as I was, it is possible!! The books main focus is not who committed the crimes but rather how they committed the crimes, which is often described by the murderer himself. To add more layers to the stories, they are narrated by a psychotic prisoner, who used to work at the Green Manor, to a visiting doctor. This causes readers to wonder if the stories are real, or a part of the prisoner’s imagination or if the prisoner was ever psychotic before working at the Green Manor. Despite the fact that this book is about committing murders it is surprisingly not as violent as I expected with many of the crimes happening ‘offstage.’ Green Manor: Assassins and Gentleman includes murder, poisoning, intrigue, and blackmail all the ingredients for a sure thriller.

The art work is fitting for the time period and tone of the book. In fact the illustrations are one of my favorite elements of the book. The characters are in typically Victorian London attire and the Green Manor itself has the appearance of being lit by candlelight. Although this book is set in Victorian London my main concern is that all of the main characters are male and women only play the roles of victims which is a negative for me. This leads me to caution recommending it to younger males. An example is in the second story, “Post-Scriptum”" in which one of the gentleman promises to kill a woman at a certain hour and place, and bets a famous detective that he can't prevent the murder.

White Noise and Loud Silence - Why you should read The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness

2009-12-06T16:38:00.009-06:00

To be fair, let me just say that I went into "The Knife of Never Letting Go" with high hopes. I was profoundly excited when I saw the author's name - Patrick Ness, and thought him to be the author of my favorite children's book of all time, a hardcover picture book called "Sam, Bangs & Moonshine." Sam, Bangs & Moonshine is a 25 page story that talks about a little girl who can't decipher whats real, from what she imagines. Her dad is a fisherman who calls her stories "moonshine." Sam eventually comes to the realization that she can't always be pretending that her cat is talking, or that her dead mother is a mermaid, or that she has a pet kangaroo, and its all very touching and adorable. The illustrations are great, too.
So imagine my surprise, after having read the entirety of this novel, (no small feat, mind you - its a massive 496 pages!,) thinking that Patrick Ness is this incredible, maleable, amazingly dual writer, who can illustrate and write amazingly creative and cute children's books, and also write a thickly symbolic and moving dystopian novel for young adults, when I find out that Patrick Ness didn't actually write my beloved "Sam, Bangs and Moonshine" - and that he's a basically unknown first time author, and Eveline Ness wrote "Sam, Bangs and Moonshine!" They are two totally different people! Regardless of my mix-up, I'd like to hope that my fondness for an author with a similar name did not affect my opinion of Patrick Ness's "The Knife of Never Letting Go." Which was incredible. I would highly recommend this book to any adult, or young adult.
The book is about a young boy named Todd, who lives in a town called Prentisstown - an isolated villiage that's full of only men. After an attack from the "Spackles," all women have been eliminated due to a spreading disease, that also gives men the ability to read each other's thoughts, and animals the ability to communicate with humans. Because there are no women, the men of Prentisstown are a dying race. And I love me some dystopian imagery.
The never-ceasing sound that results from everyone's wide open brains is referred to as "Noise," and is by far, one of the most unique ideas to enter Young Adult literature since Philip Pullman's "Daemons." The portrayal of "Noise" is amazing. The font, the font size, the tone, all changes with the flow of the Noise that Todd is hearing. It's during a walk through the woods that Todd stops hearing Noise, and first meets Silence. And Viola - a girl. The story develops from this point on, and I really, really, don't want to ruin it for you. But the story is gutwrenching. I cried, like five times, reading this book.
The following is a post from a fellow blogger who enjoyed The Knife of Never Letting Go as much as I did. She words how she feels about Todd's emotions towards women.

"And therefore without Noise their thoughts can’t possibly be guessed, which makes them seem dangerous, and so they are feared, and so it's decided that they must be eliminated. And this is why my favourite scene in the book is when Todd realizes that, Noise or no Noise, boy or girl, he knows Viola. They can communicate.

I can read it.
I can read her.
Cuz she’s thinking about how her own parents also came here with hope like my ma. She’s wondering if the hope at the end of our hope is just as false as the one that was at the end of my ma’s. And she;s taking the words of my ma and putting them into the mouths of her own ma and pa and hearing them say that they love her and they miss her and they wish her the world. And she’s taking the song of my pa and she’s weaving it into everything else till it becomes a sad thing all her own.
And it hurts her, but it’s an okay hurt, but it hurts still, but it’s good, but it hurts.
She hurts.
I know all this.
I know it’s true.
Cuz I can read her.
I can read her Noise even tho she ain’t got none.
I know who she is.
I know Viola Eade.

It’s a lovely scene, and it’s a brilliant book." (thingsmeanalot.com) This blogger's poing of view is dead on. The language of the book is so unique and so beautiful, its hard to believe its written in a 1st person southern dialect - something that usually ends up being clumsy, forced and awkward to read.
Bottom line, you should read this book. And you should tell all the teenagers (and adults) that you know that they should read it too. Ness's writing is impressive, to say the least. His voice is one that speaks to all of us, as outsiders, as loners, and as ones who have a hard time understanding those around us - even if we can read their thoughts.

The book is the first in a series of three, and the other one isn't even out yet, so it'll definitely be added to my bookshelf come Fall.

As a warning, the book is pretty violent, and its pretty intense. Its not for the faint of heart. (There is at least one animal murder and one throat stabbing and lots of other stabbings, and some serious heavy bludgeoning with lots of blood.) I would say about 12+ for this book, as a rough estimate.

If I Stay

2009-12-06T16:38:00.006-06:00

Seventeen year old Mia seems to have everything a girl wants; fun-loving parents, a happy family, a friend that is like a sister, and a boyfriend who is romantic and edgy at the same time. One, moment took all those things away from her.

After a car accident, that killed the rest of her family, Mia has to make a choice. She is having an outer-body experience, and can hear and see the doctors working on her in the ICU, her family and friends talking to her, and her boyfriend going to great lengths to try and get her to stay. Mia has the power to decide to either die in the hospital bed, or to go on living without her family. In the novel, If I Stay, the author, Gayle Forman, takes the reader is taken on a quest, showing us her memories of being with her family and friends. These stories are her favorite memories of life, and those harder times. It is kind of like her life is flashing before her eyes, but in memoriy form. It is interesting to see which memories she chooses, and why that memory in particular is going to be influential in her decision to stay or go.

I saw nothing but strengths in this book by Forman. The author writes in away to not allow the reader to pity Mia, and Mia does not try and pity herself. She uses great imagery and reasoning in Mia’s debates, that it allows the reader to see both sides of her decision. If she stays, she will have to live without her family and become an orphan, and if she goes, she will have to leave behind her true love and her best friend.

I definitely believe that this would be a great book to read as a class in middle school. It was a quick read (under 200 pages) and it was hard to put down. I think this book would be great for reluctant readers, because it keeps the audience in suspense throughout the whole book. It provides a lot of themes all rolled into one; coping with the death of a loved one, young love, and the responsibility of growing up. I would say, for those who love, Lovely Bones (which is now becoming a movie), read this book! But the choice, as always, is up to you!

Karma for Beginners

2009-12-06T15:18:00.005-06:00

The book "Karma for Beginners" is a story about a young 14 year old girl, Tessa, who lacks stability and proper parenting from her mother. Her father abandoned her at a young age and her mother is a hippie, who likes to travel from place to place and has unstable relationships with men. When ever one of her relationships terminates, she relocates to another place and drags Tessa along with her. Their next trip is to Catskills, because Tessa's mother feels she needs to find spiritual peace and freedom. Once in the Catskills, the mother is very happy at the ashram there, where followers worship a guru in an orange robe. Tessa does not feel comfortable there, she feels like an outcast among freaks. As her mother gets more drawn into the rituals of the guru, she hardly pays any attention to Tessa. This lack of attention leaves Tessa to wonder the compound. While wondering, she meets Collin, a twenty year old college drop out, that fixes trucks for the ashram. At first she likes him because he's normal and funny, they share the same taste in music, and begin to spent a lot of time together.

Tessa enjoys spending time with Collin because she feels, a special spiritual connection with him that she's never felt before. As time progresses, she starts to make poor decisions. Tessa begins leaving the compound to hang out at Collins place or with his friends. She eventually looses her virginity to him and begins abusing illegal drugs, like marijuana and acid. Collin's attitude changes towards Tessa, he is not as caring towards her after they become intimate, but it could have been due to the ingestion of drugs. Although the ending was surprising, I was expecting something better, some justice for Tessa.

This book is yet another example of what happens when children don't have the required parental guidance. The mother was so absorbed in herself, that she hardly noticed her daughters need for guidance. I believe the mother must of had some type of psychological break, to be so neglectful of her own child. It makes me wonder why the father abandoned them when Tessa was very young, he probably couldn't keep up with the mother, or maybe he felt no emotional tie to either, since he was in a rock band.This story portrays what happens to kids when they have no parental guidance. Tessa was only fourteen and engaged in sexual relationships with a twenty year old man. That is statutory rape, where Collin should have been arrested. She made terrible choices that could have been avoided, had she a more responsible parent.

I do not recommend this book for YA literature, I don't think it's appropriate because it involved to much drug use, sex and vulgarity.

Turning Tricks

2009-12-06T13:31:00.003-06:00

Did you know the average female prostitute in the United States is only 13 years old?

In Ellen Hopkins most recent novel, Tricks, she explores the reasons behind young people turning tricks, also known as prostitution. Tricks has five main characters that all resort to selling their bodies for different reasons.

Eden is the daughter of a local pastor and her family is very religious. She believes, but not as whole-heartedly as the rest of her family. At church one day, she meets Alex, the most wonderful boy ever! They begin a relationship, but keep it a secret because Eden knows her parents will not approve. Unfortunately, Eden is caught and sent away to a religious camp for young people. While there, Eden tries to figure out how to leave. She learns that good behavior will not do so she resorts to using her body. Jerome, one of the counselors, is infatuated with Eden and she uses that to her advantage and he helps her escape. Eden winds up in Las Vegas, trying to make ends meet.

Seth is gay. He has known it since he was a little boy. He lives with his father on their farm. His mother passed away from cancer recently. Seth hides his secret from his father. He travels to other cities to meet other men and begins a relationship with a man named Loren. All is well until Loren has to do an internship far away and their relationship ends. Seth’s dad discovers his secret and kicks him out of the house. Seth doesn’t know where to go so he goes to a gay bar to find someone who will ‘keep’ him. Seth becomes Carl’s trophy boyfriend and they move to Las Vegas. Seth’s sole responsibility is to look good, which he does and attracts the attention of a man. Carl finds out and Seth is kicked out again. He eventually finds a new man to ‘keep’ him and works on the side in hopes of moving out and starting his own life.

Whitney lives in her older sister’s shadow. Her mother could care less about her and her father is never home. Whitney is dating an older boy named Lucas. One night, she loses her virginity to him and tells him she loves him. After that, he stops talking to her. She confronts him and he tells her that the thrill is over and having sex with a virgin isn’t as good as he thought it would be. Devastated she calls Bryn. Bryn is a man she met at the mall who was clearly interested in her, but she wasn’t because at the time she was dating Lucas. Bryn comes and picks her up and consoles her. Whitney falls head over heels for him. Bryn has to move to Las Vegas for work and asks Whitney to go with. She does, but later on realizes it was a mistake. Now it’s too late. She is addicted to heroin and Bryn is her john, also known as a pimp.

Ginger lives with her Grandma, Iris (mom), and her five brothers and sisters. Iris is a prostitute and even sold Ginger to men while she was growing up. One night, she comes home to find a man waiting for her. He said he already paid in full and Ginger knows exactly what that means. After he has left, she decides she needs to get away. Ginger runs away with Alex, her girlfriend, to Las Vegas where they begin working for an escort service. Toward the end, Ginger and Alex are arrested for soliciting a cop. Ginger decides it time to call Gram.

Cody lives with his mom, stepdad, and younger brother in Las Vegas. His stepdad died, his brother ends up in juvenile detention, and he maxes out the family credit cards with his gambling. Cody realizes his mother is not going to make ends meet waiting tables at Denny’s and decides he needs to do something to help out.

In Tricks, Hopkins delivers yet another ‘edge of your seat’ novel. Hopkins specifically wrote this novel to explore the reasons behind teenage prostitution. All five of her characters turn to prostitution because they feel like it is the only option they have left to fix their situation or survive. I would recommend Tricks for juniors or seniors in high school. Tricks should also not be used as part of a curriculum in my opinion. As with her other novels, Tricks is a book written for mature readers. It deals with the controversial issue of prostitution, which many parents would likely oppose. In addition, some students would not be able to handle some of the graphic depictions that Hopkins has written. I do not think Tricks can be used in other subject areas either. You could use some excerpts to highlight different topics for health. For example, Whitney becomes addicted to heroin and Hopkins describes how she looks. A health teacher could read this excerpt to show the physical side effects of heroin use. I think Tricks would work best as a choice novel for mature students. Like Identical, Tricks is a long novel (over 600 pages) and is written in narrative poetry. Students may be apprehensive to read Tricks because of its length and style. Once again, I enjoyed this novel. If you like Identical or Tricks, I would highly recommend reading Crank and its sequel, Glass. Crank still deals with serious issues, but it is not as controversial as her most recent novels.

For Manga and Comic Lovers!

2009-12-06T11:13:00.013-06:00

Can’t get enough Manga or Comics? Then you must read The Name of the Flower by Ken Saito. Chouko Mizushima’s parents died from a car accident during her freshman year of high school. After the death of her parents, Chouko suffered from aphasia and no one could relate to her. She was passed from relative to relative until her father’s cousin, Kei Mizushima took her in.

Kei is a famous writer who won the Naoki Prize and he has many fans. He even has a stalker fan in the novel. At first, Kei was mean to Chouko because he is an introvert, but along the way, he has learned to appreciate her. Through their odd relationship Kei has loosened up and Chouko slowly begins to speak again. Chouko learned to cope with the loss of her parents through tending Kei’s garden. Before there was nothing in the garden, but now there are all sorts of beautiful flowers.

This is just the first book of the four volume series. If you want to find out what happens with Chouko and Kei, you must read on!

If a teacher was to teach this book to students, he/she must first teach the students how to read Manga. The teacher must remind the students to read from right to left, instead of left to right. That was one of the hardest parts of reading this book for me. I kept trying to read the way I usually do. There were also times where the comic parts were jumbled together, so I had a hard time figuring out which lines were meant to be read first. This particular book would be more suitable for junior high and early high school students because it doesn’t have much substance and it is very repetitive. This book could be useful in teaching art classes.

I think this book would be useful for teaching during a unit about other countries, backgrounds, and cultures. There is a lot about the Japanese culture that students could learn about just from reading this book. I know many students are very passionate about Manga now and there are Manga clubs at some schools. This book would definitely appeal to those students. The one thing that confused/bothered me while reading this novel is that Chouko and Kei are developing a romantic relationship. I found that very odd because they are second cousins! I know in other cultures that is not very odd, but that part of the story was very hard for me to get over.

Powerless by Matthew Cody

2009-12-06T09:30:00.003-06:00

Have you ever imagined what it might be like to fly at the speed of light, walk through walls, lift up cars, or create electricity with your bare hands? What would you do if you woke up one morning and were actually able to do one or more of those things? And what would you do if you had always had those powers and woke up one morning without them?

That's kind of what happens to the kids of Noble's Green, Pennsylvania, which is the self-proclaimed "Safest Town on Earth." Part of why Noble's Green is so safe is that all of its residents under the age of 13 have one or more super powers. Some are terrifically strong or fast, several can fly, others can disappear, and still others have superhuman senses. When a house starts on fire or a car drives off a bridge, the kids are on the scene, ready to save the day however they can.

To the kids, having super powers is a blast; flying is a total thrill, and the games of hide-and-seek are taken to a whole new level. So it's especially sad that, on the night of each young superhero's 13th birthday, his or her powers, and memories of ever having them are taken away forever. Why do the kids of Noble's Green have these powers? And why do they disappear faster than a speeding bullet? These are mysteries that are beyond even the powers of the super kids.

This link is to a short video of the author it is only 2 1/2 minutes and is interesting!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXNjvUNI-GE

Help comes from the unexpected source of a boy without super powers, Daniel Corrigan. Daniel and his family move to Noble's Green to be with his grandmother while she's dying of cancer. It takes Daniel a few days to realize that there's something a bit odd about his new classmates and neighbors, but when he learns their secret and hears about the mysterious disappearance of their special skills, he thinks that he might be able to help. Many of the children, including superhero extraordinaire and leader of the pack Eric, are about to turn 13, leaving the town open to the tyranny of super-powered bullies and also to a host of natural and man-made disasters.

Since his father is a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Daniel knows how to use his powers of deduction and observation to solve problems. Combined with his super friends' unique powers, can Daniel uncover the mystery of the menacing Shroud who sucks away super powers?

This is a book with fast-paced action, rapidly shifting plot, and focus on superheroes and detectives. The book will appeal to both girls and boys, and is a great choice for comic book fans. With the lessons taught I think that it would be great it teachers taught the book in the classroom. Young adults would love this book. It would be good for anyone above the age of ten or eleven if they are good readers. Although there are moments of humor and plenty of suspense throughout, POWERLESS also contains dark segments that might get children thinking. Some of the themes are about making friends, growing up and taking responsibility.

Take Me Back! A Whirlwind Trip through History

2009-12-06T09:29:00.015-06:00

Have you ever thought about what Napolean’s Facebook profile would look like? Or, wondered what Catherine the Great’s life story would say if it were a comic strip? Look no further than Take Me Back: A Trip through History. In just under 300 pages, this book covers over 4.5 million years of world history in a hilariously entertaining way for the modern young adult reader. Whether it is picking a homo habilis out of a suspect line-up, browsing the “Imperial Rome High School Yearbook,” or visiting “Alex the Great’s Official Fansite,” the reader is sure to have one or two laughs while reading this colorful, fact-filled, and action-packed rendition of world history.
In addition to its chronological description of historical events, Take Me Back also includes sections such as “Curious Quotes,” “Looney Leaders,” and “Listory” which all help to make it a fun and accessible read. This book would appeal to a both female and male audience anywhere from 11 – 18 years old. The brightly colored pages, interesting text, and collaged pictures make this book interesting and interactive.

Although this book would not be a great history textbook on its own, it would provide a lot of great supplemental pages for history learning activities and games. The interactive pages on religion such as Buddhism and Hinduism, I think would be especially beneficial in the classroom to help students understand these ancient religions from a modern perspective.

If this book appeals to you, please also check out another book called Do Not Open all about hidden secrets of the past by the same publisher.

Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood

2009-12-06T09:17:00.005-06:00

The Robin Hood legend has been retold in hundreds of books, movies, TV shows, and now in Tony Lee’s graphic novel Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood. Lee starts his graphic novel with the back story of Robin Hood’s childhood and his relationship with his father, the Earl of Huttington. He follows Robin through his time in the crusades and eventually back to Sherwood Forest where he works to save the people of the forest from the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.

Lee’s graphic novel is exciting, fast-moving, lively, and also very thorough. The accuracy and attentiveness to detail that Lee provides in regards to the Robin Hood legend is quite impressive. The illustrations, done by Sam Hart, are expressive, but rather dark and raw at times. However, this darkness also does seem to contribute and reflect the times of story itself, set in 1192. This graphic novel would appeal most to young adult males anywhere between the ages of 13-17. I think that the raw, grittiness of this version of the Robin Hood legend would attract more reluctant, male readers. It is packed with battle scenes, and updates Robin Hood for the twenty first century teen audience. Some major young adult themes present in Lee’s Legend of Robin Hood are friendship, courage, loyalty, and love.

If this review has interested you, please check out this link to an interview conducted with Tony Lee about this graphic novel: http://www.boldoutlaw.com/robint/tonylee.html

If you are interested in Tony Lee’s other work, please check out the link below to his official website: http://www.tonylee.co.uk/

The Authorized Adaptation: Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451

2009-12-06T09:00:00.001-06:00

During the election of our current president, "change" became something we associated with advancement and prosperity. But what if "change" was instead something that was destructive and restrictive?

Guy Montag lives in a world where this type of change is occurring. He is a fireman, however his brigade creates fires instead of putting them out. Their purpose is to burn all books, which are deemed useless and banned in a world of three-wall T.V.s and drone-like viewers. With everyone engulfed by mindless media, books and in turn all critical thinking and meaningful relationships, are forbidden.

Guy does not question the usefulness or goodness of his livelihood until his young and free-spirited neighbor Clarisse awakens his senses during their late night walks. She begs him to answer why the once beautiful and thoughtful world has changed, and why men like him burn charming things like books. (A sneak peek of one of these conversations can be seen here.)

In his struggles to find himself and to define right and wrong, will he find answers in the very things he once burned? What will become of this nation with a lack of individuality; will it be destroyed or will it be healed? In a world on fire, anything can happen...

Ray Bradbury's timeless sci-fi novel is only strengthened by its entrance into the genre of graphic novel. Tim Hamilton's illustrations are at times stark, gray and rainy, casting shadows on main characters; and at other times are emblazoned with fire, lighting up the hellish world of Bradbury's Guy Montag. This adaptation brings the imaginative words of Bradbury to life, accurately setting the tone felt in the original text. As evident in this ExpandedBooks video, Bradbury could not agree more. Bradbury talks about how he was very influenced by newspaper comic-strip icons, like Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers, and how his science fiction writings beg to be made into graphic novels. Many of his short stories had already been adapted into comics in the 1950's.

Hamilton's wonderful adaptation is catchy, enticing, and introspective. Teens should read this modified classic because it opens the imagination and implores even the most reluctant readers to enjoy its strong visual and thematic messages. In his introduction to Hamilton's graphic recreation, Bradbury speaks to teachers and students about the importance of metaphors and uninhibited imagination. This book would make a great addition to the classroom and could serve as a companion to the original text nicely. It's intensity and nostalgic feel will surely fascinate student readers.

America's Next Top Model: Face Value book 1, by Taryn Bell

2009-12-06T08:59:00.003-06:00

You Wanna Be On TOP?
Chloe, Lindsay, Alexis, and Shiva Rose do, this is why they are admitted into Top Model Prep, an elite modeling school located in fashion central NYC. They are four very different sixteen-year-old girls who find themselves among the forty other girls enrolled in the academy. It might seem obvious that Chloe comes from a family of supermodels, and is destined to be the winner, even though she'd rather be at home with her boyfriend. She is into text messaging all hours of the day on her iPhone. But she's got some fierce competition. Lindsay is a former child star, will do anything to get her fame back. She is surprised that none of the other girls except for Shiva-Rose recognize who she is until she announces it. Wild Alexis might be the one to steal the show, among other things. She is the outspoken girl who tells it how it is. International Shiva-Rose just might be it, especially since her crush is someone on the inside. These girls are beautiful, but do they have what it takes to be at the top--or will they lose themselves along the way?

In all honesty, I didn't expect much from this book or this series. As a first impression, Face Value seemed to be a lame takeoff from the hit TV show, America's Next Top Model. To my surprise, I actually enjoyed the book. As the story is set at a modeling academy, I actually learned along with the aspiring model characters more about fashion, hair and makeup, and, of course, the industry itself. Where this novel starts to take a dip for me is character development. It's easy to get a general idea of who each of the characters is; Alexis is spontaneous and friendly, Lindsay is clever and driven, Chloe is withdrawn and sensitive, and Shiva-Rose is focused and moral. Still, there are little bits and pieces about each character's background and personality that don't quite fit the big picture, and that partially ruined any relationship I as the reader formed with the characters. Aside from that, Face Value is a quick and enjoyable read, filled with drama, romance, and a bit about the life of the fashion elite.

This book in my opinion would be good for teen girls who are looking for something to read during leisure time. I do not think that it is for the classroom. There are few lessons to be learned, but it is not school appropriate for several reasons. First of all, this is not a gender neutral book. For the most part, I do not think that teenage boys would find an interest in the series mainly because there were no characters that they could relate to. Second, I do not think that there are enough valuable lessons that can be deeply discussed in a classroom setting in the book. Also, I do not think that it is a good representation of the modeling industry. Overall the book was funny and cute, it makes you wonder, “Do you have what it takes to be Americas Next Top Model?”

What does love have to do with it ??

2009-12-06T01:37:00.003-06:00

What does love have to do with it? In this riveting read, Mixed Vegetables, Ayumi Komura explores this very concept. Since her first visit to a sushi restaurant Hanayu Ashitaba falls in love with her dream of being a sushi chef. Hanayu breaths fish and love everything about it. However, her parents have other dreams for her. They wish for Hanayu to take over the family business, following her father footstep in running a bakery.

Torn between destinies, Hanayu cooks up a plan. She finds that a local boy, Hayato Hyuga, in her culinary class at her high is the son of a sushi chef. Consequently, she eludes that if she can get Hayato to marry her, she will be destined to partake in the sushi business and become a chef. Additionally, she knows that with Hayato as decoy her parents would understand her decision to become a sushi chef, concluding that she must follow and adhere to her husband. However, Hanayu forgets one thing, in order to get Hayato to marry her she first must get him to fall in love with her, but what is love for a sixteen year girl? How do you know when you are in love? What does love feel like? Most importantly, do you need love for marriage? These are all fascinating principals that Komura explores in the book. Moreover, in exploring these philosophies, Komura provides vital lesson such as the role of morals and ethics in relationships. She than liken these traditional characteristics to arranged marriages. In all you take the journey with an ambitious teenage girl desperate to follow her dream, satisfy her parents, and maybe even find love, whatever that is!

I find this book to be an excellent read for all and even more extraordinary for young adult readers. Young adults will be able to relate to the topics and themes discussed here. They will defiantly identify with the challenge of openly expressing themselves to their parents. I also believe that young readers will find comfort in the constant challenge of Hanayu 's search for the meaning of relationships, love, and success. Moreover, they will be lured with the graphics throughout the novel to reveal deeper meanings. In all youthful readers will reestablish the importance of dreaming, and making ethical choices underlined by a story line of romance! A must read!

The Book of Michael

2009-12-05T21:59:00.013-06:00

The story "The Book of Michael" is based on the life of Michael Grove a sixteen year old boy who is convicted for the murder of his girlfriend, Lisa Conroy. Michael is a troubled youth, involved with sex, drugs, and negative influences. There is a lot of media attention surrounding this case, and the public wants Michael to be tried as an adult. He is tried as an adult, found guilty, and given a harsh sentence for murder. He ends up serving only six months jail time, at the Severton Correctional Institution. He loved his girlfriend Lisa very much, but the evidence before the murder is overwhelming, causing him to be unjustly convicted. The autopsy showed that Michael had sexual relations with Lisa before she was killed, and this DNA evidence condemned him to a guilty verdict. After six months the true murderer confesses and Michael is released from prison.

After Michael is released from prison, he is emotionally damaged. The freedom he imagined was not as gratifying as he hoped. He finds it very difficult to be accepted by society by being stereotyped as a murderer. Although he was found innocent of the crime, people were still pointing their finger at him as the true murderer. His neighbors and kids at school looked at him like an ex-con and a dangerous person who should be avoided. The story ends with uncertainty about Michael's life, where he continues to struggle with choices between right and wrong.

The author Lesley Choyce writes in first person narrative. The reader is able to feel what Michael is going through, when in prison and when people are being judgemental once he is freed. The book also gives insight about the current social issues such as a youth being tried as an adult. Personally, I believe that a sixteen year old is still a child and should be tried as one. When children are committing heinous crimes, as a society we have failed them. They didn't get the rehabilitation they needed when the first signs of criminal behavior were emerging. Children can not vote, get married, drink alcohol or engage in legal contracts because their brains are not mentally or emotionally fully developed, therefore they should not be tried as adults. In Illinois and Michigan the minimum age for being tried as an adult is 17. I strongly believe that children who commit crimes can be rehabilitated and live as productive members of society.

Gettysburg

2009-12-05T21:48:00.003-06:00

Imagine standing in a ghostly field, emptiness surrounding you. To the right there are large hills that sit and loom over you. To the left, a forest of trees sit innocently. You know that you are alone, but there is something that makes you feel you are not. Here on this field, a bloody battle took place between brother and brother, friends and friends, uncle and nephew. Underneath the soil, lies the blood and souls of those who fought for freedom and unity. Here you stand in the mists of ghosts who no matter if they are dressed in blue or grey, have fought for the very thing that you live in: The United States of America.

“Gettysburg, A Graphic Novel” tells the story of the turning point of the Civil War. The book takes the reader day by day through one of the bloodiest battles. Graphics show the town of Gettysburg, key players, and what the people in history would have said and done during the battle. Each scene is adequately drawn to show the hardships and sorrows of the people. The book begins on July 1st, 1863, when a Confederate troop went into the town of Gettysburg to find some shoes. What was supposed to be a friendly stop, became an all out battle. Robert E. Lee, head of the Confederate army, ordered his men to fight on the lower side of a hill, and then march through a field to their deaths. Three days later rain poured down on blood stained fields and hills.

This book is a great resource for any young adult reader and history teacher. I used this book while teaching the battle of Gettysburg to my students who have identified learning disabilities in the area of reading. They loved it. Not only was it a different way of learning, but they understood the information with more understanding by seeing the pictures and graphics of the story I was trying to teach them. The book has a great map, and even highlights the cast of characters. My students used this book as reference for their papers on the Civil War and as a result were better able to write about Gettysburg. The battle of Gettysburg is a concept that all young adults will encounter throughout their high school career, and this book is a great supplement to any U.S. History high school curriculum.

~Amy Vercillo

Identical

2009-12-05T18:00:00.005-06:00

Have you ever wished you were a twin? Double the clothes, switching places, and a permanent best friend? But sometimes being a twin isn’t so great. Just ask Raeanne and Kaleigh.

Raeanne and Kaleigh are identical twins on the outside, but very different on the inside. Raeanne is a rebel, while Kaleigh is the ‘good’ one. When they were young, they both experienced a tragic car accident that tore their family apart. After the accident, their father became an alcoholic and addicted to pain killers and their mother decided to run for office in order to be out of the house as much as possible. As the story continues, Raeanne and Kaleigh begin to divulge their secrets. Kaleigh is sexually abused by her father on a regular basis and Raeanne is often a silent witness. Raeanne also experiences jealousy because she doesn’t understand why her Daddy loves Kaleigh more than her, which is why she turns to a multitude of men attempting to satisfy that need. Kaleigh tried to tell once, but her mother didn’t believe her so now she keeps her mouth shut. Both of the girls have developed eating disorders and Kaleigh uses cutting to cope with the pain, guilt, and shame she feels.

Near the end of the book, the reader learns what really happened during the tragic car accident. Read Identical to find out what happened and why the twins are the way they are.

Identical deals with three very serious issues: sexual abuse, eating disorders, and cutting. Hopkins does not hold back details in her writing. The reader gets a very clear picture of exactly what is happening. I would recommend this book for high school readers. The seriousness of the issues and scene descriptions would make it a controversial book for middle school students. I have read other books by Hopkins and this is by far the most graphic and dark one I have read. There were times that I felt sick to my stomach, but I could not put the book down. I would not recommend using Identical as part of a reading curriculum. There will be students who cannot handle the issues that are addressed and they may feel uncomfortable. However, a high school health teacher could offer Identical as a literacy component of the class. The health issues that Raeanne and Kaleigh experience are addressed in health curriculums. In addition to being uncomfortable with the issues, students may have other reasons for not choosing Identical or disliking it. Identical is over 500 pages long, which may seem like too large of a task for some students. Others may not like Hopkins’ style. Identical, along with her other books, is written in narrative prose. If students are able to get past the pages looking like poetry and simply read the story, it becomes a fairly quick read. I personally really like the style and find myself not being able to put any of her books down!

This video is about a remarkable set of conjoined twins, Abby and Brittany. They have two spines, hearts and stomachs, three kidneys, two gall bladders, four lungs, and one liver. In addition, they share the large and small intestine, as well as their bladder and reproductive organs. Despite the obstacles they face, Abby and Brittany are positive and determined.

Are you a wintergirl?

2009-12-05T12:53:00.005-06:00

" Dead girl walking" Say the boys in the hall when they see Lia walk by.
This should tell you what the book is like. In the first chapter we find out that Lia's best friend Cassie has died we don't find out until later that she died as a result of her bulimia. Lia is an anorexic who has been to treatment multiple times. Lia seemed to have been getting better, seemed to have, and everyone is afraid that Cassie's death will send her spiraling down again, they were right.
Lia is the narrator of this and through her voice we see the ways that anorexia can be the fuel for itself. Lia's struggle with the disease started 6 years before when she discovered Cassie throwing up in the bushes of her house after having binged at a party. This was the start of the competition that claimed Cassie's life. Both girls vowed to be the skinniest girl in school but for Lia the binge/purge cycle of bulimia didn't work she began starving herself instead. You can see she is starving herself by the fact that several times in the book she is tempted by food but the voice in her tells her she will turn into a "fat cow" like everyone else, in one scene Lia actually binges on sweets at her step-sister Emma's Christmas bake sale. Lia then uses laxatives to rid her self of the food her body so desperately needs.
The voice in Lia's head keeps up an almost constant narrative of "stupid/ugly/stupid/bitch/stupid/fat" that she can't shut up. Anorexia isn't Lia's only problem though she also cuts herself to shut out the pain around her. The lengths that Lia goes through just to lose wait are not uncommon in anorexics and her father and stepmother don't seem to catch on. Lia has tampered with the scale that her stepmother weighs her on and has sewn quarters into the hem of her robe in order to gain a few ounces.
This book is both difficult to read and difficulty to put down you want to get to the end to find out whether Lia succumbs to her demons or if she overcomes. Just like with her first novel, Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson picks you up and puts your emotions through the wringer with Wintergirls. Everyone should read this book because it is not often you find a book told from the perspective of the person suffering the disease and Lia's story is brutally honest and helps you feel sympathy for teh person suffering from anorexia not just disgust at how their body looks.

You should definitely check out the video of Ms. Halsie talking about why she wrote Wintergirls and there is also a Wintergirls MySpace page you can join.

Sleepless Nights Have Never Been so Interesting!!

2009-12-05T12:25:00.004-06:00

Sleepwalking has never become as interesting as it has in Thomas Fahy’s young adult horror novel Sleepless!! Emma Montgomery is a teenager who has been having some major trouble sleeping since she returned to the small town of Sea Cliff which is on Long Island, from her summer school trip to New Orleans. Poor Emma, who is also grieving over the death of her mother, is having terrible nightmares and she can not even remember what they are about she only knows that when she awakens something terrible is bound to happen soon. Emma even awakes in different locations from where she was when she fell asleep. Emma soon finds out that she is not the only person suffering from these nightmares. The other members of Dr. Beecher’s secret society that Emma is a part of at Saint Opportuna High are also having a troubled sleep. Dr. Beecher was the faculty advisor on the students’ trip to New Orleans to rebuild houses after the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The students and Dr. Beecher formed a bond on their trip and promised each other that they keep the details of the trip secret and only between those that went on the trip. These details include the mysterious events surrounding the death of Reverend Michaels who was the reverend of the church the students were sleeping at during their stay in New Orleans. Soon someone turns up murdered, and it appears by one of them. Now the race is on to stay awake and figure out what is causing the nightmares before more people get hurt or even worse murdered. Readers are kept guessing as to whom or what could possible be behind the horror and the only person we really get to know and trust is Emma our main character, and Jack Hardale another member of the secret society who is also a pot dealer to his fellow students. Jack is a character reluctant readers would relate to because he does not like school much, but he does like Emma and his hobby/job which is fixing cars at an auto shop. Ms. Dupré is another character in the story who adds an interesting dynamic because she relocated to Sea Cliff after Hurricane Katrina and practice voodoo so some are suspicious of her.
With a little over 200 pages, quick moving chapters, and an awesome cover to capture their attention, this book is sure to get some reluctant readers interested in reading. Fahy also writes in a manner that will be easy for younger teens to understand and includes elements of horror as well as mystery. I think this book is appropriate for grades 9 and up, some of the imagery may give younger readers nightmares. I would recommend this book to both male and female reluctant readers on an independent reading list. Although Emma is the main characters male’s male students also have Jack's perspective to relate to. I also feel the book referencing Hurricane Katrina keeps it modern and relatable since many may have at least heard about this disaster and if they have not it may spark their interest and cause students to want to learn more.

Ooku: The Inner Chambers, Volume 1, by Fumi Yoshinaga

2009-12-05T12:17:00.004-06:00

The next president of the United States of America will be a woman! The military will be run by and feature only women! All forms of law enforcement will be women! Firefighters, professors, and businessmen will all be women!

Could this and will this ever happen? In the two volume series The Inner Chambers by Fumi Yoshinaga this is what is going on. The story takes place in Japan. Currently the nation is being swept by a terrible plague called Red Pox. One of the strange things about this plague is that it is only killing off the men. Women are not affected by the plague. In the first eighty years of the diseases the male population has decreased by 75%. This means that one out of every four men was killed by the Rex Pox. In order to protect the remaining male population women are taking over all of the jobs that men usually do. They are also taking over positions that are usually considered to be high risk. One thing that the women are doing that is a male only aspect part of the culture is becoming a Shogun. This position is similar to being commander in chief of the armed forces in Japan. It is very surprising that a woman would have this title because it has never happened before.

In Japan gender roles seem more strict than they do here in America, so you can imagine how much the country changed culturally. I think that this book is excellent from a feminist point of view. It shows young adults that women can do anything that men can do. I think that it is hilarious that it is finally acceptable for women to be allowed to do the things that were only male jobs when men are all dying off and there is no one else to do it . I think that one of the main lessons that the book is trying to teach is that we should not let it get to this point. Women should not have to wait until the population of men is so low to be able to do some things that are reserved or expected to be only for men. I was interested in the book, and the artwork was amazing, but I am not sure if teenagers would fully understand the concept. I think that it is a bit of a slow read for them, but it does teach good lessons.

What do you mean I'm a vampire princess?

2009-12-05T12:09:00.004-06:00

Jessica Packwood is looking forward to the first day of her senior year, doing math problems in her head, like any good mathlete would, as she waits for the bus then she sees him. Jessica doesn't know the stranger watching her but he seems to know her. As she climbs the stairs on the bus she here him softly call "Anatanasia". How does he know this name? it is her name from before, when she lived in Romania, before she was adopted as a baby.
When Jess gets to school he is there she learns his name is Lucius Vladescu, he is from Romania and seems to be stalking Jess. When Jess' mom picks her up after school her friend Mindy mentions Lucius and after her mom pressures Jess she tells her about the boy and what his name is. Jess is surprised by her mothers reaction when mom invites the boy over for dinner.
This is when we learn that Jessica's adopted parents are vegan hippies that have never told her about her past. You can only imagine this down to earth Pennsylvania teens reaction to Lucius' news that she is a vampire princess and she is betrothed to marry him and bring peace to their people. Jessica thinks Lucius and her parents are crazy because there is no way she is a vampire much less that she is going to marry a stranger.
The rest of the book progresses as Jessica first refuses to believe Lucius and refuses to have anything to do with him to believing him and trying to get him to accept and marry her. This book is Beth Fantaskey's first and it shows the characters are for the most part dull and one dimensional although it does have some charming moments. I don't think this would be a good book for teens and teachers to read because if i was bored in parts then most teens would never finish. I think Ms. Fantaskey has great potential as a writer and I hope that her next book has better developed characters.

Border Crossing by Jessica Lee Anderson

2009-12-05T11:46:00.004-06:00

The book "Border Crossing" is a heart breaking story about a teenager who has to deal with many conflicting issues and feels that he has no one to turn to. Manz's lives in Rockhill Texas; he is half- Mexican and half -Anglo; and his biological father was a Mexican who worked in an orchard to provide for Manz and his mother. His father "Loco" was killed in a car accident, which he believes was suicide. Manz's mother Dolores has also gone through many personal traumatic experiences, one being the death of her baby, Gabriel. She is an alcoholic and is so consumed in her own tragedy, that she doesn't notice her sons cry for help, until it's too late. The only time her drinking is under control is when her boyfriend Tom is around. Tom is a truck driver and his job requires for him to be on the road for long periods of time.

Manz's best friend is Jed, whom lives at home with an abusive father. Both boys keep themselves occupied by finding small jobs around their town. They find a summer job rebuilding a fence for a cattle ranch outside town.There Manz meets a girl named Vanessa; she works in the ranch's kitchen. They seem to get along but he isn't sure if he could trust her with his feelings of paranoia.

Manz hears voices, has visions, and feelings of paranoia. He fears that the Border Patrol want to apprehend him. When he sees the Border Patrol officers gathering illegal immigrants, the voices tell him that he's next. His mother notices the signs of mental illness, which are similar to what his father experienced before his fatal accident. She urges Manz to get help but he refuses. The voices keep getting louder and he doesn't know who to turn to for help.

"Border Crossing" is a book about dysfunctional families, illegal immigration and mental illness. It is written in first person narrative, giving readers a vivid impression of what Manz was experiencing with schizophrenia as it worsened.

This was a very interesting book and I highly recommend it. As I read it, I felt the pain and desperation that Manz was feeling as he lost his grip on reality.

Graceling

2009-12-05T10:15:00.001-06:00

Love, action, supernatural powers and adventure all in one book? Yes, Graceling by Kristin Cashore has it all. In this book Katsa is what is called a graceling, someone with a particular supernatural gift. Not everyone who lives in the kingdom of Middluns, or any of the other seven Kingdoms are gracelings, but Katsa is easily distinguished as a graceling by her eyes, one is blue and the other green. Katsa has a very rare grace, she finds out when she is eight years old that she is graced with killing when she accidently kills a cousin of hers who was touching her in an uncomfortable manner. Katsa is isolated from much of society is used by her uncle, the king. He uses her as a weapon to help protect his kingdom. Katsa accepts her life as it is until she meets Po. They become friends and soon lovers. Po’s grace is combat fighting. He and Katsa train together and she ends up leaving the kingdom and her uncle. They go on an adventure together in search of his family. In a surprising twist, Po ends up losing his sight in battle and he and Katsa do not end up getting married as they are expected to in the book.

This was a very exciting and thrilling book that I think would captivate the minds of young adults. One thing about this book is that the theme of friendship was so strong. There were also many other positive themes in the book that would be good for young adult readers. First of all the main character was a female with supernatural powers. She was only ten years old for the majority of the novel, an adolescent heroine is not what you read about most of the time. The book shows that women can be strong also. Katsa was a very independent girl, there are many times when she stands up for herself and shows that she is in control of herself. Another theme that is good for readers to pick up on is the fact that you should never give up. It is controversial rather this book is appropriate for readers of younger that teenage because there is sex in the book. I personally think that the sex was described in such minor detail that it should not be an issue that prevents teens to be able to read this book. It was very exciting and fast paced and makes you want to keep reading.

The Reformed Vampire Support Group

2009-12-04T18:47:00.003-06:00

Vampire Mania is here again with The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks. However, Jinks does it with a twist and instead of with the typical sexy, glamorous, romantic, and powerful vampires we are used to being subjected to, she has Nina Harrison for a narrator. Nina, who became a vampire at age fifteen and has not aged a day since, is the opposite of what we would typically expect of vampires she is awkward, thin and definitely not powerful. She is a character many adolescents will be able to understand because they too many be feeling awkward and incapable. These qualities make Nina a great narrator in a book for young adults. Nina’s life includes here living with her mother in Sydney, Australia , who is now in her 70’s, and going to her vampire support group meetings.

The meeting attendies are all outsiders just like Nina. This awkward group of vampire misfits meets regularly at a church, and the meetings are even chaperoned by a human priest (Ironic huh?). It turns out, the whole thing about crosses and garlic making vampires ill is more myth than truth in Nina’s reality. Being a vampire in Nina’s world is kind of like being an addict, only she is addicted to human blood. The vampires in this story have a disease that cannot be cured, but can be control, mainly by using willpower, to overcome their desire for human blood and by biting small animals in their case, guinea pigs, and taking enzymes that mimic those in human blood. Some readers may even equate the vampires in this book with real addits or criminals.

Nina does not seem to care much about some of the other members of her support group but when Casimir the strange troublemaker of the group is shot with a sliver bullet and stabbed in the heart the group realizes they need to work together to solve this mystery before another one of them end up turned to dust. Dave another young vampire seems to be one of Nina’s favorite support group members and she begins to like him more than just a friend. This book is a humorous mystery about an unlikely group of individuals working to solve this murder. I believe this book would be a great addition to a junior high or early high school reading list. To find out whom or what behind the mysterious murder of Casimir, what happens to Nina and her budding relationship with Dave your going to have to read for yourself but the journey will be fun and interesting.

Children of the Sea, by Daisuke Igarashi

2009-12-04T15:11:00.004-06:00

"Children of the Sea" is a continuing manga series by author/artist Daisuke Igarashi. The story follows the life of Ruka, a young Japanese girl who feels drawn to the sea, and gets roped into a complicated friendship with two brothers, Sori and Umi. Sori and Umi are possibly human, possibly supernatural creatures, who were raised in the ocean by dugongs -sea dwelling creatures that resemble manatees. (Except a little smaller.) When Ruka was a small girl, she was taken to the aquarium by her father - and swears she saw a sparkling, beautiful ghost in the tank there. While swimming with Sori and Umi (who don't need oxygen tanks!,)in the ocean, Ruka sees other creatures that resemble the ghost she saw in the aquarium. From this point, her love and relationship with the sea grows. I found this "book" to be incredibly interesting, and the artwork was incredible. I would certainly recommend this book to teenagers - it's engrossing, and the story is very relatable. I found myself, even as an adult, totally wrapped up in Ruka's fate, and totally enamoured with the "sea" lifestyle that Sori and Umi live together. There a few issues that the book might have - since its translated from Japanese, some of the dialogue is a little hard to follow, and slightly inconsistent. Not all of the translations are accurate or make sense, but since the book is primarily illustration based, you can get by without understanding ALL of the words. Also, since the book is translated from Japanese, its backwards! Well, at least according to us Americans. You begin the story at the back cover, and finish at the front cover, and read from right to left. This took a little getting used to, but finding new ways to read and enjoy stories is always something that's beneficial, and good for the mind.

Test

2009-12-03T16:59:00.001-06:00

This is just a test to ensure that you guys can read my post!

Gothic Lolita Punk

2009-12-03T16:39:00.004-06:00

Gothic Lolita was definitely an eye - opening read for me. The book explores different facets of artistic expression, all depicting the Japanese Style-Trend known as Gothic Lolita. The book itself is composed of the work of several different artists, mostly using Manga style artwork to depict "Gothic Lolita" artwork. The book was visually stimulating, yes, and some of the artwork was quite good - including the piece depicted on the cover, drawn by an artist named "Yoh." Despite its interesting visual ideas, I found this book to be deeply disturbing, and the idea of showing it to young children is quite honestly, a little terrifying.
Now let me get it straight here. I am an incredibly open minded person. For the most part, I am laid back, easy going, and non judgemental of those around me. The Japanese phenomenon of Gothic Lolita, however, dumbfounded me - and not in a good way. The style is essentially based in making (mostly young) women appear like girlish dolls. The dress is mostly Victorian style and doll-like, with big hoop skirts, lots of lace and frills, and is usually accompanied with complicated hairstyles or extravagant hats, or both. The style is depicted similarly in the book, except even more exravagantly, with incredibly trim waistlines, and sexually suggestive facial expressions.
What bothers me mostly about this style (and the book,) is that Gothic Lolita, and the men and women who subscribe to its aesthetic, seem to be perversely desiring to be perceived as young, sweet, and innocent. Primarily young. The WikiHow entry on "How to be Gothic Lolita" includes tips that say things like, "Take steps to fit the feminine style; removing all hair on the legs, (tasteful) makeup, lipstick, and mascara will promote a more girlish appearance." and also, "Decorate your room/house in that way, bake/cook, have tea parties and cherish everything that is beautiful." The women (and occasionaly men,) who aspire to be "Gothic Lolita" are fetishizing something that belongs to children.
The Gothic Lolita style seems to be a demented way to a)sexualize young girls, and b)present women as objects. In turn, the book I read was an homage to the style, and therefore a perpetuation of the idolization of young, pure, innocent girls.

High School Debut: Volume 8

2009-12-03T10:41:00.005-06:00

From Kazune Kawahara, the writer, artist, and creator of the High School Debut series comes Volume 8. The entire series is considered Shojo Beat: Manga from the Heart. But in order to understand the plot line and characters, from this particular volume, we have to back up and look at the series as a whole. The series revolves around a girl named Haruna. She is described as a hapless girl whose luck at getting a boyfriend during high school is anything but successful. But, she enlists the help of Yoh, the "class stud," who coaches her on how to get a boyfriend. Predictably, Yoh and Haruna fall for each other and the series turns from "how to get a boyfriend" to "how to date a boy."

During the first half of Volume 8, some newcomers to the school threaten to meddle with Haruna and Yoh's new relationship. These younger boys have no idea how undesirable Haruna used to be, and only see her as Yoh's girlfriend. Since Yoh is one of the most popular boys in the school, Haruna quickly becomes desirable to the new students. Yoh has to remind her how to behave properly around them and obstacles soon arise.

The other plot line present in Volume 8 deals with Haruna's upcoming 17th birthday. Yoh struggles with this because everything that Haruna would like for her birthday is just not his style. Although Haruna does not want to put any pressure on Yoh to get her the perfect gift, her lack of suggestions that fit Yoh's personality lead to a lot of stress on his part.

I feel the need to start out by saying that the artwork in this book was great not only for its consistency and obvious talent, but also for its ability to clearly show feeling. Reading this book was also interesting because it read from back to front and left to right (thankfully there were instructions on the book itself, or I probably would have begun reading it the wrong way). This may appeal to students who want to try something new.

Unfortunately my criticism on the book's storyline and content is not as positive as the artwork and alternative way to read. I found Yoh's treatment of Haruna to be a bit awkward, and almost sexist. His facial expressions make him look as though he may slap her across the face at any moment. When one of the new students actually kisses Haruna, Yoh's reaction causes her to retract into a self-hating state - even though the other student was the one doing the kissing. Haruna apologizes endlessly to Yoh for "her" mistake, obviously a sign of some self-esteem issues.

I worry about the entire plot line of the series and its impression it may leave on teenage girls. By Haruna enlisting Yoh to teach her how to get a boyfriend, it is as if the author is saying that, first of all, all girls need boyfriends, and secondly, that just being yourself is not enough. If you do not have a boyfriend, then perhaps you should enlist the help of a very popular boy to train you. And not only that, but once you do have a boyfriend, he should remind you how to behave. This also left a bad taste in my mouth as far as how teenage boys might read it - that they could "train" a girl to behave properly as their girlfriend.

In the end, I likened this book (and the rest of the series) to something along the lines of the Gossip Girl series. Sure, it could be a fun read for some students (as long as they know that "normal people" do not behave in such ways) but as a critical text that might be used in a classroom I would not recommend it. The age range is, I'm sure, geared at middle and high schoolers (since the series actually begins with Haruna in middle school), but I would be hesitant to suggest it for younger readers who may take some of the characters' words and actions more literally. I think it would be okay for those readers who have a better grasp on a healthy male-female relationship, and who might actually be able to comment critically on the characters actions and behaviors.

Because I truly did find the artwork in this piece to be very interesting, I've included a video below in which an artist describes some of the key elements to drawing your own Manga. It is a bit long, but if you are at all interested in the artwork style it is very good!

From Blog To Book

2009-12-03T08:56:00.022-06:00

Human communication is a funny thing. The written exchanges of communication in Kerry Miller’s Passive Aggressive Notes: Painfully Polite and Hilariously Hostile Writings from Shared Spaces the World Over prove how hilarious human interaction can be.

Often times when we are angry or upset with someone, we are passive-aggressive as a way to avoid confrontation, especially when it is someone we are close to. Kerry Miller’s compilation of notes between roommates, co-workers, loved ones, and even strangers, shows how people consistently write notes as a way to express these angry feelings indirectly. Patterns emerge, and humorously, it seems like everyone has had a roommate who refuses to do the dishes, or a grandma/mother that makes them feel guilty for not calling. In the workplace it’s the guy who accidentally eats your lunch, or that someone who just seems to live to annoy you.

Check out some funny examples from the book of post-its, letters, and notes people have written and received. The compilation implies that we are not all that different after all, and shows that people can be pretty funny when they are angry.

This book is interesting because it started as a blog. It began when Kerry Miller, then a student, went out on a first date. During small talk, her date described the bickering that had been going on between him and his roommate; in fact, it had gotten so bad that he had been communicating back and forth with him strictly through post it notes. Kerry also had roommates who had given her “friendly little reminders” full of sarcasm and passive aggression about doing the dishes. Indeed, her grandmother was the queen of passive aggressive quips in birthday cards and letters. This inspired Kerry to make a small Internet site where she posted a few of these notes for others to read. The feedback was incredible and spawned the blog passiveaggressivenotes.com. Notes began pouring in, with commentary and back story included, adding more comedic effect. After such feedback, Kerry Miller, with the help of Harper Collins, created a book containing some personal and site fan favorites. This book demonstrates that taking the initiative to do something clever can lead to positive things. Much like Mark Zuckerberg, Kerry’s online hobby granted her worldwide success.

While not all of the notes may be labeled passive aggressive, they all provide a glimpse into the personal exchanges going on between people that one would otherwise consider strangers. The reader is given an inside look at the funny ways in which people correspond, and the unusual quirks people have.

I think that this book would be a relevant and humorous gift to give to a high school graduate getting ready to head off to college or enter the workforce. It contains notes between roommates, parents and children, and co-workers; and shows young adults that they are not alone if they are having tiffs within these relationships. It is a quick and easy read which could serve nicely as a conversation piece on a coffee table. The book is also colorful and fun to look at. In some ways it is a voyeuristic type of entertainment, which in fact is immensely popular...

There have been quite a few books with similar premises that are equally entertaining and give insight into the lives of others. I personally enjoy the Found books and magazines, which are simply a collections of notes, cards, and photos etc. that people find. An equally interesting book which I have not read, but have seen in book stores, is Mortified. This is a collection of “artifacts of adolescent expression (writing, art, media)” where “grown men and women confront their past with firsthand tales of their... first kiss, first puff, worst prom, fights with mom, life at bible camp . . . best mall job, and reasons they deserved to marry Jon Bon Jovi.” I think this book would be equally, if not more appealing to teen readers. However, Kerry Miller’s collection remains a witty insight into human emotion and relations.

The Great Wide Sea

2009-12-03T08:55:00.032-06:00

Imagine dropping everything, going rogue to live a life at sea; a seemingly dreamy and relaxing vision isn’t it? The real maritime experiences of Ben and his brothers in M.H. Herlong’s The Great Wide Sea, however, could not be more contrasting.

After the loss of their mother and the family anchor to an unexpected car crash, their grieving father sells the family home to buy The Chrysalis, with plans to set sail on a year- long tour of the Bahamas. During this time, the boys learn how to sail from their father and serve as his crew, each having a specialty. However, when the boys wake up one morning and their father is missing, the struggle for survival ensues, and a terrible storm leaves them shipwrecked. They must work together to stay alive, while unsure if their father fell overboard or jumped.

The boys are a great cast of characters; Ben is the oldest and the book is told through his point of view. He takes on a provider role, and comes of age throughout the story. Dylan is a brainiac who seemingly knows everything about everything, and the boys rely on him during their time marooned on an uninhabited island. Gerry is the toe-headed, blankie- toting little boy whose innocence and sincerity are refreshing, and his inquisitive nature serves as a platform for Ben’s reflections on life.

This book has a dynamic way of exploring male familial relationships. It also has an enduring plot line showing the tensions often times seen in teen/parent interactions and father/son relationships. Because of M.H Herlong’s frequent use of foreshadowing, I don’t mind ensuring the reader that the Byron family does prevail and the story, while it is one of loss, is also one of perseverance and trust. The book is chock full of sailing terminology and real-world survival techniques which is captivating. The Great Wide Sea has a great companion site that includes ways to use the sky for navigation, a layout of the Chrysalis, terminology and other neat things worth checking out.

Published in 2008, this book is a great addition to the YA genre. It would also be a great addition to the middle or high school classroom. The novel displays good character development and wisdom. It is split into both chapters and sections, and induces page turning with its suspense. On a side note Mr. Byron, the boys’ father, is a high school English teacher, and often cites poetry to his children, which serves as a coping mechanism for him. Also, The Great Wide Sea is not incredibly graphic and explores issues that may be considered less controversial than sex and teen pregnancy, like seen in Sara Zarr’s Story of a Girl or Virginia Euwer Wolff’s Make Lemonade. While both have important and meaningful messages, they are often looked over by teachers and parents. However, The Great Wide Sea may not attract a diverse group of readers while these two books might. The Byrons are plucked from middle class suburbia, and there are no characters that represent a multicultural point of view. The exploration of loss and recovery, love and hate, and childhood and adulthood, however, remain useful and memorable.

Melting Stones

2009-12-03T08:55:00.031-06:00

Evvy redefines being one with nature. As a mage, she has the power to communicate with non-human spirits, elements and beings.

Fourteen year old Evvy was sold by her parents as a slave when she was six years old and talks of how she was beaten by masters, stolen from, and kicked around while living on the streets. She was eventually pursued and found by other mages because of her magic, and is now a student of the rarest kind, a stone mage. Because of her unique powers, she is asked to accompany Rosethorn, a plant mage and teacher-like character, to Starn Island where plants and animals have been dying off mysteriously, and the water has become acidic. Her trusty companion, Luvo, is the heart of a mountain, a talking rock who provides great wisdom to Evvy and the others, due to his old age. He is as old as the mountain he comes from, but has only been separated from his mountain and free to interact with humans and assist Evvy, for two years. If you look closely at the cover of Melting Stones, shown right, you can see his purple and green “body” strapped to her back. You can also see in the original cover seen below, in which he has human-like features.

Evvy must travel across large bodies of water to get to Starn Island, which is difficult for her because she is so far from rocks and minerals. Once she arrives there, she feel uneasy because the Earth’s “pulse and heart” seem rapid, and its stomach “belches” from underneath the surface. She must now put her powers to the test and find out what is causing the plants and animals on the island to die. With the power of astral travel, Evvy can leave her physical body, and interact with rock, minerals, and the spirits that inhabit these natural landforms. By doing so, Evvy finds it is the magma spirits trying to break through the surface of the Earth; they are causing the Earth’s pulse to quicken. Just like mountains have hearts, volcanoes too are composed of living spirits. Because of her unique specialties as a stone mage, although only an apprentice, it is up to Evvy, with the help of Luvo, to save the island and its people from the impending doom of a natural disaster.

Evvy is a hard-headed character who at times seems difficult to get along with. She is egocentric and headstrong, but very smart. However, as the novel goes on, Evvy grows and learns and comes into her new found reresponsibilities. She originally thinks she is better than others because of her magical powers, but later feels humbled by her ability to help others. She must unravel clues about what is causing the plants and animals to die, and through this timely process comes into herself. To an adult reader, it is seemingly apparent that it is volcanic activity causing the issues because of all the scientific geologic clues presented to Evvy throughout the book. The personification of natural elements and landforms is interesting and unique.

Although a fantasy novel, Melting Stones explores real-world issues like child slavery and the traumatic effects of war. The reader learns that prior to the happenings of this novel, Evvy was tortured and scarred during a war in her native country, and her fears of human contact in this novel seem to be a result of these events. It also employs a diverse cast of characters, with the human characters being from different and colorful backgrounds. Evvy's attitudes and feelings also represent typical teenage angst about who she is and who she will become. It also seems to follow a loose pattern seen in many YA books of something troubling occurring, events leading up to what is or how to solve the problem, an episode of proving oneself to authority figures or loved ones, and a “save the day” moment of clarity. Most interestingly, Tamora Pierce wrote this novel to be published as an audio book and on Playaway, before publishing it in print a year later. This book is recommended for ages 8 and up, but I believe it would be most suitable in a middle school classroom.

What do you do when you find out the boy you like is your brother?

2009-12-02T16:01:00.003-06:00

This is only one of the problems facing Clary Fray in the second installment of Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series.
Clary Fray is going through some major crises. First she finds out that she is a demon slaying Shadowhunter; Simon, her best friend, just told her that he loves her; the boy she is crushing on , Jace, is probably her brother; her mother is in the hospital in a magical coma; and her newly discovered father is trying to take over the world and summoning an army of killer demons to help him.
City of Ashes picks up where City of Bones, the first in the series, leaves off. Having defeated her father, Valentine, for now Clary tries to pick up the shattered pieces he left. Clary begins her search for the cure to what is wrong with her mother this search leads her into the heart of the supernatural world her mother kept hidden from her since she was a baby. Clary also tries to deal with Simon's feeling for her and her feelings for Jace. Because Valentine claimed Jace and Clary are both his children Jace feels sickened by the fact that he loves Clary, Clary on the other hand refuses to believe Valentine but for Jace's sake tries to bury her feeling for him by attempting to date Simon. If that isn't enough for one girl to deal with we find out that Valentine is murdering downworlder (supernaturals that aren't Shadowhunters) children and
has stolen the second of the mortal instruments that he needs to take over the world.
During her search Clary is summoned to the faerie realm she brings Jace, Simon, and her new shadowhunter friend Isabelle with her. While in the fairy realm Clary is forced by the queen into kissing Jace. After seeing the passion between Jace and Clary Simon runs off to the vampire hotel he was kept captive in in the first book where instead of killing him like he wants he is turned.
City of Ashes is not your average fantasy book; Clary is a heroine you will feel compassion for as she struggles with her world crashing down around her. I think this a fun and exciting book that deals with real world issues in a gritty and honest manner, however; I don't think that it is important for teens or teachers to read on it's own, which isn't to say I don't think it shouldn't be read because it should. I think Cassandra Clare is a fantastic writer but City of Ashes will leave you confused unless you read the prequel, City of Bones, first.

A thoughtful portrayal of cancer

2009-12-02T15:14:00.006-06:00

"And before it was all over, we saw just one more thing: a man dancing with his wife at the water's edge to music only they could hear. He put a hand where her right breast had been as he bent to kiss her. Johanna was behind us at that moment, bundled in a huge sweatshirt. She slipped behind me and Matthew, putting her arms around us and pulling us tight. "Cancer can't ever touch that." -Notes From The Dog

Hopefully this excerpt displays the power of this novel effectively. Gary Paulsen's Notes From The Dog is a perfect example of young adult literature that is very engaging, but also covers a depressing subject (Cancer) in an extremely powerful way. The main character Finn (Huckleberry reference) is somewhat of an outsider who is disengaged with the world. He is a reader of many books, and lives withing his own boundaries as he opens the novel with the immortal line: "Sometimes having company is not all it's cracked up to be". This withdrawn character is very popular in these type of books, perhaps because young readers can easily relate to an individual who is somewhat guarded. For most of us, the whole high school experience involved us having to protect ourselves from the individuals around us-- not because they were all bad-- simply that the teenage years are the ones where we are most likely to feel vulnerable to the world's complexities.

I loved this book. The simplicity, use of emotion, strong characters, topicality, and general accessibility (a mere 129 pages) stood out above all the other books I have blogged on this semester. Paulsen is something of a legend in the YAL world, and his ability to connect to younger audiences is something I greatly admired.

Johanna (Finn's neighbor, a breast cancer sufferer) fits many of the archetypal female characteristics of other YAL literature. She is sociable, active, and very much a go-getter in life. But what sets her apart from other female characters in the genre is her disease. As she has breast cancer, it is easy to sympathize with her and understand the emotional turmoil that she must be going through. Paulsen creates a character filled with optimism, and for me she was the highlight of this book. Finn himself I could definitely relate to. His introverted behavior was easy for me to connect to, and I also loved Dylan (his dog) who was thoroughly involved in the story and helped create some of the humorous situations that occurred.

I would say this novel is an essential read for future teachers, and it would also be very easy to bring into the classroom. Many kids will relate to the themes and topics here, and it deals with a very weighty subject in a very touching and engaging way.

Blogged by Stuart Millar

If I Was Your Girl

2009-12-02T12:32:00.005-06:00

"He was cool, though," Harlem said, laying next to me in bed and placing Noah between us. "But this is my man." He kissed me on my forehead. "I think I could probably do this."

For the first time in my life I felt like Heaven was smiling. I thought about telling Harlem that I loved him, but then a part of me still wasn't sure where this was going, so I changed my mind...though there was nothing I could do about my heart.

Ni-Ni Simone's If I Was Your Girl follows the story of Toi McKnight, a teenage mother. Readers begin the story with a brawl between Toi and her baby daddy's new girl, Shanice. Throughout the book readers are exposed to Toi's challenges of being a teenage mother and still maintain her identity as teen, which always seem to be in conflict. When Toi meets Harlem, it only becomes more complicated, but not always in a bad way.They end up falling in love and having an on-again off-again relationship. Toi decides to end the relationship for good and Harlem moves to Atlanta. Eventually, so does Toi and her family so her and her twin sister, Seven can attend Spelman University . Do Harlem and Toi reconnect in "Hotlanta?"

Simone's book is full of urban references from "sucking on my teeth" to the clothing and music describe. She did a great job with this book as I could picture exactly what they were wearing, hearing, saying. It gave me much better visuals than other books. She even wrote the text with an urban dialect which enhanced the reality of the story. There was also great comic relief with Percy and his posse; they were all about four feet tall. They were constantly chasing the girls in the story around and were always able to provide a laugh.

Simone does a good job of portraying the realities of teenage pregnancy. This is not the glamorous life and she is sure to show how it effects everyone in the family. This story is also a great depiction of growing up and maturing. Toi has to learn how to be a good mother, friend, girlfriend, student, and all around person. While she shares of many teenage girls of wanting to be in a relationship, she pulls away and fixes her relationship with herself, which I think is something very important that most authors touch on.

In my search for additions to my review I found out that If I was Your Girl is the second book by Simone. The first book Shortie Like Mine ,is actually a prequel to this book and is about Toi's twin, Seven. I did not feel as if I missed out on anything though by starting with this book, though.

This Full House

2009-12-01T17:46:00.004-06:00

Whatever happened to LaVaughn and Jolly? The characters we became so closely tied to in Virginia Euwer Wolff's Make Lemonade. Well "This Full House" provides the conclusions we have been searching for about the success (or failure) of the lives of Lavaughn and Jolly.

The story begins with LaVaughn, who has decided to enter a Women in Medical Science, WIMS, program to pursue her dream of entering college, but also to study science and medicine. For more information on real life WIMS programs click here: http://www.worldbook.com/wb/Students?content_spotlight/wscimed. This program is run by Dr. Moore, a woman who has dedicated her life to medicine and wants to offer young girls the chance to succeed.While finishing her last year of high school LaVaughn is enrolled in the WIMS program, has a job in the local hospital, and continues to watch Jolly's kids while she studies for the G.E.D. LaVaughn is beginning to see things from a new perspective and realizes that college is definitely a possibility for her now. As the book moves along LaVaughn comes to another shocking realization...she may have found Jolly's biological mother. So, LaVaughn dedicates herself to solving this mystery and we, as readers, figure it out right along with her.

If you liked Make Lemonade, then you will absolutely love This Full House. All of the loose ends of Jolly's life are finally discovered in a shocking and unbelievable twist that left me stunned! The continual struggles of Jolly have obvious appeal to young adult readers, because they are finally able to see Jolly's strength and her ability to overcome everything that was thrown her way. LaVaughn also provides an amazing example of perseverance, never giving up on her own dreams, while still being able to help others. I think that this book would create some very interesting classroom discussion about future goals, struggles, and ways in which to overcome those struggles.

For another opinion check out this review from the Washington Post at:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/03/03/AR2009030303605.html

For a young adult perspective on this book check out this review:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIza5NafYkw

For more information on the Make Lemonade trilogy, click here:

http://www.librarything.com/series/Make%20Lemonade%20Trilogy

You mean the biggest disaster isn't Groo?

2009-12-01T16:28:00.006-06:00

Sergio Aragonés's Groo the Wanderer is a lovable but bumbling barbarian who tends to leave disaster in his wake as he travels from village to village trying to "help". In Hell on Earth it turns out that Groo isn't the biggest disaster to come to the kingdom.
The Locale is and indeterminate time not unlike the Middle Ages, and pollution from the kings weapons' factory leads the risk of global warming as well as imminent war. Groo goes to the weapons factory seeking a job, because the factory manager is scared of Groo he gives him a job bringing bundles down from the roof. Groo, seeking an easier way to to move the bundles, accidentally falls through the roof making an improvised chimney that releases the smoke that until that moment had been clogging the factory and making the workers sick. While the workers are happy that the smoke is no longer inside with them the towns people begin to see and feel the effects of the pollution. The townsfolk are angry about the pollution and demand that the king do something about it. Buco's answer, provided by Groo (of Course), is to build taller chimneys to make the smoke go higher in the air. This solution provided relief for Buco's kingdom but pushed the problem in to the neighboring kingdoms. After investigating the neighboring kingdoms find out what Buco is up to and increase their own weapons production creating more pollution. While the kingdoms are preparing for war the story shifts between Groo ineptly leading an army in search of an enemy that doesn't exist, and the Sage, Groo's logical friend who is wandering the kingdoms trying to persuade the people that the problem is environmental changes not who their king is.
While Hell on Earth is a bit preachy at times about the environmental issues that it tackles it is funny and that is why I think it is important to teach in the classroom. If Groo can figure out that there is a problem with pollution and that littering is bad for the planet than anyone can. Hell on Earth lets you know that anyone can help to clean up the planet.

Sharp Teeth

2009-12-01T13:04:00.004-06:00

What lengths would you go to keep your darkest secret from the one you love? Sharp Teeth is a novel about a pack of werewolves in L.A., a pack of werewolves who freely change from humans to werewolves. These aren't the same kinds of werewolves we have seen before (in the Twilight series or Shiver), but werewolves who can push their transformation all the way to regular dogs. These transformations can be intentional or triggered by cocaine use or the smell of fried chicken. This story also depicts a dogcatcher named Anthony who gets unintentionally caught up in the lives of the werewolves/dogs, while struggling to deal with his painful past. He falls in love with a female werewolf who has stayed from the pack, attempting to break free from the others. Barlow does an incredible job making the characters complex, but also relatable in an unexpected way. What results is an extremely dangerous, crude, and intriguing tale written in a free verse style that makes it accessible to all, but also makes it unique to other novels. For an absolutely bone chilling excerpt from the book, check out this video here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFJRn7akXeQ.

Although this book is exciting and very interesting, I do not think it is appropriate for high school classrooms because of the adult content matter and the language that is used. There are many scenes of drug use and violence as well as some distasteful language relating to sexual activity. With that being said, I would definitely recommend this book to older readers because it provides a completely different take on the usual vampire/werewolf tales in a much more adult way. Barlow moves past the typical werewolf human relationship, and comments on the human condition as a whole. The way we are all invested in pain and suffering, love and loss, and the inevitability of death. Proving that "the heart is a bloody thing".

For another review of this book check out this blog: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-sharp-teeth-by-toby/.

You can also find more urban werewolves in "No Humans Involved" by Kelley Armstrong, summarized here: http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=No_Humans_Involved_by_Kelley_Armstrong.

Jumping Off Swings

2009-12-01T10:29:00.006-06:00

America is obsessed with people having babies, plain and simple. When a famous actress shows even a hint of a baby-belly, the media goes wild. When a famous couple welcomes a child into the world, the rights to the first publicized baby photos sends magazines into a frenzy. And even when seemingly ordinary individuals have babies, we throw them baby showers, bestow numerous gifts on them, and many of us "just can't wait" to meet the little one when he or she arrives. Not only is America obsessed with the lighter, happier, more "normal" side of pregnancy, but it is also obsessed with the scandal that sometimes accompanies it. Like when a teenage girl gets pregnant.

Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles is about such a scandal. Ellie is barely half-way through high school, but she is quickly forced into the adult world. She was not the most innocent girl in town - she often slept with boys in order to feel some sort of love. But after a one-night-stand with Josh, Ellie becomes pregnant and faces a world full of adult decisions which she is clearly not mature enough to make. Not only is she forced to deal with the pregnancy itself, but she is forced to come to terms with how she got there and how one mistake will affect so many people around her.

Ellie's story is told from four different points of view. Through Ellie we learn that while her family is physically present and able to meet their needs financially, there is an emotional disconnect, or dysfunction, which Ellie has always felt. Through Corinne, Ellie's best friend, we see how even the best of friends can sometimes have a difficult time helping each other, as Corinne often does not know how to support Ellie in her decisions. Through Josh, we get the point of view of the biological father of the unwanted baby, and how his own home life probably greatly attributed to his own careless actions as well as his reaction to the situation. And finally, through Caleb, who is Josh's good friend, we see how even in the worst of circumstances, sticking by someone is often the best thing you can do for them. Other characters play important roles as well. Caleb's mom, Liz, seems to serve as the moral backbone to the story, helping Ellie with love and support during a time when her own parents seem unable to. Also important is Josh's father, who sheds important light on Josh's own life and helps him see through the pain of what has happened.

Jumping Off Swings was an intense, emotional journey that every boy, girl, pre-teen, teen, and parent should read. It has a lot to say not only about actual teenage pregnancy, but also about how such an event can disturb the lives of so many people. This would be an excellent book to use in a sexual education class, and even in an English class when discussing character development. There are very few sexually graphic scenes, which is why I would recommend it to not only high schoolers, but middle schoolers as well. And because it looks at the issue from a female and male point of view, I believe that it would be beneficial for both boys and girls to read it. Ideally, it would be a book that a teacher could use, and also recommend that the parents of the students read as well, in order to open up discussion with their children.

Below is a video of a very interesting interview. The girl in the video was a freshman in high school when she became pregnant. She talks about her decision and how her friends reacted to her situation. The psychologist in the video makes some good points about teenage pregnancy, how parents are probably not taking enough precautions when talking to their teens about such an important issue, and how the media seems to glorify it.

RASL The Drift

2009-11-30T22:01:00.000-06:00

Imagine you can jump through different levels of time and space! That's what Robert can do! How would you spend your time and where?

In this over sized, black and white graphic novel, Robert jumps around using time travel equipment that he and a fellow university scientist invented. His equipment looks like airplane engines that he straps on his shoulders and legs to propel him into his next "jump" in time. Its very bulky and he stashes it in garbage dumpsters and car trunks when roaming about in vehicles like pick up truck in what seems like modern time.

In the beginning of the novel, we find Robert stealing Pablo Picasso's The Old Guitarist painting to sell in a different time. He "jumps" to avoid the police takes time to drink, smoke, get laid (all graphically shown), he jumps because a strange lizard man attacks him. In his second jump location, he does another booty call which again involves drinking and smoking. Since he gets into a verbal fight with the booty call girl, he leaves her and goes to a strip joint (which, of course, has thong wearing pole dancers). Lizard man shows up, kills his booty call girl and destroys the Picasso painting - this, of course, becomes the story of the Drift Volume One, which continues on with an open ended ending that leads the reader to future Drift books.

"Graphic" novel really defines this book. Robert is not a good role model for students, unless you are teaching stealing, sex, drinking and smoking to your students! This is not your usual comic book superhero book!

I chose this book because I liked the storyline of time jumping, but I would suggest you skip this novel and "jump" in Steven Gould's Jumper Books and the movie The Jumper, here are the links to a better read:

http://www.jumperthemovie.com/

http://www.avclub.com/articles/book-vs-film-jumper,2178/

Mary Beth Hutting

Columbo in the Sands

2009-11-30T21:49:00.003-06:00

Do you remember the old TV series Columbo? Peter Falk lazily wandered around in a crumpled overcoat solving mysteries. Detective Columbo took his time getting the facts and eventually piecing the solution and all aspects of the murder. In Finding Nouf, Nayir bumbles around trying to solve the who and why of the death of Nouf Ash - Shrawi, a 16 year old daughter of a wealthy Arabian family. Her body is found in a wadi (a desert area that suddenly floods with flash flood waters) and her family has her death ruled a suicide and gets on with their life. But one step-brother, Othman, feels Nouf was murdered and wants to know the truth so he enlists desert guide and friend Nayir to find out why Nouf was killed and by whom. Othman also enlists his fiancee' Katya Hijazi, a forensic worker to work on the case without coronor approval. So Nayir and Katya slowly piece together facts and evidence to solve the mystery.

So read to find out: Did Nouf kill herself? Who did kill Nouf? How did a 16 year old female steal a camel and a truck and get away unnoticed? What is a miswak? What is a misyar? Nouf was engaged to be married in two days, but was pregnant! Who is the baby daddy? Did he kill her to hide the pregnancy on a girl that was suppose to be a wedding virgin? All this taking place in the strict religious world of Arabia, where your sandals melt to the sidewalk, yet men go buy coats at the coat bizarre. But don't forget, if an Arab get bored he can drive the one main street around and around to relieve frustrations because gas is only .52 cents a gallon and there is nothing but desert and the Red Sea in all directions! Its a cooky Columbo episode in the sand!

Although reviews have claimed this book is "fast-placed", it is as fast - paced as a turtle. It takes 300 pages to solve the mystery of Nouf's death. Nayir, like Columbo, is in no hurry.

Throughout the book the reader is exposed to the many aspects of current Arabian caste system with its expectations for men and women. How and where men talk, how and where women talk, arranged marriges, prayers and beliefs of Allah are all part of this book. This would be a great book for older teens and young adults that are studying the Arab society. But have dictionary.com ready to look up Arab words that the author thinks everyone knows the meaning of (context clues don't really help unless you know Arab society and terms).

On a positive note, there is slight humor - Nayir eventually does compare himself to Columbo after he buys a "Columbo coat" to wear at the coat bizarre in 95 degree sunshine and Nayir lives on a house boat. Although Nayir is a pious man, strange sexual tension tingle between Nayir and Katya which is forbidden in strict Arab society and is troublesome since Katya is Nayir's best friend's fiancee!

A great book if you want to learn about life in Arabia or have students that are looking for a positive portrayal of the Middle East lifestyles and beliefs.

Author's question and answer section about Finding Nouf on her website

http://www.zoeferraris.com/qa.php

In case you don't remember Columbo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbo_(TV_series)

RD's life is Messed Up!

2009-11-30T21:18:00.000-06:00

Oh The Joys of Middle School Times Three

RD is a Mexican 15 year old 8th grader, well 8th grader for the third time. He keeps getting retained because he refused to do any classwork or homework. He considers himself a big zero in life. But how else could he feel when he doesn't know anything about his father, his mother is locked up in jail, his grandmother just moved out and left him in a run down house with a seventy five year old step grandfather that has breathing problems due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. You'd be messed up too!

Then one day, RD comes home to find Grandpa Earl dead on the bathroom floor. Now he is completely alone, only has 18 dollars, no food in the house and even if he did have food, he doesn't know how to cook!

RD doesn't want to become a ward of the state and be sent to a group home so he keeps his home life a secret. Struggling with the downers in life, RD teaches himself to survive even though he bleaches his jeans, forgets to bathe for three days, thinks Earl's ghost is in the house and doesn't know how cook food (he yells at a frozen chicken - "You'd taste good if I knew how to cook you!").

RD has more problems than most teens, but many teens will relate to RD and his struggles for self sufficiency, deals with school, girls and everything else that come with living in a poor neighborhood. Although RD has a bad school past, this book shows a positive turnabout of a Hispanic teen. He chooses to make the right decisions to make himself a better life. This book could lead to discussions of gangbanging, drugs, consequences of your actions and decisions in a positive and negative directions that they take you in life.

Warning:Fairy tale/lame ending! The book is realistic and great until the final three chapters.Have your students write a new ending to keep it real.

How Hungry Are You? The Hunger Games Await

2009-11-30T21:11:00.003-06:00

Remember the Greek myth about the Minotaur that lived in King Minos' labyrinth in Crete. Every nine years, seven boys and seven girls were tossed as sacrifices to the minotaur into the labyrinth to see if they could escape, kill the minotaur or be killed by the minotaur. That was the story that influenced the futuristic idea behind the Hunger Games.

Every year, to punish the starving people of Panem (what use to be the USA) for a rebellion against the Capitol, each district must send one boy and one girl (chosen by lottery of 12 to 18 year olds) to battle in the Hunger Games. Twenty four kids go in and only one can survive. Every year the arena is different because the Gamemakers like to make a good "show". The Hunger Games are televised all over Panem, sometimes the only time when the capitol gave its residents electricity other than to electrify the chain link fences that divide up the 12 districts of Pamen. The Hunger Games have children pitted against children and if the Games get to slow, the Gamemakers cause fires, animals and other additions to the arena to stir things up and all everyone can do is watch their loved ones compete. The single victor and its district are rewarded greatly with food, so winning is more than your survival.

I am currently teaching the Hunger Games in my English class. We are at the point where the game is beginning. My students moan that the book is 27 chapters (375 pages) but the games are pulling them in. This book is fast paced and you want to keep reading to find out what happens to everyone in the Games. This book talks about overcoming hard family issues (Katniss' father was killed in a mine accident and mom became a manic depressant, so Katniss had to find ways to feed her family, as did Gale, her friend, is in the same situation) through illegal hunting and gathering wild edibles both families learn to survive until the Hungar Games take Katniss away. Katniss is a strong female personality with great outdoor survival skills (which is shared to the reader). This book reminded me of the books, My Side of the Mountain and Hatchet.

There is a book called the Maze Runner http://www.expandedbooks.com/video/view/598
that looks like a darker version of the Hunger Games.

I highly recommend this book be available in classrooms, its a great read, great storyline and a very awarded.

Here is a website that shows how much students love this book.
http://www.librarything.com/work/4979986

Scholatic website has lots of background info on this book at:
http://www.scholastic.com/thehungergames/videos/suzanne-collins-message.htm.

I read and reviewed the second book, Catching Fire, but don't read that post or Catching Fire's book jacket if you want to read the Hunger Games without spoiling the end.

PS this book has killing in it, but it is not graphic with blood and gore. Junior high and up would find this book engaging.
Mary Beth Hutting

Catching Fire IS on Fire!

2009-11-30T20:51:00.002-06:00

Some Advice I learned the hard way - Don't read the book jacket of Catching Fire if you are not done reading The Hunger Games! It gives it all away! Don't read this review if you want to read the Hunger Games because it gives details of what happened in book one.

Catching Fire is book two in the Hunger Games Trilogy. Set in the far off future, Panem (what used to be the USA) makes families send children into a death arena to remind the families that the government controls them and must be obeyed. Its not George Orwell's 1984 all over -its different. That's book one - the story of Katniss and Peeta from District 12 - they played the game as star crossed lovers ans both survived the Games. Now it is months after the Games and the winners must be paraded around all the districts. Katniss and Peeta get to see how good or bad life in other district are. They both thought District 12 was the worst, but its actually not policed. The winners find out their suicide pact in the arena has stirred up rebellion all over Panem. Katniss' pin, a Mockingjay, has become the symbol of rebellion. But there is more trouble - every 25 years, the Hunger Games have a double twist added - this "Quarter Quell" forces all living previous Game winners to go back into the Arena to fight against each other - all of which are great friends and mentors to each other! Peeta and Katniss must go back to fight to the death with other victors of the games and only one winner can survive this time! The twists and roller coaster storyline keep you reading just like the Hunger Games did and the ending makes you scream because you have to wait until Suzanne Collins finishes writing book three!

This is blog that questions whether the Hunger Games Trilogy will be the next Harry Potter or Twlight series!

http://connectwithyourteens.blogspot.com/2009/01/hunger-games-ya-book-series-will-this.html

Here are some sites about Catching Fire:

http://www.cincity2000.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1951&Itemid=290&limit=1&limitstart=0

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/work1.htm

http://www.hungergamestrilogy.com/fansite/official.php

http://jabberjays.com/ is a fan created website about the series

Liongate studios has obtained the right to the Hunger Games and is planning a movie of book one in 2010.
Mary Beth Hutting

Shiver

2009-11-30T18:42:00.003-06:00

For years Grace had been fascinated with the yellow eyed wolf that had saved her life when she was young. He is her wolf. And he becomes her obsession. This young wolf is Sam, and their love had been growing from a distance. Little did Grace know that Sam was also able to take the form of a human in the warmer months of the year. Little did these two know that they would be thrust together by a terrible tragedy. The death of a local teen brings about a wolf hunt that threatens Sam's life, but also Sam's ability to become human. Would Grace and Sam be able to foster this passionate love growing between them? Or would Sam be taken from Grace at the moment she realizes her wolf is also a human. The story delves into the true love between these two characters, but also the struggles of teenage relationships. These struggles are paralleled in a science fiction type way through the love of a human and a wolf. Stiefvater makes the love between a human and a werewolf completely believable and may possibly surpass the connection between Bella and Edward in the Twilight saga (which young adults should also check out: http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/twilight.html. It is basically the Team Jacob version of Twilight with striking similarities to Stephanie Meyer's series. Although Stiefvater provides a more romantic connection than between Bella and Edward with much more snuggling, cuddling, and embracing.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, not only because I am a Twilight fan, but because I really enjoyed Stiefvater's portrayal of teenage romance. Also how teenage romance can come in any form between any two people...no matter how different they are. I also enjoyed how Stiefvater portrayed Grace as a strong young adult woman who remains level headed throughout her passionate relationship with Sam. She seemed mature beyond her years and understood the deep connection between her and Sam. My only problem with Stiefvater's style of writing was that the point of views were somewhat confusing. The novel is mostly from Grace's perspective, but I think that Sam's voice sometimes got lost in the narration. I found this video interesting because it is one reader's perspective on what the characters from this novel would look like...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhI7xc8IjTw. (I surprisingly kind of agree!)

I think that this book would be very appealing for Young Adult readers because of the vampire/werewolf phenomenon, but also the subject matter. This book provides a social commentary on relationships between two different kinds of people...this could relate to anything from a werewolf/human relationship to something like an interracial relationship. I think classroom discussion would be focused on the emotional parts of this story and the questions brought about when someone is potentially losing a love. It also focuses on finding love as a teen and building a strong relationship. To find more info about building healthy teen relationships look here: http://www.teenrelationships.org/. I would definitely recommend this book to young adults or any Twilight fans because it will not disappoint!

For another perspective on this novel check out this blog at:

http://freneticreader.blogspot.com/2009/08/shiver-by-maggie-stiefvater.html

A new shade of Green in "Paper Towns"

2009-11-30T16:45:00.002-06:00

Radar is the last to get off the phone, and when he finally does, he says, "I'd like to make an announcement. My parents are very annoyed that I'm missing graduation. My girlfriend is also annoyed, because we were scheduled to do something very special in about eight hours. I don't want to get into details about it, but this had better be one fun road trip."
- Paper Towns

And it certainly is. As I read John Green's Paper Towns I realized how thematically connected it was to his earlier novel Looking for Alaska. Both stories deal with teenage affection (and all of its complexities), both have a strong female character (in this case Margo), and both do not follow conventional paths in reaching their conclusions (this one has an elaborate clue-hunt to find Margo). While Looking for Alaska dealt with a select group of individuals, and their experiences at school, Paper Towns expands on similar levels while operating far more elaborately in terms of setting and action. We have contrasting characters, for instance: Quentin (introverted geek), Margo (ninja-clad, extroverted beauty), Radar (his dialogue with Quentin in the novel was a highlight for me) and Ben (Quentin's best friend). Like Looking for Alaska, Green gives us some of the most memorable Young Adult Literature characters yet, instilling them with humor, intellect, emotion, and vibrancy.

Green's strength is evident in his ability to communicate teenage relationships to the reader, mainly through the use of comical dialogue and well-defined characters. The basic story involves our narrator Quentin Jacobsen (a Holden Caufield type, there is even a Dr.Holden in the novel) and his adoration of his female neighbour Margo (a mysterious childhood friend). The plot follows their collaboration on a night of pranks, a backstory that involves a grim discovery from their chilhood, Margo eventually vanishing, and an extremely engrossing road trip section that is fantastically executed and by far the highlight of the novel for me.

I would highly recommend this to anyone that enjoyed Looking for Alaska and would even go as far as to say this is a superior novel in many ways. Green has matured in his writing here, and I loved how varied his style was (such as writing instant messages on the page, and the diary style of the road trip). He also shows his love of great literature by inserting references to Whitman's Leaves of Grass and Melville's Moby Dick. This is a perfect novel to teach to a teenage audience as it stays within the boundaries of decency, while also dealing with its themes in a very accessible and humorous way.

Blogged by Stuart Millar

Drugs: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2009-11-30T12:29:00.009-06:00

People hear about hard-core drug addicts, maybe see them in movies or even know a few in or from their school. But what if that junkie was your best friend of fifteen years, and suddenly you didn’t know that person anymore? In the book In Ecstasy by Kate McCaffrey, this is what happens between best friends, Sophie and Mia.

Sophie is the popular one, while Mia is more reserved and shy. So one night at a party when Sophie decides to try ecstasy, Mia follows her lead. Sophie enjoys the high and has fun, but for Mia it’s a completely different world. Ecstasy gives her the courage and self-esteem she lacks on her own. She is able to socialize with the crowd and even finds herself talking to one of the most popular boys in school. Mia has the time of her life.

The girls attend a few more parties together, and each time Mia is determined to take ecstasy as a way to become this new, improved person. Yet as the time goes on, Mia doesn’t need Sophie anymore. She becomes attached to her new boyfriend, Lewis, and even more attached to this other person she has started to become. Sophie tries rekindling their friendship but discovers the duo no longer has anything in common. Mia begins taking more and more drugs in order to successfully be this happy, popular, carefree girl. Her grades slip, she continually loses weight, fights with her parents and convinces herself Sophie is simply jealous of her new life.

One night at a party at her boyfriend’s house, Mia is brutally awakened to not only the dangers of drugs but to the type of person her boyfriend truly is. Yet at this point Mia is so addicted that she will stop at nothing to get her fix. Meanwhile Sophie and Mia’s family are forced to watch Mia destroy her life. To listen to various real-life drug addicts who discuss similar situations and emotions seen in In Ecstasy, check out this video.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. One aspect that really stuck out for me was simply that McCaffrey does not lie about drugs. Through Mia, the reader sees that yes, drugs can make a person feel incredible. They can give them that extra courage or help they think they need to become popular and even make people believe their lives are better. Yet at the same time McCaffrey shows the true effects of drugs. Mia doesn't become a cool, popular kid; she becomes an addict who potentially loses everything important in her life. I also enjoyed this book because it is told from both Sophie's and Mia's point of view. It is interesting to see both characters and their personal situations through each others' eyes. It gives the reader a deeper perspective into the characters.

I think this is an excellent learning book for students but I do not know if there is any way that parents and/or administrators would allow this to be taught. Obviously this book is primarily about drug abuse, but along with that there are issues of sexual assault, teenage sex, peer pressure, and theft. Because of these serious issues and fairly graphic details, I would recommend this book for older students who are mature enough to handle them. Additionally I might recommend this book to parents. Not everyone knows the signs to look for if their child is doing drugs, and I think this book is especially informative and honest about drug abuse. Since this is told from two female's perspectives, I also think girls might get more enjoyment out of this book than boys, although regardless of the gender, this is still a very informative book on drug addiction.

As a whole, this book is entertaining, interesting, sad and extremely realistic. Mia and Sophie really come alive for readers, and I empathized with them throughout the book. These characters remind me that being an impressionable teenager is not easy, something that as an adult, I think it's sometimes easy to forget.

Lost by Jacqueline Davies

2009-11-29T21:05:00.011-06:00

“The new girl was lost. Anybody could see that. I looked up from my machine to see her coming down the last aisle…right off I could tell she had taken a wrong turn, ended up in the wrong place, and was trying to figure out how to get back.”

When Harriet Abbott walks into the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, sixteen-year old Essie Rosenfeld wonders why an upper crust-looking girl would be working in such a place. Harriet can hardly sew, and her hands look like she has never worked in her life. However, with Essie’s help, Harriet is soon sewing shirtwaists quick enough to keep up with the other girls. Essie and Harriet become fast friends. Yet, Harriet is secretive. She refuses to tell Essie where she lives and anything about her past. Essie is curious, but she has secrets of her own. Essie walks the dark streets of the Lower East Side alone desperately looking for fabric to finish a hat for her younger sister, Zelda. However, when Essie comes home late at night looking for her sister, Zelda seems strangely absent.

One day while walking on the street, Essie sees a lost notice for a woman who has a strong resemblance to her friend Harriet. Essie begins to seriously question who Harriet is and why she is working in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. As Essie confronts Harriet, a horrible fire breaks out in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. The fire tests the strength and resiliency of Essie and Harriet and forever changes both their lives in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the 1900s.

Although Lost is historical fiction, Jacqueline Davies weaves her story closely around two significant New York events of 1911: the strange disappearance of the wealthy, New York socialite Dorothy Harriet Camille Arnold and the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Please click on this link to read the New York Times article from January 27, 1911 on the disappearance of Dorothy Harriet Camille Arnold:

http://query.nytimes.com.ezproxy.roosevelt.edu:2048/mem/archivefree/pdf?_r=1&res=9F03E4D71731E233A25754C2A9679C946096D6CF

Please see the attached video which gives a description of the tragic events of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire on March 25, 1911.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vus4b8FRTKM

If the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire has sparked your interest, I encourage you to check out historian David Von Drehle’s 2003 book entitled Triangle: The Fire That Changed America. Von Drehle was interviewed by Gwen Ifill about this work on the PBS NewsHour TV Show. A link to a transcript of this interview is also included below:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/july-dec03/triangle_10-24.html#

Davies’ inclusion of these two significant historical events adds depth to her coming of age story to create a fascinatingly realistic fictional narrative that centers on the young adult themes of friendship, loss, and resiliency of the human spirit. This book has been approved for young adult readers 12 years-old and older. However, there are some disturbingly graphic scenes surrounding the fire that make this book perhaps more appropriate for the 14-16 year-old young adult reader.