tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75334103268203797062024-03-12T23:16:57.109-05:00The Prairie Library<b>"The spirit of learning is a lasting frontier."</b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-8537785237068850732013-12-30T08:30:00.000-06:002013-12-30T08:30:01.966-06:00Review: Becuase of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mr. Terupt is the teacher we all wish we had. For some, he’s that teacher who touched the lives of students and changed them forever. The narrative alternates between Mr. Terupt’s seven 5th grade students. Each voice adds a unique perspective on what it means to be a student, on making and keepings friends, and how to forgive. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When disaster strikes midway through the year, the students are pushed to the emotional edge. They are hard pressed to put all of Mr. Terupt’s teachings into action when life crashes down on them. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Buyea’s writing captures the student’s voices exceptionally well. Tweens will no doubt identify with one or more of the characters. Readers are given the chance to see one disastrous event through the eyes of many. Empathy is evoked as we see how one person’s perception of events can be vastly different from another’s but they are all affected. Though the story became a bit slow, there is a lot worth discussing with a group of tweens. From grief and guilt to isolation and hope, Buyea offers a lot of thinking matter in this thoughtful novel. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Delacorte, 2010 Pages: 288 </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: Public Library</span></span></div>
Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-22558832800468129352013-12-28T09:00:00.000-06:002013-12-29T22:04:19.444-06:00Review: My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was possibly the best book I’ve read in years. I rarely give a “5 Star” status but didn't even have to think about it. There were many reasons for me NOT to like this book. It’s contemporary fiction (I’m drawn to fantasy). It’s about “depressing” subjects, it’s akin to a “problem novel,” which I tend to find forced with see-through agendas taking on too many issues. But I loved this book. It wasn’t forced, it was genuine. Not depressing, but uplifting.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When children ask questions, and adults won't or can’t answer, they are left to make their own assumptions about life. Ten-year-old Jamie has a lot of questions and the first person narration captures his observations.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">His older sister, Rose (a twin), died five years before the novel begins in a London terrorist attack. Jamie can hardly remember Rose, but his family has fallen apart because of the loss. His father harbors fear and hate for Muslims and holds onto his grief, forcing it onto others. His mother has checked out and left the family. His older sister, Jas, does her best to make sure Jamie knows he is cared for.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What shined was Jamie’s relationship with his classmate and best friend, Sunya, who wears a hijab to school. Though this relationship is a risk for Jamie (how furious would his father be if he knew?), it is Sunya who strengthens Jamie’s spirit when he is at his lowest. She sticks up for him, plays into his fascination with superheros and even calls Jamie out when he acts like a fair-weather friend.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jamie’s belief that things can get better and that friendship is important carry this book. He loves his family despite their glaring problems and takes action, doing the best a 10-year-old can, to make things better. I laughed and I cried in no small part to Annabel Pitcher’s writing but also because of </span><a href="http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_1_srNarr?searchNarrator=David+Tennant&qid=1388202326&sr=1-1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">David Tennant</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">’s amazing narration. Just fantastic.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The mantelpiece, the hearth, is supposed to be the center of home which conjures feelings of warmth and belonging, love and security. But in Jamie’s home, his dead sister lives on the mantelpiece and her ghostly presence looms large, scattering all positive emotions. But with help from Sunya and Jas, Jamie finds a way to make his presence known and remind a family what it means to be family. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Though targeted at middle-grade readers, I'd recommend this book to anybody. Anybody! <3</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Findaway World, 2012 Length: 6 hours </span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 5 Stars Source: Public Library </span></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-57538155875290970882013-12-27T20:43:00.000-06:002013-12-27T20:50:21.776-06:00Review: The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail by Richard Peck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Mice make such endearing characters. Jack and Gus from Cinderella, Mickey Mouse, Despereaux from DiCamillo’s book. And now, enter “Mouse Minor,” a mouse with unknown origins and an affection for alliteration.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Set during Queen Victoria’s reign, Mouse Minor (lineage: unclear; stature: decidedly small) sets off on an adventure spanning the the grounds, outbuildings and buildings proper of Buckingham Palace to seek his place in life. He overcomes fears and perseveres when answers are not quickly revealed. A large cast of delightful animals helps Mouse Minor find his way. If you know a child who enjoys adventure stories with more daring than danger, more thrills and less chills, this tender-hearted read may be what you need.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Richard Peck is an established children’s author with awards under his belt. He does not disappoint with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Mouse with the Question Mark Tail</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I picked this story up on a whim, looking for something a little different to read, and was not disappointed. I may have even teared up once or twice… those mice. Small characters with big things to prove! They get to me every time!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher: Dial, 2013 Pages: 224</b></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</b></span></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-58121948143478266272013-12-24T18:15:00.002-06:002013-12-29T22:30:53.851-06:00Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cinder</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> was one of my favorite reads for 2013 and hit with my teen book club. The book was a surprising treat. Meyer stays close to the original Cinderella fairy tale in that several characters and the story arch are all similar. But she weaves in a science fiction aspect with skill. Cinder(ella) as a cyborg? Yes!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cinder is a heroine with spunk, grit and serious determination. Unlike the Cinderella most of us know, Cinder’s goal in life isn’t to get hitched to the prince. Rather she spends her days learning her craft -- expert mechanic. And it is her skill which puts her in the Prince’s sights.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Humans have colonized the Earth and morphed into hybrids called Lunars. They threaten Earth while it is succumbing to a mysterious plague. Cinder finds herself caught up in dubious research for a cure in a political landscape that is quickly changing. An evil stepmother, an android fairy godmother, a coach of Cinder’s making and a race to the ball that is sure to bring laughter… </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cinder</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is a clever YA novel with a lot to discuss, and many comparisons for those who have read various versions of the fairy tale.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The sequel, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Scarlet</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, is already out and the third book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cress</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, is out February 2014. Teen guys and girls alike enjoyed this novel in my book discussion. Definitely a thumbs up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, 2012. Pages: 390</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</span></b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-63766290661820299032013-10-24T19:40:00.000-05:002013-10-24T19:47:10.156-05:00Review: The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Allison
lives in the outermost circle of a walled-in city. Inside, humans are
herded like cattle for vampires. Outside the walls live another
blood-thirsty terror -- rabids. “Registered” humans give blood annually
to vampires in exchange for food and clothing. Unregistered, like
Allison, do not give their blood willing and are forced to scavenge. An
unfortunate run-in on a scavenging raid forces Allison to become what
she hates most.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The premise of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Immortal Rules</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
caught my attention quickly and I enjoyed the overall storyline. Kagawa
complicates the the zombie theme by introducing vampires into their
origins. I enjoyed how the story unfolded, learning as Allison discovers
how the vampire hierarchy has created a ruling elite across the
country.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Allison
is a survivor. She does what she must to live another day. She takes
risks which lead to steep consequences. She also struggles to keep her
new bloodlust in check so that she might protect herself and others.
There is a seemingly doomed romance and plenty of action to keep teen
readers turning pages.</span></div>
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<span id="docs-internal-guid-18715193-ed06-d313-1aed-c85d3a21cd1c" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Those who can’t get enough vampires stories will want to put </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Immortal Rules</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
on the their list. It is the first in a trilogy so get ready for an
open ending. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm really mixed on this book; I liked it but didn't love it. The action scenes were good, the vampire history and relationships interesting, the rabids fierce, the human nomads strangely rustic. But f</span>or me, the first person narration and obligatory-but-nothing-special romance detracted from an intriguing premise. I’ve
added the second book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Eternity Cure</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, to my reading list but it may wait for some time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Harlequin Teens, 2012 Pages: 485</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: Public Library</span></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-28635892973141862292013-10-16T09:00:00.000-05:002013-10-16T09:00:10.897-05:00Hosting Teen Book Discussions<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7e13b581-b98b-dbc9-e2e9-553652ea8d78" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This
post will explore how librarians can host teen book discussions. Anne
of <a href="http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">My Head Is Full of Books</a> recently asked me how I go about my
discussions, where I get the books, etc. so, I decided to write a post
in response!</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">First,
I briefly give my background. Then, I consider ways to get
the program going. Then I share how I have conducted teen
book discussions.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My experience</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
is that of a public youth librarian. My educational background is an
English major undergraduate and a Library and Information Science
masters student with an emphasis on youth services. I host a teen
program once a week and once a month the activity is a book discussion. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Book Acquisition. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
library budgets for the books. We cut other things so the teen book
discussion can happen. My strength is literature. It would be a waste
not to use my ability. I am a part of a branch library system. We share our book discussion kits between the branches.
Nearly all do a discussion each month. Each book set begins with
12-13 copies. We try to get paperbacks to keep costs down. We number the
books, stick some library labels on them (no cataloging) and keep a
spreadsheet to track internal circulation by youth personnel
who use the set.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Other book acquisition ideas: </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Request free or greatly discounted copies from the publishers. You’ve nothing to lose. </span></div>
</li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fundraise.
It is often easier to get money for the purchase of books than a money
gift. Request a specific title which patrons/donors can donate to the
set.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thrift
shop. Hit the Half Price Books Educator Appreciation week. Bargain hunt
at Goodwill and Amazon.com. By definition, library users share books.
They won’t be offended if they are not brand new copies.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Supplement your book set with copies the library already owns for circulation.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Remember out-of-copyright classics are mostly free to access online.</span></div>
</li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Start small. Maybe you will only need to purchase 4 copies and use 2 the library already owns. </span></div>
</li>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Get the program going and make your case for more funding!</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/The_Maze_Runner_cover.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/The_Maze_Runner_cover.png" width="137" /></a><a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120208193859/divergent/images/c/c2/Divergent_hq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120208193859/divergent/images/c/c2/Divergent_hq.jpg" width="131" /></a><a href="http://365daysofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/shadow-bone-bardugo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://365daysofreading.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/shadow-bone-bardugo.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Selecting Titles. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">As
a public librarian, I DO NOT have a captive audience. So, I choose books they will enjoy!
Think fun, popular. But use your librarian skills to find decently
written fun books. Be wary of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">literature</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
which teens might associate with homework. I mix it up now and then
with a “challenging” book but don’t beat them over the head with them.
Choose age appropriate titles. Do you expect young teens? Older teens?
Will you allow 11 year olds to join? Will a 12th grader enjoy the books
an 11 year old will? Just keep age in mind when selecting titles. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Advertising.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
As with any program, advertise! Make signs, posters, flyers. Mention
the book club when giving book talks. Tell parents and teens, tell
leaders of teen groups like Boys and Girls clubs. Contact homeschooling
groups! Tell everyone!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Incentive. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
offer pizza and off-brand Crystal Light to those who read the book and
engage in discussion. Perhaps pizza isn’t an option...what is? Popcorn? A
drawing for a free withdrawn book or a coupon for a free pretzel
(perhaps provided by a local business?). How about a late fee
forgiveness coupon? Are you a school librarian… is extra credit an
option? Be creative! But don’t underestimate the power of good food with
teenagers. =)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Check Out. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our
discussion books are not cataloged so they do not “check out.” We take a
name, grade and phone number. Returning is on the honor system. Those
who don’t return books get a reminder call and a note in their library
record regarding the missing book (though they are not charged) in hopes
the teen will eventually return it. Most teens will bring the books
back. Those who do not cannot participate in future discussions. I know
of other libraries who actually give the books to the kids for keeps.
That is generous but would not work with my library’s budget as the
branches share the sets to get the most bang for our buck. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Hosting discussion</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.
Don’t worry. This is the fun part. I’ve had as few as one teen and as
many as seven. Even with just one participant, I’ve had engaging
discussions. We take one hour for discussion.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Prepare questions </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">activities.
They can be simple activities and should be open ended questions. Take
notes while reading about intriguing points. I like to check the
publisher’s website for a discussion guide. I don’t always use their
questions. But it’s a good starting point which gives me ideas. I poke
around the author’s website and look up information about people, places
or things discussed in the books. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let
book chatter continue largely uninterrupted. If it’s about the book we
read, let ‘em talk! Start with easy questions: Did you like the book?
Dislike it? As leader, play Devil’s advocate and don’t let any one teen
feel they are being “picked on” for liking or disliking a character or book. Make sure your teens understand the setting -- time and
place. Often this is missed by my young readers. Be prepared to fill in
details like when a certain war took place or where a country is
located. Then move into more philosophical questions. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For
activities, we’ve done knot tying, drawing “vocabulary” words (great
laughs) and compared international covers. We’ve played card games
mentioned in one book and traced a character’s journey on the map from
another story. We’ve listened to youtube videos of old radio broadcasts.
Everything we do is low key. There’s no grade. No pressure. Just talk
and try something new. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Discarding sets. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
copies get ratty, we either replace the copy or weed the entire set
(i.e. books go into the library sale). Sets which are in decent shape but
are no longer being used by youth personnel may end up in our
circulating book discussion sets for the public to check out. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How will you start your Teen Book Club?</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
Maybe my library’s method won’t work for you. Maybe you can only host a
discussion every other month or only in the summer. Advocate for the
programming you want. Book groups are a lot of fun and certainly support
literacy. It’s great to watch teens get excited about reading! </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Do you have any tips on getting a book club started at a library? Do you have a great discussion activity? Leave a comment below!</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-76952180419771106262013-10-15T08:30:00.000-05:002013-10-15T08:30:01.679-05:00Review: The Language Inside by Holly Thompson<br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Holly Thompson’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Language Inside</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
did everything I’ve been looking for in a novel in verse. Thompson is
clearly a poet not just a writer. The words are deliberately chosen for
their meaning and beauty, and their ability to evoke a thoughtful
response in the reader. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">After
reading the summary I was skeptical. There were so many different
issues the novel takes up. Emma is a teen raised in Japan. When she
moves back to the U.S. because her mother has breast cancer, Emma
volunteers at a long-term care center. There, Emma helps Zena, a patient
with locked-in syndrome, write poems. She also meets Cambodian refugees
and makes new friends all the while suffering from migraines.
Eventually she must choose: stay in the U.S. or return to Japan. So, ya,
a lot going on! But Thompson weaves the story seamlessly and
believably. Having recently read Patricia McCormick’s </span><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12924297-never-fall-down" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Never Fall Down</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I was happy to stumble upon more that would give me a glimpse about the Khmer Rouge. </span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
liked Emma and her story but I enjoyed the poetic form. It wasn’t a
gimmick to snag “reluctant readers” (though I would still recommend this
book to one). This is a story not only made of poems but also about poetry
as Zena and Emma write together. I’ve been on the hunt for </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">high-quality</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> novels in verse and am happy to add </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Language Inside</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> to my list. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Delacorte, 2013 Pages: 528</span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</span></b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-9520376574075134662013-10-13T21:31:00.000-05:002013-12-27T21:01:41.156-06:00Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cuddlebuggery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Shadow-and-Bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://cuddlebuggery.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Shadow-and-Bone.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shadow and Bone</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
was a big hit with my teen book discussion group. There was a lot of animated talk and excitement about this new series. Leigh Bardugo weaves
Russian culture with high fantasy adding just enough suspense and
romance to keep readers intrigued and happily turning pages. Both the
heroine and her antagonist are multidimensional characters, too, with strange pasts and questionable futures.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Alina
is a teen orphan who discovers much later than usual that she is not just a
commoner but a Grisha, one of the few born with a magical gift. And not just any Grisha, Alina has a special
talent that could change the fate of her country. Bardugo uses first
person narration and I think the third person would have been
stronger. I felt Alina’s viewpoint limited the potential for world
building. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shadow and Bone</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
focuses on Alina’s transformation and coming of age while she comes
into her new power. She struggles to decipher who her true friends are. Teenagers will relate to her anxiety and feelings of
awkwardness as she discovers her new place in an adult world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fans
of fantasy with a bit of romance will enjoy this well conceived and
written debut novel. Alina is an imperfect character which is why I like her. While teens will be drawn to the love-triangle it
does not completely dominate the story. Bardugo offers an interesting
backdrop for the action which picks up considerably as characters race to control a destructive power.
Readers will be left wanting to grab the second book, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Siege and Storm</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I know my teen readers couldn’t wait!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">While dystopias are all the rage right now, and I am a fan of them, <i>Shadow and Bone</i> is a nice retreat back to classic fantasy. If you're looking to diversify your teen's reading I would highly recommend this book! The Russian flavor to the story is a nice treat and sparked an interest in Russian culture during my teen book discussion. </span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></b></span>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Henry Holt, 2012 Pages: 359 </span></b></span></div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 3.5 Stars Source: Public Library</span></b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-49075689077321742782013-08-25T20:44:00.000-05:002013-08-25T21:04:08.034-05:00Review: Stag's Leap: Poems by Sharon Olds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780307959904_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img1.imagesbn.com/p/9780307959904_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG" width="135" /></a></div>
Olds won the Pulitzer for poetry (2013) with <i>Stag's Leap</i>. Cheryl Strayed, author of <a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2013/07/review-wild-by-cheryl-strayed.html" target="_blank"><i>Wild</i></a>, recommended this book of verse when I heard her speak in April. I knew nothing else about it when I reserved a copy at my library so I didn't know what to expect. <br />
<br />
I kinda like that... not knowing what to expect but just diving into a book blindly.<br />
<br />
Quickly, I found the poems were telling a story, a rather melancholy one, about a women who was left by her husband. The poems were so raw and real that I assumed, correctly, that Olds is sharing about her own experience. The poems are from the perspective of the lover who has been left for another after 30 years of marriage. <br />
<br />
I found the perspective intriguing. Many people experience the same life events: death, marriage, children, relocation, reunions, etc. But we experience them in vastly different ways. As a divorcée, my experience was different than Olds', but I identified with many of the phases, with their accompanying emotions, that the book explores. Fear, confusion, disgust, self-loathing, longing, nostalgia, anxiety: some of the emotions I experienced during what felt like the turn of a large wheel that was slowly, sometimes grindingly, taking me to a new frontier of my life.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it was the right book at the right time of my life but I found Olds' poems to be exceptional. I was often frustrated with her as a "character" but overall I enjoyed the book as a story and as poetry.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher: Knopf, 2012 Pages: 112</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-61490788667692231842013-07-21T20:55:00.000-05:002013-07-22T00:05:28.437-05:00Review: Wild by Cheryl Strayed<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-2fed0230-0400-d674-79c0-fee570740ac0" style="line-height: 1.15; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<a href="http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/wildjpg-b08786594708d9fd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/wildjpg-b08786594708d9fd.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My first attempt to read </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
was unsuccessful. I saw it advertised last year as a woman’s memoir
about hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Crest_Trail" target="_blank">PCT</a>) and quickly put the book on hold at my library. I read a few
pages and quit. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A year later, I decided to give </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wild </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">another
shot. The author, Cheryl Strayed, was coming to speak at my library and
I thought I would go. This time, I listened to the audio version read
by Bernadette Dunne.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
overall impression of the book is disappointment that the story is not about Strayed hiking the PCT. The memoir jumps fully into
Strayed’s grief over her mother’s death and explores its impact on her
life. Her marriage disintegrates and she makes one poor choice after
another. These chapters lagged for me but I stuck with it. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">When
Strayed does discuss hiking the PCT the memoir is a fun read. She
writes with humor in these sections which offer relief to the heavy
overarching themes of loss, grief and self-searching. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
had a difficult time relating to Strayed which made it a
struggle for me to get through the book. We were both married
and divorced at about the same age. We’re both Midwestern, too. But
while I have things in common with Strayed I simply could not relate.
Frequently, I found myself thinking “This is moment! She’s finally gonna
get some cojones, take charge and stop depending on other people.” But
alas, that moment was constantly postponed. Example: The horse scene,
which many found disturbing, I found infuriating. I so wanted her to
take the gun and do what needed to be done. But she passed the
responsibility to another. I found myself frustrated with her attitude
and dependency. I didn’t walk in her shoes so I wouldn’t judge her
but it became tortuous for me to read about her mistakes as a young
woman. She does begin to understand herself better after she hikes
the PCT. She learns that while people need other people, there will be
times when you need enough inner strength to carry on without them. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Strayed’s
writing and her memories evoked strong emotions in me. If I’d had the
physical book in hand I’ve no doubt I’d have thrown it several times.
And I truly enjoyed the segments about her hiking experience as I recall
laughing out loud. I did listen to Strayed speak at my library and she
asked for hands of everyone who cried. The room was packed to standing
room only, perhaps 250 people, and ¾ of them lifted their hands. I
didn’t cry. I was too frustrated with Strayed to cry. </span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oddly enough, I still enjoyed the book. For a journey about self-discovery and the search for inner strength, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Wild</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
delivers. Strayed is a successful, centered and strong woman so there is a positive resolution. But it
was no easy journey to get there. And she certainly has cojones to write honestly about her shortcomings. But for a story about long distance
hiking, I would look to other narratives. </span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Publisher: Random House Audio, 2012 Length: 13 hours, 6 minutes</b></span></span></b></div>
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating: 3 Stars Source: Purchased on Audible</b></span></span></b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-7714335410323727692013-04-30T08:30:00.000-05:002013-07-21T21:04:56.938-05:00Review: Kill Switch by Chris Lynch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328348404l/11920073.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328348404l/11920073.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Daniel’s
grandpa suffers from short term memory loss and awkward moments of
lucidity and insanity. The old man begins sharing violent stories from
his “work” as old co workers begin popping up to “check on”
him. Daniel realizes there is more to gramps’ unsettling stories than
he’d like to believe and more to the thinly veiled threats from the
creepy co workers.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Kill Switch</i> is a short book I hoped would be an entertaining reprieve for my teen
book discussion. The plot was promising, the concept interesting. And
the first half delivered a satisfying combination of mystery and humor
(the car scene! The car scene!).</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Then
along came the “kill switch,” when Daniel abruptly and illogically becomes violent as he guards his grandfather. The moments of
violence made no sense to me and my teen readers. We were like, “Huh? What
was that violent act for?” The ending was untirely unsatisfying and
rather unbelievable. We spent most of discussion poking holes in the
plot.</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">So,
not the best read. Not my favorite. Not terrible either and it was
fast. You can’t love every book but at least we had fun laughing about
the ridiculous plot discrepancies during discussion!</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2012 Pages: 176</span></div>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 2 stars Source: Public Library</span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-22556394253098525282013-03-31T16:13:00.000-05:002013-03-31T16:47:53.875-05:00Review: Superman Versus the Ku Klux Klan by Rick Bowers<div dir="ltr" id="internal-source-marker_0.2430983022499752" style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rick
Bowers weaves two seemingly disconnected histories, the creation and
immense popularity of Superman with the long and disturbing history of
the Ku Klux Klan, to produce a surprising story of how the entertainment
industry promoted social justice. The two narratives are brought
together when the the Adventures of Superman radio show uses its
national popularity to combat the pervasive influence of the KKK in its
1946 “Clan of the Fiery Cross” episodes. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.rick-bowers.net/" target="_blank">Bowers</a>
provides a brief but insightful history of the KKK, its beginning
after the Civil War, and cycle of influence in the U.S. Alternating
chapters discuss the modest beginnings of Superman and his rise from
comic book to radio show to T.V. and the silver screen. Though not a
deep exploration of either subject I learned a lot
about both. And so did the teens who read this book in my discussion
group.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">My
book group teens were surprised by the long history and real power the
KKK exercised. They also enjoyed the chapters about Superman and how a
couple of teenagers were responsible for his creation. In book
discussion, we listened to the first episode of the “Clan of the Fiery
Cross” (below) and laughed at the Kellogg’s cereal commercials as well
as the out-of-date insults used by the teens. They found it hard to
believe that millions of kids tuned into this show just because it
sounds so cheesy to us today.</span></div>
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<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Many
reviews I’ve read recommend this book for late elementary and middle
school readers. Both my teens and I strongly disagreed. This is a great
book for high school students and I recommend it for a history class.
Bowers shows the significance of using primary sources when doing
research as he debunks myths about the broadcast’s use of KKK code words
(which Wikipedia still says is true!). The text is dry. I wanted to
learn about the subject but it was often simply boring. The original
photographs opening each chapter offered little relief. When I asked my
teens who would enjoy this book they said: Anyone really interested in
Superman or general U.S. history. When asked what age it was for they
said: high school students and adults. They were shocked anyone would
recommend this to younger students or to reluctant readers. I would add
that this is a good choice for a teen who doesn’t care for fiction.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Overall,
this is a thumbs up. I learned a lot. My book group teens did, too. We
had a great discussion about primary versus secondary sources. We also
made a pro con list of who was the better superhero: Superman or Batman.
It was an enthusiastic debate.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: National Geographic Society, 2012 Pages: 160</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 3.5 Stars Source: Public Library</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Full Title: Superman Versus The Ku Klux Klan: The True Story of How the Iconic Superhero Battled the Men of Hate</span></b></span></div>
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-54697382089216043472013-03-21T09:00:00.000-05:002013-03-31T16:58:18.022-05:00The Midwest: God's Gift to Planet Earth by Mike Draper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://s3.amazonaws.com/spnproduction/photos/000/009/437/9437_e5d7c7467a_full.png?1351449724" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/spnproduction/photos/000/009/437/9437_e5d7c7467a_full.png?1351449724" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Midwest, the heartland, fly-over country: this is my home.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Like
most foreign countries, outsiders have heard of it, but the details of
what goes on inside are pretty hazy” (19). So says Mike Draper, narrator
of <i>The Midwest: God’s Gift to Planet Earth</i>!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
Midwest gets overlooked. People really don’t seem to know what we do
here and so assume that we don’t do much of anything but grow corn. Well, there’s quite a bit that goes on here, let me tell
ya!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With
the zippy wit and humor a t-shirt shop owner (yes, he really does run a
t-shirt shop in Des Moines), Draper enlightens readers of the glory of
the Midwest. It really is a surprising place. Sure, there’s stuff to
complain about but every region of the U.S. has its baggage. Draper
focuses on the positive, though, he does poke fun at Midwestern
stereotypes. From famous people and inventions to geography and the
weather, this book gives a brief and biased overview of the 12-state region.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Midwesterners
will get a kick out of reading this book. But for those who’ve
never spent time in the Midwest, if you are guilty of overlooking the
heartland (gasp!), and are looking for a fun read, then I recommend this “<i>Illustrated Guide to the
History and Culture of the Galaxy’s Most Important Region</i>.”</span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b> </b></span></span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Publisher: RAYGUN, 2012</b> <b>Pages: 239</b></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</b></span></span></b></div>
Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-65714970885221918182013-01-26T19:11:00.000-06:002013-01-29T14:50:09.887-06:00Review: Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.ops.org/MIDDLE/LEWISANDCLARK/Portals/0/Gallery/Album/184/Jasper%20Jones%20by%20Craig%20Silvey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.ops.org/MIDDLE/LEWISANDCLARK/Portals/0/Gallery/Album/184/Jasper%20Jones%20by%20Craig%20Silvey.jpg" width="141" /></a><span id="internal-source-marker_0.24538710109997475" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Imagine
you are peacefully reading in your bed on a hot summer night when
someone shouts your name through the open window next to you. Charlie is
greeted by Jasper Jones, a fellow classmate and known troublemaker, in
such a manner. Jasper pleads with Charlie for his help with a terrible
situation, an experience which plunges Charlie from childhood to
adulthood. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It
took me awhile to realize the novel was not set in present times. I
used the novel for a book discussion with teens and none of them quite
realized that </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jasper Jones</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">
is set during the Vietnam War. The war is mostly in the background but
it ignites the already smoldering racism in Charlie's town. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Silvey
vividly describes of the Australian bush as Charlie and Jasper romp
around looking for answers. Everything in the novel felt intense. The
opening scene (whoa!), the summer heat, the abundant growth -- Silvey
writes with an intensity that reflects what being a teenager is like as
they experience their “first” this and that. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
allusions to classic literature were fun but totally lost on my teen
readers. Being a fan of both the movie and book versions of Capote’s </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Breakfast at Tiffany’s</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">, I enjoyed Eliza’s character who mimics Holly Golightly by frequently quoting her. There are great references to </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To Kill a Mockingbird</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> and other texts which might be considered “southern gothic” which is the feel of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jasper Jones</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Silvey’s
writing is definitely literary, taking its time to develop the
characters, and the plot moved at what felt like a snails pace. The
novel was a hundred pages too long and many of my teens just couldn’t
finish it even though they liked the story. This is definitely a thumbs
up and a good read but be prepared for less of a suspenseful thriller
(as the opening scene suggests) and more of a contemplation of growing
up and becoming an adult. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><strong><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Ember, 2012 Pages: 320</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: purchased copy</span></strong></span></div>
Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-12189424640592538622012-10-22T08:45:00.000-05:002012-10-22T08:45:00.066-05:00Review: No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/53/Cormac_McCarthy_NoCountryForOldMen.jpg/200px-Cormac_McCarthy_NoCountryForOldMen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/5/53/Cormac_McCarthy_NoCountryForOldMen.jpg/200px-Cormac_McCarthy_NoCountryForOldMen.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.6808513129388013" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I
enjoy stories with villians. A good villain is a fully developed
character and not just a background entity, not just an obscure presence
prompting the “good” characters onward. While Chigurh is obviously the
bad character, it is less clear if Llewelyn Moss is the good character.
The voice of peacekeeper, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell, is conflicted as well. </span><br />
<br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Llewelyn
finds the remains of a drug deal gone wrong. He grabs the cash and
makes a dash. Chigurh pursues relentlessly with the passion of a zealot
who believes in what he’s doing. Others give chase including the law and
the lawless. In the end, it is not money that drives the characters. It is principle and will. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">McCarthy
has a way of exploring good and evil that is only possible by exploring
violence -- minds that are violent by nature and violent acts that lie
dormant in any average person and erupt given the right circumstances. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Chigurh is unusual because he is morally
demented as opposed to morally corrupt. He does not necessarily take
pleasure in violence but he is committed to violence nonetheless. He is
not altogether illogical either which is the scary part. His mind is
functioning properly. He is not “insane” in the sense that he lacks the
ability to reason. He has reasoned and found himself at odds with
traditional views of morality and the sacredness of life. </span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The
novel is sparse in language and, while I found it easier to read than
<a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2010/04/all-pretty-horses-by-cormac-mccarthy.html" target="_blank"><i>All the Pretty Horses</i></a> or <i>The Road</i>, <i>No Country for Old Men</i> is less
linguistically beautiful. It is also significantly less violent than <i>The
Road</i> (which won the Pulitzer) and moves much faster than <a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2010/04/all-pretty-horses-by-cormac-mccarthy.html" target="_blank"><i>All the Pretty Horses</i></a>. It’s a good middle-of-the-road McCarthy read so if you’re new
to his novels I would say start with <i>No Country for Old Men </i>and see if
you can handle forays into dark psyches and violent behaviors.</span><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Publisher: Vintage, 2005. Pages 309</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: used bookstore</span></span></b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-49853994490187086052012-09-21T09:00:00.000-05:002012-09-21T09:00:05.591-05:00Review: Nation by Terry Pratchett<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvwHyNbl8a4/UFvXCwX4BcI/AAAAAAAAAck/UVWpbYcE7b8/s1600/Nation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dvwHyNbl8a4/UFvXCwX4BcI/AAAAAAAAAck/UVWpbYcE7b8/s200/Nation.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5290586561895907"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The beginning of </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nation</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> gripped me. I loved the alternate-reality Victorian setting that’s introduced. The narrative quickly shifts to an alternate-reality Pacific island. Mau is on a quest to prove his manhood when the tsunami strikes and obliterates his village and the prim and proper Daphne is stranded on his island. I enjoyed Daphne’s sea voyage and the entire crash scene. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Together, Mau and Daphne rebuild the Nation as they overcome their fears of one another, take in refugees and learn to work with each other. The novel became increasingly introspective as Mau reconsiders all the old ways and worship of the old gods. As the new leader, he must decide how to direct his people and as truths are uncovered he learns that letting go of the past is not the same as disrespecting it. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My interest waned significantly in the middle. I just wasn’t interested in the story anymore and the underlying ideological message of questioning “the way things have always been done” and “the things we’ve always believed” was so transparent that I just got bored. However, the serious minded teen may enjoy this thought-provoking YA novel. This book counts towards the <a href="http://pocreading.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">POC Reading Challenge</a>!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publisher: HarperCollins, 2009 Pages: 384</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: Public Library</span></span></b>
Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-91281823452426802942012-07-13T09:00:00.000-05:002012-08-10T23:38:47.927-05:00Owly: The Way Home and the Bittersweet Return by Andy Runton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.suite101.com/942138_com_owly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.suite101.com/942138_com_owly.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
<i>Owly </i>is a popular graphic novel at my library. I had to place a hold on it and I took that as a good sign, that kids must really like this book. I was not disappointed.<br />
<br />
An unlikely friendship forms between an owl and a worm. Together, they search for Wormy's home and parents. In the second adventure, they befriend a pair of hummingbirds. Both stories focus on friendship as they help each other out of tough situations. Owly is particularly sensitive to his friends' needs. It's impossible not to love him.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Owly </i>is nearly wordless but I was impressed with how Runton conveyed conversations and emotions. I "heard" their conversations in my head even though there weren't any words on the page. Instead of text, the speech bubbles hold pictures and other symbols.<b> The artwork is skillful in conveying meaning. </b>The simplest strokes, like the arch of an eyebrow, tell readers if Owly is thinking, scared, happy, etc. So, while there isn't much traditional text, I found I was scrutinizing the pictures and reading everything -- expressions, gestures, background and the "speech" bubbles. I'm not used to paying <i>so</i> much attention to the <span style="background-color: white;">pictures but I really enjoyed doing so with <i>Owly</i>.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Owly</i></span><i style="background-color: white;"> </i><span style="background-color: white;">is a great book to read with a young child to ask him/her "What's going on in this picture?" or "What are they saying now?" to help encourage a child's narration skills and to draw on their vocabulary to describe what's happening on the page. </span><br />
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The artwork is as cute as the story. Runton's cartoon-like style and the brief use of text will appeal to reluctant readers and graphic novel readers. An innocent tale of friendship, I thoroughly enjoyed <i>Owly.</i><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher: Top Shelf Productions, 2004. Pages: 160</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-22559295734485616812012-06-22T20:48:00.000-05:002012-06-22T23:13:47.554-05:00Review: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcZhYTOpJIs/T-UeUYP4LbI/AAAAAAAAAcI/4OeBCmywjCE/s1600/breakfastattiffanys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zcZhYTOpJIs/T-UeUYP4LbI/AAAAAAAAAcI/4OeBCmywjCE/s200/breakfastattiffanys.jpg" width="118" /></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.3621427174657583" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I love the movie </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and I enjoyed the movie </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Capote </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">with Philip Seymour Hoffman. So, I figured I needed to read Capote's novella that inspired </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast at Tiffany's</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. And I loved it. If you need a plot summary click </span><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/39879/Breakfast-at-Tiffanys" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fantastic prose. First person narration doesn't really describe it. It's chock full of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">conversation</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> which is not what I tend to associate with "literature." But this is the good stuff. The conversations are interesting because they reveal the way Holly's world works -- the way she works, the way 1950s New York society works and how people perceive other people. Also, they're funny conversations -- unusual and witty.</span></b>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rzDKZGAGhoo/TCoRDRMAbaI/AAAAAAAABOw/xdwQHHfXHJ0/s1600/breakfast-at-tiffanys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_rzDKZGAGhoo/TCoRDRMAbaI/AAAAAAAABOw/xdwQHHfXHJ0/s200/breakfast-at-tiffanys.jpg" width="130" /></span></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.3621427174657583" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How people perceive other people... I think this is why I enjoyed "Fred's" narration so much. He's not really telling us a story about </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">himself</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> like most first person narrators do. He doesn't droll on about his own feelings (interesting though they are). He's telling us Holly's story -- she's the main character and "Fred" is just the one to tell us about her. The fact that we never know "Fred's" real name drives home this point for me. "Fred's" perspective is limited to his direct and indirect encounters with Holly and information passed through the grape vine. As a result, Holly is something more than a character in a book. She's that person we all knew once or maybe catch glimpses of in ourselves. "Fred's" narration makes me wonder: Am I who I think I am or, am I who </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">others </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">think am I? Which is the truer perspective? The narration works well in establishing both "Fred" and Holly's characters and their relationship and is a technique I haven't really encountered before (or noticed if I have).</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On the surface, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Breakfast at Tiffany's </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is about a quirky girl who obeys her own ambiguous set of rules. But I found this book is really about getting to know someone -- encountering a person who is special, unusual and magnetizing but also evanescent, elusive and fragile. That's Holly Golightly. The reader goes through this social experience with "Fred," getting to know Holly with him.</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'll leave you with one of my favorite passages with O.J. and "Fred" talking, O.J. speaking first...</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"So," he said, "what do you think: is she or ain't she?"</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Ain't she what?"</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"A phony."</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"I wouldn't have thought so."</span><br /><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"You're wrong. She is a phony. But on the other hand you're right. She isn't a phony because she's a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">real</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> phony. She believes all this crap she believes" (28-29).</span></b><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Publisher: Modern Library, 1994 (originally, 1958) Pages: 3-105 (of 161)</span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Full Title: <i>Breakfast at Tiffany's: A Short Novel and Three Stories</i></span></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rating: 5 Stars Source: Public Library</span></b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-43373541285277826002012-06-15T09:00:00.000-05:002012-06-15T09:00:13.544-05:00Review: Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.booksavvybabe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/deadlocked.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.booksavvybabe.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/deadlocked.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.18015709822066128" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I discovered the <i>Sookie Stackhouse</i> <a href="http://www.shelfari.com/series/The-Sookie-Stackhouse-series-Southern-Vampire-Mysteries" target="_blank">series</a> (Southern Vampire Mysteries) last fall and whizzed through 11 of the novels. They were pure fun to read and not my usual fare. I recall I was in "the </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">curve" of the semester, where the newness had worn off, and I needed a mental snack break. The <i>Sookie Stackhouse</i> series was just the pick-me-up I needed. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Heretofore, the mystery in each story has held my attention. But in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deadlocked</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the mystery lagged a bit. The who-done-it was obvious and the suspense of watching the culprit outed wasn't as suspenseful as I'd liked. Sookie's relationship status didn't help much either. She's waiting for him to commit. He's waiting for her to commit. Lots of distrust. The novel is aptly named -- </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Deadlocked</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Everyone is waiting for someone else to make the first move. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Several story lines fizzle out in this novel which makes for a downer read. Many of my favorite characters do put in appearances so that was nice. And Harris' writing style is fluid and makes for an easy, fun reading experience. There were answers in this novel but few conclusions...I guess that's why it's a series! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you like Southern Vampire stories I recommend the series. Neither romance nor mystery are my usual reading choices but I have enjoyed Harris' characters and sense of humor and have picked up a few books from her other mystery series (non-vampire related) to read.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publisher: Ace, 2012 Pages: 336</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: public library</span></span></b>
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<br />Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-41145738144737497712012-06-12T09:00:00.000-05:002012-06-12T09:00:09.766-05:00Review: A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKMV2FOvF20/T4hfjPQodyI/AAAAAAAACJM/dtsufX55830/s400/a+confusion+of+princes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TKMV2FOvF20/T4hfjPQodyI/AAAAAAAACJM/dtsufX55830/s200/a+confusion+of+princes.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
<span id="internal-source-marker_0.24505642731674016"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Taken from his parents as a toddler, Khemri was groomed to be a Prince of the Empire -- a biologically, technologically and psychologically upgraded human, one of thousands who rule the Empire, governed only by the Imperial Mind. Having come of age, Khemri is elated to take a post as Prince. But the Empire is a more dangerous place than he was lead to believe and power and glory more elusive and less thrilling than he expected.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The book begins with a great hook: “I have died three times, and three times been reborn...” (1). Nix quickly introduces the technologically advanced world via Khemri’s voice. He tells his story of transformation from an obnoxious and egotistical teen (an gross exaggeration of teenagers generally?) to a more thoughtful, mature adult. As with Nix’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Abhorsen</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series, I enjoyed how the protagonist deals with real coming-of-age issues, albeit in a sci-fi setting here. Khemri’s transformation is that of many teens’. While Khemri may fight his battles in a spaceship, his transformation from identity/thrill-seeking teen to a more mature adult is relatable. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was excited to read </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Confusion of Princes</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> as I am a fan of Nix’s </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Abhorsen</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">/</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Old Kingdom</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> series. I’m re-listening to </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2011/09/review-lirael-by-garth-nix-read-by-tim.html" target="_blank">Lirael</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> now. I enjoyed the hierarchy within the Empire with its unique system of mental communication. Yet, the novel could have used another hundred pages. The plot moved too swiftly and didn’t leave time to explore this interesting world and its characters. As a survival story, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Confusion of Princes</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> did not disappoint. But more character development was needed. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On an aside, Khemri’s character is repeatedly defined as being brown-skinned with dark eyes. Yet, the character on the cover, though hard to see clearly, looks to be white. I like the cover on its own but would have liked it more if the guy on the cover clearly represented the character in the book.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nix fans won’t want to miss <i>A Confusion of Princes</i> with its unique, technologically advanced world. Khemri’s story will please teens who enjoy Star Wars, space operas and survival stories. Overall, I think I’m more of a fantasy fan than science fiction fan but I still enjoyed this story. This book counts towards the <a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2012/02/people-of-color-reading-challenge-2012.html" target="_blank">POC Challenge</a>.
Favorite Quote: "'There is always a choice,' said Morojal. 'Even if the alternatives don't appear to be equal'" (134).
</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher: HarperCollins, 2012 Pages: 337
Rating: 3 Stars Source: Public Library</b></span></span></span></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-67868448967145863552012-06-08T09:00:00.001-05:002012-06-10T23:22:34.067-05:00Review: Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://jacketupload.macmillanusa.com/jackets/high_res/jpgs/9780374379933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://jacketupload.macmillanusa.com/jackets/high_res/jpgs/9780374379933.jpg" width="134" /></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.5902729036752135"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For a book about a kid being grounded all summer, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dead End in Norvelt b</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y Jack Gantos, is surprisingly touching and funny. Jack Gantos’ character in the book (yes, he writes about himself), while mischievous, maintained an honest voice throughout the novel, enduring him to me, making me laugh. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jack helps his elderly neighbor, Miss Volker, write obituaries as she is physically incapable of doing so. An unlikely relationship forms between them. Having an older person in a child’s life is such a gift. Though Jack is skeptical of Miss Volker at first, he comes to realize his great fortune at having her for a mentor. Miss Volker shows Jack what he’s truly capable of and what it means to be a friend. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Somewhat tedious are the history lessons that accompany the obits Jack and Miss Volker write. It wasn’t that the histories weren’t interesting but I wanted to get back to the story and having so many obits written so closely together...it got slow. The history lessons felt like just that -- history lessons. As a kid, I probably wouldn’t have finished the book because of these history bits. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As an adult, I forged through the histories and was rewarded with a satisfying if somewhat far-fetched ending. I enjoyed the caught-in-the-middle relationship Jack has with his parents. He can’t please one without getting in serious trouble with the other. One sympathizes. The town's citizens were colorful and Jack's interactions with them humorous. I laughed out loud several times and recommend this book be read aloud (as it was to me to my great enjoyment).</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publisher: </span><span style="background-color: #fffcf5; font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Farrar, Straus and Giroux</span><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2011 Pages: 352 </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rating: 4 Stars Source: Public Library</span></span></b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-39580065759729827662012-06-05T09:00:00.000-05:002012-06-05T09:00:05.087-05:00Review: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://chachic.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/northandsouth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://chachic.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/northandsouth.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
<b id="internal-source-marker_0.4298284309916198"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I recently re-watched BBC’s <i>North and South</i> miniseries (2004) and liked it so well I downloaded the book to my kindle and began reading. This is one of the few times I felt the film adaptation was better than the book. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>North and South</i> tells the story of the Margaret Hale whose father, because of his conscience, leaves the ministry and relocates his family to the northern manufacturing town of Milton. Margaret languishes in Milton’s smog, missing friends while caring for an ailing parent. The only society to be found is with Milton’s elite tradesmen of whom Margaret thinks little. Meanwhile, Milton’s workmen go on strike (relatively novel in the mid 1800s as factory work was fairly new), causing trouble and unrest for the entire town. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where Gaskell lost me is with the general characterization of Margaret. She’s too perfect. For instance, she tells one lie (to ensure someone’s safety) and, because she was caught in her lie by the man she cares about, she hates herself. With 20/20 hindsight, Margaret feels her lie was unnecessary and totally wrong and can’t get over the fact that her love interest thinks ill of her because he knows she lied. The self-loathing went on for far too many pages (and months in the story). Margaret: Girl, an innocent life was at stake so you told a lie. So what if that guy knows you lied. If he doesn’t care to understand the whole story, and you can’t bare to tell him, then move on.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Margaret Hale: misunderstood angel. Blah. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Where the novel was interesting was in the class conflict. Interactions between Margaret’s (demoted) family, the elite tradesmen and the workmen fueled the plot. I enjoyed the fiery conversations between Mr. Thornton (factory owner/love interest) and Margaret. I liked her spunk in speaking her opinion about the treatment of workmen as well as Mr. Thornton’s personal story. I’m not sure if they ever agree completely but they do influence each other enough to consider the other’s point of view. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite my frequent frustration with Margaret, I enjoyed Gaskell’s writing and her ability to weave a multi-layered story. It has a recognizable pattern (romance) but creates enough tension between characters to keep one reading to see their reactions. Though a friend of Charlotte Bronte’s, Gaskell’s writing lacks the darker shades of her friend’s writing. <i>North and South </i>does not explore the power struggle between Margaret and Mr. Thornton as well as it could have and like we see between Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester. Yet, <i>North and South </i>was not a light book as it took the manufacturing strike seriously. There was really no humor at all (missing Jane Austen’s wit) and so this novel fizzled out for me. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Give me passion and action or at least some intelligent humor (shoot, any humor) but not this “oh, no. He thinks me a fallen woman!” crap. The miniseries is excellent. The book is for die-hard Victorian novel lovers who, like myself, will find some level of enjoyment in the cultural aspect of the story as much or more than the supposed romance. It was a struggle to finish but I’m glad I did.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br />Have you seen the movie or read the book? Both? What do think?<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Publisher: Kindle Edition, 2009 (First published: 1855) Pages: 499</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Rating: 3 Stars Source: free on Amazon</span></span></b>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-68773288846528567342012-05-31T11:46:00.000-05:002012-05-31T11:54:22.158-05:00Outlander Read-A-Long Participation Post<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.thereadinghousewives.com/2012/05/sign-up-for-outlander-by-diana-gabaldon.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-R0uVab18N2U/T5APKQP7JjI/AAAAAAAACSo/7w7wklKOPJQ/s1600/Outlander%2520read-a-long%2520button.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've wanted to participate in another read-a-long for some time (my last being <a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2010/08/northanger-abbey-finale-chapters-24-31.html">Northanger Abbey</a>). And I've wanted to read <i><a href="http://www.shelfari.com/books/51362/Outlander">Outlander</a> </i>by Diana Gabaldon for some time. Now's my chance to do both! I started<i> Outlander </i>long ago and read about 50 pages (where she time travels) before returning the book to the library. Since then, I've picked up the first two books in the series from the library's discard shelf. So, I'm ready to read!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sign up at </span><a href="http://www.thereadinghousewives.com/2012/05/sign-up-for-outlander-by-diana-gabaldon.html" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Reading House Wives </a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">if you'd like to participate. The read-a-long runs June 11th to July 23rd and I'll be posting, as instructed, every Monday about the book.</span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-19313940908255072272012-05-30T09:00:00.000-05:002012-05-30T09:00:01.675-05:00Review: Toning the Sweep by Angela Johnson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.uni-giessen.de/anglistik/tefl/Projects/mcyal98/mcyalPics/toningsw.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.uni-giessen.de/anglistik/tefl/Projects/mcyal98/mcyalPics/toningsw.gif" width="123" /></a></div>
I am surprised I liked this book. <i>Toning the Sweep</i> is a non-plot driven story. Not a whole lot happens. It focuses more on character development and relationships than the rising action/climax/ resolution of a traditional story arch. Yet, I loved the characters. They felt real. Johnson presents common ground between reader and character which made it easy to empathize which, in my opinion, is one of the most important reasons to read -- to learn about people and see ourselves in their shoes for a moment. <br />
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Emmie has always enjoyed visiting her grandmother Ola in the California desert. But, when Emmie and her mother visit Ola now, they know it is for the last time. Ola has cancer and they have come to pack Ola's things and say goodbye. It is a soul-searching experience for Emmie (14) who strives to understand her care-free grandmother and her care-worn mother.<br />
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What could have been a sad and depressing story turned out to be an uplifting read. Reading <i>Toning the Sweep</i> felt like watching an incredibly pivotal moment in a family's life on T.V. -- like I was given an insightful snapshot. Emmie documents her grandma's life with a video camera and so the reader sees much of the story through Emmie's camera lens -- a perspective that I enjoyed and worked well in revealing Emmie's concerns.<br />
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Ola is a great character. Her eccentric behavior is a testament to her independent spirit but also her flawed character. Has Ola run away to the desert to hide from the past? Her strength carved out a great life there but at a cost to her daughter's well being. Emmie pieces these things together, uncovering more about her mother and grandmother's relationship, as she helps pack Ola's household, sorting the "keep", "donate" and "throw aways" of a lifetime.<br />
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David is Emmie's friend who she sees when visiting Ola. One of the few males in the story, David's character is important. He is exploring his Native American past, embracing it as a part of who he is, and helps Emmie think about her African American heritage.<br />
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No character in this story is superfluous. Each character adds something important in showing Emmie who her family is and who she is. For a little book, <i>Toning the Sweep</i> packs a big punch. <b>It is a touching story about how life's tragedies effect people so deeply and how people can touch others deeply as well.</b> It is about family and about inter-generational relationships between women. Johnson's writing blended metaphor and symbolism seamlessly, enhancing but never detracting from the story. This book counts towards the <a href="http://www.theprairielibrary.com/2012/02/people-of-color-reading-challenge-2012.html" target="_blank">POC Reading Challenge</a>!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher: Scholastic, 1994 Pages: 112</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating: 4 Stars Source: borrowed from my teacher </b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7533410326820379706.post-91363771408096148702012-05-24T12:56:00.000-05:002012-05-25T09:11:50.030-05:00Review: I Am Different: Can You Find Me? by Manjula Padmanabhan<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/157/I-Am-Different-Padmanabhan-Manjula-9781570916397.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://images.betterworldbooks.com/157/I-Am-Different-Padmanabhan-Manjula-9781570916397.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>I Am Different</i> explores sixteen languages giving kids a glimpse into the many languages spoken in North America. Each spread features one language, giving a pronunciation guide and examples of familiar words which originated from the language. The book tells in which direction the script is read. There is an accompanying puzzle for each language in which the reader must identify what is different from everything else in the picture.<br />
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It was fun to try the different languages according to the pronunciation guide. I read the Mandarin aloud to my Chinese classmates and they had a good chuckle at my effort before correcting me. I can imagine kids enjoying the puzzle aspect. The pictures are colorful and the icons in the puzzles taken from the language's culture. For instance, the puzzle accompanying Hebrew uses the Star of David. A celebration of diversity, <i>I Am Different</i> will likely be enjoyed by elementary students reading with others as they speak the languages aloud and solve the puzzles together. This book counts towards the <a href="http://pocreading.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">POC Reading Challenge</a>.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Publisher: Charlesbridge Pub, 2011. Pages: 36</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Rating: 3.5 Stars Source: Public Library</b></span>Chellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04506296443676360367noreply@blogger.com2