And so it begins!
The season's Best of 2012 lists have begun.
Here, the New York Times lists its 25 Most Notable Children's Books of 2012, with selections in young adult, middle-grade, and picture book categories.
I'm embarrassed to admit I haven't read a single one of them yet! I am always behind in new books because I have so many good older ones waiting to be read. I do have John Green's The Fault in Our Stars sitting on my shelf, though - lent to me by a young friend after I squealed upon seeing her reading it!
And speaking of John Green, an Entertainment Weekly poll found him to be readers' #1 author! That's not just out of YA authors, but ALL authors - he even came in ahead of J.K. Rowling.
Have you read any of the NYT's top 25? Do you agree with their choices? I better get busy!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Monday, November 26, 2012
It's Monday 11/26! What Are You Reading?
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends. We drove to Rochester, NY, (my hometown) for the long weekend, stayed with my dad and his wife, and enjoyed lots of visits with family and friends. It was a very nice weekend, and it was great to see everyone! Now we are back home, with lots to do!
So, we didn't have a lot of time for reading last week. Unfortunately, I can't read a book in the car (I get sick), but I can manage flipping through magazines, so I caught up on months' worth of magazines that had piled up! Besides those, here is what we all read last week:
- I am STILL working my way through Middlemarch by George Eliot. It is a hefty one, and I am feeling ready to move onto something else....but I am still enjoying it and want to see what happens - 200 pages to go!
- My husband, Ken, is reading Michael Connelly's The Fifth Witness (a Lincoln Lawyer novel) and enjoying it.
- Jamie, 18, can read in the car (lucky!), so he finished City of Ashes (#2), read City of Glass (#3), and has started City of Fallen Angels (#4), in his quest to re-read Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series for the third time, in preparation for book #5 which was recently released.
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Middle-Grade/Teen Review: The Freedom Maze
In Louisiana in1960, thirteen-year old Sophie is feeling
displaced. Her parents have
recently split up, and her mother is learning to be an accountant and selling
their nice house in the suburbs to move herself and Sophie to an apartment in
New Orleans. She sends Sophie off
for the summer to her aunt’s house, an old plantation home in southern
Louisiana, where Sophie spend boring days listening to her grandmother’s
stories of the old days, wandering around the grounds, and exploring the old
maze in the garden.
Sophie longs for adventure of the sort she reads about in
books by C.S. Lewis and E. Nesbit, but when she makes a wish and gets whisked
back in time to 1860, she gets more than she bargained for. With her unruly curly hair, tan, and
dirty, bare feet, she is mistaken for a slave on her family’s working sugar
plantation. The matriarch
(Sophie’s great, great-grandmother) can see the family resemblance in her nose,
so she assumes Sophie is the product of the union between a family member down
the river at another plantation and a slave. From there, the story follows Sophie as she enters the world
of slavery in pre-Civil War Louisiana.
Sherman tells a mesmerizing story here, with ample
historical details. The minutiae
of the slaves’ lives presented here is a fascinating side of history that is
rarely presented. And Sherman
doesn’t shrink from the darker side of the story; there is a scene where a
slave is beaten and plenty of intimations of rape (and the results of it). She handles it all with care, though,
weaving together an amazing story, following both Sophie growing up, as well as
the political movements of the time toward the start of the Civil War (or the
War of Northern Aggression, as Sophie’s grandmother still calls it!).
I loved this book, and the audio production was
excellent. The longer I listened,
the more I wanted to hear. I could
hardly stand to get out of the car after 3 hours because I wanted to hear how
it ended! This unique novel will
captivate fans of both historical fiction and time travel novels.
272 pages, Candlewick
Listening Library
Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.
Visit my YouTube Channel for more bookish fun!
Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible. This excellent audio book was nominated for an Audie Award in 2013.
You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!
Or you can order The Freedom Maze from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.
Monday, November 19, 2012
It's Monday 11/19! What Are You Reading?
Hello, Monday! I am very happy to greet a new week because last week was a rough one. My chronic illness flared up badly, so I was pretty useless all week (no reviews at all!). But I seemed to have turned the corner yesterday, so I am ready for a new week. I'm also excited for a Thanksgiving week filled with family, spending time with my sons and husband, as well as all the family members we rarely see.
Reading was one of the few things I could manage last week, so I enjoyed my books:
- I am still reading Middlemarch by George Eliot. It is a hefty book, and I didn't finish in time for my book group meeting on Thursday, but I am now more than halfway through and am enjoying it very much. I have been pleasantly surprised by Eliot's writing talents - Middlemarch is clever and witty, and my book is filled with tabbed quotes that I loved.
- My husband, Ken, finished Neal Schusterman's Everfound, a teen/YA novel that we both enjoyed very much.
- Last night, Ken started Michael Connelly's The Fifth Witness ( a Lincoln Lawyer novel), a paperback I gave him for Father's Day. He and I have both always enjoyed Connelly's novels, and this seemed like a good choice for a week of travel and holiday hectic-ness!
- Jamie, 18, is still reading City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare for the third time! I'm sure he will use our long road trip this week to read.
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Happy Birthday, Robert Louis Stevenson!
Stevenson was a talented writer. We read Treasure Island aloud to our two sons a couple of times when they were younger; it is a favorite book at our house!
We also greatly enjoyed watching Disney's 1950 movie adaptation starring Robert Newton as Long John Silver - dozens and dozens of time! It was one of our sons' favorite movies, and Ken and I enjoyed it, too. In fact, I included it in a round-up of great pirate products for Family Fun magazine in 2005. And, of course, the Muppets starred in a pretty good adaptation of the novel, too!
I do think, though, that Treasure Island is the only Stevenson book I ever read. In fact, I was surprised when looked him up on amazon and discovered that he also wrote Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde - I've seen stage productions of that one but have never read it. And, of course, he also wrote A Children's Garden of Verses, but I don't think I read that one either.
What are your favorite Robert Louis Stevenson works? Happy Birthday, Robert!
Monday, November 12, 2012
It's Monday 11/12! What Are You Reading?
It was a long, tiring week but a lot of fun! After voting Tuesday morning, I drove to Connecticut to take care of my mom. She had hip surgery three weeks ago and still can't do much for herself. So, I was there to help, but it was also the first time she and I have had so much time alone together since...well, since my kids were born! We watched movies, read, talked for hours, and ate some delicious food together (see my Weekend Cooking post). We really enjoyed each other's company, in spite of the crazy weather last week.
I came home to a busy catch-up weekend, planning meals, getting groceries, picking up the house, etc. Yesterday we had friends over for dinner. More fun, but today is definitely a recovery day.
Despite the very busy week, I squeezed in some reading time:
- I am still working my way through Middlemarch by George Eliot. Whew, it is slow going! This classic novel is growing on me, and I am enjoying it, but I'm only on page 177 (of 799!!). Not likely I will finish in time for my book group meeting on Thursday. Yesterday, I began listening to it on audio when I am not able to read (free audio versions of classic books are available at LibriVox).
- All that driving time gave me lots of opportunity to listen to audio books! I finished The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman, a middle-grade novel about a girl in 1960 Louisiana who goes back in time to meet her own ancestors in pre-War 1860. I loved this book, and its historical details were fascinating - it made the miles fly by!
- On the way home, I started The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg, a middle-grade novel. It's good so far but different than I expected, using a 6th grade academic quiz bowl as the foundation to delve into the lives of four very different students.
- My husband, Ken, is reading Everfound by Neal Schusterman, a teen/YA supernatural novel that I recently finished and reviewed.
- Jamie, 18, doesn't have a lot of time for reading in college, but he is making his way through City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare for the 3rd time!
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
Monday, November 5, 2012
It's Monday 11/5! What Are You Reading?
However, the storm gave us lots of time for Spooky Halloween Reading! I was almost wishing we lost power for a few hours so the kids would have to set aside the video games and TV and read, but we didn't and they didn't! Here's what we read last week:
- I finished Everfound by Neal Schusterman at the beginning of the week. I loved this exciting conclusion to the imaginative teen/YA Skinjacking trilogy...and I even made sure to post a review right away, in time for Halloween!
- Next, I read a fabulously creepy book, Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian. This one exceeded my expectations with edge-of-your-seat suspense that kept me reading much later than I should have every single night with a mixture of both supernatural thrills and too-real human-type chills. I just finished it yesterday, so I will post a review this week.
- And now, I have FINALLY started Middlemarch by George Eliot, the November selection for one of my book groups. The problem? We meet on November 15, and there is no way I can finish its 800 pages of densely-packed print in time! I just couldn't bear to set Night Strangers aside...
- My husband, Ken, took full advantage of being stuck inside by the storm and zipped through the hefty The Twelve by Justin Cronin in a mere week! I can't wait to read this long-awaited sequel to The Passage!
- Now Ken is reading Everfound by Neal Schusterman - we just pass books around in our house until everyone has read them!
- Jamie, 18, came home for the storm (college was closed for several days) but forgot City of Ashes, book #2 in Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments series (which he is re-reading) in his dorm room. Despite piles of new books all over the house, he refused to start anything else and instead played video games with his brother!
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
 |
| Our son and his friend dressed as old men for Halloween, so Ken and I dressed as toddlers! |
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Teen/YA Review: Everfound
Happy Halloween (one day late)! I have been preparing for Halloween by reading some spooky
books this month (see my review of Magisterium), and what is spookier than
ghosts? Everfound by Neal Schusterman, the third and final book in
his Skinjacking trilogy that started with Everlost, was a satisfying conclusion to an excellent series.
This is going to be tricky (get it? tricky on Halloween?), but I’m going to
try to tell you about the third book without giving away what happens in the
first two books because if you haven’t read this series yet, you are really
missing out….and you need to start at the beginning.
Everlost is the world that exists in between the living
world and the dead world. It is
populated only by children and teens who are not yet ready to head into the
light and “get where they are going.”
There, kids can see the real world but can not interact with it or
change it. The exception are
skinjackers, a certain minority of the kids in Everlost who can temporarily
take over a living body and thereby interact with the living world.
Many of the same main characters from earlier books play key
roles in Everfound: Allie the Outcast, Nick the Chocolate
Ogre, Mary Hightower, and Mikey the McGill. They are joined in this third and final book by two new
characters. Jix is a furjacker – a
skinjacker who likes to take over big cats – sent by the Mayan King of Everlost
to find out more about Mary. Mary,
as before, is intent on controlling all of Everlost, though her plans have
become more sinister than before. Some of the skinjackers, led by Milos, have
figured out how to bring more children into Everlost to increase the size and
strength of Mary’s growing army.
All of the kids are terrified by the appearance of a scar wraith, the
most feared type of being in all of Everlost, a person who is half in the
living world and half in Everlost and whose touch is said to be capable of
extinguishing the Everlost child he touches forever.
As Mary’s power grows and her army of skinjackers becomes
more powerful, Allie, Nick, Mikey, Jix, and the others realize they must set
aside their differences in order to save Everlost – and the living world – from
Mary’s evil plans. As with the first
two books, Everfound is fast-paced and
full of suspense, with plenty of likeable characters to root for. I loved it, and my husband and son
can’t wait to read it next!
500 pages, Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster Audio
Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.
Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.
Or get this audiobook from Libro.fm and support local bookstores.
You can buy the book through Bookshop.org, where your purchase will support the indie bookstore of your choice (or all indie bookstores)--the convenience of shopping online while still buying local!
Monday, October 29, 2012
It's Monday 10/29! What Are You Reading?
An unusual Monday here, as we wait out Hurricane Sandy aka Frankenstorm. It is a HUGE storm, with another storm front coming down from the north to meet it, and it is heading straight for us in northern Delaware. We are a bit inland so don't have to worry about coastal flooding, but the heavy rain and high winds are supposed to last for a few days, at least. Roads are closed. Schools were closed for Monday and Tuesday back on Saturday, so we have both kids at home (plus an extra one!).
On the plus side, if we lose power, I will have an excuse for more reading time! Here's what we have been reading here:
- I spent the week engrossed in a spooky read by one of my favorite teen/YA authors: Everfound by Neal Schusterman, the conclusion to the Skinjacking trilogy that started with Everlost, about kids caught in a sort of limbo (aka Everlost) in between the worlds of the living and the dead. Our whole family has loved this series, and the final book is just as good - I just have a few pages to go!
- Next up for today is another Halloween read, Night Strangers by Chris Bohjalian.
- I am really enjoying the audio book, The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman, about a girl in 1960's Louisiana who time travels back 100 years. It is excellent so far, though I won't be listening much with the whole family stuck on the house with me this week!
- My husband, Ken, finished In the Woods by Tana French, and wants to read more of her novels.
- Next, he read another Neal Schusterman teen/YA novel, Unwholly, the sequel to Unwind, another spooky novel that we all loved! It's a dystopian series about a future world where parents can choose to "unwind" their children between ages 13 and 18 (but it is considered ethically acceptable because every bit of them is used and transplanted). Yeah, very creepy! The first book was about a few teens who managed to escape on their way to being unwound. Can't wait to read this one - Ken said it was great!
- Last night, Ken started The Twelve by Justin Cronin, sequel to The Passage. Both of us are excited to read this one!
- Jamie, 18, finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (for the 3rd time!), but he left book #2 in his dorm room when he came home for the storm! So, he will have to switch to another series while he is here - that shouldn't be a problem as we just received a bunch of teen/YA books from a publisher.
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted at Teach Mentor Texts.)
Thursday, October 25, 2012
The Book Thief Comes to Life!
This New York Times article explains how the best-selling book - which was one of the biggest YA-adult stand-alone cross-over novels of all time - came to be adapted as a stage production. It is currently running as a young adult production at Chicago's Steppenwolf Theater through November 11. I wish I lived there so I could go see it!
And....it is also being adapted as a movie, though no word yet on when that might come out - sounds like they are just getting started.
Did you read The Book Thief? I loved it -you can check out my own review here. Are you lucky enough to live in the Chicago area? If so, will you go see it? I wish I could!
Monday, October 22, 2012
It's Monday 10/22! What Are You Reading?
Ah...Monday morning...quiet house. I've had kind of a rough week here. My college son was home sick much of last week, then I caught his cold. Even a simple virus like this triggers a severe flare-up of our chronic illness (an immune disorder), so it's a double-whammy. On the plus side, I've had a little more time for reading than usual! Here's what we read last week:
- I finished my first spooky read for the month, the teen/YA novel Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch, which combines a post-apocalyptic/dystopian setting with a magical plot. Its engrossing suspense was a great distraction from how I was feeling!
- Last night, I finished my neighborhood book group's selection for this week's meeting: The Buddha in the Attic by Julie Otsuka. It is a unique novel, written from the perspective of a group of women, rather than individual characters, about so-called picture brides who immigrated to the United States from Japan in the early 1900's, following them for the next 20 years. It should be fodder for some excellent discussions Wednesday evening!
- I started a new audio book, The Freedom Maze by Delia Sherman, a middle-grade novel about a young girl in Louisiana in 1960 who is transported back in time to 1860. It is excellent and engaging so far!
- My husband, Ken, is reading In the Woods by Tana French and enjoying it very much. He says it is a good mystery with plenty of suspense but also very well-written.
- Jamie, 18, was home sick from college for 4 days this week. After catching up on all his favorite TV shows in the first 2 days, he picked up a book and remembered how much he has missed reading since he started college! He read Relic Master (The Dark City #1) by Catherine Fisher and loved it (Fisher's Incarceron was a family favorite here).
- City of Lost Souls, Book Five of The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, arrived at our house last week while Jamie was home sick. Since this is one of his favorite series, Jamie decided to re-read the entire series...for the third time! So, he is currently reading Book 1, City of Bones, though he is back at school with plenty of make-up work, so I don't know how much reading time he has!
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Teen/YA Review: Magisterium
Sixteen-year old Glenn Morgan lives a quiet life. Her mother left when she was six, and
her scientist father is immersed in his project out in his workshop, leaving
Glenn on her own most of the time.
She goes to school, hangs out with her mohawked friend, Kevin Kapoor,
and dreams of the day when she can apply to a space academy and escape her
lonely life. They live in a world
based on technology and science, but Kevin has heard rumors of a different
world, filled with magic and monsters, just beyond the Rift that borders their
backyards. Glenn insists that
there is nothing beyond the Rift but a barren wasteland, as they’ve been taught
in their history classes.
One day, their quiet, dull lives are upended when Glenn’s
dad finally finishes the project he’s been obsessed with, a metal bracelet, and
the Authority, their police force, come to arrest him. Glenn and Kevin grab the bracelet and
escape to the only place they can – across the border. What they find there, on the run from
the government, is crazy and confusing and hard to believe, but Glenn must
continue her quest to save her father.
I don’t want to say much more about the rest of the novel
because it is filled with suspense and lots of twists and turns. It is an imaginative and action-packed
adventure story about a dystopian world much different than others I have read
about (and I have read a lot of dystopian novels this year!). Glenn and Kevin are both strong,
admirable characters whom I was rooting for. I devoured the book quickly, and now my 18-year old son
wants to read it!
Monday, October 15, 2012
It's Monday 10/15! What Are You Reading?
Monday already? Wow, where did the weekend go? Mine was filled with a lot of work (and cooking) and not much fun or relaxing. I saw lots of blogs participated in a read-a-thon this weekend. I've never tried one, but it sounds like a wonderful idea! Might have to wait until the kids have moved out, though!
After 3 solid weeks of pain and exhaustion following his knee surgery, my youngest son finally returned to school today (I know I said he went back LAST Monday, but that only lasted one day!) - hurray! However, my oldest son is home from college and in bad shape now! Looks like he has one of the many viruses floating around at school which has triggered a bad flare-up of his chronic illness. So, he came home for his usual Sunday visit but felt so bad that he decided to stay (still sleeping - shhh!).
Someday I will be alone again for an hour or two...
In the meantime, as always, books provide a mini escape! Here's what we've been reading this week:
- I finished Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital by Dr. Heidi Squier Kraft just in time for my library's book discussion on Wednesday. It is a fascinating and engrossing memoir about a young mother's experiences serving as a Navy Psychologist for a group of Marines in Iraq. We had a great discussion about the emotional and psychological effects of war.
- After months of listening, I finally finished the middle-grade audio book Young Fredle by Cynthia Voight last week. My lengthy listen is not due to any fault of the book, just a lack of a CD player in my old car! It is a warm, wonderful story, wonderfully performed - very deserving of its Odyssey Honor for Excellence in Audiobooks Award.
- Now I am reading an exciting new teen/YA novel, Magisterium by Jeff Hirsch. It's a very unique story - a blend of dystopian, post-apocalyptic, and magic, all rolled into one! I could hardly stand to put it down this weekend.
- My husband, Ken, finished and enjoyed 1NF1N1TY by Rachel Ward, the exciting conclusion to her Num8ers trilogy.
- Now Ken is reading one of his birthday gifts from me, Into the Woods by Tana French. I've been hearing such great things about French's suspense novels for years, so I decided to start him off with the first book in this series. He's loving it so far and says the writing is excellent - he even read a passage aloud to me!
- Jamie, 18 and an avid reader, is still too busy with his new college life for any reading! Perhaps he will pick it up again while he is sick this week (though of course, I hope he bounces back quickly and can get back to hanging out with his friends).
- Craig, 14, has his hands full catching up on 3 weeks' of missed school work, but he did enjoy reading the short story, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell (a classic!) for his English class. And, in a burst of inspiration (and an urgent need to get away from the TV!) this week, I set up lounge chairs outside in the sunshine for Craig and I and read aloud to him from Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. He was in the mood for something Halloweeny, and I think he enjoyed that little return to when we used to read aloud to the boys every night. I know I enjoyed it!
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Middle-Grade Review: Young Fredle
The main character, Fredle, is a mouse, a house mouse to be
more precise. He lives behind the
pantry walls in Mr. And Mrs.’s farmhouse with his large mouse family. They live a quiet life, sleeping in
communal nests during the day and cautiously foraging for food in the dark
kitchen at night, though Fredle wishes he were braver, like his cousin Axle,
and wonders what’s outside the world of the kitchen. One night, Fredle and Axle find something strange and
wonderful (a Peppermint Pattie!) on a top pantry shelf, and Fredle finds
himself in a situation that requires all of his courage.
One thing leads to another, and Fredle ends up outside, alone
for the first time in his young life.
He encounters all kinds of exciting new experiences but also many
dangers – things he’s never even heard of like snakes and owls and raccoons. Fredle is immersed in new things he
doesn’t even know the name for, until a young mouse from a family of field mice
befriends him and teaches him about things like grass and flowers and
stars. Fredle gets all the
adventures he ever wanted and also has a chance to consider what home really
means.
I know this sounds like a strange way to describe a novel
about a mouse, but it really is a coming-of-age story. While Fredle is out among friends and
enemies of the outdoor world, he grows up. He thinks about what is really important to him and makes
some life-changing decisions that affect him as well as other mice.
Though a story told from a mouse’s perspective might get a
bit gimmicky with a lesser writer, Voight’s story of Fredle is told with warmth
and sincerity, full of gentle humor and plenty of mouse-sized adventure. Actress Wendy Carter reads the novel
with considerable talent, bringing us into Fredle’s world and adeptly managing
the different voices of all the creatures he meets (though I’m not entirely
sure why raccoons speak with a Jersey accent, but they sure were amusing!). All in all, Young Fredle deserved its award and is perfect for families to
listen to together. And as much as I loved the audio production, it looks like the paper book has adorable illustrations, so either format is a winner!
Listening Library
Recommended for Ages 8 and up.
Recommended for Ages 8 and up.
Listen to an excerpt:
AUDIO: BOOK:
Monday, October 8, 2012
It's Monday 10/8! What Are You Reading?
By some miracle, I am alone this Monday morning! My son has been home for two weeks, recovering from knee surgery. The pain finally subsided enough that he could manage without prescription pain killers. He slept 16 hours Friday night and woke up feeling much better! So, he finally went back to school this morning, and I am enjoying the rare quiet solitude.
I haven't had much time for blogging these past two weeks, but I used the weekend to catch up a bit.
Lots of great reading this week:
- I finished reading The Chocolate War, a classic teen/YA novel by Robert Cormier, for Banned Books Week. It's a violent but compelling story that takes place in an all-boys high school.
- I am now reading Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital, a memoir by Dr. Heidi Squier Kraft. My state's library system is focusing on this real-life look at a psychologist's experiences in Iraq (I am guessing to honor Veteran's Day next month), so I am reading this for this week's book discussion at my local library. It's very good so far.
- My husband, Ken, is now reading 1NF1N1TY by Rachel Ward, the exciting conclusion to the teen/YA Num8ers trilogy that I just finished last week!
- Craig, 14, will be reading the short story, The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell, for his English class this week. Craig doesn't enjoy reading much, but I have told him this is a great story.
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted at Teach Mentor Texts.)
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Teen/YA Review: The Chocolate War
Jerry is a freshman at Trinity, a Catholic all-boys high
school. He is still struggling to
deal with his mother’s recent death and lives a lonely existence, going to a
new school without any friends and rarely seeing his taciturn father who works
odd hours as a pharmacist. The one
bright spot in Jerry’s world is football.
In the opening scene of the novel, he is trying out as quarterback for
the team, being brutally tackled again and again while the harsh coach yells at
him. Yes, this is a highlight of Jerry’s life.
Though outwardly it would seem that the Brothers who teach
the classes run Trinity, the truth is that a secret student group called the
Vigils are controlling things behind the scenes. Archie is the Vigils’ Assigner, and each week he chooses
innocent students and assigns them various humiliations and pranks. No one would ever think of defying
Archie or the Vigils; the entire student body lives in fear of them, as does
much of the teaching staff.
And that’s how things go at Trinity, the ways things have
always gone at Trinity, until one day when something snaps in Jerry, and he
defies both the cruel school head and the Vigils. There’s a poster in Jerry’s locker that says, “Do I dare
disturb the universe?” and that’s exactly
what he does when he quietly but firmly refuses to go along with the status
quo.
It’s easy to see why this book has been banned. From the opening scene at football
practice through several vicious fight scenes, violence is a central theme in
the book, and it is quite graphic.
There are also several sexual references, though nothing explicit there,
but book banners generally don’t like books that even mention masturbation.
All in all, Cormier’s famous YA novel presents a pretty dim
view of mankind. And I do mean
mankind, not humankind, as the book is populated entirely by male characters;
the only female characters are minor ones barely mentioned and only present as
objects of the boys’ desire. It is
a very “Lord of the Flies” sort of situation, with most of the main characters,
including the head teacher, acting with intense cruelty and completely lacking
compassion. True, there are some
good guys here, including Jerry’s only friend, Goober, but the good guys are
completely manipulated and controlled by the bad guys. It's a dark view of human nature, though I don’t think the author means to say
that all men are cruel but that a few bad apples have turned Trinity into an
evil place. All in all, though the
novel was too violent for my taste, there is no doubt that it is a compelling
and well-written story, and I can see that it would make for some excellent
discussions about human nature in a high school English class.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Celebrate Banned Books Week
It's Banned Books Week!
Sheila over at Book Journey is hosting a celebration of banned books, with lots of links to other blogs and giveaways, so stop by! And join in the fun yourself by reading banned books and/or posting about them.
I just finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and am now reading The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, both commonly banned books. Look for reviews of those later this week, here and at Book By Book.
Check out this list of the 100 most frequently banned books (from 1990 - 1999), compiled by the American Library Association (ALA) and this list of most frequently banned and challenged classics. You will be surprised by some of the titles on these lists. How many of these naughty books have YOU read??
From these two lists, I have read the following kids/teen/YA books (see Book By Book's Banned Book post for the list of grown-up books read). I linked to my reviews where they are available:
- Forever by Judy Blume (a popular one when I was a teen!)
- The Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (read aloud to our kids)
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (my son read it for middle school, so I read it as well)
- In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak (listened to on audio with our kids)
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (how dare they ban my favorite book?)
- Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
- Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George (read for school in 7th grade)
- Deenie by Judy Blume (another great one by Blume)
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (read aloud to my class by an elementary school teacher)
- Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (what girl could possibly go through adolescence without this book??)
- Where's Waldo? by Martin Hanford (seriously??)
- Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
I was pleased to see that many of the banned books I have read (on this list and the one at Book By Book) were assigned for school (mine or my kids'), so kudos to our schools for giving us a broad and unrestricted education!
Check out the lists to see how many banned books you have read...and select one you missed and head to your library!
Monday, October 1, 2012
It's Monday 10/1! What Are You Reading?
Happy October!
My
husband and I celebrated our 23rd anniversary yesterday. We actually
managed a nice dinner out on our own Saturday evening and celebrated
with a steak dinner at home with the kids yesterday.
We
had a pretty rough week. Our son's recovery from knee surgery has been
more difficult than we expected. He was finally feeling better and
able to get by without narcotic pain killers on Saturday, but going to a
bonfire party and spending the night at a friend's house knocked him
out again. He's still asleep now, but we are hoping he will be able to
get back to school. We know from experience that getting around on
crutches is really exhausting for him.
Oh, and this is Banned Book Week so stay tuned for more on that this week!
We are reading:
- Last night, I finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, in honor of Banned Books Week, and I really enjoyed it. It was clever, funny, and surprisingly prophetic in some ways, especially for a book written in 1931. I am still making my way through Brave New World Revisited, an analysis and reconsideration of the novel written by the author in 1958, which was included in my copy of the book.
- Now I am reading a teen/YA novel for Banned Book Week, The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, another classic I have never read. It's good so far.
- I am still listening to Fredle by Cynthia Voight, an award-winning middle-grade audio book - it is very clever and cute, about a house mouse who must learn how to survive outside.
- My husband, Ken, is still reading Full Black by Brad Thor, a thriller.
I finally caught up on some reviews last week; I posted a Did Not Finish Review of The Death of Artemio Cruz and a review of 1NF1N1TY, the exciting conclusion to the Num8ers trilogy by Rachel Ward, a favorite of mine. And you can get a look at our newest family member, Lola, on my Saturday Snapshot!
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
 |
| 23 years and counting! |
Friday, September 28, 2012
Teen/YA Review: 1NF1N1TY
INF1N1TY deals with
the third generation of Adam’s family who have special gifts. Adam sees the
date of a person’s death when he looks into their eyes and feels what they will
feel when they die. Sarah, Adam’s girlfriend, dreamed about the Chaos, the
apocalypse that destroyed modern civilization two years ago, and drew what she
saw before it happened. She hasn’t
drawn anything since. The two of
them have been living a vagabond existence with Sarah’s little brothers, and
her two –year old daughter, Mia.
Mia has her own gift – she sees colored auras when she looks at a person
– though she is too young to explain that to anyone.
Their little family is just struggling to survive, like
thousands of other people in England, left behind in the aftermath of the
Chaos. But Adam’s and Sarah’s
attempts to warn people of the coming disaster attracted attention from some
dangerous people who are now hunting them.
I have loved this entire series. The characters are realistic and likable – so much so that
it is easy to suspend belief and accept their gifts. In some ways, this is classic post-apocalyptic fiction,
though their special talents add another layer of interest. The exciting conclusion to the trilogy
is fast-paced and suspenseful, keeping you guessing right until the climactic
final scene.
Monday, September 24, 2012
It's Monday 9/24! What Are You Reading?
I am sitting in the Surgi-Center waiting room while my
14-year old son has knee surgery.
We are hoping this arthroscopic surgery will do the trick and he won’t
need another surgery, but we won’t know for a few weeks. Hopefully, today won’t be too
tough on him – it’s hard to see your baby go into surgery!
So, I will distract myself by telling you about the books we
are reading this week:
- I finished Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks (not quite in time for my book group discussion!), and I absolutely loved it! No surprise there – I have loved all of Brooks’ novels, including March, The People of the Book, and The Year of Wonders. This one was just as good, about a young woman in the 1660’s who becomes friends with a native American who ends up being the first of his people to graduate from Harvard (did you know Harvard was around in the 1600’s?). It was fascinating and compelling.
- I wasn’t feeling well last week, so my next book was a fast-paced thriller I have been looking forward to, 1NF1N1TY by Rachel Ward, the conclusion to her Numb8ers trilogy. I have loved this whole trilogy, and the third book was just as good, providing a satisfying conclusion to the series.
- Next, I decided to read a book from the list of frequently banned classics, in honor of next week’s Banned Book Week, so I am reading Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It was assigned for my son’s World Lit class last year, and I have always wanted to read it. I am loving it so far – it is incredibly clever and somewhat prophetic, especially given the fact that it was written in 1931!
- My husband, Ken, is reading Full Black by Brad Thor, a thriller I gave him for Father’s Day this year.
- Jamie, 18, and Craig, 14, have been too busy with school work for any reading on their own – they are both really enjoying their new schools (college for Jamie and high school for Craig).
Because of my poor health week, I wasn’t able to write any
reviews for my blogs, but I did write a fun post about the 25thAnniversary of Where’s Waldo?.
What are you and your family reading this week?
P.S. We are back home now (no WiFi in the medical building!), and Craig came through his surgery just fine. We will have to wait to see how effective it was - he is on crutches for the next two weeks.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)