SOME DEWEY
100 WEA A Young Person’s Guide to Philosophy: “I Think Therefore I Am” published by DK Publishing, 1998
Mostly two-page spread for each philosophy from the early Greeks to philosophy today. Includes information about the schools of philosophy.
92 TRU Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth by Anne Rockwell, illustrated by R Gregory Christie, 2000
Short biography, but too long to read during one sitting. Broad-stroke paintings with exaggerated hands or heads.
Crazy in Love by Dandi Daley Mackall, 2007
High school senior Mary Jane Ettenmeyer has a crush on Jackson House, who is currently dating Star, one of the girls in her group of girlfriends. But Star is going out behind his back, and he starts paying attention to Mary Jane. Her Plain Jane inner voice can’t believe he’d be interested in her, but her MJ inner voice is screaming “go for it!” When she starts getting a slew of phone calls from other guys as well, she knows her reputation has been jeopardized and she suspects Jackson at first, until one of the boy callers spills that Star is the one spreading the rumors. Her sister Sandy plays on a Special Olympic-type basketball team. Her two best friends (Red and Alicia) have formed the AIA (abstinence in action) club with her, but now Alicia is at college, in love, and no longer a practicing member of AIA. Since Red has a long-time boyfriend, Mary Jane wonders if she is the only one still in AIA. By the end of the story, Alicia has been hurt by her “true love” and Red is still waiting, working on a solid relationship with her beau. Despite myself, I enjoyed this book. The message is good, the inner voices of Mary Jane ring true, and I felt it captured the angst of high school and dating well.
Some memory-jogging tags: Love story. High school. Family life. Friendship. Abstinence. Special needs sibling.
MS Rating: Not advisable. It is too old for my population.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Friday, December 14, 2007
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine, 2006
Aza is no beauty. In fact, she is ugly enough to cause rude stares from the patrons at her adopted parents’ inn. But her voice is one of the most beautiful heard anywhere in the kingdom, which is a great gift indeed in a kingdom that breaks into song at a drop of a hat, and plays composing games for fun. When a lady-in-waiting falls ill, Aza ends up at the castle. This retelling of Snow White is perfectly delightful, from Queen Ivi, a foreigner and no singer, who is vain enough to be tricked by the evil magical Skulni who inhabits the inside the hand mirror, into some vile acts, to the little gnomes (and her friend zhamM) who give Aza shelter after she is accused of tricking the kingdom. Aza throws her singing voice for the queen, making it appear the queen is singing, thus deceiving the court, but she is not guilty of being a traitor to all Ayortha’s ways. Before running away, she takes a beauty potion but Prince Ijori is happy when it finally wears off. I found this companion book to Ella Enchanted also enchanting.
Some memory-jogging tags: Kingdoms. Magic. Fantasy. Beauty. Singing. Self-acceptance. Identity. Fairytale.
MS Rating: Great.
Aza is no beauty. In fact, she is ugly enough to cause rude stares from the patrons at her adopted parents’ inn. But her voice is one of the most beautiful heard anywhere in the kingdom, which is a great gift indeed in a kingdom that breaks into song at a drop of a hat, and plays composing games for fun. When a lady-in-waiting falls ill, Aza ends up at the castle. This retelling of Snow White is perfectly delightful, from Queen Ivi, a foreigner and no singer, who is vain enough to be tricked by the evil magical Skulni who inhabits the inside the hand mirror, into some vile acts, to the little gnomes (and her friend zhamM) who give Aza shelter after she is accused of tricking the kingdom. Aza throws her singing voice for the queen, making it appear the queen is singing, thus deceiving the court, but she is not guilty of being a traitor to all Ayortha’s ways. Before running away, she takes a beauty potion but Prince Ijori is happy when it finally wears off. I found this companion book to Ella Enchanted also enchanting.
Some memory-jogging tags: Kingdoms. Magic. Fantasy. Beauty. Singing. Self-acceptance. Identity. Fairytale.
MS Rating: Great.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
The Wednesday Wars and Greetings from Planet Earth
Greetings from Planet Earth by Barbara Kerley, 2007
Set in the same time period as The Wednesday Wars, this book has a much different pacing and feel to it. It tells the story of Theo, whose dad is MIA from the Vietnam War. His science teacher, Mr. Meyer, gives the class an assignment inspired by the golden record carried by Voyager 2 to the farthest reaches of space: Who are we? The chapters – third-person accounts of Theo and his interactions with his mom, grandma JeeBee, his sister Janet, and his best friend Kenny – are introduced with short monologues in Theo’s voice musing about who we are, both in the cosmic sense and as an individual. His family has two unspoken rules that he’s figured out: If you pretend everything is OK, then everything is OK; and, Don’t talk about Dad, ever. By the end, he is ready to abandon these rules, and convince his family to do the same. I couldn’t help comparing this with The Wednesday Wars. While the latter shows how a year’s worth of events and experiences can add up to gaining a new sense of self, the former shows how uncovering one well-hid truth can change the course of a life.
Some memory-jogging tags: Vietnam War, fiction. Historical fiction. Voyager 2. Space program. Family life. Fathers and sons. Letters. Family secrets. Grandmothers.
MS Rating: Great.
Quotes: P 224: The mom said, “I never acknowledged the sacrifice he made, how much he had to give up. It killed him to leave you and Janet – he knew he’d miss so much of your growing up.” She closed her eyes. “You’d think I could have written and told him that.”
P 155: Mr. Meyer said, “I’ve met a lot of people in my life, Theo. People who truly examine things – examine themselves, even. And people who don’t I see it in school all the time – the kids who just memorize for the test and the kids who really want to understand. You’re someone who wants to understand. The road you’re choosing is the harder one. But your life will be richer because of it.”
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, 2007
Holling Hoodhood is the only child in Mrs. Baker’s seventh-grade class at Camillo Junior High that is not either Jewish or Catholic and doesn’t dismiss early on Wednesday afternoons to attend religious class. So Mrs. Baker teaches him Shakespeare. The story follows Holling through his school year, month by month, filled with humor, humiliation, clumsiness, family dysfunction, Shakespeare, friendship and first love, baseball, track, camping, and finding himself. Set against the background of the Vietnam era, I found this story humorous and very engaging.
Some memory-jogging tags: Vietnam War, fiction. Family life. Long Island, fiction. Baseball, Yankees, fiction. William Shakespeare’s plays, fiction. Humorous story. Historical fiction.
MS Rating: Great.
Quotes: P 118: Vengeance is sweet. Vengeance taken when the vengee isn’t sure who the venger is, is sweeter still.
P 223: I saw my town as if I had just arrived. It was as if I was waking up. You see houses and buildings every day, and you walk by them on your way to something else, and you hardly see. You hardly notice they’re even there, mostly because there’s something else going on right in front of your face. But when the town itself becomes the thing that is going on right in front of your face, it all changes, and you’re not just looking at a house but at what’s happened in that house before you were born. That afternoon, driving with Mrs. Baker, the American Revolution was here. The escaped slaves were here. The abolitionists were here. And I was here.
P 226: And I realized that the biggest part of the empty in the house was my sister being gone. Maybe the first time that you know you really care about something is when you think about it not being there, and you know – you really know – that the emptiness is as much inside you as outside you.
Set in the same time period as The Wednesday Wars, this book has a much different pacing and feel to it. It tells the story of Theo, whose dad is MIA from the Vietnam War. His science teacher, Mr. Meyer, gives the class an assignment inspired by the golden record carried by Voyager 2 to the farthest reaches of space: Who are we? The chapters – third-person accounts of Theo and his interactions with his mom, grandma JeeBee, his sister Janet, and his best friend Kenny – are introduced with short monologues in Theo’s voice musing about who we are, both in the cosmic sense and as an individual. His family has two unspoken rules that he’s figured out: If you pretend everything is OK, then everything is OK; and, Don’t talk about Dad, ever. By the end, he is ready to abandon these rules, and convince his family to do the same. I couldn’t help comparing this with The Wednesday Wars. While the latter shows how a year’s worth of events and experiences can add up to gaining a new sense of self, the former shows how uncovering one well-hid truth can change the course of a life.
Some memory-jogging tags: Vietnam War, fiction. Historical fiction. Voyager 2. Space program. Family life. Fathers and sons. Letters. Family secrets. Grandmothers.
MS Rating: Great.
Quotes: P 224: The mom said, “I never acknowledged the sacrifice he made, how much he had to give up. It killed him to leave you and Janet – he knew he’d miss so much of your growing up.” She closed her eyes. “You’d think I could have written and told him that.”
P 155: Mr. Meyer said, “I’ve met a lot of people in my life, Theo. People who truly examine things – examine themselves, even. And people who don’t I see it in school all the time – the kids who just memorize for the test and the kids who really want to understand. You’re someone who wants to understand. The road you’re choosing is the harder one. But your life will be richer because of it.”
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt, 2007
Holling Hoodhood is the only child in Mrs. Baker’s seventh-grade class at Camillo Junior High that is not either Jewish or Catholic and doesn’t dismiss early on Wednesday afternoons to attend religious class. So Mrs. Baker teaches him Shakespeare. The story follows Holling through his school year, month by month, filled with humor, humiliation, clumsiness, family dysfunction, Shakespeare, friendship and first love, baseball, track, camping, and finding himself. Set against the background of the Vietnam era, I found this story humorous and very engaging.
Some memory-jogging tags: Vietnam War, fiction. Family life. Long Island, fiction. Baseball, Yankees, fiction. William Shakespeare’s plays, fiction. Humorous story. Historical fiction.
MS Rating: Great.
Quotes: P 118: Vengeance is sweet. Vengeance taken when the vengee isn’t sure who the venger is, is sweeter still.
P 223: I saw my town as if I had just arrived. It was as if I was waking up. You see houses and buildings every day, and you walk by them on your way to something else, and you hardly see. You hardly notice they’re even there, mostly because there’s something else going on right in front of your face. But when the town itself becomes the thing that is going on right in front of your face, it all changes, and you’re not just looking at a house but at what’s happened in that house before you were born. That afternoon, driving with Mrs. Baker, the American Revolution was here. The escaped slaves were here. The abolitionists were here. And I was here.
P 226: And I realized that the biggest part of the empty in the house was my sister being gone. Maybe the first time that you know you really care about something is when you think about it not being there, and you know – you really know – that the emptiness is as much inside you as outside you.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Heir Apparent and Alphabet of Dreams
Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde, 2002
Giannine Bellisario receives a gift certificate from her distant father at Rasmussem Gamming Center, a total immersion virtual reality center, which she requested for her fourteenth birthday present. She goes through some picketers, who feel such entertainment isn’t appropriate for children, and decides to play Heir Apparent because the desk attendant describes it as bean soup – there are many ways to make a good soup but also many ways to make mistakes, and also because the picture of the prince in the advertisement is cute. While she’s playing the game, she’s Janine, the heir apparent in a kingdom of half-brothers, former queen, wizards, advisors with various degrees of loyalty and helpfulness, seven-league boots, a midas crown, enslaving ring, and flesh-eating dragon. If she’s killed she gets to start over, but time is running out. The picketers have broken into the store and damaged the equipment. If she doesn’t become crowned king soon, she’ll never win. Her brain will be fried. A heavenly messenger tells her this while playing her first scenario and gives her some cryptic clues.
It is a thoroughly amusing read. The tone is humorous. I thought the premise was cleverly done, with a Groundhog-Day-esque pacing and hilarity.
Some memory-jogging tags: Virtual reality. Role playing. Magical kingdoms. Fathers and daughters. Learning from mistakes. Dragons. Magic. Duel identities. Trust.
MS Rating: Great. Fun read, especially for girls. I've heard from some of my MS students that they really liked it.
Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher, 2006
Mitra and her young brother, Babak, are living as beggars in the city of Rhagae, sleeping in the precarious safety of old catacombs in the City of the Dead and staying as far away from their neighbors as possible. Mitra, living as a boy named Ramen, doesn’t trust anyone. This secret is too dangerous, as is her other one – that she and her brother are the children of a would-be king nobleman who tried to overthrow King Phraates and ended up killed as traitors instead. She has convinced her older brother, Suren, to try to find the rest of the family, but he hasn’t returned. This is the beginning. As she waits for Suren, Mitra discovers that Babak can dream other people’s dreams if he sleeps with a piece of their clothing. This gift comes to the attention of a powerful magus named Melchior. They become part of his caravan; make friends with a kitten (Shirak), a donkey (Gorizpa), a camel (Ziba), and a boy (Pacorus); are joined by two other magi; are kidnapped for ransom but escape and given shelter by Koosha and his family; are returned to the caravan by Giv; and follow the stars to Bethlehem. Mitra eventually accepts her new life and is freed from having to keep secrets.
I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of the writing. It was choppy with lots of sentence fragments, which made it hard for me to get lost in the story. Though I enjoyed the overall story by the end, I didn’t much enjoy the reading of it.
Some memory-jogging tags: Hidden identify. Brothers and sisters. Nobility. Ancient Persia, fiction. Dreams. Jesus Christ, nativity, fiction. Historical fiction. Bravery.
MS Rating: OK. Beehive 07-08 nominee. Map at beginning.
Quotes: P 153: Koosha says, “You are entirely yourself, no matter how you hide.”
P 258-9: Balthazaar says, “I keep musing upon paradise and the way to attain it. Of the Prophet’s admonition that greatness comes neither from wealth nor knowledge nor nobility of birth, but from our own good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. By these lights, he tells us, even a slave can cross to paradise, while many a king plunges into the abyss. The highborn and the lowly are as one.”
P 259: Balthazaar says, “…this birth [of the baby in Bethlehem] has less to do with kingly power and priestly knowledge, and more to do here” – he placed an outspread hand upon his chest – “with the heart.”
P 280: Divining dreams were a grand and precious gift, like the gifts the Magi had brought to Bethlehem. But the freedom to dream ordinary dreams, dreams that were truly one’s own – perhaps this was more precious still.
Giannine Bellisario receives a gift certificate from her distant father at Rasmussem Gamming Center, a total immersion virtual reality center, which she requested for her fourteenth birthday present. She goes through some picketers, who feel such entertainment isn’t appropriate for children, and decides to play Heir Apparent because the desk attendant describes it as bean soup – there are many ways to make a good soup but also many ways to make mistakes, and also because the picture of the prince in the advertisement is cute. While she’s playing the game, she’s Janine, the heir apparent in a kingdom of half-brothers, former queen, wizards, advisors with various degrees of loyalty and helpfulness, seven-league boots, a midas crown, enslaving ring, and flesh-eating dragon. If she’s killed she gets to start over, but time is running out. The picketers have broken into the store and damaged the equipment. If she doesn’t become crowned king soon, she’ll never win. Her brain will be fried. A heavenly messenger tells her this while playing her first scenario and gives her some cryptic clues.
It is a thoroughly amusing read. The tone is humorous. I thought the premise was cleverly done, with a Groundhog-Day-esque pacing and hilarity.
Some memory-jogging tags: Virtual reality. Role playing. Magical kingdoms. Fathers and daughters. Learning from mistakes. Dragons. Magic. Duel identities. Trust.
MS Rating: Great. Fun read, especially for girls. I've heard from some of my MS students that they really liked it.
Alphabet of Dreams by Susan Fletcher, 2006
Mitra and her young brother, Babak, are living as beggars in the city of Rhagae, sleeping in the precarious safety of old catacombs in the City of the Dead and staying as far away from their neighbors as possible. Mitra, living as a boy named Ramen, doesn’t trust anyone. This secret is too dangerous, as is her other one – that she and her brother are the children of a would-be king nobleman who tried to overthrow King Phraates and ended up killed as traitors instead. She has convinced her older brother, Suren, to try to find the rest of the family, but he hasn’t returned. This is the beginning. As she waits for Suren, Mitra discovers that Babak can dream other people’s dreams if he sleeps with a piece of their clothing. This gift comes to the attention of a powerful magus named Melchior. They become part of his caravan; make friends with a kitten (Shirak), a donkey (Gorizpa), a camel (Ziba), and a boy (Pacorus); are joined by two other magi; are kidnapped for ransom but escape and given shelter by Koosha and his family; are returned to the caravan by Giv; and follow the stars to Bethlehem. Mitra eventually accepts her new life and is freed from having to keep secrets.
I had a hard time getting into the rhythm of the writing. It was choppy with lots of sentence fragments, which made it hard for me to get lost in the story. Though I enjoyed the overall story by the end, I didn’t much enjoy the reading of it.
Some memory-jogging tags: Hidden identify. Brothers and sisters. Nobility. Ancient Persia, fiction. Dreams. Jesus Christ, nativity, fiction. Historical fiction. Bravery.
MS Rating: OK. Beehive 07-08 nominee. Map at beginning.
Quotes: P 153: Koosha says, “You are entirely yourself, no matter how you hide.”
P 258-9: Balthazaar says, “I keep musing upon paradise and the way to attain it. Of the Prophet’s admonition that greatness comes neither from wealth nor knowledge nor nobility of birth, but from our own good thoughts, good words, and good deeds. By these lights, he tells us, even a slave can cross to paradise, while many a king plunges into the abyss. The highborn and the lowly are as one.”
P 259: Balthazaar says, “…this birth [of the baby in Bethlehem] has less to do with kingly power and priestly knowledge, and more to do here” – he placed an outspread hand upon his chest – “with the heart.”
P 280: Divining dreams were a grand and precious gift, like the gifts the Magi had brought to Bethlehem. But the freedom to dream ordinary dreams, dreams that were truly one’s own – perhaps this was more precious still.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Hero Revealed and Some Dewey Reads
The Hero Revealed by William Boniface, 2006
The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1
Ordinary Boy, OB for short, is born into a town where everyone has one, and only one, superpower except for him. Some of the powers are useful in defending the city against the villains, while others are quirky and don’t have much practical application. OB, with his group of friends (Stench, Plasma Girl, Tadpole, and Halogen Boy), start on a quest to collect all the newly released Amazing Indestructo Collector Cards. In the process he uncovers the truth behind Indestructo and Brain-Drain, and sets up the mystery for next time: who was Meteor Boy and what happened to him. The characters are fun, if one-dimensional. OB is the brains behind the Junior Leaguers and is able to direct their use of their superpowers to triumph in the end.
Some memory-jogging tags: Superheroes. Friendship. Cooperation. Supply and demand economics. Collector cards. Igneous rock. Sedimentary rock. Metamorphic rock. Heroes. Collecting and collections.
MS Rating: Great. It would work well for anyone who liked the movie The Incredibles. Fun map of Superopolis at beginning.
Some Dewey reads:
300s:
305.23 Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman, 2005 (black & white photos)
394.264 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac with Plimoth Plantation, 2001 (color photos, reenactments)
394.264 Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner, 2002 (color illustrations are rendered in India ink, colored inks, watercolor, and gouache; feast of facts at end)
600s:
616.027 Guinea Pig Scientists by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring, 2005 (black & white pen drawings)
624.1 The New York Subways by Lesley A. Dutemple, 2003 (mostly black & white photos, some color diagrams and color background)
800s:
811 If I had a Million Onions by Sheree Fitch (several poems with color pencil drawings)
900s:
937.7 Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M. Deem, 2005 (full color photos)
The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Boy, Book 1
Ordinary Boy, OB for short, is born into a town where everyone has one, and only one, superpower except for him. Some of the powers are useful in defending the city against the villains, while others are quirky and don’t have much practical application. OB, with his group of friends (Stench, Plasma Girl, Tadpole, and Halogen Boy), start on a quest to collect all the newly released Amazing Indestructo Collector Cards. In the process he uncovers the truth behind Indestructo and Brain-Drain, and sets up the mystery for next time: who was Meteor Boy and what happened to him. The characters are fun, if one-dimensional. OB is the brains behind the Junior Leaguers and is able to direct their use of their superpowers to triumph in the end.
Some memory-jogging tags: Superheroes. Friendship. Cooperation. Supply and demand economics. Collector cards. Igneous rock. Sedimentary rock. Metamorphic rock. Heroes. Collecting and collections.
MS Rating: Great. It would work well for anyone who liked the movie The Incredibles. Fun map of Superopolis at beginning.
Some Dewey reads:
300s:
305.23 Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman, 2005 (black & white photos)
394.264 1621: A New Look at Thanksgiving by Catherine O’Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac with Plimoth Plantation, 2001 (color photos, reenactments)
394.264 Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner, 2002 (color illustrations are rendered in India ink, colored inks, watercolor, and gouache; feast of facts at end)
600s:
616.027 Guinea Pig Scientists by Leslie Dendy and Mel Boring, 2005 (black & white pen drawings)
624.1 The New York Subways by Lesley A. Dutemple, 2003 (mostly black & white photos, some color diagrams and color background)
800s:
811 If I had a Million Onions by Sheree Fitch (several poems with color pencil drawings)
900s:
937.7 Bodies from the Ash: Life and Death in Ancient Pompeii by James M. Deem, 2005 (full color photos)
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Stormbreaker; Bad Kitty; Ruins of Gorlan; Flipped; and Don't Call Me Ishmael
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz, 2000
Alex Rider series, bk. 1
They tell him that his banker uncle has died in a car crash: “He wasn’t wearing his seat belt.” But fourteen year old Alex knows his uncle would never do that. When he finds his uncle’s car riddled with bullets, almost gets smashed in a car compactor, karate kicks his way away from a man with a gun, and edges along a 15-story-high ledge to see inside his uncle’s office, he is recruited by the same people who really employed his uncle – the M I 6. He endures two weeks of intense training, then sent inside a compound where a supposed friend of England is building computers he is planning to give to schools throughout the country. Alex’s uncle was killed by these people, but the M I 6 don’t have anyone else they can send. It reads a lot like a teenage James Bond story.
Some memory-jogging tags: Spy thriller. Benefactor. Deception. Terrorism. Computers. Techno-thrillers. Orphans.
MS Rating: Great. Especially for relunctant readers.
Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe, 2006
Seventeen-year-old Jasmine, called Jas by her friends, is always getting into scrapes of one kind or another. But she aspires to be a detective and is usually in the middle of some investigative efforts when things are going awry. For instance, her father didn’t like it that she lifted her mom’s prints from all around the house after she died. She is currently in Las Vegas when her best friends arrive for some intervention. Roxy and Tom, twins, and Polly help her solve the mystery of the little boy Fred and his attaching three-legged cat, his mom Fiona, her supposedly murdering husband Red Earl, and a really cute bartender-slash-possible-bad guy. Jas’s cousin Alyson is embarrassed to be seen with her, but always ends up close by with her best friend Veronica, especially since Tom turned up. The teen slang is thick throughout. Footnotes with rambling asides are included, in case you want additional banter. Some of the references are a bit on the PG-13 side.
Some memory-jogging tags: Teenage detective. Missing persons. Mystery. Celebrities. Friendship. Interpersonal relations. Best friends. Cousins. Cats. Vacations. First-person narratives. Father daughter relationships. Humorous.
MS Rating: OK. For older students.
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan 2005
Ranger’s Apprentice series, bk 1.
Five friends, all wards of the castle, have arrived at their day of choosing. Will wants to be invited to Battleschool, but he is small for his age – not the build they are looking for. All the others get their first choices: Harold to Battleschool, Jenny to the kitchens, George to the legal profession, Alyss to Diplomatic Service. Will is chosen to be an apprentice to Halt, the mysterious Ranger. They all end up thriving in their new positions, though Horace’s spirit is almost defeated by three bullies who make his life miserable. After a boar hunt where Will saves Horace, after Horace tries to save Will, Horace gets badly beaten by the bullies who then set off for Will. However, Horace manages to follow them and, with Halt’s intervention, finally gets a fair fight and soundly defeats them. The bullies are exposed and expelled from Battleschool. Will follows his master to the whistling Solitary Plains in an attempt to stop two horribly strong and evil Kalkara beasts working for Morgarath, an exiled Lord trying to regain control after 15 years. This book starts out feeling a lot like LOTR, but doesn’t sustain the comparison much past the first few chapters. The pacing was a little off for me.
Some memory-jogging tags: Fantasy. Tracking. Castle life. Adventure. Boy apprentices. Mentors. Protection. Good and evil. Imaginary kingdoms.
MS Rating: Great. Especially for relunctant readers. I had one student tell me this book turned him from a non-reader to a reader.
Flipped by Vendelin Van Draanen 2001
An independent, intelligent, full-of-spunk girl Julianna has had her eye on her neighbor Bryce ever since he moved into the house across the street when they were in the 3rd grade. Now they are middle schoolers and Bryce begins thinking that maybe there is something interesting about this girl. Julianna, however, is wondering why she had a soft spot for him in the first place. The chapters alternate between Bryce’s and Julianna’s voice. Bryce’s family has some suppressed anger and resentment that begins coming to a head by the end of the novel. His mom’s dad moved into their home two years earlier and is finally showing some interest in someone, but it is not Bryce but Julianna. Julianna’s family doesn’t have much money. Her artistic dad doesn’t want to spend anything fixing up the outside of their rental, but spends all he can spare, and more, on the care of his handicapped brother. When Julianna realizes that Bryce has been throwing away her weekly gift of free eggs for two years, she flips.
Some memory-jogging tags: Interpersonal relations. Conduct of life. Family life. Self-perception. Middle-school. Science fair projects. Chickens. Protesting to preserve an old tree. Being judgmental. Being yourself. Apologizing.
MS Rating: Great. Fun read. Nice moral about being yourself. I’ve heard one 20-something reader say this was her all-time favorite.
Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer 2006
The story is set in a middle school in Australia. Ishmael tells his story, starting with the curse of his name that causes him to be the target of Barry Bagsley, the class bully. Things start looking better when James Scobie moves in. Puny and full of twitches, James claims his sense of fear has been removed by an operation. Barry and his gang try to remind him how to be scared by planting a swarm of bugs and spiders in his desk, but the gag backfires, Barry and his friends get suspended, and James becomes a school hero. The second half of the book is about the debate team that Ishmael didn’t want to do but talked into by James with the promise that he won’t have to talk. Of course he ends up having to talk and his first attempt is as mortifying as he was afraid of. That scene had me laughing out loud. The book’s tone is humorous throughout. There are three or four swear words (s-).
Some memory-jogging tags: Bullies. Schools. Herman Melville. Debate team. Public speaking. Humorous.
MS Rating: OK. It’s better for older kids. The swear words may put some kids off.
Alex Rider series, bk. 1
They tell him that his banker uncle has died in a car crash: “He wasn’t wearing his seat belt.” But fourteen year old Alex knows his uncle would never do that. When he finds his uncle’s car riddled with bullets, almost gets smashed in a car compactor, karate kicks his way away from a man with a gun, and edges along a 15-story-high ledge to see inside his uncle’s office, he is recruited by the same people who really employed his uncle – the M I 6. He endures two weeks of intense training, then sent inside a compound where a supposed friend of England is building computers he is planning to give to schools throughout the country. Alex’s uncle was killed by these people, but the M I 6 don’t have anyone else they can send. It reads a lot like a teenage James Bond story.
Some memory-jogging tags: Spy thriller. Benefactor. Deception. Terrorism. Computers. Techno-thrillers. Orphans.
MS Rating: Great. Especially for relunctant readers.
Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe, 2006
Seventeen-year-old Jasmine, called Jas by her friends, is always getting into scrapes of one kind or another. But she aspires to be a detective and is usually in the middle of some investigative efforts when things are going awry. For instance, her father didn’t like it that she lifted her mom’s prints from all around the house after she died. She is currently in Las Vegas when her best friends arrive for some intervention. Roxy and Tom, twins, and Polly help her solve the mystery of the little boy Fred and his attaching three-legged cat, his mom Fiona, her supposedly murdering husband Red Earl, and a really cute bartender-slash-possible-bad guy. Jas’s cousin Alyson is embarrassed to be seen with her, but always ends up close by with her best friend Veronica, especially since Tom turned up. The teen slang is thick throughout. Footnotes with rambling asides are included, in case you want additional banter. Some of the references are a bit on the PG-13 side.
Some memory-jogging tags: Teenage detective. Missing persons. Mystery. Celebrities. Friendship. Interpersonal relations. Best friends. Cousins. Cats. Vacations. First-person narratives. Father daughter relationships. Humorous.
MS Rating: OK. For older students.
The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan 2005
Ranger’s Apprentice series, bk 1.
Five friends, all wards of the castle, have arrived at their day of choosing. Will wants to be invited to Battleschool, but he is small for his age – not the build they are looking for. All the others get their first choices: Harold to Battleschool, Jenny to the kitchens, George to the legal profession, Alyss to Diplomatic Service. Will is chosen to be an apprentice to Halt, the mysterious Ranger. They all end up thriving in their new positions, though Horace’s spirit is almost defeated by three bullies who make his life miserable. After a boar hunt where Will saves Horace, after Horace tries to save Will, Horace gets badly beaten by the bullies who then set off for Will. However, Horace manages to follow them and, with Halt’s intervention, finally gets a fair fight and soundly defeats them. The bullies are exposed and expelled from Battleschool. Will follows his master to the whistling Solitary Plains in an attempt to stop two horribly strong and evil Kalkara beasts working for Morgarath, an exiled Lord trying to regain control after 15 years. This book starts out feeling a lot like LOTR, but doesn’t sustain the comparison much past the first few chapters. The pacing was a little off for me.
Some memory-jogging tags: Fantasy. Tracking. Castle life. Adventure. Boy apprentices. Mentors. Protection. Good and evil. Imaginary kingdoms.
MS Rating: Great. Especially for relunctant readers. I had one student tell me this book turned him from a non-reader to a reader.
Flipped by Vendelin Van Draanen 2001
An independent, intelligent, full-of-spunk girl Julianna has had her eye on her neighbor Bryce ever since he moved into the house across the street when they were in the 3rd grade. Now they are middle schoolers and Bryce begins thinking that maybe there is something interesting about this girl. Julianna, however, is wondering why she had a soft spot for him in the first place. The chapters alternate between Bryce’s and Julianna’s voice. Bryce’s family has some suppressed anger and resentment that begins coming to a head by the end of the novel. His mom’s dad moved into their home two years earlier and is finally showing some interest in someone, but it is not Bryce but Julianna. Julianna’s family doesn’t have much money. Her artistic dad doesn’t want to spend anything fixing up the outside of their rental, but spends all he can spare, and more, on the care of his handicapped brother. When Julianna realizes that Bryce has been throwing away her weekly gift of free eggs for two years, she flips.
Some memory-jogging tags: Interpersonal relations. Conduct of life. Family life. Self-perception. Middle-school. Science fair projects. Chickens. Protesting to preserve an old tree. Being judgmental. Being yourself. Apologizing.
MS Rating: Great. Fun read. Nice moral about being yourself. I’ve heard one 20-something reader say this was her all-time favorite.
Don’t Call Me Ishmael by Michael Gerard Bauer 2006
The story is set in a middle school in Australia. Ishmael tells his story, starting with the curse of his name that causes him to be the target of Barry Bagsley, the class bully. Things start looking better when James Scobie moves in. Puny and full of twitches, James claims his sense of fear has been removed by an operation. Barry and his gang try to remind him how to be scared by planting a swarm of bugs and spiders in his desk, but the gag backfires, Barry and his friends get suspended, and James becomes a school hero. The second half of the book is about the debate team that Ishmael didn’t want to do but talked into by James with the promise that he won’t have to talk. Of course he ends up having to talk and his first attempt is as mortifying as he was afraid of. That scene had me laughing out loud. The book’s tone is humorous throughout. There are three or four swear words (s-).
Some memory-jogging tags: Bullies. Schools. Herman Melville. Debate team. Public speaking. Humorous.
MS Rating: OK. It’s better for older kids. The swear words may put some kids off.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Pieces of Georgia; Fablehaven; Warrior Heir; 13 Little Blue Envelopes; Gideon; and House of Scorpion
OCT 2007
Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant, 2006
In the middle of middle-school, 13-year-old Georgia is on an at-risk list in the school counselor’s office and is given a red diary to write down anything she would like to ask her mom about but can’t, since her mom died 6 years previously. Written in airy free verse that is very accessible, the reader gets to know Georgia as a quiet, artistic, honest, animal-loving friend and daughter. And you see her blossom through the course of that year of writing. I found Georgia endearing, her observations about her widowed dad and overscheduled best friend realistic and insightful, and her growing self-awareness engrossing.
Some memory-jogging tags: Friendship. Fathers and daughters. Artists, especially Wyett. Grief. School counselors. Middle school. Diaries. Prescription drug abuse. Shyness. Construction workers. Farm animals. Affluence vs near poverty. Rural vs suburban living.
MS Rating: Great. I’d recommend this to anyone, especially the younger half of MS. 2008 Beehive nominee.
Hit the Road by Caroline B Cooney, 2006
Having just turned sixteen and gotten her driver’s license less then two weeks previously, Brit’s grandmother Nannie wants her to drive across several states, on expressways no less, and help kidnap her 60-year-long friend who being housed again her will at a nursing home. Written in third person from Brit’s perspective, the plot moves through the funny and slightly absurd actions of three 80-something women trying to evade police and an abusive son while unable to get in and out of the van by themselves. I found Brit’s comments and observations entertaining: about being a new driver, about her relationship with her cell phone, about the role she is being forced to assume for the sake of her grandmother and her friends. I also liked the side story with Brit’s crush on Cooper.
Some memory-jogging tags: Grandmothers. Kidnapping. Friendship. Automobile travel. Road trip. Old age. Cell phone use. Beginning driver. Dignity and independence
MS Rating: Great. 2008 Beehive nominee.
SEP 2007
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, 2006
When Kendra (13 years) and Seth (11 years) go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming. Seth is always breaking the rules. Kendra tries to follow them, but she is forced to take big risks before the end of her stay if she is going to save the rest of her family. I had a hard time getting into it, and kept having to read other titles before finally finishing it. It has all the right characters, it just didn’t grab my imagination.
Some memory-jogging tags: Brothers and sisters. Magic. Grandparents. Witches. Trolls. Fairies. Good vs evil. Courage. Fantasy. Connecticut.
MS Rating: Optional (may be better for younger reader)
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, 2006
After learning about his magical ancestry and his own warrior powers, sixteen-year-old Jack embarks on a training program to fight enemy wizards. Before he knew about the Roses, he was an ordinary kid with a scar by his heart and taking daily “heart” medication. But his powers start to manifest when he starts forgetting to take his medicine. The beginning is really gripping and sets up an interesting premise, but the story doesn’t quite fulfill its promise.
Some memory-jogging tags: Magic. Magic swords. Ohio. Great Britain. Friendship. Dueling. Tournaments. Ancestors. Adventure. Courage. Aunts. Wizards. Warriors. Identity. Secret societies. High school. Fantasy.
MS Rating: OK for fantasy fans
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, 2005
When 17-year-old Ginny receives a packet of letters from her favorite and eccentric aunt, Peg, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a kind of scavenger hunt. She travels from New York City (4th Noodle where she receives the packet) to London (she meets Richard, her aunt’s “roomie,” and sponsors a struggling performance artist Keith) to Edinburgh (visits with artist Mari Adams) to Rome (visits the statues of the Vestas) to Paris (finds the café painted by her aunt) to Amsterdam (her contact wasn’t there and she falls in with the Knapps instead) to Copenhagen (visits Knud on his houseboat and then joins up with a group of fellow travellers) to Corfu, Greece, (has her backpack and all her belonging, including her letters, stolen while swimming) and back to England (tells Richard that Peg loved him). I really enjoyed the snapshots of different European cities.
Some memory-jogging tags: Voyages and travel. Self-discovery. Self-confidence. Grief. Europe. Aunts. Letters.
MS Rating: OK, especially for older readers (more HS level).
Gideon: The Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer, 2006
Ignored by his father and sent to Derbyshire for the weekend, 12-year-old Peter and his new friend, Kate, are accidentally transported back in time to 1763 England where they are befriended by a reformed cutpurse. First book of a promised trilogy. Peter’s mom works in Hollywood and lives away for most of the time. Peter’s dad is a very important businessman who manages to repeatedly break his promised of spending time with Peter. Kate, on the other hand, is one of several children living in the country, whose father is a scientist researching anti-gravity. The cutpurse, Gideon Seymour, is pursued by his old employer’s new henchman, the Tar Man, while trying to start his new life as an estate manager for the Byng family. I enjoyed reading it. It pulled me along, usually.
Some memory-jogging tags: Time travel. Robbers and outlaws. Great Britain history. George III. Fathers and sons. Courage. Homesickness.
MS Rating: OK, especially for historical fiction or fantasy / time-travel fans. On 2008 Beehive nomination list.
House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, 2002
In a future where humans despise clones and a corrupt drug empire is nestled between Mexico and the U.S., Matt slowly becomes aware that he is not like everyone else. He has a very clearly prescribed role as the latest young clone of El Patron, the 142-year-old leader of Opium, and he is fated for an early demise. But with the love and help of his “mom” caregiver and body guard Tam Lin, he flees his fate, only to fall into other difficulties. The story is well written and totally grabbed me, bringing me right alone with Matt as he discovers who he is, what others expect of him, and what he is capable of.
Some memory-jogging tags: Clones and cloning. Coming-of-age. Good vs evil. Drug dealers. Greed. Immortality. Science fiction.
MS Rating: Great
Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant, 2006
In the middle of middle-school, 13-year-old Georgia is on an at-risk list in the school counselor’s office and is given a red diary to write down anything she would like to ask her mom about but can’t, since her mom died 6 years previously. Written in airy free verse that is very accessible, the reader gets to know Georgia as a quiet, artistic, honest, animal-loving friend and daughter. And you see her blossom through the course of that year of writing. I found Georgia endearing, her observations about her widowed dad and overscheduled best friend realistic and insightful, and her growing self-awareness engrossing.
Some memory-jogging tags: Friendship. Fathers and daughters. Artists, especially Wyett. Grief. School counselors. Middle school. Diaries. Prescription drug abuse. Shyness. Construction workers. Farm animals. Affluence vs near poverty. Rural vs suburban living.
MS Rating: Great. I’d recommend this to anyone, especially the younger half of MS. 2008 Beehive nominee.
Hit the Road by Caroline B Cooney, 2006
Having just turned sixteen and gotten her driver’s license less then two weeks previously, Brit’s grandmother Nannie wants her to drive across several states, on expressways no less, and help kidnap her 60-year-long friend who being housed again her will at a nursing home. Written in third person from Brit’s perspective, the plot moves through the funny and slightly absurd actions of three 80-something women trying to evade police and an abusive son while unable to get in and out of the van by themselves. I found Brit’s comments and observations entertaining: about being a new driver, about her relationship with her cell phone, about the role she is being forced to assume for the sake of her grandmother and her friends. I also liked the side story with Brit’s crush on Cooper.
Some memory-jogging tags: Grandmothers. Kidnapping. Friendship. Automobile travel. Road trip. Old age. Cell phone use. Beginning driver. Dignity and independence
MS Rating: Great. 2008 Beehive nominee.
SEP 2007
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull, 2006
When Kendra (13 years) and Seth (11 years) go to stay at their grandparents' estate, they discover that it is a sanctuary for magical creatures and that a battle between good and evil is looming. Seth is always breaking the rules. Kendra tries to follow them, but she is forced to take big risks before the end of her stay if she is going to save the rest of her family. I had a hard time getting into it, and kept having to read other titles before finally finishing it. It has all the right characters, it just didn’t grab my imagination.
Some memory-jogging tags: Brothers and sisters. Magic. Grandparents. Witches. Trolls. Fairies. Good vs evil. Courage. Fantasy. Connecticut.
MS Rating: Optional (may be better for younger reader)
The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, 2006
After learning about his magical ancestry and his own warrior powers, sixteen-year-old Jack embarks on a training program to fight enemy wizards. Before he knew about the Roses, he was an ordinary kid with a scar by his heart and taking daily “heart” medication. But his powers start to manifest when he starts forgetting to take his medicine. The beginning is really gripping and sets up an interesting premise, but the story doesn’t quite fulfill its promise.
Some memory-jogging tags: Magic. Magic swords. Ohio. Great Britain. Friendship. Dueling. Tournaments. Ancestors. Adventure. Courage. Aunts. Wizards. Warriors. Identity. Secret societies. High school. Fantasy.
MS Rating: OK for fantasy fans
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson, 2005
When 17-year-old Ginny receives a packet of letters from her favorite and eccentric aunt, Peg, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a kind of scavenger hunt. She travels from New York City (4th Noodle where she receives the packet) to London (she meets Richard, her aunt’s “roomie,” and sponsors a struggling performance artist Keith) to Edinburgh (visits with artist Mari Adams) to Rome (visits the statues of the Vestas) to Paris (finds the café painted by her aunt) to Amsterdam (her contact wasn’t there and she falls in with the Knapps instead) to Copenhagen (visits Knud on his houseboat and then joins up with a group of fellow travellers) to Corfu, Greece, (has her backpack and all her belonging, including her letters, stolen while swimming) and back to England (tells Richard that Peg loved him). I really enjoyed the snapshots of different European cities.
Some memory-jogging tags: Voyages and travel. Self-discovery. Self-confidence. Grief. Europe. Aunts. Letters.
MS Rating: OK, especially for older readers (more HS level).
Gideon: The Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer, 2006
Ignored by his father and sent to Derbyshire for the weekend, 12-year-old Peter and his new friend, Kate, are accidentally transported back in time to 1763 England where they are befriended by a reformed cutpurse. First book of a promised trilogy. Peter’s mom works in Hollywood and lives away for most of the time. Peter’s dad is a very important businessman who manages to repeatedly break his promised of spending time with Peter. Kate, on the other hand, is one of several children living in the country, whose father is a scientist researching anti-gravity. The cutpurse, Gideon Seymour, is pursued by his old employer’s new henchman, the Tar Man, while trying to start his new life as an estate manager for the Byng family. I enjoyed reading it. It pulled me along, usually.
Some memory-jogging tags: Time travel. Robbers and outlaws. Great Britain history. George III. Fathers and sons. Courage. Homesickness.
MS Rating: OK, especially for historical fiction or fantasy / time-travel fans. On 2008 Beehive nomination list.
House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer, 2002
In a future where humans despise clones and a corrupt drug empire is nestled between Mexico and the U.S., Matt slowly becomes aware that he is not like everyone else. He has a very clearly prescribed role as the latest young clone of El Patron, the 142-year-old leader of Opium, and he is fated for an early demise. But with the love and help of his “mom” caregiver and body guard Tam Lin, he flees his fate, only to fall into other difficulties. The story is well written and totally grabbed me, bringing me right alone with Matt as he discovers who he is, what others expect of him, and what he is capable of.
Some memory-jogging tags: Clones and cloning. Coming-of-age. Good vs evil. Drug dealers. Greed. Immortality. Science fiction.
MS Rating: Great
Golden
Golden by Cameron Dokey, 2006
This is a retelling of Rapunzel where the original Rapunzel has no hair, having been cursed by her mother's cold heart. By the end of the story, she is stuck in a tower with golden-haired Rue, the real daughter of the sorceress Melisande who adopted and raised Rapunzel in the hope that some day she would be able to free Rue. Even with this ulterior motive, she raised Rapunzel with much love and honesty. I really loved this story. The passages about hope and love were right on.
Some memory-jogging tags: Love. Hope. Fairy tales. Fantasy. Sorcery. Magic. Sacrifice. Mistaken identities.
MS Rating: Great. The syntax is more difficult than in many MS books.
This is a retelling of Rapunzel where the original Rapunzel has no hair, having been cursed by her mother's cold heart. By the end of the story, she is stuck in a tower with golden-haired Rue, the real daughter of the sorceress Melisande who adopted and raised Rapunzel in the hope that some day she would be able to free Rue. Even with this ulterior motive, she raised Rapunzel with much love and honesty. I really loved this story. The passages about hope and love were right on.
Some memory-jogging tags: Love. Hope. Fairy tales. Fantasy. Sorcery. Magic. Sacrifice. Mistaken identities.
MS Rating: Great. The syntax is more difficult than in many MS books.
Eggs
Eggs by Jerry Spinelli, 2007
David (9 years) is living in a new town with his grandma and dad after his mom has died. He has no friends and intense anger, which he takes out against grandma by never obeying her, not even talking to her civilly. He meets a psychic's daughter Primrose (13 years) who would do anything to have a regular mom, a regular home with her own room. David believes if he obeys enough rules (except for grandma's), his mom will come back; Primrose likes to pretend and take risks and breaks rules as often as possible. They bicker but seem to meet each other's need for acceptance and friendship. They are watched over by Refrigerator John, the neighborhood's handyman. They go trashpicking; hunt nightcrawlers; hike along tracks to get a glimpse of skyscrapers and possibly even the waving man. Primrse has a photo of her dad that is really Clark Gable. David refuses to ever see a sunrise without his mom.
This is a fast read. I read it on a short flight from SLC to Reno. I found it enjoyable. The squabbling rang true to my ears as a mom.
Some memory-jogging tags: Grief. Dead mom. Grandparents. Easter. Friendship. Family life. Realistic fiction. Anger. Running away.
MS Rating: OK. Good story. I really enjoyed it, but I don't know how much kids will like it.
David (9 years) is living in a new town with his grandma and dad after his mom has died. He has no friends and intense anger, which he takes out against grandma by never obeying her, not even talking to her civilly. He meets a psychic's daughter Primrose (13 years) who would do anything to have a regular mom, a regular home with her own room. David believes if he obeys enough rules (except for grandma's), his mom will come back; Primrose likes to pretend and take risks and breaks rules as often as possible. They bicker but seem to meet each other's need for acceptance and friendship. They are watched over by Refrigerator John, the neighborhood's handyman. They go trashpicking; hunt nightcrawlers; hike along tracks to get a glimpse of skyscrapers and possibly even the waving man. Primrse has a photo of her dad that is really Clark Gable. David refuses to ever see a sunrise without his mom.
This is a fast read. I read it on a short flight from SLC to Reno. I found it enjoyable. The squabbling rang true to my ears as a mom.
Some memory-jogging tags: Grief. Dead mom. Grandparents. Easter. Friendship. Family life. Realistic fiction. Anger. Running away.
MS Rating: OK. Good story. I really enjoyed it, but I don't know how much kids will like it.
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