The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, 2003
In the year 241, 12-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a messenger, to run to new places in her beloved but decaying city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions. When she discovers a half-chewed message that looks like instructions, she knows she has to solve the mystery. When she sees “pipewo” she involves Doon, a friend from school who works in the pipeworks.
After seeing the new movie, I had to reread this book. The movie was OK, but I remember the book being fantastic. Where did the movie people go wrong? Was it not as good just because I already knew they were underground? After rereading the book, I think not. Even though I know they are underground, experiencing their excitement of discovering “moving light” for the first time, and the meaning of “boat” is thrilling. The movie cheapens this excitement with standard action-movie antics. Capturing the wonderment of seeing a sunrise for the first time is probably what the movie does best. The book, on the other hand, is well written and peopled with fascinating, original characters and a true spirit of discovery and rebirth.
Zen and the Art of Faking It by Jordan Sonnenblick, 2007When 13-year-old San Lee moves to a new town and school for the umpteenth time, he is looking for a way to stand out when his knowledge of Zen Buddhism, gained in his previous school, provides the answer -- and the need to quickly become a convincing Zen master.
Other tags: basketball; Pennsylvania; small community; Woody Guthrie; dad in prison for fraud; lying; Asian-American adoptee; soup kitchen; library research; step-brother; school story; identity.
The most unfortunate thing about this book is the cover. The kid standing on his head seems about ten, which I know will turn off middle-schoolers. The story itself is funny. I enjoy Sonnenblick’s blend of humor and growth.
Dear Jo: The story of losing Leah and searching for hope by Christina Kilbourne, 2007
Written in the form of a journal, Maxine is depressed and scared. Her best friend has gone missing and she feels responsible and has survivor’s guilt. It could have just as easily been her. She enjoyed chatting and flirting and telling white lies online just as much as Leah. Now she sees a psychologist, avoids her friends, and is failing her classes. When the opportunity comes to help the police in the investigation, Max is scared but determined to do all she can. Leah wouldn’t have done anything less.
This story covers some serious subject matter, such as online predators and child exploitation, in a realistic and tasteful manner. The protagonist seems older than her supposed 12 years, but otherwise, the voice is believable. I didn’t love the story – it is a bit predictable – but it is completely grabbing my 13-year-old’s attention.
Hot Lunch by Alex Bradley, 2007
When she refuses to work with her assigned partner on an English assignment, Molly initially becomes enemies with Cassie, which escalates to a food fight, for which the consequence is forced work time in the lunch room. When their pranks behind the counter lead to the manager’s resignation, the principal makes them take charge of the lunch room. They must work there and provide the students with lunch indefinitely, unless the students think their lunches are better than those provided under the original manager for an entire week.
Written in first-person, Molly - a blue-haired, earphone-without-ipod-wearing, alternative-high-school-attending girl, tells her story of finding friendship with funny wit and attitude. The development of true friendship, appreciation for food, and true self-awareness is genuine and thoroughly enjoyable. I laughed out loud several times.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Night Tourist; Doppelganger; Cassandra's Sister; Coraline; and Here Lies Arthur
Night Tourist by Katherine Marsh, 2007
Edgar Allan Poe Award winner
Fourteen-year-old Jack Perdu misses his mom, who died 6 years earlier, but his dad won’t talk about her, nor take him back to New York where they once lived. After being hit by a vehicle and nearly dying, MC has some peculiar encounters, convincing his dad to send him to NYC to be examined by a specialist doctor whose a friend of his. The checkup consists solely of having his photo taken, which confuses him, and on the way out he finds a antique subway token that appears gold which he unintentionally takes with him. Waiting for his train home, he joins a tour group of Grand Central Station and enjoys experimenting with the echoing columns. He meets Euri there, quoting one of his favorite poems, who convinces him to follow her to Track 61. Thus begins his journey to the underworld where deceased citizens of New York City reside until they pass on. When he finally realizes where he is, he convinces Euri to help him search for his mom. Racing against the clock and from Cerebus, the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, he and Euri still have time to visit many of the famous landmarks of New York during the night, traveling as easily by air as in an elevator, passing through walls and floors as easily as doors.
Other tags: ancient languages; classics translator; school; child prodigy; family secrets; father-son relationships; ghosts; death
The story starts out slowly, predictably. Once in the underworld, the slow pacing gradually picks up, especially as the mystery of his mother’s story is unraveled. The author describes this underworld with some interesting details, some humor, and several allusions to Greek mythology. By the end, I was into the story and characters and cared about how things turned out.
Doppelganger by Mark Stahler, 2006
Told in first person, the heganger telling the story introduces us to his alien, predatory, parasitic race of doppelgangers, shape-shifters who kill humans and assume their appearance and life. They are without loving affection for their own or for humans, without attractiveness in their own forms, and no purpose other than to propagate their race, an act that happens almost without any free agency on the parts of the participants. When the narrator is abandoned by his mom and forced to live on his own, he wanders around trying to avoid killing, but eventually succumbs. He first kills a homeless drunk who is close to death anyway. While in that form, he is attached by an angry high schooler who he ends up killing as well. Though feeling guilty about what he has done, he assumes this boy’s life, who is called Chris, and ends up falling in love with his girlfriend, Amber, loving his sister, Echo, and even caring about what happens to his abusive and weak parents Harry and Sheila.
Other tags: Macbeth; high school; football; physical abuse
Though the subject is violent, though Chris’s home life is abusive and violent, and though there is sexual tension between Chris and a sheganger as well as sexual attraction between Chris and Amber that eventually leads to the act itself, the writing is subtle and respectful, not graphic nor extraneous. The doppelganger can only assume a victim’s life temporarily due to the instability of taking on a particular form, so any good Chris does, he knows, is only for a time. I found this theme (that time continually marches forward) as well as the other main theme that there are different ways you could be a monster, both intriguing to think about. I would recommend it to 9th graders and up.
Cassandra’s Sister by Veronica Bennett, 2007
Written in the 19th century style of Jane Austin, this story is an imagined recreation of the early life of Jane, her sister, Cassandra, and the rest of her family and social circle. Jane struggles against the limits placed on women during her lifetime, is jolted by a potential suitor for another woman, and is swept off her feet by a young Irishman during the course of three balls, only to never hear from him again. The pacing is a bit plodding, though I was pulled from chapter to chapter, wanting to see how it would end. However, the lack of forthright communication, especially between the sexes, and the portrayal of Jane as someone who would throw away true friendship and a secure marriage because of an infatuation with someone she talked with only three times depressed me. I had to go and watch “Becoming Jane” and then Keira Knighley’s “Pride and Prejudice” soon thereafter.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell, 2008 (741.5 RUS)
Coraline is longing for attention from her parents, who are busy with their work. The neighbors in her apartment house try to be friendly but keep calling her Caroline, and the cat won’t let her get very close. Then she passes through a mysterious bricked-up doorway into an alternative reality where an alternative mom professes her undying love for her, offering her anything she wants if only she will stay forever. But when Coraline realizes her alternative mom is dishonest, controlling, and evil, and that her real family and life are in danger, she uses her wits to outsmart the witch and restore her original life, which is most welcomed despite its imperfections. True love and honesty are preferable to days without them, even if her days would be filled with anything she could imagine.
I read a graphic novel version of this award-winning novel. Personally I do not enjoy this format as well as a traditional novel. Having to constantly switch between words and the visual clues pulls me out of the story more abruptly and repeatedly than straight narrative. However, for a student who likes this format, the graphics are full color and quite spectacular, and the story is sufficiently creepy to pull the reader along.
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve, 2007
This story is a new imagining of the King Arthur legend where Merlin is Myrrdin, a bard who is convinced Arthur is the best bet for England’s future and is quite gifted at spinning a tale. He is also constantly looking for ways to create allusions and visual tricks that will reenforce his stories’ claims that Arthur is an heroic king, blessed by the gods, both Christian and pre-Christian ones. The story is told from Gwyna’s perspective, an orphan whose lord is killed by Arthur’s band and is rescued by Myrrdin. He has thought of a role she can play, given her unusual swimming talent, to help convince others of Arthur’s divine calling. She becomes the Lady of the Lake, which even Arthur is convinced of, and then transformed to Gwyn, Myrrdin’s nephew and assistant, to hide the deception.
My niece didn’t like how the legend was initiated through trickery, but I found it very believable and interesting. She did like the rest of the story, however, and so did I. Gwyna, as Gwyn, gets quite the exposure to the world of boys that would have been totally hidden from her as a girl, and then has a unique perspective when she returns to the world of women as Gwyna once again. Arthur is portrayed as one of many warring lords who happens to have the best story-telling working for him. This is a concept that still seems very true in this year of presidential elections.
Edgar Allan Poe Award winner
Fourteen-year-old Jack Perdu misses his mom, who died 6 years earlier, but his dad won’t talk about her, nor take him back to New York where they once lived. After being hit by a vehicle and nearly dying, MC has some peculiar encounters, convincing his dad to send him to NYC to be examined by a specialist doctor whose a friend of his. The checkup consists solely of having his photo taken, which confuses him, and on the way out he finds a antique subway token that appears gold which he unintentionally takes with him. Waiting for his train home, he joins a tour group of Grand Central Station and enjoys experimenting with the echoing columns. He meets Euri there, quoting one of his favorite poems, who convinces him to follow her to Track 61. Thus begins his journey to the underworld where deceased citizens of New York City reside until they pass on. When he finally realizes where he is, he convinces Euri to help him search for his mom. Racing against the clock and from Cerebus, the three-headed guard dog of the underworld, he and Euri still have time to visit many of the famous landmarks of New York during the night, traveling as easily by air as in an elevator, passing through walls and floors as easily as doors.
Other tags: ancient languages; classics translator; school; child prodigy; family secrets; father-son relationships; ghosts; death
The story starts out slowly, predictably. Once in the underworld, the slow pacing gradually picks up, especially as the mystery of his mother’s story is unraveled. The author describes this underworld with some interesting details, some humor, and several allusions to Greek mythology. By the end, I was into the story and characters and cared about how things turned out.
Doppelganger by Mark Stahler, 2006
Told in first person, the heganger telling the story introduces us to his alien, predatory, parasitic race of doppelgangers, shape-shifters who kill humans and assume their appearance and life. They are without loving affection for their own or for humans, without attractiveness in their own forms, and no purpose other than to propagate their race, an act that happens almost without any free agency on the parts of the participants. When the narrator is abandoned by his mom and forced to live on his own, he wanders around trying to avoid killing, but eventually succumbs. He first kills a homeless drunk who is close to death anyway. While in that form, he is attached by an angry high schooler who he ends up killing as well. Though feeling guilty about what he has done, he assumes this boy’s life, who is called Chris, and ends up falling in love with his girlfriend, Amber, loving his sister, Echo, and even caring about what happens to his abusive and weak parents Harry and Sheila.
Other tags: Macbeth; high school; football; physical abuse
Though the subject is violent, though Chris’s home life is abusive and violent, and though there is sexual tension between Chris and a sheganger as well as sexual attraction between Chris and Amber that eventually leads to the act itself, the writing is subtle and respectful, not graphic nor extraneous. The doppelganger can only assume a victim’s life temporarily due to the instability of taking on a particular form, so any good Chris does, he knows, is only for a time. I found this theme (that time continually marches forward) as well as the other main theme that there are different ways you could be a monster, both intriguing to think about. I would recommend it to 9th graders and up.
Cassandra’s Sister by Veronica Bennett, 2007
Written in the 19th century style of Jane Austin, this story is an imagined recreation of the early life of Jane, her sister, Cassandra, and the rest of her family and social circle. Jane struggles against the limits placed on women during her lifetime, is jolted by a potential suitor for another woman, and is swept off her feet by a young Irishman during the course of three balls, only to never hear from him again. The pacing is a bit plodding, though I was pulled from chapter to chapter, wanting to see how it would end. However, the lack of forthright communication, especially between the sexes, and the portrayal of Jane as someone who would throw away true friendship and a secure marriage because of an infatuation with someone she talked with only three times depressed me. I had to go and watch “Becoming Jane” and then Keira Knighley’s “Pride and Prejudice” soon thereafter.
Coraline by Neil Gaiman, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell, 2008 (741.5 RUS)
Coraline is longing for attention from her parents, who are busy with their work. The neighbors in her apartment house try to be friendly but keep calling her Caroline, and the cat won’t let her get very close. Then she passes through a mysterious bricked-up doorway into an alternative reality where an alternative mom professes her undying love for her, offering her anything she wants if only she will stay forever. But when Coraline realizes her alternative mom is dishonest, controlling, and evil, and that her real family and life are in danger, she uses her wits to outsmart the witch and restore her original life, which is most welcomed despite its imperfections. True love and honesty are preferable to days without them, even if her days would be filled with anything she could imagine.
I read a graphic novel version of this award-winning novel. Personally I do not enjoy this format as well as a traditional novel. Having to constantly switch between words and the visual clues pulls me out of the story more abruptly and repeatedly than straight narrative. However, for a student who likes this format, the graphics are full color and quite spectacular, and the story is sufficiently creepy to pull the reader along.
Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve, 2007
This story is a new imagining of the King Arthur legend where Merlin is Myrrdin, a bard who is convinced Arthur is the best bet for England’s future and is quite gifted at spinning a tale. He is also constantly looking for ways to create allusions and visual tricks that will reenforce his stories’ claims that Arthur is an heroic king, blessed by the gods, both Christian and pre-Christian ones. The story is told from Gwyna’s perspective, an orphan whose lord is killed by Arthur’s band and is rescued by Myrrdin. He has thought of a role she can play, given her unusual swimming talent, to help convince others of Arthur’s divine calling. She becomes the Lady of the Lake, which even Arthur is convinced of, and then transformed to Gwyn, Myrrdin’s nephew and assistant, to hide the deception.
My niece didn’t like how the legend was initiated through trickery, but I found it very believable and interesting. She did like the rest of the story, however, and so did I. Gwyna, as Gwyn, gets quite the exposure to the world of boys that would have been totally hidden from her as a girl, and then has a unique perspective when she returns to the world of women as Gwyna once again. Arthur is portrayed as one of many warring lords who happens to have the best story-telling working for him. This is a concept that still seems very true in this year of presidential elections.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Team Moon; Making It Home; and Hunger Games
Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon by Catherine Thimmesh, 2006 (629.45)
While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and to a lesser degree Michael Collins (since he just flew the command module and didn’t walk on the moon), grabbed the world’s attention during the first moonwalk and are the ones in the history books now. But they would never have made it to the moon and back without the hard work, expertise, dedication, and passion of thousands of others that fully matched their own. This book covers some of the various systems that needed to be fully integrated and fail-safe to make the walk on the moon possible: lunar module (LM or “lem”), command module, launch pad and sequence, space suits, cameras, portable life support system (PLSS or “pliss”), decontamination processes, and chute deployment. Several unexpected difficulties presented themselves during the 12-day journey that required on-the-spot problem-solving from the experts and support crew, such as LM alarms, low fuel levels, frozen slug in LM’s fuel lines, windy conditions at the radar station in Australia, and film destroyed in a practice decontamination sequence just hours before their return. The author even outlines Apollo 11’s place in an incremental, comprehensive manned space program that began with Mercury and was then rolled into the Gemini program, and then into the Apollo program, up to Apollo 17.
After watching Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, I wanted to read more about the teamwork required to make a successful space program. This book captures the spirit of collaboration and passion these 400,000 participants brought to their jobs, and how truly miraculous the success of the mission was at that time. Even the president had an alternative speech ready just in case he would need to comfort the nation after a failure.
Making It Home: Real-Life Stories from Children Forces to Flee with an introduction by Beverley Naidoo, 2004 (305.23)
In this book, several children who are living as refugees all over the world tell their story of what happened to them and their families, what their life was like before war and violence made them flee, what their life is like now as a refugee, and what they hope for the future. The children are originally from Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Liberia, Sudan, and Burundi and are now living in a neighboring country or the U.S. Each section begins with an overview of the current situation in that country and key events leading to consequent violence and large refugee movement. The children’s narratives are short and simply written, but repeatedly witness the upheaval of war and violence and the pain of separation, hunger, and lose of security.
I read this book as part of the Middle School Literature Selection Committee. The overviews are four years out of date, but the human suffering is timeless. Taken in small doses, these stories could be powerful testaments to what every child needs and should have: family, food, safety, a future, and a place to call home. It is also a great introduction to some troubled spots in our world.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 2008
Katniss Everdeen, nicknamed Catnip by her best friend and hunting partner Gale, is a sixteen year old living on the poor edge of poor District 12, part of a future country on the North American continent where the capitol is kept in riches by the labor and resources of the 12 outlying districts. When her sister’s name is drawn as a Tribute for the annual, televised Hunger Games, she volunteers to take her place. She and her fellow Tributes are taken to the Capitol, given some tasty meals and fancy costumes, receive some training from their district’s past winners, and then transported to a large, controlled-environment arena where they compete to the death. Katniss wants to survive so she can return to her mom and sister, but she is not the strongest Tribute nor good at being adorable -- a crucial quality for securing vital help from outside sponsors. Using her survival instinct, she follows the lead of her fellow Tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark, who has convinced the viewers that he is in love with Katniss and killing her will not be possible. Her love for Prim is real, which prompted her volunteering, but she is mostly confused about her feelings for Peeta even while playing the love angle for her viewers and potential sponsors.
With complex characters that I root for throughout the book, and complicated relationships that weigh survival against humanity and life against love, I was totally captivated by the story and look forward to a promised sequel.
While Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and to a lesser degree Michael Collins (since he just flew the command module and didn’t walk on the moon), grabbed the world’s attention during the first moonwalk and are the ones in the history books now. But they would never have made it to the moon and back without the hard work, expertise, dedication, and passion of thousands of others that fully matched their own. This book covers some of the various systems that needed to be fully integrated and fail-safe to make the walk on the moon possible: lunar module (LM or “lem”), command module, launch pad and sequence, space suits, cameras, portable life support system (PLSS or “pliss”), decontamination processes, and chute deployment. Several unexpected difficulties presented themselves during the 12-day journey that required on-the-spot problem-solving from the experts and support crew, such as LM alarms, low fuel levels, frozen slug in LM’s fuel lines, windy conditions at the radar station in Australia, and film destroyed in a practice decontamination sequence just hours before their return. The author even outlines Apollo 11’s place in an incremental, comprehensive manned space program that began with Mercury and was then rolled into the Gemini program, and then into the Apollo program, up to Apollo 17.
After watching Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, I wanted to read more about the teamwork required to make a successful space program. This book captures the spirit of collaboration and passion these 400,000 participants brought to their jobs, and how truly miraculous the success of the mission was at that time. Even the president had an alternative speech ready just in case he would need to comfort the nation after a failure.
Making It Home: Real-Life Stories from Children Forces to Flee with an introduction by Beverley Naidoo, 2004 (305.23)
In this book, several children who are living as refugees all over the world tell their story of what happened to them and their families, what their life was like before war and violence made them flee, what their life is like now as a refugee, and what they hope for the future. The children are originally from Kosovo, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Congo, Liberia, Sudan, and Burundi and are now living in a neighboring country or the U.S. Each section begins with an overview of the current situation in that country and key events leading to consequent violence and large refugee movement. The children’s narratives are short and simply written, but repeatedly witness the upheaval of war and violence and the pain of separation, hunger, and lose of security.
I read this book as part of the Middle School Literature Selection Committee. The overviews are four years out of date, but the human suffering is timeless. Taken in small doses, these stories could be powerful testaments to what every child needs and should have: family, food, safety, a future, and a place to call home. It is also a great introduction to some troubled spots in our world.
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, 2008
Katniss Everdeen, nicknamed Catnip by her best friend and hunting partner Gale, is a sixteen year old living on the poor edge of poor District 12, part of a future country on the North American continent where the capitol is kept in riches by the labor and resources of the 12 outlying districts. When her sister’s name is drawn as a Tribute for the annual, televised Hunger Games, she volunteers to take her place. She and her fellow Tributes are taken to the Capitol, given some tasty meals and fancy costumes, receive some training from their district’s past winners, and then transported to a large, controlled-environment arena where they compete to the death. Katniss wants to survive so she can return to her mom and sister, but she is not the strongest Tribute nor good at being adorable -- a crucial quality for securing vital help from outside sponsors. Using her survival instinct, she follows the lead of her fellow Tribute from District 12, Peeta Mellark, who has convinced the viewers that he is in love with Katniss and killing her will not be possible. Her love for Prim is real, which prompted her volunteering, but she is mostly confused about her feelings for Peeta even while playing the love angle for her viewers and potential sponsors.
With complex characters that I root for throughout the book, and complicated relationships that weigh survival against humanity and life against love, I was totally captivated by the story and look forward to a promised sequel.
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