Author: Sharon Creech
Ages: 2nd - 5th grades
Review: Replay to my real disappointment was not one of my favorite books. They all can't be great, though. What I really did like about the novel was how it seemed to strike an authentic chord with the dynamics of the tween's family and the imaginary self-grandiose world we wished we lived in. Sharon Creech also does a superb job of representing the real life of a middle child. Being one myself, I immediately resonated with Leo, the "fog boy" or "Sardine." Susan's I Love Books blog offers a nice, short summary of the plot line.
I kind of felt cheated at the end of the novel, but that might just be me. While Replay's— as the name aptly suggests—undercurrent is about the production of a play and then Leo's re-play of his life, the building to the play was a little anticlimactic for me. I felt sort of like the story just stopped. It also seemed a little too tidy or quick to finish. The other element that I felt cheated about was the authenticity with which the siblings had been presented throughout the book. The ending became—for me—to Pollyanna-ish. I would like to have seen the "real" siblings portrayed and then Leo's replay.
I also don't want to overemphasize the negatives of this book either. I did enjoy the style that Creech used to present the plot in. I did get a little confused at times about whether we were in Leo's real life of the replay. In any case, do I recommend it? Sure. It's a good story. I would like to hear what other folks think, too.
Title: Ruby Lu Brave and True.
Author: Lenore Look
Ages: 2nd - 5th grades
Quick Review: Cute. Loved it. Easy read. Funny. Peer into the world of Asian Americans. Sheryl McFarlane offers a nice short review, too.
Title: Feathers
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Ages: 6th - 9th grades
Quick Review: Beautiful story. Deserves every award it receives. Liked it so much, I made it into a Sunday School lesson for my 8th graders. Prejudice comes in so many forms. Didn't like the very end so much, but the first 98% is wonderful. Read a contrasting point of view at Jeanette's blog.
Title: Doing Time Online
Author: Jan Siebold
Ages: 4th - 7th grades
Quick Review: Nice, thoughtful story. Do-the-right-thing-kind-of story. Check out Nancy Keane's book talks for possible lesson ideas.
As a special gift to Star Wars fans, Del Rey will be offering Book One in the series, Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, as a free downloadable PDF, audio book, and eBook. This promotional offer will run for two weeks, from 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, April 29, until midnight on Tuesday, May 13. The free download, which can be shared, e-mailed or printed, will be available on Random House's site at <http://www.randomhouse.com/
delrey/starwars/sw_legacy.html>.
Harry Potter isn't just for children and their parents. It has officially made it into the hall of academia as well. CNN correspondent Patrick Lee describes how the Potter-verse is being integrated into college classrooms across the country. It seems there's no spell that J.K. Rowling can't conjure. Read the complete story see CNN's site at:
<http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/books/03/25/cnnu.potter/index.html>.
AUTHOR: Watt Key
AGES: 5th-9th grades
REVIEW: With Alabama Moon, I think children from today's times would have a difficult time relating to the character. I think boys would find the adventure of Moon living off the land by himself and with his friends to be exciting. But I think children would have a trouble relating to how Moon's father reacted to the Vietnam War. I think even with the current War in Iraq, children would find the plot plausible but the reasoning that created the plot to be too far removed from their lives. Adult readers of this book will easily connect with how Moon's father came back from the Vietnam War with anger toward his country and government. To read this book with a class would require some time discussing the air that pervaded the Vietnam era, linking it to the current sentiments with the War in Iraq may help children relate.
In Abby the Librarian's blog, she describes Alabama Moon as "the Dukes of Hazard meet Hatchet," which is probably a very apt description. The deep South and backwoods setting certainly conjure images of Bo and Luke Duke complete with a corrupt sheriff, like Roscoe P. Coltrain. The survival aspect also align with Gary Paulson's Hatchet books with a young boy alone in the wilderness. Abby offers a great synopsis of the book and a great review. I encourage you to visit her blog post for more.
Overall, I really enjoyed Alabama Moon. Abby the librarian suggest the ending came together a little too neatly, and I can see that except that I was almost half expecting for two or more of the boys to be put together at the end. There is quite a it of profanity, so a teacher would really need to gauge this with her children. You may need to go with older children because of this. While the text and vocabulary could be handled by fifth through eighth graders, you may want to use this novel with older students because of the profanity.
AUTHOR: Charles Dickens
AGES: 9th - 12th grades
REVIEW: I was first introduced to this book when my daughter had to read it for high school about 10 years ago. Great Expectations is about love, family and the pursuit of happiness. The main character is a young man, Pip, whose life is traced as an orphanage from early childhood to adulthood. The book is divided into three expectations of Pip’s life. The first being how he grows up in a difficult situation being adopted by a blacksmith’s family. The second will be how he meets an escaped convict and found happiness and the meaning of friendship that turned his life around to accomplish great expectations. The third and the last stage would be my favorite, because it is about how Pip was introduced to moral, physical and financial challenges. These are challenges that we all go through at some point in life.
The book is a lengthy, but very good life book, and I think every high school should have this book on the summer reading list. The book is available for review at Barnes and Noble’s web site. You can locate another review of the book from The Literature Network and from The Atlantic Online.
Guest Blogger: Angelia E. is an admissions supervisor at a higher learning institution who is presently working on a second career. She holds both a bachelors and a master’s degree in business which gives her the great passion to teach high school business courses. She feels that she has some tips to offer high school aged kids before going to college or directly into the real world. Young people should look ahead and make good decisions in life about attending college, career, credit, and accepting responsibility. Everyone should evaluate their life choices and rethink them before making a big change or first move. Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations is her favorite high school age book; because she feels there are great expectations for everyone and the sooner one discovers it, the better it will be. Angelia is a student in Dr. Grant's IDT 7061 class for the Spring 2008 term.
The second of the Narnia films is set to release on May 16, 2008. The official site has a great synopsis of the plot, as well as a number of fun activities and downloads. Also, if you're into a little inside "dirt" there is some talk that Disney is considering ditching the Narnia series after the third movie, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Check out FirstShowing.net's post for all the details.
The entertainment world is all a-buzz with the announcement that the final Harry Potter book Deathly Hallows will be split into 2 films. If you haven't heard, then the LA Times and CNN both have stories. But "The Leaky Cauldron" blog offers a follow-up entry with producer David Heyman about the 2 films' plans. And for you die-hard Daniel Radcliff fans, here's a quick video of him talking about the split.
AUTHOR: Eoin Colfer
AGES: 4th – 10th grades
REVIEW: Finally, we see redemption in Artemis Fowl. He's able to build an uneasy allance with the People. Barnes and Noble offers this synopsis. EmilyP has a cute take on this one as well.
This quick read is pure fun. The action is fast and the technology and magic pretty incredulous. You gotta love this one.
AUTHOR: Jude Watson
AGES: 9th – 12th grades
REVIEW: This was one of the most depressing books I have ever read. If you can get through the first half of the book without giving up, the second half improves. The first half of the novel is completely centered on emotions, and they are dark. To her credit, the author does a wonderful job of nailing the plight of a teenage girl, who is aloof and distant and filled with pain. In the second half of the novel, the action picks up, and the story moves quicker. The mystery/detective work/thriller part picks up and makes this a better read. There is also a sense of hope in the second half of the book that is missing in the first half. But I can see that the author may have wanted us to feel that despair. It was tough reading, though. I was able to finish this book off in one late night when I couldn't sleep.
For a quick synopsis of the plot, visit my fave Barnes and Noble. You can also see some other reader's reviews there, too.
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