Author: John Green
Ages: 10th - 12th grades
Review: There's quite a bit of hype and blogging going on right now about Looking for Alaska. The basis for this banter centers on the fact that this novel, Green's first, is targeting at Young Adults yet the adult language and sexual tones are quite explicit. Take a look at this post with a vlog embed from another blogger to see just how passionate both sides of this issue have been. Warning: Some individuals may be offended by the explicit language used in this posts: Bee's Booknerd. For a summary and commentary, check out Nymeth's exceptional review at her things mean a lot blog.
My take? This is an exceptional book, deserving the ALA Award it received. If it were a movie, it would be rated 'R' for explicit language and sexual content. My tension of recommending this book is tethered between the typical language of teens and actions of teens depicted in the novels versus what I would like to have teens absorb versus the intensely emotional journey Green takes us on as readers. It's the kind of book you want every teenager to pick up but you don't want them to read because it looks like you're condoning the language and sex. Do I think this book should be banned? No, I don't. But I also don't think this book could be chosen as a classroom novel -- unfortunately, even for high school seniors. Do I think high schoolers should read it? Yep, I do. The reconciliation of emotions bound in the storyline is a shared experience, indicative of the human condition.
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.
See an awesome intro to Brisingr, book 3 of Eragon and Eldest. The age of Christopher Pailini will astound you, making the books even more impressive.
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>.
AUTHOR: Martha Brooks
AGES: High school
REVIEW: This is another novel that got me in a big way. It ended up where I didn't even know it was going. The story is primarily told from teenager Odella's point of view. However, other characters' points of views are sprinkled in throughout the novel. The British Columbia Teacher Librarians Association (in Canada) awarded Mistik Lake the 2008 young adult book award, describing the story as:
In Martha Brooks’ Mistik Lake, family secrets are explored in an intergenerational narrative. When Odella’s mother leaves for another man, Odella must confront her mother’s past and cope with the impact it has on the way she sees the world. In this haunting and introspective story, Brooks creates a thoughtful character that will emotionally resonate with her readers.
In another post, Lauren W. described a novel called Speak. I found Speak's themes and mature content to be similar to Mistik Lake. Mistik Lake is full of very mature themes, including promiscuity and homosexuality. I recommend using this novel with care in a classroom.
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: Richard Wright
AGES: 14-18 years old
REVIEW: “The Man Who Was Almost a Man” comes from Richard Wright’s book of short stories entitled Eight Men. This story is about the extremes that a young man goes through to prove that he is a man. This is a really good book for high school students in grades 9-12. This book is great for high school students, because during this time period many children are going through a transition phase in their life. Often times, children have questionable judgment when it comes to what makes a person a man or woman. Reading this story helps correct some of their thinking because they begin to admit that certain behaviors does not make you a man.
The young man in the story wanted to feel like a man and prove his manhood, so he went out and purchased a gun. My students were really interested in this story and could relate with him as well. Even though my students get pleasure out of watching violence, they considered the young man foolish for buying the gun. Every chance my students get they are sneaking onto a fight website or talking about a fight that happened in their neighborhood, however, this story really got them to thinking about their actions.
Guest Blogger: Gregory M. is a graduate student and a first year teacher at a local high school in Memphis, TN. Gregory teaches African American literature, English 10 and English 11. Gregory received his bachelors in English from the University of Memphis in December of 2007. He did not realize that he would find a teaching job as quickly as he did, but he is more than ready to face the challenge. Gregory is a student in Dr. Grant's IDT 7061, Spring08 course.
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.
AUTHOR: Stephen Chbosky
AGES: High School (14-18)
REVIEW: In the tradition of Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, Chbosky’s novel follows the painfully inept Charlie as he struggles to make a place for himself at his school. In this short novel, Charlie, an awkward sophomore in high school, writes letters to an unidentified friend, presumably the reader. Charlie chronicles his attempts to navigate high school, make friends, meet girls, and figure out who he is. His English teacher recognizes his potential and points him towards books that might help him.
What I like most about this book is that Charlie’s descriptions of high school are ruthlessly accurate. When Charlie’s best friends, who are seniors, leave for college, you feel exactly how sad Charlie is. Students will immediately latch on to the realistic details of high school life. Blogger Stewie81 says on his blog that this novel is a “caricature of real life apt enough to make some people consider their own experiences.” In another blog (Sellers Library Teens) the reviewer says that “this is a classic coming-of-age novel with a striking perspective.”
This novel is well suited for high school students, but be cautious—the same realistic elements that make this book easy to relate to are also quite adult in nature (including both sex and drugs). I would definitely discuss the ending with the class (in which the Charlie remembers being molested as a child). This difficult ending is also one of the weaknesses of the novel; it seems as if Chbosky wants to “explain” Charlie’s sensitivity and awkwardness with this revelation. Students who identified with Charlie throughout the novel might not be able to relate to this fact of his life.
You can check the plot summary at Barnes and Noble or at The Book Marque.
Guest Blogger: Edward C. is an Algebra I teacher and Chess Team coach at a high school in Memphis, TN. He is an avid reader and constantly on the search for new books. Edward is in the Teacher Education program at the University of Memphis. In the future, Edward sees him self continuing to teach and continuing to improve himself through higher education. Edward is a student in Dr. Anna Clifford's IDT 7061 course, Spring 08.
AUTHOR: Laurie Halse Anderson
AGES: 9-12th grade
REVIEW: Speak is about a high school freshman named Melinda. She called the cops at an end of the summer party and is now an outcast at school. Instead of talking to teachers, parents or classmates, Melinda closes up into her own world. This novel addresses a lot of the hard issues involved in being in high school including peer pressure, parents, skipping class, the cost of popularity, drinking, sex and depression. For a more in depth summary visit Barnes and Noble at http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Speak/Laurie-Halse-Anderson/e/9780142407325.
Ms. Anderson’s writing is magnificent! Although the story deals with many hard issues, her realistic characters and sarcastic humor make this story very enjoyable. You will laugh, cry and maybe even want to reach out and hug the troubled main character. I really enjoyed the symbolism of Melinda’s hideaway. She hangs a poster of Maya Angela on the wall to help her find the courage this historical figure possessed. When she finally finds her voice again, it is in the shadows of this great woman. Melinda’s view of the world makes you reevaluate how you view yours. To read another review visit http://www.rambles.net/anderson_speak.html.
A word of caution if using this in a classroom: The reason Melinda called the cops at the party was because she was raped. This is not a novel you can assign and then talk about weeks later. It needs to be read and discussed as a class in a mature manner. For some very good lesson plans about Speak visit http://www.writerlady.com/speakh.html.
Guest Blogger: My name is Lauren W. I am currently a graduate student at the University of Memphis. I am getting my masters in education concentrating on English as a Second Language. My sister is a high school English teacher. She passed this book along to me to use with my 9th grade ESL students. The reading level isn’t terrifically difficult, but the content is incredibly valuable. They absolutely loved it! Lauren is a student in Dr. Grant's IDT 7061 course.
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