Deep Green: Color Me Jealous

Deep Green: Color Me Jealous by Melody Carlson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a quick read that was a good read. I hope that the message gets through to young teen girls. This was the first book I have read by Carlson. I actually thought the ending was too preachy and a bit unbelievable that two teen girls would just turn "Christian" so easily. I plan on meeting the author soon and will then decide if I will read more books in this series.



View all my reviews

Alabama Moon

Alabama Moon by Watt Key

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was almost a three star review because the middle was so slow to me. I almost gave up on the book but I kept with it because of the other good reviews I have read. I am so glad I stuck with it. The end was so touching. Many of the questions I had were answered.



View all my reviews

Photo Card

Picture Joy Christmas

This season, send Christmas cards personalized with family photos.

View the entire collection of cards.

More YA Lit

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The book starts out with what seems to be a love story of a young sophomore at a prestigious prep school. The book turns out to be a bit of a mixture of mystery and adventure. Frankie knows about the private boys club that her father was a member. When she realizes that her boyfriend and his friends make up the core of this club, she decides to have some fun with them. It is exciting to read the investigating Frankie does to find out more about this club and the planning of the pranks. This young girl is so underestimated. I gave it five stars as it was hard to put down.



View all my reviews

Informational Book

It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie H. Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book hopes to answer questions young adults have about growing up and their changing bodies. This book provides illustrations that include one little bird and little bee that offer their own thoughts on subject that might match what young people are thinking. Subjects in the book include: Sex, Bodies, Puberty, Birth, and Staying Healthy.

I'm glad this book exists. I wish I would have known about it when I was growing up. Puberty and sex questions can be hard for parents to discuss with their children. I think this book would be great to have available when you finally decide to sit down and have "that chat". I was concerned about the number of naked body illustrations. It's not surprising to me that this book was not in the collection at my school. I appreciate the unbiased representations.







View all my reviews

Poetry

So the best part about this blog is that I am doing the entire post using my smart phone.  This week we read just one book, YOU HEAR ME? : POEMS AND WRITING BY TEENAGE BOYS.  It was a good book.  I'm not a huge poetry fan but as a librarian, I am always looking for new books for this weak section of the library.  It is difficult to find books that the young students will be able to relate to.  I believe this poetry book would be a good addition to a high school library.  I am concerned about the language in some poems.  I enjoyed the fact that the editor did not critique or comment on the poems.  I do wonder where these boys are now, 10 years later.  I hope that some of them continued writing.  My favorite was NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH which detailed what one young man saw as he sat on his front porch. 

Graphic Novels



What I love about graphic novels:  Easy to read, quick, and beautiful.

Three of the four graphic novels that we read this week fit perfectly into the graphic novel mold.  American Born Chinese, and Twilight Part 1 and 2, each read like a comic strip with word balloons and the appearance of boxes of pictures.  Tales from Outer Suburbia is a little different.  Actually, it's very different.  I'm sure many librarians have difficulty with how to catalog this book.  I would probably not shelve it with graphic novels but rather with illustrated books.  Then you have another issue though.   Should it be shelved with children's books?  The "tales" that are included attempt to examine our societal views.  They may be too complex for younger readers (and for older readers in fact). 
As soon as I brought home American Born Chinese, my young daughter picked it up and started reading it.  There are three stories that at first appear to be each a separate story about Chinese culture and growing up as a Chinese American.  In the end they all come together in a surprising way.  This was my daughter's first graphic novel and she really seemed to enjoy it.  I think she was looking at the pictures mostly.  She was sure to point out the part when the Monkey King gets stabbed and blood drips.  She really got a kick out of Chin -Kee.  She thought he was funny looking.

And finally Twilight.  Ahh, Edward....  I read the original Twilight while I was pregnant with my second child.  If she had been a boy, she would have been an Edward.  I love the way Edward talks.  I think most girls do.  The graphic novel takes the story and makes it more visual.  There is a lot of descriptive dialogue that is missing but I enjoyed getting my dose of Twilight.  If you haven't read the entire novel (and I can't understand why not) and want to see what the hype is all about, reading the graphic novel will give you a good background and possibly the extra nudge you need to go read the novel.

Selection, Censorship, Diversity

This week we read books all dealing with different topics but seem to have the theme of getting through a difficult time.  Each of these books main characters have a label that have been placed on them.

In the book Mockingbird by Katherine Erskine,  Caitlin is a young girl that has been diagnosed with Asperbergers Disease.  Caitlin has a hard time looking at people's eyes and understanding emotions.  It is difficult enough to live with this disease but now she must learn how to live with out her brother Devon who has been killed.  Devon has been Caitlin's support while her mother has already died.  Her Dad is suffering in his own way until Caitlin helps them both find closure.

Steve Harmon has been arrested for murder and faces time in jail if he is found guilty.  He is a black teen that simply looks guilty.  The story Monster by Walter Dean Myers is written by Steve's point of view as a screen play if he was to make this trial into a movie.  Steve  claims he is innocent but now he must convince the jury of the same.  Steve worries that his parents and lawyer look at him like he is a monster.

Shawn is telling us the story in the book Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman.  Shawn is labeled exceptional because he has Cerebral Palsy.  He can not move a muscle; he cannot chew food, cannot point to words, and he cannot talk but he has the most remarkable memory.  No one knows about this though and think that Shawn has a low IQ.  This is all wrong, in fact, he has learned how to read by his sister playing school with him.  Shawn wants so badly to scream out that he is in there and wants to tell his father that he is not suffering.

The last book in this group is The Absolutely True Diary of Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman.  We are reading Junior's diary.  Junior is living on an Indian Reservation and has decided that he needs more for his education so he decides to go off the Rez and attend school with the White students.  This is not easy, Junior must overcome the racism at his new school and he must explain to the other Indians that he is not a traitor.  Most importantly, his friend Rowdy needs to understand why Junior has left him.

Historical Fiction

The two books we read this book are both historical fiction and I enjoyed reading both of them.  I couldn't help thinking that they were both about a time in our American History that many people may or should feel embarrassed about. 

In Chains, by Laurie Halse Anderson, Isabel is a slave during the start of the Revolutionary War.  She is a young girl that has lost both parents and then her caring master dies.  Isabel believes she will be freed but instead her and her sister are sold quickly to a mean couple that intend to work her hard in New York City.  They leave Rhode Island quickly and even more cruelty is endured on the ship.  They sleep in poor conditions, eat only what is  left-over, and have little time to themselves.  Isabel is lucky that she can read.  New York City seems to be in the middle of the Revolution and the colonies and the colonists are split by Loyalists (to King George) and the Rebels (those wanting to break away from England).  The family Isabel now finds herself with are Loyalists.  Isabel is unsure who she should side with.  She wants her own freedom and wonders which side is more likely to give it to her.  I get so mad at the stupidity of our country's forefathers and those that thought slavery was acceptable.  How horrible for young boys and girls to be taken away from mothers and fathers and for no one to take care of them.

In Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, young boys just out of high school are drafted to the Vietnam War.  It's a war between the South Vietnamese and the North Vietnamese.  The US gets involved when the North cross over the border and start to conduct themselves in unethical ways.  The US wants to be protectors of the innocent and gets involved when many believe we shouldn't have been there.  Richard Perry didn't think he should be there either.  In fact he had a medical profile which should have kept him out of combat but a mess up in paperwork puts him right in the middle of it.  It's not until he has been there several months and been injured that his profile papers catch up to him.  Many of the soldiers that were there were young and not properly trained for what was needed for them to do.  The book tells of an episode of friendly fire.  Another horrific scene details a fire storm that ends with several American soldiers dead.  The Leuintant insists on taking tags and personal items off the fallen but then these items are left behind in the hut they set on fire.  The soldiers saw many things that were haunting.  Many lost their lives and many were permanently damaged.  Perry sees many horrific sights and loses several friends and fellow serviceman. Again, another book that makes me sad to see how people treat other people.

Science Fiction (Set 3)

I've been trying to think of some way these three books are connected besides just simply being science fiction.  The best I have come up with is the fact that in all three books, the main characters' parents have been killed in a terrible way.  The Forest of Hands and Teeth along with The Knife of Never Letting Go have many similiarities; Leviathan is the odd story from this set.  All of these books are also the first books of a series.

In the book The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan, Mary is the main character.  Her father has already been taken into the forest, we as a reader are not told how.  Her mother sits at the fence looking for her husband.  The fence separates the village from the unconsecrated that linger there searching out live human flesh.  A virus has spread across the world and once bitten by an unconsecrated, it means death or you become this terrible zombie like creature.  Her mother is soon bitten and Mary blames herself for leaving her mother by herself.  Her brother Jed also blames her and sends her to live with the Sisters at the Cathedral.  The Sisters have many secrets.  Mary longs to see the ocean.  Her mother once told her stories of the ocean.  The Sisters tell her not to dream of leaving but that she should marry and have children with her childhood friend Harry.  She wishes that it was Travis, Harry's brother, that would come to take her into marriage.  The fence becomes broken and a newly unconsecrated named Gabriel, also known as the fast one,  is too much for the Guardians of the fence.  Soon the entire village is in danger and Mary, Travis, Harry, Cass, Jed, Jed's wife Beth and a young orphan, Jacob are cut off from the village to wander the path.  The fenced in path winds through the forest and provides some safety and provisions as this group tries to find another village or as Mary hopes, the ocean.  Death is a certain thing as this group travels.

In a similiar book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, Todd has been raised by two men on a farm in Prentisstown.  His parents died when he was very young and he barely remembers them.  As in The Forest of Hands and Teeth, it is the future and a virus has spread across the world.  The virus in this case has made it possible for men to read each other's thoughts.  Women can also read these thoughts but men can not read their's.  Todd was told that the virus is the reason that there are no women left in Prentisstown.  Todd is almost 13 and then he will be a man.  Prentisstown has been waiting for this day as Todd is the last boy left in town to be turned to a man.  But one day as Todd is walking through the swamp outside his farm, he hears a quiet, there is no noise like what he usually hears from all the men.  When his noise tells Prentisstown about the quiet, the men come to talk to Todd about this.  He is forced to run but he is given a good knife and a journal that his mother wrote before she died.  Inside this book there is also a map and Todd is told where he should go.  He takes along his faithful dog Manchee and head towards the swamp.  There they meet the first girl Todd has ever seen, Viola.  She is the cause of the quiet.  She herself is quiet and will not answer Todd's questions.  They travel together slowly becoming more than just travel companions.  Soon there is a Prentisstown army after them.  Todd tries to figure out why these men are so intent on capturing him or is it Viola that they want.  And what does this have to do with him becoming a man in just a few days?

Leviathan is a little different from these other two books.  It starts out again with Aleksander's parents being poisoned and killed.  His parents are the Duke and Princess of Austro-Hungarian.  The time period is set during World War I.  There has been an emergency plan in place in case this was to happen.  Alek is swept away in the middle of the night to save his life.  He along with two tutors and two guard's in his father's army are sent running from the Germans in an effort to protect the throne.  They escape in what is called a Stormwalker.  This is a futuristic invention much like a tank but it walks or runs on two legs.  This is the side of the Clankers.  On the other side of the war, the Darwinists have strange futuristic inventions as well.  The Darwinists have fabricated animals such as talking lizards and flying whales.  Deryn is a young girl that dreams of flying but only boys (men) are allowed to join.  She pretends to be a boy and soon finds herself on the Leviathan,a flying airship made up of a whale.  The Leviathan must make it to the Ottoman Empire where it's precious cargo can be unloaded.

I guess these three books have something else in common.  In all three books, the main characters are being chased,

Science Fiction (Set 2)

This week's science fiction books contain two of the most popular books in junior high right now and in the past.  The Giver by Lois Lowry won the Newbery Award in the 1990's.  It is still a popular choice for teachers when selecting novels for class discussion.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the first book in a trilogy of books.  Both books will make the reader think about government control and when it is too much.  In The Giver, the Elders choose everything for the community.  Everything from names, jobs (assignments) and even memories of history are decided by the Elders.  In The Hunger Games, after a civil war has left the country divided into twelve districts, the government has complete control over all aspects of life.  Food is rationed, people are restricted from moving from distict to district and in the ultimate show of control, each district must "sacrifice" a boy and girl to the Hunger Games which is basically an entertainment show for the people in the capitol.  Both of these books would be great recommendations for older children, young adults and adults. The language is safe and there are no sexual scenes.

Science Fiction

 

This week's reading involved three science fiction books.  All three are set in the future and deal with medical procedures and the ethics that go along with those procedures.

In Unwind by Neal Shusterman, abortions have been outlawed after the Heartland war that pitted pro-lifers and pro-choicers against each other.  A treaty was made that allows for parents to unwind their children after the age of 13 up unto the age of 18.  Medical advances have increased to allow entire body part transplants such as a new limb, new lungs, new brain.  Now the population can buy new hearts instead of living with an old one.  Three children have been selected to be unwound but each for different reasons.  Connor, has been a troubled teen with poor grades and a short temper.  His parents have signed the papers but Connor finds out and runs away.  Risa has been a ward of the state and now due to budget cuts has been sent to a harvest camp on a bus.  Lev (Levi) is a tithe which means he has always known that his life, his body is his parents way of giving 10% to the church, community I suppose.  They meet all together, all of Connor's fault, on the highway as Connor is trying to run-away from the juvey-cops.  He causes a massive pile-up and a huge distraction for the other two to run.  They continue running together for some time only to get separated and then reunited and then separated again.

In The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary Pearson, Jenna has been in a coma for over a year and has just woken up.  She remembers very little about her life before the accident.  She doesn't remember the accident.  Her mother keeps her away from other people but finally agrees to allow Jenna to attend a small school with other seemingly freaks.  Jenna learns more about these other students and even learns some about herself and her parents.  Her father is a well known medical doctor that has invented bio-gel.  Bio-gel can be used to regenerate body parts.  Each person is allowed 100 points and depending on the procedure that is performed, points are taken away.  Having an entire leg or arm can cost lots of points as so can brains and other organs.  Jenna starts to slowly remember bits of her life, parts that she shouldn't remember.  She learns that her parents have broken many medical laws in relation to bio-gel.

In Bumped by Megan McCafferty, a virus has spread that makes men and women infertile over the age of 18.  Teens are now paid by couples who can no longer have their own children to conceive and carry a child for them.  Teens are rated by looks, IQ, activities that belong to and are paid as such.  Some teens can go Pro and have a representative to find a match to "bump" with.  Teen girls are proud of their baby bumps so much that they even buy fake bumps to be in the in-crowd.  Two twin girls that were separated at birth have found each other and meet.  They were raised very differently.  Melody is now a pro but has yet to be matched with anyone.  She wishes that her friend Zen could be her match but he is too short for the couple that has paid her to bump.  Harmony was raised on the farm on Goodside, a church community that believes still in marriage before bumping.  Many girls get married at the age of 13.  Harmony was set to marry but then was told to wait.  Now she is 17, one day into marriage, and has run away to find her sister.  A wonderful set up for a switch in identities.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction (GLBT)

The three books we read for this week deal with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transvestite issues.  The three books are similiar but also very different in their own ways.

ANNIE ON MY MIND was written in 1983 and was a ground breaking novel that no one knew what to do with.  This book was typically banned from schools.  The story deals with two young girls, in high school, whose friendship develops into real love.  They find away to have some alone time at the home of a couple of Eliza's teachers'  While there they learn that the two women that live there are lesbians.  The two girls get caught and in the  middle of it, the two teachers also get punished.  The story takes place in New York and I think it would be fascinating to do more research on the marriage laws that have recently been passed in numerous states, including New York.  How would this story/book be different if it was written now?  The writing is very smooth and gentle.

Jump now to LUNA, which starts with what seems two girls discussing makeup and beauty tips.  We soon learn that this is our introduction to Luna, Reagan's brother who believes he is a girl, stuck in a boy's body.  During the day he is Liam, a smart, popular senior in high school but inside he is miserable trying to make his father proud but not letting his true self be known.  This story is told from Regan's point of view and her anger shows through.  Her life seems to be on hold while she tries to help her brother/sister slowly let the world know how he really feels on the inside.  He is becoming more and more bold about the when and where of wearing his woman's clothes.  We learn additional information as we read Reagan's memories from birthday parties and other family events.  She doesn't understand how her parents couldn't already know the truth.  Her family seems to be falling apart.

The last book in this group is FREAK SHOW by James St. James.  (Yes, that is really his name!) The author is actually a well known drag queen.  The main character, Billy Bloom, is new in school.  He has moved from Conneicut to Florida.  Florida is a red state and the other students in his school don't look to kindly on Billy's choice to wear woman's clothes to school.  The story is written in a first person narrative. The reader is brought along to the new school that Billy is constantly making fiun of along with it's cliques of students.  Billy is very comfortable in his body and is not afraid to let everyone know.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction - Edgy/ Controversial

 For this week, we read four books that deal with controversial issues.

In Looking for Alaska, we learn about a group of high school students that spend their days and nights smoking and drinking.  One of the main characters is killed in a drunk driving accident.  These students also freely discuss sex and sex acts.

In Whale Talk, the issue is race.  The main character, TJ, is of mixed races.  His mother lost custody of him when he was a baby because she was always on drugs.  TJ is one of only a few people belonging to the race of color in the mostly white community.  TJ still goes to see his child therapist who is a Black woman, Georgia Brown. She is now counseling another child of color, Heidi.  She is the "adopted" daughter of one of the community booster leaders, Rich Marshall.  Rich is not very pleased to have to take care of this child and verbally and physically abuses his girlfriend and her daughter, Heidi.

DUFF stands for Designated Ugly Fat Friend.  In this book, the high school students are very promiscous and sexually active.  Bianca declares that she lost her virginity at the age of 14.  There is also the issue of alcohol abuse when Bianca's father falls off the wagon and gets drunk.  Her father gets so drunk that he accuses her of being a whore and slaps her.

Abuse is the subject of What Happened to Cass.  Kyle blames Cass for the death of his brother David, but we find out that David lived a hard life suffering through his mother's yelling and verbal abuse.  Once Kyle leaves for college the abuse gets even worse.  Kyle pushes David to ask a girl out, this would make his mom happy and leave him alone for a little while.  But David goes for the most popular, most beautiful girl in their class.  Cass denies him and makes fun of him behind his back.  When David finds out about Cass's note, he kills himself.

Contemporary Realistic Fiction (Issues)

 These four realistic fiction books all involve issues that adolescents deal with everyday.  In Speak and Inexcusable, young ladies are suffering through the trauma of being raped.  In Speak, we have the perspective of the girl, in this case her name is Melinda.  She has been outcasted at school because other students do not know why she called the police to the underage party.  The other party goers blame her for ruining their good time.  Melinda won't speak to anyone about what really happened.  In the story Inexcusable, we gain the perspective of the male.  In this book. Keir doesn't know what he did wrong.  He thought his friend Gigi was having a good time with him.  He was holding her down, but he didn't hear her say NO.  Sexual harrassment and sexual abuse is a very real issue that teens deal with.
The other two books deal with school bullying or school violence.  In both books, the main characters create a list of peers that pick on them and they wish they would die.  In Hate List, the school shooting has already happened and we learn about the aftermath of this violence and how the students can try to stop the hate.  In Astonishing Adventures of FanBoy and GothGirl we learn how FanBoy has dealt with bullies in the past.  Kira (GothGirl) tries to encourage FanBoy to stand up to his bullies.  Kira has her own problems, with the main obstacle being dealing with her mother's death.  These characters all need to go see a therapist, if they are not already going to see one.

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Summary - Scarlett and Rosie were attacked by a Fenris (werewolf) at their grandmother's house when they were young.  Scarlett received numerous scars trying to protect her younger sister.  The girls' lives changed forever as they now hunt these wolves to save the world.  The two girls, along with the woodcutter's son, Silas travel to Atlanta where there have been numerous attacks and disappearances that are unexplained by those that don't know about the Fenris.  These hunters soon learn that a potential new Fenris is being stalked by the different “gangs” of Fenris.  The Fenris must find this potential during the full moon cycle.  Silas tries to convince Rosie that there is more to life than hunting wolves.  Silas and Rosie develop a strong bond that the Fenris try to use to their advantage.

Personal Reaction - 4 out of 5 stars

I really was concerned about the age difference in the two lovers.  I never really got connected to the characters to make me feel empathy or sympathy for them.  I enjoyed the YA version of a fractured fairy tale.  I liked the cover and admit I didn't even see the wolf face until half-way through reading.

Classroom Connections - Compare/Contrast story of Little Red Riding Hood.  Have the students read other Grimm Fairy Tales and write their own fractured fairy tales.  Also suggest reading "Sweetly" by Jackson Pearce which is a variation of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale.

Skulduggery Pleasant

For those readers who have been waiting for the next book to fill the void of Harry Potter, this one's for you. This book is a combination of adventure and fantasy all in one.
Brief summary: Stephanie's Uncle has just died and leaves her his residence and all of it's belongings. The first night she is stuck there alone with someone tries to break in and kill her. Skulduggery Pleasant shows up to save her and there begins their partnership. But Skulduggery is no ordinary man, he is a talking skeleton that only survives by his magical powers. The pair go on to solve the mystery of who tried to kill Stephanie.
The pace of the story was excellent and hard to put down. There are some violent scenes that concern me for younger readers. I give the book 4 out of 5 stars simply because there were too many unanswered questions. The fantasy/magic was just a bit too unbelievable for me. Good to note that there have been sequels written for this story.
Kids will like Skulduggery for his humor. Kids will also like the fast paced storylines with mystery and adventure.
As I was reading this book, I compared it a lot to Harry Potter but I also thought it reminded me of the Alfred Kropp series and the Dark is Rising. Teachers could recommend these books to students if they liked Skulduggery Pleasant. Students could also learn more about the skeleton system and draw their own version of Skulduggery.

Bullying

Reading Challenge

So I have entered into a reading challenge to read 6 books this year that I should have read in school.  Follow this blog site for more info.Reading Challenge

I already have a couple books in mind that I need to read including The Jungle Book, Wrinkle in Time, and the Chocolate War.

Alchemy and Meggy Swann

"Ye toads and vipers!" and so starts the story of  Meggy Swann in Alchemy and Meggy Swann (Clarion, 2010) by Karen Cushman.  Ms. Cushman seems to have cornered the market when it comes to historical fiction featuring young girls in hardships.  In this newest novel, Meggy Swann, a crippled young girl who has been raised by her grandmother, is sent to live with her father whom she has never met.  Her father was expecting a boy and certainly did not expect a young girl who uses walking sticks to get around.  Master Swann is an alchemist who is currently working on a "potion" for eternal life.  Meggy discovers that he has an evil plan that puts the Baron in great danger and Meggy sets out to try to save him and in turn keep her father's head attached to his body.  After listening to the audio version of this book, I realized that I am a much better visual learner.  Bravo to Ms. Katherine Kellgren who did an excellent job of using different voices for each of the characters in the story.  It was a pleasure to be told the story.  I would recommend reading the author's note in advance of reading the story.  I wished that I would have myself so some of the Elizabethan terms would have been better understood.  This book would be an excellent choice for students in grades 4-8.  I am somewhat concerned that the time period may not attract the attention of young readers.  This book could be used along with a discussion on Elizabethan customs.

Ship Breaker

Set in the future along the Gulf Coast, Ship Breaker (Little Brown, 2010) by Paolo Bacigalupi, is a fast-paced adventure for young adults.  In the future oil is scarce but the Gulf Coast beaches have been abandoned after years and years of off-shore oil drilling have destroyed the once beautiful shores.  Oil rigs and ships have been left to rot and to be scavenged for any and all parts.  Two of the main characters work on one of these scavenger ships on the light crew.  Pima and Nailer are still young and small enough to fit through the air ducts to scavenge enough for their daily quota.  It is a rough life with very little food and no real shelter.  Nailer's father has become a drunk and drug addict after the death of Nailer's mother.  Nailer's real family is with his crew.  When a "city killer" hurricane washes a clipper ship ashore, Pima and Nailer think their dreams have been realized with all the expensive items they can scavenge off the ship.  They didn't expect to find a rich girl clinging to life.  Nailer makes the decision to keep her alive and help return her to "her people."  He will have to live smart and lucky to survive all the adventure that will come along with it.  After being kept captive by Nailer's father, the two decide to escape and make a run to Orleans where Nita, the rich girl, believes people will be able to help her.   They must find work to survive while they wait in Orleans for the right ships to arrive. The ending leaves you wanting more.

While reading this Ship Breaker I thought of another book that is very similar.  I believe the fans of the Hunger Games trilogy will also enjoy this page-turner.  After last year's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I believe even more readers will find a relationship with this book.  I wonder though if some of the little details of the book will even be noticed by young people.  (Red Chinese money worth more than dollars, north pole has melted with the melt off changing the landscape of our country)  This book could be used with an Earth Science class and students could discuss the need to recycle.  Students should be aware of the consequences of what happens to our trash and how it affects the Earth's water.

Moon over Manifest

After finishing Moon over Manifest (Random House, 2010) by Claire Vanderpool, I feel like I need to read it over again.  I suppose that is a good sign, I want to read it over again, it's that good.  I have read a lot of Newbery Award winning books and this is very well deserving.  It's one of the best over the last several years.  When I started reading this book, it reminded me a lot of another recent Newbery Award winner, The Higher Power of Lucky, but once I finished I believe it is closer  related to Long Way from Chicago.  The ending is somewhat shocking.  (Spoiler Alert!!)  As I was reading, I had a pretty good feeling that the stories Miss Sadie were sharing about Jinx was going to end up being Abilene's father, Gideon.  I didn't guess how Miss Sadie was going to figure into the stories.
As I was reading I kept thinking about the title of the book and where it came from.  The title is revealed towards the end when Abilene is reading one of the letters from Ned, who is stationed in Europe during WWI.  Ned is writing to Jinx and asking him about the October moon.  Ned is comforted to know that even though he is half way around the globe, he is looking at the same moon.  This book was a true joy to read and will be easy to recommend to students in grades 4 and up.  There are no violent scenes, no questionable language and no sexual themes.

It's a Book

Another example of meta-fiction is It's a Book (Roaring Book Press, 2010) by Lane Smith.  A cute picture book that I consider more appropriate for adults than children, It's a Book has a little fun with the new techie versions of books that are now available.  A monkey and a donkey (jackass) are both reading books while donkey's is electronic and the monkey's is a real paper book.  Poor donkey doesn't understand the concept of a book and keeps asking monkey to explain.  I liked the book trailer over the actual book.  I'm not quite sure why Mr. Smith had to put the jackass word in it at the end, I suppose for shock value.  This one would be difficult for me to read-aloud to a class though I would make it available to all ages.

Book Trailer:  http://youtu.be/WhUNyzYzBX0

The Freak Observer

As they say, don't judge a book by it's cover.  The Freak Observer (Carolrhoda, 2010) by Blythe Woolston will not be winning any book cover contests but the story inside has already been receiving the awards.  In her debut novel Ms. Woolston writes the story of sixteen year old Loa Lindgren who is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after her younger sister has died and now within the same year, her best friend Esther, has been killed.  Loa's once happy home life has taken a turn towards the worst and she is trying desperately to be invisible and not make anyone mad at her.  Fortunately the book does end on a happy note as Loa meets a new male friend who seems to make her laugh and forget about her other troubles.  One of my favorite parts is when her mother tells Loa and her brother that they can order pizza to be delivered.  This is the turning point in the story and after that, Loa's family starts to smile more. 

In a recent Wall Street Journal Article about Young Adult Fiction, Meghan Gurdon writes that YA Lit is full of dark themes and has become harmful to the young reader.  The Freak Observer could have been the target of her entire article.  The dark cover, the explicit language, the violence and abuse are all in this book that Mrs. Gurdon tries to condone.  I also believe that this book and the voice of Loa will help many young adult readers to get through a hard time they may be facing in their lives.  Not since Hunger Games have I been so affected by a book.

A Tale dark & Grimm

"Once upon a time, fairy tales were awesome."  And so begins the "fractured" fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel in A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton, 2010)  The author takes two of the most famous characters from the Grimm fairy tales and puts them into other well-known fairy tales written by the Grimm brothers.  An example of a meta-fiction book, Gidwitz writes as a narrator that tries to stop the reader from reading something that may be too gruesome.  This is somewhat reminiscent of the Lemony Snicket, Unfortunate Events series.  Gidwitz suggests that parents are afraid to share the real Grimm tales because there is too much blood and gore.  I think this book is perfect for the middle grade readers.  This book could be used while discussing other fairy tales and I would highly recommend sharing the original stories with students as well.  It would not be necessary to read the original fairy tales first but students will be intrigued.

Interupting Chicken

David Ezra Stein earned the Caldecott Honor Award for Interupting Chicken (Candlewick, 2010) and it was most deserving.  Stein tells the story of the little red chicken listening to a bedtime story told by his Papa but everytime they get to the good part, the little red chicken can't control himself and interupts the story.  Finally Papa tells the little red chicken, to tell him a story instead.  While listening to the story Papa falls asleep and interupts the story with his snoring.  This book also represents an example of a meta-fiction book, with the book characters talking about the stories included.  This book is a great read-aloud for K - 2nd grade, I had so much fun with changing my voice to share this story.  It lends itself perfect for a great bed-time story as well.

The Dreamer

Pam Munoz Ryan writes a fictionalized story of the real-life Chilean poet, Neftali Reyes, in the book, The Dreamer (Scholastic, 2010).  It is a beautifully written story with equally beautiful illustrations by Peter Sis.  Reyes, more well-known as Pablo Neruda, was a shy boy growing up with an overbearing father.  His father wanted him to grow up to be a professional but Reyes dreams of being a writer.  We know that eventually he does become a successful poet.  Ryan weaves her own poem,  "I am poetry" throughout the book.  The use of blue ink through the book is also reminiscent of Reyes.

Countdown

"We are all about to die,"  states Franny Chapman in Deborah Wiles' book, Countdown  (Scholastic, 2010).  The story is set in the 1960's during the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Franny suffers through the same conflicts as most pre-teens in our current time but Franny also must deal with the fact that everyone is afraid of what is going to happen with the missile build-up happening in Cuba, and the nuclear conflict with the U.S.S.R.  To help the younger readers, who have probably never heard of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Ms. Wiles has included real photographs and quotes used by real people from the time period, including Pres. Kennedy.  We read the story from Franny's point of view and her pre-teen attitude will make anyone laugh.  She must deal with her embarrassing family, trying to get a boy's attention, and the decaying friendship with her best friend.  This is the first book in a planned trilogy, and I can't wait for the next one!