Mr. K-C's Blog

A Misnomer

2012-02-15T07:50:00.000-06:00

In the book Tuesdays with Morrie, a yearly read-aloud in my language arts classes, Mitch Albom, the author, admits that Morrie, his former profession struggling with ALS, enjoys naming things. When I read Tuesdays with Morrie, I often feel like I'm wasting class time until we debrief our classroom efforts at the end of the year. Only then d I realize this read-aloud is a favorite of many because it teaches life lessons. Albom's story also allows for many introspective writing opportunities.

At the conclusion of the book, I typically ask students to isolate one individual in their lives, someone who has taught them valuable lessons for which they will forever be grateful. I make it clear that this individual does not have to be a teacher. In fact, we broaden the definition of "teacher" to include anyone who has maintained a sustained, positive impact on our lives. These "teachers" can be parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, friends, or siblings. Once these "teachers" have been isolated, we write letters, essays, or poems discussing their impact. The truly brave drop them in the mail. :) This year, we've taken this writing activity one step further by nominating these "teachers" for the Barnes and Nobel "My Favorite Teacher" writing contest. In 500 words or fewer, students must make a case for their "teacher."

After I modeled the introduction to my own piece of writing (you don't know who you are), I wheeled myself around the classroom for writing conferences. These writing conferences, which occur to infrequently, allow me to discuss a piece of writing with a student. There's no better way to teach writing than in a one-on-one writing conference. However, these conferences reversed our roles and reinforced a valuable lesson I learned long ago.

Kids identify with and respect models of good behavior and their altruistic actions more than they identify with and respect classroom teachers who hand them worksheets, focus on "the grade," and fail to cultivate a personal relationship. In other words, each student I conferenced with communicated the importance of the positive, consistent adult models in their lives. Of the 15 writing conferences I held yesterday, 13 students wrote about someone other than a classroom teacher. The majority of those being written to were parents. I appreciated their perspectives and commended them on writing about the important adults in their, rather than the teachers who occupy their classrooms. Even though not a single student wrote about me (I often joke that I'm an acquired taste who generally receives delayed gratification in this area), I found this refreshing because the theme of their efforts confronts us with our greatest challenge.

So the question remains: Are we teachers, or are we models? According to students, models win. Each student, in a matter of speaking, told me that these important "teachers" in their lives showed them how do approach tasks with the correct attitude, encouraged them to succeed, and didn't accept half-hearted efforts. As we conferenced, students supported and fortified the work many teachers carry out when they act as classroom models and fellow learners.

Yesterday's writing conferences bolstered the volumes of current research and best practices urging teachers to read and write with our students. Don't tell them to write and check your e-mail or grade assignments. Show them how you draft an introduction, book-talk young adult novels you've enjoyed, and write journal entries or literary letters with them and to them. Avoid the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do practices that sour so many on our profession.

Accomplice by Eireann Corrigan

2012-02-14T16:45:00.001-06:00

Chloe and Finn have been best friends since Chloe’s family moved to a small New Jersey farming town where Finn and her family have lived for generations. Anxious they haven’t done enough to earn a spot in a prestigious college, they hatch a plan to fake Chloe’s disappearance. Finn must stay behind and observe the toll it takes on Chloe’s parents, her classmates, and the town. As the drama drags on, Finn begins to have second thoughts, while Chloe moves forward, unaffected.

First and foremost, this is a story about unintended consequences. While they planned, Chloe and Finn thought of nothing but themselves. Coming in a close second is Corrigan's commentary, without much subtlety, regarding the ridiculous hoops college applicants must jump through in order to make their higher education dreams come to fruition.

As the story progresses and Finn shares her first-person narrative perspective, you begin to see cracks in her friendship with Chloe, but you can never quite tell if these cracks are the result of stress, Chloe's isolated view of her disappearance, or Finn finally seeing Chloe in a different light. As Finn's guilt builds and she wants to go to the authorities and end the entire hoax, Chloe becomes even more determined to follow through with her heroic reappearance and leverage her public status during the college application process. At one point, Finn even becomes agitated just thinking about Chloe parlaying this ruse into a college essay about overcoming adversity that would surely grab an admissions officer's attention.

Corrigan's central concept - unintended consequences - makes perfect sense. Our rash behavior, fueled by our incessant quest for our 15 minutes of fame, leads us down many paths that we often can't counteract. Through Finn's interactions with her own family, Chloe's family, her classmates, Chloe's boyfriend, the police, and a missingt persons television show, she adeptly delivers the lesson, one you hope Chloe will also learn. The decisions we make affect more individual lives, in the short and long-term, than we can truly comprehend.

Eireann Corrigan has done a masterful job constructing this story, one which could have been littered with potholes. Her attention to detail, however, left me empty-handed as I looked for them. Prior to reading Accomplice, I wasn't at all familiar with Corrigan's work. That's about to change.

Work With Your Students

2012-02-09T20:12:00.001-06:00

You would think the classroom is an epiphanous breading ground. That's to say, you would think epiphanies occur in the classroom on a constant basis. It's often just the opposite. Sitting in my classroom this morning, I had an epiphany while I worked with one of my struggling readers as we searched for the social commentary in Rodman Philbrick's Freak the Mighty. I've read this book so many times I can see it play out without the visual help of Jillian Anderson and James Gandolfini, who stared in the film version. As we attempted to boil the story of Max and Kevin down to a single concept, the student quickly discovered the most important information Philbrick included occurred near the end of the story. One line that I had read aloud got his attention. During this sequence, Max's grandfather tells him that it isn't how long you've got that matters; it's what you do with the time you have. We stopped at that line and pondered its significance. I could see the wheels turning, and I held my tongue, anxious to point him in any direction. I wanted him to make the discovery. He did.

This particular student, a struggling yet aggressive reader, focused his energy on that particular line, and bells began to ring. He made the connection between the climax and the many other literary devices that point back to that important area of the text. This year we've learned an author's tone comes through loudly and clearly when readers focus their energies on the end of the book. The protagonist's lesson, the theme, the concept, and the author's purpose all share that same crowded piece of property. And while the climax might have been a bit fuzzy to this student, he knows the end of a story holds some of the most important pieces of information.

So aren't epiphanies supposed to occur when one discovers something brand new? I guess, but this epiphany was more of a reminder or reinforcement. This bit of learning would not have taken place if he had not come to me yesterday and asked for a morning pass. The individualized work we engaged in this morning was much more beneficial than the whole-group lessons that typically occupy the majority of a student's in-class time.

In this scenario, the student-to-teacher ratio was 1:1. We could focus on just his book, speak just his language, and address just his learning needs without interruption. This, obviously, makes learning so much easier. This is the type of learning that goes on every day in reading conferences that occur during silent reading time because I have chosen to run a reader's workshop and moderate 54 individualized book groups. I'm afraid, though, that this is a foreign concept, one that makes many teachers feel out-of-control because they aren't lecturing, students aren't completing worksheets, and the room is pin-drop silent. But the work gets done, one desk at a time, as I wheel my chair up and down the rows and talk with students about what they are reading, why they are reading, how they are reading.

This is the way reading should be taught - independently, with an abundance of choice, time, and access to good literature. Athletes get better with practice. Reading takes lots of practice. My classroom is a place to practice.

The Fault of Our Stars by John Green

2012-02-08T21:39:00.000-06:00

As you can see from many of this school year's blog entries, I've turned to more light-hearted (for the most part) novels because I moved from eighth grade to seventh. The two grades are worlds apart. However, as my seventh graders mature, many of them are jumping from middle reader books to young adult titles, so I've been making an effort to reconnect with more YA novels. Until I did this, I had no clue how much I missed the young adult genre. John Green's newest, The Fault of Our Stars made that abundantly clear.

Hazel, a terminal cancer patient tethered to oxygen, and Gus, a cancer survivor missing a leg, meet in a cancer support group and are drawn to each other for their own unique reasons. When asked by the support group leader what he fears the most, Gus mentions oblivion. Hazel, on the other hand, fears the irreparable harm her death will have on her loved ones. She doesn't want to be that figurative grenade that hurts everyone she loves. Gus wants to be remembered; Hazel wishes to do no harm. They exist at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Fearful of oblivion, Gus dreams of aiding humanity in such a way that he'll never be forgotten. He often comments about a life is not worth living unless it can be devoted to the greater good. Hazel is often rubbed the wrong way by his grandiose goals. At one point, Hazel puts Gus in his place, saying, "This can never be enough for you. But this is all you get. You get me, and your family, and this world. This is your life. I'm sorry if that sucks." She urges him to enjoy the here-and-now and stop longing for what she considers to be the impossibly over-remarkable.

On the other hand, Hazel is afraid of the marks she'll leave on loved ones after she's gone. After all, she's terminal, and Gus constantly tries to push her out of her comfort zone. During a conversation with her hovering mother, Grace says, "I'm a grenade, and at some point I would like to minimize the casualties." She's Gus's polar opposite. While he wants nothing more than to leave a mark, she fears leaving any marks because she envisions such marks as nagging scars.

Green, in a very subtle way, through wonderfully-constructed characters, is urging readers to live in the here-and-now. And he accomplishes his goal. When I really should have been conducting reading conferences, I asked students if they would mind if I read with them. They were very supportive. They could tell I was in the midst of a book I would seat in the front row of my team picture of best books ever. John Green has a few of those already - Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines. I just wish he would write faster. Thus far, this is my favorite book of 2012, and it will take a whole lot to unseat it.

Variant by Robinson Wells

2012-02-01T19:51:00.001-06:00

As Booklist so aptly reports: Lots of YA novels begin with a character arriving at a new boarding school, but it is safe to say there has never been a boarding school like this. Their line hits the nail on the head. Benson Fisher is more than a foster kid; he's a foster kid with no connections at all. So, when he sees an opportunity at Maxwell Academy, someplace he speculates might change his fate, he jumps at the chance. When he arrives, however, he is immediately thrown off by the large wall surrounding the campus; no one leaves, adults are nowhere to be found, and the student population is broken up among V's, those looking to break out, Society, those who enforce the school rules, and Havoc, the "bad boys" (and girls) of the campus. He also comes to learn that students at Maxwell all come from similar circumstances; like his own upbringing, the students he gets to know are all orphans with no link to the outside world. This gets his mind racing.

Wells, the author, creates tension and conflict by segregating students in to the three groups, somewhat symbolic of the cliques that are forged in schools. Benson can't figure out, though, why everyone is so happy in captivity. True, they are provided wonderful food, education, and socialization; but any hint of graduation and/or release is non-existent. The Society enjoys their perks. They work security, they are in the know, and they have the largest group. Havoc, on the other hand, is the second largest group, and they seem to just nudge Society toward a breaking point. The V's are the group most likely to break out, but Benson, who eventually joins them, seems to be the only one plotting. He can't understand why they don't pool their resources and escape together, using the power of their numbers against whatever awaits them outside the wall. Too many students, however, fear "detention," or death, in response to their attempts to break out or violate any school rules.

Maxwell's extracurricular activity of choice is high-stakes paintball. With three teams, two are pitted against each other and the third officiates. Losers are subjected to penalties such as stricter punishments for an extended period, loss of food for two days, or some other incentive that pushes everyone to win. Paintball is the Maxwell Academy what football is to Texas. The number of paintball matches carried out points to some secret, unknown military training conspiracy; at least that's what Benson believes. However, a something completely different is in the works, which is where this novel jumps the shark.

The plot twists and turns and never finds a compelling focus. Benson is neither dynamic or static; he's neither sympathetic or unsympathetic. He's just a teen stuck in a boarding school who desperately wants to get out. The relationships he makes are underdeveloped and add to his sense of paranoia, which, I believe, is something the author intended. After all, printed on the cover is "Trust No One."

I'm constantly after my students to boil an author's work down to a single concept or issue. Variant leaves me at a loss. Obviously, I found something worth pursuing when I bought the book after downloading the sample to my Kindle. The beginning left me wanting more. Unfortunately, as much as I wanted the book to deliver, it couldn't. It ends like so many young adult books these days - not satisfied with being a stand-alone novel, aching to be a series. I'm just not sure how many readers will want to read wait for the sequel and read on.

Subjects and Verbs and Other Tough Questions

2012-01-25T19:58:00.001-06:00

I have a conundrum of sorts. The greater majority of my students, honors and regular education, still have some difficulty, even in seventh grade, identifying subjects and verbs. Obviously, when I say they have some difficulty, the spectrum is vast. The issue, though, is not their inability to identify these foundational sentence parts. The issue is that these students write pretty well in spite of their inability to identify subjects and verbs (or many of the other parts of a sentence for that matter). So, do I ignore this and let them write, or do I continue beating my head against the wall?

Well, I guess that begs another question. What is a middle school language arts teacher's main objective? Are we charged with creating junior English majors or thoughtful readers and writers. I side with the latter, but I do that with some hesitance. I enjoy words; in fact, I love words. And I attempt to transfer that love to my students. We read in class, we write in class, we dissect sentences and play with them in class. However, no matter how hard I try and no matter how many strategies I use, the simple truth boils down to each individual's motivation to get better. Sometimes I wonder if some of my students want to get better, and these thoughts hurt me, so I try to put them out of my mind as quickly as possible.

I've wallowed in this internal conflict all day. I've stared at the assessments I adminstered to students this morning, and I've debated whether to hold the grades over their heads, recycle them and begin again, or find a middle ground. I've questioned my instructional strategies, and I've questioned my students' motivation. This is what I believe a good teacher goes through in order to help his students become better readers and writers. I'll sleep on it, then I'll spend some of the early-morning hours sitting in my classroom before any one arrives, seeking divine intervention, something the nuns in Catholic school told us didn't exist. Then, I'll probably talk with my students, put the assessment aside, and start over. Holding it over their heads erodes trust, and the one thing I know is that students will not work for a teacher they believe does not trust them.

So, we'll take another shot at subjects and verbs tomorrow because that's what a teacher does. When one method doesn't work, you beat yourself up, you question your methods, you question the kids' motivation, and then you look forward to spending more time with them the next day. Some would say it's a vicious cycle. It's not. It's another day in a job I love, teaching wonderful kids, identifying those foundational sentence parts that students wonder about, so they'll grow up to be adults who can communicate effectively and not embarrass themselves.

You would think I'm never at a loss to answer my wife's, "So how was your day?" :)

Reassessment Misconceptions

2012-01-23T14:15:00.001-06:00

I just had a wonderful discussion with a bright young lady about reassessment. Our conversation began with her remarking, "You don't get to redo things outside of school." She made a valid point, one that adults who don't work in schools make all the time. That's the common misconception of what occurs in school. We're not providing opportunities for students to redo assignments just so they earn better grades. We're providing those opportunities so students can reflect on what they did differently the second time around, use those strategies in similar, future situations, and form new, more productive habits. Reassessment is more about habit-forming that it is about anything else. Going forward, particuarly with the Common Core Standards driving curriculum development, we need to be more aware of this than ever.

I then asked this student, for whom I have a great deal of respect, to turn and observe the many different habits at work in our supervised study, a breeding ground for independence or apathy. Some sat and stared blankly into space; others focused on work; others did their best to avoid work. She took it all in, and it seemed to make sense for her. She had misinterpreted the habitual nature of school. She believed that school was setting her up for failure by needlessly repeating activities. She said something along the lines of, "You make us do the same thing over and over in school until we leave and then you ask us to form our own habits and create our own independence. How can we do that? We're not prepared."

Removing the bell schedule from the equation and focusing on what students repeat in school requires some thought. Habits are formed after productive behaviors are repeated multiple times. Sometimes, in order for a habit to take root, behaviors or actions must be repeated hundreds or thousands of times. It depends on the person. So when we work on a text structure in class, and we repeatedly utilize that text structure in different situations, the lesson is about more than just doing the same thing again and again. The lesson is about taking the organizational patterns we know and reusing them in a variety of different contexts to help students realize the value of those structures and the transfer qualities they possess across the curriculum.

School, when you cosider it, is a very easy concept. It's a safe place to ask questions, learn from mistakes, fail gloriously, and repeat until you've formed a habit. The asking questions part can be troubling to some. Mistakes can be embarrassing when you live in a community that perpetuates a false sense of perfection. But we have to overcome this together because many of the issues we deal with in school are byproducts of the larger society. Mistakes show weakness. Questions demonstrate a lack of intelligence. Until we get over this, school will continue to be misinterpreted and our kids will come out on the short end of the stick.

How can you help? Make as many mistakes as you can in front of your kids. Then, show them how you overcome the mistakes. In case you weren't watching the Patriots beat the Ravens yesterday, you missed an glorious failure. Billy Cundiff, the Raven's placekicker, miss a short field goal with just seconds left on the clock. When interviewed later, he could have shunned the cameras, hidden in the locker room, or said, "No comment." Instead, he took the full brunt of the media and its questions. What I loved the most about his interview was this quote: "But, I've got two kids; there are some lessons I need to teach them. First and foremost is to stand up and face the music and move on." Way to go, Billy.

Center Field by Robert Lipsyte

2012-01-22T16:50:00.001-06:00

I am certainly amazed by the power of young adult literature to continually bring very important concepts and issues to teens. Robert Lipsyte is one such author who provides thought-provoking experiences for readers. In Center Field, he present the pitfalls of hero worship.

Mike, a high school junior, lives for baseball and Billy Budd, his favorite Yankee. All Mike really wants is to be left alone, play center field, and become next year's team captain. However, a new, slick fielding Dominican player shows up at practice one day; Mike is sure he'll play center field. On top of that, a physical exchange with a classmate, girlfriend trouble, and a secret and demanding coach push him to the limit.

Mike worships Billy Budd, the star center fielder for the New York Yankees. In fact, Mike worships Budd so much that he really doesn't know himself all that well. He visits Billy's site daily, constantly wonders what Billy would do, and when faced with stressful situations or times during which he must control his emotions, he thinks BillyBuddBillyBuddBillyBuddBillyBudd. His blind hero worship is concerning, if not fairly emblematic of what occurs in today's culture. Rather than use experiences to get to know himself, his strengths, and his weakness, Mike channels Billy Budd.

Lipsyte also presents other issues that are equally as important. Mike's baseball coach is a control freak. In his dual role as baseball coach and assistant principal in charge of discipline, he controls all and manipulates many situations. As Mike finds himself falling deeper and deeper in to a scheme hatched by the coach, he begins to take a harder look at his own predicament. He wonders about his friendships, the impending team captaincy, his perspective of non-athletes, and the support his family provides.

Robert Lipsyte's Center Field is a reminder to all that our heroes are models for some positive behaviors, but they can't be our models for all behavior. At some point, we have to become comfortable with ourselves.

Leaving Protection by Will Hobbs

2012-01-17T07:29:00.000-06:00

Robbie Daniels and his family live in remote Alaska; you would call them a subsistence family, living off the land and water, catching fish, raising some crops, and doing what it takes to survive from one day to the next. At sixteen, Robbie wants to become a salmon fishing deckhand and earn some real money to help his family. He also wants to go to college. Becoming a deckhand is an important part of his plan. When he strikes out and sees no end to rejection, he receives a tip. After an uncomfortable first meeting, Tor Torsen, a crusty old fisherman who normally works alone, offers him a job. Robbie will be Tor's only deckhand. Tor's back has been hurting, and he's not sure whether he can stand the pounding of another trip. Robbie signs on.

As the trip progresses, Robbie is in heaven. On the first day, King Salmon nearly throw themselves in the boat. He can't believe the luck. But Tor's dark side begins to emerge, causing Robbie to rethink his initial desire. One night, over dinner, Tor tells Robbie about some Russian plaques he's found while fishing. These plaques mark territory up and down the Alaskan coast and go back to the days when Russia was heavily involved in Alaska. With the fishing industry on the downward slide, Tor sees these plaques, which really should be in a museum, as his ticket to retirement. Robbie doesn't think this is right, but he doesn't really say anything because he doesn't want to jeopardize his job on Tor's boat. As Tor's behavior becomes more and more erratic, Robbie begins to wonder about his own safety and whether he'll make it back home.

Hobbs, who actually worked on a fishing vessel in Alaska as research for this book, has written another fantastic action-adventure story. Not only are you witness to Robbie's trial and tribulations, many at the hands of Tor, you learn quite a bit about the fishing industry, Alaska, and Russia's early involvement. Robbie is a wonderfully-constructed sympathetic character; his first person narration shares the ups, downs, and hardships associated with the grueling work that comes with fishing the unforgiving seas.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

2012-01-04T19:50:00.003-06:00

As a teacher (and a parent), I'm constantly prodding students and my own children to look at things from a different perspective. I'm no different than any other teacher or parent, right? When I heard War Horse was told from the horse's perspective, I was understandably flummoxed. This was different, or at least that's what I told myself. However, when I downloaded the sample, it didn't take me long to know that I would be purchasing the book. It only took a few pages.

A horse, Joey, is purchased at auction by an alcoholic farmer to spite another farmer. The alcoholic farmer takes Joey home and places him in the stable without any care. The alcoholic's son, Albert, instantly befriends Joey, who understands everything he says. Don't worry, this isn't Mr. Ed. Joey and Albert get along like peas and carrots, until Albert's alcoholic father, desperate for money, sells him to the army at the outset of World War I. Joey then provides a truly riveting account of his trials, tribulations, relationships and rivalries as a cavalry horse during a war when technology makes him obsolete as a front-line warrior.

Although the book is only 165 pages and its reading level is slightly below the sixth grade, Morpurgo's writing provides a splendid read. For a horse, the narration is formal and believable. Horses, typically viewed as slow and stupid, have a perfect spokesperson in Joey. He's observant and more human than many of the people I know. I connected with him instantly, and I pulled for him every step of the way.

War Horse is a must read. I only wish that I had known about it earlier.

I'll Be There by Holly Goldberg Sloan

2011-12-26T21:24:00.000-06:00

I've been looking for a good book for what seems like quite a while now. When my LRC Director went out of her way to e-mail me a few weekends ago and rave about I'll be There, my attention was had. Doreen has never steered me wrong, so I downloaded a sample to my Kindle. Before I was through the sample, I downloaded the entire book. And then I did something weird. I took my time reading the book, which is what Holly Goldberg Sloan's writing style allows. She's a screenwriter by trade, and this, her first young adult offering, is told in short scenes that allow for plenty of reading opportunities when time is limited. My time wasn't limited, though. I could have found a few large blocks of time to read, but I wanted to make this last. The book is that good.

Sam Smith and his brother, Riddle, are the sons of a deranged, small-time thief of a father, who took Sam and Riddle form his wife when they were young. Sam stopped going to school in second grade. Riddle never entered school. The three of them move from place to place, never planting roots anywhere. When their father feels as though someone is on to him, they abruptly leave. Sam and Riddle attempt to make themselves invisible, but try as they might, it's difficult.

Sam's world collides with Emily's world on Sunday when she is prompted by her father, a music professor and church choir director, to sing the Jackson Five's I'll Be There. Terribly off-key and nervous, Emily spots Sam in the back pew and picks him as a focal point. Sam and Riddle have no food, so he's in church simply for the snacks served afterward. Emily becomes so upset after singing horribly that she winds up outside church throwing up. Sam is right there holding her hair back. A romance is born, but it's short-lived because Sam's father, with his penchant for quick getaways, spirits Sam and Riddle away.

The plot is too complicated to continue providing you with a blow-by-blow. Emily is a down-to-earth high schooler who never dates. She's pretty, but not "hot." Her best friend attempts to set her up with a cut boy, Bobby, who is really a control freak. Emily's mother and father are wonderfully characterized, as is every other character in the book. Riddle, weighed down by undiagnosed asthma and falling somewhere on the Aspberger's spectrum is probably my most favorite characters. At first, due to his asthma and lack of socialization, does not speak. He's my favorite character.

Let's cut to the chase. This is a fantastic book that should not be missed. Read it. I can't wait for Sloan to write more young adult novels!

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch

2011-12-17T13:20:00.003-06:00

I had high hopes going into The Eleventh Plague. One of my all-time favorite adult novels is Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Hirsch's efforts seemed to be using McCarthy's model, only as a young adult version. The parallels are unmistakable. Something terrible has happened - the Chinese have unleashed a plague that has wiped out major portions of the population. Stephen and his father have just buried is grandfather, from all indications, a real pain in the butt. Stephen's mother dies in child birth not long before. So, it's just a young boy and his father, who, while he's in the picture, presents just like McCarthy's father - worried about his son, trying to get to safety, showing signs of illness. Then, parallel lines became perpendicular, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Stephen's father is hurt as they attempt to escape "slavers." He's unconscious, and Stephen doesn't know what to do until a group of men and boys enter the picture and rescue them both. Stephen remains skeptical of his new companions' intentions, but he has no choice. Stephen and his father are brought back to an oasis in the middle of wreckage, a housing development built prior to the war, which is still, unbelievably, intact.

All is not happy back at the ranch, though. The faction bringing Stephen and his father back is much more socially-conscious than the faction comprised of original settlers. After all, survival is still key, supplies are sacred, and the original settlers have no idea whether their visitors - Stephen and his father - are part of a larger plot to take over their peaceful existence. Paranoia rules.

Stephen must learn to fit in, even though his grandfather's rule to not trust anyone still runs on an infinite loop in the back of his head. He must overcome his grandfather's training, ingratiate himself to the folks of Settler's Landing, and decide what to do should his father die. The story is filled with a vast array of internal and external conflicts. Yes, I know, it's post-apocalyptic, but the number of different conflicts is dizzying. Sticking with just a few might have been advisable. Furthermore, after 278 pages, I still don't really know Stephen all that well, which might be a byproduct of the author's plan for a series, something I heard from my LRC Director.

There is a lot of potential here. There is no finer way than a world-wide catastrophe to place a young adult in control of his own destiny. That's the key to good young adult literature - remove the adults. Even with the adults out of the picture (or unconscious), Stephen is pulled in too many directions. Some of my students have enjoyed this book very much. Maybe I didn't give it a fair enough shot by comparing it with a masterpiece, McCarthy's The Road. Read The Eleventh Plague and let me know what you think. If you haven't read The Road yet, you should.

The Lost Songs by Caroline Cooney

2011-12-17T07:29:00.000-06:00

The Lost Songs is the first book I've read by Caroline Cooney. As a reader, I tend to look for the larger concepts authors attempt to present. I often tell my students that novels and short stories are conversations pieces. Sometimes the conversations occur between readers; other times they occur internally. This is one of those books that prompts some pretty deep internal dialogue.

Lutie Painter, a teen living in small-town North Carolina, can't understand why her mother walked out on her when she was an infant, and she can't fathom why anyone would want a list of spirituals, "The Laundry List," which have been handed down from her grandmother, a former poverty-stricken laundress. These spirituals describe the ups and downs of life for African Americans living in the deep South. Full of history, the songs are sought after by many - a professor of music history, Lutie's music teacher, and a local pastor. Their reasons for access to the songs vary, but Lutie sees their intentions all pointing toward personal gain. The professor feels as though the list should be published as history. Lutie's music teacher wants the song so he can give them to the professor, who has promised to help him publish a musical. Lutie's pastor wants them sung at her new church's opening because they will draw people to God. Lutie wants none of this. The songs have been passed, orally, to her, and she's the lynch pin in all three plans. The pressure weighs her down.

Make Lutie's world even more complicated, her mother, a drug addict who walked out shortly after Lutie's birth, wants to reconnect, which makes Lutie begin to question her future and whether she is destined to turn out like her mother. Her aunts, her surrogate mothers, do everything they can to isolate and insulate Lutie from her mother. This is a common theme in young adult literature - the fear that we'll evolve into those flawed adults with whom we are genetically intertwined. Lutie vacillates between accepting and rejecting this fate.

The Lost Songs is a story about legacy, treasure, obligation, and destiny. Although "The Laundry List," her ancestor's legacy, weighs her down because it is treasured and sought after by so many, Lutie must come to grips with her personal obligation to pass the songs along to future generations while embracing or rejecting her destiny.

If all of Caronline Cooney's novels are this good, I have some catching up to do. :)

The Future of Us by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher

2011-11-27T13:57:00.001-06:00

Do the decisions me make today affect our future opportunities? Should we live in the present and allow the future to unveil itself in due time? Are there drawbacks to focusing all of your efforts on the future when there are too many variables to possibly control? These are just a few of the questions you will contemplate when you read The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler.

The Future of Us falls into many categories: books I didn't want to end; books that should be read by everyone; books you find time to read; books you can't stop thinking about. Told through alternating first-person narration by childhood friends and next-door neighbors Emma and Josh, Mackler and Asher creatively transport our reliance on social media to the middle 1990's, when social media didn't exist.

The story begins as Josh offers an AOL CD trumpeting 100 free hours to Emma; his parents are suspicious of the Internet, so they won't allow him load up AOL on their home computer. Emma has no such fears, so she loads AOL onto her recently purchased desktop computer (complete with Windows 95). During the 97-minutes AOL takes to download, Emma, a member of the high school track team, straps on her Sony Discman and goes for a run. When she returns, AOL has been successfully loaded; however, the AOL icon takes Emma to an unfamiliar site - Facebook - allowing her a glimpse of the future. She can't believe so many would write such personal thoughts on the Internet for everyone to see. Is this beginning to sound like social commentary? Don't worry, it's not too heavy-handed.

Soon, Emma offers Josh a glimpse. He's one of her over-300 Facebook friends (she can't believe she has so many), and his future is on display as well. After a few doubts, Josh believes. The two then become so fixated on their futures they obsess on the decisions they are making as teens, particularly when they discover the connection between their current decisions and the impact those decisions have on their futures. Even the smallest decisions cause ripples.

The book, as I see it, allows two worlds to collide. Teens are constantly warned about the future impact of the decisions they make. But they also have to live their lives in the present, not the future. Sometimes you just have to go with it and not worry about the intended or unintended ripples that occur in your future. It's a tough lesson, but we all need to do a little more living in the present and forget about the future ramifications. We see it all the time with high schoolers, who feel they must take a particular class, whether they like it or not, in order to gain entrance to a prestigious college program.

We do this as adults. We push our kids toward opportunities we believe will pay off in the future. It happens all the time with travelling athletics. When our boys, at age 10, started swimming competitively, one mother remarked, "How will they catch up?" to my wife. My wife was thrown for a loop by the other mother's serious demeanor. She wanted an answer, one my wife could not muster. Our kids were swimming because it looked fun and kept them in touch with their elementary school friends over the summer. Maybe we all just need to step back and stop creating futures by living in the present.

Carpe Diem!

Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard

2011-11-20T19:41:00.002-06:00

Friendship contains a multitude of variables. When to support, when to advise, when to pressure, and when to turn away are all decisions friends must sometimes face. Alex, a junior enrolled in a prestigious private school, witnesses the death of his classmate after a fatal, drunken dive into the local river from a ledge 30 feet above. This horrific event forces him to consider all of these friendship variables and more. Students at the prep school are forbidden from drinking; they are also forbidden from jumping off the ledge. Under the prep school's zero tolerance policy, both result in expulsion.

This young adult novel tore me from the 9-12 novels I've read lately. The book contains some content that might not be suitable for younger readers. Alex, the narrator, has a fondness, shall we say, for his English teacher. Nothing ever comes of it, but she monopolizes his mind. I didn't find this strange, having attended an all-boys high school.

The real gift of this novel is the Alex's between friendship and duty. He wants to protect his friends, but he also feels a duty to the victim, someone he truly enjoyed. Anyone who reads this book will be forced, whether they like it or not, to vicariously rehearse, or rehash, the many decisions they've made concerning friendship issues or the decisions they will be forced to make in the future.

Storm Runners by Roland Smith

2011-11-03T20:14:00.000-05:00

Action-packed and fast-paced, Roland Smith's new series, Storm Runners, holds the potential to turn reluctant readers into voracious readers. Chase Masters (I know!!), and his widowed father, a builder, lead a nomadic life, travelling from one weather event to the next. Chase's father, once struck by lightening, helps people in the path of violent storms prepare for the worst. Chase follows, enrolling in school after school for increasingly-short durations.

This storm is different, though, as they travel to Florida for what could be the largest hurricane to ever hit the U.S. Emily is her name, which spooks Chase. Emily is his deceased mother's name. Chase thinks there might be something to this, although his father downplays it. This is where I wish Roland Smith provide more back story. Maybe it will come in future episodes, but this information was what I yearned for the most. Prior to the story, Chase's mother and sister both die in a mountain-side car wreck, but nothing is ever mentioned beyond that. Chase's father removes all of the old pictures and remembrances, telling Chase that it's something they shouldn't talk about; it's too painful. This is overdramatically cliche. Maybe Smith believes reluctant middle school readers are not patient enough to digest the back story. I'm not sure.

Smith sets the novel up with easily-digested chapters that begin with the time, which is critical to the progression of the storm. Chase, his new friend, Nicole, and their school bus acquaintance, Rashawn, survive their school bus being blown over and submerged in a crocodile-filled lake. Miles from Nicole's home, they walk through a category five storm, avoiding levee breaks, flying debris, and fatigue. All they seek is shelter. Meanwhile, down in St. Pete, Mr. Masters wonders about Chase's safety. When he can't raise Chase on his satellite phone, he packs up his truck and attempts to make it around blockade after blockade in order to check on Chase.

The book ends with a cliffhanger, which I appreciated. If the cliffhanger made me want to read the next book, imagine what it will do to a middle school reader.

Take Me to the River by Will Hobbs

2011-10-29T09:27:00.000-05:00

Will Hobbs' newest offering, Take Me to the River, pits two teenagers, on their own, against the Rio Grande during a tropical storm. Under normal circumstances, that would be enough action and conflict for any young adult novel. But Hobbs doesn't stop there. He inserted a drug cartel hit man and his hostage, a Mexican judge's son into the mix.

Dylan and Rio, cousins who don't see each other as often as they would like, plan to spend five days rafting the Rio Grande with Rio's father, an experienced river guide. However, when Dylan makes it to Terlingua Ghost Town, Rio's home, he learns that his uncle has gone to Alaska. Violence from Mexico's drug war and low river levels have kept tourists away, so Rio's father accepts a temporary river guide job in Alaska to make some money. Hobbs does a marvelous job of taking the adults out of the equation, the key to any young adult novel worth its salt.

Rio doesn't tell Dylan about his father's absence, although he could have, until Dylan makes it all the way to Terlingua. Dylan is a bit thrown off by this, but the excitement of their upcoming river rafting trip overrides any hard feelings. Rio talks Dylan into a modified trip, one he convinces Dylan he can manage. Dylan agrees .

The trip begins with military helicopters converging on the site where Rio and Dylan prepare to put their raft and canoe in the river. They manage to put in, but this episode foreshadows the many conflicts to come. Like any good novel, the conflicts drive this plot. Hobbs places the reader in a position to wonder what's behind every rock, every turn in the river, every portage, and every storm surge. During many portions of the book, you are literally on the edge of your seat.

Take Me to the River also contains a fair bit of even-handed social commentary. Hobbs tackles immigration, Mexico's drug war and its victims, and the economic inequities between the United States and Mexico. Students may just recognize these issues and pursue them on their own. A good book tends to pique a reader's interest in social issues.

If your son or daughter is a reluctant reader or a reader who enjoys action adventure, Take Me to the River is one book you might want to suggest. It's a page turner.

The Power of Six by Pitticus Lore (James Frey)

2011-10-23T18:45:00.000-05:00

Pittacus Lore, or James Frey, is at it again. The sequel to I Am Number Four is out, and my students can't get enough of it. The story picks up where I Am Number Four left off. John, Sam, and Six are on the run from the law and the Mogadorians. But this story is differnt. It's told from alternating perspectives and alternating locations, which, I thought, made the book more enjoyable. Marina, Number Seven, lives in Spanish orphanage with her cepan, who appears more interested in becoming a nun than anything else. Like John in I Am Number Four, Marina is waiting for the arrival of her legacies, something I think symbolizes the typical teen's impatience as they wait for their true calling in life. But that might be too much of an adult's take on the story.

The Power of Six is action-packed and a sure draw for pre-teens and teens. If fact, my wife read both and deemed them page turners That's high praise from someone who generally snubs her nose at young adult literature.

The only issue I have with the action scenes is that you know how they are going to turn out. Legacies are, in many instances in this novel, a cop out. It's wonderful to have ability to heal others and yourself, as Marina does. While I enjoyed the book, the action amount to one onslaught of Mogadorians being brutalized after another. You knew what was going to happen. If you had any doubts, Four, Six, Nine, or Ten would reveal a new legacy to overcome the obstacle. The field was slanted in their behavior. Consequently, it was hard for me to wrap myself in the tension of a story when I knew everyone would come out of the conflicts unscathed.

However, this two-book series (and there will be more) has gotten countless seventh and eighth graders to read, for which I will be forever grateful. Yes, James, you upset Oprah's apple cart. But you've made a splash in young adult literature, and your writing is better as a result. Continue the good work.

One-Handed Catch by MJ Auch

2011-10-23T15:24:00.000-05:00

Teaching is about making accommodations and adapting instruction to fit the needs of your students. Teachers adapt, modify, and make accommodations for students all the time. It's good practice. All of these accommodations are made with the hope that students will internalize them and call upon them in similar, future situations. Sometimes, students are forced by circumstances beyond their control to make accommodations on their own. MJ Auch's One-Handed Catch is the story of a boy making accommodations and learning to do without, even though, at first, he would rather have the adults in his life make excuses for him and provide him with the easiest possible path.

Norman Schmidt loses his hand while unclogging the meat grinder located in his family's store. The event happened so quickly Norm doesn't even have time to think about the repercussions, feel much pain, or bleed. The grinder's grip is so tight it becomes a tourniquet. Needless to say, Norman's life is forever changed. Everything that he once took for granted is now a struggle. The story could have stopped here, but it thankfully continues. Auch takes a long look at how Norm adapts to the physical, psychological, and social aspects of life.

After the accident, his mother and his father treat him differently. His father, fraught with guilt over the accident happening in the store, downplays Norm's attempts to overcome adversity; his mother is the polar opposite. She tells his teachers, coaches, and scout master to treat him the same as everyone else. She wants no free rides. If Norm is given a pass by everyone due to his disability, she fears he will never adapt. She makes it her business to get Norm through this. At times she is just as terrible as his father is easy. The balance, though, makes for interesting and realistic conflicts.

Norman is not the perfect child. He doesn't rise above and persevere at first, which is what makes him such a compelling and sympathetic character. This story is definitely character-driven, although the backdrop - the days following World War II - provide readers with a glimpse of the sacrifices made by everyday citizens. While Norm learns to do without, the economic circumstances during the war forced everyone to make due with less. Auch provides a running commentary through Norm's parents about what it was like to stretch a dollar during the war and what it was like to suddenly have access to sought-after goods after the war.

From the writing to the characters to the conflict to the setting, I loved this story. You'll love it, too.

Fail Gloriously...You May Just Learn Something

2011-10-10T17:22:00.001-05:00

I once abruptly ended a conversation with a parent when she began to describe how things worked in the "real" world. As far as I could tell, I worked in the real world. After all, she hadn't entrusted her son to a somewhat quirky, three-dimensional cartoon character. What she said made me think, though. If parents, or any adults for that matter, viewed school as an alternative universe, one running perpendicularly to the "real" world, then I would treat it as such. I would encourage my students to fail gloriously and learn from their mistakes. There was only one problem. The same people who kept telling me school was not part of the real world made no allowances for the mistakes of their children. You see, I only had partial custody. The kids spent their days with me in that fuzzy, alternate universe, but they joined their parents in the late afternoon and evening in the "real" world. You can see how this might confuse for kids. While I was telling them to take risks, make plenty of mistakes, and learn from those mistakes, some of the adults in their lives were telling them just the opposite. Tuesdays with Morrie characterized this as the "tension of opposites."

While this anecdote might not seem like such a big deal, it is. We've created a culture in which everyone needs to be perfect. Actually, to give credit where credit is due, this culture was created long ago, but you won't see anyone receive credit for it in an obituary. Even when I tell my own sons to make mistakes and learn from them, they give me that you-are-cute-when-you-are-naive look. Kids are bound to make mistakes. Some will be small. Some will be huge. And while, as a parent, I see them as potentially life-altering, deep down I know they are wonderful learning experiences. So how do we get kids to fail gloriously and learn from these mistakes? We have to allow them the opportunities, and we have to create a culture in which mistakes are acceptable, as long as the mistakes are corrected in future behavior.

We have a saying in my classroom. I've already used it in this post. I goad, convince, beg, plead, and sometimes bribe students to fail gloriously. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn't. All I can do is try, though, and be accepting and positive when the mistakes occur. At first, a student's reaction tends to be on of dismay and confusion. They are dismayed by their mistake, and they are confused by my reaction, one of exuberant reflection and praise. Students are used to being corrected, or in some cases chastised, for their mistakes. Not in my classroom. There are too many great ideas and concepts to be explored for us to be scared of mistakes. If you don't believe me, Google "inventions by mistake" to see how many products we all rely on today were the result of glorious failures.

The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon

2011-10-10T17:09:00.000-05:00

Is it just me or is there a tremendous amount of historical fiction from the late sixties and early seventies making its way into young adult literature. From Rich Wallace's War and Watermelon to Gary Schmidt's Okay for Now, the Vietnam era has made its way into young adult literature. This is a good thing. It is not often that an eighth grade social sciences teacher makes it to Vietnam, so students generally get their first real taste of the era in high school. That's too late. Kekla Magoon's The Rock and the River is a brilliantly-written look at the Black Panther party from the perspective of Sam, the 13-year-old son of a non-violent community activist.

Sam wants to live in a society where he is valued and equal, but he's confused about the proper method for accomplishing this. He has long been a fixture at his father's peaceful demonstrations. However, during one demonstration, as he and his brother, Steven, attempt to leave, they unknowingly run into a mini-riot. Steven is beaten severely. This incident causes Sam to reassess the means by which equality and civil rights should be pursued. Not long after this incident, Steven, shaken by the violence, joins the Black Panthers. Their father is furious, leading Steven to leave the house. Sam is caught between both. He loves his father and sees the value of peaceful demonstrations, but he looks up to Steven and opens his eyes to the tactics of the Black Panthers. Sam's father's peaceful demonstrations begin to feel old and archaic, particularly when he sees a friend nearly beaten to death by police for no apparent reason. Sam tries to balance between the two, but it's not always so easy.

Kekla Magoon brings a very likeable character - Sam - and a story everyone can relate to - fighting for what you believe you are owed - to readers. Anyone who misses this book is missing a great piece of writing.

Less is More

2011-10-04T20:48:00.016-05:00

I asked students to do something for me today. I asked them to revisit their narratives and begin another phase of revision using the sentence structures we have paid close attention to thus far. Our focus has been exclusively devoted to simple and serial sentences. This hasn't been easy. Reading my students' personal narratives over the weekend left me hopeful and a bit anxious. So many of my students don't see the potential in their writing. Writing is a one act play in their eyes. My style of writing calls for multiple acts, intermissions, and an encore. Our differences have brought us to an understanding. Our writing classroom will now be considered much the same as a science lab. We're going to play with words, rearrange sentences, and compare our findings until we've reached a final piece we can be proud of. Then we'll do it all over again. That's what writers do.

This entry is an example of what I'm asking students to do. Writing simple and serial sentences can be a bit tricky if you don't place a great deal of thought into what you are composing. We held an interesting discussion after we revised one quarter of our narratives. Some students were more satisfied with what they had previously written. That's ok. Others were not. That's also ok. Neither would have come to that judgment without having tried to revise their narratives in a different fashion. Fear paralyzed a few students. Apathy crept up on others. But they all fought through. I'm proud of their efforts and the work they are doing.

The answer is yes. I wrote this blog entry under the same guidelines. Students aren't going to respect you or work for you if you don't also do the work you are asking them to do. It is unconscionable for teachers to teach writing and ask students to complete assignments without doing the same. Unconscionable might be the wrong term. Hypocritical is more like it.

Frustrated...But Hopeful

2011-09-27T16:16:00.000-05:00

It's predictable. This time of the year frustrates me. Midterms have gone out, and most have been returned. Students have eased into the natural rhythm of seventh grade; most appear to be enjoying themselves. So what, might you ask, is so frustrating? Reading, for some, has dropped off. But I'm hopeful it will turn around. I teach middle school, after all, and sometimes all we have to operate on is hope.

The word just should never precede the word reading. For instance, students sometimes enter my room and ask, "Mr. K-C, are we going to just read today?" I know what they mean. In translation, they are asking if I can forget the day's mini-lesson and grant them 41 minutes of uninterrupted reading time, rather than the 25-30 minutes they normally receive. They don't mean anything by using the word just. They don't yet have an appreciation of the connotation it conveys. Students want to read in class. Even the most reluctant readers will confront a book when there is nothing else distracting them. The only thing I need to do when working with a reluctant reader is make a good recommendation. Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian will make them laugh, but it will also make them feel emotions they've never experienced before in a book. Laurie Halse Anderson's Twisted will tempt them with a romance between Tyler, the protagonist, and Bethany, his foil. Or, they fall in love with Suzanne Collins female protagonist, Katnis, as she struggles for survival in The Hunger Games.

I'm not frustrated with what students do in class. But as I said earlier, it's easy for a reader in class because there are so few distractions. However, outside of class, I'm sure you can understand, is a different story. In the last week or so, I've heard, "I had too much homework to read last night." I've also heard, "I didn't get home from (insert activity) in time to read." Students don't view reading as homework, which I guess is ok with me; reading as homework has a bad connotation. I want them to view reading as an intelligent, engaging and worthwhile practice. Some, unfortunately have reduced their 20 minutes of reading per night as an option, something that can be missed if other "more important" activities monopolize the time. Reading is being sacrificed. But there are solutions.

My sons have been indoctrinated to pick up a book any time they get in the car. In fact, our minivan is sort of a mobile library. They also eat while reading. I guess I could say they read while eating, but we sometimes have to say, "You better start eating or else you'll be late for school." We also read together as a family. This is not to say we avoid television. We watch plenty of television. We often read together at night, before bed, either from our own books or from a book we've all chosen to hear read aloud. Reading has become habitual in my house. But it didn't become this way by chance. My wife and I had to model our expectations, just like I model my expectations for students in class. Kids are smart. They are less likely to read at home when reading is not valued. Yes, you may value reading, but adolescents don't want to hear your values without seeing them in action. At least this is what they tell me almost every day in class. So, I write with them and I read with them. I can't be the equivalent of the boss who tells his charges to do something while he goes off and does something else.

I know I'm sounding preachy. Part of me doesn't want to sound this way, but another part of me is planted firmly on a soapbox from which I refuse to be pushed off. Readers can't be made in school alone. They must be nurtured. This nurturing must occur in all aspects of their lives. Help me. I'm hopeful we can work together - me in my classroom and you at home - to model for and create critical readers.

Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry

2011-09-24T18:05:00.003-05:00

My wife constantly chides me over my fascination with father-son stories in young adult literature and movies. They just get to me. I'm not a Disneyfied happy ending type of person. I loved that Mockingjay ended with a flawed, scarred Katnis. But my childhood has left me yearning for happy father-son endings, so I typically gush over these types of books. That's it. She still gives me grief. :) Rosanne Parry's Heart of a Shepherd is one of these books, and I can't stop recommending it to students.

Ignatius Alderman, or Brother as he's known to everyone, wants nothing more than to figure out what he's meant for. He lives on a ranch in the rural Northwest, and he's taken on a boatload of responsibilities for someone at the tender age of 12. His father has been shipped out to Iraq with his reserve unit, his older brothers are either away at college or high school, and his elderly grandparents are hearty souls, but they just aren't up to the rigors ranching presents. So Brother takes on his share and more. Along the way, he does extra chores, studies, yearns for his father, wishes his mother, an artist, hadn't run off to Rome, keeps in touch with his brothers, and watches over a bunch of new flock sheep. He's been warned not to get too attached to them, but Brother just can't resist. He has the heart of a shepherd.

There are certainly more obstacles Brother faces while holding down the fort with his grandparents, but to tell you would ruin the story. It's a beautifully-written story. It left me wishing for more. Rosanne Parry has a way with words that makes reading effortless. Her style is simple, much like Markus Zusak (The Book Thief, Fighting Ruben Wolfe, and I Am the Messenger); her short sentences carry enough imagery to make my seventh graders recognize it. That's no small feat. Truthfully, her writing has allowed me to show students that simple and varied declarative sentences are a strong base from which to tell a story. I hope they listen because she is a spectacular model. Heart of a Shepherd is on the Rebecca Caudill list. It's my favorite so far. It will take a great one to change my mind.

Powerless by Matthew Cody

2011-09-18T20:26:00.003-05:00

Matthew Cody's Powerless explores a question we middle school teacher have been grappling with forever. What happens to children when they turn 13? In Cody's new book, they lose their super powers and become normal teens, just like the rest of us. But I think the commentary in the book goes well beyond what pre-teen and early-teen readers might suspect.

Daniel recently moved to Nobles Green, Pennsylvania with his parents and younger brother to take care of his ailing grandmother. He knows no one, but doesn't seem to sweat the fact that he'll start a new middle year in just a matter of days. One day, while playing outside, his little brother rushes into the street after a ball; Mollie, the same age as Daniel, whisks his brother from the street just before he would have been crushed by a passing care. In fact, Daniel is barely able to see her move, so he feels like he might have misinterpreted what happened. When he confronts Mollie, she acts as though she doesn't know what he's talking about. But she does.

Daniel manages to get himself into a few more precarious situations that require the assistance of Nobles Green's finest pre-teen super heroes. Very soon they realize they must let Daniel in on their secret, even though he has no special powers to speak of. His arrival in town is more a gift than a burden to the supers, though. These young super heroes are on a quest to figure out why they lose their powers smack dab on their 13th birthdays. And, since they will all be turning 13 soon, Daniel will play a key role in the discover. Any time supers attempt to stay with another super on the eve of his or her 13th birthday, they also lose their powers. Since Daniel has no super powers, he can sleep over, keep vigil, and potentially figure out what goes on. You see, the super turning 13 has no memory of his or her super powers, and due to the this amnesia, loses contact with the group. Daniel is the lynch pin in a movement to help them extend their powers beyond the age of 13.

The book leaves us with some appropriate questions to ponder. For all practical purposes, teens feel powerless. They crave the independence they perceive adults to enjoy, but they are stymied at every turn. But they are saddled with not being old enough to do many of the things adults do, while taking on very adult-looking physiques and many of the urges that come with adulthood. Daniel begins feeling these urges for Mollie, and you get the sense that she feels the same way, not that either of them know what to do or how to talk about it. They are powerless to act because they don't yet have the skills or abilities to do so.

The book could also be about sucking the power of childhood away from kids when they hit the ripe, old age of 13. Ok, maybe the number is just a random one, chosen by the author it is the age most kids think about as the entry point to pseudo-adulthood. We do call 13-year-olds "young adults." Maybe Cody is trying to say that by immersing this age group in many of the events and conundrums our generation faced at a much older age, we are taking away the power of childhood. I don't know. As an adult, that's what I thought of while I read the book. I would be interested to hear your takes on the book. Let me know.

Missing in Action by Dean Hughes

2011-09-11T09:20:00.001-05:00

After Jay's father's ship is torpedoed by the Japanese, Jay and his mother must come to grips with the fact that he's missing in action, and, in all likelihood, he's dead. As a result, Jay and his mother move back to the small Utah town where she grew up. Life in this small town is a bit different from the comparatively large city of Salt Lake, where Jay has lived most of his life. He misses his father and worries that she is moving on and accepting his death. She tells Jay to hold out hope, but her demeanor and actions say something else. But his mother needs support, a job, and a different way of life, hence the move to her home town. Jay, however, holds on to an idyllic image of his father.

Complicating matters, Jay is part Navajo, triggering the nickname "Chief" from his new friends. He's unsettled by the nickname, but he doesn't know how to stop it. He's new to town and doesn't want to make waves. He grudgingly accepts the nickname as a link to his father. Jay's new hometown also happens to be located near a Japanese internment camp. Through working on his grandfather's farm, Jay gets to know Ken, a Japanese-American teen who wants nothing more than to enter the war and fight for America. This conflicts with what Jay knows about the Japanese. A Japanese boat torpedoed his father's ship, the town is suspicious of all Japanese, and Ken comes on strong, practically bragging about how he'll become a war hero when he enters the war. Ken has something to prove.

Jay can't quite deal with his mother's attitude. When he comes home to find her talking with one of her former high school boyfriends, Jay decides he must take matters into his own hands. He's caught between supporting his mother and accepting their fate or holding on to his father's memories.

Dean Hughes is a masterful storyteller whose backdrops, most recently, have involved war time. Missing in Action, along with Soldier Boys and Search and Destroy, are some of the best young adult novel recommendations I can make to those who are interested in stories revolving around war. Because they don't glorify war, Hughes presents sobering accounts of World War II and Vietnam. He specializes in stories of inner conflict and themes that are highly relatable. I hope he continues churning them out.

The Plot Diagram

2011-09-10T14:25:00.000-05:00

Remember plot diagrams? Your teachers had you fill them out in elementary (sometimes middle) school to determine whether you understood the important aspects of a story. Plot diagrams include the exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, or denouement, as my fourth grade reading teacher, Mrs. Albrecht, used to say in her best French accent. What I never understood, but was too shy to bring up, was how visually misrepresentative plot diagrams are.

Plot diagrams are usually constructed with a bell-shaped curve or a triangle. I've included a sample (above). As I worked with my son, Jonah, this morning, he fell into the same trap I'm afraid we unknowingly set for students. When I asked him at what point in the story the climax occurred, he said, "The middle, Dad!" as though I had no idea what I was talking about. I'm sure he's not the first to think this.

As we started to discuss the climax of his novel, Blue Balliett's The Wright Three, it became very clear that he still lacked a solid understanding of the climax, which is not unusual for a fifth grader; his idea of climax had been clouded by the diagram, which proved to him that the climax was placed by every author right in the middle of the story. For those of you who know me, you know I can't let this topic go without adding my own two cents. So, as we continued to discuss the climax of the book, he eventually discovered it occurred very near the end of the story. Still unsure of his father's teachings (Ok, it's not like I'm teaching him the world is flat.), he asked for more examples, so we talked about other books we've both read.

While driving to our family vacation in Lutsen, Minnesota, we listened to Gary D. Schmidt's wonderful novel Okay for Now, which reaches its climax with just a few pages to go when we get the distinct impression that Doug's major conflict is about to be resolved, he's about to learn something valuable, and the intensity with which he faces this conflict has reached his apex. There is no other place to go but down toward the resolution of the story. The same is true for Piticus Lore's (really James Frey of A Million Little Pieces) young adult novel I Am Number Four. Then we discussed Audrey Shafer's The Mailbox. I hit Jonah with enough examples to make my case. Now I just need him to draw up more courage than I was able generate in fourth grade and open this up for discussion.

Climax is an abstract concept, but it can be boiled down from its technical terminology - the turning point of the action in the plot of a play or story. The climax represents the point of greatest tension in the work. - to a more concrete concept pointing students to the point in the story at which the forces of good and evil (I know, I'm getting really simplistic) come to an intense head just prior to the conflict being resolved. This is a definition I want to keep honing, so feel free to suggest revisions. If the conflict is almost resolved, the end of the book must be near or else the author is about to bore you with a very long epilogue.

So, why do we expose kids to the plot diagram visual if it's visually deceiving? I wish we didn't. I would rather see teachers, if they are so compelled to teach the plot diagram, use this image or something similar. It better represents the point at which the climax occurs in relation to the end of the story, and it uses terminology more in line with a reader's way of thinking. Every story has an "inciting incident" that creates the basic desire all protagonists seek to fulfill. This diagram also does a better job of representing the rising action's less-severe development. Reversals are also a part of stories. They are the just-when-you-thought-everything-was-going-to-work-out-ok... segments that throw you off. It's just a better visual. I wish I knew who created it so I could give them the credit.

I know this may sound like small potatoes in the show scheme of reading instruction. But it's not. Reteaching a student who has been thrown off course, either knowingly or unknowingly, is much more difficult than teaching the concept correctly the first time. We can't assume students will understand the climax occurs near the end of the story if we use bell-shaped curves or triangles that don't lean to the right (not a political statement). Reteaching in this instance means undoing and teaching correctly. And even when you undo, a hint of the old, incorrect information remains; unfortunately, this might be enough to cause significant confusion. So, let's do it right the first time.

Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass

2011-09-07T15:15:00.001-05:00

Ally and her family own a campground in the middle of nowhere, unless you are obsessed with a solar eclipse. The Moon Shadow Campground is situated smack dab in the best possible place to view the next solar eclipse. Her parents actually planned for it when they purchased the campground. Ally can think of no better place to grow up. However, once the Eclipse is over, her parents plan to hand the campground over to new owners.

Bree is the teen prima donna daughter of the Moonshadow's new owners. She's self-involved and overly-concerned with her appearance. If Ally can't fathom leaving the campground, Bree can't fathom moving there and giving up her dreams of becoming a model.

Jack failed science, but his science teacher is throwing him a bone by inviting him to accompany a solar eclipse tour group as they invade the Moonshadow. All Jack must do is assist his teacher and write a follow-up paper. Sounds easy, right? The only problem is that Jack lacks any sort of confidence, and he's constantly worried he's going to screw up.

Wendy Mass brings these three characters together in her wonderful new novel, Every Soul a Star. Alternating first-person narration gives you insight into the life-changing events all three must cope with. Ally is scared to death to leave the Moonshadow. It's all she's really ever known. The big, bad real world awaits, but she's clearly not ready for the news that she's moving. Bree can't imagine life without the mall, new clothes, her job at a cosmetics counter, and the "A" crowd. Jack doesn't know what to make of his teacher's offer, he always feels like he's in the way, and he would rather be left alone. Stuck in a campground with hundreds awaiting the eclipse, all three have the perfect opportunity to learn from each other and begin to make peace with life's changes. But will they?

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

2011-09-07T14:58:00.001-05:00

I don't read enough non-fiction, so when I browsed School Library Journal for prospects, Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water stood out. The book follows two stories that ultimately intersect.

Salva, an eleven-year-old boy living in Sudan, finds his village under attack one day while he's in the middle of school. His teacher tells all of the students to enter the jungle to escape the gunfire of rebels from the North. Sudan, at the time, was in the midst of a bloody civil war, which recently ended with the country being divided into into two separate nations. After escaping his classroom, he follows others as they head east, away from the fighting. Many months are spent walking, and considerable time is spent in refugee camps. Salva is eventually adopted as a teen by a family in the United States. But his story is far from over with the adoption.

Nya, a young girl living in a small African village is charged with endless, long walks to the water hole each day until it dries up at the end of each season; her family then moves temporarily to another village where slightly more water can be found. This is her life - a constant search for water.

A Long Walk to Water, by Linda Sue Park, intersects these two stories in what I would consider a must read for all middle school children. Short and poignant, Salva and Nya's stories demonstrate the inner goodness found within us all, as well as the fierce determination to overcome staggering odds.

The Summer I Learned to Fly by Dana Reinhardt

2011-08-15T17:14:00.001-05:00

Maybe it's just the age. Drew is 13, but she's a relatively old 13. Having lost her father at an early age, she grew up fast under the tutelage of her mother, a gourmet cheese shop owner. Her mother's sense of independence was not lost on her, until the summer before eighth grade. Having taught eighth grade for half of my teaching career, I'm aware of the changes that occur during this pivotal summer. Boys turn into your men; girls turn into young women. Everyone becomes aware of the opposite sex. Drew is no different.

This summer starts typically - Drew works in the cheese shop, ogles the college boy her mother has hired to help, and plays her cards close to the vest. She's doesn't really have very many friends, so this is her life. Her pet rat keeps her company wherever she goes. I know. It's ironic. The cheese shop owner's daughter owning a rat. But like all good author's Dana Reinhardt uses the rat and represents it in an interesting manner during one pivotal part of the book. You'll have to read that to find out, though.

One day, though, when Drew returns to the shop to in search of her mouse, who nibbled his way out of her backpack, she meets a mysterious character in back of the shop, near the dumpster. His name is Emmett Crane, and he's feeding her rat discarded cheese. She's both taken back and charged with excitement. Emmett knows rats as well as she does, and he actually talks to her. But she can't quite figure out why Emmett is so taken with the discarded cheese from the dumpster.

Days pass without word from Emmett, leading Drew to take chances she wouldn't ordinarily take in order to find him. Her mother becomes upset with these antics, which she considers general teenage stupidity. But once Drew solves the mystery of Emmett, the story takes turn after turn as she attempts to help Emmett reach his ultimate goal.

The Summer I Learned to Fly exposes Dana Reinhardt's versatility as an author. Earlier this summer I read her critically-acclaimed The Things a Brother Knows. Both books demonstrate her ability to channel dynamic male and female characters while surrounding them with realistic, meaningful stories. I'm a fan. If you read this, you will be, too.

The Absolute Value of Mike by Kathryn Erskine

2011-08-06T08:03:00.001-05:00

Mockingbird and Quaking turned me into a huge Kathryn Erskine fan. The Absolute Value of Mike is a little different. But different isn't bad. It's just...different. Mike is the son of a college professor who desperately, or so it seems, wants him to be an engineer. The only problem is that Mike has dyscalculia, a learning disability with numbers and mathematical formulas. Like most other kids, he doesn't know how to tell his father he doesn't want to be an engineer. This is a fairly common theme in young adult literature - a child hiding his true desires, whether career-oriented, romantic, or educational from his parents. However, the cast of characters, the way Mike discovers his value, and the subsequent discussion with his father make this a remarkable book.

The story begins with Mike's father accepting a six-week summer professorship in Romania. Since Mike is not allowed to accompany his father, he is sent off to his great-aunt and uncle's to work on an "Artesian Screw" project. By working on the project and finding success, Mike's father believes Mike will have an advantage when he applies to a gifted high school. Mike feels as though he's being dumped on relatives he's never met to work on a project in which he has no interest. But it beats the alternative - completing math worksheets his father is sure to send along. So he goes.

However, when he finally reaches his great-aunt and uncle, a change of plans occurs. This is where the fun begins. Erskine has put together a humorous coming-of-age story that will appeal to a broad base of readers. Chapters are short and sentence structures of relatively uncomplicated, so reluctant readers will enjoy the story. More advanced readers will get a kick out of the quirky characters. All readers will enjoy a truly entertaining story.

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanan

2011-08-01T17:57:00.001-05:00

Young adult literature, as I've attempted to explain to anyone who will listen, is an infinite collection of wonderful, developmental stories that remove most, if not all, of the decision-making adults and/or take away something precious from the protagonist. In this case, the author contemplates the loss of a limb, the portion of the leg below the knee of a highly-competitive and successful high school 400 meter runner, Jessica.

At first, I thought The Running Dream would be a repeat of Shark Girl, the story of a girl who loses her arm, the one she draws with, to a shark. I enjoyed Shark Girl, but little piece of me wondered if I had wasted my money. The answer is no. Wendelin Van Draanan, an author I had not read before, created a story of Jessica that included just the right amount of angst, grief, depression, doubt, hope, and mystery.

Van Draanan also addressed some current issues - health care coverage, drunk driving, and special needs students - that make the story even more appealing. And, she does it by appealing to readers over a wide swath of grades. I could see a sixth grader enjoying this story as much as a sophomore.

The Running Dream does not rely on language or shock value to draw readers in; it contains a character you can sympathize with, secondary characters who pick each other up, and some social commentary that will make you think long and hard about issues facing us everyday. I'm really glad I picked it up.

Liar, Liar by Gary Paulsen

2011-07-25T08:53:00.001-05:00

Tina Zabinski was standing by the drinking fountain with some of her friends, laughing. I heard her laugh and my heart gave this crazy lurch, and my breathing did a stop-start thing, and I got sweaty, and did other stuff we learned about in Family Life, stuff that marks the moment a male's physical maturation begins. I'd never been so glad to be carrying a math book. (Liar, Liar; p. 16)

Kevin, an eighth grader with a penchant for lying, experiences a moment of clarity in the paragraph above that is eerily similar to many eighth grade boys who pass a milestone of maturity around this age. He discovers the fare Tina's femininity. Thoughts of Tina monopolize Kevin's mind. He can't believe he has never noticed her drop-dead beauty. He immediately hatches a plan to woo her and make her his girlfriend. Yes, his plan involves a great deal of lying, hence the title, Liar, Liar.

I have not read a great deal of Paulsen's work, other than Hatchet, The Car, and Woods Runner, all three of which I thoroughly enjoyed. It's obvious he's appealing to a younger - and possibly more reluctant - audience with Kevin's narrative, which continues in Flat Broke. This is a different style for Paulsen, though. If you are looking for the story telling you found in his previous action-adventure or historical fiction, you won't find it. That's not a bad thing, though.

Kevin's stream-of-consciousness narrative style is smart and funny. You can tell he wants to do the right thing, but he often defaults to his strength - lying. Like so many protagonists in these types of books, Kevin is no dummy. He's a voracious reader, thanks to his mother's job at a bookstore, he's curious, and you get the feeling that he genuinely wants to help others from the action he takes to help his Aunt Buzz avoid problems with the IRS. He's just a bit lazy. And I'm sure you've figured out by now that the cover offers you more than insight into the internal conflict Kevin must overcome to be classified as a truly dynamic character (ok, it's summer and I'm sounding too much like a teacher).

This is one of those books that allows you to grasp the ending without ruining the reading experience. It's straight forward, but that's a good thing for reluctant readers who often want this type of road map from the start. Short (122 pages) and nicely segmented into digestible chapters with focused, revealing titles, Liar, Liar is the perfect summer read for a boy in grades five through eight who has no interest in summer reading.

War and Watermelon by Rich Wallace

2011-07-22T09:57:00.001-05:00

Rich Wallace caught me by surprise. War and Watermelon is different. I have only known Wallace's work in angsty, young adult novels with older protagonists. However, this time, he's writing for a different audience and his story is much richer and crisper. Writing from the perspective of thoughtful, unsure, 12-year-old, soon-to-be-seventh-grader Brody Winslow, Wallace takes on a Gary Schmidt-like narrative quality that I thoroughly enjoyed. Brody is a pre-teen everyone can relate to. He wants to date a cute girl, he loves the Mets, even though they stink, he's unsettled by the prospect of junior high school, and he worries about his brother, Ryan, who recently graduated from high school and has no college plans. Brody and his family are worried Ryan will wind up in Vietnam. And, like many middle school students, the words he wishes he had the courage to move from his thoughts to words always seem to get lost in translation or die on the tip of his tongue.

1969 was a unique year, and Wallace shares many of its historically-significant events with readers. He takes them to Woodstock, he works in Neil Armstrong's lunar landing, he forces them to suffer through and then celebrate the Miracle Mets incredible turnaround, and he gives them a dose of Vietnam politics. He also provides us with the AM radio soundtrack of 1969, including the Archies and Sly and the Family Stone. Even though 1969 is the backdrop, it doesn't overwhelm the story. Front and center is Brody's worry about Ryan going off to Vietnam, his father's health, seventh grade, football and the Mets.

Historical fiction fans will enjoy this story, as will anyone who craves a truly well-written, compelling novel. I look forward to more of Rich Wallace's offerings in the genre.

The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

2011-07-18T12:23:00.001-05:00

Karl Stern, a fourteen-year-old Jewish boy growing up in Berlin during Hitler's rise to power, is left dumbstruck by the abrupt change of his country's attitude toward the Jews. His story begins with the last day of school and a brutal and humiliating beating at the hands of three classmates, The Wolf Pack. Later that evening, as Karl and his sister, Hildy, tend to customers at his father's struggling art gallery, he meets German heavyweight boxing champion Max Schmeling. He's in awe. After seeing the damage to Karl's face, Max offers boxing lessons in exchange for a piece of art. Karl's father reluctantly agrees. Payment in boxing lessons, rather than money, won't help feed the family, but a deal is a deal.

As Karl begins training, his life in Berlin becomes more and more complicated. He's constantly on the lookout for The Wolf Pack and other anti-Semites, he clandestinely meets with a beautiful German girl from one of the apartments in his building, he trains with Max at the Berlin Boxing Club, and he assists his father in making "deliveries" for the gallery. The entire time, he must keep his Jewish ancestry a secret. Ironically, his looks more like he's an Aryan than a Jew. His mother does as well. His father and sister possess strong Jewish features. More than anything, Karl wants to become a world boxing champion and disprove the stereotypes Hitler has spread about the Jews.

Robert Sharenow provides a gripping look at the rise of Nazi Germany through the eyes of a teenage boy. He begs readers to contemplate many difficult questions without providing clear-cut answers. I found The Berlin Boxing Club quite compelling and I plan to add it to my classroom library. This is a must-read for any teen who is interested in boxing, historical fiction, or the Holocaust.

New Location

2011-07-11T14:18:00.000-05:00

Please follow me at http://trappedinadolescence.wordpress.com/, the site of my new blog. Thanks.

The Book Whisperer

2011-07-11T13:26:00.001-05:00

I just finished Donalyn Miller's The Book Whisperer. Reading her take on current classroom reading practices (too many engineered and guided by textbook publishers) and how her philosophy conflicts with those practices was both affirming and challenging. I'm heartened to know that some of what I do in reader's workshop is being done in many other classrooms and is supported by a wealth of current research. Donalyn challenged me, though, to rethink some of the strategies I use that don't provide as much bang for the buck or advance a student's love of reading.

Throughout the book, Miller places a very important question - what is the desired outcome of our reading instruction? Are we teaching so students can pass a test, or are we molding life-long readers and learners? I side with creating life-long readers. Readers are learners; they use books to make sense of the world, themselves, and others. They also use reading as an escape. And who can blame them.

Rather than teach students that reading is all about completing the project at the end of the unit, writing the book report, answering the comprehension questions, or even pacifying a teacher (or parents for that matter), we really need to focus our efforts on teaching the standards within the confines of each student's reading interests. Meet students where they are. For some this may involve a fair amount of prodding. For others, this will mean upping the ante and challenging them to investigate different genres. For many, this will involve listening to and respecting their reading interests, reading with them, and modeling the characteristics of a good reader. All of these cases will involve reading lots of young adult literature and non-fiction.

As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth by Lynne Rae Perkins

2011-07-08T13:35:00.001-05:00

Ry's family has just moved to Wisconsin. No sooner do they arrive when his parents go on vacation and he is shipped off to camp in Montana. Lonely for his old home and his friends, he jumps off the train during mechanical stop, climbs a hill to gain better reception, and promptly watches the train leave without him. He's stranded. After he walks the tracks for miles and miles, he comes across Del, and older, shall we say unique personality. From his appearance, Del realizes Ry is lost and in a bit of physical distress, so he feeds him and takes him in for the night. Meanwhile, off in the Caribbean, Ry's parents lose their phone while sailing between tiny islands most have never heard of. And, back at home, Del's grandfather, Lloyd, the family dog sitter, loses contact with the rest of the family. Del and Ry begin the long journey from Wyoming to Wisconsin to Florida to Puerto Rico, and beyond in search of Ry's parents. Del leads the way with his "I don't know about impossible" approach to every challenge life throws at him.

I'm not a huge fan of road trip books, although I did like Amy and Roger's Epic Detour earlier this year. Ry and Del make for a fun-to-follow duo. Del leads the way, but Ry is always game. And they learn from each other. With all of the technology this day and age has to offer, three segments of a family - Ry, his parents, and his grandfather - manager to lose contact with each other. All of the technology in the world couldn't bring them back together. But one man, Del, who doesn't even own a cell phone (he's waiting to see whether they are fad or not) does his best to get the job done. This was a marvelously-enjoyable book!

Bystander by James Preller

2011-06-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

Eric, new to Long Island, meets Griffin, who appears to be a quite a seventh grade ring leader. Looking to fit in and not rock the boat, Eric walks the border of friendship with Griff, although he is uncomfortable with much of what Griff does. But Eric is smart enough to avoid crossing Griff or his friends; he fears that being outside the circle is much worse than being inside. Eric can't maintain the balance for too long, though. After an attack of the conscience, he decides to take Griff head on and deal with the repercussions that are sure to follow. In a matter of hours, he goes from a member of the pack to the hunted.

James Preller's novel, Bystander, is one of the most realistic and thoughtful stories about bullying that I've ever read. Written for reluctant readers, its content does not fall prey to a simplistic plot or lazy writing. Short chapters with cliffhangers urge readers to continue. I can't wait to recommend this book to the first student who says, "I don't like to read."

>The Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

2011-06-26T14:02:00.001-05:00

The width of young adult fiction focusing on the effects of the Middle East conflict have expanding in a thoughtful way with Dana Reinhardt's The Things a Brother Knows. Levi, a high school senior, is a bit ambivalent about his brother Boaz's return from war. As Bo's three years away progressed, he detached himself more and more from the family, which irked Levi. And, when Bo does return home, he looks the same, but he couldn't be different. He doesn't leave his room, he speaks in three-word sentences, he won't get in a car, and he appears to be planning something. Levi is both concerned and irritated by Bo. All he wants is his brother back, the brother who planned to go to college, the brother who had a bright future. Now, with his return from war, Bo's outlook and personality are dim.

Told from Levi's perspective, the book is filled with a teenager's unique voice that readers will love and relate to. Self-deprecating and quick-witted, Levi provides the reader with fluid and fast-paced narration. Reinhardt, as she tells the story through Levi, does an insightful job demonstrating their differences. Bo is a soldier; he looks like a Marine. Levi has long hair and the spindly body of a cross country runner. They are complete opposites, and Levi could leave it at that. But Bo is his brother, and Levi wants to help. His other family members, including his mother and father and his grandfather believe time will heal Bo's wounds. Levi isn't so sure.

Read The Things a Brother Knows, Dana Reinhardt's compelling story of what happens when a soldier attempts to transition back to the life he once knew.

>Trash by Andy Mulligan

2011-06-23T10:35:00.001-05:00

One man's trash is another man's treasure? Corny, but not this time. Three boys growing up in a developing nation pick through the garbage dump all day in search of items to recycle, items for their families, items that will support their survival. Most days, they hope to find something - food, recyclables, etc. - that will simply enable them to make it to the next day. Trash picking, for them, is about survival. When Raphael, one of the boys, comes across an unopened bag containing a leather case with pictures,a key, a man's identification, and more money than they know what do with, he shows Gardo, his trash-picking comrade, and they both decide to act as if nothing has occurred. They've come across something big, and they don't want others to know about it.

That night, the authorities show up in their village asking if anyone has come across the case while picking through the trash. At that moment, Raphael and Gardo know what they've found is much bigger than what was contained within the case. Raphael and Gardo tap Rat, their friend, for help as they attempt to figure out what it all means. In doing so, they place their lives, and the lives of others, in jeopardy. Their discovery has landed them in the middle of an internationally-sensitive political scheme.

I loved Trash! Mulligan has composed a tightly-wrapped plot with dynamic, sympathetic characters who want to take home (and probably bathe). Raphale, Gardo, and Rat symbolize the goodness that is most always held down in developing countries where corrupt politicians think of themselves before their constituents.

>Delirium by Lauren Oliver

2011-06-23T08:53:00.001-05:00

In Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie Schwartz tells Mitch Albom, "Love is the only rational act." Lauren Oliver takes the opposite approach in Delirium, her very thought-provoking young adult novel. As the book starts, Lena is months away from her 18th birthday, the threshold at which time a medical procedure is carried out on all citizens of the United States. This procedure removes one's capacity to love. Love, in a sense, is illegal because it removes a person's ability to act and think rationally. Those who avoid the procedure are termed Invalids and either executed or sent away to the Crypts, a dungeon-like setting where you are left to die. Lena accepts that she will undergo the procedure because that's what all law-abiding citizens do. She carries a lot of baggage, though, which leads to many stories with in the story.

Her mother underwent four separate procedures, the last two without anesthesia, because her procedure never took. Doctors believed the anesthetic interfered. Her father was deemed a "Sympathizer" because his wife was never cured. Both were lost to Lena at a very early age. So, sent to live with her lifeless (and loveless) aunt and uncle, Lena accepts her fate, keeps her head down, and awaits the date of her procedure. Then, Alex comes into her life and turns things upside down. Lena begins to question everything she once took as the law.

Delirium is a book I long avoided. I was scared off by what I didn't know, which is pretty shallow of me. The book is, from my perspective, long-winded. It could have been streamlined without losing any of the important plot points. But that's a 44-year-old's perspective. I'm definitely not the book's target market. I think teen girls will love this book; and they have. Thumbs up to Lauren Oliver for providing a thoughtful plot and some very important social commentary that I hope readers will stop to ponder.

>Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

2011-06-23T07:43:00.003-05:00

Paolo Bacigalupi presents a thought-provoking, dystopian picture of what life might look like after the effects of climate change and years of economic uncertainty take hold. Set in the Gulf of Mexico, Nailer, the protagonist, is a ship breaker, someone who breaks beached ships into their component parts for recycling by larger corporations. In essence, he's somewhat of an indentured servant. Small enough to fit in the tiniests of cavities within ships, he detaches wire, which will be stripped and sold off to recyclers. OSHA would have serious doubts about his job description, but child labor laws no longer exist in his part of the country. If her performs continues living a hand-to-mouth existance. If he fails, his father will beat him and he'll wind up doing who knows what? He's a cog in a worst-cast economic climate where the haves and have-nots are eons apart.

One day, however, Nailer stumbles upon a private yacht that has run aground. He thinks he's made a score that he might turn into his "lucky strike." However, when he comes across the lone survivor of the wreck, his whole world is turned upside down. She's the daughter of rich business tycoon; but a group of her fathe'rs enemies is after her. If they catch her, she'll become a pawn in their negotiations to take over the company. Nailer must decide to hand her over for what could amount to huge profits or help her escape.

I thoroughly enjoyed Ship Breaker. The book presents opportunities to discuss indentured servitude, the effects of our ecological and economic short-sightedness, and our roles in society. I look forward to more from Bacigalupi.

>Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt

2011-06-13T21:09:00.001-05:00

Everyone needs a focal point, an object on which to concentrate during stressful times. Payton Gritas decides the head in front of her in science class, Sean Griswold's will be her focal point. Payton's father has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but the diagnosis has been kept secret from Payton. She resents the secrecy. Her older brothers have known all along, and she's a bit repulsed by their relaxed attitude toward it all. So Payton decides to stop talking with her parents. Her school councilor, someone she does not respect very much, becomes involved and urges Payton to select and study a focal point. She does, but she picks the back of Sean Griswold's head. And then she develops a crush.

Read Sean Griswold's Head to see if Payton's father begins a course of therapy to manage his MS and to see whether Sean's head is all Payton decides to study.

>Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford

2011-06-13T16:42:00.002-05:00

Carter Finally Gets It has more than one meaning. Carter is a self-diagnosed, unmedicated freshman with ADHD who can never seem to get himself organized, who misinterprets the world around him, and who thinks about nothing other than freshman girls. Enough said. There are countless stories like this everywhere. Young adult literature is full of ADD, ADHD, depression, self-mutilation, and the like. What makes this novel different is Carter's uninhibited, stream-of-consciousness voice. Carter will make you laugh out loud.

As much as I would like it to be, this is not a book for middle schoolers. I just don't think many adults would tolerate it. Girls, in the beginning of the book, are nothing more than objects for conquest to Carter. His thoughts, like any other teenage boy's, are graphic and unceasing. He took me back to freshman year of high school. Again, enough said.

However, if you are interested in the realistic thoughts of many teen boys, this one will knock your socks off. Oh, and by the way, Carter does finally get it; and it's not what you think.

The Outside of a Horse by Ginny Rorby

2011-06-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

One of my students introduced me to The Outside of Horse while conferencing this year. I'm not by any means a horse lover, but I do take my students suggestions seriously, so I downloaded a sample, enjoyed the narration, felt sympathy for the character, and bought the book. Thank you, Alexa!! Hannah's father returns from Iraq missing the lower portion of his leg. The spark he had before he left for war is gone, and his days of commercial fishing are over. His behavior and flashbacks create so much stress around the house that his wife (Hannah's step mother) and Hannah's half-brother move out. Hannah is left to care for someone who doesn't want to get better. One day, though, during her work at a local horse stable, she hears about equine (horse) therapy and wonders whether it will help her father. Getting him to commit, though, is a completely different matter.

Rorby's gritty look at the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on the returning soldiers and their families is an appropriate and timely social commentary for young readers. Equine therapy is gaining steam with returning veterans suffering from PTSD and who have gone through amputations. I learned more from this young adult novel than I have from any other novel of it's kind. Thank you Ms. Rorby.

Where She Want by Gayle Foreman

2011-06-13T16:08:00.000-05:00

Foreman's follow up to If I Stay contains the same excellent inner dialogue, only this time it's from Adam's perspective. Mia and Adam have lost touch - she has gone the classical music route after studying at Julliard and he has been swept up in the Hollywood A-list crowd after making it big with his band. Adam's narration shows how truly empty stardom has left him. On a chance visit to Carnegie Hall, Adam and Mia are reunited; they embark on a 24-hour tour of New York as Mia shows Adam her new stomping grounds. Friction that developed prior to their split re-emerges, and they both want to get to the bottom of it. Mia must overcome attaching Adam to her family's tragic accident, and Adam must overcome some of the decisions he's made that have changed him from the person Mia fell in love with. This is a truly enjoyable read for young adults.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz

2011-05-27T10:19:00.000-05:00

School districts are struggling financially, states are grappling with pension reform bills, and corporate sponsorships are a means by which colleges and universities balance their athletic budgets. It was just a matter of time before an author explored the issue on a different level. Rae Mariz has taken corporate sponsorships and merged them with education in an effort to make sense of the repercussions. She has presented her perspective to a vulnerable audience - young adults, those who might be most affected by such sponsorships, which will either occur during their remaining time in school or when they send their own children off to school sometime over the next 25 years.

Kid, a non-descript high schooler, is a member of The Game, a future educational system in which interactive, game-oriented schools have been established in defunct malls. Corporate sponsors may "brand," or sign players, or students, to sponsorship deals. Former security cameras keep an eye on players in an attempt to spot and capitalize on trends. Essentially, students are involved in a massive product testing environment. Corporations compete over students and keep track of their every movement. Technology is used to track communication between players, an extension of Facebook status updates. Essentially, "Big Brother" is always watching. Players have absolutely no privacy.

A group of players, labeled "The Unidentified" launch a campaign to crack the culture and make other players aware of their loss of privacy. Kid is pulled between The Game and The Unidentified in an internal struggle that parallels much of what teens deal with today via Facebook, Twitter, and in-school hallway gossip. Today's internal conflict and how it is extended in Mariz's futuristic outlook makes you stop and think about whether our constant electronic chatter is really necessary or even productive.

Nothing by Janne Teller

2011-05-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

Agnes’s classmate, Pierre, stands up in class at the beginning of the school year and announces, “Nothing matters.” He leaves the classroom and begins spending his days in a plum tree. As his classmates pass by each day, he questions the sanity of participating in society. Agnes and her remaining classmates hatch a plan to prove to Pierre that live has meaning. So they gather as many meaningful items from the lives of the townspeople to show him; he doesn’t care. Then, they begin to give their own items of meaning to the “pile of meaning,” a collection of their personal items stored in an abandoned saw mill. The personal items aren’t volunteered, though. Many are given up in a truth-or-dare game in which no is not an option. As her classmates come to grips with their personal losses, friction develops among group members, adding additional conflicts.

This is truly one of the most strange, bizarre, and disturbing books I've ever read. But I couldn't put it down because I was sucked into Agnes's quest to find meaning in life and prove it to someone else, Pierre. Set in a fictional Danish small town, the characters struggle with more than just the meaning of life. They struggle with violating each other's personal items, both tangible and intangible. As classmates, they are as tight as can be, only to turn on each other the next minute. Give it a go, but be forewarned. You'll experience a cavalcade of feelings for all of the characters.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

2011-05-17T17:29:00.000-05:00

I believe I may have just finished the most compelling young adult realistic fiction novel I've ever read. After reading Trouble, I became a huge fan of Gary D. Schmidt. Okay for Now, and extension of The Wednesday Wars, finds Doug moving away from Holling Hoodhood after his father loses his job. The entire family moves to Marysville, New York, where his father's friend, Ernie Eco, sets him up with a job in a paper factory. All Doug wants is for his family to become whole again. His brother, Lucas, is constantly harassing and abusing him, his mother has enough trouble keeping the family together, his father abuses him, his teachers question his intelligence, and the one bright spot in his universe - Lil, the girl he develops a huge crush for - sends him mixed signals. To compound matters, his oldest brother returns from Vietnam missing both legs. Doug's life has very little to celebrate. However, through is triumphs and tragedies, he learns to rely on people and help them become whole again.

Beautifully written and full of riveting conflict, you can't help but love Doug. He's looking for his place in the world when the world doesn't exactly seem interested, so he learns to make his own opportunities. Through the help of some pretty fantastic adults, he's able to overcome many of his dilemmas, something that could find its way into more young adult literature, where adults, for a very valid reason, tend to find their way out of stories. It's good to see an author allow adults to remain and young adult protagonists find their way.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

2011-05-17T08:45:00.000-05:00

Beatrice, or Tris, lives in a world divided into five societal factions. Approaching her sixteenth birthday, she will be asked to pick one of these factions – Abnegation (peaceful), Candor (truthful), Dauntless (fearless), Amity (friendly), or Erudite (intellectual). While she was born into Abnegation, she shocks everyone and chooses Dauntless. However, her aptitude tests prior to the Choosing Ceremony determine she is Divergent, a forbidden class. Tris must leave her family behind, join a faction she’s unsure she really belongs in, and secretly resolve what it means to be Divergent. Her life, and the lives of many others, depends on it.

This is a fascinating, thought-provoking book by a new author, Veronica Roth, a recent Northwestern graduate. Breaking society into five factions and allowing each to use its strength (or perceived strength) for the betterment of society investigates an age-old question. Yes, peaceful people (Abnegation) might make for terrific public servants, intellectuals (Erudite) might be the best choice for education, and the fearless (Dauntless) might make tremendous public protectors. But what happens when we make citizens one-dimensional?

Kick by Walter Dean Myers

2011-04-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Kevin, an impulsive thirteen-year-old, is arrested after crashing his friend’s father’s car into a light post. He won’t tell the responding police officer why he was driving the car, and the officer feels something’s night right. Complicating matters, Kevin’s father was killed in the line of duty as a police officer not very long ago. Kevin’s case is assigned to a sympathetic judge who assigns a veteran officer to get to the bottom of things. But Kevin remains elusive. He’s hiding something. When his friend’s father decides to pursue charges, Kevin realizes he could wind up in juvenile hall.

While I enjoyed Kick and its alternate perspectives, I did not enjoy the writing as much as Myers' other books. This might be the result of his using a co-writer, Ross Workman. It just wasn't as crisply-written as I've come to expect. I hope Myers is not going down the James Patterson road and employing co-writers for future books. His style is so distinctive. Nonetheless, the story is enjoyable, and I found Kevin to be a realistically-constructed teen. Impulsive, tough, and somewhat sensitive, he learns a valuable lesson that all readers will want to share.

Payback Time by Carl Deuker

2011-04-06T17:17:00.000-05:00

Mitch, an overweight senior who’s real name is Dan, wants to be the school newspaper editor and gain admission to Columbia’s journalism school. But when the editor’s position is given to someone else and Mitch is assigned as a sports reporter, he’s ready to quit. However, when a mysterious, older-looking senior joins the state-champion-contending football team, his suspicions are piqued. Is the head coach, rumor to be a cheater, using an ineligible player to win a state championship and use it as a leaping point to a more lucrative college coaching job?

Carl Deuker has done it again. Mitch is a thoughtful, likable, honest narrator, who is as truthful as he is self-deprecating. This story also takes you back to Lincoln High, the setting for Deuker's book Runner. Payback Time is a wonderfully-crafted, tightly-written young adult novel that keeps the reader on the edge of his seat from start to finish.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

2011-04-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

Frankie Landau-Banks, a sophomore at a prestigious boarding school, wants to challenge the established code of the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, a secret society. When she begins dating a senior who is somehow involved in the secret society, he holds her at arm’s length when the Basset Hounds come up. Her desire to prove she’s worthy, even as a female student, has no bounds. When she hatches a plan to give the society orders through a fake e-mail address, she may have gone too far.

Although Frankie goes about breaking into the secret society in all the wrong ways - somewhat stereotypical of a young teen - the zeal with which she proceeds is witty and imaginative. I enjoyed Frankie's unwillingness to go along with the gender-specific mores of the society. Frankie, in many ways, represents the strides we need to take in order to bring down the barriers that exist between genders, ages, and any other selective groups.

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

2011-02-28T20:35:00.000-06:00

How many things can happen to one human being in such a short period of time? Amy's father dies, her twin brother is placed in rehab, her mother accepts a new teaching position and moves from California to Connecticut, and she is left at home, alone, for four weeks, during which time she barely leaves the house and falls asleep each night to the Weather Channel. Amy is anxious, her hair is falling out, she misses her father, and she carries a ton of guilt over his died. And, if that weren't enough, Amy has to drive from California to Connecticut, her new home, with Roger, a family friend with whom she is not familiar. Furthermore, he's quite attractive (her words, not mine), or at least that's how Amy perceives him. But he has his own baggage, which will be revealed along this trip when he and Amy decide to stray from her mother's plan and take one of the greatest detours in young adult novel history.

While this road trip book surpasses John Green's An Abundance of Katherines, it falls short of Jonathan Friesen's Jerk California. Nonetheless, it is thoroughly enjoyable. Matson has created two characters to whom you can relate. They are enjoyable. And, the tension that builds between them throughout the road trip keeps you reading. This middle-aged, middle school teacher thoroughly enjoyed the detour to end all detours.

Epitaph Road by David Patneaude

2011-02-08T19:34:00.000-06:00

Most books attempt to answer a question, the answer to which the author is struggling to find. Suzanne Collins wrestled with why large segments of our society were drawn to reality television shows and visions of others' suffering. Priscilla Cummings grappled with the question of how much evidence is enough before we turn friends in who have violated morals, legal, or ethical codes David Patneaude goes in a different hypothetical direction. He wonders what would actually happen if men were practically removed from the Earth and women were placed in charge. This is the age-old prediction, the one in which women are believed to create world peace, disarm nations, cure cancer, and do it all without yelling. Secretly, I believe the world might be a more interesting, peaceful place if women were in charge. But that's between you and me. Promise you won't tell anyone.

Kellen is is a minority. He's male in a world where 95% of the population is now female. A plague, Elisha's Bear, killed almost every male more than 30 years ago. Had he not been on a camping trip in the wild with his mother and sister, he would have died as well. Now, he's nothing more than an oddity, someone girls look at with contempt. He's a second class citizen. If he passes his tests, he might be allowed to assume a non-threatening occupation, one in which the job keeper would not hold power over others. That is what males have been resigned to. But when another outbreak of Elisha's Bear threatens a community of men and some women who are termed "throwbacks" for their old-fashioned way of living, Kellen becomes alarmed. His father is one of those "throwbacks."

Epitaph Road is an intriguing concept. Society is no longer dominated by power-hungry men who send their nations to war. Women now rule the roost, so all should be harmonious, right? Read David Patneaude's intriguing novel to find out.

I Am Number Four by Pitticus Lore

2011-02-06T10:11:00.001-06:00

I recently read Pitticus Lore's I Am Number Four and shared how much I enjoyed it with my classes. What I read definitely influences what my students read; there's no mistaking it. They respect, I believe, that I make a substantial investment in young adult literature. However, the response I received from my discussions of Lore's novel left me slightly disillusioned. Many of my students said they would first see the movie, then, probably read the book. I tried to see the positive side of this - the movie will create mental images struggling readers will utilize when they read the book; the movie will inspire students to check out the printed version. I also had some bizarre thoughts on how soon after a book's release should a movie be made. This one is awfully close to the publication date. Was the movie plot constructed first? I don't know, and I've had trouble figuring this out.

John, an alien from the planet Lorien biding his time on Earth until his powers reveal themselves, just wants to be a normal teen and avoid the moves to safer locations that have marked his stay on Earth. However, after moving to Ohio, he and his "father," Henri, discover a sect of Mogadorians who wish to kill him. But John has already made friends, captured the heart of a girl, angered the entire football team, discovered some of his secret powers, and begun to feel like a real teen. He doesn't want to leave. When the Mogadorians attack, he is faced with two options: run or stay and fight for what he thinks is right. John accepts the responsibility and fights. In the end, John realizes the importance of taking on such responsibility and all off the associated consequences.

True, you must suspend your disbelief to enjoy the book, but isn't that what science fiction reading is all about? John is a very compelling character you have not choice but to like. He encapsulates the typical teen; he attempts to avoid most responsibility until the call to action is just too strong. John's avoiding responsibility has nothing to do with laziness and everything to do with feeling like he's "ready" to face it. This is what I see everyday as a middle school teacher. Sometimes you just have to jump in and see if you can swim. John does, and it makes for a memorable story.

Prom and Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg

2011-01-30T11:38:00.001-06:00

I often joke with my students that I'm really a middle school girl living in the being of a 44-year-old, bald father of three. I read way too much young adult fiction with female protagonists. They laugh, but I make a valuable point - reading is about perspective. Reading books from different narrative perspectives allows us to walk in a very different pair of shoes. Elizabeth Eulberg allowed me another walk in the shoes of a remarkable high school young woman. She first accomplished this with her debut novel Lonely Hearts Club. Prom and Prejudice avoids the sophomore jinx.

Prom and Prejudice addresses many issues that plague today's society - prom and other school events spinning out of control, the perceptions we have of those with money and those without, and the inner confidence we all must summon when things look like they aren't going our way. In Prom and Prejudice, Eulberg communicates all of these through Lizzie, a scholarship student at an exclusive boarding school. Lizzie is looked down upon because she doesn't have money. Scholarship, from the perspective of the many blue bloods that inhabit the boarding school, is synonymous with "slumming it." Lizzie views her classmates in the same way; she can't stand their formal nature and guarded style. Therein lies the conflict. Lizzie wonders if she'll ever be good enough to be accepted, but in reality, she doesn't want to be accepted because she is so very different. I think you probably see where this is going, though. We aren't all that different, although money (in this case), race, gender, and other issues tend to keep us apart.

I thoroughly enjoyed Prom and Prejudice and I look forward to more of Eulberg's work.

The River by Mary Jane Beaufrand

2010-12-29T14:03:00.000-06:00

Ronnie's stressed-out father and celebrity chef mother decide to leave the busy life of Portland and open an inn Hoodoo, Oregon, where, they believe, the slower pace of small-town life will present fewer complications. They never ask Ronnie, though, who, try as she might, never really embraces the change.

When Ronnie meets a young neighbor, Karen, she begins to feel like her life in Hoodoo might have purpose. Karen teaches her to appreciate the small things and goads her to step out of her self-imposed safety zone. During her normal Saturday run along the Santiam River, Ronnie spots Mr. Armstrong, Karen's father, looking for the young adventurer. Ronnie thinks nothing of it; prone to wander off and lose track of time, Karen, Ronnie believes, will turn up. However, while on her return to the inn, Ronnie comes across Karen's body, half submerged in the river. She's dead.

Ronnie can't understand what would have happened. Karen was sure-footed along the river. A police investigation ensues, and it is determined that Karen was murdered. Ronnie, against the efforts of local police, her parents, and friends, can't let Karen's death go unresolved. She embarks on her own investigation, placing her own life in danger.

Beaufrand's novel captures the pitfalls of small-town living. Hoodoo is tiny compared to Portland, but the problems are the same. You will instantly love Ronnie, her ambivalence to small town life, and the feelings she exposes as a young woman. When she would doubt herself, it seemed as though Karen would expose those doubts for what they were - improbable fears. The River was a book I picked up to pass the before the next "great" book came along. I misjudged it. Mary Jane Beaufrand has turned out a novel with great staying power.

The Red Kayak by Pricilla Cummings

2010-12-26T10:02:00.001-06:00

Sometimes our actions have unintended consequences. Brady, an eighth grader growing up in Annapolis, Maryland, is confronted by the internal conflict to end all conflicts. His friends have pulled a prank that ended tragically. He knows what they did, but he doesn't think their actions were intentional. He also knows that we sometimes do things we think are harmless, but those deeds come back to haunt us.

Told from the believable narrative of a middle schooler, Cummings has constructed a riveting story. I had always put this one off because I found what I thought was a better book. I was wrong. The Red Kayak begs readers to consider the consequences of our actions. More importantly, though, it asks us to look at the blurry lines that border our friendships.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

2010-12-06T13:06:00.000-06:00

One of the strengths of young adult fiction is the opportunity it presents readers to evaluate their own lives, reflect on their past exploits, and vicariously rehearse for their futures. If I Stay, by Gayle Forman, offers many moments for reflection. Told in multiple flashbacks, Mia, a high school senior, looks at the life she has already lived and she must decide whether she wants to live after the rest of her family has been killed in a car accident. Mia's narration is told through an out-of-body experience as she watches herself (and those who come to visit) cling to life in an ICU. She examines her past, distantly observes her present, and hedges her bets on the future.

I put this book off for quite some time because I assumed that I had read enough almost-dead-girl-decides-to-embrace-life stories. This one is different because she has to choose between death with the rest of her family and life with her grandparents and boyfriend. While her boyfriends pleads with her not to die so he doesn't have to write a sad song about her, her grandfather tells her it's ok if she wants to let go. This is a powerful story that you won't want to put down. It's thoughtfully-written with characters you'll have a hard time not liking. So, rather than be like me and put it off, read Gayle Forman's If I Stay.

The Limit by Kristen Landon

2010-12-04T12:03:00.000-06:00

Kristen Landon's The Limit begins with a thoughtful premise - what the future holds for our children if we continue to run up ungodly debt. It's a thoughtful premise, one that we should all ponder. I'm not sure the message will reach the reader, though. I saw it. I picked up on the girl whose family went into debt because of her younger brothers medical bills. I read into the story of another secondary character's family going into debt, or going over their family's limit, because of a bad land deal. I always worry about too much social commentary in one novel, particularly a novel, I assume, is meant, in part, to engage at-risk or reluctant readers.

The story begins by introducing us to an over-spending family. They are happy enough. Their greatest characteristic, though, is materialism. They are consumers to the core. But when their spending takes them over the limit, a shock to them all, the government shows up to take their oldest child into indentured servitude. This is an allegory. A child being taken to a work camp by the government while our country is in the midst of one of the greatest economic downturns our country has ever seen is allegorical, not symbolic.

The Limit is an easy read, one that will make a thoughtful reader consider the consequences of our materialistic society. It's also a book that will take reluctant readers, particularly boys, on a fast-paced, action-adventure. I just wish is was more about the social commentary. But, who am I to complain if both parties benefit?

Bruiser by Neil Shusterman

2010-11-22T21:16:00.001-06:00

Brewster, or Bruiser as he’s known to his classmates, is your prototypical loner. He avoids friendships because getting so close hurts him in incomprehensible ways. However, when Bronte and her brother, Tennyson, become his friends, Brewster has no choice but to explore the pain (and joy) friendship can bring. Narrated from multiple perspectives, this is Shusterman’s newest release, and it is one of the finest, most thoughtful young adult novels I’ve ever read.

Has anyone noticed the how much social commentary now appears in young adult literature. Bruiser is no exception. Brewster is a loner because close relationships cause him too much literal and figurative pain. When someone he loves hurts, he hurts as well. His pain goes further, though, because he takes the pain from those he loves. From broken hearts to broken limbs, if Brewster is close to you, he robs you of the pain. Shusterman's tale, without a doubt, is cautionary - if you grow to close to someone, there pain becomes yours. That's what friendship is all about. But is he also attempting to say young adults are not empathetic enough?

Tennyson and Bronte, brother and sister twins, come at this story from different angles. Bronte wants to date Brewster, but Tennyson urges her to end the relationship because Brewster's loner ways have gotten him voted Most Likely to Receive the Death Penalty. Bronte seems something more. Tennyson begins to come around, and he even realizes that his behavior impacts others, namely Brewster. Brewster grows close to Bronte and Tennyson. Tennyson begins to realize that unless he changes his ways and gets his emotions in check, he'll continue to hurt Brewster, whether he realizes is or not.

I don't mean to sound cliche, but I didn't want this book to end. From my perspective, Bruiser is the best young adult novel of 2010.

The Line by Teri Hall

2010-11-21T18:29:00.001-06:00

Vanessa and her mother, a widow, work for Mrs. Moore, owner of The Property. The Property lies close to The Line, an invisible, impenetrable border between the U.S. and Away. Others live in Away. Rachel has always been fascinated by The Line, but she’s been warned to stay away from it. One day, while disobediently investigating around The Line, she finds a recording for help. Everything she’s been told about Others is about to change.

This is one of the most thought-provoking young adult novels I've read in quite some time. Hall's story addresses government intervention, immigration, border patrol, aid to other countries, and citizenship. My only hope is that the young adults who read it will stop and think about repercussions of the debate on each of these issues.

The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

2010-11-04T20:29:00.000-05:00

James Dashner's much-awaited sequel to Maze Runner has arrived. Thomas, as we remember, is a teenager with no memories and no past. Dumped into the glad, a walled-in compound populated with only teenage boys, Thomas quickly learns escaping is impossible; while the Glade’s walls are open during the day, they automatically shut at night when the Grievers, robotic monsters who sting you into the “Changing,” patrol the constantly-altering Maze. Maze Runner ends with Thomas leading a group of Gladers out of the maze.

In The Scorch Trials, Thomas is desperate to locate his telepathic friend, Theresa, the only girl from the Glade, and reach a safe haven, where he and the other Gladers will receive a cure for the deadly Flare. After exiting the maze, Thomas and the Gladers find yet another stop in a diabolical scheme to test how much these brave, post-apocalyptic survivors could take. The Scorch Trials presents Thomas and the remaining Glader’s next challenge - two weeks to trek across a desert landscape, avoid Cranks infected with the Flare, and dodge his own predicted death.

The Scorch Trials is a story about perseverance, new life, and the importance of one’s past. Even though Thomas can’t trace his history, he continues racing forward in search of a future, even though he’s not sure of its promise. Has Thomas earned the right to stop running? Read The Scorch Trials, James Dashner’s second book in The Maze Runner trilogy, to find out.

Trouble by Gary D. Schmidt

2010-10-31T14:08:00.001-05:00

There are young adult novels. And then there are young adult novels. Some meander through predictable, silly plots and leave you with a transparent message. I just dropped a book - a cross between the movie Groundhog Day and the movie Mean Girls - because it left me empty.

Gary D. Schmidt, author of The Wednesday Wars, a book I gave up, has written an unbelievably thoughtful book in Trouble. Even though I didn't care for the Wednesday Wars, I found Schmidt's writing style fun. I thought his writing deserved a second chance. Little did I know the second chance I would give Schmidt would be one of the finest young adult novels I've ever read. Did I say ever?

The first line of Trouble reads Henry Smith's father told him that if you build your house far enough away from trouble, then trouble will never find you. This single sentence sets the reader up for a story he won't want to walk away from.

Henry Smith, a fourteen-year-old, lives with his family in idyllic Blythbury-by-the-Sea. He is far away from trouble, or so he's been told. But trouble reside right under his family's roof. His older brother, Franklin, is not who he appears to be; his older sister is hiding her own secrets; and Henry's parents hide even more secrets. But that's what you do in Blythbury-by-the-Sea -- you appear calm, cool, and composed on the surface. You're rich and powerful, unlike the town of Cambodian refugees living on the other side of your town's border. The tension between the towns hits its apex as Franklin is hit by a Cambodian. Hate crimes, bigoted public pronouncements, and vandalism ensue. As the controversy swirls around Henry, his sights are set on only one thing - climbing Maine's Mount Katahdin - something his brother Franklin said would make him a man.

This is such a complex story, you'll want to read it again.

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

2010-10-28T18:16:00.000-05:00

One day Gabe, the 12-year-old protagonist, comes home to find Uncle Vernon, his adoptive guardian, sprawled on the floor. Uncle Vernon is dead. Gabe isn’t sure what to do because he and Vernon live in a very rural area, far away from anyone. So Gabe lies down beside Vernon and falls asleep. Gabe does not want to re-enter the foster care system. The next day, Gabe goes off to school. Upon returning home, his uncle’s body is gone and a note has been left in the mailbox. The note says, “I know your secret.” As you've already surmised from my blog, young adult literature is all about putting its characters out of the supervisory reaches of adult figures. Gabe is on his own, dealing with the trauma of losing his lone guardian. Where he will go after it's discovered Vernon will die is Gabe's most pressing issue.

The mailbox is a story for everyone. Gabe, only twelve, has matured beyond his years as a result of bouncing around from foster home to foster home. And just when he lands in a sanctuary all his own, Uncle Vernon's home, and begins to feel comfortable, his world turns upside down. With the help of other adults in his life, adults who he initially fears might make decisions against his better interests, he comes to closure and moves on. This is a great story!

Crunch by Leslie Connor

2010-09-25T17:26:00.003-05:00

One of the running jokes I have with my students goes something like this. I'll say, "You know it's young adult fiction when the mother is..." They answer in unison, "Dead." We sometimes continue, running through the many other elements - divorced parents, alcoholic fathers, messed up older siblings, etc. My students are observant. Nothing gets by them. But they often wonder why authors do this. It's simple. Authors either completely take the parents out of the story equation or divert their focus to other places in the story so the protagonist can be on her own. When you take the adults out of the picture, the kids have to step up. It's an author's answer to today's helicopter parents.

Leslie Connor's Crunch follows this formula perfectly. Dewey and his four siblings live a humble, yet idyllic, life. His father is a trucker and his mother stays at home with the kids. To supplement the family income, his father started The Bike Barn, a bicycle repair facility they run out of their back barn, for those times when trucking runs are few and far between. Once a year, though, Dewey's mother accompanies his father on a trucking run. However, while making a run up the east coast, the country comes to a standstill when the gas pumps dry up. Bikes, the next best vehicle during a crisis of this sort, become even more important. And, when bikes are used more than normal, bikes break down at a higher rate. The gas "crunch" jettisons the family bike business into the stratosphere. Dewey, his brother, and a new acquaintance, Robert, must keep up with the demand for their repair skills in the face of skyrocketing bike part prices, lonely younger siblings, a grouchy neighbor, a controlling older sister, and mysteriously disappearing bike parts.

Connor has written another fabulous young adult novel. Her first, Waiting for Normal, followed the same formula; it took a single parent away through mental illness and put a young, female protagonist in the driver's seat. Both novels also inject a healthy dose of social commentary, although Crunch is a bit more heavy-handed. Connor tempts readers to think about the repercussions of our dependence on gasoline and how society should respond in the face of such a crisis. I look forward to Connor's next offering. I honestly did not want Crunch to end. There's no higher complement for an author.

Planet Pregnancy by Linda Oatman High

2010-09-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

I live in the suburbs, and I sometimes feel as though I'm surrounded by the yellow, pro-life bumper stickers and yard signs urging teen mothers to consider giving up their unborn, unplanned babies for adoption. I'm somewhat ambivalent about this issue. My feelings have changed about abortion since I became a parent almost ten years ago. But I strongly believe a woman has the right to choose what to do with her body. I sense a bit of condescension and contradiction in those signs. They urge those who've made mistakes to call, but they also communicate a sense of perfection, as though the inhabitants of cars and homes tattooed with those yellow stickers and signs would never makes such a mistake. Or so that's the way I've always interpreted them.

Sometimes the same goes for reading. Attempting to determine what books are just right for a young adults is a tricky business. We want to shield them, but we also want to expose them to situations they might later encounter. Planet Pregnancy is one of those books. Reviewers and the publisher find it suitable for young adults. But the protagonist, Sahara, is only sixteen when confronted with an unplanned pregnancy. The novel, told in poetic verse, accurately and honestly conveys the many thoughts, stigmas, and reactions attached to these sorts of pregnancies. I think this would be a wonderful book for a mother and a daughter to read together and discuss. Sahara considers terminating the pregnancy, vacillates on whether to tell the biological father, falters when telling her mother, and ultimately makes a decision she can live with. That being said, I can't place the book in my classroom library. Students in my eighth grade language arts classroom are only two years younger than Sahara, the perfect age to read about and vicariously rehearse what they would do under similar circumstances. If I had a 14-year-old daughter (I have sons), I would read the book with her and use it as a segue into the "THE TALK." But my students are not my children. And I can't make those decisions for them.

The many adults who mothered and fathered me in the neighborhood of my childhood were able to view me as a neighbor and a son. The times allowed for it. Today is a different day.

Everlost by Neal Schusterman

2010-09-19T21:06:00.000-05:00

One important aspect for any young adult novelist is their ability to place the protagonist in a position of responsibility. This generally occurs in an environment devoid of adults. Schusterman has done this by placing all of his characters in Everlost, a sort of limbo between life and death. More importantly, he uses this story to look at the conflict we all battle internally between playing it safe and going for broke.

Those who wind up in Everlost never age. They mature, but they never age. Nick and Allie, our two main characters, play the dueling roles. Allie wants nothing more than to get back home, even if her family will never be able to reconnect with her. She desperately wants to see them. Nick, on the other hand, is happy playing it safe. He's attracted to with Mary, the unofficial leader of Everlost. Mary has created a safe haven on the former World Trade Center grounds for those souls staying in Everlost. Everlost inhabitants sink in to the ground unless they are standing on plots of land where other accidents resulting in death have occurred. The World Trade Center is a timely and logical setting for Schusterman's novel; in a sense, it's a sort of limbo for the family's of those never recovered in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Schusterman is a very talented writer with a keen understanding of young adults and the creative mind to pull of these sorts of novels. Losing yourself in his novels is not difficult, as I found with Everlost and Unwind.

Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

2010-09-07T16:37:00.000-05:00

What is the purpose of young adult fiction? I can't tell you how many times I've debated this question with colleagues, discussed it with parents, and pondered it myself. I teach in a world that resides between two very distinct worlds. I teach eighth grade. Eighth graders are not quite high schoolers, but they often loath the middle school label. In a sense, they live in a limbo of sorts. While they are still eighth graders, we focus much of their instruction on high school preparation. The may feel, and rightly so, as though they have one foot in the present and the other in the future. That's their academic life.

Lonely Hearts Club epitomizes the faith I have in young adult fiction. It contains a slightly older protagonist, high school junior Penny Lane, who almost makes a horrific life decision showing the love of her life exactly how much she loves him, but she recovers to make very thoughtful decisions and learn from the situation. If you had her over for dinner, you would say, "This is the type of young lady I want my daughter to emulate." But the first fifteen pages might scare you. Don't be. Read this novel with your son or daughter and discuss the potential ramifications of Penny's actions. Discuss how one could wind up in a situation like hers. Discuss why she makes all of the right decisions - and how she's better for them - after almost making one that could have changed her life forever.

Author and teacher Kelly Gallagher (Readicide and Reading Reasonss) calls young adult literature a vicarious rehearsal through which readers are better prepared to face similar circumstances. I couldn't agree more. We all made mistakes as teens. Our teens will, in all likelihood, make some of the same mistakes. Reading good young adult literature does a better job of playing those mistakes out in realistic situations than our please-don't-make-the-same-mistakes-I-made discussions could ever do. Novels like this are too valuable to be scared off after 15 pages.

Jump the Cracks by Stacy DeKeyser

2010-08-18T12:39:00.000-05:00

Shuttling between her mother's home in Connecticut and her fathers home in Manhatten, Victoria settles in for a three-hour train ride. Someone keeps kicking her seat, though. When she peers through the crack in the seats, she comes face-to-face with an energetic two-year old. Victoria is astounded that his mother, who appears to be a teen herself, pays no attention to him; she notices bruises that tell unfold potential abuse. Then, when his mother abandons him, Victoria steps in. She's tired of her father's unfulfilled promises. She's going to take a stand. And the two-year-old, who she names Wills, becomes the centerpiece.

Victoria comes to Wills' rescue, but she's accused of kidnapping, so she runs. She later discovers over $10,000 in her backpack. Did Wills' mother place it there? Victoria is not only running from broken promises, she's running from someone who wants their money back and will do anything to get it. Protecting Wills and not allowing him to fall through the cracks is her primary concern.

The Great Wide Sea by M.H. Herlong

2010-08-10T13:41:00.000-05:00

The Great Wide Sea is one of the most thoughtfully written and enjoyable young adult novels I've read in a long time. The author, M. H. Herlong, captures the essence of a teenage boy in conflict with his father. Not to bring gender into the spotlight, but M.H. is a woman. I hope she has not used initials, rather than her first and middle names, to appeal to young boys. This reminds me of S.E. Hinton and J.K. Rowling, and it makes me sad that we still perpetuate the stereotype of men writing for boys and women writing for girls.

After his mother dies in a tragic car accident, Ben's father unilaterally decides the family will spend the next year sailing. Ben, almost sixteen, wants no part of the plan. When his father mysteriously disappears while the family sails between islands, Ben and his brothers assume the worst - their father has committed suicide, leaving them to survive on their own. Shortly thereafter, they run into a horrendous storm, which runs them aground on a deserted island. Ben is now in charge. The apathy he once used to tolerate his brothers vanishes. Ben has to grow up fast.

Best Foot Forward by Joan Bauer

2010-08-10T13:28:00.000-05:00

I'm a huge fan of Joan Bauer. She creates dynamic characters you can related to almost immediately. Jenna a very mature high school junior works at Gladstone's Shoes, where she worships the store's 73-year-old owner, Mrs. Gladstone. When Mrs. Gladstone decides to ease into retirement and hand the reigns of the company over to her son, quality goes downhill and corporate demands increase. That, coupled with Jenna's father's alcoholism (she called the police on him for drunk driving), Mrs. Gladstone's hiring a teen boy who stole from the store, and the prospects of dating someone who dented her car make this a fast-paced and thoughtful story.

Mrs. Gladstone, as a mentor, follows one of the key ingredients to good young adult fiction - an adult who will listen, guide, and allow protagonists to learn from their mistakes. We should do more of this in real life.

Sorry for not posting in quite a while. I've read many fantastic books since my last post. I'm hoping to catch up soon. Thanks for following!!

My 13th Season by Kristi Roberts

2010-04-21T14:31:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed Kristi Robert's My 13th Season, but they should have named it No More Dead Mothers. What is it with authors and dead mothers? That may sound harsh, but in all the years I've been teaching, I have fortunately only gotten to know a few girls whose mothers have passed away unexpectedly. Writing books they can relate to is one thing; creating what seems like an entire genre of young adult literature is another. Movie makers, particularly Disney, add to the surplus. Reality Check, Beautiful Creatures, Backwater, Catalyst, Runner, and many other young adult offerings have all killed off a mother. Just as many, if not more, have gotten rid of the father. If you've read any young adult literature, you are familiar with sadistically torturing the protagonist. Lately, though, subtracting a parent through violent or tragic death is running rampant. This just an observation on my part.

Thirteen-year-old Fran lost her mother in a tragic car accident. She and her father deal with the grief in different ways. He has gone into a shell; she has thrown herself even further into baseball. But a move to a new town, one where Fran and her father can live with her Aunt Beth, comes complete with a misogynistic coach whose only goal appears to be ridding her from his team. Boys being boys, her teammates follow his lead. The only problem is that Fran's the best ballplayer on the team. That doesn't matter, though.

Roberts book is for every girl who feels some level of sports inferiority when compared with boys. Through her wonderful first person narrative, you get a complete sense of Fran. She's confident, driven, and caring, but you can tell there are weak spots in the armor she's built around herself. Even though she is the best on her team, you get the sense she never feels quite good enough. And the boys don't help either.

What this book does show, for better or for worse, is that coaches have a lot to say about how their players will react to situations. Players will follow their lead.

Just Like That by Marsha Qualey

2010-04-21T14:27:00.000-05:00

Young adult literature needs more cross-over authors like Marsha Qualey. That may be presumptuous because I'm casting Qualey as a cross-over novelist when this might not be her aim. Her latest novel definitely fits the bill, though. Believe it or not, all teens are not interested in vampires, mean girls, and cliques. There are many young adults who are ready to be captured by a more mature piece of contemporary literature. Just Like That is a strong offering that will appeal to many of these readers.

Hanna, a high school senior, makes sense of the world through her drawings. She's a talented artist. When she goes for a walk one night after breaking up with her boyfriend of one year, she becomes the last person to see a young couple before they plunge to their deaths while riding across what they thought was a frozen lake. Hanna becomes obsessed with the incident. She deals with her grief by drawing. But she refrains from telling anyone she was the last to see the couple.

This is as complex a young adult novel as I've read. Hanna is older, a senior in high school, but the lessons she conveys are invaluable. She's lost her father to a heart attack, and her mother is just getting back into the dating scene. She comes from a stable household, one in which her mother pushes a little, but doesn't demand. Hanna is allowed to make her own decisions and deal with the consequences.

The story really takes on many subplots. Hanna enters a relationship with a a younger teen, Will, who she believes is older. Through Will, she meets a family with whom she feels an instant connection. So while she makes every attempt to avoid Will, she can't refrain from hanging out with his sisters. Hanna also becomes obsessed with her mysterious maternal grandmother. At the same time, she becomes obsessed with finding Will's grandmother. To comment more would make this seamless novel appear confusing, which it's not.

If you are looking for a thought-provoking, wonderfully-written novel, you simply can't pass up Just Like That.

Search and Destroy by Dean Hughes

2010-04-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

Rick, a recent high school graduate, wonders what he should do with his life. He loves to write, but he doesn’t have the money to go to school. When he quits the job his father arranges for him, he has to have a back-up. He joins the Army after his father threatens to kick him out of the house. He wants to become a more responsible man. The Army is bound to help him accomplish this goal. When he gets to Vietnam, he volunteers for a search and destroy unit, whose only mission seems to be taking out the enemy. His experiences teach him something else about the war, something no one back at home can even fathom.

Search and Destroy is full of social commentary. Hughes makes it clear through his vivid narration, that there is more to both sides of a war than anyone might consider. While we all make generalizations for both sides of the war, those who are there no better. This would make a great discussion piece for students struggling with the polarized views from both sides of the War on Terror. Though set during the Vietnam War, the book conjures up many of the same issues we're dealing with today: war protests, a fatigued military, a protracted battle, etc.

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

2010-04-03T15:48:00.000-05:00

Cody and Clea, high school juniors living in Colorado, are an odd couple. He lives above a bar with his father; they struggle to get by. She lives on an estate with her parents; they have more than they need. He plays football and barely scrapes by in school. She is an equestrian and straight-A student. Her first B enrages her father, who blames her relationship with Cody for the poor grade. Clea is sent to a boarding school in Vermont, far, far from Cody. Shortly after arriving at Dover Academy, Clea disappears. When Cody finds out, he heads for Vermont and inserts himself in the middle of Clea’s missing person’s case. Some view him as a suspect; others view him as a threat.

Young adult literature is not exactly brimming with readable mysteries. Abrahams (Down the Rabbit Hole) seems to be filling the niche quite nimbly. While not air-tight, like all good mystery writers, he drops crumbs along the way that allow a good reader just enough to solve the case.

The Hoopster by Alan Lawrence Sitomer

2010-03-30T10:59:00.000-05:00

Andre Anderson, a senior in high school, is busy all the time. When he’s not shooting hoops with friends or going to school, he’s working as an intern for Issues Magazine. He wants to be a writer. When the magazine’s managing editor is dissatisfied with another writer’s perspective on an article, he gives Andre his big break. In just four weeks, Andre is expected to compose a different take on race. He begins to see the world differently. He makes some people, including family members, unhappy. Some of those people become unhappy enough to hurt him.

This is an interesting look at racism through the eyes of a very thoughtful African American teen, who adeptly balances the demands of profession, personal, and family life. Just when you look to paint him into a corner, he shows you a different side altogether. Sitomer does a nice job of moving readers through the ups-and-downs of Andre's life without getting too melodramatic. Again, I wish publishing companies would place more thought into the cover art for young adult novels. While Andre plays basketball, he is anything but a one-dimensional character whose life is centered around shooting hoops. This book is more about Andre's internal struggle, both as a writer and an African American growing up in a society where race has allegedly taken a back seat. I foresee far to many reluctant male readers picking the book up because they think it's about basketball, only to be baited and switched. If they give up too soon, which reluctant readers are known to do, they'll miss a very thoughtful story.

After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick

2010-03-30T08:14:00.000-05:00

Sequels generally don't do it for me. In my mind, they are not so much an artist's creative desire to carry a story forward as they are an excuse to cash in on a previous success. When I heard Jordan Sonnenblick was writing a sequel to his smash hit Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, I was cautiously optimistic. I've met Jordan, and he didn't strike me as a profit-motivated, megalomaniac like James Patterson. Jordan is down-to-earth former middle school teacher. "Profit-motivated" and "middle school teacher" don't reside in the same universe. I was still curious to see why he would risk the original. I'm glad he did.

After Ever After is anything but a quick, profit-driven strike, although it should do very well because it's an exceptionally poignant story that makes you want more. Steven, the eighth grader we met and instantly loved in Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie has flown the coop. The pressure has gotten to our hero, and he's gone off to Africa to find himself. Apparently, the weight he felt watching out for Jeff - his cute, cancer-patient little brother - has become too great. Even after leaving for NYU, Steven couldn't deal with Jeff's constant e-mails, texts, or calls for advice or help. Steven wants to live his own life.

Steven's departure leaves his little brother, Jeff, in a lurch. The state, in its infinite wisdom, has placed even more emphasis on standardized tests. Eighth graders who don't pass the math and reading portions of the test will be held back. Jeff is horrible at math; he believes his math ineptitude is the result of one of the chemotherapy drugs he took as a youngster. Jeff has also met a girl. When he needs Steven the most, he feels abandoned. But those are small potatoes compared to what's coming next.

The Graduation of Jake Moon by Barbara Park

2010-03-29T18:32:00.000-05:00

Jake Moon's father left before he was born, so Jake's mother had only one option as a pregnant undergrad - she moved move back home with her father, Skelly, the only father figure Jake has ever known. Midway through elementary school, Skelly begins showing signs of Alzheimer's. At first, Jake doesn't really understand. He thinks his grandfather is just been silly. But as the care-giving load on Jake increases, he becomes more and more unsympathetic. He's downright embarrassed by Skelly's behavior. Jake thinks Skelly can help it. But he can’t.

What’s an eighth grade boy to do when his grandfather ruins every sporting event, every sleepover, and every chance at having friends? Jake’s not sure. He needs to figure out a solution before he drives himself crazy, though. This coming-of-age story shines a spotlight on the transformation that occurs when young adults are faced with situations they simply don't understand. They react badly, even selfishly, like any of us would.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart by Jill Wolfson

2010-03-16T22:05:00.000-05:00

Dani was born with her heart on the wrong side of her body. Her heart is probably two-weeks away from giving out, and she desperately needs a transplant.

Amanda, a fourteen-year-old gymnast, is the picture of perfection. Her competition’s only hope for a medal is if she trips up on the uneven bars. But she’s always perfect.

Amanda’s slip becomes Dani’s resurrection.

This is one of the best books I've read in quite some time. Revolving between Dani's first person perspective and a third person perspective of Amanda's family after the organ donation, Wolfson keeps a story that could have gone terribly sappy on the straight and narrow by delivering a well-balanced story that tugs at your heart strings while coaxing a laugh every so often. What happens to a family after it donates a loved one's organs? How does the organ recipient send her gratitude to the donating family? Wolfson looks at all aspects of the transplant scenario.

Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor

2010-03-16T21:57:00.000-05:00

Addie, a twelve-year-old girl living with her unpredictable mother in a trailer under a bridge in Schenectady, New York, just wants to know what’s coming next. She wants some semblance of normalcy in her life. Her mother doesn’t have it. The only place she finds normal is at the corner store or with her stepfather, Dwight, and her two younger half-sisters. Addie’s mother disappears for long periods of time, she’s left to her own devices, and she feels the need to cover for her mother. But when tragedy occurs, Addie can’t cover any longer.

Waiting for Normal is such a compelling read that I couldn't put it down. I found myself reading it as I walked up and down the aisles proctoring the ISAT's. Addie's mom is bipolar. It's obvious, although Connor never comes out and says it. Connor could have beaten Addie's mother up, but she created, instead, a sympathetic secondary character, one Addie worried about. One moment you despise her; the next moment you feel sorry for her.

With colorful characters aplenty, this young adult novel is a thought-provoking reading experience that makes you wonder how many Addies are out there holding their families together.

The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti

2010-03-05T07:06:00.000-06:00

Historical fiction never seemed so real. Helmuth Hubener grew up in Nazi Germany. As a young boy, he observed Hitler's rise to power. As a teen, he joined the Hitler Youth. Helmuth did what he had to do to survive. But while fulfilling his mandatory service to Germany, he looked for subversive outlets.

If you are looking for an alternative to the familiar Holocaust novels, The Boy Who Dared is for you. This riveting account is a wonderful companion piece to John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. You know what's going to happen in the end. It's no surprise. But living through Bartoletti's wonderful recreation of what happened is a mesmerizing journey. If you haven't read it yet, get it. If you have read it, pass it on.

Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

2010-03-04T06:43:00.000-06:00

Jane, a fifteen-year-old high school junior and aspiring artist, struggles as she confronts the loss of her right arm after being attacked by a shark during a family visit to the beach. Her brother saves her life by using a tourniquet to stem the bleeding. After the accident, all Jane wants to do is return to her life, the one in which she was an award-winning artist. The loss of her right hand, her drawing hand, makes that seem impossible. Jane’s life after the shark attack represents a new beginning. She’s scared. She doesn’t know what to expect. Jane’s identity was founded in her art.

Jane is a very complex character. Kelly Bingham paints her as both a victim and a survivor. We only get to know Jane for a few pages before the shark attacks. Countless pre-attack recollections throughout the story allow the reader to see just how much she changes. Physically, the changes are predictable. She’s no longer able to cook, draw, dress herself, or do many of the other daily activities we all take for granted. Psychologically, the effects are far worse. She suffers from constant night terrors she avoids social settings, and she frets the first day of school. In one scene, she says she would rather go swimming where she was attacked that enter school on the first day. Her character is roundly developed by Bingham. We get to know Jane’s inner fears, external hindrances, and concerns for her future.

Jane is a very dynamic character. Bingham makes sure of this by realistically taking her through many of the steps of grieving. Because someone at the beach took video of the incident, she receives letters from all over the United States. At first she finds the letters of support and encouragement curious. Later, she outwardly resents how people attempt to cheer her up, pray for her, or provide encouragement. At times, her thoughts are downright nasty toward the letter writers. From start to finish, though, Jane is a completely different character. Even though the poetic verse of the narrative reads like a diary, the author does a nice job incorporating many secondary characters, including her mother, brother, grandparents, and friends. The most pivotal secondary character, I believe, is her conscience, which constantly peppers her with what-if questions regarding the attack. Her conscience initially gains the upper hand. As time passes, and Jane comes to grips with her situation, her conscience struggles to stay negative. I’ve read very few books where a protagonist’s conscience plays such an important role. Chris Crutcher’s Deadline comes to mind. Through these interactions with her conscience, her friends, and her family, the real Jane, a more mature young lady, emerges.

I avoided Shark Girl for a number of reasons. The cover contains a bikini-clad teen, which reminded me of some schlocky Alyson Noel drivel. Rather than read the inside of the jacket to gain some understanding of the story, I judged the book by its cover. I’ll never understand why publishers pair great stories with unfortunate covers. The cover image didn’t convey the gravity of the story. It was a poor choice. Shark Girl is more than a story about losing a limb to a shark attack. It’s about the changes in life that can occur without our doing and how we react to them.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

2010-02-28T16:11:00.000-06:00

Twilight held very little for me. I don't believe it's because I'm the antithesis of a teen girl with unrealized romantic fantasies. Twilight just wasn't written well. It made readers, however, out of previously book-averse young ladies, something for which I will be forever thankful. Some moms were even drawn into Bella and Edward's world. It was somewhat endearing to see how they hid their copies under tables or in their coats. So I was a little apprehensive when Beautiful Creatures was brought to my attention. I really didn't want to relive so many repeated and unimaginative adjectives. The book's heft also left me wondering if I would relive the same nightmare. But I picked it up, began reading, and found it to be pretty palatable.

Maybe I found it interesting because the story is told from a teen boy's perspective. I could relate a whole lot better to Ethan than I could to Bella. I'm not really sure. What I do know is that I found myself wondering about the story as I spent time away from the book, which is always a good sign. Ethan and Lena are much more thoughtful characters, not as self-involved as Bella and Edward.

Lena has come to live with her eccentric uncle in the small-minded South Carolina town of Gatlin, where the Civil War is still known as the War of Northern Aggression. Outsiders are unwelcome, so Lena is viewed as a pariah. Predictably, Ethan comes to her rescue, against her wishes, and forsakes all, including basketball and a social life, to be with Lena. Ethan gives up everything, but it's not as much of a sacrifice as you would think. Since his mother's death (yes, they pull that card) he's dreamed of nothing more than getting through high school and venturing out into the world using college as his excuse. He's tired of the closedmindedness surrounding him in Gatlin, and he wonders if there is something more to life. Lena represents something more.

The only catch is that Lena will be Claimed on her 16th birthday; there's a possibility she'll go dark. Ethan doesn't care. But Lena doesn't want to hurt him. The book spends a lot of time flashing back to Lena and Ethan's ancestors, who, ironically, are romantically connected. Subthemes abound - accepting diversity, family disfunction, bullying, popularity. Even though I complain the book is too long, teens, particularly girls, will eat it up. It's just a shame we can't break out of this overworked genre that Twilight has spun off. There has to be something out there for teens besides vampires, warewolfes, casters, and other supernatural teen drama. Is all of this a sign that teens feel out of control? Maybe it's that we've given them too much control, and we're portraying in adult situations way too young? I'll let you decide.

Restless by Rich Wallace

2010-02-05T06:21:00.000-06:00

I just got off the phone with my brother. I haven't talked with him in two years. A lot can happen in two years. He's happily married; he has three adopted children, one biological child, and another child on the way. But he's also haunted by his past. He's the black sheep of the family, or so he feels. He's preoccupied with a past that includes deplorable treatment at the hands of our father, chemical depression, and an assortment of other physical maladies. He hasn't lived a great life. When he cut off communication two years ago, I concluded that his past, of which I am a part, must be so traumatic that a clean break was the necessary move for a new lease on life. As cheesy as that sounds, our conversation confirmed as much. But something was missing on my end. Closure. While he wanted a clean break, at least temporarily, he didn’t give any of us a chance to ask questions and feel informed about his decision.

One week ago, I sent my brother a letter and let him know that I wanted closure, or at least I wanted to know what prompted him to cut ties. My wife and I had always been good to him. We named him Godfather to one of our sons; we welcomed him into our home when he emotionally broke down. I wrote that I would call in one week to talk. I didn't want this to be a surprise. He needed an opportunity to think through what he wanted to say, if anything. The first number I called was disconnected. The second number I called had no recording, so I didn't know whether it was his phone or not. I thought better of leaving a message. The third number I called was his wife's cell phone. My decision to leave a message was made hastily. Closure was what I needed; that's what I told her. Not more than three minutes later, he returned my call. "Are you surprised that I called back?" Honestly, I was beginning to think I would never hear from him again.

Herbie, the protagonist in Rich Wallace’s Restless A Ghost’s Story, felt that way when his brother, Frank, died of cancer ten years ago. He felt like he would never have the opportunity to talk to him, to tell him that he missed him. On a run through the cemetery one night, Herbie began to sense a presence, as though he was being followed. But every time he turned around, he saw nothing. However, Eamon, a distant relative Herbie knew nothing about was attempting to make contact, to bridge the gap between the present and the past. Frank was also trying to make contact. Herbie had to be ready. Something told Eamon and Frank that he was. Maybe I was just as ready to hear from my brother.

Rich Wallace's book is indeed a ghost's story. You have to look at the title closely, though. It doesn't say ghost story. It says ghost's story, as in the story is being told from a ghost’s perspective, not about a ghost. Frank narrates poignantly about one brother's attempt to make contact with his living brother, who happens to be the same age when he died of cancer. Herbie also wants contact, he just doesn't know how to let it happen. So he runs through the cemetery whenever possible, hoping to feel his brother's presence. As you might guess, he does. But Herbie also learns a lot more.

I learned a lot more after talking with my brother. Unlike Herbie, I could call him. Truthfully, it felt like my brother had been dead these last two years. It wasn't a good feeling. Herbie and I shared the same feeling. I guess you can figure out what I thought about as I read. I felt my brother’s pull. I continually tell my students to relate what they read to themselves, no matter how difficult it might be. This was not an easy connection to make. But it's what I thought about as I read. Students need to learn that the connections they make to literature are usually neither easy nor clear. Reading helps to tour the soul, to dig in untouched emotional areas. That’s what good literature does.

Herbie, Frank, and Rich Wallace taught me that no matter what we read, we always have a connection. I don't know how this reconciliation with my brother will go. Reconciliation might not even be the right word. Maybe it's a reintroduction. All I know is that reading Rich Wallace's Restless facilitated my thinking about a part of my past that was left undone, just like Herbie's.

Damage by A.M. Jenkins

2010-02-04T07:06:00.000-06:00

Selecting age-appropriate books for students is a constant struggle. It's not really about age; it's about maturity. According the the cover information, Damage by A.M. Jenkins is geared for grades seven and up, but I think the book’s content is a bit mature, even for eighth graders, although there are some eighth graders in my presence who can handle it. I don't believe in censorship. My philosophy tends more toward letting kids experience something through literature before they face it in the real world. Damage is one of those books that provides vicarious rehearsals.

Austin, a high school senior, doesn’t feel “right.” He’s anxious about whether or not he can build on a stellar junior football season, one in which he caught 15 touchdown passes. Since the end of last football season, his feelings have gone numb. He can’t figure it out; he doesn’t want to get out of bed, and his motivation for much of anything is subdued. Curtis and Dobie, his best friends, don’t see any difference, until he starts dating Heather, a classmate with her own issues. Heather, the most sought-after girl in the senior class, proves too strong. She and Austin begin dating, much to Curtis and Dobie’s dismay. Heather and Austin share one significant commonality – their fathers are both dead. Austin feels better when he’s with Heather, and he wonders if their relationship is a cure for his depression.

A.M. Jenkins has put together a tight, gripping novel that shines the spotlight on teen depression, friendship, and the unhealthy effects of teen dating. This is a worthy read!!

Backwater by Joan Bauer

2010-01-27T19:31:00.000-06:00

I finished Backwater by Joan Bauer just minutes ago, and I'm not quite sure what to say. I know it's one of the finest young adult novels I've ever read. The concepts Bauer included in her novel are too rich to explain in a simple blog entry. Backwater is about attempting to belong while being different than any every person around you; it's about finding yourself; it's about the history that surrounds you; it's also about not allowing your family's history to consume you.

Ivy Breedlove is her family's historian, much to the chagrin of her Aunt Fiona, a time management specialist who attempts, in vain, to chronicle the Breedlove history on a strict time schedule. Missing from the family history is Aunt Josephine, or Jo as she likes to be called. Jo never felt a part of the family, which turns out lawyers like the Kennedy's manufacture politicians. Ivy has no interest in being a lawyer. Her passion is history. Ivy believes her Aunt Jo is the missing piece of the Breedlove puzzle. Often compared with Jo, Ivy needs to find out why Jo discarded the family and moved out, hermit like, on her own.

Jo, like Ivy, doesn't fit in. But she's pressured to conform to family standards. No wonder Bauer is such a successful young adult novelist. She captures Ivy's voice, and in doing so, captures the essence of every teen's wonder - how exactly they fit in.

Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli

2010-01-21T14:04:00.000-06:00

I haven't blogged in a long time. I began to wonder why I blogged in the first place. But as I blogged less, I thought less. What I've been teaching my students is true -writing is thinking; it's a way of making sense of the world. Reading accomplishes the same goal.

In a moment of indecision, I picked up Jerry Spinelli's classic, which I had always perceived as being "below" my eighth grade students. While simply written, it is far from simply conceived. Jeffrey Magee's parents passed away in a horrendous train accident, and he was sent to live with his aunt and uncle, the owners of a very unhealthy relationship. Jeffrey tires of their treatment toward each other and bolts. He runs; it's something he's good at, both literally and figuratively.

As he runs, Jeffrey encounters a racial dynamic he never knew existed. This is the wonderful thing about children his age. He runs from east to west, all the while paying little or no attention to race; those he encounters pay more attention to race that he does, but he's oblivious. An older gentleman, Grayson, watches over Jeffrey for a while; he asks Jeffrey basic questions born out of bigotry. "Do they use toothbrushes? Have you used the same cups?" Grayson really thinks African Americans are different than whites, and no matter how hard Jeffrey tries to sway him, the misinformation Grayson has taken as truth for so long can't be penetrated with the actual truth.

I could go on and on about Maniac Magee, but I would rather you read it and respond to my post. I feel foolish for having judged it without getting to know it, which, ironically, is Spinelli's theme.

Rules by Cyntia Lord

2009-10-11T18:44:00.000-05:00

Reading is about gaining new perspectives. Cynthia Lord provided me with a new perspective and a new appreciation for the parents and siblings of autistic children. Like their non-autistic counterparts, they can drive us crazy; but they also create just as many, if not more, wonderful moments.

Catherine and David are not your typical older sister and younger brother. They fight. Typical. They vie for their parents' attention. Normal. Catherine is expected to watch David. Goes with the territory. David is autistic. Catherine is not. Catherine helps David by establishing rules that he must live by. However, she also constructs rules for herself that limit her ability to function as an early teen. As you read the story, you really do wonder whether the constraints Catherine has placed upon David so he won't embarrass her inhibit her to a greater degree.

I have taught many wonderful and very intelligent autistic children, but I've never had one presented to me the way Cynthia Lord presents David. Maybe this is because Lord has an autistic child. I don't get to go home with my autistic students, but I often wonder about the time an energy expended by family members. Lord's novel provides you with an honest account of one family's joys and sorrows, both individually and collectively, as they work to prepare David for the world outside his home. You travel with him to therapy, sit with him while he waits for his father to arrive from work, and hover over him as he seemingly gets himself into situations he shouldn't.

Lord does a remarkable job of placing you in Catherine's shoes as she assumes a burden we would expect most siblings to reject. While she does complain like any sister would, you ache for her as she works hard to build friendships outside the stigma David seems to attach to most of her social dealings. Her love for David is very apparent; her desire to hide his autism is also palpable. She walks a very thin line, like most siblings in similar situations, fighting an internal conflict that greets her around every corner.

But Lord doesn't stop with David's story. Catherine, the rule maker, has her own struggles to overcome; she's not just bound by the rules she pins to David (and herself in the interim), Intertwining her internal conflict with David's story creates a multi-layered gem. I enjoyed Catherine because she constantly judges her own shortcomings. She's thoughtful. And, she's realistically portrayed - just because we're thoughtful doesn't necessarily mean we'll do the right thing.

Lord turns the tables on Catherine when she's awkwardly introduced to Jason, a patient at David's therapy sessions. Jason grows to like Catherine. The only problem is Jason can neither walk nor speak. After some soul searching, Catherine becomes one of his biggest advocates. She views this as friendship, he perceives more. Hence, the rub. Catherine adds to Jason's book each time they meet, providing Jason with communication freedoms he's never known, which smacks of irony. Everything rule she makes for David constricts him. Everything she does for Jason empowers him.

Hope was Here by Joan Bauer

2009-10-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

Sometimes you're simply not ready for a book when it stares back at you from the shelf. Joan Bauer's Hope was Here was one of those books. I tried it when it first came out, but I guess I wasn't ready for it. I recently gave it another try and found that I could not put it down. What happened to change my mind? I'm not sure. All I know is that I could now connect with a book that I previously could not. Let this be a lesson to you.

Hope, a teen waitress who was given up by her biological mother shortly after birth, travels from diner to diner with her aunt Addie, a tough-as-nails cook and her legal guardian. After closing one diner in Brooklyn, Hope and Addie travel to a small Wisconsin town to take the reigns of a local diner. GT, the owner of the diner has cancer; it's clear he's thinking of a succession plan. Shortly after their arrival, however, GT announces he will run for mayor against Eli Millstone, the town's long-time mayor. Eli, it is believed, has taken money from the local dairy for political favors. Hope quickly takes to GT and becomes involved in his campaign. The story takes you through the political process of a small town, urging young readers to get involved in the process. Dirty tricks creep in, idealism is has its ups and downs, and you have no choice but to take sides. The book makes you choose, something our electorate is only starting to figure out.

Pop by Gordon Korman

2009-09-23T20:04:00.000-05:00

Gordon Korman has gone a little "Chris Crutcher" on us. I intend this as high praise. If you've read my other posts, you know I love Crutcher's gritty, realistic work. Korman's latest offering, Pop, is a young adult novel you will find reasons to read, even when the grass is waiting, the kids are hungry, and grading loses patience.

Marcus Jordan, a soon-to-be high school junior, has moved to a new town in the middle of summer. He really has no opportunity to make new friends, so he does what comes naturally - he heads to Three Alarm Park and throws pass after pass through a round picture frame hanging from a tree branch. Marcus is a quarterback, and he has set his sights on joining the town's undefeated, state champion team. You can't blame the team when it doesn't extend its arms; they don't want to mess with perfection. Marcus doesn't abandon hope. He meets Charlie, a 50-ish former footballer, while practicing one day. Charlie takes Marcus under his wing, working on hitting and other football skills. But something is not quite right about Charlie. He comes and goes, never explaining. Charlie has the mentality of a teenager. He pulls pranks on local businesses and loves to play, but he disappears as quickly as he appears. Something's not quite right.

Markus eventually works his way on to the team; he breaks into the lineup by playing in the defensive backfield. Then, he works his way to fullback, always placing the team above his desire to be the quarterback. But something is not quire right with the quarterback. He avoids contact like no other football player you've seen. When Markus finds out Charlie is the quarterback's father, he's astounded. He wonders how the son of a former NFL football player who loves to hit could have a son who wants nothing more than to avoid contact. As Markus digs deeper, the reasons become obvious.

Pop goes beyond the typical young adult novel by exploring an issue with youth football that no one cares to discuss - the debilitating effects of head trauma. As football reaches its tentacles toward younger players, the issue Korman explores becomes even more critical. Every parent, youth coach, and youth player should read this book. The content is research-based and startling. Should kids, or anyone for that matter, be exposed to sports-related head trauma? You might change your mind after reading the book.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2009-09-16T19:53:00.000-05:00

It has been an unbelievably long time since my last entry. Has it really taken me this long to find a worthy young adult novel? In a sense, yes, it has. I've started quite a few young adult novels since my last posting. I've also been wrapped up in some wonderful teacher-type books, the sort of reading I wouldn't necessarily review here.

After reading The Hunger Games, I practically counted the days until the release of this second novel. Students did the same. The release of Catching Fire pushed many of my students to remarkable feats. One young many even called his mother to buy and drop off a copy during lunch. The buzz was unbelievable. Sometimes hype simply can't be matched. Catching Fire is a wonderful follow-up, but it falls short.

I would liken my feelings for Catching Fire to Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue. I enjoyed the follow-up to The Giver, but it left me wanting more. Thankfully, Messenger, Lowry's third in the series, conquered my appetite and tied up all of the loose ends. Suzanne Collins' second offering, in my opinion, holds readers in place while she works to finish the story in book three. Just as Lowry sandwiched Gathering Blue between two outstanding novels, Collins, hopefully, will do the same.

The book is not without its high points. We learn more about Katniss and the strength of her relationship with Gale and Peeta. This is one serious love triangle. Collins presents it honorably and respectfully. We also see more government corruption, the kind that overpowers people, which plays into the theme of the series. Haymitch becomes sympathetic, and we begin to see cracks in the governmental facade. But these are just open acts, I hope, priming us for the main event in book three.

When all is said and done, Catching Fire left us wanting more. It was inevitable. We'll just have to wait for book three. Catching Fire was a very good book. But like all sequels, it didn't live up to the hype, an almost impossible task.

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher

2009-08-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

I have waiting for this set of three novellas because I am genuine curious about what an author does with characters after the novel in which they reside ends. Does an author continue to think about them and keep them near? Or, does an author leave them behind as he moves on to the next project? These seem like silly questions, but I've always had a burning desire to know. Chris Crutcher's characters continue to live with him long after the final words of their stories have been edited and published.

Angry Management revisits one of Crutcher's more popular characters, Sarah Byrnes (Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes). It also revisits minor characters from two other stories. All three novellas are introduced by Nak, the swimming coach/councilor from Stotan.

All three novellas preach different themes. Sarah needs to find out what happened to the mother who abandoned her after her father burned her in a fit of rage. Montana West put her journalistic integrity up against the powerful board of education, which just happens to be led by her father. Matt Miller must decide if it's more personally dangerous to stay silent or stand up for someone else whose beliefs might not be yours.

Ok, I'm a Crutcher fan. He can't write books fast enough. I've been looking forward to this one ever since he visited our school last fall. The guys tells it like it is and believes there is something to be learned from every situation. You need not worry about reading the novels that preceded these three stories. He fills in enough of the back stories.

Chris Crutcher is a young adult novelist unlike any other I've ever read. He understands how kids feel, talk, and act. He respects their feelings and desires, which resonates for many of my students. And, he conveys the hard lessons in easy to swallow fiction. I'm pleased to have read Angry Management, but now I have to go back and visit the novels from which all three originated because I miss them. I hope you have the same experience.

The Blind Faith Hotel by Pamela Todd

2009-07-22T20:45:00.000-05:00

After many stops and starts with some pretty shoddy YA lit this summer, I came across some wonderful reviews for Pamela Todd's The Blind Faith Hotel. I remembered my LRC Director book-talking it for my classes last year, and her response was positive. And, after reading too many testosterone-driven YA titles, I was ready for a change of perspective. The Blind Faith Hotel gave me just that and a whole lot more.

Zoe is your atypical teen. She would rather be out at sea with her dad, a crab fisherman like those you might see on Deadliest Catch, than out with her mother or her friends shopping. When her parents decide to separate, Zoe and her siblings travel from the state of Washington to her mother's childhood town, located somewhere in the Midwest, to open a bed and breakfast. Zoe vehemently opposes the move and wonders what will become of her father. But, like most young teens, she has no options.

Predictably, she dislikes everything about her new surroundings. But foremost on her mind is her father's safety. She's worried about him because of tragic events that occurred during his last trip at sea. Zoe attempts to fit in at school, but realizes the cliques that existed in her previous town are commonplace. Zoe's yearns for her father, attempts to unlock the ghosts in her mother's emotional closet, and confronts a physical issue that many girls, unbeknownst to me, face during their transformation from girl to woman. Zoe's physical issue pushes her to do something she ordinarily wouldn't do, which lands her in hot water with the authorities and her mother. This is the start of Zoe's transformation - I'm not giving anything away; young adult novels are famous for radical personal transformations. This is no exception, although Pamela Todd does it beautifully.

Interwoven within the story are some truly symbolic and telling relationships Zoe establishes with a hawk, a misunderstood young man, and a curmudgeonly grandfather-figure. These secondary characters are used masterfully to shed light on the parts of Zoe's life she desperately wants to keep hidden. Todd puts on a clinic one how to get every once out of secondary characters so we get to fully understand all facets of the protagonist.

The Blind Faith Hotel is appropriately named. When her mother moves her cross country to rehab a dilapidated, old farmhouse and transform it into a bed and breakfast, Zoe doesn't see the point; she can't envision the finished product. You are left with the impression that her mother doesn't quite understand her own motivations either. She's working on blind faith. Zoe, reluctantly, and her mother, gladly, learn the importance of having blind faith in the pursuit of what they truly love, even when their own doubts try to convince them otherwise.

Mexican Whiteboy by Matt de la Pena

2009-07-21T09:34:00.000-05:00

I am a huge fan of Chris Crutcher. In fact, I just purchased his newest, Angry Management. So when I saw his endorsement on the jacket of Matt de la Pena's Mexican White Boy I had to read it. Crutcher's endorsement was all I needed.

Matt de la Pena's account of Danny Lopez, a biracial teen trying to balance himself between two cultures, reads like a realistic, biographical account.
After his white mother decides to spend the summer in San Francisco with her boyfriend/fiance', Danny makes arrangements to stay with his father's family in San Diego. He views this as an opportunity to learn more about his father, who he believes is living in Mexico. Danny wants nothing more than to travel to Mexico and reconnect with his father. Danny struggles to find his way in the Mexican culture that permeates his family. As a biracial child, he's caught between two world, and he never really feels as though he has a strong foothold in either. Whites view him as Hispanic, while Hispanics view him as white. Teens have a hard enough time carving out their own identities. Danny is constructed as a very sympathetic characters, one teens can relate to without ever having walked in his shoes.

But de la Pena doesn't stop there. Danny is also caught in the middle of another huge conflict, no unlike many teens today - he wants to know as much as possible about his father; his family want to shield him from being hurt. This is rather typical behavior for families, which attempt to shield their children from issues they feel are too overwhelming. Danny, like most teens, sees this roadblock as temporary and continues investigating, brilliantly illustrating the point that sometimes parents and family members need to be honest and discuss issues they feel their kids might not be ready to hear.

Danny's one saving grace is baseball. But he's just as wild and uncomfortable on the mound as he is fitting in with his family. As the book progresses, baseball takes on tremendous symbolism. If Danny is ever to figure out how he fits in culturally, he'll have to find a way to smooth out his pitching mechanics and relax.

Teen readers will be able to relate to the many other tough decisions Danny faces. He's in love from afar with a gorgeous Mexican girl who only speaks Spanish. Danny speaks no Spanish, so communication is tricky at best. He wants to stay true to his Mexican heritage, which leaves him feeling as though he'll need to keep his mother at arm's length. He feels alone and on display at the private school he attends, where the student body is largely white.

Matt de la Pena is an author I'd like to read more. I'm glad I followed my gut and took Chris Crutcher's word for the book. de la Pena's reminds me a lot of Crutcher, which bodes well for his future.

The Fortunes of Indigo Skye by Deb Caletti

2009-06-28T21:25:00.000-05:00

We've all heard too many times that money can't buy you everything. Indigo Skye, and eighteen-year-old high school senior and waitress, receives a $2,500,000 tip from a wealthy but very unhappy computer mogul. If the story played out predictably, Indigo would try to buy happiness for her less-than-fortunate family. She does try, and she does learn this lesson, but she learns way more than that.

Deb Caletti is an author I've ignored, or more accurately avoided, because I perceived her books to be snotty, rich girl material. I've learned my lesson not to judge a book by it's cover. In fact, I don't think we should judge any books by their covers, literally. What's up with the unimaginative art and pictures on book covers? That's another subject for another time.

Indigo is a very thoughtful, insightful, and unique character who always lets you know where she stands. Most books that focus primarily on the protagonist's thoughts tend to drag on forever. This one doesn't because Indigo and her family are just enough left-of-center to keep you wondering. And Caletti's marvelously-constructed secondary characters, of which there are many, command your attention.

If I tell you any more, I'll spoil the book. You know Indigo receives a big tip; you know she tries to buy happiness; and you know she doesn't find it. But what you don't know is what she does find, which is compelling in itself.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

2009-06-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

I really like the trend I'm seeing in young adult literature, particularly the science fiction offerings. Authors seem to be making more of an effort to engage young adults in issues that might soon affect them as adults. Mary E. Pearson, like author Gemma Malley in The Resistance and The Declaration, targets bioethics in her new book, The Adoration of Jenna Fox. The young adults of today, taking technological advances into account, will need to ask themselves some very difficult questions when it comes to quality and length of life.

Jenna Fox has just emerged from a year-long coma without any recollection of how she got there. Her parents have traded her childhood home in Boston for a run down mansion in California. A veil of secrecy seems to cover most everything. The only link to her past is a series of video discs that her parents hope might jar her memory. Her nourishment comes in the form of pills and liquids; she is not allowed to eat anything. They tell her it's because her digestive system needs more time to adapt after being in a coma for so long. As her memory slowly returns, Jenna begins to knit together the pieces of her past. She was indeed in a horrific accident. She wonders about the friends she sees in her dreams. She wonders why her parents are so protective. She also wonders why her grandmother, Lily, once her lone confidant, has become exceptionally distant. Jenna's life AD (after disaster) is very different. But her parents' hesitance, her grandmother's distance, and a string of mysterious events and discoveries prove to be the catalyst for her uncovering the real truth.

Pearson balances the importance of a teen's desire to fit in with a parent's desire to protect and shield their children from the potential harms of the outside world. She also brilliantly plays both sides of the longevity issue. How long we continue to live and what we do to keep our loved ones alive is no easy decision. Jenna faces this decision head on and struggles with it in a realistic manner.

2009-06-08T08:53:00.001-05:00

>I included Rich Wallace's One Good Punch on my last Amazon.com order to qualify for super-saver shipping. Wallace has a reputation for appealing to reluctant readers, and my offerings for these readers needed to be bulked up. At 114 pages, One Good Punch will surely be an attraction. The book's brevity does not diminish its very thought-provoking themes, though.

Michael Kerrigan is a senior in high school in Scranton, Pennsylvania; he's acutely aware of Scranton's warts, but something that makes him want to improve the city's reputation or stay for the long-haul, particularly since everyone he knows wants to leave as soon as they can. A track athlete and part-time obituary writer for the local paper, Michael appears to to have it all. College is a foregone conclusion; he's going, and he'll most likely do well. But one decision holds the potential to squash his aspirations. It's the one good punch that could knock him out of commission.

Michael is a sympathetic character with many vicarious lessons. We often think that only bad people do bad things. Michael makes you re-evaluate that position. He's not a bad person, and he doesn't mean to do any harm, but this one decision brings him face-to-face with a heavy responsibility that includes paying off past debts.