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Resistance (Book 1) by Carla Jablonski (Illustrated by Leland Purvis)

Review by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Carla Jablonski is a novelist, performer, and playwright. She has written dozens of best-selling books for teenage and middle-grade readers.Her fiction has been translated into ten languages, and her plays have been performed in New York, Philadelphia, and Edinburgh, Scotland.  Her most recent books Thicker than Water and Silent Echoes were selected for the New York Public Llibraries “Books for the Teen Age” list.

About the illustrator:

Leland Purvis is a self-taught comics artist and writer. His major works include the anthology VOX, a creator-owned series called PUBO, and a graphic-novel biography of physicist Niels Bohr, Suspended In Language, written by Jim Ottaviani. Recent works include graphic novels in the Turning Points series from Simon & Schuster. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, a cat, and a turtle.

About the book:

Fighting on a secret front of World War II, Paul and Marie’s bucolic French country town is almost untouched by the ravages of WWII, but the siblings still live in the shadow of war. Their father is a Prisoner of War, kept hostage by the Germans. When their friend Henri’s parents disappear and Henri goes into hiding because of his Jewish ancestry, Paul and Marie realize they must take a stand. But how can they convince the French Resistance that even children can help in their fight against injustice?

Resistance is the first voulme of a trilogy written by acclaimed teen author Carla Jablonski and illustrated by Leland Purvis.

My take on the book:

This is a really good introduction for middle school readers about life during the Nazi occupation of France. The beauty of the story is Jablonski’s choice to tell the story from the point-of-view of children. She does an excellent job of portraying the characters of Paul, Marie and Henri. Though often brave in their participation with the Resistance, you also see them squabble, bicker, complain and cry — just like your average kid. It’s the realistic portrayal of the children which I really appreciated. Although the children become part of the Resistance and are taking part in dangerous activities, you don’t see them acting like mini-adults. You see their weaknesses but also see the skills they bring to the Resistance (For example, Marie has an excellent memory and is very observant while Paul is a talented artist).

Jablonski also does an excellent job of portraying the underlying tensions of life under occupation, where you’re never exactly sure who you can trust and once-trusted friends may now be your enemy. This aspect of the book is particularly compelling and I think a really good introduction for students about the idea of what exactly living under occupation is and how different lif

Losing Michael Malone by Nicholas Kasunic

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

At 20 years old, Nicholas Kasunic is finding his voice as a writer.  A native of Pittsburgh, PA, he attends the University of Pittsburgh.  Still a ways from a degree, he does claim expertise in pain as a result of his medical condition of CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome).  In lieu of succumbing to a dark and empty life, he uses his personal agony as a catalyst for his writing.  Full of insight into both the positive and negative aspects of struggle, his work covers a spectrum of emotional responses to life.

In his first novel, Losing Michael Malone, Kasunic studies the subtle emotions of pain and all its friends–depression, disease, passion, love, guilt, self-loathing, disappointment –while chronicling five characters in their desperate search for meaning.  Hitting bookstores March 1, 2011.

About the book:

In Losing Michael Malone, five characters search for happiness in a time of suffering.  Emma is blind to the sunshine that gleams around her each and every day. Maddie witnesses a drained and exhausted marriage. Jack is without solitude in a life of inner conflict and self-loathing. Love and compassion rip and tear through the life of Kathryn. Michael hurts too much to feel anything.

Through all of the pain of passion and disease, this cast of characters is on a collision course towards each other—no matter how much they’d like to run away. It all contributes to the narrative of what we refer to as life. Nothing keeps us from it, and everything tries to take it away.

My take on the book:

On Nicholas Kasunic’s website, he lists the book Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky in his bio. He doesn’t mention whether it’s a favorite book of his or not, but after reading Losing Michael Malone I have no doubt Dostoevsky has had a big influence on the author.

From what little I know of Kasunic and after having read his book, I can see the connection between both authors. Losing Michael Malone is an autobiographical novel exploring the psychology of pain and suffering, both physical and emotional. In a series of vignettes, we meet five characters, all connected to Michael Malone. With Michael being the connecting thread, we see each of the characters searching for a way out from underneath the burdens of their own personal pain and suffering.

Like Michael Malone, Nicholas Kasunic suffers daily from chronic pain. Nobody in literary history has ever written about pain like Dostoevsky writes about pain, and Kasunic, to his credit, does superbly in his own effort. As each character expresses their own stories of what pain and suffering is to them, Kasunic’s prose

Fahrenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation by Ray Bradbury (Illustrated by Tim Hamilton)

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Ray Bradbury is one of those rare individuals whose writing has changed the way people think. His more than five hundred published works — short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, television scripts, and verse — exemplify the American imagination at its most creative.

Once read, his words are never forgotten. His best-known and most beloved books, THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES, THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, FAHRENHEIT 451 and SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES, are masterworks that readers carry with them over a lifetime. His timeless, constant appeal to audiences young and old has proven him to be one of the truly classic authors of the 20th Century — and the 21st.

In recognition of his stature in the world of literature and the impact he has had on so many for so many years, Bradbury was awarded the National Book Foundation’s 2000 Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an the National Medal of Arts in 2004.

About the illustrator:

Tim Hamilton has produced art for The New York Times Book Review, Cicada magazine, King Features, BOOM Studios, Mad Magazine, and ACT-I-VATE. He most recently adapted Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island into a graphic novel for Puffin Graphics.

About the book:

“Monday burn Millay, Wednesday Whitman, Friday Faulkner, burn ’em to ashes, then burn the ashes.” For Guy Montag, a career fireman for whom kerosene is perfume, this is not just an official slogan. It is a mantra, a duty, a way of life in a tightly monitored world where thinking is dangerous and books are forbidden.

In 1953, Ray Bradbury envisioned one of the world’s most unforgettable dystopian futures, and in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the artist Tim Hamilton translates this frightening modern masterpiece into a gorgeously imagined graphic novel. As could only occur with Bradbury’s full cooperation in this authorized adaptation, Hamilton has created a striking work of art that uniquely captures Montag’s awakening to the evil of government-controlled thought and the inestimable value of philosophy, theology, and literature.

Including an original foreword by Ray Bradbury and fully depicting the brilliance and force of his canonic and beloved masterwork, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is an exceptional, haunting work of graphic literature.

My take on the book:

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite books and when I saw there was a graphic novel version I wanted to review it here on Book Dads.

I don’t think it matters if this is your first introduction to 451 or if you’re already a fan of the novel. Either way, you’re going to really enjoy this adaptation. For those familiar with the story, the adaptation stays

Catcher, Caught by Sarah Collins Honenberger

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Sarah Collins Honenberger’s prize-winning fiction has appeared in Antietam Review, New Millenium, South Lit, The Hook and other literary journals. She is the author of two books in addition to Catcher, Caught: White Lies and Waltzing Cowboys, a 2009 nominee for the Library of Virginia Fiction Award. Additionally, her essay, “Gathering Rosebuds: A Manifesto for Working Women,” was included in a 1998 Oprah Book Club segment. She divides her time between Orange, VA and a river house in Tappahannock, the setting for Catcher, Caught. Tragically, after penning the story of Daniel Landon’s battle with an aggressive cancer. Now in remission, she is currently working on her fourth novel.

About the book:

Catcher, Caught tells the story of Daniel Solstice Landon, a 15-year-old high school student diagnosed with leukemia, as he struggles to find his place in the world while staring down his own mortality in the wake of a recent leukemia diagnosis.  A reading of Catcher in the Rye, causes Daniel to question the intentions and authority of those around him.  Tired of his cramped surroundings and hippie parents’ alternative approaches to his treatment, he follows the footsteps of Holden Caulfield to New York City in search of the same eternal truths, only to discover the importance of home when death looms.

My take on the book:

Sarah Collins Honenberger presents readers with a story based on today’s headlines. 15-year-old Daniel Landon is a few months into being diagnosed with leukemia and struggling to make sense of a world he knows he’s not long for. With parents who are reeling from trying to make sense of this tragic diagnosis and friends not sure how to treat their dying classmate, Daniel looks to Holden Caufield and a recent reading of Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye for some semblance of meaning.

Honenberger captivated me with Daniel’s voice and I couldn’t put the book down. I think she brilliantly takes on the question of what is the best way to deal with your own impending mortality. As a teen trapped between the world of adults and childhood, Daniel is often left with no say in his own treatment and no choices about how to live his remaining days. Daniel’s parents spurn traditional treatments for alternative means and eventually get charged with abuse and neglect. It’s hard for us not to judge Daniel’s parents, but it’s also hard to believe their actions are tantamount to abuse and neglect. No clear answers are given and Daniel often is caught in the middle and gets frustrated at his lack of voice about matters relating to him.

I disagree with other reviewers who stated that besides Daniel, there is a lack of development in the other characters. What they’re missing is the story is told from Daniel’s 1st person point-of-view. It’s easy to miss this which is a

Ray, Reflected by Eric Elkins

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Eric Elkins used to be a scientist.  And he used to be a cook in restaurants.  And he was once an elementary school teacher.  And then he was a youth content editor at The Denver Post, where he met lots of young readers and writers who loved funny, quirky, interesting books.  Now he has his own company, where he plays on his computer all day.  He lives in Denver with his super-cool daughter (who loved this book, by the way) and his super-annoying cat (who didn’t).

Eric owns WideFoc.us, a company that specializes in helping businesses with social media tools like blogs, forums, Facebook, Twitter, etc. etc.  He also writes about being a single dad at DatingDad.com.

About the book:

(Middle readers & YA) I’m not sure how things got so crazy, but I think it all started with me trying to find my yellow flip-flop with the green stripe. We had a week left before middle school started, and I was hoping to accomplish a few things before I became a seventh grader:

1. Spread peanut butter on my little sister’s face and call the dog to lick it off.
2. Beat Sam at Madden at least once.
3. Manage to say more than “hey” to Florence.
4. Read every single Captain Underpants book.
5. Catch one good wave at Steamer Lane without wiping out.

The funny thing about summer is that you make all these plans in May. You look out the window of your classroom, smell freedom on the breeze that’s blowing your teacher’s papers off her desk, and promise yourself you won’t waste it this time pulling weeds and watching YouTube. Then it’s August, you know the lines to every video, and you realize you’ve let another season of fun get away from you. Well, at least that’s what seems to happen to me.

Sure, it’s not a very ambitious list, but if you live in the beautiful and weird surf town of Santa Cruz, California, well, your parents’ custody schedule, your dog who eats everything, your two best friends, a mysterious gold Corvette, and even a ghost or two can really get in the way.

School starts in a week. I am so not ready.

My take on the book:

I don’t get to review as many YA/teen fiction books on Book Dads as I would like. The YA/teen lit genre doesn’t seem to be really popular with the other Book Dad reviewers and with so much to do for the site, I can’t always invest the time in reading a novel. However when I’ve been able to, I’ve been really pleased with the ones I have reviewed for Book Dads (Keeper by Mal Peet and Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins).

Eric Elkins’ Ray, Reflected is no

Book Dads is proud to present our guest reviewer, Cameron from Teen Read. Cameron is an 8th grader in Western New York.  Her favorite subjects are Language Arts and Math and she loves to read. She just launched her book review site and we’re trying to give her a little support and promotion here. Today she reviews the series, “Pretty Little Liars.”

In this series of eight books by Sara Shepard, four 17-year-old high school seniors face many problems each day.  One of the problems they face is that their best friend, Alison DiLaurentis, disappeared in the middle of their end of seventh grade sleep-over in the Hastings’ barn.

Three years later Alison’s body was found in her backyard.  One week before her body was found the four girls, Spencer Hastings, Aria Montgomery, Hanna Marin, and Emily Fields, started receiving threatening text messages that contained secrets only the girl who received them and Alison knew.

They thought Alison was back, and were officially spooked.  All the texts were signed “A”, and said if they told the police or anyone else, the texter would tell everyone their secrets or hurt them.

Hanna found out who A was because A forgot to block her number and it was a number Hanna recognized.  She asked the other three girls to come so she could tell them who A was, but as they were coming to meet Hanna, Hanna was hit by a car and ended up in a coma.

The police had their own suspect, but as the girls found out more information they were convinced the police were wrong.  Later in the series, the girls thought they saw Alison, but police called the sighting, “smoke and mirrors.”

The four girls started to face more and more problems and later found out Alison had a twin, Courtney, that even Alison’s best friends didn’t know about.  Eventually they started to uncover secrets about Courtney.

Could Courtney be the killer?  You will just have to read this amazing book series and find out all the secrets yourself.

Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins

Reviewed by: Chris Singer

About the author:

Mitali Perkins (mitaliperkins.com) was born in India and immigrated to the States with her parents and two sisters when she was seven. Bengali-style, their names rhyme: Sonali means “gold,” Rupali means “silver,” and “Mitali” means “friendly.” Mitali had to live up to her name because her family moved so much — she’s lived in India, Ghana, Cameroon, England, New York, Mexico, California, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Massachusetts.

Mitali studied political science at Stanford University and Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley before deciding to try and change the world by writing stories for young readers. Now she’s settled in Newton, a town just outside of Boston, where she writes full-time.

About the book:

Chiko isn’t a fighter by nature. He’s a book-loving Burmese boy whose father, a doctor, is in prison for resisting the government. Tu Reh, on the other hand, wants to fight for freedom after watching Burmese soldiers destroy his Karenni family’s home and bamboo fields. Timidity becomes courage and anger becomes compassion as each boy is changed by unlikely friendships formed under extreme circumstances.

This coming-of-age novel takes place against the political and military backdrop of modern-day Burma. Narrated by two fifteen-year-old boys on opposing sides of the conflict between the Burmese government and the Karenni, one of the many ethnic minorities in Burma, Bamboo People explores the nature of violence, power, and prejudice.

My take on the book:

In reading Bamboo People, this was my introduction to the works of Mitali Perkins. I was interested in reviewing this book due to my own personal experience several years ago teaching independent living skills to Burmese refugee youth. Almost all of the youth I met were either former child soldiers or had been orphaned due to the conflict in their country.

With that in mind, I found Ms. Perkins’ book to be a fascinating opportunity for readers to enter a world, occupied by youth similar in age to themselves, but characterized by horrible conflict and fear. The two main characters (Chiko and Tu Reh) are youth from opposing sides of the Burmese conflict. Chiko’s father was imprisoned as an “enemy of the state” for reading books. Chiko’s family is desperate for money so he answers a newspaper ad requesting teachers. The ad is a ruse however and he gets captured and conscripted into the army. Tu Reh is a Karenni refugee who lost his home and village to Burmese soldiers. He is understandably driven to enter the conflict by revenge but the words of his wise father keep him guessing his own intentions. Both main characters have their own internal conflicts, some typical of adolescent youth the world over, which will make them quite relatable for young readers.

Both characters eventually meet up under extraordinary circumstances. As the story comes to its c