Review:Ninth Ward may be told through the voice of a child, but there is absolutely nothing childish about this story. Giving a warm, love-filled glimpse into what life was like in the Ninth Ward, prior to Hurricane Katrina,
Jewell Parker Rhodes eases her readers into Lanesha's tale.
In the person of Lanesha, Rhodes crafted a character that I hope students will look up to - socially on the fringe because of her ability to see ghosts, Lanesha wastes no time pitying herself because she isn't popular. Instead, she works her tail off in school, befriends the friendless, and lavishes love on those who do love her. Mama Ya Ya, the woman who raised her, taught her to love herself and that's exactly what she does.
"At lunch, I eat my tuna sandwich and apple juice at my table. I call it "my table," 'cause no one else will sit with me. But, unlike TaShon, I don't try to be invisible. I sit right in the middle of the cafeteria. I'm not ashamed of me."
Much of
Ninth Ward gives an inside look into what life was like for residents of New Orleans' Ninth Ward in the days leading up to, and after, one of our country's most notorious hurricanes. Many people there, like Mama Ya Ya, were too poor to own a car or too old to leave on their own two feet, so they were forced to stay in their homes for the duration. The flooding that followed was perhaps more terrifying than the storm itself - a disaster that Lanesha simply and powerfully illustrates.
It bears mentioning that
Ninth Ward is also a ghost story. Lanesha can see spirits and Mama Ya Ya has an uncanny ability to interpret dreams and foretell future events - an ability that saves more than one life in this story.
Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves, Simon Pulse, 2010, 464 pp, ISBN: 1416986189
Recap:
When Hanna shows up on her mother's doorstep with a suitcase full of pills and purple clothes, she doesn't seem too worried about the fact that she and her mother have never met. And that her constant companion is the ghost of her Poppa. And that she's leaving behind the aunt whom she most likely murdered - but she can't be sure since she didn't stick around to check for a pulse.
Hanna's mother doesn't want anything to do with her, but that doesn't stop 16-year-old Hanna from making herself at home. Together, they wager a deal: Hanna has two weeks to fit in and make friends in Portero, TX - something her mother thinks will be impossible. If she does, she can stay. If she doesn't, she'll be on the first bus back to Aunt Ulla's (who, by the way, is still alive).
After years of different diagnoses, the latest being manic depressive, Hanna is used to being the "freak" in her class. But she's never been to a town like Portero before. Here, she's just another teenage girl.
Review:
Our protagonist, Hanna, is faaaaaar from typical: She talks with ghosts and a wooden swan, is completely unafraid of suicide, uses sex to make allies, and wears only the color purple. That last one seems pretty normal in comparison now, right? When she shows up at her mother's house, whom she's never even met, and just walks right in in the middle of the night and starts making grilled cheese sandwiches, Hanna can't understand why Rosalee isn't happy to see/meet her.
But while Hanna is pretty bizarre in her own right,
Dia Reeves has created something even more strange in the town of Portero, TX. This town is full of monsters, hidden doors, magical keys, possessed people, and a mayor who isn't afraid to put a curse on you - even after you're dead.
Using Portero as a backdrop, Reeves tackles intense themes like mental illness, abandonment, and death. Sex and race also play a role in this story. At one point Hanna comments, "I'm sorry. I can't believe I asked you that. I hate it when people ask me that [What are you?]." When her friend responds, "Why would they ask you?" Hanna replies, "Because I'm biracial. People look a
8th Grade Super-Zero by Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Arthur A. Levine Books, 2010, 336 pp, ISBN: 0545096766
Recap: "Say to them,say to the down-keepers,the sun-slappers,the self-soilers,the harmony-hushers,'even if you are not ready for day,it cannot always be night.'" - Gwendolyn Brooks, from "Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward"
Reggie is a zero. After vomiting in front of the entire student body on the first day of school, more people now know him as "Pukey" than as "Reggie." He has his two best friends, Ruthie and Joe C, but it's tough to be thankful for two when you're teased on a daily basis by pretty much everyone else.
Reggie's youth group, made up of kids from all different schools, is the only place where he gets to just be himself. When the group gets involved at a local homeless shelter, Reggie stops trying to shrink into the background and actually starts stepping up to lead some things. And it feels pretty good.
But stepping up at school, in front of Donovan, Hector, Sparrow and all of the other kids who love making him miserable... it would take a super hero to do that.
Review:This is NOT at all what I was expecting. I vividly remember seeing this title on at least 6 different blog posts over at Reading In Color last year. I had wanted to read it because Ari was such a huge fan, but just kept putting it off. When I decided to take on the personal challenge of reading ONLY books by or about people of color for this month, 8th Grade Super Zero was at the top of my list.
Honestly, even though it had such stellar recommendations
Carmen: An Urban Adaptation of the Opera by Walter Dean Myers, Egmont USA, 2011, 122 pp, ISBN: 1606841920
Recap: When Carmen - a gorgeous, young, Dominican woman - sees Jose - the boy she had a crush on so many years ago - it doesn't matter that he is a police offer (who will soon be arresting her!), all of the old feelings come rushing back.
Jose quickly falls deeply in love, but it isn't long before he begins to show the darker side of his feelings. Carmen always thought true love was dangerous, but she still wasn't prepared for this.
Review:Walter Dean Myers is the man. 145th Street, Street Love, Handbook for Boys... these books are phenomenal, convincing kids who think they hate reading that books might not actually be so bad.
But Carmen? This was a big miss for me. Written like the script of a play, or an opera in this case, Carmen is an extremely quick read. I initially envisioned using it for readers theater once I'm back in a classroom again. But as the story progressed, I felt increasingly disenchanted.
The main characters, Carmen and Jose, fall madly in love in the space of about one page. And then a few pages later they've broken up. And then a few pages later they're in love again. And then... you get the idea. The cycle repeats. And it was all the more irritating because there wasn't any real, rational backstory on WHY they were seeming to fall in and out of love. Carmen thought Jose didn't love her anymore because he had to go to work. Jose thought Carmen didn't love him because she wouldn't move to Puerto Rico. Sheesh.
And I typically think Mr. Walter Dean Myers is an outstanding writer. But the dialogue here? Not so much. It just felt choppy and stilted, like there wasn't a real person behind it. Here's just one example:"Pain? Not love? Jose, maybe we need to slow this train down. I don't know if I'm ready to make a lifetime thing of this."
"Carmen, don't... Don't think of being away from me. I've given up my whole car
While others spend months eagerly anticipating the Superbowl or NBA championships... I get all hot and bothered over SLJ's The Battle of the Kids Books! This March-Madness-bracket-style-tournament is just way too much fun to follow. Not only do your favorite books of the past year duke it out against each other, each day's winner is decided by a different author and then eloquently defended by said author. These are typically my favorite reviews of the entire year.
I'm thrilled that
the list of contenders is out now because I'm going to make darn sure I read every single one before the battle begins.
And if
Between Shades of Gray doesn't win... someone will pay. Unless
A Monster Calls wins. Ok, who am I kidding? I've only read 4 out of 16 books on the list! Lots of catching up to do... What about you, book lovers?? Which of
the contenders gets your vote?!
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis, Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2009, 352 pp, ISBN: 0375857141
Recap:Octavia and Tali may not realize it yet, but Mare didn't used to be anybody's grandmother.
Spending the summer on a cross-country road trip in Mare's little red sports car should have made for the most boring summer of their lives. But both girls are in for a few surprises. Before this trip is over, Octavia and Tali are going to get a whole new perspective on their grandma, their own family, and their country.
Review:Holy smokes, I could not have chosen a better book to kick off my BHM reading challenge!
I've always wanted to read Mare's War because I L.O.V.E. that cover. The original cover (below) is just fine, and reflects a little bit more of the story, but the paperback cover... wow. That is one gorgeous, powerful image! For more information on the cover, check out this post and this post from thatcovergirl.
Author Tanita S. Davis used one of my favorite techniques to tell the story of Mare's War: duel narrators. Octavia, the younger granddaughter, narrates the chapters titled "Now," giving us the scoop as their road trip progresses, and reacting to Mare's narrative, titled "Then." Octavia and her older sister Tali's commentary certainly wasn't the real meat of the story, but their present-day relationship created an interesting parallel alongside Mare's remembrances
of her own relationship with her little sister Feen. The presence of the two girls also helped to flesh out the image of Mare as a grandmother:"Mare mutters something under her breath and turns toward Tali. Tilting down her enormous sunglasses, she stares down at my sister.'Talitha, you're not going to be a pain in my behind this whole trip, are you?'"
Oh February, you have arrived. The month for red lacy hearts, slushy snow... and National Black History Month! I know many people feel a certain way about the fact that BHM even exists. It does inherently express the idea that Black history isn't studied or celebrated in the other 11 months, so we better make sure we do it in February. And really, should there even be such a thing as "Black history?" Shouldn't there just be "history?" Unfortunately, it seems that, in many districts, Black history truly is not studied for most of the other 11 months of the year. And that got me thinking... what about books written by and about people of color?
I was shocked and dismayed to read the following statistic:
out of approximately 30,000 YA and MG releases in 2011, only around 60 were written by a Black author. Really??
That's only 0.2%! Of course, those facts were put together by a group of bloggers so there is certainly a margin for error. But even then...
Shocking.
Reflecting back on my own reading habits, I realized that I personally read very few titles written by or about people of color. Is that partly a reflection of what's available? Sure, but that's no excuse. So I came up with a personal challenge:
For the month of February, I will ONLY read and review YA and MG novels written by and/or about people of color.
I am super excited to dive into this reading adventure. I found book lists
here and
here that are helping to supplement my library list. Come back tomorrow for my first review!
And now I ask you book lovers, what are your thoughts on Black History Month? Do you have any must-reads for me this month? And are there any of you who would like to join me in this challenge?
image from here
Kisses from Katie: A Story of Relentless Love and Redemption by Katie Davis, Howard Books, 2011, 288 pp, ISBN: 1451612060
I am delighted today to feature a guest post from my sister, Sarah. Sarah is truly a one-in-a-million kind of woman - one of the most joyful, optimistic, adventure-seeking, fun-loving people I know. Several years ago she introduced me to my all time favorite author of non-fiction: Shauna Niequist. This past winter break, she was completely and utterly absorbed in another book: Kisses from Katie. To be honest, I initially thought the title was a little ridiculous for an adult book. Actually, I still do. Had it not been for Sarah's boundless enthusiasm for the story, I never would have picked it up. Thank goodness that girl knows how to book talk!
Because Sarah was the one who introduced me to Katie Davis and her children, I wanted her to introduce you all as well. Nope, this is not a YA book per se - although the author, along with pretty much everyone in it, is a young adult. And it is largely a book about faith, and I know that will deter many, but please do not let that deter you. If you are still reading, Bravo! You will not be disappointed.Two days ago as I wandering the aisles of Barnes and Noble, I spotted this book on a shelf. I recognized it from the blog Kisses From Katie that a friend had shown me months ago. I picked it up and couldn't put it down. I had to get it. Two days later I've finished reading the story of Katie and her girls.
At the age of 16 Katie felt that God was calling her to do something big with her life. She first visited Uganda as a Senior for three weeks and then returned after graduation. With only a few visits back to the States, Uganda has become her permanent home.
The Future of Us by Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler, Razorbill, 2011, 356 pp, ISBN: 1595144919
Recap:Discmans, disposable cameras, beepers, and YM magazine... Yup, the year is 1996. Emma's dad just sent her a new laptop, and she's eager to try it out. Thankfully, her neighbor - Josh - just brought over a CD so that she can download AOL. Score!
But when Emma and Josh start surfing the net, they quickly realize that they didn't just download AOL. They got Facebook. Which won't even be invented for another 8 years.
Facebook reveals what their lives will be like 15 years in the future: their marriages, careers, kids, and other friends. Not only that, they learn that by making little changes in the present, they can dramatically change the future. But will that much information be a blessing or a curse?
Review:After the last few tear-jerkers I've read, The Future of Us was a welcome relief! Authors Jay Asher and Carolyn Mackler make readers wonder just how much we would actually like to know about the future. I've often wished for the ability to know how things will turn out. Will I get that job? Will our house offer be accepted? I think that's just human nature. But since reading The Future of Us, I'm no longer sure that I would be quite so eager for that preemptive glimpse into the unknown.
Emma and Josh had been best friends for pretty much their entire lives, until Josh made an attempt to be more than friends, and then things just got awkward. Their shared Facebook secret seemingly brought them back together again, but the more that they learn about each others' futures, the more uncomfortable things become. And that's not even taking into account what they've seen in the future-lives of their friends and family members...
I thought the premise behind the book was unique and thought-provoking. Back when I was a teenager, I absolutely would have wanted to see where I went to college and who I ended up marrying. But Josh and Emma's story also reinforced the notion that the seemingly insignifica
Variant by Robison Wells, HarperTeen, 2011, 384 pp, ISBN: 0062026089
Recap:After years in the foster care system, Benson has decided to take his future into his own hands, and applied to Maxfield Academy. But upon his arrival, Benson quickly learns that Maxfield Academy is nothing like the school he had anticipated.
There are no teachers, no administrators, no cafeteria workers... no adults whatsoever. The school is run completely by students who have split themselves amongst three rival gangs: the Society, Havoc, and Variant.
Benson can't fathom why no one is trying to escape. They are being held prisoner, and few students seem to even care! But then he finds the graveyard. Some students were killed in the gang wars, and still others were rumored to have been killed in Detention. Maxfield Academy is a place more sinister than Benson could have ever imagined.
But even the graveyard pales in comparison when Benson discovers Maxfield's real secret. Review:Like Blink & Caution, I likely would never have picked up Variant had I not seen it on a "Best of 2011" book list. Again, I would have been missing out.
Variant is completely out of the ordinary: a boarding school story twisted up in a mystery and then gradually unveiled as science fiction. As I just finished reading Divergent, Maxfield Academy's three gangs initially reminded me of the factions. At Maxfield, the gangs were essentially created for survival. Without adults, the school's first waves of students struggled to govern themselves, and those struggles e
One of the central components of a book blog is book reviews. This is pretty obvious! But lately I've been wondering, how often do we actually read the reviews of other bloggers?
Personally, I tend to read reviews for 3 reasons:
1. If the book is written by an author I particularly love (Hello Patrick Ness, Jenny Han, and Chris Crutcher! Just to name a few...)
2. If the cover is popping up on every single blog and I want to see what all of the fuss is about (Hello Anna and the French Kiss!)
3. If I already know that the blogger and I have pretty similar taste and that they write solid, thoughtful reviews (Hello There's a Book, Devour Books, Milk and Cookies, and Call Me Crazy, again, just to name a few...)
On the flip side, I will actively avoid reading reviews of books that I currently have checked out to read. I just don't want another blogger's words sneaking around in my head while I compose my own review.
In general, what do I look for on other blogs? I LOVE finding posts on:
1. Html tips and tricks
(Emily's Reading Room and Small Review are great sources for this)2. Information and ideas for library programming
(Super Librarian is my current go-to)3. Funny or fascinating book-related comics, cartoons, and articles
(Which I always find via Kate's Library and Lovely Little Shelf)So what about you, book lovers? How often do you really read reviews? And what other types of content do you get excited to see?
image from here
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, Philomel, 2011, 344 pp, ISBN: 0399254129
Recap:It is 1941. Joseph Stalin and the NKVD are purging the Baltic states. Lina and her mother and brother have been ripped from the home in the night, separated from her father. They are shoved into a train car with other Lithuanians who have somehow also managed to sin against the Soviets, including a woman who has just given birth and her newborn baby.
As their train hurtles across Lithuania and into China, Lina has no way of knowing where they will eventually stop, or if she will ever see her father again. She has no idea that it will be over a decade before she is allowed to go home again. She cannot yet know that, when that day comes, her home will no longer exist.
This is Lina's story.
Review:Between Shades of Gray is the kind of book that has the power to transform lives. I literally cannot stop talking and thinking about it. I don't remember ever learning about the Baltic purges in school, and I hope that I was just not paying attention, because to not teach about this era in our world's history would be a travesty.
Ruta Sepetys' writing is absolutely stunning. She has taken one of the darkest eras in our history, and transformed it into a story that lives and breathes and begs to be read. Between Shades of Gray could easily have been written for adults - and indeed, it should be read by adults - but the main character, Lina, makes it wholly accessible for teens. Lina is an artist, a devotee of Munch, using her drawings as a means to try and contact her father. Lina is a warrior, vehement in her opinions, using her inner strength to stay alive. Lina is human, making mistakes, feeling every possible emotion, giving readers a character with whom they can connect.
All of Sepetys' characters were written with such detail, it felt like I was watching a movie, rather than reading words on a page. If I close my eyes, I can still easily see the bald man - one of my favorites, or Lina's mother - easily one of the strongest, most courageous women ever written into being. As I read, I could smell Andrius' cigarette, the stench of the garbage thrown at Lina and Jonas, and the icy crispness of the snow across the Siberian tundra. Reading Between Shades of Gray is an experience for all of
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd, Candlewick, 2011, 224 pp, ISBN: 0763655597
Recap:Conor has been visited nightly by a monster for months now, for over a year. Ever since his mother told him she had cancer, and maybe even before then, the monster has been showing up in his nightmares.
But now a new monster is visiting him when he is awake. And the monster is coming to tell him stories. And to hear Conor's own story. What in the world kind of monster does that?
But these aren't "just" stories. "Stories are wild creatures. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?"
Review:Patrick Ness is a genius. Of that, I am certain. His Chaos Walking trilogy absolutely slayed me. And yet, as I cracked the spine of A Monster Calls and turned the first page, I was filled with some trepidation. What if the magic wasn't there anymore? What if I only felt it with Todd and Viola? Well, I needn't have worried. Even reading the opening author's note, relating the story of how he was asked to flesh out the idea from Siobhan Dowd following her untimely death, filled me with that special, shivery, Patrick Ness magic."And now it's time to hand the baton on to you. Stories don't end with the writers, however many started the race. Here's what Sioban and I came up with. So go. Run with it. Make trouble."
See what I mean? Love this man.
A Monster Calls is very, very different from the Chaos Walking books. Todd and Viola's story felt to me like fireworks or cannons blasting, fast paced and powerful. But this new story was quieter, "thicker" somehow, like a big, thick, warm blanket that curls around you while you read.
Conor. our main character, is grappling with the fact that his mother is dying of cancer. With his father in America with his n
Well, I sure didn't see that coming.
I'm more than a little heartbroken that Ruta Sepetys' absolutely STUNNING novel,
Between Shades of Gray, didn't even get a Printz Honor. There were so many books I was certain would be honored today -
Okay for Now,
Wonderstruck (although it did win a Schneider Award),
A Monster Calls... And how were there only 2 Newbery Honors??? What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall in the judges' rooms.
On the plus side, I'm celebrating Printz Honors and Odyssey Honors for Maggie Stiefvater's
The Scorpio Races! And Newbery Honors for Thanhha Lai's
Inside Out and Back Again!
And I'm excited to add to my must-read list:
-
I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (
Geisel Honor)
-
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet (
Sibert Winner)
-
Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (
Pura Belpre Winner and
Morris Honor)
-
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley (
Printz Winner and
Morris Winner)
What did y'all think of the
2012 ALA Youth Media Awards? Which awards had you standing and cheering? Which books do you think were overlooked? And which titles are you now excited to dive into?
Divergent by Veronica Roth, Katherine Tegen Books, 2011, 496 pp, ISBN: 0062024027
Recap:Abnegation - SelflessnessDauntless - CourageAmity - Friendship and PeaceCandor - HonestyErudite - KnowledgeThe year that you turn 16, you must choose your faction. And by choosing your faction, your future and way of life. And don't forget, "faction before family," so choose wisely. Once you've made your choice, there's no going back.
After making her own choice, Beatrice thought that the hardest part was behind her. But Beatrice is Divergent. Unique. Undefinable. For her, the hardest part is just beginning. Her faction's initiation will test her to her very core. If she can't pass the tests of initiation? She will be factionless.
And with the mounting tension and veiled threats swirling between the factions, the only thing worse than being in the wrong faction, is to not be in one at all.
Review:Oh Book Lovers, considering the fact that I'm likely the last blogger on earth to read Divergent, what can I say that hasn't already been said? Probably not a whole lot, so I'll keep this brief!
1.
2 Comments on Divergent, last added: 1/24/2012
I'll take 2 please!
Image, and all of the glorious details on
Lisa Finster's creations, from
here.
So freaking awesome.
Imagine the work that went into this! There's a little blurb about this video's creation when you click over to the YouTube version. Love, love, love...
Thank you to Tina from Tina Says for sharing this first!
So freaking awesome.
Imagine the work that went into this! There's a little blurb about this video's creation when you click over to the YouTube version. Love, love, love...
Thank you to Tina from Tina Says for sharing this first!
Can you guess what my first completed read of 2012 was?
Here are a few hints...
- a futuristic focus on cloning
- a family tree so detailed it needs its own diagram
- a Printz Honor, Newbery Honor, and National Book Award winner
Leave your best guess! The review will be up and winners will be announced tomorrow.
Can you guess what my first completed read of 2012 was?
Here are a few hints...
- a futuristic focus on cloning
- a family tree so detailed it needs its own diagram
- a Printz Honor, Newbery Honor, and National Book Award winner
Leave your best guess! The review will be up and winners will be announced tomorrow.
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This reminds me of a student who once asked me for a book by "Sharon Anything" because she loved both Draper and Flake so much!
I read Planet Middle School recently and wasn't impressed either. I felt like it was a bit lazy and the verse format didn't really add anything. Boo. Still, I love Bronx Masquerade.
I like Nikki's love poems - shh don't tell anybody! I am not a sentimental person!
Princess of A-A Authorland (along with the Sharons) has to be Jacqueline Woodson. The poise, the presence, the versatility! That's what makes royalty for me. Much like Hot Harry on a Horse. :)
I love "Sharon Anything!" And I hate to agree with with the PMS comment... but I really do. It was just kind of blah to me.
Yes! Jacqueline Woodson is to talented!!! I had a lot of students who really enjoyed "Miracle's Boys."
Great post! I hopped over from Jana's blog, Milk & Cookies, to say hello. :-)
I'll have to try Planet Middle School. I only just stumbled across the novel-in-verse thing, and I'm eager to try more!
Thanks! I hope you come back :)
I looove novels written in verse. Planet Middle School didn't do it for me, but there are so many other good ones. Street Love by Walter Dean Myers is a favorite. And Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai is lovely!