100 Sideways Miles...a long delayed review

A lot of things factor into the writing of a book review, as you fellow bloggers know. Immediate impressions of the writing and the themes, likeable characters, believable plots, relatability to the book, all these things factor in to my willingness to sit down and take the time to write a review. Unfortunately, the longer I put off the review, the less likely it is that I will even come back around it as the story starts to fade in my mind.

Such is the case with 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith. I liked the book but it was just weird enough that I didn't (don't) know how to write a review of it. I read the book months ago and today, finally, I make my first stab at a review of it. Should I focus on the weird way that the main character, Finn, prefers to measure time in miles? I don't even know how he does it. He has got it figured out that the Earth rotates around the sun at a rate of 20 miles per second which leads him to the conclusion that the event where a dead horse fell from the bridge, killing his mother and rendering him as an epileptic, took five seconds or 100 sideways miles. Even though the time/distance thing is weird it doesn't dominate the book. It appears more like a quirky literary device. I liked it but since I personally can't do the calculations I started ignoring the time/distance references.

Next I wondered if a better way to review the book was to hold it up next to other books by Smith and kind of do a Venn-diagram-thing by comparing and contrasting them. That idea would work except I couldn't think of many things to compare except the use of foul language and sexual messages, lots of them, and how much print space should be dedicated to these topics? Well, actually I do want to say a bit about the foul language. I am not a prude. I've been an educator for a lot of years working with teens. I know many teens often supplant actual verbs and nouns for foul words. But does every other word out of a characters mouth need to be a foul word? Sigh. The abundant use of foul language actually reduced my enjoyment of the book. All three of the books contain LOTS of foul language with this one topping the list. The sexual content actually worried me enough that I considered not placing 100 Sideways Miles and The Grasshopper Jungle on my Mock Printz reading list. I was worried what parents would think.

Actually now that I am on a comparison vein I should mention that a lot of reviewers are comparing 100 Sideways Miles to Smith's other works, especially Winger and The Grasshopper Jungle and most think that this book is a bit more complex and well-done. I honestly liked all the books but worry about them in equal measure. (See note above.) Both Grasshopper and 100 are coming-of-age tales which really explore the friendship between boys, Finn and Cade in this book/Austin and Robby in Grasshopper. These relationships are well fleshed-out whereas girlfriends in the books are just peripheral characters. Since I am always looking for books that would be attractive to male readers this is a real asset. Boys at my school get so tired of reading those "lovey-dovey" books obviously aimed at female readers. Neither of these books would be described  that way , even though Finn does experience first love and his atoms turn all sticky around Julia.

Lest you think the two books are the same story with two different covers, they are not. Soon after the coming-of-age beginning, Grasshopper Jungle veers sharply into the Science Fiction realm with big, gigantic insects eating up everything and awful happenings to the world because of the actions of the two boys, Austin and Robby. Nothing nearly so melodramatic happens in this book but the ending is tremendously satisfying and, I should mention, involves a bridge and a jump that lasted, oh let's say, probably about 100 sideways miles.


 

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

2014 will long be remembered by me as the year I was initiated into the literary genre magical realism. It started with One Hundred Years of Solitude, the quintessential novel written in the magical realism style by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, followed closely by Bless Me, Ultima. Both are classics and I highly recommend them. True confessions though, my appreciation of the style grew because of my willingness to read information about the books and the style on Shmoop and other lit-helper sites.

When The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender came along I felt well-prepared to read another book in the magical realism style. I didn't even flinch when the aunt turned into a canary...an actual bird, when ghosts of long dead family members spoke to the living, or when Ava was born with wings. Unfortunately this book doesn't have SparkNotes yet so the reader is on his/her own to figure out what all the symbolism and magical elements mean.

Ostensibly the book is an account of Ava Lavender's family history, one where she recounts how all the females in the family have trouble with love. So it shouldn't come as a shock to anyone if a girl born with wings doesn't expect anything so "grandiose as love" to come her way. Yet, the whole book is really about love, or more accurately about the many ways that love can be denied. The author Leslye Walton says it is about the "scars love's victims carry."

Ava Lavender is born with wings.  Of course she has wings BUT she cannot fly. The way I see it she cannot fly because her wings are pinioned by her family history. Don't we all have to break out of what is holding us back before we can fly?

I am a huge fan of this book. I caution readers to be patient with it and not to read it too literally. Let the story unfold. Allow the magic to seep into the pages and then you will find the multiple layers of meaning underneath the obvious one, making the reading experience very rich and fulfilling.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton. Brilliance Audio, 2014, performed by Cassandra Campbell. Purchased.

Review: This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

When I was a young girl my parents were missionaries in West Africa. We lived in the capitol city but would occasionally take vacations "up-country". One of those vacation trips can be recalled with crystal clarity: a lizard on my sister's pillow; diving off the high-dive for the first time; eating Danish butter cookies from a blue tin; collecting butterflies with my mother; attempting to start a small fire without matches for a Camp Fire Girls badge; even drinking milk from a pyramid-shaped container. Though nothing astonishing, heroic, or dramatic happened, for some reason that vacation has stayed very vivid in my memory all these years later.

As I read This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki, with illustrations by her cousin Jillian Tamaki, I had a sense that "this summer" had similar qualities to "my vivid vacation"...it was one of those time periods frozen in the memory banks forever. Mariko Tamaki says it isn't a memoir in the sense that the events in the book didn't happen to her but her family did vacation at a lake in Canada every summer which formed the basics of the setting, at least. The first page of this graphic novel sets the scene at a cabin at Awago Beach where the family has been coming "since...like...forever."

Rose Wallace and her friend Windy link up every year during the vacation days at the beach and their friendship seems to pick up where it left off last summer. This summer the girls seem to be poised right on the brink of adolescence, maybe they are twelve but more likely they are ten or eleven. They are just old enough to start thinking about "adult-ish" things and they, especially Rose, start noticing what the older kids at the resort are up to. I remember that phase in my life, don't you? I remember observing my older cousins and their comings and goings with a sense of awe.

As Rose spends part of her summer lurking around and watching adults, she discovers that her own mother is seriously depressed about a previous miscarriage that occurred earlier. She even becomes a heroine in her own story as she helps her mother emerge from her malaise.

I worried and fretted before adding this book to our Mock Printz list for the year. Since the main characters are not teenagers I wondered if my teens would relate to them. The coming-of-age theme and the "moment frozen in time" aspects of the book seem to strike a universal chord. All my readers have returned the book with good reviews. It doesn't hurt that the illustrations are fabulous and most teens enjoy reading material in the graphic novel format.

I recommend that you take a peek at the book yourself.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson may well be the best YA novel of the year

Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I'll meet you there. ---Rumi

I believe in nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections and the truth of the imagination. ---John Keats

Where there is great love, there are always miracles. ---Willa Cather

It takes great courage to grow up and become who you really are. ---e.e. cummings

These are the epigraphs at the beginning of I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson. Having finished the book and come back around to the beginning, I see how each is a perfect introduction to the book and its themes. The story is told in alternating chapters by fraternal twins Noah and Jude each from one side or the other of an accident that dramatically alters their lives. In a household where ART is supreme each are raised as artistic prodigies striving to get into the prestigious art school across town. Noah, who narrates the story before the accident, is especially artistically talented. He has the uncanny ability to rapidly paint the pictures that populate his every thought.

As twins, Noah and Jude each represent half of the whole. They find comfort and solace in each others presence and seem to actually have the ability to know the mind of the other. Jude is bold and courageous, Noah fearful and timid until they meet Brian and each briefly vies for his attention. "Although Nelson portrays the relationship between the twins, their oneness, as comforting, more often it is claustrophobic — perhaps contributing to the book’s tense, almost breathless feel. One of their favorite games is to divide up the world between them, choosing and bartering the sun or the trees or the oceans. There is the sense that the world is simply not big enough for both of them" ( Lauren Oliver,  author and NYT reviewer).

Each of the twins vie for the attention of one of their parents, often reflecting on the rightness or wrongness of actions or beliefs. things get downright competitive between the siblings as the date for art school application approaches. In the chapters after the accident, narrated by Jude, the story has a touch of magical realism when we find the ghost of her grandmother offering pithy advice and directions. One is never sure if it really is a ghost or if it is just the lack of ability to deal with reality. A ghost giving advice sounds corny and gimmicky but it actually works, especially considering Jude's frame of mind after the accident. Mary Oliver, my favorite poet, reminds me "what's magical, sometimes, has deeper roots than reason."

Reviewers don't agree on whether they like some of the writing techniques employed by Nelson, but I really liked them.  Noah, who always sees paintings in his head, lets the reader into his head when he tells us what portrait he would paint given a certain situation:

(SELF-PORTRAIT: The Boy Hiding Inside the Boy Hiding Inside the Boy)

(PORTRAIT: Mom and Dad with Screeching Tea Kettles for Heads)

(SELF-PORTRAIT: Boy Dives into a Lake of Light)

And Jude, who frequently reads and tries to follow the sayings in the book given to her at Grandma Sweetwine's death,  is very aware of their "truths" in her life:

A person in possession of a four-leaf clover is able to thwart all sinister influences.

*

To avoid serious illness, keep an onion in your pocket

*

If a boy gives a girl an orange, her love for him will multiply.

*

Like so many YA novels I'll Give You the Sun defies categorization. It is definitely a coming-of-age tale where Jude and Noah are able to grow outside their grief to a place where they are whole. It is also a mystery. What happened that caused the twins to break apart? What caused the accident? It is also a beautiful love story between Brian and Noah. The LGBT themes in this book are handled exquisitely.

Of all the YA books I've read this year (over thirty in total) I'll Give You the Sun is by far my favorite. It has depth and texture not often found in the pages of YA novels. ART is the central theme of the book, which is a theme not oft explored in literature aimed at this age group. "The book celebrates art’s capacity to heal, but it also shows us how we excavate meaning from the art we cherish, and how we find reflections of ourselves within it (NYT). It is my hope that teen readers will find themselves reflected in the pages and will be able to celebrate the unique talents they, too, have been given in life.

Even though it is a bit late in the game for a substitution, I am adding I'll Give You the Sun to my list of books being considered for the BHS Mock Printz workshop.

As e.e. cummings said it indeed does take great courage to grow up and become who you really are.

Nelson, Jandy. I'll Give You the Sun. Dial Books, September 2014.
Obtained from my school library.

Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin

Near the end of last school year I had a discussion with a student. I asked him if he was "transitioning" and how things were going for him at the school. The relief on this student's face was palpable when I used the word "transitioning". He asked me how I knew and I explained my confusion over which pronoun to use and another student had set me straight. We went on to discuss how difficult things were for him at the school Since he is still female as far as the district is concerned he has to use the female restroom. This has caused several problems over the year by girls who name-called and taunted him. My heart went out to him, so young and so vulnerable. I made myself a vow to get more resources in the library for transgender or questioning students.

When I saw Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out written and photographed by Susan Kuklin it was obviously one of those resources we needed in our library.

Here is description of the book from the publisher:

A groundbreaking work of LGBT literature takes an honest look at the life, love, and struggles of transgender teens. Author and photographer Susan Kuklin met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults and used her considerable skills to represent them thoughtfully and respectfully before, during, and after their personal acknowledgment of gender preference. Portraits, family photographs, and candid images grace the pages, augmenting the emotional and physical journey each youth has taken. Each honest discussion and disclosure, whether joyful or heartbreaking, is completely different from the other because of family dynamics, living situations, gender, and the transition these teens make in recognition of their true selves.

 Obviously it will appeal to a very small segment of our school population but it will fill a big void in my the libraries information. It was a quick read, taking me less than two hours to consume. I suggest that all public and most high school libraries should stock this book.

Otherbound by debut author Corrine Duyvis

High school can be hard on the most popular of kids. But for Nolan, an amputee with a seizure-disorder, high school is almost unmanageable. At least everyone thinks he has a seizure disorder by the way that he zones out for long periods of time, seemingly gone from the world. In actuality Nolan is gone from the world. Every time he closes his eyes he is transported into the mind of Amara, a servant girl living in a place called Dunelands. In Dunelands, where mages and magic are common, Amara is forced to protect the exiled princess from harm. She does so by allowing harm from magic spells to hurt her instead of the princess. She can survive these magical spells because her body magically itself. Nolan has been watching this from afar for years until he suddenly realizes that he can manipulate her body causing Amara to become aware of his presence. They end up having to work together to discover the truth about the princess and those in charge of the revolution.

Debut author Corrine Duyvis has imagined a complex plot and fully flushed out an imaginary world in Otherbound. Dunelands seemed more real to me than our Earth. Magic spells and counter spells got all tangled up with detrimental effects on everyone. Relationships were complicated, messy, and sometimes hurtful. The conclusion was tense and exciting and didn't resolve predictably. Oddly, however, Duyvis went a bit overboard on trying to be inclusive. Nolan is an amputee, Latino boy. Amara is a mute servant because her tongue was cut out when she was a child. There are LGBT themes at play. To some degree these issues threatened to swamp the story rather than move it forward. Ryan Paulsen, for SLJ, disagrees with me,  he thinks "the true strength of the novel is in its positive portrayal of LGBT issues." Guess you will have to read it and decide for yourself.

Otherbound is one of our Mock Printz books. We selected it based on the first 50-pages, which was all I had read up to that point before our selection committee met. Students aren't as enamored with it as I'd hoped. They report that it is confusing (it is) and it takes a long time for the story to develop (it does.) Several students haven't even read it to the end, which is a shame since the ending is so exciting. Honestly, I understand their position and will do a better job setting up future readers of this book by telling them a bit more of the storyline to help ease the confusion.

Duyvis’s debut is an exciting take on the fantasy genre. I'd actually like to read more about this world.

Review: Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Jam Gallauhue is unable to deal with the grief over the death of her British-Exchange-Student boyfriend and eventually finds herself in The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in Vermont, and in Mrs Q's Special Topics English class. None of this matters because all Jam wants is her boyfriend, Reese Maxfield, but that cannot happen, ever. Then one day Jam opens her class journal and before a sentence is on the page she is in Belzhar, a place of happy memories, memories from before...

In the Special Topics In English class Mrs. Q only teaches it when there is the right mix of students, this time only five get invited to join the class, Jam in one of them. The author they will be studying is Sylvia Plath, especially her only novel, The Bell Jar. They are also required to write in their special journals twice a week.

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer received quite a bit of advanced publicity before it was even published. My team and I selected it as a Mock Printz selection before any of us had read it based on all that publicity. Unfortunately, I am not sure that the book lived up to all the hype. I had hoped for more about and from Sylvia Plath. Wolitzer did do a good job weaving in the theme of the bell jar (Bel-zhar, get it?) into the storyline but did not include much of her poetry, or even details of her life. Plath was such a spectacular writer and poet, I  had truly looked forward to this book for more about Plath but came away disappointed.

The reviewer for the New York Times, Amber Dermont acknowledges that "one of Wolitzer’s triumphs is that they [readers of Belzhar] may be drawn to read or revisit The Bell Jar.”  I admit I do feel the urge to reread The Bell Jar now myself.

Near the beginning of her stay at the Wooden Barn school, Jam and her classmates are told that WORDS MATTER and they are encouraged to write so that they can find their own truths. Along the way to those truths Jam finds friendship and can finally face her life with honesty. Ultimately she found the help she needed to recover, help that Plath never did find for herself.

Audiobook Review: Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Cue the music for Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for a little atmospheric music while you read this blog.

Listening to the audiobook of Marina by Carlos Ruiz Zafon was a terrifying experience. It was like I was watching a scary movie, without the video component, because I had a soundtrack running through my head every time Oscar and Marina found themselves face to face with the horrifying monsters. And the music I "heard" was similar to what you are listening to right now, creepy and full of tension. I don't usually read books in the horror/gothic genre for good reason---I get scared and easily spooked.

Marina was originally published in Spanish in 1999. I am not sure why it took fifteen years until it was published here in the USA but it was worth the wait. At that time Ruiz Zafon was writing it he acknowledged that it would be his last young adult novel. Perhaps for this reason, this book is one of his favorites. It is considered  a cult classic in his native Spain. There are over 10,000 reviews on Goodreads. This is a POPULAR book worldwide.

In May 1980, fifteen-year-old Oscar Drai suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in the old quarter of Barcelona. For seven days and nights no one knows his whereabouts. . . . His story begins in the heart of old Barcelona, when he meets Marina and her father Germán Blau... Marina takes Oscar to a cemetery to watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. At 10 a.m. precisely a coach pulled by black horses appears. From it descends a woman dressed in black, her face shrouded, wearing gloves, holding a single rose. She walks over to a gravestone that bears no name, only the mysterious emblem of a black butterfly with open wings. When Oscar and Marina decide to follow her they begin a journey that will take them to the heights of a forgotten, post-war Barcelona, a world of aristocrats and actresses, inventors and tycoons; and a dark secret that lies waiting in the mysterious labyrinth beneath the city streets.-Summary from Goodreads

The audiobook was read by Daniel Weyman, a British actor, did a surprisingly good job on the Spanish words and locations in the text. Below is an audio clip of the book.  Turn off the creepy music and have a listen to Weyman read a few pages of Marina.

The reviewer for Marina on The Guardian commented that Marina is a perfect book to read this time of year (Halloween) and should be consumed in a short time frame.  That is a problem with an audiobook since most people cannot listen to anything for 7.5 hours in a row unless they are on a long car trip. It took me over a week of listening to finish it and I confess that there were times I HAD to stop listening when I wished I could continue (aka at a scary spot in the story) yet I still enjoyed the whole experience.


Source: Audio CD set; purchased.

Gabi, a Girl In Pieces by Isabel Quintero is muy bien

Gabi, A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero is just about as kick-ass, no-holds-barred book as you will ever find. It is smart and sassy and touching and sad all rolled together in one book. It made me squirm, and sigh at the same time. I was was uncomfortable and yet comforted reading it.

In Gabi, A Girl in Pieces Quintero creates a flawed character who is making her way in the world as best she can. Gabi is an overweight high school senior who dreams of dating popular boys and going to college. But her life is so full of pitholes it is amazing she can even get up in the morning. Her father is a drug addict who moves in and out of her life. She hates and loves him in equal measure. Her mother does her best to keep the household together but holds Gabi and her brother to different standards.  While the brother gets off easy for even delinquent behavior, Gabi gets blamed for things she didn't do. One of her best friends is raped and the other, Sebastian, gets kicked out of his house when he tells his parents he is gay. And, to make matters more confusing, there are boys paying attention to Gabi and there is the blossoming awareness of sexuality. While we see the year-in-the-life of Gabi, we also witness her growth right up to the point where she can finally stand up for herself and we know she will be able to make it on her own in college.

Gabi wants to be a writer and her writing talents are nurtured by her creative writing teacher who encourages Gabi to write poetry and perform it in local coffee houses. The excerpts below are just samples of the marvelous way that Quintero lets us know her character, through her poetry.  In the first excerpt, Gabi writes about what it was like having a grandmother with Alzheimer's disease. In the second, she explores her feelings about her father and his addiction. Through poetry Gabi finds her voice.


WHEN YOUR GRANDMOTHER FORGETS

When your grandmother forgets
she will forget all about you
and God.
She will forget how to knit
how to make tortillas
or why she exists.

She will wander the streets
lost in her city.
Her mind will crumble behind her
and you will scramble
picking up pieces
that she will reject
because
she does not remember you....

IN LIGHT OF THE FEAR OF MY FATHER'S DEATH I WRITE THIS DOWN
....
An occurrence
occupies a space
between thoughts
lies prostrate professing something
strange gurgle underground
in a wasteland
of waiting
twiddling thumbs
twiddle dee twiddle dee
and tapping fingers
tappity tappity tappity
waiting for his collapse
callous?
maybe.

But you don't know my dad.

Another school assignment for Gabi involved creating a personal zine. I had to look up what that word even meant. Zines are "most commonly a small circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images usually reproduced via photocopier". (Wikipedia) Gabi's zine had to do with being a woman and how one often feels like like person in pieces.  Hence, the title of the book and the odd cover art. As I read the zine I squirmed a bit.  The publication and drawings were very frank and straightforward. I wondered what male readers would do with the information.  A question worth exploring with my male readers.

Page one from Gabi's zine.

With this first novel, Quintero excels at presenting a life that is simultaneously messy and hopeful. Readers won't soon forget Gabi, a young woman coming into her own in the face of intense pressure from her family, culture and society to fit someone else's idea of what it means to be a "good" girl. A fresh, authentic and honest exploration of contemporary Latina identity. (Kirkus Reviews, Starred)

With Gabi, a Girl in Pieces Quintero is a shoo-in to win the Pura Belpre Award for books by Latino authors. I also predict that she will get a look from the Morris Award committee for debut authors. I suspect that Gabi is good enough to even get a nod from the Printz committee. Guess you can tell that I am a fan.


 

Bless Me, Ultima---A Banned Book Selection

During Banned Books Week each September the Office of Intellectual Freedom announces the top ten most frequently banned or challenged books for the previous year. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya made that list for 2013 which is completely shocking since the book was first published in 1972. It is hard to believe that anyone is still making a fuss over a book published more than forty years ago.

I selected Bless Me, Ultima as my banned book read for the year in part because of its inclusion on the list mentioned above, but mainly because of a personal experience that indirectly involved me. Several years ago an English teacher at my school assigned Bless Me, Ultima to her class of Honors students. She was a tough grader and it seemed that everything she assigned drew the ire and scrutiny of parents. I can still see in my memory the long queue of parents lined up to speak to her during back-to-school night. While most teachers had two or three parents in their lines, she had fifteen or twenty. It seemed that everyone was mad at her for something. The next day, an administrator asked if I'd ever read Bless Me, Ultima. District officials were considering pulling the book from the curriculum because of all the complaints and they wanted my opinion. Of course, I was opposed to any such action. I hadn't read the book so I had to do a little research before making a recommendation. The district ultimately decided we would stick with the book but would allow alternative books for students whose parents had objections. That's unfortunate because few books do such an amazing job of highlighting positive aspects of Hispanic culture in the U.S. Bless Me, Ultima is also a remarkable coming-of-age tale. It offers so much to contemplate, to chew over, to learn from. This is a perfect book to teach because it would generate great class discussions.

Author Rudolfo Anaya grew up in a small town in New Mexico. Bless Me, Ultima was his first novel. Anaya said he grew up listening to the magical stories told by the old people in his community. In Bless Me, Ultima the young narrator, Antonio (Tony) tells of:

"his experiences with his friends and family, his schooling, and his special friendship with Ultima, a curandera (curer) who comes to live with his family. Anaya weaves myths and legend into his tale of family life and follows Antonio's spiritual quest to reconcile the existence of evil with God. Antonio learns of the existence of other gods and forces such as sorcery. It also contains expletives (mostly in Spanish), but it reflects the pride and dignity of Chicano life. (Foerstel 228).

Antonio is a very introspective and thoughtful child who has deeply disturbing experiences at a young age, such as witnessing a man's death. With Ultima's help he learns he can gain strength even from negative experiences and that good is always stronger than evil...messages all of us need to hear.

What a pity that some parents try to "protect" their children from reading this book. Young Antonio has questions about his faith and God and he has an adult, Ultima, with whom he can discuss his concerns. Don't all children have questions of a spiritual nature? This book could provide a launching pad for great family discussions. Parents erroneously think that by preventing their children from reading information different from what they believe, children won't question their faith. More likely, children will go out and find answers to their questions elsewhere just as Antonio did when he explored the myth of the golden carp. Censorship has the exact opposite effect of what parents want.

Bless Me, Ultima catapulted itself onto my top twenty all-time favorite books. The language is so rich and evokes such beauty in my mind. I highly recommend that everyone, both young and old, read it.

“I made strength from everything that had happened to me, so that in the end even the final tragedy could not defeat me. And that is what Ultima tried to teach me, that the tragic consequences of life can be overcome by the magical strength that resides in the human heart." --Antonio in Bless Me, Ultima 

One more thing:  I listened to the audiobook of Bless Me, Ultima. Listening to Robert Ramirez, the voice actor, enhanced my reading experience because of his marvelous work. (Recorded Books, 1994).

Source:
Anaya, Ruldofo. Bless Me, Ultima. New York: Warner Books, 1972. Print.

Foerstel, Herbert. Banned in the USA. New York: Greenwood Press, 2002. Print.

A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman is a celebration of life

 

When the team of my colleagues and I assembled to select our Mock Printz list of books, none of us had read, or at least completed, A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman. Because of this we based our decision to leave the book off our list partially based on the cover art. It is not the type of book cover that would attract today's teen readers. In fact, it is likely to have the opposite effect on them.

Unfortunately, our decision to leave it off our list was premature. The book's content is lovely and quite inspiring. Written entirely in verse the book is about Veda, a classical dance student in India.  She is quite talented and even wins a local competition before tragedy strikes and she loses her leg. Now Veda must fight to regain her talents as a dancer and find balance in her life. Along the road to her recovery the reader is treated to sights and sounds of her India and learns about about how the Hindu faith is the wharf and weave of daily life. I was transported by the poetic prose and all the cultural and religious references. Below is an example of the type of writing. In this scene Veda goes to see a famous dancer perform. She is suddenly aware that it is not about the dancer but about the dance.

She sings, "What Your name is, I do not know or care.
Because I feel you everywhere I dance."
Her notes rise into the air.
She follows her voice with her body,
turning slowly, her arms outstretched like beams of light
reaching upward  from the earth.
Her palms carve a staircase into the sky.
I watch her skirts swirling around her ankles.
her hair is flying around her face,
whirling faster than the rest of her.
She is the edge of a spinning circle.
She is the stillness at its center.
She is light as a petal rising in a spiraling breeze.
She is a petal dissolving into flower-dust.
Disappearing.

On the stage,
there is no dancer.
there us only dance.

Whether or not this book wins any awards this year is beside the point, this book deserves to be read and read widely.


 

Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines

If there is one book that all teens should read today it is Eyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Headlines by Paul Fleischman. Using simple, straight-forward language, plenty of photos and charts, and tons of references, the book is a veritable treasure trove of information to help make sense of all the environmental headlines in the news today.

Fleischman, who admits that he is not an environmental scientist, became interested in putting together this book for a personal reason, bees dead on his driveway. His stated goal for writing the book is to "give the reader a foundation under their decisions." What I appreciated most was the tips for identifying the wolf in sheep clothing, companies that pretend to be green, but aren't. I was also glad to read what is often not spoken about frankly, political ideologies and how they influence environmental legislation. There was no name-calling or finger-pointing, however. He explores the connection between money and our current problems. "Science explains what nature is doing; often money explains what we are doing."

The looks at the history of environmental issues to give context to where we are today, but the reader is left with a sense of hope for the future if we take action.

As I turned the last page I determined to fight for including this book on our 2015 Mock Printz reading list. Why? Because I want as many teenagers as possible to read this book and this seemed like a place to start.

I'm not kidding. Everyone, including you, should read this book AND take action.

Say What You Will---I like it

On my Mock Printz  roll-out event yesterday I described Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern as a "romance" which is only partially true. It does have a romantic aspect but it is SO much more than that. Let me attempt to explain what I mean.

Characters: Matthew and Amy, both are seniors in high school.
     Amy is a beautiful, intelligent girl who has cerebral palsy. She can only speak with the help of a talking computer and needs assistance with things that most teens take for granted like getting from class to class and eating. Yet her brains, especially her writing abilities, have brought her a sense of notoriety in school.
     Matthew is a loner who has found himself in a world given over more and more to his compulsions. At this point it is not diagnosed as OCD yet. He worries about everything and tries to figure out how he is going to navigate through his day without drawing attention to himself. Oddly and out of character for Matthew, it is a comment that he makes in class that causes an interaction with Amy for the first time.

Normal/Unusual teenagers: both Matthew and Amy just want to be normal teens but their disabilities handcuff them to a degree.
      Amy wants to make friends yet recognizes the adult assistant assigned to help her at school are barriers to this goal. What if she has student assistants help her navigate through the school day rather than adults?
      Matthew is also lonely yet fascinated by Amy. He is secretly pleased to be selected as one of her student helpers. Will he be able to hide his obsessions from her and her parents?

The Plot: on the surface it appears that the book will unfold like most romances. Boy meets girl. Boy woos girl. Girl challenges boy to find his better self. Love ensues. 
     The first half of the book appears to follow the above pattern. When the senior prom happens near mid-book it became obvious this book will now veer off the pattern into uncharted territory. The plot twist kept me reading and interested.
   
The author: Say What You Will is author Cammie McGovern's debut YA novel. As a mother of a child with autism she understands more than most the challenges faced by children living with disabilities. In an interview with USA Today she says

As the parent of a 17-year-old son with autism, I know all too well about loneliness and isolation for kids with disabilities. As is often the case with kids on the autism spectrum, his communication may be halting and awkward, but he is, at heart, a social creature who delights in activities and the company of others. The best thing I did in the lonely, hard years after Ethan was first diagnosed was connect with a group of mothers of kids with disabilities and start an organization called Whole Children. 

Her experiences with her own son and with children she met through the Whole Children organization must have really helped her understand teens. The language and the situations in the book are quite credible and authentic.

Mock Printz selection: because of the above reasons we selected Say What You Will to be on our Mock Printz list of books this year. I will be interested to see how teens react to it. If yesterday is any indication, the reaction of teens to it will be favorable. The cover flap, which mentions John Green, will be reason enough for many teens to read it, "John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel." I don't know if I would go so far as to compare this book to those two mega-wonderful books but I do like it.

Read it yourself and let me know what you think. Say What You Will---it's good.

"Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Czar Nicholas II played dominoes."

The Family Romanov by Candace Fleming is a book with a fabulous subtitle: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia. The above quote, from the Wall Street Journal review pretty much sums up the last days of Czar Nicholas II, blithely playing cards and dominoes while his country was falling apart.

Here is the riveting story of the Russian Revolution as it unfolded. When Russia’s last tsar, Nicholas II, inherited the throne in 1894, he was unprepared to do so. With their four daughters (including Anastasia) and only son, a hemophiliac, Nicholas and his reclusive wife, Alexandra, buried their heads in the sand, living a life of opulence as World War I raged outside their door and political unrest grew.  Deftly maneuvering between the lives of the Romanovs and the plight of Russia’s peasants—and their eventual uprising—Fleming offers up a fascinating portrait, complete with inserts featuring period photographs and compelling primary-source material that brings it all to life. History doesn't get more interesting than the story of the Romanovs.- Candace Fleming

As a young teen I was captivated by the story of Czar Nicholas II of Russia, his family, and how they were killed in cold blood. I was fascinated by the very creepy Rasputin. And I wondered if Anastasia was still alive and actually kept my fingers crossed that she was. That was the depth of my knowledge about the Romanov family and condition of peasants in Russia prior to the revolution.

Now, finally, a book has been written about the last Czar of Russia that is perfect for high school students. The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, and the Fall of Imperial Russia is not too easy and childish for teen readers, nor is it overly long and tedious. It gives lots of information without over-simplifying or overwhelming the reader. Fleming, known as a scholarly yet engaging nonfiction writer, makes great use of primary documents---diaries, letters, telegrams, eye-witness accounts. The book fairly crackles with authority while remaining accessible.

Every year I try to find the perfect nonfiction book for high school students who honestly will not read adult nonfiction but get turned off on the more childish junior books which are full of sidebar columns, and disjointed artifacts on each page. The Family Romanov is just the book I've been looking for and I predict that students fascinated with Russian history, like I was as a teenager, will find it worth their time. And they will learn a lot if they read it including the proof that Anastasia was definitely killed along with her family.

We are including The Family Romanov in our cadre of books for our 2015 Mock Printz for the above reasons and more. It has a plethora of starred reviews and just plain great reviews like this one from the Washington Post:

Candace Fleming’s latest book has the elements of an overheated dystopian thriller —political repression, malevolent figures, a protracted war, endangered children— but no prospect of a triumphal ending. Focusing on the last czar and his family, Fleming, who has also written books about Amelia Earhart and the Lincolns, delivers another engaging and insightful work of history, giving young readers a clear sense of the complicated world in which the Romanov family lived and died. She presents imperial Russia as full of problematic extremes, and Nicholas II as a leader incapable of handling them.

The only thing I disagree with in this review is the mention of young readers. Yes, there may be young readers who will be able to read this book but I think it is better suited for the teen readers, or for adults who like to read their history in accessible formats. Either way, just read it. I guarantee you will learn something and unlearn a few things you thought you knew but had wrong all these years.

Two excellent books written in verse may top the YA award lists this year.

Last weekend I read two books both written in verse, both outstanding. Will one or both of them win any of the coveted YA awards for the year? I hope so.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson is a autobiography written in verse about the early formative years of Woodson's life. She was born in Ohio but moved with her mother and siblings to Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960s. She and her siblings lived with her grandparents while her mother looked for work in New York, eventually moving to Brooklyn to be with her. During the time in Greensboro Jacqueline was aware of some of the civil rights activities happening in the area, most specifically the lunch counter sit-ins. Though she was too young to participate in them. She also mentioned episodes of racism directed toward those in her community. Once she moved to Brooklyn, Woodson and her family assimilated into the community and she made best friends with a Latina girl who lived in the same apartment complex. It was while she lived in this neighborhood that she became interested in writing and storytelling, even though she had difficulties with reading and comprehension. It was a thoughtful book and a delight to read.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander was the second book written in verse I read in a row.  This one is story of twin boys whose father played professional basketball when he was younger and now the boys play for their middle school team. Everything seems to be going so well in their lives until one of the twins meets and fall in love with a girl and the boys have a falling out. Later their father has severe health issues which brings the family back together, but will have the reader bringing out the Kleenex.

Some of the poems in this book are considered concrete poems because they are given shape by the placement of the text. These were my favorite poems in the book. The narrator also uses his vocabulary lists and definitions to add depth and meaning to his poems. I just simply loved this book.

We added both of these books to our 2015 Mock Printz list though we worry/wonder if they are more likely to be candidates for the Newbery Award than the Printz Award. Either way both deserve the attention from the award committees and I hope they win something with the awards are announced in February.

Through the Woods ... I'm still scared

"It came from the woods. Most strange things do."

Into the Woods is a collection of five short stories in a graphic novel format by Emily Carroll. The illustrations and the dialogue combine for spine-chilling, often terrifying spin-offs of the Red Riding Hood story. The moral is always the same, watch out the the woods because no good thing happens there.

While on Goodreads I was struck by the reviews from other readers. All reviewers comment on the perfection of the illustrations and the outright creepy nature of the stories.

This book scared the shit out of me. Not just a fun, spine-tingling chill, but an I-must-now-sleep-with-the-light-on kind of scared. These would be great to read to older kids for Halloween, but you'd have to show the pictures! They are as frightening as the stories. My rating: 10/10. A perfect blend of words and pictures. This is true talent. ---Katy, at Goodreads

Oh. My. Goodness. Holymolyholymolyholymolyholymoley. This is the most hauntingly beautiful book I have ever read! ...The writing and dialogue both have a way of whispering something right into your ear, giving chills and everlasting goosebumps. I don't think I will ever be able to explain in words how absolutely brilliant and freaking creepy and unique this graphic novel is. ---Staley, at Goodreads

SO GOOD. SO CREEPY.  Short enough to read in one sitting, but good enough to re-read many times over. Carroll excels at letting your mind fill in the worst of the scares, although her artwork is absolutely stunning and perfectly suited to these stories ---Stewart, at Goodreads 

I read the book in one sitting while at work, or rather, I read the book in one day in between a lot of interruptions while at work. Because I wasn't in bed while I read it the thought of nightmares didn't enter my head.  After reading all these reviews, I am glad the impersonal nature of the work setting helped buffer the fear-factor for me.

Take a look at Emily Carroll's webpage for samples of her artwork and an introduction to her personality.

I guarantee this book will be popular in my library. And, if you can cope with scary stories, with you!


 

One Hundred Years of Solitude...a reading experience.

Last month I decided to join in the Classics Club #7 spin. The concept: write down twenty classic books that you want to read. Include dreaded books as well as those you truly want to read. On a given day one book is selected by number and that is the book you must read. My list of twenty titles included One Hundred Years of Solitude, albeit in the 'dreaded' category. I think outright feared would be a better description. Nineteen books I wanted to read, one I didn't, and One Hundred Years was the one selected from my spin list (by number). Sometimes the universe conspires to give us what we need, not what we want.

As soon as I announced I would be reading One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, a friend who teaches English Language Arts commented that she liked the book, but used the visual family tree a lot because everyone seemed to have the same name. "Oh boy," I thought, "not only will the book be hard to read, it'll be confusing, too." I clearly needed a reading strategy if I was going to finish the book, let alone enjoy it.

This blog post is dedicated to the strategies I used to not only conquer One Hundred Years of Solitude, but to actually enjoy it.

1. Get a copy of the book that contains the Buendia family tree, or bookmark a web version as a favorite in your browser. This reference point should help prevent some of the confusion caused by similar/same names recurring throughout the generations. This family tree seems as good as any other:

2. After reading less than ten pages of text I opted for the audio version of the book. My public library had a Blackstone Audio 2014 version read by John Lee. Listening to the book was a brilliant choice. Lee handled the Spanish names and descriptions effortlessly, which really helped my comprehension and enjoyment. Follow this link for a brief audio sample of the book.

3. I read biographical information about Gabriel García Márquez and descriptions of magical realism before I got too far into the story. Never having studied literature with the assistance of a college professor, I needed some background information to help me appreciate the book. This obituary for Gabriel García Márquez in The New York Times by Jonathan Kandell was a good starting point. In fact, after reading this obituary I felt my attitude about this project shift from dread to excitement. Kandell had this to say about the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez:

In following the rise and fall of the Buendía family through several generations of war and peace, affluence and poverty, the novel seemed to many critics and readers the defining saga of Latin America’s social and political history. Mr. García Márquez made no claim to have invented magical realism; he pointed out that elements of it had appeared before in Latin American literature. But no one before him had used the style with such artistry, exuberance and power... “Reality is also the myths of the common people,” Mr. García Márquez told an interviewer. “I realized that reality isn't just the police that kill people, but also everything that forms part of the life of the common people.” (NYT, April 17, 2014)

Professor Matthew Strecher defines magical realism as "what happens when a highly detailed, realistic setting is invaded by something too strange to believe." (Princeton) Many of the strange events in One Hundred Years of Solitude must simply be accepted as magical realism.

4. I shared the listening experience with my husband. Though I was nearly 1/4th of the way through the audiobook, Don agreed to listen to the rest of it with me on a recent weekend road trip. I gave him a quick summary and intro to the characters before popping in the next CD, He picked up the story on the run. Don, unlike me, did take literature classes in college and was able to recognize the meaning of symbolism and themes that were lost on me. When we came to parts that confused both of us I would pause the disc and look for help on my smartphone.  Shmoop became one of my favorite sources. This site is not only informational, it's also entertaining. Here is the opening paragraph, so you can see what I mean:

...In 1966, a moderately successful journalist is driving his family to Acapulco. All his life, he's wanted to write about growing up in his grandparents' house, but he's never really gotten a handle on just how to get across the weird mix of superstition, knowledge, religion, personal stories, and global history that surrounded him. Suddenly, the idea hits him full-on: a dead-end town; an endlessly repeating, cyclical, completely self-involved family; and above all, a narrator who doesn't give any kind of overarching ethical commentary on the insanity of the characters or on the supernatural and fantastical things being described (Shmoop Editorial Team).

Don and I listened to and discussed One Hundred Years of Solitude during our drive to Eugene and back, probably nine hours total time. We talked about the characters and storyline, trying to figure out Garcia Marquez' intended meaning in the many surprising elements. We had the most fun with the biblical allusions: the Garden of Eden; the flood; the symbolism of the fish; themes of resurrection and salvation; and finally the wind of the Holy Spirit.

In all my previous reading experiences I never used literary aids as much as I did with One Hundred Years of Solitude. This statement makes it seem that understanding or enjoying this book would be impossible without literary aids. Honestly I was so "into" this book I simply had to know more. I was compelled to do my own personal research out of my own sense of curiosity. The reading/researching experience was extremely rewarding and added to my enjoyment.

We finished the last disc within a half hour of home giving us one last chance to talk about our experience of listening to this award winning, mind-blowing book. We both agreed that we enjoyed the shared experience and benefitted from the discussion.

Often works written in other languages lose something in translation. Gregory Rabassa translated One Hundred Years in 1970 and apparently Garcia Marquez preferred the English translation to the original Spanish. I'm not sure if that is true but I was never aware of issues related to language nuances missed in the translation.

To review, here are the steps I followed to enhance the reading of One Hundred Years of Solitude. I recommend you...

1. Select a book with the Buendia family tree, or print a good one off the Internet.
2. Read up on the author Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Magical Realism.
3. Consider listening to the audio version of the book.
4. Give in to the urge to do some of your own research on the book, its symbolism, and themes.

Because I followed these steps, reading a book I dreaded ended up being a very pleasurable experience.

Sources:
Kandell, Jonathan. "Gabriel García Márquez, Conjurer of Literary Magic, Dies at 87."The New York Times. The     New York Times, 17 Apr. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

"Magic Realism." Princeton University. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.

Shmoop Editorial Team. "One Hundred Years of Solitude." Shmoop.com . Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 21 Sep. 2014.

Summer may be over but all the reviews were not done, until now.

Summer may be over but I still need to review books I read in the sun. The last week of summer I read three fabulous YA books. All of them deserve their own book review but alas, no time. All of them deserve any and all positive attention they receive and I hope my voice will be heard in the chorus singing their praises.

Never Ending by Martyn Bedford
     Shiv and her family are vacationing in Greece where her brother dies. Shiv feels responsible for his death. Months later she still can't move on from her grief and her guilt. Because of this she agrees to go to inpatient treatment at the Korsakoff Clinic which employs very controversial treatment methods. Told in alternating chapters between the past in Greece and the present at the clinic in England, the reader is strung along wanting to find out what really happened to Declan on that fateful day.
     Bedford's writing is so descriptive and vivid it was more like watching a movie than reading a book. The ending is amazing but one has a lot of pain to get through to get there. This was the only book read this summer I couldn't read fast enough. Grade: A

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles
     Quincey and Biddy are both graduates of the high school's special education program. They are also "graduates" of the foster care system. When they are placed together in a living situation it doesn't seem like it will work out since the girls are so different in character. Quincey is a good cook and a hard worker but she is also very critical and angry. Biddy is kind and simple but also very scared of people, especially men. Surprisingly they find that they can bring out the best and find ways to help each other. Told in alternating Quincey/Biddy chapters we get a lot of insight into the multiple ways that humans can make the world a better or a worse place for people with learning disabilities. As the story unfolded I found myself empathizing with both girls and cheering for them as they make their way in the world. Grade: B+/A-

She is Not Invisible by Marcus Sedgwick
      Laureth Peak's dad has taught her a lot of things about patterns, logic, and coincidences. She has also taught her to be independent even though she is blind. When he goes missing and no one else seems to care or notice, including her mother, Laureth knows she has to find him herself. The only problem is how to get to New York via Heathrow airport by herself as a blind person? Benjamin, her seven year old brother is enlisted to help. Once they pass all the gates and they are actually in New York how will they find their father? And what if he is in trouble and needs help? The story develops into quite an exciting mystery.
     I listened to the audiobook version of She is Not Invisible. The book is read by Anna Cannings, an actress who is blind. She read the book from braille. The listeners are told this from the outset and it made such an incredible impact on me as I listened. When Laureth, the character, talks about ways that people treat her like she is invisible, I couldn't help but wonder if Ms. Canning had similar experiences. It was very impactful. I highly recommend it, especially in this audio format. Grade: A-

Review: Going Over by Beth Kephart

In the 1980s, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Ada lived in West Berlin with her mother and grandmother. They were very poor, even living in a squatters apartment, but they were free. Stefan lived in East Berlin with his grandmother. They were equally poor but they were not free. They could not move about freely in the world, stuck behind the wall. Ada and Stefan's grandmothers knew each other and were friends during the war, fate stuck them on opposite sides of the wall where the visiting always went in one direction, West to East. Because of these visits, Ada and Stefan became friends at a young age, and the friendship blossomed into love as they became teens.

This love drove Stefan to want to escape to the West, a decision that could have deadly consequences. Ada urged him to jump and then wondered if she was loving him to death. Going Over by Beth Kephart is the story of two teens and the lives they live and the plans they make on either side of the wall.

The writing style in Going Over is what sets this book apart. Yes, the plot is interesting and the setting is different than any I've read before, but it is the use of second person narrative in alternating chapters that really makes it unique. Ada is the narrator of the odd chapters, told in first person. We get a feeling for what it is like living in her shoes with the anxieties in her life. The alternating chapters are almost written in a letter style, but not quite. Ada refers to Stefan as "you". Sometimes we learn a bit about the real history of people who made it (or didn't make it) over the Berlin Wall to escape the totalitarian regime. Other times we learn what preparations Stefan is making for his jump. Here are a few typical sentences from these parts of the book:

You have to know whom to trust. You have to see through the punker kid to his heart.

When you look look back over your shoulder, she's there. When you study the wall, it's her shadow.

The second person point of view is a bit disconcerting. I kept wondering who the narrator was and how they knew all of the information. I settled on Ada as narrator telling Stefan's story so that the reader doesn't know if he makes it across or not. It works, as odd as it is, as a literary device. Now I am left wondering: will the uniqueness of this technique be enough to call attention to the Printz award committee? My guess is no, but I have been wrong before. Stay tuned.

Complicit by Stephanie Kuehn

Right from the get-go the reader knows one thing: someone in the book is complicit, thanks to the title by Stephanie Kuehn.

As the book opens we learn that Jamie Henry is very concerned. His sister, Crazy Cate, is getting out of juvenile detention where she has been for the past two years after to confessing to burning down the neighbors fancy horse barn. Jamie knows that Cate will come back for him and he is not sure that he can cope with her reappearance. In fact, weird old symptoms come back. Symptoms that used to plague him when he was younger. He also recovers some lost memories, memories from life before their adoption. He even begins to wonder if he was complicit in Cate's crime.

UNRELIABLE NARRATOR

Jamie is the quintessential unreliable narrator. The reader knows that all the information is not available and Jamie, who had recently stopped taking his prozac cold-turkey, seems confused about the details himself. It is nearly impossible to tell the truth from the delusions. Cate's role in the story is tantamount to a chess game and it is her move up next.

Kuehn’s second novel, after her Morris Award–winning Charm & Strange,powerfully examines how mental illness can turn into family tragedy that ripples far and wide beyond a single event. The prose is as hallucinatory as the madness Jamie seeks to uncover in a novel that’s tense and ambiguous from start to finish.- Children's Book Review, Publishers Weekly

 Hang on. The ending is both surprising and shocking. Is "check" or "checkmate?' Read it and find out for yourself.

30 books Summer Reading Challenge

23 / 30 books. 76% done!