Thursday, September 25, 2014
Monday, August 18, 2014
Looking for Alaska by John GreenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Looking for Alaska was John Green’s first novel. It won the Printz award in 2008.
Miles “Pudge” Halter is transferring to the elite boarding school “Culver Creek” at the age of 16. His life until now has been pretty uninspiring. He is a typical teen; not a loser, not popular, but extremely bright while unenthusiastic about his current school and life in general. Miles is a collector of last words of famous people and is inspired in this school switch by the last words of the poet Francois Robelais; “I go to seek a Great Perhaps”.
What Pudge finds at “the Creek” is his first freedom from his parents, his first major teen rebellion through the consumption of the forbidden cigarettes and alcohol, and his first love for an amazing girl named Alaska. In this way, Looking for Alaska is a typical coming of age story. However, it is written in an atypical manner.
The students at Culver Creek are all highly intelligent high-achievers. Their free time is taken up with well-planned and well-implemented pranks that stretch them intellectually. These pranks are usually conducted between the two major student factions – the Weekday Warriors, those wealthy students who can afford to go home each weekend, and the less fortunate who spend all week at the school. It is through these pranks that Pudge develops friendships with the Colonel, Alaska, and other friends Takumi and Lara. For the first time he finds himself belonging and being seen as a reliable and trusted friend.
What makes Looking for Alaska unique is the design. The story is told in two parts: 1. Days counted off leading to a traumatic event, and 2. Days counted off after this event. I am reminded of the movie Life is Beautiful where the first half is a comedy and the second half a tragedy. The first half of this story reads like a typical, humorous coming of age story. Pudge is growing up and sharing common experiences with other teens in the same process. In school his favorite class is World Religions taught by Dr. Hyde. He finds within this class an opportunity to objectively explore ideas about what life is about and whether there is an afterlife. Here he uses some last words from a book Alaska is reading about Simon Bolivar “Damn, how will I get out of this labyrinth?” as inspiration for his study. He begins to think about the interconnectedness of all things.
After the tragic event, Pudge now finds his explorations about life, death and interconnectedness have become personal. He and the Colonel struggle with their culpability in the event, and seek to understand why it occurred and if they could have prevented it. Their search leads them to find out more about themselves, their friendships, and about their friend. They determine the best tribute they can make for their friend is a light-hearted prank based on Alaska’s original plans for a great prank for their senior year. It is this search and discovery that puts Looking for Alaska above the standard coming of age theme. It incorporates additional themes of love, friendship, loyalty, the meaning of life, our beliefs about the afterlife, and the interconnectedness of all things.
The superior language of Looking for Alaska also lifts it to the level of literary excellence. The growth we see in all the characters is the shift from the self-absorbed normal teen, to that of individuals seeing themselves as parts of a greater world. The descriptions help us to see them developing empathy and learning about personal responsibility. We see the world at Culver Creek from the perspective of Pudge as he grows and slowly learns to see the wholeness of the friends he has made. Pudge’s view of the world expands to help him learn tolerance and even appreciation for what makes up each of his friend’s lives.
Looking for Alaska is a story written in a way to appeal to teens in a classic “living vicariously” manner. They can see themselves in the characters and, yet, learn from their mistakes without experiencing them personally. I expect this to be a story read by teens for many years, as the themes are those close to their heart. And, luckily for all readers, Looking for Alaska also foreshadowed John Green’s writing career.
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Relish by Lucy KnisleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lucy Knisley, our author and autobiographer, was raised in a foodie environment in New York City. Her mother was an artist, but also a very fine cook and caterer. Her father was an advertising man and lover of haute cuisine. Lucy shares with us her years growing up with an amazing array of foods, and parents who bought only the freshest and best ingredients.
As an adult, Lucy has become an artist herself, a graphic novel artist and writer. Her illustrations are warm and expressive and indicative of a modern world obsessed with fine food. It is obvious that Lucy admires her mother and her cooking skills. She often worked with her mother at food stands and at her catered events. She learned to cook by first learning to bake chocolate chip cookies. Relish is dotted with recipes which are reflections of key times in her life, and the illustrations are great step-by-step instructions.
Despite her parents' divorce, Lucy provides a very upbeat tale in Relish. Her life is not easy, but in the easy way of children, they don't realize it at the time. Relish is a great look back at Lucy's life as a foodie and the influence of her parents. Like a sorbet, it is light and refreshing.
Relish was named an Alex award winner, which is given to books written for adults that will appeal to a teen audience. We have placed this in the YA section of our library system. Highly recommended.
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Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Give Up The Ghost - Megan Crewe
Give Up the Ghost by Megan CreweMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Cass has found herself on the wrong end of the cruelty of kids in school and is now an outcast. She is bitter and seeks revenge, or at least a way to get them to stop the teasing, etc. Unlike most teens however, she has a unique way to dig up dirt on her classmates - through the dead teens she can see at her high school. Cass has been able to see the dead ever since her sister Paige drowned four years ago and appeared to her. But, Cass' secret has been discovered by someone: the VP of the student council and big man on campus, Tim. But, he doesn't intend to use it against her. Instead, he seeks her help in contacting his deceased mother. Cass sees this as a great way to get even more dirt on those who make her life hell, so she agrees to help Tim if he will help her. Cass finds revenge is not so sweet and the help Tim asks for is not the help he needs. A great story about what it feels like to be an outcast during high school and how hard it is when it feels like friendships are superficial. I found myself crying often and empathazing even while Cass was doing things I knew weren't nice and weren't in her best interests. But Cass and Tim are warm and empathetic characters. A book I think will do well and bodes well for future material from this author.
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Wednesday, May 14, 2014
We Were Liars by E. LockhartMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
We were liars is definitely a unique book. But, I am not certain how I feel about it.
As a YA librarian I am not sure if YA readers will enjoy this title. But, my gut tells me this book is either going to drop like a rock or be the biggest thing since Hunger Games. Reading the reviews, I can see that there are many readers who absolutely adore the book. But, there are others like me, who find the literary writing style to be annoying and possibly a bit esoteric.
The Sinclairs are similar, in my mind, to the Kennedys. They are wealthy, own their own island off of Massachusetts, and are a stoic family who do not discuss problems. They keep a smile on their face at all times, and they do not talk about things.
Cadence is the eldest grandchild in the King Lear ish family. She is very close in age to her cousins Mirren and Johnny, and Johnny's friend Gat. These four form the group of Liars, and they spend all summer each year on their family island.
We learn early on that Cadence has had some form of accident. She struggles with migraines. Her parents are divorced. Cadence has fallen in love with Gat, but Gat has a girlfriend back home. We find that although the Liars are a tight knit group during the summer, they have little contact the rest of the year.
Beyond what I have said so far, there is little to say which would not be a spoiler. The book is being marketed with a strong admonition not to reveal the ending. Each person will have to read this book for themselves to determine how they will view it. I recommend at least a quick read through as the story is intriguing and everyone will want to know about the secret.
I am going to just sit back and see if this becomes a big hit or not. I am just too torn to determine that for myself.
Added note August 2014: This book continues to get rave reviews and is appearing on a lot of lists of best books of 2014. I will up my rating to 4 of 5 stars, since it appears teens have no issue with the language.
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Thursday, November 7, 2013
Wonderful Article About Eleanor and Park by Mandy Moran Froemming
abcnewspapers.comhttp://abcnewspapers.com/2013/11/01/writers-block-word-power-numbers/
Writer’s Block: Words have power in numbers by Mandy Moran Froemming
I spend a lot of my free time reading books, thinking about books or finding what to add to my library queue. So when I heard that a selection from the Anoka-Hennepin School District’s 2013 Rock the Book, an optional summer reading program, had struck a nerve with some parents, I had to see what the fuss was about.
I requested the book on the library’s online system. There was no waiting list, which surprised me given that “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell must be pretty controversial if people cared enough to call for it to be banned from school libraries.
Before the book arrived a day or two later, I read online about what was so objectionable about the content. It seemed to have a pretty healthy dose of profanity. I don’t find that particularly offensive, unless it’s at a time and place that is inappropriate. I think using it to describe conversation between teens when no adults are present is likely pretty accurate. There were, however, a couple of phrases and sentences that gave me pause. Sexual in nature, it seemed pretty graphic for a young adult audience.
The book arrived a day or two later. I started reading. And reading. And reading. I kept waiting to be shocked, or offended. It never happened. I had been duped. When I read the critical descriptions of the book I had wondered what librarians were thinking by suggesting this book as school-approved reading.
Then came along this thing called context, which is what you get when you read the whole story. Words on their own don’t have much power. But string them together in a sentence and that starts to change. Put them in paragraphs and their true meaning is revealed.
The librarians were right. They were thinking it was a book that would resonate with teens during a long summer vacation when many students’ reading skills lose their edge.
I’m not naive enough to think that I can change the conservative mind of someone who thinks this book should be pulled from school library shelves and all parents whose children have read it should be notified.
As parents, it’s our job to make sure the books, TV and media our kids consume to be consistent with our own values, or have conversations about them if they aren’t. But it’s not up to me to decide what is allowed in the house across the street. By calling for a ban on a book, that’s exactly what’s happening.
If my son was 15 would I let him read it? Yes. It would be an opportunity for us to talk about judging other people, without understanding their personal struggles. We could discuss how important it is to be inclusive, to be kind and to be aware of bullying and abuse at home and at school.
Spoiler alert: the most provocative phrases in the book come not as a description of sexual acts between the teen characters in the story (who don’t have sex), but instead in the form of what I consider to be child abuse from an adult Eleanor should have been able to trust.
Another sad reality for more kids than we know. As parents, it’s our job to teach our kids how to treat people. Reading is a way to gain both knowledge and empathy about people and situations many of us will never find ourselves in so we can act compassionately toward those who do.
And from what I’ve seen of late, empathy and understanding is in pretty short supply in our adult world. I’m particularly disappointed about the cancellation of the visit by author Rainbow Rowell.
I think back to when I was a teen. Almost 20 years ago, young adult fiction didn’t offer a fraction of the quality selection of books that are out there today. If I had been able to read a book like “Eleanor and Park” and then be in the same room as the author, to have the chance to ask her questions about her writing, would have been amazing.
Parents and taxpayers in the district should be acutely aware of attempts to censor learning opportunities for our children. A review of “Eleanor and Park” is currently being conducted by a committee of educators, parents and a student. It will be interesting to see what that group has to say. While it might be easy to say this book is too graphic for a school library, it is a step down the slippery slope of censorship. This is a book about young love, about bullying, about abuse, about struggle and one girl’s difficult decision to save herself. Those are all stories worthy of telling.
Writer’s Block: Words have power in numbers by Mandy Moran Froemming
I spend a lot of my free time reading books, thinking about books or finding what to add to my library queue. So when I heard that a selection from the Anoka-Hennepin School District’s 2013 Rock the Book, an optional summer reading program, had struck a nerve with some parents, I had to see what the fuss was about.
I requested the book on the library’s online system. There was no waiting list, which surprised me given that “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell must be pretty controversial if people cared enough to call for it to be banned from school libraries.
Before the book arrived a day or two later, I read online about what was so objectionable about the content. It seemed to have a pretty healthy dose of profanity. I don’t find that particularly offensive, unless it’s at a time and place that is inappropriate. I think using it to describe conversation between teens when no adults are present is likely pretty accurate. There were, however, a couple of phrases and sentences that gave me pause. Sexual in nature, it seemed pretty graphic for a young adult audience.
The book arrived a day or two later. I started reading. And reading. And reading. I kept waiting to be shocked, or offended. It never happened. I had been duped. When I read the critical descriptions of the book I had wondered what librarians were thinking by suggesting this book as school-approved reading.
Then came along this thing called context, which is what you get when you read the whole story. Words on their own don’t have much power. But string them together in a sentence and that starts to change. Put them in paragraphs and their true meaning is revealed.
The librarians were right. They were thinking it was a book that would resonate with teens during a long summer vacation when many students’ reading skills lose their edge.
I’m not naive enough to think that I can change the conservative mind of someone who thinks this book should be pulled from school library shelves and all parents whose children have read it should be notified.
As parents, it’s our job to make sure the books, TV and media our kids consume to be consistent with our own values, or have conversations about them if they aren’t. But it’s not up to me to decide what is allowed in the house across the street. By calling for a ban on a book, that’s exactly what’s happening.
If my son was 15 would I let him read it? Yes. It would be an opportunity for us to talk about judging other people, without understanding their personal struggles. We could discuss how important it is to be inclusive, to be kind and to be aware of bullying and abuse at home and at school.
Spoiler alert: the most provocative phrases in the book come not as a description of sexual acts between the teen characters in the story (who don’t have sex), but instead in the form of what I consider to be child abuse from an adult Eleanor should have been able to trust.
Another sad reality for more kids than we know. As parents, it’s our job to teach our kids how to treat people. Reading is a way to gain both knowledge and empathy about people and situations many of us will never find ourselves in so we can act compassionately toward those who do.
And from what I’ve seen of late, empathy and understanding is in pretty short supply in our adult world. I’m particularly disappointed about the cancellation of the visit by author Rainbow Rowell.
I think back to when I was a teen. Almost 20 years ago, young adult fiction didn’t offer a fraction of the quality selection of books that are out there today. If I had been able to read a book like “Eleanor and Park” and then be in the same room as the author, to have the chance to ask her questions about her writing, would have been amazing.
Parents and taxpayers in the district should be acutely aware of attempts to censor learning opportunities for our children. A review of “Eleanor and Park” is currently being conducted by a committee of educators, parents and a student. It will be interesting to see what that group has to say. While it might be easy to say this book is too graphic for a school library, it is a step down the slippery slope of censorship. This is a book about young love, about bullying, about abuse, about struggle and one girl’s difficult decision to save herself. Those are all stories worthy of telling.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Atom & Eve by Jeff YagerMy rating: 1 of 5 stars
This book has landed on my "abandoned" shelf. I just could not continue reading it. Here are some of the issues I found objectionable:
1. Yes, young adult literature is hotter than ever and I can understand an author writing for this audience. However, YA readers are not stupid and do not deserve to be talked down to as this author does from the beginning.
2. The conversations are totally inane. Here is the senior research scientist alerting her team to a discovery which may get them over a temporary hurdle: "Hey, guys, I think I might have figured it out....well, I was dreaming and in the dream I was messing around with the main substance in B317 and a few other molecular compounds." This sounds a bit more like a 15 year-old boy who found a solution to a skateboarding problem.
3. The characters are inconsistent and unbelievable. The research scientists and news reporters talk about the fact that a cure has yet to be found for this flu that is "going around". There never has been a cure for the flu or for a cold. Flu shots prevent or reduce the severity of the symptoms, they do not cure. The doctor caring for our main character asks him to stay in the hospital to help them discover a cure, and then releases him from the hospital 3 days later. And, the news is full of this "mysterious new flu" that is spreading quickly, yet the hospital releases the patient who still has the flu, allows him to travel from Baltimore to Illinois and says he should be okay if he wears a mask. What?? No quarantine? Travel that would put him in the position of being able to spread the flu? A couple of hours after arriving home, Ricky asks his mother to take him to the mall, and she is fine with that as long as he wears a mask. He still has the flu and was in a coma for 3 days and she says it is fine for him to head to the mall within minutes of arriving home.
4. Then it gets even crazier. Ricky is a freshman in college, but he "skipped" his last two years of high school. That would make him about 16, right? The minute he arrives home to Illinois, he fills out an online dating questionnaire and finds someone immediately and arranges to meet her two hours after he has arrived home. She has placed an old photo of herself in her profile, and is now 10 years older and 100 pounds heavier than she had claimed. So, Ricky lies to her that he is "Ricky's twin" and that Ricky had just committed suicide and sent his twin to give her his regrets. There is so much wrong with this situation I cannot begin to spell it out.
5. We have a woman running for president of the US who makes statements like "It's not fair that we women have to feel like we're inferior to our loved ones, our male friends, and especially our bosses..." I would think most people stop using a phrase like "it's not fair" at about age 12. Who would take a person seriously as a presidential candidate who seeks to run based on her ability to alienate the male population of the country?
Then we can talk about grammar, run on sentences, the overuse of the word that, and many other basic writing concerns.
I understand that this story then goes on to describe the "cure" for the flue has been tainted by our research scientist and it causes men to become women and women to become men. Interesting idea, but I just couldn't get that far...
I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
I received an advance reader copy from Edelweiss.
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