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Monday, August 30, 2010
Hey everyone! Just doing a spacer post so that the content between my last class and this one are distinguishable. So if you reach Going Bovine, an excellent book by the way, you've gone to far. But just for coming this far, I'll show you a picture of Darcy, my studious kitty who also studies library science, as you can see.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Review:
Cameron is your typical bored with life teenager who indulges in the occassional joint, hates his family and doesn't see the point of anything. After a series of delusional episodes Cameron is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease, or mad-cow disease; a condition that causes the patient to lose grip on reality and slip into their own world. For Cameron, slipping into his own world gives him a chance to learn to enjoy life.
The message in this book is to get out and live your life. Bray uses parallels with Don Quixote as the vehicle to give Cameron a series of adventures to battle evil, solve mysteries of the universe, and get the girl. Throughout the reader is never sure whether the adventure is real or all in Cameron's head. Each adventure seems more outrageous than the last but readers will enjoy watching Cameron shed his determination to be disappointed with everything and find value and meaning in his life. Bray takes a few satirical shots at today's society through the happiness cult, who has rigged the bowling alley to give everyone strikes and the MTV-like television channel that kills brain cells. Overall written with a good balance of humor and meaning, this story is a must read.
Reviews/Awards:
Michael L. Printz Award (WON AWARD) 2010
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books (WON AWARD) 2009
Locus Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2010
School Library Journal: "It's a trip worth taking, though meandering and message-driven at times."
Voice of Youth Advocates: "The novel is a laugh-out-loud, tear-jerking, fantastical voyage into the meaning of what is real in life and how someone can learn to live."
Booklist: Star Reviewed* "Bray's latest offering is an unforgettable, nearly indefinable fantasy adventure, as immense and sprawling as Cervantes' Don Quixote, on which it's based."
Publisher's Weekly: "what readers have is an absurdist comedy in which Cameron, Gonzo (a neurotic dwarf) and Balder (a Norse god cursed to appear as a yard gnome) go on a quixotic road trip during which they learn about string theory, wormholes and true love en route to Disney World."
Library Journal: "Bray has not written a teen problem novel about mad cow disease. She swims in deeper water, defending the importance of friendship, family, and life purpose in the face of mediocrity."
Connections:
*Discuss the actual symptoms of mad-cow disease.
*Point out the parallels with Don Quixote and discuss.
Read Printz nominees for 2010:
Heiligman, Debra. Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith. ISBN 9780805087215
Yancey, Rick. The Monstrumologist. ISBN 9781416984481
Image credit: www.bookreader4.blogspot.com
"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." This chilling line is the opening of Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. The hand belongs to a man named Jack, who uses that knife to kill all of the residents of the house bathed in darkness. Except one. A toddler, who somehow wandered out of the house to a graveyard up the hill, finds asylum in the graveyard. The inhabitants, ghosts from a variety of time periods, name the boy Nobody. Bod spends his formative years being raised by his ghostly parents and taught by his mentor, Silas, who is neither living nor dead.
If the opening line is not visual enough, it is printed on a black page with the text in white and the image of a hand holding a knife going across the page. The illustrations in this book are all black and white charcoal or pencil drawings and they add to the macabre feeling of reading a book about a boy growing up in a graveyard. Each of the chapters are like little mini-stories from Bod's life, which is probably good for weaker readers as it makes the story easier to digest piece by piece. Despite growing up in a graveyard, the love shared in Bod's family is heartwarming and the adventures with ghouls, ancient guardians, and school, make this tale one that kids are bound to enjoy.
Reviews/Awards:
Hugo Awards (WON AWARD) 2009
Los Angeles Times Book Prizes (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2008
Locus Awards (WON AWARD) 2009
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009
Audie Award (WON AWARD) 2009
World Fantasy Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009
Elizabeth Burr/Worzalla Award (WON AWARD) 2009
Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009
Book Sense Book of the Year (WON AWARD) 2009
American Library Association Notable Books for Children (WON AWARD) 2009
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009
School Library Journal: "Gaiman has created a rich, surprising, and sometimes disturbing tale of dreams, ghouls, murderers, trickery, and family."
Library Journal: "An elegant combination of Gaiman's masterly storytelling and McKean's lovely drawings."
Booklist: Star Reviewed* "This is an utterly captivating tale that is cleverly told through an entertaining cast of ghostly characters."
Voice of Youth Advocates: "Gaiman writes with charm and humor, and again he has a real winner."
Publisher's Weekly: "When the chilling moments do come, they are as genuinely frightening as only Gaiman can make them."
Other books by Neil Gaiman:
The Wolves in the Walls. ISBN 9780380810956
M is for Magic. ISBN 9780061186479
Coraline. ISBN 9780380977789
Image credit: www.pbs.org
Review:
Using a blend of hand drawings and diary entries, Jeff Kinney has created a witty romp through the life of middle school student and 52nd or 53rd most popular guy in his class, Greg Heffley. The diary chronicles Greg's adventures as he schemes a way to become more popular and inevitably gets held back from his goal by his parents, friends, his own actions, and an old piece of cheese. It can be sometimes difficult when writing a novel in the first person to show the reader how other characters are reacting and feeling, but Kinney does a very good job of giving the reader this information through Greg's observations; even though Greg is oblivious to most of them. The book is over 200 pages, which may discourage a reluctant reader, but the illustrations help to break up the text and illuminate the action on the page. The character of Greg Heffley is hardly an upstanding moralist given the treatment of his friend Rowley and a healthy dose of self-centeredness, but perhaps this only makes the character more believable. Over all a fun read that kids obviously love and recommended for kids 4th grade and up.
Reviews/Awards:
Quill Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2007
Original Voices Award (WON AWARD) 2007
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (WON AWARD) 2009
Garden State Children's Book Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2010
Booklist: "The simple line drawings perfectly capture archetypes of growing up, such as a preschool-age little brother, out-of-touch teachers, and an assortment of class nerds. Lots of fun throughout."
School Library Journal: "Kinney does a masterful job of making the mundane life of boys on the brink of adolescence hilarious."
Voice of Youth Advocates: "Kinney provides readers with a realistic view of middle school life as seen through the eyes of the entertaining but not very bright class clown."
Publisher's Weekly: "Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class."
Connections:
*Invite readers to start their own diaries.
*For readers not yet in middle school, discuss what they think middle school will be like.
*Compare Greg's siblings to each reader's own family situation.
Further Reading
Continue the series with:
Kinney, Greg. Rodrick Rules. ISBN 9780810994737
Kinney, Greg. The Last Straw. ISBN 9780810970687
Kinney, Greg. Dog Days. ISBN 978-0810983915
Image credit: www.spinebreakers.com
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Review:
The story begins with Kit Tyler's journey from Barbados to Connecticut after the death of her doting grandfather. Even before she reaches her destination she begins to find that her manners and habits are shocking to the strict puritans who inhabit the area. Kit must also grow accustomed to the absence of the luxuries she grew up with and learn to work alongside her Aunt's family. After running off one afternoon, scolded for yet another offense, she meets the witch of Blackbird Pond; who is merely a simple Quaker woman, spurned from society because of her religion. It is at the witches home that Kit teaches a local neglected little girl how to read. After a deadly illness sweeps the town, Kit must rescue the witch from an angry mob and then face judgment herself when the mob discovers evidence that Kit also practices witchcraft.
It is easy for the reader to identify with Kit's unease with being surrounded by people who's ways are so different from her own, and are very different from our own. The outsider point of view of this character is part of what makes Speare's novel a good work of historical fiction. The plot of the story and the details of life in colonial Connecticut are simply written yet easy to visualize, such as how much work it takes to keep a small household fed and running, and the strict lifestyle of a Puritan community. Also noteworthy for this book is the way that tension runs among the colonists over the governors assigned to them when they feel they are better able to govern themselves.
Awards/Reviews:
Newbery Medal winner 1959
School Library Journal: "Sixteen-year-old Kit Tyler unexpectedly arrives at her aunt and uncle's doorstep and is unprepared for the new world which awaits her."
Booklist: "On a visit to colonial Connecticut, Kit teaches a young girl to read, thus saving herself during the Salem witchcraft trials."
Connections:
Other books by Elizabeth George Speare:
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Sign of the Beaver. ISBN 9780440479000
Speare, Elizabeth George. The Bronze Bow. ISBN 9780395137192
Image credit: www.quakerbooks.org
ISBN 9780060000165
Review:
The Seer of Shadows tells the story of a teen named Horace who is an apprentice to a photographer in New York circa 1872. When asked to take a portrait of a wealthy woman to place hanging in her deceased daughter's tomb, strange things begin to happen. Each time Horace snaps a picture, the deceased Eleanora appears in the photo looking angry. With the help of the wealthy family's servant, Horace discovers what really happened to Eleanora and learns the power he has when he aims the camera.
This story is extremely easy to read and captures the details of life in New York without bogging the reader down in details. Children today, who are accustomed to instant digital photos will enjoy reading about the complicated process it took to produce a single portrait. The supernatural element of the ghost of Eleanora slowly materializing to take revenge on her killers will be a good draw for young readers who like their books a little spooky. That the novel concludes with Horace (a white male) eventually marrying the black servant girl, Pegg, speaks more to today's social standards than those of that time period when such a union would be looked down upon. In no way in the novel however, is this marriage inflected as being against social norms. A good read filled with intrigue, a few ghosts, and a story that could take place today, but just happens to be set in a historical era.
Awards/Reviews:
Great Stone Face Children's Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009
Rhode Island Children's Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2010
SCASL Book Award (South Carolina) (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2009
School Library Journal: "Boyer captures the moods of all the characters and the tension of the tale."
Voice of Youth Advocates: "Avi's rich language evokes images and speech patterns of a bygone era, and his careful chronicling of early photography's art and science make this novel a pleasure to read."
Publisher's Weekly: "Details about photographic processes add authenticity, while the book's somber ending will leave spines tingling."
Booklist: "Avi's latest is a fast-paced, yet haunting portrayal of an upright boy trying to make his way in a world that has suddenly gone strange and dangerous."
Connections:
Could be used to begin a discussion on the methods of photography or the status of blacks in America at the time.
Other books by Avi:
Avi. Crispin: The Cross of Lead. ISBN 9780689837777
Avi. The Escape From Home. ISBN 9780380728756
Image credit: www.bookfairpr.wordpress.com
ISBN 9781416905851
Review:
Laurie Halse Anderon's novel Chains follows the life of a slave girl name Isabel and her sister Ruth during the early years of the American Revolution. Cheated out of their freedom upon their master's death, the girls are sold to a married loyalist couple who live in New York. Under their cruel ownership, Isabel is persuaded to spy on her masters for the rebels. She soon learns that neither the rebels or loyalists will help her escape to freedom and makes plans to run after her sister, whom her masters sold away.
This novel, told from the unique point of view from someone who had nothing to gain by either side winning the war, is eye-opening and heartbreaking. The vivid details of life in New York while being occupied by rebels, fought over, and occupied by red coats; really brings the American Revolution alive. The plot of the story, of Isabel being asked to spy on her masters and being betrayed by both camps, is startlingly believable given the disdain masters held for their servants. The story is not watered down for its youthful audience. Particularly harsh are the details of the POW's left to starve to death in the harsh winter, and the branding of Isabel's face with the letter I for Insolence. Anderson tells the story from the girls point of view and uses phrases like "the bees built a hive of sadness in my soul" and "the buzzing echoed in my brainpan" that captures the dialect a young slave may have used. An excellent read and appropriate for 5th grade and up.
Awards/Reviews:
National Book Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2008
Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award (WON AWARD) 2009
American Library Association Notable Books for Children (WON AWARD) 2009
Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year (WON AWARD) 2008
Nutmeg Children's Book Award (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2011
Booklist:" Anderson explores elemental themes of power ( She can do anything. I can do nothing, Isabel realizes about her sadistic owner), freedom, and the sources of human strength in this searing, fascinating story."
School Library Journal: "Chains addresses the price of freedom both for a nation and for individuals."
Voice of Youth Advocates: "Thought-provoking and emotional, Isabel's story will linger long after the last page has been read."
Publishers Weekly: " Anderson packs so much detail into her evocation of wartime New York City that readers will see the turmoil and confusion of the times, and her solidly researched exploration of British and Patriot treatment of slaves during a war for freedom is nuanced and evenhanded, presented in service of a fast-moving, emotionally involving plot."
Connections:
This novel can be used to launch discussions about slavery in America, about the conflict between Loyalists and Revolutionaries. This can also be used to discuss enlisted slaves during the Revolution and the treatment of prisoners of war and the rules that govern such treatment.
Other books:
Anderson, Laurie Halse. Fever 1793. ISBN 9780606240611
Anderson, M.T. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party. ISBN 0763636797
Image credit: www.riversendbookstore.com
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