Monday, December 31, 2012

2012: a Year in (Book) Review

I didn’t read as many books this year as I did in 2011, but my toddlers are getting older and crazier and some nights, it’s hard to find the time.  This year’s reads were inspiring in some ways and rather disappointing in others.  Let’s just get down to it, shall we?  The books were, in no particular order.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire—perhaps the biggest disappointment, given the wildly popular musical and the fact that my friend met the author and said he is one of the humblest people she’s ever met.  I just couldn’t get into the weirdness of it all.  Of course, I never really liked the Oz books as a kid, either, and the monkeys in the movie…well, let’s just say, perhaps it wasn’t meant for me to like this book.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver—liking it better than La Lacuna, but not as much as Prodigal Summer.  I don’t know if she’ll ever top The Poisonwood Bible.  Or Pigs in Heaven

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris—fables in which the animals mimic human foibles.  Mildly entertaining, but this is not the Sedaris we all fell in love with.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.  YA novel which came highly recommended.  It was weird and the plot was a little bit difficult to understand.  Like 12 Monkeys, only not as good, and for kids, and without Bruce Willis and what will perhaps be Brad Pitt’s greatest roll, ever.  The book did allude to A Wrinkle in Time, which is another book I could never get into, which is why I might not have been that thrilled with it.  L’Engle fans may understand it more. 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis—because I hadn’t read it for a while and this summer I found myself thinking about the part where Aslan breaks the stone table with the magic that existed before all magic.   I was not disappointed.  At all.


Ron Rash
The World Made Straight
The Cove
Saints at the River

I guess this was my author study for the year.  I love this man’s writing.  Rash is an Appalachian writer who has inspired Silas House and is lauded by Lee Smith.  Saints at the River was my least favorite because the voice seemed the least authentic, but Rash still creates characters I think I know.  The World Made Straight was my favorite because it’s contemporary, and the characters are people I definitely know.  For example, a high school boy thinks he is going to be smart and steal a drug dealers marijuana plants.  Nothing good can come of that, can it?  The Cove is his newest work.  It told a great, little-known historical story and connected families and place from The World Made Straight, much in the manner of Wendell Berry.  I still need to read another book by Rash, Serena, which was his best-seller.

The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco—hated the main character the entire 100 first pages.  Put it down.  Would much rather spend time on Foucault’s Pendulum again (so I can mock Dan Brown’s feeble, yet financially successful, attempt to be the next Eco).

50 Shades of Gray by E.L. James—50 shades of self-loathing for having wasted the money and the time.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green—beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.  I think I blogged about this one.  If I didn’t, it’s because I was too moved by the book to be able to write about it.  What happens when critically ill teenagers fall in love?  It sounds maudlin, but that’s part of the beauty of the book—it’s not.

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris—very eloquent storytelling of the highest caliber.  The kind of book that separates the real novels from pulp fiction.  This was recommended by a friend, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book and then being amazed by the tragic story of Dorris, Louise Erdrich and their children. 

Wonder by P.J. Palacio—another beautiful YA story.  It was nice to take a break from all the Hunger Games, Divergent, post-apocalyptic teen stuff and read a nice story about a nice boy who wanted to be normal.

Other Stuff a Bit Less Memorable:
One for the Murphys
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Mrs. Darcy and the Blue-Eyed Stranger, short stories by Lee Smith
Hitler Youth
A biography of Eminem
A biography of Adele
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Happy Accidents by Jane Lynch
Matched by Ally Condie
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
Healing Waters by Joyce Hostetter
White Sands, Red Menace
Wicked Girls by Stephanie Hemphill

More than 20 books, not that great, for a librarian.  But, I guess it’s quality, not quantity, that counts, and I’m happy with the books I really liked. 

What’s up for 2013?  First I have to finish this Kingsolver book, and then I believe there’s some new Lee Smith.  I also need to re-visit Margaret Atwood.  I can’t believe the year went by without reading something she wrote. 

Suggestions, anyone?

Oh, and Happy New Year!



Sunday, September 23, 2012

Where Is the Love?--a review of MATCHED by Ally Condie

Life is perfect for Cassia.  Her government gives her everything she needs to be happy and healthy: meals, a job, recreational activities, and school.  Now, she’s 17 and ready to be matched.  Who will her future husband be?
Matched by Ally Condie

Cassia floats in light green silk, and her mood is as light. She has just been publicly matched to her best friend, Xander. But then, a blip, another boy’s face appears on her screen at home. She knows Ky, too, but has she ever really seen him? After the death of her grandfather, and a sudden realization that not everything is what it seems, Cassia begins to question what she has always believed was true.


There comes a time, toward the end of adolescence, when most young adults begin to realize that not everything is perfect. Condie does a great job of picking up on this angst through the protagonist Cassia. The minute she asks one question, hundreds more appear, and can’t be easily answered. A definite nod to Ray Bradbury appears when we discover that poetry and books are no longer allowed, besides the 100 that were deemed worthy. Cassia and Ky share a love of forbidden pleasures, writing and poems. But, Cassia has been matched. Ky is an aberration. They can never be together. Or can they fight the odds?

Reviews
“The stunning clarity and attention to detail in Condie’s Big Brother-like world is a feat. The author just as easily tears this world apart while deftly exploring the individual cost of societal perfection and the sacrifices inherent in freedom of choice.”
–Booklist

“In a story that is at once evocative of Lois Lowry’s The Giver, George Orwell’s 1984, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, Condie introduces readers to the ‘perfect’ Society. Her awakening and developments are realistically portrayed, and supporting characters like Cassia’s parents and her grandfather add depth to the story. Fans of The Giver will devour this book and impatiently demand the next installment.”
–School Library Journal

Official Website


Friday, June 22, 2012

Choose Kind--a review of WONDER by R.J. Palacio

Auggie is hideously ugly.


I’d tell you how, but it would ruin the book for you.  Let’s just say people sometimes audibly gasp when they look at him.  He’s used to it.  But, it’s still hard on him when he goes to school for the first time ever, and middle school at that.  As his sister’s boyfriend says, “Middle School is just about as tough as it gets.”  Will he ever make any friends who see him for the really, rather normal boy that he actually is, despite his appearance?  This is a coming of age story, not only for Auggie, but for the other characters in the book as well, which really gives the reader a memorable wallop.  Auggie might be ugly, but Wonder is a beautiful book.

Palacio uses many voices to tell Auggie’s story, and it works because she does it well.  In a soft, subtle, but definite shift, she creates a montage-effect with each voice leaving the story a little bit further ahead than where the last person left off.  More than her story-telling skill, I appreciated the “message” of the book.  Choose kind.  See humanity in the world around you.  Choose to be more than kind sometimes, go out of your way to do it.  I just watched the viral video of some middle school kids bullying a bus monitor yesterday, so this message renewed some of my hope.  At least in books, people really can be kind.  The deal is, though, that sometimes this type of message gets schmaltzy and downright preachy, so it’s easy for young readers to tune it out.  I think that’s where this book will differ.  Just when it’s getting too preachy, the voices change and the narrative barrels forward.  I would love to try this as a read-aloud with a fifth or sixth grade class to see their reaction.  It would make a good companion to Mockingbird, So B. It, Freak the Mighty, or any other novel that teaches us how to get along.  It's definite summer reading.  You won't be able to put it down.

Rating: 5 tissues.

Selected Awards and Reviews
No awards yet because the book is so new, but it will get some.  Mark my words. 

"Palacio's novel feels not only effortless but downright graceful, and by the stand-up-and-cheer conclusion, readers will be doing just that, and feeling as if they are part of this troubled but ultimately warm-hearted community"—Daniel Kraus, Booklist, 02/12

"Few first novels pack more of a punch: it's a rare story with the power to open eyes-and hearts-to what it's like to be singled out for a difference you can't control, when all you want is to be just another face in the crowd."PW Annex Reviews, 02/12 


Check it out on Amazon--incredible buzz and a nice book trailer, too!
Author's Website


Monday, June 4, 2012

One Choice Can Transform You--a review of DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth

Would you be able to leave your home and all you knew behind to start a new life with strangers?  That’s what 16 year old Beatrice does.  After taking her aptitude test “Tris” leaves Abnegation for the Dauntless faction in future dystopian Chicago, to prove to herself that she is fearless.  During her brutal initiation, she discovers that the Dauntless, as well as her former faction, Abnegation, have enemies among the 5 factions, primarily Erudite.  Will Tris be able to survive her Dauntless initiation?  Can a 16 year old girl save the world as she knows it?
For all my young ladies who liked Twilight, this book is for you (Roth’s writing is a bit better than Meyer’s—less schmaltzy). For all my guys who liked the Hunger Games, this book is for you (Collins is a bit of a better writer, but Roth’s story is still interesting). I’m not going to give you any spoilers, but I will tell you that this book has just the right blend of action and romance to keep you reading. I got lost in the vaguely familiar world of the book , and I only put it down when I was so sleepy my eyes wouldn’t stay open. A few warnings, though. There is some pretty graphic violence involved, as the Dauntless must face fears of all kind—physical and psychological—so don’t read this if you’re squeamish or emotionally troubled.


The series itself is part of a genius marketing scheme. I scanned the QR code on the back of the book, and found book trailers and an interview with the author (who is, by the way, a new author). The Bonus Materials in the back of the book include a Divergent play list (nice!) and a Cosmo-like quiz on “What Faction Are You?” which was lots of fun.

This is another one I won’t be able to put in the library because it’s too hot to handle here in Kuwait (and that’s saying a lot because it’s very hot here), but I’m sure going to read the rest of them. Divergent was a great choice for my first summer read. The sequel, Insurgent, is definitely going on my summer list.

Awards and Reviews


Best Book of the Year—School Library Journal
Best Fiction for Young Adults—YALSA
Best Children’s Books—Publisher’s Weekly
Black Eyed Susan Book Award
“There is no doubt readers will respond to the gutsy action and romance of this umpteenth spin on Brave New World”—Daniel Kraus, Booklist, March 2011

“For those who loved The Hunger Games and are willing to brave the sometimes sadistic tests of strength and courage Tris must endure, the reward is a memorable, unpredictable journey from which it is nearly impossible to turn away.”—Publisher’s Weekly, February 2011

Vital Stats 
Roth, Veronica (2011). Divergent. New York: Katherine Tegen Books. ISBN 0062024027.




Wednesday, May 23, 2012

I'm Hungry. Feed Me.--a review of THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA (Young Readers Edition) by Michael Pollan

I watched Super Size Me! back when it came out in 2004. Then, in 2006, I watched Fast Food Nation. I’ve also read an awful lot of whole-food cookbooks, so I guess you could say I’m a middle-of-the-road sort of health foodie. When it comes to eating well, it’s pretty fair to say I don’t practice what is preached. When I ordered The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan for our high school library, I didn’t realize that I had ordered the Young Readers Edition, but I’m sure glad I did. I’ve never read the official adult version of the book, but I don’t think I would have made it all the way through. The Young Readers Edition is meaty enough, and satisfying. As in the original version, Pollan walks us through the contents of four different types of meals—an industrial meal, an industrial organic meal, a local sustainable meal, and a hunted-gathered meal—filling us in on what goes on to get these various kinds of foods to our table. Helpful tables, charts and graphs accompany this edition, and help make the text more understandable to any reader.


The Omnivore's Dilemma: the Secrets Behind What You Eat (Young Readers Edition) by Michael Pollan


What I most appreciate about Pollan, besides his incredible investigative journalistic prowess, is that he never dictates what choice of conscience an eater should make. Rather, he argues that we should be informed eaters with a consciousness of what we are putting into our bodies—whether plant or animal—and how it comes to us in the first place. In a way, it kind of reminded me of the scene in Life of Pi, where young Pi, a vegetarian, is forced to eat an animal to survive, so he offers up thanks every day of his life for the animal whose death gave him life. I’m still not sure what the actual “dilemma” is, but I enjoyed the parts of the book that I did read. Some reviews suggest this book for Age 10 and up. I don’t want to sell any 10-year-olds short, but I think it might be more suitable for readers age 14 and up. It’s a pretty dense text, although younger readers might benefit from parts.

Selected Reviews

“Just as powerful as the adult edition but perfectly tuned to a young audience, this title is essential food for thought.”—Gillian Engberg, Booklist, October 2009

“This youth-friendly version of Pollan’s bestseller, with updated facts, assorted visuals and a new introduction and afterword, is as enlightening as it is accessible.”—Publisher’s Weekly, September 2009

“[Pollan] explains complicated issues clearly, offers compelling evidence of the environmental damage done by what he calls the industrial meal, and urges readers not to look away from animal-welfare issues: ‘We can only decide if we know the truth.’”—Lauralyn Persson, School Library Journal, October 2009

“Adapted by Richie Chevat for the young reader, this edition of the original bestseller is accessible and thought provoking, with black-and-white visuals that reinforce his points. Pollan’s entertaining narration will motivate socially conscious youth to vote with their forks, as he urges. Young readers—and older ones, too—will find their thinking about food forever changed.”—Marla K. Unruh, VOYA, February 2010

Ideas for Teaching

I like food, and most high school students I’ve ever met enjoy eating, too, so there are many great ways to go with this book. Pollan gives 20 pages of sources, so there’s no lack of follow-up material if you wanted to investigate this topic further with students.

It might make an interesting fiction/nonfiction pairing with The Life of Pi (Martel, Y. 2001. Knopf) for the very reason I mentioned above. It would be interesting to investigate how different cultures feel about food. I might also use it for Global Studies or Health paired with Menzel and D’Aluisio’s Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.

It would also go well with Fast Food Nation or Super Size Me, if you wanted to work in a little video or two.

It’s the perfect starting point for a project with students. Students could use the journalistic techniques that Pollan did to examine their own meals.

It might work well with a charity project Heifer International highlighting sustainable farming or with Oxfam’s Hunger Banquet to raise global awareness about hunger.

Vital Stats

Pollan, Michael (2009). The Omnivore’s Dilemma: the Secrets Behind What You Eat. Young Readers Ed. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 9780803734159.



Monday, May 21, 2012

Wade in a Little Deeper--a review of HEALING WATER by Joyce Moyer Hostetter

They tore children away from their families in hopes that they would find a new one when they landed on Moloka’i.  In the late 1800s, leprosy, a communicable disease imported from China, swept through the Hawaiian Islands.  In an attempt to contain the disease, those who suffered from what is now called Hansen’s Disease, were forced to relocate to a leper colony on the barely habitable Kalaupapa peninsula where anarchy and lawlessness reigned.  Children were conscripted to work for older residents who rose to power through thievery and bribery.  Still, there were many who starved.  Find out what happens to Pia, when he is exiled in

Healing Water: a Hawaiian Story by Joyce Moyer Hostetter


Pia adored his mother, sister, and his role model, Kamaka, who was like a brother to him. Then, one day, all of this is ripped away when Pia contracts leprosy. Kamaka abandons Pia before he is shipped to Moloka’i. In order to survive, Pia must harden his heart, using his anger and bitterness against Kamaka to survive. He is taken in as a house boy by the unscrupulous Boki, but enjoys an amount of security others on the island do not have. While he has a soft spot for Keona and Maka Nui, who remind him of his grandmother and sister, he seems destined for a life of ruthlessness until one day, Kamaka and his new wife, also become residents of Kalaupapa. The rift between Pia and Kamaka seems insurmountable until the arrival of Father Damien helps to heal old wounds that run far deeper than those which disfigure Pia's body.

The clear first-person voice of Pia in this book is believable. The opening chapter reads like the beginning of a good movie, as we first meet Pia being ripped away from the desperate last embrace of his mother and forced aboard a ship full of lepers. Hostetter adequately re-creates an old Honolulu, using vivid imagery: “Vendors sold oranges and pineapples, flower garlands and woven hats. Horse traders and businessmen called out for buyers.” She has researched the arrival of European and American missionaries, and Pia’s story is supported by a compelling, and sometimes heartbreaking, historical narrative. While it is clear that the book does not purport itself as an openly Christian narrative, I read the book as a story of redemption. Redemption for Pia, and for Kamaka, which is brought about through mercy, grace and forgiveness.

Selected Awards and Reviews
  • IRA Children's Book Award
  • Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award
“The struggle to forgive, and the hope that love brings are timeless themes that are presented in a powerful way”—Denise Moore, School Library Journal, July 2008

“Hostetter's meticulous research on the history of the leprosy settlement results in a believable account of what it must have been like to be a leper at the Kalawao settlement around the 1870s and 1880s.”—Hilary Crew, Voice of Youth Advocates, August 2008

Teaching Suggestions
The story of the Kalaupapa Leper Colony is not a well-known chapter in American history. It would make a welcome and diverse addition to any study of American Western Expansion. Hostetter’s Author’s Note and Resources are terrific starting points. The Molokai Visitors Center is a good starting point for learning the geography and general history of the island. More information of Father Damien can be found, along with a nice picture of his statue at the website of the National Statuary Hall collection.
Leprosy was a disease that used to isolate people and brand them as outcasts. In 1873, Dr. Gerhard Hansen identified the bacillus which caused the disease, and since 1941, leprosy has been successfully treated with drug therapy. It has been renamed Hansen’s Disease in honor of Dr. Hansen, although the term leper and leprosy still have negative and painful cultural connotations. This book would be a good tie-in for a beginning-level discussion of epidemiology and public policy. It is also an unusual look at the essential questions of how humanity creates outsiders. More information about Hansen’s Disease is available from the American Leprosy Mission (http://www.leprosy.org/) or from IDEA—the International Organization for Integration, Dignity, and Economic Advancement (http://www.idealeprosydignity.org/).



Sunday, May 13, 2012

[Puritan] Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...a review of WICKED GIRLS by Stephanie Hemphill

Some people say it was Chaucer, but I tend to think it might have been a Puritan mother who said, “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” Or something like that.  On Mother’s Day, it’s fitting to say that mothers like to keep their girls out of trouble.  Puritan girls were supposed to be industrious, virtuous and meek.   That’s why they embroidered all those samplers.  So, what happened to the girls who bore false witness in the Salem Witch Trials?  Perhaps the obvious fall from grace, the one rare glimpse into the depraved human condition that the story of the trials gives us, is what fascinates us with this bit of early American history.  Mercy Lewis, Margaret Walcott, and Ann Putnam, Jr., started a nearly 2 year persecution of their neighbors which ended only after 19 people were hanged, 1 man pressed to death, 3 women and several infants died in jail, and more than 144 people had legal action brought against them (402).


Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Stephanie Hemphill

I raved about Hemphill’s verse novel Your Own, Sylvia, in a previous post, so I was excited to read Wicked Girls.  Can I just save you the suspense and tell you straight up that I didn’t like this book.  Sorry, but it bored me.  The story lines were contrived.  The characters too stiff and unappealing.  They weren’t sympathetic.  Sure, there was abuse, jealousy, teenage passion—but none of it was enough to make me want to read this story.  Maybe it’s because I’ve read The Crucible too many times.  Or maybe I’d rather watch Gossip Girl.  I don’t know. 

Hemphill’s poetry is pretty in places.  The first poem, “Salem, January 1692,” is a good example: 
            Silent, not even the twitter/
            of insects.  The wind stills/
            against a distant sky of clouds./
            The cold is gray and fierce,/
            bitter as a widow at the grave.

But even that doesn’t save her this time.   The diction that has to carry the plot is stilted.  Perhaps it’s how Hemphill imagines Puritans talked, but it sounds fake.  “Where be the little ones?”  “I made biscuits this morn.”  I just couldn’t get through it.  It read like an amateur script.

Still, there might be a young adult who has a particular interest in Salem, Pilgrims, or Cotton Mather, who will find this book appealing.  Hemphill has done plenty of research, and the end notes are interesting.  In the Author’s Note, Hemphill explains exactly what she set about to do with her characterizations, “to explain the group dynamics within the larger community…and within the girl clique itself” (403).  I just hope the tragedy of innocent people being put to death isn’t trivialized in Hemphill’s attempt to make the girls’ possible motives more relatable to a modern audience.  For me, it was a nice try, but it wasn’t enough. 

Awards and Reviews (selected)
School Library Journal Best Books, 2010
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2010 Finalist Young Adult Literature

“Once again, Hemphill’s raw, intimate poetry probes behind the abstract facts and creates characters that pulse with complex emotion. …An excellent supplementary choice for curricular studies of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, this will also find readers outside the classroom, who will savor the accessible, unsettling, piercing lines that connect past and present with timeless conflicts and truths.”—Gillian Engberg, Booklist, June 1, 2010

“This carefully researched and beautifully written poetic novel infuses new life and relevance into a dark episode in our history. Each character is limned in a distinctive voice and personality, and the girls’ thoughts and words reveal the pressures that drive them. Their harsh lives contrast with the still-unspoiled loveliness of the early New England setting. Told with a piercing intensity and exquisite sensory detail, this story will haunt the reader long after the book is laid aside.”—Marla K. Unruh, VOYA, October 2010

Vital Stats
Hemphill, Stephanie (2010). Wicked Girls: a Novel of the Salem Witch Trials.  New York: Balzer + Bray.  ISBN 9780061853296. 

Friday, January 27, 2012

A Town with a Bright Future...and a Past--a Review of MOON OVER MANIFEST by Clare Vanderpool


Abilene’s father needs to go it alone for a while, so Abilene finds herself depending upon the kindness of a stranger named Shady in Manifest, Kansas, 1936.  It’s the beginning of a long, hot summer, and she has the whole summer to wonder if her father will come back for her at all.  When she finds a cigar box stuffed with Jinx’s mementos under the floorboards of her room, Abilene begins to uncover the secrets of his past, the with only a broken pocket watch to connect them. 


Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

With her new friends, Ruthanne and Lettie, Abilene sets out to make known Manifest’s past.  Using mementos and letters from Ned in Jinx’s box, old newspaper clippings, and the divinings of Miss Sadie, the girls learn that there is much more to their sleepy little town than meets the eye.  Tales emerge about con men, bootlegging, murder, the KKK, love and loss.  Soon Abilene learns the truth of Miss Sadie’s words: Who would dream that one can love without being crushed under the weight of it?

Vanderpool’s Newbery-award winning novel packs a whallop.  It’s two historical novels for the price of one.  At the height of the Great Depression, Abilene uncovers the history of Manifest in 1918—a summer of Prohibition, proclamations and promises.  The layers of narrative are thick, but not heavy—“like a warm blanket you pull around your shoulders.”  Vanderpool’s use of motifs and themes is skillful storytelling, especially the device of the railroad, so prominent in early 20th-century history, to keep the characters and the stories connected. 

I recommend this book to readers Grade 8 and up, as it might be helpful to them to have some historical understanding when switching back and forth between the narratives, although the use of varying fonts to tell different stories is helpful.  For adults, especially those of us who like historical novels, this book is a sweet must-read that will take you back to your childhood.

Vital Stats 
Vanderpool, Claire. 2010.  Moon Over Manifest.  New York: Delacorte.  ISBN: 978-0-385-73883-5.