Here I go again…. Another title that would have lounged on a library shelf never to cross my mind had it not been for the Cybils:
Blessing's Bead is a mix of historical fiction brought into the modern day through a familial connection across the years and miles of Alaska. The first section of the book tells the story of Nutaaq who travels with her family to an annual trading fair. While there, Nutaaq’s sister meets a Siberian boy and is married. Before she sails for Siberia, she promises Nutaag that when they meet at the next fair, she will bring a beautiful blue bead for each member of their family. Nutaaq never gets to see her sister again as the flu epidemic of the early 20th century changes their course in history.
Even with all the buzz surrounding One Crazy Summer, I didn’t really expect to like it and I certainly wouldn’t have ever picked it off the shelf as a fun read. I thought I’d quietly read the 50 pages (like I promised my Cybils pals) and move on to the next one. Of course I always read the last chapter (because I’m an ending freak), so I thought I’d spend maybe an hour with One Crazy Summer and move along to the next title on our massive 146 book list. Four hours later, while soaking in a nice warm bath, I found a tear rolling down my cheek as I closed the book on a historical time period I never thought I’d care to know much about.
I’m still not certain that I can appreciate the Black Panther movement of the 60’s, but I know that I can appreciate a protagonist with a voice so compelling I’m forced to read forward. That’s eleven-year-old Delphine, who, along with her two sisters, flies out to Oakland California to meet a woman she barely remembers when her father thinks it’s high time for his girls to get to know their mother. The three girl’s mother turns out to be a poet involved with the Black Panthers and she’s not much nicer than their paternal grandmother has told them. In fact, for all the character development of Delphine and her sisters, the author never got me to invest in their mother. Even as Delphine and her sister forgave their mother her faults, I muttered about a too tidy ending.
Could I ever invest in a character like Delphine’s mother? Could I feel some sympathy if the situation were extreme enough? Maybe author Williams-Garcia simply understood that most folks wouldn’t be shedding any of those tears for Delphine’s mother. I'm sure Ms. Williams-Garcia knew it was Delphine and the crazy summer she grew into a young lady of strength her mother could never have that makes One Crazy Summer an award-nomination worthy title.
They told me I only had to read the first fifty pages. That's like telling a shark he can only nibble the big toe. So, I'm finding that I end up reading them all the way through, no nibbling for me. Alas, trying to get a review on here becomes even more strenuous as I want to talk about them all, want to regurgitate the good ones in full, pass along some teaching ideas. The depth of review is going to suffer (as it already has since my return to work full-time). I doubt there will be many teaching ideas, but at least we'll all get a peek at what's turning out to be some great titles.
Crunch is a pleasant, feel-good story of a family living through a gasoline crunch (kids today are too young to remember when there was such a thing so educators might want to drop a little background knowledge on them before starting the book). Crunch follows the stock "get rid of the parents to move the plot" format. Protagonist Dewey's parents are stuck hours away without any gasoline in sight while Dewey and his siblings are left to care for each other and run the family bicycle shop (which is, of course, booming due to the gas shortage). Ms. Connor throws in a mystery (who is stealing from them?) and a cast of pleasurable characters. An easy, feel-good realistic story for the 4th - 6th crowd.
Publisher's Synopsis:"Sometimes your life just needs a little jolt. This is what Evie's new friend Francesca tells her, and soon enough, Evie's life has had something more like an earthquake. Francesca thinks life is dull unless you go after everything you want and say everything on your mind all the time--and sometimes that includes giving other people a little behind the scenes help to give them what she thinks they want.
Evie can't always tell if she's horrified or fascinated by everything Francesca convinces her to do, but ultimately, she comes to see friendship--and life--in a whole new light."
This Is Me From Now On manages to be a realistic, easy read while imparting some important messages concerning self-worth and being true to one's self. It is filled with all the awkwardness and uncertainty of middle school as it tells the story of worrisome Evie and free-spirited Francesca in authentic and engaging voices. Though Evie is the protagonist, I liked Francesca so much more. She seemed more mature and less judgmental, though Evie does grow on you.
Author’s Synopsis:"What secret is Uncle Silas hiding?
Adele, Milo and Isabella Winterbottom haven’t heard from Uncle Silas in years – unless you count the occasional insult. So curious eyebrows are raised when the cousins receive a mysterious invitation from their disagreeable relative. But Silas is dying, and a dying man with a vast fortune usually wishes to find an heir.
Or so the children believe.
But when they meet dear, old Uncle Silas and his hungry pet crocodile, the trio suspects that he may have a more sinister reason for inviting healthy, young relatives to his secluded island estate – a place where nothing is as it seems ..."
For readers who enjoy the Series of Unfortunate Events books or Roald Dahl’s style, I suspect The Death (and Further Adventures) of Silas Winterbottom: The Body Thief will become another favorite. Uncle Silas is an evil villain living on a remote island complete with pet crocodiles. In fact the entire Winterbottom family tree is a lesson in Gothic dysfunction - nasty, greedy and downright criminal.
Stephen M. Giles lives close to the beach, collects old people and spends days wandering in his imagination. You can read more on his website.
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Music. The memories it conjures, the feelings it evokes, the tear, the smile – the emotion contained in a single note cannot be measured nor described. This universal language is the hook that will catch readers and hold them until the end in Songs for a Teenage Nomad by Kim Culbertson.
For fourteen-year-old Calle, music represents more than just feelings, it connects her to all of the places she has lived and her absent father. In her journal Calle records all the significant moments in her life as connected to songs. But that journal is one of the few constants in Calle’s life as her mother has displaced them multiple times whenever the tides of her love life rise and fall. But this time, in Andreas Bay, California, Calle has made friends, joined the theatre group and met a boy.
The story is plotted through Calle’s friendship developments, a first kiss with a boy who appears to have a secret and Calle’s desire to know her father. Readers will identify with the well-developed Calle and root for her to find the things for which she is searching, even though the ending is an honest testament to life not always being tied in a neat little bow (which always makes me LOVE an author).
Like Calle, I kept a journal of song lyrics and thirty-two years later, those same songs can still take me back to a place or feeling of my fourteen-year-old self. However, I’m not so certain teens will identify (though I certainly loved quite a few) with the author’s song choices for Calle. The songs are a mix of mostly 90’s tunes, not yet classics, but not really pop for the current crowd. Either way, teens will find something to identify with in Songs for a Teenage Nomad and maybe they’ll even add a new tune to their life’s play-list.
Kyle’s family is going through big changes. His grandmother has recently died and his father has left the family, but Kyle can still look forward to spending the summer fishing at his family’s summer cottage. Then, his mother explains that she’s going to have to sell the cottage. Kyle spends the summer letting go of his anger, coming-of-age and learning that things and people change.
Kyle's Island is filled with descriptive language and would make a decent read for teaching descriptive writing or examining mood or tone in writing style. It's an atmospheric story where the setting plays a large part.
However, the pace of Kyle's Island will be difficult for many young readers. It is mostly a character study of Kyle's coming-of-age. While Kyle is written in an authentically frustrated and tween-aged voice, the lack of any real plot development will additionally limit its readership. However, there's a nice boy, fishing, and growing up story in there for readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories.
The Secret to Lying has an interesting premise about a young man with poor self esteem (usually reserved for the girls of YA Lit.) and his attempts at reinventing himself when he gets into a boarding school for intellectually gifted math and science students. Unfortunately, his attempts at reinventing himself become dangerous as his self-esteem sinks lower when his allegorical dreams begin to bleed into reality.
There are some great lessons about learning to be who you are and the teen voices are authentic. This said, The Secret to Lying at times seemed disjointed and predictable. The attempts at genre bending through the protagonist’s dreams ended up polluting the message, causing more of a distraction than the enhancement, I believe, they were intended to create.
However, I am probably selling The Secret to Lying short as there's certainly a market for the topic of reinventing oneself. The writer is strong enough and the idea is sound. I can’t help but wonder if a young adult might like The Secret to Lying much better than this middle-aged woman. But, I read a lot of young adult stuff and this one left me a bit unaffected.
I have long been a follower of the Guys Read website, a literacy initiative to light a literacy fire by matching boys to the right books and by providing positive male reader examples. It was started by guy author extraordinaire: Mr. Jon Scieszka. Author of .............. well, I was going to list a few favorites, but there's just too many to name!
I've been excited to get my hands on a copy of the new book Guys Read: Funny Business. Alas, I can't say that I've seen it, but if the book trailer is any indication, we're in for a treat!
Here's how Amazon describes the book: "Ten stories guaranteed to delight, amuse, and possibly make you spit your milk in your friend's face, from the following esteemed writers:
Last Night I Sang to the Monster opens with eighteen-year-old Zach Gonzalez in a mental health facility uncertain as to how he landed there. Alcohol and trauma have left him there and we heal along with him as he comes to realize the monsters in his path. Though Zach is reluctant to examine the facts that left him broken, ultimately, the story is one of healing and love. Zach will face the monster.
Zach is a wonderful addition to YA male protagonists. He’s not worried about the football team, or the hot girl or how nerdy he is. Zach has real problems, ones he has chosen to forget. At first he shut them out with alcohol, now he’s agonizingly being forced to face his past. The characters that wander through Zach’s recovery are as captivating as Zach. From them he finds beauty and strength in order to move forward and begin his adult life.
Last Night I Sang to the Monster's writing is hypnotic, filled with emotional depth and intensity. Author Benjamin Alire Sáenz has a beautiful style. I’m guessing he’s studied and written some poetry. It must be said that the short sentence burst might be off-putting to some. However, this effort goes along with my belief that this is a book best read in small bursts itself, with time for discussion and reflection. The plot is motivated by our desire to figure out how Zach landed in his situation (which isn’t revealed until the very end and is more heart-wrenching than we’ve even predicted). But perhaps the book’s greatest strength is its lack of didactics. The matter-of fact way that Sáenz portrays teen life makes this book superbly accessible to teens.
Last Night I Sang to the Monster is a story of monsters, both real and imaginary and a young man who tried to fight them, at first with alcohol and then later, through a recovery program. Last Night I Sang to the Monster is not an easy read because it hits the big themes of God and love, but it is a worthwhile addition to young adult literature.
FYI: All the glowing praise aside, I feel that I must warn: Last Night I Sang to the Monster is filled with “F” bombs. The argument can be made that it adds to the realism of Zach’s character, but it’s there, just so you know.
Publisher’s Synopsis: To ten-year-old Keeper, this moon is her chance to fix all that has gone wrong…and so much has gone wrong. But she knows who can make things right again: Meggie Marie, her mermaid mother who swam away when Keeper was just three. A blue moon calls the mermaids to gather at the sandbar, and that’s exactly where she is headed — in a small boat, in the middle of the night, with only her dog, BD (Best Dog), and a seagull named Captain.
When the riptide pulls at the boat, tugging her away from the shore and deep into the rough waters of the Gulf of Mexico, panic sets in, and the fairy tales that lured her out there go tumbling into the waves. Maybe the blue moon isn’t magic and maybe the sandbar won’t sparkle with mermaids and maybe — Oh, no…”Maybe” is just too difficult to bear. Kathi Appelt follows up to her New York Times bestseller, The Underneath, with a tale that will pull right at your very core — stronger than moon currents — capturing the crash and echo of the waves and the dark magic of the ocean.
So many wonderful and interesting things are happening in Keeper by Kathi Appelt, I’m not sure where to begin…
On genre mixing: In my reading world outside of children’s literature, I LOVE magical realism. If I had to choose only one genre for the rest of my life (blasphemy!), magical realism would be it. Yet, children’s literature doesn’t seem as willing to blur the lines between genres. Perhaps children’s authors think their young audience too immature to handle the fuzziness. I’m sure glad Kathi Applet doesn’t feel that way. Keeper is great title for discussing genre traits.
On the theme of love and family: Another thing I adored about Keeper was the nontraditional love story & family themes. I suppose it will end up on some banned book list for Mr. Beauchamp’s boyhood hand holding, which is horrible because the theme of love couldn’t be any sweeter than waiting on your first love to return. And Keeper’s family story, an abandoned baby, a runaway girl and a war-ravaged man of a different race, makes me want to pull out a large sheet of paper to discuss what makes a family with a room full of students!
Allusions to Mr. Carroll, salty sea tales & mermaid mythology: If you really want to get crazy pull out that old college copy of The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock as the epigraph begins there! But there are also allusions to Alice in Wonderland (nonsense verse) and all sorts of mermaid lore to find.
On non-linear storytelling:Keeper is a great book to use when examining point of view, sequencing and character traits. Each character is well developed and has his/her own point of view narration. The individual glimpses into the past would form an interesting sequence map wheel.
On writing for children: There are good writers with good stories and there are stories that hold children's brief attention whether they conjure grand thoughts or lofty ideals. Kathi Appelt is a good writer with a beautiful story. In Keeper, she mixes genres, points of view and lyrical styling to create another nomination worthy title. However, to most ten-year-old readers, the story must advance at a fast pace to match their limited cognitive focus. Thus, the quiet beauty of Keeper may limit some students when choosing Keeper as an independent read. I’m afraid this is one of those titles that adults like to tell kids to love, but that most (see that qualifier there!) children will find tedious.
Recommended for class read-aloud & discussion and for the advanced reader who likes magically realistic stories of nontraditional families.
Genre: Magical Realism
Age: 9 -12
Pages: 416
Themes: Non-traditional Families, Love, Friendship
Thank You to Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing for my advanced copy
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Date: May 2010
ISBN: 978-1416950608 BUY Keeper HERE
Ms. Appelt snagged three heavy-duty award nods for her novel The Underneath, though I must admit to not having read it yet. You can learn more about her on the Simon & Schuster site or on her website.
Although I didn't mention them, the illustrations add to the quiet beauty of this story. The artist is August Hall. You can read more about him HERE.
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is a mix of historical fiction brought into the modern day through a familial connection across the years and miles of Alaska. The first section of the book tells the story of Nutaaq who travels with her family to an annual trading fair. While there, Nutaaq’s sister meets a Siberian boy and is married. Before she sails for Siberia, she promises Nutaag that when they meet at the next fair, she will bring a beautiful blue bead for each member of their family. Nutaaq never gets to see her sister again as the flu epidemic of the early 20th century changes their course in history.
I didn’t really expect to like it and I certainly wouldn’t have ever picked it off the shelf as a fun read. I thought I’d quietly read the 50 pages (like I promised my 
by 
author Leslie Connor...
manages to be a realistic, easy read while imparting some important messages concerning self-worth and being true to one's self. It is filled with all the awkwardness and uncertainty of middle school as it tells the story of worrisome Evie and free-spirited Francesca in authentic and engaging voices. Though Evie is the protagonist, I liked Francesca so much more. She seemed more mature and less judgmental, though Evie does grow on you. 
will become another favorite. Uncle Silas is an evil villain living on a remote island complete with pet crocodiles. In fact the entire Winterbottom family tree is a lesson in Gothic dysfunction - nasty, greedy and downright criminal.
by Kim Culbertson. 
is filled with descriptive language and would make a decent read for teaching descriptive writing or examining mood or tone in writing style. It's an atmospheric story where the setting plays a large part. 
has an interesting premise about a young man with poor self esteem (usually reserved for the girls of YA Lit.) and his attempts at reinventing himself when he gets into a boarding school for intellectually gifted math and science students. Unfortunately, his attempts at reinventing himself become dangerous as his self-esteem sinks lower when his allegorical dreams begin to bleed into reality.
Alas, I can't say that I've seen it, but if the book trailer is any indication, we're in for a treat!
opens with eighteen-year-old Zach Gonzalez in a mental health facility uncertain as to how he landed there. Alcohol and trauma have left him there and we heal along with him as he comes to realize the monsters in his path. Though Zach is reluctant to examine the facts that left him broken, ultimately, the story is one of healing and love. Zach will face the monster.
by Kathi Appelt, I’m not sure where to begin…
though I must admit to not having read it yet. You can learn more about her on the 
