This blog began with my librarian journey in 2008. It’s named for my disheveled barnyard in Radnor, PA -- but the majority of the content is dedicated to education, libraries, and YA literature.
“Most people don't realize how important librarians are. I ran across a book recently which suggested that the peace and prosperity of a culture was solely related to how many librarians it contained. Possibly a slight overstatement. But a culture that doesn't value its librarians doesn't value ideas and without ideas, well, where are we?” ― Neil Gaiman
Alex and
Thea have been thrown into wealth by the marriage of their mother to a
multimillionaire after years of living on the edge of poverty with their mother
as a single parent raising them. Overnight they've gone from mac and cheese to sushi. But it's not necessarily all that one would think it might be. This YA novel is written in the alternating
voices of the two teens as they grapple with the new world they’ve been thrust
into and the host of issues both from their past and their present situation
that they are dealing with as individuals and as a family.While the story as a whole is a little
far-fetched since most teens don’t have parents marrying multimillionaires (although many may secretly wish for it...), the
issues the girls themselves are dealing with are very real to today’s
teens.Jealousy, eating disorders,
reaching out for attention, and teen choices are strong prevalent themes.In addition, Griffin packs everything
into an enjoyable teen read that will hold many teens attention, especially
reluctant readers.It gets a
thumbs up from me for that!
The Kill
Order is the prequel to James Dashner’s popular Maze Runner Trilogy.The
basic storyline follows from sun flares scorching the earth and making it uninhabitable
and the lives of Mark, Trina, Alec and others as they fight to survive in the
aftermath.It follows
through as a devious plan to kill off a portion of the remaining population is
revealed.There is some possible thought-provoking
discussion with the population control plot, however on the whole I didn’t find
this book nearly is good as the rest of the series.But while it was not my favorite YA read of the year, I do
think it may be popular with fans of the series, boys and reluctant
readers.Readers who enjoy video
games may also enjoy this book because of the storyline and the fact that it
reads almost like an action-packed video game.
“There’s
never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace
with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached.
Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the
morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend,
Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer
apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out,
day after day.” From the Book Jacket
I have been a fan of David
Levithan’s writing for some time now.He has a beautiful style of writing for teens that captures their voice.There has also always been a realness
to his characters that transcends stereotypes of gender, race, and sexual
orientation.His characters are
just people.Aren’t we all?With Every Day, he has truly captured
that sentiment.This novel is one
of the finest novels I have read in a very long time.If I could give it 6 stars, I would. I think that in writing
this novel David Levithan has given us something to mull over that is essential
to some of the biggest debates of our time period.He has written a book not just for young adults, but for
everyone.It is beautiful.The concept of capturing personhood by
creating a character who changes bodies every day is amazing.Could you love such a soul?What is it that we truly love about a
person?It is a challenge
for each of us to consider.
“Dead
kids shouldn’t be allowed to go to school.”Chris Wooding has come up with a fictional twist to a solid
reality for much of the world’s population – prejudice.In this short story, a group known as the
Returned, or Pales, face hatred at every turn.They are alive because they have the right blood type to
gain a second chance at life shortly after dying due to a miraculous invention
called the Lazarus Serum.When
they come back to life they are able to live indefinitely, have pale skin,
eyes, and hair, but are otherwise fairly normal.
I highly
recommend Wooding’s tale as a non-traditional way to lead discussions on the
topic of bullying in the high school setting or as a companion to books like To
Kill A Mockingbird.
Margo
Lanagan has spun a fresh tale of the Irish folktale of the selkies, women who
come from the sea and shed their seal skins to live on land.These women are somewhat like an Irish
mermaid tale, although legend is different in that they remain on land as
humans only so long as their seal skins are hidden.Once the skins are found, the women return to the sea.There have been other books written of
the tale and a 1994 movie, The Secret of Roan Inish.
On Rollrock
Island young Misskaella finds she has a gift with the seals; she is able to
call them to her.As she grows
older, she learns to use this gift and becomes known as the town witch for her
ability to find “brides” for young men.As her wealth increases, suspicion grows among the women.
Lanagan’s selkie
tale is richly written and will please older teens who enjoy reading as well as
adults.It isn’t a book for the
average teen as it is a challenging read that can be a bit slow and melancholy
at times.For those willing to
stick with it, however, the rewards are rich.
Reading
Erebos was like entering into the mind of a teens on a wild fantasy gaming
trip.As the teacher of teens and
mother of an avid pre-teen gamer, I was immediately attracted to the idea of a
book with this description …
“When
16-year-old Nick receives a package containing the mysterious computer game
Erebos, he wonders if it will explain the behavior of his classmates, who have
been secretive lately. Players of the game must obey strict rules: always play
alone, never talk about the game, and never tell anyone your nickname.
Curious, Nick joins the game and
quickly becomes addicted. But Erebos knows a lot about the players and begins
to manipulate their lives. When it sends Nick on a deadly assignment, he
refuses and is banished from the game.”
I was not disappointed.Erebos is a book filled with mystery,
realistic teen characters, and a fantastical plot.While the plot may be a little far-fetched, I believe we
read books in order to enjoy a little fantasy.The teen characters are challenged with one of my favorite
themes: choices.It is a theme I
talk about with teens often and Pozanski presents the theme in an enjoyable
format.Teens are at an age where
discussing with them the impact of the choices they make upon their lives and
the lives of others is critical and any resource we can find to help get the
message through to them is of value in my book.Erebos is a fun, fantastical, sometimes frightening, way to
appeal to teens that their choices do have an impact.
“Blow it up, Melt it into bubbling
puddles, Find secret ingredients”
Loralea Leavitt has come up with a tremendously fun book for
teachers who want to keep middle school students engaged while they are
explaining some basic science.Using candy to explain density, crystals, expansion and contraction, and
other basic concepts makes science fun and memorable for students and may even
encourage them to continue exploring on their own.
The book is divided up into sections with headings followed by
experiments and explanations for the science behind the experiments.The first heading is Secret Ingredients and includes an
experiment using Pop Rocks to find the ingredients that make the “pop”, experiments
for finding oil in candy, an experiment to find out what makes candy sour, and
an experiment to find hidden candy (sugar), among others.The second heading, Color includes an
experiment playing with candy color to make color separations, and an
experiment on how to make a “rainbow in a straw”. This is the largest section
for density experiments and includes one of my favorites in the entire book, a
Skittles rainbow in a bowl!The
third heading, Sink and Float, also includes density experiments through
floating and sinking candy.There
is even an experiment where you can float the letters right off of M&M’s!
There is not a kid alive who doesn’t love the fourth section heading
– Blow It Up! The section is filled with all sorts of experiments that demonstrate
expansion and contraction.From exploring
the compression of air bubbles in marshmallows with a vacuum tube to the now
infamous Mentos soda fountain, there are experiments to delight one and all.Section five, Squash It, explores the
different textures of various sugars, through stretching, twisting, and
breaking candy.My favorite experiment
is the LifeSaver lights!Following
through on the texture theme, Section six, Hot and Cold explores the effects of
temperature on candy.Section seven, Dissolve This, contains experiments
that answer the question: “Why does some candy dissolve faster than other candy?”Section eight, Crystals, is all about the
magical world of crystal making from different varieties of sugar. On e thing I like about this section that
is different from other books on crystals is that it asks a question about corn
syrup and whether or not it makes crystals and includes an experiment for students
to find the answer.Finally, the
book ends with a section heading Sticky.What makes candy sticky?
I found this to be a wonderful resource book with excellent full-color
photographs.The instructions for
the experiments are simple and easily integrated into any lesson plan and the simple
science explanations are also easily adapted to school science curriculum.
The most recent installment of superhero
Zita by Ben Hathke is sure to please readers young and old alike.Ben’s artwork is stunning and playful
at the same time and his storyline is absolutely hilarious as the spunky Zita
faces one adventure after another. He is the sort of artist who evokes the classic art and imagination
of the legendary Japanese Hayao Miyazaki but with a definite American flavor to
his characters.In this edition, a
robot crawls out of a box and adapts itself to look just like Zita.Zita takes advantage of the situation
to get a break from her adoring fans, but finds herself in a predicament upon
her return; the robot Zita likes being Zita just a little too much.In the interim while Zita and her friend
mouse were off relaxing, robot Zita accepted a challenge from the Lumponian Ambassadors
to save their planet from the fatal heart stars.Robot Zita zooms away in Zita’s ship leaving the real spacegirl
in quite a pickle... Ben has come
up with a terrific adventure-filled tale for Zita that will have readers biting
their nails for the next installment!
Teaching With Passion, Patience, Creativity & Flare
When I am
talking to fellow teachers and parents they often fall into the “I love teens”
or “just get me through this stage” category.Hopefully those in the latter category are not high school
teachers, but I have met some just hanging on until retirement.I have been collecting resources that I
feel really help in working with creating a positive classroom with teens.If there is one thing I have learned,
it is that yelling does not work.You can create and adversarial relationship, but it will get you
nowhere.By creating a positive
relationship, you are more likely able to create the atmosphere of learning you
are seeking to create.My favorite
resource, the Love & Logic series, works for all grade levels. Some of the other resources I’ve listed
below have helped me gain an interesting perspective on schools, the classroom,
and creating a vibrant, passionate atmosphere for learning.Despite the constant litany of excuses and
laying of blame, I do believe it is possible to teach and teach well in today’s
schools – even with excessive testing, challenging students and administrators,
and regularly changing rules. Teaching,
like all professions, is not without its challenges, neither is it without its rewards.
Love and Logic for Teachers
By Jim Fay, Foster W. Cline, M.D. and
Charles Fay, Ph.D
My Favorite Time of Year... Honoring The Top YA Books of the Year with the Printz Awards!
I won't be at ALA in Anaheim for the Red Carpet Printz Award Ceremony this year, much as I love hearing the speeches, but I will be there in spirit. This year I met my goal -- I’ve now made my way through
the last of the four Printz Honor books as well as the Printz Award winner for
2012. It speaks volumes that five
books were close contenders for this year’s Printz Award. I have to say that, in my opinion, at
least four of the five books are indeed incredibly close contenders. The writing in all of the books is
phenomenal as is the individual storytelling, character development, and the
feeling left once each of the books are closed that it is a book worthy of an
award. If I had been on this
year’s Printz Committee, I would have struggled to choose a winner. And I’ve read a book or two that I
think ought to have been a contender!
Imagine if I had been tasked with reading the entire Printz Committee’s
pile of books!
Cullen
Witter is seventeen-years-old and has quite the weight of the world on his
shoulders. He has just identified
the dead body of his cousin Oslo for his Aunt and now had to deal with her
living with them. He spent his
days fending off bully Russell Quitman.
He also has a little brother Gabriel who he adores and thinks is one of
the most interesting people in the world, and yet not one of the most socially
skilled kids he has ever met.
Gabriel could care less what anyone else thinks of him. Fortunately his best friend Lucas Cader
is big, handsome, and well liked – and incredibly protective of Gabriel and
Lucas. One day a bird hunt begins
for the Lazarus Woodpecker, originally presumed extinct. And then suddenly Gabriel disappears…
This
first time novel by John Corey Whaley is both complex and beautiful. It is so much more than a simple love
story. The complex relationships
between the characters and wonderful interweaving of the various stories is
magic. This is a joy of a book to
read and will have wide appeal to both genders. I’m so sorry I won’t get a chance to meet John at ALA and
have him sign my copy of When Things Come Back!!!!
Every November the island of
Thisby holds a contest in which the strongest riders attempt to prove they are
the best by taking on the wild water horses of the island and racing one
another, sometimes to their death.
It is dangerous, exhilarating, beautiful, and exciting. The island champion, Sean Kendrick, is
an orphan indebted to his employer and hoping to one day earn his own
horse. This year the stakes are
high. Will Sean win his
horse? On the other side of the
island, another orphaned rider, Puck Connolly, has a similar plan. She also wants to win the race. But her stakes are higher. She hopes to save her family and their
home. So who will win the Scorpio
Races?
Maggie Stiefvater has
written an amazing story filled with tenderness and beauty. The dynamics between siblings, friends,
servants and masters is deftly handled and filled with real emotion. When the water horses are woven into
the story they come alive and feel so real that one expects to be able to
travel to remote islands in Ireland and actually find the mystical creatures
coming up out of the sea. The
Scorpio Races is Maggie’s finest book to date. It is a work of art.
I am so sorry I am not going to be at ALA to have my copy signed by
Maggie this year!!!!
Charlie Bucktin lives in a
small town in Australia in the 1970’s.
The Vietnam War is going on and his best friend Jeffrey and his family emigrated
from Vietnam. The town they live
in is filled with all of the local characters every small town is filled with
and Charlie’s parents are going through their own struggles. Charlie fills his days reading. One night as he is reading, an outcast
teen named Jasper Jones knocks on his window and begs for his help. As Charlie follows him into the night,
his whole world turns upside down.
The mystery that unfolds during the rest of the summer is a
heartbreaking adventure unveiling the true nature of prejudice, brutality of
domestic violence, and the beauty and healing power of love.
I absolutely loved this book
and in many feel torn between this one, The Scorpio Races, and Where Things
Come Back for the Printz Award itself.
If I could, I’d give it to all three. They are all three such beautiful books. Again, I wish I were going to be at ALA
to have Craig sign my copy of Jasper Jones!!!!!!!!!
I enjoyed this book by
Christine Hinwood, but agree with many of the other reviews that I read that it
will be quite a difficult read for many YA readers and had an inconclusive
ending. The language was quite
challenging and difficult to get into at first. I like fantasy as a genre in general. This book was a little
slow going at first for me, but once I got into it, I enjoyed it.
The book opens with a family
farming and introduces a few characters including Cam, the lone returning
soldier after the war has ended.
Cam has lost his arm in the war with the Uplanders, in addition, he has
taken on Uplander ways. Apparently
he also looks somewhat like an Uplander.
Much of the first half of the story is told from other characters
perspectives of the homecoming of the lone soldier. But Cam is lost in more ways than one. And when his engagement to Graceful
Fenister is broken, he too becomes broken. Eventually Cam decides he must leave his Downlander past in
search of something new.
There is likely to be a
sequel to this book. I liked it
enough to read the sequel, but I don’t think I’d recommend this to the average
YA reader. Most teens would get
too boggled down in the language and give up on it. Science fiction addicts, fantasy buffs, and high literature
readers would enjoy it. I probably
wouldn’t have given it a Printz Honor because of the inability for it to have
widespread YA appeal.
Art By Maira Kalman on the cover of The New Yorker
I have to say that this was
probably my least favorite of the books.
I’m not saying that it wasn’t a good book, just that in comparison to
the caliber of top level books, this was not there for me. I am guessing that it made the cut for
its originality in style. It is
cleverly written as a series of letters from Min, short for Minerva, to her ex
boyfriend Ed upon their break-up accompanied by interspersed full-colored
drawings of the mementos that she collected during their short one-month relationship. The art is lovely and Maira Kalman is well
known for her artwork and writing in other books as is Daniel Handler aka
Lemony Snicket. I included reviews
above with differing viewpoints from mine so that you might get other
perspectives on the book as well.
The letters are a monologue
of the relationship from the very beginning to the very end and you do have to
adore the hopelessly romantic Min. Min’s best friend is a boy named Al and she met Ed when he
crashed his 16th birthday party. Min and Al are two peas in a pod…and she and Ed are
definitely not. They come from two
different worlds. Ed is the
penultimate high school jock who lives to play basketball while Min is an artsy
old film buff who lives to be a film director. They have completely different sets of friends at school and
different interests after school.
Can they make a romantic relationship work?
Art from Why We Broke Up
Books that didn’t make it
that at least deserve an honorable mention…
I have read many books by
John Green and loved all of them.
This is now my absolute favorite.
I don’t know if it is because cancer has invaded my life so pervasively
in the past few years or not, but this book is just beautiful. I wish I were going to be at ALA this
year to have John sign my book, but I’m sure I’ll catch up with him another
year.
The story is about Hazel, a
teen who has miraculously had her life extended by new cancer medication that
has shrunk her tumor despite her terminal status as a young child. She is still living on borrowed time,
but has gained a few extra years of life.
Her mother insists on her attending a Cancer Kid Support Group so that
she will have a social outlet and meet kids like her, but Hazel is jaded and
sarcastic about attending…until the day she meets the gorgeous Augustus
Waters. Her whole world turns
upside down when she meets Augustus.
John has managed to write a
book about cancer that is honest, funny, tragic, true, and completely
heartfelt. It is the absolute
rollercoaster that one goes through when dealing with the disease. At the same time, he has written an
absolutely wonderful love story.
I’d have given this book at least a Printz Honor…and a box of
tissues.
I wrote about this book in a
previous post as one of my favorite books about girls and sports this
year. I really think it has wide
appeal to both genders and to not just athletes as the message goes well beyond
sports. While this book did make
some of the reading lists and did win an award for book with disabilities, I’d
have like to have seen it lauded for its greater messages.
Whether you are an athlete
or a mathlete, you can’t help but fall in love with this story about
sixteen-year-old Jessica, a high school track star with amazing potential who
wakes up on the first page of the book to find she has lost her leg in a
terrible accident. Jessica struggles through a whole realm of emotions
but continually dreams of running. She discovers that running on
prosthesis is a possibility, but an expensive one. Her entire team
rallies behind her to try and get her running again. At the same time,
Jessica meets Rosa who has CP and is in a wheelchair. Rosa tutors her in
math and she discovers something about disabilities – it’s easy to become
invisible.
I am a runner.
That's what I
do.
That's who I am.
Running is all I know,
or want, or care about...
Running aired out my
soul.
It made me feel alive.
And now?
I'm stuck in this bed,
knowing I'll never run again. (pg 6, The Running Dream)
A special note of thanks
to these incredible authors:
Congratulations to all
of you! You are wonderful authors
and are much appreciated for bringing terrific work to young adults and young
adults at heart! We love reading
your work, so please keep it up and we promise to keep reading what you write!
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