Satchel Paige

Well, it seems only fitting that we were reading Satchel Paige during the week of "Jackie Robinson Day!"  Its funny how these things all tie together sometimes.  I really loved this different approach to "reading to learn" as I often find that students have a lot of trouble transitioning from narrative texts to informative texts.  I thought this book would be a great in-between book to get used to reading for information while still enjoying a story.  It doesn't hurt either that the book seemed really short, and that there are pictures throughout the book which would make a reluctant reader "excited" to get started. I am a huge baseball fan, and was excited to read this book, especially with the relevance of Jackie Robinson day and the history of African American's and segregation even when it comes to sports.  I think this style of text allows for the author to really emphasize different things using different fonts, and size fonts, as well as what to put into pictures.  As far as using this book in the classroom, I think it would be so important to use in conjunction with a social studies class where you can get background history to go with the story.  This novel will just help the history come to life.  I was thankful for the introduction and the information at the end of the story to really get a full picture.  This is definitely a book I will recommend to future students, and would like to work collaboratively with my social studies teacher to implement it into the classroom.

Wonderstruck

So when I first picked up this book, I was a little nervous because it is an absolutely huge book.  I know, I know don't judge a book by its cover, but honestly this was a heavy book and with a short deadline I was a bit nervous, until I opened up the pages and was pleasantly surprised to see a lot of pictures and not a lot of words. This was such a wonderful story that I can see a lot of reluctant readers really enjoying.  I have read graphic novels before, but the novels I have read before were set up more like comic strips where this was two different story lines being told through pictures and written narrative.  The two stories eventually weave together so it all makes sense, but I thought the author/illustrator really did a great job tying the two together.  This is the story of a boy named Ben who loses his mother in an accident and then loses his hearing in a seperate accident of lightning strike.  He travels to NYC and into the American Museum of Natural History where he meets Jamie.  Ben is on a quest to find his father that he has never met nor knows very little about and Jamie helps him do so.  The pictures start with a little girl in Hoboken, New Jersey and much earlier than Ben's story begins.  The pictures and the story end up intertwining, and I don't want to give away the ending so I will stop there but encourage you all to read it!  The entire book was like a mystery and I was trying to connect the characters.  I think there was a great balance between the pictures and the words.  as a reader, I felt accomplished when I looked at how far I got in the story and how fast the reading really went! I was proud of myself for finishing the story quickly, and I can really see a reluctant reader feeling the same confidence and accomplishment!  This would also appear to your students that are more visual learners.  This is definitely a book that I am going to keep in the front of my mind as a recommendation to struggling readers!

I am Nujood

I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced was a great read!  I read this book very quickly because I couldn't put it down!  It was another one of those books that gave a completely different perspective on life in other parts of the world.  Like I said in a previous post, sometimes I feel like I have lived in my own little "bubble" of a world and had not been exposed to many of these things, or I guess I just didn't want to think that these things happened today.  This book reminded me a lot of The Kite Runner in that the main characters had to deal with very difficult situations.  It was hard to believe that Nujood would be married off at such a young age and have to deal with these things.  I tried to picture myself as a ten year old, and my biggest problem was if I got in a little argument with my friends over who got to use the better Barbie.  I can't imagine having to face marriage to a stranger and being taken from your family and then to endure the rape and abuse from her husband.  She had to grow up so fast, but she showed so much courage when she went to court demanding a divorce.  I was happy that her story had a happy ending, as I am sure there are many who do not.  I also really liked how there were so many women in power for Nujood to look up to after having been to court and then spending some time in the spotlight sharing her story.  I don't know that I would have been so strong at her age.

Although the main character in this book is so young, I definitely see this book as more of a high school read rather than a middle school read.  I even think it would have to be a mature group of high schoolers only because the content is a lot to handle and take in.  It is sometimes hard to believe that these things still happen in our world, and I can see a reader brushing this off as work of fiction rather than a serious story.  This might work well in a literature circle where you could select a group of students to read this work.

Monster

Walter Dean Myers is one of my favorite poets, so I was really looking forward to reading this novel.....needless to say, I was NOT disappointed.  I really liked the style of this novel in that it was written like a film script because that is what the main character, Steve Harmon, was interested in.  To be honest, it did take me a little bit of time to get used to it being in this format, but once I got past that and got into the story, I really loved it.                                       The whole time I I was reading,  kept thinking what a talented writer Myers must be to be able to write convincingly from both points of view in the prosecution and the defense.  I found myself as a reader being very convinced that Steve Harmon was innocent in one part of the book and then guilty in the other!  It was like he was playing the devil's advocate with himself.  I liked it though because as a reader, it really made you think and have to make up your own mind.                                                                                                                                                                                                       This story line is also not something that I have personally experienced, but I thought it brought a really good perspective of what a lot of people go through on a day to day basis.  I have been applying to teach in NYC, and this book, though I realize it doesn't happen to everyone, gives me something to think about as I sometimes feel I have lived a sheltered life in suburban Fairport.

I can see this book being used in many different ways in the classroom.  I think it could be used as a whole class read in high school, or with literature circles, or I really think an author study of Walter Dean Myers using this book would be really interesting as well.  I liked how his son was a part of this book with him as well, I think it speaks a lot about the author.  Overall, I give this book a 5 star rating and will look for more novels by Walter Dean Myers.

Catching Fire

The book picks up right where the first one left off, and I do have to admit that it does take a little while to really get started, but once the pace picks up, it is AWESOME!  I was wondering what happened to the contestants after the games when I read the first one, and this book so nicely explains it.  Sometimes the government in Panem seems completely out of control and it is hard to even imagine, yet at the same time I can really picture everything that they talk about! 

I was so happy to be "assigned" Catching Fire as my second book for this week!  After having read The Hunger Games I definitely wanted to continue the series, and probably would have had to postpone another book so I could read that one!  I am not quite finished, but I am loving the book so far!  I am a bit more than halfway through.

My sister came home this week for her college break and was reading The Hunger Games on the train.  She said that she had to try to stop herself from cryiing because she became so invested in the characters and the plot.  She can't wait to read the next one, and I think this holds true for most people that read these books.  I was thinking about how I would use them in the classroom, and I honestly think this series is one of those books that I would want to use simply to get readers to WANT to read.  I think sometimes we, as teachers, try to over-analyze books which then takes the fun out of reading them.  My sister enjoyed the book because she could just read it for what it was and not have to worry about a quiz or discussion etc.  This series is exciting and emotional, and a fun fast read, so I wouldn't want to take that away from the book.  This isn't to say that the book couldn't be used in really creative ways in the classroom and be very successful, its just my inital reaction is to let students read it for independent read or something to that affect.

I can't wait to finish Catching Fire and then begin on the third book!  I need to finish before the movie comes out!

Hungry for More Hunger Games!

Wow, I don't even know where to begin!  I had heard a lot about The Hunger Games before reading them for class. Many of my students raved about the book, but to be honest I was a little turned off by the category of "science fictoin," and figured it was another Harry Potter wanna be. Even though I wasn't really intrigued quite yet, I knew I should probably read it because that is what my students were interested in, and I wanted to see what all of the fuss was about.  I always conveniently ran out of time and didn't pick up the book until now.  I should have known how good the book was based on how difficult it was to get it from the library.  My mom works for Fairport Public Library and is usually able to get books pretty easily for me as she knows the ins and outs of borrowing from other libraries etc.  She told me every single cope (probably around 10) was out of the Fairport Public Library and that there was a wait list for the other books floating around Monroe County.  When I finally got the book, I couldn't wait to get started.  Since there is a movie coming out, I do think a lot more people wanted to read the book as well....including me!  I almost always like the book better than the movie, and try to read the book before seeing the movie, and so I began.

For some reason the science fiction category has always seemed like a turn off for me.  I guess I just clumped things like aliens and space travel into this category and thought it wasn't something that interested me, but this combination of science fiction/fantasy of The Hunger Games has left me wondering what other books I have missed out on for judging the cateogry too quickly.  I just love how the story has so many different elements to it, and it is quite unique to any other books I have read.  I do have to admit, the entire idea behind fighting to the death is pretty violent for middle school students, so I wouldn't be surprised to hear parents complain, but I think the book is so much more than that.  I think it is about Katniss and her journey to grow as a young lady as she learns new things about herself, and about the people she is put into the Hunger Games with!  I think Suzanne Collins did a great job of making the "districts" and that entire community seem strange to the reader while at the same time feeling very familiar to the "states" and things that we have in the United States.  The book is different enough that you feel like it could never happen to you, but still real enough that you can experience the events right along with the characters. 

The book in a lot of ways reminded me of The Trueman Show with Jim Carey in that his life was being filmed for everyone to see, the only difference between that movie and this book was that he didn't know he was being filmed, and the participants of the Hunger Games knew that they were being filmed. It would be interesting to compare the social responses of the characters in each situation when they knew they were being filmed and people were watching as well as when they didn't know people were watching.  I wonder if their actions would have changed?

Overall I loved this book and would recommend it to everyone!  I've already convinced my boyfriend (who hates reading) to read the book before we go see the movie!  It even gets reluctant readers to pick up a book!

Crank---Wow

Poetry has always been my favorite "topic" in ELA if you will, and this verse novel is another one to add to my list of favorites.  I appreciate authors that can write in this style because you have such limited space to say what you want to say.  Ellen Hopkins did an amazing job.  She made so many intentional decisions that could be over-looked by a reader.  Sometimes I was so anxious to find out what was going to happen next that I didn't really take time to look at the page as a whole or to try reading each page in a different way.  I love how she incorporated shape poetry (using hearts when talking about her heart tattoo, and using the letter E when talking about ecstasy).  There were also times that if you read the poem in a different way (ex p 302/303) that the words on the right hand side made their own poem.  She also used this method to distinguish between dialogue! Who knew you could put so much into poetry?! I also LOVE books written this way because they appeal to reluctant readers.  A lot of white space on the pages, but a thick book to make you feel really accomplished as you go.  This book however covered some really "deep stuff," so it would have to be used with an older reluctant reader.  Sharon Creech, author of Love That Dog also writes in this style and would appeal to the younger reader.

Wow, I finished Crank in two sittings because I just could not put it down!  I absolutely loved this book.


Now, to the meat of the text.  I can't say I could really relate to the extremes that Kristina/Bree went to, but I think we all battle that good girl/bad girl thing at some point.  I have always been a Kristina and sometimes feel that I lived in my own little bubble and didn't know what REALLY went on in the world.  It's like the attitude that "this stuff doesn't go on in my home town with the people I know," but now that I am older, I know that is just not true.  Drugs are a nasty nasty addiction that can take over even the most confident, secure people.  I loved how you could feel the character struggle, and you went through her journey from the very beginning and how she even got started with crank and how it just spiraled until it was out of control.  I was a little surprised as to how quickly Kristina transformed into Bree.  It only took one boy to convince her to try crank, and next thing you know she is experimenting and even becoming a drug dealer herself.  At first I thought this was a little unrealistic, but as I thought more about it, it is absolutely true.  These things can happen so fast, especially to a young 16 year old who is trying to find their identity.  I like how raw the novel was and how the author explained how the drugs do make you feel good while you're on them.  I think often times kids learn about drugs from one perspective, like the DARE program where they don't really educate, just tell you to "say no." This book definitely does not promote drug use, but it does show both sides and how it just takes over.  I wonder what it would have been like if Kristina/Bree would have sought help when she knew she needed it and was going out of control?  I read the author's note in the beginning of the book, and she says that although this novel is fiction, it is based loosely on her daughter.  The baby in the end of the book is now adopted by her and her husband and is doing well.  I would love to find out more about the author and her daughter's experience.  Having never done these drugs, I don't really know how accurate the descriptions are, so I would be interested to see if her daughter helped her in writing this novel.  Ahh... I love a novel that makes you think.