Monday, March 22, 2010
E. Lockhart's The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
I loved this book. Loved it. No real complaints here...no inner-prude diatribes. Reading something like a newer and more light-hearted Dead Poet's Society (please forgive this loose allusion), The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks explores one young woman's foray into private school secret societies and power struggles. E. Lockhart writes witty prose that is both accessible and complex. In other words, an adult doesn't feel like a 6th grader when reading it.
Frankie "develops" over the summer and suddenly gets noticed by her dream guy. Through her relationship with Mr. Popularity and based on things she's observed from her father and his "old boy" cronies from the same institution, Frankie finds a way to secretly get herself entwined with the Basset Hounds (an all-male secret society on campus). Fueled by a paper in one of her classes, Frankie pushes beyond pranks and into social protesting with hilarious and poignant results.
But why is she doing all of this? Well, I wont delve into that train of thought...but I will say that it has something to do with not only power, but that deep-seeded tendency we have as teens to want to be liked.
This book is a great read. It's funny and honest. A young girl definitely comes into her own and establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with while at the same time, experiencing some of the painful teenage dilemmas.
Other great things about this book - No vampires, demons, drug abuse or under aged sex...Yippee!
Frankie "develops" over the summer and suddenly gets noticed by her dream guy. Through her relationship with Mr. Popularity and based on things she's observed from her father and his "old boy" cronies from the same institution, Frankie finds a way to secretly get herself entwined with the Basset Hounds (an all-male secret society on campus). Fueled by a paper in one of her classes, Frankie pushes beyond pranks and into social protesting with hilarious and poignant results.
But why is she doing all of this? Well, I wont delve into that train of thought...but I will say that it has something to do with not only power, but that deep-seeded tendency we have as teens to want to be liked.
This book is a great read. It's funny and honest. A young girl definitely comes into her own and establishes herself as a force to be reckoned with while at the same time, experiencing some of the painful teenage dilemmas.
Other great things about this book - No vampires, demons, drug abuse or under aged sex...Yippee!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Laini Taylor's Lips Touch Three Times
If this is what "kids these days" are reading, maybe I'm right to not want kids at all. Hum. Not that I didn't enjoy this book - I did - however, I'm not a pre-teen or adolescent diving into the stories put before me as an alternate reality. I can read these books and keep myself in the here-and-now. I can enjoy a good fantasy with goblins, devils and demons. I guess I'm just old school, but some of this stuff is a little...hum...mature for young adults (emphasis on the young).
My "old prude" aside - Laini Taylor's Lips Touch Three Times is a thought-provoking foray into supernatural fantasy. Written to include three separate stories, each vignette develops more than the previous and explores other cultures, customs and superstitions with an artfulness and ease. Taylor's clearly done her research enough to fictionalize the rest.
The first story, Goblin Fruit begins with a heroine much like any good coming-of-age story for girls. Kizzy is not popular, but she's self-confident in her own ways. An awkward teen can easily identify with her - a real person. However, when a new and extremely good looking boy begins to take interest in her, the reader is already shouting, "no! Don't!" We've been warned - she's "ripe for goblins". We also get lots of warning comments - "if she remembers her grandmother's stories", "if she lives to adulthood" and so forth. What makes this story compelling is the combination of that identifiably real character and her desires mixed with her choice in the end, shockingly wanton and unlike any typical moralistic fable. (Gee, I hope I didn't spoil it...but it is a good read.)
The second story, Spicy Little Curses Such as These is set in India. We meet a woman who's job is to bargain with a demon in hell for children's souls...I know, right? Anyway, this demon enjoys creating curses in exchange...and after an earthquake kills 20+ children in a village, he comes up with one of his "best" curses yet. The daughter of a British official will kill with the sound of her voice. Luckily, the child is kept mute until adulthood. Then, she falls in love. Is the curse real? She struggles with wanting to know but not wanting to kill anyone to find out. She finds out...However, unlike the first story, Taylor takes us beyond the moment of choice to a moment of redemption.
The final story, Hatchling is the most in depth and bizarre story. A 14-year-old wakes up to find one of her brown eyes has turned ice blue. Her mother flips out. The truth begins to spill out but not completely before a mysterious creature, a Druj whisks the young girl away, leaving the mother hysterical. The story jumps between past and present, weaving a web of a story that requires a little more concentration to follow but is worth it. Unbeknownst to the girl and her mother, she's an incubator. It's strange. It's a little much for a tween (in my opinion). But it is a creative spin, for sure.
Overall, this book is an extremely creative adaptation of the coming-of-age experience. It combines the current trend of other-worldliness (for better or for worse is for the reader to decide). It also introduces words, locations, superstitions of other cultures. I actually Googled a location in one of the stories. I learned something new. An added bonus that is actually an essential part of the story is the artwork. Taylor's husband, Jim di Bartolo has created several pages before each story that prepare the reader for the tale to come. After each story, there is one image that hints at the completion of the story. The artwork perfectly compliments the writing and adds a bit of intrigue from the beginning. A very interesting book...but again, young adult? I wonder...
My "old prude" aside - Laini Taylor's Lips Touch Three Times is a thought-provoking foray into supernatural fantasy. Written to include three separate stories, each vignette develops more than the previous and explores other cultures, customs and superstitions with an artfulness and ease. Taylor's clearly done her research enough to fictionalize the rest.
The first story, Goblin Fruit begins with a heroine much like any good coming-of-age story for girls. Kizzy is not popular, but she's self-confident in her own ways. An awkward teen can easily identify with her - a real person. However, when a new and extremely good looking boy begins to take interest in her, the reader is already shouting, "no! Don't!" We've been warned - she's "ripe for goblins". We also get lots of warning comments - "if she remembers her grandmother's stories", "if she lives to adulthood" and so forth. What makes this story compelling is the combination of that identifiably real character and her desires mixed with her choice in the end, shockingly wanton and unlike any typical moralistic fable. (Gee, I hope I didn't spoil it...but it is a good read.)
The second story, Spicy Little Curses Such as These is set in India. We meet a woman who's job is to bargain with a demon in hell for children's souls...I know, right? Anyway, this demon enjoys creating curses in exchange...and after an earthquake kills 20+ children in a village, he comes up with one of his "best" curses yet. The daughter of a British official will kill with the sound of her voice. Luckily, the child is kept mute until adulthood. Then, she falls in love. Is the curse real? She struggles with wanting to know but not wanting to kill anyone to find out. She finds out...However, unlike the first story, Taylor takes us beyond the moment of choice to a moment of redemption.
The final story, Hatchling is the most in depth and bizarre story. A 14-year-old wakes up to find one of her brown eyes has turned ice blue. Her mother flips out. The truth begins to spill out but not completely before a mysterious creature, a Druj whisks the young girl away, leaving the mother hysterical. The story jumps between past and present, weaving a web of a story that requires a little more concentration to follow but is worth it. Unbeknownst to the girl and her mother, she's an incubator. It's strange. It's a little much for a tween (in my opinion). But it is a creative spin, for sure.
Overall, this book is an extremely creative adaptation of the coming-of-age experience. It combines the current trend of other-worldliness (for better or for worse is for the reader to decide). It also introduces words, locations, superstitions of other cultures. I actually Googled a location in one of the stories. I learned something new. An added bonus that is actually an essential part of the story is the artwork. Taylor's husband, Jim di Bartolo has created several pages before each story that prepare the reader for the tale to come. After each story, there is one image that hints at the completion of the story. The artwork perfectly compliments the writing and adds a bit of intrigue from the beginning. A very interesting book...but again, young adult? I wonder...
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied
"Truth, justice...I always thought they were absolutes, like God. And Mom. And apple pie.
But you could make apple pie from Ritz crackers. You could make cakes without sugar. We learned how to fake things, during the war." (p 249)
I always fall for it; no matter how old I get, I'm always going to be a bit of a sucker when it comes to coming-of-age stories. Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied was no exception. The story revolves around a teenage girl's first love and her family's dark secrets. Blundell eloquently paints the pictures, writing from the perspective of Evie - a sixteen-year-old with a war veteran step-father and a head-turning mother.
When Joe (step-father) suddenly sends the family on a trip to Florida, the past is hot on their heels. The worst part? I saw it coming...I saw it coming for pages and I didn't want to admit what would happen.
Don't worry...I wont spoil it. It's an easy read, with small pages and large font. But don't let it fool you! It maybe written for young adult readers, but the story is captivating anyway. As an adult I saw it all unfolding from Evie's perspective and it broke my heart for her.
But as you might hope in a true coming-of-age tale, Evie rises to the occasion. There is certainly no "happily ever after" here. However, Evie concludes her story, now a "truth teller" and much "tougher" for having been through it all.
This book will take you back; that is, it will take you back if you were ever the awkward type. If you found love and romance and popularity easily...well, good for you. However, most people I know at least claim some solidarity with the awkward duckling-to-swan types. And many of us will gladly admit that there isn't always such a dramatic swan transformation...and I think Blundell does a nice job of avoiding that cliche, as well.
Oh, and this was a little PG-13 for the reading level. I was surprised at some of the detail. It wasn't too much or even Harlequin-esque for me, but I would probably have a fit if I had a preteen reading it...But it's honest.
Overall, an interesting novel exploring first love, loyalty, post World War II sentiments, hate and deception.
But you could make apple pie from Ritz crackers. You could make cakes without sugar. We learned how to fake things, during the war." (p 249)
I always fall for it; no matter how old I get, I'm always going to be a bit of a sucker when it comes to coming-of-age stories. Judy Blundell's What I Saw and How I Lied was no exception. The story revolves around a teenage girl's first love and her family's dark secrets. Blundell eloquently paints the pictures, writing from the perspective of Evie - a sixteen-year-old with a war veteran step-father and a head-turning mother.
When Joe (step-father) suddenly sends the family on a trip to Florida, the past is hot on their heels. The worst part? I saw it coming...I saw it coming for pages and I didn't want to admit what would happen.
Don't worry...I wont spoil it. It's an easy read, with small pages and large font. But don't let it fool you! It maybe written for young adult readers, but the story is captivating anyway. As an adult I saw it all unfolding from Evie's perspective and it broke my heart for her.
But as you might hope in a true coming-of-age tale, Evie rises to the occasion. There is certainly no "happily ever after" here. However, Evie concludes her story, now a "truth teller" and much "tougher" for having been through it all.
This book will take you back; that is, it will take you back if you were ever the awkward type. If you found love and romance and popularity easily...well, good for you. However, most people I know at least claim some solidarity with the awkward duckling-to-swan types. And many of us will gladly admit that there isn't always such a dramatic swan transformation...and I think Blundell does a nice job of avoiding that cliche, as well.
Oh, and this was a little PG-13 for the reading level. I was surprised at some of the detail. It wasn't too much or even Harlequin-esque for me, but I would probably have a fit if I had a preteen reading it...But it's honest.
Overall, an interesting novel exploring first love, loyalty, post World War II sentiments, hate and deception.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice
Growing up in the South, specifically Alabama you know the name "Rosa Parks". You know what she did - refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and thus becoming the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts that would lead to the integration of the buses and serve as a vital part of the Civil Rights Movement.
But do you know Claudette Colvin?
Me neither. Not until I read Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. This National Book Winner is a history book of approximately 100 pages, full of pictures and historical sidebars. The main thrust of the book, however, is the little-known story of the 15-year old who refused to give up her seat 9 months prior to Ms. Parks' landmark defiance. The story is told from historical accounts, as well as interviews with Ms. Colvin and others associated with her story, trial and the Civil Rights Movement.
What it seems to boil down to is that Ms. Colvin wasn't the ideal poster-child for the boycott and was thus, overlooked. The book didn't paint Ms. Parks and her contemporaries in a negative light, but Ms. Colvin does express her heart - that she was just as much a part of this great moment in history as the names we all study in school.
So what happened to her? She was a teenager, labeled "emotional". Additionally, she was pregnant when the bus boycott began, and an unmarried pregnant teenager was not the ideal face of the movement. Ms. Colvin, however was one of the plaintiffs in the landmark trial (that I had heard about from school) Browder vs. Gayle. It was in this trail that the Supreme Court determined segregation on the buses was unconstitutional.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is an excellent read for all students. In an age of information, we know so little about what happened only a few short years ago. We see racism in our lives today all over the world and sadly we still see some of the "old hate" from the 1950s in the South. As George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
But do you know Claudette Colvin?
Me neither. Not until I read Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. This National Book Winner is a history book of approximately 100 pages, full of pictures and historical sidebars. The main thrust of the book, however, is the little-known story of the 15-year old who refused to give up her seat 9 months prior to Ms. Parks' landmark defiance. The story is told from historical accounts, as well as interviews with Ms. Colvin and others associated with her story, trial and the Civil Rights Movement.
What it seems to boil down to is that Ms. Colvin wasn't the ideal poster-child for the boycott and was thus, overlooked. The book didn't paint Ms. Parks and her contemporaries in a negative light, but Ms. Colvin does express her heart - that she was just as much a part of this great moment in history as the names we all study in school.
So what happened to her? She was a teenager, labeled "emotional". Additionally, she was pregnant when the bus boycott began, and an unmarried pregnant teenager was not the ideal face of the movement. Ms. Colvin, however was one of the plaintiffs in the landmark trial (that I had heard about from school) Browder vs. Gayle. It was in this trail that the Supreme Court determined segregation on the buses was unconstitutional.
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice is an excellent read for all students. In an age of information, we know so little about what happened only a few short years ago. We see racism in our lives today all over the world and sadly we still see some of the "old hate" from the 1950s in the South. As George Santayana once said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
Friday, March 5, 2010
David Small's Stitches: A Memoir
This book, classified as Young Adult literature was my first foray into the graphic novel. For those of you above the age of twenty five and who have no exposure to the culture of young people today, I'll briefly explain. A graphic novel is a story written in form like a comic book.
Stitches: A Memoir is the author's vivid recount of his dysfunctional childhood including a bout with cancer that his parents didn't even tell him he had. Like his childhood, the words are few and far between. However, the images tell a story stronger than words.
I will read this again, probably multiple times - before I return it to the library. I look forward to further discovery and discussion when class finally meets.
Stitches: A Memoir is the author's vivid recount of his dysfunctional childhood including a bout with cancer that his parents didn't even tell him he had. Like his childhood, the words are few and far between. However, the images tell a story stronger than words.
I will read this again, probably multiple times - before I return it to the library. I look forward to further discovery and discussion when class finally meets.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Sidebar - Upcoming Reads
Yes, I continue to struggle through The Last of the Mohicans. Unlike other reads I've enjoyed, this novel seems to command my full attention and focus during a read. In other words, I can't simply read while my hubby watches Seinfeld in the same room or catch a paragraph here or there on a slow work day...this is a "weekend away with just the book" kind of books.
Which is why I'm still reading...
But in the meantime, I am gearing up for an intense interim course focusing on National Book Award winners in Young Adult Literature. The class starts in May, but I'm jumping on it now, by getting hold of each of the required texts. My theory? Read now, leisurely and then read again frantically and academically during interim. I want to earn an A - because I am an overachiever - but I also want to enjoy these books...and they each sound interesting. Here's the list:
Jumped - Rita Williams-Garcia
The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau-Banks - E. Lockhart
Stitches: A Memoir - David Small
Lips Touch Three Times - Laini Taylor
Charles & Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith - Deborah Heiligman
What I Saw and How I Lied - Judy Blundell
This list presents some interesting topics and challenges. Jumped deals with three teen aged girls and their interactions, involving how one wants to "jump" the other after school. The Disreputable History is (according to another blogger) the story of a teen aged girl at a newly-coeducational boarding school who is working to break through some still-existing "male only" barriers. Stitches is a graphic novel-style memoir of the author's life in an extremely dysfunctional home. Lips Touch... is three stories about how a kiss changes things forever in three fantasy-based worlds (i.e. - vampires, demons, etc.). Charles & Emma is a biography written for young adults about the Darwins. What I Saw...is a coming of age story in post-war America involving the step-daughter of a veteran and some other intrigue.
The library just emailed me - I can pick up Stitches tonight...I'm excited! This one sounded the most intriguing to me. I'll be double blogging, once again!
Which is why I'm still reading...
But in the meantime, I am gearing up for an intense interim course focusing on National Book Award winners in Young Adult Literature. The class starts in May, but I'm jumping on it now, by getting hold of each of the required texts. My theory? Read now, leisurely and then read again frantically and academically during interim. I want to earn an A - because I am an overachiever - but I also want to enjoy these books...and they each sound interesting. Here's the list:
Jumped - Rita Williams-Garcia
The Disreputable History of Frankie Laundau-Banks - E. Lockhart
Stitches: A Memoir - David Small
Lips Touch Three Times - Laini Taylor
Charles & Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith - Deborah Heiligman
What I Saw and How I Lied - Judy Blundell
This list presents some interesting topics and challenges. Jumped deals with three teen aged girls and their interactions, involving how one wants to "jump" the other after school. The Disreputable History is (according to another blogger) the story of a teen aged girl at a newly-coeducational boarding school who is working to break through some still-existing "male only" barriers. Stitches is a graphic novel-style memoir of the author's life in an extremely dysfunctional home. Lips Touch... is three stories about how a kiss changes things forever in three fantasy-based worlds (i.e. - vampires, demons, etc.). Charles & Emma is a biography written for young adults about the Darwins. What I Saw...is a coming of age story in post-war America involving the step-daughter of a veteran and some other intrigue.
The library just emailed me - I can pick up Stitches tonight...I'm excited! This one sounded the most intriguing to me. I'll be double blogging, once again!
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