Book Review - Annie on my mind
Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Summary:
When Liza and Annie meet at the museum, they are immediately drawn to each other, and recognize in each other a kindred spirit. After a day of fun singing and acting out scenes, the two depart to their own parts of the city, but when Annie calls Lize to invite her out, a relationship ensues that appears unbreakable. As the girls begin to spend more and more time together, it becomes clear to them both that there is much more than a friendship between them, but in the setting of the early 1980s, a romantic relationship will not be easily accepted by the families or society as a whole. When the two are discovered using Liza’s teachers’ home as their own romantic getaway while the teachers are on vacation, their lives seem to unravel, but love continues to connect them, and brings them reason for deep hope for a future together.
Analysis:
This story is realistic fiction written more than 30 years ago that can still be a relatable piece of literature today. Young adults are at an age where they are exploring their own sexuality and bodies, and sometimes what they discover might not line up exactly with how their loved ones or society think they should. This story is about a young lesbian couple navigating these difficulties, but the struggles of the characters can translate to many different struggles that teens go through because they are often making choices that their parents might not agree with.
Connections:
This is a good read for teenage students who are going through self-discovery, and dealing with the possibility of disappointing their loved ones.
Book Review: Freak show
St. James, J. (2007). Freak show. New York: Dutton.
Summary:
Billy Bloom is starting his senior year in a new, very conservative, high school and he doesn’t fit in. Billy is a drag queen, and as soon as he sets foot in his first class decked out in an elaborate pirate outfit, the hatred from his classmates begins. Billy suffers being bullied day after day, and when his teacher refuses to have him removed from the Biology class, where things seem to be the worst, he decides to shake things up with an outfit that is sure to cause turmoil and lead to his removal. What he doesn’t realize is that the jocks in the back row who torment Billy are planning a special pushing session to shake him up. When Billy is badly beaten to the point of unconsciousness, the leader of the jocks, Flip, saves him, and a friendship ensues. As the boys navigate a complicated relationship, Flip makes sure that Billy will be accepted when he returns to school. He even runs for prom queen with a substantial backing of the student body. In the end, Billy, who struggles with feeling loved and accepted finds happiness being exactly who he is.
Analysis:
This story is one that might reach readers in different ways. Reading this story could give confidence and support to students who are struggling to fit in and be who they want to be. Readers who don’t directly relate to the protagonist can still appreciate a lot in the story through compassion towards Billy for the hateful acts that he endures, and his ability to always bounce back in a positive way. The story, told from Billy’s perspective is a quick read packed with dialogue and witty whims. Throughout the book, Billy’s speech patterns come alive with the use of italics for his thoughts, and words written in all capital letters for emphasis.
Connections:
This story is great for students who may be searching for the confidence to be who they want to be, even if it isn’t always accepted by others.
Book Review: Period. 8
Crutcher, C. (2014). Period 8. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.
Summary:
Paulie Bomb is a high school senior who seems to have it all until he makes a terrible decision. After Paulie has an uncomfortable sexual encounter with a quiet girl from his eighth period lunch class, he feels he has no choice but to promptly come clean with his girlfriend. After a devastating break up with Hannah which leads to a lot of self reflection, Paulie opts to take the high road when his friend Arney shows interest in taking her out. The plot swiftly gets more complicated and twisted as Mary, the girl who Paulie cheated with disappears, and then reappears but with seemingly duplicate personalities. Arney begins acting strangely, and another girl from eighth period begins to show signs of distress. Paulie’s confidant and swimming partner, Mr. Logs is the group’s Period 8 advisor, and when Mary disappears again and begins sending Paulie tests that indicate she might be in danger, the two end up on an action packed race from a crooked cop who has had a hand in puppeteering the whole thing.
Analysis:
This is a novel of realistic fiction with a storyline that is easily relatable, but (hopefully) slightly more dramatic than real life. Many young readers will relate to finding an adult confidant, often within the walls of school to help them through their many trials as a teenager. Perhaps the story will encourage students who haven’t already found that person, to reach out and confide in an adult when they need to. Also relatable is the idea of cliques and classes within the school building. This story clearly demonstrates that people are not always who they project themselves to be, and making assumptions about a person often leads you to the wrong ideas about them. Topics of romantic relationships, broken hearts, shattered friendships, and difficult home lives, add to ways that this book might read a young reader, and the mystery in the plot keeps things rolling and interesting.
Connections:
This is a good book for any teen or preteen who enjoys realistic fiction with a mysterious plot to follow.
Book Review: Merrow
Braxton-Smith, A. (2016). Merrow. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Summary:
Neen is a 13 year old girl who is looking for answers. She lives with her aunt Ushag on a cove that has been her family’s residence since they were driven out of town for have the “scales”, a condition that Neen has herself. These scales appear on Neen’s skin and her aunt doctor’s them as she did for Neen’s mother when they were growing up. Neen believes in merrow and the Others, and she overhears many stories told by the townspeople about the deaths of her mother and father. She hears the stories from Ma, an elderly lady who knew her mother, and she just wants to know the truth. Her bitter, hard-working aunt, however, does not seem interested in sharing that information. When Ulf, a ship wrecked Northerner gets caught in Ushag and Neen’s fishing nets, and his drawn out stories conjure up emotions and memories, Ushag finally tells her story. After Neen’s father died, Neen’s mother was never the same. Overcome with sorrow as well as pain from the ongoing bullying about her scales, Neen’s mother walked into the ocean and never returned. Neen sets out to prove that this story did not end tragically, and that her mother is living as a mermaid. Through this she learns a lot about the truth, happiness, and what is important in life.
Analysis:
This is a sad story about a young girl trying to find out about her past. The tender age of 13 brings many challenges because while Neen is still young and protected by her aunt, she is old enough to want to handle the facts. While mermaids are a fantastical part of this story, the desire for truth from young people is not, and Neen’s frustrations are easily relatable for young adults, as are Ushag’s urges to protect Neen for adults. The story is interlaced with detailed descriptions of the setting and large chunks of story-telling which might cause timid readers to lose interest, but overall this is a beautiful encounter of a young girl who appreciates the beauties of the majestic, and learns a lot about through the truth.
Connections:
This is a good book for readers who enjoy fantasy and beautiful descriptive writing.
Book Review: Grasshopper jungle
Smith, A. (2014). Grasshopper jungle. New York: Dutton.
Summary:
Austin is a teenage boy living a seemingly normal life spending most of his time with his best friend Robby and girlfriend Shann. As Austin is working through many confusing teenage situations such as his obsession with sex, his addiction to cigarettes, and some confusion about his own sexuality, he and his loved ones become key players in a gruesome and eventful apocalypse. Austin has an intense interest in history and all paths crossing at some point in time, so he writes everything down from his point of view. When a plague is released which turns people into giant, bulletproof, carnivorous praying mantises, Shann discovers an underground shelter on her family’s property, and the three uncover the history which has led to the end of the world.
Analysis:
This book is written in very short chapters, and is packed with dialogue and short sentences which is a structure that might be appealing to reluctant readers who are intimidated by long chapters of dense text. The content is best suited for older students as there is some bad language, and the story is heavy in sexual content. The plot is intriguing, and Austin’s love for recording history provides a platform full of facts that seem random at times, but keep things interesting and moving. Even though the story is a bit outrageous featuring sex crazed and hungry praying mantises, the characters are struggling through life changes and decisions that are relatable for many people.
Connections:
This book would be enjoyable for students who like to read apocalyptic novels and can handle mature content. Here is a Book Trailer.
Book Review: Code name Verity
Wein, E. (2012). Code name Verity. New York: Hyperion.
Summary:
Julie is a prisoner in Nazi-occupied France at the beginning of World War II. Believing that her friend, Maddie was killed in a plane crash, Julie agrees to give over information to gain time for writing her confessions of what she knows, and the story of her friendship with Maddie. She writes about how Maddie was a pilot who dropped Julie in France and crashed her plane. Much to the reader’s surprise, Maddie did not die in the crash, but landed with a resistance circuit who assist her with false papers to help her survive. When an attempt to save Julie goes wrong, Maddie tragically must kill her own friend so that the Nazis cannot torture her. She is able to read Julie’s writings and discovers hidden information in the confession which guides Maddie to complete Julie’s mission as a Scottish spy, to blow up the Ormaie Gestapo.
Analysis:
This historical fiction encounter of the two girls’ experiences during World War II is action filled and heartbreaking. There seems to have been much research by the author that went into writing this story, and it would be better suited for high school students, possibly at the pre-AP level due to the maturity of the writing style which might become confusing, particularly in the beginning of the book. The pieces come together in Part II of the novel, but readers must be committed enough to stick with it.
Connections:
This book would be a good option as an outside reading assignment to accompany studying The Diary of Anne Frank or Night. It might also be a good in-class option in English while students are studying World War II in their history class to promote cross-curricular alignment.
Book Review: Chasing forgiveness
Shusterman, N. (2015). Chasing forgiveness: a novel. New York: Simon & Schuster BFYR.
Summary:
Preston Scott is a fourteen year old boy living with his grandparents and brother. Two years earlier, Preston lived the unthinkable; his father killed his mother. Now, as his father is being released from prison and moving closer to his sons, Preston battles with his own ability to forgive. His grandparents have already found forgiveness in their hearts. In fact, they refused to testify against Preston’s father after their daughter was killed. Preston works to find forgiveness as well as some unknown truths surrounding his mother’s death.
Analysis:
This dramatic storyline, based on real events will keep young readers interested out of pure horror for what the protagonist has had to endure. Readers will be empathetic to Preston, and the mystery surrounding the details related to his mother’s death keep the pages turning. There is a lack of character development which keeps the story more surface level, but overall, it will be an interesting read for young people.
Connections:
This is a good recommendation for students who like to read fiction that is based on real events.
Book Review: Gabi: A girl in pieces
Quintero, I. (2014). Gabi: A girl in pieces. TX: Cinco Puntos.
Summary:
Gabi is a teenage Mexican-American girl facing many struggles during her senior year of high school. She deals with body image issues considering herself overweight, one best friend is pregnant, and the other is gay and not yet out to his family. Her father has a meth addiction, and is not a consistent part of Gabi’s life. As Gabi navigates these struggles and more, she uses poetry as a personal outlet that brings her the courage to be who she is despite the expectations of her family and society.
Analysis:
This book deals with a number of issues that young people face in their journey to find their true self. While some of the situations that readers will relate to on a personal level, others give the opportunity for experiencing situations vicariously, and certainly most of them invoke a certain sense of empathy in the reader. Gabi’s witty journal entries make her likeable, and most readers will relate to her as she is coming to terms with who she is.
Connections:
This is a great recommendation for young Mexican-American girls on a cultural level, but has lessons and opportunities for reflection for all young people transitioning into their adult selves.
Book Review: The living
Pena, M. D. (2015). The Living. Random House Childrens Books.
Summary:
Shy Espinoza is a young Mexican-American man who has taken a job on a luxury cruise ship headed for Hawaii, in hopes of making money to take back to help support his family when he returns home for school. Shy has made friends on the ship, including Carmen, who despite her serious boyfriend at home, has a more than friendly encounter with Shy. The two connect because Shy is afraid for his grandmother who is suffering from Romero Disease, and illness that took Carmen’s father’s life. Shy’s first week on the ship brings a tragic experience when a man on deck commits suicide by jumping off the deck despite Shy’s attempts to save him. After the suicide, strange things begin to happen. Shy is being followed and apparently investigated by a man in a suit, and his cabin is obviously searched while he is out. When a terrible storm leads to a tsunami which demolishes the ship, Shy ends up on a lifeboat with two of the passengers, and their journey leads him to some new conclusions about socioeconomic class and it’s true impact on life.
Analysis:
One of the major appeals to readers in this novel is through characterization. De la Pena presents a highly likeable protagonist in Shy who is dealing with very real issues in the midst of action and tragedy. Shy is a truly nice guy who works hard and wants to take care of others do what’s right. Ultimately, it’s his focus on work that helps him stay calm in the midst of chaos and destruction. There are important lessons to be learned through this novel about racism, and socioeconomic differences, and how important they really are, or aren’t.
Connections:
This is an appealing book to all readers who enjoy an action packed story, and there are conversation opportunities to have with students about race and class.
Book Review: The ghosts of Heaven
Sedgwick, M. (2016). Ghosts of heaven. Place of publication not identified: Faber And Faber.
Summary:
Four different people from four different periods of time have destinys that collide. The first quarter of the book follows a young girl who longs to travel with the man from her tribe who makes magic in the caves before the rest of the tribe arrives to hunt. The second quarter follows Anna, a young girl who has lost her father and recently her mother, and is left to care for her younger brother who is sick. In the third quarter, the reader encounters journal entries of Dr. James who has moved with his adopted daughter to an insane asylum. The fourth quarter follows Keir Bowman, a Sentinel on a ship with sleeping passengers traveling through space for over a hundred years to inhabit a new world. The trending factor throughout all four quarters is the element of spirals. As one quarter seems to be connected to the next in the way that different spiral objects or images affect the characters, the reader discovers that they may have been from different worlds to begin with.
Analysis:
This book has elements of fantasy and science fiction as the four stories relate to each other. Each story is intriguingly written in a unique style. The story of the young girl who wants to make magic in caves is written in a simple verse. Her experience is odd, yet heart-wrenching, as she seems to have a very different way of life. She watches her mother killed, but show only a hint of emotion in this. The story of Anna is written in chapters that take the reader swiftly through the sad motions of a funeral to what seems to be unfolding into a love story, and quickly turns into a witch hunt. Dr. James’s encounter is told through his journal entries which include dialogue, and the story captures the reader by being in the eerie setting of a mental institution where it is difficult to figure out who the good guys and bad guys are. Finally, Keir Bowman’s adventure reader differently in that for most of his story, his is the only person awake. There is very little dialogue as he wakes up every ten years to do his part on the ship, only to discover that the details of his mission have been a lie, and that things aren’t always as they appear. While the book is intriguing, it might be best suited for a high school student who enjoys reading as the language might be confusing at times for a struggling reader.
Connections:
This is a great book recommendation for students who enjoy fantasy and sci-fi, but also like realistic fiction. Here is a Book Trailer.
Book Review: The raven boys
Stiefvater, M. (2013). The Raven Boys. New York: Scholastic Inc.
Summary:
Blue Sargent lives an extraordinary life. As the daughter of a psychic, Blue has lives with the knowledge that if she kisses her one true love, he will die. She lives with her mother and aunts, and while she does not have psychic abilities herself, Blue strengthens the powers of her family members. When Blue meets the Raven Boys, a group of seemingly privileged boys who attend a local prep school her life changes. She quickly joins their mission to disinter an ancient King who is said to be buried in Virginia. Blues motivation has many levels. Her aunt has had a vision of one of the boy’s death, Blue has romantic feelings for another of the boys, and she also has her own curiosity surrounding the magic that is said to come from the lei-line and the King. In addition is her relationship with the spirit of a boy who was murdered drives Blue to help the Raven Boys find answers.
Analysis:
This fantasy novel is a compelling read full of characters that are relatable and strike a perfect balance. Stiefvater presents a plot driven by young people with very different backgrounds and attitudes in life who come together as a tight nit group, and this dynamic is incredibly magnetic. While the characterization draws the reader in, the magic keeps things interesting and moving forward at a fast pace. This first book in a series will be sure to keep the readers wanting more and moving on to the second book.
Connections:
This is a great fantasy novel for lovers of that genre with characters that are relatable and intriguing to teens.
No comments:
Post a Comment