R H visited me yesterday and we discussed what she had been reading this summer. She is currently reading the Secret Journal of Dr Hudson and has also read Secret Life of Bees and Twilight, which relate more to the blog I am keeping. She asks" What is the appeal of the two YA books- to girls in general?"" What does Twilight say about how girls should behave as compared to the girl in The Secret Life of Bees?" We speculate " in the first there is an obsessive relationship of boy and girl, in the other a relationship which explores loss and a girl creating relationship amongst a group of woman. The genre and ideas in these books are so different . Can we even compare ?Do we recommend Tw. or TSLB? Both have been widely read and produced as successful movies- "
My readers' instinct tells me that Twilight 's popularity is based on its romance, fantasy and overall creepiness,whereas the SLBees will become a classic. I will have to read them. I look forward to Bees but not Twilight - why I wonder?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Wild Girls, Wednesday Wars, Monkey Town, In Search of Mocking Bird
I have finished Wild Girls by P Murphy. The ending is sure and leaves the reader satisfied. I will recommend this book.
Now I am reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt . The main character is a teenage boy , Holling,who as he says lives in a 'perfect house' with his parents . The novel is set during in 1967 and the Vietnam war is being reported on nightly TV . Walter Cronkite is "announcing new bombing Vietnam." while Holling Hoodhood gets into Shakespeare and other scrapes at school under the watchful eye of Mrs. Baker his teacher on Wednesday afternoons. Holling also works on Bobby Kennedy's campaign.
There are many amusing characters in Holling's story and it is probably a good choice for some students . I am having trouble finishing this book- I am a little bored .
My next review and high recommendation is for Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial by Ronald Kidd. I loved this book . This is a teen book that will appeal to many students. It is set in 1925 and is based on a fictionalized account of the Scopes monkey trial in Tennessee. As readers we become caught up in the day to day life of Frances the daughter of Frank Earle Robinson, a leading citizen of Dayton and owner of Robinson 's Drugs. The store sells sodas, ice cream, and Mr Earle, as he is called, dispenses everything from remedies for aches and pains to solutions to local problems. A problem does arise when local teacher Johnny Scopes is accused of teaching evolution.
Author Ron Kidd's Frances is just brilliant in bringing to life the characters especially when retelling Clarence Darrow's and Williams Jennings Bryan's court debates before Judge Raulston. Frances' wide- eyed humorous recounting of the story reveals many points of view - still controversial today. To teach or not to teach the survival of the fittest in high school biology? Frances shares H L Mencken's and his newspaper friend's point of view as they witness a country preacher, Brother Furdew holding a revival meeting . We listen as the crowd shouts out "Dayton is Sodom, and Morgantown ain;t much better" in reference to the blasphemous science teaching of Johnny Scopes. H L Mencken wrote about and ridiculed the town in the Baltimore Sun that summer . After you read this book why not look at news archives of your own local paper to find out how they reported on the Scopes trial.
Some reviews compared the Monkey Town book to - To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. The ideas in both stories are intense - however Monkey Town is completely different in tone , time, characterization, and mood , only the southern setting is somewhat similar.
Having brought up TKAMB I now need to tell you about a new book for adolescents, that is directly connected to Harper Lee's classic.
In Search of Mocking Bird By Loretta Ellsworth is a coming of age novel . Teenge Erin is going on a road trip to seek out Harper Lee. She does this by- running away from home and by meeting several interesting people on her bus journey to find Harper Lee, herself as a writer and her connection to her dead mother.
I did like reading about her companions on the bus. Erin sits beside Sedushia , a self named exotic dancer and a neglectful mother to her adult son Boomer. Erin and Sedushia contact Boomer , but the reader is not sure what will happen in that mother and son relationship. Erin then falls in with Epp a self proclaimed computer game designer who looks and acts like Clifford the Big Red Dog / big and clumsy but well meaning. Will Erin get to Monroeville to find Harper Lee ? I am sure you can't wait to find out- please read this book. A reviewer suggests that this book could be read as a companion to TKAMB. It is a very appealing and readable book with an estimated reading level of grade 4/5 ( my guesstimate).
Now I am reading The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt . The main character is a teenage boy , Holling,who as he says lives in a 'perfect house' with his parents . The novel is set during in 1967 and the Vietnam war is being reported on nightly TV . Walter Cronkite is "announcing new bombing Vietnam." while Holling Hoodhood gets into Shakespeare and other scrapes at school under the watchful eye of Mrs. Baker his teacher on Wednesday afternoons. Holling also works on Bobby Kennedy's campaign.
There are many amusing characters in Holling's story and it is probably a good choice for some students . I am having trouble finishing this book- I am a little bored .
My next review and high recommendation is for Monkey Town: The Summer of the Scopes Trial by Ronald Kidd. I loved this book . This is a teen book that will appeal to many students. It is set in 1925 and is based on a fictionalized account of the Scopes monkey trial in Tennessee. As readers we become caught up in the day to day life of Frances the daughter of Frank Earle Robinson, a leading citizen of Dayton and owner of Robinson 's Drugs. The store sells sodas, ice cream, and Mr Earle, as he is called, dispenses everything from remedies for aches and pains to solutions to local problems. A problem does arise when local teacher Johnny Scopes is accused of teaching evolution.
Author Ron Kidd's Frances is just brilliant in bringing to life the characters especially when retelling Clarence Darrow's and Williams Jennings Bryan's court debates before Judge Raulston. Frances' wide- eyed humorous recounting of the story reveals many points of view - still controversial today. To teach or not to teach the survival of the fittest in high school biology? Frances shares H L Mencken's and his newspaper friend's point of view as they witness a country preacher, Brother Furdew holding a revival meeting . We listen as the crowd shouts out "Dayton is Sodom, and Morgantown ain;t much better" in reference to the blasphemous science teaching of Johnny Scopes. H L Mencken wrote about and ridiculed the town in the Baltimore Sun that summer . After you read this book why not look at news archives of your own local paper to find out how they reported on the Scopes trial.
Some reviews compared the Monkey Town book to - To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. The ideas in both stories are intense - however Monkey Town is completely different in tone , time, characterization, and mood , only the southern setting is somewhat similar.
Having brought up TKAMB I now need to tell you about a new book for adolescents, that is directly connected to Harper Lee's classic.
In Search of Mocking Bird By Loretta Ellsworth is a coming of age novel . Teenge Erin is going on a road trip to seek out Harper Lee. She does this by- running away from home and by meeting several interesting people on her bus journey to find Harper Lee, herself as a writer and her connection to her dead mother.
I did like reading about her companions on the bus. Erin sits beside Sedushia , a self named exotic dancer and a neglectful mother to her adult son Boomer. Erin and Sedushia contact Boomer , but the reader is not sure what will happen in that mother and son relationship. Erin then falls in with Epp a self proclaimed computer game designer who looks and acts like Clifford the Big Red Dog / big and clumsy but well meaning. Will Erin get to Monroeville to find Harper Lee ? I am sure you can't wait to find out- please read this book. A reviewer suggests that this book could be read as a companion to TKAMB. It is a very appealing and readable book with an estimated reading level of grade 4/5 ( my guesstimate).
Friday, July 17, 2009
summer reading: Wild Girls again and Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson
Wild Girls by Pat Murphy - I am still thinking about this book. It was pretty good
I will put it on my course reading list- best for ages 11-14
This book will appeal to girls who are a bit introspective and who like to read and write themselves, as the two characters join a summer writing class at UCLA.
have finished Wintergirls by L Halse Anderson. This was a fascinating book - topic best for ages 14- 20.
The main character a female is suffering from dysmorphia ( is that right - distorted body image?)
It is written in the first person and has elements of fantasy and horror - she is suffering - her mother and father have split and her best friend has died tragically . Her desire is too be so thin that she disappears. She is also haunted by the ghost of her dead friend .
If you are interested in anorexia, this is a book you should read. The author has done research into the disease and has essentially written a case study , convincing us of the terrible consequences of such an affliction. The book ends with the character trying to recover- do you think anyone can really recover? Would this be a good choice for an anorexic? Will I use this book ? not sure yet ?Update a student has chosen the book
I will put it on my course reading list- best for ages 11-14
This book will appeal to girls who are a bit introspective and who like to read and write themselves, as the two characters join a summer writing class at UCLA.
have finished Wintergirls by L Halse Anderson. This was a fascinating book - topic best for ages 14- 20.
The main character a female is suffering from dysmorphia ( is that right - distorted body image?)
It is written in the first person and has elements of fantasy and horror - she is suffering - her mother and father have split and her best friend has died tragically . Her desire is too be so thin that she disappears. She is also haunted by the ghost of her dead friend .
If you are interested in anorexia, this is a book you should read. The author has done research into the disease and has essentially written a case study , convincing us of the terrible consequences of such an affliction. The book ends with the character trying to recover- do you think anyone can really recover? Would this be a good choice for an anorexic? Will I use this book ? not sure yet ?Update a student has chosen the book
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