808.899283 (Adolescent Literature) - Week Five

Week five's theme for Adolescent Lit. was "Tough Stuff, Risk, and Crisis", which is always a really hard area to read. I chose to read the alternative books from List B this week. List A's books were Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, which I love, but read in undergrad, and Last Summer of the Dealth Warriors by Francisco X. Stork, which reads like an updated and modified Don Quixote - I mean, it has a character named Pancho for goodness' sake.

The books I chose to read were The Fault in Our Stars, which I love and reviewed earlier this year on its own (click HERE to link to my earlier review), and Boy 21 by Matthew Quick. I had read and reviewed another Matthew Quick book this summer (Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock) and had loved it, so I figured it was time for another novel by the same author.

         

As always before reviewing, a link to the Goodreads page for Boy 21 can be found HERE. Now let me jump into my Delights and Defects for Boy 21  by Matthew Quick.

3 Defects for Boy 21

1. If you don't like sports books at ALL, you're out of luck on this book. Yes, it's definitely about some tough stuff and about friendship, but it's also about basketball. The plot isn't all about basketball, though, and this isn't what I would call a sports book.
2. Some of this book is a little far out there. Would a teenager REALLY accept Boy 21's issues with the ease that Finley does? Irish kids in the hood? The Irish mafia in Belmont? The apparent ability of a kid to get over something SO quickly? Eh, I'll roll with it, but other's might not.
3. Yes, there is swearing. Yes, there is violence. Yes, there is talk about drugs and trafficking. Not the point, reall.

Delights for Boy 21

1. YAY! I finally get a truly happy ending, not a mixed feelings one! And I'll roll with it because I WANTED IT TO HAPPEN. If it hadn't, I don't think I'd feel the same about the book.
2. Seriously, the writing on this book is fantastic, just like Quick's other works that I've read. Quick really has a grasp on what it is to be a teen and think like a teen and act like a teen in a way that other adults writing for teens do not. He also handles really tough issues with humor (black though it might be) and solid emotional writing. Quick makes me believe all the things that are unbelievable and the characters balance each other out so nicely.
3. There are definitely interesting adults in this book that are fully fleshed characters with faults and all. It makes me happy! 

808.899283 (Adolescent Literature) - Week Four

Slowly but surely catching up - maybe I'll be all caught up before the semester ends... maybe not. Here's hoping. In the mean time, I'm going to be employed this school year, so that's a plus. Also, I'm going to be a home owner in a little over a month. Also a plus. So much going for me right now, it feels pretty ridiculous!

Anywhoo, books and theme for week four of YA Literature, right? Theme this week was Friendships and the books were Benjamin Alire Saenz's Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and Pinned by Sharon Flake. Links are to the Goodreads descriptions for the two books, as always.

3 Delights for Aristotle and Dante...

1. I love a good love story, especially one that seems so improbable (NOT impossible). I really can't help but cheer for both of the boys in this book. Yay, LOVE!
2. The writing is pretty solid! There's a great use of metaphor/simile and allusion(I mean, come on, the boys are named Aristotle and Dante, how could there NOT be?), and I can't help but smile at how the the author really makes the book a little "magical". No, reality isn't like this, but we wish it was.
3. The book deals with some pretty serious issues in really fantastic ways (including homosexuality, teenage relationships, hate crimes, and racial identity issues). And it's humorous and definitely doesn't take itself too seriously. I laughed with this book and held back tears with this book. It was fantastic.

3 Defects for Aristotle and Dante...

1. So maybe the way in which Aristotle figures out he's in love with Dante is a little "fake". It could really rip a person out of the story - it didn't bother me, though, but I could see how it might be a turn off for some readers. I just thought it was funny and as an adult who's seen kiddos in need of this guidance, I could relate with the parents.
2. No, real people don't talk to each other like that. Especially teenage boys, but we'll let it go because both boys are "readers" and "artists", right?
3. There are typos in this book, which KILL ME. Ugh. PROOFING needed to be better for this book, but I overlooked it because I was interested in the story more than I cared about typos.

3 Delights for Pinned

1. The book definitely has voice, I've got to give it that. Flake wrote a main character who definitely has spunk and an emotional background and her writing reflects the character's voice well.
2. A great high-low reader overall. Even though this wasn't the book for me, I could definitely see where the audience for this book is and who I could recommend this book to.
3. It's nice to see a female athlete in a male dominated sport portrayed in a novel for teens. This definitely isn't a subject that come up often in books with a romance story.

3 Defects for Pinned

1. Let me be honest. I didn't like this book much.I think the biggest issue I had with this book was the super aggressive way in which Autumn goes after Adonis. If the roles had been reversed and it had been boy chasing girl, I think quite a few people would say "woah, hold up. He's totally stalking her!" and they'd take issue. Some of my classmates tried to point out that the age of the characters is pretty young and so the relationship is going to be pretty immature, but I really hated it.
2. What was the point of some of the extra characters in this book? No, really. Why did we include some of the teachers or coaches or even parents in this book? They felt pretty one-dimensional and I didn't understand the point of some of them.
3. Maybe it's because I'm NOT the intended audience, but I definitely had a hard time connecting to the characters in this book. 

All said and done, that wraps up week four in YA Literature. More posts to come as time allows. 

808.899283 (Adolescent Literature) - Week Three

The theme for week three was "Family, health, sex", and the two books that were required reading for the week were Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park and Angela Johnson's The First Part Last. Both books were great picks for the topic of the week. I'll break into my Delights and Defects straight away and just provide links to the books' Goodreads pages so you can read the description for yourself.

3 Delights for Eleanor & Park

1. I love Rainbow Rowell's writing style. There's a nice balance of complexity and simplicity and while it does feel a little fanciful, it isn't any more or less believable than other stories I have read.
2. Parents in this book (especially Park's parents) aren't one dimensional. I LOVE Park's parents and how they treat the relationship between Park and Eleanor. There's something lovely about the family dynamics that really touch me. In the opposite fashion, Eleanor's parents aren't great human beings, but they also aren't completely flat and they play a pretty integral part of the story.
3. I'm thankful for a resolution that isn't resolved. Be prepared for a not quite happy but definitely touching ending to the book. Also realistic in a way, I suppose.

3 Defects for Eleanor & Park

1. The book deals with difficult topics, from abuse to bullying to racial identity to finding your way through difficult times. I personally didn't think it was defective, but I could see why some people may be offended by the book. I DON'T see why people could try and remove it from a library, though. Geez, folks. Censorship just ISN'T cool.
2. So parts of the story are a little "beautified". Normal teenagers do NOT talk or think like that. Not really. I don't think it detracts from the book in a big way, but it's definitely something to think about.
3. The ending. It's one of my delights too, but I wish there was a little more (for my very own, very selfish reasons). I love where Rowell ended the book, but I wouldn't have been upset if there had been more. :)

 3 Delights for The First Part Last

1. This book is a fantastic High-Low - high interest, low reading level. I personally struggle reading some high-lows because the author dumbs down the subject matter in order to achieve the easy readability. This book is definitely one that doesn't do that.
2. Thank you for a book from the teen FATHER'S point-of-view. So many times books about single teen parents are about single mothers. This one is from the male perspective, which I think is very interesting. Johnson does a great job writing from the character's point of view.
3. I can easily understand why this book won the awards it did. Writing is great, subject matter is great, the play with the timeline is interesting, it does a great job discussing a difficult topic, and I feel as if it's fairly authentic as far as urban lit goes.

3 Defects for The First Part Last

1. While it wasn't a problem for me, some of my group members during discussion felt that the book was a little "flat" when it came to character emotions. I could agree with that, but I think its more part of the lower reading level than it is the actually lack of emotion. After reading Eleanor & Park, this book does feel a little flat, but alone, it has the emotion it needs to.
2. I felt like the side story with the mother was dragged out a little too long. It could have been foreshadowed differently or handled a little differently to make the surprise more inpactful.
3. The out-of-order timeline might be difficult for some students (especially students struggling with reading) would have trouble following the story. While the book does use chapter titles like "Then" and "Now", it's sometimes tricky to keep track of where in the timeline a particular chapter falls.

So, we're currently in Week Ten and I have some definite catch up to do on blogging, but we're also purchasing our first home, which is taking up most of my free time! I'll try to get a few more posts up in the next week or two, but no promises. This blog might turn home improvement pretty quickly. Edible Book Festival is coming up next week, as well, so there will be posts about that particular activity as well. AH! So much going on in the next month or two!

808.899283 (Adolescent Literature) - Week Two

Yes, it's week eight of the semester. Yes, I'm JUST posting about week two. I'm unapologetic. Life is crazy, especially now that Oklahoma is officially opened at LaFollette High School.

Week Two's theme for YA Literature for week two was "Identity and Graphic Novels". For this week, we read two graphic novels: March: Book 1 by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell and Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol.

March: Book One is a non-fiction graphic novel about Congressman John Lewis' life being a young adult during the Civil Rights era and what it was like to be a part of lunch counter sit-ins and non-violent marches. The graphic novel pops back and forth between Congressman Lewis preparing for President Obama's inauguration and what he experienced as a member of the Civil Rights Movement.

3 Delights for March: Book One

1. The illustration in this book is powerful and done in completely black and white. It really tells the story in a unique way that makes the book more powerful than it might have been as a non-graphic novel.

2. The book does a great job showing all sides of the Civil Rights Movement - not just Martin Luther King, Jr., but also some of the other leaders, how students participating in marches and sit-ins practiced terrorizing one another to learn how to not react when white community members might do similar things, and how to protect themselves in the face of violence. It's also a great way to tie history to the present, as John Lewis is a real-live Congressman.

3. March is part of a series focused on the Civil Rights Movement. I'm excited to see the next few graphic novels when they are released.

3 Defects for March: Book One

1. It's a positive-negative, folks. The illustrations really ask readers to practice some higher visual literacy skills - there are some pages that follow typical panel format, but there are others that blow the typical panel format out of the water. This might be harder for first time graphic novel readers to understand and follow.

2. I wonder what color would have done to the illustrations - I think that the "shades of grey" produced by black and white illustration is great, but I think this could have been really powerful in color, too.

3. There are depictions of violence in this book! It's the Civil Rights Era, and there was violence against African-American citizens, so it's only right. I think it's done tastefully, but it is something to consider when recommending this book.

Anya's Ghost is a supernatural fiction graphic novel, focused around Anya, a young Russian emigre student who is having a hard time fitting in at school. When Anya falls down a deep hole, she finds herself faced with a haunted girl's skeleton. The ghost girl, Emily, trapped in the hole for 90 years since her death, makes friends with Anya and travels home with her when Anya is rescued. Emily the ghost intially starts off as a blessing in disguise - she helps Anya with homework, talks about her secret crush with her, and even helps her learn how to dress better and talk to others. But Emily isn't all sweetness, and Anya soon discovers that she's befriended a spirit more sinister than she thought.

3 Delights for Anya's Ghost

1. This graphic novel deals well with the themes of fitting in and discovering your true identity. It's great to see the immigrant experience dealt with in a YA graphic novel.

2. The illustrations are FANTASTIC - they're all done in a blue/violet tinted grayscale, which for the suspense/horror side of this graphic novel works particularly well. It's also interesting to watch the changes that happen to Emily's character throughout the novel. 

3. Easy to follow panels, this is a great "first-timers" graphic novel. It's very easy to follow the layout and the pictures clearly express what is happening in the story.

3 Defects for Anya's Ghost

1. It's PRETTY girly. You might be hard pressed to get a boy to read this graphic novel. I mean, even the black and white images have a purple tint. Male fans of Babymouse! might pick this up, though.

2. The very easy, basic panel structure might get boring for a more advanced graphic novel reader. They'll fly through this one quickly.

3. I don't know if I love how body image is dealt with in this book. It's find overall, but I wonder if it couldn't be better.

792.9 (Stage productions)

Well, folks. Our production of "Barefoot in the Park" had opening night yesterday and is playing through this weekend. I'm mighty thankful to the lovely photographer, Jeneene Olson-McConley, who took some stellar shots of the set and the actors doing their thing:

Pre-show set

Mr. Velasco and Corie - Fixing the Heat

Mr. Wiese, High School Principal, playing the role of Delivery Man 

Planning the Evening - Making Mom More Interesting

A Little White Lie - Mom and Dad? More like Blind Date!

Another week and my life is my own again, but in the meantime, we have a play and it's going fantastically! Much love to the cast and FANTASTIC crew who helped me build this set.