I Am J

Beam, C. (2011). I am J. NY: Little, Brown,
        and Company.
YA / Realistic Fiction

My rating on Goodreads: 3 out of 4 Stars

I read this book specifically because it is currently  being challenged at a local high school and this week is Banned Book Week.  The subject matter alone -- a high school student's struggle with his/her transgender identity -- makes it ripe for picking-on.  Unfortunately, when book subject matter makes some people uncomfortable, their knee-jerk reaction is that it is inappropriate for all.

I will say that the language is rough.  On my clean-o-meter reading, it's way in the red, mostly for the ubiquitous use of the F-bomb.  But hey, it's Brooklyn, and a public school setting, so this seems pretty realistic. There is one graphic sex term used, but there isn't any sex.  There is underage drinking, and the consequences of overindulging right along with it.  There is a character who is a cutter, but it is not glorified but instead identified as a cry for help. There are references to drug use, but again, it's all pretty realistic for a high school setting.  (Anyone who thinks it isn't needs to spend a day in a high school, as a fly on the wall.) Many of the things that would cause someone to challenge the book are all in one early chapter, that is really not overly germane to the rest of the story. The whole chapter is really to illustrate J's attempt to be accepted and his commitment to his best friend.

The main character, J,  is really a pretty good kid.  He's trying to figure out how what he knows -- that he is a boy born anatomically as a girl -- can be reconciled with societal beliefs. His struggles are real, and in many ways, his struggles are universal to teens: his parents don't understand him (and vice versa), he makes assumptions about how others feel about him, he doesn't think things through and acts/reacts irrationally, he worries about getting into college, pleasing others, displeasing others, and obsesses over his looks (and how others see him), he is teased and bullied, he is adored and hated. . . he doesn't know who he is or where he's going. Sounds pretty typically teen to me, just has the added element of transgender.  In context, it's one more source of angst for a kid whose plate is already overflowing.

Was this the best written book I've ever read? Absolutely not. The story drags in places and sometimes is disjointed.  It definitely turns out rosier than I think would for most in J's shoes, but the ending is hopeful, which is exactly the message any high school kid needs to hear.

The Twilight Saga

Meyer, S. (2005-2008). Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn. NY: Little, Brown.

YA Fiction / Paranormal Romance (or should we call this "Abbynormal Romance?" yes, nod to Young Frankenstein.)

I gagged my way through Twilight last year when it was required reading for one of my classes.  I decided that I would give it a fresh try and dedicated myself to reading the whole series straight through.  

When I stepped back and approached the books as a teenaged girl might (since, after all, the teen girl is the intended audience), I was able to enjoy the series as entertainment.  The writing is not stellar but the story is interesting and the appeal to teen girls is understandable: here is a female lead who is socially awkward, clumsy, not particularly beautiful, but who has two complete hottie guys - and most other males at her new school - falling all over themselves to win her heart.  She's a bit flaky, emotional, dramatic. . . really pretty wimpy, too, until the later novels, but she's a man-magnet? And why again did females of ALL ages flock to these books?  It really made me a little sad that this series was the end-all/be-all of books.  But I digress.

For entertainment value, these are worth the reads.  Everything ties together very conveniently, the impossible is made possible, and things work out just fine without anyone's tender feelings being hurt.  Vampire love conquers all!!  And I try to not let it bother me that Bella basically gets married so she can have sex. . . with a vampire. . .who is 150-years-old (but dang, he's sure purdy.)  Could this be any more teenage lusty and pedophiley than that?

There is much talk about the Mormon parallelism. . . big deal. Stephenie Meyer is Mormon, after all. But if you want to read a funny, possibly offensive take on the Mormon angle, go to http://stoney321.livejournal.com/317176.html and enjoy.  The author is Mormon herself and holds no punches, and beware - she does use a naughty word or two - but it's a very complete summary of each book and the Mormon influences, and I found it humorous and eye-opening. 

As a final note, I did watch all four of the movies after reading the books.  Based on the books, I would definitely be Team Edward.  I don't feel like they cast him right in the movies, and there's no way I'd be anything other than Team Jacob after movie two.  Rrrroooooowwwr. 

Tricks

Hopkins, E. (2009). Tricks. NY: Margaret K. McElderry Books.
YA??? Fiction / Realistic???? Fiction

This book came up for consideration in the high school collection.  I read reviews about it and they ranged from outstanding to trash.  I decided to read it myself - whew. It is definitely for very mature readers. It is all about sex - first sex, straight sex, gay sex, straight having gay sex, three way sex, teen prostitution, sugar daddies, sex for drugs, drugs for sex, mom selling sex with daughter, priest sex, rape, video sex for money, sexual abuse . . . I guess bestiality and incest are the only things that don't happen! The depictions are fairly graphic, some more than others. Many of the scenes are stark and desperate. Most of the 5 main character kids also get hooked on serious drugs (heroine, crack) over the course of their declines from good kids to kids forced to be bad.

The tough thing about this is the main characters are all teenagers (15-17), and at the bottom are the struggles of their lives and most teens: wanting love, acceptance, their own paths away from parents, insecurity. First love that ends up not being first love, deception from those who they trust - young and old, loss. . . And especially since it's graphic and controversial, kids are going to want it! The other Hopkins books are flying off the shelves in this library.  But does the age of the characters make it Young Adult? I am not so sure. And I pray it's not Realistic Fiction, but I'm afraid it is for many young people.

Hopkins' style is excellent. The novel-in-prose is the same as her other stories (some of which I've read - Tricks is quite a bit more graphic) and a very cool, easy-to-read format. The characters are rich and well-developed and you feel like you know them. No problem with the writing, but it's the same as her other novels, so readers can experience that style via another book.

I would say this book is for the mature reader - really, seniors minimum to me. I thought about whether I would want my freshman boy to come across it and read it. Definitely not because I'm pretty sure there are things he would learn that he doesn't need to yet. Ever? :-) I hate when Mom bias comes into play, but shoot, there were scenes that made my ears burn red.
There is only one good role model in the book, and we don't get to know her much. She's a secondary character - maybe even a 3rd level character.  Parents fail their children, church leaders fail their parishoners, and no one seems to make the right choices. I am struggling to see what would be a positive take-away for students who read this. It just was such a dirty book - I mean in the sense of how dirty it made me feel. Not naughty dirty, though there is some of that, just ICK. Does that make sense?

I think this will be one of the biggest struggles for me as a librarian. Putting my personal feelings aside and deciding whether it has some value to someone. I can't stand censorship and of course I support freedom of information, but where do the lines cross between appropriateness and freedom to read what's inappropriate??

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Brashares, A. (2001). The sisterhood of the traveling pants. NY: Delacorte Press.
LS5385 YA Lit / Teen choice

Oh, I just loved this book and the reminder of the power of the female bond.  The friendship these four main characters share is so realistic and multi-faceted.  These girls know each other so thoroughly and so deeply, and over the years, each has fallen into a position in the foursome.  Their commitment to each other and to the group as a whole is wonderful, and the magic pants keep them connected when they are forced apart for the first time in their lives.

I really could feel the pain and angst and loneliness each of these girls went through over this particular period of time in their lives, and the additional characters were all fleshed-out well enough that I actually teared-up reading the story. 

I think teenaged-girls and young adult females alike will love and relate to this story. (shoot, I'm OLD and I related).  It's a testimony to the power and comforts of real friendship, and it also has some great life lessons that some learn and face sooner than others.

Brave New World

Huxley, A. (1932). Brave New World. NY: Harper & Brothers.
LS5385 YA Lit / Censored (speculative fiction)

What a cool book!  Brave New World was amazing given that it was written in the 30s! Oh, the imagination and foresight Huxley had to envision the things that are probably scientifically possible right now (or quite nearly possible), though thankfully morally/ethically impossible to be authorized.  A classmate of mine pointed out that Huxley even projected paparazzi and the way the media act around celebrities.  I breezed right past that when reading, but upon reflection, I realized that in the 30s, they most certainly didn't have the media flying over celebrity's homes and invading their privacy; however, Huxley had that in the book.  Amazing.

I must say it was a pleasant shift to have some more advanced vocabulary and sentence structure from many of the other books I've been reading; however, the shift was enough that I wonder if it would be a turn-off to young readers. They typically aren't used to working that hard with their pleasure reading. It is NOT an easy read, but I think those kids who take the time to read and think about what they're reading would really enjoy it.

The censorship gods I'm sure have a hey-day over this book with a society of drug induced happiness and promiscuity being the norm. Again, the sex isn't graphic at all, but the suggestion of sex with a variety of partners and on a regular basis is probably just too much for those who are trying to protect the innocent children and who deem themselves capable of making the best judgment calls for acceptable youth literature.

Something about this book made me think of the movie Wall-E, and how in it, humanity has turned automated and controlled.  Keep the people plump and happy in Wall-E, keep the people sexed and happy in Brave New World.

What My Mother Doesn't Know

Sones, S. (2001). What my mother doesn't know. NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

LS5385 YA Lit/Censored (fiction)

Aren't these different covers interesting, and don't they each send a different message about what the book's about?   The first cover is the one that was available at both my public library and the high school library. Pretty innocuous I'd say and not much indicator of what's inside . . .

Amazon carries the second cover for its hardcover and the third cover for paperback.  Cover two says, "tee hee. naughty me." Don't you agree?

And cover three is more the image of the sneaky, mischievous teen. Would you guess what she's up to by that look??

The fourth is an Indonesian cover (Ssst -- Jangan Bilang-Bilang Ibuku). I like the Indonesian "Ssst!" and the cover art gives a hint that there's something up.  The boy's face might give us a hint of fun to come, huh? But the drawings are more innocent.

Fifth is the French cover, and of course, stereotypically, it is categorized as "Histoires de coeur" - love stories.  Before I read the book, based on the cover blurb, this one seemed the farthest from the story. And the translation is more like "all that which I have never told my mother," which may indicate a bit more depth.

Finally, the sixth cover came off a German website, so I guess that's their version which screams "ah, the fun of love and lust as a fourteen-year-old. Good times!"








Okay, so I'm being a bit sarcastic especially given that all I've read is the cover blurb.  We will see if I am feeling more tolerant after I read the book. . . Stay tuned.
 - - - - - - - - - - -
Wow! What a completely cute book and not at all what I thought it was going to be.  I think that since I've read so many YA Lit books about loose morals and flaky teens, I assumed that this was going to be about a girl who was sleeping around.  To my delight, it's not at all! It's very much about the fickle, love him/hate him feelings that girls have at that age - and all about kissing.   One day the boy's adorable and all-consuming, and the next day everything about him makes the main character (Sophie) crazy. On to the next crush! 

Now that I've read the book, I'd say covers one and five most fit the story.  It is yet another story written in first person, free verse (like Crank, Blankets, and Out of the Dust), but it worked.  I enjoyed Sophie's insights and how she laughed at herself for being so fickle.  There was a sadness in her reflections about her family, but pure joy in her friendships.  The only bothersome aspect of the book was the rather abrupt ending, but I guess it was apropos.  Sophie follows her heart, and for once, her heart and body and mind are all lined-up with the right choice for a boyfriend.  The reader just has to assume that it all turns out great because it was meant to be.

Teenage girls will love this book because it's a very quick read (like an hour, hour and a half despite being 259 pages), the main and secondary characters are very recognizable, and Sophie's self-doubts and also her up & down confidence are something most teens can relate to.  And of course, she finds her love and seems to live happily ever after.

Crank

Hopkins, E. (2005). Crank. NY: Simon Pulse.
LS5385: YA Lit / Fiction - Censored literature

Crank Book Trailer

To get an indication of how quickly you get pulled into this book, I will share what happened to me.  I was in Dallas for a race packet pick-up, and unfortunately, I hadn't paid attention to the pick-up times and was early.  I had not brought a thing with me to do - no book to read, no notes to write, nothing - but as luck would have it, the SMU campus Barnes and Noble was just a few doors down.  They did have two shelves of young adult literature, and somehow I remembered that Crank  was on the list. Seriously, even with that title, I knew nothing about it.  I picked it up, plopped down, and came out of the fog two hundred and twenty-two pages later!  (Packet pick-up was well under way.)

The story is told in first person verse, with the words wandering around the page often to mimic the main character's (Kristina's) musings.  Though that style really limits the ability to much develop secondary characters, I enjoyed the change of pace and how quickly the story unfolded.  LOTS of white space made the book less daunting, which I think it would otherwise be since it's about three inches thick.

***SPOILER ALERT***
I noticed that the author said the story was based loosely on her own daughter's, so while reading I frequently wondered if the author was speculating or was speaking from real knowledge gained via her daughter's experiences.  As a parent, I was horrified at how Kristina's real father, with whom she hadn't had contact since she was five or so, really enabled his daughter to go down this path of destruction.  A three week visit with him results in his sixteen-year-old daughter smoking, drinking alcohol, losing her virginity (and by way of unprotected sex with a drug addict), getting a tattoo, and ultimately using and becoming addicted to meth.  Her loving father even "parties" with her! I was disgusted.

One underlying premise in this story is that straight-laced, straight-A Kristina has another persona, named Bree, just simmering below the surface.  It's possible that Bree would have come out of hiding without the trip to Dad's, but I think she'd been kept in check so long it was doubtful she would have been able to bring Bree to life until she went off to college, out of the watchful, knowing eyes of her mother.  I really don't think this was a split personality thing as much as Kristina wishing she could be someone else, disconnected from her hum-drum life.

One disappointment was that at the end, there seems to be hope.  I know this sounds strange, but I wonder if the young adult reader might think that it all could work out fine he/she does a little experimenting with any number of the things Kristina tries: skipping school, smoking, drinking alcohol, having unprotected sex, drinking blood, doing crank, pot, ecstasy.  Yes, there's a baby born at the end, but the feeling is that the baby didn't have any ill-effects from Kristina's drug use, and of course, the baby's going to be fine with a caring boyfriend (who's not the father) and Kristina's mom and step-dad - and their well-stocked bank account - to take care of it all.  That is usually NOT the reality for any kid that goes down the drug and baby path.

There are sequels, Glass and Fallout, so if the names are any indication, the semi-hopeful ending in Crank will be temporary.  I do think teens would love this because it's written very much in teen-speak and about teen issues and concerns.  "The Monster," as Kristina refers to the meth/Crank, clearly makes Kristina brave enough to go after what she wants, to be confident in herself, and to be sensual and sexual.  This sure makes it sound appealing, and if you can just sleep it off for a few days and have adults who aren't up in your business about why, then I worry that it would draw-in someone who was curious or wanting an "easy" fix to teenage awkwardness and angst. I guess it all didn't sound bad enough for me.  Bad, yes, but not rock-bottom bad.

It Gets Better

Savage, D. and Miller, T. (2011). It gets better: coming out, overcoming bullying, and creating a life worth living. NY: Dutton.
LS5385: YA Lit / Informational Books

Though I am glad there are so many people who contributed to this book - young, old, straight, LGBT, famous, and not - I found it depressing.  Yes, most of the essays tell kids struggling as LGBT (or just being 'different') that their lives are precious and worth living because of all the future holds, the overwhelming message I got is that their high school years are just going to be awful and they need to suck it up and get through it.  I find this unacceptable on so many levels.  Many of the essays also talk about this huge support network that's "out there" for these kids if they'll just go looking, but I don't think that is always the case.

When you are fourteen years old and being bullied and mocked, to be told to just "hang in there" for the next four years seems impossible.  Four years is nothing when you're forty, but at fourteen, that's a lifetime and some of these kids are so beaten down (both literally and emotionally) that they don't have the strength to go on.

This book is definitely a step in the right direction and I hope is a comfort to any teen (or anyone) who is struggling with being able to be who they are without being persecuted for it.  And the list of contributors and their essays are impressive, and it is definitely an eye-opener for someone who hasn't experienced or witnessed the topics discussed in the book.  I hope for those people, it will help them become more sensitive to those who are singled-out and become advocates instead of passive observers.

It's Perfectly Normal

Harris, R.H. and Emberley, M. (2009). It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
LA5385: YA Lit / Informational

Well, I have to say I learned a few things about the good ol' birds and the bees. Truly I did.  This book is straight forward and explains things in a matter-of-fact way.  I would say especially to parents who aren't comfortable talking to their kids about these subjects (puberty, sex, etc.), it would be doing the kid a big favor to hand over a copy of the book to the kids.

Yes, there are illustrations and explanations that are going to make the kids giggle.  There's A LOT of nudity.  Some of it, including intercourse and masturbation,  may seem a little naughty to a ten-year-old. . . or a fourteen-year-old. . .  or a forty-year-old.  My point is that it's all about the perspective and the background and comfort level of the reader.  The parent or teacher needs to decide the age appropriateness. The book does a good job of presenting, in a non-judgmental fashion, the wide variety of changes that happen to our bodies, the wide range within which those changes take place, and the diversity of the results of those changes.

The author does not shy away from sex and that sex is done for pleasure as much as procreation, but it does repeat the message that sex can cause pregnancy and that abstinence is the only true protection from pregnancy and disease.  It mentioned the alternative of "postponement," which I really hadn't heard before.  "Postponement" is apparently just temporary abstinence.

Apparently, this book is considered "pornographic" by a group in Arkansas (go to: Pornographic Library Book Pictures ), and when you look at their site, and the select pictures and phrases they chose to show how awful the book is, you can kind of be persuaded that it IS pornographic! Just goes to show the power of those who want to censor.  I had to laugh - and I share this even if it may make some wonder why I noticed - but on the censor website, they have. . . ummm. . . tampered with one of the illustrations.  If you'll notice, the website shows an illustration of a young man without and with an erection and cites p. 37.  In the copy I have of this book, the anatomy on this guy is a bit smaller in both pictures.  I suppose it could have been an illustration from a different edition they showed on the website, or someone who thinks that size does matter when calling something pornographic. Who knows? And who knows why they felt the need to embellish? I also noticed they say it's for "3rd -6th grade." My edition says ages 10+ (isn't that about 5th grade?). Again, I think this is a cheat to pull people over to the dark side of censorship.

Back to the book and its merits and shortcomings.  The latest version has added in updated information on HIV/AIDS, the HPV vaccine (but only is suggested for girls), and Internet safety.  Chapters 25 - 29 are a bit heavy for a ten-year-old, and they are also more wordy, with less illustrations.  I think teens would quickly lose interest after the easy, colorful style of the previous chapters.  The information is very good, but it's too much packed in at the end.

You Hear Me?

Franco, B. (editor). (2000). You hear me? Poems and writing by teenage boys. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press.
LS5385: YA Lit / Poetry

Interesting tidbit: #53 on ALA's Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009.  Challenged for: profanity, inappropriate language, sexual content, violence, religious content, homosexuality, drug references.  I say, "Well duh. What do you expect in teenage boy writing?"

With the exception of the profanity - there was one poem that dropped the "F" bomb in pretty much every sentence - none of the above listed offenses were really heavy issues in the writing.  They may have been referenced, but the topics with a few exceptions, were not covered in an explicit way.  They were musings, reflections, rantings and ventings on love, hate, fear, hope, frustration, anticipation, disappointment, celebration . . . you name it. And some were quite insightful. 

Honestly, I was pretty surprised by the writing.  I expected a lot more profanity and anger. Of course, Franco decided what was included, and kind of clustered like writings together so there was a smattering of writing for each of several topics: grief, love, lust, drugs, belonging, isolation. . .

Even the "F-bomb" poem (creatively titled, "I Hate School") made its point and even got a giggle out of me with this line, "Inspirational posters on the wall -- why won't that kitty f*****g fall?" We all KNOW that poster, which I believe says something like "Hang in there!"  The kid is just clearly fed-up with the ironies and hypocrisies he sees in school.

There were only a few stand-out poems that were really well-written and whose authors clearly had some talent.  Nonetheless, I think it's something that many teenagers could read and nod their head and say, "me too," or "aw, I hadn't thought of that in that way."   Perhaps reading these poems will make someone feel validated or not so alone or empathetic.  Whatever the case, it will make the readers feel something and that is a good thing in my opinion.

Boy Toy

cover 1

says "She's more than just a teacher to him."

Lyga, B. (2007). Boy Toy. NY: Houghton Mifflin.
YA LIT/ Review for high school collection consideration

A high school librarian asked me to read this book. She had purchased it for her collection, based on the popularity of The Astonishing Adventures of Fan Boy and Goth Girl, written by the same author. She had read some reviews that made her think twice before putting it on the shelf.

I have not read Fan Boy, and I didn't know what to expect of the author or the storyline.  I have to say, I was really flabbergasted reading it.  The story is told by an eighteen-year-old boy who was sexually molested by his teacher when he was twelve. The teacher seduced and manipulated Josh, the main character, and convinced him that they were in love. It's told alternating between present times and flashbacks to when Josh, was twelve, but in present times, Josh has "flickers" back to his time as a twelve-year-old. It delves into the aftermath of being a victim and how he is treated, how he feels, and how he struggles to be a regular high school kid.

Those chapters that were flashbacks, as well as the flickers, were very graphic about the sexual activities that occurred between Josh and his teacher; this was a bit of a show-stopper for me.   I kept thinking, "would I want my kids to read this? is this how I want my kids to find out about these sexual situations?"  My answer was no. Having this book on the shelf means that the most immature of freshmen could pick it up as easily as the most mature senior.

Though there may be value to a reader who may have experienced the isolation and recovery from being the victim of a sexual predator, I am not sure that value outweighs the distraction and what I feel is inappropriateness of the sexual descriptions.  It truly bordered on soft porn, in my opinion.

It is considered "young adult literature," but the older those "young adults" are, the better.

Blankets

my library's cover

alternate cover

cover of music inspired by novel

Portuguese - soft cover

Spanish - hard cover

alternate cover

French version

Thompson, C. (2003). Blankets. Marietta, GA: Top Shelf Productions.
LS5385: YA Lit / Graphic Novel
Quote I liked: "On my first visit to the public library, I was like a kid at a candy store where all the candy was free. I gorged myself until my tummy ached."

Check this out - someone actually created a soundtrack inspired by this book (see cover 3 above).  Now that I've read it, I think I will explore and see what kind of music is on there.  If I were making a soundtrack for it, all the tunes would be sad sounding.  What a melancholy read. . .  Portuguese & Spanish covers are a little livelier but the snowy covers are more in step with the books tone/mood. (though some - DEFINITELY not all - of the flashbacks to stories with his brother are not sad).
 
I had to let this one sit with me a few days before writing about it, and honestly, I'm still not sure what to say. It is 582 pages, and as such, is not as quick a read as most books in this genre. And some parts of it make the term GRAPHIC novel more apropos than others.  Actually, the author defines the book as an illustrated novel.  Not sure there's enough text to make that distinction, though the story comes in loud and clear.

First off, if you or your child are looking for a humorous and light story, this is not an uplifting or particularly fun read. I was surprised by the content, which was pretty heavy and included questioning God/faith, divorce, bullying, isolation, teenage drug use and drinking, sexual molestation, masturbation, teenage intimacy, first love, first love lost. Some of this content was verbalized, some was illustrated, and some was broached both verbally and by illustrations. Some of this content was shown with the main character as a participant, other times as an observer.

It's silly that pencil drawings make a difference. . .I can't decide if I'm a prude or if I'm in mom-mode or what, but for example, when the molestation and masturbation were both told and illustrated, (not over-the-top, but more than enough) I got a little uncomfortable. These were not the only times, either. I think this was mostly because I was reading in terms of what would be appropriate in my school library.  Would I be more comfortable if it was in a novel? Probably. . . not sure why, though.

To be balanced, I suppose if there's a teenager struggling with some of these struggles, he/she wouldn't feel alone. And the story is about finding yourself, figuring out what (and who) you believe in. But the resolution is still a pretty lonely and dismal one, and my overall mood upon the conclusion of it was sort of melancholy.

The author definitely was effective in drawing-out the readers' emotions, and it's amazing we feel we know the main character, Craig, so well given it's a graphic novel. It truly was painful to read at times, which is the mark of a good writer, but in this case, also of a good illustrator.

Sunrise Over Fallujah

Myers, W.D. (2008). Sunrise Over Fallujah. NY: Scholastic Press.
LS5385: YA Lit/Realistic Fiction

First, interesting observation.  This one does not have multiple covers as far as I can tell.

And the hits keep coming. In my YA Lit class, I have now read eight books and there has only been one I disliked. (see Jumped blog)

With us on the cusp of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, this book was especially apropos to me.  It took me back to the time just after the attacks when our troops were desperately searching for Suddam Hussein and the weapons of mass destruction.
Thankfully, this book didn't focus on the atrocities of war in an overly descriptive way. By that, I mean that the death and the killing and the violence were not described in graphic detail.  They just didn't need to be.
Instead, it focused on one young man's emotional battle with dealing with war and the bigger meaning behind what he was doing and what he was seeing.  He struggled seeing people die - both the "bad guys" and his own fellow soldiers - but he also struggled with how he began to numb to the death.  And he struggled with God's presence and/or absence in it all.
It was very thought provoking and I especially liked that for the young reader, it was giving a realistic view of what it's like in war.  It's not dressing-up and drilling and practicing on targets.  There was a very real face to war, and it often the face of children and poverty and heartbreak - not just "the bad guys."

The Savage

Almond, D. (2008). The Savage. Cambridge, Mass: Candlewick Press.
LS5385: YA Lit/Fantasy

I will admit that this one made it into my library check-out cart for two reasons: 1) the library had the book, and 2) it was clearly a short read (WITH PICTURES!!). yeah, I know - I sound like my son.

The amazing thing is that it was one of the coolest reads I have had in a while.  Yes, short but FULL of story. RICH in characters.  Well-written - even though it's written with a child's grasp of spelling and punctuation.  As an aside - sometimes I felt like I was reading something the Chick-Fil-A cows might have written!

It is a very interesting story about a young boy who is dealing with the loss of his father and a town bully who only gets worse once the boy's father has died.  Writing is the boy's escape, and as he deals with his feelings, the lines between his story about "the savage" and the boy's real life become blurred.

The drawings (by Dave McKean, who worked on Harry Potter set designs) are spectacular and wild enough that they help the reader along. They are rugged and edgy.

I was amused by the "profanity" in the book - the boy writing d*** and then apologizing for using a cuss word, but explaining it really was apropos (he was right).  Very nice and again, very much like you'd expect a young boy to write.

Take a look at this - it's definitely worth the short visit and the memory will last longer than the reading time invested.

The Outsiders

"modern" book cover

Movie cover - CUTIES! Missing Leif Garrett, though. Darn.

Hinton, S. E. (1967). The Outsiders. NY: Viking.

LS5385 "Classic" - Realistic Fiction/Coming of Age

This story is timeless and outstanding, but what really impressed me - before I ever started reading it - was that the author is 1) female and 2) wrote this book when she was sixteen.  Talk about talent!

I recall the movie, though I didn't see it, because it had so many cute boys in it: Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and Leif Garrett! I am really wondering why I didn't see it when it came out, as I was probably a junior in high school and would have been gaga about all those fellas. (Admittedly, I still am about some of them. [R.I.P., Patrick Swayze. I was and always will be a fan.])

Anyhow, having not seen the movie or read the book, I dug in and couldn't put it down.  The characters are so rich!  As a mother, I wanted to just get a big ol' group hug going for this kids who have hearts of gold, but are truly just victims of circumstance, doing the only thing they know how to do.  As a young adult reader, I am sure I would have connected with the insanity and unfairness of the clear class divisions and how kids were being forced into the boxes someone else had made for them.  

I highly recommend this book to anyone, young or old, because there are messages that are as apropos today as they were when the book was written. We can all extract a lesson or two from its pages while enjoying a really good read.

Fallen Angels

Myers, W.D. (1988). Fallen Angels. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

LS5360: Challenged

Fallen Angels Book Trailer

I did not want to read this book, and I didn’t want my son to read this book when he asked for it this past year.  I do not enjoy or find entertaining “true war” stories or movies, regardless of whether they portray war realistically or not.  For my son, I did minimal inquiry with his English teacher, and we both decided that him reading something was better than reading nothing, and with his future plans to be a Marine, we thought it would be good for him to read about a disillusioned soldier who thought he knew the meaning of war until he found himself in one.  Imagery is strong in the writing – haunting, really – so there is a detailed mental picture of the combat, destruction, and deaths that occur.  Symbolism is also important in the writing, for example in the loss of the dog-tags of some fallen soldiers – it means so much more than the loss of the physical tags.  I assumed (correctly) the reasons this book was challenged were many – war, violence, language, situations – it has it all; however, I think that what’s in the book is realistic in the setting.  Do I like that the “F” bomb is dropped with frequency? No. (would it be funny to say “hell no" here?) But contextually, I imagine that’s exactly how it was in Vietnam and it increases the reality of the experience. I doubt soldiers said “good gracious” when they were under ground and air attack.

Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury, R. (1987). Fahrenheit 451. New York: Ballantine Books.

LS5360 Challenged.  Though all our kids had to read this in school (and we have MULTIPLE copies), this is one of my favorite books.  I think Ray Bradbury and I could have been best buddies on the “ills” of media! 

Exposition: The story starts with main character, Guy Montag, a fireman in a futuristic United States, (sometime after 1990), where firemen start fires to burn books (and often the houses that contain them) because all books are banned. Other main characters: Mildred Montag, Clarisse McClellan, Professor Faber, Captain Beatty, Granger.

Conflict: Montag meets Clarisse McClellan, whose questioning makes Montag question himself and his purpose and forces him to confront his true unhappiness.  Montag’s wife’s attempted suicide and the surrounding events further reinforce Montag’s realizations.

Rising Action: Montag tries to coerce his wife that they need to read books for themselves and evaluate their worth, but she doesn’t respond much.  In frustration, Montag seeks out a former professor (Faber) to help him understand books. Faber guides Montag, but Montag loses control and reads poetry to several of his wife’s friends, so they become aware he has books. 

Climax:  The firemen are called to a “special” case and Montag realizes he is going to his own house.  Mildred reported Montags books, and Beatty makes Montag destroy the books. Montag destroys everything in the house and ultimately turns the fire hose on Beatty, burning him to cinders.  The Mechanical Hound is sent to attack Montag, but Montag destroys it with the fire as well and flees the scene, and a man-hunt ensues as a replacement Mechanical Hound is put on the chase.

Falling Action: Montag gets help from Faber and manages to lose the Mechanical Hound by putting on Fabers’ clothes and then floating down the river. The government kills an innocent citizen, passing him off as Montag, and the chase is over.  Montag finds a group of vagrant intellects who have each memorized a book, and Montag is accepted into the group for his knowledge of the Bible.

Resolution:  The group, camping on the outskirts of town, witnesses the destruction of the city where it is virtually reduced to ash.  An image of the phoenix rising out of the ashes for new life is mentioned by one of the Intellectuals, and it’s clear that there is hope for the future with the knowledge from books in the minds of people around the country.

Literary Elements:  Symbolism is widely used, most frequently with fire and how it cleanses, erases, and rights things.  Also, there is much symbolism in the various identity crises Montag goes through, with the final one being his stripping his “old self” naked as he jumps into the river, cleanses himself, and puts on new clothes.  Foreshadowing occurs frequently (for example, when the Mechanical Dog – a machine – growls at Montag when he pats its head), as does the use of figurative language (“Montag's hand closed like a mouth, crushed the book with wild devotion, with an insanity of mindlessness to his chest” (1.336).), but allusion is the most obvious device with the numerous references to many great pieces of literature, and mythological, religious, and historical figures.