Reading CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson in the Classroom

Cover of Chains

In an attempt to interweave literature into my students’ studies of the American Revolution, which is being taught in their social studies class, I chose the novel Chains for the class to read.

 

There was some bias there.  I have met and heard Laurie Halse Anderson speak and I think she is WONDERFUL, so I made an effort to search out her work over the summer and was pleasantly surprised to find that she wrote historical fiction for middle grades.

 

My students started reading the novel this past week.  After years of teaching, I am quite used to students’ resistance to reading the “class” novel.  I actually advocate for student choice and they are also reading books they’ve chosen outside of class and participate in online book reviews.  But I needed to do a class novel.

 

I hesitated to start the week before Christmas because students (especially middle schoolers) are notoriously checked-out that week.  But, I did it anyway.  In fact, after three days of reading, they are already 74 pages in and let me tell you, many of them are incredibly proud of this fact, particularly those reluctant readers.

 

I cannot say that every student loves this book, but overall, the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.  Many of them keep telling me how much they like it and they can’t believe a teacher would pick so many good books to read (they read The Outsiders over the summer and still refer to it).

 

They tell me that they never thought they would like a book that took place so long ago.  They yell at me for ending their reading assignment on a cliff-hanging chapter.

 

I put them in literature circles and they discuss, debate, and hypothesize about their reading.  They tell me that they love getting the freedom to talk about the book with others.  They say they understand it better after they get others’ perspectives.

 

Is it a perfect system?  No.  There are still those who are reluctant, but those readers are able to get help from their peers.  And if they aren’t prepared for the discussion, their peers let them know that they need to be next time.  It is not me, the teacher, putting on the pressure.  They are suddenly a part of a group effort and I am seeing students read that I’ve never seen read before.

 

So, what is my point?  I guess three things:

 

1. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson is a wonderful book that captivates the world’s toughest audience – pre-teens.  It is about a topic that I never really considered until the moment I picked up the book – slavery during the American Revolution and the irony surrounding the fact that Patriots cried out for freedom while simultaneously owning slaves.
2. Literature Circles work.  I hear students interact on an intellectual level.  I hear them critically think.  They analyze characters, plot, symbols, and passages.  They make predictions based on their reading.  They learn how to talk about literature and also, to think about it in ways they never have before.
3. And finally, I’m just really proud of them.

Related articles

• SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson (Banned Books Week) (bookjourney.wordpress.com)
• Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (fortitudeandpatience.wordpress.com)

Horror and Humor Intertwined in MG novel A TALE DARK & GRIMM

A Review

by Brei

I recently finished reading a MG book which I bought at our school book fair called, A Tale, Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz.  It is a funny, gruesome, imaginative take on some of the old Grimm fairytales.

 

Shortly after I put the book back on my shelves, one of my 7^th graders picked it up and started reading it and came in every day to tell me what part she had just read and what disgusting, horrifying, completely engaging thing took place.  Now, I will admit that this book is not for the faint of heart, which really makes it perfect for middle schoolers.

 

The author uses Hansel and Gretel as his hero and heroine throughout the tale, weaving them into a myriad of other Grimm tales.  Gidwitz does something quite unique in this novel; he talks directly to the reader – and it’s really humorous, which helps to take away some of the horror of the tales themselves.

 

He tells us that the story of Hansel and Gretel that we know is only part of their actual story.  There is far more to tell and it involves beheadings, and dragons, and serial killers – really disgusting stuff!  But he melds it so expertly with humor that it enthralls us, rather than scares us.  At least, that was the case for my student and me.

 

Gidwitz even warns us before a particularly gory scene by telling us, the readers, to take small children out of the room as we read the next part.

 

Gidwitz also manages to insert morals into the story – a fundamental element of every true folk tale, but he isn’t cloyingly obvious about it.  He, again, adds humor and even prompts the reader to think a bit.

 

I recommend this book to students who love fairy tales – but are old enough to hear the true versions, as opposed to the Disney version.  As I said before, if a child is easily frightened, then it might be one to wait a bit on.  But having said that, my student is still talking about the book to her friends.  The best recommendation you can get about a MG book is from a middle grader themselves, isn’t it?

Related articles

• Meet The Author: Adam Gidwitz At NYPL’s Children’s Center (bxcheapskate.com)
• Book Review: A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (blogcritics.org)

Anna and the French Kiss – a delightful teen romance!

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
(A Review)

What girl doesn’t love romance?

 

Over the holiday, I fully embraced the idea of relaxation.  I made every effort to find some peace of mind and shake off the stresses of work and everyday life.  So instead of reading complex science fiction or dark dystopian or something profoundly meaningful, I picked up two romance novels; one was YA fiction and the other adult romance.

 

Of the two books I read, the YA novel was completely delightful, and for me, nostalgic as it weaves the story of a girl’s first love.  The other book was predictable and cutesy – at most, so I will no longer mention it.  The point being that the YA novel was recommendable, while the adult novel was not.  (Score one for YA writers!)

 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins deftly weaves the reader into the story about the insecurities, longings, confusion, and magic that is first love.  This book made me smile, but more than that, it brought back all of my memories and feelings of falling in love that very first time.  This isn’t an easy achievement for an author.  I often enjoy the romantic elements of many of the books I read, but this book read so true to life that it stirred up forgotten feelings.

 

First love is complicated, scary, at times heartbreaking, and overall, wonderful.  The main character, Anna, experiences all of this and it resonates – at least to an old-timer like me, who likes to live in the past once in a while.  I believe that if I were a teenage girl, the realistic thoughts, actions, and feelings of the characters would still resonate and leave me wanting more.

 

Anna is sent to live at boarding school in France by her father, a novelist of new money and fame.  She expects to be miserable – leaving behind her crush and the possible beginnings of a relationship with him.  But what she finds in Paris is a new group of interesting and loyal friends and, of course, romance.  The problem is that the boy she finds herself falling for is taken and has been in the relationship for over a year.

 

Relationships – especially navigating that very first one – are never easy and this book recognizes the challenges.  It isn’t wholly predictable, which I like, and at times, it is frustrating because you just want to shout at the characters to tell each other how they feel.  But does that happen in real life?  Especially when it’s the first time you’ve ever had those feelings?  No.

 

But it is sweet and touching and everything that first love should be and that’s why I highly recommend it to older teens.  (I say older teens as it does mention drinking and sex, so discretion advised.  And as my students are not “older teens” I feel the need to put in this warning.)

 

Enjoy!  I know that I did.

Review (long overdue!): The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Anne Barrows

Cover via Amazon

I’ve been reading a lot of YA and dystopian novels, but I thought I’d take a little time today to recommend a book that I meant to review over the summer, but somehow never got around to it.

 

I probably wouldn’t have picked this book up on my own because the title seemed really obscure, but a member of my critique group recommended it.  A few of us had met for lunch at a Starbucks in Barnes and Noble and being book people, we couldn’t leave without a couple of treasures.

 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows is a gem of a book that manages to be heartwarming, tragic, and informative all at the same time.

In post-World War II, a writer – Juliet Ashton – searches for her next story, when she receives correspondence from a gentleman asking her to come to the island of Guernsey to speak at the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a group which sprung up out of desperation during the war and provided the people of the island rare moments of happiness at a time of great struggle and tragedy.

There are a few things that make this novel special:

 

1)   It is written entirely in letters.

2)   It is written immediately following World War II – a time period that I know little about and hadn’t really thought much of.  It addresses the after effects of the war on England and particularly, the small island of Guernsey (yes, it does exist!), as well as memories of the occupation of Guernsey by Germans during the war.

3)   I learned much about the war that I hadn’t heard known before and considering the amount of books, movies, and documentaries on the subject, I was a little surprised by this.

4)   Even through letters, the characters come alive as quirky, strong, and immensely likable.

The novel is really about the characters – the Guernsey citizens – and their perseverance and resilience during tough times.  Even through tragedy, they come together in their literary society and find hope, support, and laughter.

5)   There is even romance.  It seems hard to believe that a story – and a romance – can be conveyed so profoundly and touchingly through letters, but Shafer and Barrows succeed.  There is such a sweetness to the story – even as there is some sorrow – that I could not help but be uplifted at the end.

 

Over the summer, I lent this book to my best friend and hopefully, she’s enjoyed it as much as I have.  If you are interested in history, romance, or simply a moving story, I recommend this book.

A Review: Delirium by Lauren Oliver (Recommended!)

It seems I’ve been reading a lot of dystopian novels lately (and I can see how publishers are saying the genre is getting a bit saturated), but the premise of this novel really intrigued me.  In most dystopians – The Maze Runner series or The Hunger Games trilogy, for example – readers don’t know exactly what happened to the world to bring about the new society.  We can guess – World War III or global warming or something, but in those novels, the actual reason isn’t clearly identified.

In this novel it is.  Love.  Love destroyed society.  The government and its scientists have pinpointed the cause of the country’s problems.  Love drives people crazy.  Love overrides their logic and brings about chaos.

But have no fear.  There is a cure for this horrible love disease (a.k.a. amor deliria nervosa).  In fact, at the age of 18 – after being segregated from “uncureds” of the opposite sex all of their lives – the serum is administered, a husband/wife and college is chosen based on test results and life will be blissfully stable and secure.  Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

That’s what main character, Lena, thinks – especially after her mother killed herself for love when Lena was a little girl.  She’s terrified of ending up like her mother – crying all of the time.  And yet, she also has memories of her mother laughing, dancing, and singing – things that cured women would never do.  These contradictory memories of her mother plague her and she just wants to get the cure and not have the doubt, uncertainty, and pain that occasionally takes hold of her.

Lena’s determination to be cured and safe is shaken when her best friend convinces her to let loose and live a little in the weeks before her procedure – inviting her to forbidden parties, and especially once she meets Alex, who she assumes is safe because he has the scar of a “cured” man.  But looks can be deceiving.

Pulled into a world where she can laugh and dance and feel, where she experiences danger and excitement, where she witnesses firsthand the cruelty and disregard of the “cureds,”  where she finds out the information she receives from the government and even from her family is often a lie, she has to question her fate.  Does she really want to be “cured”?  And what about Alex? Can she leave him behind?  Forget him?

This was another of those books that I read in a day.  Fast-paced and exciting, it kept me turning the pages.  Lena and Alex’s romance was believable.  Finally, a male love interest who makes the reader fall as hard as the main character.

And the ending is definitely shocking – leaving the reader wanting more.

Yes, it follows the basic formula of all dystopian novels, but the difference between this book and some of the others I’ve read lately, is that I genuinely like Lena – even though she is a bit frustrating at first because we know she shouldn’t get the cure, but she hasn’t yet been convinced.  And I definitely like Alex.  He has all of those qualities that give a girl butterflies – humor, kindness, sexiness, and he lets Lena be Lena, even when he doesn’t agree with her.  (Kind of reminds me of my husband, actually.)

So, now that I’ve droned on and on – I DO recommend this book.  The second book of the series Pandemonium comes out in March 2012, and I plan to be on the waiting list.

Read and enjoy!

Author’s Website: http://www.laurenoliverbooks.com/

Author Interview:

Review: The Maze Runner (Exciting YA dystopian novel perfect for reluctant male readers!)

Cover via Amazon

In The Maze Runner James Dashner has created a world in which teenage boys become an experiment in will power, perseverance, and survival.  Thomas awakens in a world surrounded by a maze with no memory of his past.  The only residents of this strange and dangerous new world are other teenage boys.  They are given everything they need to survive through what they call “The Box,” which is an elevator shaft that opens up every two weeks with supplies.  Once a month, the Box delivers another amnesiac boy.

 

But this month is different.  They day after Thomas’s arrival, the Box delivers a teenage girl, breaking the two-year pattern of the Box.  After this, their entire world, as they know it, begins to unravel.

 

The maze encompassing their living space is vast.  For two years, they send out “runners” to find the patterns and secrets of the maze – hoping to break free of their prison, because every night, the maze closes off from them and reorganizes itself.  If any of the runners are not back my night, they will be locked within the maze and the horrible creatures roaming the maze at night will find and destroy them.

 

The book is immediately exciting and intriguing.  There is no break in the action.  Dashner has created a unique world – unlike anything I’ve read so far – and even given the boys a language, or dialect, specific to their new life and completely believable for boys (“shuck-face”, “shank”, etc.).

 

The characters are well-developed.  Each one has a distinct personality.  Although, I have to admit, it took some time for Thomas to grow on me.  He struck me as a bit too full of himself  and, at the same time, whiny at first.  Once the girl arrived, I was able to see and appreciate a softer, more likable side of Thomas, and the mystery she provided kept me turning pages.

 

This book will definitely appeal to boys – even reluctant readers.  I have proof of this because my husband is one of those “boys” and he devoured the book, and then the sequel (The Scorch Trials), and yesterday, I bought him the third book of the trilogy, The Death Cure.  I also think that this book will appeal to girls.  It is creepy, exciting, and action-packed.  Dashner even managed to add a hint of romance – although still mixed with mystery – which girls can appreciate.

 

The end of the book, much like The Hunger Games, will leave you hanging and begging for more.

 

I definitely recommend this book.  If you enjoyed The Hunger Games, then I think you will enjoy this.

Review of YA novel: Imaginary Girls (by Nova Ren Suma)

There are some books – maybe far too few – that you finish, but they stay with you.  You can’t stop thinking about the book.  It affected you.  It did its job.  Sometimes, I don’t realize how invested I was in the book until I can’t get it out of my head.  Then, I know.  The author did his/her job beautifully.

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma is one of those books. As I read it, I couldn’t put it down.  I finished it in a day.  Even as I was at times frustrated with the main character, I kept on reading and long after completing it, I continue to think about it.  Did I like it?  Didn’t I?  I think the answer to that is yes and no, but the fact that I’m STILL asking myself that question says a ton about my reading experience.  Sometimes, there is no simple answer.

This YA novel, geared towards older teens, is about the deep, possessive and frankly, creepy relationship between two sisters, Chloe and Ruby.  Growing up with an alcoholic mother, Chloe depended heavily on her older, charismatic sister Ruby to raise her.  Ruby took the responsibility very seriously and came to love Chloe with an intensity closer to that of mother and child, rather than that of a sister.

Set in a small New York town, nestled next to a lake with a haunted past, the book is more of a ghost or horror story than contemporary fiction.  One night, while swimming across the lake to prove herself to the other teenagers in town – and because Ruby believes she can do it – Chloe comes upon a drifting boat in which lays the dead body of a classmate.  Life as Chloe and Ruby know it is never the same.

With the image of the dead girl branded in her mind, Chloe leaves town to live with their father while Ruby works to bring her home.  She will do anything for them to be together again, because there is no one Ruby cares about more than her sister.

Ruby is a magnetic, enigmatic girl – irresistible to the townspeople and especially her sister.  She entrances people with her smile and her beauty.  She has a power over people and is chillingly careless with it.  Individuals do not matter to Ruby, only Chloe and herself matter.  She is as ruthless as she is loving.  As a reader, I hated her and I loved her.  I couldn’t get enough of her.  I, too, fell under her spell.  The writing is that good.  

While Chloe is the main character – and often makes decisions you want to shake her for, it is Ruby who drives the storyline.  It is Ruby who will captivate you.

This haunting, exquisitely-written novel leaves you with questions: What would you do for the person you love?  How far would you go?  How much would you give up?

Is there such a thing as loving someone too much?

It is a creepy, hypnotic read.  You may not “like” it in the traditional sense, but you will never forget it.

Review: The Peach Keeper

Sarah Addison Allen has the most amazing ability of pulling me into a story.  She starts with a hint or glimmer of magic and mystery, enchanting the reader and leaving us wanting more.  I love her written style.  Reading her work is as effortless and enjoyable as spending the day with a best friend.  You laugh, you cry, and you have faith – in her characters, in the storyline, in magic. Her characters are well-developed and her stories are both beautiful and intriguing.  Can you tell I am a fan?

This story begins with a magical invitation which keeps popping up regardless of how many times Willa Jackson tries to hide it from her sight – as if it is teasing her, beckoning her to attend the event to be held at the newly-renovated Blue RidgeMadam.  The old  mansion was once owned by Jackson’s ancestors, but has long since been out of their possession and the family name is no longer synonymous with wealth and notoriety.  The house now belongs to the infamous Paxton Osgood, a former classmate of Willa’s, whose money and class leave Willa bitter, and a bit envious.

Willa Jackson is a woman desperately trying to act “adult” and repress – or atone for – her prankster reputation in high school, which she believes ultimately led to her dad losing his job.  She wants to redeem herself and – although he died in an accident – prove to him, or his memory, that she can be someone he could be proud of.  She stays in the town of Walls of Water to provide for her grandmother, who is under care for Alzheimer’s, but she wants nothing to do with her old life, especially Paxton Osgood.

Paxton Osgood has spent her entire life trying to live up to the standards put on her by her mother and herself.  Her quest for perfection has affected her personal life and left her tightly wound.  On the surface, Paxton and Willa are complete opposites, but deep down they want the same things: love, acceptance, and a good friend.

When renovations uncover the body of a salesman from sixties years ago, the two women are pulled into the mystery surrounding his death.  An unlikely friendship develops in their search for answers and as they allow themselves to let go of their pasts and the restraining weight of their self-inflicted personal expectations, they find love and come to understand who they are and what life is all about.

Although it isn’t my favorite of her books, The Peach Keeper is still an enjoyable read.  I would have liked more mystery, suspense, and magic surrounding the uncovered crime.  There were traces of it, but I was left feeling a bit disappointed in this aspect.  The romances were sweet, if predictable.  The strength of the story lies in the women’s journey of self-discovery.  I do recommend it for adults, however, as it is a quick read for someone who needs something light and uplifting.

Author’s Website: http://www.sarahaddisonallen.com/the_peach_keeper.html

Books I Can’t Write Without « C.B. Wentworth

Image via Wikipedia

Books I Can’t Write Without « C.B. Wentworth.

This is a great blog about writing your novel and also, getting inspiration along the way.  This particular entry listed the author’s favorite writing books and I’ve already ordered three listed!

Check it out!

Review: The Adoration of Jenna Fox (Great YA book!)

Can a person be loved TOO MUCH?

The Adoration of Jenna Fox (author Mary E. Pearson)

This science fiction novel is about a girl trying to rediscover what it means to be alive and come to terms with the accident that led to her year-long coma and the deaths of her former best friends.  Unfortunately, the answers she seeks aren’t ones that her parents want uncovered.

This novel is full of mystery.  Author Mary E. Pearson gives us a glimpse of a future after rampant disease has killed millions due to the world’s built-up immunity to antibiotics.  This is a world in which an organization has been developed to keep researchers, scientists, and doctors in check, because it is believed that their unmonitored actions within the healthcare community caused this great plague.  If antibiotics hadn’t been handed out so recklessly, this super-virus would have never evolved.

And unbeknownst to Jenna, her entire existence lies at the heart of the debate.  In fact, her survival after the accident is itself illegal, which is why when she wakes, she finds her parents have moved her to the other side of the country and bought a house under her grandmother’s name.

After some weeks spent recovering – remembering fractions of her old life, relearning commonly-used words, and recognizing and recreating facial expressions in an effort to understand emotions, Jenna demands to attend school.  Instead of enrolling her in the public school system, she finds herself in an alternative education setting with other misfits of society.

Through her interactions with her new, out-casted peers, her friendship with an elderly neighbor, and her complex relationship with her grandmother, Jenna begins to piece together a puzzle, which threatens her moral integrity.  In the end, she is faced with a great decision – one far more complicated than simply life or death.  And it is this intrigue and suspense, which keeps a reader captivated throughout the entire book.

Pearson manages to meld moments of verse – Jenna’s internal battle – with prose to make a book that is not only fascinating and exciting, but also beautifully artistic in its delivery.

It is through her struggles to adapt to her new life, her determination to find answers, and courage in the face of great ethical choices that we learn to love, respect, and yes, adore Jenna Fox.  In fact, the question begs to be answered:  Can a person be loved too much?