August Reading Recap

Smile by Raina Telgemeier (2010, Graphix) --- Raina is just a few days away from getting braces when it happens. She trips on the sidewalk, lands flat on her face, mouth gushing blood, and two of her front teeth are missing. Well, one has fallen out, and the other is squashed up into her gums. Awesome. So begins her agonizing teeth-related adventures. This autobiographical graphic novel follows Raina through middle school, where she deals with so-called friends, boy troubles, and lots of trips to the orthodontist. You'll laugh tons, feel bad for her some, and most of all, be happy it's not you! If you've read and loved this one, check out Telgemeier's new graphic novel, Drama, with a new set of characters but the same hilarity and charm.

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (2008, Henry Holt & Co) --- Jenna Fox has been in a coma for the past year. When she wakes up, she can't remember anything. She doesn't recognize her mother or her father, and she doesn't seem to know simple words for things. Besides her memory being fuzzy, she gets the feeling that something is not right. Her father is still living on the other side of the country, while Jenna and her mom are holed up in a fixer-upper house, in an isolated part of town. When Jenna slowly uncovers some devastating secrets about her accident, she doesn't know how she'll ever trust her parents again, or live with herself. Great dystopia to add to your collection, folks.

Fever by Lauren DeStefano (2012, Simon & Schuster) --- This is the sequel to Wither, so if you haven't read that yet, I suggest you skip this section. Seriously. Okay, I warned you. Rhine and Gabriel have escaped from her husband's mansion, and they're hoping to find their way to New York to reunite with Rhine's brother. But the journey is long and not without bumps. If I thought that Wither was a little strange, I have no idea what to say about this book. I couldn't put it down, but I couldn't tell you why. Mostly, I just wanted to be done with it. But like all good trilogies, the surprising twists at the end left me needing to read the last book in the series, which will be out sometime eventually. Another dystopia. I know, I have a problem.

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (2007, Razorbill) --- Clay Jensen gets a package in the mail, no return address, with 13 cassette tapes in it. On the tapes, Hannah Baker tells the stories of the 13 people who helped bring her to the decision to commit suicide. Listen to find out where you rank on the list, Clay. The tapes are circulating amongst those 13 people so that each person can know what they did to Hannah to bring her to such drastic measures. Oh, how painful this book was to read. I want to say that I hated it and that I put it down instantly. But I was morbidly curious, and I had to finish it. Other books that also made me feel uncomfortable and sick to my stomach include The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (2012, Poppy/Little Brown) --- Hadley's at the airport, ready to hop on a plane to London to attend her father's second wedding, except the plane is already down the runway.  Rescheduling to catch the next flight, Hadley's now stuck at the airport, an emotional wreck, when a cute British boy comes to her rescue. The two get to talking and spend the entire flight together sharing stories. Once the plane lands, reality sets back in and Hadley is whisked away to get ready lightning fast for this wedding she really doesn't want to witness. Yeah, I thought this was going to be a sweet love story, but it's really more about Hadley and her relationship with her dad, which is fine but not what I was led to believe by the adorable cover and title of the book. Sorry if I just ruined it for you. Just thought I'd give a fair warning.


I can't believe that's the last of my summer reading! I sure hope I can find time to squeeze some books in this month. Speaking of which, I'm off to go read...

July Reading Recap

Let's get right to it - I'm pretty impressed by my July reading. Hope I can keep up the momentum in August...

Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles (Flux, 2007) --- I love Simone Elkeles. She's a mom from the suburbs of Chicago who decided one day that she felt like writing romance books for teens. How do you not love her? This one's about Caleb, who's just been released from juvie, where he served a year for a hit and run while drunk driving. His co-star, love interest is Maggie, who he hit and severely injured in aforementioned incident. How the two end up on speaking terms, let alone entangled in a romantic relationship, is very hard to imagine, but Elkeles makes it happen. Life takes them both in unexpected directions, that's for sure. As always, an enjoyable, if not so plausible, story.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (Atheneum, 2010) --- Melody is an 11 year-old girl who senses colors when she hears music and has a whole lot of deep thoughts and musings - but she can't quite communicate them. She has cerebral palsy, and she's spent most of her life without control over her limbs or the ability to speak clearly. This, then, leads people to believe that Melody is dumb, especially the students in her grade at school. But obviously, this is not the case, and Melody is just waiting for the chance to show her peers and her family that she has loads to say. While not my favorite book ever, it is definitely one I think should be read because of its unique perspective.

The Disenchantments by Nina LaCour (Dutton Children's, 2012) --- I wish I could read this book again right now. Or I wish I had paid more attention the first time and recorded all those quotable lines. Because I could give you a plot summary, but that won't tell you much about why I LOVED this book. (I'm going to anyway.) The Disenchantments are a teen band made up of three girls and their manager friend Colby. Since forever, Colby and Bev have been planning on taking a year off after high school and traveling Europe. But before they can start on their global tour, the band will be making its last rounds around the country since most of them have just graduated. Essentially, it's a music-themed road trip novel. BUT IT'S SO MUCH MORE! It's all about the relationships in this one. And the notion of living in the moment because pretty soon everything is going to change. And how to deal with that change but still enjoy their time together now. Oh, just go read it already!

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (HarperCollins, 2006) --- Ginny's just received a package in the mail from her beloved aunt (who also happens to be dead), and in it are instructions to pack a bag and head to the airport. She has 13 adventures to unfold in each little blue envelope, but she can only open one at a time. London, Amsterdam, Paris, and much more - Ginny travels through Europe on a quest to understand her aunt better and lead a more interesting life of her own. For those of us longing to travel, this seems like the right book to do it vicariously.

Wither by Lauren DeStefano (Simon & Schuster, 2011) --- Summary says it best: "By age sixteen, Rhine Ellery has four years left to live. She can thank modern science for this genetic time bomb. A botched effort to create a perfect race has left all males with a lifespan of 25 years, and females with a lifespan of 20 years. Geneticists are seeking a miracle antidote to restore the human race, desperate orphans crowd the population, crime and poverty have skyrocketed, and young girls are being kidnapped and sold as polygamous brides to bear more children. When Rhine is kidnapped and sold as a bride, she vows to do all she can to escape..." I'm a sucker for dystopias, what can I say? But the more I read, the less wowed I am. I definitely enjoyed this book and will be reading its sequel, but they've fallen into my comfort zone (books as food) of reading. 

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry & Ridley Pearson (Disney, 2006) --- I don't know how many times I almost picked this book up but then was put off both by its size and cover illustrations (I'm horrible, I know). So, when it showed up on the Battle of the Books list, I finally had no choice but to read it. I thought I'd slug through it and just be tired. Not the case! First off, had I known that it was written as a prequel to Peter Pan, I may have felt differently. There's loads of adventure and humor, and we learn how Peter and his lost boys came to live in Never Land, or a version of it, at least.

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (Harper, 2011) --- Recommended to me by my 4th and 5th grade Vietnamese students. They kept passing the library copy around, so I just bought my own. I can see why they liked it so much. The beginning is set in wartime Saigon but describes the everyday culture and life well. The latter half of the book relates the ELL experience, learning the language, eating weird American food, and fitting in at school (or really, really not), among other things. The snippet says, "Inspired by the author's own childhood experience of fleeing Vietnam as a refugee and immigrating to Alabama, this tween novel told in verse is sure to capture young readers' hearts and open their eyes."

Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (Scholastic, 1993) --- I read this book because it's on our Battle of the Books list this year. It's a friendship story between Max, a giant of an eighth grader with a seemingly small intellect, and Freak, the one with the small body but ginormous brain. The two team up to become Freak the Mighty, which you can see on the cover, illustrated by David Shannon. I don't really have much to say about this book. Some people absolutely love it and think it's the most touching tale of friendship. Eh. It was fine. It's dated, for sure. I'm curious to see what my students will think of it. 

ttyl by Lauren Myracle (Abrams, 2004) --- You would think that with the amount of times this book has ended up on ALA's Most Frequently Challenged Books list that I would have certainly have read this one already. Nope. Not until recently. And like always, I have no idea what was so offensive. The book is told through instant messages between three best friends (which is now a dated concept, I think), so you can imagine what it's like. Chatting about school, girls they despise, boys they like, things they're excited about, things that stress them out - just eavesdrop on some teen girls gossiping and you basically get this book. Why the girls like it? Because they can relate. Why the adults hate it? Because they don't want their little baby girls to relate. 

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (Dutton, 2012) --- You know about this book, right? You've probably read it already. I don't know what took me so long. I guess there are only so many cancer books I can read in one summer. Ah, but this one is so much more than that. Cancers aside, Hazel and Augustus are just two normal teens hopelessly enamored with each other. The blurb says, "Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind." I haven't loved all of John Green's books, I'll admit, but this one I do indeed love. So much that a quote from the book is going up on my library wall! 

June Reading Recap

These past couple months have been a blur. Moving, traveling, nonstop furniture shopping (when will it end?!), attempting to cook healthier meals at home, and looking for and finally finding a job (and not just any job, but basically my dream job thankyouverymuch) have pretty much dominated my waking hours. So, it's no surprise that I only managed to read 3 books in June. See, I'm not a stress-reader. In fact, I'm the opposite. When I'm super busy and slightly stressed, I stop reading altogether. It's a sad, sad tale. But I'm better now. Anyhow, onward to the reading material!

Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford (Hyperion, 2009) --- I heard about this book a few months ago because it was being challenged at an Oklahoma middle school (in the end, it was not removed from the library). What's better to draw a crowd than a potential book banning, I say? But, it pains me to admit - I completely understand why the mother wanted this book off the shelves. My goodness! Crawford truly lets us into the inner workings of the teenage male mind, no holds barred. Carter is just starting high school, and there is basically one thing on his mind - he needs to lose his virginity already. Mind you, it's hilarious (sad for Carter, I'm sure) and totally relatable, but I was taken aback by how matter-of-fact and blatantly sexist some parts were. From watching broken porno tapes permanently on fast forward to learning which base corresponds with which sexual encounter to trying out for every sport at school in the hopes of gaining popularity, Carter really just is trying to figure it out. And as you can tell by the title of the book...

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (HarperTeen, 2012) --- How many times have I told myself not to start reading a series unless it has been published in its entirety? I think it's time authors started realizing the agony they put us through. I loved Divergent, but I read it half a year ago, so my connection to the series just wasn't there anymore. Chicago! Dystopia! Things that excite me, to be sure. But I don't remember why all the factions are fighting each other. And I don't know why Tris is running for her life just about all the time. I read the book quickly, as I generally do with these dystopia-types. Sure, I liked it. But I can't say much more than that. I'm sure you can find rave reviews elsewhere.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (MTV Books, 1999) --- I read this book in high school when it was first published, and I've been reading it every couple years since then. I don't do this with any other book, so I guess that makes it my favorite. I love Charlie. I love love love him. The entire book is told through letters that Charlie writes to a mysterious, unnamed "friend." He writes about his first year of high school (set in the 90s), the upperclassmen friends he makes, and life as he sees it. He's naive and definitely a wallflower - he watches others and wonders why they do what they do. He's not the most socially adjusted, but that's just part of his charm. The movie comes out in September, and it looks nothing like what I imagine the book to be. Of course, I'm going to see it anyway.

Hello July, what books will you bring me this month?

March Reading Recap

Middle Grade

Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver (Harper Collins, 2011) --- Liesl has just lost her father and is locked up in the attic by her stepmother (and the Cinderella similarities end there). She's sick with grief and scared of never stepping foot outdoors again. Enter Po, a ghost who shows up in Liesl's room from the Other Side. The two form a sort of friendship and set out on a quest to return Liesl's father's ashes to the willow tree by the house they used to live in. All the while, Will, an apprentice's boy, makes a grievous error in delivering the most powerful magic ever, and is now on the run for fear of punishment. The two stories collide and produce something so wonderful I had to give it four purple crayons. :)

The Other Half of my Heart by Sundee T. Frazier (Delacorte, 2010) --- Minerva (Minnie) and Keira King are twin sisters, but you couldn't tell by looking at them. Minnie takes after their father, with her pale skin, freckles, and red hair, while Keira looks more like their mother, dark-skinned and dark-haired. Their differences don't mean much to the girls - at least not to Minnie, our narrator. When their maternal grandmother invites them to North Carolina for ten days during the summer to compete in the Miss Black Pearl Preteen pageant (I mean, program), Keira is thrilled because it means performing and prancing (all things a diva like her enjoys) and getting in touch with their African-American roots. Minnie, on the other hand, is less than thrilled - not because she doesn't want to learn more about her black history, which she desperately does, but because she's so shy and timid. This is most definitely a book about identity - finding out who you are and who you want to be. 

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (Random House, 2012) ---  Mmm, did I love this book! Miss Deza Malone has just finished the school year as the top student in her class, and she is flying high. She's living in 1930s Gary, Indiana, where times are tough for most folks, but all she can think about is how her teacher wants to personally tutor her next year and how she just got the most beautiful blue gingham dress as a gift. Her family is fantastic, with an alliterating father who affectionately calls her the Mighty Miss Malone because of her smarts and sassiness, a mother who always tries to do the right thing, and a brother who will always defend her honor. But it's the 1930s, and the Great Depression is making it hard for families to earn a living and stay together. So the story goes for the Malones too when Deza's father moves to Flint, Michigan to find a job, and the family later follows in hopes of reuniting with him. 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio (Random House, 2012) --- Wonder is one of those books that all the librarians think will win the Newbery Award in January. I'm not one of them. Not because it's not a good book. It's a great book! But it didn't hook me like it did the others. It's about a boy named August who has never been to a real school because of his severe facial deformities. He's had loads of operations and surgeries in his 10 year-old life, and he just hasn't had the time to go to regular school... until now. August is starting 5th grade at a private middle school, and for good reason, he is terrified. What if the kids make fun of him? What if he can't make friends? What if his teachers stare at him? What if the homework is too hard? Starting middle school is hard enough for a normal kid, but how hard will it be for someone who looks so different from everyone else? 

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur (Random House, 2011) --- Elise is just starting middle school and feeling a little different about the activities she and her best friend Franklin do. Playing pretend isn't "cool" in middle school, and Elise thinks she wants to fit in. She lives with her aunt and uncle - her mother died when she was born, and her dad died when she was very young - and she loves them like parents. But one day, when Elise is feeling ready to grow up and out of her childish ways, she discovers a key hanging in the barn, a key that has her name on it. When Elise finds the door that matches that key, she's thrown into a puzzle created by her father especially for her - one that will help her remember her past, take note of her present, and believe in her future. One key down, seven to go!


Young Adult

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (Harper Teen, 2012) --- This is the second book in the Delirium trilogy, so I won't say too much about it in case you haven't read the first - which I absolutely loved. As it is with many sequels, this book's story was just eh for me, but what I did appreciate very much was Oliver's writing. She has such a pleasing way with words that I can't describe to you very well except to say that it tickles your heart and makes you sigh happily. Or maybe that's just me... I mean, really, look:

I’m pushing aside the memory of my nightmare,
pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame.

Happy sigh.

Incarnate by Jodi Meadows (Katherine Tegen Books, 2012) --- In this world, there is only a finite number of souls that are in existence. When one dies, it will eventually be reincarnated into a new body, but the soul is still the same and has all the memories of past lives. Interesting premise, I thought. And then we have the protagonist, Ana, who defies this order and is actually a Newsoul. Brand new to this world. Living amongst others who have had hundreds of lives and are all friends or at least friendly. She is utterly alone - and she is feared and despised because her new life meant that an old soul is now gone forever. I tried to like this book, I really did. But so much of it felt unoriginal to me - I swear there were Death Eaters in this book. Click the title to go to GoodReads where lots of people enjoyed this book and write about its merits. I'm just not one of them.



Thank you, Spring Break for letting me read so many books! What did you read?