July/August Reading Recap

*Title links lead you to the book's Goodreads page.

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown --- A classic in children's literature, but I had never read it. Cute, though slightly disturbing story if you fail to suspend disbelief. Kids enjoy it though - and who wouldn't like to send themselves to faraway places through the postal service? 

Bad News for Outlaws by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson --- The subtitle of this book is "The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal," which doesn't sound all that thrilling until you realize that he was African-American which is pretty special for the time.  A picture book biography this book is, but it's one meant for upper elementary students, especially during their studies of Westward expansion. I appreciated the story and will use it especially in lessons on research because the back matter is so thorough and just as engaging as the story itself. Oh, and it's nominated for the 2012 Bluestem Award, too. 

Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan --- Another book set in the Wild West and also nominated for the 2012 Bluestem Award. The main character is an orphan girl who is forced to either run away from the orphanage or spend her life working in the kitchen. She loves taking care of and riding horses and dreams of owning her own ranch someday. Don't know which of my students would read this one as it was a bit slow going. I'll be sure to promote it when I know they're studying the same in social studies. 

 

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare --- Took me an entire month to get through this book. But I persevered. And wish that I hadn't. Bad timing is what I'll call it because I'm sure that if I had re-read the series and picked this one up where the last one left off, I'd be perfectly satisfied. But that was not the case, and I ended up confused and just didn't care about the story or characters anymore. Sad tale, I know. Must not start series unless I know that they are complete. 

Ida B by Katherine Hannigan (review over at my school library blog) --- Oh, how I loved Ida B! She reminded me so much of my students. She's imaginative and free-spirited and lovely - until she learns that her mom has cancer, and then her world just about falls apart. Everything changes, and the only way she knows how to cope is to guard her heart by putting up walls and shutting everyone and thing out. Heartbreaking, yes, but there's hope!

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot --- I'm not ashamed to say that I've seen the movie countless times and never even thought to read the book. C'mon, Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews! But now that I've read the book, I can appreciate most of the creative liberties taken to revising the screenplay. But why the location change? I love San Francisco, just don't know why NYC got robbed. 

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater --- Is it horrible to say that I can't remember this book? I know that Isabel and what's his name, the Narkotika guy (Cole?), were more prominent in this book and that Grace had some shifting control issues, but eh. I'm all about character-driven stories, but I feel like I really missed out in the story department here. The writing was beautiful as always, though. 

Seduced by the Wolf by Terry Spear --- It's not summer unless I read at least one paranormal romance not aimed at the YA set. This story was interesting - the main character was a werewolf woman who was also a wolf biologist interested in actual wolves and pack dynamics. But she falls for an alpha male of her own kind... and there goes her independence  (compromise, they call it). 

Stolen by Lucy Christopher (my review) --- I haven't re-read this one yet like I said I wanted to, but I'm so glad I bought it for my Kindle because I'll be able to read it again anytime I feel like it, which is a true luxury for me. Just looking at the cover, I get goosebumps all over, and I remember the story and the emotions so vividly. Just go read it.  

Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Books Every Teen Should Read

Top Ten Tuesday is created by and hosted at The Broke and the Bookish. 

Go there to check out more Top 10 lists and add your own to the mix!

This week's topic is:

Top 10 Books Every Teen Should Read

Is it awful of me to change the meme slightly? I've read quite a few lists from others recently, and while I agree with many of the books they've included, I've also seen many people comment on how it's impossible to compose a list of books that every teen should read because every teen is different. So, I thought I'd give you a look into my life instead.

Top 10 Books My Teen Self Loved 

(or would have loved had I read them as a teen)

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

It's the namesake of my blog because it's the one I always go back to when I think about why I love stories so much. I actually first read it in high school - I was browsing my local bookstore and found myself in the picture book section. I randomly picked up Harold and started reading. I had no idea it would be one of the books that changed my life. I didn't feel any different afterward. But then I read it again. And again. And Harold's imagination inspired me. Still does!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I wore this book out in high school, and it's coming to a theater near you in 2012. The subject material in Perks is quite raw, and perhaps that's why I loved it so. It was so different from my ordinary life as a teen, but the emotions were still all too familiar. I like this line from the blurb - "The world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite." Oh, and if I ever start using the word "incidentally," you'll know I've recently re-read this book. :)

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I fear the day when this book will no longer be relevant. I don't think it's here yet. But it's awfully close. How can you connect to this book if you already do not see the value in the printed word? I'm afraid many teens do not. But for those who do, like my teen self did (and of course I still do), Fahrenheit 451 will strike a chord. It will reveal a reality that cares not for knowledge or wisdom but is happy for ignorance and complacency. There will always be knowledge seekers regardless of the format, so this one's for them. 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

It's already on many required reading lists, but I read it as a senior in high school when it first came out. I remember being completely ripped apart by it. Before then, I had never had so much emotion spew forth all because of a book. I cried and cried and felt too much for Melinda. And I had never experienced anything like it nor known anyone else that had. It's a new classic, for sure. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

This was not required reading in high school - I actually picked it up on my own. It's not one that I would even think to recommend, but I remember it vividly from high school. It was the summer after my junior year, and I was attempting to devour the classics. I had read too much Victorian lit and was looking for something with a little more edge, and The Bell Jar certainly fits that description. I like to say that I was Emo before Emo even existed, and this book brought out all sorts of crazy emotions. It was a trend for me - to read the books that evoked strong emotions. Yep, it still is. 

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

You either love it or you hate it, I think. And I happen to love it. Holden Caulfield is a voice you will not be able to get out of your head for weeks after reading Catcher, and it just may stay with you forever. Not that it's a particularly inspiring or heroic voice. He's basically a pain in the rear. But that's why I love him. 

Man, my junior year of high school was such an influential reading year. So many of my favorites come from then!

That concludes the "books I read in high school" portion of the list. I read the following books in college and beyond, and they are listed chronologically by when I read them. They're books that I would have loved in high school had they been published back then.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This was one of my first forays into science fiction, a genre I did not think I would enjoy, and oh, how I loved it! Tally Youngblood, you quietly rebellious little thing, I couldn't help but want to be you. More than the characters though, I was impressed that I could be so into the description of Westerfeld's dystopian society. And the language! Just make it all up, why don't you? Such creativity, how could I not love it?

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

I remember reading this book in college while lounging with a friend and stopping after every paragraph to discuss something Frankie just wrote or said. It must have been supremely annoying, but I couldn't help it. I would squeal and giggle and just be so happy that Frankie was such a strong girl, so attuned to the injustice happening at her school and unwilling to take her place as a docile woman in a male-dominated society. You go, girl. 

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

My high school self would have LOVED this book. And it was so perfectly channeled while I read it last year - I acutely remembered what it was to be 16 again. There are just certain books that click with you, like kindred spirits, and this was one for me. And shocker - the main characters are both male! Nonetheless, the setting and situations were entirely relatable and believable in a too real way, and I just glowed while reading it. :) I wish that every teen could share that experience! 

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

I wish I had this book in college when my grandmother passed away. Not that I'm sold on bibliotherapy, but for me, it would have done a world of good. It still did, as grief seems to be never ending, and I'm quite thankful for it. But I don't think you need to have experienced the loss of a loved one to connect to this story. Maybe to understand some of the choices that Lennie makes that seem completely inappropriate. What I love most about it is that it wasn't a sobfest - there was an equal amount of love and laughter. Thank goodness! 

So, those are my Top 10 this week! I'm off to go read some others!

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Stolen by Lucy Christopher
published May 2010 by Chicken House
304 pages (hardcover)
Kindle edition published February 2011

On route to a summer holiday in Vietnam with her parents, sixteen year-old Gemma is kidnapped from the Bangkok Airport over a simple cup of coffee. One minute she's staring into a handsome face with beautiful blue eyes, and the next she's lying in a bed wearing unfamiliar clothes and feeling the aftereffects of some nasty drugs. Terrified and confused, Gemma slowly realizes that there is little hope for escape in this Australian never-ending desert, and that Ty, her captor, actually means her no harm. Told as a letter written to Ty, this story is unlike other kidnapping tales in that he's not actually a bad guy. Really.

For the record, I've never been kidnapped. So, I don't personally know how it feels. But if I ever do, I sure hope it's by someone like Ty. The guy has good intentions, mind you. He wants to save Gemma from her life of plastic parents and ugly concrete London. He's been watching her, and he can sense that she's different like him, that she just might want to run away to the desert and live in isolation on the land. Maybe that sounds crazy. But he's convinced, and he had me convinced too. And Gemma? She's a trooper. She must have aged ten years in the short time they spent together, with all the emotions she went through. She responded quite appropriately to finding out she had been kidnapped - hurt captor, run away. She repeated these actions until they proved useless. Until she grew weary of the fight and realized Ty wasn't fighting back. I don't want to give too much away, but I will say that Gemma and Ty had a complicated relationship. You're supposed to root for Gemma, to want her to escape and find her way home. That's a normal response. But goodness, how could you not feel for Ty? He was severely misguided, yes, but he has such a good heart.

I never understood it when people finished reading a book and then immediately went back to re-read it. Yeah, I get it now. Maybe not tonight, but I will revisit it soon because I loved it that much. Not just loved it either. I love a lot of books. I can't help it that I love stories so. But because it moved me (I know that's corny, but how else to say it?). It made me feel and think things I didn't think I could, and that is a rare gift. Maybe it's not a feel-good story, but it's a feel-something story, and I do appreciate it.

Thank you to Chelsea from Coffee and Cliffhangers for blogging about this book last week and unintentionally giving me exactly the recommendation I didn't know I was looking for. :)

Do I even have to say it? Five purple crayons for reminding me what it means to be human.

May/June Reading Recap

Shine by Lauren Myracle
This is the first book I've read by Lauren Myracle, and I can't say that I enjoyed it because the subject matter was heavy, but I'm glad I read it. I've been watching a lot of TV lately, The Killing and Twin Peaks come to mind, and this really reminded me of those shows because of the murder mystery feel to it, though it's much more than that.

Oubliette by Megg Jensen
Book two in the Cloud Prophet trilogy - oh, how I hate having to wait for book three! Go check out Megg's blog because she's pretty awesome, and she loves to give stuff away! :)

Anathema by Megg Jensen
Ooh, I have such love for this book! It's the first book in the Cloud Prophet trilogy, and I love me a trilogy. I started writing a review for this and the next book, but I have yet to finish it. Perhaps when I read the last book.

Summer's Crossing by Julie Kagawa
This is an Iron Fey novella. Here we have Ash and Puck off on an adventure together. Wait, what? Yes, the two fellas are working together, even though they want to kill each other. Read it on my Kindle because it was free - yay!

Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos
I wanted to connect with this book more than I did. It's told in three voices of immigrant girls who become friends at school because of their inabilities to fit in with the Americans. More about it here.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Whoever led me to believe this was a love story did not read the same book. No, it's the story of a man looking back on his life, focusing on memories of his time in the circus as a young twenty-something (where he happens to fall in love). I liked it okay. Haven't seen the movie yet, which is mostly why I read it when I did.

The Red Umbrella by Christina Gonzalez
I'm so happy I had the chance to judge this book for Nerds Heart YA because I may not have read it otherwise, and that would be a shame. Review here.

Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne 
I liked Moonlight and was still in the mood for some werewolves, so I picked up the next book in the Dark Guardian series. Each story follows a different girl who is approaching her first transformation and in need of a boy to coach her through it. It sounds awful, I know. But the way it's written is not so. :)

Huntress by Malinda Lo
I read this at the wrong time. I didn't have the attention span for it, and I never felt propelled forward in the story. But the writing is so beautiful! More here.

Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne
I was in the mood for a werewolf book, and this one fit the mold nicely. More about it here.

Nerds Heart YA - First round winner!

Today is the day! The first judging decisions of the Nerds Heart YA Tournament are revealed!

To review, the Nerds Heart YA Tournament is a way to publicize fantastic YA books with diverse characters and settings that didn't get a whole lot of buzz last year. Nominations were accepted online, and the Nerds Heart YA team, composed of dedicated book bloggers, narrowed the list down to 32 titles. From these 32 books, there will emerge the 2011 Nerds Heart YA Champion!

Heather from Book Addiction and I co-judged the following two books in this first round of judging. Take a look at the brackets to see what else is coming up soon!

THE BATTLE

VS. 

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

published May 2010 by Random House

288 pages (hardcover), MG/YA

Fourteen year-old Lucia, her little brother Frankie, and her parents are living in Cuba at the start of Castro's Revolution in 1961. This doesn't mean much for Lucia because she's your average Cuban girl - interested in fashion, American magazines, and of course, boys. But the Revolution recruited followers for only so long before it became mandatory to outwardly support Castro or be labeled a rebel and punished as an enemy. This means that either Lucia and her brother sign up for Castro's youth camps or they get sent to the U.S. to try to find a better life. Lucia's parents made the painful decision to send their children away as a part of Operation Pedro Pan, so they flew to Miami, Florida and were taken in by a Catholic church with many Cuban members. From there, the brother and sister were moved to a foster family in Nebraska, who took them in and treated them as their own.

Goodness gracious, how I loved this book! I'm astonished at how much I liked it since historical fiction isn't a genre I normally read. But I felt like this book wasn't boxed in by genre labels. The Cuban Revolution provided a very distinct context for the story, but the story itself - a family torn apart because of their beliefs, immigrating to another country for a better life, and hoping to reunite - could be plopped into a variety of cultures and/or time periods. Knowing that the book was largely based on the author's parents' personal experiences was a huge bonus because it added that authenticity I would have questioned otherwise. And when a book is that personal, I think the writing really shines. It was such an emotionally-charged story, and the characters and settings were so well-developed that I felt like I knew Lucia and could walk through her Cuban town. When they moved to the U.S., I felt how scared they were that they wouldn't see their parents, that they would even be separated from each other, but how brave they were trying to be so that they could make it on their own. And thank goodness a wonderful and kind family fostered them because I was not going to have a sad ending in this book! That's all I'll say - please go read it if you haven't! It's a gem.

Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos
published May 2010 by Simon & Schuster
297 pages (hardcover), MG/YA

This book is told in different perspectives by three eighth-grade immigrant girls who find comfort in their shared otherness and become friends - Jaya, Maria, and Lola. They live in Meadowbrook, New Jersey but come from different parts of the world, and their mothers are all nannies and/or maids. The girls struggle to fit in at school and to experience what it's truly like to be American.

I liked this book. In my mind, I kept comparing it to The Help by Kathryn Stockett (which if you haven't read, you need to go do so - like right now) because the mothers in Tell Us We're Home were, in fact, the help. I could relate to much of the book because I come from an immigrant family too, and even though our life situations were different, the feelings of being an outsider and not quite understanding the culture were very familiar. Although I liked getting to know three characters from distinct backgrounds, I felt like I often got their cultures confused, got the characters themselves confused because each chapter jumped from one character to another. And there wasn't one that I was really interested in - they each had a unique story, I guess I just didn't connect with that part. That being said, I think it's a good story, and a story that needs more telling because the immigrant experience is so vast and diverse.

THE WINNER

The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez wins in the First Round of Nerds Heart YA!

While Heather and I liked both books, we both LOVED The Red Umbrella and declared it our clear winner. Yay! I can't wait to see how the other battles go...

I love my Kindle.

No, Amazon didn't pay me to say that. And they certainly didn't pay me to write this post. But I felt compelled to. Mostly because it's taken me SO long to get on board with e-readers. Especially with this Kindle thingamajig that just kept disappointing me at every turn. No library lending? No Harry Potter? Bad editing? Hmmph! What do I need it for?

But it's little. And it doesn't weigh very much. Less than the lightest of paperbacks. Yet I can store as many books as I want on it. Huh. What a thought. Stop rolling your eyes at me; I know I'm a bit slow. Or if you're rolling because you're a non-believer, well, I understand. I was one too. All I can say to that is you just have to try it to believe it. The reading experience is not so different from print books. And dare I say it's enhanced? Yes, I just might. I haven't figured out all of the advanced features, but I do appreciate the built-in dictionary and the ability to highlight favorite passages. I like also that I could change the orientation from portrait to landscape, so that it felt more like I was holding a real book. Yes, it still feels fake to me. I'll get over it, eventually, maybe.

So, the first book I read on my Kindle was Tell Us We're Home by Marina Budhos. It was a good choice because I had to read it for Nerds Heart YA (and you'll hear more about the actual book in a couple days), which meant that I had to read it. The one thing I missed was the actual feel of turning pages (not quite the same as clicking a button) and being able to physically see how much I've read (a percentage bar of progress isn't enough for me). As for the display screen, it felt just like a book. I read it in bright sunlight without any glare and at night with a lamp just fine. Love it!

But then comes the lending problem. I'm a library user - hello, I'm a librarian. I buy books for my school library, not for myself. So what's a girl to do with this Kindle when Amazon promises to play nice with libraries soon but never specifies when that will actually happen? Be a savvy shopper, that's what! I certainly can't afford to buy all the new releases, but there are some great books out there that are free or relatively inexpensive, and I was thrilled about this. Because I don't have the luxury of going to my fabulous library here in Italy. They do have libraries, but see, their books are written in Italian. And I don't speak Italian. Mmhmm. So yes, I was saying - let's find some free/cheap Kindle books!

Here's what I downloaded last night:

Shine by Lauren Myracle
published May 2011 by Amulet

$2.99 on Kindle

When her best guy friend falls victim to a vicious hate crime, sixteen-year-old Cat sets out to discover who in her small town did it. Richly atmospheric, this daring mystery mines the secrets of a tightly knit Southern community and examines the strength of will it takes to go against everyone you know in the name of justice. Against a backdrop of poverty, clannishness, drugs, and intolerance, Myracle has crafted a harrowing coming-of-age tale couched in a deeply intelligent mystery. Smart, fearless, and compassionate, this is an unforgettable work from a beloved author.

The Allegra Biscotti Collection by Olivia Bennett
published November 2010 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

$0.00 on Kindle - that means FREE!

This one sounds like a fluffy beach read. Lots of fashion and fun for the younger teen crowd. And it's free!

Summer's Crossing: An Iron Fey Novella by Julie Kagawa
published June 2011 by Harlequin Teen

$0.00 on Kindle - FREE!

A Midsummer's Nightmare? Robin Goodfellow. Puck. Summer Court prankster, King Oberon's right hand, bane of many a faery queen's existence—and secret friend to Prince Ash of the Winter Court. Until one girl's death came between them, and another girl stole both their hearts.

Now Ash has granted one favor too many and someone's come to collect, forcing the prince to a place he cannot go without Puck's help—into the heart of the Summer Court. And Puck faces the ultimate choice—betray Ash and possibly win the girl they both love, or help his former friend turned bitter enemy pull off a deception that no true faery prankster could possibly resist.

Wanderlust: A Love Affair with Five Continents by Elizabeth Eaves
published May 2011 by Seal Press

$0.99 for Kindle

Spanning fifteen years of travel, beginning when she is a sophomore in college, Wanderlust documents Elisabeth Eaves’s insatiable hunger for the rush of the unfamiliar and the experience of encountering new people and cultures. Young and independent, she crisscrosses five continents and chases the exotic, both in culture and in romance. In the jungles of Papua New Guinea, she loses herself—literally—to an Australian tour guide; in Cairo, she reconnects with her high school sweetheart, only to discover the beginning of a pattern that will characterize her life over the long-term: while long-distance relationships work well for her, traditional relationships do not. 

Seduced by the Wolf by Terry Spear
published August 2010 by Sourcebooks Casablanca

$0.00 for Kindle - yes, that means FREE!

This looks more like a book my mom would read, with the half-naked man on the cover and all. But look at the pretty wolf! And I have been in a werewolf mood recently. So, hopefully the romance isn't too sleazy for my taste.



That's FIVE books for less than FOUR dollars! Pretty fantastic, if you ask me. AND! That's not all! There are SO many cheap or free books in the Kindle store that I've already read and wish I hadn't, so that I could read them on my Kindle (because I don't usually re-read, that's not my thing).

Check out these links for more info:

• Top 100 Paid and Top 100 Free Children's Books
• Sunshine Deals for YA lit - books for $0.99, $1.99, $2.99
• Sunshine Deals for Children's Books

Oh! And I didn't even mention all of the classics that are in the public domain that are free too. I downloaded Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Bulfinch's Mythology, and The Tales of the Brothers Grimm. And there are free word games too! Okay, okay, I'm done. Really. :)