Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

I wanted to include a 4th book this week, even though it is an adult novel. Chirs Bohjalian is one of my favorite authors, from Midwives on down. His books are full of thought provoking situations faced by everyday people and he is an adept wordsmith. I think Double Bind would be a great book to include along with a study of The Great Gatsby. This literary thriller explores mental illness and incorporates details from Gatsby into the story until the reader is left not quite sure what is real. 26-year old Laurel was brutally attacked while riding her bike through a forest. Her story appears to have ties to West Egg, home of Jay Gatsby. She now lives in Vermont where she works at a homeless shelter. Through one of the residents and his photographs, she is drawn into a fantasy world of The Great Gatsby. I'd have students read Gatsby first, followed by Double Bind. The combination would provide material for some deep study and comparison. I read this book last year, from the public library.

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson

I have enjoyed Laurie Halse Anderson's books for younger readers, particularly Fever 1791 and I think both Speak and Catalyst would be worthwhile books to include in the high school classroom. The struggles of high school senior Kate play out in this story. This over-achiever has only applied to one school--MIT and is under tremendous stress to make it. Her outlook changes dramatically when she receives a "thin" envelope in the mail. Good character development and a high -interest topic for teens would make this one a good choice. I found it at the public library.

Godless by Pete Hautman

I don't know if this would fly in all high school's, but it did win the National Book Award. Jason is a 15 year old atheist who creates his own religion-worshipping the town's water tower. His friends are easily converted and what started out as a joke soon begin to run out of control This an interesting, accessible book that covers some deep topics in a thought provoking way and will challenge students to question what they believe. I found this at the public library

The Guaradian by Julius Lester

This powerful short novel would be an excellent addition to the classroom. Set in the South in 1946, this story looks at lynching from the perspective of a white teen. His friend is black, and they are caught up in the ugly racial injustices of that place and time. The story is fraught with moral dilemmas. Beautifully written, it includes background information on lynching. A good choice for a study of the time period or civil rights, this would be a powerful story to include inteh classroom. I found this one at the public library.

Nutritious Books- YA books in the classroom

I did it again. I must have been totally channeling Barb's vibe and wrote my little ramble about kids hating English class before this week's assignment was posted. Now that I have read the lecture and articles I can put it into better perspective. Gary Salvner says time is the reason teachers hold onto their curriculum and aren't quick to add YA novels. He argues that there are many worthy, contemporary books that would be wonderful to teach, and perhaps but substituting one at a time, teachers can update their syllabi.

My son and his roommates, home for the holiday from Harvard argued that if students aren't liking Catcher in the Rye, it is the result of poor teaching (they all loved the book.) They were not familiar with the term Young Adult Literature and thought they had only read adult books in high school. (Lolita being a favorite.)

When I viewed the top 10 list of works taught in high school English I was surprised to see they were the same books I read in high school English with the exception of MacBeth (we read I Know why the Caged Bird Sings) Nothing new has come along in thirty years worthy to infiltrate the list? Is this canon untouchable?

I think high school teacher would do well to infuse their classrooms with some fresh material. There is a slew of YA lit that has the relevance, interest level and accessibility to capture the minds of todays teens.

Stuck on Classics

In the past month I've had three different conversations with people basically saying the same thing--the books my kids have to read in high school English are making them hate reading. The timing is incredible, since all I'm thinking about these days is YA lit and how to get those darned teenagers to read. Here's what went down:

#1 is a friend who teaches English at an inner city school. She is required to teach Catcher in the Rye to her predominately minority students. They have no interest, don't read it and don't care. Teacher is sad and frustrated, but locked into the book by administration.

#2 Is a parent whose son had to read Catcher and Lord of the Flies for AP English. Hated both. Swore to his mom he'd never take another English class. In his life.

#3 Is a substitute teacher at my school who looking for a sympathetic ear shared that her son had to read Of Mice and Men for 10th grade English. He hated it, and has lost his love of reading.

With so much required reading, many teens don't have time (or make time) for recreational reading. If we are sticking to classics that have lost their relevance in the lives of today's teens, aren't we doing them a disservice? Even King Dork got it--the Catcher Cult. Holding tight to the one book everyone has to read. Having just read books of high quality like American Born Chinese, Unwind, Hunger Games I am sure that these would be of strong interest to teens.

Choosing books that have relevance to today's teens as required reading selections would go a long way to encouraging a love of reading as our teens approach adulthood.

I'm worried about this pattern of readers losing the joy.

The Devouring by Simon Holt

This book was recommended by the public librarian, a friend who answered my plea for help. "Where are the scary teen books" I whined (well, not exactly whined, but every week I've been stopping in and asking--where are the geeky teen books, where are the sexy teen books, etc. She knows just what I need and has been great at showing me what is popular at her library. I think she'll be disappointed when this class comes to an end since I am jacking her circ stats way up.)

"Your body is here, but not your soul" proclaims the cover. A girl finds a journal that details the Vours; smoke like creatures who devour fearful humans and take over their bodies at the time of the Winter Solstice. She soon finds out they are a reality when they devour her brother. Thrilling and chilling, this books looks like it will appeal to horror fans as well as fantasy fans. The first in a series.

Bone Chiller by Graham McNamee

I tend to gravitate to books I know something about-whether its a review, recommendation or an author's name I know. I had really enjoyed McNamee's Accelaration a couple of summers ago and when I saw his name on this one at the public library, I grabbed it. Harvest Cove, Ontario, Cananda is the setting for this thriller in which during the cold, dead of winter, some beast is making teens disappear. A chill ran down my neck just reading about this book! Is this the beast of Native American legend--and who will be its next victim? I can't wait to find out!

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Back to the public library to peruse this week's topic--Scary! The first book I spotted that looked interesting was Peeps by Scott Westerfeld. I recognized his name from The Pretties series (it's on my to-read list.) This vampire story has a heavy dose of sci-fi as the "peeps" or parasite positive are cannibals lurking in New York City. Cal must now track down others who are infected. School Library Journal said " This innovative and original vampire story, full of engaging characters and just enough horror without any gore, will appeal to a wide audience." This book looks like a thriller with enough horror, science fiction and romance in it to appeal to a wide range of readers.

Scary Books

Scary books were a favorite when I was a teenager. I liked Stephen King for a long time. I also liked to read true horror stories--famous crimes, and psychological thrillers. Not so much anymore. I prefer to spend my reading time focussing on positive, uplifting stories, plus this old house has just too many creaks and noises that run my imagination wild without further fuel!

My reading choice this week was the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I had enjoyed Gregor the Overlander and had read so many tempting reviews that this was the book on the YA list I was most excited to read. It did not disappoint. Coming on the heels of last week's amazing Unwind this book once again thrust us into a dystopian society. Humans are scary. Forget the vampires (who lately are not much more than brooding hunks, which is ok with me), the zombies, the creepy clowns. It is our human race and the hideous things we do to each other that are frightening.

The tie-in of Hunger Games to our modern fascination with reality TV is what pulled me in. I love Survivior, and it wasn't a big leap to picture something like the Hunger Games being pushed on the island. How far will those shows go? People are eating live insects or subjecting themselves to starvation in the poorest of conditions just to earn money. Fighting to the death--winner takes all---you can just about see the premier coming after the Super Bowl.

Another wonderful, thought provoking book that I couldn't put down. Can't wait to get my hands on the sequel.

How much Sci-fi?

Thinking this week about sci-fi and fantasy, genres I generally don't enjoy made me wonder what is my tipping point. I loved Unwind. I never would have picked that book off the shelf with it's ominous cover of a fingerprint yet because it was my required book this week I dove in and couldn't put it down. What this story had was an amazingly deep premise that resonates with every human. Can someone decide if you are fit to live? What is life, really--just our bodies staying alive and intact? What do we do with the undesirable: unwanted babies, kids using state resources, trouble makers, criminals? What this story didn't have were many of the elements of sci fi that turn me off: mad scientists, technology running amuck, that type of thing. Other than being a futuristic society ( I enjoyed how they made reference to our time) and having a procedure to unwind people, it read like realistic fiction. There was no disc world, blue elephants, or other bizarre elements some of my classmates had to navigate.

Having just enjoyed New Moon with my daughter we were talking about the film. She said she really liked it, "except for the science fiction parts." Morphing into werewolves and vampires flying around fighting wasn't the story she was after--it was the love story.

So many of the stories we have looked at have elements of many different genres. If they are subtle, it often allows us to enjoy a genre outside of our normal comfort zone. That in turn might stretch our taste just a little to let in a bit more. Heck, before you know it, I just may be reading a book with a dragon on the cover.

Keeping track of the Star Wars Books

I think there is a cult following to the many book series which surround the Star Wars phenomenon. So if you're going nuts figuring out what came first, next, before or after, check out the Wookieepedia: the Star Wars wiki.

May the Force be with you!

Terrier by Tamora Pierce

My older elementary girls are gaga over Tamora Pierce. We have the Alanna Series and The Circle Opens at my school and it has always been fun to see girls discover them based on recommendations from older sisters. I'm sorry to say I have not read one. The whole medieval fantasy wall drops down in front of me (and maybe I thought I saw a dragon on the cover once) and I won't go near it. Students tell me the books' appeal is centered around strong female protagonists (okay, I like that part.)

Pierce has been writing for a while and is still active. Here most recent work is the Beka Cooper series, the first of which is Terrier which I found at the Erving Public Library.

From reading the flap it appears this story is about a girl who is training to be a Provost's Guard in a medieval land. She has magical powers which she uses to help fight crime. This story is told in a first-person journal format. I just may be inclined to finally give it a try.

Maximum Ride Series by James Patterson

I know Patterson's name from my work at the public library--he is prolific and popular. This series is his first for young adults. The first book in the five-book series is The Angel Experiment. Maximum Ride is a 14-year old girl, one of a group of mutant children (98% human, 2% bird) who escape from a lab and spend time trying to avoid some wolf-hybrids called the Erasers. This looks like traditional science fiction, with a science experiment gone astray and plenty of ensuing chaos and adventure. I picked it up at the public library based on the author's popularity. I'm actually quite surprised that the main character is a girl! I think the story would appeal to readers of both genders.

Geektastic: Stories from the Nerd Herd by Holly Black and Cecil Castillucci

This is an anthology of geek/nerd stories (lots of Jedis, Klingons and comics) by some of today's top YA authors. M.T. Anderson, Scott Westerfeld, David Levithan, Libba Bray, John Green plus others. Lisa Yee called it "A smorgasborg of nerdy delights." The title caught my eye, plus Holly Black is a local author and I liked her Spiderwick Chronicles. I checked this one out from the public library, because I am sorely lacking in appreciation of Star Wars and Star Trek and the short stories might allow me to see what I am missing. This one has definite boy appeal.

Revenge of the Nerds- week 11

I would be quick to tell you that I am no fan of Science Fiction and Fantasy. It's the idea of them-- robots tapping into people's brains and dragons breathing fire down my neck. The reality is that if you slip me one of those novels (and there is no dragon on the cover) I will probably enjoy it. I LOVED this week's selection, Unwind by Neil Shusterman--wow!--what a story!

But I do see this as a space where we can attract our male readers. There are several series in my elementary school library that would probably appeal to middle and high schoolers- Pendragon, Eragon, Harry Potter, The City of Ember, Gregor the Overlander, but I want to see what else is available. With that in mind, I set off from my trusty public library to see what non-dragon entries I could find.

Feeling happily affirmed

Let the record show I posted my little ramble about boys reading last night! This morning I awoke, checked my email and discussion boards and low and behold---Barb is talking about boys reading (or not.)

Also last night I was reading Unwind and I thought to myself --he's making a statement about abortion (I think, never sure, not done yet.) I'll finally have a clear cut topic for my essay. And this morning Barb shares a letter about the book--and it is about abortion!!!!

Sometimes I feel like I am lost in the supermarket, but today, today I feel just for a moment like I know what the heck I'm doing. Happy day. Thank you, Barb.

Where are the boys?

I have a strong interest in gender differences in reading--particularly how we disservice our boys. Since I'm in an elementary school I've been doing my trolling for YA gems at the local public libraries and on the internet. I visit three libraries regularly and they are small, cozy and rural . Two of them have YA sections, one doesn't (there are a few YA materials scattered in the children's room, though.)
What I've noticed is a glaring gender bias toward girls. Hunger Games and Leviathan, Horowitz, some dragony fantasy, Crutcher and Myers, some graphic novels....what else is out there for boys? I haven't seen many sports novels, YA nonfiction, adventure, mystery...
Is it because the female librarians are selecting for girls or that boys aren't reading so they stopped buying for them.
I know there are many novels that will appeal to both genders, but my overall impression is that this is a girl's market. I am worried about a snowball effect of something many see start in elementary school, which is boys stop reading. We have to make sure there are materials that they are interested in!

Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen

The Erving library has an extensive collection of Dessen's work and all of them looked appealing to me. I chose this one, based on the cover - entwined feet and a heart drawn in the sand which led me to believe it was a romance. Haley and Scarlett are best friends. Scarlett finds she is pregnant just months after her boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident. Haley starts to push away from the close relationship she has with her mother and begins dating a "wild" boy. Two teens on the verge of adulthood explore love, experiment with drugs and sex, and share life's moments in this coming of age novel. Booklist says "Dessen has a perfect ear for the immediate daily details of a middle-class teenager's home, school, job, party scene--the elemental push and pull of family and friends."

I've been wanting to read Sarah Dessen's work for a while now. I've read reviews and she seemed a lot like Chris Crutcher (a favorite) in that she writes realisitc, painfully honest, sometimes controversial books. I admire these writers, because I think especially for teens, writers need to speak the truth.

Any children's or YA book that is challenged instantly becomes appealing to me. Dressen's Just Listen was challenged in Florida last year for its sexual themes and language. I'm looking forward to reading it!

Ready or Not by Meg Cabot

I'll confess I haven't read any of the Meg Cabot Princess Diary or All-American Girl books, but I know they are extremely popular with tween and teen girls. This book caught my eye as I perused the shelves at the public library today. Samantha Madison is dating the president's son, who publicly announces he is ready to take their relationship to the "next level." Samantha is a junior in high school and now must decide if she is ready to have sex with her boyfriend. This topic is one that is on the mind of many teens, so I think it could be an interesting choice. I'd like to read it to see how it plays out (although apparently the fireworks on the cover are a hint that she was ready) and how Cabot handles things like self-esteem, responsibility and contraception.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Colin Singleton has been dumped by 19 girlfriends, each of them named Katherine. This fact leads the child prodigy on a quest to develop a mathematical equation to explain it. A road trip with his nerdy best-friend Hassan takes them to Tennessee where he is captivated by a girl--named surprisingly-- Lindsey! The book is heavy with footnotes and an appendix to explain the math, which plays a large role. Wonderful characters, a touch of humor and two teenagers looking for love from the author of Looking for Alaska. Booklist called it a "sharp, intelligent story." I was drawn to this book on my visit to the Erving Public Library because I loved Alaska and was intrigued by any book that can correlate love and math!

Romance

We've arrived at week 10, aaahhh---Romance in the Library. Romance is a topic inherently interesting to teens, what with all those hormones blasting at full force. Teenagers are navigating friendships and relationships and they enjoy reading about these situations in books. From sweet romances to sexual encounters, there is a wide range of romantic material to be had.

My favorite book website, Goodreads has a fan poll for the Best YA Romance novel. It is no surprise that Twilight heads the list. Although the characters in the book are Vampires and Werewolves, the Twilight series is really a classic tale of a love triangle rather than a horror story. Donna Freitas in her article "Be Still my Heart" for SLJ voted it "Best Extended Foreplay". We watch the passion build between Bella and Edward and are drawn into this love story. Love is a basic human need, and the thrill of a good love story can really put a glow in our hearts.

How funny does it have to be?

Today's discussion boards were interesting as folks debated how funny some of the humorous books were. Before this course, I thought of humorous books in terms of David Sedaris--books that provided stories designed to elicit laughter. While other books may contain funny characters, or humorous situations, I didn't think of them primarily as humorous books.

Al Capone Does my Shirts was the book being discussed. I read it a couple of years back and don't remember it as a "funny" book. There were humorous situations, but the overall theme seemed to be about Moose and his relationships with his family and friends. I wouldn't classify this as a humorous book. King of the Mild Frontier, in comparison, provided one comedic bit after another in Chris Crutcher's childhood. I would classify this memoir as humorous.

I think humor remains in the mind of the reader and perhaps this category is more subjective than romance or horror.

Squashed by Joan Bauer

Maybe it's the time of year, but this cover was very enticing when I found it at my public library.

A teen girl tries to grow the largest pumpkin in the state and lose 20 pounds. There is a hint of romance. But when frost and thieves strike--look out! Reviews called the heroine sassy and witty. I chose this one because it seems a little different- and I like the idea of a girl who sets high goals for herself.

Not a Happy Camper by Mindy Schneider

For anyone who has been to camp, this cover will seal the deal.

Schneider's remembrances of a Maine sleepaway camp in the 1970s where it rained for eight weeks, she longed for a boyfriend, and had the best summer of her life. This was among my finds at the library this week, and it struck a note with me because I was a child of the 70s and spent my share of time in a wet tent at Girl Scout Camp. While it holds nostalgic interest for me, I wonder how this one will play with teens.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

A depressed teen enters a NYC psychiatric hospital after pushing himself too far trying to get into a prestigious private school. The flap promised it was witty, and given the subject mater, I'm sure there are some crazy escapades. I picked this one up on my trip to the Spear Library, and the combination of humor and psychology is a winner for me. I noticed Helen referenced it in her post today, so now I'm anxious to read it.

Humor

This week's theme is humor, one of my favorites. I read Chris Crutcher's memoir King of the Mild Frontier which didn't disappoint--he is brutally honest, and funny. Chris is every kid--a "bawlbaby", a jock wannabe, a loser with the ladies. He puts the spin of comedy on our own teen embarrassments and shares how these episodes later shaped his books. I respect Chris Crutcher--he writes what he feels in e his own way, using his own language, paying no heed to his censors. Go Chris!

I visited the public library in search of humorous YA books. What I found was that many books for teens have some element of humor; it's common as a way to sooth all the angst flying around.

After checking some of the YA humor lists, I visited my public library to see what other YA books might tickle my funny bone.