Another audio listen with Julian. He enjoyed it. This was funnier than I remember it being, with a good adventure, and reading it now as an adult I seAnother audio listen with Julian. He enjoyed it. This was funnier than I remember it being, with a good adventure, and reading it now as an adult I see more connections to it in other books (more references back, I mean).
Jim Dale does an amazing job with the audio, btw....more
What kid hasn't felt like a freak who doesn't fit in, even without being a super-smart, six-foot sixth-grader with bright red hair? And that's just inWhat kid hasn't felt like a freak who doesn't fit in, even without being a super-smart, six-foot sixth-grader with bright red hair? And that's just in school--Emma doesn't fit in any better at home, with her well-meaning Italian grandfather and her flighty, borderline-neglectful mom. But finally, Emma gets some answers about her father, whom she's never met--and finds herself invited to an annual family reunion for her dad's side, where she learns that fitting in isn't always for the best.
There are some kids who will read this and get something important from it, but most of them will either pass it by (uninspiring cover, fairly generic plot) or forget about it once they finish it. ...more
Everyone in the neighborhood made fun of Scott's dad when he started building the bomb shelter. Sure, everyone knows the threat of the Russians, but iEveryone in the neighborhood made fun of Scott's dad when he started building the bomb shelter. Sure, everyone knows the threat of the Russians, but it would be mutually assured destruction--so while the Russians COULD destroy the US, they definitely WOULDN'T.
Until the night they do. The October night when Scott's dad wakes him up and ushers the whole family into the bomb shelter--and then tries in vain to hold the door shut against the neighbors who are also trying to get in. The shelter was only stocked with enough food and supplies for two weeks for four people, but it suddenly needs to stretch to ten. With no clocks or watches, there's no sense of how long they've been down there, or how much longer they'll need to stay. Four kids and six adults, one of whom is nearly comatose from a head injury falling down the ladder into the shelter. In such close quarters, with little food and no privacy, tempers flare: fear, racism, despair, anger.
I kept waiting for this to resolve in some kind of misunderstanding of the circumstances, some sort of Donnie Darko plane-crashed-into-the-house thing, but ... no. This is the real deal. This is claustrophobic and stuffy in a visceral way. Bad things have actually, legitimately happened. I'd love to see what happens next, what the aftermath is like for Scott and the others. But that's a different story, one we don't get here and can only imagine at.
Will be passing this along to my middle-schoolers, possibly paired with SA Bodeen's The Compound....more
Benny's mom left in the middle of the night, after one argument too many about Benny's dad's hoarding tendencies. Once she leaves, though, the hoardinBenny's mom left in the middle of the night, after one argument too many about Benny's dad's hoarding tendencies. Once she leaves, though, the hoarding really goes off the rails: Benny's dad won't throw away pizza boxes, much less anything else. He's convinced it'll all be valuable someday, when paper is obsolete and we buy and get everything via computers. (The book is set in 1981 or so.) Benny wants to clean up the house, but Dad won't let him throw anything away. The best Benny can do is shove a towel under his bedroom door to block out the smell from the rest of the house and hope that his dad eventually gets better.
A solid story, if one unconcerned with the role of the hoarder on a child's life. I'd have liked to have seen more of the psychology there, but the book is aimed at 5th graders, so of course we're going to get more of the "It Takes a Village" element.
I love Hereville. The adventures, the humor, the family dynamics... Mirka is becoming a younger version of her stepmother, and at this point in the seI love Hereville. The adventures, the humor, the family dynamics... Mirka is becoming a younger version of her stepmother, and at this point in the series they're both starting to lean into it a little more. I would happily read a comic about them doing nothing adventurous -- they're just such great characters together....more
Sweet and funny and sad and confusing--basically, everything about early adolescence. Sunny is shipped off to visit her grandfather in Florida when heSweet and funny and sad and confusing--basically, everything about early adolescence. Sunny is shipped off to visit her grandfather in Florida when her family vacation is canceled, and she struggles to find something to do--and figure out why she was sent away with almost no explanation.
There are kids who will love this. There are kids who will need this. And it's great for all of them....more
We took this one pretty slowly--in fact, we had to renew it from the library! D:
This was Julian's third-favorite, he says, and I can see why--adventurWe took this one pretty slowly--in fact, we had to renew it from the library! D:
This was Julian's third-favorite, he says, and I can see why--adventures, multiple plot lines, lots of characters from previous books getting at least passing references as Baum was winding down, both professionally and physically. There were still plenty of places where we stopped and talked a little about what was going on ("is this a good thing, that they're doing? Do you think it's right?" as characters do things like refuse to help some animals regain their normal forms and thus NOT BE TRAPPED unless the people can borrow some of the animals to perform for their amusement, which, uh).
A fun story, but like a lot of the Oz books, very much a product of its time....more
Caden Bosch is navigating his sophomore year. He's mentally adrift, in a literal way: when he's not in the real world, he is on an ever-changing ship Caden Bosch is navigating his sophomore year. He's mentally adrift, in a literal way: when he's not in the real world, he is on an ever-changing ship sailing toward the Marianas Trench, off to explore the deepest part of it. The captain and the captain's parrot demand opposing things from him. In the real world, people are noticing his odd behaviors, his paranoia.
This book is terrifying, not in the "scary clown" nightmare sense but the unflinching descent into mental illness sense. The Author's Note at the end says that a lot is based on the experiences of Shusterman's son in the throes of a schizoaffective disorder. Caden is trapped in his delusions and is confused by them in his moments of lucidity; the reader is right alongside him, powerless to help or mitigate or even understand.
Great read. I'll be surprised if it's not on the Printz list come January....more
Book 12 starts out with a problematic premise: The Tin Woodman remembers his days as Nick Chopper, and remembers the fiancee he abandoned after becomiBook 12 starts out with a problematic premise: The Tin Woodman remembers his days as Nick Chopper, and remembers the fiancee he abandoned after becoming tin--and heartless. Now that the wizard has given him a heart--albeit one capable of great kindness but not love--the Tin Man realizes that it was wrong of him to leave his bride-to-be alone. Doesn't he owe it to her to return and marry her to make her happy?
Yeah. Because what every woman wants is a husband who married her out of duty.
The adventure is fun and our travelers encounter more of the usual oddities of Oz, but with a less anthropological bent. To her credit, when the Tin Man finds his old love, she responds like he's crazy and tells him to pound sand; she's moved on. Good for her.
2 books left, three if you count a collection of short stories that may or may not have been published in the Books of Wonder editions. ...more
Joe is bullied, daily, severely. He avoids taking the bus to or from school; he hides in the janitor's closet, all to avoid Jason--who isn't about to Joe is bullied, daily, severely. He avoids taking the bus to or from school; he hides in the janitor's closet, all to avoid Jason--who isn't about to let himself be avoided.
But then things reach a tipping point. The bullying could stop, forever.
The first half of this seems like it would be great for a middle-school, but then there's some ... more mature content, and a morally gray* conclusion. High school, or adult, though the characters are in junior high or HS (not sure).
*"Morally gray" is putting it mildly. I shall say no more. ...more
I struggled with this one. Admittedly, I've been in a Reading slump lately, but I wanted so badly to love this. But..
I love the premise: Finn is the oI struggled with this one. Admittedly, I've been in a Reading slump lately, but I wanted so badly to love this. But..
I love the premise: Finn is the only person who saw Roza taken away, and he didn't know what to make of it. Did she want to leave? Why can't his description of the kidnapper be enough? Finn knows that the inability to find Roza is his fault, but what can he do to repair his relationship with his brother, who blames him for her disappearance? Finn doesn't even understand why is description is different than anyone else's would be anyway. He doesn't realize that he's face-blind, that "regular" people don't rely on secondary features (hair color, the way someone moves) like he does. He doesn't know that other people can make sense of faces.
I loved Finn. I loved Petey. I loved their relationship--face-blind Finn and bee-faced Petey, whose way of carrying herself is Queen-Bee enough for Finn to recognize her anywhere. I loved Finn's relationship with his hurt and damaged brother Sean. I loved Roza's strength, coming from Poland and experiencing... whatever she experienced before coming to Sean's farm.
I didn't love the way reality crumbled around the reader. I love the shifts in reality when AS King does things like this, but in her books it always feels organic; it makes sense within the world. Here, it feels like the author wrote herself into a corner and played the "it's magic!" card to get out of it, and it didn't seem right to me.
Wanted to love this; it's gotten such great buzz (ha) and it seems so in my wheelhouse. But it didn't hold together as well as I wanted it to....more
Part ghosts, part family trauma, part... I don't really know what, but in the end it just didn't work for me. *shrug* Can't win 'em all.Part ghosts, part family trauma, part... I don't really know what, but in the end it just didn't work for me. *shrug* Can't win 'em all....more
(Whoops, forgot to log this one when I finished it.)
This book was brutal. It's been a really strong series--it's not shy about the ugliness of this ap(Whoops, forgot to log this one when I finished it.)
This book was brutal. It's been a really strong series--it's not shy about the ugliness of this apocalyptic world. People are pulling together into communities and protecting each other--but what are they protecting each other from? Alex can see what needs to be done, but at 16 years old he's not about to take over as a leader--except that he doesn't have much of a choice, when it comes to it.
He and Darla have been a team since shortly after the Yellowstone supervolcano blew, and they keep tightening their bond. Family relationships are strained; people give and take and sacrifice for each other. They still have hope for their communities, and their whole new civilization.
This is the conclusion to the series (I think) and it's gritty and harsh and dark and still hopeful. Ashfall has been a top-notch Disaster series, and I'm kinda sad that it's done, but at this point I'm pretty sure that Alex, Darla, and the rest of their new city will be okay....more
Let's get this out of the way first: YES I READ A LONG HARRY POTTER FANFIC.
Second: AND I LIKED IT AND PLAN TO READ THE NEXT ONE TOO.
This doesn't have Let's get this out of the way first: YES I READ A LONG HARRY POTTER FANFIC.
Second: AND I LIKED IT AND PLAN TO READ THE NEXT ONE TOO.
This doesn't have the same exact flair as Rowling's Hogwarts. And that's fine. Lippert is more concerned with how things in the wizarding world work (his explanation of apparition was helpful) and I liked his thoughts on what Hogwarts would be like for the son of Harry Potter. I like that DADA is still being taught by a rotating cast of characters on one-year terms. I like that the social boundaries among houses seem to have loosened. I like that, for these kids, there's a knowledge that something major happened a long time ago, but it was before their time and so it's not really a thing for them.
I would have liked to have seen more of the established classes. (Who teaches Potions now?) And I really, really would have liked to have seen a couple more females in here among the principles. There are a couple of secondary (at best) characters; they're really more like tertiary for how relevant they are.
But as I said, I'm probably going to continue and read the next one anyway, so there is that....more
In spite of the title, this book isn't about George: it's about Melissa, the fourth-grade girl who people think is a boy. She knows she isn't, that shIn spite of the title, this book isn't about George: it's about Melissa, the fourth-grade girl who people think is a boy. She knows she isn't, that she's really a girl, but she hasn't found the courage to tell anyone that yet.
This isn't a book ABOUT being transgender. It's a book about Melissa knowing who she is and sharing that understanding with the people she loves. It's about Melissa dealing with the disappointment of being told she can't play Charlotte in her class's production of Charlotte's Web. It's about a 9-year-old girl who had to deal with far more than most of us ever will, and the belief that she'll come out the other side with her identity intact.
I may like the idea of this book more than I liked the book, and I seer this landing on all kinds of summer lists for next year. Either way, I'm glad it exists....more
Jenn McAllister first picked up a video camera when she was 8 years old. A decade later, she's a YouTube sensation, boasting over two million subscribJenn McAllister first picked up a video camera when she was 8 years old. A decade later, she's a YouTube sensation, boasting over two million subscribers on her channel Jennxpenn. In her book, she talks about her middle-school anxieties that inspired her to post her videos to YouTube and how she dealt with the bullying that followed, along with the struggles of coming of age in front of a camera. The second half of the book is more focused on her fame: attending conferences, collaborating with other YouTube celebrities, even starring in a movie.
McAllister's energetic, bubbly voice will appeal most to the teens who make up the majority of her audience. While her experience is far from the norm, her success at 19 years old will be inspirational to those who are just starting out in online video.
I do have some Words for Scholastic in the physical packaging of this book: the trim size is about 7" wide and the text stretches easily 6.5" across it, leaving words sliding into the gutters. In aiming for that fresh, youth-focused, magazine-like layout, the text is printed on different backgrounds, from basic white-on-black and black-on-white to black on a low-contrast marbled gray. Top-10 Lists, part of Jennxpenn's online identity, take up several spreads in the middle of a chapter, causing the reader to flip past several pages to finish a sentence.
Purchase where teens are excited about online video.. ...more
Sad and funny and cathartic (I'm sure) and ... there's a word that I'm just not grabbing. Worth picking up, definitely, though there's a heartbreakingSad and funny and cathartic (I'm sure) and ... there's a word that I'm just not grabbing. Worth picking up, definitely, though there's a heartbreaking sadness running through it as Chast cares for her elderly, ailing parents....more
Lots of good information on classroom management and procedures to keep things running smoothly. Could use some tightening (it's repetitive) and thereLots of good information on classroom management and procedures to keep things running smoothly. Could use some tightening (it's repetitive) and there were plenty of things that I don't need to worry about (getting kids on/off the school bus, etc) but it's useful to have a lot of these ideas in my head anyway....more
Julian and I both really liked this one--the adventure, the surly talking goat, the jolly King Rinkitink, the magical pearls. But I do find this book Julian and I both really liked this one--the adventure, the surly talking goat, the jolly King Rinkitink, the magical pearls. But I do find this book mistitled. It should have been called something like "Rinkitink in a Bunch of Places That Aren't Oz" or "Rinkitink in Oz But Just For Two Chapters Near the End."
Pro tip: When you don't get to the library and your kid is desperate to start the next Oz book, these are all available on Project Gutenberg....more