2014 YALSA Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #10

I've been much more interested in reading the new books that I was able to purchase with my recently acquired Donors Choose funds, so I haven't read much from the challenge list in the past few weeks.   

Star Wars:  Jedi Academy by Jeffrey Brown

Roan has always dreamed of living up to the family legacy and becoming a pilot.  When he doesn't get selected for flight school, he's crushed.  He is surprised and not all that excited to get an invitation to attend Jedi Academy--usually students are recruited at a very young age.  Middle school is awkward at the best of times, but learning to use the force at the same time? Well, let's just say that some embarrassing moments ensue. 

Kind of Wimpy Kid-ish.  Star Wars fans will want to give this one a look.

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These are some of the titles that I have been able to share with my students, thanks to the generosity of some wonderful friends (and the kindness of some complete strangers).

Stickman Odyssey, Book One--An Epic Doodle by Christopher Ford

Fans of The Odyssey or other epic tales will recognize some familiar gods and monsters. When Zozimos is banished from Sticatha, he sets out on a hero's quest to find his way home.  I giggled all the way through this book, and it is already very popular with my middle school students.  One of my favorite lines is representative of the humor you'll find:

"I'm so hungry, I'm farting fresh air."

Blood on the Handle by R.A. Montgomery

Choose Your Own Adventure #33.

You are an orphan living with your uncle. You come home one day to discover a bloody knife in the study and hear a car speed away. What do you do?  Depending upon the choices you make as you read, endings will vary.  

The City of Ember:  The Graphic Novel by Jeanne DuPrau

This adaptation might hook a few readers who wouldn't pick up the regular novel, but they'll be missing out on a lot of the story. The suspense while the main characters are figuring out Ember's secret is what makes the book so good.  In this adaptation, the mystery is solved way too quickly.  I was disappointed!

The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger

Origami Yoda, book #1.

A class of sixth graders learning to navigate the social world of almost-adulthood are guided by a pair of unlikely advisors--socially awkward Dwight and his origami Yoda finger-puppet.  Written as a case file/journal with contributions from several students who (mostly) benefitted from Yoda's advice.  Funny, but also includes realistic problems that many kids will recognize from their own lives.  Great for Wimpy Kid fans. 

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger

Origami Yoda, book two.

The kids at McQuarrie Middle school are starting 7th grade and, thanks to Yoda's advice, they are convinced it's going to be a great year.  Unfortunately, Dwight's nemesis, Harvey, has his own finger puppet--Darth Paper.  Are Harvey and Darth Paper drawing on the power of the Dark Side to get Dwight expelled and destroy his friends' whole year?  Read the latest case file to find out!

An excellent choice for middle grade readers looking for a good laugh.

Blankets by Craig Thompson

This beautifully-drawn memoir illustrates both first love and a journey away from religious beliefs. I absolutely loved the artwork, and will keep a lookout for more from this author.  For mature readers.

Stitches by David Small

After his parents take him in for a supposedly routine surgery, David wakes up with a huge scar and no voice. Only later does he discover that he had cancer, probably due to the x-ray treatments prescribed by his radiologist father. 

Memoir is one genre that seems to lend itself especially well to the graphic novel format.  Haunting and powerful, David Small's memoir examines a dysfunctional family destroyed by repression and denial. He also illustrates the way that we all have the power to leave a difficult childhood behind and triumph in the end.

Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

 

43 Old Cemetery Road, book one.

Crusty old children's author (who can't stand children) finds an unexpected family when he rents a haunted mansion for the summer.  Told in letters, newspaper clippings, etc. Cute!

2014 YALSA Hub Reading Challenge Check-in #6

It's been an emotional roller coaster of a reading week, from dystopian thrillers to zombie cows to kids obsessed with Broadway musicals to boys kissing boys. You go, YALSA. I've loved every minute!

Killer of Enemies by Joseph Bruchac

Lozen, an Apache hunter struggling to survive in a dystopian future where all technology has failed, is the strong, silent type. Unlike many YA heroines, she is a total badass. A combination of physical and mental toughness, the Apache lore she has learned from her family, and a certain mystical element makes Lozen a formidable fighter.

The Ones are holding her family hostage. Her mother, sister, and brother will be safe only as long as Lozen continues to successfully kill the gemods (genetically-engineered "pets" that escaped their cages when the electricity failed). She has a plan to escape with her family, but will she survive long enough to make it happen?

I loved Lozen. Not only is she tough, but she also stays true to her Apache background and to her role as protector. The action is pretty nonstop and kept me turning pages. On the downside, I wanted more of an understanding of her world. I also wanted some of the other characters to be fleshed out a bit more. Maybe this is nitpicky, but I wished that this book would have been edited better. In several places, awkward wording and grammatical errors slowed me down quite a bit.

I would actually rate this closer to a 3.5 and would recommend it to action fans. Even though the main character is a girl, she's tough and no-nonsense enough to appeal to even the manliest of readers. Here's my favorite quote:

"Yea, though I walk through the Valley of Death

I will fear no evil

for I am the meanest son of a bitch

in this whole damn valley."

Zombie Baseball Beatdown by Paolo Bacigalupi

When some bullying teammates chase them off of their normal practice field, Rabi, Miguel, and Joe head over to a park next to the local meatpacking plant to play baseball. However, the stink is worse than usual, and before the boys know what's going on, workers are running out of the plant and their baseball coach is trying to eat their brains.

When the local police dismiss the boys' story, they take matters into their own hands. By relying on each other and their trusty bats, the boys unravel the mystery, but will they be too late to stop a zombie apocalypse?

This is a quick, easy page-turner that uses humor to tackle tough issues like bullying, racism, immigration, and exactly where our burgers come from.

The audiobook is a must-listen for the zombie cows alone!

Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle

Nate Foster is a slightly overweight 13-year old who lives in a small town and loves Broadway musicals. To make matters worse, his perfect older brother is athletic and gets all of their parents' approval. When Nate's best friend, Libby, tells him about an audition for E.T. the Musical in New York, they hatch a daring plot to get him there. 

Like any starry-eyed kid who doesn't quite fit in, Nate is absolutely convinced that this one big chance is going to help his dreams come true. He sees busy, crowded New York through an innocent's eyes and compares himself to Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

"...I don't see any horses changing colors yet. But hey, I'm still indoors. And besides, it's Manhattan City and I think anything's possible at this point.  I peek down, just in case I'm in ruby slippers. Nope. Nikes. But still."

Nate has plenty of ups and downs in the city. Against the backdrop of his quest, he deals with some issues of identity and family. Is Nate gay? Possibly, but he's not quite sure yet. At this point in his life, Nate feels different (and the bullies who call him a fag and drop him in trash cans know he's different) but he doesn't have it all figured out. 

All Nate knows for sure is that he's not an a-hole: "Sometimes people are just a-holes, and you have to decide, every day, which kind of kid you are."

Good advice, Nate.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan

Do you know that feeling when you've just finished a book that is so marvelous, so beautiful, and so full of meaning that you sit motionless except for the tears streaming down your face?  And then you try to write a review, to "sell" it to other readers, but the words just won't come? That's how I'm feeling now, so bear with me.

Seemingly disparate elements come together in this breathtakingly beautiful story narrated by a Greek Chorus of gay men lost to AIDS. Craig and Harry, inspired by a classmate beaten for being gay, intend to set a Guinness World Record for the longest kiss. It has to be two boys kissing, they believe, because "...maybe it'll make people a little less scared of two boys kissing than they were before, and a little more welcoming to the idea that all people are, in fact, born equal, no matter who they kiss or screw, no matter what dreams they have or love they give.” 

As these two boys kiss, other boys are dealing with their own relationships (or lack thereof). Neil and Peter have been together for a while, Avery and Ryan are brand new to each other, Tariq struggles to heal from a physical beating, and Cooper tries not to love anyone at all. While these boys all try to find their way, the Greek Chorus is watching from afar, giving advice that drifts, unheard, on the breeze. 

“We gather the things we learned, and they don't nearly add up to fill the space of a life.
You will miss the taste of Froot Loops.
You will miss the sound of traffic.
You will miss your back against his.
You will miss him stealing the sheets.
Do not ignore these things.” 

I feel sadly inadequate to capture the beauty of this story, these words. This is a story that can save lives. Read it and share it with everyone you love.

The Dan Band - "Ho, Ho, Ho"

Wrong on so many levels, but funny nonetheless.

Free Speech Matters to Me

What a treat to run across this video that features several of my favorite authors of young adult literature (and several more who have been added to my TBR list) talking about why free speech matters.  All of these authors have had books challenged and/or banned.  Highlights of the video (for me) include Jacqueline Woodson's comment about teaching kids to write well before encouraging them to try to  silence others, John Green getting bleeped, Heather Brewer's librarian story, and Lev Grossman and Nina LaCour talking about our need to confront ideas that are difficult or that we disagree with.  And my hero, Chris Crutcher.  ALL of his books have been banned somewhere.

As an avid reader and teacher, I am passionate about the power of books to open up whole new worlds.  

When I was a kid, my mom took me to the library every few weeks and I would check out a huge pile of books.  She was sometimes skeptical about my ability to read so many books, but never once stopped me from reading something that caught my interest.  Back in the dark ages when I was a teenager, there wasn't the huge selection of YA literature that there is today.  Even as an elementary and middle school student, I read mainly adult fiction; children's books were too easy and there weren't many other choices.

My first experience with censorship involved Forever by Judy Blume when I was in the sixth grade.  I remember hearing that this book I had never heard of was banned at my middle school.  Anyone caught with it would be in SERIOUS TROUBLE.  I was a good student, a teacher's pet kind of kid, and a voracious reader.  The idea that someone could stop me from reading anything I wanted to read was a huge shock.  The ban awoke a little passive-aggressive monster in me and I immediately went to the public library, checked out the offending book, covered it in brown paper from a grocery store bag...and took it to school.  I read that book cover to cover in a few hours, and then read it again, giggling with my friends over the "good parts."

One could argue that, at 11 years old, I was too young for that particular book.  Perhaps I was.  But I read it and I survived.  Giggling about "Ralph" did not make me sexually active.  I didn't start smoking or doing drugs.  I continued to be (mostly) respectful to my parents and teachers.  I still cared about my grades.  At the time, I found the book more funny and gross than titillating.  Had it not for the school-wide ban, I doubt I would have even picked up Forever.  At that time, I was much more interested in fantasy (thank you, J.R.R. Tolkien for being awesome).  Thanks to the book banners, I discovered a wonderful book that might otherwise have escaped my notice and developed a lifelong fascination with books and authors who aren't afraid to tackle controversial topics.

A few years later, in ninth grade, I ran across a copy of The French Lieutenant's Woman in my school library.  I tried to check it out and the librarian wouldn't let me have it.  I was floored.  Then I went home and saw the book on our bookshelf at home.  So, of course I took it to school and showed it to my friends.  I was quite a little snot about it, smack-talking about the situation, when my friends suddenly got very quiet.   I turned around, only to find myself face to face with the evil librarian.  I looked her right in the eye and said, "Luckily, my mom had this at home, so I can read it anyway."  It was out of character for me, but I took that act of censorship as a personal offense.  I did apologize to the librarian later, but I found it unfair that she was not asked to apologize to me.   

People who want to protect their children from ideas in books may be well-meaning, but in the long-run, they do much more harm than good.  Sooner or later, children grow up and are expected to navigate through a world that is often brutal and cruel and filled with difficult choices.  If we never allow our children to explore difficult or uncomfortable ideas in books, we seriously impair their ability to make good choices about their own lives.  How can our children be expected to make mature decisions when they can't even be trusted to make choices about what to read?  Keeping your own child from reading a particular book is one thing, but banning a book and taking that choice away from EVERYONE'S children is simply wrong.   


Especially in our internet saturated world, where we can find anything, from porn to dirty bomb recipes, censoring books seems kind of pointless.  Instead of trying to take books off of library shelves and out of our children's hands, we should be encouraging them to read as much as they can, and then having open and honest conversations with them.  This is how they will clarify their own ideas about the world and the kind of adults they aspire to be.  This is how they learn to think critically and to make the decisions that they will be called upon to make when they are in charge of running the world, when THEY are responsible for US.


"This is America.  We have the freedom to read here.  We have the freedom to think here....Freedom of speech matters to me.  And it should matter to you, too." --Laurie Halse Anderson

Alliterative Haiku by Calvin

Perhaps it's an indication of deep levels of immaturity, but I (truly, madly, deeply) love Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is such a perfect combination of endearing and annoying, and a little too smart and imaginative to have an easy life ahead of him.

I have never been able to pick a favorite strip, but I am partial to the snowmen series. I found this page where the comics inspired some real-life snowman mayhem based on Calvin's outdoor antics. Hilarious.

What could be better than homicidal snowmen and snow shark attacks? Well, how about this Calvin and Hobbes haiku that shows some love to the letter t. What's not to love about a meeting of the minds that includes Calvin, haiku, and alliteration? Enjoy.

Cleaning: Target Women

Target Women was a show featuring Sarah Haskins satirizing the way advertisers manipulate us to buy stuff. This is one of my favorite clips from the segment about how cleaning gets equated with romance and/or sex. This is the quote that made me laugh so hard I snorted: "Now, remember, if you're giving your bathtub spout a hand job, it doesn't add to your number."

Geek Humor: Librarians Go Gaga

Who better to make a parody of a Lady Gaga song than a bunch of librarians? I found this hilarious!

Librarians Go Gaga

SNL - Golden Girls Remix

Tonight some skaters from another league joined our practice, partly to see what we're all about and partly to help us improve what we are already doing. It's always a blast to skate with new people because you learn so much and it just injects practice with a shot of energy.

I wanted to post a video of the new fall we practiced, the figure four, but, alas, no videos are available yet. Apparently, the fall we have been calling a baseball slide is actually called something else and the figure four fall is what WFTDA considers a baseball slide.

Confusing? Oh, yeah. But it's something new to practice and I think everyone had a pretty good start by the time we moved on to whips. We also got some solid technique tips and I'll be adding whips to our practice plan more regularly now that I have a better understanding of how to do them effectively. Tried a belt whip for the first time tonight and couldn't believe how much faster I was able to go.

Plan B for tonight's post...

In case you missed Betty White on SNL a few weeks ago, take a look at this tribute to The Golden Girls. Make sure you watch to the end, because it really gets good when Betty starts to thrash.

Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your...Brains by Ryan Mecum

The story of an average guy who keeps a journal of his poetry intended to celebrate the beauty around him. Before long, though, his journal is about his zombie "life"--told in haiku. I'm using some examples to teach my students about haiku. And all I have to do to get their undivided attention is to say, "Oh, this next one is gross. Cover your ears if that will make you uncomfortable." Who says poetry has to be about rainbows and butterflies?

A few of my favorites:

little old ladies
speed away in their wheelchairs,
frightened meals on wheels.

Biting into heads
is much harder than it looks.
His skull is feisty.

I lap around blocks.
The city, an empty plate,
has been licked clean.

Her tongue can't form words,
although it's still wiggling
when it's in my hand.

I need to slow down.
It's hard, when eating fingers,
to tell whose hand's whose.


Zombie fans will eat this one up.