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| April 14 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
American Born Chinese (Paperback) by Gene Luen Yang bookshelves: misc |
my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"Reference information:
Title: American Born Chinese Author: Gene Luen Yang Publisher: First Second Year: 2006 # of pages: 233 Genre: Graphic Novel Reading level: 6th grade Interest level: 15 yrs old Potential hot lava: some racist language, s...more Reference information: Title: American Born Chinese Author: Gene Luen Yang Publisher: First Second Year: 2006 # of pages: 233 Genre: Graphic Novel Reading level: 6th grade Interest level: 15 yrs old Potential hot lava: some racist language, some violence General response/reaction: I was surprised at how quickly I finished this graphic novel. This book was so easy to read (probably because it was a graphic novel). When I read the inside flap for the plot of the book, I was surprised to read that there were three different stories going on. Then the flap said that all three of those stories would converge and I was even more interested. I enjoyed the stories because it definitely showed the identity crisis that many minorities feel in the United States. While many people would like to think that those minority stereotypes disappeared a long time ago, this book was published in 2006 and absolutely shows that those stereotypes still exist. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Identity • Racism • Friendship • Acceptance Characters: • The Monkey King: He is a king, born in an unorthodox manner, and he wants to be hailed as a deity. He practices kung fu and the different ways to become immortal, but in the process, he loses his identity. As his punishment, the Monkey King is buried under a rock mountain. • Jin Wang: He was born in American and barely had any friends when he moved from Chinatown in San Francisco to another part of California. He soon made friends with a boy from Taiwan and falls for an American girl. Eventually, things go bad for Jin and he wishes to be someone else. • Wei-Chen Sun: A boy who moved from Taiwan. He becomes best friends with Jin Wang and dates the only other Asian in the class, Suzy Nakamura. • Danny: A boy who has transferred to his third high school. He finally finds his niche in school by making the basketball team and talking to girls. Unfortunately, his crazy cousin, Chin-Kee comes to visit and ruins everything. However, Danny turns out to be someone else. • Chin-Kee: Danny’s cousin who comes to visit once a year. He draws such attention to himself and embarrasses Danny so much that Danny has to transfer schools. Chin-Kee turns out to be more than just Danny’s cousin. Plot summary: The Monkey King wants to be hailed as a deity but the gods will not allow it. He then practices different ways to become immortal and when he achieves it, he challenges the Creator himself. However, the Creator is not happy with the Monkey King’s disrespect and buries the Monkey King under a mountain of rocks for 500 years. Jin Wang is a Chinese-American kid who doesn’t feel like he fits in anywhere. He thinks school is boring until he falls in love with an American girl. That relationship doesn’t work out and he takes his frustrations out on his other two Asian friends. Jin Wang wants to become someone else and he soon gets his wish and transforms into another person. Danny is an American boy who has transferred to three different schools in the past few years. The reason for the transfers is because his cousin Chin-Kee visits every year and the embarrassment from those visits follow him everywhere. Danny finally has enough of the antics and confronts Chin-Kee. Although these three stories seem to have nothing in common, they flow together in the end. The Monkey King is taken on a quest with a monk to help mankind. The Monkey King’s son wanted to live among the humans and became best friends with Jin Wang. When Jin hurt Wei-Chen’s feelings, Wei-Chen turns his back on serving the humans and decides to live as a human for his own gain. Jin transforms into Danny and lives his life in another form. When Danny confronts Chin-Kee, his cousin fights back and then reveals himself to be the Monkey King. Since the Monkey King learned to accept his true form, he tells Danny to accept his true from as Jin Wang. The Monkey King explains everything to Jin. Then he explains that his son did not want to see him anymore, so the Monkey King started visiting Jin to always remind him of where he came from and what his culture is. Strengths (including reviews and awards): • It is a different kind of book (graphic novel) • It shows a minority’s perspective • Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award • National Book Award finalist • Publisher’s Weekly Best Book of the Year • Booklist Editors’ Choice Book Drawbacks or other cautions: • Some people might not know how to read a graphic novel carefully Teaching ideas: Pre-reading: • Journals: Identity o How would you describe yourself? o How would others describe you? o What are the traits that make up your personality? o Where are you from? o These questions will help the student understand their whole self. • How to read a graphic novel. o I would want to help them understand that reading a graphic novel is quite different from reading a normal book or even a comic book. Some authors are very picky about having their work be called a “graphic novel” rather than a comic book. o We would discuss the differences between a comic book and a graphic novel. o Just like other works of literature, graphic novels have become movies. We could possibly watch and compare movies to the graphic novel. During Reading: • Journals: o Myths: What are some myths that you have heard? Is this myth (monkey king) like any other one you’ve heard or read about? o Stereotypes: What are the stereotypes depicted in this book? Do you feel that they are accurate? How can one fight stereotypes and ridicule? o Crazy family members: Do you have a crazy family member? What makes them embarrass you? o Identity: Did you ever want to be somebody else? Who? Why? What was the outcome? • We would discuss all these topics as well if they were comfortable doing so. • Compare stories with other well known stories: o Jin Wang/Danny: sort of like Peter Parker/Spider-Man o Monkey King: Beowulf (?—I’ve never read Beowulf so I’m not 100% sure there’s a relation here, but maybe there is from the small bit that I’ve heard) o Monkey King: Odyssey Post-Reading: • Create your own graphic novel o Or at least a few pages of a graphic novel o The students can either make their own story or use a well known story and illustrate it • Switch day o Have students switch identities for a day Sort of like “Principal for a day” only different o See if the students really liked being someone else or if they prefer their old life • Family ties o Get to know your crazy family member, maybe there is more to them than just crazy. ...less " |
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| April 09 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
Speak (Paperback) by Laurie Halse Anderson bookshelves: misc |
my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"Reference information:
Title: Speak Author: Laurie Halse Anderson Publisher: Penguin Group Year: 1999 # of pages: 198 Genre: intense read Reading level: 9th grade Interest level: late high school Potential hot lava: Thoughts of suicide and ...more Reference information: Title: Speak Author: Laurie Halse Anderson Publisher: Penguin Group Year: 1999 # of pages: 198 Genre: intense read Reading level: 9th grade Interest level: late high school Potential hot lava: Thoughts of suicide and rape. General response/reaction: This book was so moving. Yes, it was difficult to read and very intense, but it was extremely good! I sort of knew how it was going to end because I cheated and looked it up, but it was still so good to read this book. I was glad that Anderson did not go into detail about the rape because that would have been too intense for me. I liked the way she kept the narration in Melinda’s head. The dialogue in her head remained realistic because no girl would want to replay the details over and over again. This novel was amazing because Melinda grew through her tragedy. I think that this book can be very therapeutic for many students. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Trust • Friendship • Pain • Suffering • Growth • Strength Characters: • Melinda – main character, narrator, was raped when she was 13, goes through her first year of high school as an outcast because she cannot fully grow past the tragedy in her life, expresses herself through art • Heather – a girl who befriended Melinda at the beginning and then blew her off at the end • Ivy – an old friend from middle school, in art class with Melinda, at first was mad at Melinda but then warmed up to her by the end • Rachel – Melinda’s ex-best friend, hangs out with the exchange students at school, starts dating Andy Evans (the boy who raped Melinda) • Andy Evans – the boy who raped Melinda, has a history of doing the same thing to every girl he meets. Plot summary: Melinda is starting high school with all the problems imaginable. She is an outcast because she is “weird,” her friends from middle school don’t want to associate with her because she called the police that broke up a party, and the teachers are “out to get her.” At first, she befriends a girl who is new to the school, Heather. For a while, things seem to work out between the two. Unfortunately, Melinda keeps to herself all the time and barely speaks. She has a secret inside of her that torments all the words. Most of the school thinks she is weird and her parents and teachers think something is wrong with her. They think she is just being a delinquent, but there is more to the story than what Melinda lets on. Melinda goes through the motions of school and barely passes. She makes some friends, but she is so scarred from the summer that she is still uncomfortable getting too close to anyone. Melinda does not trust anyone, nor can she trust herself. The only thing in school Melinda enjoys is her art class. She works hard all year by creating and letting her emotions flow through her art (although she does not know it at the time). As the year goes on, she encounters the boy who raped her. He knows that he still has the power over her and continues to use it to scare her into silence. However, when Andy starts dating Rachel, Melinda cannot stand back and let Andy do the same thing to her former best friend. It takes a while for Melinda to get the courage to tell Rachel, but she finally does. Of course Rachel does not believe Melinda and she thinks that Melinda is just jealous, but Melinda at least tried. When Rachel breaks up with Andy (because he was trying to do the same thing to her as he did to Melinda), Andy becomes furious and goes after Melinda. She fights him and makes enough commotion for her friends to come back to find out what was going on and Andy gets exposed for who he really is. Strengths (including reviews and awards): • The book is funny. • It is written in the mind of a teenager so it’s easy for students to relate to. • It has won many awards (School Library Journal Book of the Year just to name one) • It has been turned into a Lifetime movie (so students could have a visual instead of just Melinda’s thoughts. Drawbacks or other cautions: • There is a short section where Melinda thinks about and attempts suicide. • It talks about at 13 year old getting raped. • There are some parts that do not seem realistic (David suing Mr. Neck) Teaching ideas: Pre-reading • Journal: What was your first year of high school like? o Hopefully I will be teaching this book to a higher grade than freshmen, so this question would be appropriate. I would hope that I get journals that reflect on how much they have changed since that first year. • Discussion: Cliques in high school o What kinds of cliques exist in our school? o Do they get special privileges? o How can you differentiate between the cliques? o Who decides who joins which clique? o This could also be a journal topic During reading • More journaling or discussions about cliques o How do certain cliques treat others in school? How does that relate to the novel? o Have you witnessed treatment like this? • Writing Activity (these could be quick daily journal activities) o Inner-monologue Write a number of inner-monologues like Melinda does. • Artwork o Try to describe each section of the book in drawings o Explain the story to someone without using words Post-reading • Possibly watch clips of the movie o I haven’t seen it so I would definitely have to preview it before I showed it to the class. • More artwork • Compile the daily inner-monologues into a “book” like hers • Discussion o How has this book educated you? About cliques, rape, outcasts, reaching out to others o What can we do to change the dynamic of the social scene in high school? Is there anything at all? ...less " |
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| April 03 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
Romiette and Julio (Mass Market Paperback) by Sharon M. Draper bookshelves: compliment-to-the-classics |
my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"Reference information:
Title: Romiette and Julio Author: Sharon M. Draper Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks Year: 1999 # of pages: 320 Genre: Teen Fiction Reading level: 13 Interest level: 13+ Potential hot lava: gangs, violence, kidnapping Ge...more Reference information: Title: Romiette and Julio Author: Sharon M. Draper Publisher: Aladdin Paperbacks Year: 1999 # of pages: 320 Genre: Teen Fiction Reading level: 13 Interest level: 13+ Potential hot lava: gangs, violence, kidnapping General response/reaction: This book was wonderful! I thoroughly enjoyed this modern-day Romeo and Juliet novel. The pacing of the story was perfect because I could not put down the book as I read. Draper does a wonderful job building suspense and describing very realistic scenes. At some points, I did not want to continue reading because I did not want to know how the characters ended up. I know how Romeo and Juliet ends, and I did not want to read that the same fate awaited Romiette and Julio. This was a wonderful adaptation of Shakespeare’s play. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Trust • Love • Friendship • Gangs • Violence • Ethnicity • Fear Characters: • Romiette Cappelle – sixteen-year-old, African-American girl who has lived in Cincinnati her whole life, her best friend is Destiny, her father works for the local news station, and she falls in love with Julio. Romiette cannot swim. • Julio Montague – sixteen-year-old, Hispanic boy who moves from Corpus Cristi to Cincinnati, quickly makes friends with Ben, meets Romiette in an online chat room, and falls in love with her. • Destiny – Romiette’s best friend, believes in the stars and horoscopes, always searching for her soul mate. • Ben – Julio’s friend, was punched on Julio’s first day, dyes his hair different colors, very smart, but does not show his intelligence to his teachers, unique. • Terrell – leader of the Devildogs, threatening and powerful • The Devildogs – the main gang at Romiette’s and Julio’s high school, their colors are purple and the leaders are the only ones who wear purple hoodies, every member is African-American. • Malaka – former friend of Romiette, runs with the Devildogs because they said that they would make her a member of the gang, helps the police find Romiette and Julio • Cappelle parents – Cornell is the father who is a newscaster for the local news station. Lady Brianna is the mother who owns an African clothing boutique. The father is worried about his daughter and blames Julio for her disappearance. • Montague parents – Luis is the father who had a bad experience with gangs in his younger days. Maria is the mother who is very understanding of Julio’s feelings for Romiette. Plot summary: Romiette has a recurring dream where she is drowning and she hears a voice calling to her. Destiny tries to interpret the dream but cannot get a grasp on it. Julio has moved from Corpus Cristi to Cincinnati and he is angry about it. On his first day, he gets into a fight with Ben. Just when Julio thinks he is going to get in trouble, Ben makes an excuse to get them both out of trouble and Julio and Ben become friends. In an online chat room, Romiette and Julio meet and begin their friendship. They learn that they go to the same school and meet face to face (despite what their friends say about the dangers of the internet). Their friendship grows into a budding romance as they continue to talk and have lunch together every day. However, Julio’s father is not understanding of his friendship with an African-American girl. Luis has had bad experiences with African-Americans and does not want his son to suffer the same loss. Not only does Julio’s father not approve, but certain people at school do not approve either. The Devildogs target the couple because of their interracial friendship. Malaka “warned” Romiette about what the Devildogs were planning, but the couple had no idea how much trouble they would have on their hands. With the help of Destiny and Ben, Romiette and Julio think of a plan to expose the Devildogs. Romiette and Julio had been threatened by the group before and wanted it to stop. However, the plan goes wrong and Romiette and Julio are kidnapped by the Devildogs. When both families find out about the kidnapping, both fathers blame each other. Cappelle blames Montague because he believes that Julio was involved in gang violence. Montague does the same thing because of his past experience with African-American gangs in Texas. Both mothers, however, concentrate on the fact that their children are missing and work together to find them. Both mothers are more understanding of their children’s feelings. Romiette and Julio’s kidnapping made it on the news and the whole town helped in the search. While searching, Cornell and Luis come to terms with each other and become friends. In the end, Romiette and Julio are found and the gang is exposed. Finally, they can live a normal life together. Strengths (including reviews and awards): The characters are updated but still remain true to the Shakespeare version. It is easy to match, the characters in this version, to the Shakespeare version. The story is relatable to teenagers with computers and gangs and such. It addresses the issues of gang violence, ethnicity, and interracial relationships. Drawbacks or other cautions: Towards the end, the coincidence of their names is overemphasized. Gang violence is described in detail. Teaching ideas: Pre-reading: • Discussion on interracial relationships o How do you feel about them? o Are there still problems now? Or is this issue a dead issue? o Are there still taboos? • Discussion on gangs o Have you had any experience with gangs? o Are there still problems with gangs today? o How dangerous are they? • Discussion on family and friends dynamics o How do you get along with your family? o Are there any prejudices your family has? o How do you choose your friends? o Journals to keep personal details private During Reading: • How is this novel similar the Shakespeare play? • Connect the characters o Have a chart with the Shakespeare characters and with the Draper characters o Have the students describe each character (from both versions) o Connect each character during the reading • How is the novel different from the Shakespeare play? o Not in the obvious ways Post-Reading: • Show clips of the movies (1968 and 1996) • Compare and contrast the movies • Compare and contrast the play and the novel ...less " |
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| March 12 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials, Book 1) by Philip Pullman bookshelves: fantasy |
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review |
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read in March, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"General response/reaction:
This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it so much that I went out and got the other two books in the series so that I could find out the rest of the story. While the number of pages and the font size looks daunting, t...more General response/reaction: This book was amazing! I absolutely loved it so much that I went out and got the other two books in the series so that I could find out the rest of the story. While the number of pages and the font size looks daunting, the story is so compelling that I had a hard time putting it down to eat and sleep. There are some parts of the novel that I found confusing and I think it is because those confusing parts will be explained in the later books. I have heard that there is supposed to be some kind of religious controversy with this book, but I honestly could not find any when I first read it. There are some religious references, but one denomination isn’t singled out. I think the mention of religion in this novel only made the story that more compelling because there was a large opposing factor to the main storyline. This novel was so good and I would recommend it to anyone! Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Identity • Destiny/Fate • Courage • Adventure • Science • Truth • Right vs. Wrong • Making choices Characters: • Lyra – main character, she goes North to save her friend Roger who has been taken by the Gobblers. Along the way, Lyra learns about her family and how to read the alethiometer that the master of Jordan College gave to her. She meets many allies and understands what the Gobblers do to children. Everything she learns comes back to Dust which she tries to understand its importance. Lyra is an important person in the war between the universes, but she has no idea what her destiny holds. • Pantalaimon – Lyra’s demon which takes many forms according to Lyra’s needs or moods. He is her soul and her companion. • Roger – Lyra’s school playmate who she is trying to save. He worked in the kitchen with some of the gyptians. • The Gyptians – a group of travelling traders. Some of their children had been taken by the Gobblers and they are working with Lyra to save those children. Some of they key gyptians are Lord John Faa and Farder Coram. • Iorek Byrnison – an armored bear sworn to protect Lyra at all costs. • Lee Scoresby – an aeronaut who is enlisted to provide transportation for the gyptians, Iorek, Lyra, and others on the epic journey; from Texas. • The Witches – the clan lead by Serafina Pekkala has their allegiance to the gyptians and to Lyra. Other clans pick their allegiances in an invisible war that Lyra will play a major part in. • Lord Asriel – Lyra’s father who is experimenting with Dust and trying to figure out the properties that could undermine the Church and all of society. • Mrs. Coulter – Lyra’s mother and head of the Oblation Board which does experiments on children and their demons. She is also trying to understand what Dust is but is having a hard time figuring it out. Plot summary: Lyra used to lead a normal life running and playing on the roofs of Jordan College in Oxford. Her uncle is a powerful but somewhat terrifying man who conducts many experiments in the North. Lyra’s life changes when she must leave Jordan College and face a powerful destiny unknown to her. Lyra originally leaves the school with Mrs. Coulter on the pretense that Lyra would be going North with Mrs. Coulter. However, she learns that Mrs. Coulter has other plans and runs away. Lyra crosses paths with the gyptians who are going on an expedition to save the missing children who have been taken to the North. She helps them with navigation as well as seeing the truth about people and situations as she reads the alethiometer with more precision. While Lyra and the gyptians are talking with the witch consul, she learns of an armored bear who could help them on their journey. The gyptians also employ an aeronaut who will be able to help them save the children. Along the way North, Lyra gets in (and out of) trouble with many different groups. She gets captured by a group who takes her to the Gobblers where she finds her friend Roger. While she was at the experiment station, Lyra learns that the Gobblers are cutting the demons away from the children to see what happens. However, many of the children die without their demons. The adults who have participated in the experiment turned into zombies who just do their one job. When Lyra and the children escape from the station (with the help of the gyptians and Iorek), she nearly gets recaptured by Mrs. Coulter. The group (Lyra, Roger, Iorek, Lee, and the witches) head towards Svalbard to save Lord Asriel. It is on this balloon ride that Lee learns Lyra’s importance to the universe. As the group nears Svalbard, they get attacked and separated. Lyra ends up at the bear kingdom and talks her way out of death. She convinces the current bear king to fight Iorek for the crown. After the fight, Lyra learns that the bears had been swayed by Mrs. Coulter to help in her experiments. After she learns this, Lyra finds out that Mrs. Coulter was on her way to Svalbard to kill Lord Asriel. Lyra goes to save him but he is appalled to see her. Lyra learns a little more about the importance of Dust but still cannot understand fully. She goes to sleep in Lord Asriel’s house but is woken up to find that she has betrayed a friend. Lyra must go again to save her friend, but finds that she is too late. Lyra and Pan figure out that the adults were probably scared of Dust and that is why it is so important. They decide to follow the bridge between two universes to discover the truth about Dust before Mrs. Coulter or Lord Asriel does. Strengths (including reviews and awards): • Winner of Carnegie Medal (England) • Winner of the Guardian Fiction Prize (England) • An ALA Notable Book • An ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults • A Horn Book Fanfare Honor Book • A Bulletin Blue Ribbon Book • A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year • A Booklist Editors’ Choice – Top of the List Drawbacks or other cautions: There are parts that are a bit confusing because there is not enough information explained. Since this is a fantasy book, some parents might not like the idea of magic. Some parts question theology but not extensively. There are many fights that take place in this novel, but they are not that bad. Teaching ideas: Pre-reading: • Interest Inventories would work here. I think asking questions about right and wrong and some of the decisions that the adults make in this novel to see what the students would say. There are many situations that Lyra gets herself into that requires lying to get out of, a question like that would be appropriate to ask the students. • I would probably ask the class if they had heard of or seen any of the Harry Potter movies. As I was discussing this book with my friend who had seen neither The Golden Compass movie nor read the book, I had to liken it to the Harry Potter series and explain that it was more complicated and even a bit darker. Hopefully the more dangerous situations will appeal to boys in the class, and the fact that the lead character is a girl will appeal to the girls in the class. During Reading: • Maybe we could make our own golden compass. Each class could have a different meaning for each of the symbols. Maybe we could use our own golden compass to track the progress of our reading. • I would want to try to make a map of this alternate universe. I would want to track Lyra’s travels with this map. This map could also track our progress as we read. • What kind of animal are you personality test. We could do a personality test like this to possibly find out what kind of demon each student would have. • Culture studies. Since Lyra goes all over the world (more North than anywhere else), the class can do a culture study of each of the different groups she meets. The class can be split up into different groups and they can each research a group. I would even allow groups to research the witches and the Polar Bears as well. There would definitely be a group researching the gyptians and the different types of scholars. • Class and hierarchy studies. We could study why the female and the male scholars went to different schools. It seems pretty obvious why some social classes were servants, but we could research as to why. Also we could look up some of the customs that were discussed in the beginning of the novel. Why weren’t women allowed in the Retiring Room? What were the rituals of the Retiring Room? The Bear fight ritual must have been based off another ritual, which one? Why did the Tartars really cut holes in their heads? What actual tribe does that? • Prediction Journals. At the end of each section (teacher decides where the stopping points are), the class can predict what is going to happen next. Post-reading: • Show the movie. What parts remained true to the book? What parts did not? • Review prediction journals. Who predicted correctly and who did not? What was so different from each student’s predictions? ...less " |
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| February 28 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
One Day at Horrorland (Goosebumps Series) by R.L. Stine bookshelves: horror |
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review |
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read in February, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"Title: Goosebumps: One Day at Horror Land
Author: R.L. Stine Publisher: Scholastic Year: 1994 # of pages: 123 Genre: Horror Reading level Interest level: 11+ Potential hot lava: scary scenes General response/reaction: This book was very exci...more Title: Goosebumps: One Day at Horror Land Author: R.L. Stine Publisher: Scholastic Year: 1994 # of pages: 123 Genre: Horror Reading level Interest level: 11+ Potential hot lava: scary scenes General response/reaction: This book was very exciting and somewhat stressful. This book was a quick read and it kept my interest the whole way through. Stine definitely lived up to his horror genre, because I was definitely scared while I was reading this book. While I admit that the reading level of this book is a little bit below the level of high school, but the writing kept me captivated. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: Truth Reality Fantasy Characters: • Lizzy – narrator, oldest kid in the group, mainly remains calm throughout the whole story • Luke – Lizzy’s little brother, truly enjoys the park even though he won’t admit that he is truly scared • Clay – Luke’s friend who is on the family vacation with them, scares easily • The Horrors – the monsters that run Horror Land Plot summary: Lizzy and her family go on a family vacation originally looking for Zoo Gardens Theme Park. However, they were unable to find that theme park and end up at Horror Land. At first, the family thinks that the day will be all right until their car blows up right after they park. Then the family decides to make the best of it when the monster in the ticket booth said that they would take care of them. The family gets separated as the kids explore the amusement park and the parents look for a phone. Lizzy and the boys end up on many different scary rides and attractions. The kids survive all the death traps and end up near the front of the park. However, they cannot find their parents. The kids search the park twice and could not find them. When the kids were about to give up, their parents find them. They decide that one ride as a family will not be too bad before they leave. They go on a “relaxing” coffin ride down the river to the front of the park, yet as they were on the ride, the top of the coffin slams shut. They are trapped until the end. Luckily, the family gets out of the coffin at the end. Needless to say, they are not happy. Just when they think that their troubles are over, the family gets locked in the park. They must find a way to escape the monsters that are chasing them. They realize that the monsters are not people dressed in monster costumes, but real monsters. The family gets cornered at a lake that swallows everything that gets near it when Lizzy has a plan. All the signs in the park said no pinching allowed. She pinches the monster on a hunch and the monster deflates in her hand. The rest of Lizzy’s family follows suit and they destroy enough monsters to get away. Strengths (including reviews and awards): This book is captivating and at a reading level that students will appreciate. Drawbacks or other cautions: Some of the scenes can get scary. Nothing is gruesome, but the book is very suspenseful. Teaching ideas: Pre-reading: • What scares you? Journal • What’s your favorite theme park? During Reading: • Make a map of the theme park and follow the kids around the park • Imagine the monsters art project Post Reading: • What is illusion and what is reality? • Could this park actually exist? If so, how? ...less " |
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Jessica
gave
to:
Tell (Paperback) by Norah McClintock bookshelves: reluctant-reader |
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review |
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read in February, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"Reference information:
Title: Tell Author: Norah McClintock Publisher: Orca Soundings Year: 2006 # of pages: 100 Genre: mystery Reading level Interest level: 11+ Potential hot lava: violence, lying General response/reaction: This book was...more Reference information: Title: Tell Author: Norah McClintock Publisher: Orca Soundings Year: 2006 # of pages: 100 Genre: mystery Reading level Interest level: 11+ Potential hot lava: violence, lying General response/reaction: This book was so suspenseful and gripping. I can definitely see a reluctant reader taking and keeping this book. Since the book was only 100 pages, it was really easy to read in a short period of time, but even with my ability I did not want to put the book down! This concise book gets straight to the plot by describing a death in the first two pages. McClintock has a great balance of revealing just enough information to help the reader understand and leaves out just enough to make the reader want to turn the pages faster. This book was an awesome read and I would recommend it to anyone! Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Lying • Truth • Poker • “Tells” • Cheating • Past and future Characters: • David – main character, narrator, step-son of Phil, police think he has something to do with Phil’s death • Detective Antonelli – main investigator on Phil’s death, the one who questions David about the situation • Jack – a friend of David’s mom, reveals information to David that helps him understand more truth • Phil – David’s step-dad, lies a lot, cheats, overall not a good guy Plot summary: The police come to David’s house to tell him and his mom that Phil, David’s stepfather, has been shot and killed in a possible robbery. After the formalities of a funeral, Detective Antonelli pushes to find more answers about the murder. Antonelli believes that David knows more about the murder than he is letting the police know about, so Antonelli pulls David into the police station to question him further. At first, most of the evidence points to David. A picture of his dead brother is found among David’s laundry which was missing from Phil’s personal effects. David is seen on store surveillance cameras ten minutes before Phil’s death one block away from the murder scene. David has a history of not really liking his stepfather. The police suspect that David either knows more about the murder or committed the murder. Then David tells Antonelli about Phil. He begins with how Phil loves to play poker and how Jack knows Phil’s tell. When David learns about the “tell”, he studies Phil and realizes that Jack was right. David tests the “tell” and realizes that Phil has been cheating the whole time. While David tells his story, Antonelli becomes impatient because he does not see the point to David’s way of telling the story. Also during this time, David’s mother is out of the room so that David and Antonelli can talk in private. David knows more about his own past than his mother ever told him. Before the police let David’s mother back into the room, David tells Antonelli about his brother’s death and other information Jack told him. When David’s mother is let back into the interrogation room, David explains the true story about his brother’s death and how Phil did not save his brother. He then explains that he was in the vicinity of the murder scene and saw Phil get murdered. David says he did not call the police after he saw Phil get shot because Phil did not bother to save his brother. Strengths (including reviews and awards): This book is really interesting and really easy to read. It is a page turning mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the end. Any reader would enjoy this book. Drawbacks or other cautions: Not every secret that is revealed gets followed up. The ending is not that great, it kind of just ends. Teaching ideas: Pre-reading: • Anticipation guide o One question I would definitely ask would be if the students believe that violence is ever justified. o Another question up for debate would be if someone should be held responsible for not doing anything (like David not calling the cops). During reading: • The students could play detective and try to piece all the clues together. o However, this book is so short that it seems like it would be hard to drag this activity out to more than one day. Post reading • Characters on Trial o The students will get to choose a character and either defend or prosecute them. • David’s mom for lying about a lot of things (Jamie’s death, Jamie and David’s fathers, etc) • Phil for lying and cheating • David for just watching Phil die and not doing anything about it ...less " |
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| February 24 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
A Heart Divided (Mass Market Paperback) by Cherie Bennett, Jeff Gottesfeld bookshelves: romance |
my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2004
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"Reference information:
Title: A Heart Divided Author: Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottensfeld Publisher: Delacorte Press Year: 2004 # of pages: 306 Genre: fiction Reading level: Interest level: 12+ Potential hot lava: confederate flag issues, vio...more Reference information: Title: A Heart Divided Author: Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottensfeld Publisher: Delacorte Press Year: 2004 # of pages: 306 Genre: fiction Reading level: Interest level: 12+ Potential hot lava: confederate flag issues, violence, racism General response/reaction: I read this novel when it was first published in 2004 because Jeff Gottensfeld came to our creative writing class to talk about how he wrote this novel. It was exciting because he had also either taught or talked with another class (I don’t remember which) about creative writing. I picked up this book, not only because the author came to talk to us, but also because it was set in Franklin, Tennessee. Of course, he re-named the town to Redford, but as I read the story, I could almost envision those places (considering I live near Franklin). Gottensfeld told our class about the different reactions he was getting to some of his work. When he went to a California high school and asked the students if any of their relatives served in the military, very few raised their hands. When Gottensfeld came to the southern states and asked the same question, almost everyone in the class raised their hands. This pride in serving one’s country was the basis of his book. It was interesting to read about the debate over the confederate flag and the mascot of a “rebel.” For someone from a northern state, of course the flag represents slavery and barbarism. For someone in a southern state, it is a symbol of pride (even if that pride cost them the Civil War). For me, that debate never really held much of an issue. I believe that the flag is a symbol of history no matter how “bad” people might view it. This novel brings up that debate in a creative and compelling way that made the novel easy to read. As I refreshed my memory on the story, I was remembering the debate and how interesting the story was when I first read it. I was glad that I was able to share this gem with my partner Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Racism • History • Legacy • Pride • Goals Characters: • Kate Pride – Narrator, from New Jersey, moved to Redford, TN because of her father’s job, writes plays, wants to change the school’s team name and emblem • Jack Redford – Kate’s interest, actor, does not take a side in the debate over the team’s name • Sara Fife – President of the Crimson Maidens, antagonist in the story • Portia Pride – Kate’s little sister, trying to get accustomed to her new living situation Plot summary: Kate Pride is somewhat of a diva in New Jersey. In New Jersey, Kate learned to take care of herself and voice her opinions on any subject she disagreed with. Basically, Kate learned to be harsh in a cruel world. When Kate’s father moves the family for his new job, Kate has to learn how to deal with the Southern Hospitality that is served in Redford, Tennessee each day. Kate attends Redford High School and learns that their team mascot is the rebels and that their emblem is the Confederate flag. She observes the racism and discrimination still apparent in the school. Kate decides that she wants to try to change the school’s team name and emblem. She gathers some of the students to try to sign a petition that would gather a group to vote whether to change the name or not. While she works on getting supporters, Kate also participates in the production of her school’s play. As a budding writer, Kate tries to write a play about her experience at Redford High School. She interviews supporters and critics of her stand on the Confederate flag. However, Kate runs into problems as a “copy” of her script surfaces to a negative response from the administration. Not only is she losing support for her cause, her boyfriend Jack will not make a decision whether he is with her or against her. Jack’s decision is harder since he is a legacy in the town. Kate finally gives up her cause to change the name, but others take the cause further. When a group burns the Confederate flag during a football game, a fight breaks out which results in Portia getting shot. In the end, Kate gets her play performed and moves back to New Jersey. While it sounds like Kate runs back to her comfort zone of New Jersey, she has grown and learned from her experience in the south. Strengths (including reviews and awards): The female lead character is strong-willed. Although this story’s main character is a female, it is not a normal love story. Kate is the one driving the action, but there are many obstacles that she must face, including a boyfriend who may not know who to support. This book and its authors are not well known, so I personally believe that this story can surpass expectations and be a diamond in the rough of many “traditional” love stories. Drawbacks or other cautions: People in the story are a little harsh when it comes to the insults and the subjects discussed in the novel. However, it is not as bad as other authors could be. Teaching ideas: Pre-reading: • Review the events leading up to the Civil War • Review the differences between the north and the south during that time o What were the main issues that made the two differ so much? o What were they fighting for? • Have a debate about the Civil War o Have one half of the room be the north and the other half be the south o Have the students defend their position • Journal (it might be different depending on what region of the United States the class is in) o What is the significance of the Confederate flag? o Write like a character Have the students take the mindset of a southern person during this time. • Movie: The Patriot o Mel Gibson and Heth Ledger are in the same family but on opposing sides of the Civil War. During Reading: • Follow the different cliques in the high school o Split the class into the different cliques at Redford High and have them write journals as members of those cliques • Discuss the dangers of each group Post Reading: • Debate: Where do you stand on the issue? o Keep the class in the different cliques and have them debate the issue ...less " |
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| February 19 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
Whale Talk (Mass Market Paperback) by Chris Crutcher (Goodreads author!) bookshelves: multicultural-lit |
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review |
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read in February, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"General response/reaction:
This novel blew me away. I could not imagine a group of guys who have had more tragedy happen in their lives. Each guy in this book had struggles they had to deal with and sometimes readers forget that men have problems ...more General response/reaction: This novel blew me away. I could not imagine a group of guys who have had more tragedy happen in their lives. Each guy in this book had struggles they had to deal with and sometimes readers forget that men have problems too. It is easier to read stories about women and their emotional issues because women are more vocal about it. The men in this novel are so proud and strong to vocalize their struggles every day. Crutcher does a wonderful job exploring the wide range of emotions felt by each individual character in this novel. He focuses more on the male emotions and struggles, and composes those issues perfectly. I truly enjoyed reading this different perspective. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Domestic violence • Identity • Acceptance • Sports • Rage • Ignorance • Discrimination • Emotional healing • Growth/ Development Characters: • T.J. – main character, narrator of the novel, natural athlete, has a lot of rage problems but can control them, captain of the swim team • Chris – a mentally challenged student who is a natural swimmer • Mr. Simet – swim team coach • Mr. Benson – football coach, feels that T.J. wasted his talent all four years by not going out for a “real” sports team • Barbour – football team captain hates T.J. • Mr. Jones – T.J.’s adopted father; teaches T.J. about whale talk Plot summary: T.J. is an adopted son trying to fit in at a school that prides itself of Athletics. Although T.J. is a natural athlete, he never participates in sports. When Mr. Simet asks T.J. to help him start a swim team, T.J. gets the most unlikely group of guys together. T.J.’s goal for the team is to gain the most coveted prize of Cutter High: The letter jacket. Since T.J. is not best friends with most of the Athletic Department, he believes that this group of unlikely mermen could embarrass the department by gaining those letters. However, as the group trains and goes to competitions, each boy grows into a man. Each boy sheds his tough shell to reveal his softer side. The group bonds and soon this motley crew of swimmers become the closest of friends. While the team is not the best, they continue to work hard and beat their personal best. Unfortunately, the personal life is not better. T.J. must deal with vindictive football players (and the coaches), domestic dispute problems, and living with his personal struggle of his mixed race. Through all the difficulties, T.J. seems to make it through. He grows to care more about his team than himself and learns to channel his rage into other outlets (like helping children and swimming). He is able to help instill confidence in his fellow team members which leads Chris to beating Barbour in a swimming competition. After the swim season is over, the group continues together to play basketball. While the game was clean, Marshall and Barbour do not take losing as well. Marshall goes crazy with the idea that he is losing his wife and kids and targets T.J.’s family. At the end of the basketball game, Marshall gets his rifle and points it at his own daughter. T.J.’s dad takes the bullet to save the girl. By the end of the novel, T.J. learns how to control his rage and make real friends. He learns to accept his place in society and grows into a man. Strengths (including reviews and awards): • The book is raw and real. There is no holding back on any of the situations which makes the book harsher and more real. Crutcher doesn’t decorate his work; he tells it like it is. Drawbacks or other cautions: • Language, violence, traumatic experiences • The teacher may want to caution students about these experiences so that everyone in the class is comfortable. There is no way of knowing if there is a student who has experienced some of these situations before. Teaching ideas: Whenever I read for this class, I think of teaching this book to high school kids. Here are my ideas: • Journals – How bad is your family? o This could be a pre-reading exercise. All the journals will remain confidential, but if anyone wants to volunteer to read theirs, it will be welcome. Some people won’t like their families because of curfew or other not-so-serious reasons. Hopefully, they will share these reasons and then as they read the book, realize how wonderful their life is. • Explore each scenario o There are so many different problems in this book. Maybe the class can be divided up to research each problem. For the domestic disputes, they can look up statistics and resources. A class project could be a supply drive to donate to shelters. Another group could study gangrene, mental illnesses, and other issues that arise in this story. • Journals again o Re-visit the first journal. Talk about what how the book ended. ...less " |
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| February 10 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
Esperanza Rising (Paperback) by Pam Munoz Ryan bookshelves: multicultural-lit |
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review |
|
read in February, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"General response/reaction:
Ryan’s novel moved me to tears. Ryan tells Esperanza’s story truthfully but without making the story too tragic. Esperanza goes through an emotional roller coaster and the audience goes with her. At first, I did not...more General response/reaction: Ryan’s novel moved me to tears. Ryan tells Esperanza’s story truthfully but without making the story too tragic. Esperanza goes through an emotional roller coaster and the audience goes with her. At first, I did not understand why all the chapters were named after fruits and vegetables, but by the end of the novel, I understood. I could not imagine the hardship that Esperanza had to go through, but she definitely matured by the end of the novel. I was glad that Esperanza grew up, accepted, and even enjoyed living a different lifestyle than what she was used to. She understood that people are rich if they have their families. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Family • Hardship • Worker wages • Pride • Hope • Discrimination • Kindness Characters: • Esperanza – main character, loses her father, must flee from Mexico and all her riches to the United States. She is no longer a rich princess and must work and take care of her family. • Miguel – childhood friend and servant of Esperanza. His family helps Esperanza flee Mexico and set up a life in the United States. • Mama – Esperanza’s mother. She gets sick while working and Esperanza must take care of her. • Abuelita – Esperanza’s grandmother. She hurts her ankle at the beginning of the novel and is unable to travel with Esperanza and Mama to the United States. She is Esperanza’s inspiration to continue through the hardship. Plot summary: Esperanza is a princess in her town. She attends private schools and has many extravagant birthday parties. However, on her thirteenth birthday, Esperanza will not be able to celebrate anything as her father was murdered by bandits. As the family mourns, her uncle Luis comes to the house to ask for Mama’s hand in marriage. Luis is a powerful man and could make life hard for Esperanza, Abuelita, and Mama if Mama refuses his request. After the first refusal, Esperanza’s house and most of the grape field catches on fire. Luis asks Mama again and this time she agrees. However, Mama and Miguel’s family already have plans to escape to the United States. When they arrive in the United States, Esperanza cannot imagine living in such bad conditions. She claims that the servants’ quarters were better than the cabin that she must live in. At first she is not accustomed to doing anything because she had always been served. A neighborhood girl picks on Esperanza for her former lifestyle, but Esperanza learns quickly and begins to do housework while the rest of the family works in the fields. Mama gets sick after a dust storm one day and must be hospitalized when she doesn’t get any better. Esperanza decides that she must work in the shed in order to have some money to pay for the hospital bills. With the ever-present possibility of a worker’s strike, Esperanza goes to work everyday weary that her job might be taken away from her. When the strike happens, her camp holds their ground and continues working. Finally, when Esperanza loses faith, she gives up on Miguel and all the dreams of a better life. However, the world has a different plan for Esperanza. Mama begins to get better. Miguel leaves the camp and Esperanza feels guilty for driving him away. One afternoon, Miguel comes back with Abuelita and Esperanza’s hope is restored. In the end, Esperanza celebrates another birthday and this time she truly enjoys it. Strengths (including reviews and awards): • Pura Belpré Award Winner • Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winner • ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults • Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist • New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing • Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year • Stresses the importance of family Drawbacks or other cautions: None that I can think of Teaching ideas: Pre-reading activities: • Journals about family and what family means to the student • Bring in your most prized possession (kind of like show and tell) • Background information on working conditions during that time in history During reading activities: • Story time with a migrant worker o Possibly find someone who has had first hand experience with the events in the story. If not, I’m sure there are documentaries detailing this time. • To strike or not to strike? o Divide the class in half and have each side create arguments whether the workers should strike or not. o This activity should probably happen before the chapter describing the result of the strike. • Interdependency o Show the class how the strike would affect the company from an economic standpoint. o Possibly the class could look at this story from the company’s point of view and re-tell the story from a different perspective. (Sounds like a journal) Post-reading activities: • Re-visit journals from before the novel • Now what do you think of your family? • What is your most prized possession? • Make yarn dolls and Hibiscus flower punch ...less " |
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| February 05 | ||
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Jessica
gave
to:
Downriver (Mass Market Paperback) by Will Hobbs bookshelves: misc |
my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review |
|
read in February, 2008
Jessica said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
"General response/reaction:
Oh my goodness, this book was amazing! At first it was slow, but then the story picked up and got interesting. I enjoyed reading more about the characters as the story went on. It was interesting to see how the charac...more General response/reaction: Oh my goodness, this book was amazing! At first it was slow, but then the story picked up and got interesting. I enjoyed reading more about the characters as the story went on. It was interesting to see how the characters changed and grew. This is a very good book to demonstrate self-discovery. Subjects, Themes, and Big Ideas: • Self-discovery • Survival • Identity Characters: • Jessie – the narrator of the story. She had a problem with her father and was sent to Discovery Unlimited to work out her problems. Jessie seems to gain the most from the experience. • Star – Jessie’s roommate and friend. She seems very superstitious and believes in higher beings and Tarot cards. Star gets into some tough situations, but also gains a lot from their trip. • Rita – a New York girl with attitude and spunk. She is somewhat of a static character, but she ends up being a major asset to the group. • Troy – the leader of the group. He becomes the leader of the group through his personality and expert persuasion. Unfortunately, Troy turns out to be rougher around the edges than the other group members originally knew. • Adam – the comic of the group. If situations become to stressful and tension-filled, Adam is there to lighten the situation with a joke or an impersonation. However, this jokester becomes serious in the time of need. • Pug – the “tough guy” of the group. He always has to show that he is superior by flashing his knife or punching people. He stays on Troy’s side the whole time. • Freddy – the quiet mountain man. He has so much knowledge of the wilderness and proves to be a major help in navigating the Colorado River. Unfortunately, his prowess gets him in trouble with Troy. • Al – the supervisor of Discovery Unlimited. He truly believes in the program, but gets left behind when the group decides to go on an adventure without him. Plot summary: A group of troubled teenagers go on a trip to Discovery Unlimited to work through their own individual problems. However, they decide to steal the equipment and go rafting on the Colorado River without their guide, Al. At first the group gets along fine, but as the trip wears on, the group begins to wear on each other. Feelings get hurt, and peoples’ true identities are revealed. The climax comes when Troy turns on his group members and attacks Freddy with a scorpion, the group leaves to help Freddy to a hospital. Jessie must believe in herself to get the rest of the group to safety. Strengths (including reviews and awards): Winner of the California Young Reader Medal Drawbacks or other cautions: None that I could think of. Teaching ideas: This is definitely a great book for self-discovery and identity. I think using this story to help introduce memoirs (even though this book is fiction) could be helpful. This book is useful in showing self-reflection. A lot of people think they know who they are, but a lot of work goes into knowing one’s true identity. Maybe this book will help in students’ own self-discovery. ...less " |
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