Well, Spring Break is over. I did finish reading Dead End in Norvelt. On the cover, Dave Barry is quoted as saying that this is "a brilliant book". It's written by Jack Gantos who is considered a good young adult author. This book didn't keep my interest as much as I wanted though. This book takes place after World War II and there is discussion about different aspects of the war such as Guadalcanal which my Grandpa fought at. If a reader didn't have knowledge about World War II though, the connections probably wouldn't make sense. The main character and his family are rather strange. Mom is an absolute control freak and even Dad seems to cower to her. The main character develops a close relationship with Miss Volker who had promised Eleanor Roosevelt that she would write all the obituaries for all the original citizens of Norvelt. (Interesting fact...Norvelt was named after Eleanor Roosevelt and is an actual town.) Miss Volker can't physically write, so Jack becomes her "hands". Many of the original citizens are passing away and Jack becomes suspicious. There are many different suspects in this plot, but it's rather easy to figure out who the author is going to pin for these murders. The ending is predictable, but not believable. I would think that someone who had a role in the death of more than 4 people would probably have the cops after them. Not in this book. So, would I recommend this book? I'm not sure. I almost want someone else to read it and let me know what they think. Maybe, I'm missing something in this book. I did read it while sitting on the beach or riding in a car home from Spring Break. My mind might have been elsewhere, especially when we were driving through Atlanta traffic.
I also finished reading The Lying Game. This was a much better book. I've never seen the TV show, but wanted to read the book because an 8th grader recommended it. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that the conflict isn't solved. I guess that you have to read the second book to find out the climax.
Monday, April 2, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Spring Break
It's Spring Break! Today is promising to be another fabulous day at the beach! What do Literature teachers do over Spring Break? Read lots of books! On the way, I finished Curveball by Jordan Sonneblick. Absolutely amazing book! When I finished, I immediately texted one of my fellow Literature teachers.
"Nothing better than driving through Georgia reading Curveball with tears running down your face, your husband shaking his head because he can't understand how anyone could cry over a book, and your daughter asking to read it when you're done."
Reading is social! I want to talk about good books that I've read and I need to be sure that I give students the opportunity to do this in my classroom. It's been amazing to see the conversations on Facebook right now about The Hunger Games. These kids are talking about books. While many of the kids are reading the book because of the movie, they are reading the book. Most of them are discovering very quickly that the book is so much better than the movie. I better stock up on Catching Fire before I get back to school.
I also have read As Simple as It Seems by Sarah Weeks and Unwind by Neil Shusterman. As Simple as It Seems is written in a very similar style as So B. It. It was an easy, predictable read. I enjoyed Unwind much more. It's strange, but science fiction is becoming my favorite genre. At times, I became confused with all of the characters. The book is separated into chapters that are titled with the character's name that the chapter is about. The character's lives intertwine throughout the book. Connor, Roland, and Risa are all kids who were on their way to be unwound which is a kind way of saying that they will be killed and their body parts will be divided among our people. Abortion is illegal in the United States at this point, but parents can choose to have their children "aborted" or unwound before they turn 18. Each of these kids have different stories, but end up together as they try to escape being unwound. While this book wasn't as easy to read as As Simple As It Seems, it was easy for me to turn the pages because I wanted to find out what happpened to the characters.
I plan on taking Dead End in Norvelt to the beach today. I'll let you know how it goes. My guess is that I'll be distracted by the beautiful scenery, but I'm hoping that the book can draw me in.
"Nothing better than driving through Georgia reading Curveball with tears running down your face, your husband shaking his head because he can't understand how anyone could cry over a book, and your daughter asking to read it when you're done."
Reading is social! I want to talk about good books that I've read and I need to be sure that I give students the opportunity to do this in my classroom. It's been amazing to see the conversations on Facebook right now about The Hunger Games. These kids are talking about books. While many of the kids are reading the book because of the movie, they are reading the book. Most of them are discovering very quickly that the book is so much better than the movie. I better stock up on Catching Fire before I get back to school.
I also have read As Simple as It Seems by Sarah Weeks and Unwind by Neil Shusterman. As Simple as It Seems is written in a very similar style as So B. It. It was an easy, predictable read. I enjoyed Unwind much more. It's strange, but science fiction is becoming my favorite genre. At times, I became confused with all of the characters. The book is separated into chapters that are titled with the character's name that the chapter is about. The character's lives intertwine throughout the book. Connor, Roland, and Risa are all kids who were on their way to be unwound which is a kind way of saying that they will be killed and their body parts will be divided among our people. Abortion is illegal in the United States at this point, but parents can choose to have their children "aborted" or unwound before they turn 18. Each of these kids have different stories, but end up together as they try to escape being unwound. While this book wasn't as easy to read as As Simple As It Seems, it was easy for me to turn the pages because I wanted to find out what happpened to the characters.
I plan on taking Dead End in Norvelt to the beach today. I'll let you know how it goes. My guess is that I'll be distracted by the beautiful scenery, but I'm hoping that the book can draw me in.
Monday, October 31, 2011
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