Read for: YA lit class/leisure
Rating: 4.0
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson was definitely not what I expected. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was definitely not what Anderson delivered. Of course, that isn't meant in a bad way. What Anderson gave is much better than anything I could have dreamed up. I think waht surprised me most--and what I liked the best--was Melinda's voice. Kind of ironic for a character who speaks as little as possible, eh? However, since the story is told in the first person, the reader is privy to the narrative inside Melinda's head, which is a stunningly accurate portrayal of teenage emotions. I also enjoyed the humor--it was wry and sarcastic, but there was also so much truth in it that you couldn't help but chuckle. For example:
"We are studying history for the ninth time in nine years. [...] Christopher Columbus in time for Columbus Day, the Pilgrims in time for Thanksgiving. Every year they say we're going to get right up to the present, but we always get stuck in the Industrial Revolution. We got to World War I in the seventh grade--who knew there had been a war with the whole world? We need more holidays to keep the social studies teachers on track" (p. 7).
I underlined this section and wrote "touche" next to it.
Since the story focuses on the effects of rape on a young girl, I think that this book would be very important for students to read. Not only so, but the fact that it is a contemporary book with narrating character who is relateable would probably capture the hearts of readers. I would definitely use this book in a unit based on Voice--both how to write with it and how to use it. There might be some censorship issues based on the subject, but nothing is explicit and Anderson focuses on the effects of rape, not on the actual act itself. I would be willing to fight censorship for the right to teach this book.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
I Am The Cheese by Robert Cormier
Read For: YA lit class
Rating: 3.6
I have read two other Cormier books, The Chocolate War and After the First Death. Cormier is renowned as an important YA author, but my opinion is that he is a bit overrated. He writes a lot of violence and perversion, which I do not particularly enjoy. However, reluctant readers can probably relate to his young male protaganists, especially male reluctant readers.
I Am The Cheese was very similar to After the First Death. Cheese follows the story of Adam Farmer, a teenage boy who is riding his bike from Monument, MA to Rutterberg VT to visit his father and deliver an important package to him. Along the way Adam has to face many of his fears and persevere in his very long journey. These parts are told in first person narrative. Interspersed throughout are "therapy" sessions between A and T. It becomes clear that A is Adam, and we learn that T is really named Brint, who is presumably a psychiatrist treating Adam and guiding him to fill in the "blanks" in Adam's memory of his past. However, Adam starts to question Brint's trustworthiness as a shrink, and the reader does too. These parts are relayed as dialogue between the characters. Then, there are parts told in third person describing Adam's past life--these are the blanks that Adam is trying to fill in. We learn that Adam's family is a part of some sort of witness protection program, because his father testified against an "organization," allegedly the mafia.
The ending is similar to After the First Death, in that Cormier pulls a twist on the reader's perception of what reality is in the book.
This book held my attention and I think reluctant readers will probably enjoy it. There is not as much violence or perversion in this novel of Cormier's as I have found in others, so I would not hesitate to recommend it. I'm not sure about the teachability of it, though. I think I would almost prefer After the First Death because the switch in reality at the end is more severe and changes your entire perception of the novel, which I think would be a valuable tool when teaching students about voice and creative writing. Perhaps if I taught After the First Death to my students and some really enjoyed it, I would recommend Cheese for pleasure reading.
Rating: 3.6
I have read two other Cormier books, The Chocolate War and After the First Death. Cormier is renowned as an important YA author, but my opinion is that he is a bit overrated. He writes a lot of violence and perversion, which I do not particularly enjoy. However, reluctant readers can probably relate to his young male protaganists, especially male reluctant readers.
I Am The Cheese was very similar to After the First Death. Cheese follows the story of Adam Farmer, a teenage boy who is riding his bike from Monument, MA to Rutterberg VT to visit his father and deliver an important package to him. Along the way Adam has to face many of his fears and persevere in his very long journey. These parts are told in first person narrative. Interspersed throughout are "therapy" sessions between A and T. It becomes clear that A is Adam, and we learn that T is really named Brint, who is presumably a psychiatrist treating Adam and guiding him to fill in the "blanks" in Adam's memory of his past. However, Adam starts to question Brint's trustworthiness as a shrink, and the reader does too. These parts are relayed as dialogue between the characters. Then, there are parts told in third person describing Adam's past life--these are the blanks that Adam is trying to fill in. We learn that Adam's family is a part of some sort of witness protection program, because his father testified against an "organization," allegedly the mafia.
The ending is similar to After the First Death, in that Cormier pulls a twist on the reader's perception of what reality is in the book.
This book held my attention and I think reluctant readers will probably enjoy it. There is not as much violence or perversion in this novel of Cormier's as I have found in others, so I would not hesitate to recommend it. I'm not sure about the teachability of it, though. I think I would almost prefer After the First Death because the switch in reality at the end is more severe and changes your entire perception of the novel, which I think would be a valuable tool when teaching students about voice and creative writing. Perhaps if I taught After the First Death to my students and some really enjoyed it, I would recommend Cheese for pleasure reading.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Booking Through Thursday: The Beginning
The most recent question on Booking Through Thursday is
The End
You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?
(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)
Well, the answer to that question is now: I will turn to my blog and post my thoughts about the book I just completed! So, even though BTT called this one "The End," I'm calling it "The Beginning," because this is the beginning of my new blog. Welcome!
The End
You’ve just reached the end of a book . . . what do you do now? Savor and muse over the book? Dive right into the next one? Go take the dog for a walk, the kids to the park, before even thinking about the next book you’re going to read? What?
(Obviously, there can be more than one answer, here–a book with a cliff-hanger is going to engender different reactions than a serene, stand-alone, but you get the idea!)
Well, the answer to that question is now: I will turn to my blog and post my thoughts about the book I just completed! So, even though BTT called this one "The End," I'm calling it "The Beginning," because this is the beginning of my new blog. Welcome!
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