Breathing Underwater (Alex Flinn)

Breathing Underwater is the first book I've read by Alex Flinn, and based on the experience, it won't be my last. This book was just what my brain needed: something with substance and drama. While I teach h.s. juniors and seniors, you'd think that I'd get enough drama, but apparently I don't. Luckily, our acting school library (who's actually certified for social studies and is in the process of becoming our full-time librarian) recommended Breathing Underwater, so I got my weekly dose of drama. The librarian recommended it simply stating that it was fabulous and it had to do with teen dating violence and family violence.

The premise of the book is this: Nick, a high school student, starts off the story with his account of meeting with a judge about a restraining order. We find out that Nick and his ex-girlfriend Caitlin had some sort of conflict or misunderstanding and at best the relationship is "complicated". Nick is mandated to attend family violence group therapy for 6 months and he must write in a journal on a weekly basis as a supplement to the therapy.

As the story progress, the reader can see the small signs of Nick's controlling behavior, despite his rationalizations for his actions and feelings. We are also able to see multiple families and their histories of abuse through the group therapy scenes. As the story progresses, it becomes more obvious that Nick not only has anger and relationship issues, but his father seems to have passed these traits on to his son.

What I find fabulous about this book is that it doesn't try to tie the package off with a neat bow- which is refreshing. There is hope, but there is the reality that individuals need to take responsibility for themselves. I particularly enjoyed the fact that I really found myself looking forward to the end of the book because it wasn't predictable and I could still relate to the characters, or at least to their emotions. My only criticism of the book was that there seemed to be a nonchalance about underage drinking- whereas this bothered me, even though this nonchalance & drinking had much to do with the protagonist's viewpoint. The notion that underage drinking is a negative action was very, very subtle- to the point where the average teen (and even I) might deem the drinking as endorsed. But, I think there is some good in focusing on one large issue at a time; it prevents the book from getting preachy- Flinn mastered teaching without being preachy by her use of characters and their emotions.

Overall, I was so impressed by this book, I've been seriously considering working it into my curriculum. I even recommended it (and offered to share the book while I was still reading it) to a male student who had indicated that he and his father have had some "rough patches," because I could tell that Flinn was a master at tackling the subject.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

I ran across the book Monster by Walter Dean Myers as I was looking for something to read while I would be proctoring OGTs last week. I knew I'd be safe with something by Myers because of the way he created such an amazing story with realistic characters in Fallen Angels. I love the fact that Myers usually has Black young men and his protagonists- it's a refreshing change from most YA lit. I finished the book two days after I got it out of the library. I'd guess it took me an absolute max of four hours to read. I had to chuckle because I never read a book this quickly during the school year- because of everything else that needs to be done before I do "fun" reading.

What made this book so readable? The story is set up in the format of a diary and a screen play. The protagonist, Steve Harmon is up on trial for robbery and murder. It's unclear, until the end of the book, what role this young Black man had in the robbery and murder because the reader simply gets the happenings within the court (as people testify and as he meets with his lawyers).

Steve repeatedly describes the prison system and the legal system from his perspective. The only question I have about believability is, would a 16 year old simply on trial really be placed in a regular prison if he didn't make bail? Seems that a young man in this position would be more likely to end up in a juvie system until being tried as an adult. Then again, that's just my perspective and I'm no lawyer.

As the book progresses, the reader is drawn to Steve because he seems to be a nice kid from a loving family who seems to have just known some shady characters. The moral of the story seems to be that it's easy for anyone to get put into a position where his or her character and any acquanitances' characters may be put on trial. Overall, a fabulous read, and I'm sure that my students would especially enjoy it because it delves into the dark side, but does so in a teen-appropriate manner.

Pop (by Gordon Korman) with *spoiler alert*

I think Pop was the third book I've ready by Gordon Korman and it wasa bit more than just the fluff I expected. Korman has a knack for putting out books with teenage boys finding themselves in self discovery mode. Pop is one of Korman's newer novels, but it doesn't disappoint in following the formula that both Son of the Mob and Born to Rock followed. The main character is looking for himself through some conflict, he finds himself in a sticky situation and lies in order to be loyal to his fellows, and then the conflict resolves itself and everyone sees how truly good this protagonist is (and the lies are miraculously forgotten). I guess I'm getting cynical in my old age. However, with this Korman novel, the lighthearted gives way to larger, unresolved issues.

Pop follows Marcus Jordan, a newcomer in a town with a football addiction problem. Jordan is psyched to try out for the team, but he's treated like a newbie even though he is pretty decent. As Jordan begins to learn his place on the team (making the 1st string QB, Troy, look good), he begins to practice at a local park on his own time. As things will have it, a stranger begins to join his practice and this stranger has the habit of randomly showing up and randomly leaving, in addition to giving Marcus a helluva beating with tackling practice.

Marcus finds himself drawn into a handful of pranks with the adult stranger he practices with, who we finally find out is named Charlie. Each time, Marcus gets busted and Charlie disappears leaving Marcus with the wrap. Marcus continues to get notoriety for his skills and he begins to be used for his newfound tackling abilities.

Marcus continues to push for the role of QB, but the coach resists, insisting that Troy is the best bet. As well, a girl starts to show interest in Marcus, and she just happens to be Troy's on-again-off-again girlfriend. In the meanwhile, Marcus realizes that Charlie is actually Troy's father, after Charlie congratulates Marcus after a game and Troy responds negatively.

While the story at first seems to be about father-son problems, the reader actually find out that Charlie's peculiar behavior is due to the fact that Charlie's taken one to many hits to the head while being a professional player for the Bengals. Marcus begins to do research on Charlie's condition and realizes Charlie has a form of early on-set Alzheimers common to professional athletes with repetitive head injuries. This information further digs Marcus into a hole with Charlie's family because they don't want the public to know, but Charlie's antics have left Marcus holding the bag legally.

Marcus finds himself angling against Charlie's family so that Charlie can be honored by his college alma mater. When this angling doesn't work, Marcus enlists Charlie's old high school buddy to help take Charlie to the Hall of Fame recognition at the college. Charlie's family finds out what's going on once they see Charlie online at the alma mater and Marcus ends up in more trouble with the law- but this time for kidnapping Charlie.

Marcus ends up taking over the QB position from Troy because Troy is unable to cope with his father's Alzheimers and the family decides to finally deal with the Alzheimers head-on. The arrange for Charlie to enter a nursing home. While the antics appear to be over, an old prank involving a stolen hawk reemerges in a tragic, yet dignified form. Korman manages to take a seemingly light-hearted topic into a statement about dignity and respect for the human body's capabilities.

Far From You- *spoiler alert*

I read Far From You by Lisa Schroeder a few weeks ago. I can see how some of my high school students, especially female romantics, might really enjoy it, but it was another one that was a bit too predictable for me.

The book uses lyric poetry, like Crank (by Ellen Hopkins) and quite a few other YA lit. novels. I enjoy this style in that it's a super fast read, but I feel that it's become a bit of a cop-out for true novel writing. Nonetheless, the story was sweet. It's about a teenage girl, going through a typical rebellious stage. Alice, the girl, has recently lost her mother to cancer and Alice's father has remarried and the step-mother has a baby soon after we meet Alice.

Alice it less than thrilled about the baby, particularly because it takes away the little time her father still spends with her (rather than with the step mom). Alice uses her angst to write emo, christian tunes with her best friend, Claire.

Alice also has a sweet, but slacker boyfriend that is less than supportive of Alice's religious choices. I found myself rooting against the slacker boyfriend (yes, his name is Blaze), despite the fact that he has a few moments of clarity regarding encouraging Alice to at least give her step-mom a chance.

While Alice gets into an argument with her friend, and she is forced to go on a family trip, the turning point finally comes: she gets trapped in the snow with her baby step-sister and step-mother on the way home from the family trip. Alice finally has to face her issues with her step-mother and really with her late-mother.

Of course, Alice, the baby and the step-mom get rescued (after the step-mom leaves for help) and Blaze, Claire, and the father all meet the popsicle-like ladies at the hospital for a happy reunion- vowing to put all of their differences aside.

In order to spice up the story, I kept hoping to find out the deceased mother would come back to haunt someone or that vampires would show up on the scene and force the family and friends to bond in order not to become a juicy dinner. I guess this means I'm ready to get back to reading some of the usual depressing teen lit. (vampires, murders, drugs, etc.). Maybe it's time to re-read Catcher in the Rye.

Saturday Night Dirt

I was pleasantly surprised by Saturday Night Dirt by Will Weaver. I'm by no means a racing fan, but he actually got me thinking that I could actually enjoy watching dirt-track racing or enjoy being on one of crew or drivers. His book was also fabulous in the fact that I felt like this was actually possibly since there were female drivers and the main character- if there was actually one main character- was the track manager, a teenager named Mel (Melody Walters).

The story follows a handful of drivers- both young and older. The young track manager Melody is trying to help her father, who is now bound to a wheelchair, salvage a deteriorating dirt racetrack. Mel and her dad are on a limited budget and they have limited time before the Saturday night racing begins. There's a significant threat of thunderstorms, but the Walters aren't willing to waste an opportunity to save their business and get in some racing.

The story also follows a young driver named Trace Bonham, who is currently at odds with his mechanic. Another young driver Beau Kim adds the perspective of a young driver trying to scrap together any parts he can, with the help of his young crew members, to even compete alongside drivers with sponsors.

LOLling: Son of the Mob

I had been looking for some non-girly books and wasn't disappointed with Son of the Mob by Gordon Korman. I read his book Born to Rock earlier this summer and got a kick out of it, so I figured I was ready for S.o.t.M.

Did I enjoy it? Definitely. And, I think I read it in a record 3 days (even with teaching & grading full time!), which is probably a record for me. The last book I probably read as quickly was The Beach, by Alex Garland (which will be a whole blog in itself at some point).

Aside from wanting to see if Korman do amuse me again, I was intrigued by the book because a few of my colleagues have used the book with their predominantly male classes (where I teach it's not uncommon to have one-gender classes because the students are sometimes separated according to which occupation they're pursuing, such as Cosmetology or Auto Body).

S.o.t.M. was an easy and fast read, which I needed. It involves a mob-boss's son, Vince. Vince has become the victim of his father's success. Vince tries desperately to do something, anything, without getting preferential treatment because of his father's business. He even joins the football team, figuring he can work his way into the popular crowd and meet some ladies, but he finds out that his father's influence instead insures that the opposing team avoids tackling Vince. One Vince catches on, he sees his only option as quitting the team--in order to end the madness.

With this guesture, Vince intrigues a school-newspaper girl named Kendra. Vince blows her off... but they end up running into one another later in the week at a college party. At the party, Vince pretends to be Kendra's boyfriend in order to free her from a frat-boy hanger-on. Somehow, the two end up making out and then inevitably a fist fight breaks out and pushes them different directions, unable to locate one-another again at the party. Vince is convinced it must have been a fluke, but he ends up meeting up with Kendra after school one day by offering her a ride to go pick up meds. to get rid of lice (Kendra works in a pre-school and managed to get it and pass it to Vince). From there, their love blooms over washing one another's hair with lice-b-gone treatments.

While everything seems hunky-dorey for the love birds, Vince finds out that Kenda is actually an FBI agent's daughter... and most likely one that's been listening to Vince's family on wire taps and bugs. Vince doesn't exactly offer up this info and he finds himself stuck in the middle of being Anthony Luca's son and Agent Blightly's daughter's new squeeze. Can we say Romeo and Juliet? The good news in that these two kids realize suicide is not the answer.

As Vince toils with his role as a son and boyfriend, he also gets sucked into helping out not-so-reputable characters by acting as a low-interest loan-shark. Vince hasn't exactly got the mob-boss intuition, particularly because his morals have a tendency to get the better of him and put him into a few tricky situations... which eventually comes to a head and also gets brought to Kendra's attention.

Perpetual Night-time: Marked

I just finished Marked this afternoon. I picked it up for summer reading because I've had a few students talk the book up and read every book in the series. It's co-written by P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast, a mother-daughter team. Some of the content struck me as quite interesting, particularly knowing the authors' relationship. The book finally began to win me over by about page 200 (out of 307 pages), and I could see how the book was easily part of a series- because of the slow buildup to the story itself.

The story begins with Zoey, an above average 16 year old. She's pretty (but she tries to pretend not to know it) and she's smart- so smart that she realizes her best friend, Kayla, and her ex-almost boyfriend, Heath, are even more moronic than they first appear. However, it takes her a week into the story to realize this, because all she needs is a little perspective, vampire perspective. The conflict is simply this: Zoey has just found out that she's 'marked' to become a vampire and she has now been rejected by her "People of Faith" loving friends and family- with the exception of her grandmother- who has strong Cherokee roots, religiously and biologically. Zoey runs away from her house to visit her grandmother and ends up at the House of Night after a vision-inducing fall (or because of one?). The House of Night is the vampire school that helps 'fledglings' adjust to the idea of 'vampyre' life.

The vampires (the Casts refer to them as vampyres) take classes in the middle of the night. The life seems like a night boarding school, except that magic and religion come into the school. The hocus-pocus is thick in the book and I couldn't help but read while imagining parents throwing fits about the blood drinking, religious circles, possible ghosts, and the rejection of the "opiate of the masses' (but, somehow thinking that the magic performed in the name of the Goddess Nyx doesn't fall under this category).

While at the House of Night, Zoey inevitably finds friends and finds that she is gifted. Of course there is a mean, popular girl who tries to make Zoey's life hell, but then Zoey shows this mean girl a thing or two.

I had a hard time buying into the book, but finally it took off around page 200 as Zoey begins to have contact with her love interest and she begins to use her abilities and "affinities" for improvement at the House of Night.

I appreciate the Casts' creative version of 'vampyres' and use of magic and Native American traditions, but it seemed that there was an overwhelming amount of text devoted to telling the potions and ceremonies rather than the story itself. However, once the story finally started to take off with Zoey and her friends, I began to like the story a bit, but I couldn't help but be reminded of Harry Potter. With this said, I think I'll stick with Harry Potter if I want magic and a creative storyline. But, knowing that the Casts' stories are still getting my students to love reading, I'd suggest reading the books for yourself, and rumor has it (on PC cast's blog- linked at the top of this blog entry) that the books may be made into movies.

Milkweed

I picked up Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed because I'd loved his book Maniac Magee when I was a teenager. Milkweed is about a young boy, who's an orphan, during WWII. The young boy doesn't exactly have a name until he joins with other orphans and one of the older boys, Uri, starts to keep an eye out for the young boy. Uri makes up a story and a name for the nameless orphan, who Uri has named Misha Pilsudski. Misha become quite good at stealing food and he learns to steal from a variety of places.

While stealing some tomatoes from a garden, Misha meets a girl his age, who lives at the house near the garden. This girl, Janina, invites Misha to her birthday party. Misha comes to the party, and he runs away with the girl's cake. In return for the cake, Misha returns later and leaves a present for her on her door stoop. Janina begin a friendship in which they leave presents or food for one another on the door stoop. After a period of this, Janina's family gets taken away with other Jews to the Warsaw Ghetto. In the meantime, the orphan boys have been sleeping whereever they can and they've been talking about how they're all Jews, gypsies or some other form of unwanted people. Eventually, the orphans get thrown into the ghetto too.

The boys figure out ways to continue to steal food within the ghetto, and finally they get desperate enough to find ways in and out of the ghetto to steal food from restaurants, homes and trashcans. Misha meets up with Janina and her family and he begins to bring their family food that he's stolen. After a while, Janina's family essentially allows him to stay with them when he wants and Janina's father begins to show that he cares about Misha through simple acts of giving Janina and Misha small presents and kind words. Of course, things aren't exactly hunky-dory in the ghetto as the food situation and the rampant murder of Jews by Nazis continues in and out of the ghetto. With this, Janina's father convinces the children that the two of them need to sneak out of the ghetto and stay out because the danger is becoming too great.

While I enjoyed the book as a whole because it reminded me of The Book Thief and it's an interesting time period, I was disappointed with the ending. I enjoyed the characters in that they were each unique and the children's perspectives were interesting in that their naivete created a compelling story.

Someone Like You

Someone Like You, by Sarah Dessen, is another feel-good teenage romance and friendship novel. The book starts with Scarlett finding out that her best friend, Halley, has just lost her summer-fling to a motorcycle accident. To complicate things, most of their classmates don't even realize that Halley and her soul-mate, Michael, have been seeing one another. This becomes a bit awkward when Halley and Scarlett attend the funeral and some of Michael's ex-girlfriends are convinced that he was still in love with them.

Then the bomb drops- Halley finds out she's prego. after having only had sex with Michael (or any one for that matter) once. Halley's mother is less than supportive and sees an abortion as the only way to 'solve' the situation. Meantime, Scarlet is falling in love with a pseudo-bad boy Macon. Scarlett and Macon continue to hang out with one another and gradually Halley begins to cover for Scarlett so that she can sneak off to hang out and make out with Macon.

As Halley and Macon get more serious, she starts to realize how little she actually knows about Macon, but she's still drawn to him despite her parents not exactly approving of the relationship. Someone Like You demonstrates the extents that friendships extend, even through extenuating circumstances. It's a fun, quick read, particularly if you're looking for some fluffy, girly drama.

Bottled up

I'm on a bit of a tight schedule, so I'll make this really quick, but I need to get it out before I get distracted by a new book. I just finished Bottled Up by Jaye Murray and it was just what I needed after reading a few light-hearted, girly romance novels. Bottled Up is about a teenager named Pip (stands for Phillip), who's dealing with a set of deadbeat parents. Pip is no angel himself. He's in trouble from the start. His favorite past-times: smoking pot and skipping class. He finds himself in a predicament when he lands himself in the principal's office and Principal Giraldi is in the process of calling's Pip's father, when Pip reaches over the desk and hangs up Giraldi's phone on his dad- to Giraldi's astonishment. Giraldi gets it. The one thing/person Pip is afraid of and will do anything to avoid is his alcoholic, abusive father. Giraldi makes a deal with Pip that if Pip begins counseling then Giraldi won't call Pip's father & rat him out about having an addiction problem ( Pip's parents actually don't realize Pip has a marijuana problem because they're both too busy with alcohol and pills).

Aside from Pip, a large portion of the book is actually about Mikey, Pip's 6-year-old brother. As a reader, it's easy to see how Mikey is beginning to follow in his brother's footsteps and ultimately their father's footsteps. However, it's hard for Pip to realize the problem is that he's taking after his father... until the therapist finally lets Pip demonstrate it to himself. This book is perfect for anyone who's ever dealt with substance abuse themselves or within their family. It's also a good book for teens in that it really shows how there are always choices, even when it doesn't seem like there are.

For sweet dreams: Guyaholic

Guyaholic, by Carolyn Mackler, is a pseudo-sequel to Mackler's Vegan Virgin Valentine. But instead of following her main character, Mara, from Vegan Virgin Valentine, she actually follows the protagonist's neice (who is only two years younger than Mara). The reader does not need to have read VVV, but it helps to understand the family dynamics better.

Virginia, or V as she's known by friends and family, is a classic 'bad girl.' She likes sleeping around, smoking pot, and she has a strained relationship with her mother. By the time Guyaholic begins the story, V has actually started to get her life together and she's preparing to go to college the following year- most likely on a scholarship for her singing and acting skills. V, gets hit in the head with a hockey puck at a game and she wakes up bleeding on a cute boy's lap. This cute boy, Sam, becomes her latest infatuation. Sam is a good guy and V's family- at least the grandparents she lives with- loves him.

But of course, this it just the beginning of the book.

Things are all fine and dandy until Sam starts to ask V about her mom and Sam starts to expect V to show up to his family functions. V, not wanting to be 'attached' to someone, or even be perceived as being attached to some one, decides to do what she does best-- screw up. She starts a fight with him and then proceeds to get caught by Sam's little sister making out with a previous fling.

V, regrets her actions, only in that she still wants Sam. About this same time, V and her mom seem to be on decent terms, even though V's mom managed to flake out again and she didn't/ "couldn't" show up for V's graduation. For some crazy reason, V decides to take up Amy (her mom) on visiting her in Texas. As a reader, I cringed knowing that something would manage to show Amy as unreliable yet again.

V runs into Sam's little sister at the grocery store and finds out that Sam is in California already for college, even though it doesn't start for another month or so.

V, with her mom's help, convinces her grandparents that she has enough money and is responsible enough to travel across the country (V lives in New York) to visit Amy, her mom.

Along the way, V gets lost on the first leg of the trip, sleeps with a friend's friend's son (V is staying at the friend's friend's house), meets up with old family friends and babysits for a few days, and then finally makes it to Texas with only a few hours until possibly seeing her mom.

Of course, things don't exactly go as planned. V has some major realizations and a random salsa-making bartender helps her come to her senses.

Overall, this was the perfect read for the summertime and it might have been even better if I'd been on a road trip. It didn't seem to show V in as edgy as VVV did (but VVV was also from a different perspective), but it was good for showing that boredom breeds drama.

Saint Iggy

Saint Iggy, by K.L. Going, was another early summer read for me. It's another good read for someone interested in witnessing the effects of drugs on families and entire communities. While Crank includes a female protagonist whose father is a user (and she becomes a user), Saint Iggy uses a male protagonist who abstains, but knows all of the ins and outs of the trade because his mother has been a user as long as Iggy's been alive.

Iggy's story begins with him getting kicked out of class and being sent to the principal's office for following a cute girl to class and being belligerent with the teacher. Iggy realizes he doesn't want to simply be a waste as he's talking with the principal. Iggy wants to do something to make people think he's special or outstanding in some way. Henceforth, Iggy digs for ideas to become great while he serves an out of school suspension. Iggy finds himself in limbo because he's trying to figure out how to become stand-up citizen while he waits to have a hearing about whether or not he'll be allowed to remain at school or if he'll be expelled.

In the meantime, Iggy visits his pseudo-friend Mo, who is a privileged college dropout with a penchant for pot and bastardized Buddhist tendencies. Iggy looks up to Mo because he thinks he's smart and super chill, but as the story goes on it's easy to see that Mo has idealized the idea of poverty and choosing to do without. Iggy and Mo are bored and Mo agrees to try to help Iggy come up with a good idea for Iggy to win over the Superintendant at the upcoming expulsion hearing. Instead, Iggy ends up showing Mo where to find more drugs, because Iggy is hoping to locate his absentee mother, who's been 'out visiting' for several weeks.

Mo ends up buying more drugs than he can pay for, so he owes Freddie the dealer several thousand dollars. Iggy realizes what a terrible position Mo is in, so he agrees to help Mo pay off Freddie. Mo and Iggy go to visit Mo's mom, who Mo hasn't had contact with for some time. Mo's mom turns out to be a rich, doting, full-time volunteer. Mo plans to use his mom's guilt against her to get the drug money and it backfires. She refuses to give him the money (she doesn't know it's to pay off a drug dealer) and in the meantime Iggy ends up bonding with her and he tells her about his potential expulsion. Mo's mom takes Iggy in and treats him to an expensive haircut and lends him Mo's clothes for the hearing, all while Mo tries to figure out how to get the money from his mom.

While giving Mo some time to try to beg his mom for money, Iggy finds himself at a church looking for some answers as to how to become a hero. It's obvious that Iggy isn't familiar with church, but he ends up deciding to come back for the Christmas Eve service, which is the same night Mo owes the money to Freddie. As much as the reader simply wants Mo to fall off a cliff and have Iggy move in with a functional parent, Iggy realizes he can't take Mo's place. Iggy helps Mo go meet with the drug dealer, Freddie, and Iggy has a last minute plan that helps Mo the way he needs to be helped the most.

Buzzing on: Crank

I had numerous students that read Crank (by Ellen Hopkins) before I finally set it on my book pile on my dresser. I was particularly thrilled with how quickly I flew through it since it's a series of poems- free verse, shape poems, etc.- that all tell the story of Kristina, AKA Bree. Kristina visits her deadbeat dad one summer for a few weeks and it gives her the opportunity to fall into lust with a cute, dangerous two-timing drug user. Kristina starts to go by Bree when she introduces herself with this fake name to this bad-boy named Adam. Strangely enough, her dad doesn't seem to mind her hanging out with Adam too much as long as it doesn't get in the way of his habits- alcohol, pot & crank. Her dad spends lots of time sleeping off his hangovers and when he's not high (and sometimes even when he is) he works at a local bowling alley.

Kristina becomes hot and heavy with her new squeeze, Adam, but she never actually does the deed with him. But, she does witness Adam's other girlfriend, Lince, land in the hospital after doing too many drugs and taking a flying leap (or trip?) off a balcony onto her head. Adam is obviously torn between the two girls, but somehow he just manages to compartmentalize- and Bree doesn't seem to really mind that much. Adam arouses all kinds of new sensations for Kristina (Bree) as she finds her 'bad' self- snorting powder and fooling around in semi-public and private places.

Kristina finally has to fly home. She realizes that her dad really is a pathetic loser, but she doesn't see any problems with picking up his bad habits. Before she knows it, she's home having problems with her Mom and Stepdad and she's the new center of attention in her hometown. She's dropped weight because she's never hungry (she's using still) and she gets involved with a couple of guys- both of whom she runs into at the town pool. Slowly, what's left of Kristina, fades completely into irritable and dangerous Bree- who's always looking for action.

Bree gets calls from Adam and he continues to tell her that he loves her, but then he talks about he's back together with Lince. Meantime, Bree is on the verge of giving up her V-card, but she can't decide when and which guy- Brendan or Chase- to give it up to. Finally, Brendan makes up her mind for her, when he gets annoyed at her reluctance and rapes her. Only at this point does she realize that Chase is the obvious better pick and she begins spending all of her time with Chase, who is also getting her drugs.

Bree continues her love affair with 'the monster' and she realizes one of her dorky friend's sisters knows where to find more crank. Meantime, Bree's mother is in a state of denial, while her step-father is obviously concerned and tries to make the mother come to. Of course, something in the story has to change in order for Bree to realize she's totally screwing up her life, but it isn't her parents getting tough with her. It's something a little bit more "revealing."

Overall, the book is captivating, but could easily be seen as glorifying the lifestyle of using because the author has a way of making your mouth water for more drama. It also makes you want to rebel a little, but snap out of it when you realize you appreciate having a loving family, trustworthy friends and all of your teeth.

Slacking and Breaking Dawn

To say the least, I've been completely on my summer schedule, which means nothing has a set time and I've been trying to get my master's research done in lieu of teaching regular classes. Nonetheless, I have been reading. A lot. The book that led me into summer was Breaking Dawn- for better or worse.

And that's what it was about: for better or for worse, Bella and Edward actually are married. Yes, Bella gets pregnant and everyone freaks out about it. Jacob is still Bella's weird friend-love interest, but Bella keeps Jacob at a safe distance. The book is written from Jacob's perspective and Bella's perspective, but surprisingly it never takes Edward's perspective- which was a disappointment. It seemed that a large focus of this book was vampire sex- without ever saying the word sex (if i remember correctly). Bella also starts to find herself dreaming about a child and not so surprisingly we find out she's pregnant- even though all of the vampires didn't think that a vampire could impregnate a mortal- despite distant legends of such things.

Of course the entire Cullen family dotes on Bella, and Bella needs it because she's being broken from the inside by her vampire baby. Bella does have the baby under dire circumstances and she gets ripped open by the other vampires in order to save her (vampire's teeth are the only thing that can open up her calloused belly0. And on this note, as Bella is dying on the makeshift delivery table in the Cullens' home, Edward transforms her and she begins her recovery process. The only thing I could think during this scene was "How are they going to put that in a PG-13 movie?" While the rest of the books were pretty tame, this one does include some gruesome stuff- then again that's pregnancy. No one ever said it was pretty.

Of course the Italian Vampires are ticked about the potential of an immortal child. But, the child isn't immortal- it's just 'gifted'. So, the Cullens are on the run until Alice hatches a plan and then 'runs away'. We find out Bella actually does have a 'gift'- which is the highlight of the whole book. (So I won't actually give that away.) Was it worth reading 600 some pages? Nope, except to know that any movie version will be so bastardized and potentially gruesome that it probably won't happen.

To stop thinking about nightmares: Seedfolks

Last night I kept waking up because I was having terrible nightmares. All the nightmares were a variation of one theme: being hunted by someone wanting to kill me. To say the least, the last thing I wanted to do each time I woke up was think about violence, which made me wish a had a copy of one of my favorite books at home: Seedfolks.

I continue to enjoy reading Seedfolks because it's one of the few books I can always count on to leave me feeling warm and fuzzy while reading, but not because it's sappy. I've even tried reading some silly kids' poems by Shel Silverstein and even reading Silverstein's poetry while I'm upset can be problematic because he sometimes has really bizaare illustrations and bizaare topics for the poetry (Skin-stealer is the name of one!). I love Silverstein's work, but sometimes I need something even more G-rated. I also have a birding guide, a tree guide and a flower guide on my nightstand in case I'm having a hard time clearing my head of stressful thoughts.

Seedfolks is a wonderful, short novel by Paul Fleischman (Sid Fleischman's son). It's set in Cleveland, OH, which is one of my favorite cities. The book follows 12+ different characters and it's told from each of their perspectives. There are a few characters mentioned in the novel briefly, but they don't get a chance to give their perspectives as well.

One of the main themes of the book is the notion that gardening is a universal theme- which means gardening bridges all cultures. The story shows problems with racial prejudice and the author is fabulous in that he recognizes stereotypes and he turns them upside down- by having the characters give their perspectives. This is a fabulous book for students to read in order to think about perspectives and the irrationality of prejudices.

As well, I enjoy this book because it shows the reader that individuals can make a difference. Reading Seedfolks makes you want to get involved in your community rather than sit back and simply gripe about the problems. I'm in the process of using this book as a spring board for talking about environmentalism, community, and diversity.

Another reason I love this book is because it's short! Most students can read this book in 2-3, 45 minute class periods. I set aside two periods to read it and allow my slow readers to borrow the book overnight. Depending on the version of the book, it's anywhere from 60 pages to 100 (which includes an afterward by the author). It's perfect for squeezing in between projects or even as a quick wrap-up book for the end of the year (especially because it's nice to read about the outdoors during spring/summer). As a whole, my students seem to really enjoy it and can usually relate to at least one of the characters because of the character diversity (from pregnant hispanic teen to a middle aged widower working as a janitor). The students also appreciate the little humor in such situations as a teenage boy being convinced to grow pumpkins for profit rather than farming marijuana.

Sleeping problems? Easy solution: Kipling's "Kim"

So I may be unfair in saying this, but Kim by Rudyard Kipling is far from a sleeper pick... unless you mean you want to be snoring. I know I've said previously that I'm a picky reader, but I gave Kim more than a fair chance. I actually read the whole thing. What did I get out of it? All but the Red Badge of Courage. (That's another book for another day.)

What do I remember about the book? I remember Kim being some sort of go-between servant who does a bit of traveling by foot (if I'm actually remembering correctly). The book seemed to be set in colonial India, which has plenty of potential for richness in texture and interest for the reader, but I don't remember getting any such satisfaction out of the book. I'm sure I was just simply 'missing something.' Then again, sometimes readers and critics like to hype books for being 'so deep' when the author was actually unfocused and meandering without a real point, except for a point for the 'readers to discover.' In reality, this means the author forgot his/her original intent (if there was any!) and the author needed a cop-out phrase. Which brings me back to Kim.

A friend recently bought this book at a used book sale and I told him afterward that had I known he was going to buy the book, I would have told him to save his 30 cents- unless he was planning to use it as fire-starter.

I originally bought the book at Barnes and Noble because I respect the idea of reading classics. This is mainly due to my previous belief that being well-versed in classic literature was the key to nirvana. Which is probably why I made the mistake of reading Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse as well. Consider yourself cautioned... unless you're looking for material to bore you to tears or to bore you to sleep.

Awake because of nightmares: Sold

I started reading Sold by Patricia McCormick last Wednesday evening. I read about half of the book in one setting and I was quite impressed. Patricia McCormick also wrote Cut, which is about self abuse and the idea of 'cutting,' so I knew I had a safe bet by returning to read more of McCormick's work.

While I had a tough time getting past the first few pages of Sold because the book is written more as lyric poetry, I quickly found myself swept away with the main character's story. She's a girl- some might even dare to say young woman- named Lakshmi, about 13 years old living in Nepal. Her mother is trying to support the girl, herself, a sickly baby and a crippled and seemingly lazy step-father. The reader gets a rich description of the shack and small village in which the girl and her family are living. The reader also finds out that Lakshmi is already promised to be married to a boy in the village. Her mother, Ama, seems sweet and fragile because of her co-dependence on any man willing to be married to her. The baby is helpless and restless, and the young protagonist merely is naive and optimistic. The step-father has a gambling problem and he considers himself unfit for work because of his crippled arm. While Ama dotes on the baby and her 'big baby' of a husband, Ama is unable to support the family with meager vegetables, especially by the time the drought and the flood hit the vulnerable family garden.

Bad becomes worse. The mother sells her earrings, which were meant to be the young protagonist's dowry, in order to feed the family. While at a local festival, the Lakshmi happens upon a woman who promises to make the girl enough money to pay for nice things, food and enough money to buy her family a new roof (apparently it rains a lot in Nepal). The less-than-sympathetic step-father agrees with the girl's plan to go to the city and work "as a maid."

After the naive Lakshmi eaves for the city with her "Auntie," who is the woman who made the promises of working for money, the girl is then sold to a man who makes the girl call him "her husband." The reader can see the writing on the wall, but the protagonist obviously is too busy trying to figure out the city to see where her fate is leading her. A few days of traveling from one city to the next larger city, Lakshmi finally arrives at "Happiness House." Just as the reader may guess; it is no place of 'happiness.' Instead the protagonist is forced to work as a prostitute, even though the she has never even had sex before. The girl protests once she finds out how the system works and the madame of the House beats and starves Lakshmi into submission.

Finally, another one of the Happiness House girls comes to visit the Lakshmi to explain how to make the best out of the situation. She explains how sex works, how the girls get paid for it, how to hide the 'tips' she makes from the madame, Mumtaz, and how she may even ask her customers to use condoms (but she will get in trouble if the men make a fit about it).

As the story progresses, the Lakshmi begins to form bonds with the other women and with the children living in Happiness House. As well, one night a man comes to her and she refers to him as the one who 'holds her.' She then begins to count the days since this kind man has visited her and she begins to give up hope that he may visit again...

Sold deals with several topics of consequence: sexism, human trafficking, poverty, STDs, and planned pregnancy. Overall, Sold is considered a Young Adult Fiction novel, but it definitely has some mature themes. Is the book pornography? No. Definitely not. But, could some of the topics make parents squeamish? Definitely. Would I teach this book to my classes? That's a hard one, but probably not. This is only because I'm not sure that all parents would appreciate the content and I'm not sure that I'd want to open up that can of worms. Would I recommend it to mature and interested students? Definitely and I already have. And I recommend it to you, too, my mature and interested student. ;)

wide awake: The Book Thief

The Book Thief is one of two Markus Zusack novels I've read over the past year. The other was I Am the Messenger (which is also enjoyable, but very different from The Book Thief).

The Book Thief is a great read for anyone who's been experiencing a lot of insomnia lately because it will fill the hours of void with a fascinating story. With this said, it's about 550 pages long. First to understand the novel, you must understand that Death is narrating. Death begins narrating talking about his life and his meager pleasures. The book then transitions into the actual story about a little girl named Liesel.

We find out that Liesel is being 'abandoned' by her mother. The story is vague as to why Liesel is being shifted to the care of foster parents, but because the story is set during Nazi Germany, so you can imagine the possibilities. Liesel's brother dies during this transition to the foster family, which makes Liesel appear even more alone.

Liesel finds herself in a household less than supportive of Hitler, despite the fact that she must join the BDM (Bundes Deutsch Maedel)- the girls' division of the Hitler Youth. Liesel comes off as a Tom-boy because she plays soccer in the neighborhood, joins a gang of childhood thieves and she beats up classmates who make fun of her reading ability. To say the least, she has chutzpah.

As the story progresses, you find that there are multiple layers of the book to consider. Liesel struggles with her self identity. She struggles with her identity as a 'good German' and she struggles against the effects of Nazi Germany- which means the Holocaust and WWII.

While the novel could begin to feel like a history book, it's anything but. Zusack makes sure to include some love, mystery and thievery to tell the story of a little girl who could really be living at any time period with such conflicts. Technically the book is labeled as a Young Adult novel, but the adult reader will find enough German and historical references to keep his/her brain busy connecting the events in the background with the story in the forefront. You will forget you'd ever even thought about sleeping once you get your hands on this literary crack.