Divergent

Folks, I promise I'm still reading, but with being so busy teaching my reading has definitely decreased.  I finished the Midnighters series and read a few other things, but you know I don't like to post about sequels because it feels awkward and forced.

I don't remember who recommended Divergent to me or why I chose to read it, but it came up at the library from me putting it on hold.  Basically this girl, Beatrice, lives in a dystopian society (SHOCKER).  People are sorted into four factions: amity (which focuses on kindness), candor (focuses on honesty), erudite (which focuses on intelligence), dauntless (which focuses on bravery), and abnegation (which focuses on selflessness).  Each group chose their focus based on what they think is society's greatest weakness.  Kids live with their parents until they're 16 at which point they take and aptitude test and choose whether they would like to carry on living in their own faction or move to one that suits their personality better.  This is where the story begins.

It took me awhile to get into this book, but it was very interesting.  Not terribly unique in this time the market is flooded with dystopian novels, but a good read nonetheless.  I'm not sure if there's plans for a sequel or not.  The way the book ended, it could go either way.  The story was complete enough, but there was some cliff hanger and unfinished story lines.  Either way, I hope nobody tells me about it if there is.  I just don't want to know because then I'll have to read it and I'm currently drowning in the amount of books I have to read and other things to do.  If you need something to read, give Divergent a try.  It's pretty good read with a solid story and great descriptions.

Bossypants

So, Tina Fey's autobiography: not a classroom book.  This goes without saying, yes?  But we're all allowed to read a grown up book on occasion, also yes?

Listen, it took me forever to read this book, but not because it's unreadable.  Simply, as I previously stated, I was insanely busy and insanely busy people don't get to sit for three hours and finish a book.  That's just how life works.  Tina Fey is funny, thus this book is funny.  Also, the cover freaks me out.  Let me just say, though, that if you're ultra sensitive to content and some crude humor (Harry Potter makes me want to spell that humour) and language then don't read it.  It's not the kind of funny for you.  I really enjoyed the stream of consciousness kind of jump around plot line that none the less presents a full and complete story with some personal insight.  Recommend? Yes, but it's not for everyone.

Percy Jackson

Hey all, sorry I dropped of the face of the planet.  I got a teaching job at the last minute and had a lot to do.  I finished the Percy Jackson series and quite enjoyed it (the fourth and fifth books were my favorites), but not enough to start reading the other Camp Half-Blood books and wait for them to come out.  I think the series as a whole is a great fantasy read for kids and you don't really have to be concerned much with content except for the youngest readers.  Perhaps I'm a little too liberal on this front, but I don't think any of the content would prevent me from letting a reader of any age read it.  It's not nightmare material in my opinion.

Anyway, just wanted to let you all know that I am still reading (and my books are currently late to the library) and I'm alive.  What are you reading these days?

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Folks I finally read the next book in the Percy Jackson series and the word is in: I enjoyed it.

I avoided the Percy Jackson books for a long time because of the frequent comparison between them and the Harry Potter series.  Now that I am reading them I do think they're good, but the juxtaposition baffles me even more.  Sure, they both have young, male, slightly magical protagonists, but that's it.  Oh yeah, there's a prophecy, but they aren't even related.  Stop comparing them, they're not the same.

In this book Percy is trying to find the golden fleece (yeah, that same one from Jason) and save camp half-blood.  Luke is still around working his wickedness and rebelling against the Olympians.  Annabeth is helping Percy and Grover is stuck in a doomed relationship.  I really hate reviewing sequels because you don't want to ruin the first book by giving stuff away and usually the plot points are related and it's so frustrating.  Listen: chances are if you read the first one and liked it you'll read this one like I did and you'll like it too.

I think I figured out why the Percy Jackson books are so fun and enjoyable.  They read like a good blog.  The first person, the hilarious chapter titles, the matter of fact way of writing that creates a casual tone, it's just good stuff.  So I'll read the third book.  I'm not chomping at the bit like I was with Harry Potter to get my hands on anything even remotely related, but I do enjoy them.  

Delirium

Delirium is another dystopian novel.  Shocker.  In this story love has been classified as a disease and everyone must undergo a procedure to receive "the cure" when they turn 18.  The government then matches them with a person of the opposite gender and sets them on a life path as an upstanding member of society.  No pain, very little crime, and minuscule divorce rates.  

Sounds like a pretty decent premise and right up my alley, but I didn't love this book.  The plot felt too much like it was trying to be Uglies.  Not only that, but this book is long (around 450 pages).  I don't have any problem with long books if the story is long, but this one suffered from a lack of editing.  The story dragged and lagged at places and the set-up took approximately forever.  Take out about 50 pages and I think I'd like this book 50% more.  It wasn't terrible, but not one I'm recommending as my most favorite of all time (hasn't that been the case with a lot of my books lately?).  Also boo, I just found out there is going to be a sequel next year.  

Paranormalcy

Is it possible to hate the main character and still enjoy the story?  For me that was the case with Paranormalcy.

Evie works for an agency that captures and contains paranormal beings to help protect humanity (including, but not limited to, vampires, werewolves, faeries, and hags).  Her best friend is a mermaid and her ex is a faerie.  When a new species in the form of a boy named Lend shows up at the center where Evie lives and works, things start to go crazy.  Something out in the world is attacking and killing paranormals and he seems to think the killings have something to do with Evie.  Turns out the world doesn't work the way Evie thought it did and things go more than a little haywire. 

I really enjoyed this story (which has elements of Stardust plot line for sure), but Evie got on my last nerve.  I swear she is the most annoying character I've ever read.  In the midst of crisis all she does is act like the most stereotypical form of teenage girl (including zebra print dresses and hot pink boots).  For the love of all that is good an holy she has a pink Tazer that is bedazzled.  I find her so obnoxious and more than a little selfish and air-headed.  However, I like the story enough to be on hold for the next installment.  Make of that what you will.

Crown Duel

Originally, apparently, this book was published as two separate books Crown Duel and Court Duel and are now published together.

I like fantasy, but.  Yes, there is a but.  I prefer fantasy with a link to my world.  Maybe it's because I feel it's more believable or that I could actually participate in this world if I tried hard enough or found the right entryway, but I prefer it.  Think of Harry Potter and Narnia and the way that another world coexists just alongside ours.  I like that.  All of that being said, this book isn't so fantasy-ish.  Magic exists in the world, but the book has a more medieval battle novel feeling than a fantasy.  Mel is a countess of a small county after her father dies.  Her brother and people unite all together to fight the evil king and re-establish fairness and peace.  The band of misfits does well until Mel is captured and taken to the king.  All sorts of drama and escapes follow as well as a very Pride and Prejudice-esque love story and an ending that I didn't see coming.  I enjoyed this book, but I didn't love it.  It took me awhile to get into the story and I never really became overly-intrigued, but it's worth a try if you like this kind of thing.  

Outside In

Apparently a lot of the books I'm reading right now are sequels or follow-ups in some way.  Back in May I read Inside Out.  Finally the sequel Outside In came in at the library and I got a chance to read it.

It's hard for me to review this book without giving away what happened in the previous book and that would make me a jerk.  Just know that this time instead of the Insiders trying to find a way out of their home it seems that someone else is trying to get in.  I can't really give more details than that.  The book was good because it jumped into the action more quickly than the previous one (I'm guessing because readers are already familiar with the world), but gave enough details for me to remember the things I'd forgotten.  I quite enjoyed the book, but I hope it's the last one.  Book series sometimes exhaust me because once I've started I feel like I'm supposed to finish and then I spend so much time waiting for books to come out and it's frustrating.  Maybe I'll become one of those people that doesn't read series until all the books are out.  Anyway, give this series a try.  It's a good one. 

Tweak

I apologize in advance for the fact that I haven't blogged my books lately (I went through many rather quickly while I was home) so I'm trying to catch up all in one day.

Before I tell you my thoughts on Tweak let me just warn you.  This book is not for kids and maybe not even for teenagers.  It's real life in all it's grittiness and problems and that's not what I particularly want kids exposed to (at least not this kind of real life).

Awhile ago I read Beautiful Boy by David Sheff about his son's addiction to meth.  This is the son, Nic's, story from his own point of view.  It was certainly interesting to get the different views on the same basic events.  I really enjoyed the way Nic writes.  He seems to just tell his story the way he might tell it to you in person and uses memories as he thinks of them to fill in the back story.  I enjoyed this book, but I'm extremely frustrated at the same time.  Without giving away everything I'll just say that Nic's story doesn't have the easiest happy ending of all.  It's hard to "watch" someone you've become connected with through their story follow addictive behaviors and mess up their life.  This book has some sex and explicit details of drug use so truly be careful with the audience, including yourself if you're sensitive to these things.  Also following along with the tone of a young guy telling his own story the language is not exactly the cleanest.  

The Dead and the Gone

Hey all, remember when I read this book? Well, I decided to read the next one too, and thus you're getting this post about The Dead and the Gone.

Once again, this book is about what happens in the aftermath of the moon getting pushed dramatically closer to the earth.  This time it follows Alex Morales and his two sisters in New York trying to survive.  The circumstances and preparation of the family is much different from Miranda's family in the previous book, but they face many of the same problems.  The book was pretty good and kept me reading, but I have an issue that also comes from the previous installment.  The teenager main characters are so...unstable or something.  Their tempers flair at the most unhelpful of times.  I'm not exactly the most well-hinged person all the time, but even I can keep it together in an emergency situation.

I don't want to give you too many details because that takes the fun out of you reading it, but I did enjoy this book and read it rather quickly.  I've added the third book to my to read stack and will, of course, let you know my thoughts once I get there.

Midnighters: The Secret Hour

Most of you out there have probably read the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield.  Midnighters is another series that I grabbed to read.  I have extremely mixed feelings about this book.  When I started it I didn't want to like it (because I had a strange, slightly negative experience with the Uglies series), but then the story grabbed me and I got interested.  It's an interesting fantasy tale of what happens during a secret, hidden, twenty fifth hour of the day.  Only a select few people "midnighters" are awake and aware during this time while the rest of the world is frozen.

The book is mysterious and kind of intriguing.  The story has the potential to be awesome, but I really can't decide if I'm going to read the other books or if I'll just read the summaries on Wikipedia.  I love books, but I just struggle with Westerfield's second and third books in a trilogy.  Long story.  

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

I'll admit it, I caved.  I've heard so much about Percy Jackson (and been outraged when it was compared to Harry Potter) and I finally picked one up to read.  Steph loaned me the book and I used it as a nighttime read-aloud with my seven year old niece Destiny while she visited with me.  

So, The Lightning Thief, I liked it.  But, HELLO WORLD STOP COMPARING THIS TO HARRY POTTER.  This is not Harry Potter, it doesn't even have anything to do with a wizard kid.  Percy is a kid in middle school who suddenly starts facing monsters in the most unexpected of places.  When he discovers his best friend is a satyr and he himself is a demi-god (the son of Poseidon in fact) his life changes.  He attends a summer camp for other "half-bloods" (the slang term for demi-gods used in the book) and is given a quest to recover a stolen item.  He faces real gods and even visits the underworld.  I love the unique modern twist put on Greek mythology (one of my favorite subjects even as a kid) and the unexpected visits from monsters.  It was an overall good book and I'll probably read the others, but I'm not near as attached as I was to Harry (am to Harry). 

Toads and Diamonds

It's hard for me to think of something I could or should write about Toads and Diamonds.  I just really didn't like it.  It was SO slow that I just couldn't get into it and it took me almost two weeks to read.  At times the story was incoherent and just jumped around.  I really think the story idea has potential, but I really didn't like this book even a little.

The story is set in a fictional place based on India.  When their father dies sisters Tana and Diribani aren't sure how they're going to survive, until their both blessed with a gift from a goddess.  One speaks gems and flowers while the other speaks toads, frogs, and snakes.  The story follows the sisters as they try to find purpose in their gifts and help their family and friends.

See?  It sounds like a good story with great potential and a rich cultural setting and it was just...boring.  If you care to try it or did and liked it, please feel free to share your thoughts.  I'd love to hear them.

Catching up...

Okay, so I apologize that I have not blogged about any of the books I have been reading lately. Teaching has taken a lot of my time this summer. But I just wanted to let you know about some of the books I have read lately.

The Girl Who Could Fly, LOVED it! It was such a cute story. It was slower at first, but once it picked up I could not put it down.

Speak, did not like. I thought it was very slow throughout the entire book. The end you finally get some answers and then it just ends.

Lock and Key, I stayed up reading until 3am with this one. Loved the beginning, the different time perspectives, but I lost my enthusiasm at the end. I have heard great things about this author, so I am interested in trying her other novels.

Midnight in Austenland, it does not come out until January 2012, but because I worked with shannon hale this summer, I got to read it. I loved it! The twist in this book different from the first book made it unique and new. It was great, get ready for an awesome book.

Harry potter 7, do I need to say anything else.

Considering reading the Alchemist next, any opinions on that?

Life As We Knew It

I know, you know, and pretty much everyone else knows that I love distopian novels (do I spell that differently every time I type it?).  This isn't one, it's more post-apocalyptic.  In truth I could be making up the distinction in my head but I'll explain what I see as the difference.  Distopian (dystopian? I think that's how I usually spell it) novels for me mean a story where the government took control (maybe forcefully and all of a sudden, maybe slowly over time) and tried to make things "better" but really it's all just much worse and messed up.  Post-apocalyptic is more there was a natural disaster or giant apocalypse of some kind and now people are just trying to survive.  To me, The Hunger Games is probably a little of both.  Ok, moving on to this actual book.  

I had absolutely no idea what Life As We Knew It was about before I started it.  Sarah's aunt recommended it to me so I tried it.  On page three I decided I'd never read any of the sequels and thought I'd figured out what the book was about.  I was completely and totally wrong and now I'm on hold for one of the others in the trilogy at the library.  Basic story is an asteroid hits the moon and moves it closer to the earth and all hell breaks loose.  Tide changes cause floods all over the nation (and world) and that's just the beginning.  Miranda and her family do what they can to survive the changes to their small Pennsylvania town.

Listen, I'm not here to just tell you a summary of a book.  If you want that you can get on Wikipedia or any number of other places.  I'm just here to tell you that this is a good book and you should give it a try.  Two parting thoughts.  One: I'm not sure if I'll like the other books in the series since the main character changes and I hate when that happens.  Two: If you read a lot of this book while sleeping (or not sleeping) on the street all night with cops driving by frequently and thousands of other people camped out then you get a really bizarre feeling that maybe the world really is ending and it's very confusing and hard to come back to reality.

The Help

Sarah recommended The Help to me and I thought I'd give it a try.  For the first time I processed this book in a combination of audio book and reading.  It was weird and not necessarily something I'll do again.  That being said, this was a great book.  

The Help is the story of domestic help in Mississippi in the 1960s.  Two black maids and one white woman alternate telling their stories that all become intertwined when Miss Skeeter (the white woman) decides to write a book about the maids' true experiences working for white families.  The story is heartbreaking at times and hilarious at others and just overall an awesome book.  Normally I hate when books switch perspectives back and forth because I don't feel like I'm getting a good solid voice from the narrator, but it worked here.  The chapters are kind of long and there isn't overlapping events, meaning that the reader doesn't get the same scene told from more than one perspective which I really appreciate.  I don't know what else I can say except this is an awesome (and not overly heavy, though it is serious at times) book that addresses a lot of social issues with a unique and fresh view.

Firegirl

I grabbed Firelgirl from the library on a whim while I was there a few days ago.  It was a quick read (I finished in one day) and it was decent.  It's the story of a boy named Tom and how his seventh grade class handles the arrival of a new girl.

Thing is, Jessica isn't your average new student.  She's been burned in a horrible fire and came to the new school to be closer to a good burn hospital.  The seventh graders react exactly how you'd expect: in extremely varying ways.  This is a good story of what it means to be accepting and how to deal with differences.  I definitely see myself using this as a teacher in a classroom situation where students aren't treating each other appropriately.  So, not the most exciting personal read (because it's intended for a much younger audience), but definitely something useful and worthwhile.  

Seeing Redd

It's been years since I read the original book in this series, The Looking Glass Wars.  It made me nervous to read Seeing Redd because sometimes you just can't remember the things you need to that far away.  That was not the case with Frank Beddor's sequel.  I read the brief overview of the original on Wikipedia and then dove in.  

It's books like this that make me wish I didn't have the overwhelming need to finish books I start.  I didn't enjoy it.  Beddor has created a really interesting and unique world and characters that could be insanely intriguing and awesome.  The fact is, they just seem to fall flat.  Alyss is unfailingly good and slightly overwhelmed, Redd is evil, Arch is conniving, the Jack of Diamonds is fat and self-interested.  The characters don't really expand outside of these stereotypes.  Instead the author seems intensely and exclusively focused on the battle scenes and the gore.  So, while I did quite enjoy the first book years ago, I didn't love this one.  The truth is, I grabbed it off the shelf because I was SO desperate for something to read and I saw it.  Now I have a whole stack of books waiting for me that I need to get on.  

Life of Pi

I just read this book, Life of Pi.  I found it extremely interesting.  From Pi's search for religion in the beginning to his unlikely survival techniques on a life boat with a full grown male tiger.  

I'm not overwhelmingly in love with it like the world seems to be (as indicated by it's reign on the New York Times Bestseller's list, but the fact that I read something on that list after it got there is kind of astounding.  I think the concept of surviving on a lifeboat with a tiger is unique and makes for a good, solid story.  All of that said, I hated the last two chapters.  I wish I had put down the book and stopped reading. 

Living Dead Girl

Heads up: this book is disturbing.  Living Dead Girl is the tale of "Alice" who was kidnapped from an aquarium while on a class trip when she was ten.  At the time of the book telling she is fifteen and has been living with her captor and molester for five years.  She hates her situation and begs inwardly for death so she doesn't have to deal with her pain anymore.

When Alice starts to get too old for her captor's sickening tastes, she develops a plan to get away.  How far will she go to improve her life situation?  Far. 

Again, this is a disturbing book.  I don't know that I particularly recommend it or don't recommend it.  It was compelling and I really like the use of the term "living dead girl" to express how Alice feels as she lives.  Be careful, though.  If you're sensitive or can't handle Law and Order: Special Victim's Unit or just generally don't find reason to read these types of stories, don't read this book.  

Beautiful Boy

Beautiful Boy is, as the text in red says, is a father's narration of his son's decent into meth addiction.  David Sheff tells the story of his son Nick's struggle with drugs.  Nick starts his life like any other little boy: beautiful.  He loves his dad and they seem to be closer and happier than most parent child relationships, despite the messy custody situation between David and Nick's mother.  From a preteen run-in with alcohol to a marijuana habit to harder drugs, Nick seems to fall quickly.  His poor choices impact his family, perhaps his father most profoundly.  Nick's story, told by his father David, is heartbreaking and real and a well-researched eye opening read for anyone. 

It's obvious that David Sheff did his research.  He knows how meth affects the brain (to the degree that it is understood) and how rehab works.  I love how personal the story is and how easy it is to get attached to these real life people.  It seems that I've become a sucker for good characters, be they real or fictional.  This is another book that I highly recommended.  In fact, I'm now on the waiting list for Tweak which is the same story except from the perspective of the addicted son, Nick.  Read this book - do it. 

Lost Boy

I told you I was reading serious books right now.  This is one of them.  Brent Jeffs (nephew of Warren Jeffs, former prophet of the FLDS church) wrote Lost Boy which chronicles his childhood on the FLDS compound where he grew up.  

Jeffs brings the human element to a story most of us know to some degree.  It was only a few years ago that Warren Jeffs was front page news all across the country.  The book can get slightly graphic at times while describing the abuse Jeffs faced as a very young child.  That being said, I definitely recommend this book for anyone even moderately interested in developing a greater understanding of the things that really occurred during that time period in the FLDS church.

I want to mention one more thing.  Religious topics and stories especially from people who have left that religion can often have unfair biases.  While Jeffs's opinions come through loud and clear, he does not disparage the religion as a whole, which I appreciate.  

Liar

Last night I finished listening to Liar by Justine Larbalestier.  Before the review, a couple of things about audio books.  First: I do consider listening to audio books to be reading books.  Secondly: The program I'm using to listen to books from the library let's me play them a little faster than normal (I go with 1.4x speed) which I like.  To me audio books are less about the performance and more about the content.  Lastly: (the does not negate my first point) I think something is a little bit lost by listening to a book rather than reading.  Sometimes the formatting of a book is really important and short of the narrator saying, "Title in bold size 16 font left aligned on the page" there is no way to retain this.

I listened to most of this book yesterday while I was making some desserts.  The story is about a teenage girl named Micah.  Micah is a compulsive (probably pathological) liar.  Her story begins after her boyfriend is murdered.  She promises the reader to give her story with only the truth for the first time ever.  The mystery of the circumstances surrounding the murder, her family life, and her struggles dealing with "the family disease" surround Micah's story.

It would be impossible for me to give a good summary of the story without revealing something that took me by surprise about a third of the way through the book.  Micah's story takes a jarring turn by one of her revelations that switches even the genre of the book itself.  At first I was frustrated with the turn of events and it made me role my eyes, but that was just at first.  Then, it grew on me.  The pace of the story picked up and this very common plot device was handled in a way I found at least moderately refreshing. I thought the story was good and don't regret reading it, but it wasn't the best thing I've ever read.

The Actor and the Housewife

At picked this up at a BYU book sale a few months ago for six bucks.  I'd never heard of it and didn't even read the summary on the flap.  It was Shannon Hale and I've never hated anything of hers and I was probably running late to class or something. 

As is obvious I've been running out of very specific things to read and I'm just grabbing what's around.  So, I pulled this off my shelf and started reading.  I figured with the kind of heavy and even downright depressing things I've been reading and listening to lately (I'm currently mid-way through Beautiful Boy) I thought something fluffy and easy would be just what I needed.    

The Actor and the Housewife is the story of normal Mormon (more on that in a minute) housewife, Becky Jack.  By some miraculous stroke of luck she ends up selling a screenplay to a production company in Hollywood.  Almost through her meeting and about to sign a contract without reading it thoroughly (hello, this is Hollywood, dumb dumb, big mistake) her favorite romantic comedy star, Felix Callahan, interrupts.  Many impossibly coincidental events later and the two are best friends.  It's hard, for Becky, to be best friends with the insanely handsome (and British) movie star without inciting the jealously of her loyal husband Mike.  Gah - I just want to tell you all the details of this story so that you'll read it and not judge it before you do and decide not to, but I can't without ruining all the things I didn't see coming.  I spent a good portion of the book trying to decide if this Mormon housewife Becky Jack was going to convert Felix Callahan (and his French supermodel wife) or allow him to destroy her marriage.  I'm not telling you what happens.  It wouldn't be fair.

I know this blog post is already rather long, but I have some things I want to say that I think are important.  Firstly, this is not a Mormon book.  The main character is a Mormon, sure, but this isn't your typical cheesy Mormon fiction (which has it's place and I enjoy sometimes).  Hale explains terms and actions when necessary so that I think a non-Mormon audience would be able to process the book quite well and still enjoy it.  It's not a Mormon book, it's a book with a Mormon character.

Shannon Hale is most well known for her YA and Juvenile fiction.  She wrote another book that I would consider more adult fiction (I hate that the term adult fiction or describing content as mature makes it sound dirty), Austenland, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  After reading this book I really think her true genius for me lies in this type of more adult, chick-lit genre.  The book reads almost like an extremely witty blog (including the chapter titles ["In which someone gets punched at a ball but no one is seriously injured"]) and Hale is hilarious.  I couldn't help but laugh at loud when reading lines like, "The lady stared. 'Um, I've only been working here for a couple of weeks and I have no idea how to respond to that.  Would you please pretend that I replied appropriately?  Great.  Here are your room keys.'"  

Her genius also shines through as she makes this completely improbable and unreal situation seem like it really could happen by creating characters and relationships that glow with realistic human emotion.  Within twenty pages at one point in the book I was sobbing then laughing out loud (in a room by myself) then sobbing again (though I say sobbing, it was borderline bawling - I had to stop reading and get up to blow my nose).  Listen, just read this book.  I loved it and it was one of the best I've read in awhile.  After (and if) you read it please please please will you leave a comment or talk to me in person?  I want to know what you think.

Two random things. 

1) This book taught me that the phrase I'd always spelled in my head as "milk toast" is actually "Milquetoast" and comes from a comic book character from way back in the day.  All my life I figured the meaning came from the fact that both milk and toast are kind of plain, simple, unassertive flavors.  (For those of you who don't know milquetoast is a timid, shy, introverted, trampled-on person.)

2) While looking for a picture of the cover to include with this post I found another cover that's very similar and I really just do not like it.  Perhaps it's the pearls.  I don't know, I just hate it. 

Prism

Did you know that Utah has a public ebook library online where you can check out audio books as well as epub versions of books.  The service is completely free, you get the books for about two weeks.  You do have to put books on hold sometimes because limited copies of ebooks are available.  Books are available five at a time and can be transferred to mobile devices or used on a computer.  To access the service for Utah (and it's local libraries) go here. Other areas have similar services available too, so ask your local librarian if you think you'd be interested in accessing an ebook library.

The point of all that was that I checked out and listened to this book, Prism, from the online library.  Audio books have the great benefit of being able to be processed while doing other things.  So I listened to this book while taking walks, laying in bed hoping to fall asleep, doing my dishes, baking, etc.

Prism is a slightly sci-fi type of story.  Kaida and her classmates are in a car crash while traveling for a class trip to Carlsbad Caverns.  They hide out in a cave to escape the rain and then wake up in a parallel universe where healthcare of any type (from Advil and cough drops to life-saving procedures) are illegal.  First confused as to what is going on, the students find a person named Ozzie that is cheating the system to try and save his mother's life.

I didn't really care for this book.  The storyline felt cheesy and full of forced didactcism.  I know there are health care issues in this world and that the system is faulty from all perspectives, but come on.  There are better and more even-keeled ways to contain a political or social message in a story.  Also, the prose was so heavy-handed.  There's a friend staying with me right now and I was embarrassed with the flowery language and vomit-inducing expressions of love.  I know I've been a little harsh, and this book wasn't completely awful, but it's definitely one I could have done without.

An additional note: I'm waiting for some holds at the library and I'm not sure what to read in the meantime. Give me your suggestions and I'll give them a try!

Wicked

A disclaimer before I begin.  This book can be quite bawdy at times.  The overall story isn't nasty or anything, but the way some of the characters talk is more than a little rough around the edges.  It's definitely an adult book.  I want to make it clear that this isn't harlequin style romance novel with that same issue, but if you're at all sensitive to mature content, don't read it because this has plenty.  In fact, it had enough to make me uncomfortable, but once I start a book I have to finish it. 

I suppose I should have another disclaimer and say that based on the summary I read of the musical the stories are completely distinct and separate (the way the original Wizard of Oz doesn't have that much to do with Wicked except for very basic story elements).

So, the story is of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and her adventure from birth to death.  Of course we run into Glinda/Galinda, the Good Witch of the North along with Nessarose (the Wicked Witch of the East).  The story is very politically charged and talks a lot about the oppression of Oz under rule of the Wizard.  Elphaba find friends, love, and political motivation.  There's more to her character than the original story tells.

Now to the part I really want to say: I didn't like this book.  I read it quickly because I wanted to be finished (and I have to finish).  It wasn't just the dirty parts that made me dislike the book.  I found the story alternately slow-moving and jumpy and shocking for the sake of being shocking.  This is the first time that I can recall on this blog that I've overwhelmingly not recommended a book, but there it is.  Do with the advice what you will.

Austenland

So I was able to meet Shannon Hale last week and see a little of her writing. This summer I will be helping her out with a few projects. She gave me her book Austenland to read seeing how her sequel will be coming out in January. I loved it! If you like Jane Austen, you will like this. It was humorous, well written. Easy to read, and the perfect length. The characters are well developed and you will love the ending. It will be worth the read.

Congratulations Stephanie!

Congratulations to our very own contributor (and creator), Stephanie Buhler, on her very first teaching job!

Come fall Stephanie will be teaching 6th grade at Wilson Elementary in Payson, Utah (Nebo School District).  Way to go Steph!

East of Eden

The purpose of this blog is not exclusively to recommend books for classroom use.  If it were, this book would have absolutely no place here. 

The first thing I have to say about East of Eden is that it's very Steinbeck-y.  Steinbeck, in my experience, has a tendency to ramble at times and get a little tangential.  He also takes his sweet time to tell a story.  This book is no exception.  That's not necessarily a problem for me, it's just something you need to know to expect if you're reading Steinbeck.

Moving on, this was a good book.  It was in no way what I expected.  To be honest, I thought it was the traditional story of the Garden of Eden just told with a little different perspective.  Spoiler alert: it's not.  There are definitely elements and motifs of that age-old happening in this story (in my view repeated at least twice), but the story stands alone.  It's not the story of Cain and Abel or Adam and Eve.  It's the story of Cathy/Kate, Adam, Lee, Cal, Aron, Samuel (my favorite), and the rest.

I love young adult literature.  That's probably obvious by the content I post about on this blog.  While reading East of Eden, however, I felt something urging me toward adult literature more often.  Maybe it's just this particular book or maybe it's just Steinbeck, but reading something so dense and concentrated was great.  The language, though wandering at times, was delicious to me.  I suppose that sounds peculiar to describe language as delicious, but it was.  I'm all for the simplicity of young adult literature, but the richness of these words was noticeably more so.

I'll stop rambling.  You all know this book is a classic.  I'm not into reading the classics just for the sake of reading the classics (you'll probably never catch me reading Dickens ever again in my life), but I really do recommend this one.  Once you get past the jolting jump between characters and plots lines at the beginning and really into the heart of this slow-paced story, you'll be sucked in.

Inside Out

Who out there is surprised that I read another dystopian novel? Didn't think so.
This one is about a girl named Trella that lives Inside and kind of hates it. Inside is made up of the Uppers and the Scrubs. The groups do not intermingle and are told very limited information about one another to discourage uniting and revolting. Trella gets involved (somewhat reluctantly) in a plot to find the "gateway" to Outside.

When I started this book I was fully prepared to dislike it (because I'm tired of cheap, knockoff, dystopian novels that all have the same plot), but then I got sucked in. Now I'm on hold for the second one at the library. Darn you literature. For at least three quarters of the novel I was planning a rant against the typical dystopian novel romance. Girl has reliable best friend boy from her childhood then suddenly new guy from the wrong side of the tracks or the opposite end of the issue becomes attractive and loveable and girl is all conflicted (hello Hunger Games, Uglies, Matched and the like). This book did NOT turn out to be the same situation, but I was really afraid it would be. But since it didn't happen, I suppose I won't rant about it now.

I will, of course, let you know how Outside In turns out after I read it. Without giving away information from the plot of Inside Out, I'm kind of worried about where the next book might go.

By the Great Horn Spoon!

Just finished this fast little read. A friend recommended it to me during a discussion on books so I figured I'd give it a try. When I recommend books I usually hope people will take me seriously and so I try to take others' recommendations seriously in return.

Let me start with the cover art. I don't love it. I wish the cover art had been more similar to the whimsical art within the chapters.

The story is about a boy named Jack and his butler that set sail from Boston to the gold fields of California to make enough money to save Aunt Arabella's house. I like the quick pacing of the novel and the little stories that make up the larger narrative.

The way the author tells the story reminds me of Half Magic (which I highly recommend along with pretty much anything else by Edward Eager). The words and descriptions are simple and child-like in their quality (which I'm considering a good thing in this case).

After chapter one (which is quite short) I already had a genuine affection for the characters and wanted to keep reading. This isn't normally the kind of story I'd pick for myself or the type of thing I find myself interested in, but it was a good book. Give it a try, it won't take you long to read and it's worth the time.

Anna and the French Kiss

First, a disclaimer. This book was not NEAR as cheesy as the title would suggest.

I really liked this book. It was a light kind of fluffy high school read about a girl who goes away to study at an American school in Paris. Three things stood out to me about this story.

1. The story was really fun and felt realistic until the girl realizes consciously that she's in love with the boy. Then there's this awkward Twilight-esque effusion of feeling and emotion and awkwardness and cheesiness. Don't love it.

2. While Anna's telling the story she talks about her father who is a popular southern author. He writes stories in a very formulaic way that are usually tragic and involve cancer and romance. Anna considers him a sell-out. The most amusing part to me is how much she's obviously making fun of someone who writes this way in real life. Can you guess who it is? Who always writes stories with no happy endings and usually cancer as a tragic life-ruiner? You are right! It's Nicholas Sparks! Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a Nicholas Sparks book every once in awhile. I sometimes like to cry when I read books and I appreciate stories that are simple to understand (life is hard, my reading enjoyment time doesn't always need to be difficult as well) at times. However, all of his books are nearly identical. I simply enjoy the way that this author pokes a little good-natured fun at good old Mr. Sparks.

3. The way the author deals with the feeling of being away from home for the first time long term and the subsequent stress and inherent difference in surroundings when returning home is quite accurate. It's just never the same when you go home after having been away on your own. I can definitely relate.

Give it a try. I recommend it.

Distant Waves

I have been visiting my older sister and her family in California and we made a trip to the library. While I was there, we picked up some books at the book sale. I grabbed a few, one being Distant Waves. I decided to read it this week. It was okay, but was not what I expected. Although the Titanic was an underlining theme, it was not really in it until the end, when the novel said it was all about it. The beginning was weird, but it did grow on me at the end. The ending was not predictable but a little cheesy. Basically, it involved five sisters and their different personalities and lives, all ending up on the Titanic. Good and easy read, but not the best.

Jane Eyre

There are two things I wanna talk about in this post. One is the actual book, Jane Eyre. I grabbed this book before I went on vacation mostly because it was small and wouldn't take up much room or be very heavy. I didn't really get into it until the way home from vacation and then my reading was kind of slow because my family was in town for graduation and all that jazz.

Ok, so the book. It was great. I was kind of wary at first because this was obviously more dense fiction than what I've been reading with mostly young adult literature. Secondly, really the only literature from this period I've read have been by Jane Austen (with the exception of Tess of the D'Urbervilles *shudder*). I love love loved this story. I found it easier to get into and faster moving than both Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Some aspects to this story were very surprising and some were expected as I went through, but I thought the balance was great. One thing I especially loved was the way the fourth wall was broken, though not constantly. I like being acknowledged as I read. The way Jane (who narrates the story) addresses the reader periodically and sometimes goes off on tangents makes her feel like a real person.

I do want to admit that sometimes the stereotypes used (about women, poor people, etc.) rubbed me the wrong way, but that is probably a product of the time period.

Ok, next. The edition pictured above is the one I read. I have three of these "Gramercy Classics Miniatures" that I picked up for two bucks each at a book sale. They are fantastic. I already mentioned the small size (about the size of my hand), the covers are lovely, and there's a ribbon bookmark attached. I find the size of these books and their durable hard covers to be fantastic. I just wish there were more stories available (I have Wuthering Heights (never read), Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre). I know they also make Great Expectations, but I don't like Dickens. There, I said it. If you ever see these books for a good price, pick them up. They're fantastic.

Also, read Jane Eyre.

Amazon kindle

I have always been hesitant about the kindles and nooks. I think they are a great idea, but I did not want to lose the experience of opening a book, turning the pages, etc. However, my siblings got me a kindle for graduation, and after playing around with it I really like it. The kindle is really easy to read off of, it is so convenient when you are traveling, and it is easy to get almost any book you want instantly. Classics are free and it has been really convenient to have. Although I will never give up actually getting a book, I like it! Thanks to my siblings! What do you guys think of them?

cozy book nook

i would like to have this in my house.

link.

The Thief Lord

I'm sorry it took me so long to blog this. I finished it before vacation, but vacation was just too much about relaxing for me to focus on blogging.

Some of my kids in my fourth grade class were reading this for their book club book and my mentor teacher recommended I read it too. I was in the middle of some other books (see previous posts) so I didn't get to it right away. Once I did start I enjoyed the book for the most part. It moved along quite well with interesting characters. Basic plot outline: There are a group of kids living in Venice, Italy on their own (most of them runaways) that follow a character that calls himself the Thief Lord. The children steal in order to keep themselves fed and clothed and take are of each other. Problems start to arise when a private detective is hired to find two of the runaways. Overall it was a good book, but there were two things I didn't really love. One, I found many of the plot wrap ups to be very predictable from the beginning of the book. Two, I felt like the book switched genres mid-way through in a very deus ex machina way. I'll let you figure that out for yourselves if you choose to read it.

Fairest

Quite a few people have recommended this book to me. I loved Ella Enchanted (same author), but I did NOT love this book. First of all, it's extremely slow to start. I like the idea of twisting around the Snow White story as a companion novel to the twisted Cinderella story, but it fell flat.

Aza is an innkeeper's daughter turned lady in waiting to the new queen. She has a beautiful voice (but not a beautiful face) and she gets into all sorts of sticky situations. There is, of course, a magic mirror, a handsome prince, and some very kind small-ish creatures. I really think this story had the potential to be a good one, but it lacked good pacing and I got frustrated with the obnoxious focus on beauty constantly. Sure, our heroine is not beautiful. I'm fine with that. She's overly large with a strange complexion and an un-desirable hair color. Even in the end when things wrap up, though, it seems that other characters accept her in spite of her looks. That doesn't sit well with me. To clarify, what I mean is that the way it comes across is that it's ok that she's not pretty because she's good on the inside rather than someone thinking she's beautiful despite faults. I think I'm still being unclear. I want her prince and the other characters to love her faults and all rather than love her even though she has faults. The prince says he loves her looks in the end, but it's forced feeling and the say he says it is like he has found some strange way of perceiving that makes it ok.

Ok, I'm done rambling and spoiling the story. Give it a try, if you like, and let me know what you think. Or, if you've already read it, let me know your thoughts and feelings on the beauty issue. Next I'm reading Thief Lord so watch out for that review.

Reading multiple books at a time

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged. I have been student teaching in a 6th grade class so to keep up with their reading, I am reading several books at a time. I also am caught between books I want to finish and recommendations, so lots of books. How do you feel about that? Can you read more than one book at a time, or do you not feel loyal to the characters and the story by skipping around?

I am going to share the books I am reading right now:

Really good! My students love it, and the plot is very intriguing. I recommend it!

Just started with my group, but so far it is pretty funny. My students like it.

Beginning was really slow for me, but the second part of the book has picked up. It was meant to be in two books but they combined it into two part instead.

My kids love this! It is a long book, so get ready, but they read their assignments very fast.

Recommended by my student. Very suspenseful with a unique storyline. Read it!

The other two are Matched and Peeps which have already been reviewed on this blog. So there you have it! Keep reading and good luck to those who read more than one book at a time. I don't like it.

Tiger Rising

Last night I read The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo (she wrote Because of Winn Dixie). All told it only took about 40 minutes to read the whole thing.

One of my fourth grade book clubs is reading it and there was a concern raised. A particular girl didn't feel comfortable with the book because of the "swearing" (one character takes the Lord's name in vain a half-dozen times). I think this raises an interesting dilemma. At what point do we let kids be exposed to things they might not be comfortable with? In the real world people take the Lord's name in vain without a second thought. And in this case it fits the character. So , what say you on the matter? Is the exposure appropriate for a fourth grader?

Note: As for the content of the book, it's a good one. The main character is forced to deal with the sadness he's been suppressing after his mother dies. It's a story of finding friends, fitting in, and how life isn't always perfect or fair. I think it's good to use books like this to teach kids that life isn't always perfect (which they often already know) and give them something that is mostly realistic to deal with.

Twisted

*Edit: This book is kind of dark. Just a warning and I don't think I made that clear when I originally posted this.

I began this book just as I was writing the review for You. I was fully prepared to have similar feelings about this book. Let's get real for a minute. I'm way less comfortable with male main characters in young adult fiction than female. This discomfort can, I believe, be attributed to one main cause. It's hard for me to be completely at ease with the description of male reactions to females. How tactful do I need to be on this blog? I don't want to skirt the issue, but I also don't want to offend anybody (I save that for my personal blog). If you're confused please feel free to leave a comment and I'll clarify. I think this is mostly only a problem in realistic fiction as I've read several fantasy novels with male main characters (um, Harry Potter anyone?) and not had the same trouble.

Anyway, back to Twisted. The story is about a 17 year old high school kid named Tyler that got buff doing community service and working after he was busted for vandalizing the school. Essentially his life sucks and his dad's a real jerk. Very standard the model family on the outside isn't so perfect behind closed doors (not to say that the story felt cliche because it didn't).

I don't really want to get into all the nitty-gritty details, but I connected with this book in some strange way. That's all I'm saying on the subject.

Oh, one question. Why does it seem like YA realistic fiction with a male main character never highlights the overachiever or the jock? It's almost always the underestimated, overlooked kind of loser guy. Just food for thought.

You

This book is interesting to me for one main reason: it's written in the second person. That's right. The author tells a story about you the reader. You are Kyle Chase, a fifteen year old, under motivated, high school student and part of the group known at school as the "hoodies" (because of their signature black hoodies, go figure). At first the writing style is jarring and intriguing, but I found that the story spent too much time on the build-up and almost no time on completing the story. Brief(ish) rant: I'm starting to get bored of/irritated by the way authors spend the prologue or chapter one telling you the end of the book. If you don't know what I'm trying to describe, think Twilight. The first page is Bella reflecting on how she's going to what she believes is her certain death. You did the same type of thing and it seems that more and more books are going that way these days. I, the reader, am not an idiot. Let me discover the story for myself. No need to try and punch me in the face with some heavy handed foreshadowing and not-so-subtle hints. Ok, rant done. Overall this is not a book I'd particularly recommend and I didn't like it much.

The Unidentified

Guess what. I read another young adult dystopian novel. I can tell that you're shocked.

I really didn't find this book that refreshing. Basically advertising companies have taken over education because the government couldn't afford it anymore. Public education in this society is referred to as "the Game" and is all about who's in and who's out and who their sponsors are.

It was an ok read and caught my interest at times, but it wasn't anything that really thrilled me.

Book club book

For my book club, we just finished reading Life As We Knew It. This book is written as journal entries of a young girl who is attending high school. It starts out with her typical life a few days before "the event" occurs. "The event" is an asteroid that hits the moon and knocks it off its orbit. As a result, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, extreme weather, and panic spreads across the world. This girl and her family have to survive off of the the little food they have as people all around them are dying and fighting to survive. It is a good read. The events that occur seem so real as the author describes what these people go through in such detail, it makes you feel like you are there with them. It does go into detail about the world literally falling apart with people starving, eating as little as a can of soup among four people every other day. Gas prices rise, state borders are enforced, gangs and violence for the bare necessities. I thought it was very interesting and kept me engaged in the story.

Ever

People who know my reading preferences know that while I really enjoy fantasy I prefer it to be grounded in reality. Take Harry Potter, for example. I love the magic and the fact that it can exist in the real world too.

This was not that kind of book, but I was ok with it. It was a little weird at times and definitely different, but I liked it. It's about a girl Kezi and her adventure when she meets the 17 year old god of the winds, Olus. There's very much a Greek mythology feel to this story, but you probably won't guess where it's going even if you know those tales well. One thing that definitely interested me about this story was the idea of the little g god. I don't feel like going into that whole concept right now if you don't already know what it means, but it catches my attention none the less. It's definitely no Ella Enchanted, but Ever is a good quick read worth the small time investment.

Scumble

Before I get to the review can we address how fun this cover is? When my students saw me reading this book they immediately wanted to know what it was. The cover is just SO fun.

I had this book for about and week and a half and then got the notice that it was almost due back to the library. I'd been reading East of Eden by John Steinbeck (more on that when I finish) which understandably takes a lot longer to read than your basic middle grade or young adult book. I put East of Eden on hold to get this one done as quickly as I could.

Those that read my book reviews from the summer may remember I read the book Savvy. I liked it, but the pacing was a little off for me. This companion piece (not to be confused with sequel) was actually more well written in my personal opinion. The pacing was on and the story felt more believable to me. Once again, the plot deals with a family that has types of super powers that begin to show on their thirteenth birthdays. Ledger Kale is no exception to the family rule and his power (or savvy) leads him on a fun and dramatic summer adventure that is a pleasure to read. This book is 400 pages which may turn some readers off, but it's a quick, fun, and easy read with large print on the pages and only takes a few hours to finish. I would definitely recommend it to readers struggling to stay interested in a story, but not necessarily to people my age looking for a really unique and interesting story.

I'm considering starting to read three books at once and finish at least a chapter a day from each. If I start this (I'll decide by today) I'll be reading East of Eden, Opening the Heavens (recommended by a friend for research on a specific topic), and Ever (by the author of Ella Enchanted; just a more fun, easy read to help break up the heaviness of the other two).

Forbidden Sea

So with student teaching and everything else going on in my life, it has been hard to fit in reading. However, I have made a goal to read at least a chapter a day. Last week, I started reading a chapter a day of the book Forbidden Sea and within a few chapters, I could not put it down! I really enjoyed this book. It had an interesting take on mermaids as the town Windwaithe is haunted by an one hundred year old legend of a mermaid who lures her prey out to the sea with her music. When the main character realizes this mermaid is after her sister, she has to try everything to keep her away from the sea. From the first chapter, I was hooked to see what would happen next with the mermaid and the main character's inner struggle with her own personal problems. It is a fast read and has a great story; my only regret is that it left me wanting more, in a good way.  Sheila A. Nielson is a local author and works at the Provo Library in the children's section.

Read Aloud

I am taking a class at BYU that is focused on writing picture books for children and adolescents with professor Rick Walton. Basically the entire class is writing a picture book manuscript every week and reading 130 picture books throughout the semester. I highly recommend this class if you are interested in pursuing a career or dream in writing. In the class, he talked about a new blog that he and other authors created called whyreadaloud.wordpress.com which is all on why it is important to read aloud in your classroom. This is the opening of the blog:

Did your teacher read aloud to you?

Are you a teacher who reads aloud to your students?

Tell your stories here. Post them in the comment section.

And then we will figure out a way to get your stories to the administrators and teachers who need to hear them. Your story of how being read to made your life better might motivate a teacher to read to her kids and make their lives better.

Please add your name and your occupation to your story. (If for some reason you do wish to remain anonymous, for example, if your story is about how you were in the middle of committing a major crime and you suddenly remembered something your teacher read to you which caused you to turn your life around, or if you are in the witness protection program you don’t have to post any identifying information.)

I found in interesting to read the stories and realize that for me in 5th grade, the class read aloud is what inspired me to really love reading. If you have your own story, share it!

Maybe Not? and Keturah

My mentor teacher has been talking the past few days about reading. The school read-a-thon is coming up and her family is starting their book club back up. She kept talking about how she hasn't read any books for months. MONTHS! I wish I was going to be around for the whole read-a-thon because the prizes for the teachers are awesome (including a free dinner at Texas Road House just for participating and free massages and all kinds of great things). But really, she hasn't read a book in months? I know she's busy, but I don't know how I would survive without reading a book in months. It's too much a part of who I am. This is the book I just finished a book late last night (early this morning, rather): Keturah and Lord Death.

Several people have recommended this book to me (including Stephanie, one of the writers of this blog), so I picked it up. I had what I think are understandably high expectations for the book, and it fell a little short. The story was unique, but not in an overwhelming way. Rather it felt like the same old story I've read over and over about England back in the day before the world was what it is now and everybody lived in tiny villages and fairies were real. There's a little bit of witch craft, a love story, and the titular encounter with Lord Death. Don't get me wrong, it was a good book. I enjoyed the story and got pretty into it at the end (when I thought I had the whole plot figured out), but I wasn't overwhelmed by the greatness of the plot or especially enthused with the character development. It's a quick read, though, and worth a try.

The Westing Game

This is a book I absolutely loved as a child. I read it first in fifth grade and then at least three times after that. I saw it at the BYU book sale one time last semester for two bucks and got excited to read it again.

Mr. Westing is a millionaire in the Midwest (I want to say Wisconsin). When he is murdered, a group of seemingly random people are called together together as his "heirs" for the reading of his will. When the characters go to the reading of the will, it is extremely unusual. To receive the $200 million inheritance the heirs must work together with an assigned partner to solve Mr. Westing's murder.

It's still a good, fun story, but not what I remember. Raskin herself says in a blurb at the end that she purposely wrote her characters not to change, I don't like that. She says it's because children have change around them all the time, but I still think characters should have some progression. Also, the ends are far too neatly tied for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great book to recommend to students, but it's just not the same as an adult, it just falls a little flat.

Book Clubs

So some people in my apartment complex and I decided to start a book club for this upcoming semester. With the demands of school, work, and everything else that may come up, it is hard to find that time to read. We felt by having a book club, it will motivate us to find the time to read for fun, even when a million things seem to take away that time.

If you are interested in starting a book club, which I highly recommend because it gets you to discuss the elements of the book with your friends and continue to read, here are some websites that will help:

Book Clubs Resources
Oprah's book club
Book Club Sets at the Provo Library

There are a lot more resources, but check your local libraries for book clubs and book clubs sets for your friends. There are books located in Barnes and Noble or Borders that have an outline of a book club as you get started. The main idea is to have each person taking turns "hosting" a book that month.They pick the book, have the discussion at their house with treats for the guests, and come up with discussion topics about the book. There are online book clubs that you can join, but I recommend getting one started on your own with some friends. That way you can vary the books chosen, or even theme them if you want.

The Line

I just read this book. I was really excited to find it doing a random walk-through in the library. Another dystopian novel, hooray (seriously, you have to know by now that these are basically my favorites and the plots have a way of drawing me in).

This book was kind of awful. It takes place in the future United States and the borders all around the whole thing have been shut down (there's an invisible barrier that keeps people in/out). The main character lives on The Property right near the border in this crazy society and wonders about what's on the other side. Turns out her mother and the owner of The Property have some secrets about the other side of The Line (which is what the barrier is called) in the land called Away. Sounds intriguing enough, right? Especially when you factor in the government secrecy and the changing of history and keeping secrets and militant enforcement of laws.

The writing is SO heavy handed. I don't know how exactly to explain what I mean. Her political point is thrown in with no delicacy and is kind of forced and the writing just isn't good (in my opinion). The plot isn't boring, but the writing is. I was trying to figure out why exactly when I was sitting in my sixth grade class (that's where I'm doing my student teaching) and the kids were learning about sentence fluency. The goal was for students to vary their sentence lenght and structure. I don't think Ms. Hall does this very well in this book. The writing frustrated me enough that even though there was a MASSIVE cliffhanger at the end, I won't be reading the others (if and when they are released).