THERE WILL BE BEARS by Ryan Gebhart

At least 13 year-old Tyson still has his grandfather and their upcoming hunting adventure.  That's what our protagonist thinks as his closest friend ditches him for football and the popular kids at school.  He's feeling left out and alone, but at least Tyson has the elk-hunting trip in the Grand Tetons to look forward to.  Until his parents move his ailing grandfather to a nursing home three hours away. Now what? Tyson wonders.  Will he survive all of his bad luck?  How serious is his grandfather's health problem?

Even though Tyson is a typical silly and hormonal 13 year-old, readers follow along as he struggles with complex-relationships,  real-life struggles, and questions about life and death.  The plot really heats up when Tyson and Gramps decide to sneak out on their own and go hunting with or without everyone else's permission.  On the trip, Tyson must face more than just his fear of bears, and he learns there is more to Gramps than he had ever known.  More importantly, Tyson learns there is much more to him than anyone, including himself, has ever seen.

Part-survival story, part realistic-fiction,  THERE WILL BE BEARS is a great choice for regular kids in middle school looking for adventure and fun. The lessons Tyson learns are ones that will apply to every kid and grown-up who picks up this book.

We Were the Liars by e. lockhart

I love a tale that spins out of a tiny slice of a life I could never imagine.  Set on an island in Martha's Vineyard, an island the Sinclair family owns, We Were the Liars, is such a story. It is told by one of the strong-chinned, blond, well-educated Sinclair grandchildren, Cadence.  She seems smart, witty, and trust-worthy at first, as if she is letting us in on the grandeur of the Sinclair family.  They are a family of money, manners, traditions, servants and cooks, and secrets.  They don't speak of the money they have, nor do they speak of the addictions, divorces, or other messy parts of their lives. Cadence's cousins, Johnny and Mirren, are close to her age, and they represent the generation that starts to question the rules of the game the family has played for so long.  The group of teenagers call themselves the Liars, setting up readers with curious questions about what their self-title might really mean.

Cadence falls in love with the boy who begins to visit to the island each summer as a friend of the family.  The boy is dark-skinned, smart, and principled; his name is Gat Patil.  Cadence and Gat steal moments and memories falling in love while scrambling for other moments of freedom and independence with the cousins, the other Liars.  As the drinking, intolerance, hatred, and fear sneak in like fog swirling around the Sinclair family, readers are left with a narrator, Cadence, who is back on the island after missing a summer, and there is a mysterious secret around her absence. Cadence tells the readers of her amnesia, leaving us to wonder what terrible tragedy she survived.  Since she seems to be revealing secrets of her family's darker-side, we never question the soap-opera-y presence of her amnesia...we fear the worst for her.  And when the cloak of secrecy is unveiled, it is shocking and twisting and wonderful story-telling at it's best.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

I will be the first to tell you that I love love.  It is warm, feel-good joy, and there are few people who do love more intensely than teenagers.  Uffda, first love, high school love, breaking-up because of college love...it's all dramatic, huge-pay-off, bigger heartbreak kinds of love.  I remember it, and I see it in the halls of SAMS and SAVHS.  But I've rarely seen it written about so genuinely and painfully and enchantedly as in this book, Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stapehanie Perkins.

Readers will fall in love with Josh, the handsome and independent comic book artist that Isla has been crushing on since freshman year.  Readers will fall in love with New York City and Paris and Barcelona- the three back-drops of this romance story.  Readers will cringe when Isla and Josh steer more toward insecurity and away from love.  Readers will swallow this fun ride in a sitting or two.  It's a love story, no doubt. So be warned- it's ooey and gooey, but lovely.  Fans of Sarah Dessen and e. lockhart will swoon over this read.  This isn't a series book, however, Ms. Perkins wrote two other books and the main characters of those books stumble into Isla and Josh's story.  So, for the rules-following types of you out there, you might want to start with Anna and the French Kiss and Lola and the Boy. Be warned, though!  It's not for the cynical or the unbelieving. 

Feel the love and find the love here in my latest book blog title: Isla and the Happily Ever After.  Read all about it's author here.

Keep reading, all.

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead

Part-mystery, part-coming-of-age realistic fiction book, and all intrigue. Georges, grade 7, would like to move back into his old house.  And not just because of the cool fire-escape bed he had in his bedroom- but also because his mom wouldn't have to work doubles back and his dad would still have a job.  

Georges' new apartment is full of quirky neighbors, especially siblings Candy, Safer, and Pigeon.  All three are siblings of an eclectic family whom he meets after his dad signs him up to be in the building's Spy Club. His friendship with Safer revolves around espionage, solving mysteries and dealing with Candy, Safer's omni-present younger sister.

School is barely tolerable for Georges even with a teacher who celebrates every Friday with him and a interesting, quiet and noble friend who goes by Bob English Who Draws.  Jerky, bullying kids taunt him by calling him "Gorgeous" and bug him about the upcoming science lab, his volleyball skills, and other mundane middle school matters.  Until Bob English Who Draws and Georges form a coalition...

Readers will find themselves rooting for Georges and his family, inquisitively wondering about Safer and his siblings, and searching for the meaning of the title of the book.  Readers will also likely find themselves content in the end and happy to have known Georges and his crew.

P.S. For any grown-ups and/or parents: the Scrabble tile messages between Georges and his mom are lovely. One of my favorite parts of the book. So sweet.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith

Kids will love the humor in this book.  Some will love the man-eating grasshoppers and the grasshopper-violence.  Others will love the complicated friendships and relationships.  This book seems like one of the bravest books I've read in a while. The end of the world is coming because of man-eating grasshoppers and the protagonist, Austin, and his best friend, Robbie, are responsible. Austin is as confused about what he is feeling in his heart as he is certain about it. The small-town setting is familiar even to those of us who have never lived in a small town. It's a coming-of-age tale complete with an army of grasshoppers meaner than the bullies, all sorts of sexual urges,  true friendship, and a search for what really matters in life.

Here's what the NY Times said about it...
Here's what The Onion's A.V. Club thought about it...
Here's what Common Sense media said about it...

It's definitely a book for Gr 8 or high school (lots of f-bombs and erections), and it is a book that stands up to classic YA literature: Catcher in the Rye and Slaughterhouse 5, for example.  I'm so thankful there are books like Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smtih in this world.  My boys, my students, all teenagers need books this funny, complicated, and honest.

Two Books from Neil Shusterman

I really think Neil Shusterman might be a middle school kid.  He just gets them so well, and his characters are so believable...even the ones who have supernatural powers and the ones who live in worlds so different from ours.  

Recently, I read two book by him.  The first one is called Unwind.  Anyone who liked Hunger Games, The Giver, or Matched will like this book.  Here's what the author's website says about it:

In a society where unwanted teens are salvaged for their body parts, three runaways fight the system that would "unwind" them Connor's parents want to be rid of him because he's a troublemaker. Risa has no parents and is being unwound to cut orphanage costs. Lev's unwinding has been planned since his birth, as part of his family's strict religion. Brought together by chance, and kept together by desperation, these three unlikely companions make a harrowing cross-country journey, knowing their lives hang in the balance. If they can survive until their eighteenth birthday, they can't be harmed -- but when every piece of them, from their hands to their hearts, are wanted by a world gone mad, eighteen seems far, far away.

Then, there's the book Bruiser.  A book about a couple of kids who learn that sometimes love can hurt, but only in ways that remind us how lucky we are to have it.  I thought the suspense in this book was going to make me burst.  I really enjoyed it.  This is from Neil Shusterman's website, too:

TENNYSON:  
Don’t get me started on The Bruiser.  He was voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” by the entire school. He’s the kid no one knows, no one talks to, and everyone hears disturbing rumors about.  So why is my sister, Brontë dating him?  One of these days she’s going to take in the wrong stray dog, and it’s not going to end well.

BRONTË:
My brother has no right to talk about Brewster that way – no right to threaten him.  There’s a reason why Brewster can’t have friends – why he can’t care about too many people.  Because when he cares about you, things start to happen.  Impossible things that can’t be explained.  I know, because they’re happening to me.

BREWSTER:
Stealer of screams and thief of anguish,  I am a criminal, but you can’t see it, blinded by your own relief as my body becomes a battlefield in a war that can’t be won.  Will I be the bullet that ends your pain, or will you end mine?

Award-winning author Neal Shusterman has crafted a chilling and unforgettable novel about the power of unconditional friendship, the complex gear work of a family, and the sacrifices we endure for the people we love.

Trust me, Neil Shusterman, is a heckuva an author.  I really think his books are for everyone.  Boys, girls, 6th graders, 8th graders, sci-fi and fantasy fans (try them both), Hunger Games fans (try Unwind), and realistic fiction fans (try Bruiser).

Enjoy, everyone.  And keep reading!

-absk

The Hate List by Jennifer Brown

I read this book with a knot in my stomach.  It is, after all, the story of the aftermath of a school after a shooting took place within it's walls. The protagonist of the story was the girlfriend of the kid who changed his world and everyone else's when he decided to bring a gun to school and use it.

While I believe this book is extremely sensitive in its nature and it's only for mature middle and high school readers, I do think the strength of this book is that at it's heart it is a book that will get kids and adults talking about tragic realities of our world.  I urge kids who read this book to talk to me while reading, or even better, get a parent of other trusted grown-up to read it with them.

It's tough stuff, but reading about tough stuff only helps us better deal with the tough stuff we face in our real lives.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

This books is about death and grieving.  This book is about life and loving.  17 year-old Lennie is still trying to figure out how weird everything has gotten now that her sister has died unexpectedly.  She tries to use her poetry and her music to help her find her way back into life of the living since she finds it too troubling to rely on her best friend or her eccentric grandmother.  However, two very different boys have her thinking and acting in new and inexplicable ways even if she's still devastated by the loss of her sister.  This story is definitely for mature readers who are willing to think carefully about the power of grief and love and life.

This a soothing story interrupted with genuinely funny moments of how unscripted life can seem.  The symbolism and figurative language lulls readers until the end of story, leaving readers with a smile on their faces and the lives of Lennie & Company forever in their hearts.

Click on the picture to see the book trailer.

Enjoy the read!
-stenson

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Top Five Reasons to Read this Book:
5. The narrator is a kid who doesn't take himself to seriously, so he'll make you laugh.
4. There has never been a better time to talk about acceptance and tolerance in our schools.
3. Because the narrator is a boy, boys will like it.
2. Because the star (no pun intended) of the book is a girl (and because the narrator falls in love with her), girls will like it.

1.  and the best thing about this book is the way Stargirl remains true to herself. She is a character I'll always remember. And I'll look for bits of her in my own students.

Go on. Read this book. Try it today. Or tomorrow. Just enjoy it.

Keep reading,
stenson

If I Stay by Gail Forman

Of all the things I had heard about this book BEFORE I read it, the two that stand truest to me are:

it is "achingly tender" and though the story was told by a narrator on the verge between life and death, "it is a beautiful story about life".

I loved this book and I found it a mesmerizing tale.  I am not certain it's for all 7th graders because it is a sophisticated book about a mature high school girl. However, nothing is unrealistic or overly inappropriate.  In fact, I suspect, many girls will relate to Mia's insecurities, feelings about love, and complex relationships within her family.  She is a girl to look up to for many reasons--mostly her strive to be an excellent musician and her level-headed-ness about teenage relationships--and it is for that reason I feel compelled to recommend this book for those ready to read it.




Keep reading, everyone.
Stenson

p.s.  This book will probably not be in our media center, as it is a mature book.  Ask your parents to take you to the public library to get a copy.

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

At the end of one school day, one girl threatens to beat-up another girl, and a third girl overhears. Will she speak up?

What You Should Know about this Book:
1. National Book Award nominee.
2. Intense, realistic, powerfully written.
3. Ultimately about girl bullies, teenage girl friendships and relationships, and the "laws" of high school.
4. Told from three different perspectives; three different high school girls who are each very different from the other.
5. Think of it like an episode of 24. The entire book takes places in one day at school.

3 questions to think about as you read this book.
1. The Shakespeareish question: to tell or not to tell? Leticia overhears one girl announce she is going to jump another girl.
2. The age-old question: Can a teenager be an individual? Adults always say yes, but what happens when the individuality of one girl intimidates or irritates or confuses others? Trina is herself but ultimately is punished for trying to be herself.
3. The geometry question: Do different perspectives, different angles, change the reality of a situation? Is what is obvious to one person impossible for another person with a different view to understand?

A few other things I loved about this book:
1. Readers will somehow understand the bully and almost empathize.
2. The African-American teenage girl voice is lyrical, melodic, and can be heard in the readers' minds as they read.
3. The identifiable roles the teachers and school staff play is almost over-the-top, but ultimately recognizable to anyone who has ever been in high school.

I would recommend Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia to 8th graders and older. It's a mature book, but one that shouldn't be missed!

Keep reading, everyone.
-stenson

p.s. image taken from Readingrants.org

Summer!

It's getting really close to summer break, so I thought I'd highlight to perfect books for summer.

Both written by Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty and It's Not Summer Without You are flying around my classroom these days. I must admit I have not read them yet (but I did just download the first book on my iPod), but my students say the books have realistic characters and suspenseful, heartbreaking plots.



Here's what the author's website says about the first book The Summer I Turned Pretty:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

For more information about these books, click here to go to the author's site.

Pick up the book, give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Think summer, keep reading!
-stenson

*The photo is taken from the author's website too!

Telling Christina Goodbye

Real life can be hard. So can real love. I didn't have enough good recommendations for my girls when they asked me recently. Here's a book that looks to be full of romance, heart-break, and real teen issues.

Bookreport says this about Telling Christina Good-bye by Lurlene McDaniel
Christina, a senior in high school, seemed to have it all: she was beautiful, popular, and intelligent. Unfortunately, Christina had one shortcoming that proved to be fatal. She fell in love with a controlling, hotheaded guy named Tucker whose reckless driving killed her. This is not really Christina's story though. It is an examination of the other occupants of the car as they recover physically and emotionally.

Let me know if you give it a try. Or if you find other real-life, romanc-y books about teens.

Keep reading everyone!
-stenson

BFF.

Books about friendship have a special place in my heart. When I grew up, I loved realistic tales of boys and girls and the people they considered friends.

So recently, when I finished a book for grown-ups about friends, I decided to put a list together of books for teenagers about friends and friendship. Because like the old John Lennon song goes, don't we all just "get by with a little help" from our friends?


Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts: A very unlucky 17 year-old finds herself seven months pregnant, abandoned by her boyfriend, and stranded in Oklahoma. Her luck changes when people with hearts full of kindness and compassion of the small Oklahoma town take her in.



Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares: "A pair of jeans purchased at a thrift store is the unlikely bond that keeps four best friends emotionally connected during the first summer that they spend physically apart." -Publisher's Weekly


Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt: A new kid in town--with a strict minister for a father-- befriends a former slave-girl to help him make sense of and enjoy his new town and new life. This coming-of-age story has a lot of lessons to teach about tolerance, acceptance, friendship, and love.



Godless by Pete Hautmann: Jason's story begins like this: "Getting punched hard in the face is a singular experience. I highly recommend it to anyone who is a little too cocky, obnoxious, or insensitive. I also recommend it to people who think they're smart enough to avoid getting punched in the face by the likes of Henry Stagg." The book is a interesting tale about Jason's journey to find some answers about life, friendship and family, and religion.

Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff: Told in poems, this is a brilliant story of a young girl trying to save money for college by babysitting. But her babysitting job ends up being more than just a way to make money, it becomes the start of a beautiful friendship between the babysitter and the mother of the baby-a 17 year-old single mother trying to find her own way.

Here's to friendship. Old and new. Hope you enjoy the books. Let me know if you do!
Keep Reading,
-stenson

Mr. Walter Dean Myers

If there was a king of Young Adult Literature, Mr. Walter Dean Myers might be it.

He writes authentically and powerfully about the lives of teenagers. His characters struggle with real-life problems, they make honest mistakes and make bad choices, but ultimately, they all fight for hope and justice.

The list of books he has written is lo-oo-oo-oong. Here are just a few of my favorites. And, of course, there is a vlog about a few must-reads he has written. Check the class iPods for that.

Bad Boy: A Memoir
Fallen Angels
Hoops
Monster
Scorpions
Shooter
Sunrise over Fallujah



For more information, visit his website.

or check out this interview with the author, Walter Dean Myers.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer

Miranda is excited at first because everyone is buzzing about the asteroid. What will happen? Will it look like fireworks? The whole neighborhood is out on the streets waiting for the asteroid to hit the moon. And when it does, look out. It's not a terrible sight, but it's clear right away that it's not a good thing either.

So begins the story of a normal 16 year old girl slow journey into an apocalyptic world. The coasts are flooded with tsunamis, volcanoes around the world start erupting, and the climate begins to change for the worse. Schools start to close, gas is rationed, and food is being stockpiled. While they don't have guarantees they are going to make it, Miranda and her family fight to survive. Readers have to keep reading to find out if this family is going to make it.
picture from amazon.com

What I like most about the book is Miranda. Even though her circumstances get worse and worse and worse, she handles them like a champ. Taking each day as it comes, dealing with the challenges presented, and still living a life like every other teenager. Will she get to keep skating? Will she ever go to the prom? Why did her dad chose his new wife over their family? Will her mom always be annoying, nosy, and bossy?

This is my second time reading this book. I knew the book was essentially about hope, but I couldn't remember exactly how it ended. It didn't disappoint the second time. I loved it. Hope you do too!

By the way, I have this book on the iPods if anyone is interested.

Keep reading, everyone.
-stenson

Jordan Sonnenblick's Notes from a Midnight Driver

Many good lines in this book. Many good laughs. Many meaningful lessons to be learned.

Overall, I think most kids will like Alex. The 16 year-old kid whose parents are getting a divorce, he's got a secret crush on his best friend Laurie, and he's facing the repercussions of a very serious mistake he made. It's for boys and girls, and it's easy to read even though it's a powerful book. In fact, there is a good balance of everything you need in a book. Enjoy!


Keep reading!
-Stenson

p.s. This is my 4th book of the year. 1/10th of the way to my goal!

Reminds me of Hemmingway

I just finished this book called The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin. I'd recommend it for 8th grade and up- it was even hard for me to read through some of the stuff. That happens when you love a character, and our main character, Matt, is easy to love. Vulnerable, tough, smart, kind, caring, and courageous. His family is in crisis thanks to his unstable, abusive and violent mother. Matt makes some tough choices to protect his younger sisters, choices that no teenager should have to make. The story is suspenseful, tender, and, in the end, hopeful.

I liked the significance of two guys, well, they are really gentlemen, in the story. Two men join together with the children's aunt to try to save the kids. These guys are gentleman who are strong and brave, yet unafraid to admit when they are wrong.

When I book the book down (I read it before going to bed one night, put it down to get some sleep, but had finished it by 9:30 a.m. the next morning), I was reminded of one of my favorite Hemingway quotes.

“The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong in the broken places."

Ernest Hemingway

Keep reading,
-stenson

Wintergirls

For every young woman out there who has battled with body-image or weight issues-
For every adult and child who has loved someone who has had these battles-

there's little I can say to show you I understand or know what it's like, but there is a book you all must read. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. As one reviewer wrote, it's hard to read, but harder to put down. You've got to give Lia (and all the young girls like her) the gift of reading her story and sharing it with others.

For a list of reviews or other information about the book or the author, go to www.writerlady.com.

You. Must. Read. Wintergirls.
-abs(tenson) kujawski

Yakkety-yak

I love 7th graders. Every day they file into Room 103; I squawk at them "Do you have your BOOKS?!?". They sit down, and they read. Save a very few that I have yet to get my claws into...they are READING. They are reading the Maximum Ride series. They are reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. They are reading the Alex Rider series. They are reading the Twilight series. They are READING. And it fills my heart with even more literacy love.

Thank you, Class of 2014. It's been fun to read with you, discuss books, and talk about how to help you become even strong readers. We are going to have a super year.

By the way, I've been talking up some great books recently. Here's an abbreviated list:

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
Burn Journals by Brent Runyon
Full House edited by Pete Hautmann
Life As We Knew It by Susan Pfeffer
Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

But that's my measly list. You need to talk to the 7th graders at OGMS if you are looking for a good book. They'd know. They are readers.

So proud to be a Husky Reader,
Stenson

p.s. It's great to hear from former students. I smile every time I hear from you, so please, keep me updated on what you are reading. It feels familiar to see your names pop up. Love it.