Extra! Extra! Hear all about it!

'Tis the season for the Best of 2010 lists!  I can't get enough of these recommendations, and it's fun to see what titles show up on a bunch of these lists. There's gotta be something for everyone.  Check it out.

Here's the list from the Reading Rants blog.  Enjoy!

cool chic with a megaphone image is from the Reading Rants website too.  Pretty cool pics AND very good books...gotta love the site.

Where did November Go?

Oh my goodness!  I feel terrible for not posting anything last month.  I guess I was too busy reading my own grown-up books that I forgot to tell blog about books that should not be missed by kids.

Since it is already December!, I guess I'll steal, copy, cheat my way to the first post in this last month of 2010...

This article includes books that seem more like high school books than middle school books, but I can't leave a "Best of" list alone.  Here's the first one of the season, found on NPR.com written by Gayle Forman (author of If I Stay).  Enjoy!

This is the picture from the article.  Love it!  Aaron Meshon is credited with the work.  If only my students' lockers looked like that! 

Not Without Hope by Nick Schulyer

Oh man, what a tragic story.  It's a tragic, true story about four young, strong, athletic, fit guys stranded at sea.  Only one survived.  His memoir is harrowing, chilling, and heart-breaking.  It's a book that will appeal to boys, but it will make all readers appreciate their good fortune, friends, and family.

As I finished the epilogue of the book and put the book down, I considered how lucky I am to be alive and healthy and safe.  The deaths of the three former football players shown below will be a constant reminder of how valuable life is.  Celebrate it with family and friends, and even when life is the darkest, carry one with hope.

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.

No Impact Man by Colin Beaven

Are you the type of person who tries? Colin Beaven is. He sets out to live, with his wife, daughter, and dog, in NYC, for one year without creating a environmental footprint. Then, he writes a book about the experiement.

They stop making trash, they stop using any transportation that is not self-propelled, they only eat food grown/made with ingredients from within a 250 mile radius, and they turn off the electricity.

He doesn't do it to self-promote. He doesn't do it to be a martyr. He doesn't do it to be a over-acheiveing environmentalist. He does it because he doesn't know what else to do, but try.



As a story, it works. And, in my opinion, it works well as an experiment too. Ultimately, he asks questions that go beyond what's good for the climate, and he begins to ask questions about what is good for us? And, he means what is really good for our quality of life and our happiness levels.

As non-fiction goes, this book will be enjoyed by mature kids and grown-ups in their lives. I'm really sad I didn't read it with someone I love. I'm going to sign off and start lobbying the Tall Guy to read it.

No Impact Man by Colin Beaven can also be sampled at this site, the No Impact Blog.

Keep reading, everyone!
-stenson

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