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The Final Four by Paul Volponi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I love all of Paul Volponi's books and this is no exception! He gets the suspense and excitement just right in this book about basketball and 4 overtimes in a game that will totally drive you crazy with anticipation. Who will win this Final Four game between the Michigan State Spartans (Malcolm McBride and Michael Jordan) against the Troy University Trojans (Roko Bacic and Crispin Rice)is anyone's guess as we follow the story through the four main characters, (and there are so many more other memorable characters in this book!) newspaper stories, and news reporting by sportscasters. I so enjoyed Malcolm; he was easy to dislike with all his bravado, but he was a consummate player, who had a close-knit family, ethics that kept him away from the drug infested streets, parties and trouble. Volponi's trash-talking between the basketball players was cruel and amusing and created a dynamic that fueled the tension on the court. Roko's story was heartrending with his flight from Croatia and the loss of his uncle. But you knew he was going to do whatever it took to survive, be a leader, and be just like his uncle. I enjoyed the dynamics between Michael Jordan and Malcolm and loved his Reaction Paper: Basketball is Life! Crispin Rice's spur of the moment proposal teaches him (and his team) about living in the moment and the Troy of Hope good luck won't make them a winning team, but looking out for each other during the game is their winning strategy. I will be getting multiple copies of this book for our library and I know my reluctant readers, especially those that love basketball will be fighting for this book!
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Book review of
XL by Scott Brown
Pub Date: 26 Mar 2019
Read courtesy of netgalley.com
I love Scott Brown's writing style: interesting vocabulary, descriptive metaphors, a glimmer of breaking the fourth wall, and a bit of dry, subtle humor. It works. If you don't like being given one of the funniest lines of a movie during a trailer, don't read the next part of this sentence since I'm going to ruin a chuckle for you: car mitzvah, when you turn 16 and get your driver's licence and your parents buy you a car. OK- you can resume reading. I also like that Brown gave me things to ponder, like if are there only two kinds of quests (end of chapter 2).
I do beg to differ with one factoid that seemed to play a large (pun intended) part in the plot; Will says, "Fact. Small things don't live as long." But that's not true; small dogs live longer than big dogs. Just sayin'.
Brown did a nice job of consistently characterizing each of his secondary characters; they had unique personalities. He also did well with his extended metaphor of the gorillas in the zoo at which his father worked with the three-way relationship of Will, Drew, and Monica - the three main characters. In chapter 6 Will's impending experiences are even foreshadowed by the gorilla's behavior. Some symbolism was just a little too obvious, though, like the placement of the necklace given to him by one girl when he was in the presence of another (chapter 12).
I stayed interested in how the conflicts were going to resolve themselves, but I was, unfortunately, slightly disappointed with the unfinished, happy ending. So, they all stay friends, but... What happens to Will and his XL situation? Does Monica, who is a strong character throughout the story, end up compromising her Plan? Now that Drew abandoned his Plan, where does that leave his future? I know... "the best-laid plans of mice and men..."; that's the message in itself. But I'm not sure I've been given enough information about the characters to strongly speculate about their futures. In spite of this, I enjoyed the underlying premise of, "Be careful what you wish for; you might get it."
⭐⭐⭐⭐/☆☆☆☆☆
Book Review
The Liars of Mariposa Island
by Jennifer Mathieu
Publication Date 17 Sep 2019
Read courtesy of NetGalley.com
I have to be honest; I forgot what the title of this book was while I was reading it. Now that I see it has the word "Liars" in it, the book makes more sense. It's about liars. I like the book a 1/2 star better than I did before remembering the title.
The story is about a dysfunctional family fooling itself at every turn. Each family member lies to him/herself and, in turn, to each other. And it's not the kind of lying that's obvious; it's a self-preservation technique, yet it crumbles rather than coheres the family. On the other hand, some of the lying is so obvious that it's hard to believe its believed.
I enjoyed the point in the book when the reader is finally let in on the biggest lie perpetuated by the two teen children in the family. Once it is revealed, the mother's self-denial becomes more apparent and more dysfunctional.
The mother's lie to her children comes to light later in the story; however, it's revealed in too obvious a manner. It felt the plot point that allowed this lie to emerge lacked narrative creativity (been there, done that).
The story includes sex, and drugs, and boozy beach parties. These feel gratuitously included to "appeal" to teen readers.
Finally, the ending was abrupt. The only truth to the story is that no one wins in the end, including the reader.
Hope Is Our Only Wing
by Rutendo Tavengerwei
Pub Date: 10 Sep 2019
read courtesy of Netgalley.com
Note: Let your readers know that there is a glossary at the back of the book. Because I read this as a digital galley, I didn't find the glossary until after I finished reading, and it would have been helpful to have been aware of it earlier.
I agree with prior reviews that this is a middle school book, but I also think that it's not as easy a read as others have noted. While the vocabulary is not too difficult (besides the references to African terms, for which there is a glossary), the concepts of politics and disease and cultural references might pose a challenge for some students. We're lucky, however, in this time of the Internet, that we have the ability to easily quench our curiosities. For example, as a result of a reference to "Oliver Mtukudzi's timeless voice," I was able to find out that he died recently, January 2019, and hear an example of his sound on YouTube (https://youtu.be/p-JUy6p0Qpw). And though I could figure out what ZESA was from context, I could also look up that it's the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority.
As an educator, I was drawn to the words of wisdom one character's grandfather imparted, one "could quit if it was the instrument that was making him miserable. But if it was the learning he was trying to avoid, he would have to toughen up."
In spite of the unfamiliarity with the setting, readers will be drawn in by the developing friendship between the two main characters. As readers we're given room to experience the interplay of actions and feelings the two girls experience rather than being explicitly spoon fed what to think and feel. I liked that about Tavengerwei's style. I think sophisticated middle school readers will like this story.
Book Review: Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake
Pub Date: 26 May 2020
Read courtesy of http://netgalley.com
One word: derivative.
First, though, this book didn't know what it wanted to be. It felt easy to read, but right off the bat (chapter 1, paragraph 1) the author threw in "big words," which could easily turn off the reluctant reader who might have otherwise found this a highly accessible book.
Second, I honestly do not know if my high schoolers like reading stories where the teenage protagonist (Emily) is smarter than the adults, but I personally dislike that as a plot method. Yes, teenagers mostly do think they are smarter than their parents, but to make that the premise of a book, as if the teen is a superhero and the parents are clueless, gets old.
OK, back to "derivative." Quite early in the story I felt like I was reading E.T., the Extra-terrestrial. This feeling resurfaced often. Then the Men in Black reference was repeated (and repeated) throughout the book. Then the plane crash was like Hatchet. I even got a hint of Star Wars with a line that sounded like, "These are not the droids you are looking for." Then a little bit of Star Trek was thrown in with their "prime directive"; Aidan couldn't interfere with the Earth's history. I hit my limit when Aidan's departure mimicked E.T.'s "I'll be right here" and I pictured the author thinking, "Queue E.T.s glowing finger." That wasn't the last unoriginal reference, though; the goodbye scene with Emily and Aidan turned into the intro from The Big Bang Theory.
I found the author's descriptions of Emily's father to be inconsistent in that his personality didn't match his character in the end. Throughout she describe him as "all military precision and attention," "Emily's dad had many useful things in his backpack - that was his style...," "...her dad, sticking to the logic of the story," "She was still averting her eyes. Her dad would see her lies in an instant, if he looked into them," "...her dad said needlessly, and Emily realized something else: this was how he dealt with stress. By trying to understand, to analyze," and "That was Emily's dad: no need to discuss what kind of message, or how, or anything irrelevant like that. Pure focus on the plan." Then at the end,
There was an awkward silence, and then they laughed. They tried not to talk too much about the time after the plane crash - he parents told themselves a story abut it, that they'd been in a rush to get to civilization, but Emily could tell they only partially believed it, and that the best way for them to reconcile the events with the kind of people they understood themselves to be was to not think about it.
To be fair, there were some positives. The author obviously took a great deal of thought into making Aidan's character's abilities consistent and plausible. That's a real plus, since the story wouldn't have worked at all without this being tight and dependable. I was also pleasantly surprised at how clever the author had Emily be at the end with the man in the gray suit, playing like she knew as much as her parents did about the events that occurred.
However, I think the author did more thinking about how he could mix ET with Agent J or Spock than he did about making an original and absorbing story. <2 stars>
I thought I'd share a job posting for http://TeachingBooks.net in case you know someone who might enjoy it. I think this job will be great for any smart, energetic person who loves books, education, and working with teachers and librarians. I know it isn't a school librarian position, but it sure is connected to the field and enables advocacy and support in personable, meaningful ways.
Details of this Madison, Wisconsin-based opportunity are copied below or at
http://teachingbooks.net/jobopportunity
My very best. -- Nick Glass ( nick@teachingbooks.net )
Educational Outreach Coordinator at TeachingBooks.net
TeachingBooks.net, an educational organization that adds a multimedia dimension to the reading experiences of children's and young adult books, is looking for a qualified individual to help lead company outreach and customer support efforts.
The primary focuses of this position are to:
* Actively support the integration of multimedia into reading with current and prospective customers (teachers and librarians).
* Clearly and enthusiastically provide information to users of our service to improve their understanding of and experience with the TeachingBooks.net service.
* Communicate with license coordinators to assist them in effectively raising awareness of TeachingBooks.net within their educational communities.
Valued attributes that will enable you to thrive in this position include:
* Exceptional written and oral communication skills.
* Comfort talking with educators and presenting in front of a group.
* Strong organizational skills with the ability to multitask and meet deadlines.
* Ability to manage details with ease.
* Attentiveness to data integrity.
An ideal candidate has a familiarity with and interest in education, librarianship, and books; an interest and willingness to take initiative; and experience working in a team environment.
Position is full-time with competitive salary and benefits, including health insurance. Position is on-site in a Madison, WI office.
View the complete job description at:
http://TeachingBooks.net/EducationalOutreach
Reply with cover letter and resume to:
Alyssa Yokota-Lewis, Lead Educational Outreach Coordinator
alyssa@teachingbooks.net
(608) 257-2919
About TeachingBooks.net:
TeachingBooks.net is a portal to thousands of online resources that educators and students use to explore children's and young adult books and their authors. We offer a multimedia connection to reading, and are currently licensed in more than 25,000 schools providing resources to more than 13 million students.
Learn more at: http://TeachingBooks.net/about
Book Review
The Twilight Man
a graphic novel by Koren Shadmi
Publish date: 08 Oct 2019
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com
I don't care whether you're a fan of "The Twilight Zone" or not. This graphic novel biography about Rod Serling is excellent. It's strength is that it showed the evolution of the man and his storytelling. The drawings were clear and not confusing while maintaining drama and emotion. It was a quick read for 169 pages. And the ending didn't disappoint; well, in real life it did, but this iteration of the storytelling did not. I cannot wait to get this for my high school library!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Lauren, thank you so much for highly recommending this book! It was so right up my alley with what I truly love to read. Maggie Stiefvater crafted such a great story with a believable storyline about "water" horses, orphans, the rich vs the poor and a romance that slowly grows between Kate "Puck" Connolly and Sean Kendrick, a horse-whisperer of the carnivorous sea horses. The island of Thisby is a hard scrabble place that needs the tourists the annual Scorpio Races brings, to survive. Puck and her two brothers have lost their parents to the flesh eating horses and life has been very difficult since then for them. Whereas Puck and Finn love the island, older brother Gabe has announced he is leaving with his two friends, because he can't take it anymore. Sean Kendrick and Puck alternate telling their stories. Sean Kendrick loves his Capill uisce, Corr and Puck loves her quarter pony; and it is Sean who stands up for Puck as the first female rider, against those islanders that challenge her. I really disliked both Mutt Malvern and his father. I wanted to like Mr. Malvern, but I could see that he was like Sean Kendrick (poor) but he was never going to let Sean or Corr go. I saw true evil in Mutt and it was difficult to read when he tried to "hurt" those associated with Sean Kendrick. But it was the slowly moving, delicate relationship of Puck and Sean that I applaud. Stiefvater takes two people who are animal lovers and through deliberate situations, moves them from strangers, to acquaintances, to friends and then a mutual respect and love. Highly recommended!
View all my reviews
Book Review:
Oasis by Katya de Becerra
Pub Date: 07 Jan 2020
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com
I so wanted to like this as much as I started out liking it. It really pulled me in quickly. I can see how it was initially described as Lost mixed with Twilight Zone, but I guess I was hoping for more Twilight Zone mixed with Lost. I personally enjoy more scifi than fantasy, and Oasis was definitely more fantasy than scifi.
Confession: At first I thought the "diversity thing" was over the top, but I quickly understood the setting was absolutely appropriate for scholars from all over to participate in an archaeological dig. I was glad to find the mix of characters was not just a ploy for inclusiveness. I did have a bit of a struggle with some of the characterization (Would a 13 year old boy run to greet an older teenager girl and hug her? What about a brooding, moody, slightly older assistant would appeal so strongly to a teenage girl?) On the other hand, I give de Becerra props for being able to provide two different personalities to each character depending on the plot influences.
From what follows you might get the feeling I really didn't like the book, but I did. I just liked the beginning and where I thought the dig plot was going more than I did where it ended up. So what follows in this review are things that detracted from my fuller enjoyment of the book:
- I get the teen hormone thing, but the kissing did seem to appear at random (or inopportune) times. I guess that's how it is with teens. I know the kissing was the plot device to imbue the main character with self-consciousness and doubt, but it seemed to belie her strength and wisdom as a strong female character.
- In one scene, the brooding, moody character tells the main character, "It'll be all right," after she says she has doubts about their situation. It reminded me of the insurance commercial where the frightened teens agree to run into the chainsaw shack instead of escaping into the running car. A bit too obvious that danger lurked ahead.
- Another short scene was full of psychobabbly, new-agey philosophy. I wondered at the time I was reading it if teens like that mumbo-jumbo and would buy into it.
- For me the depth of the stolen tablet's insight into the characters was lessened by the fully developed characterization of the main players previously by the main character. I just thought the part where the tablet "made things clearer for its host" really just reiterated the things that main character had already revealed about her friends.
- When the characters each experienced the tablet in different ways, why was Rowen's depiction one of a tree? Nothing else in the story implied that vision, so it felt random to me.
- Is it me, or was it too obvious for the author to use the terms "alternate reality" and "parallel universe" toward the end of the story. Did that need to be spelled out so blatantly? And what about the use of "alien threat"? That TOTALLY changed what the dark essence was for me and took me even further out of what I had come to find comfort in while trying to stay engrossed with the story. An alien threat is a very specific choice of words that restricts the reader's imagination.
The book had a really strong beginning; I'll give it that. I was compelled to read it, and then I was compelled to read it to see if it dug its way out of the hole it fell into. If you're a fantasy fan, it did. If you're a scifi fan, it stayed buried.
If You Really Loved Me by Anne Schraff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Part of the Urban Underground series, I liked Destini, who was really hard on herself as not being as pretty, smart and having nice clothes as her friends at Harriet Tubman High. She dislikes school, her teachers and her classes. Until she meets Tyron who is her first boyfriend and gives her such good feelings of love that she overlooks his faults of anger. It is after Tyron hurts her two times that Destini realizes she can't change Tyron and has supportive friends and and a mother that Destini breaks free. Recommended.
View all my reviews
Girl on the Run
by Abigail Johnson
Pub Date: 06 Oct 2020
Read courtesy of netgalley.com
LOVED IT! Is there such a thing as a 6 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐review?
Fast paced and tight, I read this book in an afternoon. I was engaged by the characters and the plot. I enjoyed being able to anticipate where things were going or where they had come from. I sometimes get frustrated trying to follow a thriller's flow of information, and I sometimes think the authors do it on purpose for some kind of gotcha. Abigail Johnson didn't confuse me, purposefully or not. She allowed the readers to explore both with the characters and to make suppositions on their own without making the readers feel duped or slow-witted.
Recommend this book to readers who like Amazon's Hanna.
As an aside, it did help that I grew up and worked near the story's setting; although, the geography itself could have been anywhere with regards to the story. It was just fun for me to read of places I know: Bridgeton, Cheltenham, Perkasie, Elkins Park, etc.
I can't wait to put this in to my high school readers' hands.
who share a common ancestry and culture and among whom leadership is typically neither formalized nor permanent... A group of people sharing an occupation, interest or habit.
Due to copyright issues (about which librarians are VERY serious), we were unable to continue offering Library Tech Geek Squad buttons for sale.
The good news, is that our talented designer, Gwyneth Jones, has created an even better design: we are now the Library Tech Geek Tribe!
Items currently available on Zazzle include Tribe buttons and stickers, with other products in the works.
As before, any profits from the GeekTribe line will be used to help support the Teacher Librarian Ning.
Please visit my Zazzle page for ordering information.
*Bonus!
A week before ALA and ISTE we'll be publishing a copyright free conference badge for new Tribe members to print out and proudly display!
Time Travel for Love and Profit
by Sarah Lariviere
Pub Date: 13 Oct 2020
Read courtesy of netgalley.com
I love Sarah Lariviere's writing style. So much so, that I'd label this novel "humor" before I'd call it "fantasy." It's definitely scifi, though, and I appreciate that the author didn't mess with my mind too much trying to keep the time shifts straight. That alone makes this an accessible, entertaining story. This story really has something for anyone: humor, science fiction, time travel, friendships, bildungsroman, parents, romance...
The author's metaphors throughout the book are excellent; they beautifully enhance the story Lariviere's telling. The humor was subtle instead of guffaw-inducing, so I really enjoyed it. (Like Nephele in 2nd grade forgiving her college level math tutor for not always getting the math right.) And sometimes it's irreverent "Toast is eternal."
What I don't know from the electronic preview reader's copy I received is if the book shows the 'Chicago, 1955' picture. As a school librarian, I, of course, had to look it up. http://sfmoma.org/artwork/2005.474/ Seeing the photograph adds so much to understanding and relating to the story and to Nephele.
I don't know if I'd do what Nephele did, but that's the beauty of the story: it lends itself to allowing the readers to discuss with themselves (or others) what they would do in Nephele's circumstance. This book would be appropriate for middle or high school readers. 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars
by Christopher Paolini
Pub Date: 15 Sep 2020
Read courtesy of http://www.Netgalley.com
Although I usually don't enjoy fantasy, Paolini makes it accessible to me. He doesn't confuse me with featureless, flat characters with too many weird, similar names - that alone is a win for me. I really enjoyed To Sleep in a Sea of Stars since it falls in that nebulous alley between fantasy and scifi; it was able to pull off both genres in one story.
Every character has a personality; the characters are ones for whom I want to cheer and root, and I don't really have to spend too much time understanding or hating the 'bad guys.' Kira and the Soft Blade do that for me. Engaging, fun, (long), and quite epic.
Every character has a personality; the characters are ones for whom I want to cheer and root, and I don't really have to spend too much time understanding or hating the 'bad guys.' Kira and the Soft Blade do that for me. Engaging, fun, (long), and quite epic.
The Stone Rainbow
by Liane Shaw
Pub Date: 17 Sep 2019
Read courtesy of NetGalley.com
My first note to myself early in the book was, "As a straight person, I've been curious about this. Maybe I'll find out," in reaction to Jack wondering how to find out if someone he might be interested in is gay or not. It ends up that I don't explicitly "find out," due mainly to the fact that there's nothing to "find out." One simply asks someone, no different than a straight person finds out if a straight person is interested in return -- and sometimes the person isn't straight! People are people! (I also didn't find out because Jack's crush, Benjamin, isn't shy about liking other guys.)
The author's message is clear throughout the book. "I don't live in a fantasy land where being gay is easy. It should be. I don't know why it isn't. Why would anyone care who I decide to spend time with?" and "I'll always have a different heaven from hers. In her heaven, everyone starts fresh, reborn into something better than before. Blind men can see, and the lame can walk...and I would guess the gays become "straight" if they make it that far." [Powerful in the declaration that some see "straight" people as better than "gay" people, that "straight" is something to aspire to.] And the more obvious parade rally cry, "Kindness rules": "If everyone just decides to treat everyone else with kindness, it all goes away. Intolerance,, disrespect, racism, homophobia, misogyny, bullying...all wiped out with one simple command. Be kind."
At first I thought this was just a romance novel, which felt a little light and fluffy and not holding my attention, but it took a more serious turn. I found myself immediately drawn into things that happen in real life... and I cannot believe people do this to others. But they do, and the author offered a way to counteract violence with grace. This story didn't need to be written in great literary prose in order for a clear message and interesting story to come through.
