This graphic novel was an enjoyable look at what happens when different cliques in school battle but eventually pool their resources. A preview of the graphic novel as well as some clever alternative endings are available at the authors' website.
Charlie, the captain of the basketball team, and Nate, president of the robotics club, have been best friends since their parents forced them to have a playdate as boys. Charlie finds himself in the middle of an argument between Nate and his ex-girlfriend, the head cheerleader. When Nate tries to solve their problem, "nothing could possibly go wrong", right???
This graphic novel was an enjoyable look at what happens when different cliques in school battle but eventually pool their resources. A preview of the graphic novel as well as some clever alternative endings are available at the authors' website.
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I don't often mention my "adult" reading life on these pages, mostly because it is reading meant for adults and, therefore, of little interest to my young adult audience on this page. However, after reading friend-recommended Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, I decided to include it here as the story really revolves around two children/young adults as they encounter the challenges of being orphaned and fostered. Orphan Train has two parallel stories. In one, Niamh, an Irish immigrant girl in Depression era New York City, finds herself an orphan after a devastating fire. She is put on an orphan train, a charitable organization's attempt to remove orphan children from the streets of the city by taking them out west on a train. The second story is about Molly, a young girl whose father has died and whose mother is in jail. She is in the modern era foster-care system in Bar Harbor, Maine. These two stories converge in a fascinating and satisfying way. I couldn't put this book down. As I said, the book is really written for an adult audience, but a mature young adult reader who enjoys historical fiction and family relationships would probably enjoy this book.
After reading Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, I wanted to give Gabrielle Zevin's Elsewhere a try since it is one of those titles that has seemed to endure through the years. I was a little disappointed, but I will say that most of my students who have read it, liked it. The premise of the story is that Liz Hall is a young girl who dies in a hit and run accident. She travels by ship to Elsewhere, the author's vision of heaven. The novel chronicles her world as she comes to grips with her new life in Elsewhere. For all of us who have wondered what the next world will be like, the novel provides one person's imaginative vision. It's not a vision I share, but the novel did prod me to think about my own vision of heaven. Have you ever wished you could start your life over with a clean slate? I hear a lot from former students that they love freshman year because even though they know many students, they do get a chance to remake themselves to a certain extent. Naomi, the protagonist of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, gets that chance when a fall down the stairs leaves her with no memory of the last four years of her life. She gets the chance to step back and decide if she really enjoys her boyfriend, her life as yearbook editor or tennis. Since she doesn't have a good idea of who or what she likes, she finds herself making new friends and trying on new identities. In many ways, her amnesia is a also a time of healing some old wounds. I picked up this book after seeing it on so many "best of" lists, and I found it to be a young adult book that explores that question so central to the lives of teens: "who am I?" Read it, step back and look at your life critically. Do your friends, the activities you are involved in, and your life's choices accurately reflect who you are? or are they a bi-product of who someone else wants you to be? Advisories: Naomi's boyfriend, Ace, makes a sexual overture to her. |
AuthorMrs. Carlino: librarian, technology teacher, intrepid reader, armchair (and real when I can swing it) traveler, vegetable gardener, and outdoor lover! Categories
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Some other sites where I have reviewed books:
Learnist Blogger Other lists of great reads: A .pdf File from the MA Department of Eduction that outlines suggested reading for grade level. The authors that will help you be "well-read":
I found this nice list of classics for middle schoolers thanks to a teacher in New York. Thanks to Mr. Shapiro wherever you are!
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