tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62358583545115281752024-03-05T22:55:51.738-06:00Teen Text TalkReviews and Teacher Advisories for Young Adult LiteratureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-91044356627082447932012-12-31T07:47:00.002-06:002012-12-31T07:47:43.886-06:00The Coming of Age Novel<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlAzKumSZBr-JtvPWCLJ5r3W-TXHgJPJnkfa0k2QDyTT_upUYCsgXdJTZ3_rrQ9dICsYg0DHBxGu9GYpxOKGgLt-6344h4xe7Nl_OTjTPwj3SSo88zxvc2MK1dA_IOH3MNfrNM4H3Pdo/s1600/thefuture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlAzKumSZBr-JtvPWCLJ5r3W-TXHgJPJnkfa0k2QDyTT_upUYCsgXdJTZ3_rrQ9dICsYg0DHBxGu9GYpxOKGgLt-6344h4xe7Nl_OTjTPwj3SSo88zxvc2MK1dA_IOH3MNfrNM4H3Pdo/s400/thefuture.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.kidjutsu.com/blog/calvin-and-hobbes-bill-watterson-best-kids-comic-ever" target="_blank">[Source]</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Several months ago a post on Goodreads got me to thinking. It was a simple enough post. The person was asking for a list of coming of age books for boys. I mentioned <i>A Separate Peace</i> as I loved that book as a teenager, I love it still and we teach it to our Sophomores. Sure it's a Classic, but it's a good Classic, one that I can get into and I can get the kids into. I mean really who doesn't have a best friend who they are also jealous of? Who hasn't wanted physical harm to come to someone, but regretted it when it actually does? Who hasn't realized, at least once, that they're the bad guy and they deserve to lose? This book is also set during war with main characters that are too young to fight, but who really want to, with main characters who see their friends going of to war and realize that maybe war isn't really all it's cracked up to be. This was especially poignant in 2002 and is still poignant if I have a student whose older brother or sister or friend has been or is in Iraq or Afghanistan. They get it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, so I mentioned <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5148.A_Separate_Peace" target="_blank">A Separate Peace</a> and someone replied that kids don't read that anymore, they find it boring and can't relate. I wanted to know why students could no longer relate, I mean I was/am teaching it to students and they seem to be interested enough (seriously, I find that anything that's assigned will not agree with everyone, but if I can get one kid in my class to hop on the band-wagon, several others follow). I began to wonder what modern coming of age novel appealed to teens today. To be clear, on my search for these books I didn't want trendy books, I wanted genuine Bildungsroman novels that for some reason or another would stand the test of time, and sure, that's going to be slightly subjective. I also feel that no matter what age of a teen book, if you can find the hook, it can relate to any teen. The themes found in any Bildungroman are universal to the teen experience.<br />
<br />
At first, I found <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94129299" target="_blank">this article from NPR</a> that seemed to play into what the Goodreads post was saying. Sure, for those of you who don't want to click to read it, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5107.The_Catcher_in_the_Rye" target="_blank">The Catcher in the Rye</a> is still be assigned and still on banned book lists, but really it seems to be out of touch with young people today. This article at least points out that Holden Caulfield may not relate to teens today because the majority of teens are not WASP-y (my words not theirs), and those that weren't when the book came out didn't really have a voice to say otherwise.<br />
<br />
Nowadays there are tons of voices (GLBT, white, black, Hispanic, Asian, Christian, Muslim, inner-city, male, female, tween, rural and I could go on and on and on) and I'm sure each of these voices have different ideas of what might classify as a coming of age novel for the modern teen.<br />
<br />
<b>Major traits of a Bildungsroman or Coming of Age Novel (for this I'm using the word interchangeably)</b><br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>"focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood and in which character change is thus extremely important"<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildungsroman" target="_blank">*</a></li>
<li>the protagonist is looking for answers and experience </li>
<li>a journey to maturity through a major event in the character's life</li>
<li>because the above books were both written in the 50s and I'm looking for books for modern teens written, all of the books below were written after the 1950s. I suppose that makes them <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postmodernism" target="_blank">post-modern</a>, but anyway...</li>
</ol>
<div>
<b>25 Modern Bildungsroman (alphabetized by authors last name)</b></div>
<div>
<ol>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/693208.The_Absolutely_True_Diary_of_a_Part_Time_Indian" target="_blank">Alexie, Sherman <i>The Absolute True Diary of a Part-time Indian</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/439288.Speak" target="_blank">Andersen, Laura Halse <i>Speak</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37743.Forever" target="_blank">Blume, Judy <i>Forever</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/452306.The_Sisterhood_of_the_Traveling_Pants" target="_blank">Brashares, Ann <i>Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants </i>(Books 1)</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22628.The_Perks_of_Being_a_Wallflower" target="_blank">Chbosky, Stephen <i>The Perks of Being A Wallflowe</i>r</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270402.A_Hero_Ain_t_Nothin_But_a_Sandwich" target="_blank">Childress, Alice <i>A Hero Ain't Nothin But A Sandwich</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/139253.The_House_on_Mango_Street" target="_blank">Cisneros, Sandra <i>The House on Mango Street</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/275840.Chinese_Handcuffs" target="_blank">Crutcher, Chris <i>Chinese Handcuffs</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/131845.The_Cat_Ate_My_Gymsuit?a=5&origin=related_works" target="_blank">Danizger, Paula <i>The Cat Ate My Gymsuit</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/531989.Drown" target="_blank">Diaz, Juno <i>Drown</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10956.The_Virgin_Suicides" target="_blank">Eugenides, Jeffrey <i>The Virgin Suicides</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/73284.Juno_And_Juliet" target="_blank">Gough, Julian <i>Juno and Juliet</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49750.An_Abundance_of_Katherines" target="_blank">Green, John <i>An Abundance of Katherines</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/160251.Ordinary_People" target="_blank">Guest, Judith <i>Ordinary People</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1618.The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_in_the_Night_Time" target="_blank">Haddon, Mark <i>The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11297.Norwegian_Wood" target="_blank">Murakami, Haruki <i>Norwegian Wood</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/270367.Kissing_Kate" target="_blank">Myracle, Lauren <i>Kissing Kate</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/231804.The_Outsiders" target="_blank">Hinton, SE <i>The Outsiders</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5231173-twenty-boy-summer" target="_blank">Ockler, Sarah <i>Twenty Boy Summer</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10917.My_Sister_s_Keeper" target="_blank">Picoult, Jodi <i>My Sister's Keeper</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/187181.The_Chosen" target="_blank">Potok, Chaim <i>Chosen</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12232938-the-lovely-bones" target="_blank">Sebold, Alice <i>The Lovely Bones</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/248704.It_s_Kind_of_a_Funny_Story" target="_blank">Vizzini, Ned <i>It's Kind of a Funny Story</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/272333.The_House_You_Pass_on_the_Way" target="_blank">Woodson, Jacqueline <i>The House You Pass on the Way</i></a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11150130-the-amazing-and-death-defying-diary-of-eugene-dingman" target="_blank">Zindel, Paul <i>The Amazing and Death-Defying of Eugene Dingman</i></a></li>
</ol>
</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbFuDPV1RmA3ES-AUQ69xwh8EH7mVJa5ZBp7AnY7UGOwqENdqISIbLn9Fwz4hPeCLcUqJZZKWtShDlBdX43tc9MaEdHsTrymlNcSfpSZ_5qq056sdMXplUWy4Vu8sq7cu90M0a43RNp0/s1600/coming+of+age.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVbFuDPV1RmA3ES-AUQ69xwh8EH7mVJa5ZBp7AnY7UGOwqENdqISIbLn9Fwz4hPeCLcUqJZZKWtShDlBdX43tc9MaEdHsTrymlNcSfpSZ_5qq056sdMXplUWy4Vu8sq7cu90M0a43RNp0/s320/coming+of+age.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My knee jerk votes can be found <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/list/user_vote/1040245" target="_blank">here</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><div>
What should I add to the list above?</div>
Englishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06019088444496892695noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-43495706046042921762012-09-08T09:00:00.002-05:002012-09-09T10:04:26.262-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQQXuN_ffezyKtaVnBaRXm5j_Lm7JsgaOdzMX1_MBC9SfnS01Oe5sQNVE9DlIDw8geGJD53Q-2mLc5BU3cBNHjBXpqPbUFsnxzT5dI-HtAzh2X4BoCVvyv_zPwex2wtjiXPtTCSbs8Dd1/s1600/the+eleventh+plague.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvQQXuN_ffezyKtaVnBaRXm5j_Lm7JsgaOdzMX1_MBC9SfnS01Oe5sQNVE9DlIDw8geGJD53Q-2mLc5BU3cBNHjBXpqPbUFsnxzT5dI-HtAzh2X4BoCVvyv_zPwex2wtjiXPtTCSbs8Dd1/s1600/the+eleventh+plague.jpg" /></a></div>
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The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch</div>
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I'm trying to see this book through my students' eyes. It's an easy read. The world in which it's based- a post-apoloypctic world trying to recover after a particularly deadly strain of the flu has ravaged North America and possibly the rest of the world- is interesting and thought-provoking. It has many topics they can relate to, like love, being a teenager, and family. And that's about where it stops.<br />
<br />
To me, this book was incredibly underwhelming. The post-apocolyptic backdrop is a guise. If it had taken place in a modern-day, plague free society, the story would have been the same. From the point of view of the protagonist, umm.... I can't even remember his name and I just finished this book- the scope of this book is so narrow that it becomes about him and his annoying girlfriend rather than about society as a whole. Still, Hirsch wastes no time in making his message hit-you-over-the-head-and-leave-no-room-for-interpretation clear. The "moral of the story" was incredibly too obvious for me, and I found myself rolling my eyes at every turn. I also found myself sighing loudly at myself for still reading the book.<br />
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To sum up <i>The Eleventh Plague</i>, I would say it's a compilation of cliches wrapped inside post-apocolyptic packaging. Boring.<br />
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<strong style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">2 Stars</span></strong><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a>
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<b>Sex <span style="color: red;">0/5</span></b><br />
Nada<br />
<b>Language <span style="color: red;">0/5</span></b><br />
Zip<br />
<b>Violence <span style="color: red;">2/5</span></b><br />
There is some war, some death. But it's not described in enough detail (nothing in this book is) that it would be something to be concerned about.<br />
<b>Substance Abuse <span style="color: red;">3/5</span></b><br />
There is a scene of underage drinking. That's another thing that bothered me. Not the underage drinking, but the fact that the author didn't even address the possibility of the kids getting in trouble, or mention why one of the kids was able to be carried home stumbling drunk without worry about what the parents think. It was a non-issue, and was completely unrealistic. It seemed to just be plugged into the book for shock factor, but was done in a way that was completely uninteresting.<br />
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<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<br />
<i><span style="color: red;"><b>Racism</b></span></i><br />
Sort of. I think it's odd that the people who let the plague loose are Chinese, and that Chinese people are the enemy. This would have been fine if there had been some sort of explanation. Nope. Chinese people are the enemy. That's all. What?<br />
<i><b><span style="color: red;">Death of parents</span></b></i><br />
Again, it's present, but not done in enough depth that I think it would bother any kid who may have had a similar experienceNicole Scherderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14329786055047614273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-17004161796861633652012-07-21T07:50:00.002-05:002012-07-21T07:50:17.379-05:00Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been lost three times in my life. Once was with my friend when I was in 6th grade. We were riding our bikes and took one too many unknown turns and ended up in a field on a gravel path. It wasn't really that scary we'd packed a lunch, had planned on having an adventure and, in my small home town, all we had to do was pedaled to the top of the hill (hard on gravel, but not impossible) to see in what direction we needed to pedal to get back to town.<br />
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The second time involved my sisters and my grandparents house in the country. It was a little dicer, but still not that bad. We'd been walking in the fields and ended up walking to a creek out of sight of the house. We sat under a shady tree to cool down and tried to walk back the way we came, but ended up at the bottom of an, I swear, 90 degree hill. At the top of the hill we could see the house. Without food or water it was kind of hard to get up the hill and about half-way up we sat down...bad idea if you are trying to climb a vertical hill in the summer heat. but, we crawled up encouraging each other to get to the flat surface where the fence and yard were. Right when we thought we couldn't go any farther we heard our aunt calling us. She could see us and lifted the barbed wire to let us in. We were scolded with kisses and kool-aid and cold baths. She hadn't thought we were lost at all as she could see us from the dining room window the whole time.<br />
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The third time was something else entirely as it involved hiking in the dark unknown. It was my second year of teaching and a group of us had gone hiking. We left early and got to the natural bridge and creek at a wonderful time of day. The only problem was the seed ticks in our socks. We tried to follow the same path back, but it started getting dark and we lost our way. We were in a national park, but hadn't signed the post to say we were going to be in there. It grew pitch black and we didn't have any flashlights. We were not prepared for a night hike. It felt like we were going in circles and the seed ticks didn't help either. We ended up hiking up a hill in the dark straight into someone's back yard. These people were kind enough to take us to our cars.<br />
<br />
After reading the book<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/lost-in-the-river-of-grass-ginny-rorby/1100186400?ean=9780761384984" target="_blank"> Lost in the River of Grass by Ginny Rorby</a> I realize I've never been lost at all, and I'm not sure I could survive if I were left to my own devices in some sort of wilderness<span style="background-color: white;">.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Sarah is a misfit at her preppy school. The girls make fun of her clothes, her mom works in the cafeteria and her dad isn't really in construction, he's a construction worker. She goes on the class field trip to the Everglades to hopefully get to know the students in her class better. Her hand-me down clothes and old camera just make her more out of place and when it's only her teacher giving her the time of day. She decides to take the scary advice of a local boy; she decides to go in an airboat into the Everglades. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">There are so many aspects of this book that are just beautiful, will do an excellent job of reeling in reluctant readers and are honest and real. Ginny makes a point to give us clues into Sarah's life but not everything comes to light until the end. Each chapter is divided up into how many days the kids are in The Glades. In Andy, we find a character who's life seems to mirror Sarah's own, however, Andy doesn't have the kind of parental support and therefore doesn't have the same opportunities. However, Andy is more than just your typical boy and Sarah isn't that 'fraidy cat girl she seems to be at the beginning. Finally, we have the Everglades. In this forest of water and trees we find all that is wonderful about nature and all that is deadly. There are gators and gator-crushing pythons, poisonous snakes, fire ants, Palmetto bugs (which I guess is a fancy Florida word for large roaches) and a baby duck named Teapot. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">In the end, I forgot all about how a stupid mistake got them into this mess and I forgot to think of the wilderness as scary instead I focused on the social and emotional issues of being a teenager and of being true to who you are. Rorby doesn't fail in giving us much to talk about at the end and over at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/941354-july-2012---lost-in-the-river-of-grass-by-ginny-rorby">YA Reads</a>, we've talked about everything from the baby duck, to believable characteristics, to the wilderness, to what it means to be a teenager, to the cover of the latest edition. Yes, this book is that good and has that much going on. I loved every breathless minute!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="border: medium none;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">5 Stars</span></strong></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" /></a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;">I know enough about this girl, the country and boys like Andy to make this book so much more than enjoyable. If you read it and don't smell the swamp by the end you're doing something wrong.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;"><br /></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">Teacher Advisories </b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">Hand-holding, first kiss kissing</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If there was a cuss-word at all I missed it.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;">They allude to Andy's father drinking.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt;">Lots of stuff goes on, but it's written in such a way that I feel it would only be a 4 or 5 if maybe a young kid was reading this book. I can't get the water-logged cracked peeled foot skin out of my head, there's also a scene with a python crushing the life out of an alligator that is just disturbing in its truthfulness, Palmetto bugs crawl all over them *pauses to scratch cheek*, an alligator snatches a bird taking flight, dead fire-ant rafts, fire ants, snakes, a pretty intense scene were one is wrapped around Andy's leg and there's lots and lots of mud. Ick.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Race</span></i></b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">There are two questions that Ginny ask be thought about when reading this book:</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"></span></span><br />
<div class="paragraph_style_6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #eeefc3; font-family: Garamond-Bold, Garamond; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 16px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">1. Do you think there is a reason the author put a Confederate flag in the garage? How does Andy feel about the flag? How does Sarah? What is its significance to you?</span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph_style_6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #eeefc3; font-family: Garamond-Bold, Garamond; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 16px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph_style_6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #eeefc3; font-family: Garamond-Bold, Garamond; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 16px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">2. There is a quote in the author’s notes by John Dufresne. Why is that quote significant to what you know about Sarah?</span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph_style_6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #eeefc3; font-family: Garamond-Bold, Garamond; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 16px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="paragraph_style_6" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: none; background-color: #eeefc3; font-family: Garamond-Bold, Garamond; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 700; line-height: 16px; opacity: 1; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
</div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">As a person of mixed heritage, I think discussion of race in the novel is tantamount to discussing the book itself. Be prepared for race dialogue, to discuss the context of the Confederate flag et cetera.</span></span></span></div>
<br />
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><b><i>Stereotypes</i></b></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">Sure, some of the characters in the novel act stereotypically, but is this a good or a bad thing. What are stereotypes and how do we overcome them?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Social Class</span></i></b></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">Separation because of wealth status. Does being poor really matter?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border: medium none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option (although this book would make an excellent addition to school curriculum)</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">2] Links for:</span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;"><a href="http://www.ginnyrorby.com/Ginny_Rorby/Lost_in_the_River_of_Grass___Spoiler_Alert.html">Ginny's spoiler alert</a></span></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://www.ginnyrorby.com/Ginny_Rorby/Lost_in_the_River_of_Grass___Discussion_1.html">Topics for discussion</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">3] I'm going to see if Lit Muse, my lit club at school, wants to read it</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-194872146296413892012-07-16T10:59:00.000-05:002012-07-21T07:29:30.092-05:00Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicw769xAJrU4-48dcCAOOonrhrhhuzkZOsgnkisw_Oo8URannO0DcEpV53rSVzG3mkg8Rwmf0zi4Cj07ylrH4_M_R2ijIHwUyjVX4yIl6kVuAOz2yNnWxR2m3P1-Uffw_71MTjaPbE10U/s1600/135416478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicw769xAJrU4-48dcCAOOonrhrhhuzkZOsgnkisw_Oo8URannO0DcEpV53rSVzG3mkg8Rwmf0zi4Cj07ylrH4_M_R2ijIHwUyjVX4yIl6kVuAOz2yNnWxR2m3P1-Uffw_71MTjaPbE10U/s320/135416478.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of this review has been pieced together from <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/942040-july-2012-hot-off-the-press-catching-jordan-by-miranda-kenneally" target="_blank">a conversation</a> in <i>YA Reads for Teachers (and Any Other Adults) </i>on Goodreads. This month the new-ish book I wanted to read <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/catching-jordan-miranda-kenneally/1102463513?ean=9781402262272" target="_blank">Catching Jordan</a> won the nomination which means I lead the discussion. This book is wonderful to moderate. Please know all the words below are mine. I figured since I said them to begin with I could rearrange them any way I liked.</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Before I go off on a "I love this book so much that I want to marry it and have its babies" tangent...I want you to know that this</span><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> book is exactly what I expected and in no way what I thought it was going to be at all!</span><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br /><b>Here's what I expected</b></span><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. A book about football</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. A book that highlighted football games and talked about aspects of the game I didn't understand</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">3. A romantic comedy</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit;">What I didn't expect</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">1. The subtle commentary about how boys treat girls in sports</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">2. The reason Jordan chose the boy she chose</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">3. What gets me is the sex scene...I wasn't even allowed to lock my bedroom door when I was alone and my mother would have flipped had she caught me in my room with a boy...and, she, like Jordan's mother, would have known what was going on. In some ways jordan's parents are 'too cool' and 'hip'.</span>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">4. All the f-bombs...even if I know that kids cuss that much when grown-ups aren't around (what I hear in the hall is sometimes astounding) and even if I know that as Jordan matures there seems to be less cussing and over-all 'puffing' up...wow lots of f-bombs</span>
</span></div>
<div style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Jordan is a girl who at first seems pretty strong-willed and bad -a, but has actually spent her life trying to please others...her parents, her coach, her best-friend and the list goes on. And, although she has incredible talent as a football player, she still doesn't feel confident enough around girls her age to consider them friends. It is her best friend that helps her find the balance and, although he is a boy, he is the one who seems to have her best interest at heart. If only he could stop sleeping around and partying enough to get through to her. </span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Kenneally did a great job of showing us how easy it is to be a girl in a boy sport in high school compared to the college-level...a sad, but believable approach. Jordan must figure out who she is. She must decide whether she's a college football player (one that's on the bench or one that plays) or a girl who loves her best friend or a girl who loves someone who treats her with kid gloves or a daughter who needs her father's approval. I think this book wonderful shows how our high school dreams morf and change and it shows how we can choose to accept this change or we can find against it our whole lives. In one of those realities we'd have an incredibly unhappy future.</span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Feel free to discuss...</span><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Oh, and here's the author's website if you're interested:</span><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><a href="http://mirandakenneally.com/" rel="nofollow" style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">http://mirandakenneally.com/</a><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><br style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" /><span style="line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Her <a href="http://mirandakenneally.com/25-things/" target="_blank">25 things</a> is pretty awesome!</span>
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Want to contribute to the conversation? Want to read and discuss why YA books with your adult brain? <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/19451-ya-reads-for-teachers-and-any-other-adults" target="_blank">Come join us</a>!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<div style="border: medium none;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">5 Stars</span></strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" /></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Seriously, if you want a romance, this is it. If you want a book about a girl who plays football, this is it too!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;"><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">Teacher Advisories </b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">There is a sex scene. The scene is not described in any way. Jordan keeps her door locked and when her mother interrupts by knocking. Jordan and the boy get dressed hastily unlock the door and come down-stairs. Jordan talks about the awkwardness of the situation, but nothing seems to come of it from her mother, just a look.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The F-word about 25 times. Inappropriate sexual slang. Crude language.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">3/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">There's underage drinking at parties.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt;">A girl yells at a boy, he yells back. There's a fight.</span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Slumber Parties</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Sam and Jordan hang out all of the time. Sam stays the night at Jordan's, but they sleep head to toe.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><b><i>Girls in Sports and Title IX</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">I'm sure that athletes will want to talk about how Jordan is treated on the field as being unrealistic or too realistic. They may want to talk about this in relation to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_IX">Title IX</a>.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">What it means to love someone</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Jordan has to learn what love means. She also has to learn that love doesn't mean always doing what someone tells you to do, especially if that is against what your heart says.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Sexism</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">Jordan's father doesn't treat her the same say he does her brother. Jordan's team and coach, treat her pretty fairly, but other players do not.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border: medium none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-5528359912153073032012-07-13T18:14:00.001-05:002012-07-16T10:46:08.144-05:00Splash into Summer: Jade's Five Minute Chocolate Mug Cake<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkq0INnxqwf5yKx6gdxr8gX0qNSY0_sZNJuphx7t7pGT72ZqGDJLECp-CzmKh3J6_P6Edt_ZukpsLx9-T_3xuKi44ETzXCeDB3xDvdJhlgNi3wWGJJYDuxSUvU9HC02ri55ExPovF8dI/s1600/SAM_0477.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFkq0INnxqwf5yKx6gdxr8gX0qNSY0_sZNJuphx7t7pGT72ZqGDJLECp-CzmKh3J6_P6Edt_ZukpsLx9-T_3xuKi44ETzXCeDB3xDvdJhlgNi3wWGJJYDuxSUvU9HC02ri55ExPovF8dI/s320/SAM_0477.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aside from the cocoa...<br />
we have the rest of the ingredients in our house all the time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-size: xx-large;">Jade's 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake</b><br />
<i>Original can be found <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/5-minute-chocolate-mug-cake-354827" target="_blank">here</a> and in the book <a href="http://smhasty.blogspot.com/2012/06/55-books-in-year-book-27-real-mermaids.html" target="_blank">Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings</a>. Below you will find a mixture of the </i><i style="background-color: white;">two recipes, plus my own words, pictures and observations.</i><br />
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta;"><br /></span></b>
<b style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: magenta;">Ingredients and Directions</span></b><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">4 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;">tablespoons</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">flour</span><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">4 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;">tablespoons</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">sugar</span><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">2 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;">tablespoons</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">cocoa</span><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;">Mix it well. Then add:</i><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">1 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;"></span></span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">egg</span><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;">Mix. Then add:</i><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">3 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;">tablespoons</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">milk</span><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">3 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;">tablespoons</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">oil</span><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: magenta; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;">Mix. Then add:</i><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">3 </span><span class="type" style="outline: none;">tablespoons</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">chocolate chips (optional...but, in our recipe it was a must!)</span><br />
<span class="amount" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;"><span class="value" style="outline: none;">1/2</span> <span class="type" style="outline: none;">teaspoon</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px;"> </span><span class="name" style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 22px; outline: none;">vanilla extract (we used a capful each)</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="line-height: 22px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span class="ingredient" style="outline: none;"><div style="line-height: normal;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVu1EaWynAudwmXkA2hK8K4qAf92FjvOHX3f9CkoaHG9wC9ypvLmutCTqmMIOlC2tDFI9Em_UYay1JA1KrAqtqcIVTbfOCcHhp5awRyfehk9BwW1dIDB9Pq3HlJ41et2JahyWD8iTIZE/s1600/SAM_0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicVu1EaWynAudwmXkA2hK8K4qAf92FjvOHX3f9CkoaHG9wC9ypvLmutCTqmMIOlC2tDFI9Em_UYay1JA1KrAqtqcIVTbfOCcHhp5awRyfehk9BwW1dIDB9Pq3HlJ41et2JahyWD8iTIZE/s320/SAM_0478.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We won't talk about what that looks like<br />
...it taste pretty darn good, though!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i style="background-color: white; color: magenta;"><br /></i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; color: magenta;">Then:</i></div>
<div style="line-height: normal;">
</div>
</span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">Cook for 3 minutes on high. The cake bubbles up like when you heat up a marshmallow, but don't worry. It just rises up not over. Let it cool for a bit (unless you want to burn your lips off). We let our cool until it had settled to a normal height and then dumped it out onto a plate. Tip it out onto a plate if you want it to cool thoroughly. ENJOY!</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br /></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Notes & Tips</b></span></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: cyan;"><b>1]</b></span> You may not need to cook the cake the whole 3 minutes...check it at 2ish, if you don't want it to be overly dry. It took our 3 minutes each and I used, as you can see, two different types of mugs.</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="color: cyan;">2]</span></b> You might need to add extra oil if it isn't moist enough.</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="color: cyan;">3] </span></b>Unless you are some sort of chocolate/dessert FA-REAK, this seriously makes enough for two or three, if one of them is a preschooler.</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><span style="color: cyan;"><b>4]</b></span> Eat it with ice cream it's delish!</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><b><span style="color: cyan;">5]</span></b> My sister and I decided that the cake definitely must have the chocolate chips.</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br /></li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;">So, um, yeah my sister and I made this treat while our tiny people weren't around (don't worry they had the leftovers for breakfast! See, we're 'good' parents!). Here we are enjoying it while watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/" target="_blank">Sherlock</a>. Seriously, it's pretty tasty with some ice cream. Does a little relaxation get any better than this?</li>
<li class="ingredient" itemprop="ingredients" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px;"><br /></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtvwhreCkN920MpQMaRsTyK0cp_I7LDRzFma-gnrNC8FKGWZaD2AVjqm2jdDhCApmNmSl4F0jtQ58puq5XlPVLUdP7BbiJkWF_q3w0MsKJEjXXCnG2sZmHoMaAyz_99DrLd7l0P-CCRE/s1600/SAM_0490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVtvwhreCkN920MpQMaRsTyK0cp_I7LDRzFma-gnrNC8FKGWZaD2AVjqm2jdDhCApmNmSl4F0jtQ58puq5XlPVLUdP7BbiJkWF_q3w0MsKJEjXXCnG2sZmHoMaAyz_99DrLd7l0P-CCRE/s320/SAM_0490.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-79767098674845380332012-07-12T06:00:00.000-05:002012-07-21T07:29:06.482-05:00Splash into Summer: The Lure of Shapinsay by Krista Holle<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NW4wYaxDjY6bpYSxb4MvZo9WLKinUgVqf917UidRQ5SgfChXA-NscvJUXf18bdrvuBWF1R4I-Q20gjhMJiJzIFgxPiC5kt06RMlBEs_t7_xGkmf8tXpeULsA96Z4ScKeDiPBLQxZbNM/s1600/13015779.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1NW4wYaxDjY6bpYSxb4MvZo9WLKinUgVqf917UidRQ5SgfChXA-NscvJUXf18bdrvuBWF1R4I-Q20gjhMJiJzIFgxPiC5kt06RMlBEs_t7_xGkmf8tXpeULsA96Z4ScKeDiPBLQxZbNM/s1600/13015779.jpg" /></a>My first book about selkies and it was definitely better than I thought it would be. Although the romance of it was a bit OVER THE TOP and Edward/Belle-esque, I enjoyed the story of a selkie torn between the sea he loves and the girl he's lured into being with him.<br />
<br />
I thought this story was going to be told through the eyes of the selkie male (named by his 'captor' Eamon) and, it was. However, it is also told through the eyes of the girl, Kait and it seems that it is Kait's story that receives most of the attention in it we find a girl being forced to follow conventions and marry. Her parents have died and it would seem her twin brother Blair thinks he is doing her a favor by setting her up before he pursues his own bride. He believes this to be especially true since Kait's best friend has a baby that isn't quite human, and, because it was thrown out to sea to drown the selkies want some sort of vengeance. Eamon, too, is trapped by duty and a fear of humans, except for he can't stay away from Kait for too long.<br />
<br />
It's pretty cool that this story takes place on the island of Shapinsay during the same time period that Balfour Castle was being built, the middle 1800s, when people still believed in faeries and the evil of witches. Kait learns that to keep Eamon with her, she must steal his selkie coat, and hide it in a place that no one would ever look. This is what human men have been doing to beautiful selkie women for ages and it works in reverse, but at what cost. While Eamon and Kait love one another and are bound to one another it must be determined if this love is strong enough to live through so much on both sides of the equation.<br />
<br />
Although predictable (what love story isn't?), the ending has a twist that I truly enjoyed. I look forward to reading more lovie-dovie romances by Krista Holle and I need to find more books about selkies, as I don't know any of their legends and lore. I feel like I'm behind the times and must go watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111112/">The Secret of Roan Inish</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235796/">Ondine</a> immediately.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br />
The over the top romance and Scottish accents (so hard to do successfully on paper) kind of did me in, I do think that my students will like the romance of this book, and if you're looking for a different sort of paranormal and mermaids are too fluffy, I'd suggest a selkie book.<br />
<br />
<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Sex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 4/5 </span><br />
When selkies are on land they are truly naked...um, they don't seem to mind. There's lots of lips touching soft skin and warm touches and such and Eamon's nude the whole time. There's also a human male who won't leave Kait alone. Kait and Eamon marry and sleep in the same bed. Eamon refers to having sex as 'humping'. They have sex on the beach and in a bed. There's lots of nudity...not written dirtly at all...but it's still there. I'm curious about its YA classification...it seems grown-up in this respect...<br />
<strong><em>Language <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></em></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
Nothing.<br />
<strong><em>Substance Abuses <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></em></strong><br />
There's a bonfire where there's drinking. There's some more drinking at the tavern. And, then they drink again. Ah, come on, it's Scotland in the 1800s!!!<br />
<strong><em>Violence <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></em></strong><br />
Blair abuses Kait often, he holds her down or drags her off. I get that he's trying to protect her, but wow, that's controlling and abrasive! Magnum kisses Kate and treats her like property. A baby is drowned, a girl commits suicide. Selkie women are dragged off to be wives. A Selkie man is forced to be a husband, but then he grows to love her...he loved her already actually, but still.<br />
<br />
<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>Coerced Relationships</b></span></i><br />
It is selkie lore that in order to trap a selkie and keep them on land you must steal and hide their coat. This makes any selkie relationship a sad affair, especially if that selkie doesn't want to be kept on land.<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Brutality towards women</i></b></span><br />
Blair also seems to think that he can force Kait into marrying who he deems fit. He does this by force. <span style="background-color: white;">It seems that women are not allowed to make choices and they are brutally coerced into making the 'right' choices.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Suicide</i></b></span><br />
After her baby is murdered by its grandfather a woman takes her own life, she is that overcome with grief.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Judgment and Profiling</i></b></span><br />
Humans think that selkies are evil and at the beginning of the book this is shown through the murder of a little selkie baby.<br />
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<br />
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<b>How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
1] Independent Read optionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-50284580419788669522012-07-11T06:00:00.000-05:002012-07-11T06:00:14.138-05:00Splash into Summer: Everblue by Brenda Pandos<div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGasw2tBP-Sw0B-zkAkeoNop_ZcK5G0xiCNTwrRLE0SN_jmd6uUY3kEeYEg6wQRSosbkoSvJ03kvJ3xQoMC557oYjETMAjgnwlqYMI_kqYyTNP8KYbcOcnhZNK4lh72Yo2B47OEhaSi2w/s1600/11700785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGasw2tBP-Sw0B-zkAkeoNop_ZcK5G0xiCNTwrRLE0SN_jmd6uUY3kEeYEg6wQRSosbkoSvJ03kvJ3xQoMC557oYjETMAjgnwlqYMI_kqYyTNP8KYbcOcnhZNK4lh72Yo2B47OEhaSi2w/s320/11700785.jpg" width="226" /></a></div>
I have no idea why I wanted to read this book. I think I was totally drawn in by the cover; isn't it beautiful? And, then I realized I could get a mermaid book for ever so cheap ($.99 as an ebook on the Nook) and, well, I do love a mermaid book on the cheap.<br />
<br />
I love the setting of this book. It's so cool to think that living amongst everyday average people are merpeople and that there are gates to another world where they live and thrive with rules and cities different than our own. I also loved how the gate we see the most is in Lake Tahoe...so VERY different than the other books. I like how the world is created with air bubbles in homes so there can be furniture and human creature comforts. I also like the characters (even though one of the merboys is named Fin...yes, Fin, as in I have one), frankly, I especially like Fin the most of all.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So, if I like all those things about it...why the low-rating? why the dislike? Let me see if I can break it down.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>1. The execution of the story</b><br />
This story is paced like it's a 500 page novel. With little details given over time and/or large chunks given over to explanation of a thing that isn't important at that moment. This book takes up practically a whole year.</div>
<div>
<b>2. The back and forth narration doesn't work</b><br />
I enjoyed the change of narrator in Tangled Tides, it flowed and I got to know the characters. In this book the narration doesn't stay with one character enough for me to get into the story and I found myself rereading a part or a section just to see if I missed something.</div>
<div>
<b>3. It's treatment of boys and girls...relationships...men and women</b><br />
If a mermaid is bonded to a boy once they kiss (an idea I do not mind...mated for life is highly romantic), isn't a forced kiss, well, rape? Ick. That's all I could</div>
<div>
<b>4. The strangely forced Christian slant</b><br />
I am a Christian and I like being one...I don't like Christian just being thrown in for the sake of good Christianness. It just threw me off and...actually made me a little uncomfortable, like I was hanging out with my mother and I was 13 all over again.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Everything about this book has rubbed me the wrong way...I'm not sure I need to read the rest of the series (although I've just downloaded <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12905437-evergreen" target="_blank">Evergreen</a>, I don't know why...it was cheap). I always feel bad when I genuinely don't like a book, mostly because I'm not really sure if I could do better if I tried and here a person has given their heart and soul and all I can do is read it and bash it. I've also read tons of other reviews, hoping those 4s and 5s (and there are a lot of them) would help me see the story differently. Sometimes I'd read a review and think..."Did we read the same book?". That being said, I do hope you try out this book for yourself and if you rank it higher than me please tell me why, I'd really like to know. I think I would have liked this book better had it been the first mermaid book I'd ever read and not the latest.<br />
<br />
I felt sad that for my <a href="http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com/2012/06/splash-into-summer-promo-banners-guest.html" target="_blank">Splash into Summer</a> week, I chose to read two books that weren't what I thought they would be. On to my first truly selkie book, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13015779-the-lure-of-shapinsay" target="_blank">The Lure of Shapinsay</a>!<br />
<br />
<strong style="font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #bf9000;">2 Stars</span></strong><br style="font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;" /><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-1-2.png" style="color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br style="font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;">A good character or two, nice setting...I don't really like anything else about it</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">I really do find that forced kissing thing deplorable. Fin and Ash kiss...as he is trying to save her life, so they're bonded too. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">None.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">None, this really is a nice clean book.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">3/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt;">The king and his son get into it. The son is a lech, and he picks a fight or two with Fin. It would seem that the whole entire mer kingdom is being led by a lying, conniving father and son duo. Fin's family is also a bit greedy. He gets into a fight with his cousin, there's an explosion, Ash almost drowns and, then there's that whole entire kiss thing. then there was this big fight before the book begins where Fin's father frightens Ash so much that she thinks he's an alcoholic.</span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Unwanted anything...</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Even if somebody kisses you against your will that's still not cool. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Secrets</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Ash doesn't know that Fin and his sister, her best friend, are mermaids.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Religion</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">I am guessing that the overt Christianity probably gets this book some readers it wouldn't otherwise. It just seemed contrived and forceful to me.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></span></div>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-4842638630263196672012-07-10T06:00:00.000-05:002012-07-10T06:00:06.034-05:00Splash into Summer: Sea Change by Aimee Freidman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sea-change-aimee-friedman/1100171645" target="_blank">Sea Change</a> by Aimee Friedman is a beautiful story of the sea and of budding teen romance and coming-of-age in a small town in the South...it is a story of mystery, suspense, history and family. I can't really tell if it's a story about mermaids. I think it wants to be. I think it thinks it is. I'm not so sure.<br />
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Miranda comes from a long Southern family who vacations every year on Selkie (no there aren't any selkies in this book) Island. Miranda and her mother have gone back to the island to pack up their family home. While doing this Miranda falls for a local boy whose mysteriousness seems to be tied into a book of mermaids found on her grandmothers' bookshelf and to the island itself.<br />
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The story of Miranda's growth into a girl who becomes a young adult who doesn't just do what she's told and doesn't live in her life by stereotypes. I really liked how Friedman gives us that stereotypical Southern Belle and Southern Gentleman in several of the teen characters, but then she gives us characters who defy those stereotypes. I like that Miranda learns that just because you fight or disagree with your parents that doesn't mean they don't love you or that you don't love them. I especially love that there is a side of Miranda that she didn't even know existed and I love that her grandmother, even in her death, is helping her find that side.<br />
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Leo, a boy she meets on the coast of the island, is everything any girl wants in a man. He passionate and compassionate and good-looking, he loves all the things that she loves (science, sea creatures) and is from the island.<br />
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The only thing is, Leo, may or may not be a merman.<br />
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This is where Aimee Friedman lost me.<br />
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She spends all of this time setting up this mystery. Mercreatures are attracted to red and gold; the whole entire town of fishermen is decked out in red and gold. Leo is always mysteriously near water and has a vast knowledge of the lore and science surrounding the island. However, all of this back story never really comes to any type of conclusion.<br />
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I didn't mind the strange reason Miranda and Leo have a fight and I didn't mind how Miranda's mother seems to lose her mind once on the island flirting with an old flame and acting like a debutante. I did mind that this is supposed to be a mermaid story, even better a story about a merboy, and there's only a slight instant of tail fin. I don't mind connecting the dots in a mystery, but is it really a mystery if the author only just gives us a wee-bit to be curious about. <span style="background-color: white;">In the end no questions are answered and, frankly, there are more questions asked. Is the guy on the ferry mer too? Is Miranda part mer? Was her grandmother and, in turn, her mother? At first, I thought that I had a bad copy of the book, that's how much is missing, but after reading other reviews I think this may be the intention of the novel. This book wants a sequel, although I hear there isn't one in the works at all.</span><br />
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This book has a lovely romance and is a great story of the growth of a girl who learns that things can live outside of her comfort zone and knowledge. If you are reading this book in the hopes of having a little mermaid action you may be disappointed. Maybe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.coffeeandcliffhangers.com/2009/11/sea-change-by-aimee-friedman.html" target="_blank">Review from Coffee and Cliffhangers</a><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>3 Stars</strong></span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-2.png" style="color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><span style="font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Nobile;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">But, I was promised mermaids...*whine, whine, whine*</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">The connection between Leo and Miranda is pretty intense. They get close to going all the way a couple of times. One time he gets so fresh that she decides she no longer wants to see him, partly because it scares her and partly because he's so fresh. At least that's how I saw it. Miranda's new summer friends may or may not be true friends, one uses her sensuality to lure a guy away from Miranda.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">No cussing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are parties. There's underage drinking.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Miranda falls off a boat and is saved. There's some strife between the locals and the summer people.<br />
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Science and Myth</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">Miranda's heart says that what she's reading and seeing couldn't possibly be true.</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Secrets</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Leo's family has secrets. Miranda's family has secrets. The town maybe hiding a big secret. The summer people have their share of secrets.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Relationships</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Miranda's mother hasn't really told her a lot about her family and its history. Miranda's mother also acts pretty irresponsibly through-out the book, but expects Miranda to follow all her rules.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-16841388613816370262012-07-09T06:00:00.000-05:002012-07-09T06:00:07.378-05:00Splash into Summer: Day #1 and GiveawaySo, I've been waiting for this week for a little while now, I'm looking forward to reading reviews, and have already entered several giveaways for mermaid books and swag.<br />
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I have always loved mermaids.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyOOoYa-anuICPFkxu20Jb6_G-WGX7JpwvDpG875I5pY9UnxUCJ2vS986dtz_z1wxMrYVDDpCwH3Ouuer-vAE_v8dkhUUqA3RZOPcHDxHSyCPpjQlwcvI4fyrHSlABslDUskyCO2eNMw/s1600/sea+wees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" h5="true" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyOOoYa-anuICPFkxu20Jb6_G-WGX7JpwvDpG875I5pY9UnxUCJ2vS986dtz_z1wxMrYVDDpCwH3Ouuer-vAE_v8dkhUUqA3RZOPcHDxHSyCPpjQlwcvI4fyrHSlABslDUskyCO2eNMw/s200/sea+wees.jpg" width="200" /></a> Let's talk about mermaids for a minute...if I wanted to get really embarrassed I'd show you pictures I drew when I was in elementary and junior high. I'm not going to do that, ever! I would like you to know that my deep love of all things mermaid started with the Sea Wees. We'd get a set of these toys everytime we'd go to Wal-Mart. They were perfect for bathtime play as they were mermaids who came with floaty sponges and their tails make excellent razors for fake leg shaving. I wish I had some...I guess I know what I'll be doing for a diversion today!</div>
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And, there are so many good mermaid movies! I was totally enchanted with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088161/">Splash</a> as a kid (it wasn't until later I even recognized that this movie may not have been appropriate for a 7 year old...it had a friggin' mermaid, come on!), my niece and I just had a delightful discussion about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0429591/">Aquamarine</a>, such a good movie about a teen mermaid, and I just watched for the first time <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0918628/">Fishtales</a> with Billy Zane, then there's the under-rated <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452637/">Lady in the Water</a>. And, don't even get me started about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097757/">The Little Mermaid</a>, even if it is a "Disney-fide no one dies" version. I even like it when mermaids aren't so nice like in <em>Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire</em> and <em>Peter Pan</em>!</div>
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Feel free to read: <a href="http://hca.gilead.org.il/li_merma.html">The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen</a></div>
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Feel free to watch these Disney's Silly Symphonies...two of my favorite mermaid cartoons.</div>
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Tera Lynn Childs has also given me a great idea for a school project! More information can be found at: <a href="http://yawriters.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-flesh-out-your-characters.html">Books, Boys, Buzz</a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-size: large;"><strong>Character collages</strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;">Collage. I do this for every book. Because I'm a visual learner, I find it invaluable to have a pictorial compilation of my characters. Lots of </span><a href="http://www.jennycrusie.com/trivia/collage.php"><strong><span style="color: #3d85c6;">writers</span></strong></a><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> do collages, but here's my method. You'll need some printer paper, scissors, a glue stick, and some magazines.</span><br />
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<li><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step One:</span> Flip through as many magazines as possible. I like TeenVogue, CosmoGirl, InStyle, and Lucky the best. I tear out anything that reminds me of any of the characters in this book. I do collages for all of the main characters and most of the secondary ones, so as I tear stuff out I divide into piles by character. The more I have to choose from the better. At a minimum I need something that will make a good background, a headshot or two of and actor or model who looks like the character, and some clothing and accessories they would own.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step Two:</span> Build the collage. Start by gluing down a background image that fills up most of the page (this way you won't end up with whitespace left over at the end). Then select a few of the headshot and clothing images, trim them to just the desired element, and arrange them over the background. I always lay these out before I glue so I make sure they all fit. Then snip out the small pictures and accessories and stick them wherever they fit.</span></li>
<li><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Step Three:</span> Finalize the collage with words. This usually requires flipping back through the magazines looking for two things. 1) Words that resonate with your characters. 2) Ransom-note-type letters that you can cut out and use to form your character's name. Sometimes I even outline the letters of the name in a silver Sharpie to make it stand out more.</span></li>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com/2012/06/splash-into-summer-promo-banners-guest.html" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Splash into Summer" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xyxzfFFiwjMg8sLgLZNV5qWtxk5GazL1IOjgl2ajjlz2bUU5Z6_q8eNlrKhy6h3VZwrDdb5KTgFSBdjuF5HKXbSRr8HP2H61Jioknb5ijOGQ4yZG6VQQB3-kdnHcqjETTnMyhXIF3zA/s1600/splashintosummer400shiny_2012.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">[<a href="http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com/2012/06/splash-into-summer-participation-linky.html" target="_blank">Here</a>'s the linky if you are participating or want to read other mermaid posts]</td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">“I have seen them riding seaward on the waves </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Combing the white hair of the waves blown back </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">When the wind blows the water white and black. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">We have lingered in the chambers of the sea </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Till human voices wake us, and we drown.” </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">― <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18540.T_S_Eliot" style="color: #666600; text-decoration: none;">T.S. Eliot</a></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br />If you, too, love mermaids, might I suggest going to distance and following the MerBooks blog. It can be found:</span><br />
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<a href="http://merbooksblog.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">BLOG</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SeaOfMerBooks" target="_blank">TWITTER</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/33768-o-merbooks-the-group-for-all-things-mermaid-o" target="_blank">GOODREADS</a><br />
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and join the reading challenge on Goodreads...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/challenges/352-the-merbooks-2012-mermaid-book-reading-challenge" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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What mermaid books are you looking forward to reading or have read this year? Who is your favorite mermaid?<br />
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<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">Teen Text Talk</span></b><br />
<strike><b><i>July 9th</i></b> Introduction, Giveaway</strike><br />
<b><i>July 10th</i></b> Review: <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sea-change-aimee-friedman/1100171645?ean=9780439922302" target="_blank">Sea Change</a><br />
<b><i>July 11th</i></b> Review: <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everblue-brenda-pandos/1104579439?ean=9780982903391" target="_blank">Everblue</a><br />
<b><i>July 12th</i></b> Review: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13015779-the-lure-of-shapinsay" target="_blank">The Lure of Shapinsay</a><br />
<b><i>July 13th</i></b> Recap of <i>Splash of Summer</i>: favorite post, links and <b>Giveaway winner announced Monday</b><br />
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Finally, come check out our giveaway...<br />
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<a class="rafl" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/" id="rc-5e59b10">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
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Here's a list of YA mermaid book to choose from:<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6710476-forgive-my-fins">Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs</a><br />
2. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5598960-sea-change">Sea Change by Aimee Friedman</a><br />
3. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12047201-tangled-tides">Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper</a><br />
4. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11700785-everblue?a=5&origin=related_works">Everblue by Brenda Pandos</a><br />
5. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7767952-real-mermaids-don-t-wear-toe-rings?a=5&origin=related_works">Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau</a><br />
6. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10864804-between-the-land-and-the-sea">Between the Land and the Sea by Derrolyn Anderson</a><br />
7. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12246929-the-vicious-deep">The Vicious Deep by Zoraida Cordova</a><br />
8. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6905569-the-forbidden-sea?a=5&origin=related_works">The Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson</a><br />
9. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9583227-tempest-rising?a=5&origin=related_works">Tempest Rising by Tracy Deebs</a><br />
10. <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7664345-the-mermaid-s-mirror?a=5&origin=related_works">The Mermaid's Mirror by LK Madigan</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-75822457139874432642012-06-29T06:59:00.003-05:002012-07-16T10:45:59.662-05:00Slumber Party by Christopher Pike<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWu4gohyphenhyphenMGwZ5UmFyg1NP7fKSUlGAaSSj_kGnNKc84px68oZizPNF0cctrIeHYssJZFspYRlLtqWztsQ6Alvhmnu1toOP9_2-gqUT3dL8mDTJybKsKLz3X26HcyNXhGtiAWDRX24XVABE/s1600/3907967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWu4gohyphenhyphenMGwZ5UmFyg1NP7fKSUlGAaSSj_kGnNKc84px68oZizPNF0cctrIeHYssJZFspYRlLtqWztsQ6Alvhmnu1toOP9_2-gqUT3dL8mDTJybKsKLz3X26HcyNXhGtiAWDRX24XVABE/s320/3907967.jpg" width="192" /></a>I love reading a book I read in high school over again. I especially love reading Christopher Pike and what's really cool is that it seems this book (unlike the <a href="http://smhasty.blogspot.com/2011/10/50-books-in-year-book-44-final-friends.html" target="_blank">Final Friends</a> series) has stood the test of time.<br />
<br />
I remembered <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84081.Slumber_Party" target="_blank">Slumber Party</a> as soon as I started reading it. I remembered the hot older boy skiers, the jealous friend, the melted clues, the culprit and this rather steamy, for an 11 year-old (I'll talk about it more during one of my 30 day challenges coming up) kiss. I did not remember the reason that it all began, however, which I found very odd.<br />
<br />
What I liked and still like about this story is that the main character girl isn't wimpy, even if she is a little boy crazy. I like that her peers also think so as it is her bravery, level-headedness and, well, genuine kindness that prevail in the end.<br />
<br />
What I recognized as a grown-up:<br />
<br />
1] I'm not really sure I'd let my kid go for a weekend alone with other kids to a cabin a mile away, by foot, from a ski lodge.<br />
<br />
2] I'm not sure I'd let/condone my kid dating a older (23 to her 17) guy from a different country whose prospects seem to be slim and whose main goal seems to be to flit around the USA.<br />
<br />
3] Grown-ups don't seem to exist in Christopher Pike books...there's a sheriff, some old guy who parks their cars, and the parents...at the end...they're near a ski lodge...where are the grown-ups?<br />
<br />
4] I think this book may be the reason why I didn't drink when others were and why I wasn't really around those that did during my younger years. It can be pretty scary and obviously horrible accidents can happen.<br />
<br />
5] Does Christopher Pike only write 'crazy female'? If there's a 'crazy male' Christopher Pike book could someone send it my way?<br />
<br />
And, finally, I don't understand why this is marked as horror by some on Goodreads. <span style="background-color: white;">Maybe it's because this book is a nice little creepy send-off to books like <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10592.Carrie" target="_blank">Carrie</a>, which I've seen, but haven't read and whose movie version is mentioned by the characters. I think that Horror novels have an elevated amount of violence that stops me from reading them and that this book does not possess. </span><span style="background-color: white;">If this is horror than a]I've read horror and b] Mary Higgins Clark books like<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43345.A_Cry_In_The_Night" target="_blank"> A Cry in the Night</a> and <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/571555.While_My_Pretty_One_Sleeps" target="_blank">While My Pretty One Sleeps</a> are also. I do remember being creeped out by this book loads and, well, I still am.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
<div style="border: medium none;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><strong><span style="color: #990000;">5 Stars</span></strong></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" /></a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">Sigh, sweet nostalgia.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;"><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">Teacher Advisories </b></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">There's a steamy kiss with some butt grabbing and the girl ponders what it would be like to have sex, for the first time ever, with a boy she just met. And, this kiss was/is steamy enough that I remembered it 25 years after reading the book for the first time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Low, almost non existent...</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The whole accident occurs around under-age drinking. There's alcohol at the cabin.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt;">So, yeah, a little girl's face gets melted off and then there's a big house explosion that kills a teenage girl.</span></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Slumber Parties</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">These should always happen with parent permission and adult supervision...so, I guess that makes me pretty lame. Gah, I hate feeling lame, but thems the breaks.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Secrets</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">All the girls have a terrible secret they are hiding...if Lara had told Celeste in the beginning, maybe, just maybe...</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Accidents while under the influence</span></i></b></b></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">There's a horrible accident that happens when the girls, then middle graders, get into an adult liquor cabinet. I'm not sure that kids understand that accidents while drinking don't just include driving.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Make-out sessions</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">Especially with older men where you must lie to convince him to kiss you are not cool, and, well, lying isn't cool either!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border: medium none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></span></div>
</div>
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<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-78003793296331542792012-06-26T07:18:00.001-05:002012-07-03T12:34:18.294-05:00Cycles by Lois Brown<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVj6kQdgDEnHZwLRMccRQlymV-exS7OutuLdgoY-FAPziRZAvtpvPOzAYHfPYo0RLBlBhG_nDo-LAuLB0BZmgyRZpDe65TcLMpZocmXb89pzdvBm4EWkY1NpStlAvqN0QRx0PlXwFH0Q/s1600/13287308.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYVj6kQdgDEnHZwLRMccRQlymV-exS7OutuLdgoY-FAPziRZAvtpvPOzAYHfPYo0RLBlBhG_nDo-LAuLB0BZmgyRZpDe65TcLMpZocmXb89pzdvBm4EWkY1NpStlAvqN0QRx0PlXwFH0Q/s320/13287308.jpg" width="213" /></a>The author of <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/cycles-lois-d-brown/1037424122?ean=9780984723720" target="_blank">Cycles</a>, Lois Brown, sent <a href="http://www.teentexttalk.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Teen Text Talk</a>, her book to review. There was a contest for however many reviews she received by a certain date. There was no way that I was going to get this book read in such a short amount of time, so I didn't bother with the contest, but told her that when I got to the book I'd give it an honest review. A month later, on my birthday no less, I read it in one sitting...seriously, it's that entertaining.<br />
<br />
Renee Beaumont is a typical 13 year-old girl, she loves horses, her best friend who is an older boy science genius, Sam, and her neighbor, Dr. Dawson, a man who let's her come over whenever she wants and who takes care of her when her rich overly busy parents aren't around, which is a lot. One day Renee gallops away trying to save the doctor's prized horse from thieves, the horse trips and down goes Renee on a rock. At the hospital they can't figure out what is wrong, she's losing loads of blood, but they can't find out her blood-type. In walks her neighbor to save the day, he has some of her blood saved from a time he helped her with a science fair project...the only thing is this is all a lie and things only get weirder for Renee and her Sam as they try to find out the truth.<br />
<br />
At first, this book seemed a bit confusing, it intersperses Renee stories with that of an older woman who is telling the story of her daughter's disappearance through diary entries. I spent the first 40 or so pages trying to figure out what exactly was going on, which I think will compel curious readers forward. And, although I know a bit about science and love science fiction, I did not see where this book was going. I'm guessing it's because this book begins so easily and subtly. The ending, WOW, so looking forward to the 2nd book!<br />
<br />
Frankly, I need someone else to read this book so I can talk about it with them. I've never read a book like this before.<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">While this book is fast-paced, I could definitely tell it was for younger YA readers as some of the descriptions, explanations and events truly drive the story not the characters, although Sam, Renee and the other characters fun to read about.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">I think one time Sam may hold Renee's hand for comfort. A girl kisses Sam and Renee secretly spies it, Sam doesn't tell her, she has to confront him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">No cussing.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Gamma, an Ohlone Indian writer and neighbor to the kids, uses all sorts of medicines and refers to drinking rattlesnake juice.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt;">The only entire climax is pretty violent and I'll be giving it away now. Every 14 years Renee reverts back to a baby, it has to do with the <a href="http://members.bitstream.net/~bunlion/bpi/EclSaros.html">Saros Cycle</a>...she reverts back and it's plenty bloody and all sorts of gross and that's why one mother is accused of murder. There's a fight with two people who want the horse, Mercury, and one of them is shot and killed. Dr. Dawson disappears trying to make sure that the cycle is broken and Renee can live a normal life.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Science and Religion</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">The more a SF book uses either one of these to give its plot a foundation the more that scientist and religious people seem to have a problem with it. Throw in a 'mystic' healer like Gamma, who uses herbs and words to help, and you've got so much for both communities to argue about and take offense to.</span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Secrets</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">All the grown-ups know what Renee is and what powers she possesses. I don't think they were ever going to tell her had Sam not been eavesdropping. They were looking for a cure without consulting her. And, then there's that whole "I didn't murder my daughter" thing from the past.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Relationships</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">While Sam likes Renee he does kiss another girl...what's up with that?!</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border: medium none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">2] Definitely buying a hardcover for my classroom!</span></div>
</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-77963926919464851932012-06-12T06:00:00.000-05:002012-06-26T06:53:36.801-05:00Insurgent by Veronica Roth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU8YD1J3BzGO0_6y9HGBaPR2bbWbW3jpCYdbpim9STzext653uMnW9caj2MemV2cJdYHKMYiBZ4GJlWecjUrqeNJkBpLyO3LjOKlPal8AnHgQkZbOCYXcEU6jcjIvQaNeSXkmJM4QDy4/s1600/insurgent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU8YD1J3BzGO0_6y9HGBaPR2bbWbW3jpCYdbpim9STzext653uMnW9caj2MemV2cJdYHKMYiBZ4GJlWecjUrqeNJkBpLyO3LjOKlPal8AnHgQkZbOCYXcEU6jcjIvQaNeSXkmJM4QDy4/s320/insurgent.jpg" width="211" /></span></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>The following review has been pieced together from<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/863454-may-2012-hot-off-the-press-insurgent-by-veronica-roth" target="_blank"> a conversation about Insurgent on Goodreads</a>. I figured that since all the words were mine, I could do with them what I would.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><b>**spoilers**</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I'm having hard time putting a finger on why Tris and this book aren't as good (although they are good) as the first book.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I think it's hard to write a trilogy going into to it knowing that you are going to write a trilogy. You know there are things that you aren't going to reveal until the end and you know that these things have to be alluded to in some faction for your audience to buy it. You're main characters (in this case I'm including only Tris and Dour) have to also change in some fashion from book one to three. And, that change has to be warranted...this has got to be hard to do especially if you are writing in first person.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I don't really want to like Tris...I understood her behaviors incredibly well in the first book and her pouty petulance, defiance and all out rudeness made sense in the context of her life, her relationships and her factions. I bought it all. In this book Tris changes and I'm not sure that we can use her age as a defense</span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, however, since 16 year olds make life changing decisions all of the time and while sophomores are different than seniors, they can still reason and think and listen and are on the path to adulthood. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I do not like when a positive role-model (especially one for girls, as there are so few) seems to change her stripes and becomes, in fact, like all the other girls in all the other books that have girls as heroes. Can girls only be heroes if they cry/have ill-tempers/make stupid decisions? It would seem that the literary world seems to thinks so. I would even add Hermione Granger into this mix as she couldn't just be defiant she had to be, at times, downright mean and a 5-letter word...you know which one. I hear that Evie in </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7719245.Paranormalcy" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="Paranormalcy by Kiersten White">Paranormalcy</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">changes for the not so good, Bella Swan and Katniss Everdeen in</span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41865.Twilight" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="Twilight by Stephenie Meyer">Twilight</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> and </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052.The_Hunger_Games" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins">The Hunger Games</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">, respectively are not girls I see as having virtues and they only gain virtues by finding or loving boys--argh; even girl leads as far back as </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11127.The_Chronicles_of_Narnia" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis">The Chronicles of Narnia</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> are not girls I want my daughter to emulate in any fashion. Frankly, as I go through these types of books in my mind </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6710476.Forgive_My_Fins" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs">Forgive My Fins</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> and other mermaid books, </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166877.The_Girl_in_the_Steel_Corset" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross">The Girl in the Steel Corset</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> (don't even get me started on </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8525590.Wither" style="background-color: white; color: #666600; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;" title="Wither by Lauren DeStefano">Wither</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">) et cetera...the girls all seem to exhibit the same traits of whininess, weakness and neediness that are suppose to make them strong.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I don't know what I want to see in a heroine, a YA heroine in particular, I thought that Tris was getting there. I am afraid that she took a few steps backward in this book, which brings me to the point about trilogies...perhaps Tris just needs some room to grow, perhaps as a Divergent she needs to act and think and truly be selfless, maybe book two was all about acting as she learned the hard way that acting without thinking or truly being selfless does not work. </span> A<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">ll I could think about while Tris was being so reckless and going into danger when everyone was telling her not to was Bella Swan and her recklessness...the fact that I could connect them (even if for a little bit, as i know the characters are truly different) irritates me.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">I</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;"> am still undecided about Tris. I don't think anyone would question her goals or motivations, although they do seem to contradict in terms of being selfish and selfless (or are they just both at the same time?). She doesn't make me want to punch her in the face, I'm pretty sure I don't want to be her friend. She just isn't what she was in book one. I don't like her at all in this book, even if she does question shooting Will and other of her actions that have not yielded positive results, I liked her loads in the first book when her actions and motivations seemed a little clearer. I'll see about the third.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">The thing is, I did enjoy this book loads. It was easy, fast and fun and it has me thinking, all good signs, especially from so young a writer. </span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Maybe Veronica Roth is being consistent with her characters and plots and we don't know it because there's a whole book to go. I'm willing to give Tris the opportunity to become the YA heroine I've been dreaming of. </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 3.5-4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 18px;">There are some really steamy kisses ...hands under shirt, lying down type kisses</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If there's any at all it's few and far between and in the heat of the moment.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Only because there's the initiation process and a truth serum and simulation...not really sure all of this should count, but...some people may not like it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit; line-height: 13.5pt;">Um, there are fight scenes, a war is beginning. Tris and Four have a verbal fight. Actually, a lot of people and Tris have verbal fights. People get knocked out and murdered. A boy is shot point-blank. A girl gets shot and bleeds to death. A leader of one of the factions is assassinated and her body is put on display.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">War is Hell</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 14px;">If Dystopic novels don't tell us this, than what are they good for, however when you lose your parents and your brother is a traitor and your friends are dying that point may be a little hard to handle.</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i>Revenge</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">See what that looks like if you are smart or brave or honest or caring or selfless...it comes in every package.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Secrets</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Tris has to live with the fact that she killed Will. She tells no one until she is forced to do so.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Being True to Yourself</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Even if others doubt you, even if you doubt yourself.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Relationships</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">At some point Tris and Four seem to be no good for one another...it's good for kids to see that relationships need work and sometimes you have to fight to keep them and sometimes you have to let go.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border: medium none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">2] Book Club read</span></div>
</div>
<br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-9824854487168063122012-06-11T06:00:00.000-05:002012-07-06T07:12:21.666-05:00Pinch Hit by Tim Green<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLtvD5B-LVDQCv0xGYJH44I6qYyCaleGjephcJfgqfcol1usKuVur54LAjsfwyH1ZrKk_h2YzjepSvvSF_FEoIqlXuDKl_HpCf-aeHNRU7bgoD7ruaSe7aJOLtsb-d-w1eSEkXolpOoc/s1600/pinchhit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLtvD5B-LVDQCv0xGYJH44I6qYyCaleGjephcJfgqfcol1usKuVur54LAjsfwyH1ZrKk_h2YzjepSvvSF_FEoIqlXuDKl_HpCf-aeHNRU7bgoD7ruaSe7aJOLtsb-d-w1eSEkXolpOoc/s320/pinchhit.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
OK, so Pinch Hit is one of those books that I probably would not have picked up and read on my own, but I won it at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/19451-ya-reads-for-teachers-and-any-other-adults" target="_blank">YA Reads for Teachers (And Other Adults) </a>and the rules of winning are that you read and post.<br />
<br />
So, I read it, and let me tell you I read it in May at the end of the school year with a million other things going on...it wasn't really doing it for me. Frankly, I'm not sure if I do middle grade books for middle grade kids very well. But, I kept going Sam in one chapter and Trevor in another. I found that, if I stopped being 'adult' about it, I was beginning to enjoy the cliffhanger end to each chapter and then starting the next chapter up with the other character so a person might read 4 or 5 chapters before they realized it. Perfect for reluctant readers (OK, so I totally/all the way didn't stop being 'adult' about it).<br />
<br />
This book is about Sam, an All-American baseball player and Trevor, a prissy (not because he wants to be, but because his mom makes him) Hollywood mega-star. Trevor wants to play real baseball more than anything and Sam wants his father's horror film script green-lighted (or, is that green-lit?). After Trevor realizes that he and Sam look about 99% identical, they, with the help of Trevor's female co-star, switch places. There are parts were things get a little hairy...Sam reads/Trevor does not, Sam knows Shakespeare/Trevor does not, Sam can switch it/Trevor...and so on, but for the most part the grown-ups don't get it. Things go rather well until the boys figure out that they are, in fact, real twins and Sam uses Trevor's star power to find their real mother.<br />
<br />
Who can the boys trust? Will Trevor be good enough to fool the coach and scouts? Will Sam be able to act? These are all things that will keep kids on their toes and there's just enough sports to make it interesting and just enough romance to entice all kids to want to read it. I got hooked and got to the end wanting more, I'm pretty sure most kids will too.<br />
<br />
This book is like the <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62446.The_Prince_and_the_Pauper" target="_blank">Prince and the Pauper</a> meets<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11824.The_Whipping_Boy" target="_blank"> The Whipping Boy</a>, I think it would make a cute Disney movie starring a set of adorable twins...I guess the Sprouse twins from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Suite_Life_of_Zack_%26_Cody" target="_blank">The Suite Life of Zach and Cody</a> are too old aren't they?<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a>
<br />
<br />
<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Sex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 0/5 </span><br />
I think there's a kiss on the cheek...maybe...<br />
<strong><em>Language <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></em></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
Nothing.<br />
<strong><em>Substance Abuses <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></em></strong><br />
None.<br />
<strong><em>Violence <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></em></strong><br />
A talent agent gets pretty nasty with Sam. Trevor and his mother have a verbal altercation. Sam gets bullied by a team-mate. Trevor as Sam retaliates. The bully gets what he deserves in the end and lessons are learned all around.<br />
<br />
<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>Lying</b></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">Of course, this book couldn't work without lots of lying. The kids get found out and the truth does bring everyone closer because you know the parents were lying too when they didn't tell each of the boys that he had a brother.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #990000;"><b><i>Relationships with parents</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">When the boys switch places they begin to realize what they have. Trevor even begins to see that his parents do love him. It's too bad it took a switch to see that. Kids might see that their parents really are trying to do right by them.</span></span><br />
<br />
<b>How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
1] Independent Read option (not for honors students...reading level is too darned easy, unless, of course, they read it for their independent summer read and for that I have a guide...a guide I should post on this website...hmmm...)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-64017064169525966202012-06-07T10:06:00.000-05:002012-06-10T10:44:46.687-05:00Tangled Tides by Karen Amanda Hooper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2OnXieLG8wlKR3XZ8UY95rxGnNoXGaNkiZSmZQSLrMqqyT81NYrP6T-ksd3r-kLPWGr9gd1OG5aQKsct4on_4eNxS7jiwa2qjlp2JtPQSKj74mtmE23x9LqP-bWTeu5dDUTS9dkDFbM/s1600/141036184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2OnXieLG8wlKR3XZ8UY95rxGnNoXGaNkiZSmZQSLrMqqyT81NYrP6T-ksd3r-kLPWGr9gd1OG5aQKsct4on_4eNxS7jiwa2qjlp2JtPQSKj74mtmE23x9LqP-bWTeu5dDUTS9dkDFbM/s320/141036184.JPG" width="206" /></a></div>
I wasn't really into the cover of this book, the mermaid is in some sort of misty ecstasy with pastel water splashes and a thunderstorm in the background, so it took me awhile to actually read it, which is sad because <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/tangled-tides-karen-amanda-hooper/1107003888?ean=9781936850433" target="_blank">Tangled Tides</a> is my favorite mermaid book so far. It combines romance, suspense and mythology to entice the reader to go on the journey with Yara.<br />
<br />
This is the first mermaid book that I've read that actually delves into the history of mermaids, talks about how there are more than one type of mer-creature and doesn't have a heroine that cries and whines all the time. Sure, Yara doesn't want to be a mermaid, but she also doesn't understand how much her family and friends are involved with these ancient creatures either.<br />
<br />
While Yara is truly the star of the show, Hooper compels us to get to know each of the characters in this universe she's created. There are two warring half-brothers, this creates a love triangle sort of (another part I like about the book a new twist on the triangle of love), who happen to be on the opposite ends of the same side, an adorable old guardian uncle, a bewitching siren and so many beautiful and colorful mermaids that I couldn't pick a favorite secondary character. I like how the story gets told through the voices of three characters, not just one. At first I thought this was going to be annoying, but then realized the story moved forward with each interpretation of the tale and the three very different voices kept me intrigued.<br />
<br />
And, if you want action there's that too. The gorgons want their cursed prize, there's a deadly sickness that mermaids get if they stay in our world too long and they're running out of the cure and time, there's a shark attack that I didn't breath through as I read and there are some sexy scenes and kisses that left me quite breathless, and wishing I had fins and a tail and my own blue-haired tattooed man friend.<br />
<br />
This is definitely a book for those people who love their water creatures (as there are mermaids, selkies, water sprites, sirens and gorgons), but it also for people who love mythology (I never really thought about where mermaids came from, until I read this book), or just want a good suspenseful romance.<br />
<br />
Oh, and I got this book for free, <a href="http://karenamandahooper.blogspot.com/2012/05/tangled-tides-is-free.html" target="_blank">when it was free</a>, it's now<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tangled-Tides-Monster-Memoirs-ebook/dp/B006E4PEE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339069295&sr=8-1" target="_blank"> $4.99 on your Kindle</a> and I couldn't find an ebook version on Barnes and Noble.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;">
<strong><span style="color: #990000;">5 Stars</span></strong></div>
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a>
<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Sex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 2/5 </span><br />
There's some sexy kissing, some heated thigh touching and a strange scene where a siren is licking at the wounds of a mermaid.<br />
<strong><em>Language <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">3/5</span></em></strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
Damn, shit, hell used in the usually way that teens and young adults use them.<br />
<strong><em>Substance Abuses <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></em></strong><br />
The mermaids and selkies smoke something called C-weed in the form of seagrettes. While it may seem unnecessary at first and a bit gratuidous it's how they stay alive here on Earth and probably don't do so in their home environment as they wouldn't need the plant to stay alive. Some people might find this constant smoking and their dependence on it questionable.<br />
<strong><em>Violence <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">4/5</span></em></strong><br />
There's a pretty violent shark fight where a mermaid's tail feathers get ripped off. Gorgons are pretty mean and violent, many mermaids and selkies perished at their hands. And, then there's that whole thing with the siren and the licking...ick.<br />
<br />
<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>Religion</b></span></i><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">There's a healing ritual that may seem pretty new-agey to some.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><strong><em>Substance Abuse</em></strong></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><span style="color: black;">It's probably important to note to students that these mermaids and selkies aren't smoking for the fun of it, nor are they addicts. They are doing it to survive.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><strong><em>Brother against Brother</em></strong></span><br />
Sure they learn about it when they are taught about civil wars, but kids need to understand the strained relationship between Rownan and Treygan and why they do not get along.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><strong><em>Sacrifice for Family</em></strong></span><br />
There's a lot of that going on in this book and it's important to understand a parents' love and their need to make sure their offspring are safe. It is also amazing to think about what Yara and Treygan and Rownan go through because of family.<br />
<br />
<b>How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
1] Independent Read option (not for honors students...reading level is too darned easy, unless, of course, they read it for their independent summer read and for that I have a guide...a guide I should post on this website...hmmm...)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-88474564570512144202012-05-29T06:00:00.000-05:002012-06-10T10:44:08.818-05:00OyMG by Amy Fellner Dominy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa116SiZIYMH1L0jKHrEDg5Ag9d5rOKuQL9ZVb8y4MBJ_kIFnRCPNCxPxHZEN76iYqWajuh4LpZU_nJkJVO_uUCz0Ze0IxXh5V5vflBIU_wWmgrJgrD8ZsZgM1AknfF0w9NM91zp3h78/s1600/100402869.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEa116SiZIYMH1L0jKHrEDg5Ag9d5rOKuQL9ZVb8y4MBJ_kIFnRCPNCxPxHZEN76iYqWajuh4LpZU_nJkJVO_uUCz0Ze0IxXh5V5vflBIU_wWmgrJgrD8ZsZgM1AknfF0w9NM91zp3h78/s320/100402869.JPG" width="212" /></a></div>
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/oymg-amy-fellner-dominy/1100088329?ean=9780802721778" target="_blank">OyMG</a> by Amy Fellner Dominy is one of those books that could easily be someone's favorite. It's cover is cute, entertaining and appealing to tweens (it's target audience) and its title is fantastic. It's insides are just as appealing, a speech and debater (seriously, first book I've read about one of my favorite extra-curriculars) who is Jewish must hide her identity to attend an all Christian speech and debate camp. It tackles the issues of race and religion and honesty...or does it?<br />
<br />
And, that's were this book kind of leaves me, well, a little peeved. Ellie has been raised by her Jewish family and although she is raised Jewish, she doesn't question it, until being Jewish means losing a scholarship to a prestigious, definitely Christian, high school. From the very beginning we see Ellie as a strong-willed girl and then we see this girl become less willful and, well, less truthful as the Christian camp progresses. She begins to hide her Jewish grandmother's cross and is embarrassed by her very Jewish Zeydeh (her eccentric grandfather).<br />
<br />
I sort of understand why her parents would allow her to lie about her religious affiliation, if they would have protested too much she would have done it anyway, but they don't really talk to her about what it means to be Jewish or about what it means to be Christian. In this respect they seem like good-natured hippies and I bought that. But, if they're so good-natured why must Ellie be anything at all? In fact, it seems that all the Christians in this book are in some ways the villains of the piece...because of an incident long ago, Doris hates all Jewish people, so much so that she wants to punish them horribly and Ellie's Lutheran grandparents seem to be those crazy Christians who feel that their son 'dun did 'em wrong' by raising Ellie Jewish only. Her father talks to her a little bit about how he doesn't go to church because he feels spiritual in the great outdoors gardening and such, but she doesn't say much about where she feels most spiritual. And, why is Ellie only Jewish, just because her father leans towards wanting no religion that doesn't mean they shouldn't teach her all they know, instead of just assuming she will be?<br />
<br />
The story itself is adorable and the characters are developed and believable. Ellie has never been challenged before and there are speech and debaters there who are better than her. The speech she gives at the end is poignant and would truly convince any kid waffling on either side of the issue to chose one...Ellie is two cultures, yet she must give up one to be the other. As a person of mixed heritage I find that, well, sad.<br />
<br />
Hmmm...maybe that's the true problem I have with this book...the fact that Ellie chooses a side. I like the novel <a href="http://www.smhasty.blogspot.com/2012/03/55-books-in-year-book-10-kissing-kate.html" target="_blank">Kissing Kate</a> because it gives us all the information and definitely tells us were the main character is leaning, but allows us to see it for ourselves. Lissa is still learning and questioning, therefore so must we. I like that ending. Teaching kids to question is the best part of teaching. I'm not sure this book does that.<br />
<br />
I suppose if Jewish kids are reading this it is important for them to identify with Ellie and her family and then understand that being Jewish is their heritage and their identity. And, that would have worked had Ellie not been part Lutheran and if Ellie hadn't had family members (ie. her Lutheran grandparents) to talk to about their religion. She never does talk to them, by the way, she only goes to church once and the whole time she sees both she and Jesus as outsiders.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>3 Stars</strong></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" /><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span>
<br />
All of that being said, I think that <i>OyMG</i> is a great book for those middle grade kids who may see that Ellie is truly conflicted, to me that did come across very well.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Sex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 1/5 </span><br />
There's a cute moment with some hand-holding and a little kiss at the end. Good times.<br />
<b><i>Language <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
I think there's some words used to indicate being upset, but that's about it.<br />
<b><i>Substance Abuses <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><br />
Um, yep, I got nothin'...<br />
<b><i>Violence <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><br />
So, yeah, Dynamite Doris is pretty awful and her story about why she dislikes Jewish people is shallow and has to do with lost love...I mean really shallow, but I think that's what happens something silly totally jades us against someone or something forever.<br />
<br />
<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>Religion</b></span></i><br />
Ellie and her family are definitely Jewish. Her father is pretty much agnostic and communes with nature. Doris, the kids at camp and Devon is too. They go to church, Ellie talks about Jesus being Jewish.<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Telling lies</span></b></i><br />
Ellie lies to her family, her friends and, in the beginning, Devon encourages her because he sees it as easier than standing up to his grandmother. In the end, of course, the lies catch up to her and she has a lot of explaining to do.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i>Puppy Love</i></span></b><br />
Ellie has a hard time being herself around Devon because she is so enamored with him.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i>Will</i></span></b><br />
Do we have free will? What happens when our friends question it?<br />
<br />
<b>How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
1] Independent Read option (not for honors students...reading level is too darned easy, unless, of course, they read it for their independent summer read and for that I have a guide...a guide I should post on this website...hmmm...)<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>3 Stars</strong></span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border-bottom: rgb(239,239,239) 1px solid; border-left: rgb(239,239,239) 1px solid; border-right: rgb(239,239,239) 1px solid; border-top: rgb(239,239,239) 1px solid; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span> <br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;">I love the story, love the characters, just wish Ellie would have more of a choice.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-12958123840138387472012-05-28T09:06:00.002-05:002012-06-10T10:43:21.234-05:00The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55bXsC-E2xgCB67x9ocGsdSSn9jo6Nt1odrH_KF-V8a08gKF6UADoK-9a3hbBhNbQGXedGfCb8AC71gELEv8xTawvuzbNYkXDhpFbvGn2BCrS28ShLlnSNTdNT1xiam481zdvuAx7ODk/s1600/103383312.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55bXsC-E2xgCB67x9ocGsdSSn9jo6Nt1odrH_KF-V8a08gKF6UADoK-9a3hbBhNbQGXedGfCb8AC71gELEv8xTawvuzbNYkXDhpFbvGn2BCrS28ShLlnSNTdNT1xiam481zdvuAx7ODk/s320/103383312.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Shhhhh, don't tell anyone, but I prefer to view my steampunk, rather than to read it (I love <i>Wild Wild West</i>, the show and movie, I love <i>Treasure Planet, 9, The Golden Compass, those new Sherlock Holmes movies, The Prestige, Sucker Punch, Hugo, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing </i>and so on). Of course, this comment excludes the original fathers of steampunk HG Wells and Jules Verne, I could read their novels all day and have taken reading challenges, just so I could do this very year. You see, modern (those styled after Wells and Verne) steampunk novels include affectations that drive me completely and utterly insane. It seems to me that these novels are more about the gadgets, the setting, the feel for an anachronistic Victorian England than they are about the characters and the plot...if I have to read one more time about some guy's cravat, I may just...ugh...<br />
<br />
I know what you are thinking (or at least will be thinking soon), Stephanie, if you dislike steampunk so much than why do you read it. Hmmmm, I read it in the hopes that one day I will read a steampunk novel that comes closer to Wells and Verne than what I've read so far.<br />
<br />
I think this book, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girl-in-the-steel-corset-kady-cross/1031223849" target="_blank">The Girl in the Steel Corset,</a> and its novellette companion, <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11130686-the-strange-case-of-finley-jayne" target="_blank">The Strange Case of Finley Jayne</a>, may be the closest I've seen yet.<br />
<br />
Finley Jayne has literally run away from her job...of course, she did this after clocking the living daylights out of the son whose hands were just a little too friendly. She runs right into millionaire and Duke, Griffin King. He takes her back to his mansion/castle via his velocycle were we meet a group of young castaways. Via the aether Griffin can see the future, read your thoughts, locate your whereabouts and communicate with the dead, Sam Morgan is a big tall hunk of metal, literally, as he was torn into pieces and put back together, who mopes around lamenting his real heart and his true love. His true love happens to be the beyond brilliant Emily Kingston, who can fix anything, as she can communicate with machinery. There's Jasper Renn, a cowboy from the wild west, who is running away from something and joins the crew and there's Jack Dandy, the villian who sports an unrealistic cockney accent on purpose. And, then there's Victorian England and Victoria herself both of which are in danger of being destroyed by a brilliant, but crazy mastermind.<br />
<br />
This book is released by Harlequin Teen (didn't even know this division existed) and written by a former romance novelist and you can tell, most of the time in a good way as we get to read more in-depthly about the dresses, the city, the men and the clothes and the walls, seriously beautiful and breath-taking...when it comes to the portrayal of Finley Jayne it didn't work so much. Although, she can punch through walls and throw grown men and machinery across the room, she still light and fluffy and girly...gag.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wig36bgHTInjSWHy2QlhoJRsxoDjCQhuCX_whPDcB6sswGHKGvVQ0x2bqfeAsSLwEdJR7oqZTUyOyOdA9xPf05X9C19_IUFiXj3_OJ3kmhoi54Un9slde6X2ZWsSrysKK7sRfZG_syg/s1600/strangecase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wig36bgHTInjSWHy2QlhoJRsxoDjCQhuCX_whPDcB6sswGHKGvVQ0x2bqfeAsSLwEdJR7oqZTUyOyOdA9xPf05X9C19_IUFiXj3_OJ3kmhoi54Un9slde6X2ZWsSrysKK7sRfZG_syg/s320/strangecase.jpg" width="202" /></a></div>
Frankly, I like the novelette better, Finley seems less conflicted and I like how the story is set up, so we know she wasn't just kicked out of her former employers home. We know that Finley is passionate and strong. It segues nicely into the novel. Although it was released after the novel, I wish I would have read it first, as I would have found Finley less annoying.<br />
<br />
Oh, and cravat is only mentioned nine times; how refreshing.<br />
<br />
And, since Steampunk looks so pretty on the screen, I'd love to see this as a movie...it's too bad Jude Law is way to old *wimper for the sake of all humanity* to play any of the male characters.<br />
<br />
I look forward to reading <i>The Girl in the Clockwork Collar</i>.<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
<br />
The advisories below cover both the book and its novelette.<br />
<br />
<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Sex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 1/5 </span><br />
There are a couple of kisses and the sexy flirting. I'm not sure I'd count that as more than a one.<br />
<b><i>Language <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
Phrases and words are used to mean cuss words. The word damn is used rather flagrantly.<br />
<b><i>Substance Abuses <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><br />
There are some dinners with alcohol and some bars with some ale. Do the organites count as a substance?<br />
<b><i>Violence <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">4/5</span></i></b><br />
Griff's friend Sam gets into a lot of brawls. Each of the girls gets knocked out at some point. There's fighting...um, Griff harnesses the aether and gets caught up in it...pretty deadly stuff.<br />
<br />
<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>Contacting the dead</b></span></i><br />
Griff uses the aether to talk to his parents who are dead. Some people may think that the aether is some sort of evil spirit.<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Queen and country</span></b></i><br />
Poor dear Queen Victoria gets turned into an automaton, some people may find this offensive. Queen Victoria is also kind of mean and secretive.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i>Machines taking over the world</i></span></b><br />
Scary idea because it's so real...<br />
<br />
<b>How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
1] Independent Read optionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-31058206738510543302012-05-26T20:47:00.000-05:002012-06-10T10:43:12.270-05:00Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau<div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-P9ZWaEJG2um2GKRksCc77Fss2tMEq6KkTXZEqenGZOV5xaKnIOOSJ8y6k7iqQNEgi3dXnZ2CehjDs0_eY0m_-ic1quX1cjDKdRQSv1iETyIwDuaecvnmBj6O85J7FF9pHAsa7MMNhs/s1600/RealMermaidsAmazon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja-P9ZWaEJG2um2GKRksCc77Fss2tMEq6KkTXZEqenGZOV5xaKnIOOSJ8y6k7iqQNEgi3dXnZ2CehjDs0_eY0m_-ic1quX1cjDKdRQSv1iETyIwDuaecvnmBj6O85J7FF9pHAsa7MMNhs/s320/RealMermaidsAmazon1.jpg" width="221" /></a>Here is another book for my mermaid challenge.<br />
<br />
Just in case you've forgotten it's lovely marvelous details or you want to play along you can find all the information you need by clicking on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/challenges/352-the-merbooks-2012-mermaid-book-reading-challenge">The 2012 MerBooks Mermaid Book Reading Challenge</a>.<br />
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How could you not love a book that starts off with a girl getting her period while trying on swimsuits damaging the one she decides to buy and ends with a recipe for Chocolate Mug Cake (something I'm definitely going to try in the future)? The answer is that there is no possible way that you couldn't.<br />
<br />
After Jade reaches puberty, things about her begin to change...a certain boy begins to notice her lovely wavy hair and curvy figure and one day in the bathtub she begins to notice that instead of feet she's sporting a shimmering blue-green tail.<br />
<br />
I love the voice of Jade, she's sassy and quick-witted, just how I feel every middle grade school girl should be. She thinks she's too curvy (there's a whole scene with a tankini that is just too real and adorable), she thinks she's not beautiful (without wavy red hair, how could she be anything else?), and she is missing her mother, who drowned a year ago, more than anything.<br />
<br />
But, is her mother really dead or is that her mother she hears calling her? Can she stand being part mermaid? Trying to find these answers means that she has to keep telling big lies to her best friend and it means that she could be putting herself into more danger than she realized.<br />
<br />
The best part of this book is the fact that the mermaid stuff seems to be par for the course in Port Toulouse and the story isn't really about keeping the secret or finding her true love or identity, but in finding out what really happened to her mother.<br />
<br />
What can I say? This book is cute and fun and light and fluffy. A perfect summer read for any girl age 9 to, um, 36.<br />
<br />
Oh and book two just came out...yippers!<br />
<strong><span style="color: #990000;"><br /></span></strong><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; font-family: Nobile; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(239, 239, 239); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;">Sex</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> 1/5 </span><br />
I think there may be long look or two and a "kiss made of awesome"...seriously, I feel like a prude even giving this a one. A boy takes off his shoe to show a girl his webbed toes...Jade spends the first chapter talking about getting her period for the first time, no inappropriate words are used.<br />
<b><i>Language <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
This book makes a point of making sure that 13 year old girls shouldn't even be saying the work "crap" and they really shouldn't should they.<br />
<b><i>Substance Abuses <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><br />
Um, yep, I got nothin'...unless you count a crazy addiction to chocolate.<br />
<b><i>Violence <span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><br />
Jade's mother is kidnapped by some 'freshies' and forced to live in the area where the fresh and salt water mixes (what's that called? I can't remember from 4th grade geography...) everybody thinks she drowned. Jade rescues her and her captors chase them around, there's some fighting and some high-pitched merwords.<br />
<br />
<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><b>Getting your period or as I like to call it "Special Monthly Time"</b></span></i><br />
Some parents may not be comfortable having a girl who is part mermaid talk to their children about the embarrassment of getting your period. I found the scene in the book mortifying and realistic.<br />
<i><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;">Telling lies</span></b></i><br />
The twist on this book is that Jade's parents know she may be a mermaid. Jade lies to her best friend a lot. Eventually everyone ask for and gets forgiveness.<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #990000;"><i>The First Kiss</i></span></b><br />
I'm guessing most kids who are reading this book for the first time have never been kissed. That's a good thing and they should know that.<br />
<br />
<b>How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
1] Independent Read option (not for honors students...reading level is too darned easy, unless, of course, they read it for their independent summer read and for that I have a guide...a guide I should post on this website...hmmm...)<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-17720400191250858152012-05-23T14:30:00.001-05:002012-06-10T10:42:52.787-05:00Divergent by Veronica Roth<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8EZqu5ukqoOSx6UeBTvSg78yrgWu2tcl_nEhOh828NOH8fFsvSfkfwvkN9i8HpNMdJPai-hHSnXruY8ZJLbNwDl8WlpKY_bl7ooKR0t7FobTwAVoGxTJqeAFhPhah57UIF4cN6xwWJY/s1600/8306857.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8EZqu5ukqoOSx6UeBTvSg78yrgWu2tcl_nEhOh828NOH8fFsvSfkfwvkN9i8HpNMdJPai-hHSnXruY8ZJLbNwDl8WlpKY_bl7ooKR0t7FobTwAVoGxTJqeAFhPhah57UIF4cN6xwWJY/s320/8306857.jpg" width="211" /></a>Hmmm...since I'm reading <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/insurgent-veronica-roth/1105707005?ean=9780062024046" target="_blank">Insurgent</a>, I suppose it's time that I write a review for <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/divergent-veronica-roth/1026903257?ean=9780062024039" target="_blank">Divergent</a>.<br />
<br />
I feel that you can't talk about this book without first talking about it's author, as it's author is truly every aspect of this book. I began reading her blog a little before <i>Divergent</i> came out and fell in love with her voice, I liked it so much that I found myself wishing that she could have been in one of my classes so we could have spent time talking about books and the world. If you read her blog you will find that she is truly all of her 24 years humble, to the point of self-deprecation, witty, smart, funny and gosh darned brilliant.<br />
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All of these traits spill over into the characters in her debut novel, so much so that I found it really hard to dislike a single one, even those that are terrifying and horrible, like Eric.<br />
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This book is set in a dystopic Chicago (squee) were people been divided up into 5 factions (Amity, Abnegation, Candor, Dauntless and Erudite), during your choosing ceremony you go through tests that determine the faction that best fits you. If that faction doesn't work or you don't fall in line you then become factionless and live in the wasteland (a place we know is probably better). Each faction then trains their initiates...and, by trains I mean brainwashes...into the ways of the faction. And, as with any dystopic universe this works only if there's tons of control, people who blindly believe whatever is put in front of them and people who naively believe that what is being done is right and just. Of course, they believe that because they don't know all the answers.<br />
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Both Tris and Four, in some way, fall into the latter category. As each begins to find out who they really are, they, of course, find one another. They must then learn to lean on one another when they find out that their perfect world of factions and exact rules is falling apart.<br />
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And, while Tris is the narrator, Four is the one to watch and Four, with his light eyes and dark hair and tattoos and muscles, teaches Tris about family and true selflessness.<br />
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I understand that there are people out there who have had their fill of all things dystopic. To those, I said add this to your list, I promise it will rejuvenate you and show you that there is hope for dystopia. There are also many out there who compare this series to <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2767052-the-hunger-games" target="_blank">The Hunger Games</a>. I don't disagree with them (and, in some ways I think this series is better...of course, this series is not for those in the middle grades) I do, however say "Who the flip cares?". In Divergent, Veronica Roth, has given us a strong female lead who is fiery and fierce and who knows that she is flawed, who makes mistakes, a girl who I imagine is a bit more like the author than most think and therefore a bit more real than the rest of the YA heroines out nowadays.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjgyp1s0n3llBlRY4Cy5QO3Yb97qwGKOLP6MTjPV3jxoU-mKeSkYIWxvVTdxSAxD7b1kYbPi_JDVpmI1ln70W-aQTuiTXGj2G_MWp8laVcLUWvbiLuM_PcP_NaQB6xdgsl5s_Owqx9tE/s1600/13615258.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjgyp1s0n3llBlRY4Cy5QO3Yb97qwGKOLP6MTjPV3jxoU-mKeSkYIWxvVTdxSAxD7b1kYbPi_JDVpmI1ln70W-aQTuiTXGj2G_MWp8laVcLUWvbiLuM_PcP_NaQB6xdgsl5s_Owqx9tE/s200/13615258.jpg" width="132" /></a><br />
Once you finish the book, go find a copy of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DivergentSeries?sk=app_276313732461376" target="_blank">"Free Four: Tobias Tells The Story"</a>, it's a little short story of the initial meeting of the transfers and Eric and Four. I like that from that story we get a sense that Four is truly sensitive and compassionate. I also like how it subtly gives us background we need for <i>Insurgent</i>. Four really is my favorite character...<br />
<br />
Oh and just in case you don't have time to read Ms. Roth's back catalog of awesome blog post, here are a few of my favorites:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2009/07/prince-charming-meet-wal-mart.html" target="_blank">Prince Charming, Meet Wal-Mart</a><br />
<a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2010/05/divergent-playlist.html" target="_blank">Divergent Playlist</a><br />
<a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2010/07/likable-schmikable.html" target="_blank">Likeable Schmikable</a><br />
<a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/writing-out-of-order.html" target="_blank">Writing Out of Order</a><br />
<a href="http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/2012/04/mistakes-writers-make.html" target="_blank">The Mistakes Writers Make</a><br />
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Now, back to<i> Insurgent</i>, I'm right in the middle!<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">5 Stars</span></strong><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; border-style: solid; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Four, Four, Four...oh, and there's a plot too! :D</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
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<b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 3.5-4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 18px;">There are some really steamy kisses that kind of made me wish I could leave the room or turn my head or something...but, I couldn't help reading them...pretty hot stuff. There's one kiss in a bedroom against a wall or bedpost or whatever that...whew...</span></div>
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<b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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If there's any at all it's few and far between and in the heat of the moment.</div>
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<b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Only because there's the initiation process and a truth serum and simulation...not really sure all of this should count, but...some people may not like it.</div>
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<b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Um, there are fight scenes to advance to the next levels in Dauntless. A child falls to their death off of a train, although it's mentioned no one seems to care. A boy commits suicide. A boy attacks a girl. A boy pokes another boys eye out with a butter knife...um...a girl shoots a boy in the head at point blank range...er...parents die. A father abuses his son by whipping him with his belt. Pretty intense stuff.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><br /></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Touchy Subjects</b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">When its OK to stand up to your parents</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">One boy chooses a different faction just to stay away from his father and then must confront his father. Tris chooses a faction that goes against how she was raised.</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i>Revenge</i></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">See what that looks like if you are smart or brave or honest or caring or selfless...it comes in every package.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Family Secrets</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">No one really know who Four is and he tells no one. Tris's parents have their own secrets to hide.</span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Being True to Yourself</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Even if others doubt you, even if you doubt yourself</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;"><br /></span><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How this book is used in the classroom</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border: medium none; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">2] Book Club read</span></div>
</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-88587130214359631472012-05-13T22:43:00.000-05:002012-06-10T10:42:22.371-05:00Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwf45LMHGLGOPqWerm4NiqjiFGIOZqPs1uyQ-kNWARyInGDlSR8iVLXLvy4I2wsZj6zZRMgRbzshLiIsSuYRMwAkvuPypI2SLr1BBmtN1W9u63oTdkN7onTg82GZxBd-YVkNeKg8lvuk/s1600/anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimwf45LMHGLGOPqWerm4NiqjiFGIOZqPs1uyQ-kNWARyInGDlSR8iVLXLvy4I2wsZj6zZRMgRbzshLiIsSuYRMwAkvuPypI2SLr1BBmtN1W9u63oTdkN7onTg82GZxBd-YVkNeKg8lvuk/s320/anna.jpg" width="220" /></a>OK, so I'm sorry to admit it, but this book is my first ever horror novel. Yes, that's right folks I own, but have never read <i>Amityville Horror, Psycho, The Woman in Black, The House on Haunted Hill</i>...the closest I've ever come to reading any type of horror novel is reading those creepy little books <i>Tales for the Midnight Hour </i>and <i>More Tales for the Midnight Hour</i>.<br />
<br />
I could not have picked a better book to begin this adventure.<br />
<br />
Cas comes from a long line of ghost killers. He has a special weapon that propels ghosts back to the Nether Regions. Cas doesn't understand the true power behind this tool he just knows that he must use it to finally vanquish one of the most horrid ghosts of all, a girl properly named Anna Dressed in Blood as her body and the white dress she wears are dripping and soaked with her blood. He knows that killing her will bring him one step closer to vanquishing the evil spirit that killed his father.<br />
<br />
But, it isn't that easy.<br />
<br />
First, there's the fact that most humans who get near her are ripped into two pieces their spirits trapped within the house forever. Second, Anna isn't your ordinary spirit needing to cross over, she has her own ghostly problems. And, finally, there's the fact that Cas find Anna just plain mesmerizing. He doesn't want to kill her, he wants to save her.<br />
<br />
This book is descriptive, fast-paced (seriously, you will be hooked two pages in to the first chapter) and ended in such a way that I wanted more without feeling annoyed that I had to wait for another book to come out.<br />
<br />
And, while Cas is an wonderfully believable narrator, yes, I do know boys that cuss that much and yes, I would love to be his friend, he is not my favorite character. My favorite character is Anna and I can't wait for her return for the beyond.<br />
<br />
And, to give credit where credit is due, I must thank <a href="http://www.bookworm-teen.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hayden at The Teen Book Worm</a> for suggesting this book for my classroom library. His suggestion and <a href="http://bookworm-teen.blogspot.com/2011/11/anna-dressed-in-blood-kendare-blake-5.html" target="_blank">wonderful review</a> compelled me to read it. I can't wait for the second in the series. I hope the cat comes back.<br />
<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">5 Stars</span></strong><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Who knew that blood and gore could be so darned entertaining?!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><br />
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<b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="line-height: 18px;">I think there may be a kiss and some hand-holding...um, yep, there's just that.</span></div>
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<b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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This book is chock full of the F-Word and shit and damn so much I lost track...lots and lots of cussing. Frankly, I was really taken aback by this, not because I care, but because of marketing...this tells me I may have lived in the Bible Belt a little too long.</div>
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<b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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There's references to drinking. Two boys get drunk and bully a girl and another boy. There's smoking, too.</div>
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<b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">5/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Well, Anna is a ghost known for ripping people apart. This happens to one of the students and it is described in great, gross detail. Then said student's torn to bits body comes back to talk to Cas. Um, there's a basement full of such people...ghosts who are trapped in Anna's house. A nasty spirit eats a cat...horrible! Anna is such a scary ghost because she was murdered (again something that is given in great detail) and her guardian cast a spell on her spirit. Lots of blood and guts and gore.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><br /></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Touchy Subjects</b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Life after Death</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">I assume that when you read a book about ghost you get pretty curious about the afterlife.</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i>Revenge</i></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Cas has become a slayer of ghost in the hopes of finding the spirit who killed his father. He hopes to kill this spirit and in some ways is blinded by this fact.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Family Secrets</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Anna is murdered by her mother, an evil controlling hag.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How this book is used in the classroom</b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<div style="border-bottom-color: initial; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-left-width: medium; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: none; border-right-width: medium; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: none; border-top-width: medium; text-align: -webkit-auto;">
<span style="line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></div>
</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-9545742762312128202012-05-12T07:49:00.000-05:002012-05-12T07:49:06.049-05:00Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ74x-GrafPPwy_lXibspokk6u7PB65VUPiVpNyiprhX19K9JFwvzjzZAQ1a43LKQSVGPDbiB3bI2r00X8HGkOdiDhnYwMBeahuVYaXzm6LhtCsDLxqmogqxh13Ti4wh0f3gQ8CpIuKaY/s1600/anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ74x-GrafPPwy_lXibspokk6u7PB65VUPiVpNyiprhX19K9JFwvzjzZAQ1a43LKQSVGPDbiB3bI2r00X8HGkOdiDhnYwMBeahuVYaXzm6LhtCsDLxqmogqxh13Ti4wh0f3gQ8CpIuKaY/s320/anna.jpg" width="212" /></a>When I was younger my life's goal was to go to/live in London, England.<br />
<br />
This goal was so prominent in my mind that during my Home-Ec class when other girls were making those big wedding plans (a project I'm soooooo glad has been deemed sexist and inappropriate) I planned my trip to London--no, really, I told my teacher I wasn't planning on getting married and that if I did I would do so in Vegas. She told me I should plan my honeymoon instead and my trip (not honeymoon) was a go.<br />
<br />
My friends used to help me dream about my life in England.<br />
<br />
I'd meet a boy named Nigel "Something"(I don't remember his last name)worth the Third and he'd be handsome and rich and have lovely gardens we'd stroll around. I'd meet the Queen (or is it The Queen?) and she'd be so taken with how polite I was that I'd be offered a job and a place in the palace. I'd own a dog. I'd go to pubs. I'd become an archaeologist and figure out what happened to those boys in the Tower. I'd eat lots of fish and chips. I wish I would have kept all the papers on which we doodled my life plan.<br />
<br />
And, then it happened. Everything worked out so I could go to London, England...not just a week or a month, but a whole semester...sigh.<br />
<br />
I became a part of the <a href="http://smhasty.blogspot.com/2011/02/30-day-song-challenge-day-six.html" target="_blank">Missouri London Program</a>.<br />
<br />
I became an exchange student.<br />
<br />
It was awesome.<br />
<br />
I'd forgotten how much so until I read <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/anna-and-the-french-kiss-stephanie-perkins/1100257825?ean=9780525423270" target="_blank">Anna and the French Kiss</a>, a wonderfully written, light, but in no way breezy, young adult novel by Stephanie Perkins.<br />
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This book would just be another typical teen fish out of water tale if it wasn't for the amazing dialogue. I fell in love with Anna the first moment she was introduced. Actually, Perkins has quite a lovely grasp on dialogue and characters and I fell in love with and related to them all. Each character exhibited traits of people I know and cherish. There's the boy who everyone knows is in the wrong relationship, but he doesn't have the backbone to end it. There's the girl who has had a major crush on said boy, but understands that she is not the one. There's the jealous, over-the-top girlfriend. The boy, who is this case happens to be named Etienne (sigh), has his own wonderful set of quirky guy friends. And, there's all the romance of being in a foreign country sans adults. Something about the way these seniors acting seemed totally believable. This may be the first time I've read a book where a girl or two cries alone or accidentally in front of someone and I didn't want to bash my head, or hers, into a brick wall. I even had some of the same culture shock moments ("What the world I left went on without me while I was having a life overseas?"). This book was soooo good that I couldn't put it down and had to finish it, while my friends waited, sitting on a bed in a lovely Los Angeles hotel an amazing view of the Hollywood sign behind me.<br />
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So study abroad. If you're lucky you'll meet people half as cool as these people and you'll have wonderful adventures with or without all the romance. If you can't study abroad right away at least read this book and remember your first love, your first time away from home and live overseas vicariously through them.<br />
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Reading this book made me get out the 'ole scrapbooks. Memory lane never felt so good.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5 Stars</span></span></strong><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Nobile; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />The only thing that would have made this book better is if it would have been set in London, no really, I mean that...maybe Stephanie Perkins will do that someday.
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<b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">There's some kissing...OK, there's lots of kissing there for a minute, whew! A boy alludes to sleeping with a girl, although we never read about it. It is also alluded to the fact the Etienne and his girlfriend sleep together. Anna and Etienne spend a week spooning on a dorm room bed nightly.</span></div>
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<b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I don't remember there being any cussing in English or in French...gonna go look that up right now...ah, the power of the eReader...OK, so I lied BIG TIME...this book says the F-word like 5, literally, 5 times! Shit also gets thrown around a bit carelessly. I feel bad I have to give this book a 4 on this, but 5 times is a bit much for a teen romance novel!</div>
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<b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Um, these are 18 year-old American students in a foreign country that allows you to drink at 18...totally believable situations and frankly, these kids don't act like typical American teens drunk, they act like college students.</div>
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<b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Drinking and jealous never end up well.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Touchy Subjects</b></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Social Class</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Anna goes to school in France because her father has made it big as an author and he wants to impress people. Yeah, you read that right, Anna intially goes to go in France because her father thinks it will look good on his resume.</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i>Love</i></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">I love, love, love, love first love books. Be prepared for broken hearts, misunderstandings, lead-ons and the other things that come with it.</span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">The Mores and Folkways of a Foreign Country</span></i></b></b></div>
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Students may want to talk about foreign customs, traditions, home life et cetera.</span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Couples who are separated</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Etienne's parents are separated, but his father still controls much of their lives. For instance, he isn't allowed to see his mother, who has cancer and may be dying, until a scheduled break in the school year.</span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">When it's OK to stand up to your parents</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Etienne and his father have a huge fight in which Etienne says some pretty harsh things that further alienate his relationship with his father. When, if ever, is it OK to talk to your parents in this manner? I think that Perkins would have you believe that sometimes this kind of frankness must happen, especially when the parent is verbally, emotionally or physically abusive.</span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Parents living their lives vicariously through their children</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Definitely some lessons to be learned here, as all these kids seem to be privileged in some manner... </span><br />
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<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-76763295550378035742012-03-27T17:33:00.000-05:002012-05-12T07:29:01.705-05:00Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokifwGdMSfU-a0mNtoeduVqh_qqiKVxFx46B6Ywu-PbLYC5bJ5yBs7NpoWy1ouoWDUaJnd76erVvh1Ni-PtrODj9QDeNwglCk83CYL4sEUyqtVIqNS42Ag9tCL8RdplKLkjhia228_jA/s1600/fins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiokifwGdMSfU-a0mNtoeduVqh_qqiKVxFx46B6Ywu-PbLYC5bJ5yBs7NpoWy1ouoWDUaJnd76erVvh1Ni-PtrODj9QDeNwglCk83CYL4sEUyqtVIqNS42Ag9tCL8RdplKLkjhia228_jA/s320/fins.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
I'm not sure how I feel about <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fins-are-forever-tera-lynn-childs/1025257706?ean=9780061914683&itm=1&usri=fins+are+forever" target="_blank">Fins Are Forever by Tera Lynn Childs</a>. On the one hand I love the continuation of the story from the first book, I love the character Quince and I love the Lily is learning more and more how to be herself. On the other hand, I felt that new characters were added just to add meat to the very thin story, I thought that the story was predictable to the point of boredom and, well, there's a whole lot of Dosinia and Doe (as she is called) is the character we spent the whole entire first book disliking--frankly, I disliked her soooo much that, even at the end of this book and we find out a few things about her, I still wanted her to get eaten by a shark.<br />
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Although the bond has been severed, at the end of the first book, Lily and Quince decided that they should be together. This means that Lily must give up her kingdom...for a boy. I was willing to accept this fate for Lily as she spent the whole book crying and not listening to her heart and needed to be shown that her true happiness really does matter. In this book she jeopardizes (although by the end we all see why) her future and her happiness, and I still can't decide if it's because she was too stubborn to get it or if Doe is a bigger b-word than I thought.</div>
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Which brings me to the fact that I don't like Doe. I suppose that I should be grateful that Childs has written her character so well that I want to vomit every time she's around, which in this book is often, as she's been banished from the kingdom and forced to live with humans. Of course, Brody is back and there's another boy who is heir to a throne in dire straits. Because of this fact, there's more relationship tension between Quince and Lily...tension caused by Lily and her inability to trust people...ugh.<br />
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Part of the problem I may have with this book is that I felt that the first one ended so nicely. Actually, this book has a pretty sweetastic ending also, it just took me about 45 pages to understand that there could, in fact, be more to the story.</div>
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It may not sound like I enjoyed this book, I did like it, I just know I would have liked it more had it been a stand alone and not a sequel.</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"><strong>3 Stars</strong></span><br />
<a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #9b2f3f; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #564237; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Trebuchet, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 21px;"> </span>
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I'm looking forward to the third book, <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/just-for-fins-tera-lynn-childs/1107085750?ean=9780062192158&itm=1&usri=just+for+fins" target="_blank">Just For Fins</a>, and I still love myself some Tera Lynn Childs, however, this particular book didn't totally live up to my expectations.<span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><br />
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<b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">There's some kissing...um, that's all, probably like three kisses total.</span></div>
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<b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The only reason why I say 1 is because my mother always says that people know what you are saying when you replace a cuss word with another word. Childs is excellent at using sea-words for cuss words. I love it, some may not.</div>
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<b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Unless you count chlorine, which is toxic to mermaids.</div>
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<b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">There are some intense arguments used with harsh language.</span><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><br /></b></b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Touchy Subjects</b></b></div>
<div style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">
<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Family</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">What happens when a family member you hate has to move in with you?</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000;"><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i>Love</i></span></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">What is love? Does it mean that you have to give up being yourself and your goals to be with someone? How old do you have to be to know you have met 'the one'?</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">2] There's an excellent character project that Childs uses to flesh out her characters. It can be found at <a href="http://yawriters.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-flesh-out-your-characters.html">Books, Boys, Buzz</a></span></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-52099460806938143372012-03-25T10:54:00.002-05:002012-03-27T17:25:23.329-05:00Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioI79BDPASrZJUAvWi_5aPQiOYCau9gMGwoW7-_p-Yuqr1YdyEc3DbwL5_8ueIlsejQnoE9xkd5O6ePKzISZsoaZ0uMl_AJXFRXCAf8Qcgebs6MMrYUQDc9RoHrG9pbSshbYIF7Nf3ncM/s1600/kissing+kate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioI79BDPASrZJUAvWi_5aPQiOYCau9gMGwoW7-_p-Yuqr1YdyEc3DbwL5_8ueIlsejQnoE9xkd5O6ePKzISZsoaZ0uMl_AJXFRXCAf8Qcgebs6MMrYUQDc9RoHrG9pbSshbYIF7Nf3ncM/s320/kissing+kate.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I remember one day when I was about 11 years old. I was sitting on the floor of my friends living room and she and I were just bashing the dickens out of gay people and her mother, who is still one of the wisest women I know, said, "Would God really want us to harm any of his children or treat them the way that you've been talking?" Of course, we answered very meekly, "No." And, thus began my struggle, balancing the blindly conservative Christian in me with what I knew must be true.<br />
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During this same time period and for the next fifteen years I re-educated myself using the media and literature to do it. Rock Hudson came 'out of the closet' when he found out he had AIDS (people my mom's age and older were just mind-blown) and when he died the world mourned, Ryan White (who was just a few years older than me) got AIDS from a blood transfusion, Magic Johnson got HIV and still played basketball, and Matthew Shepard, who was my age, got beaten to death in Wyoming for being gay. I watched and read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28212.And_the_Band_Played_On" target="_blank">And, The Band Played On </a>and all those series on HBO like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116607/" target="_blank">If These Walls Could Talk</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0262985/" target="_blank">Queer As Folk</a>. I read all sorts of young adult fiction about boys who were gay (there really didn't seem to be a lot about girls) like <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/396157.Night_Kites" target="_blank">Night Kites</a>, one I especially remember is <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/653088.The_Drowning_of_Stephan_Jones" target="_blank">The Drowning of Stephan Jones</a>. I remember so identifying with the girl in that book because she too had a hard time saying what she knew to be true and what she believed as defending Stephen and his boyfriend meant going against how she was raised. I suppose I was looking for answers and trying to figure out what it all meant...did I mention that's hard to do in a small town in the Midwest?<br />
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In my high school there was only one boy who actually told everyone he was gay and he was also my neighbor. I didn't care that he was gay, I just liked that he taught us how to dance (he went to real dance classes in the city) and dressed cool because he was from fashion forward California. I felt that he and I weren't so different; as a person of color and a gay person we were treated badly by some because of something that we could not and did not want to control.<br />
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All this background knowledge really did come in handy when I started teaching and it seemed that my quiet open-mindedness attracted and still attracts those students who know that I will listen without judgment. This has made me quite the connoisseur of controversial young adult novels. (Isn't it strange that books that actually help students deal with loss or pain or being themselves are always controversial?)<br />
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Anyway, I say all of this so you understand the foundation of being I had when reading <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/kissing-kate-lauren-myracle/1100315811?ean=9780142408698&itm=1&usri=kissing+kate" target="_blank">Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle</a>.<br />
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This seriously is one of the best books that I have ever read about teen confusion concerning sexual orientation. One night at a party Kate kisses, Lissa, her best friend and although Kate wants to pretend it never happened Lissa can't. This, of course, means that they are no longer best friends and as Lissa branches out she wonders if Kate was ever truly her friend at all. Through other friendships and several confrontations with Kate, Lissa learns to be her powerful self. This is a great coming-of-age novel and anyone who has had a hard time reconciling with the core of who they are will identify with Lissa as she totally turns her world upside in the search for her self.<br />
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I like that in the end Lissa has friends she can trust and she's confronted Kate, but she is still thinking about and learning about who she is. I could see how this book might help several teenagers realize that they are not alone and that their struggles don't have to be completed in silence.<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b5394; line-height: 18px;"><strong>4 Stars</strong> </span><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #424242; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(239, 239, 239); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a><br style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;">This book is a little disjointed in parts and the ending kind of drags on. In some ways there's so much going on in such a small book.</span> </span><br />
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<b>Teacher Advisories </b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 2/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">The kiss between Kate and Lissa happens before the book begins and there's one encounter with Lissa and Kate again, it's sexy, but not over the top, and there isn't another kiss.</span></div>
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<b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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There may have been a word or two. Kate calls Lissa a dyke.</div>
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<b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Kate and Lissa kiss at a party while Kate is intoxicated, there's another party with alcohol.</div>
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<b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">There are some intense arguments used with harsh language.</span><br />
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<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Touchy Subjects</b></b></div>
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<b style="line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Family</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">Lissa lives with her uncle and little brother. They don't really know a lot about her.</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">GLBT</span></i></span><br />
<span style="line-height: 14px;">What does it mean to come out to others? What does it mean to be gay? Lissa has a wonderful conversation with a lesbian couple about the hardships and truths about being gay.</span></div>
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<i style="color: #990000; font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;">Misfits</i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 14px;">Lissa is learning to be herself. Her friend at work, Ariel, is a spunky go-getter who doesn't fit in. Ariel's friend has a handicap, but he is a positive and strong male character. Kate doesn't even know how to be herself and doesn't mind lying to herself or others.</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></div>
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-28820453937118623602012-02-20T17:53:00.007-06:002012-03-25T10:40:29.671-05:00The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeAcAuizl2tKyqnvOFqVC7FEilC6SG4-pDXYSFfVCI4VZV-yezfTIW74zZ6QL_uoLCzGPdx3w9VZlrWSrQRLcAS5T1J4U3AqEMELBYpBAWWmJM4ZNlomyV63XelnLkQEFX8wgpNw2uR7Z/s1600/switched.jpg" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 100%; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5711378150950950450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJeAcAuizl2tKyqnvOFqVC7FEilC6SG4-pDXYSFfVCI4VZV-yezfTIW74zZ6QL_uoLCzGPdx3w9VZlrWSrQRLcAS5T1J4U3AqEMELBYpBAWWmJM4ZNlomyV63XelnLkQEFX8wgpNw2uR7Z/s320/switched.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 161px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Switched is about a girl, Wendy, whose mother tried to kill her on her sixth birthday because she believed Wendy was not really her child. Eleven years later, with her mother in a mental hospital and under the care of her older brother and aunt, Wendy finds out she was right.<br />
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Wendy is a troll, and I think her reaction to finding out is pretty priceless: "Nothing about me resembled a pink-haired doll with a crystal in its stomach or a creepy little monster that lived under a bridge. Admittedly, I was kind of short, but Finn was at least six feet tall." She is taken to the Trylle kingdom, where she discovers she is actually next in line for the throne, and she is none too happy about it. She spends the rest of the three books trying to find her way in her new life (and often fighting to get out of it entirely!).</div>
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I have to say, this trilogy got better and better the further I read. Wendy, the heroine, gets stronger and more independent. The obvious choice is rarely the one that writer, Amanda Hocking, makes, which is delightful in any fiction, but especially in girls' YA fiction. She doesn't spend the books mooning over the same boy, and very often pushes love out of her mind for the betterment of the Trylle kingdom and her own independence.</div>
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I hesitate to give details because I don't want to ruin the wonderful surprises for future readers, but this whole trilogy was a 5 star absolute must-read! That's as much as I'm giving away. It falls somewhere on the drama-o-meter beneath <span style="font-style: italic;">The Twilight Saga</span>, and I can't quite think of a book to go below it at the moment. It's a lot of fun, drama, and romance, and it was good enough for me to immediately buy the second book and third books in the trilogy after I read the first. </div>
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P.S. Amanda Hocking also has a blog! Check it out <a href="http://amandahocking.blogspot.com/">here</a>.</div>
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<strong>5 Stars</strong></div>
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This book has now become part of my foundation and is an extension of the very essence of me...I laughed, I cried [or some other emotion] and am sad this reading is over...gush, gush, gush...</div>
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<b>Teacher Advisories **CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!**</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 2/5 </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="line-height: 18px;">There is some kissing/making out between Wendy and a male lead, but nothing too detailed or heavy. Sex is alluded to on a few occasions, but it's actually because Wendy gets married to a guy she doesn't love/isn't attracted to and wants to avoid it.</span></div>
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<b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">1/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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There may have been a word or two, but nothing I remembered. </div>
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<b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Nothing at all!</div>
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<b><i>Violence <span style="color: #990000;">3/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">There's some violence, mostly in the third book as a war rages between two kingdoms of trolls. It may be great in volume in a couple of spots, but it's mostly magic based, and it's not really graphic. I've seen worse than what was described on tv!</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;">Touchy Subjects</b></b></div>
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<b style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><b><i><span style="color: #990000; line-height: 14px;">Family</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 14px;">Wendy's relationship with her mother is rocky because her mother has never believed Wendy was her child. Wendy's supposed brother loves her very much but has a lot of trouble accepting her new place in the world.</span><span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;"><i><span style="color: #990000;">Inter-class Relationships</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 14px;">Wendy is in love with a troll who is low on the social totem pole compared to her royal status. She and her troll mother get into it on more than one occasion over this matter.</span></div>
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<i style="color: #990000; font-weight: 800; line-height: 14px;">Arranged Marriages</i></div>
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<span style="line-height: 14px;">Wendy is the victim of an arranged marriage (though she eventually gets out of it). It's not really "touchy" in the traditional sense, but kids might have questions about whether this ever happens in the real world.</span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><br /></b><br />
<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">How this book is used in the classroom</b><br />
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<span style="line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></div>
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</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-1305572303377004452012-02-18T18:28:00.000-06:002012-02-18T18:28:08.276-06:00Adam by Ted Dekker (Guest Post by Kate Sutter)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlNl1BIHo_V0ulyEX8Q_zspweqpQ7XQZgJ3riWuMXeGYUXZL28dzA6T5XGkkylVVqudTHMsDjXm7tCM-pocj3OXouaKwVBRZ3aAhT1txa82XU_LTBPxLjFkyDpXbTSd4-lBfgVRHv3mY/s1600/adam-final-art-11-12-gold-lense-flair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqlNl1BIHo_V0ulyEX8Q_zspweqpQ7XQZgJ3riWuMXeGYUXZL28dzA6T5XGkkylVVqudTHMsDjXm7tCM-pocj3OXouaKwVBRZ3aAhT1txa82XU_LTBPxLjFkyDpXbTSd4-lBfgVRHv3mY/s400/adam-final-art-11-12-gold-lense-flair.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">While Ted Dekker’s fiction horror/thriller </span><em style="background-color: white;">Adam</em><span style="background-color: white;"> may be classified as “YA fiction,” it is definitely not for the immature. Written in a similar vein as popular shows like </span><em style="background-color: white;">Criminal Minds</em><span style="background-color: white;">, it will appeal to readers who like a good crime/suspense thriller. The story is based on an FBI behavioral pathologist Daniel Clark (who is so obsessed with the case that it brought about his divorce) teaming up with a forensic pathologist Laura Ames to catch a serial killer (Eve) with a background in kidnapping and child abuse. Clark's ex-wife is also investigating the case in an attempt to help bring peace. They use some techniques that will be familiar to crime show watchers and some that are not Standard Operating Procedure. Adults should be aware that Clark has his heart stopped twice as an attempt to relive his "near death experience" with the killer from the time Clark saw and almost Eve. The end of the book contains an exorcism when it is determined that the killer is driven by generational demonic possession. Even though Dekker repeatedly portrays the main characters as not religious, they put up very little resistance to the action. </span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I liked how Dekker split up the story into sections, beginning each with a magazine article installment about the crime written after the killer is caught. The final segment seemed less developed than the rest of the book and seems to assume the reader has committed to the story long enough to overlook missing details that made the rest of the book hard to put down. It does not take away from the story too badly but left me with questions I did not expect to have when I came to the end. I felt like I needed a sequel just to find out what happened with all the characters.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The book is technically Christian fiction, but like other books I have read from this genre by authors like Dekker, Frank Peretti, and sometimes Randy Alcorn, they tend to be light on being “preachy.” These authors do shy away from the foul language and sex found any much contemporary fiction, but do not avoid it completely. A non-religious reader might not notice much “Christian” in some of these author's books at all, though most reference Christian views of themes such as redemption and good versus evil, and the supernatural world more overtly than secular novels. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; line-height: 21px;"><strong>3 Stars</strong></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #564237; line-height: 21px;" /><a href="http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/?action=view&current=stars-1-1-2.png" style="background-color: white; color: #3c4a6f; line-height: 21px;" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f117/smj274/stars-1-1-2.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; border-bottom-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-left-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(237, 237, 237); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; border-width: initial; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.0976563) 1px 1px 5px; padding-bottom: 5px; padding-left: 5px; padding-right: 5px; padding-top: 5px; position: relative;" /></a>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Teacher Advisories</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Sex</i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;"> 0/5 </span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal; text-align: -webkit-auto;">There’s some sexual tension between the two FBI agents, and at one point the pathologist tells Clark’s ex-wife that they haven’t been together. Definitely nothing a teenager will be concerned with, and probably not their parents either.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Language </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: normal;">I don’t remember seeing anything….</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Substance Abuses </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">0/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Unless you count getting totally intoxicated on someone's soul...than I bump it up to a 1/5.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>Violence </i></b><b><i><span style="color: #990000;">4/5</span></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a horror book about a serial killer, ya know. ☺ There are details without being overly gory especially in the final scene. It's also on the creepy side.</span></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 13.5pt;"><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Touchy Subjects</span></b></b></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Supernatural/Spiritual Concerns</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The killer’s relationship with the Catholic church, unbelief in God, and demon possession are all prominent in the story and become more so as the story progresses. As a Protestant, I was not offended by anything until the very end where I saw parts of the exorcism as gimmicky, mostly due to lack of detail. The book is not trying to convert any readers to a belief, but religious elements are an overarching part of the story.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Final analysis – this book should be read by mature readers who are prepared to confront beliefs (or possibly, suspend them completely) about the supernatural and religion. Even if they do not believe in such matters, a hostile opinion or inability to maintain an open mind to these themes will make if difficult finish the book.</span></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Motivation (and consequences)</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">For both Daniel Clark (FBI Agent) and Eve/Alex Trane/Alex Price (serial killer)</span>
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<b><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Medical Ethics</span></i></b></b><br />
<b><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Good vs. Evil</span></i></b></b></div>
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<b><b><i><span style="color: #990000; font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">Obsession</span></i></b></b><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: -webkit-auto;">Clark’s obsession with the case, his ex-wife’s obsession with winning him back, the consequences of being obsessed</span>
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<b style="line-height: 14px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How this book is used in the classroom</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 14px;">1] Independent Read option</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Use as a choice book. Know who is reading it.</span></span></div>
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</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10156573651587644699noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6235858354511528175.post-8586097804422715712012-02-13T11:03:00.000-06:002012-09-08T09:01:22.114-05:00Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay AsherIt's been a while since I've read this book, but I feel the need to review it because it seems that so many people just love it. I'm not sure why. This book made me angry. If you don't know the premise, it is about a girl who, before her suicide, has put together 13 tapes, one each for the people she believes contributed to her death. After her suicide, she has them sent to the first person and instructs that person to send them to the next, and so on.<br />
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I'm not an expert on suicide and I haven't lost anyone very close to me to suicide, so maybe I'm not the best person to write about this. But I'm going to anyway. I'll try to be as sensitive as possible. My goal here is not to offend anyone.<br />
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To me, this book condones blaming others for suicide. I don't think that's the right message. Instead of dealing with her issues, the girl looks for reasons to be upset with people. Even when she talks to her counselor, he says one wrong thing that she doesn't like, and checks that off as another reason for her to kill herself. I think in a way this book glorifies suicide and focuses on blaming others for our problems.<br />
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I think what this book was trying to do was to show that we should treat everyone with respect and we should reach out to people who seem like they may be having trouble because we never know what is going on in that person's life. I <i>do</i> agree with that message. However, in today's world I think we focus too much on stopping the bullying and do not focus enough on teaching people who are bullied how to deal with it. Yes, I think bullying is wrong and should be stopped. I think we should never treat people badly and should always be aware that something might be going on in their life which we can never begin to understand. As a teacher, I will always do my best to be vigilant about looking out for bullying and trying to stop it if I can. But bullying will ALWAYS exist. In school, in the workplace- everywhere. It's the sad truth. In addition to trying to spread awareness of bullying and prevention, we need to teach those victims of bullying how to deal with it in ways that aren't self-destructive.<br />
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Ultimately, I don't like the idea this book presents that others should be blamed for someone's suicide. People handle things differently, and I think focusing on the victim and helping them find positive ways to deal with things is the answer. What scares me most about this book is that so many young adults are reading it and may not be seeing the message they are meant to see. I can see that what Asher is <i>trying</i> to say is that people should treat each other with kindness and respect. However, what I'm afraid teenagers will see is that if they are having problems, they should quietly blame others for those problems and act out by doing something irreversible.<br />
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<span style="color: red;"><b>2 Stars</b></span><br />
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As much as I wanted to give this one star, I do recognize its merit. It can be used as a gateway for many important conversations between parents and teens regarding suicide, sex, bullying, depression, and other topics.<br />
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<b>Teacher Advisories</b><br />
<b>Sex <i><span style="color: red;">3/5</span></i></b><br />
Sex is mentioned and is a catalyst for what the protagonist does to herself. There is one scene that is slightly explicit.<br />
<b>Language<span style="color: red;"> 1/5</span></b><br />
The names the girl is called are a bit explicit and I believe she uses some language herself (again, it's been a while)<br />
<b>Substance Abuse </b><span style="color: red;">1/5</span><br />
Teenage drinking occurs.<br />
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<b>Touchy Subjects</b><br />
<b><i><span style="color: red;">Suicide</span></i></b><br />
This is the whole premise for the book. It's from the point of view of a girl who commits suicide and explores why she does it.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: red;">Bullying</span></i></b><br />
A huge catalyst for why she commits suicide. The bullying comes in all forms and is done by many different types of people.<br />
<b><i><span style="color: red;">Sexual abuse</span></i></b><br />
There is a scene of blatant sexual abuse, and one in which it is a bit vague whether it is abuse- regardless, sexual abuse is present in this novel.<br />
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</b>Nicole Scherderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14329786055047614273noreply@blogger.com1