Saturday, June 2, 2012

Happiness is...a good book!


I haven't been wowed by a book for awhile but these recent reads have come pretty close.  Take a look. 
 

Dead End in Norvelt
Author: Jack Gantos
Pages: 341
Age Range: 10+
Published: 2012
Genre: Historical Fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: PG

Part biography and part tall-tale this is the technicolored true story of Jack's own childhood growing up in the Depression Era neighborhood of Norvelt (named for co-founder Eleanor Roosevelt). When he accidentally shoots off his father's Japanese rifle from WWII his mother grounds him for the summer.  As further punishment he is pimped out to his older next door neighbor who writes the obituaries for the local newspaper but her arthritis acts up too much for her to do it on her own any more.  The two get into all sorts of trouble together driving illegally (Jack is 12), stirring up worry of a murderer in their midst, fighting off a gang of Hells Angels and more. There's a serial movie quality to it, the various episodes could almost stand on their own as short stories. And in some places it is laugh out loud hysterical. You feel sorry for Jack stuck in the middle of so much progress but also get a pretty good grasp on the whole societal shift from 'old fashioned' morals and lifestyle to the 'modern' age as everyone adjusts to the Cold War, growth and what not.

I’ve decided I have a real affinity for intergenerational stories. Anything that has kids and older generations forming bonds will almost always appeal to me. This book is no exception. Hand it to reluctant boy readers. They’ll thank you!


Wonder
Author: RJ Palacio
Pages: 315
Age Range: 9+
Published: 2012
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: PG

Auggie was born with several birth defects requiring major surgeries for most of his young life. By the time he reaches 5th grade he's stabilized enough that he can finally attend school but he and his parents both have mixed feelings about his venturing out into the world. (By his own admission his face resembles Jenga Fett's when it is melted.) But after a few mishaps he finds a small niche at school and for the most part things go well. There's a student who is cruel and enlists the help of others (as he's pare of the popular crowd, of course) but there are those who rally around Auggie. Meanwhile his older sister has some growing pains of her own adjusting to being in high school and associating with a group of kids who don't know about her little brother. Told from various points of view (Auggie’s, his sister’s and 1 of each of their peers) this is a powerful story of the need for kindness.

The author does a great job of touching on all the feelings and emotions one might experience in any of the kids’ situations; fear, embarrassment, frustration, curiosity, anger etc. and the reader won’t be able to help but wonder how they’d respond in a similar situation. There's a little bit of 'neat and tidy' towards the end but somehow it works.  This is one I would recommend to any/every classroom for opening up some important dialogue about bullying and more. A truly amazing story!

This Plus That: Life’s Little Equations
Author: Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Illustrator: Jen Corace
Pages: 32
Age Range: 5+
Published: 2011
Genre: Fiction
Cover Score: ****
Overall Score: ****
Rating: G

This is such a fun concept! Using the idea of math equations the author thinks way outside of the box and comes up with a few of her own ideas.  Here’s just a smattering of examples:  Cozy+smell of pancakes-alarm clock=weekend.  Chores divided by everyone=family. Sprinkles+anything=better. Chalk+sitting=school  while chalk+jumping=hopscotch. Teachers will be using this for writing prompts, I guarantee it!


The Sky is Everywhere
Author: Jandy Nelson
Pages: 275
Age Range: 15+
Published: 2010
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: R (see notes below)

When her sister dies Lennie is heartbroken to say the least.  Abandoned by her mother as a baby and living with her eccentric grandmother and Uncle Big she's trying to cope with this new reality without Bailey in it. Her first day back to school she meets devastatingly handsome Joe who is new to school and has been holding her clarinet spot in band. She falls for him right away but things get complicated when she also finds herself falling for Bailey's boyfriend Toby.

This is a beautifully written book about love, loss, growing up and finding yourself as the three (along with grandmother and Uncle Big on the sidelines) navigate through their grief and hormones and come to recognize their relationships for what they truly are.  There is some strong language (multiple f-bombs) and frank sex talk (hard ons etc.) and some drug use (underage drinking, uncle smokes pot) but all realistically portrayed, just make sure you hand it to older readers.


Revenge of the Dinotrux
Author and Illustrator: Chris Gall
Pages: 32
Age Range: 3+
Published: 2012
Genre: Science Fiction
Cover Score: ****
Overall Score: ****
Rating: G

The dinotrux live in a museum where they are poked and prodded and the worst days of all are when kindergarten kids come and swing, scream and bang their way through the building.  One day they decide they've had enough.  They break out of the museum and wreak havoc on the town until the mayor orders them to go to school and learn manners.  At first they are rude and unruly but eventually they learn and even help build a playground for the kids.  And it’s just perfect for swinging, banging and screaming!

This is a fun and silly mix of dinosaurs and trucks (almost amazing to think that the two have never been combined before) that kids (boys especially, of course) will devour!

His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg
Author: Louise Borden
Pages: 136
Age Range: 10+
Published: 2012
Genre: Biography
Cover Score: ***
Overall Score: ****
Rating: PG

Raoul was a young boy growing up in a privileged Swedish home prior to WWII.  He spent many summers traveling the world learning languages and coming to love and understand many types of people. He studied architecture in the US and spent time with Jewish refugees on his way home from the Middle East.  When war broke out, Sweden remained neutral and longed to find ways to help the Jews and other refugees who were being sent from their homes and killed. Raoul worked in trade and traveled back and forth between many countries gaining a reputation of fairness and courage. The US asked for a special delegation and soon Raoul found himself on a train to Budapest to undertake the rescue of thousands of Hungarian Jews with no real plan. He created false passes and documentation offering them safety under the Swedish rule, distributed food and supplies to ghettos, housed and hid families in makeshift apartments, won over many government and Nazi officials and lasted through several coups and overthrows only to wind up in a Russian prison, his eventual fate unknown to this day.

This was a story I'd never heard before but was familiar for its acts of courage and decency. It’s filled with photos and facsimiles of documents, passes, journal entries and more. An author's note concludes with her initial desire to learn more about him, her process of writing and her journeys to visit his remaining family. This is an excellent resource and one that will stand with those of other brave youth and people of the day. It’s very readable and the plethora of photos and images will add to the appeal for reluctant readers. 


Have you read any of these? What did you think.  Do you have any suggestions for my summer reading list? I'd love to hear them!

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