YA Book Review: Ghosts

When I found out that Raina Telgemeier had a new book coming out this fall, I immediately added it to my wishlist. I always enjoy her work (as a former backstage theatre nerd, Drama rings particularly true to me), and I admire her ability to deal with topics in a way that is age appropriate and realistic. This ability comes to the forefront in Ghosts, her latest book, as she addresses themes of illness and death with compassion and sensitivity while tempering the seriousness of the issues with humor.

Book Round-Up for August 29: Finishing Up Summer Reading

Something I've learned about myself is that I have a latent competitive streak. While it doesn't always manifest itself, it can be a dangerous and powerful thing when it does emerge. It doesn't translate to sports (at which I am terrible at) or even in situations that seem competitive (think trivia night contents). However, it comes out in full force when I am competing against myself. This is particularly true when it comes to reading and books. I keep up with the books I read each year on my personal LibraryThing account, and I always want to beat my previous year's tally.

This usually translates to a great excuse to spend lots of quality time reading during the summer, which is really one of the only times I have to dedicate myself to pleasure reading for an extended period. However, summer is also a time to read books for the new school year, particularly in preparation for the YAL and trade book suggestions I provide for my students. So, without further ado, here are some books I read this summer but that I didn't write about in another round-up.

picture from
Jacqueline Woodson's website

Book Round-Up for June 27: Exploring Superheroes

I've always been intrigued by literary criticism and analysis of popular culture, and lately, I've been indulging this interest by reading books that examine the meaning and reach of superheroes. In many ways, these books act both as literary analysis and social commentary. While literature, and the arts and humanities, have always shaped and reflected culture, this seems to be especially true when it comes to thinking about comics. Superman, Batman, and others not only cater to the needs and interests of their readers, they also leave indelible marks on popular culture and society's mindset.

The following books would be great to offer as options for independent reading or as a way of engaging reluctant readers (even though they are a bit on the long side). Additionally, they can provide a fun way of introducing students to literary criticism and analysis while using texts and subjects students are familiar with.

Book Round-Up for June 6, 2016

After dedicating the first book round-up post on nonfiction picture books, I thought that this second post would be a great time to write about nonfiction YAL. I have long enjoyed nonfiction (in fact, I often prefer nonfiction to fiction), and I especially love the nonfiction YAL that is available. Besides being engagingly written, these books offer some great opportunities for interdisciplinary connections and readings in various subject areas.

A few notes regarding these book round-ups, if you have any suggestions for books I should feature, please let me know! Also, I plan on posting these semi-regularly. I initially planned on doing them on a weekly basis, but given other responsibilities, I've decided to do them a minimum of once a month.

picture from Sarah Miller's website

Book Round-Up for May 30, 2016

Over the past few months, I've been fortunate to receive a number of books from Macmillan and other sources, and I've been trying to think of a way to share my thoughts on these books and help others learn about them. To do this, I'm experimenting with an ongoing series of posts for this blog in the form of a semi-regular book round-up. These will consist of quick takes and some brief reviews on books that I find interesting and/or notable. Many of these books will be new, some will be new-to-me, and others will be some of my old favorites.

Book Review: Hope Against Hope - Three Schools. One City, and the Struggle to Educate America's Children

Sometimes you find the right book at the right time. This was my experience with Sarah Carr's Hope Against Hope: Three Schools, One City, and the Struggle to Educate America's Children. I was somewhat reluctant to start it; since so much of my time and energy is spent on education and thinking about, studying, and discussing the state of education, I try to find other topics to read about in my spare time. However, I spied it at a library book sale and was intrigued. My last year teaching high school, several students from New Orleans attended my school after Hurricane. Katrina, and during my time in Boston, I remember discussing the changes that were happening in New Orleans. Since August 2015 marked the 10-year anniversary of the storm that changed the city, I thought that now was the right time to learn more about the school system there, and I am so glad I did this. 

YA Book Review: My Basmati Bat Mitzvah

In 1970, Judy Blume featured an interfaith family in her seminal Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. The protagonist, Margaret Simon, not only has to worry about coming of age, but she also has to contend with the challenge of being torn between two religions (Judaism and Christianity) in a time and place where such a conflict is unusual. Margaret spends a year trying to figure out which religion she belongs to but comes to no final answer. Fast-forward 44 years, and Paula J. Freedman tackles a similar situation in My Basmati Bat Mitzvah, in which Tara Feinstein must figure out a way to negotiate both of her cultural heritages. In many ways, Feinstein’s work serves as a great companion piece of Are You There, God?. While it occasionally falls into sitcom territory and the ending might be a little too pat, the character interactions and the skillful way Freedman portrays Tara make this a worthwhile read.

Resource Review: The Literature Teacher’s Book of Lists

When I was getting my doctorate, I worked for a year at the university’s bookstore. While this occasionally was a crazy experience (complete with confused undergraduates, angry and frustrated parents, and the occasional unhinged patron), it was also very rewarding. I worked with some fantastic people, and I got a great discount on books. One of the books I purchased with my employee discount was The Literature Teacher’s Book of Lists (2^nd edition) by Judie L. H. Strouf, and I have never regretted buying it. With over 250 lists on topics ranging from literary allusions to literary periods, it an indispensable resource for English teachers and English teacher educators, and it is a fun and interesting read for those who like trivia (or perhaps aspire to be on Jeopardy! one day). 

YA/Children's Book Review: The Family Romanov

Since I was young, I have been fascinated by the last Russian tsar and his family. After reading about Anastasia Romanov in a library book about great unsolved mysteries in the 1980s (before the remains of the Romanovs were found and identified), I wanted to learn all I could about the tragic family. In the days before the internet, I had to rely upon the books available in my town’s small library, and while it had several books on the Romanovs, Nicholas and Alexandra and Anastasia: The Riddle of Anna Anderson were a hard slog for nine-year-old me. After trying to read these books, I still had an incomplete and highly romanticized idea of the Romanovs and the Russian Revolution.

Even though that was many years ago and I’ve since had the chance to learn more about Revolutionary Russia, I was thrilled to read Candace Fleming’s The Family Romanov: Murder, Rebellion, & the Fall of Imperial Russia. In it, Fleming presents a well-written and well-researched account of a Russia’s last tsar and his family and the inequality and discontent that led to their downfall. This is a considerable undertaking, and the author navigates the complexity of the task with ease. The result is a lively and compelling narrative that keeps the reader engaged while also being informative.

YA Book Review: Grim

“Someday my prince will come…”

“When you wish upon a star…”

Thanks to the ubiquity of Disney in our culture, these are often what we associate with fairy tales. To many people, fairy tales are light and enjoyable wisps of stories that make perfect fodder for bedtime stories and animated musicals. Grim, an aptly-named collection of 17 stories by various young adult authors, tacitly acknowledges this in its back cover synopsis:

Inspired by classic fairy tales, but with a dark and sinister twist, Grim contains short stories from some of the best voices in young adult literature today.

Although this is accurate in that the stories in Grim tend to be dark and sinister, the stories in the anthology are closer to the original tales than the back blurb suggests. Despite fairy tales’ reputation and treatment in much of the media, the original works have another, more sinister side to them. Cannibalism, incest, and child abandonment and abuse are par for the course in many fairy and folk tales, and they sometimes more closely resemble the work of David Lynch than that of Walt Disney.

YA Book Review: Fangirl

Cover: St. Martin's Griffin

One of the most aptly named books about books is Nancy Pearl’s Book Crush, which offers reading suggestions for children and young adults. The idea of having a crush on a book might sound a little crazy to non-readers, but it is certainly something that most readers and bibliophiles can relate to. While I read a lot, I don’t often develop book crushes. This is likely due to the nature of the books I tend to read; I enjoy reading about curriculum and pedagogy, but these books don’t typically inspire the swoony, happy feelings associated with crushes. However, I’m this summer I officially got my first book crush in a long time after reading Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl.