Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block

Author: Francesca Lia Block
Genre: Realism
Rating: 1
Teach-ability: 0
Teachable Aspects: ...

For someone to rave about a book as much as some people rave about this book, I would expect to get some sort of something out of the book. I even waited over 12 hours to write this review to give myself time to reflect on the book, in hopes to get just something, anything, out of the book. Still nothing...

But maybe I just don't get it. Maybe it's really a fantastic read full of dynamic characters and a great story and a revolutionary message. Maybe I read it too fast, or in the wrong environment or with the wrong mindset.

I didn't get it.

To me, this book was nothing special. It was full of unbelievable characters who don’t develop at all over a span of many years although how many years is unclear.

The book had absolutely no value to me, a literary work or as a story. It was not unique, or interesting in the slightest. When I mentioned to my professor that I was going to read this novel, she said that it could be described as "dated" in the 1980's. Maybe that is the link that's broken for me. I just don't get it because I'm not a child of the 80's and have absolutely no interest in them. The book itself didn't seem to be stuck in the 80's, but perhaps part of what makes the book so special and unique for some people is that it was written so long ago. Not for me.

I don't think I would actively recommend this book to anyone. As far as stories go, (as far as reading for entertainment) there are other books with better stories that I would recommend before this one. And I certainly wouldn't teach it.

I normally don't dislike books as much as I disliked this one, and it’s actually been a while since I really didn't like a book, so this is actually a different reaction for me.

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Author: Gennifer Choldenko
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 8
Teach-ability: 9
Teachable Aspects: character, setting, historical elements

Maybe it is because I'm an admitted non-lover of historical fiction. Maybe it's because I'm not that interested in Al Capone and out of context of the book the title as a whole makes little sense, but let me tell you, this title really does little for me. The book is so much better than one anticipates it would be based on the first description of the book given- the title.

Based in 1934 and 1935 and set on Alcatraz, Al Capone follows the story of Moose Flanagan, a seventh grade boy whose father has just recently been hired as an electrician and prison guard at Alcatraz and thus he and her sister, Natalie, accompany their parents as non-imprisoned inhabitants of the infamous "rock". The story is accessible, interesting, funny and, at times, heartwarming.

One aspect of the story that I especially liked was the character of Natalie and watching her character develop during the book. Today, Natalie would be diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, however those who would be diagnosed with Autism today were treated very differently in the 1930's, and seeing the various ways Natalie is treated in the book is very interesting in comparison to the way Autism is diagnosed and treated today. I think Natalie's character is interesting given the projected audience of middle school and more specifically, middle school boys.

Whether or not you're conscience of it while reading the text, Al Capone teaches a lot about the 1930's, Alcatraz and Autism. It is nice to read a fictional account of such a unique family in unique circumstances. A refreshing read.

I would 100% recommend this to anyone: male or female, middle school or high school. It’s a great story overall.

It is definitely not your average historical fiction book.

I Had Seen Castles by Cynthia Rylant

Author: Cynthia Rylant
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 8
Teach-ability: 6
Teachable Aspects: voice, story telling, historical aspects

If I had to pick a genre to be my "stretch" it would be historical fiction. I've never been drawn to the history element in books and that is probably because a.)I haven't read many and b.)it feels like I'm being forced through a history class, which is not something that I would like to do, thank you very much.

I guess I should give the genre more credit. This book was a quick, easy, entertaining read that took you alongside a soldier, John Dante--before, during and after war. Through John's eyes the reader catches a glimpse of the culture of WWII, the culture of his family-both the family he is born into and the one he acquires throughout the war. The story is one that should be reflected on. I read this quick--less than 24 hours, and because of that instead of having time to digest and think while I was reading I carry the story of John and those he loves with me, think of them after the story is completed instead of while it is still going on--it has a different effect on a story when the reflection is done this way--all at once.

I think this is a great book to recommend to a timid reader. The size of the book (97 pages) certainly makes the book more obtainable to some students that struggle with reading. The writing is lyrical and the story flows with ease. This book is also pretty teach-able along-side a history unit. In conjunction to non-fiction personal accounts of WWII from soldiers and citizens alike, this book would do well to share a great story.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Issue
Rating: 10
Teach-ability: 7
Teachable Aspects: plot, inference, voice, character development

Wow.

I'll admit I was hesitant to start this book. It was one that I had abandoned before, bored to tears as I struggled to get through it, almost a decade ago. I also remember the book as being much thicker, almost as though my memory of the experience had the book warped to a never-ending epic of boring, depressed teenager.

I read it this time in two days. I blame my distaste for this book the first time around on lack of life experience, and lack of maturity as a read--don't get me wrong, I've always been a strong reader, but the flawless sarcasm and wit written into Melinda's character could easily been read over as an eighth grader. This time around I found Anderson's writing to be funny and her accounts of high school to be accurate and comedic, while still being pretty pessimistic.

I would definitely recommend this book to a high school student. The content of this book and Melinda make for a great companion to anyone seeking courage and solace in harsh events or even though high school. Melinda is a courageous, brave, witty, sarcastic character who is triumphant in her first year of high school, even though the cards are clearly not stacked in her favor.

My reaction to this book has completely changed from when I first read it. I am empathetic to Melinda's character. I actually like her and want the best for her even beyond the confines of this story. I left the book wanting more.
Does she turn it around?
Does she make friends?
What about summer school?
What about David?

I think that as far as content goes, this is a particularly hard subject to fictionalize. However, I think that Anderson does a superb job. The pain and depression in the character is felt through the reader and the struggles that Melinda faces are real--not an author-fabricated-character in a made-up situation in a made-up world.

Bottom line: Fantastic writing paired with a great character in an interesting place in her life intertwined for a great read.

The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman

Author: Phillip Pullman
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Action
Rating: 8.5
Teach-ability: 8
Teachable Aspects: strong character, setting, inferences/imagination, morality, protagonists/antagonists, dynamic stories.

"But you cannot change what you are, only what you do." pg 276

This book was recommended to me by Ben and Bridget. I happily took up the read as anything Bridget has ever recommended to me has been fantastic. It took me a little while to really get into the flow of reading this novel, something that I am not used to when it comes to Young Adult literature. The story was complex, and the reader has to be actively reading and thinking to really understand and grasp all of what was going on in the story.

For a while in the beginning I found that I was pushing myself to read. The story was great, the characters were phenomenal, but there was a resistance to the first portion of the book that may have been just me trying to get into it. However, the more that is read the more you grow a love for Lyra, for her well-being and for those that she cares about. For me, the read was very much emotionally driven, with great suspense, victory and empathy for those in the story. The concern for those in the story drove the reasons behind why I wanted to read.

To me, this story read as a contemporary classic. The themes of man v. nature, man v. self and man v. man are extremely prominent within the novel and occur in varying times and can be read alongside snippets of other classic texts. However, this book is one that can be related to high school readers, even if Lyra is younger than those in high school. I would question teaching this book to a classroom of middle-schoolers or even younger high school as the content and complexity is inappropriate at times but it could be an interesting unit in the later half of high school. An example can be seen in this quote, taken from page 271, "Sticks and stones I'll break yer bones but names ain't worth a quarrel." Spoken by Lee Scoresby in his unmistakable Texan accent, readers will find this quote recognizable, yet with a different meaning than the rhyme we use today. The little things--such as this quote is what makes the time period/world/era/realm of this novel so perplexing.

One factor of the book that really captured me was that of setting. The time period of this novel is completely unknown. Lyra's world seems to be modern, but there is still a feel of the 1800's. Lyra's story cannot take place in the past, because of the factors such as daemons, dust and the other realm (which, according to history books don't exist) yet other parts are too familiar, such as Jordan College in Oxford, the Aurora Borealis and the relative geography of the world.


I would recommend this book to anyone that is searching for a fantasy story that is not completely "out there" a read with a strong female character or anyone just looking for a nice story. I look forward to reading the next books in this trilogy.