Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Author: Neil Gaiman
Genre, Fairytale, Mystery
Rating: 7
Teach-ability: 7
Teachable Aspects: Making connections, fairy tales, plot

This book, described on the front cover as frightening was my choice as my Halloween read. The book is about a young girl named Coraline, who lives at a flat with two sets of very eccentric neighbors and her parents, who are very uninteresting. Coraline leads an uninteresting life, but likes to explore so when she discovers a door in her flat that leads to the perfect version of her life, Coraline should be excited about the discovery...but she's not. Soon after discovering this alternate land Coraline's world gets turned upside-down and she must put her world back in order.

Although I didn't quite find this book as frightening as it was first described, I really enjoyed reading the tale. To me, the book read as a contemporary fairytale with strong connections to The Wizard of Oz. I think that this book would work wonderfully in conjunction with The Wizard Of Oz as students could find some wonderful links between the texts.

I really liked the character of Coraline as well. Although I recently described Frankie Landau-Banks as a great, strong lead female character, I am finding now, after reading this text, that I did not like her character as much as I first thought. In retrospect, Frankie seems brass, and unlikeable. Coraline, on the other hand, was courageous and strong but she also had fears and weaknesses, which made her real-life strong female character. I think students would relate to Coraline's drive to put her world back to order, as well as her determination to complete her tasks despite how scared she is.

I think students would like the book. It is definitely for a younger audience, but older students may get something out of the book as well. The story is eerie and creepy but not so scary that the content of the story is lost. Gaiman is concise, and does not embellish his story with unnecessary words. For this reason, there is less fluff which makes it easier to read for some students.

I would recommend this book, especially as a Halloween read, for any reader.

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

Author: E. Lockhart
Genre: Coming of Age, Drama
Rating: 7
Teach-ability: 6
Teachable Aspects: Connections to other texts, characters, setting

This tale with the very long title follows the sophomore year of high school of Frankie Landau-Banks as she tries to infiltrate the patriarchal Alabaster Prep School society. Starting her sophomore year of school, Frankie has changed drastically over the summer, from lanky, geeky and invisible to attention grabbing with a new attitude and big plans in mind. With the addition of Frankie's secretive new senior boyfriend, Frankie acquires an interest for the secretive Basset Hound Society on campus; an exclusive and secret all male club on campus.

I started out this book slow. I'm not sure if I expected more from the book, but after reading I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. The main character Frankie is full of spunk and large aspirations, something that was really well constructed and that, as a reader, I really respected. I think that Frankie struggles with a lot of the same issues that many girls struggle with, as far as finding where they fit in, striving to be better and living with the girl and boy dynamic. Frankie's struggles are eloquently portrayed in the book. Although I would dub her as naive, I think that I misjudged Frankie for a large portion of the book because for a lot of the novel she seemed so much smarter and more mature than a 15 year old girl.

I really liked the second half of the book and for me it read a lot quicker than the first half. I really liked the notion of society, conspiracies and the scheming done by Frankie. I think the change in her character from thinking about changes and actually completing those changes evolve her character immensely. By the end of the book Frankie's character has changed drastically socially, intellectually and psychologically from the beginning of the school year, and at the beginning of the school year it is clear that Frankie has changed drastically physically since her freshman year. All work together to create a very tangible character.

In the end I really enjoyed reading this book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone in search of a book containing different school societies and viewpoints, and a strong female character.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Drama, Issue
Rating: 8
Teach-ability: 6
Teachable Aspects: coming of age genre, cause and effect

So Wintergirls seems to be perpetually checked out from the library and the content that was discussed in class made me queasy (no pun intended) so I decided, after a recommendation from a friend, to read Twisted instead.

I liken this book to Speak for boys, but more than that it's just a great book that documents high school and the power that people have over one another.

The book jacked simply states "Everyone told me to be a man. No one told me how." I think that the simplicity of this statement sets up the book perfectly, and to give any more of a plot synopsis here would really diminish the journey of reading this novel.

I really liked this book. I think Anderson did a great job of getting inside the head of the main character Tyler, and I think that this book holds truth not just for males in high school but for anyone that has had rough high school years or anyone that witnessed other's tough times. The story was a fast read that carried emotion and heart.

I read this book as a requirement of the course that I am in, which asks that I read the same author twice. The first time that I read Laurie Halse Anderson was when I read Speak about a month ago and I thought that I could use this opportunity to compare the way that Anderson deals with “issue” books because it’s a genre that she seems to do really well—I was really impressed by Speak. In the past I’ve read books by authors who write the same kind of books so often they tend to become formulaic in the ways in which the story unfolds. The arc is the same with different issues, plots and characters. I don’t think that there is anything wrong with this kind of writing, and the authors that I can think of that do this are some of the ones that I really enjoy, but I was interested to see if Anderson did it. I’m not sure that I know yet. I could definitely see some similarities between the structures of the story between the two texts but I also think that they were incredibly different as well. I think that to really come to a conclusion I would have to read a couple more of Anderson’s issue books, which is something that I may do.

I think this book was intense, interesting, and really well constructed. It was definitely of a subject that some people struggle reading about, but it is also one that is becoming more and more frequently encountered, especially in middle and high school. I would recommend this book to most all of my students.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: Coming of Age, Mystery
Rating: 9
Teach-ability: As a read-aloud, 7
Teachable Aspects: prediction, characters, story

I really really enjoyed this book. It kept popping up on my GoodReads list on a book that I should read, but the little girl on the cover scared me so bad I kept pushing it aside. I'm extremely glad that I decided to read it. Once in a while one encounters a story that is fresh, and new, and not one that is just a re-fabricated version of another story. After the last few books that I encountered, this seemed like a breath of fresh air.

In addition to a unique plot and interesting characters, this story was extremely well written for a Young Adult novel. One thing that I am finding about the YA genre over this assignment is that while the stories may be interesting and the characters well-constructed and familiar, sometimes the quality of writing is sacrificed. This was not one of those cases.

The story follows a teenage boy who grew up with the stories told by his grandfather about a place with children with special powers and different abilities. Peculiar Children. As many kids do, the stories told to Jacob are dismissed as fairy tales and he continues with his life, always holding a special connection to his grandfather. This world is turned upside down after the death of his grandfather, and Jacob's journey to cope with his death takes him to place where Jacob's grandfather grew up.

One really unique aspect to the story that was done wonderfully was the incorporation of pictures along with the text. In many situations the text was enhanced by the presence of pictures which is something that I have not yet encountered in the books that I have read thus far this semester. The pictures were not just additions to the text, they supplemented it.

This book was all over really good. The pacing was on point and the action kept you reading. I would definitely share this book with others, but it’s one of those books that I wouldn't want ruined by over-analyzing. It would be a text I would love to share as a whole class read-aloud text. I would recommend it for young and old adults alike.

After Tupac and D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson

Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Genre: Coming of Age, Realism
Rating: 6
Teach-ability: Situational
Teachable Aspects: setting, character

Overall this book was okay. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't one that I finished feeling as though I enjoyed the story. The book was a quick read, and emotional attachment was made between me as the reader and the characters in the novel. Wanting to know more of the three girls' stories shaped the way I read the novel.

The story takes place in urban New York in the mid-1990's. The story revolves around three girls, told from the point of view of a nameless character. The events of the story coincide with the life and death of Tupac. The book is very much realistic fiction, the girls do not make extraordinary accomplishments nor is there an abundance of action or suspense in the novel but it seems very much true to the time and characters of urban New York in the mid-1990's.

Given my lukewarm feelings of the book I really don't have much to say as far as excitement or critique. One thing that I do find interesting is the title. "After Tupac and D Foster" gives the notion that there is something after Tupac and D Foster both leave, however the entirety of the book takes place up until Tupac dies and after D Foster leaves, but not after. To me, it seems as though the reasoning for this title is to serve as a recollection of the times from the future. The main character is recalling the past, and thus the book is written (not takes place) after Tupac and D Foster.

I think this book would be a tricky one to teach depending on the situation of the classroom one would teach it in. If the demographics of the classroom are majorly white, with only a couple of African American kids in the entire school I feel as though the book could stigmatize young black kids, which is obviously not the intent of the author. This negative reaction to the book would really be too bad, and in that case I think it would be more effective as a book recommended to specific kids rather than read as a whole class text.

Overall, the story is fluid and well done. I would recommend this book as it deals with issues of friendship and time.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Author: Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Genre: Coming of Age, Drama, Action
Rating: 9
Teach-ability: 2
Teachable Aspects: character, perspective, sequence of events, setting

Everyone has their story.

This book is very much a teenage book. In my opinion, it embodies what it is like to be a teenager, regardless of where you grew up or the life you live. Because of how closely this book mimics the way teenagers think and feel I think at times this book is exaggerated--but I think most teenagers are too. The drastic dramatic emotions and feelings and conclusions Nick and Norah come to are reminiscent to emotions and feelings and conclusions come to by most teenagers. For this reason, I think that it’s a book that most teenagers would enjoy reading, if not for the ability to relate to the situations and characters but also for the adventure that takes place on this one night in the two main character's lives.

I don't think I would be able to teach this book because of the content and the language of the book, but I do think that a lot of students would find the story interesting. The book is written by two different authors, which really allows for two distinct characters that have different reactions and emotions and thoughts pertaining to different situations. The way the two characters interact with each other in this novel is precise and elegant; leaving the reader satisfied with the way the story was portrayed and not confused with the opposing voices of the different authors.

The book is pretty much written in stream of consciousness, depending on the character that is narrating the chapter. Reading stream of consciousness is difficult at times, so this book might also stretch readers to read something outside of their comfort zone as far as writing style goes.

In this book the characters are strong and drive the plot, deciding where the novel does both physically and metaphorically. The characters are seniors in high school, and I think this book really captures that time well and thus I would definitely recommend it for that age group.

The Other Side of the Island by Allegra Goodman

Author: Allegra Goodman
Genre: Dystopia
Rating: 8
Teach-ability: 6
Teachable Aspects: character, genre study, setting

I like Dystopia, I really do. The world that is created in the midst of a Dystopian novel is amazing, intricate and well planned. This book was no exception.

The book focuses on the childhood of Honor, a girl living in a world of the future where natural disasters have ruined the world that we are familiar with today, leaving just islands spotted among the maps that survivors now inhabit. Controlling these islands is a government known as Earth Mother, a controlling government that pushes for Safety and consistency in the islands that have been Enclosed, or shut off to the elements.

What made this book not a stunner for me like others I have read in the past is two-sided, I think. Part pacing and part plot. The book is, all over slow. The tail end of the book is action heavy which almost seems out of proportion to the rest of the book which is relatively slow. The book moves from slight action to slight action over the course of the book and ends with a short burst of heavy action, but left me wanting more. The pacing is something else that I had trouble getting around while reading the book. The first 100 pages or so take place when Honor is 10 years old, something that is very important to set up the book. However, from there the book fast forwards months and years to the highlights of Honor's childhood, skipping over the boring stuff and just focusing on anything important that happens. Although I cannot pinpoint or articulate it, I feel like this made Honor's character lacking in a way. She matures, she grows, she develops; but there is still something off about her as a character.

Speaking of her character...This is something that I really liked in comparison to other novels in the genre of YA Dystopian. Honor is a main character that wants to fit in. Unlike the many other female heroines of Dystopian past who are fighting against their worlds Honor just wants to be a part of the society like everyone else. She tries desperately to get her family to conform with her, but the tension between the beliefs of Honor and her family is the center of the novel.

I also thought that the world that Honor lives in was really artistically and intricately articulated. It is a world full of protocols and rules that make sense for Safety. The world has been padded and altered to make the most pleasant and Safe environment possible, and the means by which Goodman describes this is really interesting. Everything from the government to the ways in which the world runs--hours, days, months and years--is thought of and woven into a believable setting. The imagery conjured while reading this novel was precise and concrete. As a reader I got a great image of the island.

I was talking to one of my friends the other day because we were both finishing up our prospective books. She was dissatisfied with the ending of her book because it set it up leaving the reader with a sense that there would be a sequel in the works. It left enough out to continue the story. I've decided this is frustrating on both accounts, one, because you're left feeling as though the book you've finished hasn't really ended, and two, you have to chance that the ending that you've imagined waiting for the sequel is not going to be what you want, what you've imagined it to be. I think this book is the same way. The story definitely continues, with or without more from Goodman, but I definitely did not get the closure that I was hoping to get from the book.

Overall, it’s a good read. It's an interesting book on an interesting premise and overall I think that most any reader can find interest in Dystopian worlds which is why it is such a booming genre at the moment. I would recommend the book and I would probably use it in the classroom as well, especially as a genre study. It incorporates many of the important elements of Dystopian worlds and does it in a precise way. The book is great, I just think I got my hopes up before reading the book because I generally do fly though Dystopian books.

Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Author: Melina Marchetta
Genre: Coming of Age, Mystery
Rating: 10
Teach-ability: 8
Teachable Aspects: timeline, character, voice, foreshadowing

I had never heard of this book before it was assigned in class, which is surprising, because I like to say that I am pretty current with my Young Adult Lit. I very much enjoy reading it, both as a training device for when I have students who need recommendations but also because they tend to tell a very good story.

This one told two.

Embedded in the story of Taylor Markham, a teenage girl with more questions than answers, not only of her future but her past as well, is a wonderfully woven story of 5 friends. The mystery of the novel is figuring out how these two stories, obviously of different times, do, in fact, intertwine.

This book really made me think, which is something that I enjoy from books. I am naturally an active reader anyway, imaging setting and characters, wondering about their lives and essentially creating people out of the stories, but this book really allowed me to think, reflect and engage with the story. I think the passive reader, one who would rather allow the story tell itself, would get just as much out of the book, which is partly what makes this book so fascinating as a story. It stands on its own but allows the reader to get involved.

The story is more than just a romance, or just a mystery, or just a tale about a girl in search of her mother. There are various genres woven into one tale; many layers to this story, which is common of life. There is not just one story; stories are interwoven to create the fabric of a person.

In all, I would recommend this book to students, as it is a true teen book. I think that when it comes to the classroom, I would definitely share this with my students, male and female. I don't think that I would share this as an analytical text, although it does create some interesting hypothesises, as I wouldn't want this text to be one that is also linked with tedious work, grasping at symbolism and tearing the text apart word for word. Instead, I could imagine it as a read-aloud, where the entire class gets to participate, with questions and predictions and be able to take in a great story.

Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

Author: Jay Asher
Genre: Mystery, Issue
Rating: 10
Teach-ability: 8
Teachable Aspects: plot, setting, character, perspective/point of view, teenage issues

This is a beautifully written story about such a dark subject: suicide. Although a topic that should be discussed, because it affects so many, usually it is one that is pushed aside in schools. A blind eye is turned when a hand should be reached out.

The story is told in a very unique way and simultaneously by two people. In italics are the words of Hannah heard through the main character, Clay. Clay often reacts to what is said by Hannah, his crush who has recently killed herself.

The dynamic of the two characters and their one-sided conversations is done very well and is strong throughout the novel. You are able to get to know both characters well through their own words and stories, but also through the stories of their other half.

The story is executed precisely. Enough is disclosed of the story in perfect timing. Just enough is shared. The tale unfolds at a readable (not too slow) and reflect-able (not too fast) pace. Just the right details are left hidden, allowing the reader to fill in the blanks for themselves. An element of the book that is really reflective is that of perspective--how the way you see a situation, person or emotion can be drastically different than what really occurs, and how that truth can be so devastating.

The book is elegant, beautiful, sullen, and sad. It fills your heart with sadness and leaves you questioning humans and their actions, their ability to destruct and the emotions that they evoke.

This book would serve wonderfully as a therapeutic read, but it is also just a book that forces the mind to reflect on the teenage experience as a whole. I would recommend this read to just about any student (perhaps there is an age boundary of high school students). A wonderful novel.