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South Seaville, NJ
For More About the Book
There is truly nothing better than laying on a beach with an open book. Unfortunately, I hardly ever do this. Instead, I spent my time on the beach constructing a wind barrier for my towel, digging a moat, darting in and out of unforgivingly cold water, and catching marine life. I actually managed to catch approximately thirty hermit crabs, ten other mollusk-type creatures, two baby horseshoe crabs (or something that looked a lot like them), and two blue crabs. All of this without being pinched! However, in my time back at the trailer, I found plenty of time to read and relax in between fierce conquests for world domination on a colorful piece of cardboard (Risk is a great game!).
During the school year, I had read Good Omens by Terry Pratchett, an irreverently hilarious comedy about the Apocalypse and human nature. I enjoyed it so much, I picked up The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, another commentary on human nature and the nature of self-awareness by Terry Pratchett. This book was not as light-hearted as Good Omens, but I found myself just as engaged in the plot. Even though the characters are all self-aware, talking rats and humans (with the exception of one cat - the amazing Maurice), I found myself caring about the plight of these rodents as they struggled to make sense of their ever growing world and their place in it. I watched, fascinated, as they created language, maps, laws, religion, and social heirarchies. If you enjoy books that seem to be about talking animals, but are really a social commentary about the evolution of society, then you will love this book. Barnes and Noble categorizes this book as Young Adult literature (mostly since any objectionable language is delivered in varying squeaks), and I found it to be a very easy read. This is not your typical Pied Piper story, and it is dark but redeeming.
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Baltimore, MD
For More About the Book
After a long day of unpacking from the beach and reuniting with friends, it's nice to sleep in and relax all day reading a good book. I had packed The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp for my beach excursion, but didn't get to it between catching critters on the beach and reading The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. Probably for the best, since I couldn't peel my eyes off of the pages, and I would've missed out on beach time!
I thought I would spend a few hours reading this morning and then watch tv or play video games for a while, but here I am, mere hours after updating my website, writing another entry on another book. At first, I was a little angry at the author, Rick Yancey, for telling me on the first page that the main character dies at the end of the book, and for using thinly veiled foreshadowing or just plain giving away future events. Still, it wasn't enough to deter me from tearing through the book faster than the Ferari Enzo/ Suzuki Hayabusas chase in the book. This is not your traditional Arthurian legend or even a traditional spin off of one. First of all, Arthur never makes an appearance, and much of the book is focused on a mysterious order of knights who have very good taste in cars and distorted senses of honor warped by generations of vague familial vows. This fast paced book is little more than every boy's dream of one really long car chase and sword fight with some of the hottest cars and motorcycles ever created. Despite it's predictability and less than appealing main character (he basically whines about not being good at anything for almost the entire book), I still very much enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys car chases, sword fights, and adventure stories loosely based on the legend of King Arthur. (I'm looking at you, Sra. Grant!)
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
I had started this book at the beginning of the summer, but it took awhile for me to get through. (After all, this is a book about punctuation!) This book is a great way to brush up on your grammar skills and review your punctuation rules with a laugh - that is if you have a taste for British humor). As with most English majors and linguaphiles, I had heard about this book when it first began making waves in the vast, and ever growing, ocean of English literature; however, it took me until now to read it. I pilfered this book from Mrs. Heer's collection on the last day of school while helping her clean out her classroom, and started reading it a few days later. I put it down a couple of times, usually in favor of some lighter reads, see above. Still, Lynne Truss's sense of humor and unwavering voice carried me through the most engaging punctuation guide I've ever read. Many times throughout the book I felt outraged at the abuses suffered by the English language, amused at the subtle (but important) differences punctuation can make, and mystified at the ever changing nature of language. If you are looking to brush up on your punctuation skills or have always been confused as exactly where the apostrophe goes, then this would be the best book from which to learn.
As for me? I'm going back to swimming in my parents' pool after eating the best pizza in the world!
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
After Eats, Shoots and Leaves, I was ready for more fiction. I have always loved historical fiction, and this is another example of the depth and complexity of the genre. Times of conflict and persecution have always intrigued me because of the sociological and psychological implications. In other words, why and how can humans do something this horrific to each other? This book is no exception. As the main character, Estrella (also called Esther), watches the Spanish Inquisition infiltrate and destroy her world, we become increasingly aware of the impact that this brutal eradication of Jews and Muslims from Spain had on towns, families, and individuals. This book does require a basic understanding of Jewish traditions and the Spanish Inquisition in order to fully appreciate the book; however, I also found that enough of these events were explained to make most readers understand what was happening. Be forewarned, this book is graphically and historically accurate. The Spanish Inquisition was very similar to the witch hunts in New England in both the casual nature that victims were turned in and the innovative methods of torture that were employed. Still, this was a wonderfully written book that moves very quickly and has a dream-like quality that ensnares the reader from beginning to end making it as hard to put down the book as it was to get up for school in the mornings as a kid.
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
I finished this book in approximately three hours. I love Avi as an author and have read many of his books in the past (I also highly recommend: Nothing But the Truth; Crispin:Cross of Lead; Devil's Race; and The Man Who Was Poe) and am always awed with each book. This was not my favorite of his books, but I still found it to be entertaining. In this very quick read, an orphan girl is employed as a servant to an alchemist who is using the stolen Book Without Words to create the philosopher's stone. (The philosopher's stone is a mythical stone said to restore youth and prolong life. Also known as the Sorcerer's Stone in Harry Potter.) This is very much a fable in that animals talk and we are meant to learn something at the end of the book. The mixture of suspense, amusement, and mystery are this alchemist's formula for medieval fable gold. If you're looking for a quick, interesting read to fulfill your Summer Reading Requirement and have like what you've heard so far, then this book is for you!
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
It occurs to me that I have not yet mentioned why I'm in Bethpage, NY visiting my family. We are here celebrating the high school graduation of my youngest brother. He has graduated from Bethpage High School, like our middle brother and me, and will be going to Loyola College in MD this fall. I am very proud of him and his accomplishments.
The book that I read yesterday, though, brought back to me just how much of an accomplishment high school graduation is for some students. This book is everything I had heard it would be - funny, entertaining, and fast-paced; however, I found the uplifting and at times heart-wrenching theme of growing up with a disabled sibling is what really kept me moving through the book. Gennifer Choldenko does a wonderful job not only describing the every day life of living with an autistic sibling, but also the psychological ramifications that often plague the family with any developmentally delayed brother or sister. There are no attempts to gloss over the burden and the guilt that often walk hand in hand with the happy surprises and the fierce loyalty to and protectiveness of a family member who is "unusual" as put by the main character, Moose Flanagan. This story is "unusual" since the Flanagan family is now living on Alcatraz - at the time it was highest security prison in the country. (Note the preposition "on" instead of "in" - they're not convicted criminals.) Moose is a great kid who many readers will relate to if they've moved and had to make new friends, if they've lived with a disabled sibling, or even if they've just had to make a tough decision about their friends. I highly recommend this book readers of all ages, and would teach it in a heart beat if I could. (Good by Maniac Magee!)
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Bethpage, NY
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So, as many of my former students already know, I am a dork, a nerd, a geek, however you want to put it - I love strange, intellectual stuff that very few people find interesting. This book was wonderful, and not just because it played to my geeky side. (Large portions of the book allude to and are set in motion by the events of Beowulf!) This story is a wonderful epic that details the journey of an 11 year old boy on his quest to become a bard (songwriter, musician, and wizard). On his way, he is captured by the savage Northmen (think vikings) and sent on another quest to drink from Mimir's Well in order to save his sister. Confusing? Well that's because you haven't read the book! Set in a time period where the Norse gods, Celtic druids, and Christian God all coexist and struggle to gain supremacy in northern Europe (Norway, Iceland, Great Britain, etc.). I love all kinds of mythology (if you thought Greek mythology was gruesome, you should see just how brutal Norse mythology is!), and this book was perfect for me. It had all kinds of gods, an interesting commentary on religions and kings, and a great set of characters struggling to find their way in the world as they discover who they are. I wished this book would never end. In fact, I had to prolong my stay in Bethpage another night, because I couldn't stop reading the book and go to bed! Who would've thought a book that had Jack and Jill as the main characters would be such an adrenaline rush?
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Baltimore, MD
For More About the Book
I almost had to prolong my stay in Bethpage for another day, because I just couldn't put this book down. The Land of the Silver Apples is the sequel to The Sea of Trolls (see above), and is equally as good (rare in a sequel). This book picks up where the first left off, with Jack back home training as a bard with Dragon Tongue. While this book has far fewer references to Beowulf and the origins of the English language (Jack, the main character is a Saxon!), this book moves closer to folklore (think hobgoblins, elves, sprites, etc.) and the edges of Arthurian legend. The book even introduces a new character - the heir of Lancelot! Christianity, Celtic druids, wise women, and Odin all play large parts in this book as it continues to document the struggle of their followers to exert supremacy in the land. I loved this book for many of the same reasons as its predecessor, but mostly because it does not glorify any of the religions. Several times throughout the series so far the characters have had revelations that not only are many aspects of the religions very similar but that the same event can appear to be different for each person depending on their beliefs. I have read many of Nancy Farmer's books and would recommend them all; they are always exciting, thought-provoking, and richly detailed (and-well researched!), and I have loved them all. I was furious at one thing, however, and that was that the new book in the series will not appear until 2009!
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Bethpage, NY (posted after the fact)
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I actually read this book in New York, but forgot to add it with all of the crazy posting I did when I came home. I read this immediately after the other Avi novel, The Book Without Words. I just couldn't get enough Avi, especially after listing all of those great titles in the post. This book is wildly different from the medieval fable that is The Book Without Words as The Seer of Shadows is a ghost story set in 1872 just as the photographic trade was beginning to emerge. Avi, as always, does a brilliant job of capturing not only the setting, but the mystery, magic, and chemistry behind the newly developed photograph (pun intended).
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Baltimore, MD
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Richard Peck has a lot of great fans from whom I have heard wonderful things. But, I was left feeling disappointed after reading The Teacher's Funeral. The book wasn't bad, but it wasn't what I was expecting. This book, like his Here Lies the Librarian, are marketed as comedies, but I found myself rarely laughing and barely even smirking at these books. Maybe they were just too far removed from my personal experiences for me to understand the humor. Set in a very small town in Indiana in the year 1904, much of the story takes place in a one-room schoolhouse. While I can appreciate reading a story about a new teacher finding her way in the world, this was more about a fifteen year old boy struggling to finish his eighth grade education instead of going to farm up in the Dakotas. Still, there are quite a number of good practical jokes to be admired (although not recommended as most rely on the fact that it is a one-room schoolhouse in 1904). This was an enjoyable book, and I can certainly see where Richard Peck has earned his praise, but this one just wasn't for me.
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White Marsh, MD
For More About the Movie
Please note the date: July 17, 2008 12:13 am
I just came from the advanced screening of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. While, I know that this is not a book, and that very shortly (if not already available), there will be many books "based on the hit movie" that I could read. However, I firmly believe that you would need at least two dozen of the best authors and editors to ever grace this world to produce a book "based on the hit movie" that could even begin to pale in comparison to this movie. From beginning to end this movie strains at the seams with action and suspense until it finally explodes (quite literally) leaving us with the aftermath and a mind blowing ending. I love Christian Bale; I love Batman Begins; I love just about all things Batman, but there is a word to encapsulate my reverence for this movie. Maybe after I see it a dozen more times I'll think of the word.
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Baltimore, MD
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Senora Grant had suggested I try this book over lunch a week or two ago, and I'm glad I took her advice. Granted, I love historical fiction novels, especially about the Holocaust, but I still would highly recommend this book to someone who is only mildly interested in this time period. The main character, Korina, faces a very tough challenge in very tough times, and this book is a wonderful glimpse into the psychological aspects of Hitler's regime. Korina is an avid member of the Hitler Youth and believes wholeheartedly in the Furher and his plans until she is confronted by the enemy in her own home. A lightning fast read, this was one of the best young adult historical fiction books to deal with the psychological aspect of Hitler's ascension to power that I've ever read.
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Baltimore, MD
For More About the Book
Avi is awesome. One of the best young adult authors ever! He has written a detective story, the type that Edgar Allan Poe practically conceived, about Edgar Allan Poe! He truly keeps you guessing up until the end of the story when everything has been dramatically revealed. Avi portrays a very true to form Edgar Allan Poe as one of his main characters and drops plenty of allusions (enough to keep most avid Poe fans appeased) to Poe's works throughout the novel to entertain and add another level of comprehension to the story. I highly recommend i>The Man Who Was Poe and any stories by Edgar Allan Poe (still the king of the horror story for me).
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Columbia, MD
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This truly has been a great summer for books. I don't think I have read any books that I have truly disliked, and hope I won't. Gossamer is one of those very rare books that quietly, delicately touches every part of your being and makes you feel all the happier for it. If you enjoyed Lowry's The Giver you will definitely enjoy this story about the dream-givers and how they inspire and protect a small, intertwined cast of three humans against nightmares.
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Bethpage, NY
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Senora Grant actually called to ask me if I was reading this book, so I made sure to pick this one up next. I had read Tangerine by Edward Bloor before and loved it. I highly recommend Tangerine; however, I was left a little disappointed with this book. I enjoyed the characters in the book and found them satisfyingly complex. And yet, I had major issues with the way Bloor dealt with the topic of racism and hate crimes in Crusader. While this is a young adult novel, I felt that the way he presented racism - through the characters' words and actions - was a little too simple. The mystery aspects of the novel were very intriguing, but slow to develop as the book becomes bogged down with the details of being a teenager who works in the mall. Still, the book wasn't bad, just slow to start. I finished it over the course of about three days, and while it wasn't like many other books I've read this summer where I just couldn't put the book down until I finished, I did find myself thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. If you are interested in a good fiction novel about modern day hate crimes framed as a detective story, you might like this book.
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
This was another book that I found started slowly, but this book picked up pretty quickly. Told mainly in flashbacks with italicized narration for the present day events, the beginning was a little confusing. Once I figured out the structure of the book, the plot picked up and covered many of the major events in World War II from the conditions leading up to WWII to Kristallnacht and almost to the end of the war. This is actually a fictional account of a real person's life, and is fascinating. To think that while many adults throughout Germany fell under Hitler's spell, some children were able to see through his schemes and see the true nature of Hitler's vision. This story is about one such child who distributes pamphlets denouncing Hitler's regime and is imprisoned for treason. I highly recommend this book if you are a good reader who can keep track of timelines even when they're not presented in the most straightforward manner.
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
Back home in NY, I once again found myself by the side of the pool reading plenty of books. I began with the delightful, little book, The Misadventures of Bartholomew Piff: You Wish. This was an amusing little story about an orphaned child whose birthday wish for unlimited wishes comes true only to wreak unexpected chaos on the supernatural world. Very cute, and a great break from the Holocaust novels.
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
I was so enthralled with the Bartholomew Piff book, that I decided to stick with the fairy tale theme and read Fablehaven. This book was just as good, due in part to the darker tendencies of the book. Instead of having a set of benevolent and malevolent supernatural forces, the supernatural forces in the book are more inclined to behave like wild animals - neither working toward the good or injury of anyone besides themselves. Each book has its own virtues, but I did prefer Fablehaven over Bartholomew Piff.
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
This book took me a little while to finish, not because of the quality or lack thereof, but because I was visiting with my Aunt, Uncle, and little cousin who had come up from Florida. This book, like most young adult literature, had two adventuresome children whose parents are missing. They are taken in by their uncle who brings them aboard a suspiciously secretive ship giving them the perfect opportunity to get themselves in plenty of trouble while traipsing about through China's coastal cities. This was a very suspenseful mystery frought with adventure and narrow escapes from ninjas and pirates.
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Bethpage, NY
For More About the Book
I know I've said it before, but I have to say it again - I love Nancy Farmer's books. This was again a new genre, which I love about her books - they don't fall into the boring same old routine that other authors often fall prety to. She is alwasy fresh and interesting. This time she takes on the science fiction genre and tackles the issues of cloning, drug trafficking, and zombie automatons (eejits) in the future. The cast list was a little confusing at first, but once I started reading the book, I understood why it was so complicated. In this future, the United States and Mexico has a buffer zone known as Opium - a country dedicated solely to the operations of a variety of illegal and highly addictive drugs. This fascinating book details the life of Matt Patron - the clone of Matteo Patron, king of the drug lords who rule Opium - as he struggles to fit in, forge bonds of friendship and family, and figure out the sole purpose of his life.
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Looking for Last Year's Summer Sightings and Book Recommendations?
Summer Sightings '07
Here are the books I read last summer!
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Email Ms. Spears more recommendations!
Have you completed your Summer Reading Assignment?
The books referenced on these pages represent a partial list of my summer reading materials. They are books that I have read this summer that may be appropriate for your child's reading level; however, I still strongly suggest parental discretion. The very nature of a good young adult novel is designed to open their eyes and minds to a variety of issues that are important to their world. I encourage parents to know what their child is reading and actively discuss the novel's plot and themes with them. I also suggest previewing the back and inside cover of the book or the website I have provided for more information before allowing your child to read it. With that in mind, happy reading and see you at the end of the summer!
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