Not to pat myself on the back but his is my 100th post!! It's a minor milestone for a blog with a very little audience but it makes me excited. Righfully so, it should be about books as well. When I first started my blog, I only wanted to write about books but its turned into much more.
It's been a big reading week, which is surprising because I worked a lot this week. That's what audio books and graphic novels are for. Three of the books that I read are on the teen summer reading list, so I'm trying to get them read quickly in time for school visits in a few weeks.
Most of these books, seeing as they are either children's, tween or teen, may not be of interest to everyone.
Title: Chopsticks
Author: Jessica Anthony and Rodrigo Corral
Genre: Teen Graphic Novel
Honestly, Chopsticks was nothing like what I had expected. I heard a book talk about it at a recent meeting and thought it was a novel. It's a graphic novel! The book talk was so well done I guess that I missed that fact! I'm not a fan of graphic novels but this is not what you would expect in those terms. It isn't a comic strip or manga but more of a scrapbook. There are pictures, newspaper clippings, postcards, text messages and letters, among other items.
All of these items together tell the story of Glory, a piano prodigy, and her relationship with Frank, an Argentian high school student who is recently expelled due to poor grades. It starts with pictures of a newscast of Glory's disappearance and then tells the story of the months leading up to it beginning with her mother's death. Glory spends most of her days practicing the piano and studying under the strict guidance of her father, Victor. However, everything changes when Frank enters the picture.
Chopsticks got great reviews, which surprises me. It's not a well-written story or a new plotline for that matter. What is interesting is how the story is portrayed through the different items but I'm not sure if its worthy of such wonderful reviews. I would recommend this as a summer read. It is surprising that it ends up on teen reading list and that teachers let students read this for school. I would hope my teens at the Library would read something more challenging.
Read it for something different. The pictures really do tell the story.
Title: Drama
Author: Raina Telgemeier
Genre: Tween Graphic Novel
Again, I heard a book talk about Drama and thought it was a novel. Wrong again!
Drama details the preparation of a middle school musical from point of view of the stage crew and some of the actors and actresses. I liked the idea since I was involved in high school musicals.
I'm not a fan of graphic novels and think they are confusing, so this will be my last.
I wouldn't recommend this to most adults but definitely middle school students but again I would hope they are not reading it for school.
Title: Dead End in Norvelt
Author: Jack Gantos
Genre: Tween Fiction
As mentioned above, I read this book because it is on the teen summer reading list. Dead in Norvelt by Jack Gantos was hilarious! I found myself laughing out loud numerous times. I'm sure there were many drivers wondering why I was laughing so hard while driving since I listened to it in the car.
It's interesting because the book intertwines pieces of Jack Ganto's childhood with fiction. It also takes place in Westmoreland County, so there are numerous Pittsburgh references. AND there are a number of Eleanor Roosevelt, which I loved!
Jack, of course, is the main character and the story opens with him shooting his dad's Japanese rifle from the war. He claims he didn't know their was a bullet in the rifle. We find out later in the story whether or not he was telling the truth. Being grounded, leaves Jack with little options for the summer. He would like to be playing baseball with his best friend Bunny, the daughter of the funeral home owner. Instead, he is helping his dad build a runway, digging a bomb shelter for his dad, reading lots of history books, experience frequent nosebleeds and helping his neighbor, the elderly Miss Volker write obituaries and other odd jobs. Eventually he finds out that he likes helping her and he has developed a deep appreciation for history from listening to her speak about the town of Norvelt and the people that live there. Jack writes these obituaries for Miss Volker because she has severe arthritis, so she has trouble writing because her hands are in tight fists. If she can't write, she has trouble doing other stuff as well but she is determined to fix Jack's nosebleeds by operating on him on her kitchen counter. Read to find out if he survives the operation.
Along the way, a mystery arises after a Hell's Angels dies mysteriously in town. After a series of deaths to the towns elderly population, the policeman arrive to investigate and everyone gets involved in solving the mystery of the dying old ladies.
I would recommend this to any middle school students, especially boys who may be reluctant readers since its hilarious and might keep them engaged. Adults would enjoy it too and believe me it will make you laugh and hard!
Title: Gone Fishing, A Novel in Verse
Author: Tamera Will WIssinger
Genre: Children's Poetry
Gone Fishing was a very cute book! It is a collection of poems about a fishing trip. The great thing about this book is it promotes poetry and explains what kind of poem each is at the end. I think adults and children would enjoy this book, especially because the poems are about a timeless activity - fishing.
There's four book recommendations. Get to the Library and check them out!
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