The Book Thief, by Markuz Zusak

  Laura L. recommended this to me, and once again I am blown away by a Young Adult title. This is one of the most imaginative and creative books I have read. 'Death' is the narrator, and every paragraph contains lyrical and poetic writing. It took me a long time to read it because I would keep going back over sections just for the joy of the writing. However the subject matter - a small German village during WWII - was pretty depressing and sad. The first half  seemed to drag, but by the time I got halfway through, I didn't want to put it down. And although it is very sad, it ends on a hopeful note. The characters were so real and admirable, even Death! Adam's girlfriend read it in high school, and I can see this as a wonderful book to study, since it is chock full of imagery, themes, history, personification and all the elements that make English teachers go crazy! As an aside for teachers and media specialists, this book has an AR level of 5.1. I would say it is much too graphic for a 5th grader, and some teachers who only want their students to read on "their level" may miss out on a very thought provoking book by thinking it is not hard enough. I also liked reading a book about the Germans during the war, and how much in bondage they were. If you are looking for a fun, light book, this is not it - but it may change your views of some things. I understand a movie may also be in the works.

The Shepherd, the Angel and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog

I picked this little book up on sale at B & N, and it is my new favorite Christmas book. It was written by Dave Barry, and is set in 1960 in a town in New York. It is just a funny story about the Christmas pageant at his church when he is around middle school age, but he writes with such a funny style and it is just like middle schoolers think. Plus the characters are sweet and not gross or vulgar, and it has a nice Christmas message. I read parts of this to the 8th graders at my school and they enjoyed it.

Christmas books for children

With Christmas approaching, I am missing being at the elementary school to read all the great Christmas books out there! Here are some of my favorites. What are some of yours?

• The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett     

   Jan Brett uses her wonderful talent for details to create her own version of Santa's Winter Farm. A young elf must get the reindeer ready for Christmas Eve and runs into problems. This book is magical, but be prepared to answer the question of why Rudolph is not included.

• The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie DePaola

I love Tomie DePaola's artwork in here and the message is very good too.

• Santa's Book of Names by David McPhail

A great encourager for struggling readers, since the main character has not quite made the jump into reading. His mother keeps saying "Patience" but of course Santa helps him with the leap.

• How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

I'm not sure if movies help out classic books or not, but it is fun to read this to kids who have the movie memorized, since many lines from the book are in the Jim Carrey version. It is amazing how fresh and funny this book is after 50 years.

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

This series is technically young adult, but I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to add it here. Imagine a game such as Survivor, but played with children and teens and the fighting is to the death. Add into that a corrupt government that manipulates the entire setting of the Games and has playbacks each evening on TV. Although the futuristic premise seems preposterous, the characters are so realistic, I felt I as if they had become my friends. Ms. Collins also make some thought provoking statements regarding war and its effects on those who live through years of fighting. These books are pretty intense, with some violence (although handled well) and mature subject matter. I would not recommend them for under 8th grade, but for everyone else, I highly recommend them! Plus there is a love trilogy that will keep you  guessing right up until the last chapter. A movie is also in the works.
      

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larssen

This book may be a huge best seller, but I did not care for it. The first half was very hard to follow mostly due to the difficult Swedish names! Once I got everyone straight, it was a little interesting, but I am not too big on murder mysteries, especially when sick sexual stuff is involved. I heard one reviewer say the books (there are 3 in the trilogy, I will pass on the last 2) had become popular just because people heard other people were reading them! I agree.

Open - the autobiography of Andre Agassi

I have been an Andre Agassi fan since the 80's, and this was a fascinating look into his life and struggles and life on the tennis circuit. I am still having trouble dealing with his beautiful hair being a wig!

Kid and young adult books

What good books for kids or young adults have you read lately?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book is set in a small town in Mississippi in 1963 and centers around a book a young white woman wants to write about the experiences of the black maids in her town. It was an interesting book on many levels. I was just a child in the early 60's and we had a maid, if not daily, at least weekly. It was just a part of life. However, we did not have a separate bathroom for the maid, and I don't think my mother neglected my sister and me like the women did in the book. My main criticism of The Help is that the whites seem mainly self -centered and oblivious, while the blacks are all wonderful people. All white people did not mistreat their maids and all black people were not great workers.

That being said, the book really points out the ingrained prejudices and ways of thinking on both sides which were  very true. Although things among the races have improved greatly, some of those attitudes remain today.

The drama and politics of the Women's Club sounded alot like Calhoun! And the references to the clothes and life without air conditioning in the early 60's brought back memories. Finally I could relate to the tall protagonist who did not quite fit in and was always letting her mother down!

Fiction

What have you read lately?

Please post something here about the good books you are reading!

March by Geraldine Brooks

As a girl, Little Women was one of my very favorite books. We all know about the trials that Meg, Jo, Beth, Amy and Marme go through during the year covered in the book, but have you ever wondered what was going on with Mr. March during this time? Ms. Brooks has told his story in this wonderfully written historical fiction. She used the journals of Louisa May Alcott's real father, who was friends with Emerson and Thoreau, and was a very liberal minister and abolitionist. Did you ever think that possibly the Marches were part of the Underground Railroad and hid runaway slaves? Or that the reason they are so poor is that Mr. March gave all his money away to John Brown, of the John Brown slave uprising? We also learn in this book that Marme is not the perfect person she is portrayed as, but a real life woman who loves and struggles in her marriage and in her life just as many of us do in 2010! I listened to this book on tape and loved it. Ms.Brooks writes with such detail that I felt I was right there and it is a mature and honest look at how many fighting in the "War Between the States" truly felt about slaves and the war in general. Mr.March (I don't think we ever know his first name, he is referred to as March) struggles with his ideals as he faces the realities of death and fighting and his own inabilities to bring about change.
Historical Fiction

All Over But the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg

One of the joys of having an adult child is when he and I can share books. Adam was assigned this book in a class at UGA on Southern autobiographies. Rick Bragg is my age and grew up not far from here across the border to Alabama. He grew up "poor white trash", with a mean and alcoholic father, but the strength of his mother and extended family, as well as a great writing talent, got him out of the cycle of poverty and eventually as a writer for the NY Times and a Pulitzer Prize winner. His descrptions of life in small town South rang true for many of the people around here. This was a hard book to read at times, but he is a great writer and I feel honestly and lovingly wrote of the struggles of growing up poor and dealing with the demons of his childhood.
Non-fiction