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.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
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.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
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.
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