Monday, November 30, 2009

What I've been Reading This Year

Well, I have been on maternity leave from my middle school this year and while I've continued to read middle school books, I don't think I'll ever get around to blogging these individual titles. But I want to remember them so here's what I've been reading lately.

The True Adventures of Charley Darwin by Carolyn Meyer (good!)
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (great sequel to The Hunger Games)
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead (I know it won the Newbery and all but it just didn't do it for me--seemed too contrived)
Maze Runner by James Dashner (I was hoping for another Hunger Games, but this one lacked character development in my opinion)
Octavian Nothing Traitor to the Nation Book One by M.T. Anderson (compelling but hard to imagine it being very interesting to kids)
Octavian Nothing Book Two by M.T. Anderson (ditto)
Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements (a pleasant surprise--I liked it a lot)
Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge (good solid nonfiction)
Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop (stunning!)
Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock (The final volume of the Dairy Queen trilogy. So good it made me cry to see it end.)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Jumped by Rita Williams-Garcia

Wow. This book is just disturbing. It's a day in the life of three high school girls. One is angry about being benched from playing basketball and plans to beat up another girl after school (for no reason). The girl about to get jumped is innocent and oblivious and self-absorbed. And the third girl knows what's going to happen but is too concerned with her broken fingernail to intervene. It's a mature book—definitely for high schoolers—with lots of urban slang. I'm sure it would be useful for discussions on ethics and right vs. wrong, especially in similar urban environments and rough schools. Mostly this book just depressed me. The two characters at fault here don't ever take responsibility for their actions or grow in any way. They just do what they do and think it's ok. If this is the future of our world it's scary.