Ricki – Page 96 – Unleashing Readers

Boys of Blur by N. D. Wilson

August 22, 2014August 21, 2014 by Ricki

Boys of Blur
Author: N. D. Wilson
Published: April 8, 2014 by Random House

Ricki’s Summary and Review: 12-year-old Charlie Reynolds’ family travels to town of Taper to attend the funeral of a beloved football coach. When Charlie’s stepfather is given the opportunity to coach the town’s football team, Charlie is not thrilled to learn that they will be living in this creepy town filled with ancient stories of runaway slaves, native tribes, and monsters that rise organically from the murky swamps. He tries to fit into this mysterious place, where boys chase rabbits through burning sugarcane and everything seems to revolve around football. As he comes to learn about this town of secrets, Charlie wonders if he has the courage to uncover the mysteries that surround him.

Set deep in the heart of the Florida Everglades, this text is sure to grip readers with its muck, swords, blood, and gore. Wilson integrates complex allusions to Beowulf, which will compel readers to uncover all of the parallels with the classic legend. The beautifully complex language of this fast-paced story inspires close readings while also teaching readers lessons about evilness, heroism, and family.

Kellee’s Review: What I found most intriguing about this book is that Wilson was able to allude to Beowulf in a middle grade book without completely scaring away the reader. Although I have read in multiple reviews that this book will grab reluctant readers’ attention, I think that some of the allusions are hard to grasp without prior knowledge, so reluctant readers may need some assistance understanding thus making the book a great read aloud as it will grab attention and start deep discussion (see Tools for Navigation). In addition to the allusions, there are opportunities to discuss hero’s quest, abuse, and loyalty.

You will also find some beautiful writing in this novel. Wilson has a way with words that made this novel lyrical yet easy to read. From the very first line: “When the sugarcane’s burning and the rabbits are running, look for the boys who are quicker than flame.” I was impressed with how literary the novel was.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: There are obvious parallels between this novel and the legend of Beowulf, and pairing these two texts for discussion would prove very rewarding. Perhaps, teachers could use this Boys of Blur in conjunction with Gareth Hinds’ graphic novel of Beowulf. Then, the class could compare and contrast both the story lines and the differing formats authors might employ to convey a story and message.

Discussion Questions: How is Charlie characterized? Do you find him to be a strong character?; What role does Cotton play in the story?; What role does Charlie’s father play in the story? Can he be forgiven?; How does the author use language effectively?

We Flagged: “‘Yes,’ Mrs. Wisdom said, ‘you are. You’re made of tiny spinning bits as fast as light. But those bits aren’t all of you. They fly off. They get lost, and new ones come on and join the swirling Charlie-shaped dance that is your body. And dwelling in that dance, woven through every racing bit, heating it all with life and guiding it, there is a fire, a soul—you. It takes a dream to see something like that, something closer to the way things really are” (110).

Read This If You Loved: Beowulf by Unknown, 100 Cupboards by N. D. Wilson, Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli, Holes by Louis Sachar, Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee, Raining Sardines by Enrique Flores-Galbis

Recommended For:

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Top Ten Tuesday: Books People Have Been Telling Us That We HAVE TO Read

April 4, 2018August 19, 2014 by Ricki

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Books People Have Been Telling Us That We HAVE TO Read

Ricki

1. Life in Outer Space by Melissa Keil

Kellee highly recommends this book, but I haven’t gotten to it yet!

2. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Several people have recommended this book to me. It is an adult book, but even my past students are emailing me about it!

3. House of Purple Cedar by Tim Tingle

It is no secret that I love to read every Native American book. I am looking forward to this one, as it has been recommended to me.

4. Jumped In by Patrick Flores-Scott

I can’t wait to read this book, and it is a Walden Award finalist, too!

5. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

A friend recommended this book. I don’t know anything about orphan trains, so it seemed really interesting to me.

Kellee

And I cannot wait to read all of these!

1. I Will Save You and Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena

I know that these are some of Ricki’s favorite books, so I need to get to them. Also, I really enjoy Matt de la Pena as a person, and have enjoyed what I have read.

2. Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

This is on everyone’s favorite in 2014 lists, and it was recommended to me on Goodreads by a friend. I need to get it, so I can read it.

3. Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

I have wanted to read Snicker since I saw Natalie at NCTE 2013, and everyone keeps on telling me I need to read it–I must get to it soon!

4. Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

One of my friends recommended this book so much to me that she sent me a copy–now I just have to read it!

5. Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen

This is a book that all my teacher friends are shocked I haven’t read yet, and always insist I need to.

Which books are continually recommended to you?

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Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina

August 27, 2014August 14, 2014 by Ricki

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass
Author: Meg Medina
Published: March 26, 2013 by Candlewick Press

Summary: In Meg Medina’s compelling new novel, a Latina teen is targeted by a bully at her new school — and must discover resources she never knew she had.

One morning before school, some girl tells Piddy Sanchez that Yaqui Delgado hates her and wants to kick her ass. Piddy doesn’t even know who Yaqui is, never mind what she’s done to piss her off. Word is that Yaqui thinks Piddy is stuck-up, shakes her stuff when she walks, and isn’t Latin enough with her white skin, good grades, and no accent. And Yaqui isn’t kidding around, so Piddy better watch her back. At first Piddy is more concerned with trying to find out more about the father she’s never met and how to balance honors courses with her weekend job at the neighborhood hair salon. But as the harassment escalates, avoiding Yaqui and her gang starts to take over Piddy’s life. Is there any way for Piddy to survive without closing herself off or running away? In an all-too-realistic novel, Meg Medina portrays a sympathetic heroine who is forced to decide who she really is.

Ricki’s Review: There are many books about bullying, but it is rare to read a text that makes you truly feel frighted for the character being bullied. This text felt very real to me, and it will surely resonate with teenagers. There are many lessons about bullying, but there are also some phenomenal examples of family and friendship. Piddy’s mother isn’t perfect and like all parents, she makes mistakes, but she is a single mother who tries her best. The ups and downs of this mother-daughter relationship offer much to ponder and discuss. As adolescents go through high school, they form new bonds and often, they also grow apart from childhood friends. Piddy’s circumstances of a new school with new friendships will absolutely connect with teens.

Kellee’s Review: Like Ricki stated above, this book makes you feel. As Yaqui fills Piddy’s world with fear, Piddy begins to lose herself and get caught up in the terror. As a reader, you find yourself afraid with Piddy whenever she leaves her house, goes to school, or even thinks about doing either. A book that can do this is brilliant. Meg Medina has a way of sucking you into the world, and I think it is her use of imagery throughout. You can see the characters, hear the music Piddy listens to, feel the fear, etc. And Piddy’s voice is so crystal clear, that is something she never loses. When you finish reading, you can still hear Piddy’s voice in your head. I also feel that this is a wonderful diverse book in a time when the YA community is calling for diverse books. This one should be in high school classrooms, and should be discussed as it has such important themes and beautiful writing (no matter what anyone thinks about it!).

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: This would be a great read aloud at the beginning of the school year. Bullying is a problem that is all too real in our school systems, and it must be addressed immediately, in my opinion. This book would provide rich discussions for classrooms, and it is a must-read for teens. It would be great to do several book groups (or lit circles) that are centered on bullying texts in order to compare the characters’ experiences.

Discussion Questions: Does Piddy make the right decisions? Would you make different choices than her? Why or why not?; Why does the author incorporate Spanish into the text? What does it add, stylistically?; How does Piddy’s absent father affect her?; Which individuals have a positive impact on Piddy? How do these relationships build her character?; Is Joey a good influence on Piddy? What does she learn from him?; Do you agree with the choice that Piddy makes in the end? Would you have made the same choice? Does it show weakness or strength?

We Flagged: “’Son unas cualquieras,’ [my mother] mutters. Nobodies. No culture, no family life, illiterates, she means. The kind of people who make her cross to the other side of the street if she meets them in the dark on payday. They’re her worst nightmare of what a Latin girl can become in the United States. Their big hoop earrings and plucked eyebrows, their dark lips painted like those stars in the old black-and-white movies, their tight T-shirts that show too much curve and invite boys’ touches” (p. 55).

Read This If You Loved: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Mexican WhiteBoy by Matt de la Peña, The Secret Life of Sonia Rodriguez by Alan Sitomer, Burn by Suzanne Phillips, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick, Out of Nowhere by Maria Padian, Shine by Lauren Myracle, The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Recommended For:

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’re Not Sure We Want To Read

August 12, 2014August 12, 2014 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Books We’re Not Sure We Want to Read

Books we may have bought, but aren’t sure if we want to read… “TO READ OR NOT TO READ?”

Ricki

1. Jodi Picoult novels

I can’t stop myself from buying her books. I must own twelve of them, yet I’ve only read three. When it comes down to it, I always pick a YA book over her books. Am I the only one who does this with adult bestsellers?

2. Harry Potter series

At this point, I’ve started giving away my Harry Potter books. I don’t think I’ll ever read them. I fell asleep during the first movie, and I have little desire to read the books. I’d only be reading them because it feels like I should read them. I keep the first book on my shelf in case I change my mind, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Don’t hate me!

3. Stephen King’s On Writing

I hears that this book is a great inspiration for writers. I always mentally “save it” for when I plan to start a new novel. Needless to say, life gets in the way, and I never pick it up.

4. The Best American Short Stories

I can’t tell you how many classic short story collections I own. For some reason, reading them always feels like I am doing homework, so I never get to them. Why is that?

5. Hitler’s Mein Kampf

This was free at a book sale several years ago. I took it because I thought it might help me better understand Hitler’s horrible mind. I don’t think I will ever read it. It would make me very angry, and I don’t think I will find any of the answers I am looking for.

Kellee

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

I read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was in middle school, but just didn’t like it. I wanted to but didn’t. Since then, I’ve bought the whole series. I even have the huge compilation book, but I just don’t know if I’ll ever read them.

2. Jodi Picoult novels

I’m right there with Ricki. I own 6 of her books, I think, but I haven’t read any of them. They all sound so good, so I buy them, but they just never get read. (In general, I don’t find myself looking at my bookshelves at home, with adult books on them, to find something to read. I tend to go straight to my classroom library. I’m using Jodi Picoult to represent many adult authors’s books who I own multiple copies of, but I haven’t read.)

3. All of those vampire books I bought a couple of years ago that sounded so good

Oh, how I loved my vampire books. In 2012. My students and I were both reading vampires, so I bought a ton. I meant to read them all, but instead, they have never come home with me. Now I am so over vampires.

4. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

When I started teaching, these books were hot, so I bought them all. They were loved and checked out all the time, so I never got around to reading them. And now there are so many other books I want to read. Maybe I’ll pick them up one day.

5. The sequels to SO many books I’ve read

I try to be proactive when it comes to reading new YA/MG series when they are released, but that means I have to wait a year or so for the sequel. Then the sequel comes out, and I just never get to it. There are SO many series that I have started and never finished. At this point, I’d have to go back and reread the first book….

Which titles make your list?

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brown girl dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

August 29, 2017August 7, 2014 by Ricki

brown girl dreaming
Author: Jacqueline Woodson
Published: August 28, 2014 by Nancy Paulsen Books

Summary: Jacqueline Woodson, one of today’s finest writers, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.

Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.

Praise for Jacqueline Woodson:
Ms. Woodson writes with a sure understanding of the thoughts of young people, offering a poetic, eloquent narrative that is not simply a story . . . but a mature exploration of grown-up issues and self-discovery.”—The New York Times Book Review

Ricki’s Review: This beautifully poignant book in verse captured my heart. I was swept away in the beauty of Jacqueline Woodson’s lyrical memories. This is a book that will embrace readers, wrapping them in Woodson’s childhood in the stormy 1960s. I couldn’t help but read and reread portions of the text–for every few pages that I read, I needed to flip back and relive the beauty of the previous verses. I will cherish this book, reading it again and again, for every word feels intentional and every memory vivid. brown girl dreaming is timeless, and it is universal. Above all, this book will give readers insight–unfolding the experiences of a “brown” child living during the heat of the civil rights movement; a young girl growing up in a house that identifies as Jehovah’s Witnesses; and a young writer, struggling to find the perfect words to reveal the truth. It will touch the hearts of readers of all backgrounds and ages in its messages of family, friendship, strength, and hope.

Kellee’s Review: Wow. I often worry about reading a book that has a lot of hype around it because I fear that I will not love it as much as others do. I should not have been worried about this book. It is beautiful. As Ricki said, I found myself rereading portions of the text just because of how well the verse flowed. By the end of this book, you will wish that you were Woodson’s friend and that you you could write as well as she does. The stories she tells are so true and heartfelt that you live her life along with her through the pages. You experience with her the hardship of growing up in the 1960s and 70s during the Civil Rights movement; the challenge of religion and finding the truth in it; the loss, addition, and conflict of family and everything that comes with these changes; and trying to find an identity as a person, sister, daughter, student and a writer. It is only a truly powerful, well-written book that can make you feel all of these elements.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: Writers will feel inspired by Woodson’s verse, and it would make an excellent mentor text for students to learn more about themselves and their own childhoods. We would suggest pairing passages with “I Am From” poems for students to be inspired to write verse memoirs of their own experiences. The figurative language and detail of this text make it a phenomenal resource for teachers, and we would find great value in close readings of Woodson’s intentional use of words and phrasing.

Discussion Questions: How does Jacqueline Woodson come to find herself? What are the strongest influences on her identity?; In what ways does Woodson show the power of family? How do Woodson’s siblings impact her decisions?; What role does history play in this book?; In what ways does Woodson manipulate words, phrasing, and white space? How does this influence your reading?

We Flagged:

“Then I let the stories live
inside my head, again and again
until the real world fades back
into cricket lullabies
and my own dreams.” (p. 99)

“Sometimes, she pulls a chair to the window, looks
down over the yard.

The promise of glittering sidewalks feels a long time
behind us now, no diamonds anywhere to be found.

But some days, just after snow falls,
the sun comes out, shines down on the promise
of that tree from back home joining us here.

Shines down over the bright white ground.

And on those days, so much light and warmth fills
the room
that it’s hard not to believe
in a little bit

of everything.” (p. 285)

Please Note: The above excerpts are from advanced reader copies. The wording and punctuation may be different in the published text. Our blog interface does not allow us to accurately capture the indentions, but we wanted you to see the beauty of Woodson’s language.

Read This If You Loved: Other books by Jacqueline Woodson, The Rock and the River by Kekla Magoon, Sold by Patricia McCormick, Make Lemonade by Virginia Euwer Wolff, Mare’s War by Tanita S. Davis, Gaither Sisters (series) by Rita Williams- Garcia, Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up by Sitting Down by Andrea Davis Pinkney, The Silence of our Friends by Mark Long

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Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books We’d Give To Readers Who Have Never Read Historical Fiction

July 27, 2015August 5, 2014 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Top Ten Books I’d Give To Readers Who Have Never Read Historical Fiction

Ricki

1. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

There is a reason this book is in both Kellee’s and my top five. It is absolutely brilliant. Lina is a 15-year-old girl living in Lithuania during WWII. Unlike the majority of the books about WWII, this one is not about the Holocaust. The Soviets, under the leadership of Stalin, barge into her house and drag her family onto a truck. They are headed for Siberia. I knew a bit about Stalin’s dictatorship, but this book added much more knowledge to my understanding. I am surprised that I have not read more books about this tragedy of history. This book will surely engage readers.

2. Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

This is an incredible novel that can be appreciated by people of all ages. What I like most about the novel is that it is centered around the characters and relationships. Doug’s brother is fighting in Vietnam, and his family moves into a small house in a small town. Doug isn’t the most well-behaved boy, so he has no problem talking back to the people in the town who bother him. While I want to summarize all of the interesting literary elements of the book, I think it would be better to just tell you to experience it for yourself. Truly, you won’t be disappointed in this one. It is worthy of the praise it has received.

3. The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow

Although Karl Stern’s family is not religious, they are considered Jewish based on the fact that three out of four grandparents were Jewish. Karl develops his skills as a boxer and struggles to maneuver through a world that is becoming increasingly anti-semitic. I liked this book because it taught me a lot about the build-up of the Holocaust, so it was different from many other books from that time period. Sharenow does an excellent job weaving history and comics into the story, and it was very engaging. Whenever I put the book down, I couldn’t stop thinking about Karl and his family.

4. Tree Girl by Ben Mikaelsen

This was my favorite book to read aloud when I was teaching high school. Based on a true story, it details the journey of Gabriella, a 15-year-old, carefree girl in Guatemala. When her home is attacked, she climbs a tree and witnesses the horrible massacre of the people in her village. The violence in this book is unsettling, but my students felt very connected to Gabriella’s story. It teaches phenomenal lessons of courage.

5. A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Mattie Gokey is a 16-year-old girl who works at a hotel. A guest, Grace, asks her to burn a bundle of letters, and then Grace’s body is discovered in the lake. This mystery, set in 1906, is beautifully written and will teach readers many lessons. I used A Northern Light in literature circles, and it always got positive reviews.

Kellee

I totally agree about the books, Okay for Now and Berlin Boxing Club, that Ricki shared. Both are amazing books and ones that “trick” readers who may not like historical fiction. Here are the books I think could turn these readers:

1. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This is just a brilliant book who will suck in any reading. I almost included Ruta Sepetys’s newest, Out of the Easy, as well because Ruta is so good at taking her readers and transporting us into the setting of her book.

2. The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf

This is one of my favorite historical fiction books, and I think it’d be a good book for a first-time historical fiction reader because the Titanic is a setting/topic that many people know about.

3. I Survived… (series) by Lauren Tarshis

4. Resistance (series) by Carla Jablonski

5. Wonderstruck and Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

With these three (#3, #4, and #5), I am thinking of my struggling readers (and many other middle school students) who are intimidated by historical fiction. All three of these can help students see the joy of historical fiction.

Which historical fiction books would you use to introduce someone to the genre?

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Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival by Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis

July 31, 2014 by Ricki

Hidden Like Anne Frank: 14 True Stories of Survival
Authors: Marcel Prins and Peter Henk Steenhuis
Published: March 25, 2014 by Arthur A. Levine Books

Summary: Fourteen unforgettable true stories of children hidden away during World War II

Jaap Sitters was only eight years old when his mother cut the yellow stars off his clothes and sent him, alone, on a fifteen-mile walk to hide with relatives. It was a terrifying night, one he would never forget. Before the end of the war, Jaap would hide in secret rooms and behind walls. He would suffer from hunger, sickness, and the looming threat of Nazi raids. But he would live.

This is just one of the incredible stories told in HIDDEN LIKE ANNE FRANK, a collection of eye-opening first-person accounts that share what it was like to go into hiding during World War II. Some children were only three or four years old when they were hidden; some were teenagers. Some hid with neighbors or family, while many were with complete strangers. But all know the pain of losing their homes, their families, even their own names. They describe the secret network of brave people who kept them safe. And they share the coincidences and close escapes that made all the difference.

Review: This collection showed me the misconceptions I had about those who hid during the Holocaust. These fourteen brave, young people showed me the diversity of experiences that existed among the hidden. For example, I didn’t know that it was common that they were beaten. Many people agreed to hide Jews because they were paid money by the Resistance. They didn’t always do it because they were being morally good people, so they did not have favorable feelings toward the people they hid. Also, I wasn’t aware that many of those who hid during the Holocaust moved from house to house and were frequently uprooted. These are just some of the many lessons I learned from this text, and I think readers will truly appreciate the insight it provides.

Teacher’s Tools for Navigation: I don’t know many school systems that don’t teach a book that is set during the Holocaust. If teachers are unable to use this whole text, I would highly recommend they select a few stories to show students how different the experiences were.

Discussion Questions: How did the Holocaust impact those who hid? After the war was over, how did it affect them emotionally?; What dangers did the Jews face when they hid? Would you accept the danger and work with the Resistance?

We Flagged: “My feelings from back then are very distant. I can still see myself as a boy of six, seven, roaming around Amsterdam, ringing doorbells, getting into mischief. I can think about that boy, about his relationship with his father, with his mother, and with his grandfather. But I can’t feel the emotions I had back then—it doesn’t work. I just can’t reach them anymore. Maybe I’ve automatically kept the past at a distance because I had to hide away for years and deny my background. Or maybe it’s just that impossible to relive those feelings from the past, and so I have to make do with memories.” (Chapter: “Older than my Father”)

Please Note: This quotation is from an advanced reader copy. It may be different in the published text.

Read This If You Loved: The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank; The Nazi Hunters by Neal Bascomb; Hidden: A Child’s Story of the Holocaust by Loïc Dauvillier; Night by Elie Wiesel

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