Satrapi, M. (2003). Persepolis. New York: Pantheon. Genre: Graphic novel Intended audience: Mid- to older teens Personal reaction to the book: I enjoyed this. The art is done in a distinctive style, almost minimalist, and the black-and-white presentation adds to the tone of the book. The subject matter is equally distinctive, telling the story of… Continue reading Long black veil
Digging Holes
Sachar, L. (2008). Holes: 10th anniversary edition. New York: Yearling. Genre: Adventure Intended audience: Tweens and younger teens Personal reaction to the book: A great tween/teen story: Nice use of flashbacks, good moral without being moralist and a quick, fun read. Well-crafted characters. The mundane description of the bizarre work camp adds texture. It's a… Continue reading Digging Holes
Boy21 for the ages
Quick, M. (2012). Boy21. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Genre: Realistic Intended audience: Any teens, especially boys Personal reaction to the book: A book about the transformative power of friendship. Wow. We've been reading a lot of YA books with a background of mental illness for this class (Wintergirls, It's kind of… Continue reading Boy21 for the ages
Here be drag … (yawns)
Paolini, C. (2003). Eragon. New York: A.E. Knopf Genre: Fantasy Intended audience: Tweens through mid-teens Personal reaction to the book: A remarkable achievement for a teenage author and my kid loves it. From an adult perspective, it is a paint-by-numbers fantasy title. The protagonist is more than a little self-centered, even for a YA book,… Continue reading Here be drag … (yawns)
Death or glory, just another story?
Myers, W.D. (2008). Sunrise over Fallujah. New York: Scholastic. Genre: War / realistic Intended audience: Mid-teens and up Personal reaction to the book: This is a standard war story: Hero is wounded; buddy dies in heroic attempt to save an innocent. It wants to be an anti-war book, but spent too much time describing the details… Continue reading Death or glory, just another story?
Taken for a Ride
Patterson, J. (2005). The angel experiment (Maximum Ride #1). New York: Little, Brown & Co. Genre: Fantasy / adventure Intended audience: General YA Personal reaction to the book: It's a crap book, but it's a crap book aimed carefully at a demographic that undoubtedly loves it. The extensive, repeated descriptions of flying and escaping the bad… Continue reading Taken for a Ride
Cosmic Q& A
Munroe, R. (2014). What if? New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Genre: Nonfiction, humor Intended audience: Geeks of all ages; some of the humor will be lost on young readers Personal reaction to the book: It's a little like Mythbusters, only on an untestable scale. Munroe muses about or answers readers' often impossible questions (What would happen… Continue reading Cosmic Q& A
Mouseketeers rerun?
Jacques, B. (2007). Redwall: The graphic novel. New York: Philomel. Genre: Graphic novel / fantasy Intended audience: Younger teens Personal reaction to the book: Meh. The art isn't particularly striking or groundbreaking. In fact, it reminds me of the art from the animated TV series but with heavier inking. The story is also familiar to… Continue reading Mouseketeers rerun?
Pastel sunsets
Meyer, S. (2006). Twilight. New York: Little, Brown & Co. Genre: Fantasy / romance Intended audience: Girls, early to mid-teens Personal reaction to the book: Given all the froth around the movies, I didn't have particularly high hopes for this one, but figured I should know what the fuss was about. It's a very solid… Continue reading Pastel sunsets
Poetry with heart
Garcia McCall, G. (2011). Under the mesquite. New York: Lee & Low. Genre: Poetry Intended audience: General YA Personal reaction to the book: This is a book of blank verse about a girl growing into a woman on the Tex-Mex border; losing her mother and coming to grips with it. The book is well done:… Continue reading Poetry with heart
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