Book Blog # 1-8

1. Lily and Dunkin 

Required Text

Gephart, D. (2016). Lily and Dunkin. NewYork, NY. Delacorte Press.

Summary: 

Lily Jo McGrother, born Timothy James McGrother, an eighth grader who struggles with his gender identity.  Everyone at Gator Lake Middle School knows him as Tim, but he secretly wishes they knew him as Lily.  Tim is bullied at school by John Vasquez and his cronies and feels his only friend is Dare.  When Dare meets Amy she starts spending more time with her and less time with Tim.  This leads Tim to feel even more alone.  Before the start of the school year Tim strikes up a friendship with Dunkin Dorfman, born Norbert Dorman, the new kid at Gator Lake Middle School.  Dunkin is also holding a secret from everyone, he is bipolar. To improve his performance during basketball games Dunkin stops taking his antipsychotic medications.   His secret is revealed when he starts talking to his imaginary friend.  Lily and Dunkin is the journey of these two friend’s struggles to reveal their identity to each other and the world.  

Response:  

Lily and Dunkin does an excellent job of shedding light on the challenges our youth faces with discovering and revealing one’s true identity to others.  Most of the characters are concealing their true identity from their peers.  Lily conceals her gender identity, Dunkin conceals his mental illness, Dare and Amy conceal the truth about their relationship, and Vasquez conceals the troubled relationship with his father.  Young adults reading this book will be able to relate to the fear of revealing one’s true self.  This book is ideal for grades 6-9.  If you like Lily and Dunkin you might also like The Misfits by James Howe.

2. The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian 

Required Text 

Alexie, S. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Summary: 

Arnold Spirit, nickname Junior, lives a meager life with his family on a Spokane Indian reservation.  His tribe is plagued with alcoholism, the cause of many tragic deaths.  With the support of his parents, Junior decides to transfer to Reardan, an all-white school twenty-two miles away from the reservation.  Junior hopes transferring to a new school will help him achieve a better future. Junior’s decision to attend Reardan has cost him the support of his tribe and his best friend, Rowdy.  This book provides much humor among all the seriousness as Junior struggles to belong at his new school.  In the end Junior prevails in making friends, earning a spot on the basketball team, doing well in school, and even meeting a girlfriend.

Response: 

The illustrations in Alexie’s book are highly engaging and add an elevated level of humor to the serious issues Junior is experiencing.  I appreciated Junior’s hopeful and optimistic nature.  I think he is an excellent example of how students should approach hardship in their lives.  Junior keeps on going when everything seems like it can’t get any worse.  If a similar main character is what you are looking for, read Eric Gansworth’s If I Ever Get Out of Here.  If it’s the funny illustrations that kept you turning the page, read Winger by Andrew Smith.

3. The Serpent King 

William C. Morris Award Winner

Zentner, J. (2016). The Serpent King. New York, NY: Crown Books for Young Readers.

Summary: 

Dillard (Dill) Early III lives a life filled with many snakes and poisons, both literal and figurative, set to destroy his life.  His father, the snake handling poison drinking preacher of a Pentecostal church, has been imprisoned for child pornography.  Dill’s mother blames him for everything; his father’s imprisonment, the wreck that caused her poor medical condition, and the large debt incurred from his father’s legal battle.  His Forrestville community rejects him and assumes he is just like his imprisoned father and crazy grandfather.  Dill’s only friends, Lydia and Travis, help him to stay hopeful and find value in his life.  Travis’s sudden death pulls Dill to a very dark place that makes him want to take his own life.  A promise Dill made to Lydia keeps him from making this terrible mistake.  Lydia helps Dill to see that he is more than his father’s mistakes and helps him find his way out of the darkness.  Dill enrolls in college and leaves the snakes and poison of Forrestville him behind.

Response: 

Wow, just wow!  This book was wonderfully written. The main characters are seniors in high school, and this book is ideal for both male and female students in this age group.  This is a book that can be appreciated by adults too.  Zentner’s descriptions paint a picture than can be both seen and felt.  Dill’s problems with his snake handling father and grandfather seem far-fetched, but all in all relatable.  Dill never lost his faith even though his parents used it to manipulate him.  For The Serpent King book trailer click here.  For a discussion and activity guide click here.  Suggested reading Turtles All the Way Down by: John Green.

4. Speak

Required Text

Anderson, L.A. (1999). Speak. New York, NY: The Penguin Group.

 

Summary: 

In shock, Melinda calls the police after being raped by Andy Evans at a summer party.  Melinda’s classmates blame her for ruining the party and she has found herself an outcast during her first year of high school.  Her friends have abandon her, including her best friend Rachel.  Melinda holds the encounter with Andy Evans a secret from everyone including her parents.  This secret is ruining her life.  She is failing most of her classes and skipping school.  Melinda finally reveals her secret when she finds out that Rachel is dating Andy.  After the initial shock washes away, Rachel decides to break up with Andy at prom.  Andy blames Melinda for the breakup.  Andy is outed when he tries to assault her again at school and is caught in the act by the lacrosse team. 

Response:  

Speak offers an opportunity to teach symbolism in literature.   Throughout the book Melinda is creating a tree in her art class.  Melinda reflects on her painting of her tree and says, “One of the lower branches is sick… that branch better drop soon, so it doesn’t kill the whole thing…The new growth is the best part.”  The tree is a symbol of her and the sick branch is the secret she holds about being raped.  She cuts off the branch when she finally tells others about what Andy did to her.  The reader can tell that Melinda comes to terms with this awful experience when she says, “It (tree) isn’t perfect and that makes it just right.”  A book trailer for Speak can be found here.  In 2004, the Lifetime Movie Network made a movie for Speak starring Kristen Stewart.  The full-length version is available on Netflix.  Those who enjoyed Speak might like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. 

5. Ghost 

Best Fiction for Young Adults Top Ten

Reynolds, J. (2017, August). Ghost. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Summary: 

Castle Crenshaw, also known as Ghost, is a fast runner.  He discovered he was fast the day his drunken father tried to shoot him and his mother.  Ghost and his mother ran and hid in Mr. Charles’s convenience store.  Ghost’s father is serving a ten-year sentence for his crime.  Ghost and his mother live in the same rundown apartment that holds all the terrible memories from that dreadful night.  Ghost changes his future when Coach Brodie notices his fast running skills and invites him to join his track team, The Defenders.  If Ghost wants to keep his place on the team, he must stay out of trouble.  Ghost’s quickly finds himself in trouble for fighting at school and for stealing new running shoes from a local sporting goods store.  Mr. Charles and Coach Otis mentor Ghost and help him work through his problems.  It is a proud day for Ghost and his mother when he represents The Defenders at the first track meet of the year.  Running saves Ghost’s life and gives him purpose.

Response: 

The author of Ghost, Jason Reynolds, is just as interesting as his books.  He’s website reveals his self-proclaimed plan to, “Not write boring books.”  Reynolds writes books for the book hating boys of the world.  Reynolds truthfully reveals that he did not read a book cover to cover until he was seventeen years old because he felt that stories were not written for boys like him.  He wants to change that and write engaging books for real kids, about real kids, doing real kid stuff.  Rapper Queen Latifa’s poetry-like song lyrics inspired him to start reading and writing poetry, which ultimately led him to a career in writing.  Reynold’s book Ghost is ideal for middle grade students.  His personal story and Ghost are inspiration to young readers.   See an interview of Jason Reynolds by Fairfax County Public Schools here.  Watch the Ghost book trailer at here. Read track #2 Patina and then track #3 Sunny to complete the series.

 

6. Crossover

Kwame Alexander

Alexander, K. (2014). Crossover. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. 

Summary: 

Josh “Filthy McNasty” Bell and his twin brother, Jordan “JB” Bell, inherited their love of basketball from their father; a former professional basketball player, Chuck “Da Man” Bell.  Josh and JB are star basketball players on the Reggie Lewis Wildcats basketball team.  Josh loses a bet to JB and ends up having to cut all his hair off, which is the one thing that sets him apart from his twin brother.  Josh is having a tough time adjusting to cutting off all his hair, JB paying all his attention to his new girlfriend “Miss Sweet Tea”, and his father’s health problems.  Josh makes some bad choices and ends up getting suspended from the basketball team.  Josh straightens up and earns his spot back on the team just in time for the championship game.  When Josh’s father has another heart attack he must decide between playing in the championship basketball game or spending it in the hospital with his dying father.  He plays and wins the game but loses his father all in the same moment.   

Response:  

Crossover has some unique features that make it highly engaging.  The book is written using over 200 poems that together to create a complete story.  It is divided into sections, just like a basketball game, including warm-up, four quarters, and overtime.  The story also creatively highlights vocabulary words throughout and presents them in three different and relatable contexts.  This is a quick read that boys and poetry lovers will really enjoy.  Kwame Alexander often gets asked, “What happens after the last shot?”  While he does not plan to write a sequel to Crossover, he does plan to write a prequel.  We are going to learn more about “Da Man” in the future.  Check out Alexander’s Twitter announcement here.  Kwame Alexander’s Booked is for the soccer fans out there.

  

7. Persepolis

Required Text

Satrapi, M. (2004, June). Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.

Summary: 

Persepolis is a graphic novel memoir of Marji Satrapi’s life as a child living in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution.  Marji’s parents are activists and frequently participate in anti-regime demonstrations.  The consequences are steep for not complying with the new regimes rules; no games, no alcohol, no decadence, no materialism, and women must wear a veil.  Marji reluctantly wears a veil in public, but complying starts to grind on Marji.  Marji’s rebellion gets her expelled from school and almost arrested by The Guardians of the Revolution.  When the principal of Marji’s new school calls to report that Marji told off the religion teacher, her parents know what they have to do.  For Marji’s safety and happiness her parents send her to live with a friend in Vienna.   

Response:   

Persepolis is a fascinating story that sheds light on life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.  The violent content limits the use of Persepolis to more mature young adults. View the Persepolis book trailer here.  Continue Marjane’s journey in Persepolis 2. Afterwards rent Persepolis the movie, available on Amazon.  Those who liked Persepolis might also like Maus.  Maus is also a story of survival during a troubled time in history, the Holocaust.  This book recounts a family’s experience living in Europe during the time of Hilter.

8. It's Perfectly Normal

Required Text

Harris, R. H., (2004). It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. 

Summary: 

It’s Perfectly Normal is an adolescents’ guide to understanding bodies, gender, puberty, sex, pregnancy, contraceptives, sexually transmitted diseases, and personal care.  This color illustrations throughout allow for better understanding of the information presented.  The Bird and the Bee cartoons guide the reader through the book and add a bit of humor to lighten the mood of the reader.

Response:  

It’s Perfectly Normal provides unbiased fact-based information about all things puberty and sex related.  This book is good for adolescents entering and/or experiencing puberty.  The book contains anatomically correct cartoon illustrations.  They leave little to the imagination but are done in a very respectful way. This book is also good for parents to read and share with their children.  This book facilitates the conversation about puberty, sex, and related health topics.  It serves as a guide for parents to make sure they are covering all the important topics.  There is no doubt that “the talk” can be uncomfortable for both parents and children.  The Bird and the Bee cartoons throughout the book bring some comic relief to the serious subject.  While the Bird is clearly uncomfortable and reluctant to talk about puberty and sex the Bee persists with the conversation and puts him at ease.  The Bee warms up after a while and realizes that although the topic is uncomfortable it needs to be discussed.  Much like the feeling both parents and children will experience.  If your child is not yet ready for It’s Perfectly Normal but wants to know where babies come from try It’s So Amazing!