Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone Written by J.K. Rowling & Illustrated by Jim Kay REREAD
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Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty by Christine Heppermann
Summary:
A collection of fifty poems that examines the modern teenage girl through the lens of a fairy tale in an attempt to show that fairy tales have some basis in truth and many elements of a teenage girl's "ordinary" life can be just as bizarre and twisted as something written down by the Grimm's Brothers.
Review:
This poetry collection was a welcome surprise after the huge disappointment that was How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather. In fact, while that book was my most disappointment read this year, this one might be my favorite. It is certainly one that I wasn't sure if I would like and yet, I ended up loving it. For some reason, I was thinking these poems were fairy tale re-tellings that take place in a more old-world, fairy tale-esque setting. I was a little put off that this were fairy tale spins on the modern world at first. However, I quickly became accustomed to the unique and creative premise and realized how groundbreaking and meaningful it is as a twist on the modern day. This collection is definitely dark and twisted and tackles important issues such as anorexia and rape. I would consider this a feminist collection which is apt, because many fairy tales are quite sexist and feature a lot of violence and degradation towards women.
Strangely enough, I’m not a big fan of poetry, even though I used to write (surely bad) poetry in my early teenage years. I think it’s because I prefer pleasure and escapist reads and poetry is more of a food for thought type read. I feel like a class on poetry would be great, because you can get a lot out of it, but as a solitary read, poetry is just not something I tend to turn to in my spare time. I’m so glad I made an exception with this one. The poems presented here are so powerful. Collections often feature a wide array of talent with many pieces being much stronger than others, but while I had favorites, I thought that each poem was quite strong on its own. I think that so many teenage girls could relate to this. I would like to teach this collection, but only in a senior level class and probably with parent permission, because the subject matter is not for the faint of heart. I know that girls would relate to this a lot more than most boys; although, anorexia among boys and men is actually an emerging issue that most people don’t acknowledge and that needs to be discussed more often. However, I would like to teach this collection in a mixed classroom, because it is important, perhaps more so than with girls, to discuss rape with teenage boys. Too many boys, and men, have gross misconceptions about what constitutes rape and think that many girls “say no when they really mean yes.” I think that this poetry would facilitate necessary and invaluable class discussion with a mature enough class. I gave this four stars, and it is now one of my favorite books.
A collection of fifty poems that examines the modern teenage girl through the lens of a fairy tale in an attempt to show that fairy tales have some basis in truth and many elements of a teenage girl's "ordinary" life can be just as bizarre and twisted as something written down by the Grimm's Brothers.
Review:
This poetry collection was a welcome surprise after the huge disappointment that was How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather. In fact, while that book was my most disappointment read this year, this one might be my favorite. It is certainly one that I wasn't sure if I would like and yet, I ended up loving it. For some reason, I was thinking these poems were fairy tale re-tellings that take place in a more old-world, fairy tale-esque setting. I was a little put off that this were fairy tale spins on the modern world at first. However, I quickly became accustomed to the unique and creative premise and realized how groundbreaking and meaningful it is as a twist on the modern day. This collection is definitely dark and twisted and tackles important issues such as anorexia and rape. I would consider this a feminist collection which is apt, because many fairy tales are quite sexist and feature a lot of violence and degradation towards women.
Strangely enough, I’m not a big fan of poetry, even though I used to write (surely bad) poetry in my early teenage years. I think it’s because I prefer pleasure and escapist reads and poetry is more of a food for thought type read. I feel like a class on poetry would be great, because you can get a lot out of it, but as a solitary read, poetry is just not something I tend to turn to in my spare time. I’m so glad I made an exception with this one. The poems presented here are so powerful. Collections often feature a wide array of talent with many pieces being much stronger than others, but while I had favorites, I thought that each poem was quite strong on its own. I think that so many teenage girls could relate to this. I would like to teach this collection, but only in a senior level class and probably with parent permission, because the subject matter is not for the faint of heart. I know that girls would relate to this a lot more than most boys; although, anorexia among boys and men is actually an emerging issue that most people don’t acknowledge and that needs to be discussed more often. However, I would like to teach this collection in a mixed classroom, because it is important, perhaps more so than with girls, to discuss rape with teenage boys. Too many boys, and men, have gross misconceptions about what constitutes rape and think that many girls “say no when they really mean yes.” I think that this poetry would facilitate necessary and invaluable class discussion with a mature enough class. I gave this four stars, and it is now one of my favorite books.
How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
Summary:
Samantha Mather (yes, as in Cotton Mather-one of the men responsible for the Salem Witch Trials) moves with her stepmother Veronica to Salem, Massachusetts from New York City after her father is hospitalized and comatose in New York City. The popular girls in her new school are descendants of the accused woman from the Salem Witch Trials and refer to themselves simply as The Descendants. Obviously, being a descendant of Cotton Mather, Sam is not too popular with is group. In fact, she quickly becomes a pariah to the entire town who sees her as something of a human plague who has brought bad fortune to the town. It is assumed, and Sam questions this herself, that Sam is cursed due to her ancestry. In this novel, and in this fictionalized version of Salem, many of the townspeople people that the accused where actual witches, although not evil. Sam also encounters a ghost haunting her house who lived during the trials. Sam attempts to break the cycle of bad luck that seems to surround her and everyone she encounters, but will she succeed?
Review:
Witches are pretty much my favorite subject to read about, ever, so to say that I was very excited to read this recently released debut novel is no understatement. The fact that the author is actually a descendant of Cotton Mather, as her protagonist is portrayed to be, was quite interesting as well. Unfortunately, this novel turned out to be my most disappointing read of the year so far (and I don’t think any other book will top it). I don’t even know where to start with this one. I thought that the summary sounded intriguing, but the execution was basically a mess. I think the story would have been much stronger if it was told as a straight contemporary, especially without the inclusion of the ghost. The plot seemed to get really silly really quickly. Also, there was a ridiculous romance between Sam and the ghost (I think his name was Elijah). First of all, the ghost is no longer human. Second of all, this guy would be over 300 years old if he was alive. Thirdly, it’s just the most illogical and irrational romance ever, even for a teenager-not to mention totally unnecessary. There was also way too much time spent on the awkward and ill placed romance. I didn’t like the main character either she was described as being tough and sarcastic but came off as much more of a Bella Swan type character (see romance with old, dead guy). The plot was very cheesy and messy. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, and I thought the villain was ridiculous and predictable. Goodreads is showing that this book is the first in a series. If they publish a sequel, I will be both shocked and horrified. I think this is a case in which the book was considered more because of the novelty of the author being an actual descendant of Cotton Mather than because it was actually a good book. Sorry, but I honestly can’t imagine any thinking this is a good book. Some teenagers may be entertained by it, but I would certainly never teach it as I feel that it has no literary merit whatsoever.
Samantha Mather (yes, as in Cotton Mather-one of the men responsible for the Salem Witch Trials) moves with her stepmother Veronica to Salem, Massachusetts from New York City after her father is hospitalized and comatose in New York City. The popular girls in her new school are descendants of the accused woman from the Salem Witch Trials and refer to themselves simply as The Descendants. Obviously, being a descendant of Cotton Mather, Sam is not too popular with is group. In fact, she quickly becomes a pariah to the entire town who sees her as something of a human plague who has brought bad fortune to the town. It is assumed, and Sam questions this herself, that Sam is cursed due to her ancestry. In this novel, and in this fictionalized version of Salem, many of the townspeople people that the accused where actual witches, although not evil. Sam also encounters a ghost haunting her house who lived during the trials. Sam attempts to break the cycle of bad luck that seems to surround her and everyone she encounters, but will she succeed?
Review:
Witches are pretty much my favorite subject to read about, ever, so to say that I was very excited to read this recently released debut novel is no understatement. The fact that the author is actually a descendant of Cotton Mather, as her protagonist is portrayed to be, was quite interesting as well. Unfortunately, this novel turned out to be my most disappointing read of the year so far (and I don’t think any other book will top it). I don’t even know where to start with this one. I thought that the summary sounded intriguing, but the execution was basically a mess. I think the story would have been much stronger if it was told as a straight contemporary, especially without the inclusion of the ghost. The plot seemed to get really silly really quickly. Also, there was a ridiculous romance between Sam and the ghost (I think his name was Elijah). First of all, the ghost is no longer human. Second of all, this guy would be over 300 years old if he was alive. Thirdly, it’s just the most illogical and irrational romance ever, even for a teenager-not to mention totally unnecessary. There was also way too much time spent on the awkward and ill placed romance. I didn’t like the main character either she was described as being tough and sarcastic but came off as much more of a Bella Swan type character (see romance with old, dead guy). The plot was very cheesy and messy. I really didn’t care about any of the characters, and I thought the villain was ridiculous and predictable. Goodreads is showing that this book is the first in a series. If they publish a sequel, I will be both shocked and horrified. I think this is a case in which the book was considered more because of the novelty of the author being an actual descendant of Cotton Mather than because it was actually a good book. Sorry, but I honestly can’t imagine any thinking this is a good book. Some teenagers may be entertained by it, but I would certainly never teach it as I feel that it has no literary merit whatsoever.
Sunday, November 6, 2016
Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
Continuing the Halloween theme (Halloween is by far my favorite season, and I didn't have time to read as many Halloweenesque books this year as usual, but I did try to squeeze some in that would fit the bill for this assignment), I went with a retelling this time. Well, at least I thought it was a retelling. This one had me scratching my head a little bit. I think this (already established, although not in YA) author was trying to milk the YA trends with this one. Zombies were still a really popular trend in YA when this novel came out in 2012. Retellings are still popular, and Alice in Wonderland always seems to find an audience. Unfortunately, this book ended up bearing only the slightest semblance to any of these elements. The main character has nothing in common with Alice in Wonderland apart from the name Alice. There is a connection to dreams, but this is much more literal than in Alice in Wonderland. The "wonderland" that the main character Alice Bell explores possesses no wonderful, only horrible qualities, and it is not a separate land but more like a plane or dimension that most people can't see. It's the same world, but with the inclusion of "zombies." I put the word zombies in quotes because these zombies are more like ghosts. They are transparent and most people can't see them at all. However, they do bite like zombies...yeah, I don't think it really adds up either...
As I mentioned the author is established, but not in young adult fiction. Ms. Showalter is an established author of both contemporary and paranormal romance, and it shows. However, I’m not sure that’s a good thing. Teen angst is taken to a whole new level in this novel. Alice and the male protagonist, Cole, are constantly lusting after each other in a way that pushes that reads more like fully grown-up paranormal romance rather than a more tame and starry-eyed young adult puppy love. The romance dominated this book in an unpleasant way. I mean, how many people open a book claiming to be Alice in Wonderland meets zombies looking for a steamy romance? Neither one of those things sets itself up for romance, and with good reason. I feel like this book had potential, but it tried to be too many things. Although the romance was too adult, the actual writing style and characters were very juvenile like they were written for 14 and 15-year-olds. I think that the author should stick to romance; I have a feeling she’s a better writer in that genre. Obviously some people (maybe mostly fifteen-year-olds) disagree with me, because this book is the first in a four book series. However, this just wasn’t for me. I would attempt to describe the plot more, but it’s honestly a jumbled mess. To sum it up: apparently crazy dad + family tragedy + trying to hard to be ‘hip’ grandparents + wisecracking best friend + alpha male love interest + pseudo zombies + stereotypical female lead + awkward, juvenile writing style = this book in a nutshell. I gave this book three stars, and I think that was quite generous.
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
House of Dark Shadows by Robert Liparulo
Summary:
The King Family (no relation to Stephen) move from Los Angeles to Pinedale, a small mountain town (sound familiar?). Fifteen-year-old Xander is far from happy about the change. As an aspiring filmmaker and lover of movies, Xander wants nothing more than to stay in L.A. However, he and his younger siblings, David and Toria become mesmerized by the uniqueness of the sprawling seven bedroom Victorian that they move into. The only problem is that something is...off about the house. They end up discovering a portal to a different time and place, which makes Xander question if the Tardis-like passage is a blessing or a curse.
Review:
So this is the only book that I have read for the Book Pages Project so far that I have absolutely disliked. The problem is that based on the title and the summary, I expected this book to be at least somewhat scary--especially since it is shelved as horror. This book is not scary in the least. The other issue that I have with the book is that given that the protagonist is fifteen-years-old, you would think that the writing style and plot would be suited to teenagers; however, I found this book to be more akin to a middle grade novel. Don't misunderstand me, I love middle grade novels, but that is not what I was expecting from this book. I ultimately found this novel to be really lackluster and honestly boring.
Also, I did not think that the plot was very cohesive, as a reader, it just seemed like the author decided to take all these different elements and throw them together rather than crafting a story that flows well. My biggest gripe about this book is that it is the first in a series, and it ends on a cliffhanger. So the book cannot even stand on its own. However, I could not bring myself to care, so I will not be continuing the series. If I knew what this novel was like going into it, I would have opted to read Goosebumps instead. There is a pretty good twist in the novel, but I don’t feel like it was foreshadowed very well. It just seemed like the twist was kind of thrown out there in the end.
I didn’t even find any themes that adolescents could connect to, apart from the obvious theme of moving to another city. There were no deep issue or important themes discussed here, which is unfortunate. As young adult authors, writers have an opportunity, and some might even say a responsibility, to discuss issues that are prevalent among and often times not discussed enough concerning adolescents.
House of Dark Shadows has a 3.88 rating on Goodreads out of 5,520 ratings, and there are six books in the series, so obviously some people do like it, but I just don’t think it was well done. Also, the summary is a little misleading. After I started reading the novel and found out what it was actually about, I really did not care. I’m glad to get this book off of my TBR and hopefully move on to more fulfilling and entertaining reads.
The King Family (no relation to Stephen) move from Los Angeles to Pinedale, a small mountain town (sound familiar?). Fifteen-year-old Xander is far from happy about the change. As an aspiring filmmaker and lover of movies, Xander wants nothing more than to stay in L.A. However, he and his younger siblings, David and Toria become mesmerized by the uniqueness of the sprawling seven bedroom Victorian that they move into. The only problem is that something is...off about the house. They end up discovering a portal to a different time and place, which makes Xander question if the Tardis-like passage is a blessing or a curse.
Review:
So this is the only book that I have read for the Book Pages Project so far that I have absolutely disliked. The problem is that based on the title and the summary, I expected this book to be at least somewhat scary--especially since it is shelved as horror. This book is not scary in the least. The other issue that I have with the book is that given that the protagonist is fifteen-years-old, you would think that the writing style and plot would be suited to teenagers; however, I found this book to be more akin to a middle grade novel. Don't misunderstand me, I love middle grade novels, but that is not what I was expecting from this book. I ultimately found this novel to be really lackluster and honestly boring.
Also, I did not think that the plot was very cohesive, as a reader, it just seemed like the author decided to take all these different elements and throw them together rather than crafting a story that flows well. My biggest gripe about this book is that it is the first in a series, and it ends on a cliffhanger. So the book cannot even stand on its own. However, I could not bring myself to care, so I will not be continuing the series. If I knew what this novel was like going into it, I would have opted to read Goosebumps instead. There is a pretty good twist in the novel, but I don’t feel like it was foreshadowed very well. It just seemed like the twist was kind of thrown out there in the end.
I didn’t even find any themes that adolescents could connect to, apart from the obvious theme of moving to another city. There were no deep issue or important themes discussed here, which is unfortunate. As young adult authors, writers have an opportunity, and some might even say a responsibility, to discuss issues that are prevalent among and often times not discussed enough concerning adolescents.
House of Dark Shadows has a 3.88 rating on Goodreads out of 5,520 ratings, and there are six books in the series, so obviously some people do like it, but I just don’t think it was well done. Also, the summary is a little misleading. After I started reading the novel and found out what it was actually about, I really did not care. I’m glad to get this book off of my TBR and hopefully move on to more fulfilling and entertaining reads.
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