Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie

My niece (an 8th grade teacher) recently recommended that I read the YA book titled Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Although the novel was first printed in 2004, this was the first time I had heard of the book. Sadly, I wish I would have read this years ago, because I could have shared it with many of my students.

Super quick summary: The plot is about Steven (age 14) and how his world gets rocked when he discovers that his brother, Jeffrey (age 5) is diagnosed with Leukemia.

As I read the book I had a mix of emotions...from sadness to outward laughter. Sonnenblick did a great job making this book real for the readers. He took us through the day to day struggles that a middle school boy might go through while dealing with this difficult situation and other typical middle school trials.

Rating:

Keep Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Anything but Typical

Nora Baskin's Anything but Typical is just what the title states...anything but typical. The story is told by the protagonist, Jason Blake, a 12 year old autistic boy. Through his words Jason shares his thoughts, feelings, and emotions. He gives the reader a glimpse of his world as he describes excitement, anxiety, love, frustration, embarrassment and so much more.

The jest of the storyline is that Jason is an excellent communicator when it comes to writing stories. He often posts his work on a storyboard computer site. As a part of these postings, he connects with another writer from a different state. As part of a reward for not getting sent home from school for behavior, Jason's mother takes him to the storyboard convention where he will have the opportunity to meet his distant friend. Of course this is easier said than done because she is NT (neurological typical) and he is anything but typical. Ultimately Jason learns to except who he is..., "This is who I am. This is me."

I believe that Baskin did an excellent job of sharing Jason's thoughts with the reader. This book had some strong intertextual connections to Terry Trueman's Stuck in Neutral and Cynthia Lord's Rules...two other books that I enjoyed.

I highly recommend this book for upper elementary.

Keep reading,
Dr. Quinn

The Puzzling World of Winston Breen: The Potato Chip Puzzle

I have just finished my first Winston Breen book and was happily satisfied. I believe upper elementary readers will enjoy this puzzling and interactive book as well. This book has a familiar format for those of you who enjoyed The Westing Game. I also noticed some similarities to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and some reviews, which I agree with, compare it to Encyclopedia Brown books. The bottom line is that this book is fun and creative.

Summary: Winston Breen is just finishing his 8th grade year when he solves a puzzle for his school's principal. By solving the puzzle Winston's school is invited to participate in a puzzle adventure set up by Dmitri Simon, President of Simon Snack Foods. Winston's school along with several other will all compete in an all day adventure with the winning school receiving $50,000 for their school. Of course the adventure is filled with tricky puzzles which the reader has the opportunity to solve, but there are also other problems to solve along the way. Let me just say there is a cheater in the competition!

I recommend this read for 4-6 grade students.

Happy Reading,

Dr. Quinn

Endgame

Last year I was introduced to Endgame by Nancy Garden. Several students and I decided to use it as a part of our small book club. I was impressed immediately!

This year I decided to assign it to my seniors as a part of their capstone class, the culminating education class at Taylor. After reading the book we did had two hours of discussion (only one hour was planned). It was absolutely amazing to see the emotions that this book evoked in myself and my students. By the time class was over there were tears, heartache, prayer, and a genuine determination to seek out those students that are bullied, different, loners, etc.

If you do not know the book. It is a YA book about a 14 year old boy that is bullied at school and treated unfairly by his father at home. Ultimately he takes the situation in his own hands by taking a loaded gun to school. I'll just leave it at that for now.

I know there are plenty of fantastic books that touch this subject, but I must admit I found this one to be very powerful. I am embarrassed to admit that eyes were opened!

Rating:

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

I have recently had several students ask me about Jeff Kinney's book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Sadly, I could only give them second-hand information about the book because I had not read it. I had heard many good reports about the book with one such report from my son (4th grader at the time). With all this in mind, I thought it was time to read the book.

Let me say that I am glad I read it. I though it was very creative, funny, and real. There were several times I actually laughed out loud while I read. I also found this book to be an extremely fast read...even for me!

I can see why so many students like this text. Kinney provides so many opportunities for the reader to connect with the protagonist. I must admit that I too had many connections...ranging from my junior high experiences (long ago) to my current role as a parent of middle school/elementary children. My next step is to talk to my children and ask them about their personal connections to the book. This could be an interesting conversation.

I am often asked if this book is considered a graphic novel. I would say technically no, but there are some elements (similar to Dav Pilkey's Captain Underpaints Series) that might make students ask the question. Personally, I would consider it more of a radical change text or an illustrated novel than a graphic novel.

Most of you are probably aware of the sequel, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules and the newest addition Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw (coming out in January '09). Also be sure to checkout the website for the online journal...very cool! http://www.funbrain.com/journal/Journal.html

By the way, now I know why my son wants to study robotics for his independent learning project.

Rating:

Happy Reading,

Dr. Quinn

Cut

It has been awhile since I last posted a book of my own. My most recent read was Cut by Patricia McCormick. The book is about a topic for which I have very little knowledge. However, I have wanted to read it for quite awhile since it is a popular YA book, and because I wondered if it might give me some insights to teen cutting.

After reading this book I was not disappointed. I do feel that I have a little better understanding (however I know that this is only one story/example). I can understand why YA readers might connect with the book. Although the protagonist, Callie...aka S.T. for Silent Treatment, self inflicts her wounds there are many other characters in the book with other problems that teenagers also deal with. Ultimately readers might connect with the same underpinning problem that Callie had...putting blame on herself for her family's problems.

I really liked the writing style used by McCormick, a first-person voice directed to the protagonist's therapist. I liked the ending and the initial healing between Callie and her father. I liked Callie's self-realization that she does need help, and that she actually wants to get better.

I'm already giving too much away so I better stop.

Rating:

Happy Reading,

Dr. Quinn

Rules

I just returned from Santa Barbara, CA, where my wife and I spent our 20th anniversary. While on the trip I read two books: Love, Stargirl and Rules. I was planning to do two posts this afternoon (Saturday), however, my body seems to still be on Pacific time so I thought I would go ahead and post Rules tonight or this morning or whatever you want to call it (1:30 AM). BTW, the time stamp seems to be off by three hours.

First off let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed Rules by Cynthia Lord. I loved the honesty of the protagonist, Catherine. Catherine is a twelve year old girl with an eight year old brother, David, who is autistic. Although she loves her brother he often embarrasses her by doing things such as: pulling down his pants, dropping toys in the fish tank, opening cupboard doors at other people’s homes, etc.

Each chapter is titled with some sort of rule. Usually these rules are meant for David, but they often mean just as much to Catherine as they do for David. Sometimes to smooth out awkward situations or just their way of showing their love for each other, Catherine and David will recite lines from Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Together. These little snippets along with the ongoing list of rules that Catherine creates throughout the book are a favorite of mine.

Another storyline is the relationship that Catherine generates with a Jason, a boy in a wheelchair. Jason has difficulty communicating verbally so he uses a book full of words and words with pictures to communicate. As the story develops Catherine adds words for David’s communication book. Words such as: awesome!, whatever!, That stinks the big one!!!, and more.

Sorry if this review is a little random, just too much travel today.

Rating:

Happy Reading, Dr. Quinn

Story of a Girl

Today’s read was Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr. My first comment is…perfect title. After discussing this book with my wife we agreed that this book was plain and simply a story of a sixteen year old girl.

The YA novel takes place on the coast of northern California, Zarr immediately starts the book with a flashback as the protagonist, Deanna, has an unwanted encounter with her “boyfriend” and her father. Then the novel moves to the present. From this point on Deanna tells us what is happening in her life: how she handles her dysfunctional family; how she discovers true friends; and how she deals with her past and the way it impacts her present. Like Twisted (yesterday's post), the protagonist has a difficult relationship with his/her father.

I enjoyed the book because it was not too deep. There was no hidden agenda. Zarr did a good job of sharing Deanna’s life with the readers. I really liked the ending or lack of ending. Deanna’s life goes on so Zarr simply ties up some loose ends, but was creative enough to let the reader think about Deanna’s future.


Rating

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn

Twisted

One of the few YA books on my summer reading list with a male protagonist is Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson. Like many of her books this is a quick read and a good one. I feel that many YA readers will be able to connect with the protagonist, Tyler, in some way. He comes from a dysfunctional family…the father is self-centered, the mother somewhat lacks a backbone, and together they argue all the time. Sadly many YA readers probably live too close to this.

I enjoyed how Tyler developed throughout the book. Learning how to handle his new physique, his new female interest, his new and old trials and tribulations Tyler rides an emotional roller coaster. Support from his sister, his best friend, and his own maturity all help him get through his twisted life.

I was surprised how Anderson ended the book…it worked, but I was surprised.

Rating

Happy Reading,
Dr. Quinn