A Night Divided

When you hear about a historical fiction novel about Germany, you automatically think WWII, right?  Well, A Night Divided is set in 1960s East Germany after the Berlin Wall goes up.  Gerta’s father and brother were on a trip in West Berlin when the wall went up, while Gerta and the rest of her family are stuck in East Berlin.  Gerta grows up quietly bucking the system.  People say she’s too much like her father, a member of an underground movement to push back against the strict Communist government.  She mouths the government rhetoric during the day, while listening to smuggled Beatles records at night.  But when her oldest brother, Fritz, is arrested for secretly helping a friend trying to escape, Gerta knows she must do something drastic…like tunnel under the wall to freedom. 

As a fan of most historical fiction books, I really enjoyed this one.  It’s an interesting time in history and one that most middle schoolers may be unaware of.  I especially liked that every chapter starts with a quote, either a German proverb or a quote about living during this time in history.  It puts into perspective that this was a real time with real people who lived through it.  The ending is not as ominous as The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas but it does end with the warning, “Geschichte wiederholt sich. (History repeats itself.)”  Which is a good lesson for the next generation to know before they take over the world.

The mood of the book is very dark and secretive, so if you’re looking for an uplifting happy read, this book is not it (I mean, the cover is gray and has barbed wire on it…should be a red flag that it’s not a romantic comedy).  However, if you enjoy history and a little suspense, this would be a great read for a middle schooler.

Turtles All the Way Down

So I really wanted to like this book.  When I heard a new John Green book was coming out, I was excited.  I added it to my TBR list and finally got my copy from the library.  However, I was underwhelmed.  I did like parts of it, but overall it seemed a little scattered.

First the positives.  What I especially liked about it was his quirky characters, which he has in every one of his books.  An Abundance of Katherines features a guy who’s dated (and been dumped by) nineteen girls named Katherine and is now creating an algorithm to determine how long his next relationship will last.  Paper Towns takes us on the trail of Margo, a girl who vanishes into thin air after taking Quentin on a wild night of vandalism and breaking into Sea World.  Turtles All the Way Down also has a cast of characters with unique habits.  Aza is the main character who has crippling anxiety.  She’s our narrator, so we’re constantly going on sidetracks with her wandering thoughts (or “thought spirals,” as she calls them).  You can feel her nervousness and her mounting tension with herself very palpably.  Then there’s Daisy, her best friend, who kind of railroads Aza.  She’s loud, writes sexy Star Wars fan fiction featuring Rae and Chewbacca, and doesn’t really empathize with Aza at all.  Finally, there’s Aza’s old camp friend Davis, whose father is on the lam from the cops after a fraud investigation.  He’s quiet, brooding, and reflective (as seen by his personal yet philosophical random thoughts blog).  I really enjoy how Green creates these memorable characters and how open he is about his own anxiety disorder.  It really is a powerful statement to the fact that although a person may look normal, you never know what’s going on underneath it all.

My biggest concern lies in the story itself and the pacing.  How can a story go too slowly and too fast at the same time?  I don’t know, but this one succeeds at both.  At times it plods along, taking it’s time in explaining the minute details of the disease C.diff or explaining how parasites live in bird eyeballs.  The whole point of the story (Aza and Daisy reconnecting with Davis so they can find his father for the reward money) gets lost in the middle.  Then it’s as if Green realized he forgot to tie up a loose end and suddenly rushed it all together in the last two chapters.

Ultimately, this book was not a relaxing read.  It’s also not your typical love story.  There’s not going to be a feel good ending where everyone is cured, holds hands, and sings Kumbaya.  If you want one of those stories, just skip this one altogether.  

Dumplin': Story of a Self-Proclaimed Fat Girl

I vaguely remember this book coming out a few years ago and thinking, “That’s one that I want to read.”  But then I never got around to it…until now!

Dumplin’ is the heartfelt story of Willowdean Dickson from a small Texas town that is all about high school football and the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet beauty pageant.  Willowdean has never really liked the beauty pageant.  First, because her mom has been in charge of running it for the last fifteen years, and secondly, because Willowdean is overweight.  This year, however, Willowdean decides to enter the contest to prove that beauty and confidence can be found in all sizes. 

I really liked the complex emotions it showed in Willowdean, her outward confidence strained with her inner insecurities.  It proves that even though we can put up a good front, even the strongest of us have times of doubt that can hold us back (which is something I struggle with personally).  As the book says, “I guess sometimes the perfection we perceive in others is made up of a whole bunch of of tiny imperfections, because some days the damn dress just won’t zip.”  

It also shows us about friendship and forgiveness.  In the story, Willowdean’s best friend is Ellen, who is tall, goofy, and perfect.  After Willowdean signs up for the pageant, Ellen follows her, which causes the girls to have an argument.  They’ve been friends since they were little kids, and Willowdean’s always been very aware of people’s reactions to their friendship (like wondering if Ellen is her friend because she feels bad for Willowdean).  On top of all that, Ellen is getting serious with her boyfriend and Willowdean has a secret romance going with a coworker that she doesn’t want to spoil by talking about.  All of this tension builds and ultimately comes out in their argument.  While they are estranged, Willowdean finds some unlikely friendship is a group of girls who follow her lead and join the pageant even though they are not “pageant material.”  Millie is a very plus sized girl with a bubbly, child-like personality.  Amanda has a issue with her legs (one is shorter than the other) and has to wear thick corrective shoes.  Hannah is half-Dominican with a bad attitude and even worse teeth.  Their game plan is to rock the competition, and Willowdean is their unofficial leader.  Through this Willowdean learns that being a good friend isn’t always putting yourself first.

The only part I had issue with was her secret coworker romance with Private School Bo.  If a guy kisses you, then says, “I’m not really in a good place and don’t need a girlfriend right now,” should you still go around kissing him?  No!  I wanted to reach into the book and give Willowdean a good talking to.  Anyways, it eventually works itself out, but that was my only criticism.

Overall, this book was heartfelt, spunky, and showed some real depth.  I'd give it a 4/5.

Pride and Prejudice: My Yearly Obsession

Every year, the same inkling comes back.  The itching in the back of my consciousness, the yearning for language that slides around in my head like butter, and I know it must be time to read Pride and Prejudice again.

Opening Pride and Prejudice, for me, is like hugging a long-time friend, someone who hasn’t been to see you in a while.  The story is so familiar and the language so rich, it usually takes me longer to read than other books.  Which is okay.  Some books deserve to be savored (preferably in my comfy chair with a cup of hot tea).

One reason I like going back and reading it so much is because it forces me to be single minded and focus on one task as opposed to many.  On a daily basis, I’m constantly multitasking.  I’m in the shower and thinking about my to do list.  I’m fixing lunches and breakfast simultaneously.  I’m checking to make sure all the kids have their coats, backpacks, show and tell items, water bottles, and shoes that I sometimes my mind swirls.  At work I’m teaching and redirecting behavior and trying to take attendance and assist the kid who was absent the day before.  At lunch I’m eating and walking around being crowd control because having 400 kids eating lunch at the same time it hectic.  And the list goes on.  I know that I need something to slow me down, give my multi-tasking brain a break.  Usually reading is my go-to brain relaxer, but sometimes (like after eating lunch with 400 middle schoolers) you need an extra dose of relaxation.  Hence, Pride and Prejudice.  It takes me back to a time when life was a little simpler, a little less chaotic. 

Another reason this book is powerful to me is the language.  Oh, the language!  You cannot help by get lost in it.  I know some people are shaking their heads at me because you once tried to read it (or were forced to for school) and couldn’t get past the words.  But sometimes you just have to get over the words literally on the page and just pick up the feel of the story.  Instead of stating, “I’m angry at you for breaking up my sister and her boyfriend” it says, “You dare not, you cannot deny, that you have been the principal, if not the only means of dividing them from each other—of exposing one to the censure of the world for caprice and instability, and the other to its derision for disappointed hopes, and involving them both in misery of the acutest kind.”  I mean, who talks like that nowadays?  No one!  

Finally, the story draws me back time and time again.  It’s a seemingly simple premise stated in the first line of the book:  “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”  This one statement will propel the characters’ actions and motives throughout the book, however, this book is more that just a chick-lit love story.  It’s about forgiveness.  It’s about how people can be misjudged based on their appearances.  It’s about how strong our words can be, so instead of being harsh with one another, we should seek to understand each other without our preconceived notions getting in the way.  Each time I read it, I take away a new aspect of the story, usually based on what I need to hear at the time.

Maybe P&P isn’t your book.  That’s fine (we can still be friends).  That’s not important.  What is important is that you have a comfort book, a book that has changed your life, your way of thinking, your habits.  Find a book that you want to go back to over and over and over.  And just read.  That’s what’s important.

South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee Overview

It all started with a comment from a student:  “Mrs. Harper, why are you always talking about these award books?  Nobody can read all of them, so why bother?”  Challenge accepted.  Ever since then to prove to my middle schoolers it can be done, I’ve read the twenty South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominees for the past three years.  So here are my best (and worst) picks from the 2017-2018 nominations list…

Best Overall:  Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

I’m a sucker for a good historical fiction story, and this one did not disappoint.  Set during the start of the California Gold Rush, this book brought out my inner child playing Oregon Trail on the old IBM computer.  Leah Westfall, the main character, is trying to make her way from Dahlonega, Georgia to California after her parents’ untimely murders.  The character development is just phenomenal, and the storytelling flows naturally.  Those who love fantasy will like the subtle hints (Leah has a “gold sense”, meaning she can feel where gold is and is drawn towards it) and those who prefer more realistic fiction will enjoy the reality of the story’s setting.  A win all around!

Most Intense:  Code of Honor by Alan Gratz

Gratz has gotten a lot of acclaim this year for his other novel, Refugee (which is a tragically uplifting book).  However, this book is solid.  It’s about a high school senior, Kamran, who found out that his brother defected from the US special forces and has joined a terrorist cell.  Although there is video evidence, Kamran refuses to believe it and realizes he’s the only one who can try to clear his brother’s name.  Set in post 9/11 America, it’s a great example of how people profile others based on race (Kamran’s father is white, his mother is Persian).  With all that’s going on in the world, it’s an opening to talk to middle level kids about racism and how to not assume things.

Biggest Tear-Jerker:  House Arrest by K.A. Holt

I love the trend of writing novels in verse.  I use these novels as a jumping off point with my own students writing poetry and find myself saying, “No, poetry does NOT have to rhyme, it just has to have a rhythm,” over and over and over.  Timothy is on house arrest for a year because he stole a wallet to pay for his little brother’s life saving medicine.  Part of his sentence is to write daily in a journal, so this is his side of the story.  It will make you cry…multiple times…

Best Friendship:  I Will Always Write Back:  How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Martin Ganda

This was a hard category since lots of books modeled strong friendships...but alas, I had to choose one.  Two kids are randomly matched up to be pen pals, and a friendship bloomed.  Caitlin is a typical American 7th grade girl from Pennsylvania, and Martin is the top student in his school in Zimbabwe.  Their friendship grows over a decade through letters and shows what it takes to be a loyal friend.  Sometimes it takes work, but it’s worth it.  

Honorable Mentions:

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

This one is nearly as intense as Code of Honor.  May thinks her best friend Libby died in a car crash…until one day she sees a sticker with a drawing on it.  It’s a comic character named Princess X, the same comic character May and Libby created as a child.  Now May suspects her friend isn’t dead and is trying to send her messages through their old princess.  Written part in prose and part in graphic novel, the mixed media aspect is neat to see and makes the story flow seamlessly.

Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss

If there were a book game like this near where I live, I would totally be playing (sadly, Charleston’s the nearest location).  This book not only teaches kids about inscriptions and ciphers, it also shows how to be a good friend.  Emily just moved to San Fransisco and befriends the boy next door, James.  Together they set off through the city to uncover the clues to a game that will lead them to treasure.

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

This is the only graphic novel nominated this year, but it’s a knock out for upper elementary kids.  Astrid signs up for roller derby camp (even though she doesn’t know how to skate) and assumes her best friend will sign up too…until she doesn’t.  Astrid is now stuck in a sport she doesn’t know how to play with people she doesn’t know.  This book highlights how friendship can change, especially when you hit the pre-teen age, and how to persevere to do something you really want to accomplish.  

Mark of the Thief by Jennifer A. Nielsen

This author’s no novice to this list (another of her books—The False Prince—topped the list a few years back).  Just like her other trilogy, this one features a strong willed thief who is set against large odds.  Set in ancient Rome, Nic is a slave who’s forced to work in the mines.  While there, the lost treasure of Julius Caesar is discovered and he steals (accidentally on purpose) Caesar’s bulla, a necklace that gives him magical powers.  Now the entire kingdom is after him to get it back.  It’s very Percy Jackson-esque (the mythology and the seemingly impossible quests), so if you liked those books, you’ll like this one, too.

And finally, the books that I am scratching my head as to why they are on this list.

The “Don’t Even Bother” List:

Adrift by Paul Griffin

If you want a better survivalist story, read Hatchet…or Terror at Bottle Creek (another SCJBA nominee).  The characters were flat and unbelievable; the dialogue was confusing.  All around this book was a dud.

Chasing Secrets by Jennifer Choldenko

I was excited about this book because it was a historical novel about the plague in 1900 San Fransisco (which was a REAL THING).  But overall it was disappointing.  The love triangle was just not believable and when it ended, it made you think, “That’s it?”  

The Chosen Prince by Diane Stanley

Oh my word.  This book was painful to get through.  The characters were severely one dimensional and the writing was just so mechanical.  I did like that it had some good morals and lessons to teach readers, but my students won’t read it…because it’s boring (and also because the cover art it terrible).

Fort by Cynthia DeFelice

The overall story is okay (two kids get back at their bullies by booby trapping their fort in the woods), but I just couldn’t get over the fact that the main characters’ first inklings about puberty is objectifying female bodies.  For example, the phrase “pillowy bosoms” is used.  Ew.

Ghostlight by Sonia Gensler

It’s a ghost story, but not nearly scary enough for my students who REALLY love ghost stories. A girl and her friend decide to make a movie about the haunted Hillard House, but end up really finding some hidden family history instead.  The worst thing that happens is the lights start shaking.  Also the cover is cheesy, so there's another reason not to pick it up.

There you have it.  Mrs. Harper’s recommendations for what to read (and what to stay away from) from this year’s SCJBA list.  Keep calm and read on!