Gary Schmidt at Bright Ideas

A little while ago I posted information on the upcoming Bright Ideas Conference at MSU. The featured author this year is Gary Schmidt. This alone is enough to make it worth attending!

Schmidt has written several young adult novels that you might want to check out. Among my favorites:

• Trouble--a coming-of-age story in which a young man struggles to make sense of his brother's accident and the social context in which it occurred (I don't want to give too much away here...)
• Straw into Gold--a retelling and reimagining of the Rumpelstiltskin story
• Mara's Stories--a collection of Jewish folklore that is framed as a series of stories that the character of Mara tells children under her care in a concentration camp

I'll make sure to use at least one or two as read alouds in the upcoming weeks.

One of the comments I heard today in class was that some people valued the edginess of American Born Chinese. (I liked it too!) I think of Gary Schmidt's work as offering a completely different type of "edginess" that is about honesty and the potential for reconcilliation. I wonder if some who found Does My Head Look Big in This to be forced might find Trouble, for example, to be more "real".

Anyone else read his books?

(I win the "How many labels can you attach to a post" contest.)

Book Suggestion

I almost feel as if I am cheating by posting book suggestions, because reading and discussing books are more hobbies than homework assignments to me. That being said, it is difficult to narrow down my recommendations because I could type pages on young adult novels that I have read. What I would rather discuss are books that may not necessarily be intended for young adults but are nonetheless often discussed in a high school classroom. One of the few required books in my high school experience was Jurassic Park, which most likely sounds extremely boring and uninteresting to most freshmen girls. However, I ended up finishing the book weeks before the rest of the class had even begun it. It was so completely different than what I expected. A great deal of the book discusses scientific aspects of creating dinosaurs. While science has never been an interest of mine, I surprisingly enjoyed the intellectual challenge that the content posed. It made science (granted, fictional science) extremely interesting. My second suggestion would be a more traditional classroom book, The Great Gatsby. My class was learning about the roaring 20s at the time, so the book fit in nicely. I became completely enthralled with the dress and social behavior of this period. What's more is that a really great film was made off of the book which helps put a visual with the reading. While most films may not do a book justice, I felt that this particular movie held up pretty well in staying true to the major themes of the book.

The Golden Compass: Too young?

I received the first of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy novels, Northern Lights (or The Golden Compass as known in the U.S.), when I was around the age of seven when my mother decided I was “above my age’s reading level” (as many mothers believe of their children). I took one look at the then enormous novel and stashed it away on my bookshelf. A couple years later, I pulled it out once again only to read the first few pages. This practice continued until I was in the sixth grade and I actually found the motivation to read a bit further. By the third chapter I was hooked. I reread the novel, this time the entire series, when I was in high school and really came to understand the complexities of the story plot and what it represented. Since the Hollywood film came out, many of you may know the story plot or have read the novel itself (as usual, if you have only seen the movie, the novel is much more engaging and complex). In short, the main character Lyra ventures from home in search of her kidnapped friend Roger. She meets an Armored Bear along the way, as well as other friends and ultimately discovers that hundreds of kidnapped children are being used for ‘medical’ (for lack of a better word) experiments, ultimately conducted by her mother. She uses a ‘golden compass’ to navigate her way along her journey, as the instrument is able to mysteriously read the powers of the world. The book caused controversy as it has many hidden representations, mostly in regards to organized religion. I would recommend this series to anyone, especially adults who are more likely to grasp the hidden themes throughout the trilogy.

Here is a link to an article about the film sparking protest from the Catholic Church: http://www.catholicleague.org/release.php?id=1342

And another to a more engaging site about The Golden Compass as a movie versus a book: http://www.avclub.com/articles/book-vs-film-the-golden-compass,10156/

Image taken from: http://accordingtoheather.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/golden-compass.jpg

Book Recommendation

I have always like Scott Westerfeld's novels. The writing isn't very challenging, but the ideas certainly can be. One series I like particularly:
Uglies is written in a futuristic society where everyone is given an operation at age sixteen to become beautiful. Why? After an apocalyptic-like scenario the new leaders believe war was caused because of differences and inequalities. This was their solution. They didn't plan for people who might not want to be pretty. The main character, Tally makes a friend who doesn't want the operation. Will she change Tally's mind?
It's become a trilogy, with a companion novel as well. These books really make you think, especially in this world that is all about apperances.

Book Recommendation

When I try to look back on the past books I read I feel like very few were really young adult novels because in school they tend to have you read more classics.

In my ninth grade English class though my teacher picked 4 to 5 young adult novels and had a chose one that we wanted to read. We then formed groups based on the novel that we choose and had like book groups in class were we discussed different things that happened in our books every week and then when the book was finished we did a final project as a group. (I included this for those that might be interested in how these novels can be incorporated in a new way into the classroom) Anyways the book I picked was "Speak". This book is written by Laurie Halse Anderson (the same author of Wintergirls that was read to us on the first day of class). The book discusses how a young girl comes to terms with something horrible that happens to her in the beginning. It is all about how she grows as a character, while navigating through high school. It had some intense content that could be considered inapproriate in a classroom. However I thought the way it was used in our classroom was better because we really only had to discuss the issues in our groups and not as a whole class. Overall the book was very good and even was made into a lifetime movie. Kristen Stewart plays the main character Melinda.

On another note I was walking around my placement class today, which is 8th graders and I saw that one of the girls was reading Does My Head Look Big in This. I enjoyed talking to her about the book and felt like I could connect with her because we had read the same thing!

Book Recommendation

Way back when (in high school) I read a book called You Don't Know Me by David Klass. I highly recommend it because the main character, John, is a humorous teenager who is not only dealing with the awkwardness of high school and "Glory Halle-lujah", his crush, but he's also dealing with an abusive future step-father. The book culminates in a terrifying twist of events that resolves itself in... Well, I can't say or else I'd ruin it, but the book is extremely well-written and, despite the serious material that it covers, is both humorous and touching. It's a great way to approach the subject of abuse in a productive manner without completely scaring off those who may be squeamish. Also, it's a bit more real than those girl-and-her-horse stories...

The book is definitely well worth the read, and I actually read it one more time after initially reading it in high school and it was just as interesting the second time around. Also, as a former orchestra/band member, I appreciated his descriptions of his band teacher and the amusing animalization of his tuba (tuba as bullfrog).

P.S. - I'll be interested to hear everyone's opinions of American Born Chinese! I wasn't a huge fan.

Book Recommendation by Katie Pizarek

When I was in middle/high school I was a huge fan of Lurlene McDaniel books. She has written well over 40 books and I can honestly say I've read them all. Her books deal with personal struggles from romance to deathly illnesses. When I was in grade school I had to deal with the illness of a parent and I can honestly say that these books brought me all the sympathy and comfort in the world. They are more geared towards middle school/early high school students, however I still read the new ones as they come out today. I think that they would be a great resource to have to recommend to future students, for they truly are inspiring and very realistic. The Internet book list gave her an 8.6 out of ten (76 people voted). Here is an excerpt from her home web page http://www.randomhouse.com/features/lurlene/about_lurlene.html:

McDaniel has written over 40 novels about kids who face life-threatening illnesses, who sometimes do not survive. These are powerful, inspirational stories about courage, love, and strength in the face of overwhelming trauma. McDaniel’s books touch the hearts and spirits of the teenagers and adults who read them. Her following is a devoted group of appreciative fans. McDaniel says: “These are books that challenge you and make you think.”

Some readers—and their parents—have wondered why McDaniel chooses to write about sad situations. “I tell them that sometimes tragedy hits people—kids, too. They want answers. They want to know ‘why.’ By using novels, I show ordinary kids confronting and overcoming great odds.” McDaniel’s books are ultimately optimistic and life-affirming.

To make certain that her books are medically accurate, McDaniel conducts extensive research. She interviews health care professionals and works with appropriate medical groups and hospice organizations, as well as the Tennessee Organ Donor Services. “I study medicine and traditional grief therapy techniques to give the novels a sense of serious medical reality,” she says. “I also study the Bible to instill the human element—the values and ethics often overlooked by the coldness of technology."

Book Recommendation: Dance, Recover, Repeat by Alasdair Duncan

I highly recommend Dance, Recover, Repeat by Alasdair Duncan. This book is haunting and sticks with you. Seeing the despair of the main character Calvin and the emotions he goest through it will never leave you. Below is the link to the synopsis on Barnes and Noble website which I could spend hours in detail on but that should not be the focus. Duncan was 22 when he wrote this and I feel that adds to the authenticity of Calvin who is 16. It is choppy, abrupt, and emotional which connected with me because that is how I constantly felt. Duncan combines IM, e-mails, and regular text to tell the story of Calvin. I will warn you that this is not suitable for all young adults because of the themes, languages, and situations but this truly one of the most accurate portrayals of young adults that I've ever seen. Also below is the Entertainment Weekly Review.

• Barnes and Noble Synopsis
• Entertainment Weekly