Hey Readers!
I know it's been a minute since I posted a review on here. This summer has been a combination of joyous events, not so joyous events, and a lot of trying to piece things all together again. So my attention span for reading has been pretty much shot. I would start a book, put it down, and not go back to it.
Until last night.
I don't know if it's the realization that school starts again in a week and my free time is about to be gone or what, but last night I decided to go on a digital library binge. (Did you know you can borrow E-Books from your local library? It's pretty awesome, and I suggest you check it out.) In the midst of said binge, I virtually borrowed my first David Sedaris book: Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk.
Why have I never read David Sedaris before?! I've heard of him, like on NPR and whatnot. But I never picked up one of his books before. Which is surprising, because his website has a short eared owl on the homepage. (I love owls. This makes me love Sedaris even more.)
I read Squirrel Seeks Chipmonk in one sitting. Basically, the book is a collection of short stories that use animals to deal with human problems. It's classified as satire (which means essentially it's a snarky look at life) and it was wonderful. While all of the stories were very well done, a few stuck with me more than the others. One was "The Crow and the Sheep", which is about a crow who is struggling to feed her family and has a discussion with a mother ewe about it. I'm not going to ruin any endings here (what's the fun in that?), but know that it turns dark like many of the stories in here.
Overall, I really enjoyed Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk. I think David Sedaris hits on a lot of different issues in our culture in a very well done way. It was a fairly light read, too, which I needed. The fact that it's made up of several stories makes it easy to get through when your attention span is shot. The only thing I would say was a little off putting is that most of the stories take dark turns at the end. But considering the state of our society and culture at the moment, I'm really not surprised.
I highly recommend Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk and I think anyone of the 18 + audience would enjoy it. I know I did.
~Meaghan
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Sunday, May 10, 2015
Contemporary YA Literature: Love Letters to the Dead and Group Discussion
Hello, my dear readers!
The up and coming wave of YA lit is upon us, with many authors having break out years and coming onto the scene for the first time. These contemporary novels are really exciting; it's fantastic to see the field expand into new territory! Contemporary YA lit has so much to offer and so many ways it can go that the possibilities are endless.
For Contemporary YA lit, I chose to read Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. (You can check out her site here; on a side note, her layout online is really pretty.) This is Dellaira's first novel and she was mentored by Stephen Chbosky, the author of Perks of Being a Wallflower. The premise of Love Letters to the Dead is pretty straight forward. A girl named Laurel is starting high school after the death of her sister and is assigned to write a letter to a dead person for a school activity. She ends up writing a whole book of letters to a variety of dead people (Kurt Cobain and River Phoenix for example) and through the letters we learn of the events that lead up to her sister's death as well as the events going on now.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I really like the concept of it. Letters are a powerful way to explore a variety of topics that Laurel experienced, like abuse. But on the other hand, I can tell this is Dellaira's first novel and that she's trying to find her writing voice. That's not a bad thing, by the way; I love that this is her first novel and I hope she continues to write and develop her voice. I just got distracted at times by the way her writing is at the moment.
In our group discussion, we talked about how Dellaira is finding her voice. We also talked about how great the format is; depending on the person Laurel is writing to sets the tone of what we learn in that letter. So for those who died by suicide (like Cobain), the letters tend to be angrier and deal with the gritty stuff whereas letters written to those who maybe didn't die like that (like Amelia Earhart) are more upbeat about things. It's a really great technique that we hope Dellaira continues to use.
Honestly, I think Love Letters to the Dead is a pretty good book. It takes a little bit to get used to the format, but it goes quick once you do. I recommend it for freshmen and up.
~Meaghan
The up and coming wave of YA lit is upon us, with many authors having break out years and coming onto the scene for the first time. These contemporary novels are really exciting; it's fantastic to see the field expand into new territory! Contemporary YA lit has so much to offer and so many ways it can go that the possibilities are endless.
For Contemporary YA lit, I chose to read Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. (You can check out her site here; on a side note, her layout online is really pretty.) This is Dellaira's first novel and she was mentored by Stephen Chbosky, the author of Perks of Being a Wallflower. The premise of Love Letters to the Dead is pretty straight forward. A girl named Laurel is starting high school after the death of her sister and is assigned to write a letter to a dead person for a school activity. She ends up writing a whole book of letters to a variety of dead people (Kurt Cobain and River Phoenix for example) and through the letters we learn of the events that lead up to her sister's death as well as the events going on now.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I really like the concept of it. Letters are a powerful way to explore a variety of topics that Laurel experienced, like abuse. But on the other hand, I can tell this is Dellaira's first novel and that she's trying to find her writing voice. That's not a bad thing, by the way; I love that this is her first novel and I hope she continues to write and develop her voice. I just got distracted at times by the way her writing is at the moment.
In our group discussion, we talked about how Dellaira is finding her voice. We also talked about how great the format is; depending on the person Laurel is writing to sets the tone of what we learn in that letter. So for those who died by suicide (like Cobain), the letters tend to be angrier and deal with the gritty stuff whereas letters written to those who maybe didn't die like that (like Amelia Earhart) are more upbeat about things. It's a really great technique that we hope Dellaira continues to use.
Honestly, I think Love Letters to the Dead is a pretty good book. It takes a little bit to get used to the format, but it goes quick once you do. I recommend it for freshmen and up.
~Meaghan
Movie vs Book: Divergent and Group Discussion
Hi again, my dear readers!
One of the things that tends to happen (not only in YA literature) is that a book will become a best seller and then be made into a movie. Sometimes it happens the other way around - the book will be made into a movie, the movie becomes popular, and suddenly the book is a best seller. Either way, books and movies based upon them seem to go hand in hand. Sometimes the movie is better than the book; more often than not, the book is better than the movie. It depends on the reader, the viewer, and the overall experience.
For this class, I needed to read a book and then watch the movie. I chose Divergent by Veronica Roth. (The trailer for the film is here if you haven't seen or heard of it.) Divergent follows the pretty standard post apocalyptic YA novel format: everyone is split into factions in the society, a girl goes to get sorted and doesn't fit into just one category, she ends up becoming part of the warring faction, the girl is special, war breaks out, and there's romance.
(That sounds cynical, but go look at these dystopian books and you'll see what I mean.)
The movie is very similar, except that the actors and actresses are all incredibly good looking (which is a ploy to get people of the opposite gender to come see the film), the romance was toned down a bit, and the action was overplayed. Impactful lines and scenes got cut or altered as the director saw fit, all in an attempt to bring in box office revenue. And it worked.
In group discussion, we talked about how these dystopian films and books are so incredibly popular among teens. Film makers and authors seem to be piggybacking off each other and so more and more of YA lit and films are going the way of dystopian. We all agreed that it can't last forever. Eventually the market is going to be so saturated with things like Divergent that it won't be able to hold anymore and other genres are going to break through again.
We also talked about how the film ran compared to the book. The film is much faster paced, making it harder to absorb what is going on; the book, however, is slower and allows the reader to digest what's happening before moving on to the next scene or event. The film is good in that it allows visuals cues and images to be given, but it sacrifices some of the material from the book in order to do that. One idea was that if Divergent could be serialized like Game of Thrones is, that maybe it would work better.
As for me, I didn't really care for the book or the movie. I think I've had enough of the dystopian genre, though, so don't let that opinion stop you if you want to read Divergent or watch the film. If you decide to, though, I recommend you read the book first.
~Meaghan
One of the things that tends to happen (not only in YA literature) is that a book will become a best seller and then be made into a movie. Sometimes it happens the other way around - the book will be made into a movie, the movie becomes popular, and suddenly the book is a best seller. Either way, books and movies based upon them seem to go hand in hand. Sometimes the movie is better than the book; more often than not, the book is better than the movie. It depends on the reader, the viewer, and the overall experience.
For this class, I needed to read a book and then watch the movie. I chose Divergent by Veronica Roth. (The trailer for the film is here if you haven't seen or heard of it.) Divergent follows the pretty standard post apocalyptic YA novel format: everyone is split into factions in the society, a girl goes to get sorted and doesn't fit into just one category, she ends up becoming part of the warring faction, the girl is special, war breaks out, and there's romance.
(That sounds cynical, but go look at these dystopian books and you'll see what I mean.)
The movie is very similar, except that the actors and actresses are all incredibly good looking (which is a ploy to get people of the opposite gender to come see the film), the romance was toned down a bit, and the action was overplayed. Impactful lines and scenes got cut or altered as the director saw fit, all in an attempt to bring in box office revenue. And it worked.
In group discussion, we talked about how these dystopian films and books are so incredibly popular among teens. Film makers and authors seem to be piggybacking off each other and so more and more of YA lit and films are going the way of dystopian. We all agreed that it can't last forever. Eventually the market is going to be so saturated with things like Divergent that it won't be able to hold anymore and other genres are going to break through again.
We also talked about how the film ran compared to the book. The film is much faster paced, making it harder to absorb what is going on; the book, however, is slower and allows the reader to digest what's happening before moving on to the next scene or event. The film is good in that it allows visuals cues and images to be given, but it sacrifices some of the material from the book in order to do that. One idea was that if Divergent could be serialized like Game of Thrones is, that maybe it would work better.
As for me, I didn't really care for the book or the movie. I think I've had enough of the dystopian genre, though, so don't let that opinion stop you if you want to read Divergent or watch the film. If you decide to, though, I recommend you read the book first.
~Meaghan
The Graphic Novel: My Friend Dahmer and Group Discussion
Hello my dear readers!
One of the incredibly popular genres of YA literature is the graphic novel. Some people call these comic books, but in reality, they are so much more. The use of images and words to tell a story can give so much added depth for the reader - pictures can sometimes say more than words ever can, and the combination allows for multiple readings of the story while getting different meanings each time.
The novel I chose was My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. Backderf went to high school with Jeffery Dahmer and chose to write and illustrate a graphic novel about it. I was drawn to it because 1. there's something fascinating to me about a serial killer and what made them snap and 2. the art is so interesting - like caricatures. (You can see what I mean by checking out Backderf's site; he posts weekly comic strips and stuff, which is always fun.)
The book was intense. The portrayal of Dahmer as this lonely kid who had a horrible home life and was just trying to fit in made me almost empathize with the guy. Backderf did a really good job at incorporating actual photographs of Dahmer throughout to ground the story and remind everyone that he was a real person; the cartoonish style makes it somewhat easy to forget that these things actually happened, and the photos break that up.
In our group, we talked about how the three of us who read the book immediately wanted to learn more about Dahmer when we were done. That someone could do something so horrible fascinated us. We wondered if things had been different (such as Dahmer's parents not being so wrapped up in their divorce or if Dahmer had been able to come out as gay without judgement) if he would have still done the crimes he did.
We also noticed that Backderf did a great job of changing the use of white space throughout the novel to show the downward descent Dahmer had - by the end of the book, there isn't any white space left in the panels, only darkness. The panels that had not words at all were also incredibly impactful. Seeing a young Dahmer walk through the woods at night by himself has a completely different feeling than if it was narrated in text.
Overall, My Friend Dahmer was a really interesting read. The style is great for people familiar with graphic novels and even if you aren't, the frames are done in a manner that makes it easy to figure out. I recommend it for mid to late high school students and above.
~Meaghan
One of the incredibly popular genres of YA literature is the graphic novel. Some people call these comic books, but in reality, they are so much more. The use of images and words to tell a story can give so much added depth for the reader - pictures can sometimes say more than words ever can, and the combination allows for multiple readings of the story while getting different meanings each time.
The novel I chose was My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf. Backderf went to high school with Jeffery Dahmer and chose to write and illustrate a graphic novel about it. I was drawn to it because 1. there's something fascinating to me about a serial killer and what made them snap and 2. the art is so interesting - like caricatures. (You can see what I mean by checking out Backderf's site; he posts weekly comic strips and stuff, which is always fun.)
The book was intense. The portrayal of Dahmer as this lonely kid who had a horrible home life and was just trying to fit in made me almost empathize with the guy. Backderf did a really good job at incorporating actual photographs of Dahmer throughout to ground the story and remind everyone that he was a real person; the cartoonish style makes it somewhat easy to forget that these things actually happened, and the photos break that up.
In our group, we talked about how the three of us who read the book immediately wanted to learn more about Dahmer when we were done. That someone could do something so horrible fascinated us. We wondered if things had been different (such as Dahmer's parents not being so wrapped up in their divorce or if Dahmer had been able to come out as gay without judgement) if he would have still done the crimes he did.
We also noticed that Backderf did a great job of changing the use of white space throughout the novel to show the downward descent Dahmer had - by the end of the book, there isn't any white space left in the panels, only darkness. The panels that had not words at all were also incredibly impactful. Seeing a young Dahmer walk through the woods at night by himself has a completely different feeling than if it was narrated in text.
Overall, My Friend Dahmer was a really interesting read. The style is great for people familiar with graphic novels and even if you aren't, the frames are done in a manner that makes it easy to figure out. I recommend it for mid to late high school students and above.
~Meaghan
Sunday, April 26, 2015
CTLC: Grasshopper Jungle and Group Discussion
Hi my dear readers!
The other author present at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference was Andrew Smith. Like with Wendelin Van Draanen, we were asked to read a book by Smith so that we would be prepared to meet at the conference. (Andrew Smith is nothing like I imagined. I expected a somewhat young and hip author; this video interview actually shows what he's really like. It's awesome.)
The book I picked for the Smith selection was Grasshopper Jungle. The premise is that the world is going to end due to giant preying mantises, but there's this high school love triangle that is taking place that is waaay more interesting than the mantises. Everything is over the top, from body odor to what girls think of guys. It was a fun read that I read in a single day.
In group, we got to talking about why this book made so many waves in the YA market. We decided it was because Grasshopper Jungle is so over the top and in your face about everything. One of the things that came up was wondering if Smith drew from his students for this book. Like, did he take all of the drama that they deal with and make it into this exaggerated narrative. It worked, if that was the case. All of us agreed that the book was humorous and a great read.
The only criticism we had for it was the ending. None of us liked how the story ended.
I would recommend Grasshopper Jungle for high school students and beyond. There is a little bit of crude and graphic stuff in it, but not enough to ruin the story. It will have you cracking up and I highly recommend it.
~Meaghan
The other author present at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference was Andrew Smith. Like with Wendelin Van Draanen, we were asked to read a book by Smith so that we would be prepared to meet at the conference. (Andrew Smith is nothing like I imagined. I expected a somewhat young and hip author; this video interview actually shows what he's really like. It's awesome.)
The book I picked for the Smith selection was Grasshopper Jungle. The premise is that the world is going to end due to giant preying mantises, but there's this high school love triangle that is taking place that is waaay more interesting than the mantises. Everything is over the top, from body odor to what girls think of guys. It was a fun read that I read in a single day.
In group, we got to talking about why this book made so many waves in the YA market. We decided it was because Grasshopper Jungle is so over the top and in your face about everything. One of the things that came up was wondering if Smith drew from his students for this book. Like, did he take all of the drama that they deal with and make it into this exaggerated narrative. It worked, if that was the case. All of us agreed that the book was humorous and a great read.
The only criticism we had for it was the ending. None of us liked how the story ended.
I would recommend Grasshopper Jungle for high school students and beyond. There is a little bit of crude and graphic stuff in it, but not enough to ruin the story. It will have you cracking up and I highly recommend it.
~Meaghan
CTLC Novel: Runaway and Group Discussion
Hello my dear readers!
You may remember my blog about the Colorado Teen Literature Conference (found here) and how as a volunteer I got to meet Andrew Smith and Wendelin Van Draanen. Well, before the conference, we were required to pick a text by each author to read and discuss so that we would understand why they have the impact on the YA literature market that they do.
The first one was Wendelin Van Draanen. Wendelin is awesome and a little over hyper, which makes her even more likable in my mind. (Here is a great interview video of her so you can see what I mean.) I chose to read Runaway for her selection.
Runaway is about a 6th grade girl named Holly who runs away from the foster care system and keeps a journal of her day to day life. It's the kind of book I would have gravitated to as a middle school student, it really is. I have always been writing, and while I didn't start keeping an actual journal until I was 15, I know how it feels to need to write about things.
I thought I was going to love it. I didn't even finish it. It just seemed to drag on and on for me.
When we talked about it in group, a lot of the members said they felt like Holly seemed too old for her age. Maybe that's part of why I struggled with it. We wondered if maybe it was because kids in that situation are forced to grow up faster than they should, so they come across as older. Another thing that was prevalent through the book was Van Draanen's idea of "Hope in the Mail". There was a lot of hope by the end of the book (I skipped to the ending and read it) and peppered throughout.
The writing style really does a good job of speaking for the character of Holly though. There are bits of poetry throughout, and you really get a sense of how angry Holly is until the end. I think maybe I just wasn't in the right place to read this book right now; Van Draanen is a very good writer and me not getting through is not a reflection of her.
Overall, this is a middle to early high school book. The consensus in our group is that everyone should give it a look.
~Meaghan
You may remember my blog about the Colorado Teen Literature Conference (found here) and how as a volunteer I got to meet Andrew Smith and Wendelin Van Draanen. Well, before the conference, we were required to pick a text by each author to read and discuss so that we would understand why they have the impact on the YA literature market that they do.
The first one was Wendelin Van Draanen. Wendelin is awesome and a little over hyper, which makes her even more likable in my mind. (Here is a great interview video of her so you can see what I mean.) I chose to read Runaway for her selection.
Runaway is about a 6th grade girl named Holly who runs away from the foster care system and keeps a journal of her day to day life. It's the kind of book I would have gravitated to as a middle school student, it really is. I have always been writing, and while I didn't start keeping an actual journal until I was 15, I know how it feels to need to write about things.
I thought I was going to love it. I didn't even finish it. It just seemed to drag on and on for me.
When we talked about it in group, a lot of the members said they felt like Holly seemed too old for her age. Maybe that's part of why I struggled with it. We wondered if maybe it was because kids in that situation are forced to grow up faster than they should, so they come across as older. Another thing that was prevalent through the book was Van Draanen's idea of "Hope in the Mail". There was a lot of hope by the end of the book (I skipped to the ending and read it) and peppered throughout.
The writing style really does a good job of speaking for the character of Holly though. There are bits of poetry throughout, and you really get a sense of how angry Holly is until the end. I think maybe I just wasn't in the right place to read this book right now; Van Draanen is a very good writer and me not getting through is not a reflection of her.
Overall, this is a middle to early high school book. The consensus in our group is that everyone should give it a look.
~Meaghan
The Verse Novel: Crank
Hey there, my readers!
One important genre of YA literature is the verse novel. These novels are written in poetic form. This allows the words to take multiple meanings and the lines to take various shapes, much like in poetry. The subject material can range from biographical to completely fictional.
I read Crank by Ellen Hopkins as my verse novel choice. Hopkins wrote the book in verse form after her daughter dealt with drug addiction. It explores the chaos meth can place on you and your family, as well as how sometimes you don't realize how much you're giving to the drug until you hit rock bottom. Hopkins has a great website that has a place for adults as well as a place for young adults. The adult site focuses on her new adult novels while the YA site has resources for students and teachers.
Crank was a difficult read for me, based on the subject material. Hopkins doesn't shy away from any of the nitty gritty details that go with drug addiction: loss of friends, rape, drug deals gone bad, family struggles, withdrawl. It's all there. Which I think is a good thing, because everyone (especially teens) need to see what comes with the high. The ending was hopeful, which is equally important because it is possible to get better and for things to heal.
The verse form was especially powerful in this book. There are places where you can read across the columns or you can read just one side or the other; both impact the meaning of the story and lend to the madness of the situation. It can be a fairly quick read or it can take longer, depending on how you process it. For me, I had to read sections twice to fully grasp the impact of them.
Crank is also part of a series. It's the first book. The other books in the series follow what happened after the events set in motion. It is considered a work of fiction even though it is loosely based on Hopkins' experiences with her daughter.
I recommend Crank for 11th and 12th grade, and beyond. Younger than that and I think it might be a little difficult. I do think that even with the hard material, everyone should read it. Don't shy away.
~Meaghan
One important genre of YA literature is the verse novel. These novels are written in poetic form. This allows the words to take multiple meanings and the lines to take various shapes, much like in poetry. The subject material can range from biographical to completely fictional.
I read Crank by Ellen Hopkins as my verse novel choice. Hopkins wrote the book in verse form after her daughter dealt with drug addiction. It explores the chaos meth can place on you and your family, as well as how sometimes you don't realize how much you're giving to the drug until you hit rock bottom. Hopkins has a great website that has a place for adults as well as a place for young adults. The adult site focuses on her new adult novels while the YA site has resources for students and teachers.
Crank was a difficult read for me, based on the subject material. Hopkins doesn't shy away from any of the nitty gritty details that go with drug addiction: loss of friends, rape, drug deals gone bad, family struggles, withdrawl. It's all there. Which I think is a good thing, because everyone (especially teens) need to see what comes with the high. The ending was hopeful, which is equally important because it is possible to get better and for things to heal.
The verse form was especially powerful in this book. There are places where you can read across the columns or you can read just one side or the other; both impact the meaning of the story and lend to the madness of the situation. It can be a fairly quick read or it can take longer, depending on how you process it. For me, I had to read sections twice to fully grasp the impact of them.
Crank is also part of a series. It's the first book. The other books in the series follow what happened after the events set in motion. It is considered a work of fiction even though it is loosely based on Hopkins' experiences with her daughter.
I recommend Crank for 11th and 12th grade, and beyond. Younger than that and I think it might be a little difficult. I do think that even with the hard material, everyone should read it. Don't shy away.
~Meaghan
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