Hey, I'd love to know how your books were . . . since we never got around to actually meeting!
Leave a comment on this blog, if you can grab a minute. (Mary & I already did ours.)
- Jeanne - The Great Expectations School by Dan Brown
- Kristie O - Educating Esme by Esmé Raji Codell
- Sarah B - "I Heard You Paint Houses": Frank "the Irishman" Sheeran and Closing the Case on Jimmy Hoffa" by Charles Brandt
- Sheryl - Send Yourself Roses by Kathleen Turner
- Lupe - Home: A Memoir of my Early Years by Julie Andrews
- Christie - Beautiful Boy: a Father's Journey Through his Son's Meth Addiction by David Sheff
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Wicked History of the World: History with the Nasty Bits Left in
by Terry Deary and Martin Brown
CMSW, hardcover, 98 pages
Reading this actually depressed me. There are plenty of "nasty bits" throughout human history. There was a good message at the very end - that kids can learn from history and not do some of the terrible things that humans have done to one another throughout the years - but I wonder how many kids will read to the end of this book!
My least favorite part was the mocking tone toward God and the Bible throughout the book. Granted, items like the Crusades are ripe for ripping open in this type of book, but I hate to see the Lord maligned.
The illustrations are cartoonish yet also horrible, with lots of blood and gore. I thought that it would be a somewhat "fun" book when I bought it, but it really just saddened me. It was informative and a fairly easy read, but not a positive one.
CMSW, hardcover, 98 pages
Reading this actually depressed me. There are plenty of "nasty bits" throughout human history. There was a good message at the very end - that kids can learn from history and not do some of the terrible things that humans have done to one another throughout the years - but I wonder how many kids will read to the end of this book!
My least favorite part was the mocking tone toward God and the Bible throughout the book. Granted, items like the Crusades are ripe for ripping open in this type of book, but I hate to see the Lord maligned.
The illustrations are cartoonish yet also horrible, with lots of blood and gore. I thought that it would be a somewhat "fun" book when I bought it, but it really just saddened me. It was informative and a fairly easy read, but not a positive one.
Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope
by Jenna Bush
Carver County, CD, 3 hours, read by the author
The story was heart-rending. It took a while to get to the "hope" part (from the title). The author's voice was irritating!!! She should have hired a professional. Her pronunciations were atrocious - "impordant" was a frequent one. It amused me that she had over 100 chapters for what was probably 250 pages of material.
Ana is a very young woman who was HIV+ from birth. Her mother and father died young, she was abused and lived in a number of houses, and she became a mother at age 16. What a sad story! But there were some very positive messages about health and family and AIDS education.
Carver County, CD, 3 hours, read by the author
The story was heart-rending. It took a while to get to the "hope" part (from the title). The author's voice was irritating!!! She should have hired a professional. Her pronunciations were atrocious - "impordant" was a frequent one. It amused me that she had over 100 chapters for what was probably 250 pages of material.
Ana is a very young woman who was HIV+ from birth. Her mother and father died young, she was abused and lived in a number of houses, and she became a mother at age 16. What a sad story! But there were some very positive messages about health and family and AIDS education.
Dear Miss Breed
by Joanne Oppenheim
CMSW, hard cover, 271 pages
I didn't finish this book, because I'm just running out of time. I was a little disappointed that there was such an imbalance between the actual letters that children wrote and the historical research that the author had done. My favorite parts were the children's own voices. Subtitled "True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration during World War II and a Librarian who Made a Difference," this book documents the appalling treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It makes me so sad that this could have happened in my country within the past 70 years! I would love to finish readin this book when I have more time. Clara Breed was an exceptional woman to make such a huge difference in so many people's lives.
(I'm on page 87.)
CMSW, hard cover, 271 pages
I didn't finish this book, because I'm just running out of time. I was a little disappointed that there was such an imbalance between the actual letters that children wrote and the historical research that the author had done. My favorite parts were the children's own voices. Subtitled "True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration during World War II and a Librarian who Made a Difference," this book documents the appalling treatment of Japanese Americans during WWII. It makes me so sad that this could have happened in my country within the past 70 years! I would love to finish readin this book when I have more time. Clara Breed was an exceptional woman to make such a huge difference in so many people's lives.
(I'm on page 87.)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Comfort & Joy
by Kristin Hannah
CD, Hennepin County Library, 6 hours
Read by Sandra Burr
This book honestly surprised me. For a while it seemed like a fairly typical romance . . . but a little lame. (Self-absorbed main character, pondering her life and traumas a bit too much.) But then there was a plot twist that had me really caring about what happened and wondering how it would all end.
In the end, a sweet story. I liked it. But it isn't one I'd necessarily recommend to others . . .
CD, Hennepin County Library, 6 hours
Read by Sandra Burr
This book honestly surprised me. For a while it seemed like a fairly typical romance . . . but a little lame. (Self-absorbed main character, pondering her life and traumas a bit too much.) But then there was a plot twist that had me really caring about what happened and wondering how it would all end.
In the end, a sweet story. I liked it. But it isn't one I'd necessarily recommend to others . . .
Caught in the Middle: Nonstandard Kids and a Killing Curriculum
by Susan Ohanian
paperback, New Prague Middle School, 195 pages
This was a very read-able book! As she shares stories from her experience teaching remedial reading and writing in New York, Ohanian points out the frustrations of trying to make kids who are severly below grade level reach "high academic standards." Sometimes she is radical and anti-establishment to an extreme, but it's easy to see where her frustrations are coming from. The kids she works with need something different than the same-old style of education. She is very willing to teach differently and think differently about kids and their educational needs. I enjoyed this book, but wished that she offered more in the way of "here's what works" ideas. (Though she sensibly points out that there is no silver bullet that will help all kids.)
paperback, New Prague Middle School, 195 pages
This was a very read-able book! As she shares stories from her experience teaching remedial reading and writing in New York, Ohanian points out the frustrations of trying to make kids who are severly below grade level reach "high academic standards." Sometimes she is radical and anti-establishment to an extreme, but it's easy to see where her frustrations are coming from. The kids she works with need something different than the same-old style of education. She is very willing to teach differently and think differently about kids and their educational needs. I enjoyed this book, but wished that she offered more in the way of "here's what works" ideas. (Though she sensibly points out that there is no silver bullet that will help all kids.)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Mary V's biography - Still Life With Rice
To the phantom media specialist…
I went to the conference room – cupcakes but no people. I went to the media center – lots of books but no people. I looked high and low and found book club members hard at work in their rooms but the phantom media specialist remained elusive. I went back to the conference room. No cupcakes, no books, no people – just a lonely empty table. Sometimes meetings are like that.
The good news is – I read a book that is not professional literature! The title is Still Life With Rice. It is a biography/memoire written by Helie Lee (Scribner 1996, 320 pages). She has written the life story of her Korean grandmother. I love the book because of the amazing story it holds. It is a story of a common woman in common times who lived an extraordinary life. However, if her granddaughter had not written this story no one would have ever known Hongyong-yah. On the surface her story is reminiscent of the novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan but it doesn’t dwell as tediously with minutia and although there is hardship and tragedy, Hongyog-yah takes life with her instead of life taking her. She is an amazing woman with an amazing family who survived war and political persecution and lived life. She is not anyone famous or politically important – just valuable and fascinating. It is a marvelous story. It is well written and a great read.
Mary Verbick
I went to the conference room – cupcakes but no people. I went to the media center – lots of books but no people. I looked high and low and found book club members hard at work in their rooms but the phantom media specialist remained elusive. I went back to the conference room. No cupcakes, no books, no people – just a lonely empty table. Sometimes meetings are like that.
The good news is – I read a book that is not professional literature! The title is Still Life With Rice. It is a biography/memoire written by Helie Lee (Scribner 1996, 320 pages). She has written the life story of her Korean grandmother. I love the book because of the amazing story it holds. It is a story of a common woman in common times who lived an extraordinary life. However, if her granddaughter had not written this story no one would have ever known Hongyong-yah. On the surface her story is reminiscent of the novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan but it doesn’t dwell as tediously with minutia and although there is hardship and tragedy, Hongyog-yah takes life with her instead of life taking her. She is an amazing woman with an amazing family who survived war and political persecution and lived life. She is not anyone famous or politically important – just valuable and fascinating. It is a marvelous story. It is well written and a great read.
Mary Verbick
Friday, May 09, 2008
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
by Jeff Kinney
paperback, CMSW, 217 pages
Not quite as funny as the first book, this is a middle-school pleaser! The kids love these wimpy kid books (with illustrations, big print, & lots of white space). This is a funny book, with some genuine observations about middle school and brother relationships.
paperback, CMSW, 217 pages
Not quite as funny as the first book, this is a middle-school pleaser! The kids love these wimpy kid books (with illustrations, big print, & lots of white space). This is a funny book, with some genuine observations about middle school and brother relationships.
The Great Expectations School by Dan Brown
Hennepin County Library
hardcover, 267 pages
Wow. The author graduated from film school and participated in the Teaching Fellows program in NYC. After a crash course and some summer school experience, he received a class of notorious fourth graders in the Bronx. His day-to-day reality horrifies me (both for him and for his students). No wonder it's hard to retain teachers in those schools!
More than classroom horror stories, Brown shares some really cool success stories, some observations about what needs to change, and some real insight into disparities in education. (The following year, he was hired at a private school to teach visual media.) The contrast is stark!
This is a worthwhile read for educators. It sure made me appreciate my teaching community even more!
hardcover, 267 pages
Wow. The author graduated from film school and participated in the Teaching Fellows program in NYC. After a crash course and some summer school experience, he received a class of notorious fourth graders in the Bronx. His day-to-day reality horrifies me (both for him and for his students). No wonder it's hard to retain teachers in those schools!
More than classroom horror stories, Brown shares some really cool success stories, some observations about what needs to change, and some real insight into disparities in education. (The following year, he was hired at a private school to teach visual media.) The contrast is stark!
This is a worthwhile read for educators. It sure made me appreciate my teaching community even more!
Monday, May 05, 2008
Day of Tears: A Novel in Dialogue
by Julius Lester
hardcover, CMSW, 176 pages
Based on a true account, this book is a painful look at the realities of the slave trade's impact on lives. Emma is a wonderful girl who has helped raise Frances and Sarah Butler ever since their mother left. Mr. Butler's gambling debts take a toll on everyone, especially when he agrees to sell slaves he had promisted to never sell.
Told from multiple perspectives, this would be an ideal discussion book. It is a challenging read (due to content) and has a lot of pain told out in people's own words.
One of the MHL nominees for 2008-09.
hardcover, CMSW, 176 pages
Based on a true account, this book is a painful look at the realities of the slave trade's impact on lives. Emma is a wonderful girl who has helped raise Frances and Sarah Butler ever since their mother left. Mr. Butler's gambling debts take a toll on everyone, especially when he agrees to sell slaves he had promisted to never sell.
Told from multiple perspectives, this would be an ideal discussion book. It is a challenging read (due to content) and has a lot of pain told out in people's own words.
One of the MHL nominees for 2008-09.
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