Can You Keep a Secret?

by Sophie Kinsella
Carver County Library, audioCD, 6 hours
Read by ??? (the author?)

I probably shouldn't have listened to the whole thing, but there were parts of it I really liked.

Disliked: the F-word, the casual attitude toward sex, religion, morals, etc.
Liked: Jack's romantic side, some of the humorous situations, her cousin getting a comeupance

Rules

by Cynthia Lord
PRMS paperback 200 pages

I'm glad I finally read this! I like the story of Catherine and her struggle to have a "normal" life, though her brother David has autism and affects her daily existence. Funny, sweet, and touching, this book centers on Catherine's desire to have a friend over the summer while her best friend is staying with her father in California. Between Kristi, Jason, Ryan, and her own family, Catherine is caught between doing what she wants and doing what's right.

Added 2/21/13 (initial post of 11/29/09)
I re-read it to prepare for the 7th grade book club discussion. It's such a lovely little book. Catherine is a bit young to be so agitated by her brother's challenging behavior, but her friendship with Jason truly brings out the best in her (ultimately). Kristi is the new neighbor Catherine hopes to befriend. Ryan is the mean neighbor boy who clearly likes Kristi. Jason is in a wheelchair and cannot talk. His book of words (to point to) becomes a crucial part of the story as Catherine uses her artistic talent to make new word cards for him. The author's notes at the end were interesting.

The Traitor's Gate

by Avi
Carver County Library, audioCD, 8.25 hours
Read by John Keating

Very much reminiscent of Dickens (and many of the characters are reading David Copperfield as it is published in the newspaper), The Traitor's Gate follows young John Huffam as his father is put into debtor's prison. John is the only family member with any sense and it's up to him to figure out what is going on.

This would be a good book for any of my bookish students, especially those who enjoy mysteries, but I don't think it will have broad appeal.

The Titan's Curse

by Rick Riordan
PRMS paperback 312 pages

Book 3 in the Percy Jackson series. Thalia, Annabeth, and Percy rush to help Grover retrieve two half-bloods from a mysterious school. But more and more dangerous monsters are loose and on the attack.

Like: action, mythology woven in, some unexpected turns
Dislike: Nico disappearing without a trace, Bianca's body not being found . . . too many loose ends (so read the next book already!)

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

by Jordan Sonnenblick
PRMS paperback 273 pages

This was a re-read to prep for our 8th grade book club meeting. I still love this book! I cried even harder this time than the first time I read it.

Our discussion yesterday was good. I enjoy this group of young people and liked hearing their perspectives on this story.

Steven is a drummer with a little brother who gets luekemia. Sonnenblick (a teacher) uses a very authentic voice for his protagonist! Wonderfully written, this book is a pleasure.

The Glass Castle

by Jeannette Walls
Chaska H.S. paperback, 288 pages

This is our next school book club title. I finished it with tears streaming down my face. Though Walls makes a point of not blaming her parents, this book made me so sad. It's great that she and her siblings have turned out okay, but their parents were selfish and irresponsible. It saddened me and it will be interesting to have our discussion on this book!

The book is extremely well-written. Her prose is beautiful and evocative.

What It Felt Like

by Henry Allen
PRMS hardcover, 158 pages

When I saw this in the colletion, I was curious. I'm not much of a history buff, but this stream-of-consciousness book interested me. Some of the references went right over my head, but many made sense. It definitely gave me the sense of each era (American decades from 1900-2000). One thing that struck me was the 1920s being such a jaded, lawless time. At times, it seems as though the modern era invented apathy and evil. Of course, that simply isn't true. I was eager to get to the decades I've lived through to see how much the text resonated for me. It was interesting . . . and definitely told through one person's lens.

The Sea of Monsters

by Rick Riordan
PRMS, paperback, 279 pages

Delightful, of course. My students were appalled that I hadn't read past the first Percy Jackson book. In this one, Percy has dreams of Grover in danger. Percy and Annabeth set out with Percy's new "friend" Tyson, who happens to be a young cyclops. Adventure, humor, and relationship lessons happen.

All Fishermen Are Liars

by Linda Greenlaw
Hennepin County Library, audioCD, 6 hours
read by the author

The title caught my attention (for my dad) and I decided to listen to it first. It was enjoyable, though the language was a bit salty for me. I've not read or heard of this author before, but if my dad enjoys the collection of stories (absolutely true, if you can trust fishermen), I may have to look at some of her other work. This story made me even more curious about "The Perfect Storm," which I've heard is an amazing story!

My Heartbeat

by Garret Freymann-Weyr
PRMS, hardcover, 154 pages

A sixth grader returned this, saying she didn't think it was an appropriate book. Noticing the Michael Printz award sticker on the front, I knew that I would have steered her to something else had I been working with her during checkout time. I took it home and read it. It will stay in this collection, but is definitely intended for a more mature reader.

Ellen is a 14-year-old who doesn't socialize well with her peers. Starting in prep school offers her a new chance, but she is most comfortable with her older brother Link (short for Lincoln) and his best friend James. She's long had a crush on James, but knows that he just sees her as "the kid sister." When girls at school make comments on the relationship between Link and James, Ellen starts to see something else entirely. Reading everything she can about homosexuality, she sees her brother war with himself and eventually reject James.

For the most part, I thought this was a sensitive and well-written story. Ellen's thoughts and feelings are genuinely curious and loving. Her parents and their fears are realistic. The family's tendency toward silence and avoidance is believable.

The most frustrating paragraph clearly telegraphs the author's opinion:
"Now it's not a big deal. There's AIDS to worry about or getting attacked by a redneck, but that's about it. Only people who don't know better still think it's shameful or wrong to be gay, but not people we know. Not smart people."

Wow. Although this is the *character's* statement, I would say it quite likely reflects the author's perspective on homosexuality. So all devout Christians, muslims, Jews,etc. must be rednecks or non-smart people. That's a pretty big statement.

The Diamond of Darkhold

by Jeanne DuPrau
PRMS hardcover 285 pages

For the most part, I really enjoyed this fourth installment in the Ember series. Doon and Lina head off to Ember to see if they can get at any supplies that will help them stave off starvation in Sparks. Adventure, danger, mystery - there's a little of everything.

I'm baffled by the ending, though. Other than the requisite happy-ever-after, the author's tie-in to Yonwood left me confused. It doesn't help that book three felt like a disconnected pre-prequel to me. I should go online and play detective. Or maybe I'll ask kids who've read it what they think the ending was about. The connection feels tenuous to me, but I'm glad that Doon's and Lina's story resolved.

Skeleton Creek: Ryan's Journal

by Patrick Carman
JES, hard cover, 186 pages

Mystery. Suspense. The book is a teenage boy's journal about the mysterious happenings at the Dredge (#42 asset). I chose to just read the book without going online and watching the related videos. I think I'm missing too much from the Sarah half of the story. If/when I have time, I'll go to www.sarahfincher.com
Here are the passwords in order:
houseofusher
theraven
pitandpendulum
amontillado
drjekyllandmrhyde
peterquint
lucywestenra
miltonarbogast
tanginabarrons

I can see why the multimedia approach appeals to kids. The story was interesting, with clues about gold, alchemy, etc. leaking out. But it didn't feel complete at all. Good to know that in terms of booktalking it.

Canoeing with the Cree

by Eric Sevareid
Hennepin County Library, audioCD, 3 hrs 45 min.
read by John Farrell

In 1930, the author and his friend Walter Port convinced the Minneapolis Star to finance a canoe trip from Minneapolis to the Hudson Bay. The boys were newly graduated from high school and full of enthusiasm. What an adventure!

My dad really enjoyed this story, so I decided to listen to it, too. As I was in the car listening, I wanted to see a map and trace their journey. They persevered through things that would have deterred most people. What an amazing story! It's definitely a product of its time, though, with references to "half-breeds" and other derogatory terms for the Cree Indians.

All in all, though, a cool story. I love that they were successful despite so many people telling them they'd never make it.

Who Killed My Daughter?

by Lois Duncan
PRMS paperback 354 pages

Lois Duncan's daughter was shot in the head in 1989 while driving from a friend's house. This book is the story of a mother's odyssey to uncover the truth.

Most of us in book club did not like it, primarily because of her reliance on psychic readings (and the grammatical oddness of reading their reports). Some of us took issue with the contrast between her stated perspective of being over-protective and her permissiveness with Kaitlyn (e.g. letting her move out and live with her boyfriend at age 18).

All of us empathized with a parent's pain. Many were frustrated with a lack of conclusion (since no one has been charged with the murder).

Most of us wondered how this ended up on the 7th grade LA reading list, even as a lit circle option. . .

There is so much more interesting info on the case available on the websites that follow:
If you’re curious to read more current info, check this out: http://www.johncooke.com/kait.htm
And if you really want to know more, go to ,http://kaitarquette.arquettes.com/index.htm

Beautiful Windows: The Ultimate Window Treatment Book

Dakota County Library, paperback
747.5 Beaut

Great photos and instructions. I used this book for making Roman shades for the lake.

Luke's Story

by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
in the Jesus Chronicles series
Dakota County Library, hardcover, 391 pages

A fictionalized account of Luke (Loukon) as he grows from a slave boy to the doctor known in Scripture. Interesting, but not gripping. If I had realized that the entire gospel of Luke and the book of Acts was in the book, I wouldn't have felt a need to keep running to find my Bible and compare the story to what's written in Scripture.

I suppose it's a way for the gospel to be "brought to life" for secular readers, but I guess I prefer to read the Bible itself and pick up novels for fiction reading. Just my opinion. I think Charles Martin remains my favorite Christian author of all time.