Crazy Lady (180 Pages)

I recently came across this book, which I hadn't seen in years.I only have good memories of this book by Jane Leslie Conly. I grew up in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. We lived on a quiet street- well, usually quiet. However, on frequent weekend nights, we could hear an elderly woman leaning out of her bedroom window screaming. Nothing was wrong with her; she just would scream. We called her the crazy lady, and we were terrified to go near her front door. This book is a quick read and appropriate for both boys and girls. Vernon wanted to take part in his high school sports program, but he had failed English the year before. In order to play, he needed to be tutored and take a test. Well, his next door neighbor was a retired English teacher, and he went to her for help. He was honest with her and said he didn't have any money to pay her. Guess who lived next door to this retired teacher? The crazy lady herself! The teacher told Vernon that she would get him through English without being paid if he would work for Maxine Flooter, (the crazy lady). There was no getting around it. That was the deal. When Vernon goes to Maxine's house, he discovers she has a son, Ronald, who is retarded. As Vernon puts in time, he becomes fond of Ronald, who appears to adore Vernon. One day, Vernon finds out that Ronald can not participate in the Special Olympics, because he doesn't own any sneakers. Vernon gets his friends together and they decide to hold a neighborhood fair to raise money for Vernon. What happens after this is bitter-sweet, and worth discussion. Kids will love this novel.

Lie (207 Pages)

Caroline Bock is a new author to me. I was sent this book as a gift from the author. I read it, and I like it for a number of reasons. Lie is a short book written from 10 different points of view. All of the characters whose point of view is offered are part of each other's life. A group of Long Island high school students have decided to go beaner hopping. This expression is their own and it means they are looking for some Mexicans to taunt. One of the boys is Jimmy, and Skyler is in love with him. Jimmy is a natural leader, but not always leading in a good sense. Skyler is head over heels in love with him. Skyler's mother had recently died, and Jimmy is there to offer her support. As an adult reader, I must say he seemed like a good kid. He absently would not go beyond kissing and some petting. He acknowledged that Skyler was too emotionally broken, and he refused to take advantage of her.One night, all the kids go out beaner hopping. This time, Jimmy says only he and Sean (Skyler's next door neighbor) are going to go. Skyler secretly follows them and observes taunting get out of hand. It turns out that Jimmy is prejudiced against Mexicans. Now the two boys they "taunt" are not Mexicans. They are brothers, and one of them was born in the U.S.A. The other was sent by his mother from El Salvador to live with her son and her brother. There is so much to talk/write about in this book. Stereotyping, the definition of a lie, being true to yourself, standing up for what is right, when and where to go for help when a group is pressuring you to do something that isn't right....and you know if you don't go along- you'll be black balled. This is a lot for such a small book, but it is one that I believe will resonate with both boys and girls.

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (178 Pages +12)

Nujood Ali wrote this book with the help of Delphine Minoui. Nujood is one gutsy young lady. The book is non fiction and tells the story of how Nujood's father arranged a marriage between her and a much older man. The book is a fast read, yet I believe it is an important read, especially for our protected kids who see life through rose colored glasses. At the end of the book there are about 5 pages explaining some of the words/ actions/things mentioned in the book. There is also a readers' guide of questions at the end. I think students might find it helpful responding to some of these in their reading response notebooks, or at the very least in classroom discussions. At the very end there is a note about the desperate need for help for girls like Nujood. It mentions The Girls World Communication Center (GWCC) and some of the international organizations backing GWCC.

Stay With Me ( 288 Pages)

Paul Griffin should be an author with whom you are familiar. He has written several award winning books, among them, Ten Mile River, and The Orange Houses. Stay With Me will be enjoyed by both boys and girls. It is a love story and a story about Cece is a straight A student, who works as a waitress in a successful restaurant. One day in walks Mack, an attractive, young man who is a high school dropout. Bam! the two are drawn to one another. Walking home one evening they are approached by a frightening scene of a dog being abused. Mack stops those responsible, and proceeds to bring the dog home to a rooftop hide-away where he is able to nurse the dog back to health. They name the dog Boo, and all is going well until....Mack goes crazy when he returns home late one night after seeing Cece to find Boo dead. He smells his water dish and the smell is anti freeze. He knows that his neighbor has poisoned Boo, and he goes after him in a moment of insane anger. Mack is accused of killing the man, and ends up in jail. There he will spend the rest of his life. However, an officer notices that Mack is able to calm the police dogs down so that they obey him. He gets a prison job training the dogs so that they obey. The plot continues and Mack becomes more and more capable of training dogs. Boys will really love this book, and girls will enjoy it too. It is a heart breaker, but also uplifting, and filled with hope.

You Against Me ( 413 Pages )

Jenny Downham ( author of Before I Die) has written another winner. In this novel she develops two characters from opposite sides of the tracks who meet and fall in love. Neither knows that they will eventually be against each other in a court of law! Mikey's sister has been abused. She has climbed into a shell and does not was to be touched physically, emotionally, or mentally. Ellie's brother has been jailed for sexual assault.However, he says he didn't do it. But Ellie's family has money, and they are able to get him out of jail...at least until the trial. When Mikey sets out with a friend to go to their house, they find the family has thrown a HUGE welcome home party for their son, the golden boy. Although Mikey does not realize it, he meets Ellie and does not discover that it is her brother who assaulted his sister. This is a story about loyalty, family,honor,and most of all, about love. It is a winner.

Bitterblue (539)

Billed as a sequel to Graceling and a companion to Fire, Kristin Cashore has written another wonderful novel that speaks to the reader about loyalty, family, leadership, and asks the reader to question, "What happens when a leader abuses power?" Remember, "absolute power corrupts absolutely!" (I don't know to whom I should credit that quote!) The same characters appear in this novel as in the other two, and because I had become so enthralled with many of them, this became one of those books where I found myself not wanting it to end. I wonder how many of our students could look at people around them and recognize their "grace"? Both boys and girls will enjoy reading this, and although it is not important for them to have read Graceling or Fire, they will want to read both when done with Bitterblue.

Beyond the Five Paragraph Essay

This book should be required reading for any secondary English and/or social studies teacher. It is written by two teachers who know their stuff! Kimberly Hill Campbell and Kristi Latimer have crafted a professional text chuck full of ideas for reading and writing, appendixes of forms and pass-outs for teachers to give to kids, a gazillion secondary book ideas, and more. They stole my quote ( which is quite alright) of "Read like a writer and Write like a reader." An entire chapter is devoted to reading like a writer. But understand, this book is more than just a sermon of anti formulaic writing. It takes this philosophy one step further with specific ideas of how to get your students out of the 5 paragraph mold! Available from Stenhouse, this book needs to be in the hands of everyone who trying to improve student writing!