Reading in Review: January 2013
New Year's Resolution? I'm actually gonna do twelve of these, on time this year. Geez, last year was pathetic. Anyway, onto the books I read this month!
1. Snow by Tracy Lynn
2.* Girl, Stolen by April Henry
3.* Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
4.* Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell
5.* After Eli by Rebecca Rupp
6. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
7.* A Friendship for Today by Patricia C McKissack
8.* Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe
9.* Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
10. * We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
11.* Remember Little Rock by Paul Robert Walker
12.* Return to Me by Justina Chen
13.* Remember Me As You By by L. King Perez
14.* Fire From the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
15.* Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Looking at my list for each month, you can usually tell the following: what fairy tale is featured in the fairy tale review blog, and what project I'm working on for the library! Is it bad to say that, even though I read 15 books this month, I miss reading for fun? Of those 15 titles, only three weren't read for a project. But onto my thoughts!
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Yay, read for fun! And what a book I picked -- this is the tale of a blind girl who gets accidentally kidnaped when her car is stolen with her asleep in the backseat! Because she also has pneumonia! Yeah, yeah, why am I reading a book like that, right? Actually, it was really interesting, and a fascinating perspective of living with blindness and the challenges associated therein that seeing folk never really consider. I also liked the way Henry kind of turned expectations on their ear with her characters and how they related to one another. It was a good read.
Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
Fairy Tale Reviews, and you can read my full opinion elsewhere, but basically, this was Snow White set in early 20th century Appalachia, and it was a fascinating take on the story. It suffered from the pacing issues that Jane Yolen's YA novels always seem to suffer from, but it adapted the story in a fascinating way.
* Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell
Another book read for fun, and this one actually made me want to pick up and read Tarzan, which has never been an inclination before. This book was recommended to me by one of my library colleagues, and it was wonderful. I absolutely adored it and the way it painted this story in so scientific a light. This is Jane telling her side of things, her tale of an expedition to Africa to find the missing evolutionary link, and this is a Jane who is so out of place in England. She is so scientifically minded that she classes with "society" and isn't ladylike in the slightest, and I love it. I highly recommend this one. The framing narrative, too, is wonderful, and this was supported and accepted by the Burroughs estate as an approved sequel to the original.
* After Eli by Rebecca Rupp
The last for fun read of the month, this time the story of a family, specifically a young boy, having to deal with the death of an older brother in Afghanistan. I know, I know, my "for fun" reads are all super depressing. But this one, again, was very well done. I love that summer love in this novel was truly summer love, not intended to be a forever story, I love how they showed the different ways that these family members dealt with the grief of the death, and I loved how this turned into a coming of age story about acceptance of yourself and of others.
* A Friendship for Today by Patricia C McKissack
So, we're discussing Ruby Bridges's autobiography in February, so I've been doing a lot of reading about the Civil Rights Movement and the desegregation of American schools in order to compile a book list. I've read so many novels about Brown vs Board of Ed and the integration movement that followed that I am getting them confused with each other, but here goes. This told the story of a young black girl chosen to integrate her junior high. She was supposed to do so with her best friend, but he came down with polio and missed the whole year of school, so she had to struggle alone. She ends up befriending a white girl who is also bullied because her family is poor "white trash," and I appreciate how the friendship is painted as a real struggle, not easy to fall into. Though I've read enough about the Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges to know that this wrapped things up a bit too neatly in the end, it was a pretty good showing all the same.
* Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe
This was a non-fiction graphic novel about the Little Rock Nine and their struggles. Non-fiction graphic novels are apparently becoming a thing, trying to make nonfiction more exciting and inviting for young readers, and I think it could work. This offering was a bit simplistic, perhaps, but it did present a good introduction to the story. My only concern is that the format might make it a little too easy to forget that these are real people who really faced this.
* Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
Fairy Tale Reviews. This was the story of Disney's Evil Queen, and I really enjoyed it. The author created a rich and fascinating backstory for this character we all think we know. I recommend picking this one up.
* We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
Nonfiction. Graphic and eye-opening nonfiction about the involvement of children in the Civil Rights' Movement, especially in Birmingham. This book makes it very clear that if it hadn't been for the children and high school students in that city, the Civil Rights Movement might not have taken hold as firmly and effectively as it did. This provides great background to what gets taught in history classes. It's a fantastic supplement.
* Remember Little Rock by Paul Robert Walker
One of many nonfiction books on the Little Rock Nine that I read this month. This one was the longest (aimed at children) and the best, presenting both sides of the issue and really highlighted the struggle of these nine students, even after they'd managed to get inside the school.
* Return to Me by Justina Chen
Teen Lit Rocks book of the month. I really enjoyed this one. I love how realistically complex this novel is. No one is who they first appear to be. No one is as simple as other might want them to be. There is nothing black and white about the people or the situations presented here in this novel, and that is a powerfully important message. This book communicates so effortlessly that people need to be imagine complexly, that being passionate about what you do with your life should be one of your most important goals, that platonic relationships are more important than romantic ones, that no painful situation comes without blessings. I thought this book was incredibly well done, in storytelling, in characterization, in presenting important messages without being heavy-handed. There is a lot to take away from this book, and I wish someone had been able to hand it to me when I was in high school, because I really think it would have helped, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the other contributors thought of it.
* Remember Me As You By by L. King Perez
Probably the weakest of the desegregation novels I read this month. The characters were poorly drawn and flat and I kept forgetting that my narrator was white, which really isn't something that should be a problem in a desegregation novel. The tense was also strange, an awkward present tense that didn't work because it didn't function as present tense should. I just didn't enjoy this one, and it didn't offer anything that some other desegregation novel hasn't offered better.
* Fire From the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
A really interesting perspective of Little Rock in this one, from one of the girls who was on the initial list of 17, but pulled her name off the list before the year started, so wasn't one of the nine. I loved the perspective of what these students went through for even considering to try and attend the white high school, and how so many deemed that pressure and danger to simply be too much.
* Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
The story of a cripplingly shy white girl who befriends a new girl at school, only to find later that the girl was actually black trying to pass as white. This looks at the year that followed 1957 in Little Rock, the year that doesn't get talked about very often, the year in which all the Little Rock high schools were actually shut down rather than remain open to be integrated. I learned a lot more about the process of desegregation from this novel, and it's one of my favorites.
Currently reading:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg (another desegregation novel)
Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood (yet another desegregation novel, the last one, I think)
Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale (Jack and the Beanstalk this month!)
Truly. I'm enjoying the books I'm reading for work and the fairy tale reviews, but I've had Mark of Athena in my possession for a week now, and I haven't cracked the spine yet because I just don't have the time!!
Anyway, I'll be back next month, hell or high water!
1. Snow by Tracy Lynn
2.* Girl, Stolen by April Henry
3.* Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
4.* Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell
5.* After Eli by Rebecca Rupp
6. Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
7.* A Friendship for Today by Patricia C McKissack
8.* Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe
9.* Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
10. * We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
11.* Remember Little Rock by Paul Robert Walker
12.* Return to Me by Justina Chen
13.* Remember Me As You By by L. King Perez
14.* Fire From the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
15.* Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Looking at my list for each month, you can usually tell the following: what fairy tale is featured in the fairy tale review blog, and what project I'm working on for the library! Is it bad to say that, even though I read 15 books this month, I miss reading for fun? Of those 15 titles, only three weren't read for a project. But onto my thoughts!
Girl, Stolen by April Henry
Yay, read for fun! And what a book I picked -- this is the tale of a blind girl who gets accidentally kidnaped when her car is stolen with her asleep in the backseat! Because she also has pneumonia! Yeah, yeah, why am I reading a book like that, right? Actually, it was really interesting, and a fascinating perspective of living with blindness and the challenges associated therein that seeing folk never really consider. I also liked the way Henry kind of turned expectations on their ear with her characters and how they related to one another. It was a good read.
Snow in Summer by Jane Yolen
Fairy Tale Reviews, and you can read my full opinion elsewhere, but basically, this was Snow White set in early 20th century Appalachia, and it was a fascinating take on the story. It suffered from the pacing issues that Jane Yolen's YA novels always seem to suffer from, but it adapted the story in a fascinating way.
* Jane: The Woman Who Loved Tarzan by Robin Maxwell
Another book read for fun, and this one actually made me want to pick up and read Tarzan, which has never been an inclination before. This book was recommended to me by one of my library colleagues, and it was wonderful. I absolutely adored it and the way it painted this story in so scientific a light. This is Jane telling her side of things, her tale of an expedition to Africa to find the missing evolutionary link, and this is a Jane who is so out of place in England. She is so scientifically minded that she classes with "society" and isn't ladylike in the slightest, and I love it. I highly recommend this one. The framing narrative, too, is wonderful, and this was supported and accepted by the Burroughs estate as an approved sequel to the original.
* After Eli by Rebecca Rupp
The last for fun read of the month, this time the story of a family, specifically a young boy, having to deal with the death of an older brother in Afghanistan. I know, I know, my "for fun" reads are all super depressing. But this one, again, was very well done. I love that summer love in this novel was truly summer love, not intended to be a forever story, I love how they showed the different ways that these family members dealt with the grief of the death, and I loved how this turned into a coming of age story about acceptance of yourself and of others.
* A Friendship for Today by Patricia C McKissack
So, we're discussing Ruby Bridges's autobiography in February, so I've been doing a lot of reading about the Civil Rights Movement and the desegregation of American schools in order to compile a book list. I've read so many novels about Brown vs Board of Ed and the integration movement that followed that I am getting them confused with each other, but here goes. This told the story of a young black girl chosen to integrate her junior high. She was supposed to do so with her best friend, but he came down with polio and missed the whole year of school, so she had to struggle alone. She ends up befriending a white girl who is also bullied because her family is poor "white trash," and I appreciate how the friendship is painted as a real struggle, not easy to fall into. Though I've read enough about the Little Rock Nine and Ruby Bridges to know that this wrapped things up a bit too neatly in the end, it was a pretty good showing all the same.
* Little Rock Nine by Marshall Poe
This was a non-fiction graphic novel about the Little Rock Nine and their struggles. Non-fiction graphic novels are apparently becoming a thing, trying to make nonfiction more exciting and inviting for young readers, and I think it could work. This offering was a bit simplistic, perhaps, but it did present a good introduction to the story. My only concern is that the format might make it a little too easy to forget that these are real people who really faced this.
* Fairest of All by Serena Valentino
Fairy Tale Reviews. This was the story of Disney's Evil Queen, and I really enjoyed it. The author created a rich and fascinating backstory for this character we all think we know. I recommend picking this one up.
* We’ve Got a Job: The 1963 Birmingham Children’s March by Cynthia Levinson
Nonfiction. Graphic and eye-opening nonfiction about the involvement of children in the Civil Rights' Movement, especially in Birmingham. This book makes it very clear that if it hadn't been for the children and high school students in that city, the Civil Rights Movement might not have taken hold as firmly and effectively as it did. This provides great background to what gets taught in history classes. It's a fantastic supplement.
* Remember Little Rock by Paul Robert Walker
One of many nonfiction books on the Little Rock Nine that I read this month. This one was the longest (aimed at children) and the best, presenting both sides of the issue and really highlighted the struggle of these nine students, even after they'd managed to get inside the school.
* Return to Me by Justina Chen
Teen Lit Rocks book of the month. I really enjoyed this one. I love how realistically complex this novel is. No one is who they first appear to be. No one is as simple as other might want them to be. There is nothing black and white about the people or the situations presented here in this novel, and that is a powerfully important message. This book communicates so effortlessly that people need to be imagine complexly, that being passionate about what you do with your life should be one of your most important goals, that platonic relationships are more important than romantic ones, that no painful situation comes without blessings. I thought this book was incredibly well done, in storytelling, in characterization, in presenting important messages without being heavy-handed. There is a lot to take away from this book, and I wish someone had been able to hand it to me when I was in high school, because I really think it would have helped, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the other contributors thought of it.
* Remember Me As You By by L. King Perez
Probably the weakest of the desegregation novels I read this month. The characters were poorly drawn and flat and I kept forgetting that my narrator was white, which really isn't something that should be a problem in a desegregation novel. The tense was also strange, an awkward present tense that didn't work because it didn't function as present tense should. I just didn't enjoy this one, and it didn't offer anything that some other desegregation novel hasn't offered better.
* Fire From the Rock by Sharon M. Draper
A really interesting perspective of Little Rock in this one, from one of the girls who was on the initial list of 17, but pulled her name off the list before the year started, so wasn't one of the nine. I loved the perspective of what these students went through for even considering to try and attend the white high school, and how so many deemed that pressure and danger to simply be too much.
* Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
The story of a cripplingly shy white girl who befriends a new girl at school, only to find later that the girl was actually black trying to pass as white. This looks at the year that followed 1957 in Little Rock, the year that doesn't get talked about very often, the year in which all the Little Rock high schools were actually shut down rather than remain open to be integrated. I learned a lot more about the process of desegregation from this novel, and it's one of my favorites.
Currently reading:
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling
A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg (another desegregation novel)
Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood (yet another desegregation novel, the last one, I think)
Calamity Jack by Shannon and Dean Hale (Jack and the Beanstalk this month!)
Truly. I'm enjoying the books I'm reading for work and the fairy tale reviews, but I've had Mark of Athena in my possession for a week now, and I haven't cracked the spine yet because I just don't have the time!!
Anyway, I'll be back next month, hell or high water!