Module 3

I realized that my post for Module 3 disappear so I am doing one now.

Postcards from No Man's Land by Aidan Chambers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


POSTCARDS FROM NO MAN'S LAND is a beautifully written story. The book opening was different and I thought I might not like it but as I continued to read I fell in love with the story. This novel is beautifully written and it made me want more. I can see why it was given the Printz Award and a few other awards. I think teens can relate to this book in the different things the main character is going through. It is very emotional and it makes you laugh, teens go through many emotions just like the character in this book does. He falls in love while he is traveling but not just with one person. He learns things about himself and understands things that he didn't before. He finds out things about his grandfather that he never knew, some good, some not so good, but it helps him learn about him because he never met his grandfather.

The main character, Jacob, travels to Holland to visit his grandfather's grave. He learns a lot about his family while he is there and falls in love with the Dutch culture. The language isn't bad but there is a lot about sex, which can be seen in many teenage novels these days. I think this won the award because of the richness of the story and how much the character learns about life and life around him as he becomes an adult.



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Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One novel that I read MOCKINGBIRD by Katherine Erskine I thought was really beautiful. It is about a girl with Asperger's who looses her brother and how her and her father cope. This novel could become a classic. It is a beautifully written novel and I think it can teach people a lot about people with Asperger's. It was a struggle to read at times because it was sad, but it shows how loving some people can be. Also it has a lot to do with bullying and how bad it can be. I think it proves that even though people with Asperger's are different that doesn't mean that they aren't wonderful people. The young girl in the story doesn't always understand everything that is going on around her but she tries to help in anyway possible. In the end she helps not only herself figure out a way to move on with her life still living with her brothers memory but also helps her father.



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Module 15

The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book and series is really great. I really enjoyed the characters and the feeling of traveling to another world. I loved how he changed the spelling of her name to Alyss. I think fantasy series in young adult has become a lot more popular. Fantasy is a place where teens go in their imagination and if its a series and they really like there are more books for them to read. This can be a great way to help teens get more into reading by introducing them to series books. Alyss uses her power of imagination to make things happen but when she is lost in London and far away from the Heart Crystal her powers start to fade. When she finally does return to Wonderland she realizes how much simpler her life was in London. I think its really true. Having to be Queen and deal with everything on a regular basis and not really get a rest from it would be hard. In London she got to live a life without her imagination and without everyone relying on her. As the reader we do realize though that Wonderland is where she is supposed to be. I really liked how Beddor brought in Lewis Carroll to the story and the Alice in Wonderland story that was really unusual and different and it really gets you seeing how different the two stories really are. He makes it seem like Carroll mocks Alyss and just thinks it is a big made up story in her head. I think teens would like this novel because it is a different version of a story they probably heard or read in their younger years. Its a new twist on Alice in Wonderland and its really good.



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Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This second book in the series was harder to get through than the first. I felt like there was a lot going on, maybe too much in the beginning. As it progressed through the end I got more into and really wanted to know what was going to happen. I think the cover of this novel is a great version of Redd. I like how Beddor changed everything to be more out there and more grown up, more modern. These books are definitely for teens and adults to read, as they will understand it better. I did like that Hatter has feelings in this book and we get to see the woman he loves and his daughter that he didn't know about until recently. Hatter always seems so strange in the other books and movies and we don't really understand him. I think Beddor did a good job of giving Hatter a prominent character. I also think the most recent version (Tim Burton's) of Alice in Wonderland is actually similar to these books. It makes me think that maybe the producer had read these books too when making that movie. I picture things like the forest and the Pool of tears like things in that movie. It is interesting to see how alike all of the versions are but also so different, especially when comparing them to the books. I would love to see this series made into movies, but they would have to do it well to live up to the imaginative representation.



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ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


By this point in the series I wanted to know if Alyss was going to win back Wonderland and that everything would end happily. Nothing happened as I thought it would but what ever happens the way we think it will, especially in a magical place like Wonderland. I knew from the beginning of the first book that King Arch was bad news, the second proved me more right and this one did the same. I was glad to find him overthrown and gone at the end. Sorry if that is giving things away. This is a series I would recommend to people of all ages, any Alice in Wonderland fans definitely. This version with Alyss was thrilling and really hard to put down. The world that Beddor creates is perfectly pictured in my mind and still has a hold of me. I have actually been dreaming about being there. I am glad I was able to get all of the series and read it together because I really wanted to know what was going to happen in the end. It can be hard to have to wait for the next book in the series and then sometimes if can be a disappointment. But this trilogy was well written and a great series that I will be recommending for ages to come.



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Module 14

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon Hale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


RAPUNZEL'S REVENGE is one I think both teens and juvenile would like. It is a whole different tale of Rapunzel and its a fun one. Rapunzel has to go out and fight for what is rightfully hers and finds things about herself along the way. The graphics are really great and I love how Rapunzel uses her hair as a weapon. I was recommended this graphic novel by a bunch of different people and in different classes with different graphic novel options it has gotten great reviews so I figured I should read it. I liked it. I am not a huge graphic novel fan but there are some out there that I think are good and appropriate for specific age groups. It can be hard working in a library if a parent disagrees with their child checking out graphic novels because the parent thinks they are inappropriate. Sometimes graphic novels can be a great help to students who struggle with reading.
Graphic novels should be given a chance.



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Middle School Is Worse Than Meatloaf: A Year Told Through Stuff by Jennifer L. Holm

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


MIDDLE SCHOOL IS WORSE THAN MEATLOAF is funny and witty and it is more of lists and notes and a compilation of things that Ginny the girl in middle school writes on or uses throughout the year. Like every so many pages there is her bank statement for the month telling how much she put in and took out, it pretty much evens back out every month. But I found it is a really fun book. It is in the juvenile section at our library and I think that many can relate to it with things happening in school or other things in their lives. It is a great book for students in middle school or around that age group to read. It is enjoyable but not too hard so students can feel a sense of accomplishment if they aren't big readers after having finished this book.



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Module 13

Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A book I read this week was SISTER WIFE by Shelley Hrdlitschka. This book was a quick read and at parts was hard to get through. I found that through one of the characters eyes Celeste that the religion of the commune that they live in is portrayed very negatively. She is having impure thoughts about a boy her age but in the community she lives in the girls at age 15 are given to a man much older than they are and become a sister wife. But Celeste doesn't want to have anything to do with that. She views the religion and the followings of the community very negatively and doesn't want to become a sister wife. I found this book to be really interesting. I could never live in a community where I had to share my husband or I didn't get to chose to marry for love. I know that arranged marriages do workout in some cultures but I didn't grow up that way I don't think I could live that way. I really liked the ending of this book and some of the things that happened along the way were unexpected but good.



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The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



During class this week we are talking about religions and different conflicts that parents and teens have when it comes to religions. Another book I read was THE PATRON SAINT OF BUTTERFLIES by Cecilia Galante. This was a very interesting but good book. I found it hard to put down because I wanted to know what was going to happen. From the very beginning I thought that Emmanuel was to good to be true and I knew something else was going to be happening. Two girls who are more like sisters live in a commune where one man Emmanuel is supposed to be the leader or the one God speaks through. But things are going on behind closed doors that no one knows about. Agnes wants nothing more than to be a saint and listens to everything Emmanuel says but Honey is different and doesn't feel that she fits there and acts out against Emmanuel and suffers the consequences. Agnes's grandmother comes to visit and finds out what is going on and takes the girls away. Agnes is in conflict with her grandmother the whole time. They argue about religions and how grandma knows that going back there is a bad idea. Nana Pete knows that Agnes can find her own religion outside of the walls of the commune and encourages her too. This book in some ways was very heart wrenching but overall I really liked it. I don't want to give it away but in the end things are settled as they need to be and Agnes and Nana Pete make peace with their conflict.



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Module 12

Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I read DARK MIRROR by M.J. Putney. I have never been a huge fan of fantasy but I loved this book. This book definitely fits the definitions of fantasy. It has magic, the characters are true to themselves once they reveal and found out that they have magic, and the motivation to learn more about their magic makes sense in the context. I found myself flying through this book, I just had to know what happens next. It is set in 1803 where anyone who is in high society can not let their magic leak or will be sent to Lackland Abbey to learn to control and contain their magic. Tory recuses her nephew after she learns she can fly and is sent to the Abbey. At first she wants nothing more than to learn to control her magic and go home but soon she joins a group of students who embrace their magic. They are embracing their magic in order to help fight the French if they are ever invaded. In the middle of all of this Tory finds Merlin's mirror which can transport her back and forth in time. I won't give anymore away but Tory learns that she loves her magic because magic can help save people and change things. This is only the first book in this series and I really want to read the next. The fantasy that exists in this novel is the magic and magical qualities and the ability to travel through time.



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Geek Fantasy Novel by E. Archer

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This novel was hard to get through. It was funny and fun but I found it kind of out there also. It definitely falls under the category of modern fantasy because it includes fairy tale characters, has magic, and has an alternative universe. The book begins in modern times in New Jersey with a nerdy main character Ralph. His parents forbid him to wish for anything, but he ends up leading his long lost cousins on their wishing quest (which the cousins’ parents have forbidden them from wishing, also). It was a little slow at first, and I didn’t think I was going to like it. At times, the scenes seemed disjointed and irrelevant to the plot, but eventually, it got better as the cousins were swept into the alternate world of their wishes which included faeries and bunny rabbits. It was quite bizarre in places. I found that I liked parts of it but didn't like all of it. Kinda proves why I am not a big fan of fantasy.



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Module 11

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


This week we had to think about what dystopian or post-acopalyptic books make us think about.These books really make you think what if? I also in some of them think how did the author come up with this, because some of it seems way out there. I read DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver and it was good and suspenseful but also kind of out there. I loved Lauren Oliver's other book but this one not so much. The society has found a cure for the "disease" love and has a surgery to fix it. Well somethings happen during the interview for the main character to see if she is ready to have the surgery and there is a delay. I don't want to give away the ending it just didn't end like I thought or wanted it to.

I thought to myself who thinks of love as a disease? I understand where they are coming from in the novel because they talk about how love can lead to people going crazy and killing themselves or others but there is no way to really stop love. Without love what are we really fighting for? We have love for many different things and it normally is something we fight to keep or have. Romeo and Juliet are mentioned a lot in this novel and it all makes sense why in the end. This novel was just a little over the top for me.



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Matched by Ally Condie

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I think the reason these dystopian books are so popular is because it gives us a look into a world that might happen. I think it can be a means of exploring a new world. I agree with the quote and I do think when we read books like these that we think oh my gosh could this really happen.
I read MATCHED by Ally Condie this week and loved it. The second book in the trilogy comes out today and I can't wait to read it! It is a story about a society where they don't have any say in anything. Their food is chosen for them, their clothes, their job, and they are matched with their future mate. Cassia is part of an experiment that she doesn't know about and she has always followed all the rules until now. She becomes a rebel and starts to think for herself and wonder why the society gets to make all the decisions for them.
I loved this novel. I know that if I was in a society like this I would be like Cassia and rebel and wondering why they get to make all the decisions and why we can't make them for ourselves. I think that maybe why these books are appealing to teens also. I don't think we will ever have to deal with societies like this but it is interesting to think "what if?".



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Module 10

Texas Gothic by Rosemary Clement-Moore

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book is awesome! It has a little bit of romance, ghosts, and magic.
I read TEXAS GOTHIC by Rosemary Clement-Moore and it definitely fits the magical realism genre. It has a combination of magical realism, ghosts, and a little bit of fantasy. I think this book could be classified as more of a blended genre. When I first started reading it I forgot what section it was under and it didn't make any sense to me how it could be steampunk, then I look at the reading list again and realized it wasn't.
I really think all three can be blended genres. When you have steampunk there can be a lot of history or historical fiction blended in, and maybe a little bit of magic too. Magical realism is more magical qualities and like in TEXAS GOTHIC actual magic, like witches and spells and then ghosts. Urban fantasy can be a little harder to describe is normally fantasy with an urban setting. All three genres are intriguing and are becoming more and more developed but it can be hard when some of these novels have more than one element on where to classify them. The only other main term that could be added when describing these types of books is historical, because most of the time there is either a historical setting or history being dug up and involved with the story.
So far in reading TEXAS GOTHIC it has been mainly magical realism with a little mix of urban fantasy. I am really enjoying it though and have found it really hard to put down.



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Corsets & Clockwork: 13 Steampunk Romances by Trisha Telep

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


CORSETS & CLOCKWORK is an anthology of Steampunk romances. I have to say that I did not like all of them. Some of them were really good and others were just really different. I am not a big fan of steampunk myself, but I would recommend it to teens. I would also recommend this book. It is well written and has great characters and is a good look at the steampunk genre. I think teens would appeal to it because it is different and has historical references. I think it is also just a good read for teens because it is a collection of short stories and now every teen wants a huge book to read. Steampunk is a fun and different genre but I know many teens who have asked for it and said that they like it.
I don't find myself drawn to steampunk but that doesn't mean it isn't any good.



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