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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