Mood:  caffeinated

Blume, Judy. Forever. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

Forever by Judy Blume is a book about first love. The main character Katherine comes of age in this first love novel when she falls in love with a boy named Michael. Awkward at first, when attracted to boys Katherine responses with sarcasm as a defense mechanism. From the moment he calls her delicious after their first kiss, she is hooked.  Moments and sexual tensions escalate until Katherine ends up losing her virginity to Michael. As time and the summer progresses, her relationship with Michael that was supposed to last forever is challenged by her attraction to another boy. A death in her family confuses her and her new relationship with Theo. Will first love last?

My thoughts-

Let me begin by saying that this book is on the ALA most frequently challenged book list. This however does not prevent me from placing it in my blog, at least for right now before I link it to my districts page. I have enjoyed this book for years. My first Blume book as a youngster was Are You There God It’s Me Margaret? (Also on the challenged list BTW) Yes this book has sexual content in it, talks about birth control, venereal disease, and unplanned pregnancies but having said that, it is a great read.

Blume takes you through the entire emotional gamut of losing your virginity and holding onto that first experience thinking it will be the best one you have ever or will ever have. Many girls/women can relate to that first sexual experience and even that first visit to the ob/gyn.

Prior to the novel beginning, there is a note from Blume explaining the importance of protecting yourself against AIDS. She goes on to explain how sexual activity was viewed in the seventies as trying to just prevent pregnancy. Now times are much different. She goes as far as to tell readers who are sexually active to take responsibility in protecting themselves against sexually transmitted diseases.

Your thoughts-

How do you feel about banning books?

-Smitty checked out

Posted by smittyg57 at 3:05 PM CST

Updated: Monday, 13 November 2006 3:06 AM CST

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Wolff, Virginia Euwer. Make Lemonade. New York: Henry Holt & Company, 1993.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

Make Lemonade is a novel written in verse format. It consists of 66 chapters spoken to us by one of the main characters LaVaughn. LaVaughn, like her mother, has dreams of going to college to escape her impoverished surroundings. She accepts a job as a babysitter to two children Jilly and Jeremy. The children’s mom, Jolly, is a single mother at the young age of seventeen. LaVaughn is drawn to the children the minute they meet despite the stickiness of hands and gurgling running nose. Even though LaVaughn only takes care oif the kids at night, the four make quite a family. Jolly struggles wither jobs in order to provide for her two children. LaVaughn convinces Jolly to grow up for the betterment of her children and realizes that she may have to let go in order to fulfill her dreams of college.

My thoughts-

The way this novel is written makes it a quick read. AS you read it you can hear the breaks in speech patterns as LaVaughn narrates the stories. It is easy to imagine her accent and even how she looks when you are reading it. Her speech patterns make readers identify easily with her and identify with her struggles.

The struggle of single parenting and lower socio-economic status is what makes this novel so real. As I look out into the high school I am presently working in, I see many LaVaughns wanting that college dream but lacking the money to make that dream a realization. I see many single mothers struggling to juggle school and child rearing. Like Jolly, I see students who have to quit school in order to get a job so they can keep their child. All of these decisions do not come without sacrifice though.

By providing for your children in the present, single teenage mothers and fathers risk their future by dropping out of school. The author, Wolff, addresses these issues carefully. When reading this novel I hope you all take one thing out of it. Don’t be too proud to ask for help.

Plant seeds, like LaVaughn, and wait for them to sprout. It may take a while, especially with Jeremy watching, but keep watering them and see what happens.

Your thoughts-

What makes a family?

-Smitty checked out

Posted by smittyg57 at 1:26 PM CST

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Mood:  d'oh

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1998.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

Our main character, Luke, is ordered to come inside the house by his mother. He knew about the law. The law states that families are only allowed to have two children. Luke was the third child in the family. He has to remain hidden from others as if he does not exist. Third children are not allowed in this futuristic novel written by Margaret Peterson Haddix.

Luke finds out there are other thirds in the new community located in the woods behind his house. He forms a relationship with a third called Jen. Her plan is to rebel against the government.  Luke’s world then seems to explode as he meets an entire network of thirds or shadow children through a secret chat room. Together the friends plan a protest in hopes that they will become known and recognized. But in the end it is this rally or protest that will produce dire consequences for Luke and his new friends.

My thoughts-

I read this book very quickly and loved it. The thought of a futuristic conformist society reminded me of many of the other novels I have read. The first one that came to mind was The Giver by Lois Lowery. Reading it also made me think of China and its parenting population laws.

At the core of this novel is its emphasis on governmental control. Jen’s father is part of the population police but does not turn Jen in. We find out later why he spares his daughter and tolerates her rebellious behavior.

Luke is faced with having to grow up quickly and then decide to do what best for him. He is then given an internal conflict that will stay with him forever. Haddix classically sets the stage for readers to expect a sequel because of Luke wanting to do the right thing.

-Smitty check out 

Posted by smittyg57 at 12:30 AM CST

Updated: Monday, 13 November 2006 12:35 AM CST

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Mood:  sad

Warren, Andrea. Surviving Hitler: a Boy in the Nazi Death Camps. New York: Harper Collins, 2001.

Meat and taters- (aka- Summary)

Andrea Warren writes about Jack Mandelbaum, a twelve year old Jewish boy who lives in 1939 Poland. The story begins with background about Jacks happy childhood in Poland with his loving and large family. Nazis invasions have plagued surrounding countries and now Nazis have invaded Poland. Jacks family is forced to seek refuge in unoccupied territory but alas the war catches up with them. Jacks father is the first to be separated from the unit. Jack is faced with being alone in a concentration camp with no family members. During his incarceration in the camp, Jack keeps himself alive by fighting off illnesses such as typhus and dysentery then only to face narrowly escaping a lethal injection. It is his thoughts of his family that give him the will to survive. As the story progresses, Jack meets prisoner 13863, Moniek. Together they survive their stay in the camp. After liberation day, we find out what has become of Jacks family and what his future entails.

My thoughts-

This has to be one of the most difficult books I have read in some time. It was difficult because of its story. It began by painting a portrait of how Jacks life was growing up with such a loving family. Reading about how he watched the Nazis come down the main road in the town he stayed in brought back the stories my father told me about his experiences with the Nazis regime.

My father’s parents stayed in a concentration camp in the country formerly known as Yugoslavia. My father was forced into labor duty to stay alive.  As I read Jack’s story, I immediately reconnected with the stories my father has told me. My father is eighty, and like Jack and others, does not like to speak a lot of the times back then. The bullet in my fathers leg still reminds him of those days when it aches.

The most memorable comment form the book for me can be found on page 118. After realizing what has become of what is left of his family, he says, “If I had known this when I was in the camps, why would I have struggled so hard to live?”

This story is about, like Jack’s son John said at the end of the book, “ordinary people, like my father, who rose to the challenge in an extraordinary crisis.” I challenge you all to read this. Many teachers and curriculums ask that The Diary of Anne Frank be read. I think this one needs to be read also.

Your thoughts-

Is there anyone in your family with a similar experience?

-Smitty check out

Posted by smittyg57 at 11:29 PM CST

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Mood:  spacey

L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time. New York: Bantam Doubleday, 1962.

Another classic I loved growing up. A Wrinkle in Time is a Newbery Medal Award winner and is considered a fantasy novel.

Meat and Taters- (aka-Summary)

Our main character, Meg, is a teenage girl living at home with her mother and three brothers. Meg’s parents are scientists but her father has disappeared without a trace. Mrs. Whatsit visits Meg and her family informing them that their father is in an alternate dimension in space. Traveling to this dimension Meg, Charles and Calvin encounter evil beings named The Dark Thing and IT on their quest to find and save Mr.Murry before it is too late. Encountering clouds of danger, furry caretaker beasts and a massive brain, the three travelers will have to use the one universal weapon that transcends time and space.

My thoughts-

What initially made me like this book when I was younger was the thought of being able to escape to another dimension. Reading it again as an adult makes me appreciate it in different ways. Seeing Meg grow into a confident teenager as she seeks to find and rescue her father creates a very powerful non-stereotypical character. When reading the book the thoughts of telepathy always intrigued me. L’Engle makes this only possible for the child mind and not the adult. Why is that? I think as adults we loose that innocence and would eventually use that skill to benefit ourselves and not use it solely as a way to communicate.

Your thoughts-

If you were able to use telepathy, how would you use it to communicate? Do you thing people would use this skill for good or evil?

Posted by smittyg57 at 10:54 PM CST

Updated: Sunday, 12 November 2006 2:12 PM CST

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Mood:  sad

Freedman, Russell. Children of the Great Depression. New York: Clarion Books, 2005.

How ironic is it that I call my summary “meat and taters” as I summarize the book Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

Russell Freedman provides readers with a non-fictional look at what it was like to be a child growing up during the Great Depression during the 1930’s.  The first chapter titled “The Sight of My Father Crying,” captures readers immediately to the impact the depression had upon families and especially the children during that time. Freedman gives us these glimpses into their lives through first hand accounts, archival photographs, and diaries as few other books have before. He matches the text and the photographs so well that readers can immediately connect with the passages and making them seem as though the reader was actually listening to the person telling the story. The book explains how everything from child labor, rummaging through city dumps for food, closing of schools, Hooverville’s, and life long consequences such as rickets affected America’s youth thus shaping our nation for the future.

My thoughts-

My parents were not in the United States during the 30’s so everything I learned about the Great Depression I learned in books as most students do. The sacrifice and hardships portrayed in this book will stay with me for quite a while. I have read many books about the Great Depression but not one specifically addressing the children during that time.

After reading this I spoke to my husbands parents about what they remembered about growing up during that time. Apparently they did not have it as rough but something she said stuck with me. She said “Today, we all don’t seem as grateful.” When I compare her statement to ones I read about, l can agree. Looking at the faces of these children in this book, I can’t help but feel that even without the text that Freedman wrote, they grew up way too fast.

I remember my dad being laid off but I never saw him cry in a coal bin. I never had to do without. When I read a book like this, in many ways it makes me ashamed of the things that I want because I know I do not truly need them. The image on page twelve where the boys are looking through the city dump for food or anything else they can use makes me realize how much in my life I truly do not need.

Your thoughts-

Ask yourself these questions.  What could you do without? Some of you reading this may have had to quit school to help support your family or have a job and go to school to support your family. How does this change your outlook for your future?

Looking back at the depression, do you think the programs like social security are full proof plans for the future? Why or why not?

-Smitty checked out

Posted by smittyg57 at 9:15 PM CST

Updated: Sunday, 12 November 2006 9:17 PM CST

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Mood:  cool

Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire. New York: Scholastic Incorporated, 1995.

Get ready for the rush of reviews on non-fiction books. You all are getting ready to do some serious research on a variety of topics. This first one on The Great Fire by Jim Murphy has some great things going for it.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

Murphy gives readers factual historical accounts of the great fire that consumed Chicago in 1871. This conflagration consumed Chicago for three days. This fire is considered one of the biggest disasters in American history. In the book, Murphy gives us primary source information in the form of interviews, newspaper clippings, maps, photographs, and illustrations of the tragedy that devastated Chicago. The chapters read as a fiction story making it read as though it is not a non-fiction book. The seven chapters cover what began the fire and ends with setting the records straight about the facts of the fire and its origins.

My thoughts-

One thing I like about this book is its progression. This is like a story timeline of the fire and its destruction. The book begins like the origin of the fire at the O’Leary’s barn and takes us through each day of the fire. I like how we are shown maps after each day of fire to show its progression thus magnifying the speed at which the destruction occurred.

I honestly had no idea and gave no thought to how many historic buildings in Chicago at the time were made of wood at that time.  Sidewalks were made of wood and many of the streets we paved with wood.

When I read about the homelessness a result of the fire, I thought of our modern day disasters. I think this tragedy compared to a modern day tragedy such as Katrina, would make an interesting compare and contrast paper. After the fire, Chicago passed strict building codes for the future. The rebuilding of Chicago was delayed due to the depression and people lacked enough money to build new structures solely from brick. Economic influences after the fire were not explained in the book in detail but it does shed some light into how Chicago rebuilt its infrastructures.

Look at the bibliography in the back provided by Murphy for his primary sources. It is a wealth of information. The index is also very reader friendly.Finally, to think tabloid talk was around in 1871. Poor Mrs. O'Leary, they aged her before her time in a rush to blame her for the fire.

Extra thoughts-

One reason I wanted to read this book because of what a contractor told me then I was rebuilding the kitchen in my house. He loved my brick fireplace and the brick on my house. I commented how I thought about painting it. He gasped and then told me the history of the brick on my house. Apparently, I have antique Chicago brink in my kitchen and on my house. Who knew? I do now.

-Smitty checked out

Posted by smittyg57 at 5:56 PM CST

Updated: Sunday, 12 November 2006 6:04 PM CST

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Mood:  bright

Carlson, Lori M., ed. Cool Salsa. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994.

This book is an anthology of poetry making it difficult to actually summarize it. Rather than a normal Smitty summary, you all will get a general overview and then I will tell you which poems or lines had the greatest impact on me as I read this collection.

This book is an anthology of poetry complied by Lori Carlson to celebrate and show the diversity in poetry writing written by Latino Americans. Having studied Latin American literature for years, Lori bring to the reader a wide variety of poetry covering broad topics such as school, home life, memories, difficult times, party times, and foretelling poetry. Many of the pieces have been translated into Spanish.

Favorite Paragraph

A Puerto Rican Girl’s Sentimental Education, p 12.

“Your daughter didn’t pass

the English reading test in second grade.

Left back like a donkey

Or another number on

The red, white and blue

Statistical roster.”

Having taught second grade myself, when I read this paragraph it brought back all the dread I felt as a teacher waiting to get back test scores to see how my students fared. I taught students who first language was not English. Whenever a student did not pass I felt like the failure, the donkey. It was that “statistical roster” that made me leave the classroom for the library. Being in the library gives me a freedom not allowed in the classroom. The freedom to read anything and not just what is required.

Favorite Ah-ha poem

The Changeling, p 36

This is all about gender roles. I can immediately relate to this piece because I was that girl growing up. You see I am first generation American and the roles in this poem were similar to my upbringing. I was a daddy’s girl much to my mothers lament. Just know that you all have a librarian that can operate tolls from a circular saw to a hammer without loosing a limb. I was and still am, the son my father never had. BTW- I can’t braid hair. J

-Smitty check out

Posted by smittyg57 at 12:09 AM CST

Updated: Sunday, 12 November 2006 2:12 PM CST

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Mood:  bright

Hosseini, Khaled. Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead books, 2003. 

I am not going to put ALL the details about this book in this blog entry because you seniors get to read this novel in the spring as a core novel requirement from the district.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

The story begins in the year 2001 as our main character Amir reflects back to the days he spent as a boy in Afganistan prior to coming to the United States. During this flashback readers learn of how life is in Afghanistan. Amir witnesses a horrific thing happening to Hassan, his best friend. Not able to face the guilt of not helping his friend, Amir tries to get Hassan to hate him to relive his guilt but nothing works. Amir eventually accuses Hassan of theft resulting in Hassan having to leave. As the story progresses we read about more atrocities done by the Taliban régime to Hassan and others. Amir faces the dread of nightfall because of his guilt from years past. In order to let go of the past, Amir must do right by Hassan and help his son, Sohrab, escape a dismal future laid out before him as a result of the Taliban.

My thoughts-

This is an intense book giving Western readers a look at the country of Afganistan before and after the emergence of the Taliban regime. You will realize yet again that racism is a worldwide epidemic and is concealed in many countries as caste systems. The two readers will be faced within Kite Runner are Hazaras and Pashtuns.

The author Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul. His Afghani background lends creditability to the story.  Many critics call this novel a semi-autobiographical novel.

This was a tough read for me. To really understand this novel and appreciate its plot and message, I think a reader needs to have background knowledge about the information presented in this novel. I have highlighted, in white, words that will link you to pages for more information.

After reading this I am blown away with how much guilt plays a part in human nature. I can’t imagine feeling so guilty about something I could not sleep at night.  It is in our nature to worry, but think about this.

Your thoughts-

How long could you live with a guilt that ate away at you for so long you could no longer sleep? How does that type of guilt become forgiven or even forgotten by yourself or others who you have hurt?

- Smitty checking out

Posted by smittyg57 at 10:05 AM CST

Updated: Sunday, 12 November 2006 2:11 PM CST

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Mood:  sad

Rawls, Wilson. Where The Red Fern Grows. New York: Delacorte Press, 1961.

Meat and Taters- (aka- Summary)

Our main character, Billy, lives in the Ozark Mountains and desperately wants to own his own coonhound pups. He eventually purchases a brother and sister pup pair and brings them home. The pups, Old Dan and Little Ann, represent brawn, brain, determination, devotion, and love. The pups and Billy are like three peas in a pod. Their hunting adventures escalate throughout the novel becoming more intense and dangerous. Billy and the pups compete for hunting/tracking bragging rights and eventually money. Triumphs turn into tragedy and characters in the novel die forcing others to be alone and come of age.

My thoughts-

This is one of my all time favorite books. I am a dog person. After reading this book I can look back and see what an influence my dog Sydney was in my life. Pets come and go in your life but like Dan and Ann, my Sydney had human like characteristics about her like they did in the novel.

She could sense when anyone in the family was sick. She could feel our pain in the family and would even stop eating when she was worried. She was protective when needed and nuturing when called upon.

Billy's love for his dogs is one that I can relate to and so can the members in my family. As my sons grow older, my hope is that they will find a love for this novel as I have. It is about love, sacrifice, determination, and growing up.

Your thoughts-

Think back to a pet you have now or have had. What humanlike characteristics does it have? Also, what do you think about people who treat their pets as if they ARE people?

On a lighter note-

The copies we have in the library look exaxctly like the picture in this blog entry. What do you see wrong with the picture in the cover? Do know that the publishers fixed the problem in the paper back editions.

-Smitty checked out

Posted by smittyg57 at 1:01 AM CST

Updated: Sunday, 12 November 2006 2:10 PM CST

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Mood:  cheeky

Even though I began this blog at the request of a professor, I am glad I got a push to start a blog. I am going to post a link to this blog on my schools library web page.

When you all read my review of a book, my goal is not to regurgitate a summary you can find online, but to get you interested in the book and see how it appealed to me. Yes there will be a summary but not a lengthy one. I will provide the meat and potatoes but you will have to read the book to get the gravy out of it. I am not a vegetarian BTW. J

As you read my entries know that some books are very personal to me so I tend to go on about them.  You may notice that with my first summary entry. Let’s say I used plenty of tissues on the first one.

I want to encourage you, especially the students at my school, to comment. As any teacher should, I will review your comments prior to posting them on the site. I love my job too much to get in trouble over one wrong word or comment. I will post both negative (tasteful and appropriate) and positive comments. No that is NOT filtering but just using good judgment since I am linking off the district web page.

Many of you know my sense of humor, music, and style. Get ready! My lunch crowd knows me well.

-Smitty checking out

Posted by smittyg57 at 11:45 PM CST

Updated: Wednesday, 8 November 2006 12:06 PM CST

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