Kristin Cashore's first novel, Graceling, is a present to fantasy lovers. It has all the elements of a great fantasy novel-believable characters, a little mystery, a far away world, romance, action and adventure-all packaged and tied up with powerful prose.
I am going to present a brief summary, without giving away too many details. Partly because this is the type of book one needs to explore on their own, and partly because I think a teacher could do wonders with a book talk on this book, beckoning students on the edge of their seats, then dangling them there…you will have them begging for a copy!
Katsa, the main character, is forced to work as the Kings killing machine. The king is her uncle, and she is his murder weapon. She is a Graceling, one of a select number of people born with two different colored eyes and an extreme skill. Katsa’s is the ability to kill. Almost everyone fears Katsa and she dislikes this. Although she physically may be in control, emotionally Katsa is struggling. She seems rather untamed in the first part of the book, and she is so often in a struggle between good and bad. Katsa is fueled by her emotions, like almost all teens, and Cashore does a great job on characterization in this novel and really stirring up the emotions they go through. Katsa meets Po, a prince from another kingdom, and one of the few people to live through a fight with Katsa. They form a friendship, which soon blossoms into a romantic relationship. The great thing about this book is Katsa gains control of her emotional state. She gains self-actualization and proves to be a very dynamic character, and Po seems to be a catalyst to her development. The ending, which is anything but cliché, comes as a shock to many readers, especially female readers. The book introduces themes of patriarchal dominance, loss of innocence, love, romance, sex and marriage, and the balance between good and evil.
Such themes, which are touched on in many YA novels, are presented in this fantasy context. So what does this do for readers? Coming from a person who is not a fan of the whole fantasy mumbo jumbo, I think books like this enable me to think critically. This book allows readers to think more broadly about the themes, rather than just in relation to the novels characters and settings. Readers can think about issues raised in the book in relation to the world and/or society. The book is fantasy for a reason-it is not a real world-so why can we as readers still relate and understand? I think it is because it is saying something bigger, it should be looked at analytically as a possible social and cultural critique. If students have the ability to do this—they can take away so much more from a novel.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Sunday, November 8, 2009
We Were Here: A window into the mind of a troubled teen
Matt De La Pena writes with beautiful and straightforward language in his YA novel, We Were Here. The book is written in first person, from the main characters voice. Miguel’s authenticity in his narration enables readers to connect with him and truly appreciate the road he is on – the road to not only Mexico, but the road to find himself. The books journal format lends credibility to the story as well. The book is an account of Miguel’s current situation where he resides in a group home for delinquent teens, finding friendship with crazy Mong and rough Rondell. The three of them manage to break out of the home and head to Mexico to become fisherman.
What I find so engaging about this book is not the fact that it has a great plot and characters, but that it introduces readers to the “unspoken” voices of delinquent children, and acts as a social critique. The characters in the book are judged, outcasts, and truly shunned by society, they are “delinquents in society,” and must be put into a “system.” Miguel deals with these stereotypes, and in his voice, readers see pain associated with this stigma. He often wonders what the point of his very existence is now that he is associated as a “bad” person; he knows he cannot become good again. There is a beautiful line that his friend says when asked why he doesn’t ever get scared:
“I think we’re all just passing through in this life. We are only temporary. When I learned that I realized there’s no reason to be scared.”
This idea of fatalism has almost an underlying tone of the book, in the sense that all the characters feel this way. Where does this thought of not caring what happens to you begin? The truth is, I am sure almost every young adult has felt this way before-that they were just temporary, that no one or nothing really matters. Also, the great thing about teaching this book to a class is that not only do students have the opportunity to interact with themes of race, class, delinquency and society, but also they can relate to the character whether they identify with all of his circumstances or none of them. The language Pena writes in is in itself relatable, that we can somehow understand Miguel no matter what our background is. I think this might be a great book to incorporate into a school with students of a low-socio economic background, where violence in young adults it is more prevalent.
What I find so engaging about this book is not the fact that it has a great plot and characters, but that it introduces readers to the “unspoken” voices of delinquent children, and acts as a social critique. The characters in the book are judged, outcasts, and truly shunned by society, they are “delinquents in society,” and must be put into a “system.” Miguel deals with these stereotypes, and in his voice, readers see pain associated with this stigma. He often wonders what the point of his very existence is now that he is associated as a “bad” person; he knows he cannot become good again. There is a beautiful line that his friend says when asked why he doesn’t ever get scared:
“I think we’re all just passing through in this life. We are only temporary. When I learned that I realized there’s no reason to be scared.”
This idea of fatalism has almost an underlying tone of the book, in the sense that all the characters feel this way. Where does this thought of not caring what happens to you begin? The truth is, I am sure almost every young adult has felt this way before-that they were just temporary, that no one or nothing really matters. Also, the great thing about teaching this book to a class is that not only do students have the opportunity to interact with themes of race, class, delinquency and society, but also they can relate to the character whether they identify with all of his circumstances or none of them. The language Pena writes in is in itself relatable, that we can somehow understand Miguel no matter what our background is. I think this might be a great book to incorporate into a school with students of a low-socio economic background, where violence in young adults it is more prevalent.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Gutsy Girl- for all those anti Gossip Girl
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart is truly a coming of age tale. Frankie embarks on a journey to find herself, and her inner woman power! I LOVED the character of Frankie and her self-confidence. She is a young girl with guts, intelligence, and power that inspires readers.
Frankie used to be an awkward looking semi-dorky student at her preppy East Coast Private school who mainly lived in her older sisters shadow. But when she suddenly "grew up and grew out" over the summer, she blossomed into a beautiful young woman who got the attention from the hunkiest most popular boy at school, Matthew Livingston. When they start dating, she is on cloud nine. Frankie wants nothing else but to get closer to Matthew but all he seems to care about these days is his secret boys-only society, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. So Frankie decides she’s going to infiltrate the Bassets… The book continues with Frankie's deceptive ways of joining their society, without them knowing of course.
The great thing about this book is not only the excitement that unravels, but the character of Frankie and her self-realization. I would recommend teaching this book to a group of girls, although boys can and do enjoy this novel often, even though the true inspiration of this book appeals to young women. The easy read enables young women to get wrapped up in the romance of a first boyfriend, the excitement of a new crowd, and the emotions of feeling left out. This book can open students up to exciting stories different than the Gossip Girls, yet just as appealing!
I did think about pitching the book to boys however. Describe the book as this cool, secret society at an Upper East Coast school that becomes infiltrated and briefly describe "Frankie", only do it in a way that Frankie could be a boy or a girl. Most likely, students will assume its a male from the name, then it would be really interesting to see how the male students respond this novel. Gender and its many qualms is the underlying theme of this novel and pitching the book to boys and girls this way may provoke different reactions than if you were to pitch it normally to students, or even all female students.
Read this book for a refreshing female heroine! Please!
Frankie used to be an awkward looking semi-dorky student at her preppy East Coast Private school who mainly lived in her older sisters shadow. But when she suddenly "grew up and grew out" over the summer, she blossomed into a beautiful young woman who got the attention from the hunkiest most popular boy at school, Matthew Livingston. When they start dating, she is on cloud nine. Frankie wants nothing else but to get closer to Matthew but all he seems to care about these days is his secret boys-only society, the Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds. So Frankie decides she’s going to infiltrate the Bassets… The book continues with Frankie's deceptive ways of joining their society, without them knowing of course.
The great thing about this book is not only the excitement that unravels, but the character of Frankie and her self-realization. I would recommend teaching this book to a group of girls, although boys can and do enjoy this novel often, even though the true inspiration of this book appeals to young women. The easy read enables young women to get wrapped up in the romance of a first boyfriend, the excitement of a new crowd, and the emotions of feeling left out. This book can open students up to exciting stories different than the Gossip Girls, yet just as appealing!
I did think about pitching the book to boys however. Describe the book as this cool, secret society at an Upper East Coast school that becomes infiltrated and briefly describe "Frankie", only do it in a way that Frankie could be a boy or a girl. Most likely, students will assume its a male from the name, then it would be really interesting to see how the male students respond this novel. Gender and its many qualms is the underlying theme of this novel and pitching the book to boys and girls this way may provoke different reactions than if you were to pitch it normally to students, or even all female students.
Read this book for a refreshing female heroine! Please!
Monday, October 12, 2009
My first dislike
I feel oddly guilty admitting I don't like a book, or not just that I don't like it, rather that I don't think young adults should read it. The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation; vol. 1: The Pox Party is a good novel. It has all the elements of a good novel. Good novel--yes, good storyline--sure, good read...no. This is probably more of a personal opinion than anything, although I would like to note that when discussing this book with my classmates who all have read it, everyone seemed to be on the same page as me. The book was difficult to read (even the title is a confusing mouthful), hard to get through, and very hard to relate to. As you know from my earlier posts, I believe a major tenet of YA Literature is relatability. A STUDENT MUST RELATE! I found this book the hardest to relate to of all the YA lit I've read thus far. The book has won numerous prestigious awards, please keep that in mind as I babble on about my dislike for this renowned book. I say this because, although I am not a fan, doesn't mean everyone is not a fan--and obviously a lot of people, powerful people, are a fan of this book.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Being a slave in 18th century Boston and living under the false pretense that you are royalty when actually you are part of a racial human experiment and held captive with no freedom or power is probably what every young boy goes through, right? Wrong. This is the story of Octavian, one that a young adult is supposed to relate with. When Octavian grows up in a beautiful estate, receiving the finest of education, with his mother, a princess, and a household of people who wait on them, he thinks he lives a blessed life. That all changes when he realizes he is actually a part of a social experiment, the people serving him weren't the slaves-he was! He now feels like he's lost all sense of life. After his mother's death, he wonders...did she know all the time? Or was she as ignorant as myself? He flees- joins the army and the only information we get from Octavian is now through letters he writes his sister. Various diaries, letters, and other manuscripts tell us of his life throughout the novel. The Gothic novel places the reader in the mind of a highly a young man in a scientific experiment. Only this mind thinks through a highly elaborate vocabulary and language of the 18th century. Highly complex. I, as a 20-year-old upper-level college student, who mind you took a class on 18th century literature, found this book highly complex. Giving this to a 16-year-old, let alone a 12-year-old, would be crazy in my mind. Without an extremely slow crawl through and analysis of this text in a classroom setting would it be possible, even then it would be difficult and the students would be (again, in my opinion) distant and disinterested.
More than anything, I am just surprised that it is even geared, or should I say marketed, toward young readers? Besides the fact that the character is young, and grows throughout the novel, discovering information about himself along the way, this book really has no young adult appeal. The themes focus on power, freedom, racism, and within the context of the language, they are pretty much adult themes. I just wonder if this is due to the fact that Anderson is already successful in the YA field, and the publishers decided to stick to what they know.
In a twisted effort to make myself feel a little better about hating this novel, I would like to recommend another novel. Despite the fact I tend to study more modern texts, there is one book that deals with issue of slavery, power, and freedom, that I read when I was younger that I absolutely adored. Its Octavia Butler's novel, Kindred. It is a science fiction novel that deals with slavery, and although there are no young characters, or even much relatability at all, (even I would discredit it as young adult literature) I still loved it as a child, and the science fiction helped to draw me in I believe. Here is a link to the wikepdia page (come on, I'm a student) on the novel that includes a short summary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindred_(novel).
I feel that this post was more of me rambling, so I apologize. My main message in this mess is simple: I don't recommend teaching M. T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party to a young adult classroom. Good day.
***SPOILER ALERT***
Being a slave in 18th century Boston and living under the false pretense that you are royalty when actually you are part of a racial human experiment and held captive with no freedom or power is probably what every young boy goes through, right? Wrong. This is the story of Octavian, one that a young adult is supposed to relate with. When Octavian grows up in a beautiful estate, receiving the finest of education, with his mother, a princess, and a household of people who wait on them, he thinks he lives a blessed life. That all changes when he realizes he is actually a part of a social experiment, the people serving him weren't the slaves-he was! He now feels like he's lost all sense of life. After his mother's death, he wonders...did she know all the time? Or was she as ignorant as myself? He flees- joins the army and the only information we get from Octavian is now through letters he writes his sister. Various diaries, letters, and other manuscripts tell us of his life throughout the novel. The Gothic novel places the reader in the mind of a highly a young man in a scientific experiment. Only this mind thinks through a highly elaborate vocabulary and language of the 18th century. Highly complex. I, as a 20-year-old upper-level college student, who mind you took a class on 18th century literature, found this book highly complex. Giving this to a 16-year-old, let alone a 12-year-old, would be crazy in my mind. Without an extremely slow crawl through and analysis of this text in a classroom setting would it be possible, even then it would be difficult and the students would be (again, in my opinion) distant and disinterested.
More than anything, I am just surprised that it is even geared, or should I say marketed, toward young readers? Besides the fact that the character is young, and grows throughout the novel, discovering information about himself along the way, this book really has no young adult appeal. The themes focus on power, freedom, racism, and within the context of the language, they are pretty much adult themes. I just wonder if this is due to the fact that Anderson is already successful in the YA field, and the publishers decided to stick to what they know.
In a twisted effort to make myself feel a little better about hating this novel, I would like to recommend another novel. Despite the fact I tend to study more modern texts, there is one book that deals with issue of slavery, power, and freedom, that I read when I was younger that I absolutely adored. Its Octavia Butler's novel, Kindred. It is a science fiction novel that deals with slavery, and although there are no young characters, or even much relatability at all, (even I would discredit it as young adult literature) I still loved it as a child, and the science fiction helped to draw me in I believe. Here is a link to the wikepdia page (come on, I'm a student) on the novel that includes a short summary. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindred_(novel).
I feel that this post was more of me rambling, so I apologize. My main message in this mess is simple: I don't recommend teaching M. T. Anderson's The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol. 1: The Pox Party to a young adult classroom. Good day.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Look beyond the alcohol and oral sex in Looking for Alaska
After reading Looking for Alaska by John Green, I realized a few things. First being I understand why this book has been challenged/band--the controversy is apparent--secondly, I want to marry John Green, and lastly, I never want my child to attend boarding school (Just kidding, kind of). With that being said, I think this novel was brilliant!
***SPOILER ALERT***
As a blossoming adult myself, I found this book fabulous. But to be perfectly fair, I can see why parents would not want their children reading a book with such heavy sexuality and misbehavior by the young characters. A quick summary:
When the main character, Miles, goes off to boarding school in Alabama, he has friends for the first time in his life. He also gets a girlfriend. There is one problem however, he is infatuated by the very girl that set him up with his girlfriend, the wild, self-destructive, young girl, Alaska Young. We learn of Alaska's troubled past, which causes her to act out and close up. Miles, his roommate, and Alaska are on a journey of growing up in this book, and they share in first experiences together. Ultimately, the overarching theme of the novel is findings one way in the world, to get through "the labyrinth" known as life. And when Alaska suddenly dies in the end of the novel, Miles struggles with this question even more, but ultimately decides the way to get through the labyrinth is to keep on living, something Alaska was unable to conclude for herself.
There are obviously heavy themes in this novel that focus on self-identity, teen death, alcoholism, explicit language and sexuality. This is the reason the book is so often challenged. One scene that has caused an uproar is one where Miles receives oral sex for the first time. This book does present explicit situations, and if I was an adult, I may not want my child reading about oral sex either. However, the book is at its core a coming of age novel, and I shared and related to most of the situations these teens went through, as I'm sure more people would. So, yes, it is controversial, but the fact of the matter is, children everywhere are going through these same situations, emotions, and journey through the labyrinth. I would highly recommend this book for a classroom. Not only is it great for a teen to read for personal reasons, but the themes and eloquent language and character development are magnificent and highly educational as well. But beware--parents will challenge!
Besides the complex characters and controversial plot, this book has much literary merit! It won the 2006 Printz Award and John Green writes with such beautiful language and literary devices. The words just soar right from the page into the readers minds to easily that it makes for an easy read. His literary merit lends credibility to his work, without a doubt, and this can be a tool for argument against those protective parents. Reading this book, led me to do some researching on Green, which led me to the realization that I am mildly obsessed with him! I can't seem to find a valid link, but if you ever get the chance, please read his article entitled "Becoming a YA Writer". (2006, March). Booklist. This will explain my love for him, and how this novel came to be. Teachers everywhere should read this book, and you will gain so much respective, and I just know you'll want to teach it to your class...right? Right! Happy Looking for Alaska.
***SPOILER ALERT***
As a blossoming adult myself, I found this book fabulous. But to be perfectly fair, I can see why parents would not want their children reading a book with such heavy sexuality and misbehavior by the young characters. A quick summary:
When the main character, Miles, goes off to boarding school in Alabama, he has friends for the first time in his life. He also gets a girlfriend. There is one problem however, he is infatuated by the very girl that set him up with his girlfriend, the wild, self-destructive, young girl, Alaska Young. We learn of Alaska's troubled past, which causes her to act out and close up. Miles, his roommate, and Alaska are on a journey of growing up in this book, and they share in first experiences together. Ultimately, the overarching theme of the novel is findings one way in the world, to get through "the labyrinth" known as life. And when Alaska suddenly dies in the end of the novel, Miles struggles with this question even more, but ultimately decides the way to get through the labyrinth is to keep on living, something Alaska was unable to conclude for herself.
There are obviously heavy themes in this novel that focus on self-identity, teen death, alcoholism, explicit language and sexuality. This is the reason the book is so often challenged. One scene that has caused an uproar is one where Miles receives oral sex for the first time. This book does present explicit situations, and if I was an adult, I may not want my child reading about oral sex either. However, the book is at its core a coming of age novel, and I shared and related to most of the situations these teens went through, as I'm sure more people would. So, yes, it is controversial, but the fact of the matter is, children everywhere are going through these same situations, emotions, and journey through the labyrinth. I would highly recommend this book for a classroom. Not only is it great for a teen to read for personal reasons, but the themes and eloquent language and character development are magnificent and highly educational as well. But beware--parents will challenge!
Besides the complex characters and controversial plot, this book has much literary merit! It won the 2006 Printz Award and John Green writes with such beautiful language and literary devices. The words just soar right from the page into the readers minds to easily that it makes for an easy read. His literary merit lends credibility to his work, without a doubt, and this can be a tool for argument against those protective parents. Reading this book, led me to do some researching on Green, which led me to the realization that I am mildly obsessed with him! I can't seem to find a valid link, but if you ever get the chance, please read his article entitled "Becoming a YA Writer". (2006, March). Booklist. This will explain my love for him, and how this novel came to be. Teachers everywhere should read this book, and you will gain so much respective, and I just know you'll want to teach it to your class...right? Right! Happy Looking for Alaska.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Relating Readers
The film Holes, the television show KidNation, the classic novel Lord of the Flies, and the contemporary novel, The Hunger Games. What do all of these have in common? Theme.
After reading "From Hinton to Hamlet: Building Bridges Between Young Adult Literature and the Classics," by Sarah K. Herz and Donald R. Gallo this past week, my eyes have been opened to the possibility of relating a text to almost anything. In the article, they talk specifically about relating a classic, often required novel, with a more contemporary novel dealing with the same themes. They call it restructuring the classroom, and they define it as examining "more broadly two or more works that deal with the same theme or themes". This way, students can take more interest and relate more to those classic, often required, texts. But I say, why stop there? Relate these texts to anything relevant! Let's look at the book The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins.
The book describes the United States in the future. It consists of the beautiful capitol, and 12 outlying districts who are controlled by the Capitol. This is sheer distopia. Katniss, the young protagonists is one of 24 children that must go to the capital to compete in the Hunger Games, a battle to death where only one child may survive. Katniss uses her survival skills--and acting skills--to survive this fight to death. As millions watch from their television sets, Katniss partakes in the Hunger Games and the brutal game of love.
The central themes set up in Collins' novel are nothing new. There is the loss of innocence, the abuse of power, the tyranny of a group, governmental control, and the idea of civilized society needing to have rules. These themes are greatly similar to those in Lord of the Flies. Here is a great example of where a classic title may be paired with a more modern title to spark kids interest and point to key themes that are present in both novels, and how such themes (especially with this novel) are relevant in today's society. From here, you can go beyond the real of literature, and compare to movies, television shows, and show students that novels can be relative!
Ask your students: are these themes and novels a reflection of society? Could society ever truly become this? Does anyone deserved to be treated this way, to be controlled in this manner? I have said it before and I will say it again, what matters to students is relatability! Science fictions novels may be more difficult to relate to, but students find them interesting, so why not play off the themes and relate them to many other narratives and spark their interest even more?
Monday, September 28, 2009
How Everyone Should Know about What My Mother Doesnt Know
Sonya Sones' novel, What My Mother Doesn't Know, is a true window into a teenage girl's inner thoughts, heart, and persona. This novel should be called A Guide to Every Young Girl's World (for everyone that is not a young girl). Sonya Sones writes so honest and truthful, and I honestly feel that a 40 year-old man could read this novel and gain real insight into a young girl's mind. Her style is innovative, her prose is tender and easy. Each little poem says so much, it's as if we readers are reading straight from the characters journal. The main character in this book, and all of her books, is in a struggle to find themselves. Her main theme and message is be true to yourself. Be who you are. I think that is the greatest message any young adult novel can bring to it's readers. And with the realness of the text, it tells young readers, its okay to be yourself, even with all these awkward moments and and embarrassing situations. Students would really be able to relate this text. No matter what issues the young female protagonists are facing, they learn to follow their heart and be themselves. I feel that this would be a great novel for young women, and even young men, to read because the moral is wonderful and the unique prose style writing is a great way to open children's minds to different types of literature. This could be taught in a poetry class or a literature class, that is what is so cool about Sones.
I had the chance to visit Sonya Sones website, and I think this is one of the neatest author websites there is. It is very kid friendly, yet has content that still fascinates me as an adult. She not only offers personal information about herself, there is information on her books, as well as great advice for young writers and readers of YA lit. I've added the link, so feel free to visit it and look around, she truly is a fascinating lady.
http://www.sonyasones.com
I had the chance to visit Sonya Sones website, and I think this is one of the neatest author websites there is. It is very kid friendly, yet has content that still fascinates me as an adult. She not only offers personal information about herself, there is information on her books, as well as great advice for young writers and readers of YA lit. I've added the link, so feel free to visit it and look around, she truly is a fascinating lady.
http://www.sonyasones.com
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