Invisible Lines

I have not been able to read nearly as much as I would like to lately, so I was excited to pick up an advance copy of Mary Amato's Invisible Lines this weekend. The explanation of the book intrigued me, and once I started reading I loved it for so many reasons. I could imagine many different students of mine connecting with and enjoying the book as well.

Twelve year old Trevor Musgrove is trying to follow his mother's advice to rise above his circumstances, but it is not always easy. Sometimes the judgments others pass about him based on where he lives or what they think he might have done leaves him confused about the best course of action to take. Luckily, underneath the anger, he has his sense of humor that drew me to his character from the beginning, as well as a strong moral compass. I can picture the type of person he truly is, even if he is unsettled about some of his decisions. Through his thoughts and actions, I saw the hope in the possibilities and started to cheer him on.

The plot development was satisfying. There were many specific hardships, as well as interests that young readers can relate to. The book addresses issues such as: financial struggles, coming to grips with having an absent parent, not being able to have everything that you want/need, thinking through fairness, young adults having to take on a large amount of responsibilities at home, and positive character development. In addition, Trevor loves soccer and art. He is determined to show his best side on the soccer field.

I can't wait for my students to read Invisible Lines. I absolutely loved the book. I look forward to eventually buying a regular copy of the book once it is available at the end of the month because the ARC did not have all of the illustrations by Antonio Caparo yet, and I know that they will be the icing on the cake.

Cyblis Nominations

I was skimming the Cyblis nominations list so far, and there are so many great books. It was fun to see a lot of the books that I read and loved this year. In fact I was not able to do any nominations because other people agreed with me and beat me to it! Below is the list of books that I read this year that have been nominated. The links for each category lead to the spot where the complete list is available. Special congratulations to Class of 2k9 (and one 2k8er) for receiving so many nominations.

Young Adult Fiction
Breathing
Crash Into Me
Initiation
Jane In Bloom
Lovestruck Summer
Mackenzie Lost and Found
My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters
Perfect Chemistry
Shrinking Violet
Ten Things I Hate About Me
Wintergirls

To add to the list, I tried to nominate Goddess Bootcamp by Terri Lynn Childs. I didn't see it on the list, but it said that it was already nominated.

Middle Grade Fiction
Also Known as Harper
Bull Rider
Chains
Heart of a Shepherd
I So Don't Do Mysteries
My Life in Pink and Green
Operation Redwood
Ottoline Goes to School
A Recipe for Robbery
Return to Sender
Umbrella Summer
The Year the Swallows Came Early

There were even more books that are sitting in my TBR pile on my computer desk shelf right now. It will be exciting to see who the winners are. I would hate to have to choose. So many of the books have stuck with me all year long.

The Year the Swallows Came Early

The Year the Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice shares the story of Groovy's and her friend Frankie's memorable year - the year they both learned so many lessons. When Groovy's father goes to jail at the beginning of the book she is set up for a confusing journey of self-discovery to determine who she really is and who she wants to become. Frankie is dealing with his own dilemma of not being able to forgive his mother for abandoning him.

A colorful cast of characters makes Fitzmaurice's book an engaging read. I loved seeing how their stories intertwined and how they were able to help each other through difficult situations, even when they did not realize how much support they provided. It's another hit from the Class of 2k9!

Goddess Boot Camp

After reading Oh. My. Gods. last year, I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of Goddess Boot Camp to see where Phoebe's life picked up. I am actually shocked that I am just now reading it rather than right at its June release date. Coincidentally, right when I started reading it my student who read it right before me was talking about how her mom was ordering her copy off of Barnes and Noble.

Oh. My. Gods. spoiler alert:
Since this is a follow-up book, I don't recommend you read my thoughts on Goddess Boot Camp unless you have already read Oh. My. Gods.

After finding out that she is a descendant of Nike and snagging her godly boyfriend at the end of Oh. My. Gods., Phoebe is confronted with a new dilemma - controlling her powers. She is subjected to a summer boot camp that ends up having one more reason for her to be less excited to attend. The book is packed with emotions as Phoebe attempts to reign in her powers, figure out whether or not she can trust her boyfriend, unearth details of her father's death, all the while having a huge qualifying race and "test" to see if she can control her powers to worry about. Phoebe is not quite sure how bad the consequences will be if she doesn't pass the test.

Once again, I loved seeing where Childs imagination led her as she crafted a story mixing ancient Greek mythology with present day youth. This book reminds me of what one of my students said, “Sometimes when I read a book that’s really well-written, I can almost believe (even if it’s fantasy or a faire tale) that that stuff is actually happening in the real world. I just can’t see it.”

I can't wait to see what Childs next project will be.

A Little Piece of Ground

Over this past year, I have read a couple books focusing on Israel, MacKenzie, Lost and Found and How to Ruin a Summer Vacation. I was excited to read another book about the general geographic area with A Little Piece of Ground by Elizabeth Laird with Sonia Nimr. Each book gives me insight to the conflicts in the area from a different angle.

From this book readers are able to imagine hints of what it would be like to live under occupation. Although I would never be able to fully grasp what it would feel like without actually living in the situation, the book made me see the vast ways in which it impacts every day people in their day to day life.

Twelve-year-old Karim would love nothing more than to spend his days playing soccer, similar to many of my students. However, having a chance to be out in the fresh air kicking his ball around is a luxury. His family lives a large part of their life locked up in their own house because of curfew set by the Israeli military. Nonetheless, Karim and his friends make the most of their time when curfew is lifted. Sadly, their adventures also put them in danger.

I appreciated this snapshot of coming of age in difficult times. It is an excellent opportunity to recognize current social justice issues and to understand them better.

Reading Challenges Update

It seems over the last few weeks my posts have come to a screeching halt. Okay, maybe more like stop and go traffic. The school year is back in full swing, and I have not had as much time to read for pleasure. That does not mean I am not reading. I actually have four books that I have started right now, but it is also the time of year when I have to dedicate more time to my classroom and working on setting up less time consuming procedures for out of class preparations and evaluations of student work. The rest of the time I am trying to keep my house in order and spend time with my family. Soon, everything will be more in balance again and I will be posting on a more regular basis.

As we are now into September and the end of the year deadlines for my current reading challenges are fast approaching, I am reevaluating the time available that I have for reading. I could easily read all the remaining challenge books within my time limit, but I might not have time left for that fun feeling of grabbing whichever book I want to read most at the time.

Instead, here is what my plans are. With my Class of 2k9 challenge, I only have one remaining book. I will read it for sure. I have been waiting for it to come out all year since I first saw it when the 2k9 page launched last December. In fact, I will read that one remaining book as well as other books from the group that I have not been able to read yet.

I will also read the remaining three 2009 Young Adult Book Challenge books. They again, are books that I have wanted to read for a while and would be top choices off my TBR pile anyway.

Then comes my Diversity Rocks! Challenge with 11/12 books left to read. I am currently reading one of the eleven, but still... The thing is I have been reading plenty of multicultural lit over the year. I always do. I have been drawn to seeing the world through different lenses and exploring different cultures for as long as I could remember. Growing up my mom always bought us books representing a wide variety of cultures and geographic locations. I currently own all of the books on my challenge list. However, I am coming to realize that they are not necessarily on the top of my TBR pile for now.

My reading time is too precious right now to only read what I feel I have to. Although I hate to not do anything I start to do, in this case I am going to have to say that it won't be the end of the world if I don't complete this challenge by the deadline. I will read the books eventually, but I won't let completing a challenge get in the way of the power of reading choice. One example is that I recently got a copy of Rajaa Alsanea's Girls of Riyadh, and I can't wait to read it. I will probably read it before I end up reading most of the other original diversity challenge books that I posted.

Here's to reading for pleasure and the piles and piles of great books awaiting me...

The Navel of the World

This October PJ Hoover's second book in The Forgotten Worlds series, The Navel of the World, will release. Last fall I fell in love with the characters when reading The Emerald Tablet. I was ecstatic to get an early peek at book two. Just as the first book hooked my interest early on and left me wishing I already had the next book, the second book was a fun, satisfying read.

It was interesting to see the twists and turns Benjamin's life would take him on, as well as seeing the way the other characters that formed an alliance with him would develop. The book had a mixture of new and old faces leaving the readers guessing which side each person was on. This book follows Benjamin through multiple time travels in search of one of his brothers. As with the first book I always enjoyed seeing what else Hoover would work up in her imagination.