The Underland Chronicles

My daughter, Jessica, and I have started reading The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins.  As we finish each book in the series, I will update this blog.

Collins, S. (2003). Gregor the Overlander . New York: Scholastic.

Gregor the Overlander is book about a boy named Gregor who falls to a place called the Underland from his laundry room in New York City.  When he arrives, he learns that his father who has been missing for the past two years, is also in the underland.  Gregor's father has been captured by giant rats, and Gregor must fulfill a prophecy to rescue him.  Along with his two year old sister, Boots, the future queen of the underland, Luxa, her cousin Henry, two giant bats, two giant cockroaches, and two giant spiders, the questers set off in search of Gregor's father.
Jessica and I really enjoyed this book.  I read it aloud and we finished it in just a few days of reading two to three chapters each night.  We enjoyed it so much that I immediately went back to the library to check out the next book in the series.

Collins, S. (2004). Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane . New York: Scholastic Press.

 

Impossibly, Jessica and I finished this book even faster than the first.  It was action packed from nearly the beginning of the book.  Gregor and Boots once again visit the Underland, only this time the prophecy predicts that Gregor must kill the Bane, a huge white rate will be responsible for destroying all of the inhabitants of the Underland.  As if that isn't enough, the rats believe that the only way to defeat Gregor is by killing Boots.  Gregor sets off on another quest with a slightly different cast of characters. 

Young Adult Literature - The Chocolate War

Cormier, R. (1974). The chocolate war: a novel. New York: Pantheon Books.

The Chocolate War appears on the 100 Most Challenged Books List. 

Summary:

Jerry Renault is a freshman at Trinity, a private Catholic school.  All he wants to do is go to school, play football, and recover from the death of his mother.  Unfortunately, Jerry comes in contact with a secret society of students known as The Vigils.  The Vigils give Jerry the assignment to refuse to sell chocolates for the first ten days of the school's annual chocolate sale, which causes him to become an enemy of Brother Leon, the temporary headmaster of the school.  However, when Jerry's time is up, he decides he wants to be his own person and still refuses to join the chocolate sale, which causes him to also become an enemy of The Vigils, who have taken on the chocolate sale as a way to get in good with Brother Leon.  Jerry's attempt to break with conformity at first makes him a hero, but eventually turns him into an outcast that pays for trying to be different.

Personal Reaction:

I enjoyed reading The Chocolate War, but I can easily see why it is one of the most challenged books.  The story shows just how cruel and how much of a bully teenage boys can be.  Much of the story is very dark and almost painful to observe.  The confrontation at the end of the story between Jerry and his tormentors (Archie, the Vigils, etc.) is especially violent and disturbing.  Also, though Archie (the true leader of the Vigils), is really the villain of the book, Brother Leon was a more chilling figure.  As an adult, he should be above this type of behavior, but he is just as cruel as the boys he teaches.  He revels in humiliating his students, and he is a very creepy character.  Throughout the novel, I kept hoping that Archie and Brother Leon would pay for the way they ran the school.  I kept hoping that Jerry would teach them both a lesson.  My biggest disappointment was that this did not happen.  The story ends with Jerry utterly defeated and terribly injured.  It leaves the reader wondering if it is really better to try to break the molds of conformity to be one's own person, or if it is safer just to follow along and not step out of line.  It is a choice everyone must make, but I think the lesson to remember is that when there is too much conformity, it can lead to mass violence, as it did in The Chocolate War. 

Young Adult Literature - The Tequila Worm

Canales, V. (2005). The tequila worm . New York: Wendy Lamb Books.

The Tequila Worm is a 2006 Pura Belpre Award Winner.

Summary:

The Tequila Worm is focuses on the traditions and beliefs of one Mexican-American family.  The narrator is Sofia, who longs to learn about life outside of her barrio.  When she wins a scholarship to a school in Austin, 350 miles from her home in McAllen, she learns that her family's traditions are what holds it together and makes it unique.

Personal Reaction:

I liked The Tequila Worm, but it wasn't as interesting or as exciting as some books I have read.  I thought the anecdotes were interesting, heart warming and often funny but, especially the beginning of the book, seemed very episodic.  The narrator takes the reader very quickly through different episodes and traditions in her life as she is growing up.  I liked the book better, when it progressed more slowly and focused on Sofia from the time she was fourteen to the end of the book.  Once Sofia is offered the chance to go to the school in Austin, the book continues with more of a traditional plot and I found that I was more engaged in the story from that point.   I must say that I had problems connecting to this story enough to get to the point where I didn't want to put it down.  I think it would appeal to many students, but while I enjoyed it, it wasn't a page turner for me.

Young Adult Literature - The Maze Runner

Dashner, James. The maze runner . New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print.

 

The Maze Runner is an extremely fast paced book.  Thomas wakes up in a strange place called The Glade, with no memory of his past or how he got there.  He discovers that the other teenage boys who live there have spent the past two years trying to escape through a giant maze.  The day after Thomas arrives, a girl is also sent through the strange elevator with a warning that everything will change and that she is the last.  Her arrival triggers a strange turn of events.  Thomas knows that he must find a way out of the maze before it's too late.

I loved this book.  I had a hard time putting it down.  I was hooked from the very beginning and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. 

Stuck in Neutral

Trueman, Terry. Stuck in neutral . New York: HarperCollinsPublishers, 2000. Print.

 

In Stuck in Neutral the narrator is a boy that no one truly knows.  The reason is that Shawn has cerebral palsy and can't speak or move.  He has no control over his body and the doctors have assured his family that he is a vegetable.  What they don't know is that the doctors are wrong.  Shawn is very aware of what is going on around him and he has a gift of being able to remember everything he has ever heard.  He also looks forward to the frequent seizures he has because they allow his mind to escape his useless body for awhile.  During his seizures he feels that he can float free and he is able to explore the world.  Unfortunately, Shawn becomes aware that his father wants to kill him.  His father wants to put him out of his "misery" and pain. 

 

I liked this short book up until the end.  I did not like the open-ended resolution.  I wanted to know what decision Shawn's father made and what happened to him. 

Going Bovine

Bray, Libba. Going bovine . New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print.

Going Bovine is an extremely unique book for young adults.  It focuses on Cameron, a 16 year old, who could care less about what life has to offer him.  Instead of going to class to reach his full potential like his twin sister, he prefers to spend his time in the bathroom getting high.  All that changes when he suddenly starts having odd hallucinations.  His family is convinced they are caused from his drug use, but soon they discover that he actually has mad cow disease, which is fatal.  So, at this point, the book sounds like a tragic story, and it a lot of ways it is, but it is also a hilarious journey for Cameron and the reader.  As Cameron's mind begins to slip, the reader begins to wonder what is real and what is part of Cameron's madness.  When an angel visits Cameron in his hospital room and convinces him to go on a quest to save the world and himself, the real adventure begins.  He sets out with a dwarf named Gonzo and the two meet a cast of unusual characters along the way.  For the first time in Cameron's life, he actually begins to live, just as he is dying. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  There are moments that are so ludicrous that you can't help but laugh out loud.  When Gonzo and Cameron add a yard gnome, who is a Norse god in disguise, to their party, the reader has to wonder what else could possibly happen. 

Young Adult Literature - The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Alexie, S., & Forney, E. (2007). The absolutely true diary of a part-time Indian . New York: Little, Brown.

 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is about a boy named Junior who lives with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation.  He decides that he wants to receive a good education, so he leaves the reservation to attend an all-white school in the neighboring town. 

 

Personal Reaction:

I liked The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  However, I had higher expectations for the story when I started reading it.  I kept seeing the title on the New York Times Bestseller List, and I saw that it was the winner of many awards, so I expected the book to be wonderful.  I didn't feel that it lived up to those expectations, but I did enjoy learning about Junior and his Indian culture.  I thought it was an enjoyable read, and I liked the cartoons that illustrated his life.