Tales from Outer Suburbia

Tan, S. (2009). Tales from outer suburbia . New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine Books.

Tales From Outer Suburbia is an unusual collection of short stories and illustrations set in an Australian suburb.  I found some of these stories to be cute and interesting, while I felt that some were slightly disturbing.  Some of them reminded me of the Far Side comic I used to read in the Sunday comics.  Every illustrated story is slightly off in some unusual way.  I am still not sure if I liked this book or not.  It was intriguing, and the illustrations were great, but I felt like the stories were just too short to capture my attention fully.  Some of the stories were no longer than a paragraph. 

Looking for Alaska

Green, J. (2005). Looking for Alaska . New York: Speak.

Summary:

Looking for Alaska  focuses on the life of Miles "Pudge" Halter, who has just left his home in Florida where he had no friends, to attend a boarding school in Alabama.  He immediately becomes friends with his roommate Chip, also known as The Colonol, and the girl down the hall, Alaska Young.  Through his friendship with The Colonol and Alaska, Miles learns that there is so much in the world that he has been missing.  He also becomes fascinated with Alaska, who is funny, clever, fascinating, and self-destructive.  Miles learns that Alaska has a lot of issues that she has never resolved.  The first half of the book is labeled as Before, and there is a countdown to After.  After the life-shattering event in the book, Miles is left utterly devastated. 

Personal Reaction:

I thoroughly enjoyed Looking for Alaska.  I loved that Miles was so interested in the last words of famous people.  I thought it added a lot to what was going on in the story, and not just something that was thrown in for entertainment.  The book really had a big impact on me.  I thought it was thought-provoking and masterfully told in such beautiful detail.  Unfortunately, I doubt that this is a book that will make it into the library at my school.  There is one explicit scene in the novel, and because of that one part, I think a wonderful book would not be allowed into our library.  Our librarian does keep a section of books in the back for more mature readers, so maybe she will include it in that collection. 

The Lightning Thief Graphic Novel

Venditti, Robert, Rick Riordan, and Attila Futaki. Percy Jackson and the lightning thief: the graphic novel. London: Puffin, 2010. Print.

I read The Lightning Thief:  The Graphic Novel for my Young Adult Literature class in the fall. 

Summary:

The story focuses on Percy Jackson as he discovers that his father was the Poseidon, the God of the Sea.  In order to save the world, Percy and his friends have to find the lightning bolt that has been stolen from Zeus.  They travel to LA and go to the underworld to confront Hades.  However, they later discover that Ares was the one who stole the lightning.  Percy returns the lightning to Zeus and becomes a hero.

Personal Reaction:

The story was interesting, but I have not read the full length novel or seen the movie.  This was my first experience with Percy Jackson and his adventures.  I enjoyed reading the story, but some of the illustrations left some gaps in the story for me.  I think I would have enjoyed the story more if I had read the novel. 

Young Adult Literature - Annie on My Mind

Garden, N. (1982). Annie on my mind. New York: Farrar, Straus, Giroux.

 

This is the 25th anniversary edition of the novel.  Annie On My Mind appears on the list of 100 Most Challenged Books.  I chose to read this book because it is on the list for my Young Adult Literature book in the fall.  Eventhough I am finished with my blogs for Children's Literature, I thought it would be nice to continue blogging about my readings to not only help me remember my thoughts on the works, but to also get into the habit of sharing my thoughts on books that may be added to my library.

 

Summary:

Annie On My Mind focuses on two 17 year old girls, Liza and Annie, who meet at a museum.  Liza attends a private school and is the president of her student council, while Annie attends a public school in a fairly rough neighborhood.  Eventhough they are different, they feel they have a lot in commmon and begin spending a great deal of time together.  Over the course of their friendship, they fall in love and begin a physical relationship.  Two of Liza's teachers are out of town and Liza offers to feed their cats.  She and Annie discover that the two teachers are gay like them.  Later, an administrator at the school catches Liza and Annie in a compromising situation at the teachers' home.  Liza is almost suspended, and the two teachers are fired.  The story focuses on Liza becoming comfortable with and accepting herself and the fact that she is gay. 

 

Personal Reaction:

I understand why this book has been challenged so much over the years.  I know that it would probably not be well-received in many school districts.  I know that it would meet with a great deal of disapproval in the district where I teach.  However, I think it is important to teach tolerance of others and the learn to respect the rights of others as well.  I went into the book with an open mind, but I didn't really enjoy reading it.  I found that the reason I didn't enjoy the book was not because of the relationship between Liza and Annie, but because the book just wasn't the type of reading I enjoy.  I try to avoid romance novels, and essentially, that is what this book is.  I just found that parts of it dragged.  Towards the end, when the story finally picked up for me and became interesting, then it was over. 

Reflection

I have really enjoyed reading these books for my Children's Literature class.  As I searched for books that I could use, I also checked out alternative selections from the library.  I had a hard time deciding which ones to read for this assignment and which ones I would save for another time.  I also recently got my reading list for Young Adult Literature in the fall, and I've started collecting some of those books.  I intend to keep reading this summer, and I think I will continue to post my personal reactions to the books I read.  I think that this is something I would like to continue doing when I become a librarian.  I think it would be helpful to students who are looking for an interesting book to read. 

Owl Moon

Yolen, J. (1987). Owl moon . New York: Philomel Books.

 

Owl Moon  is a Caldecott book, and also a 1989 - 1990 Texas Bluebonnet Winner.

 

Personal Reaction:

Owl Moon is about a little girl going to the woods at night with her Pa to look for owls.  I really liked this book, mainly because it brought back memories from my own childhood.  When we would go to our camp house on the Sabine River, if we heard an owl, my dad would always answer it.  It was fascinating to listen to the owl call back to him.  This book reminded me of how excited my brother and I would get when we listened to the owl's call as it got closer.  The beautiful illustrations and the story add to the excitement the little girl is feeling as she contains herself on her first owling trip. 

Light in the Attic

Silverstein, S. (1981). A light in the attic. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.

A Light in the Attic appears on the List of 100 Most Challenged Books.

Personal Reaction:
A Light in the Attic is a collection of short poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein.  Even though I looked up the reason why this book is challenged, I still don't agree with it.  Apparently, the book was challenged at one school because some of Silverstein’s poems "glorified Satan, suicide, and cannibalism, and also encouraged children to be disobedient" (Lombardi).  I think that kids and adults should be able to see the humor in these poems and not take them literally.  They are entertaining and cute.  I enjoyed reading this book and I think that it would appeal to most kids as well.  I remember reading Where the Sidewalk Ends when I was a kid, and I loved it.  I don't ever remember reading A Light in the Attic.  Maybe our school did not have a copy of this book at the time, or I am sure that I would have read it since I enjoyed the other book so much. 

Lombardi, E. (n.d.). Banned Books - Challenged and Controversial Novels. Books & Literature Classics. Retrieved July 15, 2011, from http://classiclit.about.com/od/bannedliteratur1/tp/aa_bannedbooks.01.htm