Junk Vs. Classics-Where's the value?

The debate goes on. Do we allow our children to read junk books, especially those children who are struggling to find their place as a reader? Or do we insist that they only read books that have become classics? Books that we feel are better for their minds?

Teen readers come in various forms. There are those who have already developed a love of reading. These teens don’t care what they read, they just need to read. You’ll find them with a classic one day and maybe a book that we consider “junk” another day. We’re not concerned about these readers because they read well and they comprehend what they are reading. They will be ready for the reading demands of their future. The middle of the road readers know they need to read to complete assignments and they manage to accomplish their reading tasks. They may not exactly like reading but they appreciate their responsibilities and just do what they have to do. You won’t find them doing too much outside reading for pleasure. Then there are the reluctant readers who just don’t like reading at all. They can’t see much value in reading and are not motivated to do any reading in their leisure time. This latter group is the one who would benefit most from a free rein when it comes to reading choices. But if they get hooked on junk, will they ever cross over to the classics. There’s no guarantee. But there are benefits from reading that teens will receive no matter what type of book they are reading. They will improve their vocabulary and become aware of the world they live in. Reading causes teens to use their brains by absorbing different viewpoints, remembering facts and details, and creative thinking by evaluating the details. These are the benefits along the way. The final goal is to develop a love of reading. When this happens, teens won’t stop at junk books and will want to explore other authors and other sources of new ideas ways of thinking. So let them read.

My picks this week have all been recommended by teens as they browsed in the Young Adult room at my public library. I asked what the last book was that they read and these have become my picks of the week:


ttyl by Lauren Myracle. 2004. Grades 8-10.
This book is a series of internet dialogues between three teenage girls, thus the title, ttyl which is instant messaging lingo for “talk to you later”. The three protagonists are best friends in high school and are identified throughout the book by their screen names: Angela is "SnowAngel," Zoe is "zoegirl," and Madigan is "mad maddie". Their conversations from September to November are typical of high school girls who are dealing with issues ranging from boys and clothes to drinking and sex. These are totally written in instant messaging lingo.
Teens love the language and the topics. Adults on the other hand may find the topics a bit too honest and the language too difficult to decipher.



Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. 2010. Young Adult.
Anna is an about to be senior in high school who is looking forward to her senior year in Atlanta. She loves her job, she loves her boyfriend and her best friend. She has just found out that she has to go to boarding school in Paris. This all changes when she meets Etienne St. Clair. She develops a crush but still has feelings for her old boyfriend back in Atlanta and she learns that he has a serious girlfriend. They remain good friends throughout the book. Anna is quirky and full of teenage emotions. She hopes that she’ll finally get her long-awaited French kiss. This book is romantic, funny, and dramatic.
The teen who recommended this told me that this was the most popular book among her group of friends.



Doing It by Melvin Burgess. 2004. Grades 10 and up.
Three teenage high school boys, Dino, Jonathan, and Ben, deal with sex. The story begins as they are fantasizing about having sex with teachers, classmates, and even the Queen of England. Then begins the dialogue about their actual experiences. Dino’s girlfriend, Jackie, is the prettiest girl in school. She puts out but he tries to use another girl for sex while keeping his relationship with Jackie. He witnesses his mother with a man who is not his father, and watches his parents’ marriage end. Jonathan is keeping secret his feelings for Deborah, an overweight girl whom everyone likes as a friend. He either follows his heart or risks the ridicule of his friends. Ben has an affair with his drama teacher. At first he enjoys it but soon tries to get out of the relationship.
Burgess admits to writing this book because books about sexuality are usually from the female viewpoint and he wanted to change that. The sexual content is pretty strong but the male characters change into more sympathetic characters with their experiences. This book will probably appeal more to boys than to girls. The recommendation came from a boy.

Nutritious books-Yum! Food for the Brain

So if there were a “Book Pyramid”, as there is one for food, which books would find themselves on the bottom and which on top? Which books are the ones that are the best for us? Some nourish our minds, some our hearts, and some our very souls. Readers find information on any subject, ideas and opinions that provoke discussion, pure and simple escape, and instructions on how to do just about anything. Let’s face it. Reading is good for all of us, no matter what we expect to gain from it. My picks of the week are:



Life of Pi by Yann Martel. 2002.

Sixteen-year-old Pi Patel, the son of a zookeeper, is being raised in Pondicherry, India, alongside a menagerie of wild beasts. This allows him to gain much knowledge of the animal world. His curiosity also makes him change from his native Hinduism to Christianity and Islam, all three of which he practices. One day, his father packs up the family and their beasts and they board a freighter for a relocation to Canada. Halfway to Midway Island, the ship sinks into the Pacific, and Pi finds himself stranded on a life raft with a hyena, an orangutan, an injured zebra and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. In a series of descriptive interactions, the tiger picks off the animals one by one and soon Pi is left to survive alone with the tiger for 227 days while fighting hunger and the elements, and using his knowledge, cleverness, and faith to keep himself alive. He supplies Richard Parker with fish, turtles, and water in an attempt to keep himself from becoming the tiger’s next meal.

I chose this book after reading a review and seeing that the book had won Canada’s 2001 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction. I think that teens will enjoy this unbelievable fable-like story narrated by Pi that is full of adventure, faith, and survival and topped with wit and wisdom.



Freewill by Chris Lynch. 2001.

This is the story of a seventeen-year-old teen named Will who has lost his father and stepmother in what may be a murder suicide and is having trouble dealing with the loss. The story is told in second person narrative by a voice inside of Will’s mind which constantly admonishes, challenges, and questions reality with Will occasionally answering back. This all gives the reader a true sense of just how disturbed and lonely Will is. Enrolled in a therapeutic woodworking class, Will creates totem poles. Soon these monuments begin to appear at the sites of a series of potential suicides.
I chose this book from the list of Printz honor books. I think that teens will enjoy this dark story with its distinctive second person narrative coming from the mind of a teenager who finds himself an outsider from his peers and who struggles with the typical adolescent concerns of autonomy and choice.



Godless by Pete Hautman. 2004

Sixteen-year-old Jason Bock was raised in a Roman Catholic family but struggles with his belief in God, leaning towards agnosticism and possibly atheism. Jason decides to invent a religion of his own which he calls Chutengodianism, sanctifying water, the source of all life, as manifested by the “Ten-Legged God”, the town’s million-gallon water tower. He soon gets a few others to join his religion and one night they decide to climb the water tower to celebrate midnight mass by swimming in the water reserve. One member winds up in the hospital, one in the psychiatric ward, and Jason goes to prison along with a sentence of 210 community hours. Jason is left to wonder about a religion with only one member and though nothing gets resolved, there is discussion of questioning one’s faith and the attached conflicting feelings.

I chose this book because it was recommended to me by a teen reader in the YA room at the public library and also because it won the 2004 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. I think that teens will like this book because there aren’t too many books that deal with faith and agnosticism while remaining neither pro-religion nor anti-religion. The characters are well developed and the thought-provoking story has both humor and a serious side.



Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. 1997

Set during the Civil War, this novel tells the story of W.D. Inman, a Confederate soldier from North Carolina, who is wounded in the Battle of Petersburg and disheartened by the fighting, walks home to see Ada, the woman he loves. On his journey across the war-torn South, he meets a variety of characters, slaves and marauders, bounty hunters and witches, some help and others deter him along the way. In the meantime, Ada is struggling to save her father’s failing farm and must learn to change from her socialite way of life to that of a working farmer to survive. Frazier based his story on a true life one of a Civil War soldier who left combat and walked home.

I chose this book because it was on my son’s high school reading list and because of its fabulous historical fiction. Cold Mountain made publishing history by staying at the top of The New York Times best-seller list for sixty-one weeks, won numerous literary awards, including the National Book Award, and sold over three million copies. I think teens would like this book for its poignant storyline and intriguing plot, based on an important era in our country’s history.

Enter At Your Own Risk

Why is it that teen readers can’t get enough of scary stories? The scarier the story, the less time it spends on the library shelf collecting dust. There are many emotions all tied up together that a reader experiences when reading a scary book: the pleasure of reading, mixed in with fear and tension as the story progresses; a kind of anxiety eased by the knowledge that these events are all made up; finally a sense of relief when reaching the last page and taking a deep breath. What a great experience and one that no reader should miss. So whether you’re daring enough to like your scary stories full of horror and blood and guts or more timid in preferring a little less blood and a little more suspense, there is certainly a scary story written just for you. Enter if you dare, the world of scary stories. My picks of the week are:


The Monstrumologist: William James Henry by Richard Yancy. 2009. Michal L. Printz Award book.

The story centers on Pellinore Warthrop, a monstrumologist which means he practices the science of finding, studying, and categorizing monsters. Sometimes he is forced to hunt them down and kill them. The story is narrated by 12 year old Will Henry, his ward and apprentice. His story begins when a band of Anthropophagi which are fierce, man-eating hominids have migrated from their native Africa to a cemetery in late 19th century New England. The corpse of the first to be found monster is brought to Warthrop's lab by a resurrectionist, one who hunts night creatures, who wants to learn more about his night’s catch.
I chose this book because of its Printz honor and the reviews that I had read about the book. This gothic horror adventure story has a lot to offer the teen reader. The colorful characters, whether they be the good guys or the evil ones, have been described by one critic as resembling characters out of a Dickens novel. The narrations are descriptive and build suspense that is similar to the style of Stephen King. I think this story will appeal to the teen reader who enjoys a true, terrifying horror story that is gruesome but at the same time an imaginative adventure.




Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. 2001. Edgar Allan Poe Award for best true- crime book of the year. YA-Adult
Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial, gives readers an insider's look at one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the twentieth century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. Motives were never understood nor were the reasons why Manson’s followers carried out his every order. The murder, which took place in August of 1969, shocked the nation as we learned about the brutal murders of Sharon Tate, a then rising Hollywood star and six other victims who were all shot, stabbed, and bludgeoned to death. The book covers the murders, a portrait of the killers, events of the investigation and trial, and theories behind the never-ending search for the motive. It also offers little known facts about Charles Manson who had become a father figure to many, mostly female, teen runaways.
I chose this book for three reasons: it had received the Edgar Allan Poe Award; this is a part of history, as gruesome and disturbing as it is, that has always fascinated those who lived through the event; the book was recommended to me by a teen I met in the Young Adult room in my local library who had just finished the book after receiving a recommendation from his friend. I think that teens will become just as fascinated with the descriptions of the process of investigation and trial and also the chance to learn about those who carried out such a gruesome crime. It also can show teens the potential dangers of becoming detached from their home and families.





Bullet Point by Peter Abrahams. 2010.
This is a hold-your-breath thriller about sixteen-year-old Wyatt, who after baseball is cut at his school because of the budget, transfers on the advice of his baseball coach to a wealthier high school where he’ll have the opportunity to play. He meets a girl named Greer whose father is in prison, a coincidence since Wyatt’s dad is in prison, too. In fact, thee two dads are in the same prison together. Wyatt decides to help his dad whom he’s sure is innocent. He and Greer decide to investigate the robbery at Millerville and set off on a journey that leads them to an out-of-control adventure as they seek answers to questions of justice and guilt.
I chose this book on the recommendation of my son. I think teens will enjoy this action packed thriller that also develops the character of Wyatt as a thoughtful teen


Night Road by A.M. Jenkins. 2010
Yes, this is yet another vampire story. They certainly are the rage these days. This story is about Cole who may look like an average teen, but is actually over a century old and who feels it’s an insult to be called a vampire. He and the others prefer the title of hemovore (a vampire who feeds on human blood without the victim even realizing it). Hemovores live to a high standard of rules in which they respect omnis. Cole tries to live his life completely on the road never staying in one place too long to avoid the risk of becoming involved with an omni as had happened once in the past. He's a master of life on the road and is confident that he can handle any situation that comes his way. He soon learns that he can’t control events that are the result of the actions of others. Enter Sandor, another heme, who has killed a human named Gordon by mistake. Cole has been called in to help Sandor train Gordon in the ways of the hemes. Gordon seems completely lost and is unable to accept his condition. Along the way, they discuss their ability to die and whether or not they possess souls.
I chose this book on the recommendation of one of my former students who described this as a different take on the world of vampires and a story that seemed more about coming of age than the typical vampire romance story. I think that teens will enjoy this because of the development of the characters and the sensitivity sometimes lost in vampire stories.

That’s hard to believe…Or is it?

Science fiction is a genre that has been enjoyed by readers for centuries. Authors have fabricated tales of unbelievable scientific and technological innovations and events which for the most part seem too incredible to be true but at the same time, in a world full of speculation, seem almost imaginable.
Fantasy is similar to science fiction in its speculative nature but unlike science fiction, fantasy doesn’t try to clarify what causes these incredible things to happen by using science or technology. It uses magic and the supernatural in its plot development.
Teens are drawn to both science fiction and fantasy as a means to escape at least for a while their real life pressures and demands. There are so many books waiting to be read at the public library making the task of choosing my top three picks a difficult one. Some of my picks for teens:



How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff. 2004. Grades 6-up


The winner of the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize 2004, this is the story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Daisy who is sent to live with her cousins on a farm in England when her father can’t take care of her where she spends time getting to know her cousins while her Aunt Penn is stranded in Oslo. Daisy soon falls in love and has a sexual relationship with her cousin Edmond. But war is about to break out and when the enemy invades the farm, Daisy and Edmond are separated and Daisy flees with her younger cousin, Piper. The girls are forced to go on without knowing the fate of Edmond. This is a story of growing up and acting responsibly when faced with being on your own. It’s a story of love and survival during wartime.
I chose this book on the recommendation of the YA librarian. I feel that teens would enjoy this story for the character development and the survival of love even through separation. The story gives reassurance to teens of the power to survive in case another major war were to occur.


The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer. 2004. Grades 5-9.

This fantasy story is set in 793 A.D. and centers on an eleven-year-old Saxon boy named Jack who is kidnapped, along with his five-year-old sister, Lucy, by the crew of a Viking ship led by Olaf One-Brow. They are taken to the kingdom of Ivar the Boneless where Jack becomes an apprentice and learns to develop his magic. One of his new spells goes wrong and when he causes Ivar’s half troll queen Frith’s hair to fall out, he is forced to go on a quest across the Sea of Trolls to save his sister from being sacrificed to Frith’s favorite goddess, Freya. He faces many challenges and meets frightening creatures such as trolls, giant troll bears, a dragon, and giant spiders which only serves to force him to mature and become stronger.
I chose this book because of its cover depicting a massive ship against a backdrop of fog with the title written in bold red letters. It was an example of choosing a book by its cover and my choice turned out to be a good one. I think that fantasy lovers of all ages will enjoy this story of mythological adventure and humor.


The Subtle Knife by Phillip Pullman. 1999

After the popularity and critical acclaim of The Golden Compass (and of course, the movie!), many wondered if Pullman could keep up his momentum with the sequel. He proved that it was possible as he didn’t disappoint readers. Lyra Silvertongue is back and she has a match in a human twelve-year-old named Will Parry who has been a game player like Lyra since he was young. He has also developed the talent for becoming invisible, an art he used to distance himself from his unstable mother. This story takes up where the first ends and many of the old characters are back: the witch Serafina Pekkala, the manipulative Mrs. Coulter, Lee Scoresby and his hare dæmon, Hester. There are new characters as well: Oxford dark-matter researchers Mary Malone, the Latvian witch queen Ruta Skadi, Stanislaus Grumman, a shaman in search of a weapon crucial to the cause of Lord Asriel, Lyra's father and a serpentine old man who serves as a mystery. The story begins as Will's enemies are trying to gain information about his missing father, a soldier and Arctic explorer, and Will knowing that he must hide his mother and make his way toward Oxford, which may hold the key to John Parry's disappearance. The story moves between several worlds and the plot will keep readers on the edge of their seats. In true fantasy fashion the impossible becomes reality making for an exciting and moving adventure.
I chose this book because I had read The Colden Compass and a student had recommended that I read the sequel which in her words was even better than the first. Teen lovers of fantasy will enjoy a great story with a mix of characters who intertwine and make for many “hold your breath” moments.


The Eyre Affair by Jasper FForde. 2002. Grades 9-12.

This is a comical alternate history story about a literary detective named Thursday Next who has just married but when her husband is “time slipped” and exists only in her memories, and an unknown work by Shakespeare arises, she decides to get back on the job. Her first case is about a stolen Dickens manuscript. The evil presence in the story is Acheron Hades who plots to steal such manuscripts and alter them permanently. He does this easily since he has discovered a portal that can take people in and out of books. The humorous plot thickens as a Dickens character is murdered and then Jane Eyre is kidnapped in order for the plot of her story to be changed forever.
I chose this story on a recommendation of the YA librarian and once again am happy to say that she knows her stuff. Teens will enjoy this mix of adventure, mystery, romance, and absurd and amusing comedy as simply a fun book to read.

All You Need Is Love

In my exploration this week through the impressive number of YA romance books on library shelves, I realize that this theme has come a long way in what is available for teens today. Maybe this is due to the fact that these teens are facing situations that were not admitted to or talked about years ago. With the openness of society today and adult attempts to prepare children for all they will have to face and endure as a part of their growing up process, authors are using these topics to create characters that teens will be able to relate to, learn from, and become comfortable with in their own real life situations.
Covers play an important role in creating that first attraction to a title and this seemed especially true to me as I pulled one book after another off the shelf to expose its “sexy” art work. Who can forget the image of the pair of hands holding the apple on the cover of Twilight depicting the forbidden fruit in the story of Adam and Eve. They also played a part in my choices of romantic titles.


Dark Water by Laura McNeal. 2010. Gr. 8-up.
In this story based in Southern California in 2007 when wildfires spread across the land, Pearl DeWitt lives with her mom on the ranch where her Uncle Hoyt grows 900 avocado trees. He frequently hires migrant workers and Pearl doesn’t pay too much attention to them until she sees Amiel, a young boy who is quiet and keeps to himself. She becomes attracted to him and this attraction leads to a forbidden affair which becomes entangled in the danger of the wildfires. The plot and setting are based in fact making this an entertaining story because of its historical elements besides its romantic ones. There is so much packed into this story for teens to enjoy. Besides the compelling story of forbidden love, this is one full of suspense and historical facts. Readers will see Pearl deal with real life issues of her parents’ divorce and her cousin’s anger at his father’s potential adultery, as she tries to resist her attraction to Amiel. I chose this book because of the cover art and jacket information.


Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick. 2010. Grade 9-up.
Nora is a high school sophomore from Portland, ME who is both attracted to and put off by her new biology partner. He seems to know all her thoughts. She soon finds out that he is a fallen angel who wants to become human and she becomes susceptible to his influence. The supernatural theme with questions as to whether fallen angels really exist will draw readers in as will the story of forbidden love.
I chose this book because of its alluring cover. In reading the jacket, I found that it was a story of a fallen angel, a mystery that has always intrigued me.



Keeping You A Secret by Julie Anne Peters. 2005. Gr. 9-up.
This is a story of teenage first love involving a high school girl, Holland Jaeger, who seems to know what she wants as we are introduced to Holland going steady with a nice looking boy and thinking about attending college in the fall until she meets Cece Goddard whom she is attracted to and realizes she loves. They grow closer and become committed to each other, a course that causes Holland to lose her friends and face the harsh discrimination of those around her and especially the anger of her mother who throws her out of the house. This is a story that will have teens thinking about the real complications of same sex relationships and the antigay slurs and hatred that are sometimes the consequence. I chose this book on a recommendation of a teen I know who had read the book.

Make 'Em Laugh

One of my favorite movies of all time is “Singin’ In the Rain” and in one scene, actor Donald O’Connor sings and dances in a slapstick way to a song called “Make ‘Em Laugh” as he states all the reasons why we should not take life too seriously and to take the time to look at things with humor. As the song says:
Make 'em laugh
Make 'em laugh
Don't you know everyone wants to laugh?

Yes, I think deep down we all do. We want to laugh at ourselves before someone else has the chance to. We want to have the ability to laugh off all the fearful, uncomfortable, and apprehensive moments in our lives. No different are our teen population who struggle with all the new feelings, emotions, and experiences that they are encountering. A little comic relief can go a long way to help them cope with life and they can find this in their reading choices.
This week was devoted to humor in YA books. Sometimes it’s nice not to have to take things too seriously and enjoy a chuckle or two. I enjoyed browsing through many books in the Young Adult section of our local library and found a number of them that I would recommend to my students.
Reading Allison Follos article for SLJ about “funny books” made me realize that I have to agree with her when she says “It’s about connection and appreciation, not judgment, and it’s a rare find when a humorous title entertains us all equally.” So in choosing books for teens, we adults need to go by what they think is funny even if we don’t get it, and quite often, I honestly don’t. When purchasing books for our school library collection, it is difficult to choose books that we don’t think are particularly funny and may even contain language or subjects that make us feel uncomfortable and go against what we believe in. What we need to keep in mind is the ultimate goal of increasing student reading and winning over those reluctant readers. Isn’t it better for us to house a collection of books, not particularly funny to us, but that fly off the shelf than to have a shelf full of titles hand picked according to our perspective of what tickles the funny bone that are collecting dust?
With this in mind, when searching for this week’s picks for books with humor and after browsing the many sites that offer suggestions, I chose books on the recommendation of students as well as for the reasons mentioned with each title.

A Hat Full of Sky by Terry Pratchett. 2005. Gr.6-10.
The sequel to The Wee Free Men, is the continuing adventure of Tiffany Aching, a girl training to become a witch, who feels ready to discover her full powers but first has to overcome the creature pursuing her with or without the help of the six-inch high, small blue tattooed Wee Little Men, who have vowed to protect her. In the end, Tiffany is the one who makes things right all on her own.
I found this book in the YA section of my local library. I chose this one because I had read The Wee Free Men on the recommendation of one of my son’s friends and enjoyed the writing style of Terry Pratchett. I feel that this is a book that would appeal to teens. Much of the humor in this book is supplied by the Wee Free Men, also called Pictsies. Teens will love their irreverent conversations and slapstick comedy. Pratchett combines something for every reader: fantasy, humor, suspense, and a lesson to be learned about self-determination and purpose in life.


The Year of Secret Assignments by Jaclyn Moriarity. 2004. Gr7-12
Written as a series of notes, emails, letters, and diary entries of Cassie, Emily, and Lydia, three girls from upscale Ashbury High whose teacher in an attempt to end the feud between their schools, gives her class an assignment to write to male pen pals, Matthew, Seb, and Charlie, boys attending lower class Brookfield High and though they’re reluctant at first, they find the boys to be more appealing than they had anticipated. While Emily and Lydia find their pen pals fun to write to, Cassie’s sends threats and abusive comments leading the girls to devise a plan to teach him a lesson.
I chose this book because of its numerous awards:
• American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults
• Horn Book Magazine Fanfare Book
• Booklist Editor’s Choice
• Books for Youth (Awards)
• Amazon Editor’s Choice
• Virginia Young Readers Award Nominee
• IRA 2006 Young Adults' Choice

This comedy of manners would appeal to the teen reader by offering three teen relationships complete with misunderstandings, angst, and the final making-up. They will be able to relate to many of the heartfelt emotions that are being expressed by the teens as they correspond to each other. The story tells the tale of true friendship among the girls and a new found understanding and friendship among the boys.


Once Upon a Marigold by Ferris. 2002. Gr.5-9
This is a humorous coming-of-age fantasy with hints of classic fairy tales, about a boy named Christian, raised in the forest by Edric, a troll, who decides to set off and see the rest of the world, or in this case forest where resides Princess Marigold, whom he has admired from afar and has exchanged letters via p-mail (carrier pigeon). Christian becomes part of the court and learns that Marigold, who loves him, too, is set to marry Sir Magnus. The story is full of fairy tale characters such as Marigold’s evil mother, Queen Olympia who is plotting to murder Marigold and her father, King Swithbert. The plots are predictable but with a combination of romance, comedy, and fantasy, this story will appeal to many younger teens.
I chose this book for two reasons, the first of which it is one of those books that is found in either the Juvenile or Young Adult section of a library at the discretion of the individual library. This may make it more appealing to a wider audience and I am always looking for books that are appropriate for my fifth graders who are making the transition from Juvenile to Young Adult titles. The second reason is because this book was a 2007 nominee for the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader’s Book Award. Rebecca Caudill was an author who wrote about life in Kentucky and many of her stories are based on her own life. She is an ancestor of my husband.


Rules of the Road, Joan Bauer. 2005. Gr.7-12
Jenna Boller, an average student who is too tall for her age, has a talent for selling shoes and loves her after school job at Gladstone’s Shoes, though working for elderly Mrs. Madeline Gladstone, the irritable president of the company, presents some challenges. When Mrs. Gladstone chooses Jenna to chauffeur her in her Cadillac on a trip visiting her other stores, Jenna is reluctant to leave her alcoholic father but decides to go and learns many lessons along the way about survival on the road like “Never eat at a place called Mom’s because it’s a safe bet that Mom’s been dead for years.”, about Mrs. Gladstone, whom she learns to care for and admire, and about herself in becoming a vital asset to Mrs. Gladstone with her eye for poor quality and salesmanship. Jenna’s life becomes full of strife when her good friend Harry, the “World’s Best Shoe Salesman” suddenly dies and the realization of how much she would have wanted Harry to be her father gives her the courage she needs to save the day when Mrs. Gladstone’s less than admirable son, Elden, appropriately nicknamed “The Shoe Rodent”, tries to take over the company.
I originally chose this book by Joan Bauer because I was familiar with the author and learned that Rules of the Road was chosen as one of the top young adult books of the last 25 years by the American Library Association. I admire Bauer’s talent for dealing with difficult issues for teens but always encouraging them to never give up hope. Her plots are full of twists and her use of first person narrative makes it a more personal journey for the reader. Teens will enjoy reading a story that is funny, touching, and full of lessons to be learned about oneself and dealing with others.

Here We Go Again

When I completed my last post on May 9, 2010 (My thirteenth wedding anniversay, by the way, making me wonder if my posting was part of the celebration and while waiting for it.), I had all intentions of keeping my blog going. I really enjoyed my first blogging experience and though the posts were directed more by assignment deadlines than by off the cuff "in the mood to blog" moments, I found that the experience got my brain thinking in an organized way. This is something that I can honestly say doesn't naturally happen with me 24/7. So when I realized that I was going to be blogging for a second course, I decided to continue with this, my original blog. In thinking back to setting up my blog,my first post explained why I chose its name. I wrote:

"All these decisions!! And that's just to set up my first blog. The perfect name? I came up with a few but always came back to "Still Hoping After All These Years". Yes, Paul Simon came up with most of this first but I've always related to that song. The problem is I had a problem with admitting that I was crazy in my first blog attempt. I began to think about hope and how no matter what has happened to me in my lifetime, good and bad, I always felt that there was hope. The idea of what we're hoping for may change in our lives, from "I hope that Mommy doesn't serve me those mashed peas again." , through "I hope that Stanley asks me to the dance Saturday." and the "I hope it doesn't rain on my wedding day." through the "I hope that my father knew that I loved him before he died of cancer." and the "I hope that my son becomes healthy one day and doesn't have to take medication for an autoimmune illness." to a "I hope that I can get back into my music one day." to "I hope that my sons can live happily ever after doing something they're passionate about." to the current "I hope that I can keep all this straight as I try to juggle family, work, choral and guitar students, with my graduate school commitment?" I am indeed "still hoping after all these years" and have no plans of giving up."

So today, over five months later, I find that some things have changed:I was laid off from my position of LMS, my second son is off at college and I miss him dearly, and I decided to push for my certification by diving into three courses this semester, two of which require PrePracticums. I also find that some things are the same. I try to keep a smile on my face, a song in my heart, and remain "still hoping after all these years".