Manga Mondays: Boys Over Flowers Vol. 1

 Manga Mondays is a meme hosted by Alison at Alison Can Read where bloggers can share their passion for reading mangas. It's a great place to get new manga titles to try and to meet new bloggers. Normally I get manga recommendations from friends or what's been popular in libraries. I stumbled upon Boys Over Flowers when I was listening to segment on NPR called "You Must Read This". This short piece caught my attention and I had to find out why it was so strongly recommended. Boys Over Flowers is one of the best selling shojo manga series of all time in Japan and it has been adapted into dramas and animes in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. Thankfully, the series is now complete so I don't have to wait to see how it ends!


Description: When her only friend, Makiko, accidentally offends F4 leader Tsukasa, Tsukushi boldly defends her. Enraged, Tsukushi puts the dreaded red tag in Tsukushi's locker -- a sign that she is now a target for the abuse of the F4 and the entire school. But when Tsukushi fights the gang with their own weapon, Tsukasa finds himself falling for her!


Review: Tsukushi Makino, our heroine and the protagonist of Boys Over Flowers, is a scholarship and transfer student in one of the most expensive and private schools. On her first day of school, her friend Makiko accidentally offends one of the F4, the clique that rules her private, super-rich high school. Shocked and furious that no one would come to her friend's aid, Tsukushi comes forward and protects her friend. Little did she know that her act of bravery has set off a taboo in her school. You see you don't mess with the F4 at any cost otherwise your life will become hell.
  The next day the F4 had Tsukushi a red flag, a symbol that she is to be bullied by everyone in the school. She is ostracized by her schoolmates and subjected to increasing abuse—her desk is stolen, an egg is thrown in her face, and someone writes that she had a pair of abortions on the school blackboard. Instead of backing down and crying, Tsukushi fights back with her fist, flyswatter and foot.
  As you can see bullying and an insight of the clash of social classes create the foundation to this series. The F4 stands for "Flowery Four," (which sounds stupid and weird but I'm sure will make sense as I continue this series). The members of the F4 are all rich and good-looking, dress like supermodels, and strut around the school like they own the place. They have an aura that is both attractive and repellent, the pull of which both Tsukushi and the reader feel. The F4's leader is the creepy Tsukasa Domyoji, who wears pseudo-dreds and is constantly mixing up his phrases. Domyoji is suppose to look like Christian Slater the mangaka's celebrity crush (I don't get it) but he reminds of me of a young Jordan Knight from New Kids on the Block. Tsukushi has a strange affect on Domyoji in that she constantly challenges him regardless of how poorly he treats her. It's really no surprise when this volume ends to find out that he harbors a secret crush on her. Thankfully, Tsukushi doesn't reciprocate it and sets her sights on someone else. Part soap opera, part social commentary, and a promise of complex characters, Boys Over Flowers is a manga series that I'm curious to follow.

Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: There are scenes of bullying including a sexual assault attempt and some language. Recommended for teens and up.

If you like this book try: Ouran High School Host Club by Bistco Hatori, Kodocha by Miho Obana,
Kare Kano: His and Her Circumstances by Masami Tsuda

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Challenged Picture Books: Crow Boy, Dirty Cowboy, and Guess What?

  There is one thing I've learned from doing the banned/challenged reading challenge this year: You can't write a book that will please everyone. There is going to be something about your book, no matter how minuscule or indirect, that will offend someone. Picture books for younger readers are easily targeted for challenges due to their brief text and illustrations as you will see in the following reviews below.

Description: A story of a strange, shy, small boy who is isolated by his differences from other children in a Japanese village school.

Review: Crow Boy is a very simple story and it would work as a great way to introduce the topic of bullying through a multicultural lens. This story centers around a boy that does not fit with the social and cultural norms of his classmates throughout his school career. He continually is bullied and made fun of by his classmates. It is not until the sixth grade when a teacher takes interest in him and creates opportunities for him to show his talents and knowledge. For example, the boy can imitate lots of crows. He is admired for his crow calls and dubbed "Crow Boy". Once his classmates learn about his hard struggles and what the boy does just to go to school, they realize how quick they were to jump to conclusions and by the end of the story, he is incorporated to the group. The story is told with sparse illustrations and what seems to be colored pencil illustrations that allow for shading, multiple color use, and abstraction within each illustration. Each classmate's face along with the main character's face are somewhat blurred and allow for a greater audience for this story, since it is not specifically identified with Japan and Japanese culture. I'm not a fan of the book's illustrations at all and I think they are kind of off putting, however, the powerful story makes up for it.

Rating: 4 stars

Reasons why it was banned/challenged: Challenged by a school board member in the Queens, N.Y. school libraries (1994) because it "denigrates white American culture, 'promotes racial separation, and discourages assimilation."' The rest of the school board voted to retain the book. Source: ALA, Banned Books 1994-1995

Words of Caution: None. The book challenge for this book does not make sense to me at all. I'm almost positive that the challenger has not even bothered opening this book to realize that a) the book's setting is a village in Japan, b) the story is about bullying, and c) the lesson in this book is about embracing differences, not labeling people, and why bullying is bad. There is zero discussion about race and race relations. Furthermore, I think Crow Boy successfully tries to be multicultural in showing that bullying, unfortunately, takes place anywhere. The last time I checked, American culture is not just "white" but a melting pot of lots of other races, ethniticies, etc, and that all men are created equal.

If you like this book try: Umbrella by Taro Yashima, Be Good to Eddie Lee by Virginia Fleming

Description: Telling his faithful dog to make sure nobody touches his clothes but him, a cowboy jumps into a New Mexico river for a bath, not realizing just how much the scrubbing will change his scent.


Review: After finding 32 fleas in his hair and tumbleweeds in his chaps, a freckle-faced cowboy decides that it's time for his annual bath. He mounts his horse, calls for his old dog, and heads for El Rio. There he takes off his clothes and commands his dog to guard his duds and to not anyone take them except him. After frolicking merrily with a bar of soap through G rated illustrations that cover the lower parts of his body, he emerges thoroughly scrubbed and thinks he should also wash his clothes too, but there is a slight problem. The dog does not detect his owner's familiar "wild boar-like smell" and stubbornly refuses to relinquish the garments. A hysterical brawl ensues as owner and pet fight for the clothes that ultimately leaves the man as dirty as when he started, ultimately restoring his usual aroma. Unfortunately, the clothes do not survive the tussle, and the cowboy heads for home in his birthday suit. Told in descriptive language that rolls off the tongue, this story makes the most of a humorous situation. Filled with the dusty reds and sundown bronzes of the New Mexico setting, the paintings have a gritty, sinewy look that matches the earthy tone of the tale. The illustrations does have a Norman Rockwell appeal to them. The illustrations are clever, but my favorite picture is of the hangdog expression on the pooch's face when he realizes his mistake is priceless. Dirty Cowboy is a fun tall tale story that younger readers will enjoy and might even get them to take baths more often.

Rating: 4 stars

Reasons why it was banned/challenged: In April 2012, the Annville-Cleona School Board in Lebanon, PA, voted 8-0 to remove the book from its elementary schools after a student's parents objected to some of the book's illustrations. There is no objection to the story itself but rather the illustrations may lead children to think "that looking at nudity is OK, and therefore pornography is OK.'" Source: LDN News

Words of Caution: As I mentioned, the illustrations are G rated and not all that different from the old cartoons where a person would wear a barrel if their clothes were destroyed. Now I'm pretty sure that all kids know that in order to take a bath or a shower, you have to disrobe. I see to be missing the huge "logical" jump  from this idea to pornography. Can you help me out? Recommended it for Grades K-Grade 2nd reading level.

If you like this book try: Down the Drain by Robert Munsch, Tub Toys by Terry Miller Shannon




Description: Through a series of questions to which the reader must answer yes or no, the personality and occupation of a lady called Daisy O'Grady are revealed.


Review:  Guess What? is an off beat Halloween picture book in the form of a question and answer style. The structure is simple, introduced on the first page with a flat statement: ``Far away from here lives a crazy lady called Daisy O'Grady.'' This is followed by a series of questions that are answered with a resounding ``Yes!'' when the page is turned. Each exchange builds a description of a woman who, it is increasingly obvious, is a witch. The last lines, however, are reassure us that Ms. O'Grady is isn't frightening. The text is paired with illustrations that add to the eerie atmosphere with a photographic surrealism. Framed sharply to face the text, which is in large print, the pictures become increasingly bizarre in their use of detail, commenting on the text as much as extending it. The picture and text are darkly humorous and I think would go over the little one's heads. I know I found some of the pictures to be a bit grotesque for my taste and could have easily scared me as a child. As a result, it's an okay book with a cool format, but definitely not my first choice as a Halloween book.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Reasons why it was banned/challenged: References to witchcraft. Source: MVCC Libraries 

Words of Caution: The book doesn't teach you how to become a witch. It just features a witch, a figure that is quite common in a lot picture books about Halloween. Due to some nightmarish images, I would feel better recommending this title for Grades 2-4

If you like this book try: Are You Awake? by Sophie Blackall, Boy Wonders by Calef Brown

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Wonder

 Wonder by R.J. Palacio has been one of the most popular middle grade book released in 2012. I really think it is a strong contender for the Newbery Award. It has already received several starred reviews along with strong reading recommendations from libraries as well as booksellers.

Description (from Goodreads): I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse.
  August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

Review: I think I did a disservice to reading Wonder after I read Sharon Draper's phenomenal Out of My Mind, one of my favorites from 2012. Both books have a similar theme of children being ostracized by their peers due to their disabilities. Out of My Mind is a grittier and realistic portrayal of the hardships endured by the main character while Wonder has a much more upbeat tone.
  Wonder is the story of a boy named August Pullman's, commonly called Auggie among his family and friends, first year at school. Auggie is a ten-year-old boy born with a facial anomaly that has required him to undergo countless operations, which have restored his physical features normally. His physical deformity has instantly made him an outsider with the outside world. Auggie has been home-schooled by his parents, but now they feel it is time for him to be acclimated with normalcy and thus enroll him in middle school. Wonder is book about journeys. Of course it highlights Auggie's personal struggle, but it is also shows his family's journey of slowly loosening their grip on Auggie and trying to be hands off as much as possible even though it breaks their hearts to see him in so much pain.
  Auggie's story is surprisingly told from six different perspectives. Auggie's point of view is a lot cheerier than I expected. He knows he is being isolated by his peers and how frightening he can look, but he doesn't let these problems drag him down too much. He is a lot more stoic than I could imagine being at that age. To be honest, I didn't feel like his point of view was realistic and had a bit too much of an after school special tone to it though I do admire his optimism and I can sympathize with him.
  In addition to Auggie, we also have his older sister Via, her boyfriend Justin, her friend Miranda and Jack and Summer, two kids August befriends at school. We clearly have both male and female perspectives as well as varing ages ranging very young to older teens, but I thought all these voices very much sounded a lot alike. While I liked knowing what the outside of Auggie, I felt that some points of view didn't really add to the story.

  Like a lot of readers, the only voice that struck a chord with me is Auggie's sister, Via. Funny enough, the voice that got to me the most wasn't August's but his sister Via's. Some may call her selfish or petty, but her plight of always living in the shadow of her little brother made her real to me. I felt her voice with nuanced with guilt and shame for wanting attention from her parents and giving her brother a reality check. Hearing from Via made her a real, memorable, three dimensional character. I kind of wish the author had used only her voice and juxtaposed it with Auggie throughout the story, the book would have been stronger and the tone would have been a bit more balanced. 
  In general, the writing is kept simple, fitting and true to the ten-year-old responsible for most of the narration, but I did cringe with the heavy use of the word "dude" which really got on my nerves. I think that's just a personal pet peeve as I hear it every day at work. The parents were just a bit too nice and the villains were a bit too obvious and well, mean.

   I don't think Wonder is a perfect book, but I do believe it would lend itself to some great discussion. I would highly recommend it especially for parents looking for a bright, upbeat contemporary novel for young readers.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: This is a relatively clean read. There are some incidents of bullying and there is a brief mention of seventh graders smoking, but nothing that you wouldn't see on TV. Recommended for Grades 5 and up.

If you like this book try: Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper, Angel in My Pocket by Ilene Cooper, Firegirl by Tony Abbott, Larger-than-life Lara by Dandi Daley Mackall

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Children/MG Mini-Reviews: Stargirl, Gathering Blue, and The Thief

  The rest of the week will be mini-reviews from the books I've read last year. Though mini-reviews are brief, I think they boil down my thoughts a bit better than my normal reviews. Today, I have a small batch of children/MG reads that are fairly popular but have taken me this long to actually get them off my shelf and read them.


Description (from inside book panel): Stargirl. From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, the hallways hum with the murmur of "Stargirl, Stargirl." She captures Leo Borlock's heart with just one smile. She sparks a school-spirit revolution with just one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted. At first.
   Then they turn on her. Stargirl is suddenly shunned for everything that makes her different, and Leo, panicked and desperate with love, urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her: normal. In this celebration of nonconformity, Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli weaves a tense, emotional tale about the perils of popularity and the thrill and inspiration of first love.


Review: I must be the last person to read this book. Stargirl was a really quick read that I finished in a day. I had a lot of mixed emotions while reading the book. It reminds me of all the fickleness of high school popularity, our strong desire to 'fit in' and the knee-jerk repulsion to something that is different than what we deem as 'normal'. It also highlights our obsession in finding categories for things that refuse to be defined/labeled. Stargirl is a wonderful character who is quirky and for the most part comfortable with the way she is. Leo Borlock is our narrator and reflects on his junior year in a New Mexico high school when he meets and starts with a relationship with Stargirl. The pressure to conform is the main theme of this book as Leo struggles between choosing his connection to his peers and to Stargirl, the essential question boils down to one offered to him by a sage adult friend: "Whose affection do you value more, hers or the others'?" Spinelli poses searching questions about loyalty to one's friends and oneself and leaves readers to form their own answers. Though there is a companion book to Stargirl called Love, Stargirl, I don't plan on reading it because for me it lessens Stargirl's powerful and realistic ending.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: None. Given the book's setting and context, I think it would be more relevant to those in middle school and up. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.

If you like this book try: Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli, The Schwa was Here by Neal Shusterman


Description (from Goodreads): In her strongest work to date, Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.
  As she did in The Giver, Lowry challenges readers to imagine what our world could become, and what will be considered valuable. Every reader will be taken by Kira's plight and will long ponder her haunting world and the hope for the future.


Review: Though I liked The Giver, I thought its ending was too abrupt and ended way too quickly. I liked Gathering Blue a bit more, but I'm not really fond with how Lowry ends her book in this series? world? Since the book is set in the same brutal and cold world, it is not a direct sequel, but a companion novel. I found it fascinating to read a world without any technology and where many of hte large and important events happen off screen yet their residue linger in the atmosphere. In Kira's community, people's cotts, or homes, are burned after an illness. People with deformities are abandoned at birth. I liked Kira and the other characters in this book, each had their own distinct personality, talent, and heavy responsibilities on their shoulders. While the story is quite grim, there is also lots of drama, suspense, and even snippets of humor to counterbalance the somber tone. I thought the ending wasn't as abrupt and gave the reader a bit for clues as to what will happen next. Readers won't forget these memorable characters or their struggles in an inhospitable world.


Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: Must of the violence mentioned in the book take place off the page and are alluded to in the story. Recommended for Grades 5 and up. 

If you like this book try: The Messenger by Lois Lowry, The Diary of Pelly D. by L.J. Adlington, The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann



Description: After Gen's bragging lands him in the king's prison, the chances of escape look slim. Then the king's scholar, the magus, needs the thief's skill for a seemingly impossible task - to steal a hidden treasure from another land. To the magus, Gen is just a tool. But Gen is a trickster and a survivor with a plan of his own.


Review: What a really fun book! The Thief is the first book in the The Queen's Thief series. A wonderful mixture of wit, adventure, mythology, and philosophy. Gen is an awesome character and not what he seems. His lack of discipline, his hum-ho view of heroism, and need for sleep and food make him approachable. His wicked sense of humor made him charming. He had me chuckling in quite a few places. Turner does a phenomenal job of creating real people in her story. No one is entirely good or evil but very shades of grey. The magus makes the transition from smug, superior scholar to decent guy in a believable fashion. Turner also does a neat job of puncturing lots of little prejudices that work well with the story and isn't just something added. There are many hidden lessons in this story if you dig deeper into the story. I found myself absorbed into the different myths recounted in the story, but I have to say that the surprise ending was terrific. Though it is foreshadowed throughout, it is not obvious and caught me a little unaware. Definitely a good pick for those readers who love adventure and fantasy. I'll definitely pick up the rest of the series.


Rating: 4 stars


Words of Caution: There is some PG language and violence. Recommended for Grades 6 and up.


If you like this book try: The rest of the The Queen's Theif series (The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia, The Conspiracy of Kings), The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan, The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, or Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathan Stroud

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Banned Books Week 2011: Whale Talk

  Author Chris Crutcher is not immune to challenges. In fact he is one of the authors listed that have been frequently challenged according to ALA. I only read a few books by the author including Deadline which was on the Abraham Lincoln list in Illinois. I just finished one of his well known book called Whale Talk.

Description: T.J. Jones is a multiracial, adopted teen, who shuns organized sports and the fervent athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students when he is asked for assistance by his English teacher.

Review: All of Chris Crutcher books, at least the ones I have read so far, have a sports foundation that also incorporates important issues. Whale Talk has all of the author's trademarks. Adopted, biracial high-school senior The Tao Jones (his birth mother named him after a philosophy and prefers to be just called T.J.) is well-adjusted on the surface. T.J. is a smart, likable kid with a great sense of humor and athletic ability. He is your model student who effortlessly glides through school with decent grades and for the most part active in the social scene. Unlike many males in his high school, T. J. doesn't need competitive sports to create his identity. Though Cutter High School jocks and coaches see he is wasting his athletic potential and go far as calling him a traitor and other insults for not having enough school spirit.  T. J. backtracks his promise of not joining a sport when English teacher-coach Mr. Simet makes an unconventional offer: Be the anchor of the swim team and pick your teammates.  The offer is perfect, especially since racist football bully Mike Barbour has taken up letter jackets as a cause. It seems developmentally disabled Chris Coughlin has been wearing his dead brother's jacket, and Mike is annoyed. If Chris, naturally comfortable in the water, is on the swim team, T. J. reasons, Chris will earn a jacket of his own, and Mike will be put in his place.
  Whale Talk is more than your average sports book as the author also includes several side plots in his story such as T.J.'s father atoning for a past tragedy, T.J.'s therapist treating the biracial and severely abused daughter of Cutter's biggest athletic booster, and the misfit team members T.J. has assembled have their own personal problems. While this may be over the top, Crutcher handles these several topics well with honesty, humor, and wonderful insight. The characters are well-constructed characters and quick pacing add tension to how the sometimes cruel and abusive circumstances of life affect every link in the human chain. There is a heartwrenching series of plot twists leads to an end that I wasn't ready to deal with but shows that goodness at least partially prevails.
 While most people may be alarmed at the language used in this book, they are overlooking the great themes presented in the story: overcoming obstacles and adversity, everyday acts of racism, and most importantly forgiveness. If there is anything that bothers me about this book, it is the book cover which features a white male on the cover running. The cover does not reflect anything about the book or the characters at all.  Firstly, T.J. is mixed race and that is a huge part of his identity and main focus for the story. Secondly, the sport is not running but swimming. I'm alarmed at how this blatantly wrong cover could be placed on this book. It is another example of whitewashing covers of books that feature a character of color. I actually had to do a double-take when I retrieved Whale Talk from the library's bookshelf. I had thought I had made a mistake and picked up a different book. I even had to reread the inside panel to make sure it was the story. 

Rating: 4 stars

Why it was challenged/banned: Whale Talk has been challenged several time and even has been banned. Here is a look at the book's controversy: In 2005 and 2006, Whale Talk was removed from all five Limestone County (AL) high school libraries because of the book's use of profanity. It was also removed from suggested reading list for a pilot English-literature curriculum by the superintendent of the SC Board of Education. At this time, the book was also challenged at the Grand Ledge (MI) High School. In 2007 and 2008, Whale Talk was challenged at the Missouri Valley (IA) High School because the book uses racial slurs and profanity as well as challenged as an optional reading in a bullying unit at the Lake Oswego (OR) Junior High School because the novel is "peppered with profanities, ranging from derogatory slang terms to sexual encounters and violence." Source: Marshall Library

Words of Caution: Whale Talk does contain strong language, primarily with the use of the "n" word. The offensive language is not just thrown into the novel just for the sake of controversy, but rather it serves as a reason to make us uncomfortable. It is alarming how easily the word is used by the characters, but it also serves us as a reminder of how prominent it is used in our culture. Why don't we talk about racism and prejudice in a though provoking novel such as this instead of taking the easy and well stupid way out of removing it out of the discussion because it makes us comfortable? Chris Crutcher responded by to his banners and challengers. If you're curious, you can read his response here. In regards to sexual situations, there is allusion to some of the characters who have experience sexual abuse in their childhood. There is nothing explicit or graphic in the book. I think this book is suitable for Grades 8 and up.

Curriculum Connection: Teachers interested in using Whale Talk in their classrooms should take a look at this great lesson plan starter by CCHS. The ALA and AASL (American Association of School Libraries) have also created a discussion guide for teachers to use.

If you like his book try: Black and White by Paul Volponi or Response by Paul Volponi

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Banned Books Week 2011: Stuck in the Middle

  Graphic novels are, unfortunately, the easiest targets for challenges and banning. 'Objectionable' pictures are easy to spot and cause for alarm despite the fact that they serve an important part of the story. Due to this there is an organization called The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and its mission is to protect "the First Amendment rights of the comics art form and its community of retailers, creators, publishers, librarians, and readers. The CBLDF provides legal referrals, representation, advice, assistance, and education in furtherance of these goals." Check out their website for more information. The comic anthology called Stuck in the Middle was targeted in 2009-2010.

Description: Seventeen short comics stories are written from a variety of graphic novelists who explore their middle school experiences.

Review: Do you remember junior high? Was it a pleasant or unpleasant experience for you? Seventeen graphic novelists come together to visualize the anguish and awkwardness of that age in this honest, sometimes hilarious and other times cringe-worthy compendium of cartoon black humor. Some of the writers are well known such as Daniel Clowes, whose comics were adapted into an Oscar-nominated movie, Ghost World. Though the stories became repetitious, the comics nevertheless hit the mark in terms of emotional content, whether the subject is making friends, embarrassing parents, or suffering through a first date. Kids going through adolescence or looking back in the past will easily relate to these stories. For the most part the stories didn't show great pain or great joy, but small vignettes of life at that age exposed for what they are: small, sad and occasionally moving. Everyone gets over middle school eventually, and perhaps the strongest essay in the book was a how-to guide to making it through those difficult years. One of my complaints is not getting a wide viewpoint. Each of the story offers a story of an outcast or someone desperately trying to fit in with the in-crowd. I wondered about those who were considered popular or even the bullies. It would be nice to get a balanced perspective.
  Though all the comics are in the same in color schemes, the black, white, and gray-tone, the artwork is very unique from one story to the other. Moving from short story to short story was a bit challenging because each  cartoonist has his/her own style. Sometimes I had to figure out the panel sequence before reading the comic. Some artists draw sparse art and text, while others have a dense text and intricate artwork.
  While reading this book I can see why some parents may be uncomfortable with this book. Yes it has some language and crude humor, but it does realistically depict how children talk and think at this age. Mature middle school readers will most likely go beyond the superficial level and understand the purpose of this book which is: we all go through this awkward age and get we get through it. You are not alone. I think Stuck in the Middle would be a great place for parents and tweens/teens to discuss important issues like bullying together.


Rating: 3 stars

Why the book was challenged/banned: In 2009-2010, this graphic novel was pulled Pulled from the school library collections at two Sioux Falls, S.Dak. public middle schools. Masturbation and marijuana show
up in passing, and several of the vignettes include words most parents wouldn’t want to hear from their children. Source: ALA

Words of Caution: Due to some language, an implied image of masturbation, some crude humor, but more importantly the context of the graphic novel, I think this book would be better appreciated by teens and adult readers. 

If you like this book try: Escape from "Special" by Miss Lasko-Gross or Girl Stories by Laura R. Weinstein

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Beat the Band

  I read Don Calame's debut novel, Swim the Fly, a couple of years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a well written, heart warming, and hilarious coming of age comedy featuring adolescent boys and adolescent humor. It's one that I would recommend for teen boys to read. Beat the Band, the companion novel to Swim the Fly, was released last year and I finally got around to reading it.

Description: Coop wants his sophomore year to be epic. His personal goal to tag as many "bases" as possible. His goal is derailed when he is paired with the infamous "Hot Dog" Helen for a health class presentation on safe sex. Now Coop is struggling to regain his popularity by entering his musically challenged rock group featuring his best friends into the "Battle of the Bands" competition.

Review:  Coop takes over narration duties as he and his best friends, Matt and Sean, return for their sophomore year. Coop has a dream of being extremely popular, especially amongst the ladies. When his health teacher announces a project, he believes it is his time to shine. Right off the bat the hot girls in his health class are paired up with someone else and much to his horror, Coop's health partner is the only and only "Hot Dog" Helen, the school' social pariah. To make matters worse, the pair is assigned to research contraceptives for the unit on safe sex. Immediately dubbed various names including "Corn Dog Coop," he is desperate to find a way to save his social status. Thankfully, an upcoming Battle of the Bands presents the perfect opportunity for him to reveal his inner rock god and make a good impression on all the hottest girls. He recruits and convinces Matt and Sean along with his project and stealthily attempts to get rid of "Hot Dog" Helen.
  I enjoyed Beat the Band but not as much as Swim the Fly, only because I felt there was a lack of heart and the writing was a bit uneven. Calame's sense of humor is spot on and brought many moments where I laughed out loud for several minutes. Though there is crude sexual and bathroom humor in the book, Coop is just all talk. He pretends to be extremely confident in his own schemes, only find them to blow up in his face. He is likable, however, I did have moments where I wanted to smack him upside the head for being stupid, especially when it comes to dumping the beautiful and smart Helen as his partner.
  Issues such as bullying and safe sex are introduced in the book. While important facts of contraceptives are incorporated well (mostly discussed in educational terms), Calame's handle on bullying is a bit loose and could have been stronger if we knew how Helen got her misnomer ahead of time instead of the second half of the book. The many instances where Coop knew he was enabling the bully situation were a bit tedious, especially when he did nothing about it. Coop's epiphany in the end was long coming and satisfying. I loved when he finally got to see Helen as a real person without the rumors and baggage that surrounded her.
 Perhaps I'm a bit too critical of the book since I loved the previous one, but I would still recommend Beat the Band. Coop, Matt, and Sean are lovable characters with a good heart though they may act like idiots sometimes. You don't have to read Swim the Fly to enjoy this book, but I would highly recommend it because it has a great story and to get a real feel of the chemistry between these three best friends.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and mild crude humor. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Carter Finally Gets It or Carter's Big Break by Brent Crawford, Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

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Lipstick Laws

  I was very excited to read Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder when I first heard about it. The book's premise was my main draw and I wondered how the typical popularity/bullying tale will be told in this new installment. Once again, many thanks to Netgalley and Graphia for providing me an advanced reader's copy so I can give you an honest review.

Description: April Bowers is going to be a sophomore with no friends at Penford High School. Her luck seems to change when Britney, the most popular girl at school, invites April Bowers to her lunch table. Hanging out with Britney will not only get April in the in-crowd and help boost April's social status, but as April soon finds out friendship comes at a steep price.

Review: While Lipstick Laws is an enjoyable read that made me laugh and shake my head in frustration, it sadly doesn't offer anything new in the popularity/bullying sub-genre of contemporary YA literature. The premise of the book is one that we have read and seen before (i.e. the movie Mean Girls). April Bowers is an invisible teen who longs to belong and be part of the in-crowd. She seems to have a lucky day when she's paired up and loans her lip gloss to Britney, the most popular girl at school, at P.E; and gets invited to sit at the popular girl's lunch table. As you can guess, April has to prove she is worthy of Britney and her minion's friendship. April is swayed by her desire to become popular and gives in to Britney's laws, also known as the Lipstick Laws, which specifically states how girls in the clique are suppose to act. As April delves deeper into the rules, she realizes that she must either sacrifice her own identity or suck up to Britney for the remainder of her high school years.
  April is a likable character who is funny, smart, vulnerable, and insecure. She understands that doesn't make the wise choice of accepting the Lipstick Laws yet she doesn't want to remain invisible in high school. She simply wants to belong. Thankfully, it doesn't take April too long to figure it out and fight back. The first half of the book is warm and funny; however, the book falls flat in the second half. In the second half of the book we see April forming a group called Lipstick Lawbreakers who retaliate against Britney. While there are some humorous comebacks and pranks played, the epiphany that the characters come to happen very easily and quickly at the end. I was left wondering if the characters actually came to the conclusion on their own or if it just dawned on them, regardless I thought it could be flushed out more. As a result, it seemed rushed and fake. Despite these flaws, I would still recommend it for a light, contemporary YA read but I wouldn't necessarily put it at the top of my reading list.    

Rating: 3 stars

Words of Caution: There is some language and a high school party that features underage drinking. Recommended for Grades 8 and up.

If you like this book try: Boys, Girls, and Other Hazardous Materials by Rosalind Wiseman or Queen Bees and Wannabees: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends, and Other Realities of Adolescence by Rosalind Wiseman

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Hidden Agony

   In my Jumped book review, I discussed how one of the main characters worked as an enabler to a bullying incident. Now, let's take a look at the victim's perspective by reviewing Julie Ann Peters' haunting and gut wrenching novel "By the time you read this, I'll be dead".

Description: Daelyn Rice who has been bullied throughout her entire life by the kids in her school. Her parents have moved her from school to school in hopes of Daelyn starting over. Instead of listening to their daughter, Daelyn resorts to suicide as an answer to the abuse she is suffering. She has more than once attempted suicide unsuccessfully, but plans to kill herself for once and for all by registering on an suicide website called "Through-the-light" where she hopes to gain the right information. Meanwhile Daelyn befriends an unusual boy named Santana, who is also dealing with suffering, tries to draw her out of her troubles. Is Santana successful and will Daelyn live to see another day?

Review: Although "By the time you will read this, I'll be dead" is a very slim book at a 198 pgs, it took me a long time to finish it. It's not that I didn't like it, but it Daelyn's pain was so intense and the way her mind works was so morbid that I had to step away for a little bit at a time. Peters does an excellent job in explaining the monotony of Daelyn's life, how her parents talk at her and not to her, and a little ray of hope or promise by introducing Santana. Daelyn is mute for majority of the book, due to the latest botched suicide attempt. Her silence speaks louder than words. She speaks of the horrors she has endured by typing them in on "Through-the-light" forum board. Though most don't read her comments, the act itself is cathartic. Though Daelyn is a sympathetic character, readers must understand that she is emotionally damaged, single-minded in her goal and an unreliable narrator.
    "By the time you read this, I'll be dead" is one of those books that parents should read with their children and the talk should generate lots of questions, especially whether or not Daelyn was an all too willing victim to bullying. We need to be reminded that words are heavier than sticks and stones. They do break bones and shatter individuals. Note: A reader's guide, research on bullying, and lists of suicide warning signs, hotlines, and websites are appended.
     I've read lots of reviews where readers were turned off by the ending of this book, but I thought the book could not have ended in any other way. I like to believe that Daelyn's has changed, but you let me know what you think when you finish "By the time you read this, I'll be dead."

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: The methods of suicide appear in this book. Unfortunately, these methods can also be found easily on the Internet. I urge parents to read this book with their children. There is some language throughout the book.

If you like this book, try: 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

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To get involved or to not get involved, that is the question

  Bullying is often seen as a rite of passage. A little harmless event that everyone, at some point in their lives, has experienced and it's usually a case of "kids just being kids". It's not until recently that bullying has been more closely examined and taken seriously after a rush of school violence and/or youth suicides. What I think we fail to understand that bullying is much more complex than just having a bully and a victim. Rita Williams-Garcia shows us how we perpetuate the cycle of bullying in our daily lives in her National Book Award Finalist title appropriately called Jumped.

Description: Meet Leticia, Trina, and Dominique. Leticia is your typical gossip-loving high school student. Trina is a hyper, over confident, high school student who has artistic talents. Dominique is a tough as nails basketball player, who is unable to play on the team due to her low grades. Jumped tells the story of how these three lives intersect in a small moment: Trina has obliviously cut Dominique in a hallway. Dominique swears revenge by fighting Trina at 2:45pm. While Leticia, who skips class on a bathroom excuse, overhears Dominique's intention. Will Leticia get involved and stop the girl fight before it's too late?

Review: I enjoyed Jumped. The book's content is relative and unfortunately realistic. Although the school setting is urban, I think it can be transferred into a rural school setting as well. The story is told in 38 short chapters that switches narratives between the three main characters. Even though each voice is authentic and distinct, I didn't feel like I got to know Leticia or Trina beyond their surfaces. Leticia comes off as a girl who seeks attention by finding out the latest news. Trina is a little too irritating in her hyper, confident mood. I was easily turned off by her personality, but I was still able to feel sorry for her towards the end of the book. The only character that I felt was fully developed was Dominique, whose tension and anger built upon in each of her chapters.
  Although the impetus of the fight is trivial and small to the reader, it is the last straw for Dominique, who feels as if this one act will successfully fill the void she has been feeling by not playing basketball. She obviously has some anger issues that needs to be resolved. References to other works such as A Separate Peace and Of Mice and Men are obvious and will alert the reader on how this book will end. Readers who are looking for a happy ending will be disappointed and shocked. A great choice for reluctant readers.  

Rating: 3.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is language throughout the book and a scene of violence. Although the scene of violence isn't graphic, the reactions of others who witness the scene tells the reader what is happening.

If you like this book, try: Shattering Glass by Gail Giles or The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier 

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What's so wrong about being different?

  I don't understand where we got the notion of conformity. Have we been unconsciously taught that being different is harmful, funny, scary, or all of the above from society or it just plain old human nature? What deters us from stepping outside of the norm? And who determines what's normal and more importantly, who defines what is normal? These insightful questions are asked in Gordon Korman's smart, funny, and poignant novel Schooled.

Description: Capricorn "Cap" Anderson is raised and home schooled by his hippie grandmother, Rain. When Rain falls from a tree trying to pick plums from their 'alternate farm commune', Cap is forced to attend a public school for the first time. Smart, insightful, innocent and inexperienced Cap is the target of pranks and the butt of jokes in the middle school. Will Cap survive his new school or will he take an extensive leave of absence like others before him?

Review: I really liked Schooled right from the first page. Each chapter is told from a different first person narrative that shifts among the main characters: Cap, Mrs. Donnelly a social worker (who takes him into her home), Sophie (Mrs. Donnelly's daughter who resents his presence there), an A-list bully, a Z-list victim, a popular girl, the school principal, and a football player. Korman capably manages to seamlessly shifts the points of view of characters without confusing the reader and shows how those who begin by scorning or resenting Cap actually end up on Cap's side. The book has lots of memorable moments of comedy, tenderness, and reflection. A great children's book that not only discusses bullying, but also the stifling effects of conformity within a school's culture.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: Nothing.

If you like this book, try: Stargirl and Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

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