First Days Again!

Let's just say--- I love Middle School! Teachers are truly meant for one level or another-- and now having taught from pres-school through college, I know without a doubt that I love middle schoolers. They are caught up in so many changes from goofy to surly often with mood swings from moment to moment. I even got non-reading 8th grade boys excited about reading William Sleator's The Beasties. The were unable to resist the lure of people who walked around with ears missing, noses bitten off, and strange other injuries that no one talks about. I gotta love Sleator for reluctant readers--- he really draws them in.

Of course would I choose to go through middle school again as a student--- NO WAY! Man they are vicious to one another. I remember very little about my own middle school years except perhaps for the few close friends I had. One of whom I still keep in touch with-- here's a shout out to ya' Paula!

Anyway-- I haven't had much time to read this week-- Go figure-- New school for me, the kids, and the husband too. It is busy here- but new on my bookshelf is The Alchemist's Daughter by Katherine MacMahon, an adult book for a change. I have a feeling I am going to enjoy it quite a bit. It mixes my love of history with science all blended nicely with a page turning plot. I'll write more about it and the goings on at the middle school soon.

The Fiction Section

I was helping a fellow librarian today who was moving back into the library after a "redo". New shelves furniture, carpet--- the works. I unpacked the fiction section and it was like visiting a bunch of old frineds. How often do you get to actually touch and look at every book in the entire fiction section? There were old friends--- Austen, and Tolkien, mixed in with newer titles--

I had fun reliving titles that I recognized from libraries in the past Son of The Mob and Olives Ocean, Boston Jane, Stormbreaker, . It got me thinking about some of the titles I had seen in my elementary school, middle school, and now in this high school. Some stories are good books and a good book and can work at every level. If an author is lucky enough or talented enough to write such a story then it will have staying power.

Well school starts for me on Monday--- hmmmm I am still in denial---- and I wonder how much time I will have to blog. Guess time will tell. Is anyone out there reading anyway? Otherwise it is me just writing away. Sort of like those journals I still have tucked away that I wrote in Middle School. Ah well--- it is the writing experience I enjoy. Perhaps it will get me back n the writing/publishing track.

Middle School vs High School books?

What makes a book appropriate for HS versus MS? As I am currently switching levels I am reading books that were purchased but not yet put on the shelf to determine if they belong in the MS library. Now I think of myself as pretty liberal, but I still believe that a book for Middle Schoolers is devoid of casual sexual content. I don't believe middle schoolers should find novels in their school libraries that portray the norm as every 16 year old losing their viriginty even if they are using condoms.

Anyway while the above scenario is found in Paranoid Park --- the book is primarily about a skateboarder boy who accidentally is involved in a gruesome killing and decides not to tell anyone. Will students find it a good read---I am sure reluctant readers-- particularly boys would find it hard to put down. But at least for my middle school boys, they will need to wait a few years until high school for this one. There are other books that will fill the void until then.

Heat and King Arthur

Wow... it is hot. The only thing to do is stay inside and read... Or bake. I don't know why I tend to fire up the oven when it is 100 degress outside. Anyway, the bread dough rises nicely and quickly outside on the porch. I tried a new recipe--- Jalapeno Bread. It was good and spicy--- While the boys eat it just as is, I think it would make for a good grilled cheese sandwich.

So the book I finished yesterday was The Book of Mordred by Vivian Vande Velde. I like her books and think they are great for the MS or HS student. This was no exception. It follows Kiera a child who has magical abilities and thus is a target for those who wish to use her powers. Kiera's is stolen away as a child and who comes to her mother's rescue to help find the child--- a young Mordred. THis sets in motion a relationship that will continue through the years. THere are battle scenes, magic, suspense, as well as a bit of mystery thrown in with the adventure. At 342 pages it is not for your reluctant readers, but those who devour Arthurian legends will find this a welcome addition to the genre.

So what's next.... Paranoid Park-- Very interesting. Stay cool!

Books and the Beach

Ahhhh-- vacation. It was truly wonderful to be barefoot with sandy toes and books for a whole week. Very few distractions -- perhaps a dip in the wonderfully warm aqua water off of Ocracoke--- interrupted my reading. I truly was barefoot with books this week. So what did I read?

THe first on the list was to finish Fake ID by Walter Sorrels-- a YA pick that is a page turner but not realistic at all. Will kids like it-- yeah probably, but I felt the writing was similar to the action movies like Die Hard.... what inplausible dangerous scene can we add for our heroine to deal with now? Gun toting thugs who make her dig her own grave? Mad dashes through rickety houses where the bad guys don't know where to step? A 16 year old girl must find her mother and her own identity before it is too late. I wouldn't buy this one for your shelves.

For an adult read I read Annie Freeman's Fabulous Traveling Funeral by Kris Radish. This is chik lit with a capital C. Annie is dead and has arranged before her death of terminal cancer a traveling funeral for her friends. SHe attends via her ashes contained in red high top tennis shoes, but is sprinkled at various stops along the way. There are many tears, laughter, and amazing episodes en route--- with the messages pounded home that life is a gift to be embraced. It is a lovely message and I felt like a part of the traveling entourage, but the "message" got a bit repetitive. Overall it was a good read and now I am on the search for a pair of red high top shoes for myself as a reminder to embrace the goodness and miraculous in the everyday.

Did I read other books--- yes-- but they can wait for another post! Keep reading--