Book Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed

Book Review: Internment by Samira Ahmed
Publish date: March 19, 2019
Read courtesy of netgalley.com


This is an important, timely, well-written story - However, I will NOT be purchasing it for my high school library because in spite of the poorly veiled (i.e., blatant) innuendos to Trump as a bad Nazi-type president and Obama as the underdog who persevered. Regardless of which political persuasion our author and readers are in, direct allusions to our President in this manner in a YA book is in poor taste and, I'll go as far as saying, morally irresponsible. Granted, the book is current historical fiction, but I honestly cannot condone overlook the Presidential characterization in this book when the President has been identified and crudely fictionalized to match the author's political intentions. Which is a shame, really... this book deserves to be read.

I'm not the only one who identified the conspicuous negation of our government. Another NetGalley reviewer expressed similar sentiments while still giving the book high praise: "...scathing critique of our current civil environment. ...Internment will make you think twice about how the hatred and rhetoric of our current federal administration can cause real harm to people. I'm glad this one is fictional, and I hope it stays that way." One reviewer wrote, "The lack of awareness of society is what drives this story." YES! And THAT'S what the focus of the story could have been without Trump-bashing.

Damn. I'm doubting myself. I don't believe in censorship, and two of my favorite books were "scathing critique[s]" of their own times, 1984 and The Jungle. So, yes, I'll be getting this for my high school library, but I sincerely hope that my YA readers are willing to discuss how much "fake news" or "biased reporting" is in this book. I don't intend to ruin the story by making it a research assignment; I would rather use the story as a way to discuss our differences and our mutual morals and ethics, not our conflicting politics. This is, after all, an important, timely, well-written story.

Book Review: The Similars by Rebecca Hanover

Book Review: The Similars by Rebecca Hanover
Publishing date: January 1, 2019
read courtesy of netgalley.com

I'm going to start at the end... there's a sequel in waiting. That gives you an idea about the ending: it's a cliffhanger. Unfortunately, I'll never find out how it all ends; I won't be purchasing the sequel for my high school library. I'm not sure how much my students recognize cliched writing, but since it interfered with my enjoyment of the book, I'm not going to expose them to the triteness.

As a mystery, Hanover did what she was supposed to do, provide clues or throw out distractions as to the "real" perpetrator. However, I found these clues too obvious -- they were spelled out instead of implied or alluded to -- which took some of the guesswork out of reading a mystery. Hanover also heavily depended on the readers' willingness to suspend disbelief that a 16-year-old girl would be able to save her best friend from the evil mad scientist when the friend'as own father couldn't or wouldn't -- in the guise of having to wait for his wife to die -- so it HAD to be the teenager to come to the rescue.

One of the Similars, who are all brilliant geniuses, couldn't estimate how large the place from which he came was, claiming that it was hard to "have a sense of scale" when you're inside the place. Really? That felt out of character. (If it sounds like a nitpick, it is; but it irked me to have such a blatant character misrepresentation.)

Basically, the story was a little too schizophrenic for me. the majority of the story was about cloning and clones, and then the last part suddenly became about virtual reality and two mad scientist brothers. Then at the end... I mean near the cliffhanger... a character who had been declared dead via suicide was found alive and returns to the boarding school. Clunk... the cliffhanger was only a 2-foot drop for me. In spite of those who knew cloning was involved, the rest of the world didn't (wouldn't the suicide have made the news?) How could a teenager reappear, and no one called the FBI?  No one did because then it wouldn't be a cliffhanger. But like I said, it wasn't a cliffhanger for me. I stepped back up the 2-foot drop and walked away. It was my suspension of disbelief that was the only thing left hanging.


⭐⭐☆☆☆

Book review: XL by Scott Brown

Book review of
XL by Scott Brown
Pub Date: 26 Mar 2019
Read courtesy of netgalley.com


I love Scott Brown's writing style: interesting vocabulary, descriptive metaphors, a glimmer of breaking the fourth wall, and a bit of dry, subtle humor. It works. If you don't like being given one of the funniest lines of a movie during a trailer, don't read the next part of this sentence since I'm going to ruin a chuckle for you: car mitzvah, when you turn 16 and get your driver's licence and your parents buy you a car. OK- you can resume reading.  I also like that Brown gave me things to ponder, like if are there only two kinds of quests (end of chapter 2).

I do beg to differ with one factoid that seemed to play a large (pun intended) part in the plot; Will says, "Fact. Small things don't live as long." But that's not true; small dogs live longer than big dogs. Just sayin'.

Brown did a nice job of consistently characterizing each of his secondary characters; they had unique personalities. He also did well with his extended metaphor of the gorillas in the zoo at which his father worked with the three-way relationship of Will, Drew, and Monica - the three main characters. In chapter 6 Will's impending experiences are even foreshadowed by the gorilla's behavior.  Some symbolism was just a little too obvious, though, like the placement of the necklace given to him by one girl when he was in the presence of another (chapter 12).

I stayed interested in how the conflicts were going to resolve themselves, but I was, unfortunately, slightly disappointed with the unfinished, happy ending. So, they all stay friends, but... What happens to Will and his XL situation? Does Monica, who is a strong character throughout the story, end up compromising her Plan? Now that Drew abandoned his Plan, where does that leave his future? I know... "the best-laid plans of mice and men..."; that's the message in itself. But I'm not sure I've been given enough information about the characters to strongly speculate about their futures. In spite of this, I enjoyed the underlying premise of, "Be careful what you wish for; you might get it."

⭐⭐⭐⭐/☆☆☆☆☆

Book Review: What We Buried

Book Review: What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman
To be published February 26,019
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com

Riveting. RIVETING!

From the double-meaning title to the adept use of flashbacks entwined with the glimpses of memory, What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman epitomizes a psychological thriller. I'm so glad I read this and cannot wait to get this book for my high school library.

I read this in one sitting, from 9am to 2pm on a Sunday, and it was time well spent. Most of us would admit that we hold a secret prejudice against kids who sue their parents; OK, I'll admit that I didn't have sympathy for children suing their parents (it's Kramer vs Kramer-esque and shades of my-parents-owe-me-a-college-education lawsuits that have shaped my thinking); however, I really appreciated how Boorman validated a child's experiences and perceptions. The author did an amazing job of having Liv and Jory explain how the siblings had their relationship marred by how each of them had been treated by their parents, and she did so without being preachy or obvious or by making the characters seem blaming and whiny.

Moreover, the author flawlessly made this skeptical reader accept the validity of how untrivial Liv's lawsuit against her parents is. In Liv, Boorman created a character who grows up right before our eyes ... albeit flawed ... but, hey, that's what makes a character so interesting!

What We Buried deftly fits together convoluted puzzle pieces of memory and plot, making this a psychological thriller I wanted to figure out. I kept flipping back and forth as to whom I believed was in the cabin, and even after finishing the book and reading the book flap teaser, I still can make a case for multiple perceptions of the ending. It would be fun to make a book discussion out of the possible endings with my teen readers.

As I read, I had shades of Lovely Bones and Thelma & Louise float into my consciousness at different times, but What We Buried is its own unique story. Highly recommended!

Book Review: Roam

Book review: Roam by C. H. Armstrong

Publication date: February 5, 2019

Read courtesy of NetGalley.com

In spite of the serious nature of homeless families, this is a warm fuzzy, feel good, happy ending kind of story. With a new boyfriend too good to be true and an instant flock of new friends, teenage Abby allows her homelessness to color her daily life (but who could blame her?). None of the people in her new school know that her family's "house" is a van or a church basement, and Abby tries desperately to keep it that way. The difficulty Abby has keeping her secret is exasperated by her new neighborhood -- an uber-rich area near the Mayo Clinic -- a jealous ex-girlfriend, and a homecoming dance.

With a fairy tale, full-of-forgiveness ending, readers might feel the story tied together too neatly, but it was refreshing to read a story where there really was a plausible ending. Well, believable if the readers accept a school where teachers and counselors are helpful and caring, where the hottest guy in school is also always a gentleman, where everyone accepts the out-of-the-closet gay kid, and where people still want to date the class bitch. 

I chose to believe, and I had a great time doing so. Because of this, I am able to give the story 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. The story was tight and left me with no questions. I thought the characters were well drawn out, and the plot flowed naturally. I recommend this book for anyone who sees silver linings and is able to put aside skepticism.

My NetGalley.com Book Reviewer BADGES

49 Reviews as of August 6, 2018!
I'm up to 91% of the recommended 80%!
Publishers have featured 5 of my reviews!
I'm now pre-approved to read galleys from 11 publishers!
I'm a Professional Reader courtesy of www.Netgalley.com.

Book Review: Any Second

Book Review:
Any Second by Kevin Emerson
Pub. date: November 20, 2018
Read courtesy of netgalley.com

5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review!
I cannot wait to get this book for my high school's library!

My students are taught to be an upstander instead of a bystander. In Any Second, Maya did this... and beyond.  Kevin Emerson wrote a story that is both unique and scarily possible, which is what makes it such a compelling read.

Emerson did a great job with the pace of the storytelling and the points at which the narrator's focus switched between Maya and Eli. There was also enough detail to create mental pictures without being grossed-out to the point at which the story's narrative could have been overshadowed by the horror of the circumstances. There was enough to make the reader squirm without having to be told the minutia of Eli's torture and captivity.

The author created an atmosphere that allowed the reader to be drawn into Maya's and Eli's decision making. As a reader I was being told things each character couldn't know, and since I had no way of telling them, I had tension, sympathy, relief, anxiety, and hope right along with them.

The main characters had consistently true personalities, which helped this reader connect with the plot and action. The minor characters never felt extraneous and were used well to move the story forward. One Second will appeal to many different kinds of readers and could be recommended to readers of realistic fiction as well as of action/adventure or suspense fiction.

[The only negative critique -- a hiccup I encountered -- is in chapter 17, where Eli contemplates "how some commentators said Eli's disappearance would have been a bigger deal if he'd been white." Emerson has already made the book uber-inclusive (ex., religion, sexual orientation, gender roles, class, etc.), so this one line struck me as intrusive to the flow of the story, an extraneous or obvious attempt to highlight what the author had already made clear about Eli's ethnicity when discussing Eli's names.]

Book Review: The XY

Book Review:
The XY by Virginia Bergin
Publication Date: 01 Nov 2018
read courtesy of netgalley.com

I wanted to like this more than I did, and one of my hold-outs was that it felt more cavewoman-ish than future-society-ish. I presume that the dialog and use of language was intended to show that society's catastrophe had caused a setback to 'progress,' but it made the characters sound less sophisticated instead of people who learned from past mistakes. This is especially true since they still had electronic communication and tablets. [On the other hand, if the author used this dumbed-down language because the readers are young adults, that's even worse.]

The XY also didn't tackle the stereotypes and preconceived notions of gender. Though it did dismantle and deconstruct them, the gender-assigned traits as our current society identifies them still played a dominant role in the characters' motivations. I felt as though the traits were magnified rather than neutralized. While I don't mind that Bergin used the genders in this way, it felt like a disingenuous way to show that society had improved - or even just developed - if the story was intended as a thought experiment.

I was especially surprised that Bergin skirted (pun intended!) the issue of sexual pleasure (not merely procreation) within an all-female society, except when it referenced males. It felt like the elephant in the room. For example, though River said she loved Plat, the love was undefined and stated with no more explanation than Plat was River's best friend.  (Plat, by the way, was a weak character and seemed to exist only to be River's society-based moral compass.)

Regardless, as far as storytelling, Bergin did do some things rather well. Mumma Zoe-River, as the middle, transitional generation of the story, flipflopped her character's personality and actions to match the split situations in which she found herself. And though the ending came a little abruptly, Bergin provided a satisfying conclusion that matched the protagonist's, River's, personality.

In spite of its flaws, this book would make a good reference point for a book group on which to start a discussion on gender.

Book Review: Body Swap

Book Review
Body Swap by Sylvia McNicoll
Read courtesy of netgalley.com
Publication date: 09 Oct 2018

I think that Sylvia McNicoll and Dundurn are selling themselves short: This is not just a YA Middle School novel. While it's appropriate for middle schoolers (i.e., no cursing), I'm sure it would be appealing to high schoolers and adults, too. It reminded me of a seamless mash-up of the stories behind Cocoon, Big, and Lovely Bones (the book, not the movie 😝). Magical realism at its best.

At first I was confused by both the swapping of bodies and the alternating chapters. It took me a while to make the mental switches back-and-forth while I read. I do wonder if some readers will find the double switching confusing. I thought that might detract from my enjoyment of the story, but I got used to the seesawing.  I'm glad I did.

The characters were believable and played both of their parts really well. Their duality offered the introspection we often can only assume occurs within characters; McNicoll allowed the reader inside of the characters' heads, which allowed the readers to contemplate what their own reactions might have been under similar circumstances. This provided a very powerful way to get absorbed into a story.

McNicoll provided a means of exploring one's own preconceived notions (in this case about ageism) without being preachy, which is hugely important for our YA readers. I'm looking forward to getting Body Swap for my high school library and will recommend it for my middle school library, as well. 

Book Review: Words We Don't Say

Book Review: Words We Don't Say by K.J. Reilly
Pub Date: 02 Oct 2018
Read courtesy of netgalley.com

Guilty admission... I skipped the "rambling monologues." I know, I know. They were part of and points of the story, but I guess I 'got it' by just skimming them. Otherwise, I enjoyed the characters and the 'message' of the book. It's a good message: Learn from your mistakes... or start your life from here 'cause you can't go back... or look for the good as well as the bad, and you'll find it. The characters all had a place in the story; I didn't feel any of them were just-because. And there was true growth in the characters over time.

I suppose my hesitancy to love the book comes from the author including both humor and rambling monologues. I found it distracting to pick through the monologues, especially when two different characters used the technique.  (Yes, one could argue that it was exactly that quality that brought the two characters together, and I'd agree with you.)

Another hesitancy is that the front end storytelling took up 85% of the book, and then the last 15% of the story snowballed quickly and had all of the depth, action, and meaning. So, yeh, the pace of the book threw me off. I almost stopped reading 60% through the book because nothing was happening. But since I liked the characters, I pushed through.

While this isn't a 'humorous' book, I might categorize it as such because I think it's written 85% too lighthearted to be in my 'realistic fiction' section. I'm sorry to say that humorous books don't get enough circulation off of my high school library shelves, so I don't know how well this would circulate, either. It's also not quite fodder for my 'death, drugs, and disease' section; not dark enough and too much of a happy ending.

I will say that it is a well crafted story - hints and innuendos are neatly entwined and tied up, behaviors and actions are connected and followed through.

Book Review: Plague Land: Reborn

Plague Land: Reborn by Alex Scarrow
Courtesy of netgalley.com
Publication date: September 4, 2018

Like Remade #1 (Plague Land), Plague Land: Reborn (#2) has some of the most descriptive writing in YA novels. And it's not description as filler; the descriptions become part of the characters, make them horrific and visceral, help them achieve creepy-crawliness.  For those who didn't read #1 yet, it probably could read as a stand-alone and still be understood. HOWEVER, (spoiler alert) it has an unfinished, i.e., cliff-hanger ending.

#2 is more horror-bound than #1 was, and it crosses the line from sci-fi into horror. Scarrow does a good job of hiding who the bad guys and the good guys are, until he doesn't. It's a little easier in #2 than in #1 to figure out who - or what - has morphed into something ominous (spoiler alert) especially when a child or children are found without any adults two years after the first outbreak; Scarrow asked the readers to suspend disbelief that the uninfected characters would accept such a find, regardless of how compassionate they've been.

If you don't take the premise too seriously, you'll enjoy part #2.  Go with the flow, be naive, suspend disbelief, and you'll be rewarded with a fun-filled horror ride. Think too hard, and you'll miss the joy of Scarrow's creepy tale.

Book Review: Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton
Publication date December 4, 2018
Read courtesy of NetGalley.com

FAN-TAS-TIC!!!!

There was a tadd* of a thread throughout this book of consecutive stories. Amazingly well done and thoroughly enjoyable. I will definitely be getting this for my library! 

Each story could be a stand alone, but they are also smoothly interwoven... and thought provoking. The first vaccine, first heart transplant, and first clone (remember Dolly the Sheep?) perpetuated the human ability to dream of a stronger, faster and more beautiful human. Dayton has helped us imagine some of the future possibilities, and some we'd like, while others we'd find quite disturbing. And that's the point.... to consider what our tinkering could mean to our future. Butterfly effect, ripple effect, call it what you want, but Dayton masterfully creates realistic what-ifs (realistic what-ifs: is that an oxymoron?) 

I  enjoyed every story in here. None of it felt redundant, repetitive, or reused. The uniqueness of each possible inevitably (another oxymoron) kept me turning those pages. Bravo, Ms. Dayton. I accept the challenge to work through these oxymorons in the hopes that it keeps humans from simply becoming morons.



*intentional spelling 👍👌

Book review: Nightingale

Nightingale by Amy Lucaviks

Publishing date: September 25, 2018

Courtesy of netgalley.com 

I couldn't figure out whether this was a Sci Fi or Fantasy novel. Turns out it was a horror novel. This confusion followed me throughout the whole story. I even made a note to myself, "Is this One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" or"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"? Apparently, it was neither, or both, or ...? In spite of all the eye gouging, face destroying, and bone crunching, I found the most disgusting (disturbing?) part of the book when "Both girls ignored Robert as he stood to pour the dirty water from his bucket in the sink, then immediately began to wash the dishes that were piled in the sink." EWWWW! 

The main character's parallel story to the one she's writing is summed up in the author's own text, "...just letting it flow out of her like vomit on a page." It might have been Lukavics' intention to write like the 1950's B movies; if so, she succeeded. Aliens, zombies, and monsters...Oh My! They're all in here. 

I'd recommend this to teens who like to read about alien abductions.

Infographics: The Professional Role of School Librarians

Thanks to Dr. Kira Berggren, I've added yet another infographic - more of a poster this time - to my repertoire of advocacy resources. 

Book review: Unbroken: 13 Stories Starring Disabled Teens

Unbroken
by Marieke Nijkamp
Pub Date: 18 Sep 2018 
Thanks to netgalley.com for access to this book

This is a hot topic for our YA readers - diversity... finding oneself in society. "Unbroken" will surely fill this need. In addition to disabilities, subjects of race, sexuality, and nationality all play a part in these stories. I only gave it 3 instead of 5 stars, however, because there were some stories I found myself plodding through instead of absorbing. Suffice it to say that there is some really great storytelling in here, and some that are 'meh.' I do think the book should be given a chance because the disabilities are diverse - although sometimes difficult to decipher. I suppose that's purposeful in some ways, since we don't always blatantly know what's going on in others' lives.

The first two stories grabbed me right away, and I found myself looking forward to the whole book: "The Long Road" (good characters and believable ending) and "Britt and the Bike God" (multi-leveled story with a non-human character element -- I can't explain further without a spoiler). I also really enjoyed "The Day the Dragon Came," "Dear Nora James, You Know Nothing about Love," and "Ballad of Weary Daughters."  However, the fantasy-based stories didn't work for me; they're just not my genre of interest: "The Leap and the Fall," "Found Objects," and "Mother Nature's Youngest Daughter." Yet in spite of elements of fantasy - I'll call it wishful thinking instead - making it into my top 3 is "One, Two, Three" because of the deep thoughtfulness into which the author brought the characters. "Per Aspera Ad Astra" realistically portrayed school anxiety. I enjoyed the main character in "Captain, My Captain," but the story was one of my mehs, and I'm on the fence about "Plus One."

With 13 stories, one's bound to be a miss instead of a hit; I found this to be true for "A Play in Many Parts." For me, it was a DNR (a 'did not read'). I couldn't wrap my head around the format enough to understand the story, plot, or message. This is one story that maybe someone can help me to understand.

Book Review: The Prodigy

The Prodigy by John Feinstein
Publication Date: 28 Aug 2018
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com


Can reviews have dedications? If so, I dedicate this review to my husband, whose passion for golf rubbed off on me enough to understand this story 😀

Since I'm not a sports enthusiast, I'm pleasantly surprised how much I liked this story. Feinstein provided this reader with a fun time: fictionalized famous golfers (McIlroy, Spieth, Mickelson, etc.), sportsmanship and cheating, the lure of money, and loyalties. I was especially pleased that I was tricked into thinking I knew who the bad guy was at the end. I was wrong, and it amused me to find out I was wrong.

Feinstein knows the game of golf well enough to explain to a non-golfer just enough to follow the main character's journey without being bogged down in the game instead of the action. Characters were well developed and provided a believable plot with realistic emotions.

I'm looking forward to having this book on my high school library's shelves this Fall.

p.s. My H.S.'s golf coach is an avid reader. I'm going to get his take on the story, and I'll then update this review...

Book Review Badges Being Accumulated!

Thank you, NetGalley, for giving me this amazing opportunity to preview and review the newest young adult literature

It's a librarian's privilege and honor.

Book Review: The Story of My Face

Book Review: The Story of My Face by Leanne Baugh
Read courtesy of Netgalley
Publication date: September 10, 2018

LOVED THIS BOOK!

It had the potential to become preachy, and it WASN'T.

Baugh let the full story of the lead character's encounter with a bear build throughout the story without hiding the reader from the fact that the bear attack is what caused Abby's disfigurement. This paralleled the early shock of the attack and the physical affects with the more slowly evolving emotional healing.

Baugh included many characters and skillfully gave them depth and purpose. The author used the different storylines of the different characters' lives to ebb and flow with the pieces of knowing that we all have similar experiences and reactions in spite of our differences. Empathy came through without lecturing the reader. Real life sympathy showed through the varied characters' actions and reactions to Abby's new reality.

One of the greatest achievements an author might accomplish, Baugh did. She made me thoughtful and introspective rather than just being an observer. I related to the experiences about which I read rather than simply reading a story. I've never done, nor will probably ever do, the things that put Abby and her friends in their situations, but Baugh craftily made that irrelevant to my enjoyment. She created a universal experience through her characters' thoughts and actions, regardless of setting. Bravo!

I cannot wait to get this for my high school library!

Book Review: Things I'd Rather Do Than Die

Things I'd Rather Do Than Die

by Christine Hurley Deriso

Pub Date: 18 Sep 2018  

Read courtesy of www.Netgalley.com

I recently reviewed Christine Hurley Deriso's All the Wrong Chords, which I loved. I really wanted to like Things I'd Rather Do Than Die as much, but alas, I give it 4 instead of 5 ⭐.  I also read Deriso's Acknowledgment section of this novel, and I'm glad she took the advice of her editor; having the main characters tell their tale in alternating scenarios made this story more thoughtful than if it had been a one-sided story. Stereotypes of jocks, brains, Jesus freaks, popularity, race and ethnicity,  financial status, family structures, and illnesses became something about which I wanted to contemplate rather than be swayed. I can picture my teen readers discussing this story.

However, it was those amount of topics Deriso tried to squeeze into this one novel that caused my rating to lose a potential star. Maybe teens with slightly shorter attention spans won't mind the topic hopping, but I found it a bit distracting. I think it will affect my ability to discuss and recommend the book to my students. Other than being able to remember the basic plot, it's the nuances that might be lost to what I usually try to relate with enthusiasm.

On the other hand, Deriso handled all of the sensitive topics well. She allowed the characters to present their different points-of-view just like 'real' teens would. Kudos to that!!

National Board Certification - almost 10 years later...

In November 2009 I posted that I was waiting for my National Board Certification test results. http://pollyannapollyanna.blogspot.com/2009/11/national-board-certification.html Obviously, I passed, since I'm writing about my renewal submission 😃

Last week I submitted my renewal portfolio to the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. My initial certification expires in 2019 (10 years), but we're given two years to renew our certifications in the last two years of our current certification. 

Now I wait --again-- until November 2018 to see if I've achieved renewal of my certification from 2019-2029. I got lucky, too, by mere timing ... 

Beginning in 2021, NBCTs will be required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills every five years. 

... I'll have 10 more years of being a NBCT instead of only five. And I'm certainly glad about that!

Previous renewal candidates report the PPG process takes 30-40 hours. 

While that doesn't sound like a lot it is! And I know I took way more than 40 hours, since I worked on my submission at least 8 hours every weekend from December 2017 to April 2018 in addition to the weekday hours I spent filming, writing, editing, researching, and amassing for my submission.

NOTE: I am one of eight Library Media/Early Childhood Through Young Adulthood NBCT in New Jersey. There's no monetary or status benefit in NJ to being an NBCT other than my own continuing education. (Compare, for example, that there are 696 Library Media/Early Childhood Through Young Adulthood NBCT listed in North Carolina because that state compensates the achievement.)

Book Review: Moonrise by Sarah Crossan

Book Review: Moonrise by Sarah Crossan
courtesy of www.netgalley.com
publish date: May 8, 2018

Sarah Crossan brought me into a world I don't think I'll ever encounter in my own life, but she brought me into it nonetheless. Great job helping me to be a part of someone else's life, especially when I'd have no understanding otherwise.

What it is like having your older brother on death row, having a family that can barely take care of itself, having the seesaw conviction of unconditional love with others telling you to forget about your brother... mix in a great [unexpected] plot twist... creates a story full of sympathy, doubt, and life.

I really enjoyed Crossan's writing style; it helped with the rhythm of the story and with the personalities of the characters. Not quite prose paragraphs and not quite verse novel, the format added motion and emotion to the narrative.

I read this right before I read, The Hate U Give, and Moonrise is it's own unique tale, not derivative or redundant, and it provides a great addition to the repertoire of life stories I never would encounter without the aide of Angie Thomas or Sarah Crossan.

I can see this book working for a YA book club, especially because of the moral issues tackled: death sentence, race, poverty, family, and addiction.

I'm looking forward to having this book in my high school library.

Book Review: What You Left Me

What You Left Me
by Bridget Morrissey
publication date June 5, 2018
courtesy of www.netgalley.com

Magical realism.  As a result of a drunk driving accident during their high school graduation, friends get connected through dreams to the friend who "is stuck" in limbo from his injuries. I might have liked this better if the characters beyond the three main characters were more developed. The other 'friends' are not stereotypical; it's just that they're not described enough for me to empathize or connect with any of them. They are more like plot devices than participants.

My suspension of disbelief isn't working when someone with a class rank of 11 gets over a year to make up one exam in order to keep her class rank. The real pressures of high school report cards, class rank, and accountability required magical realism to make this work.

I'd like to think teens are smarter than to ditch in the middle of their high school graduation ceremony in order to go on a drunk joy ride all while expecting to return to the ceremony and have no one notice they'd been gone. The ditch, the drinking... as well as magically connecting to one's alphabetical neighbor for the first time at graduation?

I did appreciate the humorous lightness Morrissey offered throughout the story, but it wasn't enough to undo the falseness of the ending, "Do you really think you had control over what was going to happen to you?" Yes, don't get into a car with your impetuous, impulsive drunk friend.

Book Review: Tell Me No Lies by A.V. Geiger

Tell Me No Lies by A.V. Geiger
publication date: June 5, 2018
read courtesy of http://www.netgalley.com

Love, love, LOVE it! I read it in less than a day. It grabbed me and kept me. I can't wait to get this for my HS Library! I didn't read "Follow Me Back," so I had no preconceived notions and no background and STILL loved it! It's modern and realistic; its characters are hopeful and immature and believable. The only character not fully developed is the one created as the diversion to the deception (the costume designer). I loved being twisted and confused and guessing. Well done, A.V.!

Infographics by Arlen Kimelman

I haven't shared any of my infographics here in a while...

This is the one of which I'm most pleased.

It describes who I am, what I do, and what I'm worth all in one picture. win-win-win

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This one shows the unique and the collaborative roles school librarians and teachers have with regard to student success.

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This one is "Fact or Fake?"

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School Librarian Leadership, obviously...

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Here, the difference between school librarians and tech coaches is highlighted.

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Please contact me before using any of these infographics.                              (c) Arlen Kimmelman

Book review: Whisper by Lynette Noni

Whisper
by Lynette Noni
Pub Date: 01 May 2018   |   Archive Date: Not set

Thank you to http://www.netgalley.com/ for this preview!

I wanted to like this more than I did. I just felt like in our current social culture, it was another you-don't-know-who-to-trust and everyone-who's-not-like-you-is-to-be-approached-with-caution and look-what-we've-done-to-our-world... I know that's what dystopian fiction is, but this wasn't unique enough to wow me.  Noni did her best to make the reader flip flop as to 'who's to blame,' but it was too easy to figure out, which made me lose a little sympathy for our hero (victim?). I'm no longer a YA, so perhaps YA readers will enjoy the challenge more of deciding which side deserves their loyalty. Characterizations are diverse enough to get to know them as individuals - this is a plus. In spite of my critique of the thematic premise, the plot was interesting enough that I do plan on reading the next book in the series. My curiosity is piqued.

Book Review: How You Ruined My Life

Preview read courtesy of http://netgalley.com
"How You Ruined My Life"
By Jeff Strand @Jeff Strand
Publication date: April 3, 2018

Thanks to netgalley.com for providing this advanced readers copy.

Humor without curse words! A high school punk rock band without curse words! A book that would work in either middle school or high school without curse words!

"How You Ruined My Life" is a humorous story based on the premise of opposite finances. Two high school cousins who haven't seen each other in 10 years have to live together for three months. Rich cousin from California has to live with poor cousin in Florida. The author does a good job of creating the main characters' personalities including having the reader flip-flop back-n-forth over which cousin is the crazier one.

Written as if the Florida cousin is narrating the story to the reader, the first-person storytelling effectively conveys the desperate need for the cousin to have the reader on his side, while at the same time admitting how awkward his convincing is. Struggling readers may need some reminding that the style of writing is at times conversational, at times an internal dialogue, and at times a brief, stray off topic - just as anyone relaying a longer story might stray off topic.

The book comes across as a battle of wits and wills, pranks and pratfalls, while at the end there's a bit of a Bildungsroman. This sets up the possibilities of a conversation with readers if they would forgive and forget or hold a grudge, if they would go one with their intended paths or forge a new plan for their futures.

Though humorous books are sometimes a hard sell, I'd purchase this for my HS library (and recommend it to our MS library) because it's an accessible, light-hearted read.

Book Review: Reversed, a Memoir

Read courtesy of http://netgalley.com

Reversed - A Memoir

By Lois Letchford

Publication date: March 3, 2018

EVERY TEACHER, EVERY PARENT NEEDS TO READ THIS BOOK!

Resilience, perseverance, advocacy, inspiration, caring, love... it's got it all. 

This story has great messages: go with your gut... think creatively... advocate for what you think is right. It's not eloquently written, but that's part of the point, too. Anyone can do what's right. Education doesn't have to be as prescriptive as it is, and Mrs. Letchford's experience gives hope that parents and teachers can find creative and effective ways to teach. 

This book is on par with "To Sir with Love" by E. R. Braithwaite, "Small Victories" by Samuel G. Freedman, and Jaime Escalante's "Stand and Deliver." The only drawback in the whole telling is that the book was about her middle child, but the few times when she mentioned her youngest child, it wasn't very flattering - maybe realistic, but unnecessary to the telling. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone who teaches and for any parent who sees a spark in their child that others don't.

Book Review: You Will Be Mine

Book Review: You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston
Publication date: February 6, 2018
Read courtesy of netgalley.com

The author did a really good job of throwing the reader off the trail of the real killer in You Will Be Mine. I normally don't pick up mysteries or murder mysteries to read, but I liked trying to guess this who-dunnit. However, the other possible victims hung around too long for me to read the rest of the story as any more than a Scooby Doo mystery ... a little too unbelievable to be true. Leaving the potential victims in the thick of the story doesn't make the story scary and suspenseful for me; it makes it a "how dumb are these people, and how can I believe this story?"story.

The fact that this British tale is sold in the U.S. won't detract from the story. I saw one reviewer who thought that some of the references or allusions were too vague for an American audience. I disagree; the author's contexts were enough to guide the reader through the minor cultural differences.

I was bothered, though, by the bungling, inept law enforcement depicted throughout the story even to the end. A plot of the-police-can't-solve-a-crime-but-young-adults-can perpetuated the Scooby-like mood. In spite of the author's ability to get me to speculate about the wrong killer, moving the action forward by way of an entirely flawed police force was wholly dissatisfying.

Book Review: The Future Will Be BS Free

The Future Will Be BS Free by Will McIntosh

Publication Date: July 24, 2018

Read Courtesy of NetGalley.com

The plot is a winner; the characters are secondary. If you read The Future Will Be BS Free with this in mind, you'll have a good time. True, it's another teen-saves-the-world sci-fi action adventure, but it's also thought-provoking. My favorite line in the book is, "Secrets aren't the same as lies." Here's the true moral dilemma faced by the characters, as well as by the government, as well as by the reader. The intriguing aspects of their invention are if technology has the ability to differentiate between a lie and a secret, and how soon in the future could this become our reality. Even though the details of why and what kind of war there was are vague, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the cyborg aspect of the characters that evolved from the back story. They were fun, tough underdogs, and I found myself rooting for them - especially because these cyber-enhanced characters had more personality than the main, teen characters. Don't let the underdeveloped teen characters deter you from sitting back and enjoying the tension - both in action in in morality.

Book Review: The Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy

The Handsome Girl & Her Beautiful Boy by B.T. Gottfred
Courtesy of NetGalley.com
Publication date May 8, 2018

The premise of this book makes you want to like it -- non-judgmental self-discovery should be everyone's luck to have. However, in order to get there, these characters took us on a shallow roller coaster ride of stereotypes. I liked the main characters as people, but everyone else around them played to the message instead of the story. If I suspended disbelief and went with the flow, I enjoyed the story, the struggle, the humor, the self-deprication. Granted, I'm not a teen in 2017-18, but I really wonder how authentic the thoughts and dialog were as opposed to being manipulated to convey a message. I understand it is fiction, so this book provides a point-of-reference for jumping into a dialogue with teens about gender issues. Teens reading this as fiction will enjoy it; teens hoping for a template for a self-help guide will be disappointed.

Book Review: The 11th Hour

The 11th Hour by Kristine Scarrow
Pub Date 20 Mar 2018
Through the courtesy of www.Netgalley.com

I didn't want to like this book at first. I felt like I was listening to whiny teenagers. And I was, but that ended up being the beauty of the book. The characters were real; they were real teenagers. What's even more impressive about this tale is that it occurred in such a short amount of time. In spite of this pace, Kristine Scarrow created great tension and anticipation as the reader comes to the realization about Annika's predicament in tandem with Annika's own awareness. Scarrow uses a successful and tight he-said/she-said, back-n-forth delivery of the dialogue and action, regardless of (or in reflection of) the turmoil of the teenage mind, the disordered mind, or both. The addition of resources is an absolute plus.