Book Review: Zero by Tom Leveen

·         Posted at http://pollyannapollyanna.blogspot.com; forwarded through Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/pseudandry and http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com

·         The review will first be posted the week of April 1, 2012.

·         Short summary from http://www.netgalley.com:

Title:		Zero
Publisher:		Random House Children's Books
Imprint:		Random House BFYR
Pub Date:		April 24, 2012
ISBN:		9780375869211
Author:		Tom Leveen
FICTION - JUVENILE:		Arts & Recreation: Performing Arts Family & Everyday Life: Social Issues Family & Everyday Life: Love & Romance
Extent:		304 p

Nothing to do. Nowhere to go. No one to talk to.

     For aspiring artist Amanda Walsh, who only half-jokingly goes by the nickname Zero, the summer before college was supposed to be fun—plain and simple. Hanging out with her best friend Jenn, going to clubs, painting, and counting down the days until her escape. But when must-have scholarship money doesn't materialize, and she has a falling out with Jenn that can only be described as majorly awkward, and Zero's parents relationship goes from tense to relentless fighting, her prospects start looking as bleak and surreal as a painting by her idol Salvador Dali. Will life truly imitate art? Will her new, unexpected relationship with a punk skater boy who seems too good to be real and support from the unlikeliest of sources show Zero that she's so much more than a name.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

TOM LEVEEN is a native of Arizona, living within sight of Camelback Mountain his entire life. He has been involved with live theatre as an actor and director since 1988, and has been the artistic director and co-founder of two theatre companies. Zero is his second novel. You can visit Tom at his Web site: TomLeveen.com.

____________________________________________________

Dali & punk rock & college, oh my!

I didn’t like the beginning of this story until I read…

“Moist,” I call.

“That’s kind of a gross word, you know!” Dad shouts, laughing…”

In a lunchtime discussion I had with my colleagues a few years ago, I found out that some of them were skeeved out by the word ‘moist.’ It was fun to find out that, what I thought was a local hang up, crossed geographical boundaries. Since the mood around the main character, Zero, had lightened up, I, too, was able to lighten up to the self-deprecating 17 year old. 

Leveen portrays Zero as insecure but hopeful, as many just-graduated-from-high-school young adults are. In a Rory Gilmore Girl-esque manner, everything Zero has done until now hinged on her going to the art college of her dreams. But when scholarships don’t allow that to happen, Zero experiences a disquieting, shifting perception of herself. Having so many different monikers reflects her situation well; Zero is also called Amanda, Amy, and Z.

Confusing what she sees when she looks into posters instead of into mirrors for her reflection suggests the person she sees or doesn’t see. The reader further finds out that she has misperceptions of herself when her boyfriend, Mike, repeatedly tells her that she is nice-looking, and her mother buys clothes for her that are flattering – clothes that she never would have thought of choosing for herself.

It’s obvious that Leveen has done a lot of research for this book. What I thought were made-up names for punk bands and rockers turned out to be a conglomeration of real bands and people. After a brief excursion into the research myself, I found the following true references in Zero:

1.     Nightrage is a Swedish/Greek/Scandinavian death metal rock band 2001-2011

2.     Gothic Rainbow is a 1997 novel labeled “fairiepunk”

3.     D.I. Southern Cal band 1982-present & Casey Royer is real

4.     Ghost of Banquo a.k.a. Re-Enter Ghost of Banquo – British metal/scream/techno band 2007-08

5.     Pathos – thrash metal/progressive from Sweden since 1995

6.     Black Phantom [Crusades] – indie post-punk (2002)

7.     Minor Threat – hard core punk 1980-1983 & Ian MacKaye is a real person

8.     Jane’s Addiction & Perry Farrell

9.     [Red Hot] Chili Peppers

I made the not-so-giant-leap assumption, then, that Leveen’s artistic references to Dali, Monet, Renoir, Matisse, Warhol, O’Keefe, Cassatt, Seurat, and Delacroix are also well-researched. Leveen uses the abstract and Gestalt-like artistic styles of Surrealism, Impressionism, Pointillism, and Cubism to emphasize the incomplete or fuzzy view Zero has of herself, her friendships, and her future.

I like the implications one can make from the juxtaposition of a punker with an artist. Stereotypes of intelligence, talent, aesthetics, and taste challenge the reader to become more involved with the book, especially if one does not have more experience with these topics other than pre-conceived notions. Teen readers do not have to know a great deal about either topic to retain interest in Zero’s societal challenges and self conflicts.

Leveen elevated the book’s appeal for me mostly because he wrote a story with an ending -- a believable, authentic ending that developed naturally from the experiences Zero endured. In spite of not being explicitly told about Zero five years from now – and that’s not what I would have wanted as a reader, anyway -- I was not left wondering why Zero made the decisions she made or how she was going to fare in the future. I was satisfied with Zero’s character development, and that’s a great thing to be able to say about a YA book.

Note: The sex, drugs and punk rock in this book more than allude to under-age drinking and a lesbian relationship. Both subjects belong in this soul-searching story.

Day 5: NJASL VP

1. I pulled together a list of all of the topics NJASL conferences have covered from 2008-2011.
2. Then I checked out another conference's current conference offerings (http://www.isteconference.org/2012/program/search.php) and added more topics to the list of possibilities.
3. I also included in the list all of the types of sessions NJASL has used 2008-2011 and added a few from ISTE. 
4. Then I sent the list to the current Board of Trustees as a survey made through www.kwiksurveys.com.
5. I've asked them to approve the survey to be sent to our membership to ascertain the types of things our members want and to help us determine the kind of conference (and the length of conference) that we want in the future.

Before I was asked to run for office, I asked to volunteer for the 2012 conference committee. In my note to the conference chair., I said the reason why I was volunteering was because the last conference felt 'antiquated.' My gut was apparently right. By performing this exercise in conference analysis, I was disturbed to discover, or perhaps my Rose-colored Glasses will allow me to see this as an enlightenment, how redundant our past four conferences have been! I don't have the numbers in front of me right now, but the topics and presenters sometimes repeated all four years! Are you kidding me??!!

Day 2: NJASL VP

I chilled today. I want to do a membership survey about the parts of our conferences our members like before participating in a discussion of what the 2013 conference will consist.
I still have a lot to learn about the association. Lots to read; lots of people with whom I want to talk; lots of organization to ... um... organize.

Day 1: NJASL Vice Prez

I have been all excited to start looking things up about running the conference! Found the 'guide' documents - old and new - and began perusing them. I made a spread sheet of the past 5 years' worth of conference themes and of guest speakers.  I inquired about the budget and was told, "we'll talk." I received encouragement, too, and was told "it's your" -meaning my- conference. The contradictory, political, territorial stuff has already reared its head :-/ 

This is a 3-year commitment; I hope they know what they have in me when they asked me to volunteer. I'm an opinionated, sometimes stubborn,  Pollyanna who has never been shy. My rose-colored glasses and unfiltered thoughts put me out there, and I'm not easily reined in when I believe something strongly. I believe in the inherent good will of people, hence the Pollyannaism, which sometimes allows me to get disappointed or loud, or both.

And I've never been able not to care, which is both an asset and a flaw. All I hope is that this is more of a good experience than a disheartening one.

My book review: Jersey Angel by Beth Ann Bauman

Title:	Jersey Angel
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books​
​Pub Date:	May 08, 2012
ISBN:	9780385740203 ​
Author:	Beth Ann Bauman ​
Category: Imprint:	FICTION - JUVENILE: Other Wendy Lamb Books​

FICTION - JUVENILE: Family & Everyday Life: Love & Romance

FICTION - JUVENILE: Family & Everyday Life: Social Issues

​FICTION - JUVENILE: Gender-Specific: Girls & Women 

​

·      Posted at http://pollyanna.pollyanna.blogspot.com; forwarded through Twitterhttps://twitter.com/#!/pseudandry and http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com

​·      The review will first be posted the week of March 18, 2012.

​·       Short summary from http://www.netgalley.com:

An irresistible story about the real people behind the stereotypes of the Jersey Shore. About friendship and how it matters. About what it means to desire, to love, and to betray.

     It's the summer before senior year and the alluring Angel is ready to have fun. She's not like her best friend, Inggy, who has a steady boyfriend, good grades, and college plans. Angel isn't sure what she wants to do yet, but she has confidence and experience beyond her years. Still, her summer doesn't start out as planned. Her good friend Joey doesn't want to fool around anymore. He wants to be her boyfriend, while Angel doesn't want to be tied down. As Joey pulls away, and Inggy tours colleges, Angel finds herself spending more time with Inggy's boyfriend, Cork. With its cast of vivid and memorable characters, this tale from the Jersey shore is sure to make some waves.

 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

BETH ANN BAUMAN is the author of Beautiful Girls, a short story collection for adults, Rosie and Skate, and is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship. Growing up, she spent summers on the Jersey Shore. She lives in New York City.

​

---

​

I loved this approximately 208 page book, until I reached page 208. It ended abruptly, almost like the author had to quickly finish up because dinner was almost ready, and she still had to set the table. I was reading a real story with genuine characters, and suddenly I was in a Disney movie where everything turned out okay and a rainbow appeared on the screen.​

Let me backtrack. I do like this book, do expect that I will probably be getting it for my high schoollibrary, and do recommend it for older teens (probably 10th grade & up). Bauman created believable characters that I felt showed a reality that many young adult novels don't show: the female as the pursuer. Angel is a multifaceted character with a sex drive. She's a popular, pretty girl who isn't necessarily college material, but who realizes it and isn't pretentious - in spite of the fact that she hangs with rich friends who are going to college. However, she's also a "horndog" who is indiscriminate about the guys with whom she tries to satisfy her amorous nature. This includes her BFF's boyfriend and the guy who everyone thinks is still a virgin (and he is) and who will be one for a long time (not any more, thanks to Angel.)

Angel's friends each have their own personalities, and these come through well in Bauman's writing. Their morals, their relationships, and their actions all seem to reflect people who could really exist, and teen readers like that. The adult characters, in sticking within the genre's expectations, show the adults as flawed - divorced, distracted, and apologetic. Luckily, Bauman also creates teen characters who are imperfect, so there's plenty of room for readers to self-reflect upon their own reactions to the conflicts as the story unfolds.

"An irresistible story about the real people behind the stereotypes of the Jersey Shore. About friendship and how it matters. About what it means to desire, to love, and to betray."

I take issue, however, with the publisher's description of the book - using 'Jersey Shore' to attract readers is one thing (not necessarily a good thing, but that's a different discussion), but calling fictional characters "real" and then portraying the characters as horny and drunk doesn't offer any reality check (pardon the pun) to the stereotypes of the 'Jersey Shore.' The publisher goes on to say, "friendship and how it matters" and "to betray." If that's the case, then Jersey Angeldemonstrates that friendships often matter less than sex does.

Therefore, do not expect this book to eschew family values; you'll be disappointed. What will notdisappoint you, though, is the representation of "what it means to desire, to love, and to betray." I was compelled by this story from the beginning. Even decades after my own high school experience, the characters' actions resonated with me as true, possible, and likely. Teens will  appreciate seeing "real" teens reflected in what they read. I just hope they aren't disappointed that everything works out in the end; it often doesn't in the real world.

My Book Review of The Princesses of Iowa by M. Molly Backes

PrincessesofIowa.docx

Needed a link for a headshot, is all

Love this academic banter about MLA & Twitter!

How Do You Cite a Tweet in an Academic Paper? - Atlantic Mobile

My Book Review: Ferocity Summer by Alissa Grosso

Teens will love this book - older teens, that is. 

Title:	Ferocity Summer
Publisher:	Flux Books
Pub Date:	May 08, 2012
ISBN:	9780738730707 ​
Author:	Alissa Grosso​
Category:	FICTION - JUVENILE: Family & Everyday Life: Social Issues​

​

·      Posted at http://pollyanna.pollyanna.blogspot.com; forwarded through Twitterhttps://twitter.com/#!/pseudandry and http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com

​·      The review will first be posted the week of March 4, 2012.

​·       Short summary from http://www.netgalley.com:

What happens when the only escape from crushing despair is betrayal?

It's the hottest summer on record in New Jersey and soon Scilla Davis must stand trial for her involvement in a deadly speedboat accident. With the possibility of conviction looming, life seems empty, unreal, and utterly hopeless. Watching her best friend Willow destroy herself with drugs and booze is especially painful. Yet Scilla can't manage to wrest Willow-or herself-from a path of self-destruction.

With a new drug called Ferocity sweeping the nation, an FBI agent is eager to make a bust. He offers Scilla a way out of this nightmare. But is she willing to betray her own drugdealing boyfriend?

​​

---

​​

I initially chose this book to review because it is set in New Jersey and so are my students and my school library. I'm glad I chose this book because most teenagers I know, regardless of their relationship -- or lack thereof -- to illegal, recreational drugs, deal with the issues of rebellion or at least of gaining independence from their "parental units." The main character, Priscilla (Scilla) is fraught with peer pressure and questionable self-esteem. The author, Alissa Grosso, does a great job of creating tension based on loyalty vs responsibility.

Scilla and her best friend Willow are financial opposites. Willow is an "upper, middle class" teen whose Mother spoils her in spite of her father's protests, while Scilla must work at the local Quik Mart in spite of a spate of recent robberies. Scilla has an on-again, off-again relationship with Willow's older brother, who is also a rich kid, but he supplements his income by dealing drugs. Scilla describes Willow and Randy's  parents as "nutjobs." Scilla lives with her mother, who "always has some reason to be unhappy with me," as well as with Scilla's friendship with Willow.

The story really began the prior summer when the three teens and Randy's friend, Tigue, borrow​​ Tigue's parents' speed boat for a drunken joy ride. They ended up killing a passenger on another small boat. Their trial is at the end of this summer. Though many adults -- a court appointed attorney, her Social Studies teacher, an FBI agent, and her mom --  try to help Scilla maintain a record of good character until the trial begins, Scilla's loyalties are tested as she struggles between what her high, drunk and promiscuous peers expect of her and what the adults expect.

Whether as a matter of fairness, a reflection of humanity, or as a backdrop to highlight Scilla's attributes, the adults in the story are portrayed as flawed as the teens are. Scilla's mom holds a grudge against the upper, middle class; Willow's parents are disciplinary polar extremes; the FBI agent makes a pass at Scilla; and Pablo the Perpetually Stoned is, well, perpetually stoned.

As a bildungsroman, the reader begins to see the beginning of a more mature, more responsible Scilla as the story progresses. However, just as actual teenagers may take more than one summer to grow up, Scilla does not neatly reach her full maturation by the end of the story. This is painfully clear when Scilla doesn't accept Tigue's explanation of his primary culpability for the accident as he describes it in court.

Grosso draws recurring analogies of Scilla as Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. Making both military and personal comparisons between Scilla and Sherman distracted me from the story rather than enhanced my experience. Since I am not familiar with Sherman's story, I felt as though I was reading a (wholly unnecessary) frame story. It was as if I had to employ two different reading styles, seesawing back and forth between concentrating on understanding the connections between Scilla and Sherman or simply enjoying the teenagers' tales as they unfolded. ​

Throughout the novel, I really enjoyed Grosso's snarky, sarcastic, but witty sense of humor. You'll forgive me if I don't list any of them here. I don't want to be like a movie trailer that gives away the punchline before you even get to see the movie. 

Remember that this book's premise is peer pressure, complete with sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll, and while they certainly are teen issues, I recommend Grosso's treatment of them for older teens. Unfortunately, though the repercussions are periodically  displayed, there are LOTS of drunk driving and under-the-influence driving incidents in the book. At no time do any of the underage teens hesitate to get into a car with any other teen - sober or not. Additionally, Scilla is quite open about her lesbian daydreams. That being said, the teen characters will appeal to real teens, and I will be purchasing this book for my high school's library.​​​​

3-month-long pep rally for middle school standardized testing!?!

NJ.com : Glassboro Intermediate School launches semester-long standardized test sequence
For shame! This energy would be better spent letting students really learn something!!!

My book review: The Lola Quartet by Emily St. John Mandel

The Lola Quartet I highly recommend this book! Due out in May, 2012.

HS Library Mid-Year Report: Sept - Dec 2011

Click here for my HS Library Mid-year Report: Sept - Dec 2011  in flipsnack.com format. Waddaya think?

Book Review: Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers

·         Posted at http://pollyanna.pollyanna.blogspot.com; forwarded through Twitter https://twitter.com/#!/pseudandry and http://teacherlibrarian.ning.com

·         Short summary from http://www.netgalley.com:

Dying to Know You by Aidan Chambers

Pub: ABRAMS; Date: April 01, 2012

ISBN: 9781419701658

Genre: Children's, Literature & Fiction, Teens & YA

“From an acclaimed author, a contemporary love story with a Cyrano de Bergerac-like twist.”

In Dying to Know You, award-winning author Aidan Chambers has created an indelible portrait of a young man discovering his own voice in the world, and has constructed a love story that is as much about the mind as it is the heart.

In this contemporary love story, a teenage boy named Karl enlists a famous writer to help him impress his girlfriend, Fiorella. She has asked him to write her a letter in which he reveals his true self. But Karl isn't convinced he's good enough with words, so he tracks down Fiorella's favorite author and begs him to take up the task. The writer reluctantly assents, on the condition that Karl agree to a series of interviews, so that the letter will be based on an authentic portrait of Karl. The letter, though effective, has unexpected consequences for Karl, Fiorella, and the writer.

Aidan Chambers has received international acclaim and won every major young adult prize, including the Michael L. Printz Award and the Carnegie Medal. He lives in Gloucester, England, with his wife, Nancy. To learn more, visit him online at www.aidanchambers.co.uk.

• Also by Aidan Chambers: Novels

o        Breaktime

o        Dance on my Grave

o        Now I Know

o        The Toll Bridge

o        Postcards from No Man's Land

o        This Is All - The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn

o        Notes on the Dance Sequence

·         I dove into this novel expecting to love it. Before I was half-way through it, I was still waiting. The problem was that it was too redundant. Not only was it redundant between stories, i.e., reference to Cyrano de Bergerac, but within the story, as well.

The main characters are a 75 year old man who is a published author; an 18 year old boy/man with dyslexia trained to be a plumber, Karl Williamson; Karl’s 16 year old girlfriend, Fiorella Seabourne; and Karl’s mother, Mrs. Williamson. Karl, because he’s dyslexic and doesn’t want his budding author girlfriend to know, asks the old author to help him write letters to his girlfriend. The author accepts because he sees so much of himself in Karl, hence the overly coincidental and redundant characterizations and plot: both Karl and the man are dyslexic, have the death of a close person affecting them, experience depression, contemplate suicide, struggle with their ‘art,’ like to cook, and deal with physical set backs.

The old author’s physical complaints, while expected from a 75 year old man, also became redundant. He was forever becoming cold and damp (the setting is in England), which sets off his sciatica, exacerbates his prostate condition (producing multiple urinating-in-the-bushes scenes), and causes him to get the ‘flu.

Converting Karl’s thoughts and conversations into the old author’s words establishes a redundancy in style, as well. Recurrently, the reader encounters Karl’s version of his words to Fiorella, and then the reader must re-experience them in the old author’s version of Karl’s words. Instead of producing an interesting, engaging juxtaposition, this reader felt as though I received multiple lessons in “full-dress English.

Chambers, metaphorically in the guise of the old author narrator, clearly explains his philosophies of life throughout the story, imparting the wisdom of his age to Karl and to the readers. However, his orations feel more like moralizing than like friendly advice from a senior citizen to a teenager, inveigling his audience to see the truth in his perspective. At other times, Chambers loses his clarity, and the old man describes Karl with so many different attributes, it’s no wonder Karl has trouble figuring out who or what he is.

The narrator, who is the old author, also repeats several times through the novel that he will tell the reader later what he is thinking or that he has an “inkling” of what will happen. I feel that is patronizing to a YA reader to be repeatedly hinted at to try to figure out some important piece of the plot now.

To his credit, Chambers created a title that is inspired on multiple levels. The reader is drawn into thinking that the title, Dying to Know You, is about the old author dying. At one point, the reader is moved to believe that Karl may die. On top of that, Karl and the old author both talk about their dead love ones. The reader can interpret the “You” in the title as either Karl, the old man, or one of their dearly departed. The “Dying” can be a literal death or the figurative death of a relationship.

The story touches on some key topics that appeal to YA readers, such as bullying, grief, depression, and falling in love. The motifs of art, fishing, cooking, and words offer the reader creative opportunities to contemplate life’s metaphors. For readers who benefit from ‘learning by repetition,’ Dying to Know You might be a welcome addition to their book shelves.

(582 words)

Wifitti

Have you tried Wifitti yet?  http://www.wifitti.com  Here's mine http://flash.locamoda.com/wiffiti.com/cloud/cataclysm.swf?id=66233&title=1

"Green" is Making Me See RED

Follett shipped over 550 books in 22 boxes; one box had only 5 books in it. These are copier paper-sized boxes, too. Since they ship them in Dewey Decimal order, they do not stack books or place books at right angles to each other to fit more books in a box. Then they stuff the rest of the space in the box with all of this, what I presume to be, recycled paper.

The only "good" thing I can see to this process is that most boxes do not weigh more than 40 lbs. each. I certainly can figure out "Dewey order" by myself if it'll save a few trees!

eBooks & eReaders with Buffy & Jennifer

Buffy J. Hamilton and Jennifer LaGarde just presented the BEST hour of Professional Learning Network and Professional Development, educating educators about eReaders & eBooks for school libraries. 
Check it out:

1. https://twitter.com/#!/buffyjhamilton
2. https://twitter.com/#!/jenniferlagarde
3. Search #tlchat at http://www.twitter.com
4. http://tlvirtualcafe.wikispaces.com/Digital_Books
5. http://www.theunquietlibrarian.wordpress.com/
6. http://lib-girl.blogspot.com/

Ebased library

I can't, ok I can, believe how many things there are to consider when switching to an e-based environment in a school library! Hardware... software... budget...electrical outlets... subscriptions...weeding... time allocations...personnel resources... vendors... trends...teachers... administration...students...parents...study halls & lunches...physical space...furniture...policies... Anything you want to add? Please? 8^}

New Year: 2010

Brief Goals (NOT resolutions LOL)...
1. consider ways to educate administators about what school librarians actually do;
2. encourage teachers to use me for/with/in their professional development opportunities;
3. read more YA lit.

Day 3 as an NBCT

You wouldn't believe the list of authors who presented at the NCTE/ALAN workshop today!  I'll post the list after tomorrow's sessions - sorry to make you wait, but just think of how much more you'll be impressed with the addition of another day's authors!

Day 2 as an NBCT

 I'm still me.  Hard to be a NBCT on a Sunday LOL. Tomorrow and Tuesday I go to the NCTE/ALAN workshop in Philly.  Two days of young adult lit!!!!!! "Young Adult Literature in the 21st Century: ‘Scattering Light’ on Our Freedom to Think, See, Imagine"

For those who don't know: NCTE = National Council of Teachers of English, and ALAN = Assembly on Literature for Adolescents in NCTE.

Day 1 as an NBCT

I tried looking myself up on the "list of NBCT" list; it's offline. I tried signing up for the NBCTLink; it didn't recognize my password (or maybe my email). I tried to make sure I thanked everyone who helped me and notified everyone who recently asked if I'd achieved.

National Board Certification

Today, on November 20, 2009, I achieved National Board Certification in Early Childhood through Young Adult/Library Media.

Interesting post about Facebook vs. Twitter

http://oedb.org/blogs/ilibrarian/2009/as-facebook-ages-gen-y-turns-to-twitter/
 As facebook ages gen y turns to twitter ...

National Board Certification

Chatter has begun about when the candidates for National Board Certification will receive their scores. I've been waiting since mid-April. Word is, score usually are announced anywhere from the Friday before Thanksgiving until the first Friday in December after Thanksgiving. SiGH... i guess I've waited this long...

NJASL Conference

Happy Information Overload! I'm not being facetious. It makes me happy to know I have all of these tools, resources, peers, mentors, colleagues... available in my own back yard. Thank you, NJASL!