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

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

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

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

This one is "Fact or Fake?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

School Librarian Leadership, obviously...

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

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

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

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.