Freak the Mighty

So, the question is: why did it take me so long to pick up this book? It's been around since 1993, (yes, older than you kids!) and it's just wonderful! Two boys, each with problems - some physical, some educational, some emotional - find a friendship where the whole is so much stronger than the sum of its parts. You'll laugh and cry for these boys (I did, anyhow). If you've never read it, do! It's a quick, exciting, and emotionally satisfying read. Philbrick has recently written a sequel - Max the Mighty - but that one is packed away until the library reconstruction is done.

Book Clubs - Parents Welcome!

To the book club participants reading Born on a Blue Day and Yell-Oh Girls - let your parents know that they are welcome to read the books along with you and join in the discussion. That could be an interesting dialogue!

Al Capone Does My Shirts (and Shines My Shoes...!)

This I guarantee: If you've read Al Capone Does My Shirts, you'll want to read Al Capone Shines My Shoes.

I love these books! (Can you tell??)

Just in case you don't already know - it's 1935, and 12 year old Moose Flanagan is living on Alcatraz Island with his father (a prison guard), his sister Natalie (autistic before autism was named or understood) and his mother (entirely and desperately focused on helping her daughter)...and, of course - Al Capone (who, yes, does his shirts...) The books deal with typical teen troubles - girls, baseball, girls, friendship, girls... not to mention, in book 2, an attempted prison break! Choldenko aims for, and hits, both the heart and the funnybone. By turns touching, heroic, and hilarious, these books are winners!

The Uprising

Many of you may know Margaret Peterson Haddix through her suspense series (Shadow Children). In The Uprising, she focuses on something very different - the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. Her flair for suspense is evident, and there are some surprising twists, but this book is most notable for the way in which the author brings to life this crucial moment in American history. You will hope, cry, dream and despair with Bella and Yetta and Jane - the three voices through which Ms. Haddix tells her tale. A moving and involving story.

Born on a Blue Day

To: book club people - Hi! Time to start. Read 20-30 pages, and post your impressions of Daniel. Do you think you could like him as a friend? Why or why not? Let me know by the beginning of the week. Mrs. M.

If I Stay

If I Stay - just read this novel by Gayle Forman.

Sometimes, life changes suddenly.
Sometimes, your worst nightmare comes true.
17 year old Mia goes for an ordinary early morning drive with her parents and her little brother.
Now Mia is in a coma. And she has to make a choice -
to go - with Mom, with Dad, with Teddy -
or to stay...

Yell-Oh Girls - this is for my Book Club people!

Hi - your assignment, should you choose to accept it, (of course you do!) is to skim the table of contents and tell me which section you'd like to focus on. We won't all be reading all the same sections, but there will be some overlap. Let me know within a few days - I hope we'll have a full group by then.
Happy skimming!

A Few New Books...

A few new books are in the library today - quite a spectrum, actually. Are you into animals or photography, or fascinated by the strangeness of the natural world? Take a look at Animals Up Close. My personal favorite - the ageless axolotl! (Although the hermit crabs come in a cute close second...)
For history buffs, we've got Laurie H. Anderson's novel Chains. This is a powerful story of slavery in the Revolutionary War period. In non-fiction, there is the true story of John Wilkes Booth - Chasing Lincoln's Killer.
In the suspense category, take a look at Murder at Midnight, (a new Avi) and Chris Wooding's Malice, which is part traditional novel, part graphic novel.

We're Back

Well, summer is really over.

As you probably know, we are renovating the library, and hope that it will be completed sometime in November. In the meantime, we're making do with a mini-library (I do mean mini...) in room 245.

I've been checking out some of the good books published over the summer. Read Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins? If you haven't, it is a must read - suspenseful and captivating. The sequel, Catching Fire, is already in the Sage library. If you like E. Lockhart (The Boyfriend List, The Boy Book) her latest, The Treasure Map of Boys, is available as well. Lockhart is chick lit at its very best. Soon to come but not yet published: the prequel to Graceling. Ask me about it in a month!

In a few weeks we'll be starting our non-fiction book clubs again - Yell-Oh Girls and Born on a Blue Day. The books were provided by a grant called New Yorkers Read - soon you'll be seeing promotional materials around the school. Look for it!

Dreamhunter

This one is for fantasy fans! It does well what truly excellent fantasy does - it creates a world that pulls the reader in and makes him believe. Elizabeth Knox blends elements of our world with a world in which select people can enter "The Place," an area where dreams can be caught, and then shared - for a price. Exciting dreams, healing dreams - and nightmares. 15 year old Laura is the daughter of Southland's most esteemed dreamhunter, and is in training to become a dreamhunter herself, when her father suddenly disappears. Political corruption, ethical debates, personal relationships - many issues are brought up, but are left unresolved - I'm looking forward to Dreamquake, the conclusion of Knox's duet, to get some answers.

The Graveyard Book... :)

You know the saying, "It takes a village to raise a child"? Well, in Neil Gaiman's Newberry winning novel, The Graveyard Book, what it takes is a graveyard. Orphaned at 18 months by a mysterious murderer, Bod (short for Nobody) is taken in and raised by Mr. & Mrs. Owens, a loving but childless couple, who just happen to be dead (long dead - about 300 years or so). You can't help loving these graveyard inhabitants! The tale, as it unravels, is by turns scary, funny, and touching, and the conclusion is dead on. I just loved it!

Flowers for Algernon book club

And we're off! As you start reading this (truly fantastic!) book, think about a few things. First of all, about how old, mentally, do you think Charlie Gordon is? Would you call him a happy person? What things seem to matter to him? Let me know what you think.

Born on a Blue Day

To all my Born on a Blue Day book club members: Talk to each other - comment on what your classmates are saying. We want to get a dialogue going!

Okay, a question. Daniel Tammet is now 27 years old. What do you think his life will be like 30 or 40 years from now? Why?

The Reformed Vampire Support Group

Catherine Jinks had me laughing hysterically with her new book - The Reformed Vampire Support Group. Forget your powerful, gorgeous, Twilight-type vampires - these are my kind of vampires - pale, listless, pitiful, and prone to puking. How'd you like to live on a diet of guinea pig blood? Have some compassion! They don't want to infect others - thus the support group for these "reformed" vampires. You will chortle your way through a plot replete with vampires, vampire slayers, kidnappers, and werewolves. The complications multiply like rabbits, but there is an eminently satisfying conclusion. There's even a touch of romance! What more could you ask?

Roxanne and I both recommend...

Another recommendation! Standing Against the Wind - it's about a girl who finds courage she did not know she possessed when life's forces threaten to knock her down. What Roxanne C. (821) loved was the "meaning behind it. Any kid would enjoy it!" (Now you don't just have to take my word for it....)

Born on a Blue Day - Marcelo in the Real World

Just read two fascinating books that were merging in my mind at times, although one was autobiography and the other was fiction. Born on a Blue Day is the story of Daniel Tammet's life. Tammet is autistic - he has Asperger's syndrome, which means that while he is extremely intelligent, he has great trouble with social skills and interactions - and he also has synesthesia, which causes him to see numbers as shapes, colors, and textures. And he is a savant - a mind-boggling genius - in the field of numbers. Think Dustin Hoffman in The Rain Man. Marcelo in the Real World (Stork) is a fictionalized account of a teenager with Asperger's, who has been sheltered in a special school for years, but whose father now thinks that it is time for Marcelo to face "the real world." Who he meets, how he copes, and what he learns about himself and others is told in a moving and powerful story. Read them together, and then for good measure, if you haven't already, pick up Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which was a best seller a few years ago. They will give you an amazing persepective and understanding of this illness.

new book clubs! interested?

Vacation is over - and too short, as usual...

Nevertheless, we have some good things in store for the library.

First - Our book club read and discussed The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett. Next, we expect to read Flowers for Algernon, a combo of sci fi, emotional realism, love story, and 4-hanky tearjerker. (Okay, if you're like me, maybe it's a 10-hanky tearjerker...)

We'll also be starting 2 new book clubs, one for the 7th grade and one for the 8th grade. Our school has received a non-fiction book grant, and part of the bequest is a 10-book set of two titles, which will be used for book clubs. I'll be speaking to English teachers; extra credit will be involved for those participating! The books are: Born on a Blue Day; inside the extraordinary mind of an autistic savant, and Yell-Oh Girls; emerging voices explore culture, identity, and growing up Asian-American. I chose these two titles because they seemed fascinating to me.

But we've been given (and will be getting more - speak to me!) such a wide variety of books that there is sure to be something that will appeal to everyone,

Just a sampling:

Three Wishes; Palestinian & Israeli children speak

Paleo Bugs; survival of the creepiest (quite vividly illustrated!)

The DNA Gave It Away; teens solve crime

Hip-Hop; a short history

Life on Earth - and Beyond; an astrobiologists quest

American Shaolin

Boys of Steel; the creators of Superman (yes, of course it's a graphic format!)

Chill; stress reducing techniques for a more balanced, peaceful, you

Hurricane Force; in the path of America's deadliest storms

Media Madness; an insider's guide to media

Stop by to take a look at our new collection.

Bog Child

Just finished Bog Child by Siobhan Dowd. I was never particularly knowledgeable about the IRA and the troubles in Northern Ireland, but reading this is both an education and an incentive to learn more. This is a combination of mystery, romance, and historican fiction, with a dash of the unexplainable thrown in, and it is a wonderful read! This takes place in the 1980's in Northern Ireland; a teenaged boy finds a preserved body in a bog - about 2000 years old. The past and present mingle, merge, and teach hard lessons. This book is both thoughtful and beautifully written. It's a heartbreaker, too. Highly recommended!!

Wintergirls

Wintergirls is Laurie Halse Anderson's latest novel, and I think it is her best work since Speak. It deals with anorexia, bulimia, and cutting; it's not emotionally easy to read, but she captures something very real about the thoughts and feelings of girls who need to hurt themselves in these ways. The writing itself is at times sensitive and beautiful, at other moments brutally honest. I found myself holding my breath as I read. It is still running through my mind.

Bullies and Bullying

For all of us - parents, students, and teachers - bullying looms as a terrible problem. Recently there have been many books, both fiction and non-fiction, dealing with the issue. I'm appending a list of books that touch on bullying and its various consequences.

book clubs

This spring we'll be starting a few book clubs. We have one making its debut this Friday, with Terry Pratchett's The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents. That group is filled up, but anyone interested in starting another should speak to me.

Also, we've received the 8 Million Reasons to Read grant, and the school will be getting a number of outstanding nonfiction works. These have been chosen to great extent for their readability and high interest level. I'll post when they arrive, and list the titles. This
grant also involves putting together a non-fiction book club. The library will provide the books. Again, I'll let you know when I know for sure which titles we're receiving. And I'll be speaking to teachers about some extra credit for participants. (although the joy of reading should be sufficient motivation...) Let me know if you think you might be interested.

Today's recommendation: What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell. It's a National Book Award winner - a coming of age novel replete with mystery, romance, and betrayal. This one grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the end, and afterwards you'll have plenty to think about. Really outstanding! (Cool cover, too!)

Me, the Missing, and the Dead

That's a book title, not a statement of personal crisis...
The author is Jenny Valentine; she's a British writer and this is her debut novel. I suspect she'll be someone to watch out for. This is a coming-of-age novel. The writing is clever, the plot is entertaining, serious issues are handled with a light touch, and the ending has a very snazzy twist!

signing off...

New Database!!

We have an excellent, award winning new database available to Sage students, called Teen Health and Wellness. It is available both at home and at school, and offers credible, trustworthy health information on subjects such as stress, peer pressure, divorce, suicide, etc. A 24 hour hotline for teens in crisis is provided.
Parents and teachers will find a wealth of information, as well, so check this out.

go to: http://teenhealthandwellness.com/
username: russellsage
password: health

Sunday afternoon. I'm slowly getting the hang of this thing, but there are still kinks to work out.

I just added a "Quotation of the Week" section. This, by Alexander Pope, is one of my favorites. Everyone knows the first line; not so many know the conclusion. Changes the whole tone and meaning, doesn't it? (Perfect for cynics like me...)

I read two totally different books over the weekend; I really enjoyed both of them. The first was Chicken Boy by Frances O'Roark Dowell. Tobin McCauley is the the 7th grade protagonist, and his mother's death a few years ago has nearly destroyed his family. We are talking dysfunctional with a capital D! Often funny & always touching, you will cheer Tobin on. One of the things I like best about this book is that there is no nice neat resolution; life's not really like that, is it? And there are unanswered questions that you will wonder about. So, what do chickens have to do with it? Meet Miss Blue & the rest of the crew to find out...

After this emotional wringer I needed a change of pace, so I picked up Blake Nelson's They Came from Below. This book is heavy on message (our polluting of the planet), but it delivers that message in an amusing and entertaining way. Can teenage girls really fall in love with aliens? Can aliens really look like Brad Pitt? I leave it to you to determine.... By the way, this combination of fantasy, ecology and teen social life has a jaw dropping ending. I'm still speculating about it!

signing off...

Thursday afternoon. I've been exploring some terrific sites that might be fun for you to look at. There is one specifically for boys, which has been around for a while - you might have heard of it already. www.guysread.com . Check out www.goodreads.com , and take the compatibility test with some friends! And then, pop in at www.teenreads.com. to round things out.

Here is a totally random factoid: One in five American men have spent at least one night in jail! (Gives me something to think about!) Now, you know very well that you may not just spout statistics (e.g., one in five...) without citing your sources, so I hearby inform you that this comes from Uncle John's 4-ply Bathroom Reader, and if you've never whiled away an idle moment with this book - well, you should! In the library, call # 794. Check it out!

bb signing off..

2009 Newberry Awards

FYI - Here are the 2009 Newberry winners:

Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, about a boy raised by a vampire, a werewolf, and a witch, has received this year's medal. We've got one copy in the library so far. Haven't read it yet.

These are the Newberry honor books:

The Underneath, by Kathi Appelt
The Surrender Tree; poems of Cuba's struggle for freedom, by Margarita Engle
Savvy, by Ingrid Law
After Tupac and D Foster, by Jacqueline Woodson

I have everything but The Surrender Tree, but I must admit that I haven't read a single one of them yet. Ah, well.....homework.

book blogger signing off

Like books?
I do!

So I thought that this might be a nice forum to talk about them. I'll start.....

If you're a Sage student (and you probably are) you already know that I'm in love with books.
And you know that I love sharing them with you. (Hey, if you're a complete stranger, that's fine too! Just give me some feedback if you like the ones I recommend.)

Where to begin? Well, last night I finished Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. This was an amazing read. It's a combination of sci fi and suspense, with elements of Orwell's 1984, and the feeling of combat in a Roman amphitheatre. It deals with a dystopian (go on, look it up!) future society that will repel you and mesmerize you at the same time. If you're a nail biter, say goodbye to your fingernails - it's that good. A sequel is coming out. I'm not positive when, but I believe late summer/early fall. If you enjoyed the Uglies series, or House of the Scorpion, you'll like this.
Anyone out there read it yet? What did you think? And which guy are you rooting for? (That was vague enough, wasn't it? I'd hate to give anything crucial away...)

Mrs. Mittelman (aka the book blogger - don't I sound 21st century?!)