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.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
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.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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.
Monday, March 23, 2009
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!)
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!)
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
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
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, March 15, 2009
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...
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, March 12, 2009
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..
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..
Monday, March 9, 2009
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
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
Sunday, March 8, 2009
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?!)
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?!)
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