Those Wacky Greek Gods....

My 6th grade students are reading the Percy Jackson The Lightning Thief in their ELA class and are about to begin researching Greek gods and goddesses. While I was selecting books and other resources for them to use in their research I was very distracted and kept stopping my work to read books about Greek gods and other Greek heroes.

First up: Young Zeus by G. Brian Karas. This is a really fun picture book with graphic-novel-like panels that tell the story of young Zeus and his discovery that he actually had lots of brothers and sisters who were trapped inside his father Cronus's stomach. Zeus frees his siblings from his father's insides and a big war begins. With a little help from some relatives (the Cyclopes and Hundred-Handers) Zeus and the other Olympians win the war. Fun book for those just beginning to learn about the gods.

I moved on to The Iliad and the Odyssey retold and illustrated by Marcia Williams. In this book, you get the basic information of the two epic poems via comic book-like panels with very modern dialogue. The main points and characters are covered and you get the essence of each character and the story. I think this is a great one to read BEFORE trying to tackle the real deal so you have a good understanding of who's who.

I moved on to a graphic novel version of The Odyssey by Tim Mucci. I liked this one too - The format/layout is very "graphic-novel-y" and I really liked the artwork. Odysseus is telling Calypso of his travels and adventures trying to get home. She's trying to convince him that he can stay with her forever. Of course Athena speaks up for Odysseus and Calypso eventually lets him go. He eventually makes it home to Penelope and Telemachus ready to take his crown once again.





Finally, I read The Mighty 12: Superheroes of Greek Mythology by Charles R. Smith, Jr. This is a picture books with all 12 Olympians, along with a few other characters like Hades 3 headed dog Cerberus & Medusa. Each character has a 2-page spread with a poem telling their story and personality. The illustrations are great and I think this is another great one for someone just getting started in Greek mythology.

A Little Shakespeare

This week I read a few stories from Shakespeare. I say "stories from Shakespeare" rather than the actual plays because the books I read are novelized versions of the plays. First up: Othello by Julius Lester. This is a "novella" of the play Othello. Jealous Othello listens to his jealous friend, Iago, and murders his faithful wife Desdemona. Yup, even in novella format jealousy and hot-headed-ness rule the day and it doesn't end well for anyone. Lester uses some of the Shakespeare's original dialogue helping this story ring true.

Next I read Bruce Coville's re-telling of Macbeth. Coville has re-told several of Shakespeare's plays in beautifully illustrated versions. In this version of Macbeth Gary Kelley does a wonderful job with the illustrations. The "Scottish play" isn't very long and so Coville kept most of the original story intact. He also used some of the bard's original dialogue keeping the story close to the original. Beautiful book.

Next up: Hamlet by John Marsden. It's more of a YA read than the first two I mentioned (it gets a bit racy at times) and Marsden modernizes the setting slightly (Hamlet wears jeans in some scenes). But Marsden definitely stays true to Hamlet's tormented soul. This one is pretty intense!

I also finished another adult book The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford. Henry is a Chinese boy growing up in Seattle during WWII. When anti-Japanese sentiment in the US grows, his father makes him wear a pin that says "I am Chinese." Henry is the only non-white student at his school and button or no, he is a target for the school bullies. In the middle of the year Keiko, a Japanese girl, starts attending Henry's school and they work together in the school's cafeteria. A strong bond of friendship and love begins to grow between the two even when anti-Japanese hostilities grow louder in Seattle. Henry does all he can to help Keiko's family but can really do very little. The book goes back and forth between the past (1940's Seattle) and the present (1980's Seattle) where we meet Henry's son Marty. This one is a sweet story that made me want to listen to more Jazz music.

Number 40!!!

I've hit another milestone, 40 books done. If I'm aiming for 25 books per quarter, I've got to read 10 books in the next 3 weeks. Hmmm.... Will we have a snow day on Wednesday to help me out? :-)

First up: Mirror Mirror by Marilyn Singer. This poetry book is amazing. Using a fairy tale theme, Singer writes reversible poems from two characters point of view. By changing the punctuation and capitalization the poems have totally new meaning. For example:
Cinderella's Double Life
Isn't life unfair?
Stuck in a corner,
while they're waiting for a chance
with the prince,
dancing waltz after waltz
at the ball,
I'll be shining
these shoes
till the clock strikes midnight.

Till the clock strikes midnight,
these shoes!
I'll be shining
at the ball,
dancing waltz after waltz
with the prince
while they're waiting for a chance,
stuck in a corner.
Isn't life unfair?

The two versions of Cinderella (the one stuck at home working and the one at the ball) get the chance to tell their stories. I don't know how Singer was able to write these amazing poems!! Definitely worth reading!

Next up: For Good Measure : The Ways We Say How Much, How Far, How Heavy, How Big, How Old by Ken Robbins. I've always been interested in the origins of words. Maybe in another life I'll be an etymologist. But for now I'll settle for this book. Tracing the history of words we use to measure time, wood, distance and weight Robbins answered some of my own personal burning questions. Like "Why is the abbreviation for pound lb?" Turns out it's because the word pound comes from the Latin phrase libra pondo which is where we get our word 'pound.' Fascinating, right?

I also finished Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick. I'm not sure how to categorize this book: adventure? survival? I don't really know. All I know is this was an exciting book! When Sig's father dies on the frozen lake near their house Sig's sister and step-mother travel 6 miles to get help. While Sig is alone in the cabin with the body a mysterious stranger comes and tells Sig that his father owed him a lot of gold. Not knowing anything about the "deal" the stranger and his father made 10 years ago, Sig must find a way to get rid of the stranger but stay true to his mother's religious teachings. Very exciting! I'm happy to say that Revolver was named a Printz Honor book for 2011 just this morning!! A worthy award for a very exciting book.

Finally, another adult book, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Jacob Jankowski is now living in a senior's assisted living home, waiting for Sundays when his family will come visit him. But this Sunday is different. This Sunday his family is going to take him to the traveling circus next door to the home. Seeing the tents go up reminds Jacob of his own days working in a traveling circus and the people he met. Wonderful book, I enjoyed every page, especially the interview with the author at the end of the book where she tells that she based many of the incidents in the story on actual events!! I wish I'd seen the elephant stealing that lemonade.

Snowed In

This holiday was a snowy one. But that gave me plenty of time to read! This time there was a mix of adult and Young Adult books.

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz was a trip! Gidwitz fills the reader in on the real story behind some of Grimm's famous fairy tales. I never knew the witch with the candy house was just the beginning for Hansel and Gretel. Dragons, dates with the devil, chopping off heads, chopping off fingers, surviving in the woods - there's non stop action in this one!! Great read aloud for the whole family.

Now for some adult fare...
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson. This is the final book in the trilogy that starts with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. While definitely not for children, I loved these books, disturbing at times, but I love these characters and am sorry that there won't be any more books about Lisbeth and Mikael.

Lastly I listened to Cross by James Patterson. I have listened to several Alex Cross books and have enjoyed them. I love the alternating narrators and this one didn't let me down. I'm so glad Alex finally gets some closer on who killed his wife Maria!

Love, Courage, Forgiveness, Family, The End of the World - I'm all over the place.

This time I have 5 totally unrelated books. I can't get a theme going with this bunch if I tried. Good reading though!
First, an adult book: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. When we first meet Truitt, all we know is he's the richest man in town who envies other people's families. When we first meet Catherine, all we know is she's got a big fat secret. Catherine is travelling to Wisconsin to enter an arranged marriage with Truitt and neither one is as advertised. This is a story about forgiveness, redemption, love, regret, re-creating yourself, growing up and growing old. Good story.

Next up, A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck. Grandma Dowdel is at it again. This time, she’s helping her new neighbors the Barnharts. When12-year-old Bob gets a nasty “introduction” to the boys in town, it’s Grandma that helps him out. Grandma helps (without being asked!) Bob’s two sisters and even Minister Barnhart and his wife. In typical Grandma Dowdel fashion, there’s never a dull moment. The characters Richard Peck has created are memorable and loveable – even (or maybe especially) Grandma Dowdel.

I also read another Graphic Novel - Avalon High Coronation Volume 2 - Homecoming by Meg Cabot, illustrated by Jinky Coronado. In this volume, Ellie tries to get her boyfriend Will (possibly King Arthur?) to reunite with his parents and have dinner. But when his half-brother Marco (Mordred?) crashes the dinner, things are clearly not going as Ellie planned. Meanwhile, Marco's girlfriend Morgan (leFay?) is plotting against Ellie's bid as Homecoming Queen. With nightmares still keeping Ellie from sleep and Will's family troubles, could this really be the end of the world as she knows it?

Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings was fantastic. This book was so moving and I learned so much, I don't think I'll ever think about blindness or people who are blind the in same way again. Natalie's sporadic aniridia (she was born without an iris) has slowly been stealing her sight for years, but she's been able to get by. Now her doctor says there is nothing more he can do and maybe it is time for Natalie to go to a school for the blind to prepare for a day when she has no sight at all. Angry at this diagnosis, Natalie resists the lessons and life change, but slowly begins to open up to her new classmates and recognizes that she does need help. Heartbreaking at times, Natalie's story and her courage make for a wonderful book that will stay with me for a very long time.



The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman was a fantasy book that took me by surprise. When Elizabeth gets an after-school job at the New York Circulating Material Repository (a lending library for "stuff") she's excited to see the collections. When she discovers one of the collections is all the magic items the Grimm Brothers collected along with their famous fairy tales, she's REALLY excited. Magic talking mirrors, invisibility cloaks and magic boots are just some of the fabulous items in the collection. But when items in the collection start to lose their magic, it is up to Elizabeth and her new friends to figure out who's stealing it and how to stop them. A fun story that made me want to go back and re-read some of these great fairy tales!

I've got my work cut out for me for vacation reading. There's a BIG bag of books that is heading out east with me! These Young Adult books and adult books should keep me very busy for the next few weeks.  I wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a very happy new year.

True Love and Other Adventures

A few years ago I went to the Book Fest at the New York Public Library (an excellent event now held at Bank Street College) and saw Misako Rocks on a panel of graphic novelists. She told a funny story about growing up in Japan and when she first discovered her destiny. After seeing "Back to the Future" she recognized her true love and she realized that it was her fate to move to the United States and marry Michael J. Fox. She was very charming and it reminded me of similar feelings I had for Jason Bateman back in the day. Misako Rocks however turned her young love into a great graphic novel and I just watch reruns of "Silver Spoons." Anyway... for a walk down memory lane about first love, I recommend Rock and Roll Love by Misako Rocks.

Also this week I read The Kind of Friends We Used to Be by Frances O'Roark Dowell. It is the continuing story of Marilyn and Kate and how the two girls, friends since preschool, grow apart yet still love and care for each other. Kate becomes interested in music and song writing, Marilyn is on the cheerleading squad and runs for student government. While both make new friends, there is still a bond between these two seventh graders.

Indiana Jones Adventures, Vol. 1 by Philip Gelatt is a very quick version of a typical Indiana Jones movie. Indy is off on an adventure looking for priceless artifacts. There's some trickery, a beautiful woman and a few chase scenes thrown in. I'm all for graphic novel versions of popular movies and stories, but this one was a bit too short for my taste.



One Quarter Done!

I'm very happy to say that I'm one quarter towards my goal! Thank goodness! We are a few weeks into the 2nd quarter of school, so I'm a little behind, but I'm going to hit the books in December.

This week I finished Three Black Swans by Caroline Cooney. Cooney's a great story teller and this one is no different. It's about two cousins who come to believe that they are actually identical twins. But neither of them think they were adopted. Things get really interesting when a video of the "twins" hits YouTube and a third girl contacts them believing she's related also.



I also read a ghost story by Richard Peck Three-Quarters Dead. I loved, loved, loved Richard Peck's ghost stories about Blossom Culp as a child. I read them all (more than once) and enjoyed every word. This one didn't quite capture me as much as Blossom Culp did. When socially invisible Kerry is invited to be part of the popular clique she's thrilled, but when her three new "best friends" die in a car accident she's devistated. Until she gets a text message from the dead girls and is able to visit them in New York City. Could this really be happening? Can she survive the next car ride with the girls?

Charles and Emma: The Darwin's Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman was fantastic. Charles Darwin, a man of science, and his wife Emma were on opposite sides in matters of religion. Emma was deeply religious and wanted to be with her husband in this world - and in the afterlife. Charles though, had his doubts. The high infant and child mortality rates in England at the time were a very real threat to their ten children and a very good example of Charles' theory of survival of the fittest. This is a wonderful love story as well as a fascinating look at life in the Victorian Age. I'd recommend this one for both children and adults!

Happy Holidays!
Since the holidays are coming up, I thought I'd recommend a few books as gifts for middle school readers.

Do you have a gamer in the family? Would you like them to read more? Try one of these books as a jumping-off point:

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card – Set in the future where kids are trained for battle by using video games, Ender quickly rises to the top of his class (past the bullies) to become a commander in the army.

Only You Can Save Mankind by Terry Pratchett – Johnny’s friend gives him an illegal copy of the computer game “Only You Can Save Mankind” and he is surprised when the captain of the alien air fleet he’s supposed to shoot up asks for Johnny’s help in getting back to their home-world. After he helps though, all the aliens in every copy of the game disappear and there are angry gamers around the world.

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde – Giannine goes to a virtual reality arcade looking to have a fun time. But the CEO of the arcade appears in her game and tells her if she doesn’t complete the game correctly she’ll risk “fatal overload.”