#41

#41 Room by Emma Donoghue

Five year old Jack and his mother are being held captive in a small storage room in the backyard of an older man. Jack's mother was kidnapped when she was 19 years old and has been held prisoner in this room for 7 years. Jack and his mother are provided limited food and clothing, but are never allowed to leave. Jack believes Room is the whole world and has no desire to ever leave thanks to his mother who has created a happy and entertaining life within the four walls of Room. When his mother begins talking about escaping, Jack can't understand why she would ever want to leave their home.

The story is narrated in the voice of Jack, and it was interesting to listen to a young boy's perspective of the horrible situation, but I quickly became annoyed with him. I feel like a bad person for saying so, but I just couldn't appreciate his voice. I kept imagining him as one of those annoying squeaky-voiced children you can't stand to listen to and I found myself often thinking, "Seriously? Seriously..." Perhaps this all goes back to my childless life, but I just couldn't get into this story.

Far be it from me to dissuade anyone from reading, but this just wasn't the right one for me.

Moving on!

#38 - 39

#38 Peace, Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

12-year-old Lonnie Collins Motion, a.k.a. Locomotion, is living with a foster family after losing his parents in a tragic event. His sister Lili is living with a different family. He writes letters to her to keep in touch and help them both remember their past memories. Lonnie is happy with his foster mom, but still aches for his sister and parents. The letters help him deal with the gap he feels in his life.

I shared this immediately with my students, reading to them the opening poem "Imagine Peace" where Lonnie compares peace to soft flannel sheets and the good full feeling you have after eating a great dinner. Give me a beautiful poem and I'm done for. All through the book, Locomotion tries to understand peace and how, even in the midst of the Vietnam war and hurt and anger, peace can be found.

Jacqueline Woodson has once again written a touching novel about growing up and learning to deal with whatever life throws at you. But even more than that, her writing (done all in the form of letters and poems) is so lyrically beautiful, you can't help but read slowly just to enjoy the words.

#39 Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (Book one Ship Breaker series)

Recent winner of the Michael L. Printz Award

Hunger Games fans...never fear! Peeta and Katniss may be done, but Nailer and Nita are just beginning! Collins fans will be thrilled reading this new dystopian series. Picture a future North America where oil production has ruined the landscape, cities including New Orleans are completely underwater, the Arctic has lost most of its wildlife, and old tanker ships are being broken down for their metal parts. Nailer is a teenage boy on light crew whose job it is to fit into the old ductwork of the ships and strip out the copper wiring to make his daily quota and hopefully live another day.

A huge storm, a city killer, sweeps through the area, leaving Nailer and his friend Pima homeless. As they try to make their way back to their jobs, they find a clipper ship. Onboard the ship, they find more wealth than they could ever imagine. They also find a rich girl, a swank, who somehow lived through the storm. Nailer has to decide whether to kill the girl and take the riches he's found to buy his freedom from light crew or save her and help her find her way home and hopefully a better life for himself.

This was a great, fast-paced, adventurous novel I can't wait to get into the hands of my kids. They will devour this book and its futuristic implications. This would be a great book to read in a literature circle and do some deep talking about oil consumption and the environmental issues associated with it. Certainly a strong message about taking care of our Earth and each other. I will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

According to Bacigalupi's website, his other books really delve into important social issues. I'll be looking him up at my local library. It's great when students read, but even more exciting when they're reading high quality books with strong implications for the future. Love it!

#36-37

#36 Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Book three Chaos Walking trilogy)

"'War makes monsters of men, you once said to me, Todd. Well, so does too much knowledge. Too much knowledge of your fellow man, too much knowledge of his weakness, his pathetic greed and vanity, and how laughably easy it is to control him.'"

Well, I finally made it to the end. I feel like I've run a marathon and I'm not sure how to put my experience into words. Admittedly, this book was more difficult for me to get through than the other two, but not because I had lost interest in the storyline or characters. In fact, the book became more complex, dealing with more obscure characters and "sci-fi" (NOT syfy) situations. I had to slow down and read with caution.

The New World war continues, but this time the Spackle organize against the humans to avenge their murdered comrades. A group of new settlers arrives and the Mayor of the town struggles even more with the ceaseless Noise while both Todd and Viola are forced to make decisions that will change the course of the human race. I feel like I can't say much without giving things away!

If you're in for a rollercoaster ride, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

#37 If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Mia is a 17 year-old cellist from a close, musical family. She and her family are in a horrible car accident leaving her in a coma and her family gone. As her mangled body lays in a hospital room, Mia is fully aware of her surroundings and is walking around the hospital watching herself and her family. (Think Ghost but without the ability to move cans and smash cigarette cases). As she learns of the seriousness of her condition, she also has to make the decision to fight for her life or succumb to the peacefulness of death.

A strong story with gorgeous writing. Very poetic and beautiful and I can see how this book could help young people dealing with loss. Mia remembers the memories of her family and wants to dwell in the past, but she also knows that she has a family still alive and waiting for her to wake up. A powerful read.