Sounds familiar ...

Well, we have hit the time of year where I'll be bombarding this blog with YA literature. As part of our school day, we have 20 minutes of reading time built in where we HAVE to read. I do not complain about this, and this semester I've got a group of kids who stay quiet so I'm not interrupted. I also started teaching a new strategic reading class that has several books in it for reluctant readers. So I can talk to the kids about the books, I need to read them, which has made my selections for this SSR time really easy :)

The first book I picked up for this was Armageddon Summer by Jane Yolen and Bruce Coville. It's a dual narrative from a teenage girl (Marissa) and teenage boy (Jed) (I'm guessing each author took one of the characters). Each of their parents has gone through divorce or a separation and have become involved with an armageddon cult (the book takes place in 2000, so it's similar to all of the Y2K - and has tones of 2012 in it as well). Marissa is a Believer, but Jed isn't. It follows them through the process and questioning of the Believers.

It was an easy read (started it Thursday and finished it Friday), and like I said, has tones of 2012, so it's somewhat timely.

Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan

This is the second book in the Kane Chronicles. I hadn't planned on reading it so soon after reading the first one (I am now trying to switch up genres when I read so I don't get in a rut. Besides, with school starting in two weeks, I'll be reading plenty of YA books during our school's daily SSR time - yes, I get paid to read a book of my choice for 20 minutes a day! It's a bit of heaven I must say.) But, it was on the shelf, and nothing else looked good at the time.

My review is pretty similar to The Red Pyramid. As with the Percy Jackson series, more about Sadie and Carter's past and family history gets revealed. Their ultimate goal/mission is also made clearer, but I'm also guessing that the full plan has  not been disclosed to us yet. There's also a few twists and turns woven into the plot that you didn't necessarily see coming, which is part of the reason Riordan's books are compelling; he makes sure to keep you on your toes.

I'm glad I read this, and I'll be picking up the third one when it comes out next spring.

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

I have touted and recommended Riordan's Percy Jackson series since I first read it five years ago. I think it is a great series and gives kids a good introduction to the basics of Greek mythology. I read it to my sixth graders, and I had kids who didn't read at all start to read more myths and other series that were similar.

Now that Percy Jackson is finished, Riordan has started two new series. One is the Kane Chronicles and The Red Pyramid is the first in that. Instead of looking at Greek myths, he's moved onto looking at Egyptian mythology, which I think is even more fantastic because this is often overlooked in our education systems. Again, it presents the basics to kids in a non-threatening, action packed method.

The book is told through a "recording" by Carter and Sadie Kane, a brother and sister duo who get swept up into an adventure where Egyptian gods are released into the modern world. They ultimately have to save the world from the god Set, who has a plan to send the world into chaos. As the story unfolds, Carter and Sadie slowly discover their family's history and how important they are in Egyptian history as well as to the safety of the world.

I wouldn't say this is as good as the Percy Jackson series, but it did keep my interest on a lazy Sunday afternoon. It's a quick read, fast paced and interesting. I'd say it's a definite for kids, and their parents might just enjoy it too.

A New Take on an Old Classic

We all know about Big Brother from 1984, but in Little Brother, Cory Doctorow gives us a new twist on this classic.

This book is technically young adult, but it's one that can really hit home for adults, too.

Basically, the premise is the same as Big Brother. Just take it and put it in San Francisco in a post-9/11 era. The plot quickly starts off with an attack on the city's bay bridge, and then the DHS comes in and basically takes away all the freedoms of the residents. Marcus, a 17-year-old geek, hacker, gamer, takes it upon himself to try to show the government what's what and take back his city. He feels he's got more  of a stake in the matter because he, along with three of his friends, were arrested and interrogated for days right after the attack. The DHS tightens their hold on the city as the story progresses - traffic patterns are monitored, Internet usage is watched, etc. All of this eggs Marcus on as he continues to undermine the government on his X-net.

This was a very thought provoking book, and one that's very fitting for our times. I thought the writing drug on at times (I didn't need a lot of details on how Marcus programmed/worked his hacking magic), but that doesn't detract from the message Doctorow is trying to get across. Plus, there's the added bonus of him being cool enough that he's released a lot of his writing under Creative Commons - so it's free. All because he thinks  words/books should be easy to access!

The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci

This is one of the books that will be used for small groups in my new strategic reading class this fall. I'm trying to read the "main" books for it so I have an idea of what I'm talking about when teaching it/discussing it with the kiddos.

This was another book I couldn't put down. I started reading it during our SSR time for school, so 18 minutes a day wasn't really enough because the book keeps you wondering from page one.

The premise of the book is trying to figure out what happened to a teenager, Christopher Creed. As the book unfolds, you learn that he was an outcast at school, so a lot of the student body isn't really all that concerned about him or his fate. The book also covers a lot of topics that are very relevant to a high school student: bullying, being the outcast, cliques, parents, drinking, etc.

The point of this class is to help reluctant and struggling readers. I think this book is a perfect fit for that.

Kingdom Keepers IV: Power Play by Ridley Pearson

If you know me, you know that I may be a bit addicted to Disney. I discovered this series while at WDW for our honeymoon, and it's just fun to read.

In the previous four books, Finn and his fellow DHIs have been chasing the Overtakers (or the Disney villains) throughout the parks. They have managed to capture Maleficient and Chernobog. But things are heating up again and the DHIs (kids who are holographic tour guides) are realizing that things aren't as safe as they were and what their real task is.

If you've been to Disney and have a special place in your heart for it, you should read these. They'd also be a great series to read together with your kids!

Monster by Walter Dean Meyers

Another phone post so it will be short and sweet.

This is one of the main books for my new reading strategies class next year. It's a little different because it is written in a screenplay form with journal entries interspersed throughout. It is about a boy from Harlem who is on trial for being an accomplice to a robbery/murder. He is writing the screenplay throughout the trial.

I could see how the book would be interesting and compelling to reluctant readers. However, I read screenplays too quickly and am not getting all I could out of it. But at least I'll be familiar with it for next year's class.

City of Fallen Angels - Cassandra Clare

It's been a few weeks since I've finished a book. That's a bit embarrassing, I have to admit. But, in that time, I finished my thesis (I'll be an official Master's graduate in five days) and bought a house, so, I've been a bit busy. Still, I don't think I've ever gone that long without finishing a book of some sort.

Remember how I said I wasn't going to buy any more books until I read quite a few of the ones I had ... that was a lie. On April 9, I administered the ACTs, so I downloaded City of Fallen Angels onto my Kindle and then promptly left it in my classroom over the weekend after the tests.

This is the fourth in Clare's Mortal Instruments series, and I've really liked the previous three. I've described the series as "Twilight, but good" to other people as well as "Buffy with less focus on vampires and more focus on other creepy crawlies." I started the series because I had a crapton of my students tell me I HAD to read them, and they usually don't completely steer me wrong:) And, they were definitely right on these. Even though they're written with the YA audience in mind, they'll still hold the attention of adults, and the universe Clare's created is pretty fantastic and compelling.

It took me quite a while to get into this book. I thought the beginning dragged a bit, and that's also probably why I've gone so long without finishing anything - I couldn't get into this one. Then, I read the last quarter of the book last night. Holy buckets! That part was the most exciting out of the entire thing. (So, Natalie, you were right!)

Now that I look back, there's a few plot arcs that Clare could have cut, but I'm also guessing that they will make more sense in future books in the series. The cliffhanger at the end was very compelling, and I am excited for the next book to come out.