#46: Speak

YOU should read this book...as in, everyone should read Laurie Halse Anderson's novel Speak, written in such a voice that everyone can hear what the main character Melinda is saying, shouting...in such a silent way.

About a young girl raped at a party, this novel pulls at your emotional strings, with relief from not coming until the very last page...just like I like! As much as I like to mentally conclude a novel before the last page, I also appreciate an author who can keep me hooked, especially with unexpected twists.

I assigned this novel to my 11th grade English students while we were studying The Bullying Mentality unit. While this may seem like a novel for girls, the message is strong for any reader...male or female.

This is one of those novels when asked if you liked it...you have to pause before saying, "Yes," for the message between the lines of the story reminds us all to be more conscious of those who need to "speak."

Please read this novel.

#45: "Y" City

A friend loaned me this novel. Before reading half of it, I purchased my own copy. "Y" City, set in the real town of Y City, Arkansas, is written by author Wade Rivers, also from Arkansas. I just have this thing about supporting Arkansas authors, some sort of kinship there, maybe? But I digress...

Based on a character who has been accused of killing his employer (hint: relationship actually took a romantic turn), the novel, while only spanning a time period of about 24 hours, takes its reader on an emotional journey into the mind of several characters, in particular Harley (the accused) and Hollis (the one sworn to protect the innocent).

A native of Arkansas and one who lived in Hot Springs for two years (a mere 68 miles from Y City...and, no, I had never heard of Y City before reading this novel!), I was quick to note locations and names of note, just part of the appeal to me as a reader. Had many opportunities for text-to-me connections!

I appreciated this author's writing style, highlighting various passages as I read to share with my students as I present models of what "good" writing might look. Just another reason I purchased my own copy of this novel....so I could really make it mine as I annotated within the book.

A NOTE: good editors are a grand thing! Did note a few misspellings and puntuations errors. This seems to happen in first editions of first books...maybe in the race to publish, one gets anxious? (By the way that is the voice of experience commenting on that last sentence!) Another teachable moment for the classroom, though.

If you are one who enjoys a good "who did it," then this is a good read for you.

#43-44: James Patterson Duo

It had been a while, so I just had to read some James Patterson!

1. Cross Country: This one continues the saga of Alex Cross.
2. Swimsuit: A good one to read on Halloween! Scary!

And, yes, I recommend these novels!

#42: Catching Fire

RIP Challenge Novel #4

Suzanne Collins' much-awaited sequel to The Hunger Games...Catching Fire...was a good read.

Katniss and friends must once again participate in the Hunger Games, a cruel and ultimate example of bullying. Throughout this novel, we witness Katniss's growth as a leader and increased compassion for others, while living a facade that both protects her people and increases the rebellion within the districts.

With that said, I do have a problem with all the death, although I know that this is part of Collins' message: that with oppression comes suppression, suppression through death. Or maybe the message is that survival's instinct remains to that very moment of death?

Is this a message that is appropriate for our young adults? While I know they are enamored with Collins' tale, I suppose the optimist in me wants to have to deal with less oppression, suppression, and depression. Maybe?

Let's see what one of these young adults have to say about Catching Fire. Here is Crist's review of this novel that he wrote for a book review for my class.

#41: The Dante Club

RIP Challenge Novel #3

Matthew Pearl's The Dante Club takes his readers on a journey into the historical land of the poets and Dante Club members and Harvard professors Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell, and publisher J. T. Fields, who all become criminal investigators as various murders begin to take place that mimic Dante's Inferno.

What I appreciate the most about this piece of historical fiction is that I really learned something! Really.

Stylistically, this novel is written on a more advanced level than the young adult fiction of current times. While definitely not impossible for my students to read, this novel does take time to absorb, but it is time-well spent.

Pearl is the author The Poe Shadow (this will be my next read by him) and The Last Dickens...maybe a read for Christmas?