#TheList, No. 703: Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare

Here's the gist of the story: There's a boy, Darren, and he's telling the reader his story.  He likes spiders.  Like isn't a strong enough word.  He enjoys spiders so much that he decides to steal a super poisonous one from a vampire.  Alright, that sounds like it could get interesting.  He finds this vampire at Cirque de Freak, an illegal freakshow that of course he has to attend.  The remainder of the book (and the entire series, I presume), deals with the consequences of his actions.  What if he hadn't gone to the show? What if he left while he still had a chance? What if he, you know, HADN'T STOLEN A SPIDER FROM A VAMPIRE?  Ah the little choices that we make as kids and grapple with all the time when we're adults.

The plot is interesting and I'm sure the rest of the series is as well.  There's suspense, a circus of "freaks," a vampire, different takes on vampire mythology, and spiders.  But I'll be honest; I was not a fan of this book.  However, I think if about half of the exclamation points were removed, I would give it another shot.  Seriously, it felt like every other sentence was pocked with an exclamation point. Maybe it's intended to sound like a child excitedly shouting his story at you, you know in that way that only a five year old who's talking about taking in the mail can accomplish.  But to me, it just makes events that should be dark and spooky, more like a fun pony ride.  "I saw the coffin!...I was scared!...I couldn't believe it!"  Those aren't actually quotes, but they could be.

Punctuation problems aside, I think 5th and 6th graders would really enjoy this book/series.  To be stereotypical for a moment, it has all the elements that would get a boy to pick up a book.  Okay, stereotypical moment complete.  This book is also excellent to recommend to children interested in vampires, but whom you want to keep away from Twilight.

#TheList: No. 664; Maniac Magee

Aside from Maniac Magee, the only Spinelli book I've ever read is Stargirl, which might be one of my favorite young adult novels that I randomly happened upon in my youth.  I didn't really like Maniac Magee as much, but I definitely see why it's a beloved book of many, including one of my students who walked by as I was reading it and started gushing about how much she loved the book.

Like Stargirl, Maniac Magee features a main character who changes a town with his eccentricities.  The town is in awe of his legendary status (one-handedly catching and kicking a football, bunting a frog for a home run, etc.), placing him on a metaphorical pedestal, until it comes crashing down thanks to the town's racial divisiveness. 

Magee is blind to race, much like Stephen Colbert.  His interactions between the black East Enders and the white West Enders results in strife for those residents who are against mixing and don't understand how the other side lives.  It's an interesting examination of racial struggle as seen through the life of this bizarre boy legend. 

The book also examines homelessness, as the orphan Magee comes to the town after running away (literally) from his aunt and uncle, and struggles to find a permanent place to live.  It contributes to the racial themes of the book, posing the question of belongingness. 

I enjoyed the first two parts of the novel, but the third part seemed a little forced to me.  I still enjoyed the book as a whole, and there's no question why so many elementary school teachers feature this novel in their lessons each year. 

Review: Tangerine

I hate when people designate books as "girl books" or "boy books" because a person's gender shouldn't determine what books they're allowed to read.  However, it's impossible to get everyone in the world to understand this and it's impossible or near impossible to pass off The Princess Diaries to a 10 year old boy.  With that in mind, I've tried to read more of what people consider "boy books."  I should note that so far, girls would most likely enjoy each one I've read. 

Tangerine, by Edward Bloor was a recent read of mine.  I didn't realize that the book itself, published first in 1997, was not as recent.  Moment of silence right now for the fact that the 90s are no longer recent.  Okay, moment passed.  

Stereotypical reason boys would like this book: Sports, both soccer and football, and fighting.

Let's move to dissecting that cover.  It is atrocious.  It looks like a generic sports book unless you've already read the book and can understand/appreciate the background.  Soooo....yikes.  But that's why they tell you not to judge a book by its cover.  

Because this book is so much more beyond this atrocity.  Paul Fisher, our protagonist, is legally blind, but can still see well enough to play amazingly at soccer.  Doesn't matter though, because his brother, Eric, is a football hero whom everyone seems to worship despite the fact that he's a complete bully.  Paul's family moves to Tangerine, Florida for his father's new job and the novel details Paul's struggles to be taken seriously in new schools, on soccer fields, and in his own home.  This book uses race and class struggles, family strife, and disability to demonstrate Paul's journey to uncover the secrets of his family's past and establish himself as someone more than "Eclipse Boy."

I liked this book a lot.  At about 300 pages, there's a good balance of all the drama.  The only thing that felt like it was lacking closure was Joey's race issues, but I guess it speaks more to how some bad things just can't resolved.  The characterization of the Fisher family is great though, especially the neurotic mother.  She's just written so perfectly. 

I would definitely recommend it to boys (and girls) fifth grade and up, especially if they were looking for realistic fiction and/or drama.