Review: A Mango-Shaped Space

A Mango-Shaped Space, by Wendy Mass, is a title that I have consistently recommended to students but, as of December 2013, had never read myself.  I knew that it was realistic fiction about a girl who saw letters and numbers in color (synesthesia), that the novel made many people cry, and that there was a cat named Mango (three guesses as to why everyone cries; hint: my theory about books with dogs on the cover).

After recommending it so many times and consistently getting positive feedback from the readers, I decided it was time to actually read it myself. I loved it.

At the start of the novel, Mia reflects on a traumatizing third grade experience when she tried to explain the proper colors for each number to her math class.  Ridiculed by her teacher and classmates when they did not follow along, Mia was forced to keep her visions a secret. But when she starts algebra, the combination of numbers and letters makes her secret too much to bear. Mia learns that her condition has a name, synesthesia, and dives into a world of information.  Mia must balance her new appreciation of her colorful life with her classwork, friends, family, and her cat Mango, whom she believes contains a piece of her grandfather's soul, a man who had always understood her in more ways than she could have known. 

I really welcome stories that offer new perspectives.  You can never really see what another person sees, especially in Mia's case. What I enjoyed most about this novel was the emphasis on trust.  Mia experiences so much disbelief from others: her teachers, classmates, parents, even her best friend, that it's heartwarming to see her remain so trusting as she works to educate both herself and others about her condition. It's also important for the child and young adult readers to experience the distrust and teasing that Mia encounters in her quest for the truth.

I think the only aspect of the novel that bothered me was the fact that she never got caught for falsely going to acupuncture to heighten her synesthesia. If you've read it, did that bother you?

#TheList, No. 431: The Wind in the Willows

Kenneth Grahame's 1908 classic, The Wind in the Willows, tells the tale of four animal friends - Rat, Mole, Badger and Toad.  Toad is the reckless animal of the bunch - always coveting the latest trend whether it be horse drawn carriages or motor cars (note: this was written towards the end of the second industrial revolution).  His three friends worry that he will get himself into trouble with his impulsive behavior and, lo and behold, Toad is caught stealing a car and thrown into jail for 20 years. He escapes and after indulging himself once again with irrational behavior, teams up with his friends to reclaim his old home from the animals who have overtaken it.

If a middle or high school student asked me for a nostalgia-based book they could incorporate into a history/literature project, I would say "you got it dude" and hand them The Wind in the Willows. 

Looking for a riveting read? I would tell them to look elsewhere.


In terms of its historical significance and reflection of people resistant to change, it's a great read. Toad stands for the new and exciting industrial age, while his friends represent the fondness for a simpler time.  While I may find it boring to read through (and some agree and many disagree), I really do appreciate the symbolic aspects of the story.  For me, the analysis of the characters and action is more entertaining than the actual story. Plus, who doesn't love anthropomorpized animals?

#TheList, Nos. 696 and 708: A Series of Unfortunate Events

The Series of Unfortunate Events is a 13 part series that follows the miserable adventures of the three Baudelaire children. The children, orphans after losing their parents to a tragic fire, must protect themselves and their family fortune from Count Olaf, a distant relative, and his henchmen. Often caught in terrifying death traps, the children must escape using Violet's inventing skills, Klaus' thirst for knowledge, and Sunny's surprisingly sharp teeth. Despite the dangers the characters find themselves in, the books are packed with dark humor and word play, making them exciting and suspenseful reads. 

I read the first book in The Series of Unfortunate Events as a child after receiving it as a gift. My uncle told me I needed to read something other than Harry Potter (he also gave me The Golden Compass). I thought it was incredibly funny and unlike anything I had read before.  But for some strange reason, I never kept up with the series (I was probably too caught up with Harry Potter, let's be honest). Recently, I read a discussion of the series as a whole. It confirmed what I had imagined, that the series, while humorous and innovative, was formulaic in it's approach. However, it mentioned how the books took darker turns and added a great conspiracy midway through the series.  That was enough to make me pick them back up.

The Bad Beginning (No. 696), the first in the series, introduces the Baudelaires with their back story and their first major misadventure. The narrator immediately tells the reader that this is not a happy story. If you want a happy story, close the book and find something else.  Actually, this sentiment is expressed time and time again throughout the series. The narrator goes to great lengths - for example, attempting to bore the reader with the process of water evaporation - to prevent the reader from reading about the many tragedies the Baudelaires face.  Repeatedly shattering that fourth wall with warnings only entices the readers to continue turning pages. Everyone knows that if you tell someone not to do something, it only increases that person's interest.

The author also makes a great effort to define new vocabulary, one of my favorite aspects of the series.  There's absolutely no shying away from challenging words or phrases that readers may not have encountered in previous reading selections. Instead, the words or phrases are defined, examples are supplied, and then it is constantly brought back into the context of the story at hand.

The Vile Village (No. 708), the seventh book, is where the series begins to take darker turns.  Up until now, the Baudelaires have been fairly innocent in their escapes from horrible henchmen.  But this book leaves the Baudelaires falsely accused of murder and on the run from the police.  They must follow a conspiracy-based quest established in an earlier book, leaving running from the law as their only option.  Now that they are on the run, they continue to break the law in order to protect themselves and bring their adventures to an end.

Time after time, the three children escape death and/or capture without the assistance of an adult. When they try to seek adult help, they're often ignored or dismissed as having childish notions. But the Baudelaires frequently catch on to plots and Count Olaf's disguises before adults. Why? Because children often don't get the credit they deserve.  Many adults are depicted in a buffoonish manner to further highlight the children's potential. The series serves as an affirmation of the power of children. Even if the books become repetitive as the series progresses, that message is always prevalent.

#TheList, No. 811: The Witch of Blackbird Pond

I've abandoned my randomly generated list in order to tackle some of the more Halloween-y appropriate books this month.  Last week was Violet Park's Me, the Missing, and the Dead.  This week, I revisited one of my favorite books I read for class in the fifth grade: Elizabeth George Speare's Newbery Medal-winning novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

After her grandfather's death, Kit Tyler, sails from Barbados to Connecticut to live with her only living family members.  While Kit knows she will be welcomed into the family, she does not anticipate the strict religious beliefs governing every move in her new Puritanical home. Kit struggles to adjust to the Puritan lifestyle while maintaining her own beliefs. Her often unconventional behavior immediately arouses suspicion throughout the town and it is only made worse when she befriends a Quaker woman whom many believe to be a witch. 

There's a lot to work with in this piece of historical fiction: the value of hard work, the pressure to adapt to change, the right to education, the right to independent beliefs, the need to accept others with varying viewpoints, etc. My favorite is how the strength of women is explored in both positive and negative lights. Kit is a positive force - resisting conformity through charitable actions for those deemed unworthy. The "witch," Kit's family, and Prudence are also positive reflections of women's strength. But throughout the novel "women's talk" is used as a weapon against those who are different. It saturates the town and becomes powerful enough to drive a woman into hiding and bring another to trial. It's a realistic portrayal of the fanaticism that really existed during the witch trials and it's interesting to contrast it to the actions of the other positive female characters in the novel.

A few of the students have seen me with this book and have exclaimed that it's one of their favorites. That makes me happy.  Sure, the ending might be a little too happy than realistic, but it's still a great way to introduce children to the actual events of that time period. 

Banned Books Week!

Banned Books Week is one of my favorite weeks in the library world.  Too many people don't realize that the censorship of challenged books is not just a thing of the past. While I obviously don't love how books and other materials are still censored, I do love drawing awareness to this fact and encouraging readers to defend their right to read the books they find interesting.

You can learn more about BBW at the ALA Website.  

#TheList, No. 909: Madame Doubtfire

Guess who didn't know that the 1993 movie Mrs. Doubtfire was based on a children's novel? Me. I feel left out of the loop.

We know the story: parents divorce and put their children in the middle of their many bitter arguments involving custody arrangements. The mother doesn't want to give the father more time with the children. To get his deserved time, the father comes up with the inspired idea to dress up like a woman and apply to be the housekeeper/nanny. Then it all blows up in his face and he's left fighting to prove that his actions make him a great, caring father.

That all translated to the movie.  But the book has many dark moments that didn't quite make it into the movie (in my recollection). For starters, the fights between the parents are intense, lengthy, and at times, downright cruel. The fights about the children often lead to arguments with the children, the father taking no pause to place blame on the children for his predicaments.  Then there are the instances when the father daydreams and/or mimes about killing his ex-wife...in front of the children. For example: when he inspires himself to clean by imagining he's mopping up his ex's blood. Big ol' yikes.  It's made clear that they aren't the portrait of a happy go lucky family.

I wasn't a fan of the novel; the father's violent tendencies really disagreed with me. However, I respect that it didn't try to Parent Trap the divorced couple.  The book isn't about bringing them back together; it's about realistically (minus the cross-dressing) depicting what it's like for children of divorced families and how parents need to readjust with their children's interests as the big picture.

One last thing. Let's take a minute and examine the book cover for the edition I read:

It's a little blurry, but it looks like Adam Sandler in drag. So I'm fairly certain that this cover foreshadowed Jack and Jill.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Love To See As A Movie/TV Show

It's no guarantee, but sometimes books work as TV shows and movies.  They aren't always perfect copies (alright, they never ever are), but they translate well to a visual media.  In a perfect world where the end result would be a flawless movie or television show, here are my

Top Ten Books I Would Love To See as a Movie/TV Show

1. Unwind, by Neal Shusterman

This series has a lot of suspense, action and character development that could easily translate into a TV show.

2. Stephanie Plum By the Numbers Series, by Janet Evanovich

Yes, they tried this as a movie with Katherine Heigl and anyone could see that it was going to fail miserably. 1. It should be a television show. 2. Betty White should be Grandma. It would be can't-miss TV.

3. The Giver, by Lois Lowry

It might be incredibly difficult to capture the essence of this novel on film, but it would be a decent start if Morgan Freeman was cast as the titular role.

4. I Hunt Killers, by Barry Lyga

So as not to draw out the action too much, I think this would be best as a miniseries.  Allegedly, this title is in the works for an ABC Family series, so hopefully they preserve the sheer epicness that is this novel (and it's sequel).

5. Every Day, by David Levithan

The pursuit of an impossible relationship is the basis of many a successful movie, and I think this novel could make for an interesting addition. Difficult casting for sure as A would need to be portrayed by more than a handful of actors. There are great lessons to be found in these pages that could translate well to some cinematic interpretation.

6. Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern

This one is listed as "in development" on IMDB and I'm not surprised: It's a great story and the sets for this book would look utterly fantastic on the big screen if done correctly.

7. The Mother Daughter Book Club, by Heather Vogel Frederick

I think this series is really sweet and would make for a cute Disney Channel type show.  It could be cast with fresh faces to be scrutinized later in their careers when they stop being prepubescent. But I do think this would make a fun addition to TV, especially because children's literature would be openly discussed on TV.

8. The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith J.K. Rowling

I'm thinking BBC series for this one. They can do no wrong. And with such amazing material, it would be near impossible to.

9. Bossypants, by Tina Fey

I know this is a weird addition. I've read the book and I've listened to the audiobook read by Fey herself. But I want to watch Tina read this book. Seriously, plop her down on a stool, have her read from the book, and film it. I would buy a ticket to see that and I hate paying to go see movies. Comedy gold.

10. Hex Hall, by Rachel Hawkins

Perhaps it's because I just finished the second book in this trilogy, but I think this would be a fun TV series (if we weren't suffering from paranormal romance/adventure overload). It's funny, contains magic, and has a sarcastic female lead.  I can definitely see myself binge-watching this on Netflix.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books that Should be Required Reading/Contemporary-Classics Pairings

Now that I'm back in school mode, it's good to be thinking about the educational value of the books I push on recommend to students.  So for this week's Top Ten Tuesday:

Books that Should be Required Reading

1. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

This one has already popped up in a number of school syllabi which is fantastic.  There's so much in this novel that students can work with: perspective, heroism, setting, etc.  It's also an incredible read that I recommend to everyone (my Aunt just finished...).

2. Wonder, by R.J. Palacio

I think this novel lines up well with a lot of the anti-bullying rules that schools are now (hopefully) enforcing. The multi-perspective novel shines a light on what people may experience on account of being different and how "normal" people react to said different people.

3. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin

Okay, this is just one of my favorite books ever, so I'm being biased.  But I read this in school and it was the best unit ever. It's a great book for putting clues together, searching for foreshadowing, and examining character motives.  Plus, it is amazing.

4. Monster, by Walter Dean Myers

Some students don't respond to novels, so it's useful to bring other formats to the table. Monster offers a lot of literary techniques, and it could be the source of a classroom debate over who is guilty.

Contemporary Books Paired With Classic Required Readings

5-6. Unwind, by Neal Shusterman and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley

If there was ever a dystopia that I would recommend for school assignments, Unwind would be it and I think it would pair well with Frankenstein.The Gothic classic deals with the questions of who is to blame for crime (the creator or the creation?) and what happens when man plays God (bad things)? Unwind tackles similar problems through the ownership over a person's life and organs.

7-8. Dodger, by Terry Pratchett and Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens

It makes sense because Dodger comes from Oliver Twist and Dickens himself is a character in Pratchett's novel.  It would make for fun classroom activities to note the connections between the two novels.

9-10. When You Reach Me, by Rebecca Stead and A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle

I mean, Wrinkle plays a pivotal part in When You Reach Me, so it only makes sense that the two should be paired together.  Plus, think of the complex time travel papers those 5th graders could write as a result!!

Check out more books at The Broke and the Bookish!

#TheList, No. 179: The Jungle Book/ No. 730: The Graveyard Book

I had never read The Jungle Book before last week and I still have yet to see the Disney movie (I do know the "Bare Necessities" though).   Going into the book, I only knew that the two were markedly different, Disney having deemed the book version too dark for the animated movie. Other than that, I was clueless.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it because I do approach the "classics" a bit begrudgingly.  But when you read them on your own and not in the confines of school, they are more enjoyable.  Anyway, I enjoyed it! A collection of stories featuring anthropomorphized animals to spell out morals.  They're entertaining, easy to follow, and can be read apart from each other (although the Mowgli-centric tales rely on each other to an extent).

I was incredibly surprised by "Rikki-Tikki-Tavi," the story about a brave mongoose protecting his human family from cobras.  Way back in 2nd and 4th grade, I watched an animated version of this story. Every now and then I would flashback to it and want to know what it was called, but would always get distracted and forget to look it up.  Now I know it's from The Jungle Book and I am in awe.  

The chapters are pretty long for storytelling, but I think a great children's librarian could make it work.  If anything, it could be a great theme for a long-running program complete with an amazing bulletin board that kids could help design.  Maybe the kids could come up with their own modernized versions of the morals.

That being said, Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is inspired by Kipling's work.  I knew this ahead of time, which is why I read The Jungle Book first.  It's not necessary to do so, but it is nice to see where the two works connect and it's a great tidbit to tell patrons if they ever check out The Graveyard Book.  Sidenote: a huge part of what I do is making sure that someone has read the beginnings of series or is aware of related materials.  A lot of times children or teens pick up something that looks cool or is on the "New Books" shelve without realizing that there are other parts to read first.

Unlike The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book doesn't work in pieces.  It has a narrative that runs throughout, with a clear beginning and end. It does, however, explore the same morals of family and protection that are found in Kipling's work.  In this book, a young boy's family is murdered and the ghosts of a nearby graveyard take in the live baby to protect him.  We follow "Nobody's" growth in the graveyard, the lessons he learns from his ghostly protectors, the friendships he acquires, and the help he tries, with various success, to give to both the live and dead.  It has Gaiman's signature dark twists, but the core of the novel is quite similar to The Jungle Book.  

I would highly recommend it to readers/fans of The Jungle Book, provided they were able to handle the darkness, i.e. children having The Jungle Book read aloud to them probably aren't ready for the Gaiman version.  

Wonder

Auggie was born disfigured as the result of a medical abnormality, forcing him to undergo numerous surgeries and often leaving him physically ill.  His face is deformed to the extent of causing extreme discomfort when around strangers. As such, he has been home-schooled his entire life.  But his parents believe it is time for him to interact with other people and enroll him in school.  Wonder is the story of Auggie's adjustment to "normal" life and the reactions of his family, friends, and schoolmates.

The book begins with Auggie's perspective and almost right off the bat he tells the reader that he isn't going to describe his appearance.  Granted, from other perspectives we get some semblance of what he looks like, but that denial of information made me immediately love this novel.  It's the story of what happens to him, not what he looks like.  While what he looks like obviously impacts what happens to him, the omission defines the focus as his journey.

A student pointed out to me that she loved that the language was simple, but that the it carried deeper meaning.  I agreed.  The innocent 5th grade perspectives, and even the older perspectives of Auggie's sister and her boyfriend, reveal deeper truths about the world in which they live.

Not that I shy away from books with long chapters, I will say that I enjoyed how Dan Brown short some of them were.  I could go grocery shopping and listen to about 10 chapters and feel incredibly accomplished.  That's one of my favorite things about audiobooks - the ability to multitask. 

This book has been added to my permanent list of quick pick books to recommend.  Go read/listen to it.  Now.

#TheList, No. 434: The Secret Garden

I've gotten away from #TheList for awhile in order to play some much needed catch-up with more recent titles.  But this past week, I made use of the free books on iBooks and finally read The Secret Garden, by F. Hodgson Burnett.

Old-fashioned racism aside, I enjoyed the tale of the young orphan Mary growing out of her spoiled bratty ways alongside a garden (symbolism!).  After the death of her parents, Mary moves from India to England to live with her emotionally distant uncle (played by Mandy Patinkin in the Broadway musical version!) - a hunchback so heartbroken over the death of his wife, that he forbids anyone to open her garden and also refuses to spend time with his sickly son.  This book really brings out the happiness.  Anyway, Mary of course stumbles upon the garden. With the help of her new-found friends, is able to bring life to the garden, the sickly son, and herself.

The Secret Garden is definitely a novel you have to approach through the eyes of a child, otherwise it just seems kind of bland and full of forced enthusiasm.  But through the eyes of a child, it's obvious how the uncovering of a secret garden and the use of "Magic" to revitalize said garden (and people) is wondrous.

Now about the racism.  Cracked covers it in more detail, though I disagree that the book is "secretly" racist. It was pretty clear from the get go to me.  I think even children (today's children) would pick up on it rather fast, especially with this quote:

 "a lot of blacks there instead of respectable white people."

Yikes!

Now, if you were using this book as a school lesson or library activity (though I think it's best used as a read aloud at home or for a college paper on children's lit), the obvious activity is to make your own secret garden.  Either real or in diorama form.

Friday Five: Rejuvenated Book Covers

Nostalgia is huge.  Just look at Buzzfeed.  Nearly every other item they post is about how the 90s were incredible.  Series that had been assumed complete years ago are now coming back (The Giver Trilogy became a Quartet and The Face on the Milk Carton Janie series reemerged) and this is both a good and bad thing.  The good thing is that they're introducing children/teens to read-worthy series they have yet to encounter.  The bad news is, the older books have little visual appeal. 

I know the adage tells us not to judge a book by its cover, but the students in my library frequently check out books that look like this:

 

 

All are great reads and they also have distinct visual appeal.

 

Janie Face to Face came out earlier this year.  It looks wonderful:

 

 

So many students have come to the circulation desk to check it out.  I've asked all of them if they've read the 4 books that precede it.  The answer is no every time.  So I give them the name of the first book in the series, they see that this is the copy the library holds:

and they immediately lose interest (but also ask about why faces are on milk cartons because that is before their time).  Fortunately, there is a redesigned cover available:

It looks amazing and I guarantee the students would pick this up in a heartbeat.

Obviously, no library can afford to continually replace books with dated covers.  But in a magic world where budgets aren't an issue, these are the five series I'd recommend updating in libraries to up circulation numbers*.

1. Anastasia series, by Lois Lowry
Anytime one of the students asks for a fast, funny read, I think of this series.  Yet, they always leave with a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book (which is also awesome). That's because nothing I say can overcome this cover:

 

Nothing against the girl on the cover, but everytime I show this to a student they just give me an "Are you kidding me?" look. 

 

2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Same story as above.  Someone wants a fast, funny read and they've said no to Anastasia.  They see this:

 

They say no.  But if we had this 2011 edition, I'm sure they would love it:



3. My Side of the Mountain series, by Jean Craighead George

This looks like a memoir about the struggles of gardening:

 

This looks like a cool adventure:

4. Song of the Lionness, by Tamora Pierce
To be fair, this one still gets checked out a bit because the word of mouth about the series is so strong. Still, the students are always skeptical when they look at the book until their friends reassure them that it is "SOOO worth is." This is the copy in the library, which makes the story seem cartoonish:

 

This newer edition might make the process easier:

 

 



5. Hatchet, by Gary Pauslen
I know, I know. We all have fond memories of this series that are ignited when we see this cover:

 

But today's youth see this and wonder who decided to use Microsoft Word to paste images on top of each other and make a book cover.  But when they see this:

 

they can't look away.

 

*Despite my love of these rejuvenated book covers, I am still 100% against the publication of classics with "Twilightified" covers.  There are ways to modernize covers that still make the artwork relate to the story.  A random red and white flower against a black background screams werewolves, not Emma.

Throwback: The Great Gilly Hopkins

I found The Great Gilly Hopkins amongst my pile of books I own but have yet to read.  It's shiny Newbery Honor gleamed up at me, guilting me into finally reading it.  I'm glad I did.

Gilly's the stereotypical "I don't care about anyone but myself" foster child, moved from house to house and just wanting to go back to her mother in California because she's convinced herself that her mother wants her back.  Spoiler alert, she doesn't.  Gilly is brought to Ms. Trotter, a woman who makes it her mission to right the lives of poor foster children.  Yes, it seems like it's setting itself up to be a modern Little Orphan Annie, but then Katherine Paterson jerks the rug out from beneath you.

First, Gilly doesn't go through the formulaic routine of acting like a brat, encountering a magical moment where someone believes in her, and then becoming an angelic figure.  She still acts like a rotten brat, but Paterson fleshes out her leading lady. Despite maintaining her tough exterior, Gilly internalizes the expectations she assumes others have of her and does the opposite. Simple example: Trotter doesn't tell her to brush her hair and Gilly interprets this as Trotter thinking Gilly incapable of looking presentable.  To combat this, Gilly brushes her hair and goes to school to show that she can be presentable.  This pattern occurs throughout the novel, turning Gilly into more than a grouchy foster child despite her every intention to remain one.

Secondly, and spoiler alert, there's no happy ending. Gilly doesn't have a happy reunion with her mother, nor does she get to stay with Trotter and the makeshift family she could finally define as home.  Gilly is forced to live with her grandmother (due to Gilly's previous actions) and despite her vociferous protesting, she can't beat the system.  Despite this unhappy ending, Trotter reassures Gilly, and by proxy, the reader, that it's just how life works.  There are ups and downs, but you have to make the most of everything.

Apparently, a movie is in the works with Kathy Bates and Danny Glover, presumably playing the parts of Trotter and Mr. Randolph (the blind neighbor) respectively.