Katie.com burst on the reading scene in 2000, just as national concern over child safety on the internet reached critical mass; since then it has remained a popular read here at HHS. In an emotional memoir of her experiences with an internet predator, 17-year-old Katherine Tarbox plunges us into the world of her 14-year-old self: wealthy and talented, lonely and naive.
So how does an 8th grader from upscale New Canaan, CT, an athlete competing at the national level, and a concert pianist, end up in a Dallas hotel room with a middle-aged groper? Easy. She falls in love.
How VALLLEYGUY met ATARBOX, paid attention to her and encouraged her in the face of troubles at home and at school, makes up the first part of the book. In what seems like no time at all, we are in that Dallas hotel, wondering just how badly Katie will be hurt.
More damage is done when Katie resumes her life in New Canaan. Her mother is wildly angry. Her step-father thinks she ruined VALLLEYGUY’s life. The folks in town who don’t think she’s a slut think she’s crazy. There’s a trial. And Katie blames herself: “I needed to say that I was guilty, maybe even as guilty as the man who was going to jail for our relationship.” Relationship.... Yikes.
Katie.com is a cautionary tale on many levels, perhaps the least of which is the threat of internet stalking. I take the “blame the victim” mentality exemplified in the second half of the book to represent the greater danger. Do you?
Friday, December 21, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Maximum Ride The Angel Experiment
Okay, if you haven't been here yet, and I know at least one avid reader who hasn't, you need to get here fast! And speed is what it's all about in James Patterson's incredibly successful (according to all kid readers) first attempt at YA literature. Maximum Ride and her team of five fled The School, where they were "lab rats" raised in cages, to seek sanctuary in the real world. Well, the world has become all too real for Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel, and the "Erasers" are after them, and how!
Never mind always having to scavenge for food, improve their flying, and discover each others' talents. That's all in a day's work. Flying? Yes, these six are 98% human and 2% bird; products of an experimental recombinent DNA experiment back at The School, they sport wingspans of up to 14 feet.
But those nasty, flying, wolf-like "Erasers" won't give them a moment's rest, as the flock pursues two vital pieces of information: the identity of their true parents, and the location of Angel, kidnapped by some of the worst bad guys in teen fiction. Hang on for a wild ride because Patterson has indulged us with two more books, and you won't want to miss a single page.
Send us a post from your journey, IF you can catch your breath.
Never mind always having to scavenge for food, improve their flying, and discover each others' talents. That's all in a day's work. Flying? Yes, these six are 98% human and 2% bird; products of an experimental recombinent DNA experiment back at The School, they sport wingspans of up to 14 feet.
But those nasty, flying, wolf-like "Erasers" won't give them a moment's rest, as the flock pursues two vital pieces of information: the identity of their true parents, and the location of Angel, kidnapped by some of the worst bad guys in teen fiction. Hang on for a wild ride because Patterson has indulged us with two more books, and you won't want to miss a single page.
Send us a post from your journey, IF you can catch your breath.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Peach Girl 1
Poor Peach Girl. As the first volume of Miwa Ueda’s shojo manga series begins, it looks like the book will be going out way more often than the girl. And, in fact, Peach Girl 1 is often out on loan, as reader after reader explores the turbulent world of Peach Girl’s school days.
Momo (“peach”) is our heroine. Blonde and tanned in a culture that values dark hair and pale skin, she is shy and uncomfortable around her classmates. And no wonder, since her appearance labels her as a “beach bunny” with questionable character and loose morals.
Momo loves Toji, but is afraid to tell him so. Sae, who pretends to be her only friend, is a rumor and gossip specialist who wants Toji for herself. And then there’s Kiley: handsome, older and dangerous. Here we go into a series of romantic cliff-hangers loaded with betrayal and misunderstanding -- the sort of thing that will sound a bit familiar to anyone who has ever struggled to fit in at a new school, learned the hard way that not all friends are true friends, or fallen in love.
There is wit amidst all the typical shojo melodrama. Momo, a swimmer and softball player (which accounts for the bleached hair and deep tan) slathers on the sunscreen to no avail. And in a subplot that has her coincidentally saving the lives of her love interests, Momo remarks “Why does my fate always take me to people who are drowning?” Why, indeed....
Ueda won the Kodansha Manga Award (Shojo) for Peach Girl, and no wonder. Her art is a compelling blend of realistic background scenes and fantastic, emotionally-charged character drawings.
The entire Peach Girl series is coming out on DVD, too.
If you like shojo, give this one a try -- and tell us what you think. I checked out a few collections of Peach Girl reviews, and I have to say that the reviewers either loved it or hated it. No one sat on the fence. Where do you sit?
Momo (“peach”) is our heroine. Blonde and tanned in a culture that values dark hair and pale skin, she is shy and uncomfortable around her classmates. And no wonder, since her appearance labels her as a “beach bunny” with questionable character and loose morals.
Momo loves Toji, but is afraid to tell him so. Sae, who pretends to be her only friend, is a rumor and gossip specialist who wants Toji for herself. And then there’s Kiley: handsome, older and dangerous. Here we go into a series of romantic cliff-hangers loaded with betrayal and misunderstanding -- the sort of thing that will sound a bit familiar to anyone who has ever struggled to fit in at a new school, learned the hard way that not all friends are true friends, or fallen in love.
There is wit amidst all the typical shojo melodrama. Momo, a swimmer and softball player (which accounts for the bleached hair and deep tan) slathers on the sunscreen to no avail. And in a subplot that has her coincidentally saving the lives of her love interests, Momo remarks “Why does my fate always take me to people who are drowning?” Why, indeed....
Ueda won the Kodansha Manga Award (Shojo) for Peach Girl, and no wonder. Her art is a compelling blend of realistic background scenes and fantastic, emotionally-charged character drawings.
The entire Peach Girl series is coming out on DVD, too.
If you like shojo, give this one a try -- and tell us what you think. I checked out a few collections of Peach Girl reviews, and I have to say that the reviewers either loved it or hated it. No one sat on the fence. Where do you sit?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Big Mouth and Ugly Girl
Wow, all he did was say he could set off a bomb or kill someone, and that was only because he was ticked off about his play and the spring competition. It was just a little artistic frustration, really. But "Big Mouth" Matt spoke a little too loudly in the school cafeteria and someone heard him, and before he knew it, Matt was pulled out of class by the police, no less. Sure doesn't pay to make enemies, does it?
"Ugly Girl" Ursula, of the fiery red moods and superstar athletic status, heard him, too, and tried to explain everything to Mr. Parrish, but he was only the principal. Although Matt was cleared and sent back to school, the whole community knew, and the rumors flew. It was all over for Matt except that Ursula caught him at the ravine edge after those jerks had beaten him up, and, well, they started this thing. You know, first it was just the telephone, and then it was going out. They got coffee, they went hiking, they went to the Museum of Arts and Design. All that was cool, but his parents had already sued the school, and Ursula, pressed for the truth by Matt, admitted to him that the suit was just plain wrong.
Joyce Carol Oates wrote her first young adult novel about some pretty hot topics. Sign on and answer the question truthfully: what would YOU have done?
"Ugly Girl" Ursula, of the fiery red moods and superstar athletic status, heard him, too, and tried to explain everything to Mr. Parrish, but he was only the principal. Although Matt was cleared and sent back to school, the whole community knew, and the rumors flew. It was all over for Matt except that Ursula caught him at the ravine edge after those jerks had beaten him up, and, well, they started this thing. You know, first it was just the telephone, and then it was going out. They got coffee, they went hiking, they went to the Museum of Arts and Design. All that was cool, but his parents had already sued the school, and Ursula, pressed for the truth by Matt, admitted to him that the suit was just plain wrong.
Joyce Carol Oates wrote her first young adult novel about some pretty hot topics. Sign on and answer the question truthfully: what would YOU have done?
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Cut
I just went to check a detail from the back cover of Cut, by Patricia McCormick, and -- why am I surprised? -- it’s not there! Cut remains the most popular of our Library’s several novels dealing with the difficult topic of cutting. (Next most popular being Steven Levenkron’s The Luckiest Girl in the World, followed by Melody Carlson’s Blade Silver.)
Callie cuts herself to feel better, first with an Exacto knife, and later with just about anything that will get the job done. The more she cuts, the less she talks, and pretty soon she isn’t talking at all. As soon as the school nurse sees her scars, Callie is sent off to Sea Pines for treatment. (“The place is called a residential treatment facility. It is not called a loony bin.”) Most of the book then becomes a silent conversation, heard only by the reader, as Callie mentally responds to her therapist and the other girls in her treatment group.
And what a group! McCormick’s novel rings true as we meet the other “guests” and follow their struggles with food, drugs, alcohol, and the other self-destructive behaviors that have landed them at “Sick Minds” along with Callie.
Gradually, through memories and flashbacks, Callie offers up details of her life from before she started to cut. And when Amanda joins the group, proudly displaying scars of her own, Callie gets a life-changing jolt.
Cut is a real couldn’t-put-it-down sort of book, full of drama, insight. and vivid description (“a perfect straight line of blood bloomed up from under the edge of the blade....”) If you like realistic stories about teens in trouble, give it a try. If you’ve read it already, tell us what you think!
Callie cuts herself to feel better, first with an Exacto knife, and later with just about anything that will get the job done. The more she cuts, the less she talks, and pretty soon she isn’t talking at all. As soon as the school nurse sees her scars, Callie is sent off to Sea Pines for treatment. (“The place is called a residential treatment facility. It is not called a loony bin.”) Most of the book then becomes a silent conversation, heard only by the reader, as Callie mentally responds to her therapist and the other girls in her treatment group.
And what a group! McCormick’s novel rings true as we meet the other “guests” and follow their struggles with food, drugs, alcohol, and the other self-destructive behaviors that have landed them at “Sick Minds” along with Callie.
Gradually, through memories and flashbacks, Callie offers up details of her life from before she started to cut. And when Amanda joins the group, proudly displaying scars of her own, Callie gets a life-changing jolt.
Cut is a real couldn’t-put-it-down sort of book, full of drama, insight. and vivid description (“a perfect straight line of blood bloomed up from under the edge of the blade....”) If you like realistic stories about teens in trouble, give it a try. If you’ve read it already, tell us what you think!
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Wee Free Men
OK, I promised you an occasional reading rave, so buckle up: here’s rave #1.
Terry Pratchett’s 30th Discworld novel, The Wee Free Men, is at the top of my list for the 2006/2007 reading season. Yes, there were other titles I particularly enjoyed -- The Glass Castle, The Book Thief, All Over Creation, Eventide -- but The Wee Free Men really left an impression.
How could it not? There’s 9-year-old Tiffany Aching, of Home Farm, The Chalk, who clobbers a big green water monster with a frying pan. And there’s her horrid, sticky little brother, Wentworth, whose constant cries of “Wanna wanna wanna sweetie!” perhaps explain why Tiffany used him as bait for Jenny Green-Teeth, but do not explain why he gets kidnapped by the Queen of Faerie.
There are the Wee Free Men, masterful brawlers, theivers, and drinkers, blue with tattoos, red-headed, and 6” tall, who’ve come down to The Chalk looking for the new witch. And wasn’t the old witch Tiffany’s Granny? And doesn’t it begin to look like Tiffany herself will be called upon to save Wentworth, the Baron’s son, and the Chalk Hills from the clutches of the evil Queen? Crivens! There are Grimhounds, Nightmares, and Headless Horsemen, a Queen who steals your dreams and traps you in them, and a creeping iciness devouring The Chalk. Will Tiffany, armed only with frying pan, common sense, and steely determination, be able to put things right?.
I guess it’s because I enjoy both fantasy and word play that I am besotted with The Wee Free Men. Tiffany’s tutor in the witchly arts is Perspecatia Tick. Miss Tick gives her a talking toad (he used to be a lawyer) and advises Tiffany to pay attention to her first sight and her second thoughts. The Wee Free Men, aka the Nac Mac Feegle, Pictsies, or “person or persons unknown, believed to be armed” sport delicious names, like Rob Anybody, No’-As-Big-As-Medium-Sized-Jock-But-Bigger-Than-Wee-Jock-Jock, and Daft Willie. And what do those ferocious Feegles shout when things are going badly? “Waily, waily, waily!” of course. Too funny.
If you haven't read Terry Pratchett, I recommend starting with The Wee Free Men. If you like it, there are two more in the series (s0 far): A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith. Yum!
Terry Pratchett’s 30th Discworld novel, The Wee Free Men, is at the top of my list for the 2006/2007 reading season. Yes, there were other titles I particularly enjoyed -- The Glass Castle, The Book Thief, All Over Creation, Eventide -- but The Wee Free Men really left an impression.
How could it not? There’s 9-year-old Tiffany Aching, of Home Farm, The Chalk, who clobbers a big green water monster with a frying pan. And there’s her horrid, sticky little brother, Wentworth, whose constant cries of “Wanna wanna wanna sweetie!” perhaps explain why Tiffany used him as bait for Jenny Green-Teeth, but do not explain why he gets kidnapped by the Queen of Faerie.
There are the Wee Free Men, masterful brawlers, theivers, and drinkers, blue with tattoos, red-headed, and 6” tall, who’ve come down to The Chalk looking for the new witch. And wasn’t the old witch Tiffany’s Granny? And doesn’t it begin to look like Tiffany herself will be called upon to save Wentworth, the Baron’s son, and the Chalk Hills from the clutches of the evil Queen? Crivens! There are Grimhounds, Nightmares, and Headless Horsemen, a Queen who steals your dreams and traps you in them, and a creeping iciness devouring The Chalk. Will Tiffany, armed only with frying pan, common sense, and steely determination, be able to put things right?.
I guess it’s because I enjoy both fantasy and word play that I am besotted with The Wee Free Men. Tiffany’s tutor in the witchly arts is Perspecatia Tick. Miss Tick gives her a talking toad (he used to be a lawyer) and advises Tiffany to pay attention to her first sight and her second thoughts. The Wee Free Men, aka the Nac Mac Feegle, Pictsies, or “person or persons unknown, believed to be armed” sport delicious names, like Rob Anybody, No’-As-Big-As-Medium-Sized-Jock-But-Bigger-Than-Wee-Jock-Jock, and Daft Willie. And what do those ferocious Feegles shout when things are going badly? “Waily, waily, waily!” of course. Too funny.
If you haven't read Terry Pratchett, I recommend starting with The Wee Free Men. If you like it, there are two more in the series (s0 far): A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith. Yum!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Welcome to the Monkey House
Welcome to the Monkey House, by Kurt Vonnegut, is one of the few remaining Vonnegut books on our shelves, and it's a beat up copy at that. What is it about this man that tickles our funny bones and makes us weep in frustration and nostalgia?
I asked two students that very question.
One replied that "Vonnegut knows what a reader wants to hear." Well, yes, especially if you believe that dogs are smarter than their people.
The other called him "the dark humor man, the funny grampa who embarrasses the bride on her wedding day with his views on everything." Too true, although whatever he uttered would be the truth.
Want a vision of the future? Read the first and last stories in this collection, and then, like Harrison Bergeron, treasure your imperfections in the face of mediocrity. Just be sure that, unlike Lou and Emerald Schwartz, you occupy a cozy bed in your own room while you read these wickedly funny stories.
And for Vonnegut's own words on whatever life throws at us? "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterwards."
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist and essayist, died this past April at 84.
My favorite? Miss Temptation, in which Cpl. Fuller, upon return from the Korean War, learns from an alluring and decent young woman how to be a human being again.
What's yours?
I asked two students that very question.
One replied that "Vonnegut knows what a reader wants to hear." Well, yes, especially if you believe that dogs are smarter than their people.
The other called him "the dark humor man, the funny grampa who embarrasses the bride on her wedding day with his views on everything." Too true, although whatever he uttered would be the truth.
Want a vision of the future? Read the first and last stories in this collection, and then, like Harrison Bergeron, treasure your imperfections in the face of mediocrity. Just be sure that, unlike Lou and Emerald Schwartz, you occupy a cozy bed in your own room while you read these wickedly funny stories.
And for Vonnegut's own words on whatever life throws at us? "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do afterwards."
Kurt Vonnegut, novelist and essayist, died this past April at 84.
My favorite? Miss Temptation, in which Cpl. Fuller, upon return from the Korean War, learns from an alluring and decent young woman how to be a human being again.
What's yours?
Friday, March 23, 2007
Speak
Most of us have been to at least one bad party. And I bet all of us have had a crummy day at school. (Remember Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?) Well, Laurie Halse Anderson’s 1999 novel, Speak, takes the un-fun party and the awful school day to new heights. It’s one of the most-borrowed books in the fiction section. (It’s also a movie.)
Melinda starts off her ninth grade year under the cloud of something that happened at a summertime party. Something so terrible that she called the police, who broke up the party, which outraged the other party-goers. In the space of a phone call, Melinda has become an outsider, shunned and heckled by her peers -- even her best friend, Rachel, dumps her. “I am OUTCAST,” she realizes. Why did Melinda call the cops? She can’t think about it. She can’t talk about it. Soon, she cannot speak at all.
Speak is organized by quarters, like the school year. We see the students, teachers, halls and classrooms from Melinda’s point of view, reading her thoughts. We are outcast with her, and burning to find out what actually happened at that infamous party.
Lest you think that Anderson’s novel is one long, miserable slog, I have to mention how funny it is. Yes, really. Melinda has a wicked wit, and a spot-on take on almost every aspect of high school life. From the cliques (the Future Fascists of America, the Marthas, the Suffering Artists...) to the teachers (good old Mr. Neck!) to the ever-changing school mascots and the way her parents talk in post-it notes, you will find plenty of humor to break up the suspense and sadness.
If you’ve read Speak, we’d love to see your comments. Fire ‘em in!
Melinda starts off her ninth grade year under the cloud of something that happened at a summertime party. Something so terrible that she called the police, who broke up the party, which outraged the other party-goers. In the space of a phone call, Melinda has become an outsider, shunned and heckled by her peers -- even her best friend, Rachel, dumps her. “I am OUTCAST,” she realizes. Why did Melinda call the cops? She can’t think about it. She can’t talk about it. Soon, she cannot speak at all.
Speak is organized by quarters, like the school year. We see the students, teachers, halls and classrooms from Melinda’s point of view, reading her thoughts. We are outcast with her, and burning to find out what actually happened at that infamous party.
Lest you think that Anderson’s novel is one long, miserable slog, I have to mention how funny it is. Yes, really. Melinda has a wicked wit, and a spot-on take on almost every aspect of high school life. From the cliques (the Future Fascists of America, the Marthas, the Suffering Artists...) to the teachers (good old Mr. Neck!) to the ever-changing school mascots and the way her parents talk in post-it notes, you will find plenty of humor to break up the suspense and sadness.
If you’ve read Speak, we’d love to see your comments. Fire ‘em in!
Friday, February 23, 2007
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Got an electronic thumb? How about your Sub-Etha-Sens-O-Matic? If you wanna' be a hoopy frood, grab a towel and let Douglas Adams guide you into outer, way outer, space.
Ford Prefect, seasoned traveler and man about space, has one more entry to make in the Hitchhiker's Guide but got stuck on Earth for far too long upon completion (of the entry, not of Earth!) Rescuing Arthur Dent in the nick of time as the Vogons blast the planet into smithereens in order to create their own freeway, Ford and Arthur hitch a ride out of destruction and into the wackiest version of space in sci fi lit.
Meet Zaphod Beeblebrox, galactic president and proud owner of two heads and three arms, his girlfriend, Trillian, former Earthling herself, and Marvin, their depressed, rather intelligent computer who so depresses the policeship computer that it commits suicide, but that's another story. Y'see, it turns out that Earth was really nothing more than an organic computer designed to formulate the answer to the question: "Well, what's the question to the answer, "42?"
Confused yet? Can't imagine why. Get a good night's sleep, tighten your belt, and let us know how you survived. Yes, yes, you clearly had a towel but write us a note anyway.
Ford Prefect, seasoned traveler and man about space, has one more entry to make in the Hitchhiker's Guide but got stuck on Earth for far too long upon completion (of the entry, not of Earth!) Rescuing Arthur Dent in the nick of time as the Vogons blast the planet into smithereens in order to create their own freeway, Ford and Arthur hitch a ride out of destruction and into the wackiest version of space in sci fi lit.
Meet Zaphod Beeblebrox, galactic president and proud owner of two heads and three arms, his girlfriend, Trillian, former Earthling herself, and Marvin, their depressed, rather intelligent computer who so depresses the policeship computer that it commits suicide, but that's another story. Y'see, it turns out that Earth was really nothing more than an organic computer designed to formulate the answer to the question: "Well, what's the question to the answer, "42?"
Confused yet? Can't imagine why. Get a good night's sleep, tighten your belt, and let us know how you survived. Yes, yes, you clearly had a towel but write us a note anyway.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
There may be a few teenage girls in the USA who haven’t read Ann Brashares' 2001 novel, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, in which case, I’d better plug it now. Happy readers have worn out several copies from our library; the net is thoroughly populated with Sisterhood sites (including the Wikipedia article, Sisterhood Central, and a great author Q&A from Random House); and there was even a movie back in 2005.
The recap: four 15 year old best friends (Carmen, Lena, Bridget & Tibby) prepare to spend a first-ever summer apart. They’ve been together forever, and while they mostly look forward to spending time in South Carolina, Greece, Baja California, or (poor Tibby) right at home in Bethesda, Maryland, they also know how terribly they will miss each other.
These are no cookie-cutter friends: they have wildly different interests, personalities, backgrounds and body types. So it’s pretty weird when a pair of $3.49 thrift shop jeans fits all of them perfectly, making each one feel confident, sexy, and powerful . “These are magic pants!” And magic pants must be shared so that each girl will have the pants for one week, and then send them on in rotation, giving everyone two weeks of the magic by summer’s end.
Each girl’s summer story then unfolds, intertwined with the schedule of the traveling pants. Fear, happiness, anger, love, jealousy, suspense, grief -- it’s all there, and then some, as we experience not one, but four summertime comings-of-age.
Ann Brashares’ captivating first novel has something to offer almost any girl on the planet. The writing is witty and true to life; the characters are so well drawn you feel like you’ve known them for years; and each girl’s summer story is a page-turner in its own right. Like the movie trailer says, “Laugh. Cry. Share the pants.”
If you liked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as much as I did -- or if you really didn’t -- please say so. (My favorite character was Tibby; who was yours?)
The recap: four 15 year old best friends (Carmen, Lena, Bridget & Tibby) prepare to spend a first-ever summer apart. They’ve been together forever, and while they mostly look forward to spending time in South Carolina, Greece, Baja California, or (poor Tibby) right at home in Bethesda, Maryland, they also know how terribly they will miss each other.
These are no cookie-cutter friends: they have wildly different interests, personalities, backgrounds and body types. So it’s pretty weird when a pair of $3.49 thrift shop jeans fits all of them perfectly, making each one feel confident, sexy, and powerful . “These are magic pants!” And magic pants must be shared so that each girl will have the pants for one week, and then send them on in rotation, giving everyone two weeks of the magic by summer’s end.
Each girl’s summer story then unfolds, intertwined with the schedule of the traveling pants. Fear, happiness, anger, love, jealousy, suspense, grief -- it’s all there, and then some, as we experience not one, but four summertime comings-of-age.
Ann Brashares’ captivating first novel has something to offer almost any girl on the planet. The writing is witty and true to life; the characters are so well drawn you feel like you’ve known them for years; and each girl’s summer story is a page-turner in its own right. Like the movie trailer says, “Laugh. Cry. Share the pants.”
If you liked The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants as much as I did -- or if you really didn’t -- please say so. (My favorite character was Tibby; who was yours?)
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