Hot for Teacher!

Teach Me by R.A. Nelson deals with a disturbing topic that seems to be happening more frequently. I will confess that as an educator this book was difficult to read. The novel is about a 17 year old senior and her budding relationship with her teacher.

The idea that a teacher would cross the line and have a relationship with their student is troublesome. I wouldn’t have given this novel a second thought, but it came highly recommended. It was awarded Booksense Fall 2006 Kid’s Pick, a TeenReads.com Best Book of 2005, and a selection for the 2006 NYPL Books for the Teen Age.

It was because of these awards that I decided to give the book a chance.

Carolina is a high-school senior living in a small town. Her life is dull and uninteresting until she meets Mr. Mann. He is the new English teacher. Their relationship begins to grow and then they cross that line that is never to be crossed between teacher/student and consummate their relationship on her 18th birthday. Carolina begins to daydream of a future with Mr. Mann until he quickly calls off their relationship. Devastated by the rejection Carolina begins a downward spiral that has the potential to hurt everyone around her.

I will confess that I was disappointed by this book. With all the awards it received I thought it would have been written a little better. Much to my dismay, the book isn't as good as one would think.

For one, Carolina or Nine, as she is called, is much too intelligent for her age. I am fully aware that there are very smart teenagers. I see them all the time in the library, but Nine’s level of intelligence was a bit much. She thought like an adult. Her attitude was annoying as well. I didn’t find her to be a likable character.

The progression of the relationship was believable. Also, Nine’s psycho attitude(that’s all it can be called) is also understandable, however it did become tiresome. I mean how many times can you stalk someone and not get caught? The situations she is in are so unbelievable sometimes it’s just painful to read.

The resolution at the end was pathetic. At the end of the novel I couldn’t help but wonder what was the point of all the angst and crazy stalker like attitude if it ended the way it did? It was extremely disappointing, and I thought the author could have done so much more.

Another Teen Shoots up the School novel...

This is the second novel I have read about a depressed teen so upset about their situation that they decide to shoot up their school. The first I read was Endgame, which I reviewed in 2007.

"Everything was leading up to this moment-the point at which the teasing, the cruelty, the pressure all become too much. And someone finally snapped."

Quad deals with a high school shooting just like Nancy Garden's Endgame. difference here is that in Quad the reader does not see the bullying from one person's perspective. Instead, we witness the cruelty of high school through the eyes of the techies, choirboys, drama queens, and freaks. Added into the mix are the preps and the jocks with their own problems.

The story takes place at Muir High, which is a typical high school. Within the first chapter the shooting takes place. Quickly, Ranger, Ken, Sage, Maggie, Calvert, and Christopher rush into the student store and barricade themselves in. Huddled together, as shots ring out, they attempt to figure out who the school shooter is.

The book uses a series of flashbacks to tell the story from each group's perspective. I won't lie, it was confusing sometimes. There were a lot of characters that I had to sort out. As the story progressed I was more familiar with the different characters. However, for students who dislike books that have flashbacks and a barrage of characters they may not like Quad.

Overall, I did enjoy Quad, but not as much as Endgame. For me, Endgame had a better ending. Quad felt like it ended a little flat. However, I think most teens will enjoy the book because Ms. Watson does an excellent job of portraying high school life in a realistic and painful way.

And the Winner is...........

The American Library Association just annouced the 2008 winner of the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature.

The winner is The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean.

This summary was taken from ALA's website.

Fourteen-year-old Symone's exciting vacation to Antarctica turns into a desperate struggle for survival when her uncleís obsessive quest leads them across the frozen wilderness into danger.

McCaughrean has won numerous awards for children's literature in her native England. Celebrated for her novels, picture books and folklore adaptations, The White Darkness is her first contemporary young adult novel.

"Symone's unforgettable voice propels this journey of discovery in a book that is intricately plotted, richly imaged and brings new meaning to the term unreliable narrator," said Printz Award Committee Chair Lynn Rutan. "Readers will need to hang onto their snow goggles in this compelling book in which nothing is as it seems at first glance."

The 2008 Honor Books are:

• Dreamquake: Book Two of the Dreamhunter Duet by Elizabeth Knox
• One Whole and Perfect Day by Judith Clarke
• Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins
• Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath By Stephanie Hemphill

Not everything has a happy ending

My epic quest to find The Sweet Far Thing finally ended when I was able to find one at B&N. How kind of them to finally stock it!

This is the last book in the Gemma Doyle series. The first book was A Great and Terrible Beauty followed by Rebel Angels.

The book begins with Gemma and her friends Ann and Felicity are back in Ms. Bray's final installment of the Gemma Doyle trilogy. Gemma and Fee are waiting to enter society as women and Ann is preparing to become a nanny. The girls have much to discover, such as their desires, destines and who are their true friends and enemies.

The book is a long 800+ pages, and to be frank sometimes it felt like it. The book starts out with a lot of talk about balls and the Victorian Era. For people who want to read about the Realms and Kartik the first 200/300 pages maybe a bit tiresome. Also I felt the book could have moved a little more quickly.

Around page 600 or so I found myself flipping through the pages in order to get to the good stuff. The writing is good. The plot dragged a tad, and after much thought I agree Gemma's character didn't progress as I hoped it would. The ending is bittersweet for Gemma and many readers are having a difficult time with this. I can understand that because when I read Little Women I was upset when Jo refused to marry Laurie. Still, the readers' passion impresses me because these are teens that care deeply for characters in a YA book series. And who says teens don't read!

Gemma's decision at the end was a bit of a shocker. I kept scratching my head thinking "where did that come from?" It made no sense and was never hinted at in the previous two books. It just seemed to happen out of the blue, which was a bit difficult to swallow.

Overall, I did enjoy the novel, but I think that Ms. Bray's characters were able to get away with far too much. Each one got what they wanted in the end, which was rather disappointing. As a person who has studied, and taught history, I thought the girls were far too modern in their beliefs. It would have been nice if one of the girls had been trapped by their station in life and had been forced to mold to society's views.

As a series I enjoyed it very much and I hope that Ms. Bray continues to write.

Quirky Authors Libba Bray and Maureen Johnson discuss writing, teens and....unicorn band aids?

Authors Libba Bray and Maureen Johnson talk about writing, teens, and other weird issues. This video also contains some information about Ms. Bray's latest book, The Sweet Far thing.

Here are links to both Libba Bray and Maureen Johnson's Live Journals:

Maureen Johnson

Libba Bray