A Powerful novel about Hurricane Katrina

No doubt some are thinking "this chick is like Volponi's personal cheerleader!" Well, you'd be right. Anyone who can get my teenage students, especially the boys, to read a book is someone that needs to be talked about. Frankly, I think the man is amazing.

Once again Mr. Volponi creates a fast paced story that will engage readers. Miles cannot stand living with his mother and his new stepfather. The apartment is too cramped, there are too many kids. Miles has to escape..but where can he go? His mother finally allows him to move in with his father, a man he hasn't seen for most of his life. The relationship with Miles and his father is lukewarm at best. Miles’ father doesn’t have an interest in football and only cares about Jazz. Before the two can work on their relationship Hurricane Katrina hits.

The reader is given a vivid and often painful narrative of what life was like in the Superdome. We see these events through Miles' eyes. He is a frightened, confused young man who struggles to understand the inhumanity that is taking place around him. As always, Mr. Volponi does not shrink away from uncomfortable situations and paints a very realistic vision of what happened during those horrible days inside and outside the Superdome. There is some swearing in this novel, but once again it is never done to shock the reader but further the storyline.

Students who want a realistic portrayal of Hurricane Katrina will enjoy this book. For students who enjoyed Mr. Volponi’s other novels I have no doubt they will enjoy this one as well.

This is a very powerful book about a sad chapter in our country's history.

My first Manga Experience

This was the first manga book I read. Now I won’t lie, I was one of those confused people trying to read it like an American comic book. Thank god I read it in the safety of my own home so no one would laugh at me.

Anyway, Emma is a work of historical fiction which means there are no crazy fantasy elements to the story. The book takes place in England during the 1890s, I think. It could also take place in the early 1900s. But that aspect really doesn’t matter. Anyway, Emma is a young maid working for Kelly Stownar. One day Mrs. Stownar has a guest and that is William Jones who is a very wealthy young man. The reader learns that after Mrs. Stownar’s husband dies (very soon after their wedding) she gains employment as Mr. Jones’ governess. William is taken by Miss Emma (oh god no not another wealthy man falls in love with a poor girl story!) But yes that is what we get as the reader experiences their awkward blooming romance.

The author, Kaoru Mori, is said to have studied countless hours for this book. She researched her heart out! Oh really? First off, if you want to say you are 100% accurate then you better back it up, which Ms. Mori cannot do. There are a few inconsistencies throughout the book, but I’ll only list three.

We have William giving gifts to Emma, which would be quite scandalous. The only time people were allowed to give gifts is when they were courting, and these two aren’t courting. Plus with the social divide I’m not sure how they could court but I'm sure that's explored in later books As the story progresses we have Hakim, one of William’s friends come to England. Hakim decides one day to ride an elephant through the streets of London. Yeah, once again we have historical accuracy.

Now, maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m just a bitter historian who hates it when people say things are historically accurate ( *ahem* The Luxe / Emma) and then they don’t deliver. Don’t get me wrong, if you don’t care about the little historical hiccups along the way and just want a fun read then…don’t read this.

I’m not sure where the story is going but I found it really tiresome and old. This had been done a million times before and frankly I don’t want to read about another rich guy falling for the maid.

If teens are looking for a non fantasy love story with historical details then this maybe for them. American readers don't see these types of books, and that's one thing I do like about manga. The Japanese market, unlike the American comic book industry, are reaching out to female readers.

Dark Gothic Romance

Leslie’s life sucks. Her father drinks a little too much..ok way too much, her brother is a druggy and she is struggling to pay the bills with her job as a waitress. She is also dealing with a dark secert.

As she tires to pull her life together, Leslie decides she needs to get a tattoo. She believes that in doing so she will be reclaiming her body and it will set her free. What she doesn’t know is that this tattoo is going to link her to the fairy world and that her life will forever be changed.

I enjoyed Ink Exchange. Lets face it, I’m a cover snob and the cover caught my attention. So I decided to give it a go. I liked the story, but I did get a little confused with the characters and who belonged to each fairy kingdom. The author also wrote Wicked Lovely, and I’ve gotten conflicting reports on which book to read first. Is this a series? So I never read Wicked Lovely, which could be one reason why I was confused.

Looking beyond that point I enjoyed the characters, and the pacing of the novel. There was also a little romance thrown in, which added to the story. It was really cool to read about a fairly/human love affair. The vampire thing has been done to death so I applaud Ms. Marr for trying something different.

I think the same teens who liked the Twilight Series will enjoy Ink Exchange.

I saw an episode like this on The Wonder Years

Andrea Anderson is a typical high school girl. Her drunken father ran away from home when she was younger so now she is living with her mom. She’s blends in with her surroundings and that’s because she isn’t popular and she doesn’t do anything extraordinary. In her mind she isn’t pretty (oh no not another girl who thinks they’re ugly!) and she doesn’t have any real friends. Andrea sits back and observes the world around her.

One day Andrea’s mother tells her that their neighbor is ill and in the hospital. She wants Andrea to walk the neighbor’s dog. Andrea is reluctant at first, but agrees. Later, when the neighbor comes home they strike up and interesting (although somewhat predictable) relationship.

As the story progresses, Honora asks Andrea if she will work around her house doing little jobs because Honora is sick with cancer. Andrea quickly accepts because she enjoys walking Honora’s dog and enjoys her neighbors company. The time with Honora is a time of self discovery, blah, blah, blah…

Everyone I knew raved about this book, and maybe that was the problem. Maybe I was so hyped up when I got it that when I started to read it I couldn’t understand what all the hype was about. The ending was predictable and I could see it coming from a mile away. Some have said that’s not the point, it’s about Andrea’s self discovery. Yeah, ok, fine, but I still wasn’t sold on that either. The book is OK. I found the characters typical. Andrea thought she was ugly, Honora reminded me of some hippy sage, and her mother acted like an average mom.

I suppose the good part is that this is a story about a young woman trying to find herself. I’m sure there are other books out there like this, but I can’t think of any at the moment. Typically, it’s always the young man who is trying to discover who he really is.

For students who enjoy books that are about average teens, living typical lives then this is the book for them. For those who want something with a little more excitement and less predictability then this is not the novel for them.

But I still think I saw an episode like this on The Wonder Years.