Saved the Best for Last

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J. K. Rowling

Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry potter and the deathly hallows. New York: Scholastic, Inc.

I had read the first six Harry Potter books and enjoyed them thoroughly, but time and opportunity had not allowed me to read the last story in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  Honestly, I think I was a bit intimidated by the sheer size of it, since is seems to be the longest one of the series.  But I finally decided read it on the recommendation of a student who said it was the best in the series.  It was!

I listened to the audio version of the book and was in awe of the reader, Jim Dale, who was handpicked by J. K. Rowling to narrate her works.  Even though he has been a world-class actor for years, I’m still amazed that he can come up with distinctly different voices for each and every one of the many, many characters to come from Rowling’s fertile imagination.

I found this book to be the best of the series, for the characters have a depth of character and the story has a scope of detail that surpasses all its predecessors.  It did drag a bit in spots, but overall, it made my heart race, my eyes to well up and my soul to take wing like Harry’s broomstick.  Bravo!

A young man I know is dyslexic and, understandably, was never interested in reading.  His mother got him the first Harry Potter book and started reading it to him; and she was thrilled to find he started reading it himself.  He went on to personally read every one of the books – twice.  As he puts it, “Harry Potter taught me to read.”  He’s the student who recommended this book to me – and I thanked him profusely.      

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Two Vampires for the Price of One



Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Mead, R. (2007). Vampire academy. New York: Penguin Young Readers Group.

On the recommendation of a teenage girl, I read Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy, the first in the Vampire Academy series.  In the book’s defense, I’m not sure I was as objective as I should have been, because I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the vampire books, movies and television shows that have been riding on the coattails of Twilight.

Given the abundance of imitators, each one has had to come up with a different twist to sell itself.  So, Vampire Academy gives you not one, but two, species of vampires for your book-buying dollar.  The Strigoi are the traditional bad-guy vampires in the black hats who never die and feed on innocent victims, while the Moroi are the good-guy vampires in the white hats who have magical powers and an almost Native American - style mystical bond with the earth.  A Moroi princess and her BFF vampire bodyguard go to St. Vladimir’s Vampire Academy, which is like Hogwarts for the Children of the Night.  There, they are just two crazy teenagers with fangs who have all same kinds of problems as any other adolescent girls, like finding love, growing up, and not going to the prom with a bad-guy Strigoi vampire.

I know a writer wants to stake their reputation on a book that will be such a best seller so they can laugh all the way to the blood bank; but I thought Vampire Academy really sucks.  Bela Lugosi would be turning over in his grave if he didn’t have a stake in his heart.

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An Old Soul in a Young Body



What My Mother Doesn’t Know

by Sonya Sones

Sones, S. (2001). What my mother doesn’t know . New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

I love surprises, and I found one with What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones.  It was one of the nicest discoveries I’ve made on my literary journey. 

First, I was pleased to see that this novel was written in poetic blank verse, which added to its charm for me.  Even though the book’s central character is a girl named Sophie, the feelings and fears, questions and quandaries she faces are so universal to adolescents that boys could really relate to this book (although they might not tell their teammates).

We speak of the candor and simple truths that comes from the mouths of babes; and, to the other extreme, we know that wisdom comes with age.  But Sophie is an old soul in the body of a young girl barely out of childhood, so her words mix the best of these two age extremes as she shares with us all the fears and joys, hopes and disillusionments, secrets and joyful outpourings of adolescence.  When I saw the title, I expected whatever it was that Sophie’s mother didn’t know to be delicate or even R-rated.  But it pertained to simply changing clothes at a friend’s house before a party, which is as innocent as the rest of the book.  Glad to meet you, Sophie!  

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A 180 Degree Turn



Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology

by Amy Sonnie

Sonnie, A. (2000). Revolutionary voices: A multicultural queer youth anthology.

     Los Angeles: Alyson Publishers.



I’ve done a 180-degree turn in my life regarding homosexuality.  As a heterosexual growing up in conservative New England, where I played sports in high school and college, I held the traditional view of gays.  But later in life, I found some of my best friends and some people I respected and admired immeasurably were gays, bisexuals, etc.  Talking with them provided me with some of the best life lessons I have ever learned about acceptance, respect, and the Golden Rule.  So for decades, I have been a defender of this part of our society.

Because of this, I was anxious to read Amy Sonnie’s Revolutionary Voices: A Multicultural Queer Youth Anthology.  I was genuinely hoping it would be a book that I could embrace as a bulwark in the battle to win universal respect and acceptance for people who are not strictly heterosexuals.  I was sorely disappointed.

First, I wish the book didn’t have to stress the word “queer.”  Too many of my gay friends find that term hurtful.  Just because other gays use it doesn’t make it any better.  Also, there were too many parts of the book that seemed to be striving for a sensationalist, in-your-face kind of realism that needlessly employed a vulgarity that plays into the hands of gay-bashers.  The gays who completely changed my views on homosexuality did so by being people I could easily admire and respect.  So, in the long, hard struggle to win acceptance for gays, this book is an anchor around their necks, when what they really need is wings.

Google Image: alibris.com

Barbara Eden's Navel



Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Huxley, A. (1932). Brave new world. New York: Harper & Brothers.

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is one of those books everyone seems to read in high school or college; but for some reason, none of my teachers ever assigned it.  So I was pleased to see it on our Censorship list so I decided to make up for lost time and read it now.

After all the futuristic settings in books I've read, this one initially seemed to be just one more.  But I had to keep reminding myself that Huxley was a forerunner in this genre, setting a standard for others to follow.  Although the novel is set a millennium and a half in the future, a number of elements of this “Brave New World” seem to be literary variations of historical events from centuries gone by.  The peaceful and ordered society under which all mankind lives seems like what the Medieval Church said they were providing for all Christians.  Children being divided into castes echoes the Calvinist concept of predestination.  The sexual freedom of the New World was reminiscent of the same concept espoused by early suffragettes.  People being resigned to their assigned lot in life seemed like a futuristic feudal system.

I can understand why this book would be so controversial for the time in which it was written.  But compared to today’s literature, Brave New World seems as daring as Barbara Eden finally showing her navel on I Dream of Jeannie.  Bernard and Lenina, the protagonists, add a lot of colorful contrast and humanism to this package, but I did not find myself really caring about them as much as I wish I could have.  So, I never got caught up in the story.



Google Image: en.wikipedia.org

 

 

A Pain in the Asp



 Cleopatra Rules! - The Amazing life of the Original Teen Queen by Vicky Shecter

Shecter, V. (2010). Cleopatra Rules! - the amazing life of the original teen queen.

      Honesdale: Boyd's Mill Press, Inc.

I was turned off by the marketing of Shecter’s Cleopatra Rules!  It seemed the author and/or the publisher was trying too hard to make this book appealing to teenage readers.  To refer to Cleopatra in the subtitle as “the original teen queen” obviously panders to intended teenage readers; and it’s not even accurate – because people lived much shorter lives in that era, kings and queens often took the throne as teenagers or younger.  Also, to suggest that our impression of Cleopatra before this book is falsely negative because our knowledge of her comes from her Roman enemies is likewise false.  From Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra to Hollywood’s movies spanning a century, the Egyptian queen has been frequently depicted in a very positive light.

The author’s writing style was likewise disappointing.  It seemed that Shecter was more interested in giving a sensationalistic and marketable depiction of Cleopatra than an objective biography.  The author used teenage vernacular to apparently try and get down to the conversational level of the adolescents she hopes will buy her book.  Personally, I think it’s more educational to write in a style that shows students how to communicate at a higher level.  It looks like  Shecter was trying to imitate the format of books like Norrie Epstein’s Friendly Shakespeare, but she failed.  Overall, this Cleopatra is a pain in the asp.         

Google Image: openlibrary.org



Off She Goes Into the Wild Blue Yonder



Amelia Earhart: This Broad Ocean

by

Sarah Stewart Taylor and James Sturm

Taylor and Strum, S.  (2010). Amelia Earhart: this broad ocean . New York:

     Disney Hyperion Books.

Taylor and Strum’s Amelia Earhart was really fun.   I genuinely enjoyed the way the authors combined biography, graphic novel, and historical fiction to tell the story of this amazing aviatrix.  Showing us the real-life Earhart through the eyes of a fictional young girl named Grace builds a bridge with the young readers for whom this book is geared.  It seems that Grace is almost a reflection of Amelia in that they both had a dream:  Grace to be a reporter and Earhart to fly across the Atlantic.  Moreover, Ben Towle’s illustrations make them even look so much alike they could have been related.  The illustrations are very artistic and simple, but there were times I wished they had more color to better depict such a colorful and vibrant heroine.

To the combination of writing styles the authors employed, I should add “inspirational novel” since Amelia Earhart could very easily inspire young readers – male and female alike – to pursue their dreams.  That’s admirably illustrated by the fact that the introduction to the book is written by Eileen Collins – a female astronaut.   This inspirational element in particular makes this a book to recommend to students.

Google Image: paperbackswap.com