"The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing: Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Well, at the very least, Mr. Anderson deserves kudos for an extremely long title. “The Astonishing Life …” has won a significant number of awards this year, along with accolades and very favorable reviews from many respected journals. There is now an award-winning sequel and rumors of more to come. It is, without question, a brilliantly written story. But is it good? It is … in the sense that it is the kind of book that will give English teachers a downright shiver of pleasure. Unfortunately, I think it is the type of book that really will be appreciated by mature readers and will leave most of the students forced to read it gagging with frustration. Densely packed with words that would have been on the SAT in the 18th century if there had been an SAT in the 18th century, “The Astonishing Life …” tells the story of Octavian, a black slave belonging to a very offbeat Scientific Society in Boston during the years leading up to the American Revolution. The language is as accurate as one could imagine, and the font even mimics writing styles of the time (making double “ffs” look like “ss”). Painting the historic detail with an exacting brush, I learned a huge amount about that period of which I had been completely ignorant of before. Hardly a chapter passed where I was not gasping with surprise or having an “a-ha” moment. Seeing this world through Octavian’s eyes provides an even more interesting depth to the work. The challenges for me were the pacing and the narrative voice. I was 120 pages in before I felt like I wasn’t just “pushing through” and the aforementioned “Pox Party” didn’t materialize until well into the 200s – in a 300 page book. I also never warmed up to Octavian even though I felt deeply sad reading about his trials and tribulations. But it was the sadness you feel when you see a story on the news, not the kind of gut-wrenching angst you feel when pulled into a story. The beginning, where we are seeing the world through Octavian’s very young eyes, is simply confusing. As he gets older, I began to understand the setting and concept, but at the moment of his greatest loss, the narrative voice switches to another character and we see Octavian’s pain through letters written by a soldier. It is a phenomenal literary device, to actually take the character’s voice away at a time when his hurt is so great that he cannot form words. The problem is that it distances the reader, as much of the book seems to do. Was I intrigued by the view of pre-Revolutionary War America and the insights into the slavery of the time? Yes. Could I appreciate that this is, bottom line, great literature? Yes. Did I enjoy reading this book? No. Will I read the sequel? I don’t know. I do feel like I got a lot out of it, but it felt more like reading a nonfiction book than a story I could get lost inside of. I’ve heard quite a number of adults say they were deeply impressed by the book, but no young folk, yet (although a number of kids told me they picked up the book and started reading it, then put it down…not a good sign). I guess this one is a wait-and-see as to whose appetites it will appeal to.

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker

TAB member CK writes one of her final reviews for us -- its brevity saying it all:

It left a very satisfied feeling at the end.

"The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks" by E. Lockhart

What a great book. I literally couldn’t put it down. Reading it over spring break, I found myself one day saying “I need to stop and put a load of laundry in”, “I need to stop and grab lunch”, “I need to stop and go get the mail”. But I couldn’t stop. I simply had to turn the page and see what happened next. I finished the book in two days.
Frankie is a young woman in a man’s world. Named by a father who wanted a son, we find her at an exclusive prep academy in New England at the beginning of her 10th grade year. Unlike many teen protagonists, Frankie is both attractive and somewhat confident. After being unnoticed in 9th grade, she blossoms over the summer and finds herself invited to the “cool people” parties as her Sophomore year begins. She comes across an “initiation” by accident and quickly realizes the secret society of her father’s time still exists … but the society is male only. Being of rather high intelligence and having a curious nature, she quickly comes up with a plan to insinuate herself in the group … but I will say no more so that you can enjoy the clever twists and turns.
Like a female version of Laurie Halse Anderson’s “Twisted”, this book has short, accessible chapters. Frankie’s voice is engaging, but older readers will also appreciate Frankie’s view of the world, shaped by authors like Dorothy Parker and P.G. Wodehouse (which would seem unusual for a teen, but put in the context of the prep school, it works). She brings her own unique spin to things, which makes the story all that more enjoyable. This book has more meat to it than Lockhart’s other, fluffier, chick-lit novels, and has already been a hit with both guys and girls. A satisfactory ending doesn’t tie up every loose end but does seem realistic, and works with the overall story. A definite “favorite” of my reads this year.

"The Oxford Project" by Peter Feldstein and Stephen G. Bloom

One of the coolest books I have read in a while, “The Oxford Project”, won an Alex Award (Best Adult Books for Young Adult Readers). It is powerful, unique and thought-provoking.
In 1984, Peter Feldstein set out on a mission. He wanted to photograph each and every member of the town of Oxford, Iowa. A Midwest township of some 600 souls, he had them stand in his Main Street studio sans makeup or posing and simply snapped an image. It would be remarkable enough to have achieved this feat – except for one thing. Twenty years later, he came back and did it all over again. This time he brought noted editor Stephen Bloom with him, and the town’s residents (now standing in front of a plain cinder block wall) related short descriptions of themselves as they were photographed.
The result isn’t just stunning, it is breath-taking. Like a less-dark version of the “Post Secret” books, this beautifully assembled coffee-table book gives readers a tremendous insight into the humanity that makes up this country. Elements you would expect (they like meat, guns, and many of the participants do not have college educations) and ones you would not (there are Buddhists, gays and lots of Democrats) help to shatter the idea that “rural” America can be either dismissed or defined. The simple photos are produced with care, and the concise biographies are like haikus, painting pictures of the complexity and depth of life at all levels. Laugh out loud moments mix with resonating sadness to create a rich and powerful tapestry. I was so moved by this book, in fact, that it took more than a month to read it. I had to take in only a few pages at a time and digest them before moving on … and then I found myself flipping back and forth to discover the amazing connections in this community. I have had a difficult time getting kids to pick it up, but in the last few weeks I noticed many of them doing what I had done initially – glancing at the book, flipping through the pages, then being transfixed by an image or story. Take some time to explore this world that is, truly, our own.

"How I Learned Geography" by Uri Shulevitz

A Caldecott Honor for 2009, this is another charming picture book by Uri Shulevitz. With more words than “Snow” this book still manages to use little text to convey large ideas. In this case a young boy living in poverty has his world expanded when his father brings home a wall-sized map from the market. The far-off lands, with their foreign sounding names and brightly colored borders, become food for the boy’s soul. He has adventures and sees wonderful sights, all from his imaginings, as he learns about each new land. The soft water-colors in rich hues tell the story as clearly as the words do. This is definitely a picture book that could be read and re-read to children.

"Garmann’s Summer" by Stian Hole

Winning a Batchelder Honor (Best Foreign Translation) this picture book is laugh out loud funny – for grownups. Children will enjoy the decoupage artwork style, blending photos, realistic drawings and “silly” faces, while adults will enjoy the softly tongue-in-cheek angst of a young boy spending his “final summer” (before entering school) with his sweet but offbeat old aunts. Mixing the old with the young provides some of the humor, but seeing Garmann’s interpretation of events brings a knowing smile to those of us who remember a time when the world was impossibly big and older people a tad mysterious. This one is a book that parents will enjoy as much as kids.

"Bird" by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Shadra Strickland

Winning the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for “New Talent”, this simple little book conveys a sad and realistic story in a very gentle way. Mehkai, nicknamed “Bird”, lives in the city and likes to draw. His older brother Marcus, his idol, has become hooked on drugs and has been thrown out of the house. As Bird focuses on how to be strong amidst life’s harsh goodbyes, he finds solace in the birds, who circle free in multi-colored skies all around him. With a good community of family and friends, it is clear that Bird will survive because he looks upwards to see the good in life. The drawings, in watercolor and colored pencils, help to enrich a touching story that can bring a tear or two to your eye.

"A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams" by Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Another Caldecott Honor book from 2009, this picture book biography would need older sensibilities to appreciate it, I think. The story of poet William Carlos Williams (National Book Award Winner, 1950), we initially see a young boy who *loves* words. Written with a true nod to the style of Mr. Williams, the artwork consists of images that look like they are drawn by a young boy, and mixed with ephemera one might find on the desk of a writer. In one illustration, young Willie listens to the sound of nature around him as words run like water down the stream beside him. Complete with a nice little biography and timeline at the end of the book, his poems are blended with the artwork as the story progresses. I learned to appreciate this man for his rather unremarkable life and clean poetry as I flipped through these pages. If nothing else, I learned that this was truly “the guy next door” and not an erudite scholar despite a significant amount of schooling (he was a small-town doctor). If you would like an insight into the author of some tremendously familiar poems, then check out this book.

"Bodies From the Ice" by James M. Deem

Winner of this year’s Sibert Award for Best Informational Book, this one got a “cool” from a teenage boy (a sure sign of success). With clearly stated text that is age appropriate yet not challenging, this book covers the impact of global warming. In a nutshell, the glaciers are melting, so we are finding…bodies. It’s a unique look into our history as bodies are freed from their well-preserved status in glacial ice. Mummified corpses from a hundred years ago and many hundreds of years ago are being found and giving us real insight into everything from diets of humans past to the religious customs of cultures long gone. Illustrated with a “goodly” amount of photos and diagrams, this book is almost as much of a pleasure to scan as it is to read. Those interested in science or history will be intrigued, and even light-footers like me (I uttered at least one out loud “UGH”) can appreciate the silver lining being afforded to those who wish to understand humanity a little better. Similar to Loree Griffin Burns’ “Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion” this book gives a fascinating look at sociology by examining what we leave behind.