"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.

TAB Reviews!

Our most prolific reviewer has three more entries, and we have a new reviewer this week --

MJ writes:
“Impossible” by Nancy Werlin. This book is a great mix of realistic fiction and fantasy. Though it has mature themes, most middle schoolers should read it.

CK writes:
“Blackbox” by Julie Schumacher. I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were really short which made it easier for me to read it with the busy schedule I have. I loved how this book was written. Schumacher really makes me hate Elena’s parents and feel as desperate as Elena did. I wished there was more at the ending though. A sequel would be nice.
“The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold. It was really good for the majority of the book but at the end it started droning on and on. The last line was kind of cheesy, too.
“How To Ruin My Summer Vacation” by Simone Elekes. It truly captures what it’s like to be a teen. I absolutely loved this book. It is a must-read for any teen girl.

Censorship

I’m about to include three book reviews for graphic novels I was not able to keep here at H-B Woodlawn. When this happens, I send the books to the public library. It’s a very hard call. I believe in the First Amendment and I believe in the American Library Bill of Rights. I have a reputation as a librarian who has “anything and everything” on the shelves and while that is not completely true, my “line” is a lot farther out than it is for many librarians. The bottom line for me is not the content, but the “defendability” of an item. In other words, I don’t mind strong language, adult situations, etc. if I feel the book is well-reviewed, from a respected publisher, on a few recommended/award lists and has a “purpose” in our collection. Over the years, I’ve gladly defended books about human sexuality, books with a certain kind of art, books where soldiers swear (really! they do???), books about loving relationships and books about how hard it is to grow up. But sometimes, on rare occasion, I find books that I simply cannot include. They may be good, laudable even, but they are not “defendable” and I therefore turn them over to our public library which, thankfully, has an appreciation for the gifts that can be found in the written word. Read on.

“Night Fisher” by R. Kikuo Johnson

It’s rare that I choose to “de-select” a book by sending it to the Public Library, but this is one occasion, and it was not an easy decision. “Night Fisher” is a graphic novel about Loren Foster, a haole teen (white) living in Hawaii. His father is a dentist obsessed with maintaining the yard of their house and critical of Loren when he brings home a “B”. Loren is a good boy, but, at 17, drifting. Attempting to find some direction or meaning in his life, he reconnects with a childhood friend who is into batu (crystal meth) and begins a mild downward spiral. Respected reviewers from Booklist and Publisher’s Weekly gave it glowing reviews, and it isn’t hard to see why. There are deep metaphors here, layers that are still occurring to me days after finishing the book. The title, “Night Fisher” is only referred to in the book’s opening sequence, but the idea that this is a young man surrounded by darkness, unsure of what is out there or how to get to it, is apt. Loren asks his father how he knows about knot-tying. He asks another adult how he knows about changing tires. Loren is a young man who wants to know about things, but life seems to be eluding him. He clears out the jungle of weeds in his yard only to have it grow back again. He spends an evening with a young woman, only to have it turn sour when he can’t be honest with his classmates about the nature of their encounter. While Loren is absolutely understandable, he is also a bit of a wuss. He bounces from wanting the girl to hating the girl, from staying away from his druggie friend to committing crimes, while stoned, with the friend. The entire story is also very egocentric from Loren’s point of view. Some of the dialog is faded out, other dialog runs off the page. The message is clear. What other people have to say is unimportant, less important anyway, than what is going on in Loren’s head. And there is a lot of randomness in there. He flashes on naked breasts when discussing Las Vegas (apparently, many Hawaiians move to Las Vegas) and his father appears to do dental work on him as punishment for getting arrested. How much of this is real and how much of it is his interpretation of events is never made particularly clear. It’s not that I object to the serious tone or mature subject matter. We have many books that contain these kinds of themes. It’s that the book has no seeming moral center – the bad guy gets into M.I.T. and the good guy remains lost. That may be a fact of life, but it makes an already dicey book less defensible should someone object. This is the reality of school librarianship – you can have the edgy books, but you have to be able to defend them. As far as this book is concerned, feel free to check it out … at your neighborhood public library.

“Teenagers From Mars” by Rick Spears & Rob G

This book came in with “Night Fisher” and has similar edgy issues. Drugs, violence and sex are prominent in the book – but I like it a lot better. And the message is clear. The “message” of this book is that censorship is bad. Bad, bad, bad. Meet Macon, a lost 18 year-old dying of asphyxiation at his local Mall-Mart. When a 13 year-old kid he has befriended gets in trouble for trying to buy a comic book at the store, the manager decides to ban all comic books for fear of being charged with selling pornography. A fight between Macon and the manager ensues and Macon is fired. From there, the situation continues to escalate into a town-wide hysteria by book banners. Along the way, Macon meets Madison, a determined anarchist who helps him “fight the man”. The book is written very tongue-in-cheek, with the occasional wink at the reader to acknowledge that this is a comic book about banning comic books. The art is also very well-done, visual gags being clear with the uptight establishment guys. Unfortunately, this is another title that will have to go to the Public Library. I loved it – I did. I laughed, I appreciated not only the message but the humor … but the “pipe up the butt” of the Mayor was the penstroke too far. Again, though I tend to be limited less than other librarians, there is a line, and this one crosses it, unfortunately. Who knows? Maybe I can tell kids to go to the public library for such fare, and that will help bridge the gap for them as they leave us. Read on, and power to the people.

“The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch” by Neil Gaiman & Michael Zulli

This is the third graphic novel I had to give up (it was a gift from another school). I really went back and forth on keeping it for a while. The tale is a typically dark and funny one by master storyteller Neil Gaiman (now, “NEWBERY WINNER” Neil Gaiman, how cool is that?) and is clearly a graphic novel for adults. A group of thirty-somethings go for an outing in London. Like many meanderings by such folks, this one strays to the more off-beat entertainments, as our crew finds themselves in a bizarre underground circus of sorts. The realistic dialog grounds a fantastical tale and the stunningly beautiful watercolors by Zulli (think “Sandman”) enrich every page. Proceeding from one cavern to the next, our audience finds side-show performers and magicians; entertainers who delight in disturbing and challenging the psyche. So as not to give anything else away, I will stop with the plot synopsis at this point. The problem with the book? Nudity. To be specific, naked breasts on a woman in a nun’s habit. While I fully understand the context of it, this becomes hard to defend in a school library. As breasts continue to become prominent on the following pages, I became less and less sure that I could keep the book here. My assistant suggested the “cover ‘em with a marker” method that I have, sadly, used in the past, but the artwork here is too lovely, and my chicken scratches would have marred it. Perhaps if this were Europe, and we had healthier attitudes about the human body. But we don’t. And so, off to the public library it goes. By all means, check it out next time you are there.

“The Graveyard Book” by Neil Gaiman

Oh my, oh my, oh my. First, kudos to the Newbery committee for finally finding the “cool”. Second, don’t we love Neil Gaiman? Don’t we? Really? What a delightful, fun, sad, adventuresome, touching, scary book this is. Apparently begun as a short story about a boy who lives in a cemetery, the tale now covers the entire childhood of the boy known as “Bod” who comes to live in an ancient and crumbling cemetery under devastating circumstances. “Bod” is raised by ghosts and … others … but the magic of this book is subtly drawn, with the emotions and the visceral feel being paramount. Not since Peter S. Beagle’s “A Fine and Private Place” has a novel so gentle and reverently portrayed the world of the dead through the eyes of the living. As always, it is the reflection of who we are, and what life is, that shines through in this analysis. And Neil Gaiman’s prose is, of course, stunning. A sample:
“A graveyard is not normally a democracy, and yet death is the great democracy, and each of the dead had a voice, and an opinion, as to whether the living child should be allowed to stay, and they were determined to be heard, that night.
It was late autumn when the daybreak was long in coming. Although the sky was still dark, cars could now be heard starting up further down the hill, and as the living folk began to drive to work through the misty night-black morning, the graveyard folks talked about the child that had come to them, and what was to be done. Three hundred voices. Three hundred opinions.”
I often tell kids that good writing is like a painting, and this book is like an impressionist work, with shadings that continue to spin and move on every page. It is a rich book, and one that I dearly hope will be read. I often make predictions as to which Newbery winners will become “classics”. I am often wrong. I hope that this time, I’m right. This book deserves to be read. And savored. And chewed on. Bon appetit.

“Clay” by David Almond

David Almond is one of those British writers whose work can be intriguing. To this day, “Skellig” is one of my favorite books. But Mr. Almond is also *very* British and sometimes his flights of fancy can be so fanciful that they leave me somewhat lost. This was the case with “Kit’s Wilderness”. “Clay” falls somewhere between those two books. This is the story of Davie, a rough and tumble Catholic boy in northwest England. The tale takes place in the small town of Felling and is somewhat lost in time. It could be the 1950s or today. Like many of Almond’s books, the details seem to fall away, giving weight to the “feel” of things rather than specifics. Davie and his friend Geordie fight with the “proddy boys” (Protestants) and have simple lives that encompass church, school, and mucking about in the outdoors. Things get moving when the mysterious Stephen Rose is sent to live with his addled aunt Mary. There are rumors about Stephen Rose, with threads of death and madness in his family. Stephen quickly centers in on Davie, choosing him as the conduit for his visions and his magic. Stephen fashions creatures from clay and uses Davie to bring them to life. Is it real? Again, hard to say. David Almond has a way of making many of his books feel like dreams. The supernatural happens in such a subtle manner that neither the characters nor the readers can be sure of their experiences. On one hand, I liked the book. It is rich with religious symbolism and layered with meaning, on the other hand, it simply wasn’t a page turner (for me … male readers might feel differently). The local speech is written phonetically, making it extremely hard to understand at times. That “ether-like” quality so prevalent in Almond’s books is overwhelming here. I kept feeling like the plot was something I was chasing through mists. At one point, I realized I had somehow missed a major plotline … and I truly didn’t know where in the book that it had happened. Like many of David Almond’s books, I don’t know that this one will garner a large audience, but it is a book with “atmosphere”. Those familiar with the dialect and/or the Catholic imagery may find the book intriguing. For me, as much as I appreciated the aura, I eventually found it a bit of a chore to finish.

TAB Reviews

Again, CK leads the pack. Her latest reviews:

“How to Ruin My Teenage Life” by Simone Elkeles
It was an *awesome* book that truly shows what it’s like to be a teen.

“Something Girl” by Beth Goobie
I really liked this book. It gave me an insight as to what it’s like to be abused, by your own father even. It’s something I can’t imagine happening to me. This book really makes you thankful for the family you have.

"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

From TAB, CK writes:

This was a wonderful and profound book. I truly enjoyed it. The boy (Clay's) thoughts were kind of annoying at first but soon it just fell right in with the rest of the story.

“Ethel & Ernest: A True Story” by Raymond Briggs

This biographical graphic novel is definitely unique. At first, I thought I liked it, but as time wore on (I was constantly interrupted while trying to read it), I found I liked it less and less. The author is an artist who chronicles the life of his British parents from their meeting in the 1920s through their deaths in the 1970s. The book is broken up into chapters by decades, but the story itself is rather snapshot-like, with small interchanges, sometimes seemingly inconsequential, between the couple as their relationship grows. One wonders what Raymond Briggs thought of his parents, as their portraits are fairly unapologetic. Perhaps it is a British “thing”, but the two people he reveals in this book are deeply flawed and fairly unlikable. Was I missing the charm of “those crazy things we put up with from our loved ones” or was this Mr. Briggs’ chance to work out a few demons? I’d like to believe the former, but the word “love” didn’t seem to appear anywhere in the text. His character, as a young boy and then growing man, is scolded, molded, but rarely hugged. We see criticism, but not the kind of “guiding lessons” one would wish to have as memories from your parents when they are gone. Maybe that’s the point – that we all crave a parent/child relationship that is, essentially, myth. Hard to say. The book was engaging. The colorful watercolor and colored pencil drawings are drawn with amazing specificity, and the bold text grabs your eye. Some devices, such as using a single bubble to enclose the dialog of two characters, creates a little humor. In terms of presentation, this was a page-turner. It’s just that the book as a whole left me a little cold … and when you are writing the saga of your family, one would hope for even a single drop of warmth.

TAB Reviews! 2008-2009

CK provides our first reviews of the year...(no, not Clark Kent...)

"What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones
This was a great "beauty and the geek" book. I really enjoyed it and loved the poem format that the book was written in. I would definitely recommend this book for TAB.
"What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones.
This book was a sequel to Sones' "What My Mother Doesn't Know". It was slightly less delightful than the first book but still a great book for a nice easy-read.
"Perfect You" by Elizabeth Scott
This was a great book that I really liked because in many ways I could relate to it. This is a book I would recommend to any middle schooler.
"Good Girls" by Laura Ruby
This book was like Gossip Girls taken down 5 knotches. It was really good but probably not appropiate for people under age 13.
"Someone Like You" by Sarah Dessen
This book was a good book by Sarah Dessen. It was just a time-killer type of book. It wasn't her best book and the beginning was kind of slow.
"One of the Hideous Book Where the Mother Dies" by Sonya Sones
This was a great story with a plot the I've never heard of. It kept surprising me throughout the whole book. I loved this book!
"Stop Pretending" by Sonya Sones
This was an ok book. I felt as though it wasn't complete though; like as if there should be more to it. I would have loved more to the ending.