Review - Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

As a teacher librarian with a penchant for reality novels and a focus on Social Justice, I'm familiar with Laurie Halse Anderson and her novels. 'Speak' is a fantastic view of how a traumatic event can impact and change you, 'Wintergirls' is beautiful and tragic in it's portrayal of eating disorders. When doing a search of books about prom for a display, I found that Anderson had published one called 'Prom'. Intrigued, as most of the books about prom I'd found previously were very bubbly and her writing to me thus far was anything but bubbly, I decided to pick it up.

'Prom' is the story of Ashley Hannigan, a graduating student who does not care about prom in any way, shape or form. She does not begrudge her friends for being excited, but it's not for her. School isn't really her thing either - she's close to dropping out, has no college plans and has more detentions than she has days left in school to serve them. Her boyfriend TJ has been kicked out of school already and says he's saving money for them to have an apartment together. Then, the worst happens: the teacher-adviser has taken the money that had been paid by students for prom which means it can't happen. Ashley's best friend, Natalia, the head of the prom committee is devastated. Through her own special charms, a wish to help her friend and a deal with the principal to take care of some of those detentions, Ashley finds herself in the middle of the prom whirlwind and an active - and leading - member of the prom committee. Will it work out? Will Ashley lose the chip on her shoulder and find school spirit? Will the students have a prom to remember? And, if they do, what role will Ashley have played in it?

I had expected the novel to be a little cheesy, even though it was written by Anderson. From the first page I learned that no, it's not going to be cheesy. It was a strong story told around the occasion of prom. The story of a 'normal' teenager and her life and how this event happened upon it. At the end Anderson thanks 'normal kids' who said to her that their story is never told. Which is true - we learn of kids going through situations, kids who are going through supernatural situations, kids going through dystopian situations and kids who think a pimple is a situation. This was a refreshing view on prom and how for some people, it's not that important. That sometimes, crappy boyfriends and humiliating after school jobs is the best that it can be. And that sometimes, it takes a major kick from an unexpected place to make your life find the right path.

'Prom' is a fairy tale. It's not your standard tale, but it is a fairy tale, none the less. You have Cinderella in the character of Ashley (even her name evokes the ashes of her allegorical match), the Fairy Godmother in the character of Natalias eccentric grandmother and the evil stepmother in the form of the Vice-Principal. You have her helper mice appear as her family and friends, all supporting her through her endeavors. Ashley happens to be on a quest and the discovery of that means she begins to grow into her ambitions. At the end, the reader is left with the feeling that she might just get her happy ending.

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The Hunger Games movie

And why it's important to me.

There will be spoilers. For that, I apologize. 

I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games as a book series. Strong characters, both male and female, noticeable growth in characters and their ability to act and react to different situations, compelling plot and more. What else could you ask for? Then, throw in that the love triangle isn't in the mind of the main character but the guys who think they're part of it and you've got a great novel. When I heard they were making a movie, I knew I would have to see it as soon as possible. Or sooner. (side note, I am also trying to hunt down the nail polish for district 12 locally. I am a sucker for nail polish).

After a eureka moment when I realized the birthday party my son was at was the same time as a showing of 'The Hunger Games', I went the Sunday it after it came out. My parents were with me, as they usually are for these movies - they've sat through all but one of the Twilight movies. Popcorn in hand, we took our seats and were prepared to be disappointed.

We weren't. At all. I read a review that said it cuts parts more than it edits, and I agree. 'The Hunger Games' movie had to cut parts and they picked the right parts. The book is so much in the mind of Katniss, so much about her role in life, including the games. The movie was in the mind of the games and the role that Katniss played in it. We saw the games and how they were planned and how Katniss survived. How she lived. District 12 was stark and lovely, the Capitol was opulent and terrifying.

A few scenes stood out. A scene of two children from the Capitol celebrating the Games with a fake spear. The scenes in the cave. The absurdity of Effie in District 12. The 'moment a tribute becomes a victor' video. The reaping. The return. All beautifully done and with tenderness and care. The echoing of the children from 12 on the chariot near the beginning with the adults in district 12 as they stand before the crowd at the end. So many, many more. Bravo production team. Bravo actors.

But what does it mean to me? What's the point of having a movie like this? What makes this so special? I was struck by this question as I posted on Facebook how much I'd liked it. A friend, a teacher at another school, said they were taking all of their grade nines there. I then found myself chaperoning a field trip with a group of our students. These students had either studied the book or would be studying it in a future year. They were not a group of readers. At all. They were kids that generally needed extra help in their English studies. And they were clamoring to go to this movie. Some of them were kids that have checked in with me several times over the past few years about the movie and how excited they were because they had read the book. They were excited about seeing the movie, not because it was a movie, not because it was gory or violent or had a hot chick in it. They were excited because they had read the book.

Now, I read, on average, a book a day. Some days I just read part of one, other days I get through several. I reread 'Hunger Games' and 'Catching Fire' on Saturday and was halfway through a reread of 'Mockingjay' when I first saw the movie. Having a book in my hand is like having a hand. But for some people, reading is not as natural. But these kids read. They read the book and they liked it enough to pay their money and go to the movie. They wanted to see their friends from the page come to life and see how their favourite scenes were played out. They wanted to see their imaginings and compare how they stood up to the imaginings of the production team. They wanted to see if the effects were good, the story was better and if Katniss could be in real life the kickass person she was in the book. They wanted to belong to the culture of kids who the movie was targeted towards. because they are that target and it thrills them.

That's what 'The Hunger Games' movie means to me. Inclusion. Opportunity. And giving hope to kids. Not bad for a 2 hour and 22 minute offering.

The Joy of Reading

When I was a kid, years and years and years (and years) ago, I loved to read. I started with the classics - Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Heidi. I remember winning an award in Grade two - I hadn't read the most books for our competition but I had read the most. The books I picked were two and three (and four) times larger than the choices of my peers.
Whatever I could find, I read. I remember reading an Alice Munroe book while in elementary school, not understanding a number of the references but making it my favorite, devouring it time after time. Almost completely opposite that, I discovered the baby sitters club through my scholastic book club in grade five, ordering 'Kristy's Big Idea' and falling for these plucky entrepreneurs. Sweet Valley High came next, with the identical but different twins and their adventures. There were a few others series at that point - books based on kids in the same class, books that were obviously copying the formulaic success of BSC and SVH. I needed more.
I found VC Andrews and she taught me that there were people in the world that were messed up, many of which were living in an attic. I found Agatha Christie and she taught me that a murder could be solved as long as you had a egg shaped head and a great mustache. I found Judith Krantz and she taught me... well, um... read 'Scruples' and you'll find out what she taught me. I found back copies, old copies, damaged and loved copies at second hand book stores and tried to find more like it. I read indiscriminately from my mothers book shelf and found that the books you mean to send back as part of your 'book of the month club' are ones that your daughter will devour later in life.
Then I discovered the Margarets - Atwood because she was on my mothers book shelf and I had to check her out, Laurence because of a High School English course and those second hand bookstores. I read of old ladies, young bullies, plaid pins, cat's eyes and dreams. They, and the AP English exam I was challenging, brought me to 1984, Of Mice and Men and other books published by other Dead White Males. High School was a time of what literature classes felt I should read (Shakespeare, Lord of the Flies, 1984 and of course Lure of the Labrador Wild) and books that I could find to fill my need to read - Atwood, Laurence, Andrews, Krantz, Fast and others. I needed books.
Because I loved to read I did an English degree. Loving to read is the WORST reason to do an English degree. I found more books, more authors, took more trips to the second hand bookstore to find more authors. I discovered Maeve Binchey and other writers like her. I graduated and spent as much time as I could reading outside while my then boyfriend, now husband, skateboarded (one of the best skate spots was across from one of the best second hand book stores).
And so it progressed, me and my love for reading. There are few books I have not finished (Old Man and the Sea was one, Fellowship of the Rings another). I find new authors all the time - some serious, others less so - and I buy from major chains, small stores and second hand stores. I don't use the public library now, an irony, given my profession. I read, and read, and read, adult and ya fiction. And I watch.
What do I watch? I watch kids take out books that are written for them. I see formulaic being a specialized genre with so many other books taking over. I see choice! Dystopian, supernatural, realistic, science fiction, fantasy, graphic novels - and on and on. I see English classes learning they need to take out the books that I studied (because, yes,they are still on the roster) and bring in choice and independent learning. For fear of sounding very 'kids today don't know how lucky they have it', kids today don't know how lucky they have it. There is stuff written for them that doesn't (just) include perfect blonde twins. They see teens their age fighting, learning, living and dreaming. And the kids are doing it along with them.
And now it is going full circle. I see my son becoming the reader I was at his age. I hope that when he is my age he can look back on his thirty years of reading and say the same thing as me. That he has had a life full of joy, with one of the greatest joys being reading.

Reading "Deal Breakers"

The Practical Librarian asks - what are your reading dealbreakers? I've had to think about this and have realized that while I try to read everything, I do have a couple deal breakers.

1. Werewolves. Sort of. I don't mind them mixed into other groups. I don't like Jacob in the 'Twilight Series', but part of that is because he's a jerk. I like the werewolves in 'The Mortal Instruments' - they can be sassy and strong. Professor Lupin was fantastic and I cried in the last book and movie.  But base a book around a werewolf? So far, no dice. I'm trying to read 'Shiver' by Maggie Stiefvater and I can't do it. Perhaps it's linked to my dislike of being woodsy - I like the outdoors, like hiking and all but I'll never camp if I can avoid it. Or perhaps I need consistency in my life. Maybe I don't like the moon being blamed for everything. Either way. Werewolves. Boo.
2. Dialect. Yes, books need dialect. Characters need to have a dialect and a regional accent. So often it can mark differences, bring out character flaws and bright spots and teach us about the history of the character and the place that they are representing. But keep it to the dialogue! The narrator does not always have to have that accent in their thoughts. The story does not have to be told in that dialect. 'Blood Red Road' annoyed me. I could not stand it simply because it was narrated in the accent of the main character. It was tiring and I couldn't connect. Maybe that makes me a snob, maybe that makes me a bad person, but I kept thinking 'What if Harry Potter was narrated in Hagrids voice - how popular would it have been?'. Think about it.

The book has to seem to have a point, it shouldn't just ramble and ramble, it shouldn't moralize from the beginning. However, I'll read almost anything. However, since I started 'Shiver' I've read about ten other books, if not fifteen. And every time I get a review package I worry it will have another book like 'Blood Red Road'. Dealbreakers. I have them.

Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I first heard of 'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' when I started reading top ten book lists for 2011. In them, praises were sung, readers were encouraged and generally it was made out to be a very good thing. As I was doing ordering at the time, I added it to the list, along with 'Beauty Queens', 'Anna Dressed in Blood' and 'The Scorpio Races'. I've finally had a chance to read it and I have to say, it was worth the hype.

'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' is the story of Karou. She draws monsters that are dismissed by her art teacher as fantasy drawings, yet she knows they are real. She has been gifted - literally - several languages. Her hair is naturally a bright blue and remains that way. She is everything she wishes she could be -yet she does not know who she is. Suddenly, black handprints appear on doorways, burned there by winged strangers who have appeared. Karou finds her job - collecting teeth for her foster father- threatened by an otherworldly war, a war where some will learn who they are and others will learn who they can trust.

'Daughter of Smoke and Bone' is a gripping read. Karou is so very cool the reader, like her fellow art students, wants to continue to see her life. Her errands, which she accomplishes by traveling through portals, seem fantastical, even with the realization that she is gathering teeth from around the world. Her life, made better by a series of wishes that is her pay, seems perfect, if it were not for the sometimes abrupt times she is contacted to go on errands. Yet, her world begins to crumble, leaving her with a lack of self understanding and a lack of trust. While she is fantastically rich and able to provide all she wants, she still does not know anything about her self. She is alone and must learn who she is to be able to decide who she can trust.

At times the story is a little muddled. Part of that has to do with the fast pace of sections of the novel, which are imperative in maintaining the plot. To read this novel, one has to buy into the fantastical world completely - there is no relief from it, nor many characters who are not involved in it. The reader must also be able to comprehend the enormity of the world and the history that is presented by the characters. However, if the reader can cope with these points, they will find this novel  a fantastic read. My only major issue was that I did not know it was the start of a series and was looking forward to a resolution. Now, I'm looking forward to the next book!

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Book Review: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

"You're not dead, but you're not alive. You're a wintergirl....."

Continuing in her tradition of taking current realities for teenagers and weaving them into a narrative, Laurie Halse Anderson has tacked Eating Disorders in the novel 'Wintergirls'. In it we follow Lia, an anorexic and a cutter who has lost her best friend Cassie. Lia and Cassie were close, sharing almost anything, including their eating disorders and their constant competition to succeed at them. However, while Lia is able to tell us the story, Cassie is dead, having been found alone in a hotel room, having drank, binged and purged for two days until her esophagus ruptured. Lia feels guilty for her death, having ignored her phone, hiding it away due to the constant ringing, only to find out that it was her friend, calling from the motel, trying 33 times to reach her. Lia carries the shame of this through visions of Cassie following her around, encouraging and taunting her. As the book progresses, Lia and her disease progress to the point that she has to make a choice - is competing with a ghost worth losing everything she loves?

As a high school librarian, I see the impact that eating disorders have on students daily. I will admit, I hesitated putting this book in the library for that reason - the worry that it would teach how to bypass help offered and allow students to fall further into their disease, which for many, like Lia, is their life. However, any information and teaching presented in this novel is not done in a sensationalistic way or in a way that would differ from thousands of other sources. However, the gripping reality of Lias life - and Cassies death - will be more than instructive. There is a lot of literature that talks about how eating disorders can kill a person - this book - very graphically - shows how they can kill a person but more than that, kill everything around them. Watching Lia struggle with her relationships with her mother and her step-sister really shows the reader what an eating disorder can do, not just to those directly suffering from one, but also to those who care for them.

The novel is told from Lias point of view - we see her thoughts, her reactions, her story through her eyes. For most of the novel this is quite effective - her self destruction is beautifully documented, her downward spiral is very evident and her reactions to events are heartbreaking at times. Hearing the death of Cassie described to her was far more effective than having it described to us the reader. At times it would have been nice to see more than this point of view but overall it was a startling and strong choice for this novel. There were a few subplots - especially the one with  Elijah - are not always necessary, but are used, at times to show how much despair and damage has been done to her life. The lesson from the novel, about choices and how one life can impact all of those around them does not suffer from the large doses of gritty reality that help teach it, but instead are greatly enhanced - the sense of relief as a reader when you reach that point aids in teaching and growing.

'Wintergirls' is a strong offering and aptly titled. Readers who enjoy reality fiction and want to read about realistic situation faced by teens would be the target audience for this particular novel.

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21st Century Learning

Lately there has been lots of buzz around the term '21st Century Learning'. What is it, how does it apply and what does it mean to our schools and specifically, to our jobs? I feel as though I've joined a bandwagon late, but the more I read the more I go, gosh, what a great idea.
However, I don't think I'm joining late. I think I've been there all along without knowing it. Technology integration,  understanding of modern communication tools and working with students to develop learning plans sounds like what we've been saying - or at least what we've been saying in the conversations I've been having!
But what does it mean for me specifically as a teacher librarian? Talking with someone who is working with the topic, there are places that call the librarians 'Teacher-Cybrarians'. They put a focus on having current, hot topic teen literature and reading areas to enjoy it as well as technology capabilities and integrations, lead by the Teacher-Cybrarian in all subject areas. Looking at the web, specifically, bringing twitter, facebook, youtube, edmodo and all other such web 2.0 applications into teaching as well as getting kids to read - that's what they're doing. That works so much for my skill set that the idea that's where things going is exciting!
So, for me, what is the future is 21st Century learning? It's just like the past really. We are helping kids use the world around them to make sense of their world. Sounds about right.