Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations

Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations (2007)
by Jeffrey Brown

In Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations, Brown depicts in cartoons certain behaviors he’s noticed in his cat, Misty.  There’s not much text, but these comic strips include such observations as trying to make a bed with a cat in the room (and it inevitably ends up under the covers), spending $15 on a cat toy when she is completely content to play with the paper, pouncing on a speck on the floor, etc.  Interspersed among the comics are more detailed sketches of other cats that Brown has had.

I’m a cat lover.  I would give this book to anyone who has ever owned a cat and ever though it did anything cute.  In fact, I did buy it for someone as a birthday gift.  This book is not for everyone, for sure.  But it has reassured my belief that all cats act the same way, and all of their efforts are to disrupt human activity as much as possible.  But it’s so cute!  I thought this book was hysterical and adorable.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Jazz

Jazz (2008)
by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers

Jazz takes the reader (or listener) on a poetic, musical journey through the history of jazz and blues music, from its African roots to the greats like Louis Armstrong.  The story is told through poetry, livened by rhythmic cadences and syncopated phrases.  Equally impressive are Christopher Myers’ paintings: they capture the life of jazz in vibrant colors and distinct lines.

If you can’t tell already, I’m going through some old book reviews I’ve had to do for various classes.  I’m sharing my favorites.  Picture books are always a little difficult because if you write more than 10 sentences describing them, you might have written more than the book.  But this one is worth 1,000,000 words.  I’ve got to say that this is one of the most beautiful children’s books I’ve ever seen.  I picked it up because I wanted a short book to read and review quickly.  I ended up being transported into an electrifying tale of music both through my eyes with the words and the illustrations and through my ears with the musical quality of the poetry itself.  It certainly deserves the nomination it received for the Coretta Scott King Award.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Sweetgrass Basket

Sweetgrass Basket (2005)
by Marlene Carvell

This book is about two sisters who are sent away to the Carlisle Indian School.  The stories told are based on true stories.  It is told in verse, alternating between the points of view of Mattie (elder) and Sarah (younger).  Mattie makes friends with the girl who sleeps next to her and her teacher.  Sarah makes friends with the African American groundskeeper and the woman who runs the laundry.  Mattie is brave and strong, even when she wants to cry.  Sarah does not cry because she knows she must not.  The headmaster of the school is very harsh and does not like Mattie’s strength.  She accuses her of stealing her silver broach.  Mattie didn’t do it, but no one believes her.  She runs away, but is brought back, sick because of being in the rain without shelter and food.  Since she has been gone, Sarah has become stronger and has never doubted her sister’s innocence.  She is both happy and sad when they find her – she has her sister back, but that means she did not make it home safely to her parents.  No matter what kind of accusations fly from the headmaster, the sisters hold strong to thee last pieces of their Native American heritage – it is who they are and they are proud of it.

This was a wonderfully touching book.  I was surprised by the verse and often got lost trying to remember which girl was older or younger (even though the book is well-organized), but I enjoyed it.  Rather, I thought it was a very good book.  This book isn’t really meant to be enjoyed but digested and processed.  It gives you a lot to think about.  I like that, especially when I’m challenged with a perspective that I’m not familiar with since I’ve never been Native American or in a boarding school.  Even though Sweetgrass Basket described the harshness that some people could (and sadly still do) impose on Native Americans, it also showed that there are those who were very kind, too.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

CrashBoomLove: a novel in verse

CrashBoomLove: a novel in verse (1999)
by Juan Felipe Herrera

This novel tells the turbulent story of Ceasr, a Mexican teenager, and all the culmination of all the junk he’s had to deal with.  His father is gone.  His mother doesn’t understand him.  High school sucks.  He dabbles in drugs.  He doesn’t know who is friends are.  All of the typical YA drama is there, but made worse by the fact that Cesar is an immigrant, is stereotyped by the authorities (academic and public), and he doesn’t speak English very well.  The verses explode with the emotions of Cesar – the jarring of the action, the psychological alteration of drugs, the pain of not having a father.  These are things that sometimes can’t be expressed in straight, linear sentences.  So instead Herrera paints a stirring word picture.  It can be hard to understand what’s going on at times, but then that merely reflects the point of view of the main character.  And like most YA books, there is hope at the end.

I thought this book was phenomenal.  I didn’t know that it was one of the first of its kind for Hispanic literature – I thought maybe novels in verse were something born from South America.  Even though they are not, this one kept my attention in one sitting.  I like the drama of YA novels, and trying to imagine not even speaking the language of the people around me while I dealt with all that crap just added another level of intensity to the story.  The language barrier is a big part of the story which interested me.  Having lived in a foreign country for awhile while still learning the language, I understand the frustration of not being able to express oneself.  I also found out with this book that I really enjoy novels in verse.  The concept has just blown my mind and I can’t believe I didn’t know about them (I know they aren’t terribly new).  Also, every high school kid can relate to high school crap.  This story would jar some things into reality for them, perhaps encourage them to be more welcoming and opening to people who are different, be more understanding if there are kids whose first language isn’t English.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire (2009)
by Suzanne Collins

Enjoyed this morning: tall one pump cinnamon dolce, one pump vanilla with cream americano.

SPOILER ALERT!!!  Contains spoiler information about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Catching Fire is Suzanne Collins sequel to The Hunger Games.  This year is the 75th anniversary of the Games.  Every 25 years, the Capitol holds a special version of the Games called the Quarter Quell.  They change the rules and make the games more intense.  For this Quarter Quell, it has been decided that the competitors will not be drawn from the Districts’ population, but rather from their former winners of the Hunger Games.  For District 12, with such a small pool of winners to choose from, that means that Katniss and Peeta are going back in to the games.  Everyone in Panem is outraged, since one of the benefits of being a winner is not ever having to go back in.  To make matters worse, the peace in Panem has been teetering on a precipice ever since the previous games because of Katniss’ actions.  She has been duly warned by the Capitol to essentially keep things sweet and simple or else.  Now Katniss has to not only worry about her life, her family, and everyone else she cares about just like before, but also the future of the country.

I went through Catching Fire just as fast as The Hunger Games.  It was an excellent read, especially for a sequel.  It gets off to kind of a slow start, dealing a lot with Katniss’ relationship complications that can make non-mush fans a little frustrated.  But once things get going with the Quarter Quell games, most of that mush is completely overridden by the intense struggle for survival.  Collins has created some great characters whose lives and stories just break your heart, and you feel like you’re right there with them, and you’d sponsor a gift if you could.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (2008)
by Suzanne Collins

Recently enjoyed: tall Zen tea

In The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins takes us to a post-apocalyptic USA.  The former country is divided into 12 districts (there used to be 13) which is ruled by the Capitol, somewhere along the Rockies.  District 13 no longer exists because they rebelled against the Capitol.  To make the other districts remember that the Capitol is in control, it holds the Hunger Games annually.  Each district must send two children – one girl and one boy – to fight to the death.  The winner gets free food for their family for life.  Katniss is from District 12 – coal mining and very poor.  In this year’s Hunger Games, her 12-year old sister’s name gets drawn.  Ever since her father died, Katniss has been the protector of the family.  She volunteers to take her sister’s place.  She and Peeta, the baker’s son who was also chosen by lot, are taken to the Capitol where they will be prepped and pampered before the games begin.  Before the games begin, Peeta confesses on live television his love for Katniss.  As if things weren’t complicated enough!  With all of this on her mind, Katniss still has to focus on keeping alive throughout the Hunger Games.

If you know me and have spoken with me in the last few weeks, you’ve heard me talk about this book.  This is easily one of the best stories I’ve read in the last 10 years.  I breezed through it in a few hours.  It kept me up at night, wondering what I would have done in her shoes, if I could live in a world described in this book, if I could have done the things Katniss has to do merely to survive, even outside the Hunger Games.  I want everyone I know to read this book so I can talk to them about it.  I give you this warning, though: this is the first book in a trilogy.  The second one is published and readily available (and will be reviewed shortly).  The third one will not be published until August.  I really hate that I have to wait that long to find out how this all ends.  So if you’re going to read it (and please do!  You will thank me), just be aware of what kind of wait you have ahead of you.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com

Ten Things I Hate About Me

Ten Things I Hate About Me (2009)
by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Currently enjoying: iced solo grande light ice extra caramel caramel macchiato.

Ten Things I Hate About Me is a story about Jamie/Jamilah – a Muslim teenage girl growing up in Australia.  She lives a divided life.  At school, she’s Jamie.  No one knows she’s Muslim.  She dyes her hair and does not wear the hijab – the head covering.  But outside of school is a very different scenario.  At home, she is Jamilah.  She lives with her widower father who is a relatively strict man but loves his children, an older sister who is passionate about most social controversies, and an older brother who is lethargic but generally looks out for her.  She also plays drums in a traditional Muslim band, and she loves it.  She is completely conflicted, and weaves herself into a web of carefully constructed stories where she feels safe.  But that web starts to fall apart when those two worlds continually move closer and closer together, and she struggles to figure out who her real friends are.

I first read this book as part of one of my assignments for a grad class on multiculturalism.  I’m so glad I did – I loved it.  It’s full of sarcastic humor, good characters, some predictable plot twists (it wouldn’t be YA if it didn’t), but it also dealt with some very real issues.  It handles topics like the meanness of teenagers, racism, and self-confidence that everyone nowadays has to deal with in some capacity.  It asks the reader, “What would you do in my situation?  Who would you choose to be?”  It’s interesting to put yourself in Jamilah’s/Jamie’s shoes, and it also makes you think about the webs you weave in school and outside of school to be who you want or even who others might want you to be.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

Rose of Many Colors

Rose of Many Colors (2005)
by Becky Plourde

In the first few chapters of Rose of Many Colors, the dream-like perfection of young Kayleigh’s life is torn from her.  Raped and left for dead, Kayleigh now has to try to make sense of the evils done to her, find her place in her family and friends, and rebuild her sense of security and self.  On top of all of that, she has a constant reminder of the tragedy that happened to her: she’s pregnant.

At her young age, Becky Plourde has already done more in the writing world than most people with twice her years.  This book was published when she was seventeen, and a sequel followed shortly thereafter.  This book is something special to me because I had the distinct privilege of having Becky as a roommate for a semester.  While the story can be hard to follow at times for different reasons ( 1) there are lots of names to keep track of, 2) simply being in the mind of a troubled teenage girl, etc.), I know personally that this author has a lot to offer and has only improved with time.  Keep your eye out for this one.  I’m looking forward to what’s coming next from her.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

The Last Battle

The Last Battle (1956)
by C. S. Lewis

Seventh written, final in the Narnian chronology.

We go from the creation of Narnia now to its last days.  Caspian and Rillian have long passed.  Their descendant, Tirian, is now king.   Aslan has not come to Narnia for many generations.  It’s been so long that most Narnians don’t even know what a lion looks like.  A clever Talking Ape named Shift takes advantage of this.  He finds a lion’s skin one day and decides to fit it to his housemate (they aren’t really friends – it’s a terribly abusive relationship) – a Donkey named Puzzle.  Shift uses Puzzle’s disguise to trick the Narnians into doing whatever he says, including selling themselves as slaves to the rich Calormenes.  When Tirian and his friend Jewel the Unicorn find out about this, they are outraged.  This is not the Aslan from the stories that have been passed down to them.  Aslan does not appear in Narnia, but he does send to of the “Friends of Narnian” – the children who have appeared in previous books.  Eustace and Jill come back to help Tirian and all of the Narnians who refuse to submit to the Calormenes in the last battle that Narnia will ever see.

Sometimes The Last Battle is a little too intense for me.  I mean, can you imagine being Tirian – your country being taken over by the supposed orders of someone you always thought to be a protector of your people?  The rage and the betrayal he feels is so strong and stressful that it’s not always easy to read.  BUT… the last chapters of this book could not be a more perfect conclusion to this series.  Without giving too much away, I’ll just say that as I read these last chapters, I would love nothing more than to die and go to Narnia.  Sometimes I secretly hope that heaven actually looks like this.  It brings tears to me.

One final thing I’d like to say about The Chronicles of Narnia: unlike something like the Harry Potter series where the main character grows up and the books get more mature in content as you progress through them, the Narnia series is fairly consistent throughout.  Books six and seven are just as appropriate for an 8 or 9  year old as books one and two.  With something like Harry Potter, it was great for the kids who were growing up with him before all of the books were published.  But now, you might have a 9 year old who picks up the first few books and breezes through them, but might struggle with the length and content of the last ones.  You won’t have to worry about that with Narnia.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.

The Magician’s Nephew

The Magician’s Nephew (1955)
by C. S. Lewis

Sixth written, first in the Narnian chronology.

In The Magician’s Nephew, Lewis takes us back in time to the turn of the 20th century, the time before Narnia existed.  It’s the story of two children – Digory and Polly – and how they chanced upon magical adventures one summer.  Digory’s uncle Andrew is a meddlesome dabbler in magic, and he tricks the children into using some magic rings that he is too afraid to try himself.  These rings can take them to many different worlds.  They come upon a dying world, break an enchantment, and bring a horrible witch back to Victorian England.  When they try to bring her back to her own world, the children bring her and a whole host of others into a world of complete nothingness.  Then the song begins, the song of the creation of Narnia.  Since it was Digory who brought the witch into the world, it is Digory who must now protect it from her.

This is my other favorite chronicle.  I actually had a cassette tape of it long before I even realized Narnia was a series and an entire world.  I love the back story that Lewis creates.  You can see how one thing that happened several years ago affects the future of Narnia.  I guess that’s a perk of writing the beginning after most of the story.  But I like connections and flashbacks.  I also like this story because of the biblical allusions (I guess as Lewis got on with the series, he wanted the faith element to be more prevalent?) – it’s a magical retelling of the Genesis story.  Whether or not you believe the Genesis account of creation, this is a beautiful story.  Aslan creates the world with a song.  The idea sends chills through me.  A song that can create something out of nothing is almost to beautiful to imagine.  The story line for The Magician’s Nephew is also quite captivating – magical and adventurous.  And whether you’re reading this book first, second, sixth, or anywhere in the series, it’s a great story that can stand apart on its own, as it did for me with the audio book so many years ago.

Image taken from http://www.amazon.com.