The Perks of Being a Wallflower

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Something is wrong with Charlie, the sixteen year old boy who narrates this story through letters written to an unspecified “friend.” He is subject to dramatic mood swings, has trouble with the art of truthtelling, and lacks social grace. The suspense that drives the story is the uncertainty over whether Charlie’s fragility will survive the onslaught of over-the-top adolescent hazards. Nothing is spared; there is drinking, violence, drugs, smoking, abuse, homosexuality, fast-driving, and explicit sex. Ironically, it is the realization of his dream of the tenderness of true love that pushes him over the brink, forcing him to finally come to terms with events in his early childhood that damaged him.

This novel has been compared to Catcher in the Rye. It is similar in that it too is a book that belongs to young people, in that it expresses the drive for a generational truth in still forming young minds. But Charlie is not as angry as Holden Caulfield. Charlie has more reason to complain and be vengeful but he is too devoted to the principal of love. And this is why he is able to face his demons and come to the conclusion that he cannot change his past, but he can make a better future for himself.

The explicit content in this book has made this a controversial book. It has been banned by adults, and teenagers have named it as the best book they have read–a book that has changed their lives and made them interested in reading. As an adult who finds books for kids, I found the content almost relentlessy disturbing–did they have to smoke too?–but I realize the content represents the minefield that a broken Charlie must navigate, and thus highlights both his strengths and his undeserved baggage. Teenagers brought this book into my classroom. Most of my students seem to know about this book, and some chose not to read it. That seems appropriate. It is their book, let them choose.

Gaby

Twisted

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

The saying Be careful what you wish for would have been good advice for Tyler, who spent the first three years of high school trying to be the kind of guy that would appeal to the most popular girl in school. Who would have thought that getting in trouble for a graffiti prank at the end of his junior year would propel him into the ranks he dreamed of for his senior year. But what does he find when he gets there? Nothing but trouble. What he has to face is how much of himself he is willing to give up and just how he will stand his ground.

Identity and power struggles evolve in this book on a backdrop of teen concerns with drugs, sex, school, and family. The theme is one of inner strength and self-respect overcoming an onslaught of adversity in the pursuit of adolescent happiness. Strong writing, well-liked by many of my middle and high school students.

Gaby

The Graveyard

Neil Gaiman is an excellent author. Each of his words seems to be so perfectly placed that they exactly convey their intended message and nothing more. I recently saw the quote, “Focus on the essence, not the filler” and, it reminded me of how Neil Gaiman writes. It has taken me a while to write a review for his latest book, The Graveyard Book, because while I recognize his exceptional artistic mastery, his dark genre is not generally my cup of tea.

For example, the opening scene of the book is the ruthless murder of a small boy’s entire family. The toddler escapes purely by accident. I know, I know as Lois Lowry so eloquently explains in The Willoughby’s, all of the great stories are about winsome orphans. The problem is that Neil Gaiman is such a good author that somehow it seems more traumatic than say Barbar, Cinderella, or even Lemony Snicket. However, while there are some suspenseful elements after the opening, there is nothing as graphic or scary as the first few pages.

This is yet another example of a story about a deserving orphan, this time he just happens to be raised by ghosts in a graveyard. And, although I am generally not drawn to anything goth or dark, it is hard to resist this exceptionally well told story. I have not given this to my daughter yet, but if I do, I hope she takes away the message that the dark and light parts of life do not always appear as you would expect them. And, in fact, it is sometimes quite the opposite. In this case, the ghosts in the graveyard are kind, nurturing and are raising a boy who will help keep the world safe. On the other hand, the true evil ones are the major donors at important charities. It is important for my daughters to learn that someone who has twelve eyebrow rings and wears only black can be just as good or better than the most clean cut looking person. In fact, I think I need to remember that sometimes too.

Children who consider themselves as outsiders will love this book. It has also just the enough of an edge to give it the power to capture what might be a reluctant reader. However, I wouldn’t recommend it to children younger than 4th grade who have well developed imaginations. When your child is old enough, this book ironically does convey a message of love and hope that this ‘clean cut’ mom is a total sucker for.
-Jessica Wheeler

Impossible

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

A good part of being a teenager is the uncovering of mysteries about one’s own self. Lucy has more of a task with this than most teenagers since she is the target of an ancient curse, one based on the song Scarborough Fair. In a contemporary teen setting, Lucy must first discover the nature of a curse that threatens to irrevocably determine an unacceptable fate. Then, with the help of foster parents and a loving boyfriend (as well as the modern advantage of technology) she must try to break the curse.

A little of the supernatural really makes this story of strength, courage, and love sparkle. The obstacles are powerful, the drive for resolution is intense, the strength of love is thrilling. Teenage girls in my eighth and ninth grade classes last year were thrilled with this book. While there is some violence and moderately inexplicit sex, including a slightly surreal rape scene, the overriding theme is the power of love and resolve in overcoming adversity.

Gaby Chapman

Ivy & Bean Doomed to Dance

The best birthday present Georgia received this year was the latest installment of the Ivy & Bean series, Doomed to Dance. I am on a constant quest to find books that are both the right level and interesting enough to hold Georgia’s attention. The pickings are slim, my friends. However, there are a couple of good ones, like the Franny K. Stein series, the Max and Maddy Series, and the Akimbo books. But, by far, for Georgia, the winner is Ivy & Bean. We have been waiting for this new release for six months, and were thrilled it arrived before Georgia’s birthday.

In Doomed to Dance, Ivy and Bean read a book about the ballet, Giselle, and decide they simply must take ballet class. Taking a page from my own playbook, the moms allow them to join, but also insist that they have to stick with it through the entire session. The grim difference between Giselle and a beginning ballet class for 7 year olds quickly becomes obvious and the rest of the book is the story about how they try to get out of their promise. I don’t want to give it away, but let’s just say that it involves running away and very scary giant squids. You’ve gotta love any book for a second grader that manages to include both Giselle and giant squids with grace.

Aside from Georgia’s devotion to them, what I love most about Ivy & Bean is that the characters are believable and charming. While sometimes naughty, there is always a logic and justification for their behavior. In addition, the parents react with appropriate and realistic discipline. By contrast, books like Junie B. Jones and Eloise imply that arbitrary bratty behavior and, even worse, bad grammar, is somehow endearing. It’s a relief to find a book both with fun young girl characters and positive relationships.

Georgia believes that the best book in a series is always the third one. She says that way the characters are really well developed, but the author is still not out of ideas. Ivy and Bean is the exception, we both agree they just keep getting better and better.

- Jessica Wheeler

Bloody Jack

Bloody Jack by L.A. Meyer

It is 1797 in London and a young girl has just been put out on the street. All of her family has died of the pestilence and she has nothing but the clothes on her back. Oh, wait! Soon she is robbed of even those by a gang of orphans in need of new clothes. The girl who has her new clothes looks back at her and says, “Well, come on then. And quit your sniveling.” The girl, who narrates this story, writes, “I snuffles and gets up.”

She weeps, she trembles, she mourns, but she keeps getting up throughout this highly entertaining story of a girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can become a ship’s boy, avoid being hung for thievery, and get enough to eat. I usually demand more than pure entertainment from the books I read–I want to be able to see the world in a new way or learn something thrilling–and I usually don’t like series books, but I finished this book with a single thought: I wanted the next book in the series.

The character of Mary who becomes Jacky leaps from the pages. The endless series of riotous adventurous never seem contrived. All resolutions feel perfectly apt. Danger never dissipates, but evil always gets its satisfyingly just desserts.

Bloody Jack will be enjoyed by kids who liked The Unfortunate Series of Events in their younger years, middle school and younger experienced readers who will not be confused by the occasional “guttersnipe” dialect of the narrator (“prolly” for probably; me mum and me pop, etc), high school readers who need a break from fantasy, teen-age angst, and vampire genres, and adults who just like to have fun reading. Attitudes towards the innate differences between the genders are of course amply explored and the romance is tender and true and not excessively graphic. I recommend not trying to find out if the author is male or female until you have read at least one book in the series.

Gaby Chapman

The Fairy’s Return and Other Princess Tales by Gail Carson Levine

The Fairy's Return and Other Princess Tales

There are over 20 Million searches on the word princess on Google every month. It should come as no surprise that a search for princess books on Amazon also returned 230,639 results. A child could easily spend their entire youth reading only princess books.

So, here’s my confession, I love princess stories. I do, I can’t help it. And, my favorite princess books are all written by Gail Carson Levine. She is a master of creating new stories from ageless tales. If you are just going to dabble in princess stories, read one of Gail Carson Levine’s books such as Fairest, Ella Enchanted or the Sisters of Bamarre. However, if you want to limit yourself to just a short story here or there, The Fairy’s Return and other Princess Tales is perfect. These tales are delightful twists on ageless stories that will have you rethinking the traditional princess paradigm.

All of the stories take place around Snettering-on-Snoakes and the Kingdom of Biddle. The books starts out with “The Fairy’s Mistake,” a play on the traditional tale of one nice sister being given a blessing by a secretly magic old lady, while the evil mean sister is given a curse. In this story, the nice sister is given the ‘blessing’ of jewels spewing forth from her mouth whenever she speaks. Meanwhile, the mean sister is given the ‘curse’ of disgusting things like lizards, snakes and wasps jumping out of her mouth whenever she speaks. The beautiful and kind sister is, of course, immediately swept up and married by a handsome prince who just happens to be riding by. I mean, really, what self-respecting prince would not want to marry a girl who literally drips jewels every time she murmurs a word? The sweet sister is then instantly doomed to a life where she is pushed, prodded, and pulled in all directions. Her feelings are the last thing on anyone’s mind. On the other hand, the mean sister suddenly manages to get everyone to do her bidding. At the smallest hint of her speaking, people dash to meet her every whim. For, the second she opens her mouth, something horrible will come out. This was not what the fairy had in mind, but isn’t it funny how things sometimes turn out differently than we expect them to. Fear not, like all good princess stories, this has a happy ending. But, not before it makes all of us think a little about the meaning of blessings.

All of the short stories in this book are equally thought provoking and entertaining. While the stories are about a 5th grade reading level, the nature of the stories will appeal to all ages. It is a great book for reading aloud because the stories are fun and also provide great ideas for conversations about life.

If you too are a victim of the princess bug, I also recommend these other titles for middle schoolers: Princess Academy, Goose Girl, Rapunzel’s Revenge (graphic novel), as well as all of the books in The Royal Diaries series.

- Jessica Wheeler

Over and Under

Over and Under by Todd Tucker

Paradise is being a fourteen-year-old boy and having a true friend to share complete freedom with–the forest is unspoiled and filled with wildlife and unexlored caves; the town is small and suitable for unsupervised explorations, and the bedroom windows are easy to climb out of at night. Though the summer of 1979 has more fodder for adventure than usual–a divisive labor strike, a deadly bombing, and a murderous drunk–it all serves as backdrop for the real story: the value and the power of a solid childhood friendship.

This authentic-feeling story is not represented as young adult fiction though it is written entirely from the perspective of one of the fourteen-year-old boys, essentially because it is about nostalgia–ah, the irretrievable days of youthful freedom! However, middle school boys and younger high school boys who like the outdoors and the freedom to roam and explore will enjoy this book. The adventure and excitement never ebb, and all the characters are richly drawn. The description of one of the boys in a drain pipe with a copper head snake by itself makes the book worth reading. It’s a great book for parents who like to read and enjoy the books their kids also read.

Gaby Chapman

A Curse As Dark As Gold

A Curse As Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

In a tight spot, in an end of the road absolutely everything will be lost tight spot, who among us would not turn to the supernatural for help, even at an extreme cost? And if it works, would we not turn to it again if misfortune pushed us again to the wall? This is such a common experience it is no wonder it is a theme of stories in many cultures over the centuries. In the story of Rumplestiltskin, a miller’s daughter must spin straw into gold or her father will die. Talk about a tight spot. But a little man appears and spins the straw into gold for her. He asks for a necklace at first but eventually it is her child he wants. She saves the child by finding out the little man’s true name.

Elizabeth Bunce has taken the hapless miller’s daughter and made her into a real force. Strong, sensible Charlotte takes over the mill when her father dies and throws herself into the impossible challenge of overcoming adversity on every side. When all her options vanish, she turns to the mysterious little man who can spin straw into gold. But it is not only his name she must discover to save everything she holds dear; she must use all her courage to discover where her forebearers went wrong and she must make it right.

This is storytelling at its best and a wonderfully rich version of a very old tale. The spells, the magic, and the curse from the dead are skillfully woven into a warmly realistic tale of millers of cloth in the years before the Industrial transformation. As I was reading this book, I heard mysterious noises in my house differently and experienced fleeting moments where I thought I might be in the presence of spirits. No wonder I liked fairy tales so much when I was a child. They break open thin windows onto alternate worlds.

Girls from age ten to ninetly will love this book. It is an advanced read for younger girls and though fairly scarey, has nothing that would be inappropriate for younger readers.

Gaby Chapman

The Animal Family

This is one of the most transcendentally beautiful children’s books I’ve ever read. As a poet, Randall Jarrell gives every word a particular grace and spaciousness, and the illustrations by Maurice Sendak are peaceful and evocative.

The story begins with a hunter who lives alone on an island. Although his world is lovely, he has no one to share it with. Jarrell gives a sense of the hunter’s loneliness in a particularly memorable paragraph: “One winter night, as he looked at the star that, blazing coldly, made the belt and the sword of the hunter Orion, a great green meteor went slowly across the sky. The hunter’s heart leaped, he cried ‘Look, look!’ But there was no one to look.”

One night, as the hunter stands looking out over the sea, he hears a kind of burbling laughter arising from the waves. He returns night after night, and eventually becomes friends with an adventurous mermaid who wants to see what living on land is like. Together they begin a kind of family, to which is eventually added a baby lynx and a bear cub. Without being anthropomorphized, the two animals are fully realized characters, capable of both great kindness and foolishness. The adventures of this foursome are often funny and always moving because of the great love that binds them together. One of my favorite details in this wonderful book is that the mermaid is not afraid of making mistakes; they simply make her laugh!

My uncle gave me this book on my seventh birthday, and I have read it at least once a year (43!) since. Although it is a wonderful book for ages six to eight, it will enchant readers of any age. In fact, I read it often during my teens when I needed to be reassured by its serene sweetness.

Alix Pitcher