Tracyt1's Weblog

I recognized the main character in this book, Jeff, right away as having so much pain he could only deal with it through sarcasm. But as the story goes on I learned I didn’t know Jeff at all. In fact I was shocked by Jeff’s story. And it is so refreshing to be shocked by a book. I read so many that I pride myself on figuring out a story half way through, but not Jeff’s. There is not much more I can write without giving away the whole story. I probably won’t be keeping this book in my junior high classroom. The sex scenes are pretty detailed. I will be bringing it to school to give to my friends. I think Jeff’s story is definitely worth sharing.

Runner by Carl Deuker

tracyt1 — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:08:37 +0000

Few young adult books seem to deal with terrorism and 9/11. Maybe we’ve been to distracted by Vampires. This didn’t cross my mind until I read this book. Chance lives on boat with his alcoholic father. They have little money, so Chance takes advantage of an opportunity to smuggle some “packages.” Finally, he can pay the bills and even sit at a coffee shop and order a latte and muffin with friends from school. But, some of these packages contain a mysterious putty-like substance. And, when his connection commits suicide, Chance isn’t sure what to do. The best part about this book is the relationship between Chance and his father. Even though his dad is a drunk, Chance loves him. Kids who are looking to enter the military should read this book. It won’t convince them one way or the other, but it is a book that deals with making that decision and respects it. The action is non-stop, and in the end I was cheering for Chance.

Edmodo

tracyt1 — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:42:02 +0000

Edmodo is a social networking site created specifically for classroom teachers to use with their students. I first heard about Edmodo from my cousin who uses it as the primary communication tool for some of his AP classes at the High School. When I first had my students log on to Edmodo to try it out they were excited by the fact it looked like Facebook and they could keep in touch with me and each other online in a Facebook like environment. I used it this summer as a tool to communicate about our summer reading novel. I had 20 students in my group and at least half have been keeping in touch about their reading using Edmodo. I think the rest will be more active once Edmodo becomes a tool we use more regularly at school. Overall, this is great online educational tool.

Impossible by Nancy Werlin

tracyt1 — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 19:00:41 +0000

Lucy’s family has been cursed by a demonic Elfin King. Each woman for generations has found herself pregnant at age 18, and has then gone insane after giving birth. Lucy is raped on prom night, not by her date, exactly, but an evil spirit. Lucy’s own insane mother has been singing the song that will undo the curse, “Scarborough Fair.” If Lucy can complete the 3 impossible tasks in that folk song she will be free. The story seems to take a break as Lucy and her best friend Zach decide to get married. They don’t seem all that interested in breaking the curse for awhile. It seems all great curses are usually solved with ingenuity. These aren’t. The marriage between Zach and Lucy is as unromantic as it comes, definitely realistically portrayed as a teenage marriage. That’s why I think it is a little “impossible” that many of my girls will like this book.

Hate List a Novel by Jennifer Brown

tracyt1 — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 21:55:47 +0000

It is scary to give kids books about school shootings. Last year I read Colombine by Dave Cullen and was surprised that there were so many misconceptions about that event that I still believed. If anything that book, and Hate List, taught me not to trust everything you read in the papers. In Hate List, Val’s boyfriend Nick does the shooting. Though they had created a hate list together, Val had no intentions of every following through and hurting anyone. If anything, this book is about Nick’s selfishness and never thinking what the consequences of his actions would have on Val, the girl he supposedly loved. There is so much going on in this book: Val’s having to prove her innocence, her relationship with her horrible dad, mom’s trust issues, and the effects this event has had on her little brother are barely touched upon. The adults are not all idiots and they are not all perfect. The kids in this book are real. They make mistakes and try to fix them, which is what kids do. There is little detail about the shooting itself. There is some strong language. This book teaches kids not to hate.