Review: Zach Apologizes

Zach Apologizes by William Mulcahy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I like this series. In short, realistic prose, the author covers a simple, common occurrence and shows kids how to deal with it. This would be an excellent book for the younger grades, Kindergarten through about 3rd grade. I wish there were similar books for slightly older children, who are the ones I prefer to sub for.

I would recommend this book for parents, teachers, and school counselors. Parents should probably get it from the library, though, as it isn't really a book that kids will want to re-read many times.



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Review: Zach Gets Frustrated

Zach Gets Frustrated by William Mulcahy

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a short, but effective book for helping kids deal with frustration. My only regret about it is that it is targeted for kids a bit younger than I usually teach. It would probably be most effective for Kindergarten through second grade and I usually teach a bit older kids. Recommended for teachers who have students who are struggling with anger issues.



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Book-Related Posts Moved Here

I think I have all of my book-related posts moved to this blog.  They are probably somewhat out of chronological order, but I am not going to worry about that.  I will get them deleted out of my other blog soon.  Three blogs:  book blog; education, social issues, serious stuff; less serious and more personal stuff.  There is some less serious stuff in the serious blog, but I am not going to move it, since no one cares, except me, anyway. 

Ashling by Isobelle Carmody

This review was originally written in 2007.  It was moved from my general blog to my book review blog.

I have now finished re-reading Obernewtyn, The Farseekers, and Ashling and I enjoyed them just as much the fourth or fifth time through. There is so much there. The story is complex, the characters are complex and there is so much to think about. The only problem is that I can't seem to find The Keeping Place - the fourth book. I know I had it, but it isn't where is should be, with the other Carmody books, filed under C (and next to Orson Scott Card). Oh, dear, I hope I don't have to buy it again - it is only available from Australia and that makes it expensive.

I am not going to give a summary of Ashling, since it would only make sense if you have read the first books. Obernewtyn is the one to start with. It is a post-holocaust book, where the world is very slowly recovering from "The Great White", a nuclear event that left much of the world destroyed and radioactive. In this world, mutants are put to death, books and machines are destroyed, and life reverts to a middle ages like agrarian culture - deeply religious and superstitious. But some children are born with powers that make them extraordinary. If those powers are discovered, the children are in extreme danger, as they are considered to be offenses against God (Lud). One such child, Elspeth, is discovered by the woman who runs a remote facility, designed ostensibly to try to heal the children. Elspeth is taken there and discovers that the truth is far more sinister.

When I talk about these books and the fact that the children have special powers, I don't know exactly how to convey them. They are not like the powers of the cartoon characters, such as the mutant ninja warriors. One of the special powers is the power to "beastspeak" - talk to animals. Another is the power of farseeking - finding someone who is far away and sensing what they sense.

I think one of the reasons that these books appeal to me so strongly is that the characters feel (and are) different from most of society. Whereas their powers should gain them respect and allow them to help society, they are instead forced to hide and deny their abilities, or face death.

I also like the complexity of the story - not only do the characters have great depth, but the setting and the background story is very complex. It is like being transported to a world that both is, and is not, similar to ours and living there for the duration of the book.

Highly recommended.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

This review was originally written in 2007.  It was moved from my general blog to my book review blog.

I enjoyed this book, but it is one of those books that I wish I had gotten from the library, rather than buying myself. The story is just a bit too far-fetched for me to feel comfortable with. But perhaps that isn't quite accurate. There are some really far fetched books that I completely enjoy. It is just that the characters in this book didn't seem completely real to me. Each one was a bit too much like themselves - too unidimensional, perhaps, is a better way to put it. Even though the characters weren't exactly stereotypes, their behaviors were fairly predictable. Perhaps that is OK, though, because it simplifies a rather convoluted story.

Nevertheless, for kids who enjoy mysteries and puzzling out what is happening as the story unfolds, this is a rewarding read. Some of the puzzles are easy, some much harder. This might make for a good read aloud. But, I still can't figure out Mr. Benedict's first name. Sigh.

I Have a Bed Made of Buttermilk Pancakes by Jaclyn Moriarty

This review was originally written in 2007.  It was moved from my general blog to my book review blog.

I guess I should just give up on adult books. I loved Feeling Sorry for Celia; I liked Finding Cassie Crazy (published in the US as The Year of Secret Assignments); I lost interest in Buttermilk Pancakes before I was even halfway through. I did skim the rest to find out what happened, but that was it. I am getting to the point where I think the problem is with me and not with the books, though, so if anyone is reading this, don't take it as a sign that the book isn't good. Maybe I will just talk about kids books that I read, unless I find an adult book that appeals to me.

Sigh.

Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman

This review was originally written in 2007.  It was moved from my general blog to my book review blog.

This, on the other hand, is a book that I wish I had bought instead of gotten from the library. The story is set in 1964 in Jackson, Mississippi, where the Moxley family has just moved. The father works for the FBI, protecting black people who are registering to vote. The main character, Alice Ann, is in 6th grade, in a school that is being newly integrated. The black girl who joins the class is Reverend Taylor's daughter, Valerie.

Although this is a work of fiction, the story feels so real that you have to know that it is based on real experience (and it is - the author herself moved to Mississippi during this time frame). This is the way history should be taught - by reading books like this.

Since Alice was an "outsider", a Yankee, she has trouble fitting in. She doesn't understand the Southerners ways and her feelings of loneliness and vulnerability are all too real. She wants to make friends, so she can't herself befriend the Negro girl, who, anyway, deliberately avoids any friendly overtures. Valerie doesn't want to be there either - as much, if not more, than the white kids (and teachers) who don't want her in "their" school.

I cried at the end of this one - cried for our inhumanity, our fallibility.

The cover of the book might be a bit of a turn-off for kids, though. It is appropriately old-fashioned and well done, but it doesn't look that appealing.

Highly recommended.