Children’s Literature

Crush

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Queer, Women, Young Adult /

Crush is a tiny little YA book with very large font and it took me about a half hour to read. I have no idea what the reading level is but it’s got to be low – so maybe a low-literacy YA book? Good enough, I like that. It’s important that books like that exist.

My problems with the book are this.

Do we really want to tell teens that you can have one date with someone and bam, that’s it – you’re in love? Do we really want to tell queer questioning teens that you can figure out you’re gay THAT easily? I don’t know. It seemed pretty “fairy tale” like to me. There must be some way to meet in the middle between the fairy tale and the heavy handed teen “problem” book.

Other than that? I liked it.

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Postcards From No Man’s Land

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Queer, Young Adult /

I see why Postcards From No Man’s Land won the Printz. It started a little slow or was a little confusing, I’m not sure which, but it settled down and it was interesting. It also didn’t read like a YA book. Lots of tough topics to think about – war, infidelity, “love”, “marriage”, euthanasia, even a wee bit of polyamory tossed in. And, another look at Anne Frank. Interesting book.

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Hole in My Life

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Non-Fiction, Printz Award Challenge /

I had no idea a book about prison life could be written without horrible gang rapes and bloody fight scenes. Hole in My Life was almost refreshing because of its lack of these types of scenes. Who knew it was possible? And who knew I’d appreciate it this much?

Good thing I do appreciate a “light touch” on a prison book because otherwise I’d have been pretty bored. I’m not sure most teens would sit through a non-fiction piece like this. I’m also not really sure why it was on the Printz short list. Because the ex con writer is the author of the Joey Pigza books? Whatever. I was pretty bored with it all.

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My Heartbeat

2 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Queer, Young Adult /

My Heartbeat is another YA book from the Printz Award Challenge and I picked it up on audio last week. When we started listening to it, I wasn’t impressed and pretty much quit listening after that first couple of chapters.

Yesterday, as we headed to south Florida for synchro, I turned it on again and pretty quickly got hooked. TW, not so much. She hated all of the characters accept “the Father”. I disliked the “Father” a lot and am troubled that he’s the only character that TW liked.

Anyway – I thought it was a good “gay” book. The whole “I’m not gay, I don’t know if I’m gay, but we’re a couple or maybe we aren’t a couple because that would mean we are gay” thing – awesome.

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The Ropemaker

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Look, another book that took me far too long to finish. This is more troubling than the week it took me to read Duma Key because Ropemaker is YA fantasy which should take two days MAX.

I’m not sure if the problem was that it started slowly or if I was just plain tired. But reading one or two chapters a day felt like “enough” until last night when I stayed up far too late just to get it finished.

It wasn’t a bad, slow reading YA fantasy – it just wasn’t great. And that’s too bad because once I realized what Tilja’s “power” was, I thought it was an awesome idea. And that awesome idea spurred some really good moments. I think, if there was a sequel that was focused on what happened next, with Tilja, I’d like it more than I liked The Ropemaker.

Also, I’d really like one of those special hair ties. That would be awesome.

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A Step From Heaven

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

No, I’m not here to suggest that the Evanston area is a step from heaven. It is not. A Step From Heaven is a YA “problem” book that was up for a Printz Award.

We started listening to it on audio during our trip to Tampa last weekend and TW and I finished it up on the way to the airport yesterday.

It is a YA problem book or more to the point, a YA Korean immigrant problem book. The best type of problem book, according to those who nominate books for awards. Problem books – good … Immigrant problem books – better!

Or not.

How depressing. With a happy ending!

Ho hum.

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True Believer

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Queer, Young Adult /

When TW read the CD case for True Believer and told me it was the second in a trilogy I almost said “forget it” – Printz Challenge or no Printz Challenge. I do not like to read books out of order. Ever.

But, I said what the heck and put the first CD in the player.

Right off the bat, it was a little disconcerting because the voice of LaVaughn is the same voice as “Baby Girl” from Upstate. I was afraid it was going to be such a similar book that I’d just be confusing my characters all of the way through. But it wasn’t like that at all.

None of the poor black teens went to jail. None of the poor black teens were having sex that they shouldn’t have been having, though there was Jolly who had already done that – a couple of times. There was also the gay boy storyline, very unusual in a novel about black city teens.

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May Bird: Warrior Princess

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I was worried about May Bird: Warrior Princess because third books in series are cursed. And also because Cat was unhappy with it, or so sassymonkey said. I read it anyway and I think knowing the book was cursed helped.

I didn’t hate it.

I also didn’t love it. But really, I did not hate it.

Pumpkin? Liked it.
Legume? Liked it.

The end – did not like and that makes it hard to remember that there were pieces that I did like.

NASA? Ummm no. Unnecessary and wrong.
Somber Kitty? No, no and no again.

I hope this is the end of the series, for real, otherwise I’d be asking for a do-over – Somber Kitty and May deserved better than the last book they were dealt.

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2 more Printz books down

2 Comments / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Printz Award Challenge, Young Adult /

I picked up Freewill expecting, I don’t know what… TW read it last week and said she didn’t understand a word. Well. Yea. Weird book. I cannot imagine a teen reading this book and really enjoying it. Pretty disappointed Printz Award nominee, I think. It feels like a book we should all like and one that kids should all like – but we don’t, and they won’t.

Then, because I didn’t know what I was supposed to be reading next, I grabbed Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by 20th Century Art. Quick and easy to read and finish – and it was. I didn’t really expect much from it. It looks like a little kids’ book but it wasn’t. The poetry was interesting and the art was fantastic. And that’s what this is about – poets choosing a work of art and writing poetry inspired by the art. Good stuff.

So – one Printz not so good, another very good and two more scratched off the list. It was a good night for challenges.

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