Review: The Rules for Disappearing

Title: The Rules for Disappearing
Author: Ashley Elston
Genre: Suspense, thriller, realistic fiction, YA
Ages: 15-18 years

Goodreads Description:
She’s been six different people in six different places: Madeline in Ohio, Isabelle in Missouri, Olivia in Kentucky . . . But now that she’s been transplanted to rural Louisiana, she has decided that this fake identity will be her last.

Witness Protection has taken nearly everything from her. But for now, they’ve given her a new name, Megan Rose Jones, and a horrible hair color. For the past eight months, Meg has begged her father to answer one question: What on earth did he do – or see – that landed them in this god-awful mess? Meg has just about had it with all the Suits’ rules — and her dad’s silence. If he won’t help, it’s time she got some answers for herself.

But Meg isn’t counting on Ethan Landry, an adorable Louisiana farm boy who’s too smart for his own good. He knows Meg is hiding something big. And it just might get both of them killed. As they embark on a perilous journey to free her family once and for all, Meg discovers that there’s only one rule that really matters — survival.

My Review:

This book had something for everyone--suspense, action, romance.  The idea of being in the Witness Protection program is an interesting one, especially surviving the process while also dealing with the normal struggles of being a teenager.  The main character is mature and strong, dealing with many issues including surviving the witness protection program, an alcoholic mother, and taking care of her younger sister.  However, readers relate to her as she also deals with figuring out who she is, avoiding drama caused by the popular mean girl, and having a crush on a cute boy.  The book was well written and filled with suspense and action that make it easy to keep the pages turning.


*ARC provided by NetGalley.

Book Review: Twerp

Twerp by Mark Goldblatt
Ages: 12-15 years old

Description according to Goodreads:
Julian Twerski isn't a bully. He's just made a big mistake. So when he returns to school after a week long suspension, his English teacher offers him a deal: if he keeps a journal and writes about the terrible incident that got him and his friends suspended, he can get out of writing a report on Shakespeare. Julian jumps at the chance. And so begins his account of life in sixth grade--blowing up homemade fireworks, writing a love letter for his best friend (with disastrous results), and worrying whether he's still the fastest kid in school. Lurking in the background, though, is the one story he can't bring himself to tell, the one story his teacher most wants to hear.

My Review:
This book quickly pulled me in, with its numerous short stories and antics of the main character, Julian, and his friends.  There is a lot of material for tweens to connect to such as friendships, crushes, first dates, and sports.  However, the author does a great job of tackling a very serious subject matter, bullying, and how a "prank" or "joke" can escalate and turn out to be less funny and more hurtful than intended.  The author hints at this ugly incident throughout the book, but allows the reader to get to know the characters and their world before revealing what happened in its entirety--a smart moves that lends itself to a well-wrapped up ending.



*ARC provided by NetGalley.

Book Review: Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

Title: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares
Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan
Genre: YA, Realistic Fiction, Novel
Summary: Lily is bored with her life and wants to meet a boy, so with the help of her brother she starts plants a notebook in a bookstore.  Dash stumbles upon this notebook and is intrigued; he decides to up the ante by creating dares of his own for Lily to complete.  Soon the two are communicating in the notebook while using the dares to live life outside of the notebook at the same time. 
Evaluation: This was a simple, fun read.  I liked that the concept of a book, of using a notebook to get to know someone.  The authors did a nice job of expanding that plot and allowing the notebook to help the characters to learn more about themselves while finding a life outside of the book.  There was some swearing in the book, but not too much.  Fans of romance, realistic fiction, or someone looking for a holiday read would enjoy this book.

*This book was provided by NetGalley. 

Book Review: Bridge to Terabithia

Title: Bridge to Terabithia

Author: Katherine Paterson

Awards Won: Newbery Medal

Recommended Age Span and Why: This book is recommended for children ages 11 to 14 partly due to the writing style, but mainly because of the more mature subject matter of the death of one of the main characters.  

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Novel

Brief Summary: When a new girl moves in next door, Jess is apathetic until he finds himself becoming friends with her and having adventures until a tragic accident occurs.

Evaluation & Use with Children:  This was a very enjoyable read.  A personal favorite part of the book is when the characters create an imaginary kingdom, especially since that kingdom is based on another book.  Hopefully, it encourages children to create their own imaginary lands and adventures.  Moreover, the book deals with the issue of death.  The author handles the topic in such a way as to make it appropriate for children.  The various stages of grieving are also covered through the main character.  Readers who have lost a loved one can empathize with the characters in the book, while those who have not had that experience may have understanding for their peers going through the situation.  The author weaves in a good message about the importance of finding balance between having a healthy fear and living life courageously, which is an especially appropriate message considering the tragic accident that occurs.

There are a few ways that the book could be used when working with children.  The book could be used as a way to discuss death and grieving.  Also, the book could be used with art to inspire children to illustrate their own imaginary kingdoms.  The book could be read along with The Chronicles of Narnia and then activities dealing with comparison could be done with the two books.  Compare and contrast activities could also be done between city life and country life since Jess and Leslie were from these very different places.

inspire

Currently I am taking a course called Resources and Services for Young Adults. A class I feel that I am going to come to love! After finishing my most recent assigned readings, I walked away feeling inspired. In our role, librarians have an incredible opportunity to impact the teenagers we work with. Teenagers have come to have a bad reputation and can be looked down upon in our society, but why? We were all teenagers once we should be able to relate to them and more importantly RESPECT them. As corny as it may sound, these individuals are the future. They have the potential to do great and amazing things. More powerfully, we have the opportunity to get to know these young adults, to help them find books that will help them to grow into themselves, and to be the adult they can turn to that will give them respect. What role do you want to play in the lives of the young adults around you?

online learning

This semester 3 of my 4 classes were online.  I had never taken a class in an online format and was a little apprehensive.  However, I feel that the online format while very different from a traditional format suited me.  At times I missed the in-class discussions, and the general socializing between classmates.  However, I enjoyed the flexibility and the opportunity to fully form my thoughts before joining in the dialogue.  I found that these factors meant that I was able to take then time to really integrate the lessons into my knowledge base, something that I discovered when I was able to take knowledge and apply it into other areas—other classes, practicum experiences, and discussions with my friends.  Learning should be lifelong, especially in this field, and online conferences and webinars will be useful for keeping up to date professionally.  Overall, my online learning experience was good and worked for me, which is good since I am signed up for 2 more online classes next semester!

It seems that education is changing, as can be seen with the number of students involved in distance education and flipped classrooms.  Having experience with online classes can be valuable, as a future school librarian.  While I am still occasionally on campus for class, I can still relate to how valuable online resources are.  As we enter the field it is important to be creative in coming up with services that suit the needs of the students we are serving.  Distance learning students may be unable to come to the school library—what tools will they need? If a student in a flipped classroom is having a difficult time learning a particular concept will we as the librarian be able to help them locate a resource that will help them understand?  Our goal should be serving the community, regardless of whether they are standing in front of the reference desk with a question or sitting on their couch at home needing information.  Being able to relate to the needs of the students is critical in order to find ways to serve them.

Tackling Technology

This past semester has truly opened my eyes to how technology is changing our world.  While some of it can be scary, it is also exciting to think of all the new opportunities that are also opening up with these changes.  It is a thrilling time to begin a career as a school librarian.  There is a need for teachers, and especially teacher librarians, to step up and lead the way into the future.

As I’ve learned from experience these past weeks, some of the new technologies take effort to learn.   However, it was well worth it.  I am grateful that the course made me take the time to explore some Web 2.0 tools, some of which had been on my list to learn for a while.  Others, such as Diigo, I was not aware of yet now that I have started using it I have discovered just how valuable of a tool it is.  Recently, I noticed that I have been much more eager and willing to investigate new Web 2.0 tools and ideas of how to incorporate them into the classroom quickly follows.

The thought of learning new programs might be intimidating, but the time and effort it takes is well worth it.  They are especially valuable if we are able to bring them into the classroom so that our students can learn to effectively, wisely, and safely navigate the digital world.  There are numerous creative ways to use Web 2.0 tools.  Our education system is changing and must change if we are to provide our students with the skills they will need to be successful.