Open Books, Open Minds

As Banned Books Week draws to a close, I'd like to share with you some of my favorite banned/challenged books. In my 5+ years as a teacher of young adolescents, I'm glad to say I've not had to fight for the right to have a book available to my students, and I've even shared some of these with them! If you're interested in fighting this good literary fight, check out what the ALA has to say.


Three Beloved Classics:
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Why? Deals very bluntly with racial issues. Rape. Profanity. (Seriously, who hasn't read this book, or at least seen the incredible movie?!)

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Why? Religious issues. Explicit sex, language, and violence.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The ultimate book about banning books!
Why? Rebellion. Frightening images of totalitarian dystopia.Warnings of censorship.


New Classics for Young Adults
The Giver by Lois Lowry
This is quite possibly one of my all-time favorite books of YA Lit, because it was one of the first sci-fi books I ever read. And it led me to my love of dystopian science fiction. :)
Why? References to euthanasia and suicide. Frightening images for younger children.

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Yes, I love this series. I've read them over and over again. I don't care if certain connoisseurs of "real fantasy" consider it trite. It's been a very enjoyable read for my students and me for years. Plus I've actually done lit analysis of some of the books, and found some good writing and allusions within.
Why? Witchcraft and wizardry. Need you look any further? It was pretty bad here in the "Bible Belt."

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
Yes, seriously, the book of silly poems by the beloved children's poet.
Why? Because it encouraged children to ignore their parents and not do their chores. For real!

Olive's Ocean by Kevin Henkes
This book makes me cry every time I read it. It's great for adolescents dealing with loss/death for the first time. I don't get why it's been challenged. It's a very real book. Maybe that's why.
Why? Children dealing with the harsh reality of sudden death and social isolation. Kissing. Complex family issues.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Another one of the books that never fails to pull a strong emotional reaction from me every time I read it! It's so moving, and I think more people need to be aware of books like this that might help teens and even adults deal with serious issues.
Why? The book deals with the aftermath of a rape. Very frankly. It's a sensitive subject.

Go out and read a book. Maybe even one that might make you think. And talk. And open your mind!!

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them."

- Ray Bradbury

Wingardium Leviosa

Once upon a time, I was flying home from university for Christmas vacation. My dad thought I needed to fly because if I didn't, I'd lose my thousands of frequent flyer miles I'd been building since I was like, 10, so he bought me a ticket for what would normally have been a two hour drive. It was a longer flight! I had a seriously long layover due to bad weather and a flight delay in Cincinnati, and as I was bored, I sought our the nearest bookstore. What did I find? Something that I probably should have read in 1997 had I even known about it, instead of Christmas holiday 2001. Yes, I picked up a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.

I got the pocket paperback edition, as it was small and surefire, like me!

As I often get with something I enjoy, I was obsessive. And I had honestly never really read any form of fantasy lit before. I got the next two books from the public library once I got home. As GoF had just come out relatively recently, it was impossible to get hold of, and I didn't want to buy it hardback as I was a broke undergrad and it cost like $20. I was sad that I had to stop at book 3. 

Then Mom and I were at a used bookstore in the city, and I stumbled across a copy for $10! That was half-off the cover price. Worked for me, plus my mom paid for it. Even better!

And thus began the serious, deep Harry Potter obsession! 

Stay tuned to learn about: 

How I dreamed of living at Hogwarts

How I am apparently a member of Slytherin, Gryffindor, and Ravenclaw (oh, and I go to Beauxbatons)

How I threw a HP-themed party

How the Hub and I were total dorks about Deathly Hallows

How I was über-nerd with HP online communities

I'm only doing this in parts because otherwise one post about my HP obsession would be painfully long!

How I Spend My Summer Vacation

No, this is not the horrible essay your teacher possibly made you write that first week of school when you were 10. See, the verb is in the present tense, "spend," not "spent." People always assume that since I have the whole summer off every summer, I get to have all sorts of glamorous travel plans and exciting adventures. That is not the case. First of all, I'm a teacher. I don't have enough money to go on exciting vacations all summer long. Second, the Hub doesn't get much time off from work, and I'm not big on traveling by myself.

So what do I do with three months off each year? Aside from getting the 18 off-contract professional development hours I need for every school year, I read. A lot. Basically, I live off books for the summer. My stack of "To Read" books on the bedside table is so tall, Hub suggested I not buy anymore books until I put a good dent in this stack. I've made pretty good progress so far. I've removed six books from the pile you see here.

Every once in a while, once I read a few books, I'll give you my opinions whether you want to read them or not. What have I been reading? These are the first five down for the summer. And yes, I know, I've only been student (and responsibility) free for a week and a half. So what? :) Most of what I've been reading first is YA lit. It's a bit easier and faster to get through.

 Book#1: The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan
I enjoyed the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Riordan well enough, so I was excited to learn that he was writing a new series that focused no on Greek mythology, but Egyptian. Turns out Red Pyramid is much more than that. It delves into Egyptian mysticism as well as the pantheon of gods and goddesses.

Sophie and Carter Kane are a brother and sister who discover a secret about their family history in the midst of tragedy. They soon discover that gods and goddesses are being awakened in the modern world. There are those on Earth that wish to allow this and those that wish to keep it from happening. The Kanes get stuck in the middle, must learn how to use their newly found powers, and help to keep chaos from being unleashed by Set. This is the first of a series, and it was enjoyable enough that I'd like to keep reading. As a matter of fact, I think it's better-written than the Percy series.
- - - - -
Book #2: The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
This book is one of the first "grown-up" fantasy books I've ever read. I've never been much into the epic fantasy wizards and dragons type or books. I actually picked this one up for my husband before he went on an international business trip. It sounded interesting enough to me, but right up his alley. Once summer started, I decided to give it a go at his insistence. I'm glad I did. Once I was able to get through the stodgy first few chapters, I really enjoyed it. As a matter of fact, I'm adding the second of the trilogy to my stack once I found where the hub put it...

In this book, the world is haunted by demons called corelings. People have forgotten how to fight them over the ages. All they have are their herbal medicines and magical wards to protect their homes, farms, and cities. Humans cower in their homes at night, hoping the wards hold. The population is connected only via the messengers who brave the open road to travel from town to village to hamlet, carrying goods and news. When one small town is visited by a messenger after a vicious coreling attack, he inspires courage in a young boy named Arlen. This is his story, the story of a crippled fiddle player, and one of a talented young herb gatherer.
- - - - -
Book #3: Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
As I've loved many of Anderson's books in the past, such as Speak, Catalyst, Wintergirls, and Fever 1793, I was hoping that I'd enjoy this one as well.  Sadly, it was a bit of a struggle to get through. Basically, it's the story of a seventeen-year-old boy named Tyler who has a roller-coaster of a senior year thanks to a graffiti prank and an accident involving his arch-nemesis's twin sister. Oh and he's got a messed up family. It was honestly more shallow than any of Anderson's other books I've read. Usually the emotions of the characters draw me in. They're raw and intense, but this book didn't get that way until the very end, and by then, I was pretty much over the book.
- - - - -
Book #4: Phoenix Rising by Karen Hesse
I think that Karen Hesse is better when writing historical fiction, also when writing in a non-traditional narrative form. This was another relatively disappointing (and depressing) book that I chose based on authors' past performances. Nyle lives with her grandmother on a sheep farm in Vermont. She's dealt with way too much loss in her short thirteen years, but when a nuclear power plant in the southern part of the state explodes, her life changes even more. Her grandmother takes in evacuees who are both sick with radiation poisoning, and Nyle must come to terms with life and death. It was a quick read, but it was too depressing.
- - - - -
Book #5: The Necromancer by Michael Scott
This is my current favorite YA fantasy series. It, too, involves taking ancient mythological creatures and bringing them into modern day, but Scott has woven a much richer tapestry bringing together Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Mesoamerican, and ancient Mediterranean cultures and gods along with real historical figures who have been made immortal by these Elder gods. As always, there's some kind of war going on, and humans are caught in the middle.

In the fourth book of the series, we find the protagonists, twins Josh and Sophie Newman, back in San Francisco with Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel. Sophie has been taught Air, Water and Fire magics already, but Josh only has Water. The plan is to take him to Prometheus for instruction in Fire magic. Dr. John Dee, the magician, has been declared an outlaw by his master Elders and is on the run with another dastardly plan, this time aided by Virginia Dare. Machiavelli is starting to question his purpose and loyalties, but still goes on the quest with Billy the Kid to set a horde of monsters, including a sphinx, loose on SF. Joan of Arc, Scathach, William Shakespeare, Comte de Saint-Germain, and Palamedes find themselves in an alternate Shadowrealm with an impossible task set before them. Over the course of a day and a half, more power is unleashed, Shadowrealms are explored, and history of the world as we know it is revealed.
- - - - -
Now I'm on to my sixth book. The weather's been too crappy to be outside, plus with my lovely grass allergy, I don't really want to be outside this time of year. My plans are to get to the gym a few times, get to the pool in my in-laws' neighborhood, take a few sewing classes at a local craft and fabric store, cook, eat, sleep, oh, and if you didn't realize it, read a few books.

Even Puppy says to pick up a book this summer!

Show Your Geek!

Today is the celebration of two momentous holidays, and I hope that you will also partake. Let your true geek colors show!


First of all, today is  Towel Day. Yes, in honor of Douglas Adams, intergalactic hitchhikers, and Vogon poetry, please carry a towel with you, ponder the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything (hint: it's 42), enjoy some beer and peanuts for lunch, watch for falling whales and petunias, and most importantly, DON'T PANIC!

The second (and I only list it second because it's a newer holiday) way to celebrate today is Geek Pride Day. You should be proud to be a geek, no matter what kind of geek you are! Geeks are passionate. We truly love whatever it is that interests us. I for one am a sci-fi geek, a food science geek, a physics geek, a lit geek, a blog geek, a TV geek, a trivia geek, a board game geek, and the list goes on and on. Celebrate by wearing your geekiest tee! Spout random knowledge! Play your favorite games! Spend some time with an awesome book! My geekiest tee has yet to arrive. It will actually be at my doorstep this afternoon, what a perfect time to receive this:

 Also, from what I have read of this book, I think it is perfect reading for a geek holiday such as today:

Here's to Arthur, Zaphod, Trillian and the rest! Unleash your inner-geek!

42: It's the Answer

As I was trying to fall asleep last night, for some reason, the date popped into my head as "42," and I immediately had an inspiration, but I had to file it away so I could actually get some sleep. The following is a true story about how a girl fell in love with a Hitchhiker and came to terms with her nerdy side. 

For some reason, Douglas Adams' A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy has been on my mind recently, so it is no surprise that my subconscious wanted me to write about it. When I was about 12, I was browsing the shelves at my local library on my weekly Saturday morning drop-off while Mom ran errands. I came across a book with an interesting cover, a strange title, and the back-cover promise of being hilarious. That book was The Restaurant at the End of the Universe. As perfect as this book seemed, I could not get past the first few pages. Little did I know it was in the middle of a series I would put at the top of my list a mere 14 years later.