Cinder by Marissa Meyer

               If fairy tales are your forte, then Marrisa Meyer’s Cinder may be for you, but be aware, there is more to this fairy tale than you’ll expect.  The first in the Lunar Chronicles,   Cinder introduces us to a future Earth, 126 years after World War IV.  Despite the peace they have experienced since then, members of Earth are dealing with two major threats to their lives: the evil Queen Levana, ruler of a group who live on the moon, and a deadly plague that seems to leave no family untouched.  As a young cyborg in New Beijing, Cinder is considered a second class citizen under the care of her guardian, who is neglectful at best.  She has watched as her sisters are given everything while Cinder works as a mechanic to make the family money, the threat of being sold off always hanging over her head.  As she dreams of a day when she can buy her freedom, the prince of the Eastern Commonwealth visits her booth with an important request.  From there Cinder’s life becomes complicated as she tries to keep her true identity from the prince while only just discovering the truth herself.

              I was worried that this futuristic retelling would just be the same old story with nothing more than a few changes in setting and the necessary details to match, but am pleased to see that it is much more than that. 

While her step-mother feels like more of a nuisance than a true villain, the evil step sister is barely a name, only causing problems right before the ball.  These two characters seem inconsequential in relation to the major conflicts Cinder faces.  In contrast, Cinder’s character is full and interesting, with much more in her than even she realizes.  She is still evolving as the book comes to a close.  The prince however is annoying and naïve (a descriptor that is used a few times throughout the novel).  How does he not notice that she is a cyborg or question why she wears gloves all the time is beyond me.  I also question Cinder’s interest in the prince as she seems like a smart enough girl.

              There is much more going on here than just Cinder’s story, though. There are layers of conflict that build and twist around one another to further complicate Cinder’s life, but it isn't just her life that will change; it’s all of Earth’s life that is threatened.   The second book in this series is entitled Scarlet, bringing in another fairy tale character: Little Red Riding Hood.  I have not yet read this, but I am hoping that Cinder’s story is intertwined with Scarlet’s.  I want to find out more about Cinder because at the end, I am dissatisfied.  Although I understand the desire to keep readers wanting more so they will read the following book, I would like to feel some sense of closure at the end of the first book.  Meyers has left us hanging with Cinder right smack in the middle of a major threat, unsure of how she will make it out alive.

                Marissa Meyers has left me hanging at the end of Cinder so I will be reading Scarlet next. Look out for a review of the next novel in The Lunar Chronicles soon!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Recently I read two books in very close succession that surprisingly had something in common: Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington and Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith.  The first is a novel about a girl who knows little about her mother, other than she tried to drown her when she was 2 years old and is now in a mental hospital.  Her father speaks very little of her and drowns his pain in alcohol most nights, leaving Sarah to her imagination as she attempts to figure out if she too will become crazy like her mother.  The second is a nonfiction book teacher's philosophy on educating students and how he manages to teach moral development within the classroom.  

What on earth would they have in common?  To Kill a Mocking Bird.  

Sarah idolizes Atticus Finch and writes letters to him throughout the book as she works out her problems.  Rafe Esquith uses Atticus Finch as a model to his students of a "Level 6 character."  

I felt like I was being bombarded with memories of my own reading of the novel, but I realized that they were faint memories.  I haven't read it since high school, maybe college.  So I went in search of my copy, but it's nowhere to be found--perhaps it's hidden in my parents' basement in one of the many boxes of books which are waiting for a home in a larger house one day.  Due to this loss, I went out the next day to purchase a new copy (eBook would not do this time) and settled in to read right away.  I devoured it all once again.

My new copy is already marked up and dog eared.  There are so many beautiful lines within this book.

If you aren't familiar with the story, it's set in the South in the 1930's and told from Jean Louis "Scout" Finch's point of view.  Through her innocent eyes we see a world of flawed adults that she and her brother try to make sense of with the help of their incredibly wise father, Atticus Finch.  I forgot how this book pulls you in and carries you along with Scout as she discovers the world of Maycomb.  I forgot how absolutely beautiful some of the lines are, and I only realized now how wonderful, how truly wonderful, Atticus is.  I think I had this idea in my head before, but as a parent, I am reading and just soaking up ideas and thinking to myself, "I have to remember this when Emma is older."  What I find amazing, though, is that even Atticus questions himself as he defends his reasoning.

The children are mesmerized by a recluse neighbor, Boo Radley, they've never seen, but about whom they have heard stories.  They try to draw him out of his house multiple times, but are unsuccessful.  They are successful, however in learning one of the main themes that Atticus continues to show them.  Take a moment to stand in someone else’s shoes. 

The major event that most people remember from the movie is the trail in which Atticus Finch is involved.  Scout and Jem watch as their father defends a black man who has been accused of rape while many in their small town voice their disapproval for a variety of reasons.  However, we also find many people who stand with Atticus and Tom Robinson, his client.  Atticus shows them how to be kind and generous and truly think about others and the young Scout, who seems wise for her age, takes it all, soaking it up like a sponge.

 At its heart, To Kill a Mockingbird is about being human.  It's about being a good person, not just to our best friends and family, but to everyone.  It's about giving each and every person a fair chance and to take the time to stand a moment in their shoes.  Take the time to see what it is they have to deal with each and every day and try to understand them.  

I believe that so much can be learned from reading a well written book.  It’s not just a story that takes you away to another place.  There are lessons, ideas, that can make you think about your own life.  What I am going to take away from reading To Kill a Mockingbird this time is to try to judge less.  A simple concept, yes, but one that, after reading this, with which I could use a little more practice.  I'll take a step back and do my best to understand others and put myself in his or her shoes. 

Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire by Rafe Esquith (Not YA)

Okay, so I admit that this is not Young Adult Literature. In fact, it's not fiction.  This is one of my nonfiction selections for the summer.  Specifically, it's about teaching--surprise!

If you're a student of mine, or a teenager, you may want to skip this one, but feel free to read if you'd like.

If you're a fellow teacher, you may enjoy the review below.


http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6939776

Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire reads more like a memoir than it does a book on teaching.  Rafe Esquith details how he runs his classroom and what areas he focuses on (all of them it seems).  He discusses building character with his students, creating a film club, a problem solving club, book clubs, a theater troupe, and all sorts of different activities for his students.  I'm amazed by Mr. Esquith's dedication and also the dedication of his students, with his optional classroom hours before and after school each day, plus time on Saturdays, past students staying after to be involved in different activities, and the trips he takes with his traveling theater troupe. He truly has some amazing ideas and techniques, but I will be honest: most of it seems impossible to me, a new mother, who already feels the lack of time with my daughter eating away at me.   In fact, his extreme dedication has actually made me feel guilty for not also doing these things, and I know that I already do quite a lot.  So teacher friends, although I did enjoy some chapters quite a lot and found them helpful (chapter two details his central behavior plan using the six levels of moral development and is just fascinating to read), be prepared to feel inadequate after reading this--unless you too are able to devote hours before and after school, on the weekends, every day and have the most wonderfully behaved students ever--all of them, all of the time.  I, for one, have quite a lot of growing to do in order to become such a phenomenal educator.

Stay tuned for To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  I am revisiting this book after quite a few years. 

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

May 23, 2014--
I know it's a bit early, but I already finished one of the books on my summer reading list!  


Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage is a page turner. Eleven year old Mo LeBeau, whose arrival in Tupelo Landing was a mystery in itself, is a founding member of the Desperado Detectives, along with her best friend Dale Earnhardt Johnson III.  Mo and Dale have a lot on their plates this summer as they search for missing cats and Mo's Upstream Mother who sent her floating down river during the worst hurricane ever eleven years ago.  Add to that the arrival of a big city detective and soon after a murderer.  There's a whole lot of mystery out there and Mo is going to find out the truth behind it all.

Mo is a fun character to read.  She's bright and to the point, sometimes telling others exactly what they don't want to hear, even they need to hear it.  Her friendship with Dale is open and feels like it really exists.  Sheila Turnage has done a great job developing these two characters and building a friendship that survive sworn enemies, missing cats, a murderer, and Mo's big mouth.  This is a great adventure that will pull in readers as they try to figure out who the murderer is and so much more!

Enjoy!!