Best of my Best of

A) Best of
1: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
2: Wonder
3: Tell the Wolves I'm Home
4: Divergent
5: Paper Towns
6: My Friend Dahmer

* Rankings based on engagement, relatability to students and overall awesomeness.

B) Best unraveling of a plot:
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
It's not what you expect. The inevitable twists and turns aren't entirely predictable.

D) Most likely to be adapted into an award winning-screenplay
Divergent (2014); already going to be a movie
Wonder: would make an incredible film

E) Most likely to be banned:
My Friend Dahmer
Just because of Dahmer's infamy, not the actual content of the book

F) Best use of purposeful, meaningful dialogue:
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
This is a toss-up, but this story gets at a lot of the difficulties of the teenage experience and identity in a candid way.

G) Most vivid description of setting(s)
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
The scenes of June Elbus in the woods are extremely powerful, as well as her wanderings around New York. The book masterfully uses setting to set the story's mood. 

Stoner and Spaz

Stoner and Spaz (2002) will surprise you. Forget your preconceptions of whatever a "stoner" or "spaz" might look or act like.  Colleen and Ben a.k.a. "Stoner" and "Spaz," respectively, are likely far different than what you initially imagined. This book confronts a lot of taboo issues: drug use and abuse, sex, disabilities, and absentee parents. The suprisingly light, but authentic manner they're handled with make them approachable to teens and conducive to classroom discussion. When Ben makes a documentary about his high school classmates, his film mentor, Marcie, urges him to get beyond the stereotypes. That's exactly what the book does. Of course, there's a token jerk jock, but Ben, Colleen, and others are much deeper. That's part of what makes the story so raw, so real. It's not a fluffy portrayal of high school.

Here are a few salient quotes which I think best embody that sense of rawness that seep through the pages:

"Remember when Marcie asked us what kids were passionate about? Well, I like drugs. I'm passionate about drugs" (Koertge 114).

"You should watch who you're calling names. You're this fucking loser who limps" (Koertge 71).

"Maybe you can start with them defined by race and sexual preference and move deeper. You're not going to know until you really talk to them" (Koertge 141).

The last quote is an especially piercing reminder for all of us. Even if we don't intend it, we often judge based on physiognomy. I think it encapsulates the inclusive ethos of our Edgewood experience thus far: don't judge, don't assume, and keep an open mind toward others.

Stoner and Spaz could be a stepping stone to the canon, as well as older films. Ben is a film junkie, but not the for the contemporary Hollywood crap, he loves the classics like you see on AMC. Literature classics like The Great Gatsby are mentioned as well as dozens of films, including Bride of Frankenstein and Apocalypse Now. It's likely to at least get students googling and IMDB-ing some of the titles.

Ben has a sharp, self-deprecating sense of humor which makes him very endearing. He's on my YA all-star protagonist team batting third behind Auggie Pullman and Arnold "Junior" Spirit (Don't worry, this is not an all-male team! Lucia Alvarez, Queen Elisa, and Katniss and her infinite "coolness" are in the lineup too.) At the crux of the story is Ben's initially befuddling, then touching, and always complicated relationship with Colleen. You've never met a pseudo-couple like Stoner and Spaz.

Peak and Everest

Says one guide, "The most dangerous thing about Everest is everyone else who's trying to climb it."

I put these two books under the same post since they share many similarities and both involve mountain climbing, specifically Mt. Everest. Though both books feature pretty cheesy plots, the pages turn easily and the stories are likely to grab reluctant readers, especially male teens with an interest in adventure and sports.

One reason I could see using these books in class is because of the abudant non-fiction texts they open up. Students interested in Peak (2007) and The Contest: Everest (2002) could try Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and Touching My Father's Soul by Jamling Tenzing Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay, who along with Edmund Hilary, were the first to summit Mt. Everest (Sixty years ago last month!). Additionally, there are a plethora of stories about Mt. Everest every year, unfortunately many are tragic though others relate directly to Peak and The Contest as new records are set. The May 2013 edition of National Geographic has an excellent story about overcrowding on Everest.

Crossing the Khumbu Icefall

While the plots are somewhat predictable and cliche, the books do raise important questions about people's different motivations for achieving the same thing. Additionally, the character relationships in both stories are worth further examination. In Peak, the eponymous title character has a bizarre and distant, yet sometimes touching relationship with his father. His relationship with the Nepalese, particuarly with Sun-jo, is crucial to his development throughout the novel.

The Contest features several teenagers all competing for a chance to summit Everest. It's interesting to see how different characters handle the pressure and their treatment of each other evolves as the field is winnowed down. There's a hint of Lord of the Flies set at 10,000 feet.

Another common thread is the poor behavior of adults, specifically the climbing guides. Both stories feature incredibly talented, ambitious, celebrity guides who push the boundaries of safety in attempt to put the youngest climbers on the summit. The several climbers who die on Everest annually due to storms, summit fever, or other reasons are testament to the reality of this potentially fatal allure and real danger.

I like prayer flags; Nepal, Annapurna range, 05/2011

These books hooked me for all of the above reasons -- the lure of adventure, character relationships, and non-fictional comparisons. Though The Contest (Book One) takes place primarily in Colorado -- most of Peak is set in Nepal -- I think it's a positive influence for students to read books set in other countries. Some students may have traveled abroad but many others will have not (a resort in Mexico doesn't count!). Having stories with teenage protagonists traveling abroad shows them that it is possible. My passion for travel and ability to learn about yourself, and other people and cultures through international adventure is something I hope to pass on to my students.

Wonder

"Always try to be a little kinder than necessary."

-J.M. Barrie

Wonder (2012) by R.J. Palacio forces readers to think critically about how they've treated and thought of people who may look different or have a rare disease or other condition. Readers will no doubt re-evaluate their actions and thoughts going forward and hopefully respond with just a little extra kindness. 

At some point, you've likely caught yourself committing a double take or staring longer than is courteous at someone who was a little "weird" looking. Have you ever thought about what that person has to go through every day? What if every person performed a double take -- or worse -- upon seeing your face? Needless, to say, it would get tiring in a hurry. Wonder's protagonist, Auggie Pullman, is one of those people. He has a severe facial deformity, a "previously unknown type of mandibulofacial dysostosis caused by an autosomal recessive mutation in the TCOF1 gene ... complicated by a hemifacial microsomia" to be specific. Home schooled through fourth grade, Auggie's incredible story takes readers through his struggles and triumphs in the fifth grade. It's no surprise to discover that he encounters many difficulties along the way. Kids can be cruel.

I think Wonder presents a golden opportunity to bring in some non-fiction texts. Students can read more about Auggie's condition, and other rare diseases. Just this week I saw a story of radio deejays mocking a man with Lou Gehrig's Disease made headlines. Such stories recall the words of Mr. Tushman in the book: There may be cruel people in the world. But they'll always be outnumbered by the kind people. Real life stories about bullying and what some schools have done to stanch it would also make excellent non-fictional supplements to the text.

Another element of the story which makes it super relatable is the multiple perspectives, since Wonder features several narrators. Few of us have ever experienced what Auggie has, but there are characters we can more easily identify with. 

I've truly loved pretty much every YA book I read for the course. But I didn't love any of them more than Wonder. It's not just that it's impossible to put down, it's impossible to not be affected by it. Auggie Pullman is officially added to my list of favorite underdog heroes. That feeling you get after watching a feel-good, inspiring, yet emotional and profound film -- that's how I felt at the end of Wonder. You'll be joining in his standing ovation. As Auggie says, everyone should get a standing ovation at least once in their life. 

And if I haven't convinced you to read it, here's a sweet book trailer. 

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle."

-Plato

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

It's easy to see why this book would be a big hit with adolescents despite its length -- there's a teenaged queen, war, romance, and plenty of magic and sorcery. Girls will especially relate and hopefully see parts of themselves in the coming-of-age of the strong, likable heroine, Queen Elisa. To teenagers who feel like no one listens to them or understands them, the story could be quite empowering.

While The Girl of Fire and Thorns (2011) has an engaging plot, there are some deeper themes to be gleaned and potentially used in a classroom, including religion and weight. Elisa often prays throughout the book and gets her power from a "godstone." She quotes from the Lengua Classica, the "Fire and Thorns" bible. While pious, she's not preachy. The author's views on religion are not clear; there's no obvious agenda. Religion is usually considered a taboo subject for the classroom, but the way it is presented in the book makes it approachable, no matter your beliefs. Its role in the book is mostly to encourage thought of how people use religion.

For example, the story features many characters committing ungodly acts in the name of God: "Even my enemy presumes to know the mind of God," says Elisa (Carson 252). God seems to favor people who are evil at times, which begs the question: Why do you good things happen to bad people? And vice versa. Furthermore, there's lots of talk about "God's will." Elisa gets fed up with such talk: "How many times have I heard someone declare their understanding of this thing I find so indefinable?" (Carson 300). Other comments in the book also raise the prospect of tackling religion in a purposeful manner:
"I didn't need faith in God as much as I needed faith in myself" (Carson 422).
"God picked me because I was unworthy" (Carson 422).

Few novels, movies, or stories have an overweight protagonist. Elisa is fat and "has an unhealthy relationship with food. No one believes she’ll accomplish anything, and her lifelong social conditioning has caused her to believe this harmful perception" (Carson 428). When an unfiltered six-year-old tells her, "You're fat" (Carson 111), she's initially mortified:
"For a brief moment, I consider fleeing, but even in my shocked state, I know things would be worse for me if I did.
So I do the only thing I can.
I laugh. I laugh like it's the funniest thing I've ever heard" (Carson 111).
Carson's heroine is an inspiration for students who struggle with their weight that they can achieve success to, even if people tend to doubt them.

Some possible discussion questions/activities:
1) Which character do you most identify with? Why?
2) Fantasy cast: Which actors/actresses would you cast in a movie version of the novel? Explain your choices.
3) Would you like to have the power Elisa has? Or would it be too much of a burden? Think of other powerful people in the world, for example, President Obama. Would you embrace having power or rather not have the responsibility to make life or death decisions?
4) What happens next? Write a short story about what lies ahead for Elisa.

Paper Towns

Reading Paper Towns by John Green, I'd forgotten how much I love a good mystery. Throw in some Woody Guthrie, a missing girl, and some Walt Whitman, and you've got a pretty irresistible story.  However, like many mysteries, I've not sure how much of it is even remotely believable. But the story's charms are best found in the relationships of the three best friends at the core of the story -- quentin, Ben, and radar -- and, Of course, Ben's Relationship And relentless search For Margo Roth Spiegelman ((Who would especially appreciate the unconventional capitalization of this last sentence since "The rules of capitalization are so unfair to words in the middle of a sentence" (Green 236).) as they live out the final weeks of their senior years.

Quentin is cruising toward another year of perfect attendance and attending Duke University when his neighbor and childhood friend, Margo Roth Spiegelman appears outside his bedroom window for the first they were nine-years-old. Margo takes Quentin on her meticulously planned out plot of revenge, hijinks, and more. By the end of the night and into the early morning, Margo and Quentin have rekindled their friendship and Q has hopes that Margo, who hangs with the cool kids, will be friends with him at school. We never find out because Margo pulls an Alexander Supertramp of sorts and disappears from Orlando and is absent from school. Everyone figures it is just Margo being Margo and she's bound to return in triumphant Margo-style. After all, she did skip town to Mississippi on her own before. Margo's missing days turn into weeks.



 Meantime, the trio of friends play detective. Led by Quentin's doggedness and Radar's technological savvy, they unearth some clues which lead them closer to Margo. Along the way, they navigate the high school fish tank in which the jocks are jerks but some people turn out to be not quite what they seem. The search continues and maybe Margo wasn't quite what she seemed. Will they find Margo? Will it be too late if they do find her?

Green skillfully re-creates perverted male teen dialogue down to the obsessive discourse of video games and their own genitalia. If only guys were half as articulate and witty as Paper Towns' male trio. Q, Ben, and Radar are "nerdtastic" and proud. Green makes being smart and geeky cool.

Paper Towns resonated with me, having grown up in a pretty soulless suburb, not different from the Oak Park of Ernest Hemingway's childhood, a "neighborhood of wide lawns and small minds." Teens who feel trapped in cookie cutter developments in Anytown, U.S.A. may commiserate. Green's novel is a reminder that high school doesn't last forever and for those jaded with their "paper towns," you can always leave after (or before?) you graduate. 

A Monster Calls

A Monster Calls (2006), by Patrick Ness, follows teenager Conor O'Malley as he struggles with his grieving over his mom's illness. As his mother's health fades, Conor has a 12:07 a.m. visitor: the yew tree in his backyard a.k.a. "the monster," which tries to scare Conor, who's un-phased. He shrugs off the dream...until he steps on the yew tree leaves in his bedroom.

The monster continues visiting Conor, urging him to confront his "real" recurring nightmare, "not the stupid tree, the nightmare with the screaming and the falling, the nightmare he would never tell another living soul about" (Ness 19). Still, the monster doesn't seem like such bad company. It has a pretty good sense of humor and despite its occasional fear mongering, genuinely wants to help Conor. The school bully, Harry the "Blond Wonder Child" (Ness 18) seemed to take notice of Conor the same day his recurring nightmare started "like a secret mark" that "had been placed on him that only Harry could see" (Ness 19).

Without giving too much away, the themes of bullying, grieving, blame, and ultimately, conquering one's demons run through A Monster Calls. It will resonate strongest for students who have lost a loved one, especially a parent. However, the eternal theme of truth and how we mourn leave something for everyone. The novel includes powerful, poignant illustrations which complement the story of Conor battling his own monster. Warning: You may be battling tears by the end.

There were a couple passages I particularly liked and have stuck with me over the last week after completing the book. During one of the monster's visits, it asks: "What is a dream, Conor O'Malley?...Who is to say that it's not everything else that is the dream?" (Ness 30). The lesson of the next passage does fit with our frequent desire to dissect the confusing morass of the world into black and white, good or bad: "There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between" (Ness 64). And finally: "If you speak the truth...you will be able to face whatever comes" (Ness 203). A list of discussion questions to use in class can be found here.

The Red Umbrella

The Red Umbrella (2010), by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, is told through the eyes 14-year-old Lucia Alvarez. As the book opens, Lucia's primary concerns are her hair, experiencing her first kiss, and imagining the fiesta for her quinces (15th birthday celebration). All of that promptly changes once soldiers appear in her town and life as she knows it unravels. Paranoia takes over. People disappear. Families -- and relatives -- turn against each other.

Lucia's parents make the impossibly difficult decision to send her and her little brother, Frankie, to the United States, vowing to join their children when they can. Lucia and her brother end up with a well-meaning family in Grand Island, Nebraska, which they soon discover, is not much like the "island" they pictured.

The story is based on the real life Operation Pedro Pan, (On a side note, the Miami Herald has a pretty incredible site which connects people affected by the operation.) which brought more than 14,000 unaccompanied Cuban children to Miami from 1960-62. The Red Umbrella presents a golden opportunity for students to learn the history of Cuba, its revolution, and about Fidel Castro.  It could lead to discussions of political/economic systems. What is socialism? How is socialism different than communism? How do social and communism compare to capitalism? How did President Obama orchestrate a socialist takeover of the U.S. governement? (Discolusure: One of these questions may not be intended for classroom use.)

Additionally, since the story is told through a teenage immigrant, it forces students to see what life is like for people trying to integrate into America. High school is difficult for any teenager, but how about someone new to the U.S. who has only a basic understanding of English? What if you were put in a similar situation and shipped off to a Spanish-speaking country knowing little of the language and without your parents, taking up residence with a strange family in the equivalent of Nebraska, and enrolled in the local school? Students will hopefully gain greater sympathy for immigrants and a better understanding of the hardships, barriers, and discrimination that immigrants -- and English Language Learners -- encounter in the U.S. as well as the wide variety of reasons that bring them here.

The story's frequent use of Spanish words and phrases exhbits the difficult balance of integrating into a new culture while holding onto one's original culture. This can lead into a discussion about the difference between acculturation and assimilation. This Teacher's Guide to The Red Umbrella includes an interview with the author, discussion starters and activities.

Throughout The Red Umbrella, students have the opportunity to predict what will happen and transplant themselves into the situation and discuss how they would feel and act, or what they would have done differently. Cultural differences and misunderstandings can also be discussed with the class. When they arrrive at the Chicago airport, Lucia is nervous because of what she has heard about Al Capone and the mafia. Some questions for students to think about: What impressions and possible misperceptions do you think people new to the U.S. have about the country? What impressions do you have about Cuba? Do you think they are accurate?

Here is my book trailer for The Red Umbrella.
 

My Friend Dahmer

The graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer (2012), by Derf Backderf, is proof that graphic novels can stimulate critical thinking and be a very valuable tool in the classroom. Backderf's novel is likely to engage a variety of readers, particularly reluctant readers and teenage boys -- or anyone with a taste for the macabre.

Jeffrey Dahmer will forever be known as an infamous, deranged serial killer. Backderf doesn't come close to condoning and of Dahmer's sick deeds. What he does is show there was a person behind Dahmer. Backderf's novel puts Dahmer in a more human, sympathetic lens by showing the troubled family life, alcoholism, and mental illness which led to his later crimes.

A couple key, powerful passages stand out to me:

“Dahmer knew full well that his sexual urges were sick and twisted. But there was no one he could turn to for help. It was his nightmare alone.

'It was unsharable,' he later explained.

The constant thoughts of corpses and entrails titillated Dahmer, but also filled him with revulsion and a growing sense of panic. How could he make these hellish fantasies stop?

His solution…was alcohol.

This was the party-hardy seventies, and lots of kids were getting high. But Dahmer wasn’t after a buzz. He was making himself…numb.

He was now tortured every waking hour by ghastly sexual fantasies. Urges that were growing stronger and stronger. Urges he could only dull with alcohol. I didn’t drink or get high. But in my naivete, I recognized this wasn’t fun-loving partying. This was twisted" (Backderf 83).

And one more: “If just one adult had stepped up and said, 'Whoa, this kid needs help,' could Dahmer have been saved? Or his victims spared their grisly fate? I’m not saying that he would have had a normal life…He probably would have spent the rest of his days doped up on antidepressants and living in his dad’s spare room. A sad, lonely life that Dahmer would have gladly accepted over the hellish future that awaited him" (Backderf 88).

The questions above are just a couple that will stoke conversation in the classroom. Others: What drives a person to kill? Is there anyone else to blame for Dahmer's crimes, or is he the only culpable one? Are we all capable of evil, which the far majority of us are able to subdue? Do you find Dahmer more tragic or sympathetic, or something else? Is any town capable of producing a serial killer? How does your school compare to Dahmer and Backderf's school? What would you have done as one of Dahmer's high school classmates? The novel also considers issues such as homosexuality, bullying, and animal cruelty. My Friend Dahmer asks many questions and answers few. 

Some possible classroom activities could involve students drawing and writing their own scenes. They could add a scene where someone intervened in Dahmer's life and gave him the help he needed to avoid his gruesome path. Another option could be drawing (and writing) themselves into the story and how they would have treated Dahmer. Since there are many pictures, the novel gives students plenty of opportunity to predict what will happen or describe what they believe is taking place based on the graphics.  I really like the activity, "Add Words to Silence," found on page three of the Teacher's Guide to My Friend Dahmer by the author.