Nothing like the last day of the month to do my monthly update, right? February was a very hectic month, so unfortunately most of my reading was postponed until the end of the month.
* Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (reread) – This was my second reading of this particular book. The first time I read it was actually in college for a Children’s Lit class. I remember loving it the first time and the second time was no different.
Bridge to Terabithia centers around the friendship between its two main characters – Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke. The two are unlikely friends, but their mutual awkwardness and shared tendency to behave “differently” from the status quo is enough to create a lasting bond. Together, they create their own magical land, the namesake Terabithia, where they go to escape their ordinary, if not depressing, lives. The story takes a turn when tragedy strikes Terabithia and Jess is forced to deal with things far beyond his ten or eleven years. At that point, it’s probably best to just go ahead and grab your tissues.
My Take: Finding Bridge to Terabithia on “the list” was no surprise. This is one of those books that makes you reevaluate life and love. I appreciate that this book, written for very young adults (preteens even), touches on some very heavy topics in a way that is super-relatable. Being a teacher of young children allows me to read these kinds of books through a completely different lens. I see the Jesses and Leslies of the world every day in my own classroom – the kids that don’t quite “fit in” because maybe their family is a little bit different or they interested in something considered unusual for their age, gender, whatever. I’ve seen the way their lives change when they find that one friend with a common soul who understands and accepts them as they are. I want that for every child. It also makes me sad to think about how many kids out there are like this, but never find that one friend who will change their life… Overall, this book is an easy read with a big message and definitely worth the minimal time it takes to read. I dare anyone to try to get through the whole thing with dry eyes!
Frindle is story about young Nick Allen who has a knack for causing minor “disturbances” at his elementary school – things like transforming his third grade classroom into a tropical paradise… and getting his first-year teacher to buy into it! However, after meeting his all-business fifth grade teacher (Mrs. Granger), Nick’s escapades seem to be in jeopardy. That is, until he spontaneously decides to create a brand-new word: frindle (to name the object formerly known as a pen). His seemingly harmless prank catches some steam and soon the word has grown beyond Nick’s control. Meanwhile, Mrs. Granger is doing everything in her power to thwart frindle-users everywhere.
My Take: First of all, I love lovelove the character of Nick! I love the way his mind works and that his portrayal does not stay true to any one stereotype. He’s smart, but not nerdy. He’s unusual, but not a “weirdo.” He’s a bit mischievous, but not mean-spirited. Secondly, I love that this book, written for elementary- and middle-schoolers, isn’t focused on the social issues they may face at school, but rather on a child’s growing curiosity and innovation. So many books directed at this audience tend to deal with those social issues (admittedly important in more than one way), but I feel like we have a generation of children who need to know that creativity is important too. I feel like they need permission to take risks and to think outside the box, and more importantly, to want to have an impact beyond their immediate scope. Frindle at first glance is a funny story about a silly, made-up word, but the implications of what Nick created reach towards a greater purpose and hint at what can happen when kids make up their mind to change even one small part of their world! This book left me smiling and inspired to think big… Another easy, but worthwhile, read!
So… what do you think? Has anyone else read Terabithia or Frindle? Do you agree with my reviews? I’m excited to hear everyone’s thoughts!
Since meeting Tiffany almost three and half years ago, she and I have bonded over many things – our students, our shared teaching beliefs, our love of chocolate and other delicious food stuffs, our mutual devotion to television… We share “new finds” with each other all the time. I tried to give her a heart attack by making her watch 24 and she got me hooked on Revenge, Scandal, Gilmore Girls, and more. We also have a shared obsession with great young adult novels. For her birthday last year, I got her the Divergent box set and she introduced me to the Matched series. We read and talked, saw the movies and felt like we had a pretty good grasp on the world of young adult novels… until we found the list! In Tiffany’s post, she mentioned that she was disappointed that she had only read about a third of the list. I was more shocked than disappointed. I thought for sure that I would have read more of them! I felt very confident in my supreme knowledge of the genre. Alas, I too had only read about one third of the books! So, here is my list – divided into new books and rereads! Any surprises?
6. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret.
As promised, here is my version of the list, divided into “new reads” and “rereads.” To be honest, I was pretty disappointed that I had only read about a third of the entire list!
Is it weird that I’m actually more excited about getting to reread some old favorites than something new?
If you’ve read anything I haven’t, leave a note in the comments section so I will look forward to some of the others!
Welcome to the Young Adult Book Challenge!
Long story short, my friend Ashley and I are always looking for new things to read, particularly young adult novels. We had originally toyed with the idea of a 2015 new YA challenge list that was put out by Buzzfeed… then I came across this list of The 100 Best Young Adult Books of All Time put out by Time.com. I knew this was the challenge we should pursue.
Of course, we had to start a blog about it!
The list will be divided into New Reads and Rereads for each of us.
At least one book from each list must be read each month.
If a series is listed, only the first book must be read– any remaining books to be read are up to the reader.
Blog posts must be written at least once a month to update our status and to review the books read.
We are really excited to start the challenge and blog.
Stay tuned for our lists and first reviews!