Mexican Whiteboy

From the first time I heard about Matt de la Peña's Mexican Whiteboy when I was flipping through a teaching catalogue back in January, I was intrigued. I have always been interested in identity, and I was especially interested in this particular book because the main character Danny is bi-racial, just as my girls are.

Throughout his summer, Danny has a lot to sift through. Based on the back cover, I was expecting certain themes. It reminded me of the scene on Selena when her dad says something along the lines of it being exhausting trying to please everyone, trying to be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans (I know I have the full quote transcribed somewhere because I included it in some of my undergraduate assignments). Then that movie clip always makes me think of Selena's brother, AB Quintanilla's introduction to his song Sshh!!, talking about the struggles of not being seen as a real Mexican because he was born in the US instead of Mexico.

As expected, the book did include these topics that always fascinate me, but there was a lot that was unexpected. Danny has decided to spend the summer in National City with his Dad's side of the family. He resents his mom, as well as anything that comes from her side, including his whiteness and his English. Danny barely talks because even though he never learned Spanish, he has decided that he does not want to use his English either. He wants to feel like he is a part of his dad's side of the family that he loves so much. Another layer of Danny is that he is an amazing baseball player, both as a hitter and a pitcher. The only problem is that whenever he feels pressure he loses all control. Then there's the letters he writes to his father, the letters that skew reality, trying to lure his father back into his life. While I am writing this post I am thinking of all the different levels in the book that created depth in Danny's character. I could keep on writing with all the details that are revealed about Danny later on in the book, but I would not want to give too much away. After all, it was a pleasure discovering them as I read, always being surprised as I flipped through the book.

During the book, there are times when it leaves Danny and follows Uno a neighborhood boy who seemed like an unlikely friend at the beginning of the book but who ended up having more in common with Danny than I initially imagined. It was interesting to see their lives juxtaposed, as well as how they would effect each other. Danny's cousin Sofia was also a significant character.

While reading I could not help to think of Tyrell since I read them so close together. While they both have mature content, I was more satisfied with Danny's growth throughout Mexican Whiteboy, than with Tyrell's in Booth's novel. Because of that level of growth and discovery I am leaning toward feeling comfortable adding it to my classroom library in the fall when students return. Also, the language and sexual content was not as frequent in Mexican Whiteboy. I also can't wait to buy and read copies of de la Peña's other books, We Were Here and Ball Don't Lie.

Tyrell

I read Tyrell as my first self-selected text for the YA lit class that I am taking. You can read more about the books I chose and why here.

While I picked up Tyrell hoping that it would be suited for some of my incoming 8th grade boys, it seems more suited for high school because of the mature themes.

That said, here's what I enjoyed about the book:

• I always love getting an insight into different lifestyles/life situations, whether it is a different country, different state, or different situation. In this case, I was following Tyrell for about a week of his life while he is homeless and living in a roach infested hotel that the city has provided for his family. However, being homeless is not Tyrell's only obstacle. While his father is in jail, his mom does not have any intentions to work or improve the situation for herself, Tyrell, or his 7 year old brother. She places a great deal of pressure on Tyrell to step up and be the man of the house, going as far as encouraging him to sell drugs - and this is just the tip of the ice burg for him. It was hard to believe the book covered such a short time span as Tyrell was attempting to navigate so many layers throughout the novel. I appreciate that through books I can have more empathy or a better understanding of circumstances that my students may be encountering. 
• Dialects always captivate my interest - it is the language lover in me. This first person point of view is very authentic and brings the scenes to life. 
• The characters have depth. For example, Tyrell was complex, and while at times I found myself cheering for his decisions, glad that he was sticking to his beliefs, there were other times when I was cringing at one of his thoughts or actions. However, this was one more component that made the book seem real, rather than just painting him as a "good guy" 100%. 

Without giving away too much, the ending went along with the gritty, realistic tone of the book. While there were some glimmers of hope, it was far from a happily ever after ending. From reading information about Booth, she works (or worked?) for the New York City Housing Department, so I imagine that she drew on a lot of life experiences while she created the plot. 

I bought Kendra, her other book, with the same order, and will read it eventually. However, when I skimmed a couple of reviews it sounds like it is similar to Tyrell as far as the level of mature content, so it might take me a while to read it since I might not feel comfortable including it in my classroom library yet. 

Reaching Out

Read my thoughts on Reaching Out on my education blog. It was a tough choice on where to post it, but since his stories have been such a huge inspiration in my teaching career, I thought it was only appropriate to post about it there and reference that post here.

Calling all male book bloggers

Next school year I will be starting blogs with my students. I have plenty of great examples to of book blogs to share with my students, but they are mainly all written by females. This summer I would like to find more examples that will show my boys the possibilities of book blogging for them as well. If you are a male book blogger or know of good resources, please leave a comment with the link. I appreciate your help!

The Cinderella Society Official Blog Tour Giveaway

As part of Kay Cassidy's The Cinderella Society official blog tour, I will be hosting one of her giveaways this week. To celebrate one of my favorite themes in the book, girl power, anyone who leaves a comment on this post up until May 25 sharing one of your favorite girl power stories will be entered to win The Cinderella Society Swag Pack (see photo below).

To start it off I will share one of my most recent favorite girl power stories. This weekend I was shocked to hear Jessica Watson's story. Fittingly this sixteen year old who shares the same name as TCS' main character sailed around the world by herself for seven months. Needless to say, I am in awe. I loved her quote toward the end of this CNN video

I don't consider myself a hero. I'm an ordinary girl who believed in a dream. You don't have to be someone special or anything special to achieve something amazing. You just gotta have a dream, believe in it, and work hard. As a little girl people don't,  expectations, they don't think you are capable of these things, they don't realize what you know, what young people, what 16 year olds and what girls are capable of. And it is amazing that when you take away those expectations what you can do. And I would also like to think  that by sailing solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world that I have proved what really can be achieved when you set your mind to it. You know that anything really is possible.

I look forward to reading your favorite girl power stories, either true stories or fiction based female characters. I just might post some more of my favorites as well.

*Note: I transcribed the quote from the video, so any errors are mine.

Liselle and the Birch Prince

When I started reading Bryan P. Hunt's book Liselle and the Birch Prince illustrated by Tanya Lam, I could not help thinking of Gillian Summers' Faire Folk Trilogy. Both have the magical elements involving trees. Hunt's short book (not a novel) tells the mystical story of Liselle, the washer girl, the object of the prince's jealousy. Thinking he is punishing her, he sends her to the river to wash his clothes. However, what is awaiting Liselle is anything but punishment. The magical world of the trees comes to life and Liselle delights in their presence.

I flipped the pages quickly to finish this story while eating breakfast, but not too fast that I missed out on the delightful pictures, to see the details of how Lam depicted the trees. While this book is a quick read for older readers, I like that it is a book that can transcend many age groups. In addition, as I already mentioned, I love the possibilities for pairing it with other books. Whereas, the Gillian Summers books do not have pictures, other than the front cover, it is fun that this book does, giving one more layer to discuss when comparing books with similar themes.

*Copy provided by the publisher.

The Cinderella Society Launch Tour

Recently I posted my thoughts on Kay Cassidy's The Cinderella Society, and I am excited to be a stop on her official launch tour. Enjoy this book blurb, teaser, and Q&A. Then you can read more about Kay Cassidy in her bio. 

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB:

What's a girl to do when the glass slipper fits, but she doesn't want to wear it anymore?

Sixteen year old Jess Parker has always been an outsider.  So when she receives an invitation to join The Cinderella Society, a secret society of the most popular girls in school, it's like something out of a fairy tale.  Swept up by the Cindys' magical world of makeovers, and catching the eye of her Prince Charming, Jess feels like she's finally found her chance to fit in.

Then the Wickeds--led by Jess's arch-enemy--begin targeting innocent girls in their war against the Cindys, and Jess discovers there's more to being a Cindy than reinventing yourself on the outside.  She has unknowingly become part of a centuries-old battle of good vs. evil, and now the Cindys in charge need Jess for a mission that could change everything.

Overwhelmed, Jess wonders if The Cinderella Society made a mistake in choosing her.  Is it a coincidence her new boyfriend doesn't want to be seen with her in public?  And is this glamorous, secret life even what she wants, or will she risk her own happy ending to live up to the expectations of her new sisters?

BOOK TEASER:

I opened the card, my hands trembling in dread and the faint remnants of what I used to call hope, as a tiny silver high-heel pin bounced into my hand.

I juggled the pin for a second, barely managing to keep it from falling, and flipped open the note with my other hand. The words inside were not a message but an invitation that sent shivers down my spine:

Your presence is requested at The Grind.

Tonight, 7 p.m.

Wear the pin.

Discretion MANDATORY.

Q&A:

1. What was the writing process for The Cinderella Society like for you?

I worked on THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY for 4-5 years from start to finish.  But it really wasn't until the summer of 2007 that it all came together for me with the Cindys vs. the Wickeds and the larger society began to reveal itself.  My writing process is to plot every scene in advance (usually just a few sentences for each, like "Jess discovers X and Ryan reveals Y") which can take anywhere from several weeks to several months.  But once I've got that down, I can usually write a first draft in less than a month.  It took several months to plot the final version of THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY that you see today and then took me 25 days to hammer out the first draft while the story was still fresh in my mind.  (I didn't sleep very much during those 25 days.)  ;-)  Another few months of editing and it was ready to go out into Agent Land in hopes of landing an agent.  I signed with my agent about 6 weeks after it went out to my top 10 agent choices.

2. I have always loved books that are either re-makes of classics or that integrate classic tales. What inspired you to write The Cinderella Society?

THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY actually came from a magazine article about high school sororities.  I'd never heard of that before and, once I started thinking about the kind of society I would create if I could, I realized I would want it to be an organization devoted to fighting the everyday battle of good vs. evil. The idea snowballed from there and THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY was born.

3. It has always been interesting for me to hear any personal experiences that connect with the characters/events in their novels. Do you have any connections to share with The Cinderella Society?

Not personal connections because I don't ever base characters on people I know.  There is one date scene in the book that I was prompted to write based on a date I actually had in high school, but the TCS date scene plays out very differently than mine did in high school.  :-)

4. I frequently share writing tips from published authors with my students. What writing tip would you give for 6th-7th grade writers?

The best writing advice I ever got was simple: Writers write. It seems obvious, but it's easy to get caught up in the excitement of talking about a new story instead of getting that new story down on the page. The writing is the only thing that matters.

The second best writing advice I ever got was something I had to learn the hard way: Finish the darn book.  :-)  It took me several years of writing before I ever finished my first book because I was constantly second guessing myself.  What I had to learn was that there are always a billion different directions you *could* go with a story.  But your job as the writer is to choose one of those ways and write it to the best of your ability.  There's no such thing as "the perfect way" to do anything in a book because every reader will want something different to happen.  If you always second guess yourself, you'll never get to the end.  (And you can't have a writing career without getting to The End!)

5. What can we expect from you next? Is there already something in the works?

Right now, I'm working on the sequel to THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY, titled CINDY ON A MISSION. It follows the further adventures of Jess and the Sisters as the Wickeds launch an offensive that threatens everything the Cindys hold dear. CINDY ON A MISSION will be on shelves in Spring 2011.

AUTHOR BIO:

Kay Cassidy is the author of teen fiction she wishes was based on her real life.  She is the founder of the national Great Scavenger Hunt ContestTM reading program for kids and teens and the host of the inspirational Living Your FiveTM web project.  In her free time, she enjoys yoga, movies, music, and reading.  Lots and lots of reading.  She hopes her debut YA novel, THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY (April 13, 2010 - Egmont), will help girls embrace their inner Cindy.

Advanced YA Lit Course

In a little under two weeks I will go to my first Advanced YA Literature class as part of my doctoral program. I have high hopes for the class. Last night I received an email with the first bits of information for the course, mentioning that we will need to read Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese. While from students who had taken the course before with different professors, I was not expecting to have any required books that the whole class would read, I am looking forward to reading these two books. I have heard a lot about both of them and am curious to see what I will think.

Also, on the first class we are supposed to bring a YA book that we have already read either in our own adolescence or recently. I know for sure that I will bring in a recent read, but I am debating which one to choose. My initial thought was to go with one of Elkeles' books since she is one of my favorite YA authors, but I would still need to decide which one. There are many other YA books that have caught my attention though, so we shall see. Decisions, decisions... Soon the full syllabus will be posted so I will have a better idea of what the rest of the course will entail.

The Karma Club

Last night I could not go to sleep until I finished Jessica Brody's The Karma Club. The trailer (that you can see below) had hooked my interest, and the book closely follows everything in the trailer with a couple of exceptions to some minor details. After Maddy feels betrayed by her boyfriend, she inspires a couple of her friends to join her in building a Karma Club in which they will get back at those who have been unkind to them, namely three boyfriends and the girl that Maddy's boyfriend was kissing toward the beginning of the book.

At a couple of points I thought that maybe the trailer told me a little too much, but then I realized that there was still a lot of unexpected and filling in of gaps to figure out while reading. I enjoyed reading about Maddy's "brilliant" idea of trying to right the universe and then realizing it was all turning out to be a disaster. Most of their schemes were fairly harmless or leading classmates' to deal with the consequences of their own decisions. However, there were times that their schemes involved setting people up and led to long-lasting consequences. I was screaming inside thinking, "Abort mission!"

Eventually Maddy and her friends get themselves in so deep without any easy answers to get themselves out. I enjoyed watching Maddy grow throughout the book. This would be a great book to pair up with Kay Cassidy's The Cinderella Society. And, there is a real now Karma Club that people from all over can join that you will have to read the book to get the full significance.

The Dreamer

Magical. If I only had one word to describe Pam Muñoz Ryan's book, The Dreamer, that was illustrated by Peter Sís, it would be magical. Recently one my practicum students borrowed my Pam Muñoz Ryan books because she was choosing her for an author study, and I told her that while I did not have all of her picture books, I had all of her novels. Yet, I wanted to double check on Amazon, just to be sure. Imagine my delight when I saw that one of my all time favorite authors had another book out, published just this year, and to top it all, it was a fictionalized biography about Pablo Neruda's childhood.

Based on Muñoz Ryan's keen interest into Neruda and his life, which led to in-depth research, the novel is a gem. The book jacket explains it well when it says, "Combining elements of magical realism with biography, poetry, literary fiction, and sensorial, transporting illustrations, Pam Muñoz Ryan and Peter Sís take readers on a rare journey of the heart and imagination." When I received the book in the mail, after skimming the pages, I instantly emailed the local university professor who teachers the children's lit class, letting her know this was going to be a great one. 

As I settled in to read, I could not help to think of Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Although nothing could be quite like Selznick's one-of-a-kind book, this book was unique in its own right. I could not wait to see what would be waiting for me as I flipped the page - a poem, a picture, a question, text. When I got to the end of the book I noticed in the acknowledgments that Ryan wrote, "to Brian Selznick, for his patient ear and thoughtful comments," which I thought was an interesting layer since I had thought of Selznick while reading The Dreamer. 

Fittingly, the book was lyrical, telling the trials and triumphs of Neruda's life and his complicated family composition. There was bits of Spanish appropriately mixed in to give some flavor to the book, but not too much that it would be hard for English speakers to get what was going on. Another added touch was that the ink was in green, which was pleasing to the eye to read, but had a bigger significance than I had realized. When I got to the end of the book where Muñoz Ryan explained a bit more about where she got the idea for the project and more about Neruda, she mentioned that he wrote in green ink because he thought it was the color of hope. 

I love this book on so many different levels and can see how it could lead to rich discussions in the classroom. What will Muñoz Ryan come up with next? Whatever it is, I will be ready and waiting to read her next masterpiece.

Fever Season

I always love it when books transport me to different times and places - that is why historical fiction has such a pull for me. This week I had a chance to read Eric Zweig's Fever Season. After losing his father during World War I and his mother and sister due to the fever, David finds himself in an orphanage, filled with uncertainty for his future. His one hope is to be able to find his mom's brother; however, he was an orphan himself. After his uncle was adopted, his mom eventually lost contact with him, so it is more difficult for David to try to find him.

Yet, there is hope in David's life. From a young age David's interest in hockey was sparked and he hopes to be able to travel with the team from his hometown in Canada to Seattle in order to search for his uncle.

The book read at times like an expository text explaining the historical context, setting, and hockey, while at other times it was a more traditional narrative. The whole time it kept me wanting to flip to the next page to see what would happen next. Up until the last page, I was anxious to see what Zweig had crafted and which twists there would be in the plot.

The end of the book had some special treats as I discovered that there was more truth to the book than I had realized. Some of the hockey players mentioned were real, and of course if I was more knowledgeable about hockey, I probably would have known that as I was reading. Aside from enjoying the front cover for its aesthetic value, it was also helpful to be able to understand the gear hockey players wore in that time period. It made it easier to picture what the book was describing, as when I hear hockey, I automatically imagine modern day players. Zweig gives some historical background as well as a resource list of Internet sites to find out more information. How great that the book sparks an interest and then gives some suggestions for further exploration of various angles of the book!

For more thoughts on potential classroom applications for the book, see my education blog.

*Copy provided by publisher.

Swoon at Your Own Risk

I was so excited to win a copy of Sydney Salter's Swoon at Your Own Risk from the 2k9 Grads blog. Even though my TBR stack is already packed with books I have been wanting to read for so long, I couldn't resist opening up Salter's latest rather than sitting it on my shelf. Just as I loved My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters, Swoon at Your Own Risk was a very fun read - perfect for this almost summer time of year.

Polly is working at a water park the summer before her senior year of high school. As much fun as it could be, it ends up that it leads to one confusion after another. After a whirlwind of one boyfriend after another, reinventing herself each time, Polly has decided to swear off boys. Yet, that is easier said then done as her ex-boyfriends are continually showing up in her life, especially Sawyer her supervisor at the water park. Then there's the newly irresistable Xander that Polly has known since early elementary school years.

Despite everything that Polly tries to conjure up from their elementary school days memories to ward off her feelings for him, she can't keep herself from thinking about him, even if she does not want to admit it. The boys in her life are far from being her only worries over the summer. She is also worrying about finances, wishing her dad would pay more attention to her, wishing she did not have to eat fast food that her mom is bringing home from her summer job daily, dealing with tensions with her best friend, as well as rooming with her sister after her grandma (a love advise columnist) came to live with them.

Needless to say, Polly had a lot to work through. She struggled to share her real feelings with anybody, as she always plastered a smile on her face and covered up her sadness with joke.

Now I can't wait to read Salter's second book sometime soon and I wonder what she will be (is working?) on next.