The Acorn People

I've wanted to read this book for many years and it was everything I expected it to be. This is the true story of Ron Jones' first summer camp experience after graduating from college. Camp Wiggin's was a camp for Boy Scout's. Ron envisions life at camp as hiking and camping and beach going with a bunch of rambunctious, 12-year-old, able bodied, soon-to-become-adoring-fans-of- himself, Boy Scouts.

Instead, Camp Wiggins has opened its doors to a special needs group of children. In the first chapter Ron is disillusioned, disgusted, and he's ready to go home. Soon, however, he starts connecting with the kids and surprises himself. The first day their cabin is assigned to the arts and crafts center and he and the kids make acorn necklaces. They all wear them and decide to call themselves the acorn people, thus the title of this novella. Next, they are assigned to the pool, and he and his partner Dominick just can't imagine what they will do with the kids in the pool. They are so surprised by the results of the pool trip, that they decide to break the camp schedule (and rules) and go swimming first thing the next day...with a cabin of girls!

This is a wonderful story. It helps the reader realize that kids are kids, humans are human no matter what their infirmity is. I loved it! I suggest you read it, too. It's a novella. It's only 79 pages long, but full of food for thought.

Soldier's Heart

Soldier's Heart is not for those who have a weak stomach or nightmares. This book realistically describes death and dying on the Civil War battle ground. During the Civil War the battles took place in open fields. The soldiers would line up, march towards each other and once they were within range, they'd start shooting. Of course most of the men in the front lines were going to be shot!

Some didn't die. Some were taken to the battle field "hospital." Medicine in those days was not even close to what we have today. A belly shot was incurable and the soldier was left to die a horribly painful death. If injuries to legs and arms were serious, they were amputated. Like I said, this book is not for the weak of heart.

It is a book that explains one young man's battle field experiences during the Civil War very realistically. The main character was a real person and this is his story.

In the forward to this book the author writes about post traumatic stress and how this is not new to our modern day wars. It had other names in WW I and II, but it was the same illness. In the the Civil War, they had no name for it, but it was still prevalent.

You might want to save reading this book until you study the Civil War in eighth grade.

Soldier's Heart

I'm currently reading Gary Paulsen's Soldier's Heart because it was highly recommended in the the professional book I'm reading about young adult literature. It's about a fifteen-year-old boy, Charlie, who joins up to fight for the North in the Civil war. This book is only 102 pages and the author of the professional book I'm reading exclaims over the fact that Paulsen can recreate for readers the range of emotions felt by Charlie at the carnage he witnesses and the true horrors of war he sees. She states Paulsen makes each and every word count.

Hyde Students Recommend: From S.C.

1.Exclusively Chloe by J. A. Yang. It's about a famous girl named Chloe who is sick of paparazzi so she disguises herself as a typical girl to see what it's like.

2. The What If... series by Liz Ruckdeschel & Sara James. I really like this series because you get to choose things and what you choose affects what happens next.

3. Now You See It . . . by Vivian Vande Velde. It's about a girl who finds a pair of glasses on her front lawn and starts seeing really weird things...

4. The Mysterious Benedict Society series by Trenton Lee Stewart. It's about 4 children who come together and... well... fight evil, I guess. I can't really describe it though...

Hyde Students Recommend: From S.S.

I have finished the book Gossamer, by Lois Lowry yesterday night. I felt it was a good story, open to interpretation. I enjoyed the way that dreams were fragments of everyday life, and how the "dream givers," bestow the dreams. I also felt the basic plot of the story- of how a foster child, John, who has a troubled early life, has nightmares- given to him by the hoards, while the dream givers, Littlest One, and Thin Elderly, try to give him the good dreams- not only to him, but to those around him; his foster grandmother, and his dog. There were also quite a few side stories- the one on how John was treated by his abusive father, and how his mother tries hard to get him back. There is also a metamorphosis of Littlest One- how she changes through the story to finally be given a new name, Gossamer, because of her gossamer touch. In the end, I felt that I learned a bit about dreams- and how it is very important to people, because it helps them a lot in their future.

Hyde Students Recommend: From S.S.

Code Orange: Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney- and boy, was it a thriller! I really enjoyed reading the book- and I would definitely recommend it. It all starts when Mitty, the main character, finally decides to do his homework- he discovers small pox scabs in an old envelope in an old book. He does not realize the potential risk that he possesses to much of the New York area. He starts reading more about the virus- and begins to fear that what he unknowingly did was a horrible accident- and this has threatened the survival of many people- he may have possibly infected. I definitely will have nightmares for many more days to come- just as I did when I read Jurassic Park.

Life As We Knew It: Life As We Knew It, was great science fiction- I read how Miranda is able to survive past illness and obstacles, not only to survive, but to prove that the assumption civilization is going to die- wrong. I read through parts where the moon comes closer to Earth; at points- I felt that this just may happen... I also have an exciting doubt: does Ms. Pfeffer, the author, have any relation to Fritz Pfeffer in Anne Frank's Diary: Diary of a Young Girl?

Killer Pizza: What a disappointment! Killer Pizza did not feel like an original novel- it followed the plot of stories such as The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of The Labyrinth, and The Last Olympian (The Percy Jackson Series). I felt the story was rambling- and repetitive; there were too many dramatics, and the characters lack the depth which I want to see in them- Toby, the main character does not go through a slow change- it comes in steps, and I don't feel that that connects much to reality.

I had a hard time with a few books too... I was really enthusiastic and was going to read Geektastic: Stories From the Nerd Herd, Edited by Holly Black and Cecil Caseellucci, but I felt like I had to force myself to read it- I was a bit put off with the book's tone from the beginning- and I decided to not to pursue it. Also, the book which I read you had trouble with too, North of Beautiful, by Justina Headly wasn't that great- and I was a bit interested at first, but the book was a extremely slow in the beginning and I like to know the plot as soon as possible, made me feel like I had to pursue it as well. I will now try Gossamer, by Lois Lowry.

Hyde Students Recommend: From S.R.

I read the book Gossamer by Lois Lowry. The first thing that struck me about this book is that it was very different from the other books she has written. The Giver was about a futuristic, very controlled life that taught people to forget what the managers of that place couldn't control. Number the Stars, another book by Ms. Lowry, was about a young girl who risks her life to help her Jewish friends escape from the Nazis during WWII. Yet, Gossamer was about something as, seemingly unimportant as dreams. Ms. Lowry speaks of little creatures (she doesn't mention as first who or what they are) who fly around gathering fragments of people's (and occasionally animal's) memories to weave dreams out of. The "creatures" then proceed to bestow the dreams upon the people in the household that they have been assigned. The dreams they create are not just random bunches of the "fragments", but they are made to give the dreamer whatever is necessary for them to sleep peacefully and bring stability to their lives. Unfortunately, their work is often obstructed by the sinisteeds, the bringers of nightmares. This story was about a young boy who is adopted by a kindly old woman. The little boy was abused by his drunk father from a young age and was still suffering from the trauma. Little by little, with the help of the "dream-givers" the woman and the boy grow closer. Meanwhile, the boy's mother gets a job and cuts back on her bad habits, hoping, now that the boy's father is gone, to regain custody of her child. The sinisteeds, knowing that the child is still weak, try to attack him with their nightmares, but the faithful "dream-givers" ward them off with their best fragments and encouragement.

This sweet story ends with the boy's hopes for a future with his mother, the lady who is currently raising him (his "surrogate grandma") and his "surrogate grandma's" dog, Toby. I would recommend this book to anybody and everybody who has a taste for "uniqueness" and is compassionate.

Hyde Students Recommend: From S.S.

I have just finished a book, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, and David Oliver Relin. I found the book very interesting- having it be about one man, Greg Mortenson- who is able to work with many supporters to establish the CAI (Central Asia Institute)- and build schools all over Pakistan and Afghanistan. The story starts with Greg wanting to climb the second largest mountain in the world- K2. Greg gets lost in the mountains- and with his porter, Mouzafer Ali, he works his way into Korphe- where he meets several school children. He is extremely sad to see children writing on the ground with sticks dipped in mud. He then is determined to set up a school for them. Coming several time with supplies and funds, Greg successfully sets up a school- with books, and all the supplies the children need to succeed. Readers also hear how Greg gets kidnapped, faces death threats, and how he dedicates his life to help children and fight illiteracy.

Hyde Students Recommend: From T.T.

I read Graceling and it's companion Fire. I found it really interesting. I really like the genre fantasy, so that is one reason I got hooked with the two books. Graceling talks about a world where people are born with special powers. When a baby is born and their eyes become two different colors, they are a Graced and immediately become the King's property. It focuses on Katsa who is Graced with fighting powers. She had never seen anyone with her Grace, so naturally with fighting powers, everyone is afraid of her. Her uncle, the King was able to succeed in everything because Katsa was his weapon. But soon he gets more greedy, so she teams up with Prince Po ( some prince from another kingdom) to stop her uncle. Other than herself, she finally found someone else with fighting powers, which is Po. But does he really have her fighting powers or is he hiding something? I don't think I should spoil more, but it's a great book.

Fire takes place in another kingdom and it rarely talks about Graces. This kingdom doesn't have Graces, only monsters. Fire is a monster, but her form is human. She is really beautiful (I mean really.) Since Fire is so pretty, she goes everwhere with guards. Everywhere she goes, males are throwing themselves at her, which I find somewhat ridiculous. But they can't help themselves right? She has unimaginable beauty. She is also able to control minds. So Fire is really dangerous. With the characters in both books being so dangerous, there is still romance.

Another good series is the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It's science fiction.

Surviving the Applewhites 6-16-10

So, Surviving the Applewhites turned out to be one of those "feel good" books. If you want a quick read with off beat humor, join the Applewhites at their farm. Jake does change a bit and E.D. finds her "art form" and value.

One of E.D.'s projects is to catalog every type of butterfly there is in North Carolina. She has one last butterfly she has to find. Jake, in the meantime, has gone out and gathered all the caterpillars eating up Lucille's parsley garden. Lucille described the caterpillars as green-and-black-striped. Jake looks these up on the internet and finds they are the larval stage of the beautiful black swallowtail butterfly. He collects all the caterpillars and puts them in an aquarium. He labeled the aquarium "Metamorphosis, A Living Demonstration," and I think that is what the author intended this book to be about.

So, I'd like to challenge those who are reading this, to read the book and tell me what you think the butterflies symbolize in this story. Then e-mail me with your answers.

Also, if you read the book, and you had the opportunity to go to the "Creative Academy" what project would you work on? What would you do all day? Please e-mail me about your answer!

Surviving the Applewhites 6-15-10

I'm glad I continued reading Surviving the Applewhites. There are parts of this story that are very funny and had me chuckling. The family Jake Semple is living with are all artists, except one girl, E.D., who is Jake's age. He is supposed to follow her educational plan. The Applewhite children get to create their own educational plan. E.D. is the only one who has her plan written out and organized in a binder.

When first reading Surviving the Applewhites I assumed the one who had to survive was Jake, but now I'm beginning to think it's E.D. Her family is very eccentric and she considers herself "normal."

Jake has come to realize that if he doesn't make it at the Applewhite's his next residence will be a juvenile detention center where the real tough guys are. I'll read on to see if he can make the attitude changes he needs to make in order to stay out of the detention center.

Back Home by Julia Keller

So I just completed Back Home by Julia Keller.  The book profiles a family learning how to adapt to a dad who has been injured while fighting in Iraq.  I chose this book because I feel fairly removed from the two wars we are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq.  What must it be like to say goodbye to a parent and not know their fate until the next e-mail or phone call home?  "Brownie", the eldest girl in the family, starts of the book claiming that it is kids who are supposed to change, not parents and yet, when war is involved that's not the case.  The book follows her thoughts from hearing about the accident, her mother going to see her dad at the hospital, to his eventual home coming.  The sacrifice our soldiers make in the name of democracy is incredible and life altering, not only for the soldiers themselves, but for their families.  This book served as a means for a reader like me to live vicariously in one of those families and experience their sacrifices up close. 

Mrs. Baran

North of Beautiful & Surviving the Applewhites

Well, this is disappointing. North of Beautiful is more about Terra and her father than about Terra and how she deals with her issues. That's not going to help me connect with my cousin's daughter.

Did you know it's o.k. to abandon a book? It is. Why waste your time slogging through a book you don't like? I think I will set this book aside for now. Maybe I'll pick it up again later.

Because I had to wait so long to get this book, I started reading Surviving the Applewhites. I think I'll go back to reading that. So far it's about a guy whose parents are in jail, and he has been kicked out of every school he's attended since they went to jail. Now he is going to be home schooled by some family, the Applewhites, on a farm out in the boonies. He is doing everything he can to annoy them: smoking, swearing, being disrespectful. He's betting himself he will not be with the Applewhites for long.

Some of what I was thinking when I started reading this book was about the way the author introduced the characters. Instead of meeting this LARGE family a character at a time through the events of the book, Stephanie Tolan, practically lists them AND gives their characteristics, too. This is a BIG family, and I'm not sure I'm going to be able to remember all the idiosyncrasies by being introduced to the characters in this manner.

Do I sound like a picky reader or what?? You bet I am. I want to read a book that can create a movie in my head. So far these two books haven't done that. I'll stick with Surviving the Applewhites for a bit more and keep you posted.

North of Beautiful 6-3-10

While putting together the list of books for our summer program, one of them jumped out at me, practically screaming at me to read it. North of Beautiful is about a beautiful high school girl who has a port-wine birthmark on her face. The reason I connected right away with this book, is that my cousin has a beautiful daughter who has the same birth mark.

In my family, no one ever talked about her birth mark in front of her. I never had the opportunity to know how she felt about it. I just wonder, if I read this book, will I have a better understanding about what my cousin's daughter had to go through growing up with that birth mark?

I ordered the book from my local library and hope it comes in by Monday, June 7th.

I'm slowly getting the annotations done for each of the books. There are several I think sound interesting, and I would like to read.

What Should I Read?

I don't know about you, but I find it hard to find a new book. At this moment I have seven books on my night stand. I've read first pages for all of them, and didn't like any of them. So, how do you pick out a good book?

• Sometimes a friend or co-worker will recommend one
• I read reviews on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Powell's Books
• I subscribe to GoodReads, What Should I Read Next, and Shelfari
• I look for the best sellers shelf in the grocery store and read the backs of the books
• I look for favorite authors to publish a new book
• I go online to my local library and put in a favorite author and read reviews and summaries for books I haven't read by that author.

How do you find the next book you will read? Please e-mail me, I'm curious to know.