A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity

I love it when I book I am reading hits me upside the head and says” Pay attention, I ‘m talking to you.” A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity by Kathleen Gilles Seidel is one of those books. It is a book that every middle and high school mother needs to read, it was a books I could really relate to. I wish I would have read it when my baby was in junior high instead of in college.

Lydia Meadows, a former attorney and now full time mother, is shocked to discover that her daughter, Erin, is one of the popular girls along with three of her friends. Lydia has always thought the popular girls were snotty and ambitious little manipulators. But her daughter was not anything like that. A new girl arrives in town and she decides to raise her popularity by stepping all over Erin. Erin is no longer included in all the activities and her phone is no longer ringing 24/7. The question is who is this bothering more: Erin or her mother, Lydia?

This book really looks at this whole issue of popularity and being on the outside looking in. Changing peer relationships is an outgrowth of adolescence and a normal part of growing up, yet sometimes the parents have a more difficult time in adjusting to the changes of friends and families. This is a great book and would be a great discussion book for mothers whose child is moving from elementary to junior high or from junior high to high school.

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman

The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer is a great book to use to teach writing . Kate Bjorkman tells us the story of her latest romance. Through Kate's writing, a person can see the writing process in action. What is really good about it, is she talks to the audience about her writing and why she writes the way she does. You go into her head and she tells us what she is thinking about with her writing. There are many teaching points that teachers can use from this book, including the writing process, voice, character development and humor.


Kate Bjorkman tells the story of her teen romance by using The Romance Writer's Handbook.
This six-foot tall heroine with glasses thick as Coke bottles and an I.Q. off the charts proves that true love awaits even the gawkiest, most socially inept teen. With a surprise Christmas visit from her older brother, his wife, and from college friends, one of whom is a former neighbor and Kate's dream hunk(Richard), Kate experiences young love. Fleur, whom Kate believes to be Richard's girlfriend, combines perfect California good looks with a great sense of humor. Ashley, Kate's nubile, popular best friend, lets raging hormones stampede loyalty and horns in on Richard, even though Kate has identified him as the man of her dreams thus a perfect romance-fiction villain is born. After much humorous travail, everything sorts itself out, and Kate lives happily for the six weeks that her romance has lasted.

Cute book. Great teaching tool.

Junie B., First Grader Aloha-Ha-Ha

I love Junie B. Jones. She is probably my favorite children's character. She is delightful and just like a child. She has a love for life and is curious about the world around her. Junie B., First Grader Aloha-Ha-Ha by Barbara Park tells the story of Junie's trip to Hawaii. Junie's dad has a job interview in Hawaii and decides to take Junie and her mother along. Junie is so excited about her trip that she can't wait until "show and tell" time in Room 1. Junie's teacher gives her a camera and a journal so she can record her trip for the members of her class.

Junie B. should be read for one reason and one reason only, for the pure enjoyment of reading. I love you, Junie B.

I have read all of the Junie B series and even have my own Junie B doll, I am special.

Girly Books

Sometimes you read a book and it doesn't meet the spot, well, this weekend I read three of them. The Secret Life of Amanda K. Woods by Ann Cameron, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen by Dyan Sheldon, and Sleepover by Elsa Bell hold the distinct "honor" of boring the crap out of me. I don't know why
I had such a problem with these books, especially Sleepover. Maybe I am tired of the girl looking for herself and not compromising, I don't know. But for m this weekend, these books didn't meet my needs.

However, I think teenage girls will love these books, Confessions of a Teenage Drama
Queen was by far the best of the three. Just not for me this weekend. Sorry.

Al Capone Does My Shirts

I really really liked this book. Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko is a fiction book that is based on historical facts. The story takes place in 1935 on the island of Alcatraz. Moose Flanagan's father is an electrician and prison guard at the Alcatraz prison. Moose is one of twenty three other kids who live on the island with murderers, rapists, thieves, con men, and other hard core criminals. Moose's sister is autistic and part of the story deals with trying to get her into a special school. The other part of the story is the adventures the kids have on the island and trying to stay out of trouble with the warden and their parents.
Al Capone is a prisoner in Alcatraz and holds a great deal of interest to the kids.

I loved the character of Moose. He reminded me of the typical teenager, who wants to be responsible but yet still be a kid. " I want to be here like I want poison oak on my private parts" is one of my favorite Moose quotes. This is a great book that I think students would really enjoy.

Sports Books

A lot of people believe that boys don't read. Well, that is not exactly true. Boys read and they read a lot. They just read different things then girls do. Boys love
non-fiction. So being the well rounded reader that I claim to be, I decided that I
needed to read some non fiction. I read three books by Joe Layden; National Football League: Behind the Scenes, Xtreme Sports: Fast Track, and Xtreme Sports: Summer. I also read a book Xtreme Sports: Cutting
Edge by E.J. Maxwell.

The three Xtreme books told stories of xtreme athletes who surf, skateboard,
and motor cross. The stories were short biographical pieces where a student could pick up the book and read the piece in a couple of minutes. Students would love these books.

The NFL book looks at the National Football League over a year's time. The book does have some text but it is mainly beautiful photographs. A teacher could also use this book to teach graphs and charts.

Great non fiction books for students.

Here Lies the Librarian

I have read several Richard Peck books lately and like them. His latest book, Here Lies the Librarian, is extremely well written and enjoyable. My only problem is I can't figure out what the title of the book has to do with the story.

Fourteen year old Eleanor "Pee-Wee" McGrath, a tomboy and an automobile enthusiast, discovers new possibilities for her future after the 1914 arrival in her small Indiana town of four young librarians. Ya, that is what the book jacket says the book is about, but more time was spent talking about the Indiana race, the fore runner of the Indianapolis 500, then the librarians. Maybe I missed something. Who knows?

The book is suppose to be fiction, yet, at the end of the book is a newspaper article about the running of the 500 but Janet Gutherie, who I know ran in the 500. Was part of the story based on actual events? I hate it when I don't know and have to begin looking up research about things. It would be a great book to use with a history book studying the early automobile industry .

Second Helpings/ Charmed Thirds

Second Helpings and Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty are part of the continuing series that began with Sloppy Firsts. Both books tell the story of Jessica Darling and her high school friends. We see them grow up, graduate from high school and head off to college. Readers will observe the hell of high school and the freedom of college. Readers will experience the joys and pitfalls of young love and the disaster of those terrible break up.


These books were great and well written. They were funny and sad all at the same time. The author has a great voice. I know there will be a fourth book. However, I would be very careful about recommending these to high school students. The language is definitely blue with lots of sexual experiences discussed in great detail.

Heart's Desire

As I am sure you know, I love books with recurring characters.Heart's Desire by Laura Pedersen, is the second book about Hallie Palmer, the college freshman gambler who needs money for her second year of college. Hallie is a gambling wild child, who returns home to her live-in yard person for Bernard and his very strange and delightful mother, Olivia.

The people in her life come to her with all their cares and problems, assuming that Hallie has none, which is so wrong. Her ex-boyfriend is back in town, her gambling problems, her looming tuition bill, her mother is pregnant again, and there is no prospective of love in sight for her.

I laughed, cried and fell deeper in love with Hallie Palmer. You will too.

The Sea of Monsters

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan is the second book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I loved the first book in the series, The Lightning Thief, and was very excited about reading the second book. I fell in love with Percy and his friends.

Percy is a seventh grader who happens to be in Special Education. He also happens to be a demigod, his father is Poseidon and his mother is a mere mortal. Percy's school year has been relatively calm, no monsters or major catastrophes. That is until a simple dodgeball game turns into a death match with Percy and his friends against an ugly gang of monsters.

Annabeth, Percy's friend, arrives to inform Percy that Camp Half-Blood, the only safe place for demigods, is slowly being poisoned and will be destroyed if a cure is not found. Percy and his friends must travel into the sea of monsters to save his safe haven.

I enjoyed this book a great deal, but not as much as the first one. I continue to recommend this series to all teachers in middle school and high school. It would be a great companion book for those who teach Greek and Roman Mythology.

Sloppy Firsts

As usual, I always need to know what the fuss is about. I just finished the plagiarized book Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty and I enjoyed it a great deal. I can understand why a young author can be "influenced" by this book. Both authors have a great voice and it is sad to see that one author's career is over before it has really begun.

Jessica Darling's best friend, Hope, has moved away, leaving Jessica alone with no one who truly understands her. She is a totally disaster at home and at school. She doesn't deal well with the boy crazy, shopping crazy girls at school, her dad's obsession that she run well at her track meets and her mother's obsession with her sister Brittany's lavish wedding, They are driving her crazy!!! She also doesn't understand her mixed-up feelings toward Marcus Flutie. He's driving her crazy!!!

It was a great book, I enjoyed it so much that I went and got the sequels to it and can't wait to find out what happened to Jessica. High School studnets only.

How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life

Anytime there is something controversial about a book, I have to read it. I always have to see what the big deal is. Reading How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life by Kaavya Visanathan is no exception. The author has been accused of plagiarism by coping passages from other books the author has read and loved.. Maybe she has and maybe she hasn't, I don't know, but I truly loved and enjoyed the book.

Since Opal's birth, her primary focus in life has been to get into Harvard. Her parents have actively supported Opal by planning, with spreadsheets, lists and flow charts, her every activity with getting into Harvard as the goal. When Opal blows her first interview for early admissions and with advice from the Dean of Admissions at Harvard, Opal has to ask herself the question" What do you like to do for fun?" Before Opal can get accepted into Harvard, she must answer the question. Plan HOWGAL ( How Opal Will Get A Life) is immediately set into motion. Opal's parents come up with the flowcharts and spreadsheets that will help her become popular, become wild and get kissed.

I really liked this book and am disappointed by the accusation of plagiarism. I will probably never find out what happens to Opal and her life at Harvard.

Beginner's Luck

I just finished Beginner's Luck by Laura Pedersen, for my f2f book club. I really liked this book, manly because of the characters. Hallie Palmer is the second of seven children with another on the way. She is a poker player and has just been on a losing streak. She has been kicked out of the casino, lost her money for her car, and has been grounded by her parents. She answers an ad in the paper and becomes a yard person for eccentric Mrs Olivia Stockton. Olivia lives with her gay son, Bernard and his partner, Gil, Mrs. Stockton's husband, Judge and an alcoholic money, Rocky. In this anything goes household, Hallie has found a new family and is about to receive the education of her life.

There is a sequel to this book, Heart's Desire. I enjoyed Beginner's Luck so much, that I immediately went and placed the sequel on reserve at the library. I am looking forward to reading about Hallie's newest escapades. I recommend this book for High school students.

We Are All Welcome Here

We Are All Welcome Here by Elizabeth Berg is the story of Paige and Diana Dunn. It is the summer of 1954 in Tupelo, Mississippi, the town of Elvis Presley's birth, the civil rights tensions are mounting and demonstrations are increasing. Paige is trying to give Diana a normal life, which is difficult because Paige is inflected with polio and spends a great deal of her time in an iron lung. Diana is a typical teenager interested in making money for clothes and magazines, ignoring authority figures, trying to figure out boys, and to escape the small town life. Peacie is Paige's rough-talking black caregiver and the primary disciplinarian of the home.

As the summer passes, hate and more adversity will be showered on this struggling household. How each woman finds their way to independence , understanding and peace concludes our story.

This would be a great book to discuss in history or science class. The setting of the story in the 1950s during the polio outbreak in our country touches on the fears and phobias of a counrty that was scared. I vividly remember taking the vaccine for polio and how my family was so scared when my little sister, Linda, contracted polio. We didn't know if she would live or not. Interesting book and I recommend it.

Heaven

I have read several books by Angela Johnson and really enjoyed them. However, for some strange reason, Heaven, didn't do it for me. Maybe it wasn't the book, but the location where I began reading it, I was getting a pedicure and it was very loud.

Heaven is the story of Marley and her family that live in Heaven, Ohio. Marley has a great life, she lives with her parents and little brother, has a wonderful Uncle Jack that writes Marley letters about his travels around the country, and a great best friend, Shoogy. Everything changes when Marley's family receives a mysterious letter addressed to: Monna Floyd. Who is Monna Floyd and does she have anything to do with Marley tells the remaining of the story.

In the past I have liked the author past work, but for some reason this just didn't work for me. Who knows ?

Janette Rallison

I sure am glad that I am not in high school anymore. Some great person said," It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.", that describes my high school experiences. Two books by Janette Rallison, All's Fair in Love, War and High School and Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Free Throws looks at the best of times and the worst of times.

Samantha Taylor is the head cheerleader who just receives her SAT scores, her very low SAT scores. Samantha knows that she must do something to make her self attractive to " good universities". She decides to run for Senior Class President and then her troubles really begin. All's Fair in Love, War, and High School looks at the ups and downs of Samantha as she runs for Senior Class President.



Life, Love and the Pursuit of Free Throws tells the story of best friends, Josie and Cami. Josie loves Ethan and Cami loves basketball. But Cami has a secret, she too like Ethan. It looks like he may like her, too. What is she going to tell Josie?

I really enjoyed both books and think both high school and junior high girls would enjoy them.

Beach House

In my younger days, I hated scary books. I never wanted to read anything that made me shiver in my shoes and look out the window for that escaped killer, who was hunting me down. But as I matured, I really did change. I now enjoy reading about the serial killer who mutilates all his victims and then send messages to the police department for them to come and find him.. Love that kind of stuff.

Beach House by R.L.Stine is that type of book. It is summer and all of the students are on the beach. A killer is stalking them one by one. A killer who never leaves a clue and has found a very special place to hide. This book has some very unique text features and teachers should consider using this book to teach them.

Young adults will love the book. It is bloody, gory and intriguing with some romance. Just right for middle and high school students.

Richard Peck

I love reading books in a series, but I hate reading them out of order. Richard Peck's A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder tells the stories of Grandma Dowdel and her two granchildren, Joey and Mary Alice. The first book A Long Way from Chicago is the story of a grown-up Joey looking back at his childhood when he and his sister went to visit their grandmother every summer for one week. The story is told by using short stories which represent the yearly trips to grandma's house. Grandma Dowdel is a larger than life character who teaches her grandchildren the important things of life.

A Year Down Yonder is Mary Alice's story. During the depression, Mary Alice must leave her parents in Chicago and she goes to live with her Grandmother in the country Mary Alice is continually amazed and delighted with her grandmother's antics and how much she is like her grandmother.

Both books are great fun and you will fall in love with Grandma and all the trouble she gets into.

Newberry and Caldecott Award Winners

Well, my computer has been down for three days, so I spent most of that reading and watching movies. I am always interested in books that receive all the big awards, kinda like the oscars. I enjoy seeing who wins and then I scream, "Oh my god, that won.. It's awful. I just don't see that at all." I do the same thing with books. I am always surprised about who wins the Caldecott and the Newberry Awards and this year is no exception.

The Newberry Award is given to the best children's book for the previous year. This year's winner is Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins. I read this book and for the most part was disappointed. The main characters are 14 years olds who are at crossroads in their lives. Children's books, IMHO, don't have 14 year ol characters. The book is told from the point of view of each character. The interesting thing about the book is that the author uses many different forms of writing; poems, letters, newpaper articles. It would be a great books to use to teach genre writing for a seventh grader and above. But a children's book, I think not.

The Caldecott Award is given to the best illustration in a children's book for the previous year. This years winner is The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norman Justus. I read this book and loved the story, but the pictures.... Ick. It looked like the illustrator has drawn the people and then thrown pastels at the drawings. The story is about a window at a little girl's grandparents house and how the window connect sher grandparents to the world. Great story.. Pictures disappointing.

It amazes me how some people love a particular book and some one else hates it. We always need to remember that what the reader brings to the reading of the book is so important.. Good lesson for all readers.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Great authors are great authors regardless of their intended audience. Kate DiCamillo is a great author. I just finished The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Fantastic book. there are so many teaching points to this book that a teacher could probably spent all semester teaching with this book. Literary elements glore can be found in this book; Author studies, comparisions between Edward Tulane and the Velveteen Rabbit, voice, and first person narration are just a few..There is even a great journal topic taken from a quote form this book"How can a story end happily if there is no love?" Great topic.

Edward Tulane is a china rabbit who is owned by a girl named Abilene, who loved him dearly and treated him with the utmost respect and care. One day, Edward is lost and goes on a remarkable journey and recieves a miracle; the miracle of love.