Looking for Alaska

Author:  John Green
Published:  2005
Michael L. Printz Award

UPDATED 3/16/2014
This book was awarded the Michael L. Printz award.  This award "annually honors the best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit." 

I read this book at the beginning of the semester, but I'm reviewing it again because we are discussing it in class this week.

Summary:
Miles, the main character, is about to enter the 11th grade, but decides to leave his school to attend the same boarding school that his father attended.  Miles is a tall and slender boy who loves to memorize the last words people say on their deathbed.

In boarding school, his roommate is "The Colonel" who gives Miles the nickname of Pudge.  Pudge also becomes friends with Alaska, an unstable, but beautiful girl, and Takumi.  They are good students, but are trying to out-prank the previous year's class, and break some rules at school without getting caught.

Alaska lost her mother as a child.  Her mother suffered an aneurysm, but Alaska did not call 911 because she didn't understand what was going on.  Each year, Alaska visits her mom's grave on the anniversary of her death.  This year, she forgets, but is reminded after a night of drinking with The Colonel and Pudge.  She drives off quickly in her inebriated state and is in a fatal accident.

The Colonel, Pudge, and Takumi are left with the guilt of having let Alaska drive in her condition.  Eventually, Pudge forgives Alaska and believes that Alaska forgives him for letting her go.

http://johngreenbooks.com/looking-for-alaska/
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Faq about Looking for Alaska

***************************************************************************** (January 2014)
I just finished Looking for Alaska.  This is another book on the class reading list.  I chose to read this one because a student and the professor specifically referred to this book on the first day of class.

This was an easy book to read and reminded me of my time in high school and my close relationships.  I was worried at the beginning of the book as to what the countdown on each chapter was about.  At first I thought it was a countdown to Pudge's first relationship with a girl, then I thought it was a countdown to a prank.  Luckily, it was neither.  Either one of those would have been disappointing.  The truth is sad.

This story made me think a lot about my own life.  I didn't like the idea of death being the actual death and also the loss of memories.  Pudge was haunted by his memories and they were slipping away, just as Alaska's memory of her mom slipped her mind.  The slipping away is unavoidable because of entropy.  "Entropy increases.  Things fall apart."

I want my son who is in high school to read this book.  I think I could have used this book in my youth. My favorite quote from this book was, "If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions.  But we can't know better until knowing better is useless."

I'm reminded of my grandfather who died last year, my friend who died right before Christmas, mistakes I've made, burdens I carry.

I need to think more on this.

Wonder

Author: R. J. Palacio
Illustrator: R.J. Palacio
Published: 2012
Summary

"Wonder"

Doctors have come from distant cities
Just to see me
Stand over my bed
Disbelieving what they're seeing 

They say I must be one of the wonders
Of god's own creation
And as far as they can see they can offer
No explanation 

Newspapers ask intimate questions
Want confessions
They reach into my head
To steal the glory of my story 

They say I must be one of the wonders
Of god's own creation
And as far as they can see they can offer
No explanation 

O, I believe
Fate smiled and destiny
Laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She'll make her way 

People see me
I'm a challenge to your balance
I'm over your heads
How I confound you and astound you
To know I must be one of the wonders
Of god's own creation
And as far as you can see you can offer me
No explanation 

O, I believe
Fate smiled and destiny
Laughed as she came to my cradle
Know this child will be able
Laughed as she came to my mother
Know this child will not suffer
Laughed as my body she lifted
Know this child will be gifted
With love, with patience and with faith
She'll make her way

http://www.nataliemerchant.com/w/tigerlily/wonder

August Pullman is a 10 year old boying entering the 5th grade.  He was born with a hereditary birth defect that affects his appearance.  Due to the number of surgeries he has had throughout his life, he has not attended a regular school.  This year, he is able to go.  He is nervous about going because he looks so different from everyone else.

August lives with his mom, his dad, his sister, Via, and his dog Daisy.  In school he befriends Summer and Jack Will.  Summer introduces herself to August on the first day of school and they become close friends.  The principal had paired Jack Will up with August to help him get through the first days of school.  Jack Will and August have some ups and downs at the beginning of the year, but they form a great friendship, not because Jack Will feels sorry for August, but because they both really like each other as people.

The story is about the struggles that August faces this year in school.  He has to face bullies from his school, other schools, and people who just do not know how to react to his appearance.  It takes almost the entire school year, but the students and teachers come to know August for who he is and not for his appearance.

Wonder is told from the point-of-view of several of the main characters.  I am reminded of Because of Mr. Terupt, a story written from the point-of-view of the students in a 5th grade class and their experiences and growth over the school year.We see how August's self-confidence grows over the year as he experiences the challenges of middle school, including insensitive students and parents.

We also hear from Summer and Jack Will.  We see how they feel about August and how after a few weeks, they really do not notice the physical differences in August.

I found the chapters from Via, August's sister and Miranda, Via's best friend from middle school, the most interesting.  Via feels like she is in a solar system revolving around August.  She accepts her role in this system, but is struggling now that she is in high school and needs her parents more invovled in her life.  Miranda has been close with Via most of her life, but their friendship is suffering.  Miranda feels closer to Via's family than to her own, but she has isolated herself from Via in high school.  Via and Miranda both love August.

The overall theme of the book is kindnes.  August learns that he needs to be more trusting of others because a lot of people are really kind and sometimes their kindness is even surprising.  It is the kindness of his friends that help him get through the year, but his kindness also helps others.  As August goes through the school year, he forms relationships with his classmates and they all get to know each other and see each other beyond their appearances.  August's family has always seen him as a wonder, but now his classmates see August as a wonder as well.

Check out the faq for this book.  This book is fiction, but based on an experience that R. J. Palacio had when she took her children out for ice cream.  She found herself sitting next to a child with a "craniofacial difference."  R.J. Palacio was not proud of the way she reacted and that night heard the song Wonder by Natalie Merchant.  Those two things inspired the writing of this book.  The lyrics to the song are included and really help summarize the book.  I hope that reading this type of book would help anyone think twice before reacting to someone that is different.

I like that this book was inspired by a real-life experience.  I always wonder where I could get my ideas for a story, and I realize that any experience can be turned into a story, I just have to realize it.  I think it's amazing that R.J. Palacio tied her experience to the song by Natalie Merchant.  They work perfectly together!

(There is another "chapter" to this book coming out in May!  

The Julian Chapter: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio (May 13, 2014)

Julian was a boy in the school who really made life difficult for August.  Julian's parents did not want August at the school and even photoshopped August out of the class photo.  Julian is finishing off 5th grade at the school, but he is leaving the school for 6th grade.)  

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

This is that book.  I want to keep turning the pages and learn more, but when I get to the end, I'm sorry I'm there.  I did not want to finish this book, it was THAT good.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe reminds me of a lot of books I've been reading lately.  The topic is completely different, but it is about relationships.  I felt close to the main character, Aristotle.  Sometimes you just feel so alone and really it takes just one friendship or the understanding of another human being to help. 

Aristotle is a boy who does not have lots of friends, as a matter of fact, he doesn't seem to have any friends.  He has some people who talk to him at school and it seems some girls have a crush on him, but that is really it.  He feels like an only child because his siblings are so much older than him and his older brother is in prison.  Aristotle does not know why his brother is in prison and this causes a lot of turmoil in him.  He also finds the conversations of other boys his age as ridiculous and cannot imagine having similar conversations. 

Author:  Benjamin Alire Saenz
Published: 2012

Aristotle's mom is a teacher and his dad is a mailman who had fought in Vietnam.  Dad does not speak at all about what happened in Vietnam, and keeps his struggles inside.  Aristotle learns this skill from his father.  His family does not talk about Bernardo, the brother, they do not talk about Vietnam, and Aristotle does not talk about the feelings he has about being different.

One summer, he goes to the pool and meets Dante.  Dante is always happy and has parents who are very affectionate and show their emotions.  Dante and Aristotle become close friends and their parents become friends too.  The friendship between the families is strengthened when Aristotle saves Dante's life. Aristotle though, struggles with the reasons why he saved Dante's life.  He does not want to be a hero and he tries to pull away from Dante.  Dante has admitted that he loves Aristotle, but Aristotle cannot accept this, he is worried that it is wrong or that his parents will be disappointed.

Aristotle's mom and dad finally explain to him that Bernardo is in jail because he killed someone with his fists.  When Bernardo was 15, he picked up a prostitute that happened to be a guy.  Bernardo was so angry, he killed the guy.  To protect Aristotle during the trial and to keep him from seeing his mother's breakdown, Aristotle had been sent to live with an aunt for several months.  Aristotle's family, his mom and dad, were the only ones in the family who approved of the aunt, Ophelia, because she had a female lover, Franny.  This is when Aristotle learns that his parents loved Ophelia and that her love of Franny did not matter to them because Ophelia was a good person.

A door is opened to Aristotle, he is able to speak to his parents.  They help him realize that yes, Dante loves him, but he loves Dante too.  I don't know how the story ends.  Do Aristotle and Dante stay together forever?  I don't know, but I do know that Aristotle and Dante are good characters who are happy with who they are and are lucky to have so much love from their families.

There is so much more to this book than the bit I've written here.  I definitely recommend this to anyone.   I think that children in late middle school and older would find this book to be very interesting and a great story.  This is an example of another book to teach empathy and acceptance of others regardless of differences.  I will reread this book this summer!

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NPR Interview

The Fault in Our Stars

Author:  John Green
Published:  2011

I listened to this book because I had read Looking for Alaska and I wanted to read something else by John Green.  The Fault in Our Stars won The Odyssey Award.  "This annual award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States."  I wish I had read the book instead.

I found the reader's voice annoying, but that is not the only reason I wish I had read the book.  I love going back into the book and rereading sections and trying to find how different parts are related.  I can't do that with the CDs and I know that I've forgotten so much already because I cannot quickly go back to refer to the book.

So, I will read the book.  I've been listening to it in the car.  I have to keep replaying it because my children have been listening to it with me.  Of course, now we are all on different parts so I've reheard certain parts a few times.  My middle schooler, Mikey, and my high schooler, Will, both have enjoyed listening to it and are disappointed that I have finished it before them.

This book is about Hazel, a girl with cancer, and the relationship she forms with other cancer patients, survivors, and non-cancer characters.  The focus is primarily on her relationship with Augustus Waters, a hot guy, who attends the support group session one day.  Augustus had a type of cancer where 80% of the people survive.  Augustus had lost his leg to the cancer, but we think he is going to survive as well.  He falls in love with Hazel because she is funny, sweet, and reminds him of Natalie Portman in V is for Vendetta.

It could be because I listened to the book, but I didn't find Hazel to be very nice.  She does not want to be judged by others because of her illness, but she is very judgmental herself.  There is a girl in support group with appendix cancer and I feel Hazel judges her because it's cancer in the appendix.  I suppose that isn't such a big deal?  Hazel also is tough on people who respond differently than she wants them to respond.  For example, Augustus's sisters are annoying when they speak to Augustus while on his deathbed, but that is what they know.  Everyone has a right to respond to things as they know.  Hazel seems to stop being friends with her healthy friend from high school.  This girl has a British accent, even though she isn't British.  So, that is a bit annoying, but her friend is trying to be a friend and Hazel does not seem to make an effort with that friendship.  I may have heard this wrong, but it was my interpretation based on the reader of the book.

I remember best when Augustus and Hazel are heading to Amsterdam and they are waiting in the airport.  Augustus leaves to get a hamburger and leaves Hazel and her mom sitting alone at the terminal.  Augustus finally returns right before they are to board the airplane.  We find out that he didn't leave just because he was hungry, but because it was obvious that the three of them together were suffering.  He didn't want people looking at him with pity.  I think this story sticks with me because I'm reminded of my mom going through cancer.  She bought a wig, always wore hats, fought to walk like she wasn't in pain even though she was.  I just wonder why we always tend to act like everything is okay.  Isn't it okay to not be okay?  Maybe the people aren't feeling sorry for you, but maybe they are compassionate because they too have experienced something like this.  I think that we need to realize that people are basically good.  Looks might not be anger or pity, they could be understanding.

The ending was great.  Hazel finally talks with her parents and they talk with her.  They have an understanding and no matter when Hazel dies, Hazel can feel good because her parents will live on.  Hazel can accept that she will die and that her parents will continue living; they will miss her, but they are going to make a difference in the lives of others.  (Mom is taking classes to become a counselor for cancer patients.)

This book is too intense for 3rd grade.  The CD case says 14+.  So, I won't share it with my own class, but I will share it with my own children and make sure they hear the entire thing.  I will read it on my own and probably modify my views on the book.  This story would be good for the family and friends of cancer patients to have a better idea of what the cancer patient is going through. 

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Rules

Author:  Cynthia Lord
Published:   2006

I sat down to read this book from beginning to end.  I chose this book for two reasons:  it is a Newberry Honor book and it has also won the Schneider Family Book Award.  I was killing two birds with one stone.  I had seen this book before, but the cover did not draw me in.  Now that I know what the cover is, I love it.  I have to stop letting covers dictate what I read.

I asked my husband to look at the cover and to predict what the book was about.  I wanted to see if what he thought would be enough to make me want to read the book.  Ummm no.  He said, "It looks like a game at a carnival.  I bet you have to pick up the duck and check what's written on the bottom to see if you win the goldfish."  So I asked, "Why is the duck saying "RULES"?"  He responded, "Carnival games have rules!"  Okay, no wonder I didn't want to read the book before.  I'm glad I did though.

There is nothing about carnivals in this book.  This story is told by Catherine, a young girl who wants to enjoy her summer and meet a new friend, Kristi, who will swim with her and send Morse code messages back and forth with flashlights.  The only problem is that Catherine has a brother, David, and David has autism.  Catherine loves her brother and has come up with a list of rules for him.  At first you think she has rules so that he doesn't embarrass her, but really, Catherine does not want others to treat David differently. (Examples of rules are:  no toys in the aquarium (see the cover of the book) and don't take your pants off in front of others.) She wants everything and everyone to be "normal."  Interestingly, Catherine learns that normal is not what she thinks.  She befriends a boy, Jason, a paraplegic, at David's occupation therapy sessions.  I see Jason as Catherine's closest friend, but Catherine doesn't see it like that.  She wants to treat Jason like he is "normal," but really she does not and comes to realize that she is doing to him what she does not want others doing to her own brother.  Catherine tries to hide her brother's autism and Jason's handicap from Kristi, and ends up isolating her friends.  Catherine eventually learns to open up and speak up about her feelings to her parents, Kristi, and Jason.  She also realizes that accepting each others' differences is okay, and it is not her problem if others cannot accept the differences.

I read this book and thought of autistic students I have taught.  I want so badly to know what is in their heads. I want them to understand that I may not always understand them and may understand things the wrong way, but I really want to.  What I have always been amazed with is that my students have always been so understanding of my students with autism.  I'm amazed at how supportive they are of each other.  I hope it's like this everywhere.  I know it isn't.  A few years ago I was at a museum and I saw a child with a sticker on his shirt.  The sticker had written on it, "Be patient with me, I have autism."  I felt sorry for the parents and for the child.  I didn't feel like that parent had to explain anything to me, but they felt like they did, so the sticker. I felt sorry for the child, he had probably not always been given nice looks because of the way he behaved.  The only way he knew or was able to express himself.  Everyone needs to read this book and needs to learn compassion and understanding.  People need to learn that before coming to a conclusion they should think there might a reason for the way someone is behaving and it is not for us to judge.

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Learn about Cynthia Lord.