The Absolutely True Story of A Part Time Indian is a story worth reading!

The Absolutely True Story of A Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Is a terrific story that takes the reader into the mind of Arnold “Junior” Spirit. The story starts with Arnold going to school on the Spokane Indian Reservation and felling like he doesn’t fit in. Everyone picks on Arnold and his only friend is the biggest bully on the reservation named Rowdy. Arnold is confronted with the idea of going to the white school Reardan High which is miles away from his house so he can escape the reservation and make something out of his life. The local people on the reservation do not take kindly to Arnold attending this school and his best friend Rowdy feels like he is a traitor to the people living on the reservation. When Arnold starts attending Reardan High everything is different other than the fact that he is one of the smartest kids in the school other than a kid named Gordy. Even with his smarts Arnold must overcome the prejudices of being an Indian, and in doing so he is confronted with feeling like a “Part Time Indian”. The people do things much differently and at times Arnold is not sure how to respond Throughout the Story Arnold encounters many new experiences that he never had before. Some of these experiences make him a stronger individual and give him the strength to carry on with his passion for learning. Along the way the story also take a neat approach to letting the reader know how Arnold is feeling by the use of drawing pictures. The character Arnold has a passion for drawing which is his way of expressing how he is feeling throughout the story. Overall the Book has the ability to make you laugh, cry, and do it all over again with every turn of the page. The Absolutely True Story of A Part Time Indian is a book worth reading no matter what kind of books your into.

The Mysterious Benedict Society is a must read!

Attention all kids, teens, adults, and the teens who think they are adults. I have an amazing book to tell you about. I have just been on an amazing adventure thanks to Mr. Benedict I mean Trenton Stewart, author of The Mysterious Benedict Society. The characters in this book are full of personality, passion, and a witty humor that will have you laughing for hours. Each character is very unique and easily liked most of the time. The plot of the story is engaging from the very beginning when Mr. Benedict is putting his team together to save the world. Each child in the team was picked from hundreds who responded from a single ad in the newspaper that stated "ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?" The children that Mr. Benedict chooses all have special talents that will help them on their very dangerous adventure. Sticky is a pure genius but get scared very easily. Reynie is a master at solving puzzles. Kate is the adventurer who is not scared of anything, and Constance is well…you will have to find out for yourself. Along the way the four children must go undercover as secret spies into the Learning Institute for the Very Enlightened to uncover the truth behind a mysterious broadcast being sent through the radio’s and Televisions that are controlling people’s thoughts. It would be a lie if I did not sit down in front of my own TV and wonder if Mr. Curtain, the villain of the story is broadcasting messages into my brain. Other than the great plot of The Mysterious Benedict Society each character also holds secrets to be revealed that unravel throughout the story. I knew I was in for a treat from the great reviews the book has already received, but I had no idea how much I would enjoy every page. I am a huge fan of sequels and the author has written two other books about the Mysterious Benedict Society, but do not fear if you only want to read this book you can and I promise you will not feel like you are missing out. In order to find out the great adventures that Kate, Reynie, Sticky, and Constance have I strongly encourage everyone to read The Mysterious Benedict Society. You won’t be sorry unless you are caught by Mr. Curtain and thrown into the waiting room!

Holocaust literature and Milkweed

I first became very interested in reading YA Holocaust literature from a children’s Lit class in college. Other than The Book thief by Markus Zusak I had never really understood what was so powerful about this type of literature. Our teacher assigned The Devils Arithmetic by Jane Yolen for us to read and discuss in class. After completing the book she asked “so…what do you think of the book” we all responded with “We loved it, what a great book”! The quirky smirk on our teacher gave us was priceless especially when she responded so you enjoy reading about the horrific things that took place during the Holocaust? Our enthusiasm was hindered until she discussed with us the great importance historical fiction can have on the YA world. Some historical fiction can be so well written you won’t even notice its fiction. It’s written with such compassion and just enough reality that it helps young readers understand the horrors that went on during that time period. I personally feel that this kind of literature for our youths is a powerful teaching tool that can open up a great conversation for students to ask questions.

With that said I just got done reading a very emotional and greatly written book called Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Milkweed is about a young boy who doesn’t know who he is, where he came from, or his name. All he knows is that he is quick at taking food from others and never gets caught. He is often called dirty Jew, a gypsy, and stop thief. When Uri, a young boy with red hair takes this boy under his wing the boy learns many things he never knew where possible like where angels live, or what a mother is. Uri gives him a new identity with a story that goes along with him new name. He also gets the pleasure of knowing what it feels like to be clean. It’s not until the bombs start dropping and the Jackboots take full control of Warsaw that the boy and his friends start running into problems. The food is becoming scare, people are dying all around them, and Jews are fighting Jews, worst of all they are now surrounded by walls that are guarded by the Jackboots. The story of the boy who takes on so many identities is a compelling story and keeps the reader engaged until the very end. Milkweed gives significant detail in Warsaw and the struggle that the children when through. Milkweed is a great coming of age book that shows the young boy starting off naive but quickly learning what he must do to help the people that are closet to him. The ending is very compelling and I would recommend this book to anyone who is willing to step inside the mind of a young boy with many names during Warsaw.