the realm of possibility

The Realm of Possibility by David Levithan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"loss takes as much as love does"
A profound statement found on page 113 of this emotionally charged novel by David Levithan.

Amazing storytelling.
This book provides so many insightful characterizations of today's teenagers - teenagers questioning their role in their own lives, teenagers questioning their sexuality, teenagers questioning the depth of romantic relationships. If I were to make a list of the Top 10 books that all teenagers and those who love, work with or have teenagers should read, this is one of them!

The depth of the characters is extraordinary.
A must read.


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The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross

The Girl with the Iron Touch by Kady Cross
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The Girl with the Iron Touch left me wanting more. The synopsis of the novel (from the front cover) states that "When mechanical genius Emily is kidnapped by rogue automatons, Finley Jayne and her fellow misfits fear the worst. What's left of their archenemy, The Machinist, hungers to be resurrected, and Emily must transplant his consciousness into one of his automatons - or forfeit her friends' lives."

The premise of the book is set in a society where machines are becoming sentient beings, even exhibiting emotions which move beyond logical thinking. This was an interesting twist in the book and if the author had explored this concept to a deeper degree, the book would have held my interest more. Taking that into account, the characters were likable and relatable for young adult readers. This book is part of a series and having not read the previous novels, the characters and their relationships were hard to keep straight at the beginning.

Mixed in with the mystery and suspense in knowing that The Machinist is being kept alive with machines, the love interests and overtly explicit sexual puns did not fit into the scheme of the novel. At times, it was as if the author included those parts as a means to keep the interest of some teens, but it was not necessary and in many ways detracted from the true essence of the novel.

Young adult who enjoy mystery set in a "steampunk" environment would enjoy this novel particularly if they have already read the novels from the beginning of the series.



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iBoy

iBoy by Kevin Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Every story holds a grain of truth and reality. iBoy is no different. Kevin Brooks creates characters who experience so much of what many young people live with every day including gang violence, lack of trust, feelings of alienation and isolation.
The main character must come to terms with two critical realities. First, he has been physically harmed when an iPhone cracks his skull with part of the technology becoming embedded within his brain. Second, his friend and possible love interest is brutally gang raped and now lives in fear of retaliation. Even though parts of the novel are incomprehensible in terms of actually happening, particularly the fact that the main character can read the texts and email messages from thousands of phones, the fact of the matter is clear that technology is embedded within our lives just as parts of the phone are embedded into his brain. Teenagers every day are faced with circumstances beyond their control and for which they are not able to handle.
Kevin Brooks brings to the forefront of our consciousness the need for validation of tragedy and the force of the human will to reconnect and create a new reality.


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Fault Line

Fault Line by Christa Desir
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sexual assault of young women is not a topic many people are comfortable discussing. This novel by Christa Desir brings the anguish which stems from an assault, not only for the victim, but for others who are also deeply affected by the violence. The characters allow the reader an inside look at the emotional roller coaster they experience as they juggle the emotions of fear, guilt and anger.
A must read for adults working with teenagers.


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The One and Only Ivan

Beautifully crafted story that regardless of your circumstances, you can use your talents and perseverance to prevail. And, that is exactly what the main character does. Ivan is a Silverback Gorilla who has been "caged" up in a mall zoo for years and years. He lost his entire family and was resigned to live out his existence in a small cage. But then he met Ruby, a baby elephant who did not deserve to live the life he has led. He makes a promise to save Ruby and that is exactly what he does.

Two things really stood out for me while reading this novel. First, regardless of your current situation, anyone can begin to move forward and produce change. Will it be easy? No! But as the old saying goes, "where there is a will there is a way." Second, the entire book was based on a true story.

This is the novel that has been chosen for World Read Aloud which begins on October 1, 2012.

Enjoy!

It's Monday... What Are You Reading?

As always, I am reading too many titles at the same time. Always have to match the book to my mood. The title I am going to finish (hopefully tomorrow) is THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN. This is the book chosen for World Read Aloud on October 1. A lovely story, but geared for younger students (certainly not my 10th graders).

Beautiful Disaster

Strategy is necessary to win a game and to write a novel. For the first half of this book, I believed there was a strategy and then it vanished. POOF!  The relationship between Abby and Travis was unconventional from the very beginning and yet still contained valid conversations and believable interactions. Predictability became apparent upon their arrival in Benny's office in Vegas and then it was all downhill for the last 40% of the novel.

My biggest concerns with the novel were 1. the disregard for safe sex (even after that had been discussed by the characters because of its importance to their future) 2. the BRUTAL FIGHTING! The fights that Travis engaged in were unrealistic and I wonder how he remained free to walk around in society. I am not referring to the "paid fights" but to the brutal and unnecessary beating he gave to others in the cafeteria, the parking lot, wherever he felt necessary to assert his manhood and defend Abby's honor. Abby should have honored herself and gotten out of the relationship (and stayed out) when it began to spiral.

There was a point near the end of the novel where the suspense grew and I was engaged in the novel in a new way. This was when Travis believed that his brother was trapped and killed in the campus fire. What was most disappointing was that the suspense happened so late in the novel.

With the fact that Benny and Mick never reappeared in the novel makes me wonder if the author is gearing up for a follow-up novel. I have to say, I sure hope not. [book:Beautiful Disaster|11505797]