It Happened in Wisconsin

It Happened in Wisconsin by Ken Moraff has already won the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and received a starred review from Booklist, but it was not a home run hit with me. I was intrigued by the description of the novel: 1939, traveling baseball team, being stranded in a snowstorm ... so I excitedly picked it up.  And I read some great comments and quotes about social justice and other references to the labor-management struggles of those times. I even recommended this to a teacher studying social justice and revolution with his students.


BUT then I realized I was about three-fourths of the way through the book and still waiting for some significant action.  Maybe I was just looking for a happier ending?  Like the team, wanting to see some positive impact on their world? Perhaps that is the author's intended message that even the biggest idealists struggle to consistently resist the power of money and lust? Maybe I was the one not willing to think hard enough about these important issues? I am not sure, but I was hoping for more as I finished this book.

A Wilder Rose

A Wilder Rose is a thoughtful introspective on the story behind the authorship of "The Little House" series. At one point, Laura Ingalls Wilder's daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, comments:
"Would I have felt differently if I had know this one book was only the first of an eight-book series? Would I have asked for recognition and a share of the royalties if I had known that each book would take two or three months away from my writing projects and sap whatever meager store of energy I might have for my own work? Perhaps."

I looked at A Wilder Rose because the positive professional reviews suggested that it might be a new work to recommend to our Junior Theme students.  However, I believe that it will simply not hold their attention.  Despite describing various literary relationships, the impact of the Depression, and some parent-child conflicts, the first person narration will likely not engage our students.  Readers with at least some prior knowledge of the 1930's and devotees of the Little House series will be intrigued by the story and will appreciate the free (via Kindle) Reader's Guide for A Wilder Rose. However, I will recommend that our Juniors who are interested in life on the prairie focus instead on titles like My Antonia by Willa Cather and use the many resources we have available to support a literary analysis related to her work.

These Broken Stars

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner is a sci-fi romance which has been getting a great reception: 4.6 stars on Amazon and starred review from Booklist.  I, too, thoroughly enjoyed this novel even though I initally picked it up simply due to the beautiful cover.  

To me, it was a softer, gentler Hunger Games as the two main characters, Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen, overcame differences and prejudices to increasingly rely on each other. The clever flashbacks and changes in narration add to the story's suspense and tension.  Students, especially those in grades 7 - 10, will certainly be curious to see what happens in this intergalactic tale of survival combined with a growing attraction between Lilac and Tarver. 

While waiting for more from the planned These Broken Stars trilogy, we'll be exploring other adventures from Disney-Hyperion such as the American Booksellers Association award winner All Our Yesterdays (Cristin Terrill), and the soon-to-be-released (Spring 2014) titles: Far From You (Tess Sharpe) and Alienated (Melissa Landersd).    

Fix-it and Forget-it Pink Cookbook

I was recently able to view an electronic version of Fix-it and Forget-it Pink Cookbook and after consultation with our cooking class teachers decided to order it for our school.  In regards to the cookbook itself, I was especially impressed with the personal stories of cancer survivors that are included.  We all know someone who has been impacted by this disease and it was inspiring to read the comments and share the spirit of those who contributed to this book. Several accompanying recipes (like Slow Cooker Chicken Fricassee or Chunky Vegetable Chili) are colorfully illustrated and involve relatively few and simple ingredients -- which is great since it is often a challenge for me to manage the planning and shopping!  As with most cookbooks I see, I wish that this one had more images throughout the book.

Since our school is moving towards a 1:1 learning environment with iPads, our library has been increasingly experimenting with the purchase of eBooks to support the curriculum. Therefore, I was excited to see that Fix-it and Forget-it Pink Cookbook was available for purchase through Follett. I learned that it is actually one of several hundred eBooks cookbooks they provide, including some from Good Housekeeping, Weight Watchers and many focusing on ethnic recipes.  While so many delicious recipes are readily available on the web, I think that having this particular book displayed digitally in class will allow teachers and students to discuss not only recipes, but also healthy eating and breast health information.

Plus, one dollar from every Fix-it and Forget-it Pink Cookbook sold has been going to the Avon Foundation for Women Breast Cancer Crusade.  What a great idea for a partnership!

Rule of Three by Eric Walters

Do you remember Life as we Knew It or The Dead and the Gone, adventure stories which are part of a series by Susan Beth Pfeffer?  The moon somehow gets off course and the characters (some living in a city, others in the countryside) have to learn to survive. If you enjoyed them (and I had many students who finished one and picked up the other), then consider looking for The Rule of Three by Eric Walters. 

The book opens with an unexplained cataclysmic event whereby all computers stop working … leading to no working cars (except old ones), no communications/cell phones, etc.  Pretty quickly, high school student Adam and his retired neighbor Herb begin shoring up defenses for the neighborhood. They organize building walls and eventually fighting heavily armed foes. With a little imagination, you can almost see the battles being waged on a movie screen in the near future. Students who like picturing that kind of destruction will appreciate the action in this dystopian story, but it felt a little uneven to me.  

As society began to totally collapse and safe travel became almost impossible, the need for food and reliable water sources was clear. Adam tried to raise some concerns about helping others, but adults seemed to ignore the plight of anyone not in the neighborhood. They establish a leadership council which left me wondering where were the religious and education leaders in the community? At a time of crisis, it seemed that people would instinctively turn to them. The value placed on medical help and those with particular skills (farmer, mechanic, engineer) was clear, but why were they mostly men? Some events (flying an ultralight plane which did not use computers) were described in detail and others were glossed over. However, this book raises good questions about how interdependent we are and what actions we might take in a time of crisis. It could definitely be paired with non-fiction reading and newspaper articles about actual events such as the recent West Virginia water contamination or the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.   It would also be interesting to have students hypothesize about future events in Adam’s world as a sequel seems likely.

I read this as an eBook using the Bluefire reader which seemed a little “clunkier” than the Kindle app I normally use, but it was relatively easy to set up and the reading experience itself worked fine.  If you are looking for much more sophisticated treatment of a post-apocalyptic world, try classics such On the Beach (by Shute), or Alas, Babylon (by Frank), The Road (by McCarthy) or A Canticle for Leibowitz (Miller) – I had a student rave about that one last year.

The Invention of Wings

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is my favorite book of 2014 and even though it’s early in the year, I expect that this excellent historical fiction novel will top my list for months to come. 

I originally picked up the book as a possible addition for Junior Theme readers, since many of our high school students write papers about The Secret Life of Bees, also by Sue Monk Kidd. I was quickly intrigued by the story of two Southern aristocratic sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, their role as abolitionists and as early champions of women’s rights, and the hostility and resistance they met in the years prior to the American Civil War. I particularly valued the author’s efforts to explore the Grimkes’ motivations, especially how Sarah’s own struggles may have ultimately strengthened her efforts and empathy for others. Kidd aptly inter-weaves the sisters' destinies with those of “Handful” and her mother, slaves who endure hardships, assist with a potential revolt and take comfort from crafting their own story quilt. Whether from society's expectations or from slavery itself, all of these women are striving to be free.  

The Invention of Wings is a novel about courage, frustration, and resolve. Sarah Grimke says of her sister, “she was braver than I. She always had been. I cared too much for the opinion of others, she cared not a whit. I was cautious, she was brash.  I was a thinker, she was a doer. I kindled fires, she spread them.  And right then and ever after, I saw how cunning the Fates had been. Nina was one wing, I was the other.”

I enthusiastically recommend this novel to students and staff. Consider pairing it with another new historical novel, The Spymistress by Jennifer Chiaverini about Elizabeth Van Lew, a Southerner who supported the Union, OR with The People Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton, a collection of folktales and an ALA Notable Children’s Book. Sue Monk Kidd’s informative author notes describe Hamilton’s book, recommend additional reading, and also mention the inspiration from Judy Chicago's Dinner Party.   Hopefully, Kidd will consider writing more about one of the many other honorees or about other historical figures…. maybe the Fox sisters, “spiritualists” from upstate New York?  For more reviews and an interview with Sue Monk Kidd see this NPR page.   And for more information, including an excerpt in Handful/Hetty's voice, see the publisher's site here.

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls by Anton DiSclafani

     I was interested to read this book because of the quotes by Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Prep and Laura Moriarity, author of The Chaperone.  It captured and held my curiosity through most of book,  yet it didn't become the page-turner I was expecting or hoping for, as was the case with the other titles. So, I was a little disappointed.  However, I will keep this book on my list of recommendations and read-alikes.