World Class by Teru Clavel

WORLD CLASS by Teru Clavel describes “One Mother's Journey Halfway Around the Globe in Search of the Best Education for Her Children” since they attended school in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo before moving back to the United States. This is definitely a topic of high interest to our students, especially those whose parents may have been educated in other countries. There are certainly cultural differences and attitudes which are fascinating and Clavel describes many of them.  However, she is extremely negative about the Palo Alto school district, one of our sister schools. Frankly, this caused me to wonder how reasonable it was to try to generalize her children’s experience(s) as describing an entire nation’s (or region’s) school system? As other reviewers have noted, I do believe that her intentions were good, but I felt that she often made sweeping statements which were rather simplistic and sometimes repetitive, as she herself says, “One of the hard truths I came around to in California was that I’d been a little naïve about the US education system in general. … I had downplayed in my own mind how deeply rooted and systemic the problems are.”  To her credit, she includes extensive notes and references, plus a glossary and index. Also, Clavel, draws a number of parallels, noting, for example that in 2017 the OECD found that globally teachers make an average of 88 percent of the salary of those in other professions with the same level of education (in US middle schools, that figure is 60 percent) – if we want the best teachers (and reduced turnover) for our children, we should reflect that in our compensation and provide better financial incentives. I also liked how she tried to steer the conversation to learning, rather than schools, although I believe there is much more that could have been written about innovation in American schools relative to Asian ones. Overall, her suggestions about dealing with administrators or encouraging your child to read the classics seemed unrealistic for many parents. She says, “I’ve always believed that you assess your child’s education every day and then support them as best you can” which is certainly important, but at what point should those students be taking increased responsibility for their own intellectual and emotional growth? If you are interested in education, I would suggest beginning by shadowing a high school student at your local school as well as reading other titles, such as these recent ones.

The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths and more mysteries

THE STRANGER DIARIES by Elly Griffiths is a “modern gothic mystery” which I picked up because it was recommended for fans of Magpie Murders and The Lake House. Good suggestion!  In this suspenseful standalone work, multiple narrators describe the happenings at Talgarth High in West Sussex, near Chichester, where a young teacher, Ella Elphick, has been murdered.  Clare Cassidy also teaches English there – in fact, one of her favorite short stories is called “The Stranger” and she is trying to write a book about the author who had lived at the school. Clare is an avid writer, keeping a diary and recording thoughts (which provide some flashback details) about her co-workers, her teenage daughter, Georgie, and ex-husband, Simon. Soon, there is more than one death and Clare, other teachers, and even students are falling under suspicion of the local police, especially Harbinder Kaur (another narrator and well-developed character). THE STRANGER DIARIES is a melodramatic, almost creepy story with some surprising twists and several literary allusions. Tempting to read and enjoy in one sitting! There is plenty of agreement: Booklist (which recommended it for teens, too) and Library Journal gave THE STRANGER DIARIES starred reviews, plus it was chosen as a LibraryReads selection for March 2019 and named Best Crime Book of the Year by the London Times.

 

If you are looking instead for a mystery that’s “cute and cozy,” try SOMETHING READ, SOMETHING DEAD by Eva Gates. It takes place on North Carolina’s Outer Banks and local librarian, Lucy Richardson, and friends are helping plan the wedding of Josie O'Malley to restauranteur Jake Greenblatt. All is going fairly well until Josie’s grandmother arrives to take charge and create a more elaborate wedding feast. Soon, one of her wedding consultants is dead, the bride-to-be is a chief suspect, and Lucy has a mystery to solve in this fifth Lighthouse Library mystery. Eva Gates is a national bestselling author who has also been published under the name Vicki Delany. 

The Secret of Clouds by Alyson Richman

THE SECRET OF CLOUDS by Alyson Richman is, in her words, “first and foremost a love letter to all the teachers I’ve had in my life who contributed to making me the writer I am today.” The main character is Maggie, a young teacher who tutors a homebound and sensitive student, Yuri. Maggie talks about her own passion for teaching: “the thrill of teaching children is that they don’t edit themselves, like adults do. … Deep down I believed that a story could change us, and that if we read it deeply enough, a good book could transform our souls.”  She later remarks, “I looked for clues in every one of my students’ work. … What I believed more than anything was that having something in your life that you loved deeply sustained you.” And Maggie and Yuri bond over his love of baseball. In fact, this book speaks quite a bit about love – like “food is love” when Maggie and her Mom reflect on the family traditions and stories. Another example is Yuri’s parents, Katya and Sasha, who “loved him with so much ferocity that it sometimes felt like a sharp shooting pain in his [Sasha’s] heart.”  Overall, THE SECRET OF CLOUDS is a gentle read, quietly underlining the impact which students and teachers can have on each other.