The Postmistress

I had high hopes for this book, The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.  My favorite time historical time period is the World War II years, so naturally this novel seemed to be a perfect fit.  Unfortunately, I feel the story falls short of the author's attempt at weaving two worlds together. 

The story begins at a dinner party where a guest recalls a time when a postal worker withholds the mail and the chain reaction that this causes.  However, the exposition before this event occurs is nearly the entire book!  While the exposition and rising action of the novel kept me somewhat involved, I wasn't truly invested in the story.  I kept waiting for the postal worker's huge indiscretion to occur.  While the story was over developed,characters didn't seem to be developed enough for me to be truly invested in them.  When happiness or tragedy occurred within the novel I really didn't feel much of anything for them. 

I did enjoy Frankie Bard's story and believe that this would lead to a much stronger and more intriguing plot.  Her story, and the stories of other reporters during wartime in London, would have been a much better use of the author's time and energy.  I found myself counting the pages until the end of the book.

Sunrise over Fallujah

Walter Dean Myers' novel Sunrise over Fallujah explained the war against Iraq to me better than any news' story.  Myers' conveys the absolute confusion over just who is the enemy.  Sunrise over Fallujah follows Robin, Ritchie's (the main character in Fallen Angels) nephew during his tour of duty in Iraq. 

Throughout the novel we follow Robin, or Birdy as he is called by his fellow soldiers, as his view on the war changes.  Robin enlists because of 9/11.  He feels the need to "do something".  However, after Robin arrives in Iraq his feeling begin to change.  The sadness and frustration he feels is evident.  Myers' has a distinct ability to describe the action and the character's feelings without making anything seem exaggerated. 

I enjoyed this novel far more than I thought I would.  Sunrise gave me a better understanding of just what the United States is doing in Iraq.  In addition, the story let me into the hearts and minds of soldiers.  Myers' story left me with the impression that there is no easy explanation for war or just who the enemy is.

Stuck in Neutral

Terry Trueman's Stuck in Neutral is an immensely powerful book packed into less than 120 pages.  Shawn McDaniel's is a teen-age boy who has cerebral palsy.   With an IQ estimated at 1.2 (equivalent to a mental age of 3-4 months), Shawn has been called a "vegetable" or "retard".  But, what nobody knows is that inside himself, Shawn is a genius. 

Shawn remembers everything he has ever heard or seen since he was 3 or 4 years old.  He learned to read because his older sister used to play teacher.  Shawn was the student.  But, because he has no muscle control whatsoever, he cannot communicate at all.  He cannot voluntarily blink or grunt.  He blames himself for his father's fame and his parent's divorce.  His father is a Pulitzer Prize winning poet; the subject of the winning poem - Shawn. 

The current topic of Sydney's (Shawn's father) writing is the story of Earl Detraux, a man who murdered his two year old son.  Earl killed his boy, Colin, because he, like Shawn, would only live a life in misery and suffering.  And, now Shawn, fears that he may suffer the same fate as little Colin. 

Trueman's story becomes even more powerful when you read the afterword.  His son Sheehan has cerebral palsy, just like Shawn.  As a parent I know that there is no job more challenging and I live for the smiles, the hugs and cuddles I receive as payment from my beautiful daughter.   I can only imagine raising a child like Shawn or Sheehan.  The rewards would be few and far between.  Stuck in Neutral is a compelling story of the "what ifs".

River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

I was drawn to this book not only because it would be a resource for my Language Arts class, but also because of the unique illustrations.  The book will be a wonderful introduction to the poet William Carlos Williams.  Jen Bryant has written a concise and clever biography of one of my favorite poets.  Willie, as she called him in her book, was always interested in poetry; however, he chose to become a doctor because he knew poetry wouldn't pay the bills. 

I love that he continued to write despite the fact poetry wasn't lucrative.  Following one's passion is an important lesson for young people.  Money, while important, certainly isn't everything!

Melissa Sweet's illustrations, created as paintings on pages and covers of discarded books, are gorgeous.  Within her illustrations one finds Williams's words.  There is so much to observe and learn on each page.  I've read the book several times and still find something new to look at on each page.

I'm looking forward to sharing this book with my students!  I hope that they will enjoy William Carlos Williams's poetry as much as I do!

Briar Rose

Briar Rose is a Holocaust story, but it is so much more.  Becca's grandmother, Gemma, tells her granddaughters the story of Briar Rose.  Briar Rose's tale is much like Sleeping Beauty's, only more haunting.  On her deathbed, Gemma reveals that she is Briar Rose.  Becca promises her grandmother that she will solve the mystery that is her life.

What follows is Becca's journey to discover the story of Gemma's life.  Jane Yolen has crafted a beautiful story that also reveals some of history's most horrifying moments.  What I most enjoyed about Yolen's tale is that she has chosen to incorporate the punishments taken on homosexuals, a topic that is rarely seen in literature about the Holocaust. 

This fictional story is geared toward older, more mature readers.  Not only because of the frank discussion of homosexuality, but also because of the vivid descriptions of the killing fields of Chelmno.  I have read many, many true and fictional accounts of the Holocaust.   Briar Rose is one of the most beautiful stories I have read about the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Heavy Words Lightly Thrown: The Reason Behind the Rhyme

I love the etymology of words.  When I came across the book Heavy Words Lightly Thrown:  The Reason Behind the Rhyme by Chris Roberts I became very excited.  A book that explains the meanings of nursery rhymes -- awesome!  The concept of this book, especially as a new parent, is totally spot on. However, as I should have considered, the explanations might contain a bit of drudgery.

Thankfully, Roberts writing style emulates that of many of my favorite British comedians:  John Clease and anyone from Monty Python's Flying Circus immediately come to mind!  Roberts is sneaky.  The humor is subtle and you have to read everything he's written because otherwise you might miss some hidden jocular gem.

The glossary he added to the American edition was immensely helpful.  Not quite the Anglophile I thought I was, I consulted the glossary almost every instance an asterisk popped up.  I was also intrigued by the concept of "rhyming slang" and spent considerable time trying to completely understand it.  Although my inability to fully grasp the intricacies of this Cockney slang completely explain my lack of understanding for the movies Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels or Snatch!

Fallen Angels

Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers, is a title that has been taught at my school off and on.  I have never read the novel, and figured it was high time I did so.  Taking place during the Vietnam War, Myers tells the story of Ritchie Perry and his fellow soldiers Peewee, Lobel, Johnson and Brunner.

Perry is just 17 and has graduated from high school.  He enlists as he knows that there is no money for college and life in Brooklyn has gotten to be too challenging.  Perry is swiftly sent off to Vietnam.  We follow him through night duty, reconnaissance and battle and the drudgery of war.  There seems to be a lot of sitting around and waiting.  Myers's descriptions don't leave much to the imagination, although none of it is too gory.  The language used in the story is fitting for young soldiers, but may be a bit much for some middle school students for whom this book is targeted.

This novel would be an excellent novel for students to read prior to reading Shooting the Moon.  A study could be made comparing the soldiers and those they leave behind.   I am looking forward to reading Myer's Sunrise over Fallujah as it's a follow-up of sorts; the main character is Perry's nephew.