Riveting YA Lit

I stayed in the bath last night long after the water ran cold in order to finish Todd Strasser's Blood on My Hands. It was phenomenal. While I had some ideas about the ending, it was still a compelling ride to see the story unravel.

The main character, Callie, is found leaning over the dead body of the "it" girl at her high school...with knife in hand...and then cell phone pictures were snapped. Add to all this, Callie's older brother is serving 8 to 15 for attempting to murder their abusive father. The natural assumption is that Callie is as guilty as they come.

What do you do in this situation? I'm not sure I would have the wherewithal that the main character did--she took off running. She felt as though her only chance would be to find out who really did kill Katherine, so she hides until she can do so.

Callie's foray into eluding the law and amateur detective work makes for a fascinating story. Strasser paces it well, especially for the short attention span of a teenager. For an adult, it's a quick read--maybe just a night or two. But definitely one worth picking up.

Hothouse by Chris Lynch

Several years ago, I read Inexcusable by Chris Lynch--the story of a young man who is convinced that he is a good boy and did not do that which he actually did. (I'll leave you to read it and figure out what it is he did.) The book was written as such where you really felt you were in the speaker's mind. In fact, at times, you started to believe him because he believed it so much. Reading it was a powerful experience.

So I was happy to see a new Chris Lynch novel in my school library, Hothouse. This is the story of heroes and how hard they can fall when we lift them up high enough. It is a good story for your teenage boys sitting in your high school English class. You, however, dear teacher, might just struggle with it.

What came across as the narrator's stream of consciousness in Inexcusable comes across as a botched writing attempt in Hothouse. There were times when the writing got in the way of the story. There were times when the plot just drug along. Truthfully, the plot isn't action packed. The story is slow to develop and slow to resolve itself.

Would I recommend it? Definitely to a student. Their tastes are refined enough for a character's rambling to get in the way. But it isn't one I would read again.

Yummy popularity!

I am one of the most popular women on campus these days. It's an enjoyable experience. All the girls are coming by to visit and they all want to know, "Do you have it?" Oh yeah, I got it.

I am the sole member of our high school community in possession of the newest novel in the Blue Bloods saga by Melissa de la Cruz.

Now those of you not surrounded by teenagers on a day to day basis may not realize who or what the Blue Bloods are. Allow me to fill you in. The Blue Bloods are vampires. There are 400 of them and they recycle in and out of everyday world. They age, they eat, they live and work. At the end of their life, their blood (sagre azul) is saved until the next cycle.

Now, whether or not you know a teenager, you have at least seen the recent Twilight phenom with all the screaming girls AND their moms. Well, that phenom has spread. All things vampire are H-O-T, hot! That means that books such as Blue Bloods and Vampire Diaries are huge in high school libraries. Vampire Diaries has even turned into a smash-hit TV show. Our media center can't keep the books on the shelves--I have girls asking to go to the library every day.

So I have become very popular. I'm kinda hoarding the book. I tore through the first three so fast that I can't seem to get into the newest installment. So I have been rereading. I started at the very beginning earlier this week, and this afternoon I cracked open my copy of the third novel, Revelations. Then I'll be reading to seek my teeth into The Van Alen Legacy, pun intended.

If anyone wants to donate, say, five copies of the book to my classroom library, that would be greatly appreciated. I mean, it is the Christmas season, after all.

And if you're worried that there's nothing out their for the boys, I'm also taking donations of graphic novels. They can't get enough of them.

For the vampire in you...

I was never a vampire-lover growing up. If truth be told, I don't think I ever saw Interview with a Vampire; I wasn't a Buffy-groupie; and Ann Rice did nothing for me. So when a student insisted that I read Twilight, I broke one of my own rules--I ignored her. I hemmed and hawed and claimed that I would...and I didn't.

Rule #4 to building a reader--Take his/her recommendations to heart and give them a shot.

So I finally got around to reading Twilight last spring--actually I listened to it on tape in my car. I liked it. I wanted to find a copy so that I could read in addition to listen (now wouldn't that have been interesting?). I devoured the other two and of course snapped up Breaking Dawn immediately. I've since reread Twilight and seen the movie twice. Right now, I'm listening to the soundtrack. Hmmm, me a vampire-lover. Who woulda thunk it?

So now that I am intrigued by this world and want nothing more than to be bitten so that I too can possess ethereal beauty and super powers, I find myself looking for other fixes. I've had a hard time reading anything to completion since the end of Breaking Dawn. Maybe I'm making bad choices, but I've really struggled. Until now. My struggles are over. I have met Melissa de la Cruz and Schuyler Van Alen.

Melissa de la Cruz is the author of lots of teenage chic lit. But her Blue Bloods series is what has gotten me back in the saddle again. So far, there are three novels in the series and she promises to write at least 6. In the first, the reader is introduced to Schuyler Van Alen, a thrift-store shopping outcast at a ritzy, ultra-exclusive private school in Manhattan. She and her sidekick, Oliver, stick to themselves and try not be trampled on by the elite. However, she soon learns that her fate is intertwined with those that she tries to avoid. Schuyler is one of the 400 Blue Bloods, a vampire who recycles in and out of the Red Blooded world for all of eternity. As they reach their mid-teens, Blue Bloods begin their Transformation and begin to come into their memories--all of them.

The books are fast-paced and easy reads. There is some vocabulary that seems a little extraneous (isn't that ironic?), but for the most part, the reader can skim right over them. I did. The characters are both likeable and detestable. Schuyler makes a great protagonist, even though her fashion sense apparently leaves a little to be desired. Her direct antagonist, Mimi, hates her for not fitting in, but then learns to hate her for many more reasons. The book has the typical teenage drama--puppy love, school dances, and clubbing--but also deals with heavier vampire issues--immortal bonds, the Sacred Kiss, and age-old battles of good and evil. The books mix in a great deal of history--more so than the Twilight saga. Whereas the Cullens were turned, there are only 400 Blue Bloods. And that's it. So if something happens, they decrease in number. Period. No do overs.

I've really enjoyed to books. The only downfall? The 4th one doesn't come out until next fall. Maybe. :(

Re-Engage Adolescent Readers

No all secondary students who fail to read do so because they can’t read. Granted, there is a certain percentage who lack the basic skills needed to decode. And there is a larger group who do not read because, while they can “sound words out”, they can’t make sense, comprehend, what they read. But the largest majority choose not to read. In fact, their interest in reading lessens with the passing of each school year.

Yet the necessity of reading does not pass with the handing out of diplomas. High school graduates have to be able to read a wide variety of texts. It’s not just about literature and poetry—it’s about charts, ballots, internet information, maps, graphs, applications, warranties...the list goes on and on. Yet many of our students lack the sheer motivation to pick up a book and become a stronger reader.

Motivation can be described as a student’s willingness to read when he/she is not compelled to do so by academic assignments. High school students are not typically readers of habit. There are plenty of programs at the lower-levels that are designed to motivate them to read, but the results rarely last past the end of the program. In order to truly change reading habits, the reader must be intrinsically motivated. Therefore, the opportunities for choice and self-selection play a vital role in in developing a desire to read outside of academic assignments.

In order to generate intrinsic motivation to read, we must offer two things to our high school students: time to read and interesting texts. Providing opportunities each day to read texts of their own choosing can energize readers. This is where SSR fits into the scheme of things and how it can promote healthy reading habits. Students are more likely to finish reading a book that they started at school. Many times, without that chance to read at school, the book won’t get cracked open at all.

Student interest is another factor in creating intrinsic motivation. When it comes to voluntary reading, the subject of the text is critical. A book or article that matches a student’s interest is more likely to be read. In addition to giving the book a chance, a reader is apt to comprehend more when he/she is interested in the text. The interest level causes the reader to attend to the text more closely. A book or article of interest is more like to be read, and more likely to be understood.

Ultimately, the re-engagement of adolescent readers requires that they discover how meaningful reading can be in their own lives. This is only a few books, songs, audiobooks, or graphic novels away.

A Little YA Worthy of Attention

I'm constantly looking for good books for some of my Hispanic students--girls, especially. So I was excited to see Haters by Alisa Valdes-Rodriquez.

Rodriquez is the author of Dirty Girls Social Club, a piece of chick-lit about 6 Latina women who have remained friends despite different complications and triumphs throughout their 20s. I enjoyed DGSC for the relatively easy read that it was and I looked forward to Haters. It didn't disappoint--I think I enjoyed it more!

Haters has several stories--father-daughter drama, new kid in school, the quest for popularity, and boy meets girl. The main character and narrator, Paski, is uprooted from her home in Taos, New Mexico when her father, a cartoon artist, moves to LA for work. She ain't in Kansas anymore, that's for sure. She likes the diversity in her new school, but soon learns that the popluar girls all have intense cruelty in common. If it can happen, it seems to happen to Paski. There were several places where I wondered what, if any, storyline would be left out. Regardless, it is a good read and pretty PG rated. I did find myself rooting for Paski and pretty engrossed in her new life in LA. She is a strong role model, too--she is strong and independent and not afraid to embrace her individuality.

Haters is a good girly read for any student, but the Hispanic main character helps with some of our students that often don't have many choices.

Great YA Lit!

I really took my time getting around to reading Stephanie Meyer's vampire series. I actually bought a copy of Twilight last spring and it sat, unread and unopened, on my bookshelf until some student came and kept it for herself.

Why did I wait? What was I thinking? I finally experienced Twilight on audiobook earlier this month. It was a long, drawn-out experience and I savored every morsel. I've never had much success with audiobooks, but I found myself looking forward to my morning commute. The book was amazing.

If you haven't checked out this series (starting with Twilight and then followed up by New Moon and Eclipse), its about vampires. Bella Swann, an innocent little junior in high school moves up to Washington to live with her father. There she meets the Cullens, who are a family of vampires. The books chronicle their perils and their growing relationship. Now, probably the most unrealistic part (aside from the vampire thing) but also the most beautifully written part, is the love that grows between Edward Cullen and Bella. It is truly a beautiful thing, but if you know high school juniors, it isn't really realistic.

I'm through with the second in the series now and I have loved every second. Pick up a copy, if you haven't already. I've heard that high school libraries can't keep them on the shelves anymore.

We're all struggling readers until the right book comes along.

Raise your hand if you loved The Scarlett Letter when you were 15? What about Huckleberry Finn? Seriously?

I was the worst for not reading the assigned classics when I was in school. I knew that if I sat still and quiet that I would get all the answers I needed. Luckily, the classics that I loathed as a teenager didn't turn me off from reading altogether. There were plenty of interesting books at my house. I never lost touch with a love for the written word.

That's not the case for so many of our students. They don't have books at home to remind them that reading can be fun. They don't have parents that show them what readers look like. And if they're dependent on what we sometimes insist on teaching in English class, then they aren't becoming readers there, either.

Teachers can encourage healthy reading habits among teenagers by simply being readers themselves. Many times students just need a nudge in the right direction. Its so important that teachers keep up with current young adult literature--being able to recommend a good book is sometimes all a student needs. And once you've given them something good, they'll come back to you for something else.

We're all struggling readers until the right book comes along. We all struggle with something--no matter how brilliant we are. Giving kids high interest books and time to read them in class will lead to a lifelong reading habit. And lifelong readers make good parents to the next generation.