The Year of Prime ... ahhh Heck ... just a bunch of books and authors I love

It's NEVER too late to give the gift of a book. So, if you have a few last minute gifts you need to buy, BUY A BOOK!! And a great book is perfect for New Year's, King's Day, a pick-me-up ...
Okay. Anyway, blah blah blah. You get the idea.

First up is Chris Crutcher. He's a phenomenal storyteller and his books do what I think a great book should: make you question your beliefs, pretty much putting you on the spot. Yep. Uncomfy! In DEADLINE, for instance, one of the most interesting and likeable characters is a former priest that has done something deplorable -- this storyline parallels a love interest that has been abused by a close family member. Juxtaposing the two situations is completely uncomfortable for the reader, the main character. STAYING FAT FOR SARAH BYRNES is another of my favorites of his. Crutcher creates fantastic, believable characters who make you think, question, and feel. His characters have to make tough decisions. Not everything is black and white. On top of that, I can't think of another author that writes sports scenes so incredibly well! He's the master of bringing you into the game, meet ... whatever his characters are doing.

 

Next up is Kate DiCamillo. What a phenomenal storyteller!! Many are familiar with THE TALE OF DESPEREUX, her Newberry winner BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and many more of her wonderful, WONDERFUL stories. One of my favorites of hers is THE MAGICIAN'S ELEPHANT. When I read LIESL AND PO I immediately thought of this beautiful story -- one of love, loss, heartbreak and magic. It's like taking a break and entering into a world where magic exists even though the rest of us had forgotten about it. Her books are simply astounding. 

Finally are my Holiday Book recs! (A TOUCH late ... but these classics are perfect for every year, every age!!) 

 

I wish everyone a happy holiday ... however you may choose to celebrate and a New Year filled with wonder and love!!

Happy Reading!

The Year of Prime ... On the 17th Day of Christmas

Inconceivable.
But true. I'm actually POSTING A BLOG ON TIME! So, my pick of the day is one of my favorite all-time books written by one of the best literary minds today. Truly, though, I don't know of another author out there with more range and who takes bigger risks than MT Anderson. He's done historical fiction, sci fi, fantasy, contemporary -- all executed with skill and integrity and great storytelling. If I knew he was behind all those horrible manuals that explain how to put the freaking desk together, I'd read every line.  (He's kind of my hero.)

FEED is one of the reasons I became a YA author. I remember reading it and thinking, "Oh my oh my oh my ... " then feeling totally intimidated by it then realizing that if I wanted to write books then I had to work my tail off. This book is, quite simply, PHENOMENAL. Set in the future, when people are born, an internet/TV feed are directly wired into everyone's brain upon birth. Corporations, read your thoughts and what you're looking at in stores then dominate the information stream, feeding information to each person. Titus and his friends and pretty much everybody else accepts things as are. Everything is owned. Sky (trademark) Clouds (trademark) ... everything belongs to one of the big corporations. And everybody's doing just fine until Titus meets Violet -- a young girl who's been successful in confusing her feed. The problem arises, however, when Violet's feed is breaking and she needs a new one and no corporation will sponsor it because her information is too jumbled -- she's not the "ideal" consumer.

It's truly brilliant. Actually, after having written about it here, I really REALLY want to go back and re-read it. Plus, it has one of the best first lines EVER in a novel:
'We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.'

The Year of Prime ... On the 14th, 15th, and 16th Days of Christmas ...

There are few things more exciting than kids that are excited about reading. One of those things, for me, are kids excited about writing. Scholastic has a cool award for books written by kids. The next two on my list are beautiful examples of the creativity of children, what they're capable of given the chance, and how amazing it is that there are educators out there guiding, motivating, and helping inspire children to create great things! 

REJOICE: Poetry Celebrating Life in the Amazon Rainforest, Written and illustrated by the Third Grade Students of Mendon Center Elementary in Pittsford, NY

VINCENT VAN GOGH'S CAT, written and illustrated by the Second Grade Students of East Washington Academy in Muncie, Indiana

 

For a complete list of winners, including 2011's winners, go to Scholastic and prepare to be amazed!

My final rec for the day is another picture book, one I particularly love. I've recommended it before, but I really, REALLY have to do it again. I'll tell you why from my personal point of view. In Colombia (and all over the world), the panorama of family and what "family" means is changing. But people still seem to hold onto an archaic idea of what family "should" be: father, mother, kids, and maybe a goldfish. The "idea" of family is more ingrained than the reality of what family is. Who can define what makes a family? Who has the right to decide what is considered "the right way?" One of the things I most love about our lives is that we surround ourselves with people of all backgrounds and ideas, and our daughter sees families of all kinds: single parents, divorced parents, gay couples, grandparents as primary caregivers, friends living together and more. We have friends who have adopted children. One of our close friends decided to have insemination and raise a child on her own. This spectrum of family and what components make up "family" is always changing, but the core of what family is doesn't: love and respect.
AND TANGO MAKES THREE by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell, Illustrated by Henry Cole is my last picture book pick of the day. A love story that encompasses the most wonderful and basic things about the magic of families.

Happy Reading!

The Year of Prime ... Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth

Geez this month goes fast. It's already twelve days 'till Christmas. (And I don't have the energy to do a cool 12 Days of Christmas improvisation.) So ... let's just get to the books.  (Without lengthy explanations ... trust me. They're good. REAL good.)
Sound good?

LIESL AND PO by Lauren Oliver is simply lovely. It's touching (without being sappy) and poetic (without being cliche) and one of those novels that's a joy to read. Enter the magical world of Liesl and be swept away.

CROOKED LETTER, CROOKED LETTER by Tom Franklin is a mystery set in the deep south that goes back decades. In a time with CSI and Criminal Minds and every other kind of cop/mystery show, it's hard to surprise. This novel did. (And it had it's creepy element, too). I really REALLY loved the main character and head detective on the case. LOVED.

PERFECT by Ellen Hopkins is a novel that asks four teens the question: How far would you go to be perfect? All hyper-achievers and pushing to meet self-imposed as well as social and family expectations, Ellen takes us on an intense journey into the lives of teens today. It is heartbreaking and a novel that made me reflect as a parent and former educator. What kind of pressure are we putting our kids under.and what are the consequences of it?

Sara Zarr never disappoints. STORY OF A GIRL is the story of Deanna Lambert who's been categorized as the school slut -- a label she can't seem to shake in her small town. (Even her father can't stand to look at her since he's the one who found her in the back seat with her brother's best friend.) This coming-of-age story about a dysfunctional family and this young girl's journey to forgiving herself, her father, and her brother's ex- best friend is poignant, insightful and never feels forced. I loved how Deanna and those who surround her develop in subtle but powerful ways.

HAPPY READING!!

The Year of Prime ... On the Eighth and Ninth day of December

"I survived the Bunuelado, 2011" ... I should get a t-shirt that says this. :-) A bunuelado, you ask??
December is "THE MONTH OF THE BUNUELO AND NATILLA" in Colombia. Bunuelos are like donuts, but instead of being sugary, they're made with cheese and are delicious fried balls of wonder. Natilla is a cinnamon-like jell-o/pudding sweet that, though slimy in texture, is pretty tasty (if you can get past the slime).
The seventh and eighth are THE ALUMBRADO in Colombia. Being Catholic, this is the celebration of the immaculate conception and pretty much marks the beginning of the madness to come! It's really pretty. Everybody lights lanterns (even kids!) ... the glow of light is exquisite.
Every year, we have a party at the farm. We invite a choir to sing Christmas carols and eat bunuelos and natilla until, really, I don't want to see another one for a year. There's a catch. We also have the contest of THE BEST BUNUELO.
Since the dough can be "molded", we hand dough out. We have trophies, a panel of judges, and pretty much everybody (adults and kids) get into it. (We now have two categories). And, if you're skilled, you can go home with THE GOLD, SILVER OR BRONZE BUNUELO.

Clark Griswold would have trouble competing with this. Hello Vegas!

Lighting Lanterns

The Golden Bunuelo goes to ... the Pig

I also have a book recommendation! (Of course!) I just thought you ought to know why I was so absent yesterday ... Keeping it "light" (teehee ... okay, I'm tired. My puns aren't really up to par.), I recommend a great book for that person who has "everything" and you really don't know what to give. It's also a good book for those who aren't big readers but are curious.  AN UNCOMMON HISTORY OF COMMON THINGS (A National Geographic Publication) has half-page length explanations of how things came to be -- everything from indoor plumbing and pizza to kites and capitalization/punctuation. It's fascinating!

The Year of Prime ... On the Seventh Day of December

Today madness begins. Well, it began a couple weeks ago but now Colombia jumps into the nonstop (literally) December celebrations with the Alumbrado. (pics up on Friday since it's today and tomorrow!) Anyway, to commemorate Colombia and celebrate its exuberance (to say the least ... yes, I'm bracing myself for the next twenty-four days of insanity), I'm recommending COLOMBIA: A NEW VISION by Santiago Harker.
Santiago Harker is an accomplished photographer who has spent his life traveling Colombia and capturing magical moments. We just went to one of his exhibitions this past week. The light, life, color, and dimension of his photos is indescribable. This is a truly exquisite journey into the Colombia I love, not the one we so often see misconstrued in the media. Open the pages and join me exploring the world I love!

Happy Reading!

The Year of Prime ... On the Sixth Day of December ...

As promised, three more recommendations to catch up on the days I've missed!!! And as the rush of December and life kind of swamp me, my recs will be sincere enough but perhaps not as "in depth" as they should be. (Yes, that's a way of saying I'm a slack blogger. Yikes!)

Today, I'm tipping my hat to Edward Bloor. I've heard about TANGERINE for the last ten years or so and was always intrigued but never got around to reading it until this past year. I. Loved. It!
Paul is your average seventh grader ... except for the fact he's "legally blind" and his brother is a psychopath. He has distorted flashbacks about why he's blind, but his fear of learning the truth blocks memories.(Yeah. it's not every day we face those kinds of obstacles).
Paul's looking forward to a fresh start in Tangerine, Florida. While his mom and dad are wrapped up in work and his brother's "football dream", Paul proves himself to be one of the best soccer players at the school, befriends a group of "tough kids", and learns to love the art of tangerine growing. What's most remarkable and wonderful about this novel is Paul -- unassuming, kind, and though he doesn't think so, incredibly courageous. (It takes loads of courage to be kind.)  This is a great novel to read for readers and writers, like a blueprint on how to create a complex and wonderfully developed, unexpected hero.

Another classic on my list falls into that "uncomfortable read" category. It's truly, though, one of the most masterful YA novels I've ever read. Most have heard of Robert Cormier's, THE CHOCOLATE WAR. I read it, for the first time, several years ago and just wanted to weep. Jerry begins his refusal to sell chocolates for the annual school fund raiser because he's put up to it by the school mafia -- the kids who really rule the school. But when they tell him it's time to sell and he refuses, the entire balance of power rocks and Jerry becomes an anti-hero, pariah, scapegoat, loathed, admired and totally misunderstood. This is a brutal study of human nature and how we live in a clockwork society -- and what happens to those who live on the edge of what we consider "normal". Intense. Heartbreaking. I'd venture to say it's edging toward that "must read" pile. (Though I hate those "must read" piles because, heck, if anybody told me I "must read" Ulysses, I'd poke my eyes out.) Simply phenomenal. How's that? (Instead of "must read.")

My final rec for the day is a psychological thriller. THE OTHER, published in 1971 and written by Thomas Tryon, is about thirteen-year-old twins growing up in Connecticut in the thirties. One is the "good twin", the other absolutely evil. It takes the reader on a freaky journey through two incredibly messed up kids and has one of those "holy crap" endings. I read it in high school (ahem, over twenty years ago) and still remember wishing I could sleep in my parents' room for about a week. (I didn't. But don't think I didn't REALLY consider it.) Don't read this at night.

Happy reading!

The Year of Prime ... On the Fifth Day of December

ACK!!
I've missed four days. Four days of wonderful, phenomenal, fantastic books I'd love to recommend (great holiday gifts!), so, cheating (a bit), I'm cheating. I'm putting three-in-one here (and will catch up tomorrow with another three!) ... THREE BOOKS THAT I ABSOLUTELY a.) loved b.) really felt moved by c.) really felt disturbed by d.) and loved.

Sometimes a great book doesn't end up leaving you with a great feeling. It's uncomfortable, it makes you question yourself, how you feel about things, how you view the world. And my first rec of the month is such a book.
LIE, by Caroline Bock is totally and completely uncomfortable. A story about kids who, for kicks, go beating up Mexicans (any Latinos, really, but they just jumble them all together in the same basket) on weekends in Long Island and something goes horribly wrong. Told from several POVs of kids involved, parents not wanting to be involved, a Mexican coach, a principal who feels like this should just "go away" ... That idea of "everybody knows, nobody's talking" that we all get swept up in at time. The nuance of racism and how we often turn a blind eye to what's in front of us made me feel squirmy.
LIE is one of those books that I was SO RELIEVED I had finished but so glad I had read.

Next up on my rec list is a book I absolutely, positively loved. FIVE FLAVORS OF DUMB by Antony John is simply wonder. Winner of the 2011 Schneider Family Award, this novel is about Piper, a teen misfit, who's been given the job of manager of the school rock band DUMB. She has one month to get them a payinggig. Easy, right? Except for the band's leader is an egomaniac who's invited a hot, talent-less girl on board because, well, she's hot, and the guitar players can't really play. Their only hope is a band-geek to get them in line. Basically, the band sucks. And on top of it all, Piper can't hear a thing because she's deaf. This is one of those perfectly written novels about kids being kids and overcoming insane obstacles -- not the obvious ones (being deaf and having tone deaf band members) -- but the ones that kids have to deal with everyday: acceptance, tolerance, first love, conflicts with parents and more. I laughed out loud. What a wonderful, WONDERFUL novel.

OKAY FOR NOW by Gary D Schmidt is next on my list. The Newberry Winner for THE WEDNESDAY WARS, OKAY FOR NOW has already gotten a National Book Award Finalist nod and it is so deserved. Doug Swieteck is new in town and has everything going against him: a drunk, mean father, an almost-meaner brother whose reputation makes it hard for Doug to do "anything" right at school, a brother who's returning from Vietnam a very different person, a horrible, PE teacher who's got it out for him ... basically, the list goes on and on. And on top of it all, Doug can't read. But Doug can draw, and gets drawing lessons from the town librarian, tutoring from the horrible English teacher, a job delivering groceries for his only friend, Lil's, father and somehow finds a way, through kindness, perseverance, and friendship to turn his life around. I cried many times in this heartbreaking story. It's so beautifully written. The story weaves in the themes of loss, hope, anger, abuse masterfully. Hats of to Mr. Schmidt for such a beautiful, beautiful story. He makes me want to be a better writer.

Happy reading!! Holidays and books ... you can't go wrong!