The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower.  New York:  Pocket Books.

I read this book when it was first released; I was a freshman in high school. It seems like forever ago. I know there was a new movie released, and I enjoyed the book then. So I decided to read it again.

I cannot believe I read this book at that age. I know it's classified as a young adult novel, but it contains some very adult themes. There are a lot of references to sex, suicide and drugs. And not just in passing. The protagonist is a freshman in high school and explicitly describes his experiences.  I think it's a great book for individual reading, but I don't see Perks ever being used in my classroom.  Then again, it's not meant to be used in a classroom. I'm just the type of teacher that doesn't like discussing certain issues with my students.

Love You Forever

Munsh, R. (1987).  Love you forever.  Toronto:  Firefly.

I received this book at a baby shower for Brody.  I honestly had never heard of the book.  But now I can't read this book without tears coming to my eyes.  The book tells the story of the relationship between a mother and son beginning with his life and ending with hers.  I love some of the descriptions of the boy as he grows:  "He had strange friends and he wore strange clothes and he listened to strange music."  Something I can definitely relate to with teaching high school.

House of the Scorpion

Farmer, N. (2002).  House of the Scorpion. New York:  Atheneum.

I read this book for my graduate class. I was not too thrilled about it. Sadly, sometimes I'm one of those people who judges a book by its cover and its title, literally. But, like a good student, I read the book. After a few chapters, it was so hard to our or down.

The Diary of a Young Girl

Frank, A. (1997). The diary of a young girl.  New York:  Bantam.

Anne Frank is a name known throughout the world.  She was not an extraordinary girl, nor did she really live an extraordinary life.  Yet, her diary has been published in countless languages and been read by a large audience.

When Jessie Came Across the Sea

Hest, A. (1997). When Jessie came across the sea. Cambridge, MA:  Candlewick Press.

What would you do if you were told that you were leaving your home to live with a woman you had never met in a country you had never seen?  That's what happens to a young thirteen year-old girl, named Jessie, in When Jessie Came Across the Sea.

Jessie lives with her grandmother in a poor Jewish village.  The rabbi in the village is given a ticket to America and decides that Jessie will travel to New York City and live with his sister-in-law.  Jessie travels on a boat to Ellis Island and meets a young boy named Lou.  Not long after Jessie arrives in New York, she learns English and becomes a success in a dress shop.  One day Jessie receives a letter from her grandmother.  What happens to Jessie's grandmother?  What happens to Lou?  Find out in Amy Hest's wonderful picture book, When Jessie Came Across the Sea.

Imitate the Tiger

Cheripko, J. (1996). Imitate the tiger. Honesdale, PA:  Bell Books.

Jan Cheripko is a high school English teacher who has won several awards with his book, Imitate the Tiger.

The protagonist and narrator of the novel, Christ Serbo, is a high school football player and is considered an at-risk teenager.  Most of the novel is told in a flashback as journal entries.  Chris is an alcoholic and gets sent to a rehabilitation school.  In his journal, Chris writes about what led him to his downward spiral.

Buffalo Dance: The Journey of York

Walker, F. (2004). Buffalo Dance:  The journey of York.  Lexington, KY:  The University Press of Kentucky.

Frank X Walker is a professor at the University of Kentucky.  He is known for the creation of the word Affrilachia, meaning "African-American Appalachia.  He even published a book of poetry title Affrilachia in 2000.

The collection of poems titled Buffalo Dance:  The Journey of York revolves around the Lewis and Clark expedition.  York was the name of Clark's slave who traveled with the group.  Walker takes on the persona of York, telling the story of the expedition through York's point of view.  Throughout the collection, there are small descriptions of the events of the expedition.  Walker uses these descriptions to share his inspiration with his audience.

Night

Wiesel, E. (1987). Night.  New York:  Bantam.

Night is a very touching and true story of one teenager's experience during the Holocaust.  Elie was a young boy when his family was forced to leave their home in Transylvania and become prisoners in Auschwitz.  Wiesel was silent about his experience for ten years before he was able to put the tragedy in writing.  It is no wonder that due to the book, Wiesel has so many awards such as the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit

Lester, J. (1987). The tales of Uncle Remus:  the adventures of Brer Rabbit.  New York:  Dial Books.

Uncle Remus Tales have been around for many years.  They have always reminded me of an Appalachian version of Aesop's Fables.  They are fun stories for readers of all ages and teach moral lessons.  Most characters in the tales are anthropomorphized animals who take on personality traits and characteristics of southern stereotypes. However, there are a few human characters who must interact with the animal characters.  Like many other traditional stories, the line between what is human and what is animal is often blurred.

The Hunger Games

Collins, S. (2008). The hunger games.  New York:  Scholastic.

The Hunger Games has become a worldwide phenomena with the recent release of the movie in March of this year.  After reading the book, it is easy to see why so many young adults (and adults) really enjoy the book series and why the novel has won so many awards.  Suzanne Collins creates a strong character in her narrator, Katniss through the use of  indirect characterization.  Collins creates other strong characters as well, each with his or her own personality.  So readers can connect with at least one character.

The Boy Who Loved Words

Schotter, R. (2006). The boy who loved words.  New York:  Scwartz & Wade Books.

The Boy Who Loved Words is a very challenging picture book that won the 2006 Parent's Choice Award.  Schotter tells the story of Selig, a boy who has a very large vocabulary and is often an outcast due to his love of words.  However, Selig meets a poet and later the love of his life, who is a collector of music, to serve his purpose in life.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Stead, P. (2010).  A sick day for Amos McGee.  New York:  Roaring Book Press.

Philip Stead's book, A Sick Day for Amos McGee, is a Caldecott Medal winner, and it's obvious why after taking a look at this heart-warming story. Amos McGee works at a zoo taking care of the animals. He spends everyday making sure the animals get special one on one attention, such as sitting quietly with a penguin and reading stories to the owl.  One day, Amos becomes ill and is unable to go to the zoo.

The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by A. Wolf

Scieszka, J. (1989). The true story of the 3 little pigs by A. Wolf.  NewYork:  Viking.

In The true story of the 3 little pigs by A. Wolf, Jon Scieszka rewrites the classic from the point of view from the fairy tale's antagonist.  A. Wolf is the narrator of the satirical story.  Scieszka creatively alludes to the classic with lines like "Little Pig, Little Pig, are you in?" and "...the hair on my chinny, chin, chin."

Blackout

Rocco, J. (2011). Blackout.  New York:  Disney-Hyperion Books.

Blackout is a picture book by John Rocco.  It is written in the style of a graphic novel or a comic book. Blackout tells the story of a power outage in the large city of Brooklyn on a hot summer night.

Grandpa Green

Smith, L. (2011).  Grandpa Green. New York:  Roaring Book Press.

Grandpa Green, by Lane Smith, is a Caldecott Honor Book.  Published in 2011, it is a exquisitely illustrated book with a simple, yet beautiful plot.  It is very easy to see how this picture book holds such a high honor.

Introduction

UPDATE: this blog was originally created for a graduate course : young adult and children's literature. I have decided to keep this blog and continue to update it with things that I read to my son, with my students and for pure enjoyment (when that gets to happen). A few of the original posts have been deleted or made private scince they no longer fit the purpose for the revised blog.

 I currently teaching English II (a collaboration class and a pre-AP class) and English IV (a collaboration, transitional class and an AP class) at North Laurel High School in London, KY.  This is my fifth year at NLHS, so I am very excited about receiving tenure.  I am a 2008 graduate of University of the Cumberlands in secondary English education.  I loved my time as an undergraduate student at UC, so I decided to attend UC again for my graduate work.  I'm receiving my Masters in reading and writing specialist.  I love teaching high school, but one day, I would like to work on specialized area focusing on reading problems.  I once taught a remedial reading course to sophomores.  My experience with that class inspired me to pursue this degree.

When I'm not teaching, I also sponsor the Beta Club at NLHS.  They are a great group of kids who are dedicated to high academics and community service.

I have been married for six years to Janson Conley, also a UC graduate.  Together we have a beautiful baby boy named Brody who was just born in May.  He already enjoys reading as much as I do, but he does most of the listening, and I do most of the reading.  We also have two wonderful dogs:  Pepper and Lexi.

Whenever I have free time, which isn't much, I enjoy traveling, reading and watching movies.  I feel that movies are just another form of literature.