The Luminous Reader

#3: The Pittsburgh Cocaine Seven: How a Ragtag Group of Fans Took the Fall for Major League Baseball by Aaron Skirboll

2011-01-16T10:22:00.000-08:00

Recently, Major League Baseball has been embroiled in a drug scandal related to steroid use by a number of players. Mostly lost in all of the discussion about steroids is that this is not the first major drug scandal in baseball. While I am not old enough to remember what went on in baseball in the 1980's, it seems after reading this book that MLB was able to do a much better job of sweeping the scandal under the rug for a variety of reasons, probably starting with the fact that cocaine is considered a recreational drug rather than a performance-enhancer.

In The Pittsburgh Cocaine Seven, Aaron Skirboll investigates how in a scandal that included several star players admitting to cocaine use, none were convicted of any crimes, and few faced any punishment from the league amounting to more than a slap on the wrist.

Early on, Skirboll describes the prevalence of cocaine use in society. Baseball players used cocaine not just because they were rich, but because many other people also did and because they had a lot of down time during road trips. The drug was considered by many to be harmless and not addictive, which is incomprehensible to me after the many lessons of the evils of drugs that I went through in school. Skirboll also connects the rise of cocaine use to the larger history of baseball, in which drug use has been commonplace for decades as players took any substance provided to them by doctors and trainers so that they could stay on the field and reenergize themselves during long seasons. He describes the use of painkillers, amphetamines and other drugs by players dating back for decades.

Skirboll tells the story by focusing not just on the players, but also on the ordinary people involved in the saga. He begins with Kevin Koch, who worked as the Pittsburgh Pirate Parrot mascot for several years, fulfilling the dream of many people of becoming closer to their heroes. He goes on to tell the stories of others who became close to professional baseball players in a variety of ways, and how these men got into supplying the players with drugs. He points out that most were not doing it to get rich, as the players were notorious for being cheap, but for the prestige of being associated with the athletes.

Skirboll's book contains extensive research. Besides looking at the details that came out of the trials of the seven men prosecuted by the government, he interviewed many of the principal figures, including the men themselves, family members, law enforcement, lawyers and professional baseball insiders. The result is a thorough look at the proceedings that was very interesting to read.

The most disturbing aspect of the book was the clear parallels between this and the steroid scandal. In this case, exactly as would occur 15-20 years later, figures such as managers and front office personnel ignored the obvious signs until public pressure mounted to the point that they had to be dealt with. It seems that while the villains sometimes change, many things will stay the same.

#2: In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks by Adam Carolla

2011-01-08T23:31:00.001-08:00

In this book, Adam Carolla explains how guys should live their lives. I can't think of a whole lot to say about this book, so I am going to keep it short and simple.

Carolla starts by describing his early life and how he got into comedy. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley with divorced parents, never excelling in school with the exception of football. After graduation, he worked a variety of jobs, mostly in construction, before breaking into comedy. He illustrates his change in lifestyle by including a copy of his social security statement, showing his income rising from near zero into the millions in a short period of time.

The remainder of the book is Carolla's description of what is wrong with society today. It takes the form of a series of lists, with the points of the lists being explained in more detail. For example, under Movies, he explains why he thinks Little Miss Sunshine, Lost in Translation and all of Tyler Perry's movies are overrated, while Fargo, Saving Private Ryan and Election, among others, are underrated. He does this for a variety of subjects such as music, cell phones and restaurants.

I was definitely amused by this book, but it is not something that is going to stick with me for very long. It was a quick read, and a good way to pass some time during vacation.

#1: At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson

2011-01-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

It's time to try out my book reviewing skills again - the goal is a total of 52 by the end of the year. Reading the books is definitely easier than keeping up with the reviews.

If you are unfamiliar with the writing of Bill Bryson, he is very inquisitive, and it shows up in his work. The good side of this is that you learn a lot of interesting trivia by reading his books. He also has the tendency to go off on tangents, which is very evident in At Home: A Short History of Private Life.

In this book, Bryson uses a tour of his house to describe the development of many things we take for granted today. For example, the chapter about the bathroom describes the history of hygiene and the chapter on the kitchen describes how the way people eat has evolved over time. Bryson's thorough research answers questions such as why salt and pepper are the most prevalent spices. He also looks into the lives of numerous people who contributed to the way we live, both famous and obscure.

Much of Bryson's research focuses on England, where his house, a 19th century parsonage is located. He describes the story of his own house, as well as the development of urban life in London and the palatial country estates of the aristocracy. Other than England, he looks at the rise of America over the second half of the 19th century and how that led us to where we are today.

At Home was an enjoyable book to read, as I enjoy learning trivia. However, it did meander quite a bit - some of the chapters were connected only very loosely to their intended rooms. While it is not my favorite of his works, it is one I would recommend to others.

My Reading List

2009-12-30T23:06:00.001-08:00

Last year, I had the goal of reading 100 books in one year. While my reviews tailed off, I finished book 100, although a couple weeks late (I started in early December last year). Things went crazy in September and October, and my reading slowed down a lot. Here is the final list (in parts), and I may post more detailed reviews at some point.

55. Nickel and Dimed - Barbara Ehrenreich
The author tries working a variety of low wage jobs with the goal of surviving on the wages. She makes interesting commentary about the struggles of the working poor. Rating: 4/5
56. Heart of the Game - S.L. Price
A writer for Sports Illustrated looks into the life of Mike Coolbaugh, a minor league coach killed by a line drive, as well as that of Tino Sanchez, the player who hit the ball. The narrative is very well written and depicts the tragedy, as well as the culture of players struggling in the minor leagues. Rating: 5/5
57. The Year of Fog - Michelle Richmond
Abby, a photographer, loses track of her fiance's young daughter while briefly looking away during a trip to the beach. The story chronicles the search for Emma, and the the difficulties Abby and Jake face in their relationship due to the tension. The novel is set in San Francisco, hence the title. Rating: 4/5
58. Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer
Krakauer was on a trip to climb Mt. Everest and describe it for Outside magazine. Krakauer describes the trip, but also what happened when disaster struck and several other climbers were killed. This is an exciting first-person account of this unusual experience. Rating: 5/5
59. When Men Become Gods - Stephen Singular
This book describes Warren Jeffs and his reign of terror over his followers in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS), the polygamists centered in the American Southwest. Rating: 4/5
60. Little Pink House - Jeff Benedict
This book describes a struggle between homeowners and the city of New London, CT over eminent domain. Benedict does a great job in portraying the city and its allies bullying the homeowners who were trying to simply preserve their hard-earned lifestyles. Rating: 5/5
61. The Jury - Steve Martini
A murder mystery in which one scientist is accused of killing another. I don't remember too much of it, other than that it was slow paced and not especially interesting. Rating: 3/5
62. The Taking - Dean Koontz
Another supernatural thriller by Koontz - strange weather phenomena begin occuring as aliens invade Earth, while a couple living in the woods in California try to do what they can to save themselves and others. The book was pretty good, but the ending was less than satisfactory. Rating: 3/5
63. Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit - Matt McCarthy
McCarthy, a Princeton graduate, describes his fish out of water experience as a left handed pitcher in the Angels' minor league system. His anecdotes were interesting, although there has been a bit of controversy over the validity of some of the details. Rating: 4/5
64. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling
I read this prior to the movie coming out. I had read it at least three times before, but I enjoy the series. Rating: 5/5
65. Extra Credit - Andrew Clements
Abby receives an extra credit assignment to write to an Afghan pen pal so she can pass her class. Her pen pal is a boy from a village where it is unacceptable for a boy to correspond with a girl, so he has his sister sign the letters. A friendship develops, and the kids learn about each other's cultures. The story is interesting, but not my favorite by Clements.
66. Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy! - Bob Harris
Harris has appeared on Jeopardy several times, competing in various Tournaments of Champions. He humorously describes his experiences on the show, as well as his process for studying for the show and the relationships he developed with other contestants. As a fan of the show, it was an enjoyable book to read. Rating: 5/5
67. Sag Harbor - Colson Whitehead
The novel, set in 1985, describes the experiences of 15-year-old Benji spending the summer in the predominantly upper middle class, African-American area of Sag Harbor on Long Island. This is in contrast with his experience in the city in which he is surrounded by white people. The story progresses at a leisurely pace to match its summer setting and is filled with pop culture references. While somewhat slowly paced, it is an interesting coming of age story. Rating: 4/5
68. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
The novel, recently adapted into a movie, begins with the brutal rape and murder of 14-year-old Susie Salmon. Susie watches her family from the afterlife as they deal with the aftermath over the next several years. The ending didn't quite measure up to the rest of the book for me, but the novel definitely kept me enthralled throughout. Rating: 5/5
69. Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops - James Robert Parish
As the title states, this book describes how several of Hollywood's biggest failures were made and how costs spiraled out of control, mainly due to huge egos or impractical ideas. As someone who enjoys making fun of bad cinema, this appealed to me, although I have seen very few of the movies described such as Ishtar and Last Action Hero. My biggest issue with the book was that it did not include Gigli, which was a horrible movie and colossal flop. Rating: 4/5
70. Kodak Guide to Digital Photography - Jeff Sheppard
A book describing basic photography techniques. It was written very clearly, but I (unsurprisingly) learned a lot more from the photography course I recently completed. Still, this is a good book for a beginner. Rating: 5/5

#54: Blonde Roots

2009-09-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Blonde Roots by Bernardine Evaristo is an alternative history that imagines what would have happened if Africans had enslaved Europeans instead of the other way around. It tells the story of Doris, the daughter of English farmers, who is captured by a slave trader and sent overseas. She ends up at the plantation of a wealthy landowner, but desires freedom, so much of the story concerns her attempts to escape and what happens because of these plots.

I found the premise to be interesting, but the story was hard for me to finish. The plot seemed to move slowly at first, and I put the book down for a while before eventually finishing it. Still, there were some interesting facets, especially the reimagining of American culture if it had been based upon African traditions rather than European ones. Overall, I found the book to be intriguing, but not a must read.

#53: Teacher Man

2009-09-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Teacher Man is Frank McCourt's memoir about his career spent teaching high school English in New York City's public schools. As a teacher, I found his story to be very interesting and entertaining. McCourt described all of the difficulties and rewards of being a teacher. The thing that stuck out was his willingness to find unconventional solutions to problems, even when it caused him to butt heads with administrators. His main concern was connecting to his students, but some of his superiors frowned upon his methods. This lack of flexibility among administrators and overseers of schools is a major source of what is wrong with schools today. Overall, I found McCourt's writing to be humorous and inspirational.

#52: Notes From a Small Island

2009-08-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

Notes From a Small Island is another example of travel writing by Bill Bryson. In this case, after living in England for a number of years and just before returning to his native U.S., he decided to explore everything that the United Kingdom had to offer. He began at the English Channel and traveled to John O'Groats at the tip of Scotland, and visited points in between throughout England, Scotland and Wales.

As with Bryson's other books, he looks at things in a humorous way. He uses trains to travel throughout the country and spends time musing on the vagaries of British Rail. He also spent time commenting on his lodging and the historical sites he visited, as well as the odd sites that attracted him like on all of his other journeys. He makes a special point to marvel about just how old many of the things are in Britain, such as numerous footpaths and hedgerows dating hundreds of years and an abundance of churches and other buildings dating to medieval times. However, in one instance, he went to a decrepit ruin of a house to see a Roman mosaic, only to later find out that it was a replica.

While the book does a great job in describing what it is like to travel through Great Britain, Bryson also serves another purpose. He expresses his appreciation for his adopted land. While he sometimes points out the quirks of the British, he does so in a gentle, rather than mocking way.

While I did not enjoy this book as much as some of Bryson's other work (such as In a Sunburned Country and Thunderbolt Kid, I would recommend it to others, especially if you enjoy travel writing.

#51: The Last Olympian

2009-08-03T22:32:00.000-07:00

The Last Olympian is the fifth and final book in the excellent Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. In the story, Percy and his friends and allies have to face Kronos and the Titans in a showdown over Mt. Olympus, conveniently located in New York City. Along with the titans, Percy and his friends must face a variety of monsters, including the powerful Typhon, who is rampaging across the country toward New York and attracting the attention of the Olympians. Percy also has to deal with the disturbing prophecy of his sixteenth year.

I don't want to give away any specifics about this book for people who have not yet read it. It was action packed though, with a very quick moving plot. Many of the familiar characters from other books return. Riordan also delves into areas of mythology which he had previously left unexplored in his other books, including the involvement of some of the minor gods.

I found The Last Olympian to be a satisfying conclusion to a great series. And while it seems to wrap up Percy's story, it does leave the door open for more tales about demigods.

Glacier Lake Trip Report

2009-06-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

Our troop took a trip Glacier Lake on 6/21-6/22. Glacier Lake is located in the Bowman Lake area, north of I-80 and near Emigrant Gap and the intersection with Highway 20. After a drive on a bumpy gravel road, we pulled into the parking lot at Carr Lake. From there, the hike to Glacier Lake was about 5 miles. The hike itself was not bad in terms of terrain. It was a little steep as we approached out destination, but nothing really difficult. The problem was the mosquitoes! In many places that we crossed, it was swampy due to residual snowmelt and was teeming with mosquitoes. To add to the problem, we had to stop several times so the boys could check where we were on the map so that they would know where we were going.
When we reached Glacier Lake, it was gorgeous. It lies just north of the Black Buttes, which reach up past 8000 feet. As we approached the lake, we passed some smaller ponds which were still partially frozen. The surprising thing was just how much snow was still around the lake. The south side of the lake was completely covered with snow. As we walked around to the north end of the lake, the slope was also covered. Still, there was a large, open, snow-free area for camping. We set up our sleeping bags there with no tents. The clouds looked ominous for a little while, but then vanished. The other weather factors were not so nice though. It was quite chilly (at least to me), as the daytime high didn't pass 60, and it cooled off somewhat at night. What was worse though was that we were blasted with wind all night, so we did not get much sleep.

We woke up Monday morning for the hike out, and it was sunny and pleasant. The sky was clear, and the temperature was significantly higher. While we still had to deal with the mosquitoes, we made it out in pretty good time. I was sore afterward, but that is to be expected. My favorite part was trying out my newly acquired camera, as I took 200 pictures over the two day period. Next up is another backpacking trip, but it should be much easier, as we are bringing some first time backpackers.

Halfway Done (with reviews at least)!

2009-06-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

The reason I started this blog was because of a kind of contest called The Cannonball Read that I read about on a website I visit frequently. The goal of the contest is to read 100 books in one year, although it is more of an individual challenge than a race against others. The other part of the challenge is to post reviews of each book that you read on a blog. The reviews don't have to be anything spectacular, but are supposed to illustrate that you have read the book.

Well for me, the reading is the easy part. Then I have to write the reviews. I have always had confidence that I would get through 100 books, especially with my months of leisure during the summer. However, the challenge has been writing a review for each one. I have hated writing since elementary school (and yet I make the students do tons of it), so I constantly put off writing the reviews when I finish each book. I am also somewhat self-conscious about my writing, as I don't want my reviews to sound like garbage, even though I know some of them do.

So now I have completed review number 50 (and finished reading book number 66) with several months to go. I am motivated to see this through to the end. I have also been contemplating adding other content to my blog, so now that I am making significant progress, I will actually follow through with this. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and tolerating my reviews so far, and I hope you are getting some ideas about things to read.

#50: In a Sunburned Country

2009-06-28T22:56:00.000-07:00

In a Sunburned Country describes Bill Bryson's journey through all parts of Australia. I have wanted to visit Australia for some time, so I was intrigued when I picked up the book, and became further hooked as I began reading.

Bryson begins his narrative by describing some of the many ways you can die in Australia. For example, several of the deadliest species of snakes in the world live on the continent. In the ocean, there are strong rip currents along with saltwater crocodiles. In the outback, there are the high temperatures, lack of water, and distance from everything. These are in addition to the more mundane ways that a person can die in other places.

Bryson also stresses how little most people know about Australia. He includes statistics about the rarity of Australia appearing in American news sources. To further illustrate his point, he tells the story of an Australian prime minister who simply vanished in the ocean. The leader of a very well-known country just disappeared, and very few people have heard of the story.

Now, on to the subject of the book. Bryson travels throughout the country, visiting all of its major cities and comparing and contrasting them. He describes the majestic landmarks of Sydney, the beauty of Perth and the dullness of Canberra, among other things. He also describes the countryside in between, taking trips to the outback and off the coast to the Great Barrier Reef.

No Bryson book would be complete without his sense of humor. Some choice examples include his listing of place names, such as the town of Tittybong, his summary of commentators at a cricket match that he heard on the radio during a long, lonely drive, and his story about how a dozen rabbits unfortunately led to major changes to the country's ecology.

If you like reading about distant places or have an interest in Australia, be sure to pick up In a Sunburned Country.

#49: The Lightning Thief

2009-06-28T22:30:00.000-07:00

The Lightning Thief is the first book in Rick Riordan's excellent Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. In this book, the protagonist is twelve-year-old Percy Jackson. He has always struggled with learning disabilities and always gets into trouble without trying, leading him to attend a different school every year. As a sixth grader, Percy attends a field trip to a museum with his class from the prestigious Yancy Academy. Although he tries to behave, he manages to vaporize his despised math teacher. Even stranger for him, it seems like no one has noticed. A new teacher appears out of nowhere, and no one has ever heard of the old one.

After this, Percy and his mom take a trip out to Long Island. A fierce storm arises, and Percy and his mom get into their car. Along the road, they meet Percy's friend Grover from school, who seems to Percy to be there randomly, although Percy had thought Grover knew more than he let on. They get into more trouble, and leading to a fight with a minotaur. Percy's mother disappears into thin air, but Percy manages to escape to a safe place - Camp Half-Blood.

At Camp Half-Blood, Percy finds himself in a new world. The Greek gods that he studied about in school are real. His former Latin teacher at Yancy Academy is a centaur and Grover is a satyr. Percy, like all of the other campers, is a half-blood: one parent is a mortal and one is a god. Unfortunately for Percy, he does not know who which god his father is.

Percy eventually figures out from some characteristics he exhibits and a revelation that his father is Poseidon, the sea god. This leads him to become embroiled in a three-way struggle between Poseidon, Zeus and Hades. In order to fix things and save the world, Percy must go on a quest to the gates to Hades, located in Los Angeles. He is allowed to bring two friends: Grover, and Annabeth, a brilliant daughter of Athena.

The Lightning Thief is a very engaging book to read for two reasons. It is packed with action, the author also incorporates a lot of humor. I read it to my class this year, and they enjoyed it thoroughly. Several of the kids read the series on their own, and it got them interested in Greek mythology due to Riordan's seamless incorporation of the mythology into the story. I strongly recommend it!

#48: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir

2009-06-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is Bill Bryson's very amusing memoir of growing up in Des Moines, Iowa during the 1950's. Bryson grew up in a middle-class family, with his parents, who both wrote for the local newspaper, and his brother and sister. He describes with nostalgia the adventures he engaged in as a young boy in a quick changing society.

One of the amusing things in Bryson's book is the cavalier attitude toward safety that people in the 50's had compared with today. He describes nuclear tests in Nevada in which the fallout could easily drift across populated areas, but people did not care. In fact, they actually went closer to these sites to get a better look. He also talks about things like the preponderance of food dyes, preservatives, and artificial flavors, which people looked at as signs of progress in food preparation without considering any adverse effects.

Bryson also describes his superhero alter ego, as described in the title. Whenever someone such as a teacher or other mean adult offended him, the Thunderbolt Kid would come out that person would be vaporized.

If you have ever read anything else by Bill Bryson, you know that he has a great sense of humor. He also engages in many escapades with a variety of characters. Some brief anecdotes include when he was in high school and there was a plot to liberate beer from the distributor, as well as a set of too smart for their own good brothers who get the idea to set off an explosive device in a high school field. It is the stories like these that make the reader laugh repeatedly.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is a book that I would highly recommend, and it encouraged me to go to the library and pick up more books by Bill Bryson.

#47: Youth in Revolt: The Journals of Nick Twist

2009-06-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

I first read Youth in Revolt by C.D. Payne a couple of years ago. Due to the upcoming movie starring Michael Cera, I decided to read it again. Because of the absurd nature of the story and the ridiculous situations that Nick gets into, I enjoyed the book as much as I remembered.

Youth in Revolt describes the travails of Nick Twisp, a 14-year-old living in the wonderful city of Oakland. His main objective in life is to lose his virginity. His parents are divorced, and when Nick's father loses his job, Nick is forced to leave his private school and endure the Oakland public school system. He quickly decides this is not for him and looks for a way out.

During the summer on a trip to Clear Lake (a couple of hours north of Oakland), Nick met Sheeni Saunders, the girl of his dreams. They scheme to get Nick's father a job in Sheeni's hometown of Ukiah (further north) and for Nick to behave so badly that he gets sent to live with his dad. Their plot seems to work, until Nick gets to Ukiah and finds out that Sheeni and her ex-boyfriend have transferred to a private school in Santa Cruz.

From here, the plot continues to thicken. Nick gets himself in to situations that are more and more ridiculous in order to try and reunite with Sheeni, and leaves a huge trail of damage in his wake. Sometimes, trouble just finds him without any effort. As things happen, one after another, the plot keeps the reader entertained.

Youth in Revolt is a hilarious novel. If you are expecting something serious, look for another book to read. However, if you want a book with an authentic voice that will keep you laughing out loud, pick this one up.

#46: Twilight

2009-06-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

I finally decided to read Twilight because of the hype, but I wasn't sure whether I would like it. I knew it was about romance and vampires, and neither of those things interest me, but some of the kids in my class were reading it and I decided to give it a chance.

I progressed through Twilight pretty quickly. The action scenes were pretty intriguing to me, like when Bella fled to Phoenix and they tried to escape from the evil vampire. However, there were other parts that annoyed me a great deal. I skimmed quickly over all of the gushy, descriptive language about Bella's obsession with Edward, which allowed me to finish the book more quickly. I also disliked the characters, especially Bella's deference to Edward, and Edward's stalker tendencies.

Overall, I didn't hate the book, but I definitely didn't love it. I may read the rest of the series at some point, but it is not something I am excited enough to go and do immediately.

#45: Stolen Innocence

2009-06-28T00:13:00.000-07:00

Stolen Innoncence by Elissa Wall and Lisa Pulitzer tells the story of a 14-year-old girl in the FLDS religion who was forced to marry her 19-year-old cousin. Wall and her family were very much entwined in the religion, having periodic direct contact with the leaders, Rulon and Warren Jeffs. The Wall family was labeled as rebellious by the leadership, as some of Elissa's siblings chose to leave FLDS. Her family was broken up, and she, her mom and her two younger sisters were sent to live with Fred Jessop, an important leader in the church. Soon after, Jessop told Elissa that she would soon be married. Elissa was matched with her cousin, who she could not stand. She tried to protest to Warren and Rulon, but was told that it was the prophet's will that the marriage happen, so it did.

As soon as she was married, Elissa began to be subjected to abuse by her husband. She began looking for ways to escape, such as spending time with her mother, visiting her sister in Canada, or simply driving and staying out all night just to avoid her husband. It was on one of these drives that she met the love of her life, when he helped her out of trouble while she was stuck in the desert.

Wall's story is very compelling - she begins to understand that the way of life that she has been following is not fair and that she can reject it and still be a good person. It also provides firsthand insight into the pure evil of Warren Jeffs.

Luckily, Wall's story has had a happy ending so far. Unfortunately, there are many others still in similar situations.

#44: Science Fair

2009-06-23T15:32:00.000-07:00

Science Fair is a book for kids written by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson. While I previously enjoyed the first two novels of the Peter and the Starcatchers series that they wrote, I found Science Fair to be hilarious.

Science Fair is set in a middle school in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. Toby, the main character, is enrolled in the school's gifted program, along with other gifted students and others whose rich, powerful parents have bought their way in. The rich parents are obsessed with their kids' success to the point that they do the work for their kids. For example, one mother was said to have worked hard for all of her son's grades, starting with the professionally bound animal report he turned in in first grade.

Each year, the school conducts a science fair with a large corporate-sponsored prize. One of the rich kids always wins, because they purchase complicated projects from a strange store in the mall. However, there is a problem - Grdankl the Strong, the leader of the rogue nation of Krpshtskan, has enlisted an operative to rig the science fair so that the rich kids' projects can be utilized for a terrorist plot. Toby finds out about this, and he and his friends have to fix things.

The plot and the details of Science Fair are absurd and over the top, but that is why I enjoyed it so much. Barry describes Krpshtskan in a way similar to the fictional Kazakhstan in Borat, with details like the national holiday for the tournament of the fighting death hamsters and Grdankl's slogan of "Vote for Grdankl or die." Another episode I found amusing was when two of Grdankl's operatives who were sent unwillingly to the U.S. to straighten out problems became addicted to the Home Shopping Network.

Science Fair is a book that definitely would appeal to kids, with its mix of humor and action. In fact, I loaned it to one of my sixth graders after I finished and he read the entire book in a single day. It would also appeal to adults who can enjoy a book that doesn't take itself seriously.

#43: Dave Barry's History of the Millennium (So Farr)

2009-06-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

This was the first book I read by Dave Barry that was written for adults. (I read Peter and the Starcatchers a while back, and I used to read his newspaper column.) The book was very quick to read and amusing. Barry poked fun at various subjects through history. He started with a single chapter covering the years 1000-1999, then adds a chapter for each year up through 2006. He mocks all of the major scandals and news stories from each year, such as the 2000 presidential election and the Y2K hype. Still, while the book was enjoyable while I read it, nothing really stuck with me that I can remember a month after finishing it. It served its purpose as a way to occupy my time on a couple of car trips.

#42:Cryptid Hunters

2009-06-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith is about people who are looking for creatures long thought to be extinct. Marty and Grace, 13-year-old twins, are attending a Swiss boarding school when they receive news that their parents have disappeared. They are sent to live with their Uncle Travis on an island off the coast of Washington state. They find out about their uncle's passion for hunting cryptids, or hidden creatures, and see the array of gadgets he has at his compound.

After unsuccessfully lobbying their uncle to take them with him to the African jungle on a research trip, Grace and Marty are on their uncle's plane heading back to school, when they are unexpectedly dropped into the jungle with his supplies while roaming the cargo hold. This leads to their struggle for survival against the forces of nature, as well as their uncle's rivals.

Cryptid Hunters did a good job developing the characters of Marty and Grace, so I was interested in finding out what would happen next. It had a lot of action that young readers would enjoy, but did not stand out to me.

#41: A Walk in the Woods

2009-06-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson came highly recommended to me by a coworker because of my penchant for hiking and the outdoors. This book describes the author's experience attempting to hike the Appalachian Trail. Bryson, who was born and raised in the U.S., had recently returned and taken up residency in Hanover, NH. As a way to refamiliarize himself with his homeland, he decided to hike the Appalachian Trail from beginning to end, despite having very little backpacking experience. He also brought along his childhood friend, Stephen Katz, who was not known for making good decisions.

The bulk of the book is about Bryson's adventures (and misadventures) while hiking the trail. He describes in detail the scenery and the feeling of accomplishment that one gets from the spectacular view at the top of the mountain. He also describes the various characters he meets along the way, such as a woman who talked incessantly who tagged along with him for a period of time, as well as a group of snooty hikers he met on a rainy evening who were unwilling to share a limited amount of space.

Whether you are an experienced hiker or not, A Walk in the Woods is an enjoyable read. Like in his other works, Bryson uses humor to keep the book moving quickly and to make his story more interesting.

#40: Mormon America

2009-05-24T22:09:00.000-07:00

Mormon America by Richard and Joan Ostling describes the influence of the Mormon church on America, as well as tracing its growth over time. The authors, both religion writers from major publications, use thorough research to present conclusions about things like the financial standing of the church and the number of members.

If you are interested in learning about the Mormon church (or Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints as it is officially known), this is a good title to pick up. It starts at the beginning, when Joseph Smith, an uneducated farm boy, has his revelation in the New York countryside. Then it follows as he gains followers, moves west, is killed, then the church moves out to Utah. It includes information about the religious beliefs and famous members, as well as presenting the good and the bad.

I have been interested in the some of the details of the religion ever since I read Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven. It is an interesting story, especially since the religion developed in the United States and fairly recently. The book was a little dry in places, but was packed with information. I have known many LDS members, and it was interesting to get a little more insight into their beliefs and practices.

#39: The Graveyard Book

2009-05-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was this year's winner of the Newbery Medal, the prestigious award given to children's literature. As I started reading it, I wasn't really enjoying it, but then I got to the beautifully written chapter in the middle entitled "The Danse Macabre," and the ending really tied the story together.

The main plot of the book follows Nobody Owens, who goes by the name Bod. Bod lived with his parents and sister until they were brutally attacked and killed when he was a baby. He managed to elude the killer and escape to the local graveyard where the ghosts agree to take him in and give him sanctuary. As Bod grows older, he interacts with a fascinating mix of characters from various time periods, including the bizarre Miss Lupescu, the witch Liza, and Silas, his guardian and protector. All of the residents of the graveyard are fiercely protective of Bod, especially when he reencounters the man who murdered his family when he was so young.

The Graveyard Book is a beautifully written fantasy story, but this was especially exemplified in Chapter Five, "The Danse Macabre." This chapter describes a special occasion in which all of the townspeople gather in the town square to dance with the ghosts of the cemetery, then the memory quickly fades for the people when the evening is over. Gaiman does an incredible job infusing this scene with the details of the movements and music, helping me to create a spectacular picture in my mind as I read it.

The Graveyard Book is definitely a title that would appeal to adults as well as children. It is darker than Coraline, and may not be appropriate for younger children, but would be recommended for fans of fantasy.

#38: Stuff White People Like

2009-05-24T21:33:00.001-07:00

Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander is based on the website of the same name. If you have never visited the site before, it is a satire of things enjoyed by white people (obviously) such as ugly sweaters and Priuses. The site makes a distinction between the right kind of white people who enjoy all of the things listed and the wrong type, who basically drink too much beer, drive pickups and watch Nascar.

The book was amusing, although much of its content is available on the website. It is divided into short articles, so I could pick it up and read a couple at a time when I had a few minutes free. The author writes this as an observer of white people, describing their habits and what someone would need to do to fit into a group of them. For example, in describing microbreweries, he says, "White people don’t like stuff that’s easy to acquire. Beer is no exception." So if you want to figure out why white people enjoy Apple products or David Sedaris, this is an enjoyable, quick summer read.

#37: Genius Squad

2009-04-16T21:13:00.000-07:00

Genius Squad is the follow-up to Evil Genius, the last book that I reviewed. It begins with Cadel in foster care. The Australian government doesn't know what to do with him because there is no record of his birth or existence. Cadel has little to occupy his time because since he doesn't officially exist, no legitimate university will allow him to enroll. He spends much of his time visiting with his friend Sonja. He also has two adults looking out for him: social worker Fiona and police officer Saul Greeniaus.

Cadel, along with Sonja are offered an escape from their foster homes. They are offered spots on Genius Squad, an elite group for intelligent and troubled kids. As members of Genius Squad, they will be provided with housing and cared for. They will also be working to bring down GenoME, the company created by Dr. Darkkon. Cadel decides to join Genius Squad along with Sonja because he thinks that situation will lead to her receiving a higher level of care.

Cadel is happy with his new mission because he gets to show off his skills with computers working toward what he feels is a good cause. However, he has to stay on his feet after his nemesis, Prosper English, escapes from prison. As he gets more deeply involved in the plot to bring down GenoME, he realizes that Genius Squad might not be everything he hoped for.

Genius Squad was enjoyable, but not quite as much as Evil Genius. One of the things I enjoyed about the first one was the villains, and the ones in this book were fewer. There were also some aspects of the story that were a little too predictable. Still, I will be waiting for the third book in the series to come out.

#36: Evil Genius

2009-04-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

Evil Genius by Catherine Jinks is a book that at first reminded me of Artemis Fowl. Both are about young geniuses who use their talents for evil purposes. However, Evil Genius is more of a science fiction novel than fantasy, although the science fiction is mostly limited to the gadgets.

Evil Genius tells the story of Cadel Piggott. Cadel lives in Sydney, Australia, and he is introduced as a 6-year-old who has the ability to hack into sensitive government files. His parents don't really know what to do with him because they are absorbed in their own lives and seem to want a child only for show. Cadel ends up making frequent trips to a psychologist, Thaddeus Roth. Mr. and Mrs. Piggott think that Thaddeus is helping out Cadel to resolve his problems, but Thaddeus is actually encouraging Cadel to further develop his evil schemes. This leads to the revelation that the Piggotts are not Cadel's real parents, but that he is in fact the son of Dr. Phineas Darkkon, a criminal mastermind.

Cadel progresses through a series of schools, eventually graduating from high school at the age of thirteen. Along the way, he fails to make friends, but develops enemies, and becomes increasingly resentful of the Piggotts, who he realizes are not his real parents and do not treat him well. Cadel enrolls in the Axis Institute, a school for world domination bankrolled by Dr. Darkkon, where he takes classes like forgery and disguise from an interesting cast of characters.

It is at the Axis Institute where the book takes an interesting turn. Through a series of events, Cadel finally begins to develop empathy toward other people. He begins to question the value of the Axis Institute and the direction that his life is going. He eventually makes the decision to bring down the Axis Institute, which leads to a lot more trouble for him.

Evil Genius is a thick book, but the story was engaging and I progressed through fairly quickly. Cadel's redemption was somewhat rewarding, and the cast of evil villains was intriguing. Still, the author tried to do a little too much with the story with the large number of subplots, but she did set up well for the sequel, as I wanted to find out more about what happened to Cadel.

#35: Tangerine

2009-04-14T22:16:00.000-07:00

Tangerine by Edward Bloor is one of my favorite young adult novels, so this year I decided to try it as a read-aloud. Most of my students followed with interest, although I'm not sure how well all of them were able to truly grasp the multiple layers of the novel.

Tangerine tells the story of Paul Fisher, a 12-year-old moving with his family to Tangerine, Florida. Paul lives with his parents and his older brother, Erik, who is a senior in high school. Erik is a star kicker on the football team with his eye set on a football scholarship to a major university. Paul and Erik's parents, especially their father, are obsessed with Erik's football career, leading Paul to derisively label it as "The Erik Fisher Football Dream" in his thoughts.

Paul enjoys sports as well, although his favorite sport is soccer. He plays goalie, a position at which he feels comfortable, despite his disability. Paul is legally blind as a result of a mysterious accident when he was younger. His parents told him that he stared at an eclipse as a child, but the story doesn't add up.

Paul quickly realizes that nothing is as it seems in Tangerine. He lives in a seemingly pristine development of McMansions surrounding a man-made lake, but it is plagued by many strange occurrences. A muck fire burns just outside the perimeter wall, the expensive koi are disappearing from the lake, and one house is repeatedly struck by lighting. Strange things also begin happening outside the development. The captain of the football team is killed by a lightning strike during practice. Also, part of Paul's middle school is swallowed up by a sinkhole.

The idea that nothing is as it appears in not a new one to Paul. He feels that even though his vision is impaired, he sees things more clearly than other people. This is especially true in regards to his brother Erik. Where everyone else sees a fine young man and a star football player, Paul sees other things that are far less unpleasant. Whenever something bad happens around Tangerine, Erik seems to be nearby. Paul notices Erik's strange emotional reactions to events. Paul also starts to have flashbacks, thinking that Erik was somehow involved in the mysterious accident that affected his vision.

The main part of the story occurs after the sinkhole incident. Paul decides to transfer from the wealthy, mostly white Lake Windsor Middle School to the poorer, mostly minority Tangerine Middle School. While this doesn't bother him at all, he sees ugly ideas about race and social class from some of his friends and family. Paul ultimately finds a comfort zone at Tangerine Middle, even as things around him become increasingly chaotic. Houses in Paul's neighborhood are burglarized, people are attacked, and Erik seems to Paul to be increasingly unstable.

Tangerine has such a complex (but still easy to follow) story that it is hard to do it justice in a short summary. It touches on so many things. It satirizes the supposedly idyllic life of new developments, as well as the culture of youth sports, in which talent can trump character. It looks at the juxtaposition of social classes that is common in so many areas, where the lives of the rich and the poor who live close together usually intersect only infrequently. It looks at the struggle of Paul to find an identity as an adolescent who is often overshadowed by others. But most of all, it goes into the importance of looking beneath the surface.

#34: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

2009-04-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie is one of the best books I have read so far in the Cannonball Read. I had heard of it before due to its winning the National Book Award and finally decided to give it a try. Once I started reading, I did not want to stop due to its thoroughly engaging story and great protagonist.

The story follows Arnold Spirit, AKA Junior, who is a freshman in high school on an Indian reservation in eastern Washington. Junior makes a stupid mistake involving his math teacher, who convinces him that he needs to go to school of the reservation in order to make something of himself. So Junior begins attending a wealthier, whiter school 22 miles away, where he struggles to fit in. This also leads to a rift with his best friend, Rowdy.

Much of the story centers around Junior's struggle to fit in. He feels out of place at his new school, but as he gradually begins to settle in, he starts to feel more out of place at home. Junior begins to make friends and joins the basketball team, and the reader can see many things starting to go well for him. Unfortunately, the situation on the reservation is another story. The main problems there are poverty and alcohol abuse, as many families struggle to make ends meet, and too many cope by drowning their sorrows. This leads to multiple tragedies involving people close to Junior.

My initial hesitation to read this book was based on the fact that I didn't think I would identify with the character, an Indian boy having an identity crisis. However, the writing was absolutely outstanding. Junior had great voice throughout the story, and I was anxious to follow him through the ups and downs of his life. The story also seemed authentic - a picture of what life is actually like on reservations today. This is a story I would highly recommend.

#33: Hatchet

2009-04-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

Hatchet is a classic children's novel by Gary Paulsen. Since I read this book with my class every year, this was my fourth time through it. I have found that it maintains the interest of the majority of kids pretty well.

In Hatchet, 13-year-old Brian Robeson who lives in New York is going to visit his father in Canada. He boards a small plane with a pilot who is hauling a piece of equipment to his dad. When the pilot has a fatal heart attack, Brian has to make some quick decisions and is able to land the plane in a lake in the Canadian wilderness.

From there, it becomes a story of survival. Brian has little knowledge about how to function in the woods, so he has to combine prior knowledge from books and TV with new things he figures out along the way. He has to deal first with satisfying basic needs such as thirst, hunger and shelter, and later has to figure out how to establish a more fulfilling existence in the woods.

Hatchet provides an identifiable main character for kids. Many have dealt with the effects of divorce, and many also would feel lost if they were stuck in the woods. The novel is divided into manageable chunks in terms of important events, and the pacing keeps the reader interested. It also leads to a lot of discussion about Brian and his decisions. Finally, the book has a good message of the importance of believing in yourself in achieving what you need to do.

#32: A Short History of Nearly Everything

2009-04-07T21:48:00.000-07:00

A Short History of Nearly Everything was my first experience with Bill Bryson after having his work recommended by a colleague. While it took me about a month to get through due to its density, I found the book to be fascinating.

In A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bryson investigates a variety of scientific questions, such as how old the Earth is, how we know what is inside of the Earth and where many of the currently held scientific theories came from. Even more than that, he investigates the scientists who came up with these theories.

While Bryson looks at a variety of of difficult scientific ideas, he presents them in language that is easy to understand. For example, he takes numbers and puts them into practical terms, such as looking at the history of the Earth as a 24 hour period and seeing that humans have only been here for a few seconds relative to that. He also incorporates humor into his descriptions, making the book much more readable.

Probably my favorite parts of the book were where Bryson looked into the various quirks of many of the scientific theories. Many of these people were very eccentric. Bryson described how Edmund Halley (of comet fame) went to ask Newton about some scientific calculations and Newton's response was that he had done those calculations twenty years previously, but had not felt the need to share them. Another anecdote was that Charles Darwin, a former divinity student, originally set out on his expedition to prove creationism. Finally, a story that stuck out was how Linnaeus, who developed the system of classification of organisms, had an obsession with female body parts. This led him to name plants and organisms after specific parts, which later scientists were quick to rename after his death.

As a sixth grade teacher, I also found this book to be useful. While I have a strong background in physics and have also taken biology and chemistry, I never actually took earth science, which is what I teach. The information in this book was a good supplement to my background knowledge, leading me to be better able to answer questions.

If you have an interest in science, but not a very specific background, this is a great book to read. I enjoyed sharing bits of information with my friends and my students, and I am looking forward to reading more Bryson.

#31: Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

2009-04-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I read Deadline by Chris Crutcher, which I liked, but didn't love. I had similar feelings toward Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, although I made it through this book a little more quickly.

Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes is told through the eyes of Eric Calhoun, better known as Moby. Moby got his nickname as a child due to being overweight. Since he was an outcast, he became friends with the title character, Sarah Byrnes (known always by first and last name), also an outcast due to being disfigured in a childhood accident. Moby appreciates Sarah's quick wit and seeming acceptance of her condition.

When Moby and Sarah enter high school, Moby is recruited by his English teacher to join the school swim team. This leads him not only to lose a significant amount of weight, but also to make new friends and grow apart from Sarah. (The title comes from when Moby tries to gorge himself to maintain the weight he had while burning off calories in swimming, an action that Sarah Byrnes quashes.)

This leads to the events at the end of senior year. Sarah Byrnes suddenly stops speaking, and is committed to a psychiatric facility. As her closest friend, Moby tries to connect to her and unlock her secret, leading him to the dark truth. While Moby tries to help Sarah Byrnes, he also has to deal with her evil father, leading to some suspenseful confrontations at the end.

One of the things I enjoyed about the novel was the multiple story arc. Aside from the Sarah Byrnes story, there was the issue of Moby trying to find a girlfriend, and going up against a rival from his swim team, a self-righteous boy named Mark who constantly tries to demonstrate moral superiority. The story moves quickly, but there is a lot of emotion. It's not a happy story, but that's part of what makes it satisfying.

#30: Street Gang

2009-04-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

Street Gang by Michael Davis traces the development of "Sesame Street" from its origins at a dinner party discussion to the institution it has become. It focuses on the creator, Joan Ganz Cooney, but also delves into the lives of others who made the show possible.

"Sesame Street" originated from an experience of a man named Lloyd Morrisett, who noticed how his 3-year-old daughter was enthralled by television. He wondered whether it would be possible to use the medium for a good purpose - to teach children, as well as to entertain them. This set the wheels spinning, and a group formed, led by Cooney, to explore this possibility.

The goal was to provide a show directed at low-income urban pre-schoolers, who were seen as entering school at a disadvantage to their more affluent counterparts. Still, they wanted a show that all kids could enjoy. Cooney began assembling a team of experts in television, education, government, community outreach and other necessary fields. Davis looks at the stories of many of the important players, especially focusing on how many of them got their starts at "Captain Kangaroo." He also goes into the background of Jim Henson and the development of various Muppets.

Davis tells an interesting story about the formation of "Sesame Street." While there are many interesting tales to be told, the broad focus hurts the book in a way, as it sometimes tries to say too much. The result is a long book that is slow at times. At some points, I would have liked a little more depth, such as the development of specific characters. However, the book is filled with information for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of "Sesame Street."

#29: Flight

2009-03-23T17:14:00.000-07:00

Flight is a pretty short novel by Sherman Alexie, which I picked up shortly after finishing The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (review coming soon). It describes the life of a nameless Indian (at least in part) protagonist known as Zits (although his name is revealed later) who is about to embark on a terrible action.

Zits has been in and out of various foster homes throughout his life. At the beginning of the story, he runs away from a foster home, but not before hitting the foster mother on the way out. He is arrested, and while in jail, he meets a white boy named Justice. After his release, Zits goes to stay with Justice in an abandoned warehouse. Justice has guns, both real and paintball, which he and Zits fool around with. Justice apologizes for the treatment of Native Americans over time, and he and Zits spend time training, leading up to the incident when Zits enters a bank in Seattle with the guns and the intention of using them.

At this point, it jumps into the interesting narration technique used in the book. Zits begins inhabiting other people's bodies at various points through time, including a racist FBI agent working against Native American activists, an aged Indian tracker and a mute son of an important Indian leader at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Each of these situations is developed nicely as the story goes along.

As Zits passes through each of these situations, he is struck by his inability to do what is right, whether real or just because he is expected to act a certain way. He develops compassion, and is compelled to do what he believes is right, even if it doesn't quite fit with the beliefs of the time.

Flight was an excellent book, although I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Part-Time Indian. As you read, you get to follow the growth of the character, who is basically a throwaway as a human being, into something much more. It makes you hopeful for some of those who are in situations like this in real life.

#28: Escape

2009-03-06T21:24:00.000-08:00

Escape by Carolyn Jessop tells the author's story of escaping from the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) with her eight children. Ever since reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer, I have been interested in the lives of these polygamists, and this book kept my attention easily.

Carolyn Jessop grew up in Utah with a large family. When she was young, her father took a second wife as part of his religious beliefs. As Carolyn grew up, she was accustomed to the lifestyle of FLDS. Still, she was saddened when at the age of 18, her father told her that she would become the fourth wife of Merril Jessop, a man much older than her.

Although she was married to Merril, Carolyn was able to attend college and become a teacher. Still, she became enmeshed in the Jessop family, with its constant infighting among the wives to try to claim superiority. Along the way, she had eight children as Merril also gained other wives. Carolyn spent most of her time trying to avoid her husband and protect her children. Eventually, she began to realize that maybe the religion she had grown up in was not what she really wanted, so she decided to escape.

Escaping the FLDS is not simply a matter of leaving - those who leave are tracked down and persuaded to return. What made things more difficult for Carolyn is that she refused to leave any of her kids behind. With the help of family members and sympathizers on the outside, she was able to leave and start a new life.

Escape was a fascinating book to read, as Carolyn Jessop described what life was like on the inside. It is hard to imagine that her experience was actually a true story that happened in the U.S. As I read, I did find myself comparing it to "Big Love" and looking for resemblance between the characters. Jessop is admirable for her courage and she definitely has an interesting story to tell.

#27: Vacaville

2009-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Vacaville: The Heritage of a California Community by Ronald Limbaugh is a book that tells the history of my hometown. Since I am teaching my Boy Scout troop the American Heritage merit badge, I picked this up at the library to learn more about local history.

The book is full of interesting facts about the growth of the town. The town was settled due to its climate and soil being ideal for growing fruit. However, this golden age of agriculture lasted only a short time, as early farmers did not know much about caring for the land and production took a nosedive by the Great Depression. The book then went into the development of the local Air Force Base and the rapid growth following World War II.

The book had a lot of interesting stories. The main problem was that it was written in 1976, so there has been a lot of change since then. Still, it was an interesting resource for looking back in time and I was able to learn a lot.

#26: Farewell to Manzanar

2009-02-27T22:24:00.000-08:00

Farewell to Manzanar is Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston's memoir of her time in the Manzanar internment camp. The author describes what her life was like as a young child, but also looks at what this experience did to her father.

Jeanne Wakatsuki was 7 years old when World War II broke out. Her family lived in Southern California, where her father worked as a fisherman. This led to his arrest and imprisonment in North Dakota and the family's internment at Manzanar, in the Owens River Valley of eastern California. Wakatsuki describes what life was like, moving from a comfortable existence to overcrowded accommodations in an unfamiliar climate.

Wakatsuki describes many of the details of life at the internment camp, from the lack of privacy to searching around for the best cooked food to her training as a majorette. She focuses mainly on her own point of view, but also goes into the overall camp experience, with events such as the pressure to sign loyalty pledges and for young men to join the military.

At the end of the book, Wakatsuki describes what life is like when the family leaves the camp. They return to Southern California, but there is lingering racism. Also, her father has been a different man since he returned from his confinement.

Farewell to Manzanar offered an interesting lesson on what life was like for the internees. I enjoyed reading the author's story, but I would still like to know more about the history of Manzanar, and would be interested in visiting at some point.

#25: Scat

2009-02-19T21:51:00.000-08:00

Scat is Carl Hiaasen's third book for young readers, following Hoot and Flush. In this novel, like his others, he focuses on environmentalism and Florida, but he also tones down the content compared with his regular novels.

Scat follows the story of Nick and Marta, two high school students, who are in Mrs. Starch's biology class. Mrs. Starch is legendary as the strictest teacher in the school, with a singular focus on teaching biology. One day, she takes her biology classes on a vacation to a local swamp. While they are there, a mysterious swamp fire stars, forcing the trip to an abrupt end. After the students return to school, they realize that Mrs. Starch has not returned. The next day, principal reassures the students that Mrs. Starch had to leave due to a family emergency, but this excuse does not sit well with Nick. First of all, he is not aware of Mrs. Starch having any family, and also she had been previously threatened by Dwayne "Smoke" Scrod, a rebellious student who had a run-in with her.

Nick decided to investigate Mrs. Starch's disappearance and brings Marta along to help. They begin by visiting her house on the outskirts of town, but are chased away by a mysterious man named Twilly Spree. Although they (as well as the police) suspect Smoke to be involved with Mrs. Starch's disappearance, Nick is baffled when Smoke suddenly visits to borrow his biology book. To further this improbable connection, Smoke seeks out Nick to tell Nick that he is innocent as he runs from the police who have come to apprehend him at school. Nick and Marta's search for Mrs. Starch adds a new dimension as they try to figure out if Smoke was telling the truth.

Then of course, there is the environmental element. A man named Drake McBride from a rich family is determined to prove to his father that he is not a total failure, even though everything he has ever done suggests this. He stakes out a claim to drill for oil, then comes up with a scheme to make money from the government even though his claim has not panned out. However, he runs against obstacles as his project is repeatedly sabotaged and his employees have strange things happen to them.

Like all of Carl Hiaasen's books, Scat is filled with a variety of eccentric characters. Nick and Marta are the regular people, who get sucked into the plot to help save the environment. Drake McBride is funny, with his faux Texas cowboy act, while Dr. Dressler, the principal of Nick and Marta's school, is a stereotypical administrator who is solely out to cover his own butt when anything goes wrong. The list goes on, with the Scrod family (including a rich grandmother), Dr. Waxmo, a very strange substitute teacher, and of course Mrs. Starch.

The plot of Scat moves very quickly, as Hiaasen weaves in various subplots, such as Nick's father serving in Iraq and Nick's fascination with the Florida panther. Hiaasen also takes care to help readers picture the Florida setting he cares so much about. It adds up to a thoroughly interesting novel.

Rating: *****

#24: Notes From the Midnight Driver

2009-02-15T17:01:00.000-08:00

Notes From the Midnight Driver is a young adult novel by Jordan Sonnenblick. It is told through the diary of Alex Gregory, a high school student whose parents have recently separated. Alex is a good kid, but has recently gotten into trouble.

At the beginning of the story, Alex is angry. His father has been dating his third grade teacher, while his mother is on a date of her own. Alex goes into the liquor cabinet and comes up with the brilliant idea of going to break up his father's date. Unfortunately, he ends up on the lawn of a neighbor, running over her valuable imported lawn gnome, and is taken in by the police.

As a result of his actions, Alex is sentenced to 100 hours of community service. He is specifically assigned to spend time with a man named Solomon Lewis at a nursing home. Sol is ornery and unfriendly at first, but he and Alex gradually develop a relationship. They eventually find that they share a love of music, as Alex plays guitar in the high school jazz band, while Sol had music in his past. Sol also gives Alex advice about his longtime friend Laurie, whom Alex has begun to notice in a different way.

Notes From the Midnight Driver shows what can be learned from a mistake. Alex grows a lot over the course of the book, and Sol changes from a burden to a true friend. Along the way, there are many serious moments, as well as funny ones, adding up to another winner by Sonnenblick.

#23: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

2009-02-14T22:31:00.000-08:00

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw is the third book in the Wimpy Kid series. If you are unaware, the series is told from the point of view of middle schooler Greg Heffley. He begins keeping a diary after his mom buys him a blank one, and the book is written in this format, with text that looks like handwriting and doodled illustrations. The plot consists of Greg getting himself into stupid situations, then trying to take the easy way out, usually getting him into more trouble.

Last Straw begins with a new year. Greg starts thinking about resolutions, but comes to the conclusion that he is the best person he knows and therefore doesn't need to make any resolutions. Instead, he makes them for the other members of his family. One example of this is that he decides that his mom needs to make less noise when she chews her potato chips.

The book continues with other hilarious endeavors. For example, Greg tries playing soccer, with disastrous results. Later in the book, Greg's dad sees what military school has done to a teenage former nemesis of his, and decides that it would be great for Greg, so Greg has to work to thwart this plan. Other things that made me laugh out loud (without giving away too much) involve a well-known children's author and a bingo game full of old ladies.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw was highly enjoyable to read, and is also enjoyable for kids. The humor is much more sophisticated that books like Captain Underpants because while Greg's situations are often ridiculous, they are also grounded in reality and do not just rely on toilet humor. The simple stick figure like drawings also add a lot to the story. This book is another success in the series, and I anticipate Wimpy Kid #4.

Rating: *****

#22: Revolutionary Road

2009-02-09T21:55:00.000-08:00

Revolutionary Road is a book that took me three weeks to read, which for me is an eternity. I was interested in the idea of the plot and wanted to like it, but it just did not compel me, leading me to stop in the middle and read more enjoyable books before picking it up again. I will say that it was thought-provoking.

Revolutionary Road is the story of a young couple who lives in an outer suburb of New York on the namesake road. Frank and April Wheeler are about 30 years old, and are raising their two young children. They had big plans for exciting lives, but when April became pregnant with their first child, they had to settle down. Frank works at a company that once employed his father, basically spending his days avoiding doing actual work, while April stays at home with the kids. The two of them socialize with friends, but find themselves very bored with their lives.

Eventually they come to the decision that they need to make a change. April suggests that they move to Paris. She will take secretarial work while Frank finds himself. They begin telling their friends and coworkers about their grand plan, but then April gets pregnant again, and it falls through. Meanwhile, Frank attracts the attention of a superior at work when his halfhearted effort to cover up for work he was supposed to have done a long time before is positively received, leading to a promotion. Frank also begins an affair with a secretary from his office, while April commences an affair of her own.

At home, Frank and April argue frequently about the pregnancy. April wants to have an abortion, while Frank wants her to have the baby, although he can't really explain why. This leads to the final climax, which I am not going to give away, but that I found very predictable.

The main reason why I did not enjoy Revolutionary Road was that I detested both of the main characters. Frank and April seemed to spend the entire novel by trying to each be more pretentious than the other and together be more pretentious than other couples in the town. Since I found them so utterly unlikeable, I didn't really care what happened to either of them. On the positive side though, the book was well-written, with good description of the setting and the characters' emotions as they made complex decisions. While this was not one of my favorites, I can see that it would be well-received by some people.

Rating: ***

#21: The Last Invisible Boy

2009-02-01T21:57:00.001-08:00

I spotted The Last Invisible Boy by Evan Kuhlman while browsing at Borders, and it looked interesting, so I decided to pick it up at the library. While it contains cartoon illustrations and is written in diary form like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, it is much more serious, mostly because of the subject matter.

The diary in this book is that of 12-year-old Finn Garrett. His father passed away unexpectedly at a relatively young age, and he is trying to deal with his feelings. As part of this, strange things begin happening to him. His skin becomes pale and his hair turns white. Finn believes that this is because he is slowly becoming invisible. Although he is somewhat ostracized at school, he is happy that his pretty and talented best friend Meli is always there when he needs her.

The book is composed of very short chapters (mostly 1-2 pages), with each being a separate entry. Some are set in the present, some are flashbacks, and others are Finn's fantasies about things like traveling through space. The entries have a good voice, especially when seen through Finn's imagination.

The Last Invisible Boy was not perfect, but it was very good. Finn idolized his dad, and presented an idealized picture of him - although his dad had some flaws, like spending too much time at work, Finn was able to ignore these, especially after his death. Also, Finn's relationship with Meli was sweet, as he imagined marrying her when they got older. However, the pacing drags a little at times, though this could be expected, given the subject matter. You also have to be in a certain mindset to read it, as it is pretty depressing. It is ultimately rewarding in the end to see Finn begin to overcome his grief.

Rating: ****

#20: Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie

2009-02-01T00:12:00.000-08:00

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar is a book I originally read a while back. I enjoyed it the first time, and bought a copy, which has sat on my shelf for about a year. After I began Revolutionary Road, but made little progress, I decided to pick this up and reread it as a break. I found that it was still enjoyable the second time around.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie tells the story of Scott Hudson as he progresses through his freshman year of high school. Soon after he begins school, he learns that his mother is pregnant. He decides to jot down his thoughts about high school survival in a journal for his future sibling.

At school, Scott is enrolled in advanced classes, while his friends from middle school are not, so he finds himself growing apart from them. He develops a crush on Julia, a girl he has known since kindergarten, and as a way to get closer to her, he joins in succession the school newspaper, student council, and the musical. Much to his chagrin, Julia, for various reasons, does not end up participating in any of these activities, leaving Scott with a very busy schedule, but no closer to his dream girl.

Scott also deals with a variety of characters in various ways. There is his seemingly aimless older brother, Bobby, who has inherited the family's mechanical aptitude, which has seemed to pass Scott by. Mouth is a talkative classmate who Scott has known for a while and who gets on Scott's nerves. Wesley is a law-breaking upperclassman with whom Scott develops an unexpected friendship, while Lee is the mysterious new girl who does not seem to care that she does not fit in.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie is a book that reminds me of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, although at a little more advanced level. It has a lot of humor in it, although the situations are a little less over the top, and it lacks the cartoon drawings. Still, it provides a humorous take on the perils of adolescence. Scott has to deal with serious situations, and is able to learn a lot about himself over the course of a year.

Rating: *****

#19: Jack's Run

2009-01-29T21:39:00.000-08:00

Jack's Run is the sequel to Zach's Lie, by Roland Smith. While it was a fast-paced and enjoyable action story, it didn't quite measure up to its predecessor, mainly due to some extremely implausible situations.

In Jack's Run, the Osborne family has been reunited in North Carolina after their escape from Elko. Joanne has graduated from high school, and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA and pursue a career in show business. Jack's parents want him to be safe during the trial of drug kingpin Alonzo Aznar, so they send him to stay with his sister in LA. However, as soon as Joanne settles in LA, she enters an American Idol-like competition and her face makes it onto national TV. Aznar sends his people to kidnap Joanne and Jack and take them to Argentina, with the threat that they will be killed if their father testifies in his trial.

After this, Neil Osborne decides to go rescue his kids. He ends up bringing his wife, a friend of his from the Navy, and Sam Sebesta, the mysterious ex-KGB agent custodian from Elko. They gather up the supplies they need and plan a trip to Aznar's Argentinian compound to save the kids. Meanwhile, the kids try to escape so they can save themselves.

Jack's Run was full of action and suspense, which kept it moving. However, some parts seemed beyond belief. For example, Aznar, the drug kingpin, was able to live an Al Capone-like lifestyle behind bars, obtaining technology necessary to continue running his empire. And his brother, Raphael, was over-the-top stupid, housing an 18-year-old and a 14-year-old in a room with tools they could use to escape. Sam Sebesta's solution for dealing with the Aznar brothers also seemed somewhat implausible, with a remotely triggered heart attack that can be activated at any time. Even so, this novel was fun to read, and I would recommend it for kids.

Rating: ****

#18: Sit, Ubu, Sit

2009-01-29T21:22:00.000-08:00

Sit, Ubu, Sit is the autobiography of Gary David Goldberg, the executive producer of several TV shows, including "Family Ties" and "Spin City." I picked it up after reading an earlier review of it, not because it was especially interesting to me, but because of the title. I vaguely remember watching "Family Ties" when I was younger, but I clearly remember the message of, "Sit, Ubu, Sit. Good Dog!" Whatever the reason I had for choosing the book, it turned out to be very engaging.

Goldberg tells the story of how he rose from an average family in Brooklyn to being successful and extremely wealthy. He jumps around in a non-sequential order with vignettes of his life, but they are very easy to follow. Basically, as a young man, Goldberg was not sure what he wanted to do in life. He attended various colleges, never graduating, and ended up working as a waiter in New York. He met a girl who shared his wanderlust, ended up in California, and eventually spent time traveling through Europe. When his girlfriend became pregnant, they returned home. After some time spent running a day care center in Berkeley, they headed down to San Diego so she could attend grad school. Goldberg enrolled in some courses to finish his degree, and his instructor in creative writing told him he had a lot of talent. He signed with an agent, got involved in TV writing, and progressed from there, eventually forming his own production company named after his beloved dog.

Sit, Ubu, Sit was such an engaging book because Goldberg is a great storyteller, and he has an interesting story to tell. His story just seemed honest and straightforward. While he is obviously proud of his success, he maintains a sense of humility and is not afraid to point out his mistakes. He also emphasizes the value he places on family. With all of the vapid characters in the entertainment world, Goldberg seems like a good guy.

Raitng: *****

#17: Eclipse

2009-01-25T22:00:00.000-08:00

Eclipse, by Richard North Patterson, tells the story of Damon Pierce, a successful Bay Area lawyer who takes the case of a political prisoner in the fictional country of Luandia (very obviously Nigeria with a fake name). It starts out when Pierce receives an email from Marissa Brand Okari, an old friend from college with whom Pierce desired more than friendship. Okari's husband, Bobby, is a political dissident advocating rights for his tribal group through peaceful means. During a rally, the bodies of three oil workers are found hanging from trees. Bobby Okari is charged with their murders, and the Luandian army massacres everyone in his village except him and his wife.

When Pierce arrives in Luandia, he realizes what life is like. He expects that his client will be put through a show trial, but he has to negotiate various dangers as he tries to help his client. He sees the vast contrast between PetroGlobal, the oil company exploiting the country's resources, and the citizens, who live in poverty. He is also forced to rely on other people he is not sure he trusts.

Eclipse was an interesting book to read based on the subject matter. The kleptocratic despot, Savior Karama, was unfortunately modeled after real leaders who use their countries' resources for personal gain and suppress any dissent. The pacing of the book was somewhat uneven - some parts were slow, but then the author included many various twists and turns, usually requiring Pierce to get in a rickety boat or vehicle for a harrowing journey into the unknown. Still, overall, it was fairly exciting and thought-provoking.

Rating: ****

#16: Zach's Lie

2009-01-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

Ok, I've already moved on to my second Roland Smith novel. Zach's Lie, while completely different from Elephant Run, is also packed with action. 13-year-old Zach Granger has just moved to Elko, NV with his mom and older sister. Moving would be hard enough, but as part of the move, he had to assume a new identity. Zack, formerly Jack Osborne, was forced to go into witness protection after his father was arrested for drug trafficking and agreed to testify against dangerous criminals.

Zach begins to adjust to his life in Elko. He learns about the Basque heritage, and makes friends with Catalin, the granddaughter of a Basque sheepherder. He also befriends Sam Sebesta, the janitor at his school who seems to have a lot of unusual skills for a janitor. Unfortunately for Zach, when his life is coming together, someone finds out his secret, and the enemies are led to him in Elko.

Zach's Lie was quick and fun to read - I polished it off in a couple of hours. Roland Smith's writing style is enjoyable for kids, as he keeps the action moving. Zach was a sympathetic character, and I am interested in reading more about him in the sequel, Jack's Run.

Rating: *****

#15: Finn's Going

2009-01-17T22:35:00.000-08:00

Finn's Going, by Tom Kelly, is about a 10-year-old English boy whose identical twin brother has died. Danny, fresh off of 6 weeks of self-imposed silence, is unsure how to deal with his feelings, so he decides to run away. He gets on a train and goes to the coast to the site of a past family vacation. Once there, he takes refuge on an island in an old boathouse.

Although Danny packed for his journey, he didn't pack well. As he is laying down in the boathouse during a storm, he sees a man appear, who checks to see if he is alright. Later on, someone leaves food and a note to "come say hello." During Danny's wanderings, he finds the man who had visited him living in a camper near the beach. Danny meets this man, Nulty, and learns about his life and why he ended up in his situation.

Danny continues staying on the island, with the help of supplies from Nulty, who realizes Danny has a purpose of some kind. Danny occupies himself with gathering bricks from around the island (leftover from a destroyed building) and counting and stacking them. Eventually, he feels comfortable confiding at least some of his feelings to Nulty, which leads him to be ready to return home.

The best part of Finn's Going was the character's voice. Most of the story is told using an interior monologue, as Danny spends most of the novel by himself. The character seems like a real 10-year-old, as his logic is not always logical, and he thinks often of bodily functions as many 10-year-old boys do. The book moved slowly, but given the subject matter, the pacing was appropriate. While it may not be appreciated by younger readers, I enjoyed the introspection, and the ending definitely got me thinking.

Rating: ****

#14: Dodger and Me

2009-01-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

Dodger and Me is the fourth book by Jordan Sonnenblick, and first aimed at elementary aged children. As I really enjoyed his previous three, I wanted to give this one a try.

Dodger and Me is centered around Willie, a 10-year-old who can best be described as a wimp or a loser. His mother is highly overprotective, and does not trust him at all. He also has no friends at school, although Lizzie, a girl he tries to avoid, lavishes him with attention. One day, after failing at the plate in his baseball game and causing his team to lose, Willie takes a forbidden shortcut through the woods to get to his house. As he is walking, he sees a fast food bag, and decides to pick it up so it will no longer spoil nature. After doing this, he is surprised by the appearance of a large blue talking chimpanzee wearing surfer shorts.

Willie begins speaking to the chimp, whose name is Dodger. Willie brings Dodger home, and he agrees to help Willie solve the three most vexing problems in his life - getting his mom to trust him, getting Lizzie to stop bothering him and becoming a better baseball player. Unfortunately for Willie, as Dodger is doing this, he also creates many new problems.

Dodger and Me was an enjoyable book with likable characters. Willie is a boy who wants to do the right thing, and Dodger is very amusing. The situations that Dodger gets Willie into are pretty funny, and kids would enjoy reading the book. I recommended it to my class, especially those who like books like Hank Zipzer. While I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie or Notes from the Midnight Driver, it was written for a different audience and it presents a good message.

Rating: ****

#13: Elephant Run

2009-01-14T21:54:00.000-08:00

Elephant Run is a historical fiction adventure story by Roland Smith. The protagonist, 14-year-old Nick Freestone lives with his mom in London during World War II, but due to the frequent bombings, he is sent to stay with his father in Burma. Nick's father owns a teak plantation where much of the labor is done by elephants. In the nearby village, many of the citizens work as mahouts, or people who drive the elephants. This includes Nang, one of the plantation's most trusted employees, and his son Indaw and daughter Mya, who is about Nick's age.

Unfortunately, the Japanese arrive in Burma at the same time as Nick. Nick's father is taken captive, Nang is killed, and Nick, along with Mya, is forced to work as a servant to the Japanese now occupying his father's house. When Nick receives word that his father is alive, his goal becomes rescuing his father. He receives guidance from Hilltop, an ancient Buddhist monk, who wants to follow Mr. Freestone's desire to get Nick and Mya out of Burma to a safer place. Mya is anxious to join Nick's dangerous quest, as she wants to rescue her brother, who is also being held prisoner. After escaping from the house, Hilltop leads Nick and Mya on a dangerous journey to attempt the rescue.

Elephant Run was a very exciting book to read. The wartime setting provides constant action and danger to the characters. The characters are presented realistically, as the Japanese soldiers are much more than evil caricatures. They range from the ambitious, but dangerous young officer Moto to Sgt. Sonji, who was more soft spoken and appreciated haiku and gardening.

Additionally, the author did a great job establishing the setting in the jungles of Burma during WWII. It was very interesting to learn about the mahouts and the conflicted loyalties of the local people, as they yearned for independence from England, but were wary of what the Japanese were bringing to their land.

Elephant Run was a highly enjoyable book to read, and I am looking forward to checking out more books by Roland Smith.

Rating: *****

#12: The Prop

2009-01-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

The Prop is a book I picked up off a clearance rack at Borders. I read two young adult novels by the author, Pete Hautman. Godless was a book I enjoyed, but I was more ambivalent toward Invisible.

The Prop is about Peeky, a middle-aged woman who works as a prop player at a Tucson Indian casino. A prop player is someone employed by the casino to prop up the action at a poker table when players leave and the game is shorthanded. Peeky enjoys her work and is successful at it. Things begin to change when she shares in a jackpot meant for someone else in a fixed game. Even though she suspects it was fixed, she feels she is due for some luck and that it is the job of the security staff to catch the cheaters.

Following the fixed game, Peeky is playing at the casino when four men wearing clown costumes burst into the card room with guns. The robbery quickly goes bad, as four people end up dead, although the robbers make off with over one million dollars. Peeky is disheartened to realize that one of the robbers is her boyfriend, Buddy, but she chooses not to reveal this fact to the authorities or her bosses at the casino.

In addition, Peeky's son-in-law Eduardo comes to her with the news that her daughter, Jaymie, is addicted to crack. Jaymie has been stealing money from Peeky to support her habit, and has now disappeared. Peeky and Eduardo become involved with lowlifes as they go in search of Jaymie.

Meanwhile, the reclusive founder of the casino comes to Peeky looking for help with the direction of the casino and with the robbery. He admires her way of reading people, the same quality that makes her successful at poker. Although he realizes she has not always been up front with him, he sees her as the only person who can help unravel the mysteries of what goes on at the casino. She agrees to become his eyes and ears, as she also tries to unravel the mysteries of exactly who her boyfriend is and what to do about her daughter.

I went into this book looking for something like Carl Hiaasen's writing, and while I noticed similarities, it wasn't quite as absurd. Maybe it is because it is hard to measure up to Hiaasen's depictions of Florida. Anyway, the story itself was engaging, with an interesting mix of unusual characters populating the casino. I was not very interested in the poker scenes, as I know nothing about Texas hold'em, but others might be more appreciative. As a mystery, it was enjoyable as a whole.

Rating: ****

#11: Found

2009-01-11T21:51:00.000-08:00

Found by Margaret Peterson Haddix is book 1 of a planned trilogy. I first learned about Haddix from her popular Shadow Children series, which are full of action. Found also fits this criterion, as it was a book I had trouble putting down.

The main character in Found is 13-year-old Jonah. He was adopted as a baby and lives with his parents and sister in Ohio. One day, he is outside playing basketball with a friend Chip when he receives a strange note in the mail in an envelope with no return address. It reads, "You are one of the missing." He thinks it is a joke, although it disturbs him a bit, so he keeps playing.

Later, Jonah and his family are eating dinner, when a frantic Chip comes to the door looking for Jonah. He received the same note as Jonah, and after talking to his parents, was astonished to learn that he was adopted.

Soon, Jonah and Chip each receive a second note along the lines of "They're coming to get you." Chip wants to investigate, but Jonah is very reluctant to help, so he enlists the help of Jonah's sister, Katherine. Their work leads to an FBI agent, a list of other kids, and a woman named Angela DuPre who relays a story about a mysterious plane full of babies and time travel.

The book culminates when Jonah is invited to attend a local conference for adopted children and their families. He brings Katherine and Chip along, and they realize that nearly every child on the list they found is at the conference. The kids are separated from their parents to go on a hike to a secluded location where they learn the unbelievable truth about their adoptions. I don't want to say any more and give it away.

Found is an enthralling blend of adventure and science fiction. Haddix keeps the story moving with a series of small mysteries that have resolutions leading to other mysteries. Jonah, Katherine and Chip are clever, but not unrealistically so, and have to work together to solve problems. The ending was surprising to me but left me eagerly anticipating the second book. I will definitely be recommending this to some of my students.

Rating: *****

#10: The Divide

2009-01-10T23:31:00.000-08:00

The Divide, by Elizabeth Kay, is the first book in a trilogy. Felix, a 13-year-old from London, suffers from a heart defect, which has limited his ability to do things that a normal kid could do. His heart is in danger of failing at any time, especially if he overexerts himself, so his parents have taken him to Costa Rica to enjoy himself. While hiking to the Continental Divide, Felix faints and is transported to a magical world on the other side of The Divide. Many things are the opposite of what Felix's world is like. For example, elephants and humans are thought to be mythical creatures, while elves, pixies and brownies roam around freely. Also, things are done using magic, in contrast to the science that Felix is used to.

Felix meets Betony, a "tangle-child," (an elf-like creature). Betony agrees to help Felix to try to find a magical cure for his heart condition. Meanwhile, Betony's older sister and brother encounter Snakeweed, a japegrin (pixie) who is a pharmaceutical entrepreneur. Unfortunately, his remedies are unsuccessful, but he still tries to sell them. Snakeweed finds out about Felix and desires to learn about his scientific knowledge so that he can profit from it. As a result, Felix and Betony also have to evade Snakeweed and his henchmen as they search for the cure.

The Divide presents a conflict of good vs. evil, with many good creatures coming to the aid of Felix, and certain evil creatures working with Snakeweed. The author also makes some interesting commentary about the effects of technology and development on a society (Felix compares the magical society to what he has learned about in history) and the environment (discussing how a decline in the population of one species affects others), among other topics.

The Divide has good pacing, and moves along quickly. I did find myself frequently flipping to Felix's guide to the magical creatures, but the author did a great job coming up with creative beasts like the worrit (a funny-looking dog that kills its prey by constantly telling jokes and causing the prey to laugh to death). The book also ends with a cliffhanger of sorts, so I am looking forward to reading the second one.

Rating: *****

#9: Thank You for Smoking

2009-01-08T00:11:00.000-08:00

I watched the movie Thank You for Smoking a couple years ago and found it amusing. The novel from which it was based, by Christopher Buckley, is similarly amusing as a satire of the tobacco industry, product marketing and Washington politics.

Nick Naylor is a spokesman for the tobacco industry. His main job is to try to debunk or marginalize all of the scientific reports and negative press about cigarettes and keep people smoking. His answer when people question him about the morality of what he is doing is that it pays the mortgage, even though his ex-wife is reaping that particular benefit. Naylor is friends with similar spokespeople from the alcohol and firearms industries, and they meet frequently for lunches, nicknaming themselves the Merchants of Death (MOD) Squad.

Naylor is on the verge of being fired by his new boss when he books a gig on Oprah. He gains notoriety when he points out that a government official is trying to exploit a young cancer patient, making the official look like the bad guy. After this showing, Naylor is summoned directly to North Carolina to meet with The Captain, the head of a large tobacco company. The Captain is pleased with him and immediately gives him a huge raise and job security.

The Oprah appearance also gains Naylor the attention of enemies. He receives death threats, and is eventually accosted, kidnapped, and plastered with nicotine patches. The doctors say that the only reason he survived is because as a smoker, he has developed a level of tolerance to nicotine. The bosses encourage him to use this information to promote the benefits of smoking. However, he finds that his heart is less set on his job.

Additionally, the FBI begins investigating Naylor's kidnapping. Based on evidence, they arrest him for faking his kidnapping. Realizing he has been set up, he enlists the MOD Squad to help him figure out who the perpetrators were and exact revenge.

While somewhat far-fetched, the plot is very entertaining. As I was reading, I had to chuckle at some of the ridiculous actions of the characters, that are sadly based on reality. The novel does a great job of poking fun at an industry that has for years used deceitful marketing practices to keep itself going strong.

Overall, Thank You For Smoking a fast-paced, relatively short book that many people would enjoy.

Rating: ****

#8: The Bonfire of the Vanities

2009-01-07T23:32:00.000-08:00

The Bonfire of the Vanities is the second Tom Wolfe book that I have read. The first was I Am Charlotte Simmons, which although flawed, I enjoyed. Still, this book (along with two other Wolfe titles) sat on my shelf for quite a while, intimidating me due to its thickness, as I like books that I can read through quickly. When I finally began reading this one, I found that in spite of its length, I was able to proceed quickly.

The Bonfire of the Vanities is the story of three men. Sherman McCoy is a high-salaried bond trader living with his wife and daughter in a Park Avenue apartment. In spite of his job and status, he finds himself worrying about money as it flows out as quickly as it comes in. His obsession is being a "Master of the Universe." Sherman is also romantically involved with Maria Ruskin, the young wife of an elderly businessman.

Larry Kramer is an assistant district attorney working in the Bronx. He also lives his wife and young child, but his conditions are much different. His tiny apartment would fit into McCoy's living room. Kramer experiences a combination of envy and disdain toward other lawyers with high-paying jobs at big firms, as he would like their salaries, but feels he is on the moral high road as he helps serve the public.

Finally, there is Peter Fallow, an alcoholic British journalist for a tabloid. Fallow has been down on his luck, and his main goal each day is to find ways to get free meals. Fallow tries to dupe his boss into thinking he is being productive, and also desires a lifestyle beyond his means.

The thread that ties the three characters together begins when McCoy and his mistress are involved in an accident where he may have hit someone while driving in the Bronx at night. He is conflicted over whether to report it, while his mistress says to forget about it as they don't know if anything actually happened. It turns out that they hit a young black man from the projects who was living a clean lifestyle, leaving him in a coma. Community leaders put pressure on the police and legal system to go after the perpetrator. Fallow is the reporter who breaks the story, while Kramer is the ADA in charge of prosecuting the case. When witnesses lead the investigation back to McCoy, the case becomes about race and social class.

In telling this story, the author presents a vivid description of New York during the 1980's. Having never been there, I can't judge whether this description is accurate, but it added a lot to the story. Also, the characters are very well fleshed out. Each has his own flaws and virtues, which evolve over time. The arrogant McCoy and the idealistic Kramer from the beginning are definitely depicted differently at the conclusion.

Overall, this was a well-written novel, and I will be dusting off and reading A Man in Full and The Right Stuff (eventually).

Rating: ****

#7: Case of Lies

2009-01-07T00:11:00.000-08:00

I have read most of the other Perri O'Shaughnessy books, and Case of Lies is similar. If you are looking for something life-changing, this is not it, but it is enjoyable as a quick, light read. For people unfamiliar with the series, Nina Reilly is a lawyer with a teenage son. She generally takes challenging cases, often putting herself in some kind of danger. In Case of Lies, Nina has returned to her home of Lake Tahoe after splitting with her private investigator colleague and lover, Paul van Waggoner. While she is picking up the pieces of her life, she meets Chelsi, a masseuse whose aunt was murdered two years previously at a low-rent motel near the Nevada casinos. There were three witnesses, but they fled the scene, and the killer was never caught. Chelsi's alcoholic uncle was pursuing legal action against the motel, but his dysfunctional life stalled his progress. Nina agrees to take the case, which is on the verge of being dismissed.

Nina begins legal proceedings against the motel, but the case becomes personal when the killer begins picking off people related to the case and threatens Nina. She enlists the help of a new private investigator, Wish (the son of her office manager and a longtime friend). He figures out that the missing witnesses were math students from MIT and tracks them down. The case eventually leads Nina to Germany and the father of her son, as she tries to unravel the mystery before the killer takes out all of the witnesses and her.

Case of Lies was fast-paced, even if not always logical. Some of the characters' motivations were a little thin, and most were not very likable. The ending especially was not really satisfying. Also, the characters' study of math played a role in the plot, but some of the theories mentioned were very technical and not necessarily interesting to someone lacking a passion for graduate-level math.

Case of Lies was not a great book, but was not bad either, just fairly mediocre. I got what I expected from it, and will continue reading the series.

Rating: ***

#6: The Kite Runner

2009-01-06T23:24:00.000-08:00

To start out, this is my second time reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I thoroughly enjoyed it the first time, and enjoyed it just as much on the reread, finishing it easily in a couple of days. For those of you who have not read the book and/or seen the movie, The Kite Runner is about Amir, a young boy growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir lives a privileged life, as his father is a well-connected businessman. However, Amir's mother died during his birth, and his father is somewhat distant - Amir feels like he is unable to please him. He finds friendship with Hassan, the son of Ali, the family's servant.

In Kabul, one of the favored activities was kite fighting. Boys would fly kites with strings coated in glass fragments and try to cut the strings of competitors' kites. When a kite was defeated, others would try to "run" the kite and catch it when it drifted back down. Amir sees the kite competition as a way to finally win the approval of his father, and he teams up with Hassan, a great kite runner. When Amir is successful, his glory fades when he fails to help Hassan out of a terrible situation. The shame and guilt he feels bear down on him through the course of the story.

Eventually, Amir's idyllic life experiences a major change. His father is out of favor with the new government, so the two of them flee Afghanistan, eventually ending up in the Bay Area. They become part of a growing Afghan community of people who were movers and shakers now toiling away in menial jobs. As time passes, Amir marries and pursues his dream of becoming a writer, but he is not satisfied. Then his old friend, Rahim Khan, suddenly summons Amir back to Afghanistan with a mission, offering him the opportunity for redemption.

The Kite Runner is a beautiful story. Hosseini's descriptions paint a vivid picture of what Afghanistan used to be like before it was ravaged by decades of war. Amir is a strong character, as he wants to do what is right, but also wants to gain the approval of his father, two things that lead to conflict. Even so, the story is about so much more than Amir.

The Kite Runner is another book that I highly recommend. Also check out Khaled Hosseini's other novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Rating: *****

#5: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time

2009-01-06T22:31:00.000-08:00

Three Cups of Tea, by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson is a fascinating and very uplifting book to read. It profiles Mortenson, formerly an aimless climbing aficionado as he finds his calling, which is to open schools for the rural poor in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The book opens when Mortenson is on an expedition to climb K2. Though it means giving up on his own pursuit of the summit, he embarks on a mission to rescue a fellow climber in a life-threatening situation. The rescue was successful, but Mortenson, weary and broken down, loses his guide and stumbles into the village of Korphe in northern Pakistan. He is taken in by the village leader and cared for by the townspeople. Eventually he begins sharing his own knowledge with the people of Korphe, especially from his training as an ER nurse, earning himself the nickname Dr. Greg. When he goes to see the children of Korphe at school, he finds them spread out in a clearing, trying to complete their lessons without the aid of a teacher. This gives him his inspiration.

Mortenson returns to Berkeley and passionately begins fundraising for his endeavor. After much frustration, he finally gets the necessary funds and returns to Pakistan, only to be presented with new pitfalls. He cultivates relationships with locals who help him to make his dream a success. From there, he decides that as long as there are other children who need help, he will make a career out of raising money and building schools.

In addition to the inspiring story of Greg Mortenson, I was able to gain insight into what Pakistan is really like. While many people think of Pakistan and other Islamic countries as being teeming with America-hating fundamentalists, Greg's friendships with many ordinary people show what the more typical moderate Muslims are like. The book also does a nice job of describing a completely foreign lifestyle of the tribal peoples, living isolated lives with few modern amenities.

I highly recommend Three Cups of Tea to anyone who wants to read about a person who has truly made a difference or who wants to learn more about life outside of the industrialized world.

***** out of *****

#4: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

2009-01-05T00:37:00.000-08:00

The Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao follows the life of a nerdy young man living in New York. Oscar is a comic book-loving overweight kid who is obsessed with girls, but lacks any kind of social skills to actually form a relationship. Even worse, he is of Dominican heritage, and has a reputation to live up to. Also, his family is haunted by a fukú, or curse, resulting from his mother's interactions with the former dictator of the Dominican Republic. The narration is done by different characters in different parts, including Oscar's college roommate Yunior and his sister Lola.

Oscar Wao was a very frustrating book for me to read due to its uneven pacing. While some parts were very interesting, others seemed to drag on forever. As I was reading, I looked up some reviews to determine whether it would get better, and one said that the action picked up after page 150, which was true. However, from about page 75 to page 150, I had to struggle to push myself through.

Another thing that hindered my enjoyment of the book was the pervasive inclusion of Spanish phrases, especially slang. I am far from fluent in Spanish, but have some basic competence; however, many phrases were outside my level of comprehension. As I did not feel like sitting at my computer looking up phrases while I was reading, I just did the best I could within the context of the story.

The part of the story I enjoyed the most was the section about Oscar's mother, Belicia, during her youth. First and foremost, it was very interesting to read about the Dominican history that was the backdrop to her youth. I had no idea of the atrocities committed by their dictator, Trujillo. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the island, as I knew little about it except its history as a hotbed for producing Major League Baseball players.

The other thing I enjoyed about the story was the characters. While the plot sometimes seemed muddled, the characters were very distinctive. Oscar's mother was very negative, and her history explained why she ended up this way. Her two kids, Lola and Oscar, were opposites of each other, but were able to develop a strong bond. I wanted to follow these characters, but would have preferred to do so in an easier to digest manner.

Rating: *** out of *****

#3: The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp

2009-01-05T00:24:00.000-08:00

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey is the first book in a series (3 so far) aimed at young adults. Alfred is a 15-year-old who lives with his uncle after his mother dies. He lives a pretty boring life as a school outcast due to his large size. One day, his uncle approaches him to ask for help with a plot. A mysterious man has asked Arthur's uncle, the night watchman at an apartment tower, to break in and retrieve a sword from the office of the owner of a tower. Arthur is able to complete the theft, although it involves a harrowing escape from some strange men. Arthur later finds out that the sword is Excalibur, and when he has to protect the sword, trouble follows.

This book was very fast paced and full of action. Alfred is well-developed as a character, an ordinary boy doing extraordinary things. Another interesting point is the juxtaposition of the modern luxuries (Arthur travels in a Ferrari for example) with the elements of the King Arthur story. I look forward to eventually picking up the sequels.

#2: Tunnels by Roderick Gordon and Brian Williams

2009-01-02T16:53:00.000-08:00

As a teacher, I try to read a lot of the books I purchase for my classroom. Tunnels is a book I had heard about and finally got around to reading recently. Tunnels is the first book in a series. (Amazon says the second book comes out February 3 in the U.S.) It follows the life of Will Burrows, a 14-year old who lives with his family in London. Will's father is the curator of a seldom-visited local museum, while his mother is a shut-in who spends all of her time watching TV. Will is also very fanciful, leaving his younger sister to pick up the pieces, cooking and cleaning for the family.

One thing Will and his father have in common is a love of archaeology. The two of them dig tunnels beneath the city to look for artifacts. One day, Will's father disappears. As Will is looking for clues, he discovers a secret tunnel in the family's basement. Will decides he must go after his father, and brings along his friend Chester. Will and Chester find a mysterious underground society at the end of the tunnel. The people living there do not like people from the surface of the Earth, so they add difficulties to the search for Will's father.

I'm not a huge fan of fantasy novels, but I read through this one pretty quickly. The plot was easy to follow as the author included a lot of description and kept it moving with plenty of action sequences (although it did take a little while to set up the action). I will definitely be reading the next book (Deeper) when it comes out, and this is a book I will be recommending to some of my students who are stronger readers.

#1: Pharmakon by Dirk Wittenborn

2008-12-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

Pharmakon, by Dirk Wittenborn, traces the path of a family from the 50's as they pass through time. Dr. William Friedrich is an ambitious professor from Yale. He hears about a natural wonder drug used by the natives of New Guinea to bring on happiness, and teams up with another scientist named Bunny Winton to research this drug, known as The Way Home. They conduct trials for this drug, which they deem successful until there is an adverse reaction in a formerly depressed Yale undergrad named Casper Gedsic. Casper's actions change the course of life for the Friedrich family forever.

After the drug trial and its failure, the novel shifts perspective to that of Zach Friedrich, Will's youngest son. It follows him as he deals with his family and their varying needs. Zach begins as a young child and progresses through a prep school education in the 60's as he watches the decisions his older siblings make. The coming of age portion of the novel was very interesting, as it detailed the interactions of a complex and unusual family.

Finally, the book shifts perspective again, this time to a grown up Zach. He has many problems resulting from substance abuse. It also shows where all of the siblings are in their lives. The problem I had was that it jumped way ahead in time, with limited backfill of details. I would have preferred to follow Zach in a more linear progression, even if it added to the length of the book.

Overall, I thought Pharmakon was an enjoyable book. However, I would have enjoyed it more if the ending matched up to the level of the rest of the book.