"Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry

Yet another favorite of mine. Gathering Blue is set in the same universe as The Giver, but Kira lives in a very different world than Jonas. Kira is lucky to be alive. She was born with a twisted leg and as she was perceived to be a burden on society, the rest of the community wanted to be rid of her. However, her mother knew that Kira was strong and fought to keep her daughter. The book is set many years later. Kira's mother has recently died. Once again, she is faced with those that want to push her out of the community, but this time is rescued by the Council of Edifice. She is known for her skill with threads and is put to the task of restoring the Singer's robe. Each year, the Singer shares the story of the past with the robe and a special staff. She meets Thomas who is responsible for the staff. Also in her life is Matt, a poor boy that has a lot of spirit but also gets into a lot of mischief. As time goes on, Kira begins to realize that there is more going on than meets the eye and that everything is not what she has been raised to believe.

I really love this book. It's not quite as good as The Giver, but I enjoy it more than Messenger or Son (though it is nice of the series to have conclusion). For the most part, Gathering Blue can be read as a stand alone, though I think I appreciated it more because I read it after reading The Giver. Though Kira's existence is completely different from Jonas', her journey is not so dissimilar. Like Jonas, Kira comes to discover that society has been lying to her and those around her. She begins to see the world through new eyes and starts to work towards changing it. I feel like I highly recommend a lot of books but this is one that I feel very strongly about. If you have read The Giver, I strongly suggest finishing out the quartet. And even if you haven't read/liked it, I still suggest this title. It is similar enough content wise, but still feel that it has it's own unique voice and can appeal to many readers.



Happy Reading!
-Melly

"The Giver" by Lois Lowry

Title: The Giver
Author: Lois Lowry
Have I Read it Before: Many Times

I had originally planned on saving The Giver for late in the year since it is one of my all time favorite books. However, I just couldn't wait that long. So excuse me while I gush for a bit.

Everything in Jonas' world is perfect. No one has ever known pain, hunger, or suffering. Every single thing from food, to the jobs, to the families is carefully monitored and controlled, but as no one knows anything different, no one questions this. It's not until Jonas is selected as the new Receiver of Memory does he discover that the world was once a very different place and he becomes determined to find a way experience the world for what it could be and not just for what he has always known.

This book is simply brilliant. It is one that I have read many times since I was barely a teen. Each time I read it I get more insight both about Jonas' struggle but about how I see my own world (probably the only time you will see me get even slightly political on this blog, even though I'm not really doing so). This is a book that I strongly encourage everyone read and one people should try to read more than once. As much as the love the Quartet as a whole, I don't feel that the rest of the books are quite as strong as The Giver, but if you read this one, then you must finish the series (please don't be one of those people that argues with other readers because they haven't read Messenger and Son!). If you only read one book this year, make it The Giver (and if you have already read it, read it again!).

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Son" by Lois Lowry

I fail as a book blogger because I had no clue that Lois Lowry was releasing this novel!  It showed up at my library and it took me a second to fully grasp what I was holding in my hands.  I thought that Messenger was the conclusion to TheGiver series (though I did once think that about Gathering Blue.  Oh, and that The Giver was going to be a stand-alone novel.  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if a fifth novel gets released).  Anyways, I picked this up and pretty much didn’t put it back down until I had finished it.  Even so, I have mixed emotions about this novel. 

It is broken up into three parts and I loved the first portion.  It opens with Claire giving birth to her first and what will become her only Son.  Though she was selected to be a birthmother, the birth goes wrong and her baby is delivered via c-section.  She is eventually reassigned to another job in the community.  Though she has never had a moment with her child, she cannot stop thinking about him and manages to begin volunteering at the nurturing center as a way to spend time with him.  When I started this book I assumed that Claire was Jonas’ mother (having forgotten that Gabe also had odd colored eyes) so it took me a little bit to get reacquainted with the story once I realized whose story I was reading.  If you have read The Giver, then you know that Jonas and Gabe leave the community.  So what happens to Claire?  That is the focus of the second portion of the book and the third focuses on Gabe as a young man (trying so hard not spoil anything here!).

I was really into the first section of the book.  It was really interesting to see the life of someone else in Jonas’ community.  But once I got through the first third of the book I began to lose interest.  I’m not sure if it was because it felt odd to be somewhere in this universe that I hadn’t visited before or if the rest of the novel was lacking some of the love and dedication I found in the first three novels.  I certainly felt like the last section of the book was very abrupt.  I got to spend so much time with Clair and baby Gabe but so little time with Gabe once he was an adult and even less time with the conclusion of the novel.  This book easily could have been longer.  It felt like that was far too much buildup for that short of an ending. 

Even though I feel this way, I have to recommend this book.  The Giver is one of those that I feel HAS to be on everyone’s reading lists.  I am stunned when I come across someone that hasn’t read this book.  The advantage of this is I then get to recommend it to them (whilst hopping up and down with excitement and stacking all three-now four- books into their arms).  If you have read any of the books in this quartet (and enjoyed them of course), then you really should finish out the series.  And you never know, this series may very well turn into a quintet.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can Read Over and Over Again

Topic from The Broke and the Bookish!

There is no set theme for this week's Top Ten Tuesday from The Broke and the Bookish so I decided to list the books that I basically cannot live without.  These are the books I have read time and time again and will likely be reading again in the near future.

Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Confessions of a Shopaholicby Sophie Kinsella

Harry Potter by JK Rowling

How to Ruin series bySimone Elkeles

Pop Princess by Rachel Cohn

The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot

Ryan White: My Own Storyby Ryan White andAnn Marie Cunningham

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares

Sweep series by Cate Tiernan

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I want to hear from you, what book or books do you re-read?  Does anyone else had a book that they tend to read around the same time each year?  Let me know!

Happy Reading!

-Melly

Banned Books Week

"A word to the unwise.

Torch every book.
Char every page.
Burn every word to ash.
Ideas are incombustible.

And therein lies your real fear."

-Ellen Hopkins

Banned Books Week is taking place September 24 - October 1, 2011. For those of you not in the know, Banned Books Week, an American Library Association event, celebrates your right to read. More information on the laws and First Amendment can be found on ALA’s website.

I love Banned Books Week. I feel very strongly that is up to a child’s parent or guardian (not their teachers, librarians, or friends’ parents) to monitor what they read and the make the decision if a particular book is appropriate. In my opinion a second grader is likely not ready to read Judy Blume’s (the queen of the banned book) Forever, but that doesn’t give me the right to tell someone else that their child can’t read it. Following that logic, I feel that no one else has the right to tell me I cannot read something. It seems like this should be a reasonable solution; take care of yourself and your children but don’t force your beliefs on anyone else. However, every year the content of books is questioned and sometimes access to those books is limited or revoked. As someone who was never once denied the right to read (with the exception of teachers who told me to stop reading and do my class assignment-a fairly common occurrence) I strongly feel that everyone should have the option to read what they want, when they want (my only exception is that parents also should be parents and be aware of what their children are reading, but that’s another rant completely).

Every year I go through the list of most challenged books and find that I have usually two or three of them (at least!) and often find myself confused. It seems that the majority of the banners haven’t even skimmed the book in question and make their accusations based on the description on the back of the book. Yes, there may be questionable content in the book, but notice that the character usually learns something by the end it? And if not the character, the reader certainly should have come away a better person by reading of a character’s struggle. Sometimes I read about the reason a book was challenged and have to re-read a book, because I don’t that reason being mentioned in the book. Again, this is why I feel parents should be involved with what their children read. Let’s say your child wants to read Ellen Hopkins’ Crank. Take the time to talk with your child about the content of the book. Make sure they are aware that the book is not glorifying drug use and that they see how Kristina’s life spirals out of control due to her decisions. Answer any questions they may have. Build a better bond with your child because you’ve opened up communication. And, please don’t discourage your child from reading!

So that’s how I stand. Basically, I want everyone to read. Books, magazines, instruction manuals- just read something! And if you don’t like something in a book, you always have the option to stop and read something else.

I Read Banned Books

I Am a Reader, Not a Writer

I don’t make it a point to read a book because it is banned, but it turns out that quite a few of the books I’ve read (and enjoyed!) have been challenged or banned. Below is a list of such books that are listed in Banned Books: Chalenging Our Freedom to Read by Robert P. Doyle (2010 by American Library Association).

Abel's Island by William Steig

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Abel's Island by William Steig

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Anastasia Again by Lois Lowry

Anastasia at Your Service by Lois Lowry

Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Are You There God? It's Me Margaret by Judy Blume

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

Deenie by Judy Blume

Doctor Doolittle by Hugh John Lofting

Don't You Dare Read This Mrs. Dunphrey by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Forever by Judy Blume

Forever in Pants by Anne Brashares

Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers

Geography Club by Brent Hartinger

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Harriet the Spy by Loise Fitzhugh

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Here's to You Rachel Robinson by Judy Blume

It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume

Jay's Journal by Beatrice Sparks

L8R G8TR by Lauren Myracle

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl by Louis Sachar

Matilda by Roald Dahl

Mississippi Bridge by Mildred D. Taylor

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

Nightjohn by Gary Paulsen

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies by Sonya Sones

Otherwise Known as Shelia the Great by Judy Blume

Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor

Romitette and Julio by Sharon M. Draper and Adam Lowenbein

Ryan White: My Own Story by Ryan White and Ann Marie Cunningham

Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Superfudge by Judy Blume

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Caroline Mackler

The Egypt Game by Zalpha Keatley Snyder

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

The Headless Cupid by Zalpha Keatley Snyder

The Kid Who Only Hit Homers by Matt Christopher

The Long Secret by Louise Fitzhugh

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

The Notebook Girls: Four Friends, One Diary, Real Life by Julia Baskin, Lindsey Newman, Sophie Pollit-Cohn and Courtney Toombs

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck

The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss

Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy Blume

There's a Boy in the Girls Bathroom by Louis Sachar

Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume

TTFN by Lauren Myracle

TTYL by Lauren Myracle

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Wayside School is Falling Down by Louis Sachar

What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones

Where the Heart is by Billie Letts

Where's Waldo by Martin Handford

How many have you read?

Judy Blume & Lauren Myracle help launch Banned Books Week Virtual Read-Out!

Lauren Myracle was 2009’s most
challenged author. She has written
many novels including the TTYL
series, Kissing Kate and Shine.

Ellen Hopkins is the brilliant author 

of Crank, Tricks, the newly released 

Perfect amongst other YA novels. In

 2010, Crank was #4 on ALA’s list of 

Top Ten Challenged Books. Due to the

 content of her books, Hopkins was 

uninvited to the Humble ISD

 Libraries’ Teen Lit Festival.

"Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, read by Blair Brown

I first read Number the Stars as part of a class assignment when I was in the sixth grade. As I recall, I had already read some of Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik books before this (yet another series I recommended, especially to young girls who love sassy, spunky, and fun characters). Since that time, this is book that often makes it to my “to be read again” pile.

I recently listened to the audio version of this wonderful book. I was amazed at just how quickly I went through it (I'm used to audio books such as Harry Potter with more than three cds) but still enjoyed the story as much as always.

Number the Stars tells the story of Annemarie, and young girl from Copenhagen, growing up amidst the soldiers and other changes that came with the Nazi invasion of World War II. Annemarie spends her days practicing for races at school, playing paper dolls with her best friend Ellen, and making up stories to tell to her younger sister Kirsti. Though much has changed, it has little effect on Annemarie's everyday life until word comes that all of the Jewish citizens are going to be “relocated.” Ellen is Jewish.

Annemarie's parents immediately take Ellen in, pretending she is their own daughter and make plans to hide her from the Nazi's. Throughout the novel, Annemarie must conquer her fears to help save her friend and get her to Sweden.

This novel is a great novel for late elementary and middle school readers to be introduced to the history of WWII. Shortly after reading it, I discovered The Diary of Anne Frank which has since led me to read many books on the holocaust and other topics of the time. I would hope that other readers would use this book as a stepping stone to find more pieces literature, both fiction and non-fiction (and by listening to the audio version, families are able to easily share this book together) Readers who enjoy this book will likely enjoy Lowry's other Newbery winner, The Giver and it's companions Gathering Blue and Messenger.

Happy Reading!

-Melly