Book 8: The Earth, My Butt, & Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler

I really enjoyed this book, it made me "lol". There are some issues such as body image, health, eating disorders, sexual assault, family tension, friendship, and everyone's favorite-awkward teenage romance. While the book does address some of these more serious issues, it can still make you laugh. Virginia is the name of the main character and the way she thinks, does, and says things was pretty humorous at some points-at least I thought so.

Basically, the book is about Virginia, a teenage girl who is struggling with her over-weightness combined with her "inferiority complex". She loves her computer and TV, junkfood, and her own composition: The Fat Girl Code of Conduct:"The Fat Girl Code of Conduct":

1. Any sexual activity is a secret. No public displays of affection.
2. Don’t discuss your weight with him.
3. Go further than skinny girls. If you can’t sell him on your body, you’d better overcompensate with sexual perks.
4. Never, ever, ever, ever, ever push the relationship thing.

Virginia's mom is an exercize addict/adolescent psychologist, her dad is usually off on business or golfing, and her older siblings (Byron and Anais) are slim, brilliant, and impossible to live up to.

In this book you see life through Virginia's eyes and how her relationship with others, herself, food, and family change as she faces difficult situations.

I thought this book was a good and enjoyable read. I'm not sure academically how well it would work in the classroom, because for the 98346th time I'm not an English person, but definitely something I would keep in my office. I'm either going to need a really big office, or a secret door to a library full of books...but I'll work that out later :)

Book 7: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

One of the rules for this project is that I have to read two books by one author, so this is my second Anderson book.

"I want to go to sleep and not wake up, but I don't want to die".

I did not like it as much as I liked Speak, but I still thought it was an interesting and insightful read.

This book tells the story of Lia. Lia's best friend Cassie dies (don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler, it even says it on the back of the book), but until the autopsy report is done Lia doesn't know the cause of death-all she knows is that Cassie died alone, in a motel room. Lia's mother is a busy busy surgeon, her father is always away on business, and her stepmother is kind of clueless. The voice in Lia's head repeats "remain in control, stay strong, lose more, weigh less". If she keeps going like this-thin, thinner, thinnest-maybe she'll disappear all together. Read the book and discover Lia's inner torment, the ghosts that haunt her, why she does these things to herself, how it affects her family, and go with her on her journey to find out what happened to Cassie.

One thing that this book has that I haven't seen in others is the author's use of strikethrough text:

“My traitor fingers want that fudge. No, they don’t. They want a seven layer bar and some weird muffins and those pretzels. No, they don’t. They want to squish the marshmallows and stuff them into my mouth. They will not.”

This book delves into one girl's struggle with life and anorexia. Low on sexual content, light on language, but definitely intense in content-again one I would hesitate to use in a classroom due to sensitive subject matter. Anywho, once again a keeper as far as guidance counseling goes-decidedly a book I would keep in my office.

Another part of the assignment is choosing a "stretch" book, meaning one that's either out of your usual realm, by an author you're hesitant about, etc. This is my stretch book. When I read the synopsis I knew this would be my stretch book; mostly because it's a difficult subject. I find pieces (books, articles, shows, news stories, etc.) on eating disorders to be really harrowing and difficult-for multiple reasons. It's such a complex topic and there are so many reasons that make it difficult, for me at least, to read about. I myself have never experienced having an eating disorder, but I have several friends who have-and even if I didn't, I still think it would be difficult to read about the mental/emotional/physical struggles the individual experiences and how it affects them and the people they know. Even though this was my "stretch" book, and it was a tough read, it was definitely worth it and was a good book.

Book 6: TH1RTEEN R3ASONS WHY by Jay Asher

So far, I think this book is my favorite.

Clay Jensen, a student in high school, comes home to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker-his classmate and crush-who committed suicide two weeks earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Instead of numbered chapters, the book is broken up into "Cassette 1: Side A" and so on. There are 7 tapes, 13 sides. Clay is one of the sides . If he listens, he'll find out how he made the list.
Through Hannah and Clay's dual narratives, debut author Jay Asher weaves an intricate and heartrending story of confusion and desperation that will deeply affect teen readers.

This book is harrowing, to say the least. Diving deep into the depths of Hannah's mind, the reader gets her perspective on life and the spiral of Depression. When I read the back of the book I assumed the reasons would be big blatant issues, but really it seemed like a bunch of smaller issues that when added up just made it too much to handle. This is not to say there aren't big issues, but not every reason (standing by itself) is a giant catastrophe.

This book envokes a lot of emotions, or at least it did in me-sadness, anger, confusion, happiness, and more. It made me think in depth about how our everyday actions/interactions/lack of action can impact another person. While there is some sexual content, there's not a ton of profanity. If I were a teacher, I don't think I would teach it in the classroom just because the content is so heavy-some students may not be mentally or emotionally ready or strong enough to read it. As a soon-to-be counselor, however, I would definitely keep it in my office. Totally worth reading as an adult for sure.

Book 5: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart

"In some ways, we can see fRankie Landau-Banks as a negleced positive. A buried word.

A word inside another word that's getting all the attention.

A mind inside a body that's getting all the attention.

Frankie's mind is a word overlooked, but when uncovered-through invention, imagination, or recollection-it wields a power that is comical, surprising, and memorable." -pg. 330

Now, in case you're wondering what a "neglected positive" is (such as I did, not being an English person), I found this fellow blogger's entry to give you some examples so you can get the gist of it. Click me to see it!

OK, moving on. This book took me a bit longer to get through than the others, but overall I enjoyed it. Two things stood out to me:

1) Frankie's sense of humor-a little quirky, but also intelligent, I just found it amusing-perhaps we share the same sense of humor, anyways, something I could kind of relate to being someone who enjoys a good laugh myself.

2) The Plot (capital "P", to add a dramatic effect)-I liked the plot because it was easy to digest. Most of the other books I blog about involve suicide or some horrible incident-but this book was a nice break because I didn't get too upset, sad, angry, etc.-I could just enjoy it.

What's the Plot? Funny you ask!

The Disreputable History is a story of an adolescent girl at a private high school. Most of the book takes place during Frankie's freshman and sophomore years. I guess you could consider this a mystery of sorts-she discovers that at her school there is a secret society-one that her dad was a part of, but even he won't divulge the details to her. Frankie's determined to figure out what the society is, who belongs to it, what they do, etc. The book addresses themes of friendship, relationships, feminism, a hint of religion, and a general view of the high school experience (fitting in, different "cliques" or social groups, classes, etc.".

From what I can remember there's little profanity and a little bit of content regarding sex, so I'd say it's pretty appropriate for most adolescents. It took me, personally, a little bit of effort to really get into it-but as I said, overall pretty good. Again, not one I'm sure I would put money into or keep in my office-it doesn't really address and specific or intense issues-but one I could definitely recommend to students-especially strong-willed females.

Book 4: Silent to the Bone by E.L. Konigsburg

OK, I swear I'm not purposefully picking books in which the main characters stop talking-it's a coincidence.

I'll give a little synopsis, per usual:
Branwell Zamborska's baby sister (Nikki) has slipped into a coma. Branwell calls 911, but when they pick up he cannot speak. Vivian Shawcurt, the "au pair" from England takes over. She tells them that Branwell dropped Nikki and shook her. Nikki's taken to the hospital, and Branwell to the Juvenile Behavioral Center. Dr. Zamborska (Branwell's dad) asks Connor-the best friend-to visit Branwell, to try and break the silence, to try and figure out what happened. Branwell loves Nikki, so why would he hurt her? It just doesn't add up. Connor eventually finds a means of communication wtih Branwell and with the help of Margaret (Connor's older sister), he begins to investigate the evens leading up to the silence. He slowly discovers what Branwell's problems were and what really happened the day Nikki was hospitalized.

Key themes that emerge in this book are: friendship, communication, blended families, growing up, shame, loyalty, and trust.

This book was OK. Not the best I've read, but certainly not the worst. It's pretty easy as far as vocabulary and comprehension goes-but don't get that confused with dull, which it is not. One of the more unique aspects of the book is the relationships within both Branwell and Connor's families-both boys are members of families where there are step-parents. The book does a decent job of describing the relationships within these families-both the good and bad parts. I also like the book because you really gain a sense of the deepness of the friendship between Branwell and Connor, just two average teenage boys-not superstar athletes, valedictorians, or outstanding providers of community service-just two boys growing up together and dealing with life.

While it would be awesome to buy every book I like, let's be realistic-I may not land a job that pays a ton of money...in fact, it's likely I won't...I guess what I'm trying to get at is I don't think I would buy this particular book to keep in my office, but definitely something I could recommend to be checked out of a library if I think the student would enjoy it and/or get something out of it. Since there's not a lot of profanity and only minor hints to sexuality, I think it could be used in a classroom-but I'll leave that decision up to the English teachers.

Book 3: Staying Fat For Sarah Burns by Chris Crutcher

Sarah Byrnes and Eric have been friends for years.  When they were children, his fat and her terrible scars made them both outcasts.  Later, although swimming slimmed Eric, she stayed his closest friend.  Now, Sarah Byrnes—the smartest, toughest person Eric has ever known—sits silent in a hospital.  Eric must uncover the terrible secret she’s hiding, before its dark currents pull them both under. 

Another good book-I know, I know, you probably think I'm a softy-but I promise if I really truly don't enjoy a book I will tell you.  This one is at least tied with Speak, although to be honest I don't think I personally enjoyed Speak as much as a lot of my peers.  

This book took longer for me to read than my previous two, but it covered a huge range of issues: Friendship, Alienation, Physical/Psychological Abuse, Family, Body Image, Religion, Societal Pressures, and Suicide.  It covers so many issues but is not completely overwhelming.  I would label it as moderate-difficult reading level.  There is a semi-sophisticated vocabulary selection and some of the text from Eric's point of view takes some reflection to figure out.  It's definitely an intense read, but definitely worth it.  I feel as though it could be recommended to students who maybe just want a good book to read outside of class, and not necessarily one about a specific topic to relate to, just something good to read that will maybe expand their thinking.  Definitely a keeper.

Book 2: Damage by A.M. Jenkins

OK, so I may have fallen behind a little on my blog entries-but don't worry, I'm back.  So book number 2, very different from book number 1, but still a good read.

Damage is essentially about your all-American boy.  Austin is a 17-year-old high school football hero in the heart of rural Texas.  What more could a guy want than to be a talented athlete, ladies man, and popular jock all rolled into one?  Austin asks himself the same question, but he feels something is missing.  Lately overwhelming feelings of emptiness and loneliness and Austin can't figure out why he feels this way when he leads a seemingly ideal life.  Throughout the book the reader sees life through Austin's eyes-what it's like to be pressured by society, to try and fill voids with meaningless relationships, to not want to live anymore.

Pretty heavy stuff, but still a very eye-opening read, which is one of the things I really like about the book.  Everyone hurts, no matter who you are, and recognizing that can be really beneficial whether it means you recognize it's okay for you to hurt or whether it means you realize that nobody is perfect and everyone has feelings.

I also like this book because it's a quick and easy read (as far as language, plot, comprehension, etc.)  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy all kinds of books of varying lengths and I enjoy books that challenge my literary skills-but let's face it, not everyone reads at the same levels.  As a hopeful guidance counselor, part of my philosophy still includes catering to the multiple intelligences.  Not everyone can read at the same level, and even if they are an excellent reader, they might not have a lot of time to put into extracurricular reading.  Therefore, this quick and easy read that also addresses important issues seems like a good addition to a counselors library.