August 6th, 2006
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| Author: | Ann Brashares |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2001 |
A magical pair of pants, pants that are equally flattering on each in the Sisterhood, remind a group of four young women of their bond. And the pants also very creatively tether the four separate plot lines together.
Very well written chic lit. |
I found the four stories -- about: staying brave as a friend dies, being honest about one's feelings, dealing with a divorced parent's new family, and the dangers of manic/depression -- pretty realistic and interesting. But I do have some reservations about the book:
- Are there really strongly cohesive groups of four girls this different? Perhaps because the book rarely discusses what they do when together, I was not persuaded.
- Money and distance and parents seem to be insignificant obstacles to these young women. Adults in the book are there in a way similar to the authority figures in Peanuts. You see/hear rumors of them, but even at a summer camp, they seem to be mostly, frightentingly absent. Perhaps this is the way that teenage girls perceive them. Perhaps they are mostly absent in many teenagers' lives. The girls know they need to be there for eachother, because their parents -- aren't.
Well, anyway, I enjoyed getting to know Carmen, Lena, Bridget, and Tibby, who shine because of their inner goodness, although the magical pants, might add to the luminance. |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, The |
Posted in Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Female protagonist, Fiction, Reading level: age 8 and up, Sports | Comments Closed
August 5th, 2006
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| Author: | JD Salinger |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Sophisticated readers |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1951 |
Not a fat book, but required reading for all teenagers who become frustrated with pretention. My brother's favorite teenage angst novel. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Catcher in the Rye, The
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Posted in Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Fiction, Reading level: Sophisticated reader | Comments Closed
August 4th, 2006
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| Author: | Margaret Peterson Haddix and Rene Milot |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 12 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1999 |
Just Ella explains what happened to Cinder-Ella after her first happily ever after. She finds out that Prince Charming is not what she wants, but she has to find a way out of marrying him.
Ella doesn't like the palace either, it's too stuffy, but she does manage to make some good friends who end up saving her from a life of for ever just looking pretty and sewing all day long.
I liked this book; it was a don't-put-down-'til-you've- read-it-all book (To me, at least).
--Fizzy, age 11
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Just Ella |
Posted in Conceptual: age 12 and up, Fairy tales, Female protagonist, Fiction, Reading level: age 8 and up | Comments Closed
August 2nd, 2006
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| Author: | A.S. Byatt |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | For grown-ups
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| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | For grown-ups
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| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1990 |
Intricate and, yes, romantic, story of the work and loves of a motley community of poets and researchers, in this century and in the past all exploring pieces of a literary puzzle.
These nerdy people, all obsessed with doing the arcane thing that they do very well, figure out how to combine their efforts for the good of the group and themselves.
Not for children, but similar in theme, although vastly more ambitious than, Dragonfly. Highly recommended for gifted adults. |
Reading about how these gifted people connect intellectually and re-combine romantically, how they work together to solve the mysteries of the past and of their own hearts -- well, it's like wandering through a strange but beautiful garden.
In many discussions about academia, the intellectual pursuits, the single-minded pettiness of people who are deeply interested in -- let's face it -- minutia -- are ridiculed. But in Byatt's treatment -- not really a novel, but a combination of prose, poetry, excerpts from first-person narratives (pseudo-historical documents), we come to admire nearly every character in the book, obsessions, prejudices, intellectual prowess, and all.
Winner of the 1990 Booker Prize |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Possession: A Romance |
Posted in Biography, Conceptual: for grown ups, Culture, Fairy tales, Female protagonist, Fiction, Gifted, History, Reading level: Grown up | Comments Closed
July 30th, 2006
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| Author: | Perri Klass |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | For grown-ups
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| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | For grown-ups
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| Genre: | Non-fiction |
| Year of publication: | 2003 |
reviewed by An Asperger's Parent
This is a book for parents of kids who have, or resemble those who have, any of several closely related, and confusingly similar, challenges: Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disability - Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), Nonverbal Learning Disorder, Sensory Integration Dysfunction. But it's about the kids, not the disorders.
This is NOT the book to provide an in-depth understanding of any one of these diagnostic categories. For that purpose, a book more focused on whichever condition you're concerned about will probably serve you better. For example, my own favorite scholarly resource on Asperger's Syndrome is Asperger Syndrome (Guilford Press, 2000), a collection of articles edited by Drs. Klin, Volkmar and Sparrow of Yale.
What Quirky Kids does, and from my perspective does better than any other publication I'm seen, is to serve as a wise, perceptive and sympathetic counselor and friend for parents of kids who are in this spectrum. It speaks respectfully and helpfully about the whole range of real-world issues, including schools, helpful and non-so-helpful friends, maintaining your own mental health, balancing the needs of multiple kids when one or more has exceptional needs, genuinely appreciating your kid's strengths and quirks, understanding the aches and long-term worries. |
Where so many of the books I've read and helping professionals with whom we've consulted, seem to illustrate the parable of the six blind men describing the elephant, Drs. Klass and Costello, the authors of "Quirky Kids," seem to see, and appreciate, the whole beast. I'm REALLY glad I found this book, and I warmly recommend it to parents for whom these issues are relevant. |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Quirky Kids : Understanding and Helping Your Child Who Doesn't Fit In- When to Worry and When Not to Worry |
Posted in Child-raising, Conceptual: for grown ups, Culture, Gifted, Reading level: Grown up, Science | Comments Closed
July 30th, 2006
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| Author: | Eric Hansen |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Sophisticated readers |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Sophisticated readers |
| Genre: | non-fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1988 |
About dealing with people and environments that are not like what you're used to. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Stranger in the Forest |
Posted in Animals, Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Culture, Reading level: Sophisticated reader, Science | Comments Closed
July 30th, 2006
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| Author: | Benjamin Hoff |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 12 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 5 and under |
| Genre: | Non-fiction, philosophy |
| Year of publication: | 1983 |
Not difficult to read, but explains some very interesting ideas in a humorous way. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Tao of Pooh, The |
Posted in Conceptual: 8 and up, Conceptual: age 12 and up, Conceptual: highly sophisticated, Culture, Reading level: age 5 and up | Comments Closed
July 29th, 2006
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| Author: | Emily Rodda |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 5 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 5 and up |
| Genre: | fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1993 |
A Quest, gently told; a good chapter book for a young/new reader.
In Questing to the top of the mountain with six fellow villagers to obtain water for his village, Rowan, a frail, young shepherd, gains confidence and courage. |
Unlike in other Quests, in this one, the trials that confront the travelers are nearly all resolved through reason, rather than force. For example, Rowan's climactic encounter with the dragon benefits both the boy and the beast.
Another nice touch: Rowan's fellow travelers do their best, but then, when a trial requires more than they can do, they retire for the good of the group, with the good wishes of the group. (Take that, Joe Lieberman!)
--Emily |
If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Rowan of Rin |
Posted in Animals, Conceptual: age 5 and up, Dragons and/or mythological beasts, Fairy tales, Fiction, Gifted, Reading level: age 5 and up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
July 28th, 2006
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| Author: | Anthony Burgess |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | For grown-ups
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| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | For grown-ups
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| Genre: | Fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1963 |
Very violent sci fi. Challenging to read because it's written in a mush of English and Russian. But there are translations of the hard words in a glossary in the back. |
The movie is pretty intense too. |
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Clockwork Orange, A |
Posted in Conceptual: for grown ups, Death is a central theme, Fiction, Reading level: Grown up, Science Fiction | Comments Closed
July 25th, 2006
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| Author: | Meindert DeJong |
| Illustrator: | Maurice Sendak |
| Reading Level (Conceptual): | Children 8 and up |
| Reading Level (Vocabulary): | Children 8 and up |
| Genre: | Fiction |
| Year of publication: | 1955 |
The children of a Dutch fishing village try various strategies in order to find a wheel that they can put on the roof of their schoolhouse so they can attract storks that will bring them luck. Winner, 1955 Newbery Medal
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If you found this review helpful and/or interesting, consider supporting our book habit: Buy this book!: Wheel on the School, The |
Posted in Conceptual: 8 and up, Culture, Fiction, Reading level: age 8 and up | Comments Closed
