Weekly Wrap-up for December 16, 2012:.

This week has been dominated by things outside of my control. And these things have been tampering with my emotions to the point where I have cried a bit too much. Today I am trying to focus on moving forward into the last week of school and stressed before a much needed 2 week break.

I feel like I need to mention what happened on Friday, and how much it moved me. As a teacher, a human being, my heart broke on Friday for the families of the teachers and children at that school. I cannot fathom why someone would take out their anger on innocent children..it just goes beyond any words imaginable. And, as a teacher, I looked at my own students a bit differently Friday. They are older than the kids who lost their lives, but in many ways, they still have that same innocence. They haven't lived their lives yet. It gets me...and it just hurts.

And with all of that lingering on my mind, it seems silly to write about anything else, so I will leave it there this week. I doubt I will post anything this week, since I need to get through these last five days. But look for a flurry of posts and books read once break gets here. :)

Two 2013 Reading Challenges.

I swore that if I didn't complete a couple of challenges this year that I would avoid them in 2013...you can see where this is going, right? Needless to say, while I didn't complete all of my challenges for 2012, I have decided to join in on a few for 2013. :)

Both of these are challenges I've been a participant in for the last two years (at least), so it seems like I should soldier on, right?

Without further adieu...

Sarah's Back to the Classics Challenge 2013

This challenge is one of my favorites because of the categories that Sarah picks each year. Unlike some other classic challenges, Sarah picks fun little categories that your classics need to fit into. It is a great way to get some diversity into your classic reading. Personally, I love Victorian-era and turn of the 20th century classics, so this forces me a bit outside my comfort zone!

This year, Sarah has given us 6 required areas with a few "bonus" categories for anyone who feels pulled to read more. I am doing three of the bonus categories in addition to the required 6, but make sure to check out the sign-up post to find more information about the bonus categories!

The List:
1. 19th Century Classic: Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy. This is one I really wanted to get to this summer during my Victorian event, but just ran out of time.
2. 20th Century Classic: All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque: This is a title I feel like I should have read by now...
3. Pre-19th Century: The Frogs by Aristophanes: Surprisingly, when I went to look at my 250 list, there were very few pre-19th century titles left!
4. Classic concerning the African-American Experience: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This is another "should have read" title that I'll be getting to sooner rather than later.
5. Classic Adventure: Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs: I was actually sent a beautiful new edition of the Tarzan stories, so this is a great excuse to dive in and review this for the publisher. :)
6. Classic Featuring an Animal: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Kesey. This title has actually been on a challenge list ever since I started doing challenges. 2013 is the year!

Bonus Categories:
Russian Classic: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I really wanted to read this during this fall, but obviously I didn't get to it. I really want to read it before it disappears from theaters, so I'm thinking this might be my first book of 2013?
Classic Children's Book: Jane Austen's Complete Juvenilia. Does this really need an explanation? :)
Short Stories (at least 3 by one author): I have a big Mark Twain collection, so I am sure that'll be my focus this coming year!

Adam's 2013 TBR Pile Challenge

Third time is definitely going to be the charm for Adam's challenge. I swear!

Adam's challenge is a great way to clear books off the good ol' TBR. Rule is that these books have to have been on your TBR for at least 12 months-so only books published in 2011 and earlier. I choose to focus on classics since that is my main focus anyway!

Each participant gets to choose a list of 12 books they want to finish before the year is out, as well as 2 alternates, just in case...I always seem to want to read my alternates more than my list books...or books not on my list at all. :) Anyway, I scoured my dwindling 250 list and found 14 titles for Adam's Challenge.
The List:
1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings: Maya Angelou (year 2 on the list...)
2. Cold Sassy Tree: Olive Burns
3. Moll Flanders: Daniel Defoe
4. Sister Carrie: Theodore Dreiser
5. The Sound and the Fury: William Faulkner
6. Brighton Rock: Graham Greene (I believe this is the third year for Mr. Greene on my list...)
7. Doll's House: Henrick Ibsen
8. On the Road: Jack Kerouac
9. Billy Budd: Herman Melville
10. Going After Cacciato: Tim O'Brien
11. Ivanhoe: Sir Walter Scott
12. The Jungle: Upton Sinclair

Alternates:
1. The Once and Future King: T.H. White
2. Remains of the Day: Kazou Ishiguro

So, there you have it-2 challenges with the books all picked out. I'm doubting I will join any other challenges, unless they seem enticing... ;)

Weekly Wrap-up for December 9, 2012: Getting Closer...

It has been a whirlwind of a week. Lots of things have been happening in the political arena here in Michigan that will make things interesting for awhile. In addition to passing a bit of "Right to Work" legislation in just 24 hours (from it being brought up and introduced to voted on), there are a number of bills in the House having to do with revamping education in the State. One of the stupidest ideas is to turn the state into one big "super district." Things have been intense and a little uneasy at work, and I am anxious to see how everything pans out.

In addition to all that, the kids are certainly counting down until our last day on the 21st. They've already started on the path to becoming little monsters as their two week break approaches, so I'll be doing all I can to get through until that glorious break. I'm still having a hard time believing that we only have 2 weeks from break, 1 week in January, then exam week before we launch into second semester. CRAZY.

Besides school, we've been trying to be productive here at home. We spent a few hours on Wednesday pulling up most of our Christmas decorations and putting up our tree. We still have some smaller decorations that Matt promised to bring up tonight (everything is in our storage unit in the basement), and then we'll be cozy for the holidays. We usually decorate a bit earlier than this, but we've both been crazy busy with work.

Speaking of busy with work, I haven't had time for any kind of reading. I bet it will stay that way until break, since I am pushing through as much as possible so I won't have to bring home any grading over that two weeks off. Prepping and planning is fine with me, but I don't want to be stuck with any grading on my vacation! :)

I did put up a couple of posts this week, so make sure to go and check them out. I am going to finish out this year with some more YA themed reading before diving back into some classics come Janaury. I am going to pick up an Austen this holiday season (this has become a tradition for me), and I think it is going to be Northanger Abbey since it has been so long since I've read it. I also want to dive into a Dickens' Christmas story, so I'm going to look and see what one it will be for the year. I would also like to finish The Scarlet Letter, since I started it in the fall and never finished, but who knows. I'm trying to keep my plans loose! :)

I hope everything is going well! Happy Reading!

A Few Mini-Reviews.

I am attempting to "catch up" on all the books I've read but haven't discussed this fall. Since school started, I've read about 22 books. I find that to be kind of amazing considering the amount of stress and work that goes into a first full year of teaching, but I've been finding time, here and there, to relax and enjoy some fun reads.

This edition is really going to focus on some of the YA/MG books I've been reading. In particular, I decided to mini-review some of the series and sequels I've been hooked on. Enjoy!

The Brotherband Chronicles Book 3: The Hunters by John Flanagan.

I consider this to be one of my biggest guilty pleasures, but at the same time, I think that Flanagan's books are just really entertaining and good. I know what to expect when I pick one up, and he hasn't disappointed me yet (after14 titles).

This series is the companion series to The Ranger's Apprentice. It is set in the same world, but features a different culture, which takes a lot more skill than it seems. That's honestly one of the major reasons I love these books. Flanagan manages to weave his narrative through multiple cultures, and show that no one "culture" or people is the enemy-only those with ill intentions are the enemy. And, I love that the books are action-packed, have good moral lessons, and are just gosh-darn FUN to read. I know that quite a few of my high schoolers would brush these off as too young, but I know that these would be a hit with the middle school crowd.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.

I actually picked this one up a couple of years ago when a good friend recommended the series to me. I believe, at the time, that the third title had just come out, and she pretty much shoved the first two into my hands (I bought the third one when it came out in paperback to "match" ). It languished on my shelves and I finally felt pulled to it in the first month of school.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, but I was highly entertaining. The four children that are the main characters are highly intelligent-just in different ways. After their intelligence is tested, they form the "mysterious Benedict society" to work for Mr. Benedict against the evil Mr. Curtain.

I really enjoyed the ingenuity of all four kids. At times, I felt a bit stupid as they worked through challenges, but the book was fun, lively, and kept me flipping pages.

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart.

Book two in the trilogy picks up shortly where the first one left off. The evil mastermind has escaped and the kids must journey to find more solutions to the problems arising at home.

In this novel, the kids journey away from home and encounter some of my favorite characters. I particularly enjoyed the Ten Men (evil men with briefcases that contain all kinds of horrid torture devices).

Like the first novel, the kids' ingenuity surprised me, and I even found myself laughing out loud. The scenes on the island were some of the creepiest and suspenseful! By far, this was my favorite of the three and had some of the best Constance moments in the entire series (Constance is one of the four children, and MAN, she had me cracking up at multiple points in the series).

The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Prisoner's Dilemma by Trenton Lee Stewart.

The third and final volume in the series ended with a bang. Again, like the two previous titles, it was packed with action-filled scenes and puzzles. I really enjoyed the new dynamics between the children as they grew up. Sticky and his battle with proving how smart he actually was melted my heart.

However, I did feel like the story dragged in some parts and I just wanted the final confrontation to happen. I was also more than a little annoyed with the Ten Men and their stupid torture devices, Mr. Curtain, and the adults' general stupidity regarding their children. With that said, it was still a very quick read and a good ending to the trilogy. I imagine that these would be great fun to read with kids!

I also need to say that I adore all three of these covers. The black silhouettes really just make them, don't they?

The Kill Order, The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure by James Dashner.

I read all four of these in pretty quick succession, so they run together a bit. For those of you who haven't read the series, I should mention that The Kill Order is actually a prequel to the other three. I read it last since it was published last, but I don't think the order completely matters...

Now, I enjoyed these to a certain extent. But by the time I reached The Death Cure, I was annoyed with the series. There were parts that seemed incredibly drawn out, other important moments that felt rushed, and the narrator grated on my nerves by the end. I needed more information about the world than I got, and by the time I did get some of the answers I wanted, I forgot what my questions were in the first place. I really just felt incredibly rushed through the three books and wanted to be done with the series to say I finished it.

However, The Kill Order was something I really enjoyed. I liked the sense of urgency, the slow build of information, and the heart-wrenching climax. While I never felt like I connected to the main characters in the main trilogy, I felt incredibly drawn to the characters in The Kill Order. I could sympathize with them, root for them, and gasp at just the right moments.

If you're really big into the dystopian fad that is everywhere, then these are books you really can't miss. And I'm not saying they were awful-more that I tired of the series quickly.

The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman.

About a month into the school year, I was talking to our media specialist about wanting to some fun and creative projects with my U.S. history classes. So, in the midst of discussing slang dictionaries for the 1920s, a Great Depression simulation I have, and various web related ideas, she said, "Why not teach that book Maus?"

She had never read it (but knew quite a bit about it), and it had been years since I had read it, so I decided to pick up a copy, read it, and then decide whether it was something worth pursuing. After all, teaching a book in a history class? Teaching a graphic novel? It was something to think about.

I went out and bought a copy of The Complete Maus, so I would have volumes 1 and 2. I sat down, read both straight through, and decided I needed to pursue the opportunity. To make the story shorter, I approached my principal, told him why I thought it would be a good idea, and he okayed it. The school purchased 36 copies of Maus Volume I, and I will be teaching it in late January.

As I sat down and reread the book, I was blown away by the story and the imagery. First, the story. I think that any story of a Holocaust survivor is mind-boggling. I am sure that I am not alone in saying that I honor and respect the people who were sent to Concentration camps and survived. If I am being perfectly honest with myself, I don't think I would be that strong, that resilient. I would be the person who gave up on the train heading to the camps.

But there is something incredibly moving about this story in particular. I think the juxtaposition between the "present" and the "past" of the story pulls at my heartstrings just a bit more. From the beginning, we know who survives and who doesn't, and that Vladek has lived to an age where telling his story is both painful and liberating. I actually think that the passages in the "present," where Art is trying to record his father's story, say far more about the effects of the Holocaust than the text related to Vladek's story. And I don't say that to diminish the power or struggle of what Vladek went through, but to say that this is more than a story about surviving the Holocaust-it is about a man surviving his memories.

I also love the imagery in the book, like the picture at left. I think that taking the time to pour over the pictures says a lot about Art Spiegelman's skill. Each image is crafted carefully and shows the heart he put into his father's story. Because in addition to hearing the story and helping Vladek come to terms with his own experiences, the story is also about Art accepting his father and they way he is. The constant bickering about money, saving, and keeping memories is something I know I am going to discuss with my students at length.

I think that I am very lucky-to be in a school that is supporting something "outside the box." I am excited and anxious to share this experience with my students. To read a book in history class. To read a graphic novel, a form of literature that is sometimes looked down on. But I have a strong feeling my students are going to be excited and moved by the story, much like I was.

And if you haven't read Maus, you need to. It is a book (books, really) that you can't be whole without. I think I learned far more about the effects of the Holocaust from this than all my years of schooling.