The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Check out the creepy cover!  It's perfect for the book, but it's so disturbing that I tried to hide it from my kids, and I avoided looking at it myself!


Summary from the front of the book:
In 1888, twelve-year-old Will Henry chronicles his apprenticeship with Dr. Warthrop, a scientist who hunts and studies real-life monsters, as they discover and attempt to destroy a pod of Anthropophagi.


First of all, I hate horror movies.  I don't watch them, period.  As you may have guessed, I'd never read a horror book either.  Until this one.  And it took me for a ride!  Whoa.  The reason I read it is because it was on the IWU Adolescent Literature syllabus that I read through.  This was the last one; I finished on time!

Many elements of the Gothic novel were present such as both psychological and physical terror, mystery, death, decay, madness, secrets, and hereditary curses. (click here for source.)  It was tough to get through because I generally dislike psychological terror, and I was unsure how the author would represent God in the context of the story. (more on that later) Not to mention that the physical terror is explained extremely graphically.  Yancey's imagery and details are so good that I can close my eyes and picture the scenes of horror after closing the pages yesterday.  He doesn't leave you wondering how much damage the monsters can do.  He shows you.

As for the religious aspect, Yancey has different types of characters.  There are the Christian townspeople, the scientist who does not bother himself with religion because it is hard to marry morals with science, and the evil hunter.  I think Yancey did a fair job at presenting the three types and letting the reader make his/her own judgments.  (I'm so tired of authors writing with an anti-Christian or anti-Christianity slant.)  Plus, readers of the novel have the advantage of knowing the work is fiction, as are the monsters know as Anthropophagi, so they don't have to wrestle with the characters' questions such as, "Are these monsters soulless beasts from hell or an animal God ordained to create?"

Overall, I liked the book!

P.S. This is the first in a monstrumology trilogy.  Book 2 sends Dr. Warthrop and Will Henry on a monster hunt in Canada.  It's release date is October 2010.

Heather

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

On the IWU course syllabus = required reading.  I would NOT have read this book otherwise. 

Reason #1) Court room novel
Reason #2) Premise: Did black teenager assist armed robbery of Harlem convenient store?  This topic is so far removed from my day-to-day life that I don't connect with it. 

The novel did manage to hold my attention, and I was on the edge of my seat awaiting the jury's decision at the end.  This could be a very useful teaching tool for freshman and sophomore students.  It brings up questions of morality, truthfulness, integrity, and friendships.  Expect ambiguity about the main character's role in the armed robbery.  It's a perfect ending for an essay topic, but a frustrating one for a lady who just wants to read a story.

Heather

Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli

This is a great book! 

Premise:
Italian boys including Roberto and Samuele are captured on their home soil by the Germans and forced to work for Nazi Germany by the sweat of their brow under inhumane conditions.  Donna Jo Napoli said she "wanted American readers to learn of the little-known story of boys in Italy, Hungary, Romania, and other Axis countries who--because they were considered dispensable--were indentured by the Nazis to work for the war effort under inhumane conditions."

The first half of the novel is about Roberto and his Jewish friend Samuele working for the Nazis.  The reader indeed learns the "little-known story of the boys."  Napoli's writing is emotional, powerful, and fast-paced.  The second half of the novel follows one of the boys on his escape from the Nazis.  His ultimate goal is to return to his beloved hometown of Venice, a long journey from his work station in Ukraine.  I did not enjoy the second half of the book as much as the first.  One reason is that it wasn't as interesting to me as the war stories. 

I recommend this book to young adults and adults.  I personally think it's important to be reminded of the evil that was the Holocaust.  This novel does just that.  It unveils the Holocaust enough that we recognize the face of evil, but it keeps parts covered that would give younger readers nightmares.

Plus, the characters retain their faith in God and never doubt his goodness, love, or relationship with them.

Heather

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang is another required reading book on the IWU Adolescent Literature syllabus.  For the full list click here.  I'm trying to read them all by the end of the summer.  Only 3 more to go!

American Born Chinese is the first graphic novel I have read.  I labeled it middle readers and YA.  I'm not familiar enough with graphic novels to know who reads them or which audience they are written for.  Please comment if you know.


From the front cover:

"...three apparently unrelated tales come together with an unexpected twist, in a modern fable that is hilarious, poignant, and action-packed.  American Born Chinese is an amazing ride, all the way up to the astonishing climax--and confirms what a growing number of readers already know: Gene Yang is a major talent."

One of the tales is an adaptation of the famous Chinese tale about the Monkey King.  Yang explains the history of the tale and his reasoning for making some changes to the classic here.
Here are the highlights: 

At its heart, The Journey to the West is a Buddhist morality tale. In the original, the Monkey King raises havoc among the gods of all other traditional Chinese religions, and it is only the Buddha that is finally able to put him in his place. In American Born Chinese, I've replaced the story's Buddhist underpinnings with Christian ones, drawing from my own faith.

Christianity, you see, lies at the very center of my identity as an Asian-American.

 Hooray!  Finding out this information straight from the horse's mouth made my day!  As I was reading the book I really struggled, wondering, "Is Yang making fun of the One True God?"  I was so glad to find out he is not using the character Tze-Yo-Tzuh as a mockery of God!

I mentioned in another post that I'm not fond of immigration literature.  However, this book breaks the mold of the traditional immigration story.  Boys and girls will enjoy it due to the comic book style, humor, and fast pace of the story.  I recommend it for those who "don't like to read."
Heather

Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland

Girl Coming in for a Landing is a novel in poems by April Halprin Wayland.  It's a sweet, sweet book for teenage girls.  The protagonist tell us about her life through her poems.  Poems about her crush, her classes, her friends, her sister, her family.

What I liked about this book:

• a character I could easily connect with
• her love for her family
• the poem "Why I Am a Lot Like a Horse"  Funny name, but seriously I like this poem!  (I would print it here for you, but I'm afraid I'd be banished to copyright jail, so please grab the book and read it yourself.) 
• It is the FIRST book I've read in one day--woo-hoo!  (Yes, I'm a slow reader.)
• April Halprin Wayland's writing tips at the end of her novel

What I didn't like about this book:

• the ouija board
• the drawn picture of a topless girl...with nipples.  I'm just saying, it was unnecessary.

Overall, a great book! 

Heather

Adolescent Literature Course at IWU

I graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University, a Christian school in Marion, Indiana.  While there, I took the course Adolescent Literature with Dr. McCracken.  I loved it!  Throughout the years, I've kept touch with him through emails asking him to send me the titles on his new syllabus.

Here is the list he sent me in the spring. My goal is to finish the list by the end of the summer.

1. A Step from Heaven by An Na
2. Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland
3. Inexcusable by Chris Lynch
4. Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
5. Monster by Walter Dean Myers
6. American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
7. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
8. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
9. Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli
10. True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff
11. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
12. The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

If you'd like to join me, feel free!  I love feeling like a college student again!  Instead of reading the book and writing an essay on it, I read the book and write about it on my blog!

The down side is that I miss out on the classroom time with my professor.  I am anxiously awaiting his response to my email asking why he chose some of these books for a course at a Christian university.  A Step from Heaven, True Believer, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian--all of which I've reviewed on this blog-- are troublesome.
 
Heather

True Believer by Virginia Euwer Wolff

Short and sweet review:
A poor high school girl experiences the overtaking emotions of first love, has a fall-out with her best friends over religion, and watches her mom date a new man all while trying to better herself in the attempt to go to college.  It is the second book in the Make Lemonade Trilogy, but it works as a stand-alone novel as well.

Longer review:
A poor high school girl experiences the overtaking emotions of first love, has a fall-out with her best friends over religion, and watches her mom date a new man all while trying to better herself in the attempt to go to college.  It is the second book in the Make Lemonade Trilogy, but it works as a stand-alone novel as well.

Positives: Written in free verse, it is a very fast read.  It is engrossing, and the characters are developed well.  I easily  related to LaVaughn's feelings of her head-over-heals crush on Jody. Which girl can't relate to this strong emotion?  LaVaughn is a forgiving character, and one who values her friendships.  There are a couple of instances when she is rude to her friends, but she comes to them and apologizes.  I liked that a lot.

Negatives: This book shows a distorted view of Christianity. LaVaughn's best girl friends have joined a Christian club to specifically help them keep their virginity.  As the book progresses, the reader learns more and more about the club which amazon.com calls "hyper religious."  LaVaughn (and the author) see the very conservative side of Christianity (eg. They believe in Creation as opposed to evolution) as negative, something that is ruining her friends.  LaVaughn herself does some research on Christianity and makes her own decisions on what it means to be "true believer."  Here's a clue: her decision has nothing to do with accepting the divinity of Jesus Christ.  As a conservative Christian, I strongly disliked this thread of the plot and would not recommend the book to anyone. 

Heather

The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Words that come to mind about this book:

yuck

avoid

blasphemous

Does it have some good things to offer the world?  Yes.  There are good messages of overcoming obstacles and chasing hope when there's none around you.  It also gives a good account of what life on Alexie's reservation was like.  (Don't let the title fool you; it's partly autobiographical.) People should know the hardships that Indians have encountered due to our country's poor treatment of them.  I support youth learning all these lessons, but I cannot support this book because these lessons are mixed in with irreverent and profane statements about the One True God. 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Wow. I loved this book.

Clay Jensen receives a package of cassette tapes in the mail. He inserts the first tape and hears a voice that has been silent for two weeks: Hannah Baker's. Hannah Baker committed suicide. Before she died, she recorded, in detail, the thirteen reasons why she decided to kill herself. Her directions are clear. If you receive the package of tapes in the mail, then you are one of the reasons. Listen to them all, and then pass them on to the next person in line.

Hannah's tapes take Clay on a tour of their city, a tour of their schoolmates' cruelty, and a tour of a suicidal girl's breaking heart.

Author Chris Crutcher's critique is on the front cover: "Very clever premise, strong voice, perfect suspense. This one will keep you reading. Jay Asher is a fine storyteller."

Ditto.

A Step from Heaven by An Na

A Step from Heaven is An Na's first novel. It is marketed as a YA book.

The story is about a Korean family that immigrates to the East Coast and the struggles they face to adapt to a new culture, while keeping their Korean roots.

These kind of stories are prominent right now, and my personal opinion is that once you've read a few of them, you can quit. It's the same theme over and over: the children adapt to the American culture. It is probably good for every white American to read one to gain sympathy and understanding for others. If you've already read something similar, and you've gained sympathy and respect for immigrating families, then you can skip this one. If this is a topic you enjoy, then here is another one for you to add to your list!

My beef with the novel is the way An Na portrays God. As a young girl in Korea, Young's grandmother taught her about Christianity and how to pray to Jesus. Her grandmother was raising her in the faith. Then at age 4, Young and her parents move to America, and the family leaves the grandma and Christianity behind in Korea. Much later in the novel, Young's mom takes the kids to a Christian church in desperation. The mother finds love, acceptance, and a church family, and begins regularly attending church with the kids. If the faith part had ended there, it would be fine.


SPOILER ALERT
At the climax of the book, Young's father, in a drunken fit, is beating his mother, and Young fears he may kill her, so she dials 911 but is too scared to talk to the operator. She coaches herself to save her mom and then remembers her grandma's voice saying "Only God can." She hears her mother wail and the text continues: "I am not a child anymore. I do not have time to wait for God. There is only me. I pick up the phone and raise it to my ear..."

Completely disappointing.

I am completely disappointed with this novel.

Inexcusable by Chris Lynch

Inexcusable is a short YA book that packs a big punch.

Following his high school graduation, Keir is accused of rape. He is full of shock, denial, and rage at the accusation. He knows he is a good guy, and good guys don't do things like rape.

The book is Keir's look back on the events of his senior year leading up to the aforementioned night. Keir recounts the events from his viewpoint, giving the reader a chance to glean insight into Keir's life that we know he himself is not privy to.

It's not to often that I enjoy a YA book about a male character. This is one of them.