Almost done!

Done with this Collaboration class, the last official class of this program! Only one thing stands between me and my master's degree: this master's project. It is so getting done soon.

Now all I need to get is a job...

Recently read: Soldier's Heart, by Gary Paulsen. Dr. Moore is reviewing books for next year's Young Adult Literature class, so I get to read them. Which I don't mind, honestly; I love getting paid to read books and write about them. (Of course, my paycheck still hasn't come through yet...not sure what's up with that...) This one relates the adventures of a 15-year old boy who lies about his age to join the army and fight in the Civil War. It's a quite graphic depiction of battle carnage--at one point a doctor orders him to build a windbreak in front of the hospital tent out of corpses because it's the only material around--but it doesn't really get into the emotional impact of the war, which is strange because the introduction is all about the terms we've used to describe the effect of war on soldiers through the ages: post-traumatic stress disorder, shell shock... I also wonder if many middle schoolers will be perceptive enough to understand the internal drama taking place, given that many of them aren't able to think in abstract terms yet. I didn't recommend this one for the course.

Crossing the Wire, by Will Hobbs. This book follows the struggles of a teenage Mexican boy trying to sneak into the US to find work to support his family. The characters themselves are sort of flat, which is strange because the book introduces the complex issues surrounding illegal immigration: the North American Free Trade Agreement that hurt Mexico's agricultural economy; deportation of illegals brought to the US as small children who haven't known any other life than the US and don't even speak Spanish; the corruption of the Mexican border guard; the drug smuggling business; and the issues of racism within Mexico itself. It was interesting enough, but not solid enough to really recommend for class.

American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang. This graphic novel weaves together three stories: the legend of the Monkey King; Jin, a young Chinese-American boy trying to fit in at his new middle school, and Danny, an all-American boy trying to cope with the visit of his annoying and stereotypical (almost to the point of offense) Chinese cousin. It's interesting seeing how all these stories interact and connect, and the illustrations are pretty well done. I especially liked the visual representation of Jin's attraction to girls as lightning bolts. This one I did think was interesting enough to have the class deal with it.

I also reread Lireal and Abhorsen, inspired by getting Sabriel a little while back. Yay for the public library.


Books read this month: 9
Books read this year: 32