Night Review

I found Night by Elie Wiesel to be a very engaging and interesting read.  Unlike last week's Power, I was drawn in right away.  This could be for the mere fact that I just find the subject matter more interesting.  While Night had some gruesome scenes, (such as the hanging) and was filled with plenty of violence, I think it would still be a great read for 9-12.  The events Wiesel takes readers through--being kicked out of his home, separated from his family, Auschwitz, losing his faith in God, the violence towards innocent human beings of all ages, and beyond--and the devastating effects of these events (physically and mentally) are something that everyone should be more than aware of.

Power Review

Power by Linda Hogan was a bit hard for me to get into at first, I just didn't find it to be as engaging as the books we've previously read.  However, it did get better and better as it went on.  I thought this novel was a good look into Native Americans and the power of spirituality and the conflicts that the main character, Omishto goes through.  I really liked the character of Omishto, she was just so different than what I think most 16 year old girls were, with her Americanized, western mother and family--yet she wanted to spend all of her time with her interesting and old school Aunt Ama.
Hogan said a lot through the weather, the storms, and animals, the endangered panthers, etc. and also with what these animals mean to the Native American people; the Taiga's believing they are related to the panther and how animals are connected to dreams and so on.
I think this could be a very good read for a high school classroom.  Omishto could definitely be a relatable character to someone in that age category and I think it covers a lot of great topics and could open students up to Native American traditions

Flight Review

I found Flight by Sherman Alexie to be an interesting read.  I think that there were a lot of great messages conveyed throughout this novel; searching/finding one's own identity, world issues, Native Americans and history are several examples.

Last week while reading The House on Mango Street, I found myself wondering when the stories were going to come full circle, I found myself wondering this in the beginning of Flight as well, however I was much more satisfied with the latter's ending.  I found this to be an easy, entertaining read, although at times I was a bit confused as to how Zits was doing this time traveling, I know it's irrelevant, but I suppose that the realist or something in me!

While I liked reading this novel and am all for the messages it shares and teaches, I think if I were going into education, I'd be a bit conflicted on whether or not to teach this to adolescents.  If I were, I'd definitely want to make sure it was a mature and older class because some of the passages and language are a bit obscene and probably not appropriate for a younger audience.  I would also imagine that reading this book would cause some problems with parents disapproving of their child reading it.

The House On Mango Street Review

"You must keep writing.  It will keep you free,"
                  -The House on Mango Street, pg 61

I enjoyed this novel.  It was a fairly quick and easy read, almost like a collection of mini short stories.  The voice of the speaker in all of these stories was very unlike anything else I've read.  To me, it was an equal mix of young girl and someone who's first language is not English.  I think the use of the voice was very vital to the stories being told.  All of the issues could be pretty complex, but because of the narrator's voice, they come off kind of simple sounding or like she does not quite understand what's happening, which could or could not be true.

As I was reading, I  kept wondering and waiting if the small, separate stories were going to tie together or come full circle in the end, and the last few selections do do this.  "Mango Says Goodbye Sometimes" is a perfect ending to the stories that the narrator had been telling, it sums up that she likes to tell stories and that when she leaves Mango Street, people are going to 'wonder where she went with all those books and papers' because she is 'too strong to stay here forever.  It makes me pretty sure that the narrator is the author, Cisneros and this is basically her story growing up.

My favorite selections were "And Some More", I simply found it entertaining with all of the names and whatnot, and "Born Bad", I think that one really got a point across.  It could probably be said that all of these smaller stories within have messages to share, but I thought 'Born Bad' was the most insightful with the sickness of her aunt.

Rainy Lake Review

Rainy Lake by Mary Francois Rockcastle is the story of a young girl and the time she spent growing up at her parents' lake home during the summer throughout the 60's.

I found this novel to be very relatable despite not growing up in that era, not losing a brother, and not really going through any of the same situations that the main character, Danielle did growing up.  I really liked the idea that the novel was formed around just the summers and it didn't follow Danielle into the school year.

This novel really portrayed the Vietnam era well through the eyes of a white middle class teenage girl and at the same time it challenged readers to change their perspectives and look at things through another's mindset, just as Danielle tried to do with her first love, Billy.

I think this would probably be a great read for junior or senior level high school English class, as it does cover some heavy subjects.  I truly enjoyed it though!