Review: The Poet X

The Poet X. Written by Elizabeth Acevedo.

So this was the last book that I needed to read from the Carnegie Shortlist. But I had been on the waiting list for it for what had felt like forever!! It was certainly the most popular book of all the ones that I had read, in terms of trying to secure from the public library.

I was pretty excited that it came through before I went away, and that after reading this I could make a decision about what I think will win.

So I was very surprised to find that I read this book in one day. I was hooked, and because it is written in poetry I was able to read it in the 5 minute breaks that I had during my parent teacher interviews last night. (Teacher life!!)  I then desperately needed to know what happened so read the last 80ish pages when I got home.

This book was phenomenal. It is about Xiomara, a teenage girl who feels like she does not belong, in her family, in her body etc. She has been lucky in a way that she is able to let her fists do the talking, and as such has never had real problems. However when she is invited to join the slam poetry club for the first time she finds a way to express herself through words.  For the first time, people don’t just look at her body but want to hear what she says.

This does not apply at home though, especially as she battles with religion, and how it fits in her life, when it does not seem the same as how it fits into her mums life. Then of course there is Twin, who is having problems of his own.

This book was really really amazing! It had so many great moments, so many so that I just started taking photos of my favourite quotes. The quotes summed up so many aspects of life as teenagers, or women.

“When I look around the church

and none of the depictions of angels

or Jesus or Mary, not one of the disciples

look like me: morenita and big and angry

 

When I’m told to have faith 

in the father       the son

in men                 and men are the first ones

 

to make me feel small.”

This was the first quote that I snapped a picture of – I love it so much! Which probably says more about my own catholic upbringing and problems with the church than anything else. However I love the way that this book is not afraid to explore those feelings, and to explore the notion of a daughter not believing like her mama.

The second page I took a photo of was the lines

“This world’s been waiting 

for your genius a long time”

In the nature of the book, it was a fantastic line, as the person who said it was an actual genius, but he was talking instead about his sister’s ability to write poetry, and how that was her genius. It was a beautiful display of sibling love. But beyond that – what a fabulous idea, that we all have some genius in us, that it manifests in a different way – and that the world is waiting for it. A bit like the last book I read, this nicely sums up why I teach – because ever student has potential, and every student has something that we are waiting to see.

Finally my third page that I will share (and there could be so many more!)

This page really made me happy – the metaphor of being lit up like a gas with words basically explains how this book made me feel, and why I love reading and writing so much.

I really cannot recommend this book enough. Particularly for those out there who struggle to fit in and belong, and don’t know how to talk to those that they love.

The conclusion also was able to look at the power of communication, and ultimately the importance of family.

Have a read – I would recommend this book for all my students from years 9-13 and beyond, I feel that everyone could take something away.

Mrs K

Genre: Poetry, Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction

Review: Things a Bright Girl Can Do.

Things a Bright Girl Can Do. Written by Sally Nicholls.

So I am sad to say that I have had this book sitting around my house for a while, but had periodically passed it over for some of the other books I have been reading. While not that long ago I used to exclusively read historical fiction and romance I found myself a little apprehensive about this piece of historical fiction, that it would perhaps be too heavy.

I could not have been more wrong. Once I actually looked at the book properly and saw that the endorsement was from Louise O’Neil (Who was my first review on this blog!) I was pretty excited.

The book is written at the start of WWI amongst the suffragette movement. What I really liked about this book, was it was not preachy about the topic, but just told the story of three different girls and their reasons and motivations for being part of the movement. The stories are instantly compelling, set amongst some of the most turbulent times in history it is hard to do anything other than feel compassion for these characters, and their frustrations around their limited choices.

My biggest complaint about the book was that it felt very much like two different stories, and neither left me with a satisfactory ending, which the English teacher in me gets, It is about the fact that those characters did not get that ending either – but as a reader I wanted more. I was disappointed with how it was left.

I loved however the parallels between the stories, and the way the characters at times lost support for the movement, I loved the way that ‘life got in the way’ of their idealistic values and that they had to deal with what they had in front of them. From this point of view the book felt very very realistic and I liked that.

One thing I have really discovered in the last few months is the importance of the author notes, and here she talked about where the title had come from, and I love how everything just tied in together.

This is a really good book that I think every young female should read, to grasp a real understanding of feminism and where we have come from. The story was compelling, and was set amongst the realities of the time.

Mrs K

Genre: Adolescent Fiction, Historical Fiction, Feminism, LGBT Fiction

PS: With the completion of this book I now just have one book left from the 2019 CILIP Carnegie Shortlist – and it must be a good one, because I am still about number 12 in the queue for the libraries copies. I will continue to wait to receive this book, but in the meantime will have to resume reading for pure pleasure rather than a list. Do you have any recommendations?

Review: Long Way Down

Long Way Down. Written by Jason Reynolds.

Wow. So I did not even plan to start another book today – thought I would read the first couple of pages over dinner to see what it was about and an hour later I was finished.

This book is written in poetry, and the pace of the book is fast. What a chilling narrative on teenage gun violence. The time of the book means about two thirds of the book takes place over 2 minutes as the elevator goes down. Which I guess literally is what the title is referring to. However figuratively the title is about so much more than that.

This book was amazing, I would challenge anyone to start it and put it down midway through. Initially I thought it was quite similar to The Hate You Give, but it looked at the same issue from a different perspective, from the cycle, and the lack of escape from this life.

It was so well written and so poignant.

Again, this was from the Carnegie Short List, and I am so impressed that it was another book written in poetry, but also another book that featured a male protagonist. Don’t get me wrong, I am 100% for strong female characters, but I am really loving the vulnerability that is coming through in this years Carnegie longlist that is looking at male protagonist as they sift through and deal with their feelings. These books are deep and touch the soul, and all of them should be read, they should be shown as a role model for so many of our young men, that it is ok to cry and feel. Perhaps it can show them not everyone is always ok, and perhaps do something about our suicide rate!

So – another book with a great recommendation, it is getting tough to pick my favourite from the shortlist!

Mrs K

Genre: Real life, young adult, contemporary, fiction, poetry, realistic

Review: The Land of Neverendings

the LAND of NEVERENDINGS. Written by Kate Saunders.

So this is the next book that I was reading from the Carnegie Medal Shortlist. When I got this book I was pretty excited to see the size of this book – it seems weird but books that are a unique size (and certainly are not trade paperbacks) really do excite me!

This was a truly beautiful book about how imagination makes the world go round. It was actually in the children’s section, and while I think that the message could resonate with an adolescent audience, it is probably best suited for pre teen.

Ultimately it is a tale of surviving the death of a child, whether you are the parent, the sister or the friend. However they way that they survive is through the stories that have been told. This book deeply stirred my desire to write.

My favorite picture book is The Velveteen Rabbit, and I own multiple editions of this story, this book very much fitted in with these themes. I think what I really like about it is that it crosses the barrier between escapism, and living in the fantasy world and also the real world, and how we deal with things.

What is interesting is that last year Wed Wabbit was on the short list, which dealt with very similar themes, but which I did not enjoy AT ALL! So what was it about this book that drew me in? I think it was the nature of the story, the story was primarily set in the real world, with the very real characters of Emily and Ruth, both of whom Saunders built up a whole lot of sympathy for during the exposition. We then discovered Smockeroon, a world of very likable dolls, where deceased children feel no pain and get to live with their beloved dolls. A place that exists because of the imagination of children everywhere.  What I loved is that the toy characters felt real – we all understood them, and were guilty of the sins of their owners, we have all cut a dolls hair, or written on them, or tried to give them ‘makeup’ we all had that one naughty doll who spent a lot of time in prison. The stories here were relate-able. And I for one quickly fell in love with them all, and with their silliness.

I liked that as the book moved to it’s climax we were able to see the effect of the broken door, the moment where adults themselves do silly things, and it is up to the children to fix it all.

I also really liked that through the story was the bigger theme of dealing with grief, and finding a way to move on. The ending was just fantastic!

I think I will read this to my 8 year old daughter over the coming weeks, she could definitely read it herself, but I like the idea of sharing this world of Smockeroon with her.

I think I have two more books from the shortlist at home waiting, but am also going to take a break and read some other books in series that I am very excited about. I will still endeavor to finish my wrap up of the short list, but am also being hampered by availability of the books from the library!

Overall, I would love to see some of my senior students really analyse this, alongside other books that look at grief, or the idea of growing up. However I would also recommend this from anyone the ages 10 and up.

Mrs K

Genre: Fantasy, death, children’s fantasy, grief, middle school, family

Review: A Skinful of Shadows

A Skinful of Shadows. Written by Frances Hardinge

So, as with he other books that I have read recently, this book is off the Carnegie Medal shortlist. So I had it in my possession before I actually knew anything about it! I was actually disappointed to find out that it was by the author of The Lie Tree. As that was a book that I had not really enjoyed at all. I feel like this tainted my approach to the book, and while I was interested from the beginning, I was very quick to put it down and have “other” stuff to do. Anyway, today was our first rainy day in a long time, and I took the opportunity to curl up with this book and finish it.  I am so pleased that I stuck through my first impressions and stuck with this book.

People talk about how Frances Hardinge is a marvelous creator of worlds, and I really did not see it in the first book that I read, but I definitely found it in this one. While being a work of fiction, and fantasy fiction at that It was cool to see that this book was set in the 17th century, in England during the fighting prior to the brief period of becoming a republic. It meant that the setting for the characters of the novel was one of soldiers, and plagues, and witchcraft, and mistrust, and a general lack of understanding on types of people, diseases and anything which did not have an obvious explanation.  This is an unusual setting for a YA book, and an unusual setting for a YA fantasy book, but was the perfect world for Make peace to be in, and to grow up in two completely different worlds, one full of puritans and a very limited view of the world, and then secondly through a nobleman’s view, where she lived on the outskirts of the world.

This book is about ghosts, about unfinished business and about being a vessel for more than just yourself. Makepeace is a smart girl, far smarter than she lets on, and although accidents happen she is able to learn to control the beast (both metaphorically and literally)  It is also about finding out who you are, and being true to who you want to be.

It also made you think about the nature of ancestry, and the lost knowledge from generation to generation.

I really liked the following quote:

The dead are often easier praised than the living.

Folk look for things far and wide, but seldom close.

Particularly the first part, the idea that are quick to look for the positive aspects of those who have gone before us, but not so much the negative aspects.

Overall I really really enjoyed this book, I don’t think it is my favourite of what I have read from the shortlist currently, but it was different, and it was very well written.

Mrs K

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical, Young Adult, Adolescent, Fiction, Speculative Fiction

CILIP CARNEGIE SHORTLIST 2019

So it turns out I was a little slower than anticipated, and the shortlist was announced on the 19th of March. Silly full time job getting in the way of all my reading!!

The shortlist is as follows:

While I am excited to see some titles have made the short list, I am also sad that some have not. Moonrise for example was an amazing book.

So the books that have made the shortlist that I have read so far are

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Bone Talk by Candy Gourlay

The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson

And I am just about to start a Skinful of Shadows.

I will continue to read through the longlist, but will prioritize the shortlisted books first.

Mrs K

Review: Bone Talk

Bone Talk. Written by Candy Gourlay

So this is the seventh book that I have read of the Carnegie Medal longlist. Of course I have been so overwhelmed with work that it has taken me longer than normal to work through the list, and as such the shortlist has also already been announced – so I can inform you that this book has also made the shortlist.

I loved this book! It was easy to read and was absolutely captivating. What I loved even more though was when I got to the end of the book and read about how the author was wanting to put Filipino literature out there, and also tell about experiences from their point of view. I love this idea so much. I grew up with so many Filipino friends, and I hate to think that they were never able to see themselves represented in literature. I also think that we have to be so careful with historic events and an awareness that largely the recordings that we have of these are from the perspective of the white person, or the colonizer.

Anyway – back to the story of this book. We are introduced to Samked, a young boy on the verge of manhood who thinks he understands the world and how it works, that is until his boyhood friend returns to the village and brings with him a white man. An American.

Samked is a delightful male protagonist, who is determined to do right by the people around him. I really enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes and understanding the importance of the ancients, and the spirits and the gods. I also enjoyed seeing how he approached the white men who came to the village.

The story is well paced and full of action and twists and turns, and taught be a lesson about just who can be trusted.

This is a really good book that I would highly recommend to those wanting to read a good story. Essentially it is a coming of age story. But with the cultural elements of being set in the Philippines during the 1700s.

Mrs K

Genre: Adolescent Fiction, Adventure, Cultural, coming of age,

Review: The Lost Words

The Lost Words. Written by Robert Macfarlane. Illustrated by Jackie Morris.

This was a truly beautiful book. The pictures and the words entwined beautifully creating a visual dictionary, and poetry book and tribute to nature. It called itself a spell book of lost words. While I was a little disappointed that these words were so called lost, I thought that the book was beautifully done.

Research also showed me that these words were lost or taken out of a dictionary.

As an English teacher I was upset that the words were considered lost, but also I was excited by the book itself. It is the kinda of book you love to read, and can spend hours flicking through the pages.

What really prevents me from writing a solid review, or ever being involved in award decisions is that I struggle to understand how to compare this book to the others off the 2019 Carnegie Longlist that I have read. It is so different and so offbeat and distinctive I do not know how to fully review it.

Mrs K

Genre: Poetry, Nature, Animals, Non Fiction, Environment, Children’s, picture books, Art

Review: My Side of the Diamond

My Side of the Diamond. Written by Sally Gardner.

This was a fascinating read. It is the fifth book that I have read off the long list for the Carnegie medal. Also reading the blurb I see that this is the same author that wrote Maggot Moon (Which I read and reviewed before I started this blog)  and won the Carnegie Medal in 2013.

This is the first book on the list this year that is science fiction, which I feel is quite a shift from previous years.

The first thing that I loved about this book was the book itself. The early parts of the books feature a series of moleskin journals, and this book is designed to replicate that, which I absolutely loved. It helped create an atmosphere around the book that you don’t always get, and certainly do not get with digital books.

The blurb on this book says that this is “a breathtaking tale about friendship, truth and the search for love across space and time.”

I think this is the sort of book that you are either going to love or hate. I do badly did want to love it, but feel like I actually fell into the later category. What was it that prevented me from loving it? I think it was all the different perspectives, which left me confused rather than enlightened. I read this with my class, who do 15 minutes silent reading a lesson, so it was a little bit jumpy, often when I picked up the book the next day I struggled to remember who’s perspective I was currently reading and also which character it was related to.

I enjoyed the overall story. I also loved the overall message. That idea of love and a search for love being more important than anything else is quite strong. Especially as a NZer in the days after a terroist attack.

There were two quotes that really spoke to me.

“Love was the most extraordinary thing the human race possessed. […]  He’d come up with a formula – it went like this

Love plus passion equals imagination

Love plus imagination equals creation

Love plus creation equals life

Love plus life equals time

Love plus time equals death.

But he said nothing exists without love. (pg160)

I really like this summary of love, which I feel is quite accurate.  I also really liked the concept given we spend a lot of time searching for other life and examples, that this was an alien race that had everything, but was looking to us for love.

My other quote I liked was:

“How does anyone know who is the villain and who is the goodie? Many see me as the villain. […] Maybe we are all responsible for what happened, every one of us.” (pg164)

I really liked the notion of who was to blame which was explored in quite a bit of detail.

I think I enjoyed the actual story. However it was just the changing of perspectives which I particularly struggled with. Yet, this changing perspective also allowed for some amazing kind of wow moments at the end of the book. The ending also took me completely by surprise but was actually really really good, and continued to explore the notion of love and what matters most.

This story was also about how one small event can change a lot. And that all our choices and actions have consequences.

Mrs K

Genre: Speculative Fiction, Science Fiction, Adolescent Fiction, Teenage Fiction

Review: Rebound

Rebound written by Kwame Alexander

So this is now the fourth book that I have read of the Carnegie CILIP Longlist. What I love is that it is the third of those books which features male protagonists in a genuine way exploring their feelings. It is also the second of those four books which is written in poetry.

I also really appreciated the aspects of this book that were written in graphic novel form. I love that concept of mixed medium, so a novel written in poetry rather than prose and interspersed with graphic novel pages. Definitely makes this a must read.

Like the other book I have read off the long-list I have gone into them with absolutely no concept of what the book would be about. If I am honest I am very quick to judge a book by its cover – and this cover would never in a million years have had me picking up the book – it was very clearly a sports book – and that is just not me. However while it did feature basketball it was a long way from being a ‘sports’ book.

I just looked it up on goodreads right now, to link to the author page and I see that it is the prequel to another book “the crossing” not a book I have read, but one I may now go and search for. Also note, that not even knowing this other book in no part diminished my appreciation of this book.

One other thing I really liked (There was a LOT to like!) was that while I suspected that the main character was black, to me it was never overtly pointed out and I felt that that made the character more relate able.

So the book deals with Charlie, who is on the rebound from his dad dying, and trying desperately to figure out what his life is now. I could relate on so many levels, having lost my mum when I was younger. The bit that really got me were comments like Charlie feeling like he should not be laughing any more.

I really enjoyed the role of the grandparents, and the clear desperation of the mother. But I also really liked that throughout the book, despite being lost, Charlie still had a really strong Moral Compass, and although he did not always pay as much attention as he perhaps should have, it was still there and was shaping everything that he did.

I love so so much that this is the third book I have read in a very short time which deals with these male protagonists. And not just in a stereotypical way, but you genuinely get to see their pain, and explore the journey of healing with them. I think these sorts of books go a very long way to break down some of the toxic masculinity in our society.

Definitely a must read if you are into adolescent fiction. It is a slice of life story and very realistic. Definitely don’t do what I would have done and let the cover put you off!

Mrs K

Genre: Adolescent Fiction, Teenage Fiction, Slice of Life, contemporary, realistic