I wish I had Michael Jackson's ankles...

          If we were living in Neal Shusterman's fictional world of his latest novel Unwind, that might actually be possible. I could have the ankles of Michael Jackson, the critical ears of Simon Cowell, and the legs of a marathon runner.
          Connor, Risa, and Lev star as the central characters to the 2011 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominated novel Unwind.  The story is about these three "unwinds": kids between the ages of thirteen and eighteen who have been labeled as unworthy by their parents/guardians to be sent away to Harvest Camp where their entire bodies will be taken apart and given to others who need organ or body part donations.  For real.  And everyone in the novel seems perfectly okay with this, that is, except for the Unwinds.
          The novel is hauntingly similar to the ideas and thrills of The Hunger Games but with its own twists and turns.  The narration is interesting, compelling even.  With every chapter, the narrator changes.  That keeps the pages turning and the mystery boiling.  Connor is a rebellious yet likable character, Risa is spunky and Katniss-like, and Lev transforms from an irritating kid to an admirable young man.  These three characters are pushed together by fate as they all attempt, in one way or another, to escape their own unwinding.  The characters never stay in one place for a long time, which is great because it keeps the pace of the novel moving.
          There is certainly enough action to keep readers interested and genuine emotion experienced by the characters, yet the novel did not live up to the quality of Hunger Games for me.  Have any of your read it?  What are your thoughts?

Is Improving Your Mental Fitness one of Your New Year's Resolutions?

Dear friends, students, and all others who read this blog,

Happy New Year, one and all!  I hope that you are all still enjoying this long, relaxing break time from school.  I'm eager to get back to the classroom and see all my shining (won't they be happy?) student faces on Monday :)   But before we get there, I'm sure you are taking some time today to reflect on the successes and failures of 2010 and in that process, are making some positive resolutions for the year 2011.  May I suggest (or insist, rather) that your resolution for 2011 involve increasing the amount of READING that you do on a daily basis??

I know, I know.  Predictable.  An English teacher is encouraging me to read more often.  I've told you about how much I love reading, how it transports me to places and times that I've never imagined.  About how it makes me wrestle with ideas and beliefs that I can't quite figure out in my own life.  Reading IS awesome.  If you don't believe me, take a hint from this article at About.com.  Reading is all about MENTAL FITNESS.  A strong, healthy brain that will get you to, through, and beyond college.  Check it, yo:

Top 10 Ideas for New Reading Material for Brain Health and Mental Fitness

By Mark Stibich, Ph.D., About.com Guide

Reading is a great pastime and your brain will thank you for the challenge of learning something new. By learning novel concepts and ideas in reading, your brain will start to make connections and see these concepts in everyday life. For example, read a book on architecture and you will look at buildings differently.

1. Biography

Biography can give a whole new perspective not only on the historical events that encompass the subject's life, but also on how people think and react to the events around them. Too often we hear about famous people through the media and forget that behind all the glamour and politics there are real people with fears, ambitions, hopes and dreams. Choose someone who interests you and read a biography -- you'll never think of them the same way again.

2. History

History is utterly fascinating. Choose an era that appeals to you and dive in. Your brain will get a work out remembering events, people and times. You will start to see links. Some of the most interesting history books trace a single idea, product or trend. Learn how salt shaped nations, how disease and illness ended empires, and how cultures interrelate.

3. Foreign Authors

Reading foreign authors can give insight into other cultures and places. When books are written for other people and languages, you can learn more.

4. Poetry

Poetry is one of the most underrated types of reading. Poems really challenge the brain by engaging in symbols, allegory and unclear meanings. Pick up an anthology of poems and choose one poem per day. Spend some time on the poem, read it out loud, and let your brain wrap around the words, meanings and intentions of the poet.

5. Classics

The classics are fantastic, some of the best writing in the world. Pick up Dickens and get a double treat -- insight into historical England and depth of character. The classics may feel dense at first, but after the first few pages, you'll adapt to the writing and be drawn into a different time and way of speaking. Work your brain out by reading older language and longer sentences.

6. Science

Science books are fantastic. There are lots of science journalists putting out books that explain concepts and ideas well. Science is really a story about a phenomena. Pick a topic -- astronomy, physics, chemistry -- and find a book that looks good. You'll soon be an expert.

7. How Tos

Learn how to build a boat, even if you aren't planning on making one. Find out how to cook meals you'll never prepare. Get the scoop on how to survive in the wilderness. There are hundreds of fun-to-read and interesting how to books out there. Just pick one and learn everything you can. Your brain will be challenged by visualizing the project, imagining how you would do it and all the steps involved in planning it.

8. Art, Fashion, and Design

These books are often the most expensive, but the library has beautiful art books from different periods. Browse through the wonderful pictures in these books. Train your brain to understand different themes, images, and trends in architecture or fashion (for example). Soon you'll see the influences in the buildings around you or on the clothes people wear. Teach your brain a new way to look at things.

9. Travel

Travel books are often funny, informative and detailed. Check out a few about places that interest you and read up on them. Plan a trip that you may never take. Plan out all the details -- hotel, restaurants, sites. Make detailed itineraries and budgets. Your brain will be challenged by scheduling, prices and the details of culture and history.

10. Religion and Culture

We hear about religions and places on the news and have opinions of them, but know little. Pick up a book on Islam and develop an understanding of one of the world's largest religions. Or try Buddhist, Judaism or Catholicism. Learn about the cultures of Central America, East Africa or Southeast Asia. Find out details about life in India or China.

Take the advice from these experts if you don't trust me already!  Make a commitment to yourself to MAKE YOUR BRAIN STRONGER EVERY DAY BY READING!!!  You will thank me because school will get easier, you will become a better writer, and your ACT/PSAE testing scores as a Junior will be much higher than what you will get without the practice of reading.  Get to it!

Top English 2 Blogs to check out!

Hey all!

I spent some time today re-reading through some of your blogs and I'd like to highlight a few that are doing an awesome job.  Keep up the good work everyone, and take a look at these blogs for inspiration and examples of really good writing, detailed explanation, and voice!

CHECK OUT YOUR AWESOME CLASSMATES!!

• Charlie D.
• Arely F.
• Nora P.
• Jessica L.
• Adrian R.
• Ariana A.
• Christina F.
• Egan L.
• Andrea C.

Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher's Book Failed to Impress Me

As your English teacher, it's really hard for me to write a negative book review.  As a person (which, surprise!  your teachers are people too!) I tend to be very critical of what I read and quite a bit of a book snob.  So in this review, I have to balance the two.  I want you all to learn that it's okay to not like a book, but that you must have critical reasons to back up that opinion.  It's true that I want you all to be reading, but I need to set an authentic example for you all.  Authentically - I didn't like this book.  If I weren't reading it to review it on the blog, honestly, I probably wouldn't have finished it.  So let me lead by example and tell you exactly why I didn't enjoy Jay Asher's new book.  

Thirteen Reasons Why Jay Asher's Book Failed to Impress Me:

#1:  The book is about suicide.

Suicide books are immediately depressing and I don't like feeling uncomfortable throughout the entire process of reading a novel.  Losing a student, family member, or anyone to suicide is probably one of my greatest fears, and I'm not comfortable reading through a story that is one long suicide note.  The basic premise of the story is a young man who receives thirteen cassette tapes that a young lady named Hannah recorded before taking her own life.  The entire novel is the main character listening to the tapes and hearing her reasons for committing suicide.  It gives me the creeps.  

#2:  The book has very little interesting language.

I'm a poet at heart and love to be taken away into the depths of my imagination with language.  The narration in the story was boring and basic.  Easy to read, but no imagination!

#3:  The narration is confusing

The narration goes back and forth between the tape and the main character's reactions to the tape. Sometimes he is thinking about himself, sometimes about the tape, and overall it creates a very distracted and confusing effect.  Maybe you'll like it, but I wanted to just hear the tapes without the main character's thoughts getting in the way.  Maybe the author could have alternated back and forth, but the mixing of the voices was irritating.

#4:  The characters are one dimensional

I love characters that I can really imagine, characters that I can relate to and remember from my own life experience.  The characters here?  Superficial and flat.  

#5:  There is no real emotion experienced

The only thing I remember feeling throughout the course of this novel is depressed.  Not even for a good reason! 

#6:  The climax is disappointing

The whole story we are waiting to figure out why the main character has been chosen to listen to the tapes.  I won't ruin it for you, but I will tell you not to get your hopes up.

#7:  The entire book takes place in 24 hours

Now this has been done before and can be an interesting way to tell a story, but for me, it just dragged the story out even more.  254 pages to describe a 24 hour period felt like an unrealistic way to tell the story.  I read 100 pages in an hour just waiting and waiting to figure out what was going to happen.  Like I said in my earlier point, when I finally figured out what I was waiting to find out, I was disappointed.

#8:  Some of the chapters seem unnecessary

...and unbelievable.  I don't totally believe that each of these stories really happened to the narrator in the time span that she claims.  It's really convenient that they all overlap into one another.  Instead of believing the story, I kept imagining the author contriving the stories to make them fit - it just didn't feel natural.

#9:  There is no thematic development

The great things about To Kill a Mockingbird and Julius Caesar and all of those other "boring" books we make you read in English is that they are timeless.  They bring up issues and situations (themes, essentially) that resonate with the readers no matter what stage in life or place in the world they may be.  Those books make you question things that you previously believed and have the potential to shape your outlook on life.  This book?  Nada.  It was a story that I will soon forget.  

#10:  The cover deceived me

After looking at the cover and reading the synopsis, I invented a way cooler story in my head than was actually contained in the book.  I don't like to be disappointed like that!

#11:  Too. Much. High. School. Drama

Now I know.  I graduated high school a long time ago.  I'm a dinosaur.  Normally, however, I can handle reading Young Adult books that deal with high school issues and be entertained, compelled, and really care about the characters.  But holy cow.  The parties, and boys, and girls, and popular kids, and football team being jerks to the new girl in town - it was just too much to handle.  Not to mention, that kind of drama doesn't actually happen in high school.  It's only in the movies, which leads me to my next point:  

#12:  I feel like I've read this before...

Every other chapter or so, I felt like I had heard the same scenario before.  In a movie, in another book, on TV...Where's the originality, Asher??

#13:  I just finished The Book Thief.  

Seriously...there's no comparison.  It's hard to read another book after you've just finished the best book of your life.  Sorry 13 Reasons...you just didn't measure up!

So there you have it folks.  I challenge you to pick it up and prove me wrong!  More importantly, I challenge you to read everything with a critical eye.

Happy reading,

Miss Cordes

Before the school year ends, you MUST read The Book Thief!!!!!

     Ladies and gentlemen...this is it.  This. Is. It.  I have just finished reading The Book Thief by Mark Zusak and I officially have a new favorite book.  You absolutely MUST read this book before the school year gets out...it is a treasure, an adventure, and a completely life changing novel.
     The story begins with a prologue -- a moment for the reader to be transported.  It is at the beginning that the reader learns that he or she has been invited by the narrator to take part in the journey of the novel.  The narrator, however, is not only writing in second person, but he is also not human.  In fact, he is the personified form of Death.  Yes.  The novel is narrated by Death during Hitler's reign of Europe during World War 2.  Are you intrigued yet?
     If that doesn't get you wondering, just wait until you check out the fascinating style that Zusak gives his narrator to use.  Constantly, the narrator interrupts regular story telling for interruptions, announcements, and statements of fact.  He makes lists, pauses for observations, and steps away from the plot of the story to hold the readers gaze at a particular angle and helps us linger over beauty, sadness, terror, and love.

***** FACT:  You are thinking, seriously?  Another novel about the Holocaust? *****

This is not just another novel about the Holocaust.  In fact, it is centered on the lives of Germans living under Hitler's rule and their experience with the dictatorship.  Our main character, Leisel was brought to Molching, Germany to live with foster parents Rosa and Hans Hubermann.  On the train ride to Molching, Leisel's younger brother dies and when she arrives at her foster family's home, she cannot even bring herself to go inside.  She's so young and unable to bear the pain of losing her brother and being given away by her mother that she can't be coaxed to leave the car to go in the house.  That is until Hans, her soon to be Papa, calmly and quietly earns her trust and brings her in the house.
     Rosa and Hans Hubermann are fascinatingly opposite.  Rosa is loud, aggressive, and curses like a sailor.  Hans is sweet, docile, and much more of a conversationalist.  The two parents love and care for Leisel, however unconventional the circumstances or the methods they use.  Leisel suffers nightmares after her brother's death, which ultimately leads to her close relationship with Hans.  Whenever she had a nightmare, Hans would go to her room and comfort here.  It is here that Leisel reveals her first stolen book, The Gravedigger's Handbook.  She stole this book from the grave site where her brother was buried and it is the only material possession that she has to remind her of her brother and her family.
     This story of childhood and growing up is set against a dark, cold background of Nazi Germany.  Leisel grows up enjoying soccer, her neighborhood friends (I think her friend Rudy was my favorite character), beating up boys, learning to read, and stealing books (among other things).  As Leisel grows up, she begins to learn about the world around her, how fragile it is, how terrible it can be, and the extremes of joy and pain that humans are capable of feeling.
     The story felt like listening to my best friend recollect memories from her past as we sat by a fire.  The narration is so personal that reading The Book Thief doesn't even feel like reading for the most part...it feels like listening to a friend.  Like I said earlier...best book I've ever read.  Let me know if you want to borrow my copy!!


Read another great, detailed review at The Book Smugglers website:  http://thebooksmugglers.com/2009/08/guest-review-the-book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html
    

New Music..."Snow" by Sleeping at Last

It snowed!!  So pretty outside!!  This is what it looks like outside my front door -->

I hope you are all having a fun day playing out in the snow or curled up in a comfy chair reading your books.  I'm currently reading The Book Thief and can't put it down!  I'll be recommending it to you soon...

As some of you know, I'm a total music junkie :)  I wanted to share with you a new song that I just downloaded by a band called Sleeping at Last called "Snow".  It's some beautiful poetry to describe this snowy, beautiful day!  Enjoy....

Example Book Review

"Envisioning Our Future"


SUMMARY:
I read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins over the summer, but over Thanksgiving break, I absolutely had to pick it up again.  The Hunger Games tells the story of sixteen year old Katniss Everdeen and her life living in District 12.  Set in the near future, the United States is nothing like it is for us today.  A tyrannical capitol city exists and it controls all of the outlying twelve districts.  Part of the capitol's ultimate control is it's hosting of the Hunger Games every year.  In order for the districts to stay viable, they must each send two tributes per year to the capitol to fight to the death in the Games.  The narrative of the story really gets going when Katniss's younger sister, Prim, who is only eight years old, is chosen by lotter to be a sacrifice to the games.  Katniss's protective instincts take over and she volunteers herself to go to the games instead.  The narrative tells the story of Katniss's adventure to the capitol, the inner politics of the corrupt government, and the action of the Hunger Games.
        
CRITIQUE:
The Hunger Games is without a doubt one of the best books I've ever read.  What makes it so good is the originality of the characters, complexity of the plot, and imaginative ideas that Collins has crafted.  Katniss is a strong female protagonist - a rare character in much modern fiction.  The plot itself weaves in and out of adventure, romance, mystery, suspense, humor, and back to adventure seamlessly.  This is what makes it such a page-turner.  Lastly, the creation and imagination behind the concept of the Hunger Games is clever and original.  I loved reading and delving into the new world that Collins created using great detail and new ideas that are totally possible to imagine for our future.

RECOMMENDATION:
I would highly recommend this book to each and every one of my students.  As mentioned above, it has a little something for every reader.  Both girls and boys would enjoy reading the story.  I would give this five out of five stars for this action-packed, futuristic read!