Everybody Sees the Ants

Everybody Sees the Ants
Author: A.S. King
Genre: Social Issues, Violence
Pages: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown Books

This is honestly a life-changing book. It's a story of sadness, despair, weakness, strength, triumph, and family.

Everybody Sees the Ants  is a story of Lucky Linderman, a sophomore in high school. He's got a POW MIA grandfather, a squid mother, a turtle father, and a relentless bully. After a particularly bad experience, his mother packs him up and flies across the country to visit his wack-o aunt and uncle.

 The book powerfully and honestly deals with grief, weakness, dysfunctional families, bullying, sexual maturity, parental abuse, infidelity, and coping. It sounds like quite the downer, but I promise it's not. The characters and plot certainly bring the reader into Lucky's head and create a black moment, but the story is Lucky's journey from weakness to strength. It's full of hope and triumph and healing, and it's got a great ending.

The book rings true in many ways, on every page.

“The world is full of assholes. What are you doing to make sure you're not one of them?”  

“She's like a kindness ninja. Sneaking around in order to help people.”   

“I bring my hand to my face and pull away tiny pieces of the jagged scab. My face reflects in the rounded airplane window, and I see it is now a tiny Massachusetts, with Cape Cod curling toward my ear. In only a few more days it will be gone. I feel the fresh, smooth parts and marvel at how soft they are. New skin amazes me. New skin is a miracle. It is proof that we can heal.”  (Ok, that one's more than a line. But it was really good!)

Everybody Sees the Ants  is in no way a light read, but it's a good one. It's a book to read and ponder.

Word of Caution: The F word is used liberally. There's one detailed scene of sexual assault. Scenes of bullying. Read it before you give it as a gift.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Adventure
Pages: 352
Publisher: Quirk Books

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children isn't like any book I've ever read. And I've read a lot of books.

The plot and premises are slightly similar to Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, but the novel includes enough fresh material to be completely different.

The story follows Jacob, a young boy with eccentric parents and a grandfather who tells stories. His grandfather's stories about peculiar children, a magical island, and frightful monsters seem a little tall to be true. But after a tragedy, Jacob starts to reconsider his grandfather's tales. His search for the truth takes him across the world on an adventure.

I didn't really know what to expect when I picked it up, but the strange pictures and the strong writing pulled me in. I stood reading in front of a Barnes and Noble bookshelf for 10 minutes before I accepted that I couldn't put it down and might as well buy it.

Ransom Riggs lets his voice through the pages, and his use of imagery and description is right on. I found myself on the verge of tears, panic, and laughter in every chapter. His vivid imagery moves the reader.

Even if the book didn't have a signature plot and voice, the pictures set it apart. Ransom Riggs collects old photographs of people he doesn't know. The book is illustrated with some of the strangest of these, which lend a validity and flavor to the story that other fantasy novels don't have. The photographs, like the story, are beautiful and haunting.

This is a moving, beautifully created piece of art.

Read it.

How Joe Succeeded

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How Joe Succeeded
Written by Mary Morrison
Published by David C. Cook in 1905
64 pages.

Genre: Adventure, Journey.

Summery: Joe is a lazy 16 year old boy, so his uncle sends him to work at a lumbercamp. Joe learns to work, the value of money, the vice of gambling, and the meaning of success.

Response: A fun, quick look into the early 20th century. I enjoyed it. Not very deep characters or storyline, but a fun book.

Word of Caution: Joe gambles away his money.

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief

Written by Rick Riordan

Published by Hyperion Book in 2009

384 pages.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure.

Summery: Everything seems to go wrong to Percy Jackson. He's never been to a school that he didn't get kicked out of. But this school will be better, right? Wrong. He gets kicked out, but this time he finds out why. He's a demigod, and Zeus thinks Percy stole his lightning bolt. Percy has to find it to prove his innocence- and soon.

Response: Loved it. Well-written, likeable characters, with a fast and mostly unpredictable plot.

Word of Caution: An abusive step-father.

The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics

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The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics
Written by Alfred P. Morgan
Published by C. Scribner in 1954
About 264 pages.

Genre: How-To, Nonfiction.

Summery: This book is a well-written explanation of basic radio science. The author still holds enough of his inner youth to make the book entertaining for boys. He tells stories and shows how the "new" radio technology can make the world a better place. It is very informative and encourages boys to be creative and try new things.

Response: I still don't really know anything about radio science, but I'm a girl and the book wasn't quite as interesting to me. My brother loved it. I'd say it's definately a boys' book. (Duh. Look at the title.)

Word of Caution: None. The book is out of print, so good luck finding it to buy. I got a copy from the library.

Stuck In Neutral

Stuck in Neutral

Written by Terry Trueman

Published by HarperTeen in 2001

128 pages.

Genre: Suspense, Family

Summery: Shawn is 14 and he was born with cerebral palsy. He has zero muscle control. He can't even voluntarily blink, focus his eyes, or swallow. But there's nothing wrong with his mind. He knows how to read and he has a perfect memory. He enjoys the world around him. He loves his family. Which is why he's worried when he finds out that his father might kill him.

Response: This is hands down the best book I have read this semester. It is incredible. It will literally change your life. I really connected to this book because I have worked as a therapist for handicapped children. I know how they are so much more than most people take them for. Every single person has a personality. They are people. Read this book.

Word of Caution: This book will have significant effect on your opinion of retarded people.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Written by Jeff Kinney

Published by Amulet in 2007

224 pages.

Genre: Social Issues, Humor, Graphic Novel

Summery: Greg is a wimpy kid. He's stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons. His older brother and younger brother are equally unapproachable. And on top of everything, his mother is making him keep a diary.

Response: Laughed out loud at every. single. page. Excellent cartoons to supplement the quirky, true to life writing.

Word of Caution: The laughter this book induces may give you a hernia. Hmm, I guess I could mention the bullying too. Except even the bullying is funny. (Oops. I shouldn't say that. Beating up wimpy kids is not supposed to be funny.)

Scat

Scat

Written by Carl Hiaasen

Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in 2010

384 pages.

Genre: Nature, Adventure

Summery: This book is full of fun craziness. A kid who eats pencils and burns billboards, a teacher who disappears, a crooked oil drilling company, a boy with one arm tied behind his back, a guy glued to a tree, and a substitute teacher who is as dotty as a dalmation.

Response: Carl Hiaasen is my favorite. Period. His writing is clean, fresh, and funny. His characters are rounded and distinct. I liked some of his other books better than this particular one, but I'm just being picky. This book is instant fun and sunshine, but the main character's father is a soldier in Iraq, so it carries an underlying real life message as well. Fantastic book. Read it.

Word of Caution: Really, it's pretty dang clean. Teenage vandalism, if I were to put anything here.

Trouble

Trouble

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Published by Graphia in 2010

300 pages.

Genre: Multicultural, Family, Adventure

Summery: Henry Smith's father always said, "If you build your house far enough from Trouble, then Trouble will never find you." That was true for the first 14 years of Henry's life. Then when Henry's older brother Franklin is hit by a car, Henry has to learn to deal with Trouble. He feels called to climb Katahdin, like he and his brother had planned to do. The journey to the mountain is enlightening, to say the least. This is a story of racism, forgiveness, grief, family, history, war, and love.

Response: I loved this book. I think I might buy it. So wonderfully written and sincerely genuine. It pulls heartstrings and tickles funny bones. (That last sentence was incredibly cliche. Sorry.) It's tragic, but still uplifting. It starts out a little slow, but by a few chapters into it, I was hooked. Read this book.

Word of Caution: Describes some rather violent scenes. I don't remember any bad language, but there might be a little.

An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines

Written by John Green

Published by Speak in 2008

272 pages.

Genre: Romance, Humor

Summery: Colin Singleton is a child prodigy who just graduated from highschool. For a super smart kid, he's kind of dumb. He's just been dumped for the 19th time. All his girlfriends have been named Katherine. And every last one of them has dumped him. Colin is depressed and unmotivated, so his best friend drags him on a road trip- a sure cure. They drive all the way from Chicago to Gunshot, Tennessee. There, they stay for a while. They make new friends, work a weird job, hunt pigs, and Colin tries to come up with a math formula that can predict romantic relationships.

Response: Very well written. Absolutely hilarious. Dorky- in a nice way. Too much bad language for my taste. Probably wouldn't let my brother read it. Probably won't read it again. Enjoyed it anyway.

Word of Caution: Frequent cursing. (I say frequent, and I mean almost every sentence the kids speak. Yuck.) Sex.

"Breath"

Breath

Written by Donna Jo Napoli

Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers in 2003

260 pages.

Genre: Supernatural, History

Summery: This is a retelling of The Pied Piper. Salz is a 12 year old boy with cystic fibrosis. His town is infected with a strange disease that nobody can cure. Strangely, Salz, the sickest of all, escapes infection. But because of his illness, he can't follow when the Piper leads all the other children away.

Response: Interesting book. Full of weird black magic and the medieval ages. The characters are fairly well written. Salz and his grandmother are great characters. The others could have used some more details and personality. I didn't understand how Salz's father and brothers could be such jerks, while Salz is kind and innocent. It was a little too morbid for me personally. I'm not a huge fan of supernatural, which is a key part of the book. So if you like supernatural books, read it.

Word of Caution: Black magic, sex, maybe a little language, drug usage.

" The Wednesday Wars" - Gary D. Schmidt

"The Wednesday Wars"

Written by Gary D. Schmidt

Published in 2007 by Sandpiper

264 pages

Genre: History, Friends/Social Issues

Summery:

The main character is Holling Hoodhood, a 7th grade boy in the 60's. He is the only Protestant kid in his class; everyone else is Jewish or Catholic. So on Wednesday afternoons, he's left with his teacher while all the other kids leave for their religious classes. His teacher, Mrs. Baker, has him read Shakespeare. As the Vietnam War drags on, his sister runs away to join other flower children, his father loses a business deal, he has a crush on a girl, and the pet rats escape, Holling finds truth and strength in the words of Shakespeare and Mrs. Baker.

Response:

Loved this book. La la loved it. Holling is a delightful and well-written character. The story made me laugh out loud many, many times. It helps readers understand the world of 1967 and the Vietnam war in a new way. While it's very funny, there is a underlying current of the fear and grief that the war brought. It's an easy and engaging read; I sat down and read it cover to cover in a few hours. It's a delightful book. Read it.

Word of Caution: Several of your responsibilities may be neglected due to this book.

"The Moves Make The Man" - Bruce Brooks

Hello, and welcome to the first real post!

The Moves Make The Man was published in 1984. It tells the story of Jerome Foxworthy, a black kid. Set in the 60's, the work explores multiculturalism through the eyes of a Junior High student. Jerome's hometown is required to desegregate, so they expand the school district by one block. And guess who is the only black kid on that block? Yep. Jerome.

The work is full of sports: mostly basketball. Jerome lives and breathes basketball; he hates the summer when all the kids play baseball. But his opinion changes a little when he meets Bix. Bix is a shortstop, and the way he plays fascinates Jerome.


I could not take my eyes off that shortstop. He was the only kid I had ever seen who seemed to know with every part of himself just what to do on every single play. His feet were always placed just right to go along with his throwing motion or his gloving, his head was always turned the right way, his steps never left him on the wrong foot when he needed a jump or spin. (pg 21)

The boys eventually become best friends.

The book also examines family relationships. Jerome's father died when he was very young; he looks to his two older brothers as his examples. His mother plays a key role in the story as well. She is the wise, loving force of the family. The Foxworthys are a very close-knit happy family. Bix's family is a stark contrast to the Foxworthys. Bix is an only child. His mother is insane and lives in an asylum. Bix lives with his stepfather, who doesn't like him. All family scenes and conversations are full of tension and distrust. Both of the families learn and change throughout the book.

Themes of honesty, friendship, loyalty, and character are woven into this entertaining sports story.

Personally, I loved this book. It kept me hooked from the first chapter, and I stayed up until a ridiculous hour to finish it. It is remarkably well-written and funny. I absolutely recommend it.

Word of Caution: One instance of attempted suicide by a minor character.

Read it if you love sports, boys, humor, and real life stories.