Hi, I couldn't see if anyone had posted yet for Deliver us from Evie. This book is different from any book I have read before. I think it is interesting for a children's book to talk about something like homosexuality, considering it is still a controversial topic. I like that it is written from the perspective of the younger brother. It leaves a hit of mystery about Evie. I'm only on chapter 11, so not much has happened. There has been some for shadowing about Evie and Patty's relationship. I'm still not sure, but I think it is leaning in the direction of more than just "friends". I will be interested to finish this book.

Doing It

Sorry, I couldn't wait for the lead blogger. With this semester coming to an end it is hard to believe how many books we have read. We started with familiar, simple readings we moved so quickly with our reading assignments the shift to more mature books didn't hit me until I read "Doing It", and "Deliver us from Evie". Both books are definitely for young adults. While I was reading "Doing It" I felt like I was a teenager again listening to my three older brothers talking about the very same thing that these teenagers talked about. I did not hear every detail (fortunately) but I began to understand why my brothers did not want me to go out with their friends. Because they all talked like Dino, Ben, Jonathan and doing it. This is why I really enjoyed this book I felt that it was true to nature and teenage boys. How ever I believe the girls that were portrayed were more on the line as a fantasy type girls. I can see why some critics would look negatively towards the writing of a school teacher having an affair with a student and definitely condoning and glorifying this kind of Activity. However I do believe this was written as a fantasy that many young students have about one of their teachers at one point. I believe young readers would see this as pure fantasy. "Deliver us From Evie", was on a much more sensitive serious topic, and is representative of the issues of today. I enjoyed all the readings with the exception of some of Zipes, but hey nobody likes a critic!

coraline

This was for some reason the only book so far that i wasn't excited to begin reading. I'm not sure why i think it mainly had to do with the fact that i am not typically a fan of anything disturbing or dark and twisted, which this book definately is! however as i continued to read the book and realized that towards the middle of the book i became more and more interestead in what was going on almost to the point where i didn't want to put the book down. The author created a feeling of suspence throughout the story, and he really had a way of pulling you into the story. although this is not one of my favorite books i cannot say that i didn't take interest in it. However, i still have so many unanswered questions such as what exactly is the other mother? and one for everyone else is did you think that she was genuine at all when she was telling coraline that she wanted her to stay and if so why would she want her there. would she actually be a "daughter" to the other mother or would she simply be another mold of someone.

p.s. i am not the laed blogger but there wasn't one for this week so i thought i would ask some questions! :)

The Lion, The Whitch, and the Wardrobe

ok so i have to say that i was not really into reading this book in the begining. i'm not sure if it was because i knew the movie came out and i never wanted to see the movie, so i had pre-concived notions about the whole story line, or if i just thought i could not get into it. actually, i know it was a combination of both. i just remember thinking that it was all a little to make believe for me and that there was no way i could possibly like this story. well, then the book was assigned for this class so i thought wat the heck... i began to read it and was imideately intrigued by the story ( which i believe has a lot to do with how C.S. Lewis writes his stories) , there was a certian feeling of suspence and needing to know what was going to happen next. in class we talked about how this could possibly relate to religion and at first i did not really think it could but after completely finishing the book and thinking about what was said in class, i realize now that it has more to do with religion then i had originally thought. i do believe that even if it was not intentional, there are definately some very strong biblical comparisons in this story. i am definately not the type to read a book and search for the hidden meaning, but i suppose this one was pretty clear. it was an interesting thing to know and look for while finishing this book. over all it was a wonderful book and it made me want to finish the series!

Wizard of Oz

Kae posted this in the comments part of the last blog entry, so I thought I'd repost it here so it'd be more visible ...


Wizard of Oz
I first want to mention that I only saw the movie and I thought the book was written after the movie. I like the much gentler side of this fairy tale as Baum mentions in the introduction "It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heart-ache and nightmares are left out". I have not finished the book, but so far this holds true. I like how Baum goes into detail about how the scarecrow doesn't have a brain, and the tin man doesn't have a heart and the lions lack of courage. Baum does a great job describing the colorful land which is quite the opposite of the gray farm in Kansas.this has all the ingredients of a good fairy tale for children. As I said before I haven't finished the book but I know the ending and Dorothy will return home much wiser.
February 26, 2007 9:14 PM

Alice in Wonderland (1st half)

okay, i don't really have much to say except that this is probably one of the weirdest books i have ever read. i've always that that "alice in wonderland" is something great like she's in some kind of perfect world with nothing strange happening, but i was wrong. i find that it's not just weird, but it is strange as well. the characters in the book are also strange. i understand that it is a fantasy novel, but the characters being used are not my kind of characters. even alice herself is strange especially how she doesn't remember anything. it seems as if she remembers the characters, but she just doesn't remember what is actaully going on in her own life. like i said earlier, i don't have much to say about this except that it is strange, and i'm hoping that i will enjoy reading it more towards the end and i'm not doubting that nothing strange is gonna happen.

Yolen ch 11-16

So I want to start by saying that I love this book. The first day I sat down to read and was suppose to stop on chapter 10 I kept reading till ch 16. I like how Gemma's story of Sleeping Beauty is different from the original that I know. I think there is alot of symbolisim behind Gemma's story, some things that will be reviled later. Magda, the translator is a good guide and helps to evolve the story by giving her view point of living in Poland and living there after the war. I'm not sure that this is a "children's Book" but I like it. It is a book about how when she was a child listened to her Grandma tell her the same story and how it was a large part of her childhood. My question is what will change by her finding out who her Gemma really was?