How Does Your Garden Grow?

I spent the morning yesterday doing some TLC on my compost bin. Later in the day I couldn't pass the library without stopping in to snatch a few books on compost, organic gardening, and our ecological impact. There's nothing like sunny 50 degree weather to affect your reading regimen.

I finished Compost by Clare Foster this morning, excellent.

Please Bury Me in the Library

I spotted the book, Please Bury Me in the Library by J. Patrick Lewis, in Village Books several weeks ago. I loved it so much I politely sent a little note to my mom suggesting it would make an excellent birthday present. Luckily, she agreed.

This book is so cute. It is a collection of poetry for children about books and reading. Some of these will definitely be posted in my classroom and around my library (when that joyous day comes).

Here's my favorite:

Great, Good, Bad

A great book is a homing device
For navigating paradise.

A good book somehow makes you care
About the comfort of a chair.

A bad book owes to many trees
A forest of apologies.

Recommendation: If you have a soft spot for children's literature, or reading in general, you'll enjoy these cute little literature inspired poems.

The Five People You Meet In Heaven

I knew it was a bad idea. But see, I'm doing this Numbers Challenge... and everyone else has read it. But really... I knew it was a bad idea.

So clearly, before picking up The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom I was biased. It just seemed so... Oprah's Book Club. You know, before she did the revamp and "discovered" Steinbeck. Plus, my horrible horrible roommate had it as a fixture on her desk in our dorm room. (Thank goodness those days are long over). This wasn't going to be a book I'd like.

But I had to try it because... 1. It was a national best seller / everyone's read it and 2. I did enjoy Tuesdays with Morrie.

Starting out I surprised myself. I didn't mind it. Lately there's been the circus/carnivale setting trend going around, I like it. (Water for Elephants, Carnivale, etc) I enjoyed hearing about the old time pier amusement park, all that. And I even started to wonder who Eddie would meet in heaven. But that's about it...

The second half of the book I had to force myself through. I actually set a time limit.

My complaints? ... I've been trying to figure that out. I think I felt like Albom was trying too hard. It was too sentimental? It didn't work for me. Sorry I can't be more eloquent.

Recommendation: If you are the one other person out there who hasn't read this book, skip it.

The Chocolate War

My first book crossed off the list of the Young Adult Challenge.

When I first heard about The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier, I didn't realize it was a young adult book. It just sounded like a really good book. Maybe that's proof that people of all ages can enjoy really good literature. That being said, I guess I'm still pretty close to the age group cornered by "young adult" writers. Even so.

The Chocolate War takes place in New England at a Catholic private high school in the 1970s (at least the copyright is '74). The school is unofficially led by a secret society, The Vigils, and officially led by Brother Leon, the stand-in for the ill headmaster. When Brother Leon calls upon the boys to sell double the number of boxes of chocolates at double the price during the school's annual chocolate sale, things start to heat up. The magnitude of the venture requires The Vigils' participation. So what was Jerry Renault to do when The Vigils, infamous for giving out risky "assignments" to the student body, ordered him to refuse to sell chocolates? Furthermore, what's Jerry to do when his assignment is over and the words from his mouth continue to refuse to sell the chocolates? Finding inspiration from a poster hanging in his locker he ponders the question, "Do I dare disturb the universe?"

The Chocolate War is a quick read exploring powerful themes including: death, peer pressure, sexuality, violence, power, and personal identity. As a result, parents around the country have attempted to have it banned. What better way to encourage students to read a book than try to prevent them from reading it! Here's an interesting (if somewhat outdated) article explaining one circumstance of the book's controversy. My own opinion aligns with the authors: The bits of the book parents object to (swear words and masturbation), are the bits of the book that give validity to the characters. And heaven forbid young teenagers read a swear word or brief descriptions of masturbation... because we'd hate to "encourage them". But really... wouldn't we rather have them masturbating than potentially reproducing? Not to diverge too much here.

Another bit I learned recently is that the story was inspired by the author's own son.

(Just a brief note on the cover shown: This is not actually the cover of the copy I own. I only mention that because the cover on the copy I own is way better! It's a dejected looking boy (Jerry Renault) in football uniform alone on the ball field with the school looming in the distance.)

Recommendation: If you enjoy the setup of an all boys private school (which I seem to) and you appreciate young adult books that tackle tough themes, The Chocolate War will not disappoint.