Recently two books have been in the reading pile – both written in free verse.

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate is a beautiful, beautiful book.  The heartfelt story of a young refugee from the Sudan in Africa, it follows Kek as he adjusts to a new life in the United States.  This is a very hopeful book that manages to bring face, voice, and a heartfelt view of the plight of those from war-torn countries.

Kek’s naive viewpoint as he adjusts allows young readers to consider just how rich is our life in America, as well as how trivial some of it can be.  The culture shock Kek experiences is poignant and insightful.  Applegate’s free verse is a very appropriate format for this poignant story and the emotions it presents.

Kelly Bingham’s S.H.A.R.K G.I.R.L is also written in free verse, but as I read it I felt a full narrative would have been more effective.  The premise of the book is instantly attractive to young adult readers; fifteen year old Jane loses her arm in a shark attack.  Adjusting to amputation, to friend’s and stranger’s reactions, and her own grief and uncertain future are great subject matter for the drama craving YA set.

The greatest strength of the book is the relationships Jane has with her brother and a young cancer patient at the hospital.  Characters in the book are well drawn and developed.  But the free verse is weak, in my estimation.

It is interesting that both books are about characters adjusting to drastically changed circumstances.  S.H.A.R.K G.I.R.L kept my interest, but the free verse didn’t work.  Home of the Brave may not have the immediate draw for YA, but it is a better read by far.

How often does one re-read a college text?  How often is one happy to re-read a college text?  I realize it is unusual, but as I will be a guest speaker in a Graduate Library course  this week, I find myself doing assigned readings along with the students.  And I am thrilled that one of the assigned readings is “The Power Of Reading” by Stephen D. Krashen.

When I had to read it as a student I acquired an interlibrary loaned copy.  I used sticky note flags to mark the passages I wanted to note.  With almost twenty flagged passages I quickly knew I had to buy my own copy.  I did.  And I transferred the sticky notes before returning the ILL copy.

Krashen’s book is an overview of research – not just one project which set out to prove what it wished and discounted anything that didn’t support the thesis.  The findings in this book resonate with me.  After 28 years as a school librarian, and almost 45 years as an avid reader, I recognize the good common sense insights in this text!

Here are some of my “sticky note flags”:

“The cure for this kind of literary crisis lies… in an activity that is all too often rare in the lives of many people reading.  Specifically I am recommending …free voluntary reading.  FVR means reading because you want to.  For school-age children, FVR means no book report, no questions at the end of the chapter, and no looking up every vocabulary word.  FVR means putting down a book you don’t like and choosing another one instead.  It is the kind of reading highly literate people do all the time.” (x)

Amen!  Amen!  Amen! 

Reading improves spelling.  (More than direct instruction!) (16) 

They obviously didn’t use me in one of the studies.

Reading is the most often mentioned flow activity in the world.  Flow is the state people reach when they are deeply but effortlessly involved in an activity. (29) 

Flow….zone… whatever it is.  I hear nothing, I see nothing when I read a novel.  I did not read for pleasure when my children were little.  It wasn’t safe for them. 

Bedtime reading is recommended!  (32) 

I knew it!  My trusty under-the-covers flashlight and I knew it! So did my mom, despite her chastising, “Marcia Ann!  It is one in the morning!  Are you still reading?”

Those who read more, know more.  (35) 

This required research?

Studies show that reading is good for you.  “The research however, supports a stronger conclusion:  Reading is the only way, the only way we become good readers, develop a good writing style, an adequate vocabulary, advanced grammatical competence, and the only way we become good spellers.”  Direct instruction not required!  (37) 

You want to learn to read?  Read!  I was once asked what kind of speed reading course I had taken.  “None,” was my reply.  “I just read A LOT.”

Better school libraries result in more reading.  (58)

Oh yeah!  Un-hunh!  Get down!!!!!!  (We librarians knew this)

Teachers should also read along with students during SSR!  (85)

I promote this with young teachers!  Please sit down and read with your class when you are scheduled in the library.  We have a new language and reading teacher this year.  “I get to read, too?”  she said. “Well then I can’t wait for Friday!”

Children read more when they see other people reading. (85)

Funny.  The PE teacher has recently found what he likes to read – sports biographies and stuff by the ESPN guys.  (I couldn’t name you a one of them! – but he likes it!)  This teacher has noticed his two boys will sit down to read when he does at home.  “I guess this doesn’t surprise you, does it?” he asked me last week.  NOPE!

Children read more when they have time to read.  (85) 

Does Suzy really have to have an activity every evening after school?  Make your child choose between soccer, dance, and gymnastics.  Limits are healthy!

The data supporting Accelerated Reader does not exist.  (121) 

I’m doing my happy dance!!!!!!

Television doesn’t prevent reading.  (146) 

That one’s a surprise, isn’t it!

This is a book I heartily recommend to teachers and librarians.

The Power of Reading is… READING! 

Read it!

The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research. 2nd Edition.  Stephen D. Krashen, 2004.

October is here!  As mentioned in a previous post, scary books are popular any time of year, but with Halloween on the horizon they are especially requested.  Whisper in the Dark, although I mentioned it in the earlier post, managed to escape my reading stack until recently.  I was not disappointed; Whisper in the Dark IS another good and scary book!

Bruchac, again, successfully blends a Native American monster story/legend with a modern plot and a Native American protagonist.  This is a satisfyingly scary story:  mysterious phone calls, threats carved into the door, pets and family members endangered, and repeated whispers to the intended victim.  But into the gruesome details and suspense Bruchac weaves Native American culture and history, Rhode Island history, and a young person of resilience and character.  So there is more than “scary” to recommend with this title.

Bruchac’s writing is always good.  Not quite brilliant – but strong and solid.  Don’t hesitate to recommend this one to your students who are looking for something scary to read.  I suggest you booktalk it… in a whisper….in the dark…