Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky

This book has been on my rader for a long time. It is one I've thought about picking up, but just never did. When I heard it was being made into a movie with Emma Watson no less, I knew I needed to read the book. Finally, last week my nephew texted me to tell me we had to go see this movie and he would even go see it again with me I knew I needed to move it up my reading list. I am so glad I did. I started and finished it yesterday and absolutely loved it! Again, it is a very mature read so it would be best for high school students. This book is told through a series of letters written by Charlie to a 'friend'. Charlie is a very sensitive boy who is just about to start high school. He really has no friends since his closest friend committed suicide the previous year. He is scared of not fitting in, not finding a friend and being along. Charlie seems to feel things deeper than most boys at this age. He feels pretty alone at home too. His sister is more interested in being popular and his brother is a football star who is playing his first year at college. When high school starts, he really feels as though he doesn't belong until he meets Patrick and Sam who accept him for who he is and introduce him to a whole different group of people who are all happy to get to know him. The way Chbosky wrote this book through letters and revealing bits of Charlie's story as the book progreses was so brilliant. I was so wrapped up in Charlie, Patrick and Sam that I could not stop reading it. Now I have to find out where the movie is playing so I can go see it, I'm not sure I can wait for the DVD to come out.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

I've been on a real weird reading binge lately. I'm reading so much for my new job that I often don't feel like reading when I get home and because I'm not in the classroom right now, I'm not looking for new books for my students. However, one of the perks of my new job is meeting new people and talking about books. I love working with people who love to read as much as I do. The only problem is they are high school teachers, so some of these books are a bit more mature than what I normally post. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is written by two authors who are fairly new to me. This book tells the story of two different Will Grayson's, both boys in high school but who are pretty different. The first Will Grayson that we are introduced to is a boy who was in with the popular gang at school, but when he stood up for his former best friend, he suddenly found himself back with his original friends again. This isn't such a bad thing because his friends like him for who he is, although he struggles to accept them in the same way. His oldest friend Tiny, is anything but small. Tiny is a very large (in both stature and personality) gay boy who falls in love time and time again, but is constantly getting his heart broken. Will is both amazed by Tiny and also often embarrassed by him as well. Will doesn't have a problem with Tiny being gay, but he just wishes he wasn't so blatant about it, because many other kids in the school aren't so comfortable with it. The other Will Grayson is a very lonely boy. He has one friend at school and another 'cyber' friend who he lives to talk to. When his two friends betray him, he doesn't know what to do or how to carry on. But, when Will Grayson meets the other Will Grayson, the boys start to learn a lot about each other and realize they have a great friend in Tiny. I thought this book was hilarious in places and heart breaking in others. The authors did a really great job of writing the voice of the two Will's. I'm not sure how believable the events in the story are, but I enjoyed reading about the adventures of Will, Will and Tiny. I also think there is a great message in the book about acceptance, friendship, romance and even just surviving high school. There are some real mature themes and events in the book that make it not suitable for elementary kids. However, high school students should read this one. I'm going to give it to my nephew and see what he thinks.

Seven the Series

If anyone is interested in the series of books I've been reading called Seven the Series- you might be interested in hearing the authors speak at PCVS in Peterborough on Oct. 23rd from 7-9 I am looking forward to this night for sure!

Devil's Pass by Sigmund Brouwer

Devil's Pass is another novel from the Seven The Series set that I am currently reading and I have to say so far it is my favourite. This novel features Jim Webb, he is the troubled 17 year old grandson who left home to escape his step fathers abuse. Even though you can see flashes of anger and rage in him, deep down you know that Jim is a great kid who was raised properly. Jim's mission was to travel first to Phoenix and then to the Far North to travel the Canol Trail. Jim is full of confidence that he can do whatever is asked of him, but he is very unsure of why his grandfather has him doing this. Jim was close to his grandfather, but he never told him about what was happening at home because he was trying to protect his mother. Jim meets up with his tour guide George and the two form an instant bond. George reminds Jim very much of his grandfather and he finds himself talking to George about many things which makes him realize how much he misses his grandfather. Along the Canol Trail Jim faces dangerous wildlife, bullies and such beautiful landscape. Here, as with all the books, Jim learns more about his grandfather and himself. I have not read any books by Sigmund Brouwer, but I am going to have to find some. I really liked his writing style and how he developed his story.

Last Message by Shane Peacock

The Last Message is another of the books in the http://orcabook.com/seventheseries/#!/ that I am working my way through. Last Message features the 15 year old grandson who is from Buffalo. Adam is an average boy. He has a girlfriend, plays football and gets ok grades. He knows he can do better at everything but he's not sure how to go about getting it. He is hoping that the mission his grandfather has left him will show him how to be a better person. Adam's assignment is to go to France and right some wrongs from his grandfather's past. While there, he learns many things about both his grandfather and himself. I really liked the parallel characteristics between his grandfather's past and Adam's present. Both characters are not without fault or flaws.

I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. Adam travels to France and relives some of his grandfathers adventures during World War Two. The challenges he faces seem a little bit unrealistic, but that is why this book will be appealing to kids, especially boys.

Ink Me by Richard Scrimger

Ink Me is the third book I've read in the Seven the Series group of books. Ink Me tells the story of "Bunny" whose real name is Bernard. After his grandfather died, Bunny's task was to get a tattoo, but this really confuses him. He doesn't really understand why he needs to get this and how it will help his grandfather, but because the rest of his cousins and his brother are completing their task, Bunny does too. After Bunny gets his tattoo, things don't become any clearer to him. He finds himself with a new friend who introduces him to a whole 'gang' of friends and suddenly Bunny finds himself with a posse. Many of the things his new friends talk about Bunny doesn't understand, but he tries to join the conversation the best way he can. As the story progresses, Bunny gets in over his head, but he really doesn't know what to do, all he can do is live by his grandfather's words "Together we Fly" and hope things work out. I enjoyed

this story, Bunny was a really likeable character. The story is told through his voice and words. The writing was challenging to read because the words weren't spelled conventionally, but phonetically. This meant it took me a little longer to read than normal because I couldn't just skim the words, I had to read each word. But it was very effective and gave the reader a real insight into how Bunny sees the world. I am really liking this series. I like how even though each story is unique there is a link between them all with the characters. It is such a neat concept. I can't wait to hear how kids like these books.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio with updates

After reading all summer about the Wonder of Wonder on Twitter, I finally got around to ordering it. I started it this morning and finished it this afternoon, it was that brilliant!

To any of my teacher friends reading this blog- you need to pick this book up RIGHT NOW! I would love to know what kids think of this book, I think it has potential as an amazing reading aloud- there are so many wonderful stopping points and places you could have really really deep discussions about many important topics and concepts throughout this novel. Wonder is the story of how August, a 10 year old boy with a severe facial deformity learns to deal with the harsh reality of middle school. But, it is also about how his peers, friends and family learn to deal with getting to know who someone really is outside of their appearances. This is Palacio's first novel and she has hit a homerun with it. Wonder is told mostly from August's perspective, but there are times when you hear from his sister, and a few of the other kids at school. It is really interesting to read how they all deal with his appearance and the pressure they feel by knowing him and even befriending him. This book teaches empathy, kindness and how to stand up for what you believe in. I just checked out Palacio's website and I really like the questions she has posted for discussion. This is an incredibly powerful story, I know August will live with me for a very long time. UPDATE- January Many classes have been reading and discussing Wonder. A friend of mine read it aloud to her class and then had her students create a blogpost about the book. She shared one amazing post with me, and I had to share it here. You can check out Mackenzie's thoughts about the book http://mackenziec206.edublogs.org/2014/01/21/wonder/ But you also need to see the Wonder video the class made- you can see that below.