May Books

Like last month, these books might not be entertaining for everyone. 

Sorry guys, thanks to my endorsement class, which I'm pretty sure will be the death of me this semester, I didn't have a say in the books I had to read this month.

It's a young adult literature class, so these books are young adult novels.

The One and Only Ivan

This was a cute book. It is a story of death and change from the point-of-view of a gorilla. Sounds weird, but I think telling the story through the eyes of an animal, makes it easier for kids to read and digest. They are learning lessons, but killing off animals doesn't hurt them as much as killing of a human would. (ie., Charlotte's Web). It's a quick and easy read. Young children would like the plot, older kids would be able to get the meaning behind the words.

The Game Changers

The only reason I am even writing about this book is to warn everyone to never read it, and don't let your kids read it either. It's the dumbest book I have ever read. Maybe it's because I love words and literature so much, but this book offends me in the sense that it was ever even published. It is flat. There is no story. There is no depth to the characters. Everything is absolute fluff. It's like a well-known author just spewed words out all over the page because he knows he has enough clout to sell books. 90% of the book is describing footballs games. But even that can't keep the interest of my sporty students. The main character is literally perfect in every single way. He has no flaws. How is a young boy supposed to relate to that? They can't. The story isn't relatable. It isn't even entertaining. I don't always have to read deep and meaningful books. I enjoy good fluff books every now and again. But this isn't even fluff. It's just words on a page that mean nothing and don't even elicit interest. Sorry, I am clearly way too passionate about a young adult sports novel, but this book was terrible and that idea was echoed by my entire class. My teacher hadn't even read the novel which makes me more upset that he told us we had to read it. 

With a Name Like Love

This was actually a pretty good book. It's one I would like to read with my class next year. Don't let the cover fool you, it's actually a murder mystery. But the deep undertones of the book discuss love, loss, family, religion, belonging, and judging others. There's a real plot and real characters and I think a lot of kids can identify with the characters and their need for belonging and their search for answers. Th author actually came and talked to the class and I was very inspired by her and where the story came from. I really liked this book. Another easy read, but very worth it.

After June, I get to actually chose the books I read again! HUZZAH!