Survival Encounter: Lord of the Flies

My tutor student came to the library the other day and said, "Whoah, that Captains Courageous is a bunch of craziness!  They don't even speak English"  I glanced at the first page with him standing next to me and said, "OMG, you are so right!"  (We had to pick a book for his summer reading assignment...)

So we found a new book.  Lord of the Flies.  He was lucky; he's not read it before (just moved here).  

I was assigned Lord of the Flies my sophomore year of high school and I'm guessing if you ask any of my classmates today, they will remember this book rather fondly.  The class was called Workshop of Life, and it was a mix of social studies and real-life activities.  When we read the novel, we learned how to stay alive when stranded ("When wet and cold, fire is first priority) and had a Survival Encounter where the school bus dropped our class off in the woods, and we had to "fend for ourselves" over the course of 1 or 2 nights.  We weren't allowed tents or other cool camping gear.  We were graded on our shelter and how we "survived."  We bartered for food, made fires, laughed a lot.  

Our encounter was a lot like the kids' situation in Lord of the Flies.  They have to survive and find their way in the wilderness.  I'm eager to reread this book again with new eyes, at a different stage in my life.  I know what will happen to Piggy, but I bet I still cry again.  I bet I'll remember some of the cool assignments and class activities my teacher created for us.  I guess I learned a couple of things in the woods and maybe the boys in Lord of the Flies learned the same things:  we rocks explode and don't drink directly from the stream.   

We all have to survive and find our way...isn't that just a way of life for everyone?  The book has a universal theme...one of survival, of growing up, of getting along.  

It's all a Workshop of Life.

Captains Courageous is here. (insert yay here.)

If you read my last blog, you will understand today's post.

Sigh.  It's here.  Picked it up from the reserve shelf today.  Wish the public library wasn't so quick.  Now to start reading it.  How do you handle reading books that are assigned?  How do you make it through?

Summer Reading Assignments are 'so' fun!

I went to the library yesterday.  Not totally unusual for me.  I had a great tutoring session with a good kid.  I was trying to get him motivated to check out a book so he could complete his English IV summer reading assignment.  He really wanted to re-read (or not) a book he already read last year for a class to complete this assignment.  He must have suggested we read Animal Farm (the book he read already) 50 times, but I reassured him that finding a new book the right thing to do.  Reluctantly, we set off to find a book from the list.

So let me just say one thing.  The senior list isn't very good.  You guys going into English I should celebrate--like throw a party over your list.  (think confetti and cake here)  The English IV list is full of real classics...and when I say "real classics" I mean, books that are old and were popular when people used horse and wagons and explored the West.  But the list says that a book for this assignment must have literary merit.  As an English teacher, I do understand we all need to read books like that.  But the real problem is that I promised that I would read the book we choose WITH my student.  What was I thinking?  I wanted to run to the YA section and get a vampire book...  We finally decided to check out 1984 (one of my favorites off the list and a book I had already read).  Book was not there.  Not cool.  We trudged on.

So after several failed attempts at finding a book that sounded decent (and wasn't too long), we found Captains Courageous by the same author as Jungle Book.  It wasn't too long and looked good enough.  They only had one copy, so I sent it home with the student to get a jump start.  I reserved my copy, and I anxiously await the day until it comes in...  It sounds like a story like "The Most Dangerous Game" (remember that one from freshman year?).

With my book reserved, I had enough time to check out Jude, a YA book that looked and sounded great and a bunch of books for Cale (39 Clues, a Boxcar Children series book, the Odyssey, and a couple books on tornadoes).

So it was a successful day at the library.  And no email yet from the library saying Captains Courageous is in and waiting for me.  Ahhhh, can't start that assignment....yet.

How's your summer reading assignment coming?

I am a nerd.

So I started Is It Day or Night? Sunday.  And I finished it last night.  Before I go into how nerdy I am, let me tell you a little about this book.

If you liked Night this year, you will love this book.  Although the beginning is a little slow, the main character, Tiddy, shows readers what it was like for German Jews who actually escaped to America and had to deal with leaving their loved ones behind.  I never really thought about the people who escaped--what they had to go through.  And she pays dearly for her escape.

This historical fiction book talks about events in the 1930's and 1940's...giving me information and a feel for what life was life then.  She talks a lot about baseball and the White Sox.

So the nerdy part for me is that I read it in 1 day.  Not sure that's happened before for a long, long time.

I recommend this book.  It's quick, enlightening, heart-warming.  The main character is real and belivable.  Check it out today.  You won't be disappointed.

What to do now?  I head to the library at 10 for tutoring...got plans to check out a couple more books.  What are your book plans?

City of Bones: The Ending...OMG!

Couldn't hardly put this book down in the last 50 pages.  In fact, Sat. night, I left my book on the boat.  I realized it was down there pretty late...and didn't want to walk down to the dock in the dark (and through the spider webs).  I was so mad.  For those of you who know me, you know I wouldn't walk through spider webs (ever)...for others, this is a shocker because reading hasn't always been my thing.  I only like to read when I find a good book and when I have time.  Glad to have both this summer.

Back to the book, City of Bones....boy, Clary and Jace make some HUGE realizations near the end of the book.  I, for one, didn't see this coming at all.  The author does a good job of weaving all their lives together and not making the foreshadowing too obvious.  The book is a cross between Harry Potter and Twilight--all the action of Harry Potter and some of the romance of Twilight (and throw in a few vampires and werewolves and add demons, forsaken and fairies).

I would recommend this book.  I've looked for it at the county library and haven't seen it.  Must be checked out.  Either I need to reserve the second one or just go buy it at Target like I did the first.  Give it a try!

On to my next adventure:  Is It Day or Night?  This is the Holocaust historical fiction.  It has a fairly slow start....but I'm interested to see what happens to the little girl and their family.  So far, she and her family have had to endure all the new rules in Germany that being a Jew entitles them:  not attending movies, the pool, shopping in certain stores, not learning music in school.  It's neat to hear her perspective or POV.

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What book are you reading?

Girl books v. Boy books. Help!

So which books on the English I summer reading list are "boy" books?  I have a request and am not familiar with them enough to give an answer.  Help me out and recommend some good books from this list for boys.  Thanks!

Can't spoil the ending for you...

Boy, did the City of Bones take a change last night when I was reading!  I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but wow--I was sucked in and couldn't stop reading (until the book hit me in the face because I fell asleep.)

I just can't help think how much more rounded the characters are in this book compared to Twilight.  Do you agree with me or am I totally off base here?

Headed to the library again today.  Need to find a book to help me with tutoring a student who is a second language learner.  Cale has read 1 hour already (miracle!) for his reading program.  He's excited to get the Sonic coupon.