Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree

I picked up this middle-grade book from the new J books cart a few weeks ago, having remembered seeing a glowing review on Amazon.com by a librarian who writes very detailed reviews of children's books (E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird"). I really loved this book!

It is the story of Emma Jean, a logical, though not emotionless, girl who can't understand why her classmates lives are so full of chaos and unbridled emotion. The first paragraph of the book well illustrates Emma's way of thinking:
Emma-Jean Lazarus knew very well that a few of the seventh-grade girls at William Gladstone Middle School were criers. They cried if they got a 67 on an algebra test or if they dropped their retainer into the trash in the cafeteria. They cried if their clay mug exploded in the kiln and when they couldn't finish the mile in gym. Two even cried in science, when Mr. Petrowski announced it was time to dissect a sheep's eyeball. Of course Emma-Jean had no intention of participating in such a barbaric and unhygenic activity. But crying was not a logical way of expressing one's opposition to the seventh-grade science curriculum.

Think Mr. Spock reborn in a seventh-grader's body. The book chronicles Emma-Jean's misguided attempts to help her classmates deal with problems in their lives, for Emma, though detached from her peers, still feels a need to help them. She is also dealing with the death of her beloved father, and the introduction of a possible new suitor for her mother. She is a sympathetic character, and the growth she experiences was really touching.

This book was funny and sweet, and I really enjoyed reading it. It's a quick read, and though some of the vocabulary is advanced, I would recommend it to 5-7th graders, and to anyone who loves a quirky, touching story.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

After all that ranting about Maureen Johnson, I couldn't remember what other book I read this past week. But now, I do!

The Mysterious Benedict Society (Trenton Lee Stewart) has a really neat cover- lots to see and wonder about. The book begins with an intriguing notice posted in the paper that says: "ARE YOU A GIFTED CHILD LOOKING FOR SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES?" The notice requests that those children who feel they fit the bill should proceed to a certain building in Stonetown, where they are given a practically impossible test. From there the truly gifted children are weeded out and move forward in the special opporunities to embark on a mysterious adventure to save the world from evil under the tutelage of a man named Mr. Benedict.

This is a book that I couldn't put down. I loved everything about it from the cover, as I mention above, to the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter, to the endearing, unique characters. I would recommend this book to well-read upper elementary schoolers and 6th/7th graders. It has two main characters that are boys and two that are girls, as well as enough adventure to keep boys busy, so I think it would be a good fit for both boys and girls. Recommeded!

Bermudez Triangle (Maureen Johnson)

A few weeks ago I read on John Green's blog (author of Looking For Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines) that the Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson (also author of Keys to the Golden Firebird and others) was being heavily challenged by parents at a high school in Oklahoma. Of course this piqued my interest...

The parent heading the banning request team wrote the following about the book:
"I’m shocked and appalled at the lack of discretion, and moral decline in the selection of books at the Mid-High library. Homosexual content, unprotected sex, underage drinking, and reckless promiscuity are not values that belong in a school library. I understand there are parents or teens who are dealing with these issues, but not all parents want their kids exposed to this material. Personally, I would not endorse any of these types of book as “14-and-15-year-old-friendly.” Giving teenagers knowledge without guidance is irresponsible and dangerous. As a parent, I screen my 15-year-old’s television, Internet, video game, magazines, and books. There are things she’s not mature enough to handle, or are simply wrong for her. Parents are a child’s best line of defense in a world that rushes to grow them up too soon. This book, “The Bermudez Triangle” has no moral fiber, and wrongly promotes a “do whomever you want to discover yourself” mentality. There’s no mention of the myriad of diseases, pregnancy, destruction of friendships and lives that are very real consequences of a “sexual free-for-all” decision. I ask that his material be removed at once. You have a responsibility to the children at school to protect them and educate them. Let’s raise the bar a little higher, respect moral values and a parent’s right to guard that which has been entrusted to their care."

Now this book, while not one of the most fabulous YA books I've read lately, is a fine book. Three girls who have been really close friends for a really long time experience what happens when one of them goes away for the summer before senior year in high school. It just so happens in this book that the other two end up let's say "experimenting" with life and love, with each other. But the book is so much more than that- its a coming of age story as they all decide what they want to do with their lives, its about making friends with people you never guessed you'd be friends with and its about forgiveness. It are those themes that define the book NOT the fact that two of the girls think they might be lesbians.

Anyway, I had to read it myself to see what I thought. Again, confirming my belief that banning books is not necessarily the way to go and maybe parenting is.

Blah blah blah.