Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Hero by Perry Moore
This is not your typical coming-of-age novel and Thom Creed is not your typical hero. He is a human with superhuman powers and...he's gay. It’s an enchanting story about the complicated relationship between a father and son, how to navigate and survive family and circumstances, how to trust and believe in you, and ultimately how to accept yourself. Perry Moore captures all those issues while maintaining the lightness of a superhero fantasy. The plot has intrigue and suspense that will keep you reading late into the night to find out what Thom’s secrets are and who knows them. I would easily recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
Destroy all cars by Blake Nelson-Environmental Fiction
This story is part of another popular and growing genre, Environmental Fiction.
This review is from Horn Book starred (September, 2009)
"Seventeen-year-old James would "destroy all cars" to save Earth from global warming. Through journal entries and AP English assignments/rants, he also chronicles unrequited pining for his "do-gooder" ex-girlfriend, parental demands, and his hilarious relationship with his English teacher. Consumer culture has been covered before, but James's thoroughly amusing combination of angst, idealism, narcissism, and nihilism makes this new treatment very welcome indeed."
This review is from Horn Book starred (September, 2009)
"Seventeen-year-old James would "destroy all cars" to save Earth from global warming. Through journal entries and AP English assignments/rants, he also chronicles unrequited pining for his "do-gooder" ex-girlfriend, parental demands, and his hilarious relationship with his English teacher. Consumer culture has been covered before, but James's thoroughly amusing combination of angst, idealism, narcissism, and nihilism makes this new treatment very welcome indeed."
Earthgirl by Jennifer Cowan- an Eco-thriller
When 16-year old Sabine Solomon's confrontation with a littering minivan driver is captured on YouTube, she begins documenting her increasing social awareness on her "earthgirl" blog. Her new passion is met with resistance from family and friends so when she finds a like-mind in Vray, a fellow eco-warrior and a romantic interest- she feels supported and hopeful. However, when she is asked to go against her beliefs, her life takes a dark turn.
The Carbon Diaries 2015 by Saci Lloyd- an Eco-thriller
This books belongs to a burgeoning genre known as ECO-THRILLERS!
A progressive concept – “compulsory carbon cards for all citizens- 200 points per month.” The destruction and despair caused by severe weather conditions and a desperate government make for thought-provoking reading about both Mother Nature and human nature. The author has created a storyline, while heavy with global concerns, is accessible and appropriate for all students to read. Everyone is issued a card that tracks their allowable use of carbon for the year. This limits everything from cell phone use to all utilities including heating, water, travel, and the purchase of anything that has been transported over a distance, including food. There is some British slang but not overwhelming enough to cause comprehension problems. Plus, it is full of visuals that Laura pastes in her diary- fliers, charts, diagrams, and images from her life and experiences during her family crises and the climate crisis in her country.
Includes a glossary of Eco-Terms and a page of Eco-Links.
A progressive concept – “compulsory carbon cards for all citizens- 200 points per month.” The destruction and despair caused by severe weather conditions and a desperate government make for thought-provoking reading about both Mother Nature and human nature. The author has created a storyline, while heavy with global concerns, is accessible and appropriate for all students to read. Everyone is issued a card that tracks their allowable use of carbon for the year. This limits everything from cell phone use to all utilities including heating, water, travel, and the purchase of anything that has been transported over a distance, including food. There is some British slang but not overwhelming enough to cause comprehension problems. Plus, it is full of visuals that Laura pastes in her diary- fliers, charts, diagrams, and images from her life and experiences during her family crises and the climate crisis in her country.
Includes a glossary of Eco-Terms and a page of Eco-Links.
Freakonomics: a rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner 2009
This was such a refreshing, stimulating book with provocative ponderings; I had to write it up. Levitt is an economist at the University of Chicago; Dubner is an award-winning author and journalist. They collaborated to explore the economics of real-world issues often viewed as insignificant, such as the extent to which the Roe v. Wade decision affected violent crime, and examine hidden incentives behind all sorts of human behavior. Some obscure questions Levitt attempts to explain and measure are:
What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
How much do parents matter?
Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?
How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?
His answers are hilarious and thought-provoking. The reading level is easy enough to be accessible to all readers interested in asking questions about the “hidden side of everything.”
What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common?
How much do parents matter?
Why do drug dealers still live with their moms?
How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real-estate agents?
His answers are hilarious and thought-provoking. The reading level is easy enough to be accessible to all readers interested in asking questions about the “hidden side of everything.”
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