"Take My Word For It!" - creative writing for kids

Books You Can't Put Down: The One and Only Ivan

The One and Only Ivan

A book by Katherine Applegate

Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers

 

     Ivan is the One and Only gorilla, a sideshow attraction at an economically-struggling shopping mall. He lives in a cage, and is content to sit and eat and make art and be ogled by the dwindling number of visitors on the other side of the glass. But when the mall brings in a baby elephant to increase business, Ivan promises that this new addition will not live out her life in a cage, to die behind bars like her predecessor. Using his art and his newly found determination, Ivan will do anything to make her life as happy as it ought to be.

 

Quality: 5 stars out of 5

 

     Every once in a while there comes a book that is so pure, so genuine, it feels as if you are reading a cloud. The characters are haunting, and the story is heartbreakingly uplifting. I will never forget this book. While bringing attention to the horrors animals face in poaching and the extraction from their natural habitats to the zoos and circuses we take for granted, this story weaves a tale of friendship, love, courage and loyalty so deep that you can feel it in your bones. It is truly a gem, and one of the most touching and unforgettable books I have ever read.

 

     I love the cover. I think that a photograph of a gorilla's hand holding a crayon or covered in paint would also work, or maybe a picture of a gorilla holding an elephant's trunk in friendship. But the magical quality in the painting and the companionship demonstrated by their back-to-back positions makes it really heartwarming.

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Clare Schuett is 16 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more? Visit: http://www.amazon.com/One-Only-Ivan-Katherine-Applegate/dp/0061992259

 

The Oracle of Stamboul: a Book Published by Our Very Own Michael David Lukas!

Some of our kids can now officially brag that they have taken a creative writing class with a real published author. Not only that, but a great one!

Congratulations to our instructor Michael David Lukas on the continuous success of your new book, The Oracle of Stamboul, which published in February of this year.

The Oracle of Stamboul is a historical novel about a preternaturally intelligent little girl who becomes an advisor to the Ottoman sultan and, through her advice to him, changes the course of history. It is the story of an eight year-old orphan who pushed back against the tides of history and changes their direction. Influenced by Charles Dickens, Roald Dahl, Italo Calvino, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, The Oracle of Stamboul is an evocative, magical historical novel that will transport readers to another time and place--romantic, exotic, yet remarkably similar to our own.

Michael says that working with kids inspired him throughout his writing. Read his story in Publisher's Weekly. 

To read an excerpt of the book, see some of the glowing reviews, and learn more about Michael, visit Michael's website.

Michael is still very dedicated to his work with students at "Take My Word For It!" We feel privileged to have such a star on our team!

Congrats to "Take My Word For It" Instructor Michael Lukas on his debut novel!

 

This week I opened my Book Passage catalogue to find this glowing review of Michael's novel, The Oracle of Stamboul:

"Succumb to this old-fashioned compulsive read that will send you to an overstuffed armchair form which you will not extricate yourself until the final page. A brilliant 8 year-old girl is thrust into 1880 Istanbul, fleeing a village devastated by the Russian Cavalry. What follows is an adventure of epic proportions in a city steeped in atmosphere. Your imagination pulls you along and makes you want to learn more about the Ottoman Empire."

We are SO excited for him and glad he is sharing his teaching talents with our students!

 

Books You Can't Put Down: Matched

  

Clare Recommends:

Matched

By: Ally Condie

Cassia has always lived in the Society. The Society decides what she eats, when she sleeps, where she works, and whom she loves. She lives by the rules: You do not reject the Society. You do not complain about the Society. And you never fight the Society. When Cassia is matched with her best friend Xander, she has no reason to resist. But when a second face appears on the dying screen, she has to choose between Xander and Ky, between complacency and war. 

Clare's Review:

Quality: 3.7 stars out of 5

      Matched was a well woven tale, though not quite as intriguing as I expected. It was sweet, romantic, and interesting, but I thought it lacked a little...action perhaps? It did well for what it was. If you are into romance and sci-fi futuristic drama then you will definitely enjoy it.  

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more? Visit: Matched on Amazon

 

Books You Can't Put Down: Bloody Jack

 

Clare Recommends:

Bloody Jack

By: L.A. Meyer

Young and orphaned, little Mary Faber joins a local London gang when the plague tears her family apart. She learns to swindle and steal, beg and fight. But when the chance arises to leave this life along with all the sad memories that came with it, she seizes it. Now, disguised as “Jacky” Faber, Ship’s Boy on the HMS Dolphin , must deal with the crew, her blossoming secret, and her growing attraction to fellow Ship’s Boy Jamie Fletcher.

Clare's Review:

Quality: 5 Stars (out of five)

      Bloody Jack is a series every girl must read. Romance, adventure, and accurate historical facts, this is the perfect summertime read. Jacky is a strong, stubborn heroin, and the intriguing plot will keep you enthused from beginning to end. The author’s expert hand deftly weaves a melody tight and suspenseful, but lenient and funny all the while. The quick pace carries the plot through thick and thin, there is never a stall in the story. The characters are so lovable, or easily hated depending on their role. You will find yourself gnashing your teeth in a few parts, there is as much bad as there is good on the Dolphin. It is a fantastic novel, and the best part is, the series only gets better. I read the entire thing in under two weeks, and now I am sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting for the next book. 

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more? Visit: Bloody Jack on Amazon

The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time

The fomer book review editor for the L.A. Times David Ulin has a 15 year old son, Noah, who assures his father that literature is dead and that reading is 'over'.

We who relish words bristle at the thought.

Today on KQED's Forum program, host Michael Krasny interviewed Mr. Ulin on his thoughts about the ongoing relevance of literature in an age of digital distraction. Listen here: http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201010191000

To David Ulin his son's statements were like a knife thrust in the heart. The former book review editor of the Los Angeles Times: “almost asked for a towel to clean up the blood.”

The Lost Art of Reading: Why Books Matter in a Distracted Time (Sasquatch, Nov.) is not another screed against the information age. Rather, it is Ulin’s honest attempt to come to terms with Noah and with his own sense of “How do things stick to us in a culture where information and ideas flare up so quickly that we have no time to assess one before another takes its place? How does reading maintain its hold on our imagination, or is the question even worth asking anymore?” - taken from Publisher's Weekly Blog at http://blogs.publishersweekly.com/blogs/PWxyz/?p=2387

A topic worth pondering.

 

Books Kids Rave About

We asked some of our elementary school students what books they were recently raving about. We put together a list to share so that you can go out and read these books too!

Happy reading!

1. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

2. Warriors by Erin Hunter

3. Peter and the Shadow Thieves by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

5. Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke

6. Are you there God? It's me, Margaret by Judy Blume

7. Half Magic by Edward Eager

8. My Louisiana Sky by Kimberly Willis Holt

9. Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka

10. Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

11. Thirsty by M.T. Anderson

12. Cirque du Freak by Darren Shan

13. Maximum Ride by James Patterson

14. Daniel X Series by James Patterson

15. Percy Jackson Series, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

16. The Last Apprentice Series, Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney

17. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling

19. The Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

20. Pendragon Series, The Merchant of Death by D.J. MacHale

Books You Can't Put Down: Radiant Darkness

Clare Recommends:

Radiant Darkness                                                                            

By Emily Whitman                                                                            

Persephone lives in a protected vale, completely closed off from the outside world. Her over-protective mother Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, has never let her do anything outside of the valley. She has never even seen a man until one day, a mysterious male being lands his golden chariot splat in the middle of her favorite field. Over time, Persephone falls in love with this beautiful stranger, and only later does she discover that her lover is Hades, the Lord of the Underworld.

Clare's review

The legend and myth of Persephone has been told and treasured for thousands of years. In all the stories, Hades forced Persephone to rule with him on his underworld throne, none of them mention that maybe she chose to accompany him to the realm of the dead. In this version, Demeter is not at all the loving mother, but a vain and egotistical goddess who cares more about the barely and wheat on Earth more than her own immortal daughter's well-being.  Hades does not suddenly fly out of the sky to kidnap the goddess, but instead courts her in secret, letting her choose whether or not she wants to rule at his side. She comes back not because Zeus forced her to, but to keep the promise she made to a deceased mother to find and protect her newborn child. The natural flow and style of the writing ensures that this is not a tale to forget, but one to pass down, along with the original tale of the goddess, Persephone.

I think the cover's OK, the girl is pretty and the flower is special, but I think that it could be more mysterious, in keeping with the content of the book - with darker colors and a more mature feel.
      

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more?  Visit:  http://amzn.to/9HpQLM

Books You Can't Put Down: The Last Olympian

The Last Olympian                                                                                  

by Rick Riordan

The Last Olympian is the final book in the Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. It is also my favorite. For months, the entire mythological world has been preparing for war. Now it has finally arrived. Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, must now face the bloodthirsty battle, bent on either saving or destroying all he has ever known. His friends, his family, and Olympus itself are all at risk, and he is the only one who can save them.

Clare's review

This is my favorite book out of all five in the series. The cover was really cool. The dark hues hinted trouble, and the sword in Percy's hand indicated battle.  From the first sentence, "The end of the world started when a Pegasus landed on the hood of my car,' I was hooked. I couldn't put it down! The author's playful yet gripping tone really suited the story. The action, the intrigue, the romance, was perfection on paper. All the characters stood out, each claiming my attention even when I thought I had none left to give! From the very beginning, I felt as if I knew each character personally. (That could also be because of the series; if you haven't, read it, read it now!)

The story has many twists and turns such as, the identity of the spy - I won't spoil it by explaining it here! The flow of the writing made it seem like the entire story was just lifted out of history and copied onto paper; it seemed so natural. The ending was wonderful, with just the right pace of winding down. There were hints that there will be another Olympian series. I sure hope so!

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.

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Want to know more?  Visit:  http://amzn.to/cwwLS8

Books You Can't Put Down: Fire

Fire                                                                                                    
by Kristen Cashore

Fire is the companion novel to Graceling. A human monster, with a monster father and a human mother, is cursed with unbearable beauty. When war attacks the Dells, Fire is faced with many seemingly impossible choices. Who's side will she be on? Will she further abuse her powers of mind control just to aid in the survival of a kingdom? Which of her lovers is truly worthy of her? She answers these questions and more, in this finely woven tale of love, loss, and war.

Clare's review

I still enjoyed Graceling more, but, that said, Fire was also superb. I stayed up all night just to finish it! The plot of the story was organized and executed almost perfectly. The settings and characters were described well, and there was just enough space between actions to give the reader some time to breathe. The author left the reader unsure as to who loved whom which kept the story interesting and made you want to figure it out! Some of my favorite parts were the action scenes and the musical segments. The truth about Fire's father's death left me stunned - I really didn't see it coming! This book is one of my favorites so far this year, and I hope readers everywhere will feel the same way.

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Clare Schuett is 13 and lives in Sebastopol California. She is a lover of books and a voracious reader. She reviews YA books, prior to their publication, for the American Library Association. We have the privilege of posting her reviews on our blog.