I am a big fan of YA and a big fan of Wonder Woman, which is why I was so excited to read Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo. But, this book was a BIG letdown for me. No matter how many times I picked it up, I could not get into it. When I finally did read it, it took me FOREVER. Not a good sign.
Warbringer is a whole new Wonder Woman tale set when Diana (Wonder Woman) is a teenager. She saves another teenaged girl, Alia, without knowing this rescue would bring serious consequences to her home and the rest of the world. This is because Alia is unknowingly a warbringer.
Now, I am not a comic book junkie, but luckily I have a husband who can fill in all the missing pieces for me when it comes to superheroes. However, this book completely disregards Wonder Woman’s origin story – rewriting a whole new story about teenage girl power instead. I was completely lost at times because it was like starting over with a character I already know and love.
Then, the setting was hard to grasp. Is it modern day? Is it in the past? It seemed like it was supposed to be taking place today in New York City and back in Diana’s world, which was a little strange. Some of the things Diana was familiar with made no sense where others did not.
Plus, I was not drawn to the characters or the plot. At all. Unfortunately, this Wonder Woman novel did not inspire any wonder for me.
Even though I wasn’t a fan, I’d like to thank Blogging for Books for providing me with this copy for an honest review.
I read 90 books this year! While a few ended up being disappointing, most were quite enjoyable. But, it is super challenging to narrow down a list of 90 books to a small list of my favorites. Keyword here is "my." There will be plenty of people who disagree with my decisions. However, I created this list by thinking about which books stood out to me and which ones I safely recommend to my friends. Without further ado, here's my list of The Best Books of 2017.
Eye-opening nonfiction about the unjustness of the criminal justice system following a case similar to To Kill a Mockingbird in the same setting. My full review
Turtles All the Way Down, the latest by beloved YA author John Green, is finding wide-ranging reviews. This novel was anxiously awaited for by Green fans since it is his follow-up the mega-hit, The Fault in Our Stars. For his latest, people either love it or they hate it. I am squarely in the “love it” category for several reasons.
1. I must admit that part of why I love any book by John Green is because I love John Green himself. I know this isn’t right, but I can’t help it. He has done so much for young adult literature and young adults, in general. He has created safe spaces online to discuss real-life issues in a way teens can understand. I actually first discovered John Green on YouTube rather than his novels (as did many other nerdfighters). Specifically, a video he posted debating why his books should not be banned. You should check it out.
2. One of the constant critiques I hear of John Green is that teenagers do not “talk like that.” You’re wrong. While most do not, there are some teenagers I taught who did talk just like his characters. I'm not ashamed to admit that I taught teenagers who were way smarter than me. And, who cares if teens read this book and they don’t really talk this way? They will just learn some more SAT words. And, if we want to treat them like adults, then we should talk to them like adults.
* Now that is out of the way, let me tell you why Turtles All the Way Down may be my favorite John Green novel.
3. I read the novel a few days ago, and I am still thinking about it. This is the sign of a really good (great) book.
4. This book deals heavily with mental illness. However, unlike some other young adult books that make mental illness (and/or suicide) seem romantic (you don’t want to get me started), TATWD does not glamorize it. It is eye-opening. Readers get to go inside the head of the protagonist to hear her stream-of-consciousness thoughts and how they affect her actions. It is sad, frustrating, and uneasy. And, John Green does not try to “solve her problem.” In fact, he does the opposite. He ends the book by letting the readers know this is something the character will continue to deal with for the rest of her life.
5. Along those same lines, this is not a typical YA book where the main character is rescued or does the rescuing. Neither happens. I love that. It is so much more realistic.
6. The main relationship in this book is not romantic – it is platonic. The main character’s relationship with her female best friend is lovely. It is imperfect and beautiful. I love that rather than this being a book where the romantic elements drive the plot, this novel focuses on the relationships typically outside the plot.
7. It has lines like this one: “You’re both the fire and the water that extinguishes it. You’re the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You’re the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody’s something, but you are also your you" (257).
8. John Green has been open and honest about his personal struggles, including obsessive-compulsive disorder. I applaud him for using personal elements to bring a story to life for the rest of us. And, for showing how it is live with mental health issues and how it affects those closest to them. Plus, he includes a mental health services treatment health line number in his acknowledgments.
If you do not remember what it was like to be a teenager or do not like teenagers, then this book probably isn’t for you. But, if you do like teenagers and remember this time in your life (or have dealt with mental health issues or someone close to you has), then pick up this book. It is worth your time.
You can purchase this book from Amazon here or by clicking the picture or any of the hyperlinks, which are affiliate links. Thank you for supporting my blog.
Let me preface this review by saying my opinion is very much influenced by the comparisons to The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. Why? Because I absolutely love both of these books. I read The Giver as middle schooler and never forgot it, so I was thrilled when I got to teach it as an adult. As far as Fahrenheit 451 goes, it is one of my all-time favorites. I have highlighted, underlined, and written notes in my multiple copies of the novel. So, when The List was compared to the two of these works, I jumped at the chance to read it. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my personal hype.
However, this is still a good book and I can easily it working well in middle-grade classrooms for teaching the basics of literature (symbolism, allegory, themes, etc.). This middle grades novel tells the story of a dystopian world called Ark following the Melting (a result of global warming) where the people are forbidden from speaking using non-list words. The general idea is that language, art and music are what led to man’s downfall; therefore, extraneous words should be avoided. Young Letta, the main character, is a wordsmith, meaning she is responsible for documenting the proper list words. Letta develops a friendship with a desecrator (someone who does not follow orders and instead pursues the arts) and uncovers a harmful conspiracy by the leader, John Noa.
It has a very intriguing premise and may work well for teaching; however, it was pretty slow moving for me. The lengthy descriptive passages seemed to weigh the novel down rather than add to it. I wanted to be more attached to the characters and the plot. I also wanted the reader to see the power of words when more emphasis seemed to be placed on the power of art in general. It may be that I have just been saturated with dystopian novels, so for young people being introduced to the genre, they may feel differently. And, as I said earlier, as a former teacher, I was constantly picking up on how easy it would be to teach.
* I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
* You may purchase this book from Amazon here. This is an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Okay, y'all, if you have not met Sophie Hudson (aka Boo Mama), the writer of A Little Salty to Cut the Sweet, you now have the opportunity to hear her speak wisdom and life through this pretty and stuffed-full-o-truths devotional.
As a believer for a long time who has walked through many different seasons, Sophie Hudson's honest words about her experiences intertwined with the Bible have been a balm. There is something that just seems more genuine about someone who is both vulnerable and understands pop culture (Hello Hamilton & Gilmore Girls!) in relation to her walk with Jesus that I just get.
With that being said, Hudson's new devotional All in All is being promoted mainly to young ladies in high school and college. And, I get it. Sophie Hudson heart is for teenage/college girls. She works with them in a high school and she fondly recalls life events from her own college years. As someone who also has a heart for teens, this devotional called my name.
The devotional is full of sound Biblical truth in short segments, as well as questions for each day to help the reader reflect on her to apply those truths in her own life. And since she works with teenage girls every day, she knows what truths they need to be reminded of. For example, here are two quotes I immediately highlighted:
"Anxiety and stress do not get to boss you around, so don't sacrifice your sanity on the altar of achievement. Put first things first and set aside the other stuff. It can wait. It really can." "Somewhere along the way too many girls have bought into the belief that they have to be the best at everything. But that's a lie. You can absolutely love a life that honors God without being an academic stand-out or an extracurricular all-star [...] No one is handing out prizes for perfect, my friend. Only Jesus earns that prize."
Not gonna lie - I am long past high school and college, but I may be taping those truths to my bathroom mirror.
I highly recommend this devotional for young women in high school and college, and or if you are an adult like myself with a mind that functions like a teenager most days, you too.
* I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
* You may order this book from amazon here. This is an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting my blog!
Teachers and parents of teens, I have a treat for you! I
recently joined NetGalley and fell down the incredible rabbit hole of free
books. Free books just to read and review! I got a little overly excited, which
I have since learned is common for a NetGalley newbie. But, I wanted to read
them all! Give me all the books!
Imagine my silly delight when I stumbled across a Manga
Classics version of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s class, The Scarlet Letter. As a huge fan of this novel (as a reader and a
former teacher), I could not pass this opportunity up. Now, now. I know there
are always the purists, but I think the purists need to chill out. Kids need to
see the classics in a form they can appreciate. And, for many students, this
form is manga.
Am I saying this manga edition is a replacement for The Scarlet Letter? Absolutely not. The
problem with manga editions or graphic novel editions of any classic works are
that the beauty of the language is simply not there. The reason Hawthorne and
Dickens and Austen stand the test of time is because of the words they used to
tell their stories. A manga is not made to incorporate lengthy sentences or
sophisticated vocabulary.
However, the benefit of adding this manga edition of the
classic work to your library is that it is a great supplemental tool for
teaching the plot, characters and symbolism. Even with most of the words
stripped away, the plot is still clear. The characters are illustrated well.
And symbolism is expressed with art. I could see using this material for an
additional resource while I was teaching high school easily.
Will students be able to write an essay or pass a test by
reading this edition? No. Will they possibly enjoy the story more by reading it
alongside the assigned text. Yes. Give it a try!
* I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for
an honest review.
* You may order this book from amazon here. This is an
affiliate link. Thank you for supporting my blog!
