Secrets & Sharing Soda

Review: Zero Tolerance by Claudia Mills (ARC)

2013-06-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Zero Tolerance. by Claudia Mills. June 18, 2013. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. 240 pages. ISBN: 9780374333126

A model student, Sierra Shepard is the least likely seventh grader to be expelled for bringing a knife to school. Unfortunately, one day, she grabs her mother’s lunch instead of her own, and her mother has packed a knife in her lunch bag, planning to use it to cut an apple. Ever the conscientious citizen, Sierra turns the knife into the school office immediately upon discovering it, assuming it will be understood that she made an honest mistake. The principal, however, is not understanding. Rather, he cites the school’s zero tolerance policy, and sends Sierra to in-school suspension pending a hearing. For the first time in her life, Sierra is treated like a criminal, and though her father is ready to shame her principal into letting her off the hook, she is less certain that she shouldn’t be punished- or that she even wants to remain in a school that treats her so harshly.

Claudia Mills has written many school stories, but none is so timely as this 21st century tale. There are often reports on the news about kids bringing weapons to school, and also occasionally about kids who are wrongly accused or wrongfully punished for breaking a school’s zero tolerance policy. This book’s earnest main character takes readers inside such a sticky situation and gives them a firsthand look at the complications and consequences of applying a zero tolerance policy to every situation. Readers also have the opportunity to watch the way Sierra reacts to her new surroundings, where the other kids truly misbehave. Not only is this the story of a girl wrongfully accused, it is also the story of how this same girl’s eyes are opened to a segment of her school’s population which she has previously ignored, and how this experience broadens her horizons.

Zero Tolerance is a book I could easily sell to fans of Andrew Clements, especially those readers who have enjoyed Troublemaker and The Landry News. The issues presented in the story make it a logical choice for book groups or for classroom discussions, not just about the concept of zero tolerance, but also about misbehavior and what it means to be “good” or “bad.” It’s also a great example of a book with flawed but believably realistic adult characters. Girls and boys alike who appreciate issue-driven middle school stories won’t be disappointed by Claudia Mills’s latest project, and those who have grown up reading her books for slightly younger readers will be glad to have this new, more mature title on their shelves.

Zero Tolerance will be out tomorrow, June 18, 2013.

I received a digital ARC of Zero Tolerance from Macmillan via NetGalley.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

Old School Sunday: Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume (1981)

2013-06-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

Tiger Eyes. by Judy Blume. 1981. Atheneum. 256 pages. ISBN: 9780689858727

As many times as I have said I am not the reader who picks up certain titles only because they’re about to be made into movies, I am once again showing myself to be exactly that reader. I had never read Judy Blume’s Tiger Eyes, and never really planned to, until I saw some buzz on a couple of blogs and list-servs about an upcoming movie. Immediately, I went to my library shelf, pulled the book, and brought it home. I guess I thought maybe I would want to see the movie. As it turns out, though, I didn’t even like the book.

Tiger Eyes is the story of fifteen-year-old Davey, whose family leaves home in Atlantic City following her father’s murder in a robbery of his convenience store. While staying with her aunt and uncle in New Mexico, Davey makes friends with a girl at school, as well as with a college student known to her only as Wolf. As she gets to know Wolf, she also starts coming to terms with what happened to her dad, ultimately finding the strength to move forward with her life.

The way people have been describing this story makes it sound like the chief focus of the storyline is Davey’s relationship with Wolf. Before reading the story myself, I made the natural assumption that this was a romantic storyline, perhaps along the lines of Polly O’Keefe’s romance with Renny in A House Like a Lotus, or Kate’s with Ian in In Summer Light. Strangely, Wolf seems to be a very minor character in Tiger Eyes, and any romantic implications are subtle and nearly non-existent. While he gives her the nickname that becomes the title of the book, he otherwise appears infrequently and plays a very small part in Davey’s overall recovery.

In fact, there is very little that happens in the story that occurs outside of Davey’s own thoughts and feelings. Tiger Eyes is a very introspective novel, all about the emotional aftermath of a life-changing traumatic event. I tend to be fine with character-driven novels like this, but because I didn’t like Davey very much, I had trouble buying into her story. I felt sorry for her, certainly, but I never entered her consciousness in a way that made me feel what she felt. I was completely detached from everything I read, and I doubt I will retain much of it after this review is written and posted.

I have plans to re-read at least one, possibly two, of the Judy Blume novels I read when I was a kid, and I’ll be curious to see whether they appeal to me now in the same way they did when I was ten. Had Tiger Eyes been my first Judy Blume novel ever, I have to admit that I would wonder why she was popular. Hopefully, I will find that Just As Long As We’re Together and Blubber hold up better under close scrutiny, and I can dismiss my lukewarm Tiger Eyes experience as a fluke.

I borrowed Tiger Eyes from my local public library.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.

Review: My Happy Life by Rose Lagercrantz

2013-06-14T08:00:00.000-04:00

My Happy Life. by Rose Lagercrantz, illustrated by Eva Eriksson. 2010; 2013. Gecko Press. 134 pages. ISBN: 9781877579356

Dani (Daniela), who lives with her dad and her cat, has a pretty good life. True, her mom passed away when she was little, and yes, it is scary starting at a new school, but for the most part, Dani feels happy. She feels exceptionally happy when she meets Ella, the girl in her class who quickly becomes her very best friend. The two girls have lots in common, and they do everything together - sit together, play together... and when Ella has to move away, cry together. This heavily illustrated early chapter book helps young readers navigate the ups and downs of life, and encourages them to look for happiness, even in times of great sadness.

I arrived at work early one recent morning to discover that new books had been delivered while I was out sick. I picked this book up and started reading. Twenty minutes later, I had read the entire thing cover to cover. Translated from Swedish, and originally published in English in New Zealand this story stands out as decidedly different from many other chapter books on this same subject. The way the author uses language really evokes the feelings and thoughts of real five-year-old girls, and I could feel myself being pulled repeatedly into that mindset. Sometimes the text seems to move inexplicably from one train of thought to another, and I thought that was particularly effective. It reminded me of many conversations I have had on Pre-K class visits that quickly veer off-topic.

I like the way Dani marks time using the various weeks her class celebrates in school: fruit week, vegetable week, milk week, butter week, cheese week, bread week, etc. I also love that the narration occasionally mentions an activity Dani participated in, like drawing cows, that must have stood out for her as especially important during those weeks of learning. I like the details of her friendship with Ella, such as the fact that they swap bookmarks and have a nighttime club called Night Club. I even like the way the author describes the various injuries that happen in Dani’s class in very childlike terms - even though there seemed to be an almost unrealistic number of them in a short period of time. Finally, I appreciated the subtle way the illustrations sometimes addressed issues not mentioned directly in the text. On the opening page of chapter 11, for example, the text doesn’t mention anything about Dani’s dad and teacher worrying about her, but both are pictured standing behind her, looking at one another as though deciding how to help. This might be my favorite moment in the entire book. It is comforting - and sweet - that even when Dani might not realize it, the adults in her life are looking out for her and aware that she is having such a tough time.

Though that is my favorite page, the line drawings that illustrate the entire book are wonderful, and full of personality. There is a picture on almost every page, sometimes with just one line of text beneath a single image, as in a picture book. The illustrations show Dani and Ella having fun, and the clothing and behavior of many of their classmates. The way Eva Eriksson draws is reminiscent of two of my favorite artists - Marla Frazee and Sophie Blackall, both of whom draw children in ways that make them come to life on the page. Because of all the illustrations, this book is a great choice for a first chapter book to try with kids who have had a lot of experience with easy readers. The age of the main character also makes it a natural choice for those preschoolers who like to listen to longer books with more complex storylines.

My Happy Life reminds me a lot of Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, which deals with almost identical subject matter. Even the style of illustration is similar. I think it is also a great read-alike for the Princess Posey series, which is another set of heavily illustrated chapter books for the newest readers. Readers for whom My Happy Life is a just-right book might also enjoy Scholastic’s new Branches line for beginning readers.

I borrowed My Happy Life from my local public library.

For more about this book, visit Goodreads and Worldcat.