T is for trouble... and teenager... coincidence?

Ok I will admit it the book "When Falcon's Fly" is not my cup of tea. The biggest enjoyment I got out of the book was seeing the names of local land marks in print and in context of the story... it's weird for me reading books with settings I have actually been too. I think it may have actually been a first outside of travel guides.

I can see how the book would appeal to a reluctant reader with its sports "action" sequences. It takes on the task of putting readers in a more active role and mindset as the reader, other styles of books are more of the "sit back and relax" or "sit back and hang on" this book attempted to engage the reader in the action and I feel that makes it a good choice for a reluctant reader. I will keep it in the back of my mind for reluctant readers.

When I think of teen RA work I'm a tad torn, I know I can handle girls, create exciting displays that will capture attention and spark interest... but then there are boys...  At the very least I can suggest gender neutral titles, and I'm pretty up to speed on graphic novels, so I'm not completely going to mentally freak myself out about the prospect of RA work for teens.... Oh and just about any guy who plays World of War Craft or Dungeons and Dragons, well I've pretty much got that covered. Being that fantasy and male nerds are more "cool" than ever, and also more likely to use the library than they average jock, I can pretty much peg a kid who looks like he hasn't seen the light of day in a few months, as a gamer and come up with a few titles to suggest. (I wouldn't make that snap judgment lol but you get the idea)

Also there is Novelist and the internet, book trailer and other resources I can use to help me out. I feel pretty darn lucky to have these tools at my disposal, but they absolutely make me more comfortable in my ability to Teen RA work. If it is a regular part of my job I can see myself taking a real interest in the material, learning and staying current with it, and over all enjoying the work to be better at teen RA. I wouldn't say I'm a natural or anything, but I do feel it is something I could pick up as I go along a do well with.

Teens usually seem to feel more comfortable talking to me than I am with them. I'm not sure why but I do often get asked for advice from the teens in my life and they even go out of their way to include me in their lives. That gives me a little confidence that I can offer them material, and content that engages them, and expands on their likes. They don't scare me nearly as much as the kids because I am way less afraid of the teen who tells me my suggestion "sucks", than the parent who tells me their kid has been having nightmares for weeks because I suggested the book "Where the Wild things are". I think I scared the kid I baby sat for life when I showed her Lion King II... she is 18 now and still remembers being sacred... Sure she loved the original Lion King but the 2nd one had alligators... well those are just scary... clearly...  I can gauge teens they don't freak me out too bad, kids I'm just clueless on.

Verse Verses Traditional

I had not read a Verse Novel before Karma and I have to say is clearly changed my opinion of verse novels… not that I really had an opinion of verse novels so my as a expectation that they would be long fragmented and difficult to take in more than small doses.


What I got in Karma was a fluid, vivid, and descriptive experience that offered me so much more to my style of reading than the average narrative. I will be sure to pick up additional verse novels in the future for the pure pleasure of the reading experience.

If you can break down the sigma of the writing style I really can’t see how anyone who has managed to give one of these a shot wouldn’t at least find them readable, (provided the reading level matched the reader) regardless of liking the specific story or not. I think one of the big hurdles to overcome with verse novels is the concept that they are “not readable” some strange Shakespearian writing style that one must invest time in to understand and get the effect of. I like poetry and prose but when I do read I tend to like it in small doses. I often feel when I come across it like I just don’t have the time to get into it unless it’s in short snippets. Karma disproved that.

I’ve read books with Poetry in them but the fluid ability of a verse novel to incorporate the feel of poetry and carry a story makes it a powerful and enjoyable writing style that I can’t wait to get more of. Teens are likely more open than I in general I would absolutely recommend verse novels to teen readers.

I really like the vibrant feel that the verse style creates; I like the fluid nature, and that the writing offers a bit more variety. I enjoy all these things and look forward to reading more.

Dis the dystopian

I do think that All Good Children is an award winning novel. While it personally was not my cup of tea it’s generic enough to reach a wide audience while cramming in enough controversial subject matter to open discussions and thoughts on many ethical topics. From genetic profiling, over use of antidepressants, technology addiction, government controls, and monitoring, reality TV and interracial relationships (still controversial to some although less so today thankfully) the book runs the gamut of thought provoking subjects while some are more prevalent and relevant to the subject than others I notice the skill the author used in raising issues as a natural part of the story, giving the reader an opportunity to think on an issue then moving on fluidly with the story without flying off on tangents.

I am not sure how “gripping” the plot was that is the only point I having issues with I mean over all it a gripping plot but I feel you lose the quality “gripping” when you draw things out as extensively as they were in the book.  It just lacked so general element of excitement that is often captured by similar titles of the genre.

Also I come back to the fact that I don’t quite get certain male aspects of humor so the humor in the book didn’t really hit for me even though the write is female, she manages to for the most part pull off successfully a story form a male point of view… except when she is talking about Xavier and his supernatural ability to smell yummy then she is (in my opinion) writing like the biggest girl ever which was one point of her writing I had an issues with. Her writing is skillfully crafted and when she broke the flow with her attachment to Xavier’s character it was almost disappointing.
Missing the element of humor in the story and having a long plot lacking much action outside of sports I just can’t agree that the story was gripping, the plot maybe but the actual story fell short. The story highlights creativity, individuality and non-conformity. The aspects of creative expression and rebellious nature are the back bone of the main character and I suppose the characters were memorable enough since I do recall their names.

I think the novel is also general enough it the “time setting” that it will not become easily dated. When you look at the technologies she has used in her book it’s at a level that someone could have read the book 50 years ago and followed it before we had the internet, and I can absolutely see how it will stand the test of time as a story of non-conformity.  The content in the book is very well presented but I do feel a few additional “hooks” to hold the reader’s attention, and add some spice to the duller parts where the story dragged were much needed.

I’d suggest it for teens as something they should read, but I’d also pay attention to feedback from them if I was told by readers or the age group that the book is as slow as I felt it was I would hesitate to recommend it to anyone other than fans of the genre. I love fantasy so a slow fantasy novel likely won’t bother me to much but for someone who isn’t a fan of the genre it can be painful to keep reading a book they don’t really like the concept of to begin with. That’s a shame too because I do feel the book has an extensive amount to offer young readers in content and context.