Saturday, May 3, 2003

Recent Reading I proctored SATs this morning, and between reading out directions and walking the room to make sure everyone was filling in the correct part of the answer sheet, I was able to finish one book and start another. The book I finished was Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion, which has won all kinds of awards, including the 2002 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. I remember really enjoying The Ear, the Eye and the Arm by her, and it's one I recommend often to students who might like something different (although I can never remember the order of the body parts -- is it eye first or ear?). This latest one is also excellent. I must remember to check out A Girl Named Disaster as well. The book I started (and finished later at home) was Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah. It's been on my list for a long time, and I wanted to see how it compared to Beverley Naidoo's The Other Side of Truth. It's obviously for older readers than Naidoo's book. (The copy in our middle/high library was transferred over from the elementary library.) I enjoyed it. The main character reminded me of some of the African refugees I have known in Cairo and in Moscow -- smart and honest and incredibly strong, especially given all that they have experienced. Sheesh! I hope this blog will help me reflect and write more critically about the books I'm reading. I've never been good at reviewing books because I either like a book or don't like it, and I'm not good at articulating why either way. 6:31:54 PM    comment []

© Copyright 2003 Deborah Wells-Clinton. Last update: 8/18/03; 7:32:34.