Book post: Chopsticks

Book cover from Penguin

Anthony, J. & Corral, R. (2012). Chopsticks. New York, NY: Razorbill.

Told through photographs, artifacts, text messages, and letters, this book is a beautiful and haunting story. A piano prodigy, Glory, loses her mother at a young age, and her father pressures her to become a star. When she falls in love with her next door neighbor, Frank, she becomes happier but also starts thinking about the past more than usual. Her stress and depression build, and flashbacks alter the timeline to the point where it is hard to tell what is real and what is imagined. 

Chopsticks also has an app with additional content. 

Book post: From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

Book cover from Simon & Schuster

Konigsburg, E.L. (1967). From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks.

*Winner of the 1968 Newbery Medal*

Claudia wants to be "different," and she thinks running away from home (temporarily) is the answer. She needs to experience something important, but doesn't want to inconvenience herself too much. The planning and scheming is her favorite part, and she enlists help from her brother Jamie to run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I can't believe I had never read this book before, because it is so wonderful. Claudia and Jamie are so entertaining, and they encounter a mystery during their time living in the museum. This is a great book for talking about art, because it mentions many famous types of artwork as the resourceful brother and sister duo explore the museum. Readers can't help but be intrigued by the art of the Italian Renaissance, and especially Michelangelo, after reading this story.

Book post: The Higher Power of Lucky

Book cover from Simon & Schuster

Patron, S. (2006). The higher power of Lucky. New York, NY: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

*Winner of the 2007 Newbery Medal*

Lucky is trying to find her "Higher Power." She helps clean up at Hard Pan's Found Object Wind Chime Museum and Visitor Center, which serves as the meeting place for all sorts of twelve-step meetings, and she loves to eavesdrop on the stories of how people found their higher power. She lives with her father's ex-wife Brigitte since her mother died, and she is constantly worried that Brigitte will realize how much easier her life would be without Lucky. Therefore, she sets out on her own with her trusty survival kit. It would be fun to watch videos of desert dust storms and learn more about the desert ecosystem to get an idea of what the conditions are like when Lucky runs away. This story has a great message of love, family, and friendship, which makes it empowering for everyone, including those from broken homes. 

Book post: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Book cover from Simon & Schuster

Chbosky, S. (1999). The perks of being a wallflower. New York, NY: Gallery Books.

Charlie is a wallflower. He sits on the sidelines observing life, but is trying hard to participate. He is starting high school having just lost his best friend to suicide, and when he starts making new friends again, they are a group of seniors who teach him a lot about life. Charlie is immersed into a world of music, books, drugs, alcohol, and sexuality. He doesn't know where he fits or what he's ready for yet, but tries to be a good friend and to be himself. Dealing with depression the entire year, Charlie is still optimistic about life as he makes observations about everything happening around him. Written as an epistolary novel, Charlie writes letters to an unnamed "friend." This would be a good exercise for all high school students; when you feel like there is no one to talk to who would truly understand, write anonymously to someone to tell them the types of issues you are dealing with. I love Charlie because he is a very dynamic character, who changes because of his experiences, the books he reads, the music he listens to, his reflections of his past, and his dreams for the future.

Book post: Wonderstruck

Book cover from Scholastic

Selznick, B. (2011). Wonderstruck. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 

*Winner of a 2012 Schneider Family Book Award*

Ben has lost his mother and has lost his hearing when he goes on a journey to find out who his father is. Rose is deaf and dreaming of life in New York City. This book melds pictures and text to make an extremely engaging story. It follows a similar format as his bestseller The Invention of Hugo Cabret. A difference in this one is that the text is a story of its own (Ben's) and the pictures are another (Rose's). The stories run parallel to one another and then merge as the book progresses. A fun activity to do with this book would be to start "curating" a story of your life to share, as a memory box or even in digital form with photographs. Ben collects things that are important to him, and realizes he is like a museum curator, putting together the story of his life, and that this quality is central to who he is. I love Ben's journey of discovery and how the stories fit perfectly together by the end. 

Book post: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

Book cover from Simon & Schuster

Saenz, B.A. (2012). Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

*Winner of 2013 Pura Belpre Award*
*Winner of 2013 Printz Honor*

Ari is a Mexican-American teen who is trying to figure out who he is as he deals with family secrets. He is a loner, and likes it that way, until he meets Dante at the local pool one summer and they become fast friends. Dante is more confident, and tries to bring out that side in Ari as well. They are always laughing together, and grow very close. When Dante reveals to Ari that he is gay, Ari is surprised but remains loyal to and protective of Dante because he realizes that Dante is one of the most important people in his life. This book has strong characters who feel very real. I love Dante's passion for life, and Ari's struggle to find himself. Dante wants to be an artist, and he mentions some favorite paintings that he loves. He writes in a letter to Ari, "See the thing about artists is that they tell stories. I mean, some paintings are like novels." It would be fun to take this concept and find an interesting painting to write a story about, focusing on creating a common theme.