Bookami

Ridiculous/ Hilarious/ Terrible/ Cool: A Year in an American High School by Elisha Cooper

Synopsis: The author, Elisha Cooper, spent a year documenting the lives of 8 students, mostly seniors, at Walter Payton High School in Chicago. 

Review: When you spend your days reading YA novels like Gossip Girl and Gingerbread, you tend to view high school as a place where a bunch of shallow, back-stabbing, albeit totally together and well-coiffed, brats come together to compare notes.  Ridiculous/ Hilarious/ Terrible/ Cool reminds jaded adults like myself that this is so not the case.  This book reminded me that it's not easy to be a high school student, and it's particularly hard to be a senior.  Work, tests, college application essays, dance, theater, soccer, student council and other extra-curricular activities in and out of school - it's enough to give any adult anxiety, let alone 17-year-olds.  How do they do it?  And in the case of 6 of the 8 students observed in this book, how do they do it so well?

Daniel is the high school class president.  He's applying to Harvard, but knows that it might be tough because his ACT scores and grades aren't as high as they could be. He sells shoes part-time.  Emily is the captain of the soccer team.  She's won numerous awards for her talented playing, as well as being a scholar-athlete.  She's applying to Yale.  She's hopes an Ivy League degree will lead to making a lot of money and attain her power.  Maya dreams of being an actress and hopes to attend NYU.  Diana is on the Payton swim team.  She would love to be the first person in her family to attend college.  Her three older siblings didn't go to college.  Currently they don't even work.  Aisha is the only new student in her class, and the only Muslim, but she doesn't let it bother her too much.  Her parents are both engineers, and she's used to being the new kid and being alone. It's only another school year to her.  Beautiful Anais just wants to dance, and if she can stay injury free, it will be either Juilliard or Indiana for her.

Anthony and Zef are the strugglers of the bunch.  Anthony, a junior, hardly ever goes to class.  He sits in his same spot in the cafeteria pining over The Girl.  He'd like to get it together enough to play football for the school, but he just can't seem to get focused.  Zef, also a junior, stays up all night working on his music.  Consequently, he can't stay awake in class. He's well liked by his classmates, but something has to change if he desires to become a senior at Payton.

Walter Payton High School is a good high school.  Teens from all over Chicago apply to become students, and with the motto "We nurture leaders," it's no wonder so many kids want to go to this new school.  It's also no wonder that so many of the students observed succeeded in accomplishing their goals, or at least most of them.  Having said this, make no mistake, Walter Payton is still an urban high school.  The infamous Cabrini Green Housing Projects loom to the West of the school. It is diverse with a third of the students being black, a third white and a third Latino, and with a small percentage of Asian students.  Expectations are high, and security is tight.  It's not easy to succeed at Walter Payton. What these six seniors accomplished is pretty impressive.  As for the juniors, Anthony and Zef, they have another year to get it together, and the reader has no doubt that they will.  This book definitely fills one with hope for future generations. 

Big Bad Bunny by Franny Billingsley & Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Synopsis: Little mouse Baby Boo-Boo is tired of being treated like a baby and uses her big attitude and some bunny ears to gain some respect in the Mouse House.

Review: Mama Mouse is tucking in her well-loved children for their naps when she notices that Baby Boo-Boo has disappeared.  She runs into the forest frantically searching for her little one.  Meanwhile Big Bad Bunny is stomping through the woods too.  Big Bad Bunny has pointy, yellow teeth.  Big Bad Bunny has long, sharp claws.  Big Bad Bunny can go anywhere because nothing stops her until she comes to a great, big, huge hill.  Big Bad Bunny is lost, and she starts to howl as loud as a hundred hungry hyenas, and that is how Mama Mouse finds her little one and takes her home for her nap.

What child won't appreciate Baby Boo-Boo creating the persona of Big Bad Bunny to get some respect from her family?  Just because she's the littlest one in age doesn't mean she's still a baby.  Turning into Big Bad Bunny and running away is something she has to do, but then she gets lost and discovers that she may still need help from her Mom after all.  It's lovely for a child to be reminded that their Mom will always be there no matter how big she may get, but I wish there had been a Papa Mouse in the story.  Would a Papa Mouse not have searched just as hard for his Baby Boo-Boo?  I also wish the color palette used wasn't quite so muted.  A Spring picture book with a bunny in it needs to be a bit brighter.  The book does make for a fun read-aloud, though.  With verbs like roar, stomp and chomp, children are sure to want to yell right along with Big Bad Bunny. 

Imaginary Enemy by Julie Gonzalez

Synopsis: Many kids have an imaginary friend, but Jane Venezuela White has an imaginary enemy named Bubba.  When life becomes unfair or Jane screws up, she writes nasty notes to Bubba, blaming him for everything.

Review: If you're looking for a fun, quirky book where not a whole heck of a lot happens, then Imaginary Enemy is the book for you.  Jane White is as average as her name.  She is the oldest product of her father's second marriage.  She has an older half-brother, Luke, that she idolizes.  She has two younger full siblings, Zander and Carmella, that drive her slightly batty.  She's not exactly one of the popular kids in school, but she's no dork either.  She's never the teacher's pet, but she doesn't require summer school.  In other words, Jane falls middle of the road in just about everything she does, but she does have one eccentricity.  Instead of an imaginary friend, Jane has an imaginary enemy named Bubba, short for Beezlebub.  Since the second grade, Jane has taken to writing to Bubba under the pen name Gabriel whenever her life feels unjust.  Jane doesn't want to take responsibility for much of anything.  She'd much rather have the carefree attitude of a total slacker.  Of course, that's what makes Jane's life difficult.  While she would like to have an I-don't-care attitude, she does care.  She worries about what her best-friend Emma thinks of her.  She worries about what the deMichael boys next door think about her, particularly what Sharp deMichael thinks about her.  She worries about having the right hair.  She even worries about what her parents think of her, not that she'd tell them that.  And she really starts to worry when her imaginary enemy writes back to her.  How can a figment of her imagination be responding to her letters, and how is it possible that Bubba wants to meet her face to face?  Can Jane handle the responsibility of dealing with her lifelong foe?  After all, it's not as if Jane's had much practice taking responsibility for anything in the past. 

So while Jane's story doesn't exactly whisk you away from the woes of teenage every day life, there is something charming about how Jane deals with the ups and downs of being a 16-year-old.  Jane is like a soda with a twist of lime.  Overall she's a pretty good daughter, friend, and girlfriend, but occasionally she's a bit wicked too, and on those days I wouldn't want to cross her or her imaginary enemy.

If you like this novel, you might also like This Lullaby (12+) by Sarah Dessen.

The Willoughbys Written & Illustrated by Lois Lowry

Synopsis: The four Willoughby children are part of an old-fashioned family and therefore, deciding that they should become orphans, create a sinister plan to rid themselves of their parents.  Little do they know, though, that their parents would also like to be free of them and have created their own scheme to become childless.

Review: Just as I was beginning to think March was a little slow for great children's books to review, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry publishes this wickedly funny parody of "old-fashioned" tales, The Willoughbys.  This book is certainly not sickeningly sweet like Pollyanna or Anne of Green Gables, but it does contain all the appropriate elements: a competent, loving nanny, an abandoned infant, a lonely, old benefactor, less-than-desirable adults, and rather naughty children.  No, this is more like Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, but without so much despair and all of the parenthetical phrases (thank goodness). 

The story begins when the Willoughby children find a baby girl on their doorstep.  The youngest and only girl, Jane, would like to keep the infant but her mother and three brothers, Tim, Barnaby A and Barnaby B, decide that the child is beastly and must be taken to the doorstep of some wealthy neighbor.  Alas, this leads the children to wonder why they too can't be orphans and go to live with a rich benefactor.  The oldest, Tim, points out that they could encourage their parents to take an exotic and dangerous vacation that would lead to their demise.  Thus, the plan is hatched.

Unfortunately, before their parents depart, the children make the mistake one night of asking for a bedtime story.  Their father begrudgingly reads them Hansel & Gretel, allowing Mr. Willoughby to form a scheme of his own.  He proposes to his wife that they could take an extended, permanent holiday, hire a nanny for the children, and then sell the house right out from under them, leaving the children homeless.  Thus, a second diabolical plan is born.

As a former bookseller, it pains me to apply the description of "for all ages" to any book, but in this case it is warranted.  My five-year-old thought it was terribly funny when Tim put his sister Jane in the corner, but I loved when Mrs. Willoughby cut off all of the abandoned baby's curls to make it less cute.  We both liked how Barnaby A and B had to share the same sweater.  I'm even sure that my grandmother would love this book.  Whether it be historical fiction, fantasy or humor, Lowry's contributions to children's literature are immeasurable.  She even sweetly illustrated this book.  Is there anything she can't do?  Hopefully, this "wizened, reclusive old woman who sits hunched over her desk thinking obsessively about the placement of commas," will continue to write for many years to come.

If you like the idea of this novel, you'll likely also enjoy Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events or The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley and Peter Ferguson.

Tunnels by Roderick Gordon & Brian Williams

Synopsis: Will Burrows and his father are excited when they discover an underground tunnel far beneath modern-day London, but then Will's father disappears.  With the help of his only friend, Chester, Will vows to uncover the truth behind his father's disappearance, leading he and Chester to discover a bleak and deadly underworld.

Review:  While I certainly enjoyed Tunnels, I don't think I get all the comparisons being made to the Harry Potter books.  True, Tunnels has an incredibly elaborate plot like the Potter books, but it lacks the wonderful characterizations.  Will is all right, I guess, but he's not near as tragic and defined as Harry.  I didn't find that I felt terribly sorry for him even though his mother is a crack-pot, his father has disappeared, and his sister is just plain weird.  Then, there's whiny Chester.  I know the Colony is a dark, scary place, but when Will is removed from the jail, I felt as if Chester should buck up and try to escape.  Instead, he curls up in a ball and cries.  I doubt we would ever see Ron and Hermione go fetal.  Then, there's Cal, Will's underground little brother, but that's all he is, a typical, annoying younger brother. 

Tunnels differs greatly from the Potter novels in its tone as well.  Tunnels is bleak and grimy and claustrophobic all the time.  There are no light-hearted moments. It's hard for the reader to feel any hope when Will and Chester are traveling miles below London's surface.  It's especially difficult when they are told they can never return to London without constantly living in fear of the Styx hunting them down and killing them.  Even when above the surface, the tone is depressing.  Will is constantly getting beat up at school, and the description of Auntie Jean and her cigarette smoke-filled apartment made me shudder.  Does Will have no where that he belongs?  Does he have no where to feel safe?  At least Harry has Hogwarts or the Weasley's home. 

So while I liked Tunnels and think Gordon and Williams did an excellent job of capitalizing on many people's fear of the dark, I just don't think it bears much similarity to the Harry Potter series.  I'd be curious to see what the ratio of boys to girls reading this book is.  As there are no well-defined female characters, I can't help but think this falls more on the side of being a boy book. Oh, and one more thing, what is up with all the terrible spot drawings in the book?  Why bother?  Nothing of any importance is ever pictured.  The drawings were just a hindrance to the pacing of the text.   Hopefully, they can be left out of book two.

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

Synopsis: If Gil Goodson can win the Golly Toy & Game Company's ultimate stunt and puzzle competition, his family will have the money to move away from Orchard Heights and all the bad things that have plagued them since the trial.

Review: The Gollywhopper Games is a cross between Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Balliett's The Wright Three.  It has all the humor of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without the bleakness, and it has all the brain-teasers of The Wright Three without any of the characters seeming stuffy.  Jody Feldman has written a fun, fast-paced novel that gives kids credit for the brains in their heads and the kindness in their hearts.

The last 18 months have not been easy for Gil Goodson and his family.  Gil's father was accused of embezzling funds from his employer, Golly Toy & Game Company.  While his father was found not guilty of all charges, the little town of Orchard Heights has been hard-pressed to forget the incident.  Gil believes that the only way for his family to move on is for him to win the Gollywhopper Games.  The Gollywhopper Games are being held to celebrate Golly Toy & Game Company's 50th anniversary.  If he can win the challenge, his family will have enough money to move away from Orchard Heights, but it will also provide Gil a bit of vindication against his father's former employer.

On his quest, Gil has to team up with 4 other kids.  His favorite is Bianca LaBlanc.  She's 15 and wants to be a supermodel.  She just hopes being a contestant will get her on T.V.  Then there's Lavinia Plodder.  Lavinia is very smart, but her mother pushes her too hard and treats her like she's 5.  Thorton Dewitt-Formey basically bought his way into the competition by buying a bunch of Golly toys, but he's pretty smart if not a bit on the wimpy side.  Finally, there's brawny Rocky Titus.  Rocky's dad used to work for Golly too, and he's not above taking some cheap shots at Gil. 

With a quick moving plot, challenging puzzles, a sinister enough villain, and a main character who is smart, nice and a "good son", Jody Feldman really has created a winner in The Gollywhopper Games.   

Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff

Synopsis: Beautiful Boy is David Sheff's memoir, detailing his son Nic's addiction to meth.  For my last posting, I reviewed Tweak, which was Nic Sheff's young adult memoir about his addiction.

Review: Having read both of these books back to back, I have to say that I'm in awe that both Nic and his Dad were courageous enough to write these memoirs.  For Nic, you can say that both books might serve as reminders of why he doesn't want to start using again, but for David Sheff I'm not sure what he gets out of it.  Sure, it might provide other families dealing with addiction some answers as to how to cope with this horrible disease, but as David himself points out, there are no clear-cut remedies for curing someone of this particular malady.  I know that David repeats several times that writing gave him solace, but I find it incredibly brave that he could put the story out there for all the world to read.

The big difference between the two memoirs is that Tweak is very fast-paced.  Tweak is the car wreck you can't help staring at on the highway.   I couldn't fathom the things Nic was doing to himself or his family and friends, but I couldn't stop reading his story either.  I read it in a day.  Beautiful Boy is much slower and often times repetitive.  David Sheff's story is one of fearful anticipation and waiting.  Waiting to hear from the police about Nic's latest crime.  Waiting to hear from the hospital to see if Nic survived the night.  Waiting to hear from Nic to know that he is alive.  It took three days for me to read Beautiful Boy.  I just couldn't stay inside David Sheff's anguish for too long at a time.  David really loves his son, and Nic really loves his father, but against methamphetamines, their love is just not strong enough.  All David Sheff can do is cautiously hope that his son will be one of the ones to beat his addiction.  All David Sheff can do is "step back, be supportive, but let Nic's recovery be his recovery as we work on creating healthy, as Nic describes them, loving and supportive but independent relationships."  He has no choice but to let his beautiful boy go and find his own life.