40 Days in the Desert

There are about 40 days left in the desert of summer before we reach the promised land of school! You should be getting your supply lists in the mail sometime during the next week, so take advantage of the sales and have fun gearing up for school. I'll be spending the next month getting my lesson plans ready for you while trying to squeeze in as much leisure time as I can. Tomorrow I plan on visiting the airshow at Fairchild Airforce Base. If I get any good pictures I'll post them here for you to see.

The Caves of Steel Book Review

"What I hold is not a neuronic whip, nor is it a tickler. It is a blaster and very deadly. I will use it and I will not aim over your heads. I will kill many of you before you seize me, perhaps most of you. I am serious. I look serious, do I not?" A person can pick up one of Isaac Asimov's books and just dive in with little or no preparation, and yet Asimov is still able to open up different worlds and distant futures. Asimov also has a way of making one think about the issues that society will face in the future. These are just a few reasons why Asimov is rightly regarded as one of the real giants of science fiction. The Caves of Steel is a mystery story. It is also a science fiction story. The title refers to how populated Earth has become in the distant future. There are so many people that our planet has become one gigantic city. Every piece of ground is covered with buildings that not only rise high into the air but also descend deep under the surface--like caves of steel. In this future, a murder has been committed, and police detective Elijah Bailey has been given the task of finding the killer. He is also forced to take on a new partner: Robot Daneel Olivaw. For me, the pleasure of reading The Caves of Steel comes more from watching Bailey and Olivaw interact than from trying to solve the mystery. The mystery story is fairly interesting, but what I enjoyed more was trying to imagine what it would be like to live in a world populated by robots. Asimov does a very good job of showing the kinds of issues humanity would have to deal with if we ever got to the point of making intelligent, humanoid robots. The Caves of Steel is an easy-to-read, entertaining book that asks important questions about the future. It's a great introduction to science fiction, especially for those who don't think that they like science fiction, and it's also great for mystery fans looking for something different.

After the Rain Book Review

The wonderful thing about After the Rain is that it feels so true. Like a good writer should, Norma Fox Mazer takes ordinary, everyday life and writes about it in such a way that it becomes interesting and compelling. After the Rain recounts the story of Rachel, a typical middle-class teenager just trying to live her life. Rachel struggles with what it means to be a high school student, what it means to have a boyfriend, and what it means to be a granddaughter--which are all interconnected, as they are in life. In reading After the Rain, you feel that these are real people living real lives. And by living through this experience with Rachel and her family, we come to understand our own lives a little better. Her story is touching and sometimes sad, but always life-affirming. Though this book has a natural appeal for girls, I think it would be too narrow to confine it only to girls. Rachel's struggles are universal--boys deal with these very same issues, though not necessarily in the same way. It's also important for them to understand the kinds of thoughts and experiences that girls have. It is very important for the reader to go into this book with the attitude that you are about to meet some real people in real situations. This is no action/thriller, no soap opera, no keep-you-on-the-edge-of-your-seat page-turner. Rather, it is a leisurely walk with Rachel and her grandfather on the road of life.

Killer Angels Book Review

"This is a different kind of army. If you look at history you'll see men fight for pay, or women, or some other kind of loot. They fight for land, or because a king makes them, or just because they like killing. But we're here for something new. I don't...this hasn't happened much in the history of the world. We're an army going out to set other men free." What motivates a nation to go to war with other nations? What motivates a nation to go to war with itself? Michael Shaara deals with this second question in his brilliant historical novel The Killer Angels. The battle of Gettysburg was one of the most important moments in our nation's history, and Shaara's novel brings it alive like few writers have. It is no wonder that it won the Pulitzer Prize for literature. By letting us inside the minds of the major leaders of both the northern and southern armies, Shaara puts us right in the middle of the action and helps us to better understand what happened at Gettysburg and what it was like. The Killer Angels takes a remote historical battle and makes us care about the people who fought it, and helps us understand the reasons they fought. Anyone with even a slight interest in the Civil War or military strategy should read this book. This is also a great book for those who have never tried historical fiction before. The writing never gets in the way of the story--it is easy to read, and moves along fairly quickly. Since most eighth graders study American history in their social studies classes, The Killer Angels would be a perfect choice to complement what you learn in class.

The Sword of Shannara

"Truisms, my young friend, are the useless children of hindsight." There was a time when only a few of my students had heard of J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Of course, all that has changed with Peter Jackson's magnificent movies. Now all of my students are familiar with the story, and many of them have read the books. If you haven't read them yet, buy them immediately--they're that good (and so much more satisfying than the movies, which I also happen to love). But what if you've already read Tolkien and you want to read more of the same type of story? Or what if you've tried The Lord of the Rings, and just haven't got the knack of reading fantasy yet? The Sword of Shannara might just be what you're looking for. A dwarf, two elves, two halflings, a wizard, and two men must travel together to keep an ancient elven artifact from becoming a powerful tool in the hands of evil. Sound familiar? Well, perhaps Terry Brooks does copy Tolkien a bit--ok, more than just a little bit--but that doesn't mean that this book doesn't have its own strengths. The Sword of Shannara has terrific characters, some great battles, and a non-stop plot. Brooks' writing moves along much faster than Tolkien's and is, I think, easier reading, especially for those who are new to fantasy. Many teenage readers who find Tolkien slow in parts are very satisfied by Brooks' pace. Of course, the faster pace means less depth and history, which is a definite drawback. But while The Lord of the Rings is absolutely a superior work, The Sword of Shannara is still a great ride.

Something Wicked This Way Comes Book Review

There's nothing in the living world like books on water cures, deaths-of-a-thousand-slices, or pouring white-hot lava off castle walls on drolls and mountebanks. How I just love Ray Bradbury's writing style. After I read any of his stories or novels, the world becomes a more interesting place. Falling leaves become tears that the trees cry; rain is the cleansing power of the universe; books are portals to new worlds. Ray Bradbury takes the ordinary world and electrifies it until it shimmers with a glow that was always waiting to shine. Something Wicked This Way Comes is a horror story. It's scary. Not the kind of scary that makes you check under the bed, but the kind of scary that makes you wonder if you're in the grip of evil yourself. Bradbury shows us the dark side of ourselves in this traditional story of good versus evil. In the month of October, a carnival comes to a small town in Illinois--which doesn't sound too frightening (of course, that's what people used to say about clowns). But this carnival brings evil with it--the evil of granting your deepest desire. This is what elevates Something Wicked This Way Comes to being more than just a horror story. It's a horror story that gives its reader something to contemplate about his or her own life. What is it that I want more than anything in the world? What am I willing to do to get it? It's a terrific story told by a master storyteller. Perfect for a dark and stormy night...

Ender's Game Book Review

Of all the books that have been read in my classroom over the years, one continually grabs the attention of my students and keeps them interested from page one: Ender's Game. Maybe it's the non-stop action; maybe it's watching Ender try to rise through the ranks of the battle school; maybe it's the threat of the Buggers returning to make war on humanity. I think it might just be that they like Ender Wiggin so much, they want to see how far he can go. The book takes place in the future, when parents are only allowed two children. However, the military is looking for geniuses to fight against the coming alien invasion, so they have the authority to requisition extra children from parents with high IQs. Ender Wiggin is one of these "Thirds," the youngest child in the Wiggin family. And he has an amazing ability to know exactly what he must do to win--no matter how dangerous the game is. More information than that would spoil the fun of reading this for yourself. Ender's Game is that extremely rare book that has something important to say about life in an exciting and suspenseful way. It is most definitely science fiction, but it also contains elements of fantasy, politics, warfare and even love. Readers need to be aware that the book contains some vulgar expressions and references, similar to what one would expect to encounter in a military barracks during wartime. Mature readers will be able to handle these without any problems. Immature readers are better off waiting.

Don Quixote Book Review

"Master, sadness was made for men, not for beasts, but if men let themselves give way too much to it, they turn into beasts." It has been said that a person should read Don Quixote at least three times in one's life: in youth, in middle age, and in old age. I whole-heartedly agree, but I would hope that it could be read more often than that. This is my all-time favorite book, the one book I would want with me if I was stuck on a deserted island (besides the Bible, of course). To me, the best reason for a person to learn how to read literature is to be able to read this one book. What makes it so great? The first thing to mention is the characters. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are the kind of people I would love to have to dinner, just to listen to them talk. They are the kinds of characters that when you finish the book you breath a big sigh and say to yourself, "I wish they were real people, so that I could meet them." And then you smile and think, "Wait, it's a book--I can meet them again anytime I want to!" In addition to the characters, another great quality of Don Quixote is its humor. At some parts you will laugh out loud, at others you will simply smile. But whether you roll on the floor or just grin, Don Quixote is just about the most pleasant book you will ever read. And by that I mean that it's just plain fun, from cover to cover. That's not to say that it's not serious. Don Quixote deals with the most important issues of life: love, friendship, duty, honor. It is also quite sad and moving in a few places. In fact, it may contain the saddest scene I have ever read. But what is it about? you may be asking. I haven't said anything yet about the plot, and for two reasons. One, many people are familiar with the story of the old man who has read so many books about knights that he decides to become one. And two, Don Quixote isn't really about the plot. It's really the story of one man's attempt to make a real difference in the world, no matter how foolish he seems to others. I would like to conclude with a few words about how to approach this book. First, know that it is extremely long, so it requires patience and perseverance. Second, understand that the book is divided into two parts, which were written 15 years apart. That's important to know to get some of the humor of the second part, which is actually the best half. Try to read a complete, unabridged version if you can, even if you have to skim a few chapters. And don't feel bad about skimming, especially at this age. When you re-read it in a few years you can spend more time on those chapters. Finally, Don Quixote needs to be read at a leisurely pace. It is not like a blockbuster action movie, or a suspenseful thriller. Reading it should be more like sinking into a hot tub at the end of the day, or like sitting around a campfire talking with friends late at night. It is something to be savored, because it is over far too soon.