The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

I really like that this book is about a boy who is different- who has autism.  I think there needs to be more examples of things in the media that show people who are different.  A lot of value is placed on the individual, but what I like about this book is that it shows a community-minded response to Christopher, the main character.  Christopher, usually so isolated, is forced to go out into his community and the greater world to solve two mysteries.  I think we too often ignore or feel "relief" about kids who are different- that we don't have to "deal" with them.  I think that's a shame, because I have learned so much more from different kids than I've ever learned from kids who conformed to the mainstream standards.  Also, I love that this book challenges even what we think of as "normal" and maybe helps us to see that normal doesn't really exist.  Questions I have about the book are if Christopher was modeled after a particular student or if he is a conglomerate character.  I would love to know more about Christopher's school and the experiences of autistic kids at "special" schools.  I think anyone who likes mysteries and books that they can't put down would like this book, but I would especially recommend it to other teachers and my mom because I know they love knowing and learning about how we learn and gain information and grow.

Cover of book in the UK

Spider Monkeys...and curious creatures.

Currently, I am loving this book by Mark Haddon, and not just because the upside-down image of a dog on the cover is supposed to indicate that it is dead.  Christopher, the narrator, is a misfit- one of those 15 year olds that no teacher, parent, or even peer knows what to do with.  And yet, his father, who figures greatly in the book as well, seems to be able to figure out how to manage and even love his difficult son.  I cannot imagine writing a book with a main character as difficult as Christopher- but he is also charming, logical, and kind in his own way.  Oh, by the way, Christopher is autistic, and I appreciated that the book didn't "sugarcoat" the idea that people with disabilities still deserve to be part of society.  Seeing Christopher's neighbors, school staff and faculty, and his dad react to and deal with his disorder is what I think the heart of this book.  Also, seeing Christopher's thoughts about THEM gives us a new perspective on why developing relationships and fostering understanding can improve the quality of life for all involved.  The mystery is only secondary, it is the revelations of the thoughts and feelings of a unique, teenaged narrator that make this book enjoyable.  One of the most endearing traits of Christopher is his love of animals, which is another thing that makes him so relatable and not just a caricature of someone who has a disorder.  Even as a teacher, I need to be reminded of how different- how much an individual- each student is and try to respect them for both their strengths and their weaknesses.  I think Christopher reminds me of this.

spider monkey- an animal I think resembles Christopher

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

by Sherman Alexie.

This book- which I am almost finished with- is way funny and true.  I really like Junior, the main character, and his funny/smart perspective on life.  He is something of a misfit, and I think since most teenagers feel that way at some point or another, this book holds a lot of wisdom and humor for kids who feel out of place within their own communities, schools, and skins.  The book starts by describing Junior's life on the Indian Reservation in Washington (the state, not the city) and how he was born with an enlarged brain.  Junior is small and skinny, so he gets beat up alot, but he has a best friend- Rowdy- who protects him.  However, because Junior decides to go to school in the "white" town outside of the reservation, his friendship with Rowdy is jeopardized.  In order to find out how it all turns out ok- you should read the book yourself.  Junior is an aspiring cartoonist, so the book also has his drawings interspersed throughout, which breaks up the reading and gives you a glimpse into his active imagination.  This book appeals to people who like to laugh while they are reading and want to identify with a protagonist who doesn't always have it so easy.  I HIGHLY recommend this book.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

I just finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley.  I really liked this book because the heroine, Flavia de Luce- is so freakin' cool.  You can read more about Flavia (a fictional character) and her adventures here (yes, even fictional characters now have blogs).  Flavia is tormented by her older siblings, and she is also genius-level smart, which, of course, makes her both weird and interesting.  But, like all geniuses, she sometimes gets ahead of herself and makes the requisite rookie  mistakes.  But I like that she is so into chemistry- especially poison- I respect characters that dedicate themselves to odd areas of study and it's fun to see a girl in science (and one that excels at it).  Also, she lives in this crumbling, ancient British manor house, she rides her bike around the rural fields and towns of England, and she concocts her own hot cross buns on the fly.  Thus, she's a totally original girl and deserves to have her own series (which she does, you can find her other books here).  Finally, as the ultimate mark of awesomeness, she was created by a guy who wrote an entire non-fiction book on his hypothesis that Sherlock Holmes actually was a FEMALE character and totally angered most of the Holmesian fan community in the 80's and 90's (now, that's an idea I could totally get behind).  So, this book is not only a wonderful mystery, but actually made me wonder why it had been so long since I had read a mystery (I used to love them in high school).  Maybe because Alan Bradley took so long to perfect and publish this delectably diabolical heroine!

Symbols in Life of Pi

Another cover for the book.  Hello, Richard Parker!

Since Life of Pi is actually an allegory and the entire story can be read on multiple levels, every object, character, and event is basically symbolic. Thus, it starts seeming a ridiculous enterprise to try to label and explain every symbol. However, I do think it is still important to break the book down and talk about specific groups of symbols in order to decipher what human life event or phase the book is trying to explain.

Connecting...Life of Pi to other works

I think that one aspect of Life of Pi that connects to other texts stems from this quote, "I have heard nearly as much nonsense about zoos as I have about God and religion. Well-meaning but misinformed people think animals in the wild are "happy" because they are "free." (p. 15) This quote connects to other texts because we often confuse freedom with happiness. But I have found in my life that the times when I had the most freedom were not the times when I felt free at all, but the times where there were expectations and standards for choices or my behavior. Unfortunately, it is hard to pin down a specific time to illustrate this, there have been so many examples, but I think that there are a couple of general times in life that fit this profile: 1) after college graduation. Unless you are locked into a fellowship or graduate school, the wide world is open to you. This might explain why many college graduates search for awhile before finding their "true" callings in life. 2) after children leave the nest. Though I haven't experienced this, my parents have, and I feel I have lived vicariously through them. They have limitless options for how to spend their time, and it is interesting to see what they have chosen to do with it. I am a little bit jealous, too. 3) the first year in a new place. Yes, you might have a job or school, but the first year after moving often seems like you can do or be anything you want. 4)the first year in a relationship. Neither of you can do any wrong, and it is fun to explore and experience through your beloved's eyes. The hardest part of all of these is the making mistakes part. I think we actually make more mistakes when we feel most free.

Dynamic Characters- Susie Salmon vs. Lena ???

Susie, the girl who never grows up, makes for an interesting main character in Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, I was not sure about how I felt about reading a book from the point of view of a dead teenager. Even though I wonder if I agree that the dead can change as much as Susie does through the course of the book- I picture death as being a release from human yearning, desires, and struggles- I appreciate the idea that Susie is as self-aware in heaven as she was on earth. In other words, her change is from a dead soul who desperately wants to be a part of her family and earthly relationships to being content watching from a distance and enjoying her family's eventual reconciliation. So, since no one truly knows what happens to us after we die, Susie's character development is believable. It is an interesting idea that souls in the after-life go through stages of grief, just like souls left behind on earth do while missing the deceased. Lena, from Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, moves through the world as if she would make herself invisible, but she is slowly exercising her will in more positive ways than an eating disorder. She is starting to stand up to her mother, father, and for herself, which seems a healthy development, though I am still frustrated by this character more than Susie. I empathize with Susie, the dead girl,more than with Lena, the alive-but-trying-to-make-herself-invisible girl. But I see both characters as wanting to be somewhere, and someone, they are not.