Shelf Life » Teacher Review http://lhsblog.edublogs.org The Livingston High School Reading Blog Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:41:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.2 en hourly 1 The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/the-body-of-christopher-creed-by-carol-plum-ucci/ http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/the-body-of-christopher-creed-by-carol-plum-ucci/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 17:37:45 +0000 Administrator http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/the-body-of-christopher-creed-by-carol-plum-ucci/ Is it better to be a little different, and be aware of it, or to be really weird, and have no idea? And what is society’s responsibility to people like this?

Christopher Creed is an odd kid. He doesn’t seem to have appropriate social skills for a high school student. Other students mock him, play tricks on him, and even hit him, if they become overly exasperated. One day, Christopher disappears. Did he commit suicide? Did he run away? The clues are few—Christopher sent an enigmatic email to the principal on the day of his disappearance, but interpretations as to its meaning vary dramatically. Police have yet to find his body—dead or alive. But as days go by, fingers point, accusations fly, and blame is cast—the town and relationships are torn apart.

The novel is told from the point of view of Torey Adams, a classmate of Christopher’s. Torey, in a mix of guilt and compassion, is drawn in to the mystery of Christopher’s disappearance. He begins an investigation of his own, coming dangerously close to breaking the law at times, ultimately making a shocking discovery that sends his world into a tailspin.

This novel pulled me in, and kept me racing to reach the end. Its ending is surprising and poignant, and will leave readers satisfied, and yet still asking questions and exploring its themes. An excellent mystery and social commentary!

By Miss Alvernaz

]]> http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/the-body-of-christopher-creed-by-carol-plum-ucci/feed/ 0 Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/team-of-rivals-by-doris-kearns-goodwin/ http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/team-of-rivals-by-doris-kearns-goodwin/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 17:33:10 +0000 Administrator http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/team-of-rivals-by-doris-kearns-goodwin/ For Christmas I was given the book Team of Rivals by historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. Being a history buff and having always been a fan of Abraham Lincoln I looked forward to delving into this book that was really a complex biography of five men who found their lives intertwined through the unfolding of the greatest crisis in American history, the Civil War. The book is not an easy read as the author takes you into the thinking and emotions of five men faced with some of the most difficult political and personal decisions that could be asked of anyone.
The five men whose lives you enter in the book are Lincoln, Seward Chase, Bates and Cameron. This is Lincoln and his wartime cabinet. All of them brought special gifts to offer, all them brought conflicting ambitions, and all of them were on the same team. It was only through the almost unworldly genius of Abraham Lincoln that the cabinet could function as a type of dysfunctional family of sorts. The book offers in-depth detail and is voluminous at about 900 pages. So if you want to take an historical ride through the Washington D.C. of the Civil War and involve yourself in the complexity of politics and personalities this is a grand read. I loved it and plan to read it again over the summer, just to pick up what I missed the first time through.

By Mr. Rupp

]]> http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/team-of-rivals-by-doris-kearns-goodwin/feed/ 0 East of Eden by John Steinbeck http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/east-of-eden-by-john-steinbeck/ http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/east-of-eden-by-john-steinbeck/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 17:31:25 +0000 Administrator http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/east-of-eden-by-john-steinbeck/ For years Steinbeck has been a favorite author of mine, but it wasn’t until recently that I read East of Eden and truly discovered his craft as a master storyteller.

East of Eden is the ultimate story of good versus evil. The majority of the story takes place in California’s Salinas valley and it chronicles the lives of two families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks. These two families live on neighboring farms and their paths cross from time to time. The Hamilton family is close knit and learns to survive on the rough terrain of the valley. The Trask family is far from close and brings us to the heart of the struggle between good and evil. Adam and Charles Trask are two brothers who find it difficult to get along due to the jealousy Charles has of Adam. (The relationship between the two brothers echoes the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible.) In the midst of the turbulent relationship between these brothers, we meet one of Steinbeck’s most colorful characters, Cathy Ames. Cathy literally crawls into the story severely beaten and left for dead by her former boyfriend. Though she comes into the story as a victim of abuse, Cathy soon proves to be an evil temptress and manipulator. She is married to Adam Trask and brings nothing but trouble to the Trask family from the moment she marries him, sleeps with his brother, gives birth to twin boys, Aaron and Caleb, and becomes a prostitute. From here the story of the Trask family continues on as Aaron and Caleb grow up unaware of their mother, the very successful Madam. The struggle between good and evil also continues to rage throughout this novel as the Trask brothers deal with love, jealousy and acceptance.

By Miss Yates

]]> http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/east-of-eden-by-john-steinbeck/feed/ 0 Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas James Patterson http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/suzanne%e2%80%99s-diary-for-nicholas-james-patterson/ http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/suzanne%e2%80%99s-diary-for-nicholas-james-patterson/#comments Sun, 09 Apr 2006 17:28:24 +0000 Administrator http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/suzanne%e2%80%99s-diary-for-nicholas-james-patterson/ If you’re in need of a heart warming romance to read on a cold afternoon or just looking to escape into a touching love story, then you need to get your hands on a copy of Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas.

The story opens with the protagonist Katie Wilkinson struggling to understand her unexpected break up with Matt, the love of her life. It seems that Matt and Katie’s eleven-month relationship had been well on the road to marriage, but out of the blue Matt broke it off. Soon after the break up a package is delivered to Katie’s home. What she discovers inside the package is a diary written by Suzanne for Nicholas. Curiosity and confusion lead Katie to open the diary where she discovers a note from Matt. Matt’s note apologizes to her and asks her to read the diary written by his wife to his son. Matt’s hope is that after reading the diary, Katie will be able to understand why he had to end their relationship.

As Katie reads Suzanne’s diary, the story of Matt and his former wife is revealed. The ensuing chapters alternate between Suzanne’s life and Katie’s reactions to it. The uniqueness of this story lies in the fact that the reader really gets to experience two stories of love and loss at one time. If you are a true romantic at heart, you will not be able to put this book down.

By Miss Yates

]]> http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/09/suzanne%e2%80%99s-diary-for-nicholas-james-patterson/feed/ 0 Fire and Blood: a history of Mexico by T.R. Fehrenvach http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/fire-and-blood-a-history-of-mexico-by-tr-fehrenvach/ http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/fire-and-blood-a-history-of-mexico-by-tr-fehrenvach/#comments Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:20:23 +0000 Administrator http://lhsblog.edublogs.org/2006/04/05/fire-and-blood-a-history-of-mexico-by-tr-fehrenvach/ The best book I read this year was Fire and Blood: a history of Mexico by T.R.Fehrenbach.As the title suggests the book is quite graphic and reads like a novel except the characters are historical. There are no clear cut heroes in the book with the good, the bad, and the ugly of all the major players in Mexican history exposed.Father Hidalgo is the most sympathetic character as is Maxmillian. The book is filled with maps both old and new to aid in the understanding of the history of this fabulous civilization.

By Mrs. Eismann

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