The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman

(adapted from e-mail posting sent to group July 28)

Gil Goodson seeks to secure his happiness by winning the ultimate trivia and puzzle contest and moving away to escape shame and bullying and (hopefully) false accusations.

Great for readers who enjoyed Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and who can suspend disbelief and use their imaginations well. While reading it I thought it was too similar to Dahl to not be deliberate. I was relieved that Feldman wrote in the author notes at the end of the book that Gollywhopper was written for those who wanted more adventures like Charlie's. Since there are other issues, I didn't bother worrying too much about whether this homage to the clever classic was reason enough to disqualify the book.

The scenes are outrageous and ridiculous on purpose, and appropriate for the context, and probably fit in with children's imagination and wishes for games and environment created just for them. I didn't find the characters to have enough depth for the Thumbs Up award, but can definitely see the appeal to younger readers. Rocky and his parent needed more backstory to be believable. I would put the appeal starting younger than 12 (9?) and have this book in our J Fic section. The puzzles were fun to figure out on the way. Gollywhopper could bring young readers to Dahl. Fun, but NAY.

I Am Scout by Charles J Shields

I Am Scout is about Nelle, which is Ellen spelled backward. Truman Streckfus Persons is her best friend. The book has several fact ingots about these fascinating people. If the reader wasn't aware the accomplishments of Nelle Harper Lee or Truman Capote as adults, much of the significance is lost because so much is taken for granted and not explained. The books needs more editing and citations. The author makes assumptions and observations without context or background to explain. For example, p 15, Mrs. Lee is described as "a 'brilliant woman,' killing time by playing the piano for hours or reading [which] is a sad portrait of a creative person with no outlet...Today her condition would probably be diagnosed as manic-depression" -- yet there is no citation backing up this diagnosis. Yet later on the page, eating watermelon and talking to people from the porch was cited. The observation "But actually her folks were upper-middle class" doesn't seem contrary to the description of Nelle and that bias seems out of kilter with quality non-fiction. The author appears to have conducted considerable research, but it was not seamlessly integrated into the narrative. NAY

Gem X by Nicky Singer

Gem X is a generation of genetic perfection. Maxo, 16, purported to be highly intelligent and molded to exquisite physique without aid of exercise due to calculated gene splicing and modification. Enhanced people live in Polis. Dating among the perfect elite is virtual (until screened and approved for genetic compatibility), and food comes in the form of pills. The Enhanced do not mix with the Dreggies (Naturals) who live in the Estates, and Poldrones and Clodrones serve the Enhanced with complete obedience. Then Maxo's perfection starts to crack.

Gem X takes on some of the foibles of an apocalyptic society run by a power scheming despot. Maxo doesn't strike me as being "preposterously intelligent" as it takes him a while to grasp concepts outside of the brainwashing he's been raised under and he doesn't exercise clever schemes, offer blinding insight or witty dialogue. He strikes me as a rich kid who has been isolated and protected from an unstable dystopia in his back yard and is beginning to experience a different point of view of his world. Some of his reactions weren't as strong as Mary's and John's revelations in Wall-E (great flick with a more benevolent ethos of protection and ignorance). I didn't see enough character development to warrant a Thumbs Up, but I would pass on to those not ready for deep sci fi and ready question authority. NAY

Thoreau at Walden by John Porcellino

This is a graphic novel, which depicts Thoreau’s time at Walden using only Thoreau’s words. The afterword describes it by saying “Thoreau at Walden is, like Walden itself, not a definitive or chronological account of Thoreau’s stay at the pond, but rather an impression of his experience there, and the philosophy that both brought him to its shores and resulted from his time there.”

I liked that this book took a fantastic piece of literature and succeeded in putting it in a very new format. It really works as a graphic novel because you can visually see Thoreau experiencing the world around him. It also compresses what can be a tedious read, especially for a teen, into a very simple and enjoyable one, yet at the same time it does do a good job of getting the major ideas behind Walden across. I also really enjoyed the very simplistic art style that Porcellino uses. The biggest down side for me is that I just don’t see there being that much interest in it for teens, or anyone for that matter. Walden appeals to certain people, but there are a lot of people who just don’t have an interest in reading it and I see that being the same for this book. Also, while I liked it, there is nothing truly exceptional about it. So, I am somewhat undecided but I would probably vote No for now.

RiTS by Mariken Jongman

"RiTS" addresses issues of divorce and depression through the journal writings of 13 year old Maurits (Rits). Writing in the journal is a new activity for Rits, and the entries begin short and choppy, but improve as the days go by. Sent to live with his Uncle Crorry during the Summer, it isn't immediately apparent why. Rits is reluctant to address the reasoning even in his writings. The story follows the progression of Rits' relationships with his new friends Rita and Eva as well as the budding of Uncle Crorry from a depressed, out of work and boozing stranger into family. The humor with which "RiTS" is written makes for a fun read, but it can also come at the expense of it's main character. It is an enjoyable read, likely more so for the younger end of the 12-18 spectrum, but whether it is a "Permanent contribution to the genre" - is more difficult to say.

I'm on the fence, but leaning towards nay - looking for other thoughts in the comments.

the death of jayson porter by Jaime Adoff

This story it told in a stream-of-consciousness way that really gives it a powerful punch. Jayson Porter is a black teen in an urban city in Florida where he has to worry about his part-time job, making it through his prep school (he got in on a scholarship), his abusive mom and his drug addict father (who lives in another part of the city). He is contemplating suicide as a way out of the pain - having the option of suicide actually seems to give him the will to go on. Then he finds out that his mom and dad are not his real parents but that he was basically stolen (except it was all legal) from his real mom. Next, his best friend dies in a drug related explosion. Jayson makes the leap from the seventh floor. He realizes as he falls that he wants to live. Jayson survives the fall and is going to be put in foster care as his "parents" have disappeared. However his "mom" shows back up to get him and he wonders how he will survive her. Jayson's real mom finds out what has happened and comes and steals him back (with his help). This was a really powerful story. The format just gave it more oomph - for instance the six black pages where Jayson believes that he must really be dead. Of course, most kids in terrible situations wouldn't have the real mother out in the wings to swoop them off to safety, but this was handled in a way that lent credibility to the situation. I vote yes.

Love Me Tender by Audrey Couloumbis

This is a fun story about 13 year old Elvira, trying to understand her family. Her father is a Elvis impersonator and has gone to Vegas for a big competition. Her mother, "Mel," is pregnant with her third child. Mel, Elvira, and the younger sister - Kerrie - all head to the Grandmother's house after receiving a phone call from Mel's sister saying that it was "Mom's time" (which it wasn't). This was a light-hearted romp about love and families. However, a few things kept throwing me out of the story. Elvira was both very responsible and very irresponsible - I kept thinking: is this the same girl? Another aspect that threw me was how much was expected of Elvira at times. For instance, at one point she is re-painting a window frame while the adults help at first, and then leave her working while they drink iced tea on the porch. Small things maybe - but I kept thinking, what's going here? I vote nay.