Booked by Kwame Alexander

Booked

Kwame Alexander

Reading Level: Y

I became an instant Kwame Alexander fan after reading The Crossover. Booked just added to my admiration of his craft. Alexander has created a relevant book that all readers will enjoy --  he mixes sports, poetry, teenage problems and a message in a completely relatable way.  Nick is an 8th-grade soccer player whose best friend plays on a competing team. In addition to navigating the soccer field, he has to stand up to bullies and see if he has enough nerve to ask a girl out. At home, things are even more complex as his father demands Nick memorize vocabulary words and Nick witnesses his parents' marriage unravel. Nick discovers that the power of words can influence everything he does. 

What I love the most about this book is how Alexander uses words to conveys so many different meanings. As a book written in verse, word choice is extremely important. As I tell my students who are reading books in verse, they need to go back and re-read the passages so they can dive deeper and deeper into the multiple meanings. Take for example the title. Booked has so many different meanings and interpretations within the novel. 1. Yes, it is a book. 2. Booked is also a foul in soccer. 3. Nick's father makes him read words out of their own special book. 4. The action of memorizing these words according to Nick is like a "Shawshank" or being booked in prison. 5. Nick's mother has left the family or "booked out." 6. Nick is trying to get up enough nerve to "book a date" with April. 7. Nick's favorite teacher is the librarian - the guardian of books.  I love all the double plays with words. I think it is really fun!

The Winnetka connection I made, seen in the photograph above, is on the soccer playing field with the New Trier High School library in the background. The confluence of sports and academics is so prevalent in Winnetka. However, I often wonder about the incredible pressures placed on young people today - to excel at levels in everything they do while managing to navigate the highs and lows of being a teenager. 

The Wild Robot

The Wild Robot
Peter Brown
Reading Level R

I have to admit, when everyone at the Teachers College Writing Institute this past summer was snapping up this book before Peter Brown's keynote speech, I had no idea about The Wild Robot. After hearing Brown speak about how he conceived, wrote and illustrated the book, I was intrigued.  The story of Roz the robot who is stranded on an island and needs to discover how to survive was a fun read. The idea of a robot who needs to become wild in order to survive was a completely different twist on the very old Robinson Crusoe story. Even though Roz relies on her technology to learn animal language and navigate the island, the crux of the story relies on her relationships with animals and in particular Brightbill. It is the relationship piece that makes The Wild Robot such a feel good read.

When I think about a connection to Winnetka, I thought about Lake Michigan and how quickly the beach turns into a forest. It made me visualize Roz's landing site and what it would take to scale a cliff to safety. I found it interesting that Peter Brown was inspired by the Highline in New York. A place where technology (the train line) was reclaimed by the wild. It is a cautionary tale that we always remember that we can't conquer nature and that we need to come and adapt to it.

Boys in the Boat - Young Readers Adaptation

The Boys in The Boat Young Readers Adaptation
Daniel James Brown
Reading Level W

I have always been a voracious consumer of the Olympics. I watch, I marvel, I cheer, I become inspired. Every four years the broadcast stations look back at the games' highlights. I recall watching the 1976 Olympics and seeing the familiar shots of the Berlin Olympics, complete with Jessie Owens deflating an overzealous Adolf Hitler. It was during the Montreal Olympics that my dad told me we had an Olympian as a neighbor. And not just any Olympian, a gold medalist. You see,  Mr. White, who at the age of around sixty and to me seemed as ancient as they come, was a member of the 1936 rowing team that won gold in Berlin.  I thought that was pretty cool, which is high regards from a 12-year-old. Later, on the banks of Lake Carnegie in Princeton, I watched friends row and marveled at how they had the will and stamina.

When the original Boys in the Boat was published, I devoured the book.  Mostly focused on the life of Joe Rantz, the book read like the best fiction I'd ever encountered. The unbelievably bad treatment at the hands of his family and Rantz's determination to succeed took me back to my Olympic viewing experiences -- I read, I marveled, I cheered, I was inspired.  The vivid pictures the author, Daniel Brown, paints about life during the depression and the pain endured in a shell transports the reader to another time and dimension.

This summer, my teacher book group decided to read the young readers adaptation. How ecstatic I am that this book was adapted for younger readers. It contains all the essential messages from the adult version -- perseverance, ingenuity, teamwork, friendship -- with descriptive and approachable language. Even though I already knew the story, I couldn't help but cheer for the 1936 crew all over again.

When I think of the connections to Winnetka, I think of how fortunate we are to be close to facilities for rowers. Even though I don't have a shell, I do have access to a kayak now and then -- hence this picture on a sunny day.

The Wednesday Wars

The Wednesday Wars
Gary D. Schmidt
Reading Level X

My new favorite book! I laughed, I cried, I saw glimpses of my own family. Set in 1967-68, Holling Hoodhood is a 7th grader in Massapequa, NY. Each Wednesday, while the rest of his class is either at Hebrew School or Confirmation Class, he reads a new Shakespearean play at the behest of Mrs. Baker -- a teacher he is sure is out to get him. With the conflict in Vietnam casting a large shadow over each character, Holling learns that Shakespeare just might be relevant today. 

While I was reading, I could think of so many connections to Winnetka, but I narrowed it down to two. First, the Village Green with it's memorial to those who made the ultimate sacrifice while defending their country.

Second, the Winnetka Community House -- home to many a theatrical production.

In reading this book, I could relate to just about every scene -- Walter Cronkite at dinner, check; a self-absorbed parent; check (my uncle); a rebellious teen, check (my cousin); a teacher in Vietnam, check; crazy antics at school, check; learning to stand up for a friend, check; learning that your teacher is human too, check -- the list goes on and on. Gary Schmidt weaves a poignant coming of age tale, one that stands the test of time. One could easily swap Mickey Mantle for Alex Rodriguez or Vietnam for Afghanistan and still have the same results.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.